Liers and Storytellers
Hazret-i Ali (RA.), having expelled the storytellers from the Basra mosques, but when he listened to Hasan-ı Basri, he did not say anything to him. Because Hasan-ı Basri was explaining the knowledge of the Hereafter, thinking about death, correcting one’s own faults, the dangers of deeds, the whisperings of Satan and ways to protect oneself from them, reminding of the blessings of Allahu Teâlâ and the shortcomings in gratitude, explaining the justice and impermanence of the world, the faults of the world, and the dangers and hardships of the Hereafter. This is exactly the sermon that is recommended by the Sharia and encouraged by the narration of Ebü Zerr.
Our Prophet:
«Being present in a gathering of remembrance and knowledge is more virtuous than performing a thousand rakats of prayer, visiting a thousand sick people, or attending a thousand funerals» he said.
When asked: «O Messenger of Allah, is it more virtuous than reading the Qur’an?»
He said: «The Qur’an only benefits with knowledge.»
Atâ (RA): «A gathering of remembrance expiates the sins of seventy gatherings of entertainment.» he said.
People whose inside is rotten and outside is adorned use such hadiths to justify their own fabrications, calling their empty words «sermon» and «remembrance». In this way, they forgot the path of true remembrance and instead occupied themselves with stories that do not match and are not in line with the stories in the Qur’an. Although stories can be beneficial, some of them are harmful even if they are true.
Those who make storytelling a craft mix the truth, lies, profit, and loss together. Because of this, storytelling has been prohibited. For this reason, Ahmed b. Hanbel (RA) said: «If a storyteller tells the truth, there is no need for a storyteller.»
If a storyteller tells the truth and the stories are related to religion and are about the prophets, there is no harm in telling such stories. However, a storyteller should greatly avoid telling stories that are based on the hidden faults of great people or stories that the common people cannot understand.
Because the common people, upon hearing such stories, may feel emboldened and say: «What can I do, if I am sinful, these great people also committed such sins. Therefore, we are all sinful.» They try to justify themselves and such stories encourage them to rebellion. Avoiding lies and stories that are hard to understand, there is no harm in telling stories. Indeed, when these defects are removed, the stories become the accepted stories found in authentic books and the Qur’an.
Some people, thinking that they are inviting the people to the truth even if they are lying, encourage the narration of weak stories that promote worship. However, this is the fitna of Satan. Because the field of truth is broader than lies. The stories told by Allahu Teâlâ in the Qur’an-i Kerim and the blessed hadiths of the Prophet do not require any fabrications. Why would there be a need for fabricated sentences and words in sermons, which are even prohibited?
When Sa’d b. Ebi Vakkas came to him for a need and spoke in rhymed prose, the Prophet said: «Your speaking in this way made me angry. Unless you repent, your request will never be fulfilled.»
To Ibn Revâha, who used three words in a rhyme, the Prophet said: «Be quiet, O son of Revâha.»
The rhyme that should be avoided is the one that uses more than two words. For this reason, when Haml b. Nâbiga said: «How can there be a diet for someone who does not eat, drink, or cry? This is disgraceful.» and expressed these words in a rhymed manner, the Prophet said: «Is this like the rhymed speech of the Arabs?»
It is also not appropriate for poetry to be recited in sermons. Allahu Teâlâ says:
«Poets, behind them fall the corrupt and the deviant. Do you not see that they are enchanted in every promise?»
Again, Allahu Teâlâ says:
«We did not teach poetry to the Prophet, and it is not suitable for him.»
Most of the poems recited by preachers are about love, the beauty of the beloved, the presence of the beloved, and the pain of separation. However, most of the listeners are the common people, who are inclined to the beauty of the heart. Such poems only incite the desires of the youth, ignite passion, and cause them to merge. Most of these poems, perhaps all of them, corrupt the religion. What is suitable is not these kinds of poems, but rather poems that serve as evidence for the call, advice, and wisdom. Indeed, the Prophet said:
«Some of the poems are wisdom.»
If all the listeners are a group deeply immersed in the love of Allah and there is no one else in the gathering, then there is no harm in reciting verses that point to Allah through their outward appearance. Because each listener understands what they hear according to the desires of their heart. The truth of this will be explained in the section on the heavens. This is why Junayd always addressed a gathering of ten people. If the gathering reached twenty, he would not speak more. Because of this, he never reached a gathering of twenty.
When a large crowd gathered in front of the house of (Basra’s) Ibn Sâlim, they said: «These are your people, they want you to speak, so speak.» Ibn Sâlim said: «These are not my people, they are the people of the gathering. My friends are from the group of the mystics.»
As for the term «shath», we are referring to a kind of speech invented by some Sufis.
