HADRAT AHMED ZIYAUDDIN-I GUMUSH-KHANEWI (QS)
(1813-1893) (Translated from Hülya Yilmaz, Dünden Bugüne Gümüshànevî Mektebi, Istanbul: Seha Yayinevi, 1997. The article is posted on the web in Turkish, with photos, at www.angelfire.com/ak4/dervisan/silsile/gumushanevi/) An internationally renowned, rare and famous Scholar of Islam, a true devotee and God-conscious man, an exemplary mujahid, Ahmed Ziyâuddîn Gumush-khanewi was a shaikh of shaikhs in the great path of Naqshibandiyya. He was so advanced that he was regarded as having developed a sub-branch in the Khalidiyya lineage of the Naqshbandiyya Sufi tariqa (order). He wrote a book to explain how love was the ultimate stage in Tasawwuf (Sufism), yet he refused fame, luxury and grandiosity. He summoned both learned-knowledge and inspired-knowledge; he kept Tasawwuf, Tariqa and Sharia together. He was very serious, dignified, and perfectly wise. He raised over one hundred perfect spiritual guides and educators. He was an expert on the hadith, kalam, jurispuridence and tasawwuf and wrote many books on these fields. Ahmed Ziyauddin al-Gumush-khanewi lived in the 19th century when the Ottomans experienced major crises and turmoil. With his interpretation of the tariqa, with his tekke, and with his way of guidance, he drew a following of over one million disciples. Ottoman sultans revered him. He sent one hundred and sixteen deputies throughout the world. With all of these contributions, his reputation and influence still flourish in the circles of the Naqshbandiyya order. His Birth and Education -- Ahmed Ziyauddin bin Mustafa bin Abdurrahman al-Gumush-khanewi was born in the Emirler district of Gumush-khane in 1228 H (1813 CE). Gumush-khanewi QS had a special interest and ability to seek knowledge from his early childhood. He read the entire Qur'an when he was five, and when he was eight, he received a diploma upon the completion of the works Qasâid, Delâil-i Khayrât and Hizb-i A'zâm. When he was ten years old, he moved to Trabzon with his family. When his older brother was drafted into the military, he helped his father in his shop. Meanwhile he took courses on sarf (grammar) nahiw (syntax) and fiqh (jurispuridence) from the local scholars. His father worried that the combination of working in the shop and studying might be too heavy a load for young Ahmed, so he promised that when Ahmed�s brother returned from the military service, he would send Ahmed to Dârul-Ulûm (university) in Istanbul. Young Ahmed was very happy to hear this. He completed the memorization of the Qur'an and saved money by knitting purses and selling them. He would go to Istanbul and seek knowledge--that was something he had always dreamed might happen. Schooling in Istanbul-- In his eighteenth year, Ahmed Ziyauddin came to Istanbul with his uncle for trading goods. Because of his father's promise and because his brother had returned from the military service, Ahmed decided to stay in Istanbul. He purchased some goods for his father and gave them to his uncle to take to Trabzon. He told his uncle that he would not return to Trabzon. He also gave his uncle all the money he had saved for schooling in Istanbul. He taught "Allah suffices as a helper and friend" and thus he went to Bayezid Madrasa without a penny. He had submitted himself completely to Almighty Allah. At school, he studied Hikma (wisdom) Akhbâr (narratives), Tasawwuf, Science and other branches under the supervision of a spiritual teacher. After the death of this teacher, he moved to Mahmudpasha Madrasa. There he devoted himself to seeking knowledge. Since his childhood, he had instructions from shaikhs including Shaikh Sâlim, Shaikh Omar al-Baghdâdî, Shaikh Ali al-Wefâî, and Shaikh Ali. With all of this fortunate guidance, Gumush-khanewi QS reached spiritual maturity. One night he had a terrifying dream about Sulaymaniya Mosque. He also saw some spiritual signs in the dream. It appeared related to the appointment of Shaikh Ahmed bin