ABDULLAH HASIB ES-SEREZI QS (Abdullah Hasib Yardimci) (1864-1949) Dr. Abdullatif Duygulu (Translated by Hasan H. Erkaya from http://www.dervisan.com) a. Brief Biography Hajji Abdullah Hasib Effendi was born in Serez in 1864 (1280 Hegira). [Serez was an Ottoman town in the Macedonia, now lies within the borders of Greece. It is spelled as Serres]. His father was "Muavin" Ali Effendi, son of Halis Effendi. Ali Effendi was the imam of Cami-i Atik mosque in Serez, also a teacher and an associate director at Serez Rushdiyesi (a junior high school). His nickname "Muavin" meant "associate director." Hasib Effendi completed his secondary schooling in Serez Rushdiyesi and continued his education in Mahmud Agha Madrasa in Charshamba section of Istanbul. Having attended the Madrasa for ten years, he was awarded a diploma of prefessorship by Hajji Shakir Effendi of Tokat in 1893 (1310 h). Grand Shaikh Ahmed Ziyauddin Gumush-khanewi was among the guest who attended the commencement. Meanwhile, Hasib Effendi was initiated to the tariqa by Hasan Effendi of Sandikli. He also took courses on tashîh-i hurûf (proper Arabic pronunciation) from Arab Khawaja, and ilm-i qira'at (study of Qur'anic recitation) from Hajji Nuri Effendi. He was given a diploma on the recitation of the Qur'an. Later, Hasib Effendi returned to Serez and was appointed to the Cami-i Atik Mosque. There, he taught Sahih Bukhari and trained many students in memorization of the Qur'an. In 1924, he moved to Istanbul and settled in the Eyyub section of the city. He met Abdul'aziz Effendi and Mehmed Zâhid Effendi in Istanbul. After his shaikh passed away, he took the hand of Mustafa Feyzî Efendi of the Gumush-khanewi dargah. 
When Hasib Effendi became a disciple of Mustafa Feyzi Effendi, he had already advanced in the tariqa to the fanâ fish-shaikh stage with his first shaikh Hasan Effendi. Whenever he looked at the mirror, he would see his shaikh Hasan Effendi. He was brought to the Gumush-khanewi Dargah by Abdulaziz Effendi and Mehmed Zahid Kotku Effendi. Under the supervision of Mustafa Feyzî Effendi, Hasib Effendi completed his progress and became a deputy authorized to guide Muslims in the tariqa. Hasib Effendi used to live in the Eyyub section of Istanbul and walk to the Fatma Sultan Mosque every morning. Later on, he was appointed to that mosque and lived in the premises. After the evacuation of the Fatma Sultan Mosque, he was appointed to the Damad Ibrahim Pasha mosque, which is located close to the Shahzadabashi mosque. He served there as an imam, then he was moved to Merdivenli Mosque in the Grand Bazaar. Hasib Effendi had four marriages--each of the latter ones was after the death of his previous wife. From these marriages, he had seventeen children, yet only one of them, Sami Effendi, survived to be a grown up. Hasib Effendi performed Pilgrimage five times. Three of the journeys were on the land, the other two were via a ship. During one of the journeys on the sea, his elder brother died. His father Ali Effendi, too, died in Jeddah. Hasib Effendi left this world on May 15, 1949. He passed away in his house in Istanbul. He had a prostate operation. He stayed in bed for the last three months of his life. During his final days, he would turn to the direction of Qibla and close his eyes. Once, Abdul'aziz Effendi was asked why Hasib Effendi wouldn't open his eyes. He said that Khawaja Effendi had turned his eyes to the hereafter. He wanted to go there. That was why he would not open his eyes. A day before he died, Abdul'aziz Effendi instructed the disciples to stay with the Khawaja Effendi two person at a time. That night Mazhar Bey and Sirri Bey stayed with Khawaja Effendi. The next day, when Abdul'aziz Effendi was among the disciples, he was informed that Hasib Effendi passed away. Upon receiving the news, Abdul'aziz Effendi and the disciples went to Hasib Effendi's house in Mahmud Pasha section. They kept reciting prayers and dhikr till the morning. The funeral prayer for Hasib Effendi was held at Fatih Mosque. Hajji Said effendi, who was a close friend and also the imam of Eyyub Sultan Mosque led the prayer. His coffin was carried on shoulders from Fatih Mosque to the Edirnekapi cemetery. Due to a highway construction, his grave was moved to Edirnekapi Sakizagaci Sehitligi. Later his successor Abdul'aziz Effendi, too, was burried there. Hasib Effendi had told some disciples that they could continue their spiritual progress with Abdul'aziz Effendi. He had also stated that Abdul'aziz Effendi appeared to have a short life. His words came true. Abdul'aziz Effendi died three-and-half years after Hasib Effendi. May Almighty Allah elevate their ranks in Paradise. b. The Character of Hasib Effendi Hajji Hasib Effendi was rather tall and thin. His beard was white; his face, illuminated. He was very gentle and soft hearted. He was a blessed person. He would treat his disciples with kindness; he would listen to their questions carefully and answer them with wisdom no matter how simple or complicated they were. He would speak softly and elegantly. He would pronounce the words distinctly and clearly. He had a Rumeli accent, and he would add "a be yahu" expression before or after his words. Abdullah Hasib Effendi was one of the great awliya. He was a perfect spiritual guide, and a spiritual pole (qutb) of his time. Prof. Osman Çatakli, in his book Haci Hasib Efendi ve Haci Aziz Effendi, describes how he was initiated to the tariqa (1): With a friend of mine, I decided to do the daily prayers regularly in the July of 1947. Then we started reading publications on Islam and commentaries of the Qur'an. We also started attending the discourses of some scholars. All we