MEVLANA AND HIS SPIRITUAL POWER

Good evening!

Distinguish quests, ladies and gentlemen!

My speech is based on Rumi and his spiritual power.

First of all, I’d like to confess that talking about such a great scholar and Sufi Master, Mevlana Jalaladdin Rumi is beyond my capabilities. So, I will briefly touch on some perfect aspects of his character.  

Rumi (I prefer to call him Mevlana) is one of the most famous and effective scholars in the history of Islam. Let’s ask ourselves the following questions? Have we ever thought why the teachings of Mevlana were so effective and powerful? And why his doctrines passed over the centuries and guided many people? Even today, in the 21st century people continue to follow his path and guidance. As human beings, we sometimes hear something that does not really interest us. Yet when we hear the same thing from someone such as Mevlana, we become quite interested and impressed by the remark. My question is what makes his statements so powerful and effective?

I will attempt to answer these questions at the end of my speech.

A human being is so important and valuable in Islam that the religion of Islam encourages its followers to move towards perfection through self development. Hence it guides its followers, not only through their physical lives but also through the life of spirituality as well. Therefore, we can easily claim that, human beings are the centre of focus in Mevlana’s expressions and statements. His intention was purely to whisper love into the hearts of human beings and help them on their journey towards perfection. He lived an exemplary life and he was the perfect model for his followers.

One day, a jealous man insulted him with harsh words, but he did not even respond. Then, one of Mevlana’s disciples said: “Teacher! Why did you not say anything to him?” He replied: “He has teeth and bites me. I cannot bite him back because I have no teeth.”

In a very short expression, Sufism is the spiritual aspect of Islam. In Sufism, as well as in Islam itself, “insan-ý kamil” the “human of perfection” is a greatest target to reach. According to Islamic perspective, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and other Prophets hold the sought after level of human perfection. Therefore, Muslims are encouraged to achieve this level of standard set by Islam. Obviously, it is not easy. The distance is too long. The road is stony. There are many handicaps and barriers on this path and they hinder travelers from reaching their destination of becoming a perfect human being. In actual fact, the numbers of those who attain this level of standard are very few. And within these few people, there are a handful of unique individuals who travel over centuries with their legacy and preserve their doctrines. I believe that Mevlana is the one of these unique masters of humanity’s golden history and he is one of the most successful representatives of Sufism, the spiritual life of Islam.

I’d like to give a piece of information about the characteristics of a perfect human being.

One of the qualities of a perfect human being is that he recognizes himself as the most crucial and valuable creature in the universe. Qur’an says: “We have honored the children of Adam, carried them on the land and the sea, given them pure sustenance and exalted them above most of My creatures. (Isra, 17:70)

Man has been created in the best form of all creatures both physically and spiritually. So, he must try to explore his own essence in order to find his Creator the Almighty.

Mevlana says:

“You have another soul in your own soul, look for it.

There is a jewel in your body. Look for the origin of it.

O man! Look for it not outside of you. Look for it in yourself.”

On one hand, we human beings are the greatest of God’s creation; on the other we have many negative aspects and weaknesses such as hatred, odium, rage, envy, deception and arrogance. So, we need to purify our spiritual lives as much as possible. If we do not, we will fail to reach the true essence of love for God and humanity.

Mevlana says: “If the heart is purified off all types of grime, it will glitter with the light of the sun of truth.”

Of course we cannot totally remove some of the emotions which are embedded in our nature. Wiping out these emotions would mean functioning without the existence of some human emotions.

I believe that Mevlana found his soul and the jewel of origin in his heart. Therefore, he explored himself, as a human being, and consequently found his Creator the Almighty.

The second most important characteristic of “a perfect human being” in Islamic tradition is knowledge and wisdom. In Mevlana’s opinion “universe is a physical body and knowledge is its spirit.” Knowledge is a genuine guide for a human being and he attains his true value through knowledge. But, according to Mevlana, knowledge itself is not the objective or goal. It is an instrument used for finding the purpose of creation is and a tool for those who wish to reach God and His love. A knowledge that does not take one to God is nothing but a heavy burden. He says: “If you use your knowledge for your flesh, it will be a snake. If you use it for your heart, it will be a sweetheart.”

