CHANGE AND SUFISM
Hasan Kâmil Yılmaz
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This statement makes clear that submission to the commandments and prohibitions of religion are more important than obedience to the rules of the time. If the two do not clash, then there is no problem with the carrying out of an act that is in line with the changes of the time.
Sufis explain the concept of "time" by using the example of a sword. A sword has a smooth surface, but at the same time has a sharp edge. A sword and time are similar in that if one tries to oppose a sword he is bound to come to harm. Time has the same effect on man. If one submits oneself to the sword of time and welcomes it gracefully, one will be saved. As one treats the sword of time so one is treated by it.
In the Sufic tradition, being the son of time means that one must watch the order of time. Times are of different natures. Some times are for prayer, some times are for silence. The knowledge of time can be discerned within time itself. If the servant of God is given a sign to pray, he is supposed to pray; if he is given a sign to keep silent, he is supposed to do so. In short, the Sufi acts, being conscious of what to do and when to do it. Herein, personal conscience and spiritual knowledge are given great importance. The Prophet says: "You would be better to consult your conscience, even if you have been given a fatwa (opinion on legal matter)." (Dârimi, Büyû, 2; Ibn Hanbel IV, 228.) Another saying of the Prophet touches on the same point: "Heed the believer's intiution, as he sees with the light of God." (Tirmizî, Tefsiru sûre, 15) A Sufi who is the son of time is dependent on the events of the time. Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi says:
O, my companion, my friend! The sufi is the son of time,
Tomorrow does not mean the conditions of the path. (Mevlânâ, Mesnevî, ‹stanbul 1990, (trans. Veled ‹zbudak), I, b, 133, p.11.)
Though the culture of Sufism is symbolized by frugality, great importance is attached to acquiring new methods and of making use of them in life. Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi says:
"I feel religious music (dance) and joy in my heart. The beauty of it tells me: 'Do not stop here, do not content yourself with this spiritual joy, go for more.'" (Mevlânâ, Rubâiler, ‹stanbul 2001, nr. 253.) They ask me why I eat with five fingers. I tell them 'because I have only five fingers, not six'" (Rubâiler, nr. 362.)
In sufic tradition the concept of time is strongly related to new interpretations by eminent sufis through new applications in methods and practices, in accordance with new conditions and demands. Sufism has the ability to naturally adapt to new conditions. The spiritual practices and sufic type of life put into practice at the time of the Prophet and the great caliphs, at this time not labelled as Sufism, were later developed and turned into an institution that followed new conditions and needs, as Junaid al-Baghdadi purports.
Today, in some countries of the Muslim world, Sufism is not allowed to exist on an institutional level. However, it is still alive on a social level, and is always at the top of the agenda of the Muslim people. Kusadali Ibrahim al-Kushairi (1262/1845) made an interesting assessment regarding the closure of the dervish convents in Turkey. When his convent burnt down some people wanted to rebuild it. He rejected this offer, stating his opinion that the convents had completed their mission and that they no longer fulfilled their function in society, as they no longer had any spiritual power. (Y. Nuri Öztürk, Kushadal› ‹brahim Halvetî, ‹stanbul 1981, p. 32,88)
The comments made after the closure of the dervish convents are also interesting. Some sufis regarded this action as that of divine providence, some regarded it as a necessary act, while others believed that their mission would live in the convent of the people's hearts, with the idea that the world itself is a convent. The following poem by M. Jalal al-Din Dede puts into words this latter view:
The sky is its dome, and the stars are its candles,
The sun and the moon are the first to shine upon it,
The closure of the convent cannot prevent the singing of God's names,
All the creatures are the singers, and the whole world is the convent.
Sufism indoctrinates the idea of not adhering to means and agencies, as it aims at nurturing the perfect man; the sanctification of means and agencies enstange man from what is really sacred. In sufic tradition, therefore, means and agencies may change in respect of new conditions. Thus, in some religious orders the religious chanting of the names of God is carried out, or there are religious songs in silence, while in others the opposite is performed. It is a well-known fact that even these practices within the religious orders change, pursuant of new conditions. The practice of Ahmad Yasawi sets an example in this regard. When he settled down in Turkistan he noticed that chanting in silence was not acceptable to the people of the area; thus he changed his practice and educated his followers to chant out loud. (Ahmed Kâsânî, Risâle-i Bâbûriyye, ‹.Ü. Ktp. Fy. nr. 649, vr. 239) However, later his followers, the Yasawiyya and Kubrawiyya orders in the Soviet Union changed the style of chanting to that of silent chanting, due to the oppression under which they found themselves. (Alexandre Bennigsen, Sûfi ve Komiser, Rusya'da ‹slâmî Tarikatlar (trans. Osman Türer), İstanbul 1988, p. 86-87.)
Sufism endeavored to open up new horizons for the people in the Soviet Union by emphasizing its active and dynamic nature. Today in the United States and in European countries Sufism still appeals people, people who find themselves under new conditions. In these countries, numerous people are interested in the discourse of Mawlana and Muhyiddin al-Arabi.
The words of a Russian expert on Islam are highly interesting: "Since formal Islam is so firm in practising tradition and religious rule, all Islamic intellectual movements will have to gather under the flag of Sufism once again. The resurgence of Islam will no doubt take place through the agency of Sufism." (E. Mallitski, Ishanye Sufizm-Materialy po Musul'manstv, Tashkent 1898, vol. 3; cited by Alexandre Bennigsen, Sûfi ve Komiser, p. 230-231).
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