|
GOOD
MANNERS AND LOYALTY Bismillâhir rahmânir
rahîm. Elhamdu lillâhi rabbil
ŕlemîn... Hamdan kathîran tayyiban mabârakan In the name of Allah, the
Merciful, The Beneficent Praise to Allah, The Lord
of the Universe. Peace and blessings are to our beloved Prophet,
Muhammad
the Chosen, his family, his companions and those who follow his path
with
sincerity. Having praised Allah and
sending our greetings to His beloved Messenger, which are obligations
on us, I
would like to thank the organizing committee, especially those who
invited us
for the program, Osman Gurdal and Murat Kose. I greet all of you
in the
audience. May Almighty Allah bless
this talk and make it beneficial for all. Dear Brothers and Sisters! There are many good
characters for the man. Some scholars listed them and got a
number over
five hundred. Man should acquire these good characters. Man
also
should be aware of the bad characters and purify himself from
them.
Afterwards, it will be possible for the man to become a sage, a perfect
person,
and a beneficial person for the society. As you know, akhlâq,
the code of conduct, is a matter related to the life in the
society.
It does not mean much for a person to have good code of conduct if he
lives in
isolation from the society. Having good conduct in the society is
meaningful. I would like to talk about a good code of conduct, a
good
character. The purpose of our
religion, the wisdom behind the orders of Allah and His prohibitions,
is to
have man free of bad characters and equipped with good
characters. That
is why his nafs, which is named "self" in English, his ego, must be
purified and trained. It is stated in various verses of the
Qur'an that
man becomes a beloved servant of Allah when he purifies his nafs from
the bad
characters. For example, bismillâhir rahmânir rahîm:
(Qad aflaha men tezekkâ)
"Prosperous is
he who has cleansed himself." (Qur'an 87:14)
(Qad aflaha men zekkâhâ.
Wa qad khŕbe men dessâhâ)
"Prosperous is he who purifies his nafs, his ego, his
inner-being." It means he has attained all good things in this
life
and in the hereafter. He has been saved from all dangers. On the
other
hand, "he who seduces it will have failed." He will be in a
loss in the hereafter. (Qur'an 91:9-10) In a hadith, our beloved
Prophet stated:
(Ektheru mâ yudkhilun
nâsel jenneh)
"What takes people to Paradise the most are (taqwallŕhi wa husnil
khuluqi) the awareness of Allah and good manners." If a person has good
characters, his efforts and relations
in the
society will be fruitful. That would make him happy and also
contribute
to the happiness of other people. On the contrary, if a person
has bad
characters, he would make other people unhappy, hence contribute to the
disorder in the society. In the hereafter, Almighty Allah will
reward a
person with Paradise for his good character and conduct. Each person must study the
good characters and conduct. It would be nice to remember them by
heart,
yet it will not be sufficient. We must acquire these good
characters and
practice them wholeheartedly. For example, justice, that
is, being equitable, not doing injustice, and not doing
oppression, is an
important good character. Each person must practice justice at
every
stage of his life at every place he goes. A person must be fair
towards
his wife, children, neighbors, himself, at his work, and in all
interactions he
has. That is a good character and conduct. The opposite,
injustice
is a bad character.
(Al'adlu esâsul mulk) "The Justice is the foundation
of governing." The word "mulk" is also used for property,
real-estate in Turkish. That is why many people miss the
meaning.
Here, "mulk" means governing, domination, and ruling. (Al'adlu
esâsul mulk) means the following: "The justice is the foundation
of
ruling. If there will be a domination, it has to be based on
justice. If the justice does not exist, there will be chaos and
anarchy
to replace the domination. The justice is a prerequisite to
govern
people," Patience and perseverance
are good conducts. There will be things that upset a person and
disappoint him, yet he may have to do them despite the
displeasure. For
instance a student may have to make a choice between studying and
playing
soccer with his friend. He would like to play soccer instead of
studying,
but he has to study. It is a matter of patience. It may be
difficult
for him to study, but he must do it. To attain success, to become
a good
person, it must be done. In a battle, patience and
perseverance are required for victory. Two conditions for victory
are
stated in the Qur'an: 1. Taqwa. The
awareness of Allah not only takes a person to Paradise, but also it is
a
requirement for victory. A man has to be aware of Allah all the
time. He must be proportionate in his dealings, avoid the
doubtful, and
stay away from the prohibitions and offenses. 2. Sabr (patience
and perseverance). A man has to be patient. Person will
attain what
he wants with patience and perseverance. He may experience some
difficulties, yet in the end, he will enjoy success. Patience is
something bitter, but the outcome is pleasant. It is like the
Marash
pepper: It burns the mouth in the beginning, yet it has a
delicious
taste. The victory in the end has immeasurable happiness. Having mercy is a good character. It is very important for a person to have mercy. In a hadith, the Prophet said:
(Men lâ yarham lâ
yurham) "One
who has no mercy for others does not receive any mercy." That is,
that person will be deprived of the mercy of Allah. He will suffer his
penalty. That is why a person must be compassionate towards
others. One of the characteristics
of the ahadith of the Prophet is that they are comprehensible.