There is a story in Mashnavi:

“One day, a poor man placed two bags on the back of his camel and set off on a journey. After a while he met a philosopher. The philosopher asked: What are you carrying? He replied “One of the bags is full of wheat and the other full of sand. I did this to achieve balance on the camel’s back. Philosopher said: If you had divided the wheat between the two bags, then you wouldn’t have burdened yourself with the sand.” Upon hearing this, the poor man was impressed and said: You are a wise man. Who are you, a king or a wealthy noble? How many cows and sheep do you have? Philosopher replied: “I am neither a king nor a rich man and I have nothing, not even a cow.” The poor man replied: “Get out of here. I will continue to place my bags as usual and make my money. This kind of foolishness is better for me.”

The moral of this story is that knowledge on its own is not enough. If knowledge and practice are joined together, then they become beneficial.

The other important element of Sufism and Islam as well, is to be very modest and humble. Mevlana treated everyone with modesty, whether they were young or old - rich or poor. One could never find traces of arrogance and conceit in Mevlana’s life.

It is narrated that one day, a famous priest from Istanbul had heard about the greatness of Mevlana and traveled to Konya. He was greeted and welcomed by other priests in Konya. The famous priest wished to visit Mevlana. Unexpectedly, they ran into Mevlana on the way to his house. Upon seeing him, the priest bowed down in an attempt to kiss his hand, but Mevlana’s response was quicker, as he bowed down before the priest and kissed his hand. The priest then began to weep and shouted:” O the king of religion! Why such modesty and humility? Is a poor priest like me worthy of such respect? Mevlana replied: “Prophet Muhammad pbuh said: “Blessed is a person upon whom God bestowed wealth, beauty, honor and the respect of others and who is generous with his wealth, who protects his dignity, and preserves his modesty in spite of honor and respect given to him. When I am amongst the followers of such a Prophet how could I not show humility to the servants of God? Why should I not display my humility? And if I do not behave in such manner, for what and whom would I be good for?

We should all derive a lesson from the following statement:

“They have valued my turban, my robe, and my head; all of them worth no more than one dirham (a small unit of historical currency). Haven’t you ever heard of my name before, I am nothing, I am nothing, I am nothing.”

Mevlana showed love, respect and affection towards everyone men, women and children. One day he was passing through a neighborhood where children were playing on the street. When they saw Mevlana, they came running and bowed in front of him with reverence. Mevlana greeted them with love and affection. Meanwhile one of the children was still making his way towards him.  He shouted: “Wait, wait, I am coming too”. Mevlana waited until the child came and greeted him, he caressed him and made him happy.

Mevlana always tried to help everyone in his community, whether they were on the right path or not. There was a prostitute in an inn in Konya and she was very beautiful. She also had a number of young women working with her. These women were somehow forced into such a dreadful life. One day Mevlana was walking pass the inn as a woman came running out. She approached Mevlana, and then falling to his feet began to plead in tears. Mevlana called out to this poor woman three times: “Rabia, Rabia…Rabia!” Upon seeing this situation, others working for this woman ran out of the inn and kneeled before Mevlana. He said: “Such strong people, such strong people. If you had not born into the heavy burdens of this difficult life, who would calm down the furious men who are taken away by their desires and lost their way? If it weren’t for you, how would the dignities of the women of dignity be apparent?” Someone from the elite who heard this words of Mevlana, said: “It is meaningless for a great saint like Mevlana to show sympathy to street women and compliment them like this.” Mevlana replied to this criticism by saying: “If you are a true man, be like her. Give up hypocrisy and two-facedness so that you will appear the same both on the outside and inside. You will always be in vain unless your inner appearance is the same as your outer one.”

Finally, this woman repented and became a woman like Rabia al-Adeviyya and freed the other women who worked for her. She gave away everything in her house to the needy. Joining the ranks of the women saints, she became a disciple of Mevlana.

Mevlana was also a man of worship.

One of the servants of Mevlana says: “I have been in Mevlana’s service for forty years. He was devoted to his prayers from his youth to his death. I have never witnessed an occasion where he had placed his head on a pillow to rest.

