Addendum to the Twenty-Seventh Word

On the Sahabah

Like Mawlana Jâmî, I say:

يَا رَسُولَ اللّٰهِ چِه بَاشَدْ چُونْ سَگِ اَصْحَابِ كَهْفْ

دَاخِلِ جَنَّتْ شَوَمْ دَرْ زُمْرَهءِ اَصْحَابِ تُو

اُو رَوَدْ دَرْ جَنَّتْ مَنْ دَرْ جَهَنَّمْ كَىْ رَوَاسْتْ

اُو سَگِ اَصْحَابِ كَهْفْ مَنْ سَگِ اَصْحَابِ تُو1

بِاسْمِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَاِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ اِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ اَشِدَّاءُ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاءُ بَيْنَهُمْ2 to the end of the âyah…

You Ask: Some riwâyât say that "At the time when bid’ahs are in demand, some sâlih people from among the people of îmân and taqwâ can be on the level of the Sahabah, or even more superior than them." Are these riwâyât sahîh? And if so, what is their haqiqah?

The Answer: The consensus of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamâ'ah is decisive proof that after the prophets, the most virtuous of mankind is the Sahabah. Sahîh ones among those riwâyât is about the particular fadhîlah. Because something, which a superior thing is preferred over it, can prevail over that preferred thing only in particular fadhîlah and perfection. But from the point of view of general fadhîlah, the Sahabah, who are praisingly described by Ar-Rabb at the end of surah al-fath and are the subject of praise and commend of the Tawrah3 , Injîl4 and Qur'an, cannot be reached. For now, out of very many reasons and hikmahs of this haqiqah, we shall declare three hikmahs, which comprise three reasons.

First Hikmah: The sohbat5 of the Prophet is such an elixir that someone who is honoured with it for one minute receives nûrs of haqiqah equivalent to years of journey of the rûh. For in a sohbat, there is a reflection and a being coloured. It is well-known that the greatest level can be reached through reflection, submission and that sublime nûr of nubuwwah. Just as by being his subject, a sultân's servant rises to such a rank that a king cannot rise to it. It is due to this mystery that the greatest awliyâ cannot reach the level of the Sahabah. Even if the awliyâ, who many times were honoured with the sohbat of the Prophet while awake like Jalaladdîn Suyûtî, met with Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm while awake and were honoured with his sohbat in this ‘âlam, they still could not reach the Sahabah. Because the sohbat of the Sahabah is with the nûr of nubuwwah of Ahmad (asm), that is, with him as the Prophet. While the awliyâ seeing Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm after his death is a sohbat with the nûr of walâyah of Ahmad (asm). It means that Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm appearing to their eyes is in respect of the walâyah of Ahmad (asm), not in regard to his nubuwwah. Since this is so, however much higher the level of nubuwwah to that of walâyah is, there should be a disparity to that extent between the two sohbat. It is understood how luminous an elixir was the sohbat of the Prophet through the following: a Bedouin man with a savage and hard heart to the degree that he will bury his daughter alive would come and be honoured with the sohbat of the Prophet for an hour and would acquire such gracious compassion to a degree that he cannot step his feet on an ant. And an ignorant savage man would be honoured with the sohbat of the Prophet for a day, then go to lands like China and India and be a teacher of the haqiqah and a guide of the perfection of those civilized nations.

Second Reason: As explained and proved in the discussion of ijtihad in the Twenty-Seventh Word, the absolute majority of the Sahabah were at the highest level of human perfections. Because at that time, in the mighty revolution of Islam, khayr and haqq were seen with all their beauty, and sharr and bâtil were seen with all their ugliness, and they both felt physically. Khayr and sharr divided from each other in such a way and such a distance opened between sidq and falsehood that their gap became distant from one another as much as îmân and kufr, rather, Jahannam and Jannah. The Sahabah, who by fitrah possessed elevated feelings, were captivated by the highest morality and inclined toward dignity and glory, would not willingly stretch out their hands to falsehood and sharr and fall to the pit of Musaylima the Liar since he and his ridiculous words are the herald and representative of bâtil, sharr and falsehood. Their character necessitates looking to the rank of Habibullah (asm) at the level of the perfections of a’lâ ‘illiyyin, who is the herald and representative of sidq, khayr and haqq, and running there with all their strength and endeavour.