Everybody
could understand the truth and the message in the ahadith easily.
Sometimes, the Prophet gives examples, tells anecdotes. Here is one
example about
feeling compassionate: "There was a
woman. She was not a good person. While traveling in the
desert,
she felt thirsty. She saw a well, climbed down and quenched her
thirst. When she climbed up and got out of the well, she saw a
dog.
With a tongue hanging out, the dog looked tired and thirsty. She felt
sorry for
the dog: 'Just a little while ago under the desert sun, I was thirsty
and tired
just like this dog. I should get him some water, too.'" She climbed down
again. She did not have any container to carry the water.
She took
her shoe off and put some water in it. She climbed up and gave
the dog
the water. The Prophet said, "This earned her the forgiveness of
Allah and Paradise for her." There is another anecdote
to take a lesson from: There was a woman who got angry at a cat.
Perhaps
the cat scratched her with its claws, took her food away, made her room
dirty,
or broke something. These are from the nature of the cats. The Prophet said: "The
woman closed the cat in a room. She did not give it any food or
water,
nor did she allow the cat to go out to tend its needs. The cat
died in
captivity in that room. Because of her cruelty to the cat,
Almighty Allah
placed the woman in hellfire." It is clear that compassion
and mercy earn a person the consent of Allah while the cruelty incurs
the wrath
of Allah and punishment. Another good conduct, a
good character, is wafâ (loyalty). Our people have
this
character. For instance, a child decides to support a soccer
team--say
Beshiktash. He keeps supporting that team under all
circumstances.
No matter how many games the team loses, he continues to support the
team. He keeps the same feelings when he grows up. He keeps
his
pledge and promise till death. Wafâ means keeping a promise, fulfilling
a pledge, observing an agreement, and meeting an appointment. Our
people
say: "If you are a man, keep your promise! Either do not promise,
or
keep your promise." Keeping the pledge and fulfilling the
promise,
i. e., having wafâ is an important characteristic. Here, I did not come here
with a definite topic in my mind. Instead, I let the feelings in
my heart
free. The first thing that came to my mind was the character of
wafâ
because you are in a foreign country, away from your own culture and
society.
Yet you have loyalty for your people and belief. I observe that you have an
association; you established a mosque that is a symbol of our faith, an
inseparable part of our culture. This is a good gesture; it is a
revelation of loyalty. Many people fail to display this wafâ.
Many people dissolve in this society and become a part of it forgetting
about
their own past, forefathers and history. Remembering all of these
is a
good sign of wafâ, a good character. That is why I decided to talk about wafâ. Also, I wanted to make my talk informal because there are people of all ages, men, women and children from all levels of society. I wanted to have a pleasant talk, give some examples, tell anecdotes, and thus convey some information in a pleasant way. I would like to give you
some examples of loyalty. The first one is a great personage in
our
culture yet you may have not heard of him: Abdullah ibn-i
Mubârak, i.e.,
Mubârak's son Abdullah. He saw the great Imam Abu Hanifa.
He was born
in the second century of the Hegira and died in the first half of the
third
century. He was a great Turkish scholar. Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak was
a Turkish man, yet he was the greatest scholar of his time within the
Muslim
land extending from the Atlantic Ocean to China and from the North of
the
Caspian Sea to the Indian Ocean including a great portion of
Africa. He
was a contemporary to Imam Malik; they had discourses together.