wanted was to increase our knowledge on Islam. In the spring of 1948, we got a copy of the Mathnawi of Hadrat Mawlânâ Jalal-ad-dîn Rumî. There was a sentence: "Son, if you consider yourself intelligent, then you should take the hand of the spiritual pole of your time." I talked to my friend about it. He liked the idea of pledging allegiance to a spiritual guide. But we did not know how to find the spiritual pole of our time. We knew that a spiritual pole is a beloved servant of Allah. He would fulfill the obligations and he would not neglect any Sunnah. In the June of 1948, I met Hasib Effendi while he was explaining ahadith from the Ramuz-al-Ahadith in Bayazid Mosque. I told my friend that I was not sure if he was a pole, yet I was sure he was close to a pole. Finally, on February 1, 1949, we were initiated to the tariqa by Hasib Effendi. He died on May 15, 1949. We were attending the discourse of Abdul'aziz Effendi, then. About a month after Hasib Effendi died, my friend had a dream. In his dream he saw Hasib Effendi flying over the congregation in the Zeyrek [Ummugulsum] Mosque while repeating the words, "I am a pole, I am a pole." I told Abdul'aziz Effendi about my friends dream. He confirmed the fact that Hasib Effendi was a spiritual pole by saying, "Your friend has seen the fact." There was no doubt that Hasib Effendi was a walî, a close friend of Allah. Such a state is described as, "for Allah to take his servant to be His friend, and for the servant to take Allah to be his friend." Awliyâ are such people that Almighty Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased with Allah. As a sign of his love, Hasib Khawaja Effendi uttered these words when he was in a retreat (khalwet): Giderse jennete ahbâb-i yârânim, As Almighty Allah loves one of his awliya, He makes people and other creation love that person, too. On this issue, Adil Bey told the following: On a Ramadhan day, I invited Hasib Effendi for dinner (iftar). At the dinner, I had a thought, a wish that we prayed Tarawih at Eyyub Sultan Mosque. After the dinner, Hasib Effendi turned to me, "A be yahu, I have not been to Eyyub for a long time. If you had nothing to do, we could go to Eyyub Sultan for the Tarawih." We headed to Eyyup Sultan. Hasib Effendi asked, "I wonder if it is Sàid Effendi's turn to lead the prayer." Sàid Effendi was one of the imams of the mosque and a close friend of his. When we arried in the Mosque, I inquired about it and got a positive response. I said, "Yes, it is Sàid Effendi's turn." Then he commented: "He is one of the awliyâ, but unaware of it." After the prayer, Uncu Kemal, Sàid Effendi and the congregation circled around Hasib Effendi, kissed his hand and beard, and asked for prayers. On our way back, Hasib Effendi explained to me that that love was from Allah: "Son, if Almighty Allah loves a person, He makes all of His creation love him and respect him, too." * * * Hasib Khawaja Effendi had a great love towards the Prophet. He would follow the Sunnah in all aspects. During his sermons and discourses, he would often use the expression "Afdal-ul Besher--the Best of the Mankind" for the Prophet. He could not hold his tears when he spoke of the Prophet or relate a hadith of the Prophet. Then he would repeat the lines of Molla Jamii: "Cry my eyes cry, for it is the capital of love." He would say, "The companions of the Prophet were so blessed because they saw the Prophet." Then he would pause for a few seconds, and add, "Yet they had seen his death, too. It was unbearably saddening." * * * After the Friday prayers, he would sit and lean his back on the frame of pulpit in the mosque. The congregation would form a line to kiss his hand and get his prayers. He would listen to their problems and offer solutions and answer questions. Once somebody asked, "Effendi, I would like to see the Prophet in my dreams, but I haven't. What shall I do?" With his Rumeli accent, Hasib Effendi responded: "A be yâhu, we would like to see him, too, but he does not appear all the time." His love towards the Prophet had been manifested in the lines that he uttered in the khalwet: Bana evvelce gösterdin senin ol gül cemâlini, Hasib Effendi lived in an old duplex wooden house. He would stay in a room on the ground floor. He would sleep there, too. His bed was a mattress filled with grass and placed on wooden fruit containers. After his prostate operation, a cotton mat was placed over the mattress to provide better cushion. When he sat on it, he noticed the mat. He asked, "What is this?" Those present there explained, "Effendi, you just had an operation. This would provide you a bit comfort." He responded, "Yes, but when I am on the grass mattress, I am honored by the Prophet of Allah." He had the mat removed. c. His Modesty Abdullah Hasib Khawaja Effendi was unique in modesty and humbling himself. On this, Abdul'aziz Effendi remarked: "Only a few people comes to this world with a modesty matching to that of Hasib Effendi." One night, Sirri Bey and Hasib Effendi left Ibrahim Pasha Mosque at Shahzadabashi and walked to the trolley stop. While they were waiting for the trolley, a drunken person approached to Hasib Effendi, pointed the liquor bottle he was holding and asked: "Khawaja, what is in this bottle?" Hasib Effendi calmly responded: "Son, I hope Almighty Allah saves you from that." Hearing these words, the drunk man passed out and threw himself on the ground. Right at that time, the trolley arrived. Sirri Bey and Khawaja Effendi got in and sat side by side. Soon after the trolley moved, Hasib Effendi started crying. Sirri Bey looked at Khawaja Effendi in amazement. Hasib Effendi turned to him and said: "A be yahu, do you know