Respected friends, last week we finished with the interpretation of the first verses of the Al-Ikhlas Surah, to the extent we could understand. Believe it or not, today once again I went through the tafsir regarding the Al-Ikhlas Surah and there is so little we can comment on the meaning of the verses of the Qu’ran. It is also felt as if one more time I had the chance to experience the verses of the Qur’an in which Allah Almighty turns to the Prophet (PBUH); which at the same time this verse makes sense for us as well: even if the water of the sea were paint, and with that paint the meaning of the words of Qur’an to be written, and even if these seas were to repeat itself several times, they still would not be able to thoroughly reflect the meaning of the Qur’an. Even trying to explain the word Ehad given to Allah Almighty, meaning the Oneness of Allah Almighty we merely gave an explanation on the attributes, the names mentioned in the Qur’an and in the constitute tradition of the Prophet (PBUH). There are several meanings and thoughts that can be said regarding Ehad; but that is precisely why the Qur’an is universal; it is an unending source which contains its novelty throughout all time frames. That is why each time you read the Qur’an, it can transmit a different new message, and the divergencies and various opinions which exist in the tasfir regarding the Quran itself, exist because the novelty and vigor of the Qur’an never cease; the Qur’an is always fresh. Our Islamic thinkers have always been cautious not to say, “I have the last word on this”, but instead each time when finishing their thought on the sacred revelation have said “Allah Almighty knows what is best”, meaning that God knows best what messages transmit the Qur’anic verses.
The second verse of Al-Ikhlas Surah is “Allahus-samad “. Both words are names of Allah Almighty. In our Islamic literature (in Albanian language unfortunately we have only began to use this name from the XX century onwards especially in the 70’s we have begun to use the word Allah) due to the respect we had towards the word Allah, when one Islamic thinker wanted to say Allah, to explain this word, he said lafdhul jalalah instead, and the term lafdhul jalalah means Allah. There have been many similar recorded cases in the Islamic tradition of knowledge and science. For instance, have you ever thought about the name Mehmed? Osmanli (People of the Ottoman Empire) people have used this form of the name instead of Muhammed; since there is no name Mehmed; the name Mehmed is an altered form of the name Mohammed and this form has been used on purpose to avoid using the Prophet’s name (PBUH) since that name should be exclusive. This type of showing respect towards the Prophet, is not just an empty, dry or formal respect. Islam does not contain any cults of people, personalities or different materials, but instead it shows significant respect to certain personalities due to their life work and following them because of this. What applies for the name of Allah Almighty / lafdhul Jalalah, the same goes for the Prophet’s name (PBUH) as well.
Both these names in the verse of the surah Al-Ikhlas delineate the verse, but at the same time these two names have a syntax connection, meaning its one sentence, both names consist of one sentence and give us one specific message. In Albanian, “All-llahus-samed”, means that Allah Almighty is the desired one by everyone, maksud. Allah Almighty is the Being / The Person which each creature wants to move closer to, whereas He is mustagni, He is enriched, he is far from having the need to get close to any being; He is not in need of people. This attribute of Allah Almighty differentiates between the faith and belief on God among Muslims from the other religions that have existed in the past. If we just briefly look into the religions that have existed before the Prophet’s (PBUH) revelation, even those polytheists of the far East, the ancient Egypt, ancient Mesopotamia, and even those religions proclaimed later, have all been altered from their originality by their adherents. According to Muslims, real religions, ehlul-kitab are the religions of Christianity and Judaism. These are the religions that have a revelation. We also believe in Moses (PBIH) and that he has taken Tawrad (Torah) from Allah Almighty. However, these revelations did not remain in their originality and this is even mentioned in some verses of the Qur’an, that some of the words had been changed due to people’s personal interest in this worldly life; this is the reason why we are facing a Tawrad, Talmud, Mishna, Gomera, Torah (the nowadays proclaimed name of Moses’s (PBUH) revelation). They contain very little of the originality of Moses’s (PBUH) revelation; the same goes for the Bible. Among all these religions that were altered and that initially did not accept the essential transmissions of religions such as Buddhism, Confucianism, Shintoism (religions of the far East), in them the elements for God’s needs for the creatures, do exist. I will give you an example: God’s