Sulayman al Erwâdî QS by grand Shaikh Mawlânâ Khalid-i Baghdâdî QS --both of whom had origins in Sulaymaniya-- for the spiritual training of Gumush-khanewi QS. Also it appeared related to the fact that the grave of Gumush-khanewi is on the premises of Sulaymaniya Mosque. While he was in the Mahmudpasha Madrasa, he took courses from Shahri Hafiz Muhammed Emir al-Istanbulî, the successor of Abdullah al-Mekkî al-Erzinjanî and the teacher of the Ottoman Sultans Abdulaziz, Abdulmejid and Abdulhamid II, and from Abdurrahman al-Harpûtî, who was known as Naqshî Shaikh Kurd Khawaja of Erzinjan. After a study period of thirteen years in Istanbul, Ahmed Ziyauddin Gumush-khanewi QS received his diploma in 1844. Gumush-khanewi QS was quite successful while studying under the instruction of famous professors; after graduation, he became a professor in Bayezid and Mahmudpasha Madrasas. He worked over thirty years in writing books and teaching. His Initiation to Tariqa--While at the peak of Islamic knowledge, he started to search for a spiritual guide from whom he could receive spiritual enlightenment. In 1845, he met Abdulfattah al-Ukarî QS (died in 1864) who was one of the deputies of Mawlânâ Khalid-i Baghdâdî QS, assigned in Istanbul, residing at Uskudar Alaja Minare Tekkesi. Abdulfattah el-Ukarî refused to initiate Ahmed Ziyâuddîn QS to the tariqa, yet told him that somebody else had the permission and instruction to initiate him to the tariqa. Later, Ahmed Ziyauddin Gumush-khanewi met Shaikh Ahmed bin Suleyman el-Erwâdî QS at the tekke of Abdulfattah Effendi and joined the tariqa. Suleyman el-Erwâdî was also a deputy of Mawlânâ Khalid-i Baghdâdî QS and known as the Mufti of Trablus-Sham. He was sent to Istanbul with the special mission of initiating Ahmed Ziyauddin Gumush-khanewi to the tariqa and supervising his progress in the tariqa. In the following years, Ahmed Ziyauddin QS completed his spiritual training. After two khalwets (retreats), Gumush-khanewi received his ijazat (authorization) from Shaikh Erwâdî to guide people in Naqshbandiyya, Qadiriyya, Kubrawiyya, Cheshtiyya, Suhrawardiyya, Shadheliyya, Desûkiyya, Khalwetiyya, Mujaddidiyya, Mazhariyya, Rifâiyya, and Khalidiyya. His spiritual training took sixteen years. He became a "pole of spiritial knowledge." It is known that many great shaikhs searched for their guides upon receiving some signs. It was the opposite case with Hadrat Gumush-khanewi. Just as Shams-i Tabrizî's searched for Mawlânâ Jalaladdîn Rumi, Shaikh Erwâdi came from Damascus to Istanbul to meet Ahmed Gumush-khanewi. This was an indication of how significant Gumush-khanewi was seen to be for the tariqa. Hadrat Erwâdî died in Damascus in 1858. Upon the recommendation of his shaikh, Gumush-khanewî QS attended the discourses of Shaikh Ukarî. Although Gumush-khanewî QS lived in Cagaloglu while Ukârî QS lived in Uskudar, they visited one another once a week. Gumush-khanewi avoided taking the lead in the tariqa while Shaikh Ukarî QS was alive, thus complying with the instruction of Shaikh Mawlânâ Khalid-i Baghdâdî QS that among the deputies in Istanbul, seniority in the order should be respected. Until the death of Abdulfattah Effendi QS in 1864, Gumush-khanewî QS concentrated his efforts on teaching at the madrasa and writing books rather than guiding people spiritually. In that year, he started weekly discourses in which he interpreted ahadith from his book Ramuz-ul-Ahadith. These discourses resulted in his book Lewâmiu'l-Uqûl. For sixteen years, he practiced dhikr and Khatme Khawajagan with his disciples in the Naqshbandi and Khalidî ways. In this period, he intensified his spiritual guidance work, and raised many students. He authored many works and authorized some students to teach all of his works. He was so advanced in spirituality that one of his teachers, Shahr-i Hafiz Muhammed Emin el-Istanbulî who had been authorized to be a shaikh by Abdullah-i Mekkî QS, became a disciple of Gumush-khanewi.