what I am crying for? What if Almighty Allah had put us in the place of that drunken person? What would we do?" The next day that drunken man came to Ibrahim Pasha Mosque, repented, and became a member of the congregation of Khawaja Effendi. Hasib Effendi was a very gentle and calm person. He would treat everybody nicely. He would not hurt anybody. The Jamal (Beauty) attribute of Allah had manifested on him. Despite his gentleness and tolerance towards people, he would not compromise on Islamic matters. For instance, during a discourse, one merchant asked him questions about borrowing money with interest. He was trying to find a loophole that would allow the merchants to involve in interest: "Is it possible to do such and such things?" Finally Hasib Khawaja Effendi said: "Yes, it is possible, be yahu, but it will be haram." In another incident, Sirri Bey and Khawaja Effendi were walking on the street. A drunken person stopped them and kissed Hasib Effendi's hand. He asked for a prayer. Khawaja Effendi turned to Sirri Bey and commented: "This is a sign of imân." Sirri Bey relates another incident about the humbleness of Hasib Khawaja Effendi. He and Khawaja Effendi passed in front of a wedding saloon in Shahzadabashi. There was loud music that could be heard on the street. Khawaja Effendi had tears in his eyes. He prayed for them: "May Allah correct them." d. Taqwa of Hasib Effendi Hasib Effendi had a great taqwa and attentiveness in carrying out his worship. He would not neglect the Sunnah. He repeated the daily prayers that he offered before he was forty years old. For forty years, he fasted every day except for the Eid days. It was the fasting of Prophet Noah. In the latter years of his life, he would fast every other day as he put it: "A be yahu, we have grown old, so we changed our fasting to that of Prophet David." Hasib effendi used to eat very little. His meals were often toast bread with olives or cheese. Despite his age, he had his entire tooth in place and healthy. When he was asked about his tooth, he said, "A be yahu, I have used a miswak (natural tooth brush made of the roots of a tree) since I was a child. He would walk from his house in Mahmud Pasha to Ibrahim Pasha Mosque for the Fajr prayer. He would stay there for the whole day, break his fast in the mosque with a piece of bread, some olives and cheese, and return home after the Isha prayer at night. Prof. Dr. Mazhar Özman was with Hasib Effendi at a dinner invitation. Hasib Effendi had eaten everything offered. Dr. Mazhar Bey worried that Khawaja Effendi could get upset stomach. The moment he had these thoughts, Khawaja Effendi turned to him: "A be yahu, we eat with dhikrullah. It becomes a light for us and does not bother us." * * * It was a night in late fall. Hasib Effendi, Abdul'aziz Effendi and few people who were considered as educated were together, and they were talking about the coal to be purchased for Hasib Effendi. One of the educated men suggested: "Before getting the coal, one could give some money to workers and have them load the coal without any powdery part." Abdul'aziz Effendi objected: "That is tantamount to loading the powdery part to those who do not pay extra money to the workers." The person who made the suggestion defended his point. The talk continued around related topics and came to the sustenance. The same man made a statement: "One has to work for the sustenance." Abdul'aziz Effendi responded: "Working is a duty, but it is not a must for the sustenance." He continued: "Suppose that I get out of the house, carry the goods for the elderly ladies just for the sake of Allah or carry a container of sand on my back to cover the disgusting matter on the streets. Wouldn't Allah provide me with my sustenance? Hasn't Almighty Allah apportioned everybody's sustenance and guaranteed it?" The man did not seem to understand it at all. Hasib Effendi told him a story: "A certain man was in i'tikâf in a mosque. Several days passed, yet nobody brought him any food. The imam of the mosque noticed that and inquired: "What do you eat and drink here?" The man responded: "Sometime ago, my father did a favor to the Jewish grocer across from the mosque. The grocer told me to retreat into the mosque for i'tikâf. He said that he would send me the food." The imam said, "Very well!" and wanted to walk away. The man in i'itikâf pulled the imam: "Imam Effendi! How come you do not believe in the fact that Almighty Allah guarantees the sustenance, rather you believe that a Jewish grocer would send me the food?" The next day, Hasib Effendi turned to Abdul'aziz Effendi and said: "Yahu Aziz! What did that man utter last night!" Hasib Effendi had a prostate operation at his old age, so he would carry a bottle with him to collect the urine via a tube. That is why he could not lead the prayers, yet he would deliver the sermon on Fridays in the Merdivenli Mosque. He also continued his Ramuz-ul Ahadith discourses in the Bayazid Mosque following the Dhuhr prayer on Wednesdays. It was not an official duty; however, he kept doing that because his master Mustafa Feyzî Effendi had hadith discourses at the same location. Despite his illness and old age of 84, he would walk [the hill] to the Bayazid Mosque from Cagaloglu. He continued doing so until he was unable to walk. Once he walked from Cagaloglu to Kumkapi [which could take several hours one way] to visit an ill person. Despite his poor physical condition, he never complained. His congregation at the Merdivenli Mosque mainly consisted of merchants. That is why he would add the following words to his sermons: "If you go to a police station, you would button your jacket and straighten your hats before