English
TürkçeBİSMİLLAHİRRAHMANİRRAHİM
In the name of Allah, who is the Most Merciful and The Most Compassionate
The inspirations from the Existence are descending from the Exalted one by one….
As it is well known, at the time of the Prophet and even before Him, people gathered under the leadership of some chiefs in Mecca, Medina, and in all the Arabia and they were called as “tribes”. There were some literate people in the families of the leaders of tribes in Mecca, Medina and in Arabia, though they were in small numbers. However, there were only a few literate people among the ordinary people and slaves. Yet, they were intelligent -they had the ability of understanding, because the meaning of intelligence in the dictionaries is to understand something or the ability of understanding given by Allah. In Arabic, “foolish” does not mean “mad or crazy”. Mad means “ill in the mind”. People are intelligent in general and they are not foolish.
There were some Jewess and Christians from the People of the Book during Prophet’s time. Even some groups of Jews lived in Medina and in Khaybar. The tribe called as “Ben-i Nadir” was also Jewish. They had synagogues, priests (Rabbis) and religious scholars. There was also Amman in the north of Mecca, today’s Jordan, Damascus, Jerusalem and the Kingdom of the Christian Abyssinia (Ethiopian Christians) in the West of Mecca.
These Christians and Jewess tried to make these pagan Arabs a Christian and Jewish but they would never become a Christian or a Jewish. That is to say, the scholars of Christianity and Judaism would not succeed this and they did not succeed it either, it failed.
THEN, WHY WERE THEY NOT SUCCESSFUL?
They had the Books of God; the Tawrat (the Torah) and the Bible (Gospel) and divine message existed at that time even before Islam. The Tawrat and the Bible are the books of Allah. They are the word (the Speech) of Allah. These two books were not abolished until our Prophet declared his Prophecy and until the revelation of the Koran. These two books were abolished by the Koran and they were also the books- the word of Allah.
The Christian and Jewish scholars would read verses from the Tawrat and Bible. They wanted them to depend on the Divine Message very much somehow they could not succeed it. They were not able to make the Arabs Christian or Jewish, but WHY COULD THEY NOT CHANGE THEM? Because, whether or not these people were literate and illiterate, they were not foolish in general. Everybody has a mind- an intellect at different levels or varying degrees and this is natural. Intellect- mind is not artificial or manmade. It is a God-given talent. Mind is one of the attributions of the Spirit is breathed into the body of man. What I have explained so far is the truth. We say Human beings are not foolish or stupid.
Now, these pagan (polytheist) Arabs, in Mecca, Medina and in the other areas, were informed about the teaching of the Torah and the Bible. They knew them. The scholars were also making a great effort and they were listening to these teachings too. However, they could not see the Divine Light and the enlightenment of Allah, Moses, the Tawrat, Jesus Christ, and the Bible on the faces of these clergy, bishops, priests, rabbis, the chief rabbis. They could not see the Jewish, Mosaic and Christian perfection, virtue, honesty and safety in these religious people. For this reason, they did not believe in them and they were not contented with their teaching although they listened to them, because as I explained above, people, in general, are not foolish. Every human being is the owner of a mind more or less, and this is an attribution given to them by the Absolute Existence.
Our people are also not contented, will not be satisfied unless they see the beautiful qualities or attributes of our Prophet when they see those who represent God; no matter what they are called: as a hodja, scholar, teacher, religious official, father, sheikh, preacher, master, perfect man or religious leader. People are not satisfied if they do not see the divine light on their faces; the honesty, morality in their behaviors because they are not foolish in general.
NOW, WHAT DO WE WANT TO SAY? We mean to say that faith CANNOT BE HELD THROUGH TEACHING.
The teaching must particularly be in accordance with the person who teaches it. There should be a Christian divine light of Jesus on the Christian scholars, a divine light of Moses on the face of the Jewish clergymen, because all the Perfect Men are divine. Allah reports in the Koran that the Tawrat, Bible and the Psalms of David (Zabur) and the Koran are all Divine Light. Allah said about our Prophet in the Koran, in the Sura of Ahzab, verse 46:
“You invite people to Allah with the permission of Allah and you are the shining Light, O Muhammad”. Allah describes the Sun in the sky as “the shining Light”. Thus, according to the Koran, Hz. Muhammad is the Sun who emits “Divine Light”. This verse includes all the other Prophets and the Perfect Man as well. All the Saints (the Friends of God) and Prophets are the bright lights and they emit divine light.