He lived
at a time that the level of knowledge was very advanced. Many
sources
indicate that the great scholar Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak was a Turkish
man. Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak was
a great personage, a great scholar of hadith. He was a serious
researcher, a trustworthy scholar. As a scholar of hadith, he was
also a
critical historian. He would analyze the text of the hadith and
the chain
of relaters painstakingly to make sure that the hadith he receives is
an
authentic one. He would investigate the origin of the hadith, who
is the
person who heard it from the Prophet, and how the wording is conveyed
all the
way to him. We call it the sened
of a hadith--just like the title of a house, a car. It is a
statement
indicating the relaters of the hadith until it was written down.
Each
person in the chain of relaters has been investigated to make sure that
he is a
trustworthy person and what he said is reliable. This makes the
study of
Hadith very serious. It is an important study that makes sure
that the
major source of Islam is maintained without any alterations. Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Islam has two major sources: 1. The first one is the
Glorious Qur'an. There are also studies about the Qur'an such as tafsir
and recitation. 2. The second major source
is Prophet Muhammad himself. The Prophet was the person to whom
Almighty
Allah revealed the Qur'an. There cannot be anybody who understands the
Qur'an
better than the Prophet himself. He is the one who practiced the
teachings of the Qur'an in the best way. He is the person with
the top
authority to explain the Qur’an; all of this makes the Prophet and his
words a
major important source of Islam. It is the most important
reference to
understand the meaning of the verses of the Qur'an. The Study of Hadith is an
excellent branch of learning; it is a "masterpiece" among other
studies. There is no comparable branch of learning in other
cultures or
religions. If you study the Greek History, Latin History, and
documents
from the past of the British, the French and the Americans, you see
that they
are based on one or two documents. On the other hand, the Study
of Hadith
is based on the testimony of hundreds of thousands of people. It
is a
result of a great and painstaking work. It is extremely
scientific and
rewarding. We were talking about our
great scholar Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak whom I admire so much. May
Almighty
Allah make him an intercessor for us in the hereafter and keep us with
him in
his paradise. He was a great scholar of Hadith. He had the
top
knowledge in Islam; he was a serious scholar. He would not utter
useless
words or listen to them. He would investigate the authenticity of
what he
would say, and he would not exceed his limits. This is a great
virtue on
his behalf. The second virtue about
Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak is that he was a great Sufi. He was an
expert and
a great teacher of manners, akhlâq. He trained his own ego, his
nafs, and
his conscience extremely well. He was an excellent educator, a
real khawaja,
a great Sufi. If I am to use words that you would understand
easily, he
was one of awliya. He was a true wali of Allah. When we think of a scholar,
we imagine a person who became hunchbacked, grew weak and fragile
because of
spending excessive amount of time studying in libraries. He would
have a
lack of exercise. Contrary to our imagination, Abdullah ibn-i
Mubârak had
a strong body; he was an unmatched warrior. He was excellent in
riding a
horse and using a sword. He was such a hero that one could make a
cartoon
character about him. In addition, Abdullah ibn-i
Mubârak had excellent manners. Having excellent manners, he was a
good
teacher to train people in spirituality. He carried out three
things one
after another. He participated in Jihad for one year because of
its
spiritual rewards. He would put forward his life, his property,
and everything
he had. It required great self-sacrifice for the sake of
Allah.
Because of its rewards, he would participate in jihad for one
year. The
following year, he would go for the Pilgrimage because it would be as
rewarding
as the jihad. After the pilgrimage, he would practice business--buy and
sell
goods--for one year because it is also very rewarding spiritually. Let us ponder about our
lives and compare with the life of Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak. Did you know that trading
is a spiritually rewarding business? It may be a surprise to hear
what
the Prophet said about trading:
(Attâjirus sadűqul amîn) "A truthful, trustworthy, and
reliable merchant (ma'an nebiyyîne wash-shuhadâi yawmal qiyâmeh)
will be
with the prophets and martyrs in the shade of the Throne on the day of
resurrection." A merchant is a person who
is after his business to earn a living. When he is (sadűq)
truthful and (amîn) trustworthy, he deserves special treatment
in the
hereafter. It is because trading is an important interaction in
social
life. Islam praises trading. We must be well aware of this
fact. In Islam, marriage, too, is
a spiritually rewarding deed. A non-Muslim or somebody who is not
familiar with Islam will fail to understand this fact. Marriage
is a very
rewarding deed. There are many evidences for that. We could
talk
about it, yet it would change the subject. Both marriage and
buying and
selling goods are rewarding deeds. There are some people who
got married just for the rewards. I could give you an example
from our
times. The father of a military officer whom I know was an
example.