meeting the supervising police officer. Now you will be before Almighty Allah in the prayer. Prepare yourself for that. Straighten yourselves and keep your minds with you not at your store." Once he warned his congregation and students during a sermon: "As you come to the mosque, you pass in front of a teahouse and see people playing backgammon and smoking pipes. You blame them for neglecting the Friday prayer. You never think that Almighty Allah who kept them in the teahouse and brought you to the mosque could keep you in the teahouse and bring them to the mosque. [Be thankful for being in the mosque and pray for the ones who stayed in the teahouse.]" He would often say, "Busy yourselves with your own shortcomings, do not look at other people's shortcomings." e. His Care for His Disciples Hasib Khawaja Effendi was very caring and merciful towards his disciples and people in general. He was quite protective of his students and would not allow them to go to other groups because the spiritual guides do not want their training to be influenced or disrupted. He was such a perfect guide and will not allow his disciples to receive improper information. One of the disciples of Hasib Effendi related: "Once, my heart had a tendency towards one of the deputies of Mustafa Feyzî Effendi. In a dream, I saw myself working in the store of that person. When I looked through the door, I saw great scenery. I saw some people carrying chicken, turkey, and eggs. I asked them if they would sell me those things so that I can take them to my shaikh. They said that they belonged to that specific deputy that my heart had a tendency. The next day some customer brought turkey, chicken and eggs. I bought some to take them to Hasib Effendi. He asked me if I had any observances. I told him about the dream. He thought for a while and said, 'We have no difference be yahu!' I told the same thing to Abdul'aziz Effendi. His remarked: 'A spiritual guide never gives up his disciple even if it costs him his life.' "After I told Hasib Effendi about my dream, I returned to my store. When I was taking some chicken and turkey home, I was almost run over by a trolley in Bayazid. I still don't understand how I was saved. Allah knows, it had to be the hand of Hasib Effendi to save me from the trolley." f. The Miracles of Hasib Effendi Many extraordinary events were observed with Hasib effendi. Some of them are given here. Sirri Bey related: "It was a time that I had some financial difficulties. After a prayer, I sat in the mosque across from Hasib Effendi. Then Sevket Bey, who was the associate director in the accounting department at Istanbul Technical University, approached me and whispered: 'Sirri, why do not let us know when you are in trouble financially?' "I was puzzled and could not say anything. I looked at his face. He continued: 'I saw Hasib Effendi in my dream last night. He told me to find you and solve your problem because I got some extra money.' "That was one example of Hasib Effendi solving a disciple's problem through other disciples." One of the muedhdhins of Zeyrek Mosque, Saadettin Effendi related: "I was waiting at the Mufti's office for my turn to take an exam to become a muedhdhin. All of a sudden, I noticed Hasib Effendi entering the exam room. When it was my turn, I entered the room and saw him with the exam committee. They asked me questions that I knew the answers best. I passed the exam. I believed that the committee members never noticed Hasib Effendi." Lawyer Sitki Bey, one of the disciples of Hasib Effendi related: I was studying for my Master's degree in the United States. One of the female students in the class asked me to go for a picnic together. When we were leaving the school building, I saw Hasib Effendi with a cane in his hand quite angry standing in front of me. I changed my mind about going for the picnic." Vedat Özman related the following: "I used to work as an associate inspector in the Tekel General Directorate. I wanted to be appointed to the Ministry of Commerce as an inspector. There was an exam and they would hire three persons only. I applied for the exam and took it in Ankara. While I was in Ankara, my father visited Hasib Effendi. After I returned from Ankara, I visited Hasib Effendi. As we walked towards his house, he said: 'The other day your father visited me. I was going to tell him that they did not let you pass the exam, but I was afraid it would upset him. They have no good characters, yet we do not want anything bad for anybody. Allah willing, the one who prevented you from passing the exam moves up and leaves his position for you.' "In fact, I was announced to have the fourth place. The first three were hired, and I was on the waiting list. The person who blocked my appointment became the director of exports division, and I was appointed to his position. It happened as Hasib Effendi predicted." Here is another incident from Vedat Özman: "It was 1947. I was an inspector for the Ministry of Commerce. I would travel throughout the country for inspections. I stayed for a while in Antep, and then was sent to Izmir. It had been six months away from Istanbul and from my family. I missed them very much. One night I thought of Hasib Effendi and said, 'Effendi, If you have some affection towards me, take me to you.' "The next day the mailman brought me a telegram. The Ministry of Commerce had ordered me to go to Istanbul at once. I went to Istanbul and visited Hasib Effendi. When I kissed his hand, he smiled and said: 'When the servant is not in trouble, Khidir would not come for help.'" Inspector Vedat Özman related the following: "It was around 1956-57. I was in a terrible state. I thought, 'If my