Therefore, these polytheist, pagan Arabs, the people that lived in that area and those who believed in the Prophet of Muhammad observed the Divine Light of Allah- the Lord-, the Koran, the Bible, the Tawrat, the Zabur, the Divine Light of Moses, Jesus, Adam, Noah and of the holy personalities on the sacred face of the Prophet Muhammad. They personally saw the virtue, compassion, mercy, kindness and justice in Him and they admired Him. They recognized and realized the divinity on the face of the Holy Prophet and said, “This Hazrat Muhammad is spiritually perfect, he is in contact with Allah, he is divine, he has divine light, he is a mature man and he is trustworthy”, and they liked and loved him. As they loved him, they loved God and they sat at his feet. Because they loved him, the Absolute God Allah loved them too and He guided them into the true faith. He bestowed faith on them.
If a person does not love God, he is not given faith. To love a Prophet means to love directly God. It is different from loving an ordinary person.
Thus, we say: “Allah is one, the Prophet is true (Haq)”. Those who loved Hazrat Muhammad, Moses, Jesus, David, Abraham and all the Prophets, the Friends of the Prophet (the first believers), the Disciples of Jesus, the Family of the Prophet and the distinguished Friends of the Prophet saw (observed) the Divine Light on the face of Hz. Muhammad, Hz. Moses and Hz. Jesus. They loved them; they praised them and helped them. Therefore, Allah called them as “The helpers of Allah”. Helping the Prophets and pious people means helping Allah. (Al-Fath, 9 The Imrans, 52)
Those who do not love them have several reasons; some of them envied them and asked, “Why is he divine? Why am I not divine?” Some of them were very heedless and they could not notice the beauty in this face. They were the heedless –in dark ignorance- and also the chiefs –the influential people of that time-.
They saw that the Prophets, especially Hz. Muhammad had a great ability of influencing and convincing people and they said: “He is a chief, he is a leader and he may influence people and attract them”. They likened him to themselves and got frightened from his influence on the people and their support for him. They decided to kill the Prophet Muhammad (A.S.) and all the other Prophets because they were against to their order of cruelty. They were afraid that their life styles -order- would change, as the Prophets always wanted social equity and justice. The Prophets were from the poor families and some people denied them consciously in order not to lose their presidency. They tyrannized, tortured the prophets and the saints (the friends of God) and killed some of them.
The old teachings are like a story for people. Whatever you do, they cannot be contented or satisfied. Human –beings cannot be a believer through teaching. They must personally see that Perfect Human. We also cannot be a real Adam just by reading the poetry and the teachings of Yunus (the Perfect Human) if we do not see Yunus himself. They keep on saying: “Be an Adam, man -human-!”, but HOW CAN WE BE A HUMAN (ADAM)?
“Adam is like that… Adam is like this… Adam said… Adam was such a good person… Adam was so good… etc.” How will they know Adam from a person who has not seen Adam in his lifetime? It does not come true with the teaching. You must see the teacher of the reality. You cannot be an Adam if you do not see Adam. Teaching is a gerund, an action, a verb, a teacher who teaches is the pronoun- a subject. The pronoun - the subject- is a Scholar. Knowledge cannot do anything if there is no scholar. Knowledge guides (initiates). There cannot be an action without an actor. If there is no person, there is no attribution.
What I mean to say is: Faith is not by teaching, it is not a doctrine. Faith cannot be learnt by reading and writing. Faith is an event, a state, a case. Faith is revealed from the Heavens (above). The other knowledge: Jurisprudence, Physical Sciences, Fine Arts are learnt by studying and using your mind, but faith is bestowed by God and it is divine. It is a divine gift revealed from the Heavens. It is a spiritual guidance. If you ask a scholar of Islam: “Is faith bestowed or obtained?” he would say: “Faith is bestowed by God.” It is a divine gift, but it is not something that you earn or gain. Therefore, you cannot acquire faith by studying or trying.