The new center for the activities of the tariqa was across from the main government office, Bâb-i Alî, in Istanbul. The selection of such a place as the tekke of the tariqa was a demonstration that Gumush-khanewî QS intended to form the ideal society made of perfect individuals and Muslims conscious in thoughts, in belief, and in manners. Since the administration had a great effect on the society, he had to influence the administrative staff first. During his time, the tekke became a "Dâr-ul Hadith--Institute of Hadith." Among the attendees were the Ottoman sultans Abdulmejid, Abdulaziz, and Abdulhamid II as well as other high government administrators. Some administrators including Arab Mehmed Agha, General Munib Bey, Dr. Emin Pasha, and Reîsul-Ulemâ Tiskveshli Yusuf Ziyâeddîn Effendi became his disciples. This indicates the high degree of respect and reverence shown to him. Sultan Abdulhamid II maintained a close relationship with the Shaikh and consulted him on various matters. Ahmed Ziyauddîn Gumush-khanevi QS was concerned with all problems of society. For instance, he formed an interest-free credit union with the liquid funds that belonged to his disciples. It was an alternative to the banks that had just been established then. These funds were available for borrowing and for investment. The entrance of the gate of the tekke had these lines: 
This famous tekke was closed in the early years of the Republic
Era when a law was passed to ban all tariqa and tekke activities. Nevertheless,
the mosque stayed open until 1942. Despite the decree by the High Council
of Monuments, this historical mosque and the tekke were demolished with the
lame excuse of "widening the street." Today only the bricks of the minaret
and a sign "Gumush-khanewi Ahmed Ziyauddin Street" can be found there. On
the lot of the tekke, there is a building: Istanbul Defterdarligi (tax office). His Jihad --Ahmed Ziyaeddin Gumush-khanewi QS took part in jihad, too. While striving with his pen and words to improve individuals and better society, he volunteered to go to the front in the Ottoman-Russian war of 1293R (1877 CE). During a period of cease-fire, he came to Of district of Trabzon and resumed tariqa activities there. When the war resumed, he went back to the front. Gumush-khanewi QS was keen in serving society and organizing activities to improve the state of society. His zeal in this originates from the Naqshbandi tariqa. In his tariqa, the guidance work is carried out while being among people and paying utmost attention to serving people. Yet one of the principles of this tariqa is "Khalwet der Enjuman" meaning that a seeker participates in lawful activities for people while he is with Almighty Allah in his heart. His Scholarship -- In a diploma he gave one of his students, Gumush-khanewi wrote the following: "Almighty Allah has been very gracious to this servant and honored him with the business of seeking knowledge. It is the highest form of worship. With his knowledge, a person should seek the consent of Allah sincerely and stay away from all kinds of show-off and fame. If he does that, he will be distinguished, excelled and honored among people; otherwise, the knowledge will be a burden on him in the hereafter." To him the purpose of creation is reaching the Unity of Almighty Allah, and sacred knowledge is the prime element in this course. In his works and discourses, he emphasized the importance of knowledge and of seeking knowledge. In his will, he stated: "Be scholars in your deeds, education and manners. Talk to people according to their level of understanding. Do not be an oppressive and stubborn scholar. Continue studying and increasing your knowledge so that the truth is revealed." Hadrat Gumush-khanewi allocated little time for sleep. According to Hasan Hilmi Effendi of Kastamonu, one of his deputies, during one period of six months, Gumush-khanewi QS would not sleep at night. During this period, he would turn to qibla some time before the noon, cover his face with a towel and try to get some sleep. He would ask to be awakened before the call for the prayer, yet he would wake up by himself. Nobody had the chance to awaken him. Hadrat Gumush-khanewi QS established a printing shop with the funds