1 — These are unnecessary words expressing love for Allahu Teâlâ and claims of union with Him, being independent of outward actions and deeds. Some of them even claim that the veil between them and Allahu Teâlâ has been lifted, that they have seen Allahu Teâlâ, and that they have attained the rank of divine address. They try to compare themselves to Husayn b. Hallâc-ı Mansur, who was executed for such statements, by saying: «This was said to us by Allah, and we said it.» They also use Bayezid-i Bistâmi’s statement: «Subhant, Subhânir (I glorify myself, I glorify myself)» as evidence. These kinds of statements cause great harm to the common people. Indeed, because of this, many farmers left their farming and became involved in such claims. Because human nature enjoys such statements.
In these claims, the self is elevated through reaching high states and conditions without deeds. The ignorant do not avoid such claims and do not refrain from making such exaggerated statements. Even when these statements are rejected, they do not hesitate to say: «The source of denial against us is knowledge and the self; knowledge is the veil, and the self is the essence. Our words are the manifestation of the light of truth from within.»
These and similar statements have spread everywhere and have caused great harm to the common people. Even killing those who speak such words is more virtuous than saving ten people in the religion of Allahu Teâlâ.
As for Ebü Yezid-i Bistâmi: First, the reports attributed to him are not true. If it is truly said that something greater than him was heard, it may be that Allahu Teâlâ has told these stories through the medium of a tale. It is not correct to claim them as one’s own. Indeed:
«The true worshipper of Allah is worthy of Allah, so worship me.»
When we hear this verse from his mouth, it is not correct to claim it as his own.
2 — The second meaning of «shath» is a set of obscure and incomprehensible expressions that do not yield any benefit. There are two reasons for this: Either the balance of the mind is disturbed and the imagination is confused, so that the speaker does not know what he is saying, and even the speaker himself does not know what he said, which is the case for many. Or, he understands something and, due to ignorance, cannot find the appropriate words to express what he understood. There is no benefit in such speech, because these words confuse the heart, confuse the mind, astonish the minds, or lead the listeners to misunderstandings, and everyone interprets them according to their own ability. However, the Prophet said:
«If one of you addresses a gathering in a way that they cannot understand, you are causing fitna in the gathering.»
Again, the Prophet said:
«Explain what you understand, and leave what you do not understand. Do you want to lie about Allah and His Messenger?»
This is the situation of someone who cannot explain what he understands: «Speaking without understanding» is absolutely not permissible. Jesus (peace be upon him) said: «Do not give wisdom to those who are not its people, for you are committing injustice to wisdom. Not giving it to its people is also injustice. Be like a physician who applies medicine to a wound.» In other words, giving wisdom to those who are not its people is ignorance, and not giving it to its people is injustice. Wisdom has its right, and its people also exist. Give the right to everyone who is its rightful owner.
As for the unnecessary words called «tammât», in addition to what was explained in the section on «shath», they also have a specific meaning. That is, they are the words of the Sharia, taking the meanings that are understood and transferring them to incomprehensible meanings without any benefit, like the interpretation habits of the Bâti’nîs. This is also forbidden in Islam and causes great harm. Because changing the meanings of the words without any news from the owner of the Sharia and without a necessity that the mind requires, destroys the trust in words, and the value of the speech of Allahu Teâlâ and the Prophet (SAW) is lost. (Because we adjust our worship according to the apparent meanings of these commands), According to their claims, it is not necessary to rely on the understood meaning. There is no principle for the inner meaning. Everyone can interpret them according to their own fabrications. This is also one of the innovations that cause great harm to Islam. The aim of these people is to destroy the Sharia and turn people to their own inner and false beliefs, by presenting strange things and interpreting the apparent meaning. Indeed, in our book «MUSTAZHARIYYE», which was classified as rejecting the Bâtimiyyey, we explained this.
Examples of the interpretations of the «tammât» people from the Qur’an:
«Go to Fir’avn, he is arrogant.»
They say: «The word «FIR‘AVN» means the heart. Because the heart is the one that tyrannizes over the human being.»
«And cast away the burden, leave it.»
Their interpretation of this is: «Leave everything that is not based on Allahu Teâlâ.»
Examples of interpretations of hadiths:
«In Ramadan, eat the night meal, because there is blessing in it.»
According to them, it means: «Repent during the nights.» There are many such interpretations. Even they have interpreted the entire Qur’an and have separated from the meanings reported by Ibn Abbâs and other scholars. It is clearly understood that some of these interpretations are baseless. For example, giving the meaning of «heart» to the word «Fir‘ayn». Because Fir’avn is a known human being, and the historical testimony tells us that Musa (AS) invited him, and this is a fact that reaches us. Ebü Cehl and Ebü Leheb are also like this.
These are things that cannot be seen with the eye, and it is not appropriate to search for interpretations from Satan or angels. Interpreting «SUHOR» as istiğfâr is also baseless. Because the Prophet himself ate the night meal and said: «Eat.»
Indeed, another hadith of the Sharia says:
«Make the blessed meal [night meal] permissible.»
Indeed, the falsity of these interpretations is known through consensus and experience. The falsity of the others is also known with the general belief, because they are not related to the subtleties. All of these interpretations are forbidden, madness, and they corrupt the religion of people. These baseless interpretations are not