H Muhterem COSAN

(Translated from Anilarla Mehmed Zahid Kotku (rhA) Hazretleri, Dr. Metin Erkaya, Istanbul, Seha:1996, pp. 127-30)

We are two sisters; I am the younger daughter of my parents. I was born in the morning of the Eid al Adha in 1941 when my father, Mehmed Zahid Kotku RhA, left for the Eid prayer. An additional celebration occurred at home. My beloved mother wanted to name me "Hajer" because I was born on the day of Eid, yet my grandmother, the second mother of my father, insisted on "Muhterem." That is how I was named Hajer Muhterem Kotku.

Some years of my childhood passed in the village of Izvat where my father was the imam of the village after replacing my grandfather. Later, my father was appointed in Bursa to be the imam of the Uftade Mosque. We moved into a house in Hisar that belonged to my grandfather.

Every Ramadhan, my father practiced i'tikaf [retreat] in the mosque. We would take dinner for him and break our fasting together in the garden by the mosque observing the great view. I never forget those joyful days.

In Bursa, I had started memorizing the Qur'an; I was at the third page [of each juz']. Then in 1952, we moved to Istanbul. My father was appointed to the Ummugulsum Mosque in Zeyrek. We lived in a house by the mosque. The mosque and the house had a great view facing the Golden Horn and the boulevard. Often the disciples would gather under the fig tree and do dhikr if the weather permitted. I would watch them from the top floor of our house.

How was your father at home?

My father, Mehmed Zahid Kotku Rahmetullahi Aleyh, was very gentle and good-tempered. He would treat us with smiles, grace and wit.

Every morning he would stay in the mosque after the Fajr prayer until the time of Ishraq reading the Ewrad-i Sharifa. We would have prepared the breakfast table by the time he got back. Mostly he would come with guests and have breakfast with them. When there was sufficient number in the congregation, he would do Khatme-i Khawajagan after the Fajr, Asr and Ish'a prayers. After Ish'a, there would be a discourse at one of the brother’s house or at our house. Alhamdulillah, we never lacked guests at our dinner table.

Could you tell some extraordinary states of your father?

This happened many times. Sometimes ladies would come to visit us and tell us that they had seen my father in a section of the city which is far from our house. We would say, "It is not possible; he never left home today." Of course we would not think that it was a miracle.

Once, there was a man in the city of Antep who had a weakness with alcohol. He would repent, quit drinking for a while, yet he would start drinking again. He was told to go to Istanbul, visit my father and ask him to pray for him. With a few of his friends, he visited my father. When they were leaving, my father wrote something on a piece of paper, folded it and gave them the paper. He told them to open the folded paper when they arrived at a specific location. When they arrived at that specific location, they had a traffic accident and were taken to a hospital.

Later on they remembered the piece of paper and opened it. It said, "Get well." That affected the drunken man so much that he gave up alcohol for good and became a righteous person.

Could you tell us about your mother?

My mother, Rabia Edîbe Khanim, was a very hardworking woman. She never stayed idle, and she served my father with great care and zeal. She slept little, got up early, and would serve the disciples and the guests without any complaints or tiredness. Throughout the day she would recite a great number of verses from the Qur'an.

When my aunt went to see my mother for the first time, she noticed that my mother, a young lady then, cut the sugar cube with a special pair of scissors to put it into the coffee cup in the right amount. My aunt told my father that she was the right person for him to marry because she was thrifty and would not waste his money. She would even save money to take him to Pilgrimage.

When we talked about this, my mother would smile and say, "Indeed, I took him to Pilgrimage many times."

When we traveled, she would prepare everything in great detail. May her abode be Paradise in the hereafter. May Almighty Allah bless her soul.

As our mother, what would be your advice for us?

Keep a smiling face and a sweet tongue. Never deviate from truthfulness or utter a lie. Stay away from backbiting and gossiping. Honor the trust and the rights of other people.

Meet and visit older ladies who are in the tariqa. Benefit from their knowledge, experience and manners.

I remember Vesîle Khanim, who was a blessed lady over one hundred years old. She would enter our house on her knees when she visited my father. What respect! What ideal conduct!

May Almighty Allah equip you with the best of manners and place you among the righteous and perfect servants.

October 15, 1990 / Kadin ve Aile