The officer was a loyal, gentleman. He had the best of
manners. I
was told about his father's amazing story: The father of the officer
was a knowledgeable man, a scholar in his town. Once he knocked
at his
neighbor’s door: "I came here for a visit." The neighbor
welcomed him: "O dear Khawaja, please come in. Your presence here
is
an honor for us. Please make yourself comfortable." After sitting down, the
host continued: "May Almighty Allah be pleased with you for your work
for
the society. Do you have a wish? Your wish would be
an order
for us. We could have gone to you, kiss your hand and feet.
Do you
have a wish, do you have an order for us?" The scholar responded:
"Yes, I came here for something. I have a wish: in accordance
with
the will of Allah and the word of the Prophet, I would like to ask your
daughter's hand in marriage." The neighbor was caught by
the surprise. He had never expected anything like that. He
said:
"Dear Khawaja, ask me anything, including my wife. Yet, my
daughter
is not good enough for you. She is physically challenged.
She
cannot walk. Her mother and I have a hard time taking care of her
needs. You are a great scholar, so you need somebody to help you
and
serve you. My daughter could not do that." The scholar said: "I
am aware of her physical condition. I insist." In the end,
the
scholar married the girl. The officer was born to this couple. Do you know why the scholar
married this girl who could not walk? He thought, "Nobody would
want
to marry this girl because of her physical condition. If she were
healthy, there would be many to run after her. I would marry her
to make
her happy and keep her happy. Almighty Allah would reward me for
that in
the hereafter." The scholar knew that marriage was
rewarded.
To get the multitude of rewards, the scholar decided to marry that
girl.
What a noble thought! What a great thought! What a brave
deed! We ought to have a special section in history books for
such
personages. This is a great achievement! If it were to
happen in
the United States, they would make a big publicity out of it and have
everybody
talk about it. Marriage is a rewarding
deed in Islam. Most people are unaware of this fact and think
that it is
a matter of heart. Trading is a good deed in Islam, yet many
people are
unaware of it thinking that it is the manifestation of an ambition to
earn more
and more. In fact it is meeting a need in the society. The
Prophet
said: "One who brings a good that is needed in a locality deserves the
mercy of Allah. It will be rewarded in the hereafter." We were talking about
Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak. He did three major things repeatedly in
his
life: He participated in jihad for one year, then went for Hajj
for one
year, and he did trading for one year. Here I must say few words
about the rewards of Hajj. Our beloved Messenger said:
(Alhajjul mabrűru laysa
lahű jazâun illal jannah) "An
accepted Hajj is rewarded with nothing but
Paradise." Wouldn't a person perform Hajj to earn Paradise? A respectable lady said the
following: "A person could perform Umrah for pleasure and blessings,
yet
the Hajj is for taking a lesson." Of course, there is freedom and
ease in Umrah. It is not difficult. A person could maintain
his
comfort with Umrah. However, the Hajj has many
difficulties. Why
would people keep performing the Hajj then? An accepted Hajj has
the
reward of Paradise; that is the reason. For the same reason, this
respectable man, Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak, would perform Hajj one year,
the next
year he would go for jihad, and the following year he would practice
trading
business. He maintained this ternary system. You must have
heard
about the decimal systems, binary systems and ternary systems.
For
instance, computers use binary system. His life had three main
states:
one, two, three... one, two, three... Hajj, Jihad, trading... He
repeated this
pattern throughout his life. I ought to lighten up the
talk with jokes. For drinking tea, some people say, "One must
drink
three cups of tea, then raise it to five. After seven cups, one
should
start over." Do not get me wrong--I am not asking for tea. Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak used
this triple pattern: One year Hajj, one year jihad, and one year
trading. We were talking about
keeping the promises and loyalty. Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak came to
Tarsus
for jihad. We ought to have a monument in Tarsus with a scripture
stating
that Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak was there. That is one of the
projects in my
mind. He was a great personage and everybody should know about
him. Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak came
to Tarsus. The east of Tarsus is Içel while the opposite side is
Tasheli. Tash means "stone" in Turkish. Would it
mean that Tasheli is full of stones and rocks? No. Here tash
is the modified version of dish, which means "outer" in
Turkish. Iç means "inner." The border of the
Muslim lands was on Tarsus. Içel was within the borders; Tasheli
was
outside the borders. It belonged to the Romans. Later on
all became
Muslims, alhamdulillah. Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak, a
Sufi, a scholar, a person of excellent manners, came to Tarsus for
jihad.
