We have heard some strange news recently. Some
people have been persistently talking about the ma’rifat[1] of (Wahdat-i-wujűd), regardless of whether they know the subject
or not. They say, “Everything is He. The name Allah is a word which shows the
universe, that is, all beings collectively. For instance, the name Zayd shows
all the parts of a person. However, each part has a different name. None of the
parts is named Zayd. Yet the name Zayd stands for all the parts. Likewise,
Allâhu ta’âlâ is seen everywhere. It is permissible to call the universe
Allah.” On the contrary, these statements mean to deny Wahdat-i-wujűd (Unity of
Allâhu ta’âlâ). They point out the existence of creatures. According to them,
the existence of Allâhu ta’âlâ is within the existence of creatures. There is
no being except creatures. It is as obvious as the sun that these statements of
theirs are wrong.
In actual fact, the existence of Allâhu ta’âlâ
is different from that of creatures. Allâhu ta’âlâ should be known to be
disparate from creatures. The two existences are different from and dissimilar
to each other. In fact, those superior men of tasawwuf who told about (Wahdat-i-wujűd) were not successful in expressing what they meant. For it would
have been disbelief if they had explained it in a way similar to the statements
we have quoted above. On the other hand, if they had said, “He exists apart
from creatures,” this time the words Wahdat (Unity) and Tawhîd (Oneness) would
have lost their significance. If creatures existed separately, the knowledge of
Wahdat and Tawhîd would be wrong. However, if they had said, “The universe does
not exist separately. Its existence, [i.e. beings collectively], is only an
illusion, a fancy, [like the images seen on the screen of television or
cinema],” this time the word Wahdat [Unity] and the statement “Everything is
He” would have been senseless. For an entity
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[1] After a person has completely adapted himself to the Sharî’at of Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’ and made a certain progress in the guidance of a Murshid-i-kâmil in the spiritual way called Tasawwuf, pieces of inexplicable, subtle knowledge begin to trickle into his heart. Sometimes this trickling improves into flowing. These pieces of knowledge are called ma’rifat.
which actually exists by itself could not be said to have united
with something which exists only in imagination. If they mean, “He, alone,
exists. Nothing exists except Him,” by their statement, “Everything is He,”
their statement will be correct. Yet in this case their statement. “Everything
is He,” will be a metonymy. It will not convey the literal meanings of the
words used in it. For instance, when we see a person’s image on the mirror we
say, “I see him,” or “I see him in the mirror,” metonymically. It has become a daily
figure of speech to refer to the image of something as if it were that thing
itself, although it is known that that thing, which actually exists, is quite
different from its image. [Likewise, the voice of a person calling the adhân
(ezân) or reading Qur’ân al-kerîm which we
hear on television, on the radio, or from a loud-speaker, would not be the
voice of the person actually producing this voice. It would be some other sound
similar to the voice of that person. It would be symbolically true to say that
the voice belongs to so and so. Yet it would be wrong literally. Therefore, it
would not be permissible (in worships) to follow an imâm[1] whose voice you hear only from a loud-speaker.] To assert that
these things (the actual thing and its image) are the same, would be like
saying that a lion and an ass are identical. These two animals are completely
different. They could not be the same only because (some) people said so.
According to some superiors of Tasawwuf, to say that ‘Everything is He” does not
mean to say that “Allâhu ta’âlâ has shown Himself in the guise of creatures. He
exists separately.” It means to say that “Allâhu ta’âlâ exists. Creatures are
the images, visions of that Being.” On the other hand, the statements that we
have quoted (in the first paragraph) imply that creatures are eternal, which
means to deny the fact that they are of recent occurrence. And this denial, in
its turn, is kufr (disbelief).
Another report we have heard is about what
some people say about rising after death and about the hereafter: “Every
substance, every object we see originates from soil. And they change back into
soil again. For instance, vegetables and oats originate from soil. Animals eat
them, thus changing them into meat. And human beings eat these vegetables and
crops, thus changing them into human beings. These human beings, in their
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[1] These technicalities pertaining to Islamic worships are explained in detail in the Turkish book (Se’âdet-i Ebediyye), which has been partly translated into English in fascicles titled (Endless Bliss). Imâm, in this context, means the person who conducts the prayer of namâz when it is performed in jamâ’at (congregation of Muslims). It has other meanings, such as, ‘religious leader’, ‘religious savant’, etc.