accumulated in the credit union. He had many important books printed and distributed as gifts to those who taught or sought knowledge. He established four libraries, each with eighteen thousand volumes of books, in Istanbul, Bayburt, Rize and Of. Hence, he contributed handsomely to the spread of knowledge in the country. With such magnanimous educational activities, his tekke was unique and well appreciated among all tekkes. He paid so much importance on the Hadith studies that it became one of the main characteristics of the tariqa. He compiled ahadith in alphabetical order in two volumes to form the book Ramuz-al Ahadith. He had study sessions two days a week on this book, and answered questions in each session. He completed the book seventy times in such sessions throughout his life. His students and successors kept the same method. For instance, Mehmed Zahid Kotku RhA (died in 1980) kept this tradition in Iskenderpasha Mosque. [Then, Prof. Mahmud Es'ad Cosan RhA (died in 2001), the successor of Mehmed Zahid Kotku RhA, resumed the hadith discourses in Iskenderpasa as well as other locations in Turkey, in Europe and in Australia. He conducted weekly radio broadcasts via satellite.] The works he carried out on ahadith earned him the title "Muhaddithîn-i Rûm" and "Hâtimetul Muhaddithîn." He turned his tekke into an Institute of Hadith, and raised hundreds of hadith scholars. Many of his students including Ismail Nejati Effendi of Safranbolu and Omar Ziyauddîn Effendi of Daghistan became professors of Hadith. His Works -- Ahmed Ziyaeddin Effendi wrote close to sixty books. He was very fluent in Arabic and wrote all of his works in Arabic. [He also taught lectures in Egypt in Arabic.] Most of these books were on Ahadith and tasawwuf. Here is a partial list of his works: Ramuz-ul Ahadith: A collection of ahadith that had few words yet extended meanings (2 vols). Lewâimul-Ukûl: Explanation of the ahadith in Ramuz-ul Ahadith (5 vols) Ajâibun-Nubuwwa, Latâiful-Hikem, Hadith-i Arbaîn: Books of ahadith. Jâmi'ul-Usûl, Mejmu'atul-Ahzâb, Rûhul-'Arifîn: Books on tasawwuf. Najâtul-Ghafilîn, Dewâul-Muslimîn, Netâijul-Ikhlâs: Books on manners. Fadhâil-al-Jihad, Lawamî al Fusul, Aqâid-al-Ahli-Sunnah:
Books on Miscellaneous topics. Personality--Hadrat Gumush-khanewi lived an ascetic and God-conscious life. He would eat little, sleep little, and talk little. He would not eat any meal without a guest. He would observe all voluntary fasts. Twice a week he would do Khatme-i Khawaja dhikr. Tuesday nights he would do seventy-thousand Kalima-i Tawhîd dhikr [recitations]. He would stay in a tent at the Yûshâ hill in Beykoz during the summers.
One summer when he was there, a man with a violin passed by. The Shaikh asked
that the man to be brought in his tent. The man refused to go to the tent:
"I have no business with your Khawaja. You would not ask me to play violin
and give money, either. Besides, I would not listen to your words. You mind
your own business, I do mine." Despite the objection, he was brought to Hadrat
Gumush-khanewi. Gumush-khanewi whispered something into the man's ear. Hearing
that, the man went into a state of rapture and screamed. He repented and
then lived a pious life. For a long time he did not reveal what the shaikh
whispered into his ear. Finally he explained: "In my youth, I was initiated
to the tariqa by a Baktâshî shaikh who adhered the Gumush-khanewi QS would pay attention to Khalwet (retreat) as required by the Naqshbandiyye and Khalidiyya paths. Twice a year, in the months Dhul-Hijja and Rajab, he would do khalwet and take disciples into khalwets if they wanted to. When he lay down, he would not stretch his legs because he thought it would be improper to do something like that in the presence of Allah. Once his legs were stretched by a physician who wanted to examine him while he was in bed with an illness. Upon this, he turned red out of his shyness and opened his eyes to say, "Please do not let me go to my Lord with an offense of stretching the legs in His presence." Gumush-khanewi often advised his disciples: "Do not get involved
with anybody's beard, mustache, way of doing things, and smoking." Two of
his disciples decided to watch the whirling dervishes at a Mawlawî tekke.