Shaikh Hasib Effendi were alive, I would not be in this state.' That night I had a dream. In my dream, Hasib Effendi said, 'I am always with you, but you are negligent about your daily duty.' In fact, I was not paying attention to my daily dhikr then." Sirri Tüzer related the following: "Nureddin Topçu Bey has been a close friend of mine since the grade school. He completed his PhD at Sorbon in Paris and became an Associate Professor at Istanbul University. Around 1945, he was a high school instructor in Denizli. He visited Istanbul during the summer break. He was quite bored in Denizli and wanted to work in Istanbul. I told him: 'I have a Khawaja Effendi that I would like to take you to him. We ask for his blessings. He may help you with your appointment to Istanbul.' Nureddin Bey was skeptic: 'How come? Only Hasan Ali Yücel, the Minister of Education, can help me.' "We went to Hasib Effendi and kissed his hand. I said: 'This is my friend since my childhood. He has a problem. Could we ask for a prayer for him to be appointed in Istanbul?' Hasib Effendi dropped his head for a while and said: 'Insha-Allah, you will be appointed in Istanbul with a promotion.' "After we left, Nureddin Bey was still skeptic: 'Will it happen?' I said, 'If Hasib Effendi said so, by the permission of Allah, it will.' "Few days later, Nureddin Bey came to my store. He said, 'Sirri, I would like to talk to you about something. Come to our house tonight.' That day, the store was quite crowded. Also, my son Hasib was born in the evening. That is why I could not go to him. However, the next day I visited him. He showed me a telegram that was addressed to him. It read: 'You have been appointed to Istanbul Haydarpasha Highschool.' There was also the name of the Minister of Education: 'Hasan Ali Yücel.' "Nureddin Bey was very happy. He said, 'Few days ago, I dreamed about Hasib Effendi. He was delivering the Friday sermon in his mosque. After he completed the sermon, he took a little twig of a bay tree and gave it to me. I checked it with the interpretation book Kenzul Menam. It said it indicated good news.' "Nureddin Bey was very happy because of the dream and his appointment. We went to Hasib Effendi to thank him. We kissed his hand and sat across from him. I said, 'Effendi, I brought my friend. You have met him before.' He responded, 'Of course I know Nureddin Bey.' Before we left, I asked, 'Could you assign him a daily duty [i.e., initiate him to the tariqa]?' He responded, 'With blessings.'" g. He could read People's hearts There are many incidents showing that Hasib Effendi could understand people's thoughts and respond accordingly. A friend told the following: "One day in 1949, we had Khatme-i Khawajagan at Hasib Effendi's house. Then we were served tea. There was a porcelain cup among the teacups. I wished that I had the tea from that cup. When I was served, there was only that cup on the tray. I had no other choice, so I picked it up. Yet I was somehow embarrassed for having such a thought. Nobody had picked that cup, so it was mine. Hasib Effendi said: 'A be yahu, this nafs is a strange creature. What difference would it make for the teacup to be this way or that way? In my youth, I had an experience. Before a Khatmei-Khawajagan, when the pebbles for keeping the number were distributed, I noticed a colorful stone among them. I wanted to get that stone. Then I realized that it was in my hand. The nafs is such a strange being. In fact, the stone is used to keep the count; its color makes no difference.'" Adil Bey related the following: "Hasib Effendi was going to have his house repaired. I heard that he needed to borrow some money. While walking with him, I said by heart, 'Am I not your [spiritual] son? Why do not ask me for some money?' Immediately he turned to me: 'A be yahu, if you have some extra money, could you lend me a thousand liras?' I lent him seven hundred fifty liras. Later he paid me back." Here is another example: One of the disciples of Hasib Effendi was in financial trouble. He decided to sell his wife's earrings. He put the earrings in his pocket and headed to the Grand Bazaar. On the way, he stopped by Hasib Effendi. He did not mention anything about the earrings. Hasib Effendi said: "It is not nice to sell the earrings of the wife. You go to the Bayazid Mosque for the Asr prayer." The disciple went to the Bayazid Mosque. He met a person that he knew before. That person handed him an envelope. The envelope had more money than the worth of the earrings. Hajji Sirri Bey related the following: "Once I was in a financial trouble. I visited Hasib Effendi, but did not mention anything about the trouble. When I was leaving, he took an envelope beneath his pillow and handed it to me. Outside, I opened the envelope. It had just the amount of money I needed." Another disciple related: "Once I was not doing well with my business. Hasib Effendi said, 'We should recite Ayat-al Kursi in plenty during the time of difficulties.' I started doing so, and soon my business improved. As a matter of fact, I hired new employees." A friend told the following: "I had taken Hasib Effendi to some place around Sultanahmed to have him pray for an ill person. After he recited verses for the person, I wanted to take him back to his house. When we were at Sultanahmed Mosque [The Blue Mosque], he said, 'I can go alone,' and he disappeared." There were witnesses that Hasib Effendi could be at two places at a time. For instance, once he was seen to visit one of his students at Bakirkoy Mental Hospital while he was leading the Friday Prayer in His mosque. Prof. Mazhar Özman related the following: "Once I visited Hasib effendi. He appeared to be