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turn, reproduce other human beings. This is what we call
‘Resurrection.’ ” These statements mean to deny Resurrection, that is, Rising
Again After Death. This denial is called (ilhâd) or being (zindiq) in the Islamic nomenclature, which
means to gainsay hadîth-i-sherîfs and Qur’ân al-kerîm.
Again, we have heard that there are people who
allege that “The prayers called namâz which we see (being performed by some
people around us) are a commandment intended for ignorant people. Men and all
beings are worshipping. All creatures are worshipping consciously or
unconsciously. Muhammad ‘alaihis-salâm’ enjoined the namâz in order to restrain
an uncivilized tribe from felonies such as brigandage, etc.” Be it known very
well that those who make these statements are ignorant and half-witted. Our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ stated, “The namâz is the pillar of the
religion. Person who performs namâz has constructed his religion. And he who
neglects namâz has demolished his religion;” and, “Namâz is the Believer’s Mi’râj;”[1] in other words, it is the occasion on which the Believer is
closest to Allâhu ta’âlâ; and, “Namâz is the apple of my eye;” and, “The curtains between man and his Rabb (Allâhu ta’âlâ) are raised as he performs namâz.” All sorts of
virtues and blessings are contained in the commandments and prohibitions of the
Sharî’at. The thirty-second âyat of Yűnus sűra purports, “Everything beyond this periphery is
aberration.” Qur’ân al-kerîm and hadîth-i-sherîfs command us
to adapt ourselves to the Sharî’at. This is the way called (Sirât al-musteqîm). People who stray from this way are followers of the devils.
Abdullah bin Mes’űd ‘radiy-Allâhu anh’ reports: Rasűlullah ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi
wasallam’ drew a straight line on the sands, and said, “This is the way that will lead man to
the love of Allâhu ta’âlâ.” Then he drew lines
diverging from this line like on a fishbone, and said, “These are the ways to affliction led by
the devils.” The information given by all Prophets and written in the books of the ’Ulamâ of
Ahl as-sunna should not be mistaken for imaginary stories. A statement alleging
that the Sharî’at is intended for reactionary, idiotic people would be
irreligious, heretical, and therefore idiotic.
Please do not be shocked by the statement,
“Creatures are not Allâhu ta’âlâ Himself. Nor are they disparate from Him.” Do
not ask, “Then what are they?” To say that “Creatures are the images
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[1] Our Prophet’s Ascent to heaven. On Mi’râj our Prophet saw Allâhu ta’âlâ, talked to Him, and heard Him in a manner that could not be comprehended or explained by human standards. The night of Mi’râj is celebrated yearly by all Muslims.
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of the Names of Allâhu ta’âlâ; they are not He or beings other
than He,” means to say that “They are not beings distinct from and dissimilar
to Him.” For the Names and Attributes of Allâhu ta’âlâ exist with Him. They are
not disparate from Him. They do not exist by themselves. In a way, the
statement made above is like saying that a person’s image in the mirror is
neither he, nor another being disparate from him.
It is stated in a hadîth-i-sherîf, “Allâhu ta’âlâ created Âdam in His own
guise.” It means, “As Allâhu ta’âlâ does not have a
likeness, so He created Âdam ‘alaihis-salâm’ in a guise quite unlike those of
other creatures.” We have to believe directly in the facts stated clearly in hadîth-i-sherîfs such as this and many others. Many words had different meanings in those days than they have now. We should not endanger our îmân by taking them in their present meanings. Allâhu ta’âlâ created in Âdam ‘alaihis-salâm’ superiorities similar to His own perfections. The hadîth-i-sherîf quoted above points out that these superiorities are not the same, but similar to His superiorities. So is the case with His attributes Knowledge and Power. They are similar (to man’s attributes) only in name. Essentially, they are quite different.