They remember the advice of Gumush-khanewi, and they decided not to be concerned
with other people's business. During the whirling, one of the disciples noticed
the thick mustache of the Mawlawî shaikh and whispered something Many years after Hadrat Gumush-khanewi died, a scholar was on his deathbed. He requested, "Let the women leave this room or put on hijab because my shaikh Hadrat Ahmed Ziyauddîn is coming." After a short while he said, "Alhamdulillah, my shaikh said, 'Almighty Allah has forgiven you your sins. You will join us soon.'" He cried, uttered the Kalima-i Shahâda, and died soon after making that statement. Hadji Yusuf Effendi was one of the deputies of Hadrat Gumush-khanewi and lived in Of, Trabzon. Anytime he left Trabzon to take the ship to Istanbul, Gumush-khanewi RhA would say. "I can smell my Yusuf." When Gumush-khanewi was alive, there was a man named Muhammad who lived in Madina and belonged to the family of the Prophet. He had a dream in which a mysterious man told him, "Come to Istanbul." So he obediently took the ship to Istanbul. However, he had no address or name to contact. He got off the ship and started to walk. Then somebody approached him and asked, "Are you Muhammad from Madina?" "Yes, I am." "Then follow me!" They walked to the Gumush-khanewi Tekke and entered the room of Ahmed Gumush-khanewi. Muhammad realized that the mysterious man of his prior dream was sitting right there before him. His guide kissed the hand of the Shaikh. Muhammad did likewise, then asked the guide: "Where are we? Who is this man?" The guide responded: "Here is Gumush-khanewi tekke, and this is Hadrat Ahmed Ziyauddîn Gumush-khanewi." [Such paranormal forms of knowledge and action at a distance were commonplace for this great wali, who was so utterly surrendered to his beloved Allah."] The Shaikh would do dhikr, grant discourse, and perform prayers throughout the nights of Eid and other special nights with his disciples. He fasted every day in the last eighteen years of his life except for the Eid days. He never enjoyed unnecessary talk; he would study or write books when he had time--especially during the nights. After the fajr prayer, he would not utter any worldly words until the time of Ishraq, nor would he speak after the time of Isha. He would recite Surah Yasin before going to bed. When he felt no energy to do so, he would ask somebody to recite it for him to listen. His journeys and Marriage--Hadrat Ahmed Ziyauddîn Gumush-khanewi performed twice in his life the Pilgrimage, or Hajj, to Makka and Madina. In the first one, he stopped at Alexandria in Egypt. He visited the grave sites of prophets and awliya. He met with Kuchuk Ashiq Effendi who had been a disciple of Mawlana Khalid-i Baghdâdî. After his first Hajj, he married Hawwa Seher Khanim, the daughter of Shaikh-ul Harem-i Nabawî Mehmed Emin Pasha. He took his family with him for the second Hajj. He met with many personages in Makka and Madina. He taught hadith to some, and initiated new disciples into the tariqa. On the return trip, he stopped in Egypt and lived there three years. While in Egypt, he held Ramuz-al Ahadith discourses in Tanta, Cairo, Nâsiriyye, Jâmiul Azhar and Sayyidinâ Hussain mosques. He also authorized five disciples to guide people in the tariqa. His Appearance --Shaikh Ahmed Ziyauddîn Gumush-khanewî lived to be over 80 years old. During the latter years of his life, his body grew weak: he could not sit without leaning on something or walk without a cane. His speech deteriorated in a way that it could be understood only by those who attend his discourses regularly. Despite his physical weakness, the light coming out of his eyes and the brightness of his face had quite an inspiring effect on his disciples. Eyewitnesses who saw him in these late years of his life describe a man with a balanced figure, slightly taller in stature than average. His round face, framed by a shaved head and white beard, featured red cheeks, fair complexion, a clear forehead, and moles below his dark eyes. The Shaikh wore a white turban and a long skirted-shirt over a cloak. Not fond of the color black, he preferred to wear white clothes in summer and green ones in winter. He kept his feet covered at all times by wearing shoes.