need to descend on Earth, for Him to be reincarnated in a human’s body as was Jesus, or as Christian know him, the Jesus Christ (since according to the Christian belief, God / the Father has entered his son’s body Jesus Christ and has sacrificed himself for the first sin that Adam has made). This is what Christians belief, that each person when born is carrying the sin of Adam, the sin that Adam has committed in heaven (this is according to Christianity, not Islam). Whereas in Islam every baby is born predestined and surely with pre-disposal to accept God. And to be a Muslim one does not have to strive anything specific, because he or she is born with a pre-disposal to accept Islam. But to become a Christian or Jew there is a strive, that is why the Prophet (PBUH) says: “After that the parents’ guide him or her to Christianity, Judaism or in flame of unbelieves”. I want to point out that even if it is another religion which a religion of book is, God is presented as needy and this does not correspond to God’s character whatsoever. Iten Diné, maybe I have mentioned this earlier, a French painter who has analyzed all religions and when he met Muhammad Hamidullahin (contemporary Pakistani Islamic thinker who lived in France) told him that he has not been able to find the oneness of God in any religions and to feel and experience God as one, absolute. Muhammad Hamidullah gave him the Qur’an (he has translated the Qur’an in French) and told him to read it. The painter read the Qur’an and they have then met after 7-8 months and the painter told Hamidullah “I have read the Qur’an, but still I was not able to find it in there either”. M.H asked him “Did you read it completely?” Iten Dine replied “No I have not, but I am finishing it.” Muhammad Hamidullah told him, read it until the end and when the painter reached the Al-Ikhlas Surah. The Surah we are here analyzing together, Iten went to Muhammad Hamidullah and told him “Now I have found it.”
Al-Ikhlas Surah explains the characteristics and attributes of God, who is capable of being God. Our Islamic thinkers, especially Shahul Akbar Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi in “Futuhatul mekkiye” says that the attribute Samadiye of Allah Almighty is a reflection, in the example of water. Water is God’s creation which is not in need of anything, but all the other organic substances need water, and water makes the universe lively. Both from the physical and biological aspects water brings life to things. In the same way the soul without God cannot be alive. The liveliness of souls is given by God. One of the contemporary philosophers, Nietzsche, says God has died. Why? Because God descended; Nietzsche is referring to the God of the church who has become to be represented among the clerics and this is where it has become materialized. If we materialize God, because materialization in the past has been made through building statues, whereas now materialization takes place through ideas. The materialization of religion, God; deceases God. Because when we descend him to our societies and we prevent Him to enter our time and space, then it can even perish. Meaning that He may no longer exist for you, because surely God will not die, but for you He may; He may even die for the institutions in which you are represented.
I am not sure if you have ever thought about why conflicts arise among people and for what purpose? Misunderstandings and conflicts exist mainly because of lack of education of the self; because of the rebellion of the ego of man and nothing else. Have you ever thought about why Kabil killed Habil? It doesn’t’ matter if Kabil was a Jew, Habil an Arab, Kabil Serbian, Habil Albanian, Kabil Kurd or Habil Turkish…or Kabail was a Christian or Habil a Muslim, or Habil a Jew and Kabil a Muslim. No. Both were Adam’s (PBUH) sons. Kabil killed Habil, for one of the three issues people of Makkah presented to the Prophet (PBUH)… they told him: “You have become a caller in religion…and we will give you all the wealth you desire, we will give you the most beautiful woman of Makkah, social status, we will make you our minister, and all that we ask for in return is for you to put aside your calling into religion”. The Prophet (PBUH) said: “even if you placed the sun on my right shoulder and the moon on my left shoulder, I will not leave from this path”, because he knew destruction was upon following those three things. Kabil killed Habil because of one materialistic interest, because he wanted to take the woman that belonged to Habil for his wife to be. Have you ever thought about why Abu Jahl, has been against the Prophet (PBUH)? Abu Jahr and the Mushriks did not mind the belief in God, they were even able to say ‘okay your God will be a priority for us”, but what they really minded was that Prophet (PBUH) would say: “Abu Jahl, you might be coming from the wealthy families of Makkah (at this time the slave period was very present), but together with your slave Bilal, you will both be seated in the same safa to pray” and the latter would disapprove: “how