He met a Roman warrior--a tall and strong man, with the necessary
battle
gear: a sword, a shield, a bow, arrows, a spear, and alike.
Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak would not run away from the warrior. They
started
a fight. There was nobody around. It was a one-to-one
fight. I do not know where exactly
the fight took place: It could be by the fortress of the border.
You can
imagine the details. Both men were real strong, and the fight
continued
for hours. Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak was a strong person, too.
Yet his
opponent was not any weaker. They both were very skillful
warriors. Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak
asked for a time out--just like the basketball players taking a time
out.
He said: "Look, I have to do my prayer. Let's take a break.
We
will continue after the break." The Roman warrior said: "All
right! If you are going to pray, I will pray, too." The man
was a hard nut. Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak tied
his horse to a tree and washed up for the prayer. The other man,
at a
distance, did his prayer according to his beliefs. When Abdullah
ibn-i
Mubârak finished his prayer, he raised his hand for supplication.
At that
moment, a thought crossed his mind: "I could not beat this mean while
he
was on his horse. While he is on the ground, I could attack him
and kill
him." All of a sudden, he remembered the following verse:
(Innel ahda kâna
mes'űlâ) "Verily
man is responsible for what he promises. He will be questioned
for not
fulfilling his promise." You must fulfill your promise. If
you
fail to fulfill your promise, you will be held accountable. Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak
remembered this verse... Dear Brothers and sisters!
There is something that even the western philosophers agree on.
It is
stated in the Qur'an:
(Wa mâ teshâűna illâ en
yeshâallŕh)
If Almighty Allah does not want, you could not want anything from your
own. Where does the will come from? It is from Allah.
The
power to desire, to wish, to have the thoughts of something... they all
are
from Allah. Sometimes a person cannot remember something.
He tries
hard, but he cannot figure out what it was. (Wa mâ teshâűna illâ en
yeshâallŕh) "If Allah does not wish, you could not wish
anything. If Almighty Allah does not allow, your wish mechanism
in your
brain would not work." How does a person remember
such a verse? He remembers because Almighty Allah makes him
remember. Almighty Allah made Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak remember
this
verse. Almighty Allah signaled His servant: "O My servant,
Abdullah
ibn-i Mubârak! You were a good servant of Mine. Did you
forget that
you had to keep your promises?" Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak, a
brave and strong warrior, started weeping after remembering the
verse.
The Roman warrior noticed it and asked: "Why are you crying? Are
you
afraid of death? Are you crying because you have realized that
soon your
life will come to an end?" Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak
said: "My Lord has chastised me because of you." "How did He chastise
you?" "While I was doing my
prayer, I thought of attacking you. Then Allah made me remember a
verse
of the Qur'an stating that I had to keep my promise. It was the
chastisement. I came here to earn the consent of my Lord, yet
here I got
chastised. That is why I am crying." Hearing these words, the
Roman warrior started crying, too: "I submit myself to the will of
Allah. Islam is the true religion. I bear witness that
there is no
deity but Allah and Mohammed is His servant and Messenger." Dear Brothers and
Sisters! Almighty Allah reminds a person about keeping the
promises, and
the good conduct wins the hearts. People's hearts are conquered by good conduct. The Ottomans
conquered Balkans
with good conduct. It did not happen with brute force! "The
land of Romans was conquered with the hand of taqwa." All
of
this has happened as a result of taqwa, awareness of Allah. I would like to tell you
another story about Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak. Once he was preparing
for the
Hajj. Some people wanted to go with him. They
requested:
"Please let us go with you for the Hajj." He said: "All
right, yet there is one condition: You have to give me all of
your money.