His Deputies --The founder of the Ziyâiyya (Gumush-khanewiyya) sub-branch of the Khalidiyya branch of the Naqshbandiyya, Ahmed Ziyauddîn Gumush-khanewi, not only authored many books as a mutasawwif, but also he trained over one-hundred deputies and spiritual guides. He sent deputies to many locations in a large geographical area from Kazan to Komor Islands, from Egypt to Madina, from China to Africa. His deputies spread and maintained his understanding of the tariqa. He had over one million disciples. He tried to awaken Muslims and enliven Islam. Shaikh Ahmed Ziyauddîn Gumush-khanewi sent one of his favorite deputies, Muhammad Eshraf Effendi of Luleburgaz, to Peking, China. On his return, Muslims in Peking started constructing a university in the name of Sultan Abdulhamid II. When an Islamic conference was held in Istanbul in 1976, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Komor Islands visited Mehmed Zahid Kotku RhA and told him that there was an active Gumush-khanewi Dargah in Komor Islands. Hadrat Gumush-khanewi lived three years in Egypt after his second Hajj. He trained five deputies there: The Grand Mufti of Egypt, Muhammad bin Salim Tamum al-Manufî, ash-Shaikh Jawded, Sayyid Muhammad bin Abdurrahim at-Tantâwî, ash-Shaikh Mustafa bin Yusuf as-Sa'dî, and Shaikh Rahmetullah al-Hindî. There is an active Gumush-khanewi Dargah in Tanta. The presiding Shaikh of the Dargah is Jûde Ebu'l-Yazîd al-Mahdî, who is a professor of Tafsîr at Azhar University. One of the deputies of Hadrat Gumush-khanewi was Ahmed Ziyâuddîn Effendi. He was an imam in a mosque. After he retired, he moved to Madina and served there for forty years. Another deputy of Hadrat Gumush-khanewi was Zeynullah al-Kazânî. He was sent to Kazan and Caucus to spread the tariqa. Yet another deputy of Shaikh Gumush-khanewi was Hasan Hilmi bin Ali Al-Kawtharî QS--the father of the famous Muhammad Zaîd Al-Kawtharî. As a deputy, he taught Râmûz and Garâib books in Duzce for many years. He was a professor at the madrasa by the Yeni Jâmi' in Duzce. Upon the instructions of Shaikh Gumush-khanewi, in 1892 he built a tekke by the madrasa. He served until his death in1926. Yusuf Bahri Effendi of Unye, too, was one of the deputies of Shaikh Gumush-khanewi. He received his authorization in 1869. He was a professor at Unye Sadullah Bey Madrasa. In 1872 he was appointed as the Mufti of Unye. Another deputy of Gumush-khanewi was Hasan Ziyâuddîn Effendi of Nallihan. He received his authorization in 1886. He returned to Nallihan to teach Haji Mehmed Agha Madrasa and to guide people in tariqa. Ahmed Hilmi Efendi of Ankara also received authorization from Shaikh Gumush-khanewi. He served in the mosques of Fevziye, Tashjilar Bashi and Yeni Jum'a in Izmit. He had great zeal in spreading the tariqa. Hamza Effendi was deputized by Hadrat Gumush-khanewi. He served in Tarsus over fifty years until his death in 1955. Chirpilarli Ali Efendi, a mufti of Bayramic, too was a deputy of Shaikh Gumush-khanewi. Born in 1863, he received training in the Gumush-khanewi Dargah. In 1910, he returned to his village and constructed a mosque and a madrasa with 24 rooms. He continued teaching and spreading the tariqa until the madrasas were closed by the government in 1924. One of the recent shaikhs of Gumush-khanewi Dargah, Mahmud Es'ad Cosan RhA [died in 2001] had a link to Chirpilarli Ali Efendi. His great grandfather, Molla Abdullah Efendi, brought his father Halil Necati Efendi to Chirpilarli Ali Efendi's madrasa when he was 17. Molla Abdullah Efendi brought his three sons to Istanbul to register
them to Fatih Madrasa. He then went to Hadrat Gumush-khanewi and joined the
tariqa. He earned the love and appreciation of Shaikh Gumush-khanewi QS.