tired. When I inquired, he said: 'A young man came here before you did. He asked me some questions. He pointed the shelf and asked what kinds of books they were. I said that they were books of Hadith, Tafsîr, and other religious books. He asked if I prayed for the sick. I said I recited the cure verses of the Qur'an. He also asked if I wrote charms. I said I wrote some verses of the Qur'an. In the end, he said that he was an undercover police officer and he came to inspect me. He requested to kiss my and asked for my blessings and prayers. Then he left.' "Khawaja Effendi turned to me and said: 'I am a dervish of such a shaikh (Mustafa Feyzî Effendi) whom the police could not dare to disturb. During his time the governing party (Ittihad ve Terakki] officers sent two undercover agents after the Shaikh Effendi. He initiated them to the tariqa and made good dervishes out of them. In fact one of them died while in retreat (khalwet) in the roof of the house of the Shaikh Effendi. Mustafa Feyzî Effendi led his funeral prayer.'" * * * There was a dressmaker girl named Sabire among the disciples of Hasib Effendi. Once she was coming towards Hasib Effendi's house in Mahmudpasha, she saw everybody along the way looking like Hasib Effendi. She got scared. Hasib Effendi was waiting for her at the door. He comforted her saying, "Fear not! When a dervish loves his or her shaikh very much, he or she disappears in him (fanâ fish-shaikh). He or she sees his shaikh everywhere. This is something desirable. You should be happy about it." Hasib Effendi told his disciples about the incident. He added: "The state that we would like to see occurred on a dressmaker girl, not on the men." Prof. Mazhar Özman related the following: "My older brother was an inspector. He would travel throughout Turkey as his job required. We hardly had any telephone connections to him. Whenever my mother wondered about him, she would ask me to go to Hasib Effendi and inquire by heart. I would go to Hasib Effendi, and he would ask, 'Any news from your brother?' I would respond, 'No, Effendi.' Then he would add: 'Then he will come soon.' "As a matter of fact, my brother would come to Istanbul in the following days." Prof. Özman related: "When my brother Vedat Özman met Hasib Effendi for the first time, he asked where Hasib Effendi was from. He said he was from Serez. My brother had a thought that there were Gypsies in Serez. At that moment, Khawaja Effendi responded: 'A be yahu! Not everybody in Serez is a Gypsy. They have separate disctricts.'" Prof. Mazhar Özman related: "Once I looked at the face of Hasib Effendi and had the thought: 'Shaiks have himmet (miraculous support) towards their disciples. Would you have himmet for me?' "I had no idea what himmet meant at that time. He was walking down the stairs in his house while I waited for him downstairs. He said: 'A disciple cried, "Oh my shaikh, himmet!" and the shaikh responded, "Oh my son, hidhmet!" [Hidhmet means service to the shaikh, to the disciples and to the society in general.]'" Behzat Özman Effendi saw Hasib Effendi wearing trousers with patches on it. He thought of buying a new pair of trousers for Khawaja Effendi. Khawaja Effendi read his mind: "A be yahu, we do have new trousers. We wear this pair with patches because it is heavier on the nafs." * * * Prof. Dr. Mazhar Özman Related: Once we were waiting for Hasib Effendi to start the Khatme-i Khawajagan. One of our friends must have got bored that he said, "Why does not Khawaja Effendi come on time?" Soon, Khawaja Effendi entered the room. He turned to that friend and said: "A be yahu, someone asked a person what his name was. He responded, 'Mulâyim' (mild, soft tempered). Then the person who asked commented, 'I wonder how you would be if you were hard-tempered?'" * * * One of the disciples of Hasib Effendi complained about his supervisor. The supervisor was hard on everybody, and he would not allow employees to go for the Friday prayer. He would bring a dog to his office. Upon the complaint, Hasib Effendi said, "It sounds like he is a friend of the dog." * * * During a discourse, Hasib Effendi told his disciples: "When you see a child, do not say, 'How nice! Mâshâllah!' It is because the child may be affected by the evil eye between the words 'how nice' and 'mâshâllah.' Instead, say, 'Mâshâllah! How nice!'" * * * During a discourse Hasib Effendi pointed that the hidden form of shirk (association of partners to Allah) is hard to notice and very dangerous for the Ummah of Prophet Muhammad. He provided some examples of the hidden shirk: "When a person offers his earning he says, 'Here, this is what I earned with my own sweat.' That is a form of hidden shirk because he has substituted himself as the provider of the sustenance. He must say, 'I worked, and my Lord provided me with this.' "When a person says, 'I had drunk some cold water, so my stomach is in pain," he would be stating that the cold water gives him the pain. [He ignores that Allah sends the pain.] Again, when he says, 'I took some medicine, so my headache is gone,' he would be neglecting the 'Health-Giver' attribute of Allah. "Our beloved Prophet said: 'When some medicine is given to a sick person, the angels ask, "Our Lord! Shall we put the cure in the medicine?" If Allah says, "Yes!" then the medicine brings the cure.' "May Allah save all Muslims from the hidden shirk." * * * Once a disciple asked Hasib Effendi: "Khawaja Effendi, we heard that some of the butchers in the slaughter house neglect the word 'bismillah' when they slaughter the animals. For such a possibility, shall we avoid the meat from the slaughter house?" Khawaja Effendi responded: "A be yahu, we start eating