Qur’ân al-kerîm is a mu’jiza
(miracle). To say that “This mu’jiza is only with respect to literary standards
of textuality such as rhetoric and conciseness; the commandments, prohibitions
and reports it contains are not mu’jiza,” would mean to deny Qur’ân al-kerîm and to mock âyat-i-kerîmas.
It is purported in Qur’ân al-kerîm, in the fifty-fourth âyat of (Fussilat) sűra, “Be it known that He contains everything.” Contain means ‘embody’, ‘include’. According to the ’Ulamâ of
Ahl as-sunna, the knowledge of Allâhu ta’âlâ contains everything, that is, He
knows eveything. If we should say that Allâhu ta’âlâ Himself contains
everything, then (we will have to bear in mind that) this containing is unlike
an object’s containing another object. We believe that Allâhu ta’âlâ contains
everything and that He is together with everything. Yet we do not try to know
how these things happen. These things are not comparable to things that are
within the scope of man’s mind and imagination.
As we pronounce the word (Lâ ilâha il-l’allah), we should bear in mind that (by doing so) we are rejecting
polytheists’ calling their idols ‘gods’. Polytheists call their idols ‘gods’
because they consider the idols to be worthy of being worshipped and worship
them. They do not call them so to mean that (they consider) they are creators
or indispensable beings. In other words, most disbelievers are polytheists in
worships. For becoming a Muslim,
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one must add the expression (Muhammadun Rasűlullah) (to one’s
pronunciation of the expression “lâ ilâha il-l’allah”). One will not have had
îmân unless one utters this expression. Perfection of îmân depends on the
renunciation of the desires of the nafs, too. When the words (Lâ ilâha) are pronouced, these desires are renounced, too. The
twenty-third âyat of (Jâsiya) sűra purports, “Have you seen the person who has made a
god of his sensuous desires?” The ’Ulamâ of Ahl
as-sunna state that one’s desires and aspirations will become one’s ma’bűd
(that which one worships). These desires are rejected by saying, (Lâ ilâha). When a person utters this word very frequently, he will rid
himself from the desires of his nafs and the misgivings infused by the Satan
and acknowledge that he is a born slave only to Allâhu ta’âlâ. Repeating the
name of Allâhu ta’âlâ frequently will take one closer to Allâhu ta’âlâ. In other
words, it will augment the reciprocal love (between Allâhu ta’âlâ and the born
slave). Thus one will become fânî, (that is, one’s self, which is the most
diehard obstacle between one and Allâhu ta’âlâ, will perish). One’s heart will
no longer have any love except for Allâhu ta’âlâ. And frequent repetition of
the Kalima-i-Tawhîd, (that is, saying, “lâ ilâha il-l’allah”), will completely
nullify one’s attachment to creatures. Thus all the curtains between Allâhu
ta’âlâ and the born slave will disappear. Shâh-i-Nakshiband Muhammad Bahâuddîn
Bukhârî[1] stated, “None of
the things you see and hear is He. All of these things should be renounced,
when saying, ‘Lâ’.” Abű Ishaq Qazrűnî[2] saw our Prophet ‘sall-Allâhu alaihi wasallam’ in his dream
and asked him what Tawhîd was. The answer was: “When you say Allah, none of the
things that come to your heart, to your mind, to your imagination, is Allah.”
People who name themselves Shaikhs or Murshids
(religious guides) and spoil Muslims’ îmân by making statements contradictory
to the Sharî’at, are not religious people. They are thieves of religion. They
are disbelievers. We should shun from them. Talking to them or reading their
books will spoil one’s îmân and drive one into the eternal affliction. We
should avoid these people and reading their books with the same dread as we
would feel in avoiding a lion. Should a person ever be misled by these people,
let him make tawba immediately (upon realizing that he has been misled). The
gates of tawba are (always) open. One’s tawba will be acceptable until one
takes one’s final breath.
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[1] Muhammad
Bahâuddîn passed away in Bukhârâ in 791 [A.D. 1389].
[2] Qazrűnî
passed away in 426 [A.D. 1034].
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