Book of Knowledge/IH. Chapter
Some people try to draw conclusions in accordance with Beyazid-ı Bistamî’s140 statement ‘Subhanî, Subhanî’ (I am exalted above partnership; I have no partner). Such statements cause great harm to the people. Indeed, some farmers, upon hearing these words, have left their fields and poles and started running after these dry arguments. Because these statements are so strange that they attract people. For this reason, people think they have been freed from certain acts of worship. What a great calamity! The calamity of the soul rising to high ranks and dealing with Allah is even worse. Foolish people always see the power to realize these dry arguments in their souls and do not hesitate to speak words that are meaningless and appear beautiful on the surface but are internally ruined.
If they are confronted with such statements, they immediately try to answer like this: ‘Your objection comes from your knowledge and your eagerness to debate. Knowledge is nothing but the curtain drawn before the truths. Gedel has no value because it pleases the soul. However, all our statements are the expression of the inner states. These statements show the discovery of the light of truth in our inner selves and truth manifests in us.’ Indeed, such and similar claims have wrapped the Islamic countries like a dangerous fire and have caused the fire to burn and turn to ashes, especially the common people. Killing someone who speaks such words is more beneficial than reviving ten people in the sight of Allah.
The statement attributed to Beyazid-ı Bistamî did not come out of his mouth. It is certainly wrong to attribute such a statement to him. If a similar statement had come out of his mouth, then we must accept that he spoke it not for himself but for Allah. When speaking about Allah’s religion, he might have said such a statement within the information about Him. Indeed, Allah the Almighty (c.c) said: ‘Adı Tayfur b. İsâ is his name. He died in the year 261 (or 264) Hijri.’
As stated in Ihya-i Ulûm-id-Din: ‘Indeed I am Allah, there is no god but I. Therefore, worship me.’ In this regard, Bistamî could have only narrated this statement as the statement of Allah. Otherwise, we cannot imagine that he spoke it in his own name. Second, it consists of some words whose meanings are not understood. These words on the surface carry very pleasant and terrifying meanings. However, that is all. They do not express anything beyond that. Those who speak these words do not know their meanings and only load their own nonsense, which they have in their minds, onto these words due to the deficiency of their minds. They have never been able to penetrate the meaning of these words that come out of their mouths. Some understand this meaning, but since they are unable to explain their intentions, they cannot use these expressions appropriately.
Because, due to their lack of knowledge, they do not know how to express the meanings with which terms. There is no benefit in such statements. These kinds of words wound the hearts, terrify the minds, and lead the minds to confusion and the understanding of unintended meanings. At such a time, everyone follows their desires and starts to extract meanings from these words as they wish. The Messenger of Allah (s.a) said: ‘If any of you speaks to a group in a way that they do not understand, then this speech will be a fitnah for those who listen. •*J^xjj
Avoid speaking to people in a way they do not understand. Would you like to desire the denial of Allah and His Messenger? 141) Ukaylî, Ebu Nuaynı, (Ibn Abbas from) 142) Buharî, Beyhâkî, Deylemî
Book of Knowledge/III. Chapter
The speeches that the Messenger of Allah (s.a) prohibited are those that are understood by the speaker but not by the listeners. Those who listen to these speeches cannot ever place them in their minds because they do not understand them. What is said about words that even the speaker does not understand? If the speaker knows the meaning of his own words, but the listeners do not understand them, such a speech is not permissible. Jesus (a.s) said: ‘Do not entrust wisdom to those who are not qualified, lest you commit injustice against wisdom. Do not envy those who are qualified, lest you commit injustice against those who understand and possess knowledge. Be like a compassionate physician, for physicians apply medicine only to wounds.’ Jesus (a.s) said: ‘One who tries to entrust wisdom to those who are not qualified is a fool.
One who conceals wisdom from its people is a tyrant. Indeed, wisdom has a right and it has its rightful people. Therefore, the right should be given to every rightful person.’ In conclusion, the entire subject of ambiguity is related to the subject of ambiguity. In addition, ambiguity has its own specific attribute. This specific attribute is to try to assign inner meanings to the words of the Sharia, which have no benefit, by separating them from their apparent meanings. Just like the interpretations that the inner people do on the Quran and hadiths… Thus, for this reason, ambiguity and ambiguity are both forbidden and harmful. Because interpreting words without relying on a narration from the Sharia and without relying on an intellectual evidence due to necessity completely shakes the trust in words, and in this situation, the words of Allah and His Messenger also become incomprehensible.
Because now the words have no meaning left, or more accurately, everyone has given their own meaning to each word and the rulings have been removed. Indeed, now inner meanings are extracted from every word. This is one of the greatest calamities. This harmful situation, which is very common among the people, is one of the bid’ahs. The creators of these bid’ahs are those who want to gain fame by running after eccentricities.