Whenever Molla Abdullah Efendi visited Chirpilarly Ali Efendi, he would attempt
to kiss Ali Efendi's hand, yet in a counter attempt, Ali Efendi would try
to kiss Molla Abdullah Efendi's hand. Molla Huseyin Efendi, the Chirpilarli Ali Efendi participated in the War of Independence to represent Bayramic locality in the Turkish Armed Forces. Later he served as the Mufti of Bayramic. He died in 1947 at an age of 82. One of the deputies of Shaikh Gumush-khanewi was Osman Niyazi Efendi (1828-1909). He was sent to Black Sea region. He was known as the "Shaikh Efendi." He served in Varda, which is the Guneyce locality of Ikizdere County in Rize, as the imam of the Varda Buyuk Jâmi' and as an instructor in the Buyuk Jâmi' Madrasa. Later he moved to Kolekli district and built a mosque and a tekke there. He served for 14 year until his death in that tekke. He was in charge of the libraries established by Hadrat Gumush-khanewi. Other deputies of Shaikh Gumush-khanewi included: Yusuf an-Nashuqî in Damascus (d.1900), Ismail Al Qirimî in Cremea, Hasan al-Erzinjânî in Erzincan, Mahmud al-Bosnewî of Bosnia, Mustafa al-Kurdî al-Harputî (d.1910) in Adapazari, Hasan Hulûsî Efendi in Düzce, and Yusuf Shawqi al-Ofî, who is the author of Hujjatu's-Sâlikîn, and who lived in Of county of Trabzon. The epitaph on the grave of Hadrat Gumush-khanewi has the following words: Nazar qil cheshm-i ibretle, maqâm-i iltijâdir bu! Ziyâuddîn-i Ahmed, mawlidi âning Gumush-khâne, Muhaqqaq ehl-i Haqq olmez, ebed haydir bil ey zâir! Shu'a-i durr-i wahdet, menba'-i ilm-i ledunnîdir. Khilâfet muddetinden, "irji'i" vaktine dek Hakk'a, Jilâ-yi ruhdur zikri, murîdana gidâdir bu! Sene 1311, 7 Zilka'de Observe with care, for this is a station of refuge Ziyâuddîn-i Ahmed, born in Gumush-khane, Verily, people of truth never die; they stay alive forever, The ray of the pearl of unity, the fountain of secret knowledge,
From the time of eligibility to the time he returned to Allah, His dhikr brightens the spirit and nourishes the disciples. A letter --While residing in Egypt, Ahmed Ziyauddin Gumush-khanevi QS wrote a letter to Hasan Hilmi Effendi QS, who was his deputy in Istanbul. In the letter he addressed all of his disciples and described ten principles of his path: 1. Finding a perfect shaikh, and pledging allegiance to him with repentance and full submission. 2. Learning the essentials of being a disciple and a shaikh, attending the discourses, participating in the activities, and serving the shaikh without any objections. 3. Maintaining the pledge while upholding the righteousness, sincerity and trust in Allah and being straight in desire and purpose. 4. Abandoning ornaments and showing off, which would lead to self-bragging, and paying attention to cleanliness. 5. Soundly maintaining the wuqûf-i qalbi, dhikri-dâimî, and râbita [establishing deep connection with the shaikh and with Allah]. 6. Overcoming the nafs and lust, improving one�s code of conduct, and getting closer to Allah with prayers and worship. 7. Staying away from comfort, seeking progress in the tariqa, and preferring retreat [over casual socializing]. 8. Trying to overcome the nafs, Satan, desires and the carnal prompting of the passions. 9. Being humble, thankful and content. 10. Acquiring contemplation, scrutinizing, pondering and discernment