I will keep it." They all agreed. People who wanted to go
with him--ten, fifteen, or twenty in number--brought their money in
purses. Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak brought a chest and asked them to
write
their names on the purses and place them in the chest. They left
the
Khorasan town. At every stop along the
way, Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak paid for the food and animal feed. He
spent
for all the expenses. They reached Madina al Munawwarah, than
Makkah al
Mukarramah. They performed the pilgrimage. Then they
prepared for
the return trip. They got zemzem water, bought dates, rosaries, and
gifts. Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak made the payments. After the trip, they
returned to Khorasan. Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak had a feast of food
prepared
for them. He was a rich merchant--he could afford such a
feast. Not
only he was a rich merchant, but also a scholar, a Sufi, a poet, and a
writer. He offered his guest many delicacies that were hard to find in Khorasan. After the feast, Abdullah
ibn-i Mubârak brought in the chest in which he kept the money
purses. He
returned the purses intact to the owners. He had kept the chest
in
Khorasan, and spent for all expenses from his own money. He was
such a
generous, gentle, thoughtful, and sweet person. At another time, he was
passing by a water fountain that had a crowd waiting for their turns to
get
water. He was thirsty, so he wanted to drink some water. He
got in
the crowd. Nobody knew that he was Abdullah ibn-i Mubârak.
There
were women and children pushing one another. Despite the pushing
around
and the disorder, he managed to drink some water. When he
returned to his
companions, he said: "This is real life!" He was a modest and humble
person; he liked what was natural. He did not like the show off,
bragging, and excessive display of respect. In ordinary life, you
will be
pushed around, not appreciated and not recognized. He was a
spiritual
person. [He was the living example of loyalty.] I could tell you other
examples of loyalty from the history. Since we have a limited
time here,
I would like to give you an example from my own experience. Once we wanted to have our
car repaired in Adapazari. With me was a brother who was a civil
engineer, a contractor, a rich businessman. We went to a mosque
to do our
prayer. We were a bit late for the congregation, and the mosque
main
prayer area was locked. We made wudu and get ready for the prayer
in the
"late comers' section" of the mosque building. We spread a mat
on the floor. Two other people joined us. We formed a
congregation
and I led the prayer. As you know, the mosque is
a place of love and affection (muhabba). You cannot offer
your
prayers and run away. Everybody in the congregation should get to
know
one another. In Ankara, I used to gather the congregation of our
mosque
and go to another mosque in the neighborhood. We used to say, "We
came here for a visit. You are welcome to our mosque, too."
Another time we would go to a different mosque to establish good
relations.
Love and affection are from the pith of Islam. After the prayer, I asked
the people in the congregation: "Who are you?" One said, "I am a
merchant from Rize." "May Allah accept your
prayers. What are you doing here?" "I am visiting
here." I noticed a young person,
too. He was about fifteen years old. I asked him, "Who are
you, son?" He said: "I am from
Erzurum." "Good, mâshâ-Allah!
What are you doing here? Are your parents here, too?" "My parents live in
Erzurum. I came here for work." "Good! May Allah
give you a good job." While we were talking, the
young man got up, picked up a chest that is used as a counter to polish
shoes,
hanged it on his shoulder, and got ready to leave. I told my
contractor
friend: "If you need to employ somebody, this young man is the right
person."
My friend inquired:
"Why is he the right person?" "He is the right
person because he has come to Adapazari from Erzurum. He has no
parents
with him; he has no relatives or acquaintances here. He is
young.
Despite all of these, he is loyal to his Lord. He offers his
prayers. He will be a trustworthy employee. If you hire
him, you
can entrust your business to him. He does not break his
loyalty
towards Allah. He does not neglect his duty. He does not
find
excuses." Dear Brothers and Sisters! Our outmost duty of loyalty
is to Almighty Allah. We had promised to Him that we would be
good
servants to Him. We have to observe our promise. We have to
fulfill
our pledge. I read in a history book
about the directions of Osman Ghazi, the founder of Ottoman government,
which
are meant for his son, Orhan Ghazi--May Almighty Allah place these two
personages whom I love very much in Paradise in the hereafter.
Osman
Ghazi said: "My Son! Do not employ a person who is
negligent in
prayers and worship because he will not be loyal to you. If one
has any
loyalty, it should be towards Almighty Allah first. Negligence in
the
daily prayers means that person is breaking his pledge to Allah.