If it were by studying or a doctrine, 90 percent of the Friends of the Prophet were illiterate, then how did they become an “Adam” without reading and writing? The Prophets did not open a school. Our Prophet explained and interpreted the Koran to the first believers with the permission of Allah and they listened to him.
He did not say to any of his faithful brothers/sisters and his friends: “Bring a pencil and a paper and learn this and I will give you a test!”
Our Master only talked to them (had a chat with them) even if they do not know how to write and read, whether they were literate or illiterate. They became a wise person according to their abilities. Nobody can call the Friends of the Prophets as “ignorant”. Yet, most of the Friends of the Prophets were illiterate. The religious schools were opened 60 -70 years after our Prophet, during the Umayyads and Abbasids. There were such believers that they died before 20 verses were revealed. Some of them were martyred and some of them were killed or murdered. Some died before they read 50-100 verses.
The Koran was completed in 23 years. Now, although 6000 verses are in our hands, the Sayings of the Prophets are in our hands, these religious schools, Madrasas, opened for 1350 years, are in our hands, we are somehow not satisfied, we cannot reach the piety, the grace and the faith of the great personalities, who were grown up in that society, and we cannot be pious believers.
Whereas, there were some people from the friends of the Prophet who listened only ten verses and became a saint (a Friend of God). You must absolutely see and meet an Adam - a perfect believer- and perceive the divine virtue and grace in him.
When some people see some old people; grandmothers and grandfathers, they say: “How beautiful he or she is! She or he is in his 80-90ies but he/she is shining like a divine light”. It is just like this event.
Faith is based on observing not studying. A person who did not see a real believer cannot know what faith is. The person who meets a true believer watches that divine face, at that moment, he likes him or he does not like him. Such a person tests himself on the touchstone and his value is learnt then. He either liked that faithful person and he won or he did not like him and he lost. As it is here: when you see someone, you like him/her or you do not like him / her. It is just like this. It is a secret and not easy to understand why some people like him but the others do not. It is not something that is achieved. If a person did not love someone and if he tried to love him and forced himself until morning, if that person met him in the morning, he would see that he could not like him. If a person liked someone and if he asked himself why he liked him till morning and if he saw the same person in the morning, he would see that he liked him again. This is very surprising.
Faith is an amazing event, anyway.
We say that faith is not obtained through teaching or studying; then, what is gained by studying? Physical Sciences, detailed catechism, Jurisprudence (Fiqh Science), handicraft can be learnt through teaching or studying. A school is needed for them. They are learnt with papers and pens and this is exterior knowledge or apparent information.
Islamic Religious Studies can be learnt by studying and using pens and papers. These can be learnt by non-Muslims as well. There are some Professors of History of Religions among non-Muslims and atheists. Some academicians know not only the religious knowledge of Islam but also about all the religions and sects in details, unfortunately they do not believe in the Koran. If the faith and its principles were learnt through reading, they would learn faith and the principles of it very well and they would believe in them.
Faith is heavenly and it cannot be acquired by studying. A person cannot have faith if he does not see a real believer (the perfect human). He does not know what faith is. Faith is a divine manifestation and it is a gift, and it is absolutely bestowed by God. Unless God wills, nobody can believe in or have faith, even if he is a philosopher.
However, 98 percent of the believers of all the Prophets and Hz. Muhammad were illiterate. They would not know how to write and read. 99 percent of all the close Friends of the Prophet were illiterate. The practice of that time is obvious and no one can claim the opposite of this.
The reality of belief does not depend on being literate or illiterate. If it were through reading and studying, faith would be given to only literate people, yet, the Prophets and the Friends of the Prophet- the first believers- are called as “the Wise”, it does not matter they know or they don’t know how to read and write. The believers are not called as “the ignorant” in the Koran and in the other holy books. The believers are called as “those who know (scholars or the knowledgeable)”. The unbelievers are called as “the ignorant” even if they read thousands of books or they are philosophers.