For example, it sometimes happens that in the market of human civilization and the shop of social life, everyone is disgusted by the fearsome results and ugly consequences of certain things like fatal poison and flees from them with all their strength, let alone buying them, while the beautiful results and valuable consequences of other certain things and ma’nawî goods attract everyone’s view and demand themselves like a beneficial panacea and a diamond; everyone works their utmost to buy them.

In just the same way, in the Era of Bliss, in the market of the social life of mankind, since materials like falsehood, sharr and kufr give results like eternal misery and lowly laughingstocks like Musaylima the Liar, it is certain and clear that the Sahabah, who were captivated by exalted moral qualities and the love of elevated things, would flee from and loathe them like fatal poison. And it is necessary that, like a most profitable panacea and precious diamond, with all their strength, feelings and subtle faculties, the Sahabah, whose fitrah is pure and moral is praiseworthy, would be desirous of and customers for sidq, haqq and iman, which yield results like eternal happiness and luminous fruits like Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalatu Wassalâm. However, after that time, the distance between sidq and falsehood diminished gradually and slowly; they became shoulder to shoulder. They begin to be sold together in the same shop, and social morality has become corrupted, too. The propaganda of politics has caused a greater demand for lying. At a time when the terrible ugliness of lying has begun to be concealed and the shining beauty of truthfulness has begun not to be seen, who can reach the strength, firmness and taqwâ of the Sahabah in the matters of justice, sidq, exaltedness and haqq or surpass their level? Who can dare to claim it? I shall explain a state of mine that occurred, which will illuminate this matter to a degree. It is as follows:

One time, it came to my heart, why can wondrous individuals like Muhyiddîn Bin 'Arabî not reach the Sahabah? Then, while saying سُبْحَانَ رَبِّىَ اْلاَعْلٰى during the salâh, the meaning of the phrase was unfolded to me. Not in its complete meaning, but part of its haqiqah appeared. I said in my heart: "If only Allah granted me success in one salâh as He granted it with this phrase, it would be better than a year's ‘ibâdah." After the salâh, I understood that that thought and state were a guidance indicating that the Sahabah’s degree in ‘ibâdah could not be reached. Yes, while opposites were separated from one another in that mighty social revolution that occurred as a result of the nûrs of Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm, at a time when sharr together with all its darkness, consequences and details and khayr and perfections together with all their nûrs and results came face to face, in such a state and exciting time, all dhikr and tasbîh expressed all the levels of their meanings freshly and newly, in a young fashion, and awoke all the feelings and ma’nawî subtle faculties of the people, who were amid the turmoil of that mighty revolution; even feelings like wahm, imagination and sirr, in an awakened and aware way, received and absorbed the numerous meanings within those dhikr and tasbîh according to their own tastes.

Thus, as a consequence of this hikmah, when the Sahabah, whose senses, feelings and subtle faculties were awakened, said those blessed words comprising the nûrs of îmân and tasbîh, they were saying those blessed words with all their meaning and receiving a share from them with all their subtle faculties. Whereas after that revolution and division, the subtle faculties have gradually sunk into sleep and the senses and feelings have fallen into ghaflah in point of those haqiqahs; like fruits, those blessed words have gradually lost their subtlety and freshness due to the veil of familiarity. It is as though they dry up due to the air of superficiality; only a little freshness remains that it can only be restored to its former state through a strong surgery of tafakkur. Thus, it is because of this that other can only reach in forty years the fadhîlah and rank of the Sahabah which they achieved in forty minutes.

Third Reason: As is proved in the Twelfth, Twenty-Fourth and Twenty-Fifth Words, the comparison of nubuwwah and walâyah is that of the sun itself and the sun's image seen in mirrors. Thus, however much higher the sphere of nubuwwah than that of walâyah is, the Sahabah who were the servants of the sphere of nubuwwah and the stars of that Sun, have to be superior to the sâlih people in the sphere of walâyah to the same degree. To a degree that the legacy of nubuwwah and siddiqiyyah, which is the supreme walâyah, is the walâyah of the Sahabah, even if an awliyâ attains it, he still cannot reach the rank of the Sahabah, who were the first-line behind the Prophet. Out of the numerous aspects of this Third Reason, we shall explain three aspects:

First Aspect: The Sahabah cannot be reached in ijtihad, that is, in deducing laws, that is, in understanding from His word the things that please Janâb-i Haqq. Because that mighty Ilahî revolution at that time revolved around understanding the things that please Ar-Rabb and the laws of Allah. All minds were turned towards deducing laws from the Qur’an. All hearts were curious about "What does our Rabb want from us?" All circumstances and states at that time were occurring in a way that made this state known and felt. The discussions were occurring in a way containing these meanings.