skills for spiritual yearning. His Recommendations 1. When at least 10 of you are together, do the Khatme-i Khawaja dhikr in the morning and in the evening. If possible, read the entire Qur'an or one-third of it. If the juz� booklets are not available, do dhikr together instead. Keep turning to Allah and ask things from Him while observing the râbita and being aware that you are in His presence all the time. 2. Eat and drink what is lawful while observing the Sunnah of the Prophet and being aware that you are in the presence of Allah all the time. 3. Be in peace with neighbors, people of the town, parents and friends, for the beginning of Tasawwuf is to avoid hurting the creatures. 4. Do your daily dhikr duties just as described to you and observe the special blessed nights in prayers and worship. 5. A person who is in tariqa must visit the graves of the awliya and attend the discourse of his shaikh to eliminate possession. He must do plenty of dhikr, keep his love and connection, and read tasawwuf books. 6. To get rid of the sleepiness and lull, the dervish must change the place of dhikr, establish râbita, and write a letter to his shaikh. He must take refuge and try to regain the zeal and energy to do dhikr. 7. The dervish must maintain patience, thankfulness and contentment,
attend the congregation, and greet people. He must appreciate the time, restore
the town, reinvigorate creatures, and have perseverance in his worship. Some of His Words 1. There are four kinds of love: love of Allah, love of what Allah loves, love for the sake of Allah, and love with Allah. 2. Love means leaving all senses, desires and thoughts and turning to Allah with the greatest desire. It means disconnecting oneself from the wealth, belonging, children and other worldly things and having a longing for the Creator. 3. The fastest way for leaving the offenses is love of Allah, a strong tie to the beauty of Allah. This is achieved through abundant worship, full repentance, thorough envisioning of death and hellfire, enlivening one�s nights in prayer and meditation, being affectionate to creatures, holding a good opinion of people, and persevering against lust, hatred and illicit thoughts. 4. Looking around weakens the heart; closing the eyes strengthens it and brings serenity. 5. If a person avoids looking at haram, protects his nafs from lust, beautifies his heart and spirit, and feeds himself with halal food, he will not be mistaken in his intuition and sagacity. Yet the intuition is acquired not through the domination of the nafs over the body, but through the achievement of vision with the light of Allah. 6. There are principles in all tariqat, yet the common principle
in all of them is servitude. As a person serves, he deserves the blessings
and gifts, and he is rewarded with honors and happiness in this world and
in the hereafter. Bibliography Hüseyin Vassaf, Sefînetül-Evliyâ, c.2, s.185, Süleymaniye Ktp., Yazma Bagislar no.2306 Ahmed Ziyâüddîn Gümüshânevî, Râmûzül-Ehâdîs, Müt. Abdülaziz Bekkîne, c.1, s.7-8, ts. Feridüddin Attar, Tezkiretül-Evliyâ, Haz. M.Z.Kotku., Istanbul 1983 Gündüz, Irfan, Ahmed Ziyaüddin Gümüshanevi, Istanbul 1984 Kara, Ismail, "Gümüshanevî Halifelerinden Seyh Osman Niyazi Efendi," Büyük Islam ve Tasavvuf Önderleri Ansiklopedisi, s.315-325, Istanbul 1993 Büyük Islam ve Tasavvuf Önderleri Ansiklopedisi, Vefa Yayincilik, s.297-302, Istanbul 1993 Ahmed Ziyaüddin Gümüshanevi Sempozyum Bildirileri, Haz. Necdet
Yilmaz, Istanbul 1992
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His Death --Hadrat Gumush-khanewi died on Dhul Qàdah 7, 1311 (May
13, 1893). About 10 o'clock in the morning, he opened his eyes in his death
bed said, "I want it all, Oh Kibriyâ!" These were his final words. His grave
is located at he Qibla side of the tomb of Qanûnî Sultan Sulayman in the
premises of Sulaymaniye Mosques. The grave next to his belongs to his wife
Hawwa Seher Khanim.