In the Koran, Allah likens the Scholars and the learned men of the People of the Book to a stupid animal laden with books. (Juma, 5) This also includes our faithless, unbeliever, impious scholars who have been grown up in the world of Islam for 1340 years. This is what is understood from the meaning and concept of this verse. We should not accuse only the scholars of the People of the book as such scholars exist numerously in the Muslim World too. The good ones are exceptional for us.
The principle or rule is: You cannot study faith, it is not a doctrine but you can study the religious sciences such as the articles (terms) of Islam, Jurisprudence, Muslim Law and prohibited and permitted acts, these can be learnt by studying. They teach us the knowledge or doctrine of religion but they do not teach us faith because the realities of faith can only be known by those that acquired the knowledge of “Ledunni.” They are called as the Wise and you need not read and write for this because Ledunni means the knowledge directly given or provided by Allah Himself. The example of it is Hazrat Khidr.
Hazrat Khidr is not a Prophet but Allah says He bestowed knowledge on him from His presence. (Al-Kahf, 65, Ta Ha 99, Al-Nisa, 67) They are the Gnostics-the Wise people.
When we search for the historical period, we see that a person may be an atheist or a materialist and he may not believe in Allah although he is a great philosopher. Another person may be a shepherd, illiterate or a primary school graduate but he may believe in Allah, the Prophet and metaphysics. On the other hand, a person may be well educated, intellectual, he may be a philosopher or an academician but he believes in Allah, the Prophets and metaphysics. Another person may not be well educated, he may be a primary school graduate but he does not have faith. We all see this around us.
It does not matter if we consider history or today, this historical fact continues. We can see it in practice. Faith is not related to studying. We cannot be a Yunus, if we do not see Yunusses or just by reading their poems and teachings. How happy are those who found Yunusses! Greetings to those who found them!
They are not ordinary people. To love Yunusses means to love Allah; to dislike them, means to dislike Allah. The virtue and grace in them are the attributions of Allah. Yes, Yunusses are true. THOSE WHO DO NOT LIKE LITTLE LIGHT DO NOT LIKE MUCH LIGHT. They are the people who did not see the Sun in their lives but saw these stars, yet they did not love and respect them.
THE LAST WORD: The real faith cannot become true if you do not particularly see Adam-Yunusses and if you do not perceive the loftiness and perfection in them because nobody can have a real faith without meeting and loving a real human. The essence of this is, “TO SEE THE TRUTH (HAQ) IS TO LOVE THE TRUTH”. For this reason, we said, “IT CANNOT BE UNLESS YOU LOVE”. The name of the real-true human is, “YA SIN- O THE PERFECT MAN-EXALTED HUMAN”. Here, let us say HUUUUU….
Allah has very clearly informed with His Holy speech that nobody can object that He sent His last Prophet (Hz. Muhammad) (A.S.W.) as a messenger – bearer of good news and as an admonisher to all His servants and to all mankind, but not to a certain group of people, to a certain class (whether or not they are literate or illiterate, rich or poor, a philosopher -educated or uneducated), shortly not to the Ulama class (Ulama: Doctors of Muslim Theology). This exalted and holy verse says: “Vema ersenake illa kaffeten linnasi beşiran ve nezira-I have sent you forth to all mankind so that you may give them good news and forewarn them.” (Al-Saba, 28)
We can obviously see this in the practice of the Prophet (S.A.W.) too. Our Prophet had not opened a school or a Madrasa but he only talked to people and believers. There were literate people, monks and rabbis among the people whom the Prophet (a.s.v.) had addressed. He did not tell anybody to bring notebooks and pencils and he did not ask them to study hard, as he would give them an exam to check whether they learnt them or not. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W) only had conversations with them.
Madrasas were opened after the Prophet during Umayyad and Abbasid times and they were innovation. There were not any schools and Madrasas in the Sunnat of the Prophet (A.S.W.). Our Prophet had the Koran written (dictated) in order not to cause discussions after him.