Thus, since everything and all states and discussions and conversations and stories occurred in a way that would instruct those meanings to an extent, and since they have perfected the dispositions of the Sahabah and illuminated their minds, and since, like a match, their dispositions were ready for being illuminated on the matter of ijtihad and deducing laws, at this time, a man with the intelligence and disposition of the Sahabah cannot attain in ten years, rather, in a hundred years, the level of ijtihad and deducing laws the Sahabah attained in a day or a month. Because now, worldly happiness is the centre of attention in place of eternal happiness. Mankind's attention and view is directed towards different aims. Since the struggle for livelihood amid a state lack of tawakkul has dazed the rûh and the Naturalist and Materialist philosophies have blinded the mind, the social environment of mankind confuses and scatters that person's mind and disposition in the matter of ijtihad, let alone strengthening them. In the discussion on ijtihad in the Twenty-Seventh Word, in the comparison between Sufyan ibn ‘Uyayna and someone of his intelligence, we proved that the other person cannot acquire in a hundred years what Sufyan acquired in ten.

Second Aspect: The ranks of the Sahabah in point of closeness to Allah cannot be reached with the feet of walâyah. Because Janâb-i Haqq is close to us and closer to us more than everything; we are infinitely distant from Him. To be close to Him can be gained in two ways:

The First is through the unfolding of Allah’s closeness to man; the closeness in nubuwwah looks to it and the Sahabah is honoured with this mystery through the legacy of nubuwwah and the sohbat of the Prophet.

The Second Way is to traverse the levels in point of our distance from Allah, and to an extent, to be honoured with the closeness to Allah; most of the ma’nawî journey of walâyah is through this way and anfusî6 and âfâkî7 journeys occur in this way.

Thus, the first way is purely given (wahbî), it is not acquired (kasbî); it is being attracted by Allah, being drawn by Ar-Rahmân and being loved by Him. The path is short, but very solid, very elevated, very pure and without shadow. The other is acquired (kasbî), long and in shadow. Even if there are many strange wonders in this way, it cannot reach the first in regard to value and closeness to Allah.

For example, there are two ways to reach yesterday. The first is by not being subject to the course of time, it is to rise above time through a sacred power and to see yesterday as present like today. The second is to travel the distance of a year, to travel and turn and come to yesterday. But still, yesterday cannot be held; it leaves the person and departs. In just the same way, there are two ways of passing from the apparent face of things to the haqiqah. The first is to find haqiqah within the apparent face of things without entering the barzakh of tarîqah by being drawn directly by the attraction of haqiqah. The second is to pass through many levels through the ma’nawî journey of the rûh. Although the people of walâyah succeed in annihilating the nafs, and they kill the nafs al-ammarah; they still cannot reach the Sahabah. For, since the Sahabah's nafs had been purified (tazkiyyah) and cleansed, with the many faculties within the essence of nafs, they became the place of manifestation for more varieties of ‘ubûdiyyah and kinds of shukr and hamd. After annihilating the nafs, ‘ubûdiyyah of the awliyâ becomes simple and plain.

Third Aspect: The Sahabah cannot be reached in regard to fadhîlah of actions, sawâb of deeds and fadhîlah pertaining to the âkhirah. Because, just as in certain conditions, in an important and dangerous place, in one hour's guard duty, a soldier can gain the fadhîlah of a year's ‘ibâdah, and by being hit by a bullet, in one minute, he can rise to such a rank, the degree of walâyah that can only be gained in at least forty years; so too, the service of the Sahabah in the establishment of Islam and in spreading of the decrees of the Qur'an and their declaring war for Islam on the whole world were so elevated that others cannot reach one minute of it in a year. It can even be said that in that sacred service, all their minutes were like that one minute of the soldier who became shahîd. All their hours were like the guard duty of a self-sacrificing soldier who keeps one hour of guard duty in a terrifying post; the act is few, but the reward is great and the value is high.

