ADVICE FROM THE FRIENDS OF GOD

Osman Nûri Topbaş

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    FROM IBRAHIM AL-DESUKI (d. 1277), may Allah please his soul:
   "O my brother! Never think that you did something by yourself. Learn that when you fast, pray five times a day or do a good deed, it is God who facilitates you. If you have a high level of piety (taqwa) it is God who let you get there; if you have attained a worldly or unworldly gain, it is God who made it possible for you."
   "O my son! What you need is to attain prayers from the community of God's friends. Try to gain their spiritual support as a blessing.
   "O the one who recites the Qur'an and memorizes it! Do not show pride because you recite and memorize it… Look at yourself: Do you really act according to it? Or do you not do so?
   "O my son! Do not waste your time with useless things like arguing , inciting others and ornamented rhetoric, instead, be one of the silent ones. Choose sincerity, do good deeds in this path and disobey your ego."
   "Befriend those who combine in themselves both external and internal knowledge. Do not forget that along the path it is this kind of people who will benefit you the most."
   "O my son! I would like for you to always act according to the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, the Sunnah. You should preserve good etiquette, a necessary condition on this path."
   "You should be courageous. You should not be like those who fear even their own shadow. No challenge should defeat you at the first encounter."
   "Fill your heart with the love of God and always remain in a state of ecstasy."
   "O my children! If you are looking for someone to gossip about, choose your parents, as they deserve taking your good deeds more than others." (Dusuki refers to the following hadith of the Prophet Muhammad )
   "Allah screens the hearts of his servants seventy two times each day and night. Therefore, keep your hearts clean and bright. That is where God will look."
   "O my brother! Never think that you did something by yourself. Learn that when you fast, pray five times a day or do a good deed, it is God who facilitates you. If you have a high level of piety (taqwa) it is God who let you get there; if you have attained a worldly or unworldly gain, it is God who made it possible for you."
   "O my little son! Even if you have good deeds
that are equal to the deeds of the entire human family and the djinns, stay away from saying "I." Allah will eventually fail those who work to gratify their ego. If you work for your selfish cause, never forget that your spiritual and social status will eventually fall."

    FROM MAWLANA KHALID AL-BAGHDADI (d. 1826), may God bless his soul:
   "I advise you to be in a state of piety and submission to God and not to disturb other humans that are where you are, but, in particular, be extra attentive in the Two Holy Shrines (al-Haramayn al-Sharifayn) in Mecca and Medina. You should not gossip about anyone, even if they gossip about you. Do not take any part of anyone else's property. Take what is lawful and spend it on a good cause. Do not be selfish and enjoy yourself while your brothers in religion are suffering from hunger and poverty. Never lie. Do not look down on anyone. Never think that your ego is superior to others. Spend all your energy on your physical and spiritual worship. At the same time convince your ego that "I have never performed good deeds that have been accepted." This is because the soul of action is intentions. A good intention is possible only with sincerity. If people who are greater than you are in need of sincerity, why should you not need it? I swear by God that I do not believe that I have ever performed an action that has definitely been accepted by God, nor that I will not be held accountable for my actions by God.
   "If you do not accept yourself as being bankrupt of all good deeds, you are then at the highest point of ignorance. Yet, even if you accept yourself as a bankrupt, do not lose hope in the mercy of God."
   In the sight of the friends of God, a sinful person is like a wounded bird. What benefits him is not anger, violence or rudeness, but advice that is full of compassion and mercy. The purpose is to heal and reform, not to punish. Thus, the emotion felt by the Friends of God when they warn and advise is similar to the emotion felt by a compassionate doctor when he has cured one of his patients. Yet, the ability that these doctors of the heart have to cure their patents with compassion is a result of their spiritual education and training. But this cure can only be achieved through the awakening that occurs when the wisdom, warnings and advice of the Friends of God have been taken seriously.
An example of this can be seen in the case of Sultan Yavuz Selim, a peerless Ottoman statesman who was constantly terrified that he would fail to overcome the obstacle of his ego. This fear lodged in the breast of a man who had the power to rule almost the entire globe, and the glory that accompanied this. In the couplet below, he expressed his concern to his advisor Hasan Can about the danger of being carried away with by his ego, due to mundane victories of this world, and the fear that this would damage his spiritual life.
   I came to realize that being the sultan of the world is a meaningless fight,
Superior to everything else is becoming a servant to a Friend of God.
When the Companions, may God be pleased with them all, swore allegiance to the Prophet Muhammad, peace and greetings be upon him, they promised him that they would give good advice to one other. The Prophet emphasized the importance of sincere advice as follows: "Religion is sincerity! Religion is sincerity! Religion is sincerity!" (Bukhari, Iman 42).
O our Lord! Grant us a spark from the fire of divine love that resides in the heart! Make it possible for us to follow the direction indicated by the enlightened warning, guidance and advice of the Friends of    God, with whose presence we have been blessed.
   Amen!

 

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