The only people who follow this teaching of truth and righteousness in conversational method (chat-style) after the Prophet are Sufis. All the great personalities of Tekke (dervish lodges, place of repose, refuge,) continue this conversational way of teaching of our Prophet. Tekkes were made public afterwards. All the places where the Perfect Man sits and chats are considered as tekkes.
Tekke is but a lodge-room where people get together and listen to a conversation, speech or chat. Our Master held conversations, when necessitated, wherever he was present. Then, the conversational method of teaching of our Prophet is continued by only the mystics of tekkes (dervish lodges). That is to say, tekkes remained faithful to the teaching method of Our Prophet. Illiterate people, scholars would also attend these conversations. All the servants of Allah, all the human beings who have an ability of reasoning (except those who are mentally retarded) whether they were literate or illiterate, educated or less educated could participate them. Each person who had a capacity of understanding was able to learn the realities or facts -most of which were related to metaphysics- , told at that conversation.
This was the method of our Prophet’s teaching. Islam Religion has not come to the Ulama Class but it has come to all people. Realities concerning metaphysics cannot be learnt at Madrasas or at schools through reading and writing.
As we mentioned above, Physical Sciences and the Sciences related to Islamic Law, Jurisprudence and Sharia can be learnt by studying –by reading and writing. The sciences concerning the realities of the Articles of Faith -they are the sciences of abstract, metaphysical realities- cannot be learnt by reading and writing but they can be learnt only by attending the conversations of the personalities like Yunus who are the true inheritors of the Prophet (A.S.W). There is no other way of it. It is not possible to learn them by reading the works of the Messengers and mystics either. They can, by all means, be learnt at the conversations done by their own pure breath at the presence of the Perfect Men (who is either a Messenger or a Friend of God).
We say that nobody can be a Yunus by just reading his poems. There is an obligation of meeting with a Yunus. Sufism is suggesting this! Sufism has not developed from the Madrasas and schools. Sufism came into being from Tekkes. This is a historical truth.
If there is anybody that objects to this or has a proof to the contrary, he should prove it. The literature of Sufism of Tekke is a definite -concrete- witness of it.
Our latest word is that the sciences of Canonical Law, Jurisprudence, the science of Catechism can be learnt by studying and by non-Muslims as well but they cannot become a Muslim when they read them. The sciences that are related to the realities of faith can especially BE LEARNT FROM THE PURE BREATH OF THE PERFECT MAN. To believe in the articles of faith and to know the realities of faith are different things. For example, everyone believes in the Sun; I wonder how many people know the reality of the Sun in details?
What we mean to say is there should be a Messenger or a Friend of God who is in dialogue with Allah and who bears the Holy Spirit of Allah. There is no other way of learning the metaphysical realities. The name of Messengers and the Friends of God is the PERFECT MAN, who reached God and who met Allah. They are also human beings like us but they are the people who started a dialogue with Allah. A shining light bulb and a dark bulb are not the same. Both of them are made of glass but one of them emits divine light or light. The surrounding of a bulb, which is not shining, is dark. Which philosopher has consisted a gathering, society, community? Yet, the Prophets were able to gather big communities around them. The Prophets had assembled big communities around them and consisted big nations. The Prophets had made the greatest revolutions.
Here is the Nation of Moses! Here is the nation of Jesus! Here is the NATION OF THE LAST PROPHET, GRACIOUS MUHAMMAD! If you add them, it makes about three and a half billion people. Which of the philosophers has that big community? Therefore, the people who influenced humanity are the Prophets and the Friends of Allah because they are the representatives of Allah in the world.
For this reason, Allah has made the Angels prostrate before Adam, who was a Perfect Man, who was His first messenger and who was His deputy (Caliph). ALL THE PERFECT MEN - Messengers and the Friends of God - have been included in this prostration in the person of Adam.
Ulama are the people who know Allah perfectly. They know Allah with His Attributes and with His Person. They are the ones who are cognizant of reality-Unity. They are the people who know metaphysical world- the realities of Angels, Spirit, Jinnee, Paradise and Hell perfectly. They are the wise personalities who know the articles of faith, realities of faith, shortly the TRUTH. In the Koran, they are mentioned as sabık -those who exceeded others- and Allah calls them as mukarrabun -the ones who approached Allah-.