Indeed, since the Sahabah formed the first line in the establishment of Islam and the spreading of the nûrs of the Qur'an, according to the mystery اَلسَّبَبُ كَالْفَاعِلِ8 , a share of all good works of the whole ummah passes to them. The ummah sayingاَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَاَصْحَابِهِ9 shows that the Sahabah receive a share of the good works of the whole ummah. Furthermore, just as a little virtue in the root of a tree takes on a large form in the tree's branches; that little virtue in the root is greater than a great branch, and just as a small altitude at the beginning gradually forms a sum-total, and just as an excess of the size of a needle point at a central point becomes an excess of the size of a metre at the circumference of the circle. In the same way, like these four examples, since the Sahabah were from among the roots and foundations of the luminous tree of Islam, and since they were at the beginning of luminous lines of the structure of Islam and from among the imams of the Islamic community and the first of their number, and since they were close to the centre of the sun of nubuwwah and the lamp of haqiqah, their few actions are many; their small services are great. To reach them necessitates being a true Sahabah.

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ الَّذِى قَالَ اَصْحَابِى كَالنُّجُومِ بِاَيِّهِمْ اِقْتَدَيْتُمْ اِهْتَدَيْتُمْ وَ خَيْرُ الْقُرُونِ قَرْنِى وَ عَلَى آلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ وَ سَلِّمْ

سُبْحَانَكَ لاَ عِلْمَ لَنَا اِلاَّ مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ

Question: It is said that the Sahabah saw Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm, then they believed. However, we have believed without seeing him. In which case, our îmân is stronger. Also, there are riwâyât that indicate the strength of our îmân.

The Answer: While the general thoughts of the world were antagonistic and against the haqiqahs of Islam at that time, by only seeing Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm in the form of a human being, sometimes without miracles, the Sahabah gained such an îmân that all the general thoughts of the world could not shake their îmân and did not even give any waswasa to some of them, let alone doubts. As for you, you compare your îmân with the îmân of the Sahabah. There is no comparison between your îmân that falls into doubt and waswasa at the word of a European philosopher, although the general thoughts of Islam give strength to your îmân and are the proofs of your îmân and you see not the humanity and bodily form of Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm, which is the seed of the tûbâ-tree of nubuwwah but rather, with the mind's eye, his magnificent and luminous ma’nawî collective personality, which is illuminated through all the nûrs of Islam and haqiqahs of the Qur'an and surrounded by a thousand miracles, and with the îmân of the Sahabah that has not shaken in the face of the attacks of the entire world of kufr, Christians, Jews and philosophers. O the one who makes such a claim, there is no comparison between your faint îmân, which does not demonstrate the fardh completely on you due to being extremely weak, and with the intense taqwâ and perfect righteousness of the Sahabah, which demonstrate the strength of their îmân. But the hadith: "Those at the âkhirzaman who do not see me and believe are more acceptable" is about particular fadhîlah. It is about certain special individuals, while our discussion is in regard to general fadhîlah and the majority.

Second Question: They say that the people of walâyah and the possessors of perfection abandoned the world. It is even said in a hadith: "Love of the world is the source of all error." Whereas the Sahabah were very involved in the world. Some of them even advanced further than the people of civilization of that time, let alone abandoning the world. How is it that you say that even the least of such Sahabah is as valuable as the greatest awliyâ?

The Answer: It has been proved decisively in the Second and Third Stopping-Places of the Thirty-Second Word that to love the face of the world which looks to the âkhirah and the names of Allah is not the cause of deficiency, but the means to perfection and attainment, and however far one goes in those two faces, the further he advances in ‘ibâdah and ma’rifatullah. The world of the Sahabah was in those two faces. They considered this world the arable field of the âkhirah and sowed and reaped on it. They saw beings as the mirrors of the names of Allah and gazed on them yearningly. As for the ugly and evil face of the world, that is its transitory face that looks to the desires of man's nafs.