Such a
person would not be loyal to you, either. There will be no good
in them
for the government administration. Find people who are loyal to
Allah. This was the principle
lying in the foundation of the Ottoman State. This is a very
important
point that we must take a lesson. I would trust a person after I
realize
that he is loyal to Almighty Allah. I will tell you about
another incident. There was a lady, Sâime Khanim, among our ikhwan--May
Almighty Allah bless her soul. She worked as a grade school
teacher. She did not have a husband, and she had to work for a
living. She would cover her hair at work. She was very
pleasant,
intelligent, and smart. She told me the story some time ago. The grade school teachers
used to teach "religious teachings" classes, too. In one of her
lectures, she told the students about the essentials of Islam, the
obligations
and prohibitions. She told them about the daily prayer, how it is
an
obligation on each and every Muslim. She told them that Muslims
would
offer the salat five times a day. Here I must give an example
for the prohibitions, too, so that we can see what we are doing
wrong. As
we are brothers and sisters, we ought to talk about our virtues as well
as our
mistakes. Our beloved Prophet stated: "It is prohibited for a
Muslim
to remain offended and angry towards another Muslim longer than three
days." The intoxicants are prohibited; remaining offended and
delaying the peace is prohibited, as well. We become rebellious when
we delay making peace. We seem to neglect the orders of Allah and
indulge
in the prohibitions. We neglect the prayer, and delay the
peace. I
am giving these for examples for us to take a lesson. Going back to the story,
Saime Khanim told the students in class: "Daily prayers are
obligatory for each and every Muslim. They must be carried out."
A
child, an intelligent student, the brightest pupil in the class, raised
her
hand: "Teacher!" "Yes, child!" "If the prayers are
obligatory for each and every Muslim, are we supposed to perform them
every
day?" "Yes, my child.
You are a Muslim, so you are required to perform it every day." As you know, our beloved
Prophet recommended: "Ask your children to perform the prayers when
they
are seven years old." Do you have your child who is in the
primary
school perform the daily prayers? If your answer is negative,
they you
cannot have him do the prayers when he is fourteen! He would not
do it
because he is not used to. You have to ask your child
to do the prayers when he is seven years old. The personality of
the
child is formed around that age. If he is used to doing the
prayers at
that age, he would not neglect the prayers when he is older--just like
the
child from Erzurum--even if he goes to distant places, he would perform
the
prayers. When you ask your child to do the prayers when he is
fourteen,
he would not do it. "I am sorry, Mom," he would say, kiss you and
slip outside. He would tell his father: "Okay Dad! I am
going
to pray," then he would depart as soon as his father leaves for the
mosque. It is because the child is not used to doing prayers at
an
earlier age. We have experienced all of this; that is how we
know
it. We live this life; we are among people. That is
how we
know about the good things as well as the bad things in life. I sounded like Mawlâna
Jalaluddin Rűmî. In his Mathnawi, he jumps from one story
to
another. I will return to the story. The smart girl said to the
teacher: "All right teacher! I promise you that I will do
my
prayers from now on!" "That will be very
good, my child! You will be a consistent Muslim." A week later, a lady with a
heavy make up and high heals came to Sâime Khanim: "Are you Sâime
Khanim?" "Yes I am. How
can I help you?" "I am the mother of
one of your students." "Pleased to meet
you. You have a smart daughter. I love her very much!" "But you told her to
do the daily prayers. Since that day, she has been doing the
prayers." "Ma'am, there is a
mistake. I did not tell them to pray. I told them that
Allah asked
Muslims to do the prayers." Did Sâime Khanim order
people to pray? No! Allah ordered people to Pray. The
Prophet is
recommending us: "Ask your child to do the prayers when he is seven
years
old." In Madina al Munawwarah, at
the end of the night when the suhur time is ended, you hear an adhan
for the fajr. When my wife's aunt went for the pilgrimage, she
stayed in
a house in Madina. She saw the young woman of the house going to
her baby
in bed and pinching her nose and touching the cheeks. She woke
the baby
up and kissed her. Our aunt is a witty person, she told the
woman:
"You spiteful woman! What did you want from the infant? Why
did you wake the baby up?" "I heard the