Ebu Talib el-Mekkî, Kut’ul-Kulûb
Ihya-i Ulûm’id-Din Because by nature, human beings have always been inclined towards eccentricities and have considered those who are believed to represent eccentricities as great people. Thus, these charlatans have exploited people’s enjoyment of strange things and have become heroes in the eyes of the people. The inner people try to shake the great foundations of the Sharia with their terrible false beliefs and interpret the apparent rulings of the Sharia, as we have stated in our book named El-Müstezhir, which we wrote to destroy the Sharia according to their interpretations. As an example of the interpretation of the people of ambiguity, we can show the interpretation of this verse: Go to Pharaoh, for now he is very few. (Nâziat/17) They have said that the word Pharaoh in the verse does not refer to the wicked Pharaoh, but to a state of the heart, saying ‘The intention of Pharaoh is the heart that attacks people.’
Again, they have attributed the word ‘asâ’ in the 32nd verse of the Surah Kasas, which says ‘And leave the asâ on the ground,’ to things that people rely on and trust other than Allah, and they have said that it is necessary to remove and discard these things. They have interpreted the statement of the Messenger of Allah (s.a) ‘Sahur yemeğini yeyiniz, çünkü sahurda bereket vardır’ (Eat sahur, for there is blessing in sahur) as ‘The intention of sahur is to perform istighfar at the time of seher.’ These people go so far that they try to interpret the entire Quran from beginning to end, ignoring all the Quranic commentators from Ibn Abbas onwards and distorting all the verses according to their own understanding. (Indeed, these frauds have resorted to this method to be able to do so).
It is well known that the interpretations of the inner people and many of their interpretations are false. Just like their interpretation of Pharaoh as the heart… Buharî and Müslim (From Enes)
Book of Knowledge/III. Chapter
Pharaoh is a person who can be touched by hand and seen with the eyes. His existence has reached us through the consensus. Likewise, the fact that Pharaoh was invited by Hz. Musa to the truth is also a consensus. Pharaoh is a disbeliever, like a later Abu Lahab, an Abu Jahl, and a poet disbeliever. Pharaoh is not one of the things that are not known by the senses, such as Satan and angels, so that we should try to interpret them. It is a great mistake to interpret sahur as istighfar at the time of seher. Because our master has informed us directly about what sahur is. The Messenger of Allah eats during sahur and tells those around him: ‘Come to the blessed food.’
According to all the measures that come through consensus, senses and narration, such interpretations are the lowest level of falsehood. Sometimes we know that these interpretations are false by the prevailing opinion. This also happens in commands where there is no interference from the senses. All these interpretations are forbidden, they are misleading, and they are corruption in the eyes of the religious people. Neither from the companions nor from the followers have similar narrations been transmitted about these interpretations. Neither from Hasan Basri, who called the people to the truth and gave advice to the people, have such interpretations been transmitted. (Hasan Basri became knowledgeable by listening to the companions for forty years without interruption. He transmitted everything he heard from the companions throughout his life. Among those he listened to were seventy Bedir heroes and other three hundred companions.
Despite this, he did not make such interpretations. No narration has come about him making such interpretations. There is not even the simplest evidence in the hands of the inner people about this). The Messenger of Allah (s.a) said: ‘Whoever interprets the Quran according to his own opinion (without considering the rules) should prepare his place in the fire.’ 145) Ebu Dâvud, Nesâî and İbn Hibban, (From Irbâd b. Sâriye) 146) Tirmizî, (From Ibn Abbas)
Ihya-i Ulûm’id-Din If we attribute the meaning of this noble hadith to those who interpret the Quran according to their own views, like the inner people, we can clarify it. That is: The intention and view of a person who avoids such interpretations and has the inner people’s tendency is to investigate and determine an order. Indeed, he wants to confirm this order with the testimony of the Quran through interpretation. He wants to assign these meanings to the Quranic verses even though there is no evidence in terms of language or narration. The noble hadith we mentioned above does not say that the Quran should not be interpreted through inquiry and contemplation. Because for many verses, five or six, and even seven meanings have been transmitted from the companion of Idrâm and the commentators.
It is known that all these meanings have not been transmitted from the Messenger of Allah. Because sometimes one meaning negates another, making it impossible to collect them together. Therefore, all these meanings have not been heard from the Messenger of Allah, but may have been put forward as meanings resulting from long contemplation and understanding. For this secret, the Messenger of Allah said about Ibn Abbas: ‘O Allah! Make him a scholar in religion and teach him the interpretation of the Quran.’ A person from the people of ambiguity, who knows that these interpretations are not the meanings intended by the words, but considers them permissible and claims to call the people to the truth, is similar to a person who fabricates a statement to prove a true thing, which the Messenger of Allah did not say.