Third Question: Tarîqahs are the ways of haqiqah. Some of the heroes and imams of the tariq of Naqshbandi, which is claimed to be the most famous, the most elevated and the greatest highway among the tarîqahs, defined its foundation as follows. They said:

دَرْ طَرِيقِ نَقْشِبَنْدِى لاَزِمْ آمَدْ چَارْ تَرْكْ

تَرْكِ دُنْيَا تَرْكِ عُقْبَى تَرْكِ هَسْتِى تَرْكِ تَرْكْ

That is to say, on the tarîq of Naqshî, it is necessary to abandon four things. To not make one’s true aim both this world and even the âkhirah on account of the nafs; to forget one's own existence; to not think about these abandonments in order not to become vain and proud. It means that true ma’rifatullah and perfections of man are attained through abandoning the mâsiwâ10 ?

The Answer: If man consisted of only the heart, it would be necessary to abandon the mâsiwâ and to leave behind even the Names and Attributes and bind the heart only to the essence of Janâb-i Haqq. But man possesses many senses, feelings and subtle faculties like the mind (aql), rûh, sirr and nafs, which are charged with duties. The perfect man is the one whose heart goes heroically like a commander with its subtle faculties soldiers towards the aim in a broad circle and rich fashion like the Sahabah by directing all those subtle faculties towards haqiqah on the different ways of ‘ubûdiyyah particular to each of those subtle faculties. Otherwise, if the heart abandons its soldiers in order to save only itself and goes on its own, it is not the cause of pride but the consequence of being compelled.

Fourth Question: Where does the claim of being superior to the Sahabah come from? Who put it forward? Why is this matter made the subject of discussion at this time? Also, why do they claim to be equal with the great mujtahids?

The Answer: There are two groups who say this matter. One group consisted of the sincere people of religion and the people of ‘ilm that they saw some hadiths and opened up such discussions in order to encourage and hearten the people of taqwâ and salîh people at this time. We have nothing against this group. They are anyway few, and awake to consciousness quickly. As for the other group, they are extremely conceited people who want to spread their not having any madhab under the veil of the claim of equality with the great mujtahids and to execute their irreligion under the veil of the claim of equality with the Sahabah. Because firstly, those people of dhalâlah have fallen into dissipation and sin, have become addicted to them and cannot carry out the obligations of the Sharî’ah which form an obstacle to dissipation. In order to find a pretext for themselves, they say: "These matters are the matters of ijtihad. Madhabs are opposed to each other in these matters. And, they were human beings like us and could have made mistakes. In which case, like them, we shall make ijtihad and perform our ‘ibâdah as we wish. Why should we be compelled to follow them?" Thus, through this wile of shaytan, these wretches cast off the chain of the madhabs from their necks. Since it is demonstrated definitely in the Twenty-Seventh Word how baseless and rotten this claim of them is, we refer you to that.

Secondly: That group of the people of dhalâlah saw that their issue does not end with the mujtahidîn. What lay on their shoulders is only the nadhariyyah of religion. Whereas this group of the people of dhalâlah wants to abandon and change the dharûriyyah of religion. If they say: "We are better than them", their issue will not be resolved. Because mujtahidîn can interfere in nadhariyyah and secondary matters which are not definite. But since these people of dhalâlah, who follow no madhab, also want to mix their ideas in the dharûriyyah of religion, change matters that are not capable of being changed and go against the definite pillars of Islam, they will surely attack the Sahâbah, who are the bearers and pillars of the dharûriyyah of religion.

Alas! It has been proven decisively in the Twenty-Seventh Word that not only animals in human form like them, but true human beings and the greatest of the awliyâ even, who are the most perfect among true human beings, cannot win the case of equality against the least of the Sahabah.

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّمْ عَلَى رَسُولِكَ الَّذِى قَالَ لاَتَسُبُّوا اَصْحَابِى لَوْ اَنْفَقَ اَحَدُكُمْ مِثْلَ اُحُدٍ ذَهَبًا مَا بَلَغَ نِصْفَ مُدٍّ مِنْ اَصْحَابِى صَدَقَ رَسُولُ اللّٰهِ

سُبْحَانَكَ لاَ عِلْمَ لَنَا اِلاَّ مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ

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