One day, Mevlana was praying alone. He was so deeply involved in his prayer that he did not even notice a man who walked in and said: “I am very poor, I have nothing” when he saw Mevlana totally entranced in a prayer he took his prayer rug and left. When one of Mevlana’s friends heard the incident, he immediately jumped up and began searching for the man. He caught the man trying to sell the rug in the bazaar. He dragged him away and brought him before Mevlana. However, Mevlana said “He must have taken the rug because he needed it. Forgive him. We shall purchase the rug back off him.”

 Whenever it was time to pray, Mevlana would face the kiblah (the direction of prayer) and the blood would drain away from his face. Mevlana’s preparation for daily prayers was similar to that of Ali’s. It is commonly known that as Ali, the great companion of the Prophet prepared for the prayer, his face would become pale and he’d begin to tremble with respect. When he was asked: O Ali! What is happening to you? He would answer:

“It is time to turn towards God and perform the Divine Duty entrusted upon us. This Divine responsibility was offered to the heavens and the earth by God. However, in fear they declined. I am in fear because I do not know whether I will be able to perform the duty that I have assumed.”

Mevlana performed his prayers with an open heart and during his prayers he would forget his own existence. In his prayer he would find himself completely in God and reunited with God. In actual fact, the purpose of prayer is to reach God spiritually. It is a form of unification through forgetting one’s imaginary self-existence. It is for this reason that the Prophet Muhammad stated: “Prayer is reunification with God.” But those who only judge things upon their appearance, fail to see and understand how this reunification occurs. It is also for this reason that prayer is considered as the main pillar of religion.

The following passage illustrates Mevlana’s state in a prayer:

“When the time comes for the evening prayer, everybody lights up their houses, prepares the table, but I find the ghost of the Beloved in my heart and start to cry out and lament.

Since I make ablution with my tears, my prayers are fiery.

When the sound of adhan (call for prayers) reached the doors of my mosque, it burns it down.

Which way is kiblah?

I missed my prayers; I need to make them up.

You and I receive a lot of tests because of these prayers missed

I wonder if the prayers of those who are enraptured with God’s love are right.

You tell me because the ecstatic never knows time and place.

Is this the second Raqat that I am praying? Or is it the fourth?

Which chapter did I recite?

I cannot speak because of excitement.

How can I knock on God’s door when neither hands nor heart remained in me?

I am not in me.

You took my hand and heart. O my Lord! Nothing remains of me.

At least you give me assurance and trust.

By God, I do not know how I pray.

Did I complete the bowing? Who is the Imam? I have no idea.

From now on, let me be like a shadow in front of and behind every Imam so that I may sometimes shrink and prostrate with the fear of the One who created me...”

Mevlana’s patience and endurance in terms of fasting were also at an amazing level.

In the Islamic principles, there is only one month of compulsory fasting. Those who fear God in a unique way and those who follow His orders relentlessly fast also during other months throughout the year.  Mevlana had taken famine to its highest level. Many years, he never ate to fill his stomach and said: “For forty years, food never entered my stomach during the evening.”  

According to Sufi tradition, there are three kinds of fasting. 1) Fasting of the average.

2) Fasting of the elite 3) Fasting of the elite of elite. Fasting of the average merely consists of abstaining from eating and drinking. The fasting of the elite consists of fasting of the hands, feet, eyes, tongue and other limbs by means of protecting them from doing evil. The fasting of the elite of the elite is refraining from everything other than God.

Mevlana’s fasting was in the third category.

Indeed, Mevlana was so impressive throughout his time and life that people still continue to walk on the path he had drawn eight hundred years ago. This is a genuine fact and it brings me back to the question which I promised to answer: “Why was he so effective?” Because he practiced what he believed and what he preached throughout his daily life. He was so serious about the whole issue that he would not teach anything to his followers before he had performed it himself. For this reason of pure sincerity, God has blessed his teachings with a spiritual power and effectiveness.

May God give us the ability to comprehend Mevlana and his powerful doctrines.

Thank you for your patience…