There were people who knew how to read and write and who did not know them among the pious and God-fearing believers from the Exalted Companions of the Holy Prophet. Our Lord also calls them as God-fearing, pious, devout and submissive people. (Al-Anbiyah, 49 / Al-Nur, / 52 Al-Zumar, 33) Allah reports that pious believers are the Friends of God. It is a historical truth that most of the Companions of the Prophet were illiterate. More than 90 percent of the Prophet’s Companions were illiterate. This is a reality-a fact.
Ulemaibillah who know the sciences concerning Sharia, Jurisprudence and Islamic Law -the sciences that can be learnt by studying- are not the scholars who know Allah - the reality - and the realities of faith. Non-Muslims and atheists can also learn the Canonical Knowledge. There are some among them that know the sciences of Sharia better than our theologians do. The Arabic grammar is not an ilm-science or divine knowledge-. It is the knowledge of language. The polytheists also knew Arabic. Anna Marie Schimmel is a Professor of History of Religions, who wears the cross necklace on her breast. She taught most of our religious academicians Islamic Law, the Science of Jurisprudence. She is the instructor -TEACHER- of most of them. Nevertheless, she is a Christian who wears a cross necklace around her neck. Anne Marie Schimmel knows eleven languages with their literature including Arabic, Persian and Turkish.
After explaining the above realities, we say: The verse: “The scholar fears Allah” (Al-Fatir, 28) does not include the theologians that know the exterior knowledge, the knowledge of Sharia, Canonical Law, Jurisprudence and Islamic Law. For, if you could be an ulama -the scholar- just by knowing the knowledge of Sharia, Canonical Law, Jurisprudence then those among non-Muslims and atheists who know Islamic Canonical Law in details would be an ulama and they would fear Allah. They would be God-fearing scholars. Real Ulama are the Wise Saints or Gnostics who know divine-spiritual knowledge. This knowledge means knowing yourself -the reality of human and it is Ledunni-Divine Knowledge. It is such knowledge that comes from Allah by Spirit to Spirit.
“Men arafe nefse hu, Kad arafe rebbehu - He who knows himself knows his Lord.” (Sayyid Abdülkadir Geylani, Sırrül Esrar, p.31 Binbir Hadis, Şemseddin Yeşil, p.212 İst.1983)
The way of knowing the Lord is through the knowledge of reality-the truth of man (human being) because the biggest work of Allah is human-man. He who does not know himself and his Lord perfectly is not a scholar-a scientist. That is to say, those who do not acquire the knowledge of reality cannot be a scholar by just knowing the science of Sharia. Note: I am presenting to you the following two glorious verses in Chapter Yunus about that the faith is a gift of Allah and it is His guidance, in order to enable you to come to a certain opinion:
“Had your Lord pleased, all the people of the earth would have believed in Him, one and all.” (Yunus, 99)
“None can have faith except by the will of God. Allah gives His scourge (mess, impurity) upon the senseless (the irrational).” (Yunus, 100) See: Hasan Basri Çantay, Hamidullah, Süleyman Ateş and all the interpretations of the Koran.
The definition of “Akıl (reason, mind, intellect)” in all the dictionaries is “to understand, understanding. In other word: “having the ability to understand”. The Turkish definition of “akil” is “the one who understands, sensible or rational”. “Yakilun” and “Layakilun” written in many places of the Koran, mean “those that are rational or sensible” and “those that are irrational or senseless”. According to the Koran, when you call someone “irrational”, it does not mean that he is “mad”. It means that he is “senseless”. We call such a person “foolish”. The name of mad in the Koran is “insane (mecnun)”. The Koran uses the word “insane” for “the mad”. Allah uses the word “insane” for “the mad”. In Arabic “Mecnun (insane)” means “mad”.
The Inspirations from the Existence are being strained to reach you and we will continue to present them to you step by step…
GREETINGS TO ALL HUMANITY!
