ADVICE FROM THE FRIENDS OF GOD
Osman Nûri Topbaş
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FROM MUHYIDDIN IBN AL-'ARABI (1156-1240), may Allah be pleased with him:
"Let no one, other than God, enslave you for the sake of worldly gain. You are the servant of God, and he regards you as such."
"If you let your heart get accustomed to the remembrance of God, your heart will inevitably become enlightened with the light of God's remembrance. This light will eventually facilitate the opening of the eye of the heart.
"Treat God's creation with compassion and love. Spread you mercy to all creatures. Never say: "This grass has no life nor benefit." Indeed, it has many benefits and blessings. Leave the creatures alone and treat them with mercy, as does their Creator.
"Never decline a request for help. If you cannot help, say pleasant words and smile. Remember that you will eventually meet God.
"Let no one, other than God, enslave you for the sake of worldly gain. You are the servant of God, and he regards you as such.
"Show mercy to the faithful servants of God by greeting them, feeding them and helping them. To be sure, all believers are like one body, like a single human being.
"Make attending congregational prayers a habit. Try to cry with the fear of God. Hold tight to the rope of God, i.e. the Qur'an. Desire those things that Allah likes and is pleased with."
FROM BAHAUDD‹N NAKSHIBEND (1318-1389), may God bless his soul:
"The true meaning of saying "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no deity but God) is to refuse deifying anything in the heart except God. It is a complete light and joy to practice all the rules of Islam; that is to fulfill all the commandments and to refrain from all the prohibitions, to abandon all the unlawful, unclear or even tolerable but useless matters, to refrain from acts which are excused and to opt for those that are tolerable only to the extent to which they are inevitable."
"Our path is the path of salvation which God has shown us. It is the path that follows in the example of the Prophet Muhammad, the Sunnah, and the path of his Companions. For this reason, abundant gains are achieved along our path over a brief period of time.
"Our path is the path of friendship and love. It is similar to the path of the Companions, which was also one of friendship. The blessing and goodness come through unity; unity comes through friendship. There is danger in seeking fame in pious retreat. And fame is an infliction.
"Those who follow our path should pay attention to the following three things:
"The first is to use etiquette towards God. In other words, one should always be in a state of worship, physically and spiritually, while fulfilling all of what is commanded and refraining from all of what is prohibited. One should clean their heart from everything other than God and should mobilize all of what he possesses on the path of God.
"The second is to use etiquette towards the Messenger of God. This consists of following him with love in all matters concerning worship and social relations.
"The third is to use etiquette towards the Friend of God who is guiding you.
"If a food or meal, regardless of what it is, is obtained and prepared in anger, forgetfulness of God or in unwillingness, there is no blessing and goodness to be found in it. This is because the ego and Satan have both had an influence on it. If someone consumes such food, he will inevitably suffer consequences that will disrupt his happiness and also disrupt the flow of divine knowledge and blessings to him. Lawful and honest food, prepared without forgetting God and eaten while remembering Him, brings blessings. The reason why people fail to do sincere and good deeds is due to the carelessness that occurs while eating and drinking, due to questions about the legality of the way the food was gained, carelessness about the rights of other people and about any suspicious things whose permissibility are not evident in the religion. Irrespective of your situation, the attainment of tranquility through five daily prayers and the worshipping of God carried out with pleasure and in tears are contingent upon the consumption of lawful food, upon the preparation of it with the remembrance of God and upon the eating of it as if you are in His presence. One whose body is nourished by unlawful food will not find any pleasure in the five daily prayers.
"The true meaning of saying "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no deity but God) is to refuse deifying anything in the heart except God. It is a complete light and joy to practice all the rules of Islam; that is to fulfill all the commandments and to refrain from all the prohibitions, to abandon all the unlawful, unclear or even tolerable but useless matters, to refrain from acts which are excused and to opt for those that are tolerable only to the extent to which they are inevitable. Doing so is a means that elevates one to the level of the saints. One reaches the level of the Friends of God by practicing such behaviour. Those who are distanced from God remain so because they do not pay attention to these matters; they also follow the desires of their ego. Otherwise, the flow of divine knowledge never ceases."
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