the food with 'bismillah.' That is good for our food as well as for the meat for which the butcher forgot uttering 'bismillah.'" While eating food at the table, a piece of bread fell off the tablecloth. Hasib Khawaja Effendi took the bread, blew on it and ate it. One of the disciples asked, "Wouldn't it get germs?" Hasib Effendi responded, "I eat with 'bismillah' that kills the germs." * * * It was during the sickness of Hasib Effendi. He gave an old copy of the Qur'an to one of his disciples. The disciple found a sheet of paper in the book which had the Ayat-al Kursi (Qur'an 2:256) written by the Hasib Effendi. The disciple asked, "May I take this, too?" Hasib Effendi responded, "Surely." Then he added, "It has the phrase 'illâ bi iznihî' (except by His--Allah's--permission)." * * * Hasib Effendi advised a novice when he initiated him to the tariqa: "You must know that among the Muslims you are the one who has the most shortcomings. This is the truth, for you see only few of the shortcomings of other people, yet you never see thousands of shortcomings of your own." * * * Hajji Sirri Tüzer related: "Hasib Effendi visited me at my store. He looked quite happy. He sat in his usual chair in the store. He used to fast every other day just like the Prophet David did. I offered him some freshly brewed tea. He said: 'You often dream about me. Last night I dreamed about you.' I was quite excited. I asked, 'Effendi, how did you see me?' He said, 'You gave me a gold coin, I gave you my heart.'" * * * Sirri Bey related: There was a bedridden woman in Charshamba section in Istanbul. This woman was told in her dream: "Find the imam of Ibrahim Pasha Mosque Hasib Effendi. He will tell you what to do." Since the woman was bedridden, she could not go and search for Hasib Effendi. She requested her neighbors to bring Hasib Effendi to her, yet it produced no results. One day Hasib Effendi appeared in her house. He said, "I am Hasib Effendi. Since you could not come to see me, I came to see you." He initiated her to the tariqa and prescribed a daily duty. (1) h. Memories from Nejdet Oral I met Hasib Effendi RhA in 1948. His house was close to the Istanbul Men's High School. We used to live in Sultanahmed. A year before I met him, Almighty Allah blessed me with zeal, and I started daily prayers in the month of Ramadhan. At that time, one of our friends, Mazhar [Özman], got into a different mood. He started reciting poems from Yunus Emre. Once he told me: "Necdet! I met a great Khawaja Effendi. I want you to meet him. Among many friends, I choose you and your brother to take to him." First, we went to the street where the daily Cumhuriyet had offices. Hasib Effendi's house was on that street. When we saw him for the first time, he smiled at us. That smile was sufficient to have our hearts filled with spirituality. That smile branded us for life. I was 17 or 18 years old then. Hasib Effendi RhA told us: "Spiritual guidance is a light and mercy that descends to the heart. That mercy softens the heart as water softens the salty and dry soil. Then the heart opens up for the truth and accepts it just like the softened soil accepting the seed and germinating it." We started attending Hasib Effendi's discourses. He had Khatme-i Khawajagan at his house every Monday night to the early hours of Tuesday. We decided to attend the Khatme-i Khawaja at Hasib Effendi's house for the first time. Since we had been minors, we never went outside at night before. On a Monday, we went to his house. Following the discourse and the Khatme-i Khawajagan, Hasib Effendi offered us a cup of tea. When we left his house, it was late in the night. We arrived at our house in the wee hours. Since my father was in Tekirdag, my uncle was staying with us. He opened the door for us and screamed: "Where have you been? Could anybody be on the streets until now?" And he started beating us. My grandmother tried to stop him: "Don't beat them. Leave them alone. They have a Khawaja Effendi; they are coming from him." My uncle would not listen to her. After uttering an improper expression for the beard of the Khawaja Effendi, he slapped us again and then stopped. In the morning, my uncle was in a terrible state. His hand on his chest, he was trying to tell something to my grandmother, yet could not say much to us. He had a terrible nightmare. I was amazed how a person like my uncle could be almost crying: "There was a giant bonfire. Somebody was brought into the fire before me. He screamed so much. Then it was my turn. While they were dragging me towards the fire, I tried to escape. I fell off the bed." While his hand was still on his chest, I realized that it was the wisdom of Allah and the spirituality of Hasib Effendi RhA. Hasib Effendi was among ahlullah; he was a pole of spirituality. I heard later his successor Aziz Effendi (Abdulaziz Bekkine) rhA saying "qutbul aqtab" to describe Hasib Effendi in the Khatme-i Khawajagan. * * * Hasib Effendi was old and had miraculous powers. He knew what was in your heart. Before you said anything, he would reveal something about your thoughts: "It is not like that at all. They say such and such for that." Brother Sirri told us once: "One day we left the Ibrahim Pasha Mosque after Isha. I was carrying the briefcase of Hasib Effendi. The sky was clear, and I was looking at the stars. Hasib Effendi was looking down. I saw a shooting star. I wondered how the shooting stars are interpreted in Islam. Before I said anything, he lifted his head and said, 'They say the angels are chasing the devil.'" Hasib Effendi was such a person. My brother and I had one and a half years with Hasib Effendi. When we received our allowance from my father, we