Tasavvuf and Worldview in Mevlânâ
Mevlânâ’s tasavvuf begins with the influences of India-Iran and Greece-Rome, but over time it is blended with Greek philosophy and becomes a tradition of tekkes, which are strengthened by waqfs, struggle against sharia scholars, yet unite in the belief of the unity of existence. Mevlânâ is a moral sufi who is far from the disease of inventing terms. He is a sufi who is at the center of the world, embracing the people, giving himself to the people. He expresses his belief about the source of existence with the words: ‘We are not, we are nothing; our existence is your grace; our existence is your creation.’
Mevlânâ illuminates the issue of predestination and free will with verses such as ‘Predestination is your conformity, your submission; submit, otherwise you will not see that gate, that temple.’ He explains the view of a person who passes through existence by giving his will to the will of God. He explains the belief in the unity of existence by saying, ‘As long as the servant does not annihilate his existence in the existence of God, he does things by his own will.’
In the belief of the unity of existence, Mevlânâ says, ‘Everything is subject to His power, wisdom, mercy, grace, or His wrath, anger, His bringing to life and killing, His raising up and destroying.’ He emphasizes the power of God over everything in the universe. He describes his deeds with verses such as ‘I freed the people from prison; I made the lovers’ hearts joyful; I tore open the mouth of the dragon, separated it; I made the path of love prosperous.’
Mevlânâ does not accept philosophy that relies only on reason and the path of reason, and he is strongly against analogy. He says, ‘Abandon analogy,’ indicating that analogy is not necessary. He tells a story: ‘A merchant bought a nightingale to attract customers to his shop. One day, the shop owner went somewhere, and left the shop alone. A mouse came out from a hole, and a cat, seeing the mouse, jumped at it. The frightened bird dropped the oil jars, spilling the oil on the ground. When the shop owner came back and saw the situation, he angrily hit the bird on the head. The feathers of the bird fell out, and its tongue was tied. The man regretted what he had done, but the matter was already done.’
A fly lands on a piece of straw in a pile of hay on a camel’s dung. I heard it say, ‘There is a sea; an endless, boundless sea, and ships sail on it, and expert captains steer them.’ Here is the sea, here is the ship, and I am an expert captain. A deaf man wants to visit his sick neighbor; the sick person becomes angry, and you are deaf too; if they tell you to give up, the question is clear, the answer is also clear; how can I not ask about my neighbor’s condition, how can I not visit him? He goes; he says, ‘Good morning, how are you, neighbor?’ The sick person’s jaw is clenched.