Kazim Yardımcı (from Adıyaman)
13th October, 2004
Footnote**:**
“God’s are legions of the heavens and the earth.” (Al-Fath, 4 and 7) All of them are the servants of Allah. Allah protects His servants with His servants and He helps them with His servants. In other words, Allah is “the Great Producer of all secondary causes”. The first cause, the first reason is Allah. Allah has created causes. Causes cannot be denied. Allah administrates, governs the realms-worlds and human beings through causes.
That is to say, circumstances cannot be denied. Obeying circumstances is the command of the Koran. He who does not obey the circumstances, he who does not benefit them is perished. The help of Allah is the help of servants among each other. This is evident in the practical life as well. One must obey the divine hierarchy. He who does not obey it will be perished. If a woman gives birth to a child and says: “May Allah protect him” after leaving him, it is an astray behavior.
The Prophets-the Friends of God are instructors, scholar people. Science or Divine Knowledge cannot be learnt without scholars or instructors. Allah Himself teaches the Prophets His science and the Prophets teach it to other people. A scholar or a wise-learned person is a mediator –a tool that cannot be denied. Knowledge cannot be learned without instructors-scholars. May peace be upon the Prophets and the Friends of Allah! “PRAISE BE TO ALLAH, and peace upon His servants whom He has chosen! (Al-Naml, 59)
Requesting moral support, help and favor from the Prophets and the Friends of God (Awliya) means to request their prayer. Requesting prayer is permitted. The plural form of the word “Wali” is “Awliya”. According to the Koran, “The believers’ friends, protectors are God, His Apostle and the faithful: Those who attend their prayers, render the alms levy, and kneel down in worship (prostrate before God).” (Al- Maidah, 55) and “The Angels are GUARDIANS – FRIENDS- of believers.” (Fussilat, 31) However, polytheists made the idols, carved stones friends-guardians.
Polytheists worship stone-idols and false gods. They expect help from these false gods and accept them as a friend. This is a deep ignorance. Believers accept Allah, the Prophets and the Friends of God as a Friend (Wali). They request their prayers and favor. They request their help in this meaning. That is to say, requesting prayers and help from the Prophets, the Friends of God and from pious people means requesting their prayers. Their prayers are accepted by Allah. The meaning of the word “Wali” in Arabic is “Friend”. Its plural is the “Friends-Awliya-.
“Your only friends, protectors are God, His Apostle and the faithful (pious believers): Those who attend their prayers, render the alms levy, and kneel down in worship (prostrate before God).”(Al- Maidah, 55)
In this verse, it is obviously said that “Allah” is “Friend”, Hz. Muhammad is a Friend and the pious believers are the Friends. Denying the verse is infidelity. The polytheists do not say that they made them their friends they say they worship them in order to approach Allah. Believers do not worship any body or anything apart from Allah. None of the believers say: “They are god, they are idols” for the Friends of God and for the Prophets. All the Muslims say “LA İLAHE İLLALAH-THERE IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH” and they know Allah One. There are not any Muslims that do not accept Allah as One. Muslims should not be slandered and not be disturbed by making demagoguery.
Believers know the Friends of God (Awliya) as the Friends of Allah, the beloved servants of Allah and they love and respect them and request their prayers due to this. Requesting prayers means requesting help. Allah said addressing our Prophet in Chapter Muhammad:
“Fa’lem ennehu La ilahe illallah-Know that there is no god but Allah. Implore Him to forgive your sins and to forgive the true believers, men and women.” (Muhammad, 19)
In this verse, He made our Superior Prophet a mediator, an intermediary to implore help and forgiveness for the believers. It is permitted for believers to pray for each other.
“The word “KE” in the word “İyyake” is the personal pronoun “YOU”. When you add “İYYA” to the beginning part of “KE”, it means “iyyake- you, your”. “IYYA” does not mean anything separately. In Chapter Fatiha, “İYYAKENESTAİNU” means “We request Your favor-grace.” Allah did not directly use “Nesir-helper” in the meaning of “the One who helps”. He used the word “Mustean-Mümin- İstiane” that express “favor-inayet”. “İnayet” has a broad meaning. It also has the meaning “help”. It has also some other meanings. As “inayet” has a wide meaning, it belongs to Allah. In the Koran, the word “nasirin-helpers” is written but the words “inayet-favor and those who does favor” are not written. This is the first point!
