Sufism According to Mevlânâ
According to Mevlânâ, sülük is not forgetting oneself or indulging in fantasies. He does not reject anything contrary to nature. It is impossible to avoid it without desire; when desire exists, watching over one’s soul is what it means. Without an enemy, there can be no possibility of war. There is no priesthood in Islam. God says, “Feed the poor”; could this possibility exist without earning? (V, p. 38-39; B. 574-585)
Those who name God think they are in love with God’s essence, but what they are in love with is not God’s essence; it is a mere illusion caused by the names of God and His attributes. Illusion arises from attributes and limits; God is not composed of any other existence; nothing is separate from Him; no attribute is clothed on a body. Can someone who is in love with their own illusion be among the lovers of the merciful and generous God? (I. p. 169-170; B. 2752-2772)
“From attributes and names, only illusion arises; if you invoke a name, search for its owner, know the moon above in the sky, not in the river’s water. If you wish to pass from a name, from a letter, purify yourself completely, be entirely cleansed,” says Mevlânâ (same, p. 212, B. 3454-3458). Seclusion, that is, retreating to a place and entering into a state of solitude, drawing oneself away from everyone and dedicating oneself to worship is also like this: seclusion is required from the garden, not from the beloved; a fur is useful in winter, not in spring (Il. p. 248; B. 25).
Regarding ascetic practices, Mevlânâ says, “There is no asceticism in our shrine; here there is always mercy, forgiveness; always love, always heart’s acceptance, always love, always peace here” (Translation of Divân-ı Kebir; V, “Ş” rhyme, LVI. poem; first verse).
It is for this reason that Mevlânâ censures those who are called “süret uğrusu,” those who pretend to be ascetics and sufis, deceiving the people and passing days as days. Among the poems we have presented, the XXIV. and CIIL. poems in the sixth volume are two poems that strongly censure these kinds of liars.
The World According to Mevlânâ
Mevlânâ accepts that the world is created breath by breath and is constantly renewed. If someone were to rapidly swing a burnt stick from side to side, it would appear to the eye as a straight line of fire; yet, in reality, it does not change its position. Life flows away like a river, and what goes away never returns. The world, as well as we, are renewed with each breath, but we are unaware of this (Mesnevi, I. p. 71, B. 1140 -1144), indeed, in the world, all particles are devouring each other and being renewed. The soil drinks water, plants wither. The withered plants are eaten by animals, they are consumed, and they become food for humans; eventually, the soil also consumes humans. Know that the entire world consists of eaters and the eaten; in the world, there is a continuous cycle of destruction and creation (Mesnevi, II, p. 4, B. 22-26).
The world is a battlefield; particle against particle, like faith against blasphemy, is waging war; the world is also being renewed through this war (Mesnevi, VI, p. 272-273, B. 36 and onwards). In the world, every cause is from Him, and it produces an effect. But once that effect is produced and comes into existence, it becomes a cause, producing astonishing causes; thus, this lineage continues on (Mesnevi, II, p. 301; B. 1000-1003). However, every cause is superior to its effect. Flint and iron precede the spark that arises from them, yet these two are practically lifeless, while the spark is alive; because the purpose of stone and iron is the spark. In terms of time, the tree precedes the fruit, but in terms of skill, the fruit is superior to the tree (Mesnevi, Il, p. 354; B. 1964-1969).
Honey is pure water; in that water, the qualities of the cry of the nightingale shine brightly. “Their knowledge, their justice, their mercy shine like stars in the sky that strike a flowing river. Ages have come and gone; this time is a completely new time, the moon is that moon, but the water is not that water.” (Mesnevi, VI. p. 453; B. 3172 -3175) This renewal is also expressed in his words, “To migrate from one place every day, to leave a dwelling every other day, not to freeze like a river, is not empty. Yesterday passed, and the words of yesterday passed away; today, a completely new word must be spoken,” in the rubai (Rubailer; “N” rhyme; p. 179; 103. rubai), and he truly succeeds in conveying this.
Mevlânâ’s Lifestyle, Characteristics
Mevlânâ received very little money in exchange for fatwas; he had a half dirham fee (Eflaki, 110 a). There was often no food at his home (Sipeh-sâlâr; p. 54). At the time of his last illness, he had a debt of fifty-two dirhams. His creditor had forgiven this debt to him before Mevlânâ’s death, and he had expressed gratitude for it (Eflâki, 147 b).
Mevlânâ had taken only one wife; after her death, he did not marry again. He had no slave or concubine. He had taught his son Emir Âlim, in a very beautiful manner, with the chapter of Ihlâs, not to boast with staff and rod (67 b). Among those gathered around him, there were also great people such as Muineddin Pervane, Alemeddin Kayser, Sâhib Fahreddin, Bedreddin Gevhertaş, Karatay, Tâceddin Mu’tezz; but those who actually surrounded him were from the common people.
Among those who had migrated with his father, there was Muhammed Hadim, the Erzincan physician Alâeddin, Alâeddin Siryanos, originally a Roman, who had been saved from execution by Mevlânâ’s intercession, Ahi Ahmed Şah, the head of the Konya guilds, Kazzaz, Ahi Ahmed, the farmer Ahi Muhammed-i Seydâveri, Ahi Natur, who worked in the furriers’ bathhouse, the painter Rum Aynü’d-devle, the architect Bedreddin from Tebriz, the barber, the shepherd, the Konya merchant Hacı Emire, Hanende Şerefeddin, Marangoz Bedreddin, Beşikçi Şeyh, Neyzen Hamza, Debbağ Husâmeddin, the painter Rum Kaloyan, Hanende Kemâl, the rebâb player Ebü Bekir, the cotton merchant Nâsıreddin, Marangoz Mahmud, Sinâneddin, the weavers, tailors, potters, tradesmen, workers, artisans, Muslim and Christian people were Mevlânâ’s friends.
One day Muineddin, Mevlânâ was an extraordinary man, a sultan, his wife had been for centuries…