can Bilal make trades”, the slave of Basins, of Ethiopia, to make trade like me, this is not possible”, and this was the main reason why he would not abide the Prophet (PBUH). The Prophet (PBUH) is against these three elements, however these three elements have been materialized in the persona of the Prophet (PBUH), and the Prophet (PBUH) is an example for us. The Satan inevitably keeps bringing these three elements in front of us and wishes that through these three elements for us to deviate from the right path. None of us can remain distanced from wealth, social status, lust, marriage, but these three things should not be leading the life of an adherent and the good man. Several times I have mentioned the case with the boat, until the water remains outside of the boat, it keeps the boat sailing, if we remove one plank from the boat, and water goes in, you will see how the boat will begin to sink immediately. The same water that sails the boat, can sink the boat. One of the representations of the samad attribute is that God is wealthy, “He is rich to everything that exists in the universe” and in our relationship with God, we have a chance to approach him closer (Islam the attribute samad foresees this in Islam) through one way only and this way is devotion. In the surah Hujurat, Allah Almighty says “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.” (Surah Al-Hujurat, 49:13). Meaning that just like water can bring us life from the biological aspect, in the same manner, devotion to Allah Almighty keeps the soul of people alive. One Islamic thinker says that the soul in the human body is like a bird in a cage, and we show care towards the cage because of the bird inside, if we take one empty cage and we hang it somewhere, then nobody will show care for it. People have respect and show care because of the bird inside, not because of the cage and we experience this in the moment of death; when the bird flies out of the cage, we try to take away the cage as fast as possible because it will start smelling.
The Attribute Samad of Allah Almighty is an attribute that provides the feeling of continuous presence of Allah Almighty in man and its unending link. Do you know how you can experience this? This can be experienced through being permanently reliant on Allah Almighty. The true adherent, the true Muslim, every time he finishes his deed, as last part of his deed, says: “I rely on Allah Almighty”. This shows that the link between the person and Allah Almighty is eternal. Our Islamic thinkers have kept this connection alive through all their traditions, habits in their daily life. That’s why Fakir highlights that religion without culture is dead, religion has penetrated in all pores of our life, and this is manifested through our culture and civilization. Among us, our Islamic thinker 100 years ago (even here) have always even counted in single not in plural, example, when they have gone to the bazaar they have bought for 1, 3,5 or 7 kg, because God is singular. Even when they have gone to bazaar they have been conscious of Allah Almighty’s oneness, for being of Allah Almighty’s crowd; even this is deity, this is remembrance of Allah Almighty.
People who do not keep Allah Almighty in remembrance, might be the greatest and most knowledgeable in the world, yet there is no use of their knowledge. Because what keeps man within the scope of the human nature, is the remembrance of the Creator; when man feels in himself or herself the presence of Allah Almighty he or she can experience the humane within him or her. That’s why when Fakir explains the term takwa, says that muttekin / takwa which is translated like the devoted one, means the humane, the true man. The fulfilled, true man literary refers to one who is takwa, one who truly devotes himself or herself to Allah Almighty. In one Qur’anic verse, Allah Almighty says: “And We have already created man and know what his soul whispers to him, and We are closer to him than [his] jugular vein” (Surah Qaf, 50:16), which means we are in control of each action of man on this world. The true adherent, especially a Sufi, seeks to experience the presence of Allah Almighty, and this is one exercise; the more we strive to experience the presence of God, the closer He grows to us. The more we strive to distance ourselves from Him, the more distant He grows; because distancing ourselves from God and declaring that I have no need of Him, is one sin. Whereas one good deed, is one step towards God and going closer to Him and declaring that I would love for God to be with me. In one hadith qudsi, Allah Almighty says: “whomever seeks me, finds me, whomever finds me, knows me. And whomever knows me, loves me. And whomever loves me, falls for me. Whomever becomes asik (in love) to Me, I become asik to him. And to whomever I become asik to, I perish him. And whomever I perish, I pay his blood. And to whomever I am indebted, I will pay his blood with my own being” this means that I will perish his ego, and in his inner self I will be inserted instead; he lives together with Me.