This is the very essence of oppression and misguidance, and the person who commits this oppression is also threatened by the blessed words of the Messenger of Allah: jLUl ^jA ojUum IjXü Ia <^ I am the one who fabricates a statement about me intentionally and spreads lies. Prepare your place in the fire! 147) Müslüm, İmam Ahmed and Hâkim 148) Buharî and Müslim, (From Ebu Hüreyre, Hz. Ali and Enes)
Book of Knowledge/III. Chapter
The interpretation of these words is even more terrifying than all these dangers. Because such interpretations shake the trust in words. In this way, no one can extract any meaning from the Quran. Thus, the ways to benefit from the Quran are closed! It is clear how the devil has turned those who call the people to the truth from noble and accepted knowledge to false knowledge. All these calamities arise as a result of the deception of fake scholars who use terms in other meanings rather than their real meanings. If you follow these people by trusting the famous terms and not looking at the truth known in the first age, your situation is similar to that of a person called a physician but who has no relation to wisdom and who is seeking honor.
Such a person is only satisfied with the honor of the term wisdom. Because the term wisdom is now attributed to doctors, poets, and diviners. Assigning these terms to the people of these professions arises from ignorance (gaflet) of the meanings expressed by the words. The fifth is the term wisdom. The attribute of wisdom is attributed to doctors, poets, and diviners. Even hokkabazs who spin pumpkins with the claws of birds on the roadside or with the hands of villagers are addressed with the attribute of wisdom. However, wisdom is the science praised by Allah the Almighty. Allah bestows wisdom on whom He wills. Whoever is given wisdom, surely a great good has been given to him. Only the people of reason can think about this. (Bakara/269) Hz.
The Messenger (s.a) said: ‘Learning a single word of wisdom is more beneficial for a person than the entire world and everything in it.’ Think carefully about what wisdom means by examining the above-mentioned verse and hadith, so that you can understand in which meanings it has been used later. Compare the other terms with the term ‘hikmet’. However, if you do this, you can protect yourself from the tricks of fake scholars. Because the damage that bad scholars do to religion is more terrifying than the damage done by devils. Because devils draw people’s faith from their hearts by using people like these. For this reason, the Messenger of Allah (s.a) avoided answering the question of who is the worst among the people and said ‘Allah forgive me’ instead. When the Companions repeated the same question several times, he said: ‘They are bad scholars.’ Mahmud and Mczmum (Good and Ugly) you now know where the source of the good and bad knowledge and the prejudice comes from. Therefore, now you are aware; either you conform your soul to the righteous predecessors or you tightly bind yourself to the chains of pride and follow the successor.
The good knowledge that the righteous predecessors chose as their occupation has been subjected to rejection, so most of the knowledge that occupies today’s people are bid’ahs and have been added to religion later. In this way, the blessed words of the Messenger of Allah (s.a) have also come true: ^ “fi” “fi* x , “fi* ” J X *xx xX # ” 1 >xx X # ” r . • #xx jjjJl “J^ VtLjJâJl Û3J “uM* (^7*^} 1^^** ^” ^” ^ij^ ^^^3 ^J^ f^*”*^” “^ İslâm started strangely and will end strangely as it began. There is paradise for the strange. When the Messenger of Allah said this,
he was asked, ‘Who are the strange people?’ He answered: ‘The strange people are those who mend and correct the sunnah that has been ruined by the people. They also revive the sunnah that has been killed (abandoned) by the people.’ 150) Darimî, (From Ehvaz b. Hekim); Bezzar, Müsned, (From Muaz); 151) Müslim, (From Ebu Hüreyre); Tirmizî, (From Amr b. Avfdan) 152) Tirmizî, (From Kesîr b. Abdullah b. Amir b. Avfdan)
Book of Knowledge/III. Chapter
The strange people are those who cling to the truth you are on today. The strange people are few in number, righteous individuals. However, these people live within a community that is numerous and consists of people who are not righteous. In this community where they live, few love them and many despise them. Indeed, the knowledge of the righteous predecessors is strange today. So much so that today, those who remember this knowledge are not loved. For this reason, Süfyân es-Sevrî, who wanted to point out this secret, said: ‘When you see that a scholar has many friends, know that this scholar has mixed the truth with falsehood. Because if he had not mixed the truth with falsehood, his friends would be few and his enemies would be many.’
Mahmud (Good) The Amount of Praiseworthy Knowledge In this regard, knowledge is divided into three parts: 1. Knowledge that is mostly bad and few good 2. Knowledge that is mostly good and few bad; the more it is, the better it is. The sufficient amount is good, and the remaining part is not good. The state of knowledge is exactly like the state of the body. There are some states of the body that are both few and mostly good. For example, health and beauty… Another part is good when moderate, but bad when excessive. For example, giving charity. Giving charity excessively is a donation, but it is not good because it is wasteful. For example, one of the branches of courage, which is called tehevvür. Tehevvür is a part of courage but it is not good. However, courage is good. Indeed, knowledge is exactly like this. Knowledge that is mostly bad and few good is a knowledge that does not benefit either the hereafter or the world. Neither the world nor the hereafter153) The source of this hadith has not been found.) İmam Ahmed, (From Abdullah b. Amr)