Moreover, at the beginning of the pronoun, “iyyake”, there are not any prepositions like “İnnema, ennema (only, alone) or “an-min (from)”. It is incorrect to translate the verse as “We alone and only request help from You” which actually means “You, Your”. At the beginning of “Allah” the prepositions “alone, only, from” are added by commentators. They are changing the Speech of Allah. Its correct meaning is “We want Your favor” but not “We implore help only from You alone”. As you see, there are neither “innema-ennema” that means “alone, only” nor “an-min” that means “from” at the beginning. They are added to this verse by people and the verse of Allah is being changed or corrupted. This is the second point!
Namaz-ritual prayer” is worship. One stands up respectfully in the divine presence and supplicates to God. It is natural that help is requested directly from Allah in the divine presence during worship. It is impossible to request help apart from Him IN THE PRESENCE OF ALLAH WHO IS THE KING OF THE KINGS. FOR, THERE IS NOBODY ELSE IN THE PRESENCE OF ALLAH EXCEPT HIM. However, there are some people who request help outside ritual prayers and there are some people who help them. Social aid is permitted and Allah commanded and encouraged to help each other. “Hüve Mevlaküm ve hüve hayrin nasirin- Allah is the noblest Helper and the noblest protector.” (Al-Anfal, 40) Naturally, Allah is the most favorable in all the tasks and in every matter. Allah has declared in the above verse that He has helpers.
There are also the following verse in the Koran:
“Set aside for those who are needy and the deprived.” (Mearij, 25)
“Let the rich people and the virtuous among you give their gifts to those who do not have.” (Al-Nur, 22)
…………The worldly-goods, as you know, are concrete, material. “Virtue” comes from the name of Allah “Fazıl- the Virtuous”. It is an abstract truth. Allah says with the above verse that He has given some of His servants from His virtue. Virtue is not a physical attribute-quality but it is a divine-spiritual attribute. Virtue can be requested from those virtuous people. The virtuous can give those who lack it and Allah wants the virtuous to give virtue to those who lack it. The virtuous are those who approached Allah.
“Those who are the advanced ones (Awliyas, the Friends of Allah) are the righteous who are near to Allah.” (Al-Vaqıa, 11)
“The righteous are in the Heavens, in the running brooks, in the presence of their mighty Kings.” (Al-Qamar- 54, 55)
Allah calls the Muslims of Madina as “Ansar-Helpers” (Hashr, 9) Therefore, Firstly, Allah and His Prophets help people and He has some servants who help people. Where is it then “There are not any helpers except Allah and help cannot be requested from anybody else apart from Allah”? What we have written is all confirmed by the Koran. There are many Holy Hadiths about this matter “help”. We are contented with these verses in order not to tire you. Naturally, help is firstly from Allah. The noblest helper is Allah. In every task, in every matter, the most favorable one is Allah.
I wish the believers to help each other physically and spiritually, sending my love and regards. It is already the duty of believers. Taking this opportunity, I send you my kind regards.
“If you do not understand that none can have faith except by the will of Allah, He will visit His scourge upon you.” (Yunus, 100)
Those who are addressed by this verse are believers. This verse is the definite proof that faith is a divine guidance and mercy of Allah. And nobody can have faith unless Allah wills. Allah the Almighty has sent this verse when believers forced others to have faith. He wanted the believers to give up the struggle when they forced those who did not have faith to have faith.
Faith is bestowed by Allah. It is not gained or acquired. That is to say, faith is a gift given by Allah. It is not a gain of man himself. Allah guides whomever He wishes. Then, faith is a secret and a miracle. The Divine Light, Virtue and loveliness in the faces of the Prophets and those servants whom Allah loves is the reflection of faith.
He who wants to understand “faith” should look at the faces of believers whose faces are divine-lighted. Faith is seen in the luminous and lovely faces of believers. Faith is in the heart but it is also reflected on the faces of true believers. May Allah guide those who seek reality and protect them by His leave!
Kazim Yardımcı / Adıyaman / Turkey