I was in Sandžak this Saturday and when we were discussing together with some colleagues, they mentioned a man for whom it was not known if he ever lived, but it is an anonymous person for whom a lot has been said in our classical literature, his name is Behlul Dana (the younger ones from you might not have heard of him, but those who are my generation, probably recall, Behlul Dana has been mentioned in a lot of religious discussions). Behlul Dana the brother of Harun Ar Rashid, the Emperor of abbasids. Behlul Dana is also known by a lot of aphorisms and wisdom words which have remained with us nowadays (I will mention one or two, so you can get acquainted, and then I will explain the name Behlul Dana, so you know what it means). One day Behlul Dana heard Harun Ar Rashid, as how he had talked with his wife in bed about Jannah, how beautiful it will be in Jannah and how Jannah will look like. Behlul had heard this from outside the door and went on top of the ceiling of the room and had started to run. Harun Ar Rashid had sent the guardians to see who had been there. The guardians had taken down Behlul Dana and the king asked him what he was doing up there. Behlul Dana said that he was searching for the camels he had lost. Harun Ar Rashid asked: “And what are the camels doing on top of my ceiling?” the answer the king received was: “Why do you discuss about Jannah in your bed, when it is not its place to discuss”. meaning that we do not get rewarded with Jannah by talking about it, you need to strive to achieve it.
Another day when Harun Ar Rashid had not been at his seat, his brother had sat in his seat and when the guardians had seen where he had sat, sitting there as if he were from the streets, they have beaten him up. They beat him and Behlul laughed while he got beaten. When Harun Ar Rashid came and saw what was happening he screamed at the guardians: “what are you doing? He is my brother, don’t touch him”. and he went close to Behlul and asked him: “They are beating you, why are you laughing?” the latter replied: “I sat here once, and they beat me so much, let’s see how much they will beat you”. In Persian Behlul means fool, Dana means knowledgeable. if you literary translate this it means a smart fool, or a knowledgeable fool. In our literature the term fool refers to a person who is mentally retarded, while the term Majnun (we use this term for fool too), Majnun is the Romeo of Muslims (there is one famous poem about Leyla and Majnun the eastern Romeo and Julia) and Majnun is the person who has lost his mind over the love of his Layla; he is not mentally retarded, while Layla in this case and Fuzul alone says that many believe that Majnun lost his mind because of Layla, but Layla was merely a shadow which led him towards the essence (meaning that he was in love with God, Layla is a symbol of love which led him to Allah Almighty). There is one Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) that says: ” If there were no fools, then the world would be destroyed”. In this case, the foolish are those who have replaced themselves with God, they have melted their self and for their being they have no interest; they mainly strive to dedicate all their being to Allah Almighty. The fools, abdallah are the persons who have dedicated all their life to God. For example, one Sufi of the Baktashi century of XIV-XV is Pir Sultan Abdal, which does not mean he is mentally retarded, but he is a man who has lost his mind by dedicating himself to Allah Almighty. What is the point? Often when such words are said people think that ” in our day and today’s life, we cannot commit like this, this was done sometime in the past, but today we don’t have such people”. No, this is not true. The Prophet (PBUH) says, the number of God’s companions never decreases, the shape might change, but the dedication is the same, the experience of deity towards Allah Almighty remains the same. That’s why in every moment this dedication, dependents on the conditions of time and location, is presented in various shapes and the main purpose is for us to conduct both ibadah and our social life for Allah Almighty solely (in Tasawwuf we don’t say for the sake of, but instead we say for Allah Almighty between his slave and Allah Almighty, one deed or action to be done for Allah Almighty). This is what Allah Almighty seeks to convey to us with the attribute of His, Samad, and when we say Allahus-samad we say, yes, Allah Almighty is the only true existence, for which we are in need, to which we dedicate ourselves completely and for whom we are here on this world. Often people from the beginning of time have asked one important question and this is even where philosophy begins from “what is the purpose of life?”. Imagine and if we bring in front of our eyes all the formal purposes of this world. All these come to one point and that is where they end, regardless of what they are, either wealth, marriage, university, career, they all come to one point and then end. What gives these things eternity, is the dedication and devotion to Allah Almighty. That is why one verse says: “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.” (Surah Adh-Dhariya, 51:56). In the Islamic translation this is merely commented as to know Me. Knowing Allah Almighty is the mere purpose of the life of man, especially of the deity one.
Thank you.