would take Hasib Effendi from his house to the Bayazit Mosque by taxi. He would give a discourse there on Sundays after Asr prayer. Once we were taking him from the mosque to his home. When we were passing the entrance of our high school, I had the thought: "I hope Khawaja Effendi prays for me to pass one of my difficult courses." In the taxi cab, he turned to me and asked: "Which school do you attend?" "This one," I said. "Do you have any poor grades?" "Yes." "Insha-Allah, you will pass." The same thing happened in his house, too. I visited him before the exams. He had some discomfort. His wife, our respected mother, was rubbing his back and wiping his sweat. Hasib Effendi was seated with his head down. While I was sitting there, he was saying something. I wished that he asked me about my exams and prayed for me. He stopped what he was saying and turned to me: "Which school do you attend?" I told him the school, but I was really embarrassed. My face turned red. He continued, "Do you have any poor grades?" "I do." "Insha-Allah you will pass." Then he added, "Sometimes I pray for the students and they pass their grades. It is not from me but from Allah." He had tears in his eyes. He would cry when he heard a verse of the Qur'an. He always had tears while the Qur'an was being recited before the Friday prayer. (2) * * * I heard Hasib Effendi talking about his experience during one of his itikâf: "It was a Ramadhan in summer. I intended to retreat to the mosque where I was the imam for itikâf for the last ten days of Ramadhan. I was going to stay in one of the large windows of the mosque. I took some flour, a jug of water, a small burner that uses rubbing alcohol, and a small bowl. I would make plain flour soup in that small bowl for iftar. "Between the prayer times, I would sit in the window, read Qur'an and do dhikr and meditation. When it was hot, I would open the wings of the window until they touched the walls. I would see my reflection on the glass, yet I would not pay any attention to it. "One day towards the end of the itikâf, I noticed the reflection on the glass. It was not my reflection, but that of my shaikh. He was looking at me." Tears filled his eyes after he told us the event. I believed that Hasib Effendi was telling us one of the signs of fanâ fish-shaikh stage in the path of Tasawwuf. * * * Once Hasib Effendi and some of his disciples were eating dinner at Abdul'aziz Effendi's house. They started eating with the "bismillâh" of Hasib Effendi. One of the guests started telling something that happened to him in the past. He went on and on. For a moment, Hasib Effendi implied that he talked to much: "A be, we utter 'bismillâh' for every bite and say by heart 'Allah' every time we chew food." The guest did not mind the remark, and continued telling his story. Khawaja Effendi repeated his remark, and the guest kept quiet afterwards. Khawaja Effendi was teaching the manners of eating food in the presence of elderly and teachers. (3) * * * A person may be tested in various ways. On this subject, Aziz Effendi said: "A shaikh does not test a disciple, it would not be proper for him to do so. A shaikh would not say 'I would like to have this man clean the toilets to see if he has any objections in his heart.' What if the person opposes? What if the person says something offensive to Islam? What if it leads him to disbelief? That would be an enormous burden in the hereafter. That is why a shaikh does not test the dervish. Yet tests will come, from almighty Allah." In Hasib Effendi's house, Aziz Effendi would be his company. Before Hasib Effendi died, Aziz Effendi visited him every day with his brief case. They would study books such as Muhammadiya, Ahmadiya. It was not merely a series of study sessions; rather, it was a transfer of the stage and responsibilities. Once I went to visit Hasib Effendi when they were studying. Hasib Effendi was in a sitting position in bed, reading a book in Arabic out loud while Aziz Effendi was following him on another book. Every now and then he would ask what a particular phrase meant. Aziz Effendi turned to Hasib Effendi and asked: "Khawaja Effendi! After a shaikh dies, would his powers helping a disciple be reduced or diminished?" Hasib Effendi responded: "No, not at all. On the contrary, after a shaikh dies, his power for his disciples becomes sharper just like a sword taken out of its case." * * * The Khatme-i Khawajagan in Hasib Effendi's house would not continue until the morning. He would observe the Sunnah attentively. As recommended by the Prophet, they would not stay up long after the Isha prayer. However, there would be long discourses late into the night in Aziz Effendi's house because this man's life was growing short. He knew this fact. Hasib Effendi, too, knew that Aziz Effendi would have a short life. I was told, in reference to Mehmed Zahid Kotku, Hasib Effendi said: "It appears to us that one who will come after Aziz Effendi will live long." In a discourse, he was asked: "Khawaja Effendi, may Almighty Allah give you long life. Yet we wonder what we will do or where we will go after you pass away?" He responded: "There is no reason to worry; there is Aziz. You can attend his discourses for a while." Later I heard from other people that he said, "One to come after Aziz will have a long life." Notes: (1) Prof. Osman Çatakli, Haci Hasib Efendi ve Haci Aziz Efendi, pp. 13-33, Istanbul, 2000. (2) Dr. M. Erkaya, Anilarla Mehmed Zâhid Kotku Rh.A, pp. 131-135, Seha, Istanbul, 1997. (3) Prof. Osman Çatakli, Mehmed Zâhid Kotku, pp. 211-212, Istanbul 1999. (4) Dr. M. Erkaya, Anilarla Mehmed Zâhid Kotku Rh.A, pp. 135-136, Seha, Istanbul, 1997. (5) Ibid, pp. 133 |