adhan. It is time for the prayer." "What? Do you
expect this baby with a dirty diaper do the fajr prayer?" "He has to wake up
when the adhan is called. If I do not wake the baby up, my
husband will
be upset." "Why would your
husband get upset?" "If the infant does
not learn how to wake up for the fajr prayer at this age, it will be
difficult
to get up when he is a grown up. He has to learn how to wake up
at this
age." Dear Brothers and
Sisters! Doctors say that the education of the children starts
before the
child is born, in the womb of the mother. An orderly lifestyle of
the
mother affects the character of the child. Going back to the story,
the student was in fourth or fifth grade. In other word, she was
at an
age--after seven-- to perform the prayers. Saime Khanim told the
students
what was right, what was in compliance with the recommendation of the
Prophet. Yet the mother complained: "My daughter offers prayers
every day!" "Let her do the
prayers! What is wrong with it?" "Well, it is
cold. She breaks her sleep and gets up for fajr prayer. She makes
wudu
with cold water." "You can warm up the
water. Besides, there is running hot water in the
apartments. It is
not a valid excuse not to perform what Allah ordered." "Yes, but she wakes us
up and asks us to do the prayers, too!" Oh, yes! That was the
problem. She would go to her parents and say: "Mom, Dad! Wake up
and
do your prayers. It is an order of Allah!" A child would notice the
contradiction! He would say what he learns. He would say it
to his
mother and his father as well as to his teacher. It is the pure
intelligence: "If it is an obligation for all Muslims, you must
do
it, too." The mother of the student
did not say anything else and left without saying good-bye. A
week later,
a young gentleman in a navy-blue suit with a gold pin on his tie came
to Saime
Khanim: "Are you Saime Khanim?" "Yes I am." "Shall we talk here or
in the Principal's office?" There was a threat in his
tone of voice. He wanted to put pressure on Saime Khanim in the
presence
of the School Principal. She said: "We can talk here." "I am the father of a
student. I know about my religion, too. I recited the
Qur'an when I
was a child. I attended the Qur'an courses." "Very good!" "Allah is the Most
Forgiving and the Most Compassionate. He is the Lord of the
Universe! He does not need the worship of His servants!" "I believe and support
that too. It is like that in fact." "Well then, tell my
daughter to stop praying." Look at his conclusion! "She
keeps praying and asking us to pray, too. That bothers us!" "Sir! What do
you do for living?" "I am a professor at
the Technical University." "Very good! You
are an educated person. You said you know about Islam and you
recited the
Qur'an. Surely Almighty Allah does not need our worship, but we
do need
to worship." Well, the worship has so
many benefits for the worshipper. If you asked the psychologists,
they
will tell you about the benefits of offering the prayers and making
wudu for
weeks. You can ask the sociologists about the benefits of
zakah.
They will explain you how the society is saved from the communism
despite all
the poverty. Ask them about the benefits of Pilgrimage. We
do need
the worship. "Almighty Allah is the
Most Merciful and Compassionate; He is also the most Powerful and
Jealous. He would take revenge, too. You have to think
about these
attributes of Allah, too. I did not do anything wrong! I
told what
Allah ordered to my students. I do what I think is right.
After I
told my students that prayers are ordered by Allah, I cannot tell them
not to
pray!" The gentleman left.
Do you know what happened afterwards? The parents took the child
from
that school and placed her into another school. About six months
later,
Sâima Khanim received a letter from the girl: "My Dearest
Teacher! They kept me away from you because I kept performing my
prayers. I want to let you know that I kept my promise. I
continue
doing my prayers!" That was another example of
wafa. May Almighty Allah make us
loyal servants for Him. May He have us keep our
promises. May He give us the best of the characters and good akhlaq.
May He purify us from all bad manners. May He give us means
leading to
perfection. May He make us mature, knowledgeable, virtuous and
useful
servants. May He grant us opportunities in our lives to become
beneficial
for our family, for our nation, for all that we deem sacred. May Allah accept us as pure
and beloved servants free of misdeeds. May He honor us with His
beauty in
His paradise. Love, peace and greetings
be with all of you. As-salâmu alaikum wa
rahmatullŕhi wa barakâtuh! July 26, 1995 -- Rochester,
U. S. A.
|
