categories of servitude and the sense of not feeling offended in the thought of akshemseddin

8/12/2019 CATEGORIES OF SERVITUDE AND THE SENSE OF NOT FEELING OFFENDED IN THE THOUGHT OF AKSHEMSEDDIN

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SUFIT XTS

EDITORSVAHIT GKTAS Ll TENIK


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SUFITEXTSEditors: Vah it Gk Ali Tenik

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3 CATEGORIES OF SERVITUDE AND THESENSE OF NOT FEELING OFFENDED IN THETHOUGHT OF AKSHEMSEDDIN1

Vahit K T Muhammed li YILDIZ

bstractThis articles studies the thoughts on servitude of Akshemseddin who is the teacher and spiritual guide of SultanMehmet the Conqueror and is among the leading Sufimasters of ttoman period. Akshemseddin who classiHes the servitude which is one of the purposes of creationof human kind in five categories namely the servitude ofsoul servi tude of heart servi tude of seeret and servitudeof spirit suggests that each step of servitude entails distinguished hardness and that these levels could only be accomplished by patience. While expressing all these Aksh-

1 This article is published on pages 1-9 K VA/cademic Review number43 Erzurum 2010.


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emseddin states that the s e r v i h d e of not feeling offendedby others is the highest step of servitude.KeywordsAkshemseddin, Sufism, S e r v i h d e Risalat an-Nuriyya

IntroductionSufis have a great share in the Ottoman civilization hav-

ing a state and social structure relying on sound fundamen-tals. So much so that, every part of the society, from the ordinary public to high level administrators and sultans, hastaken its share of this breeze of spirituality.

Akshemseddin is among those friends of God who triedto spread this spirit through various pupils that he raisedand tens of works that he wrote. After all, Akshemseddin isa Sufi, a scholar, a physician, a poet; namely he has a versatile personality. Playing an increasable role in the conquerof Istanbul, Akshemseddin has been among those recalledand remembered the first when one speaks about Istanbul.

Life o Akshemseddint is recorded that Akshemseddin, whose first name is

called to be Mehmet (Celebi, t.y. 680) and who is also referred to as the White Sheikh, was bom in Damascus on 792h./ 1389- 1390 AD. t is narrated that he was named as "Akshemseddin or "White Sheikh" since his face and bearswhitened as he performed severe ascetism. (Enis , t.y.: 2 .

t is known that Akshemseddin memorized Quran be-fore passing to Anatoliawith his father when he was seven.t is also stated that he studied other sciences after he ar

rived at Anatolia in the vicinity of Amasya and Osmancikand that he was a scholar in Osmancik madrasas (Mehmet


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3 C TEGORIES OF SERVITUDE ND THE SEN SE OF NOT FEELING O F F N ~ 9Tahir, 1331 12). The interest of Akshemseddin in Sufismstarted in that madrasa. He affiliated to Haji Bayram alWali when he was twenty five years old. C e b e c i o l u , 2001;78.) He became the successor, khalifa, of the Sufi path asaresult of his love in Sufism, his strive towards perfectionand ascetic livelihood. (Enisi, t.y.: 5)

After undergoing the spiritual training of Haji Bayrama l ~ W a l i Akshemseddin raised to the level of guiding andhe relocated to Beypazari, which is currently a district ofAnkara, and he built a masjid and a mill there. Thereafterhe left Beypazari and relocated to Evlek Village in IskilipDistrict of Corum, and lived there for some time. Followingthe death of Haji Bayram, he left Evlek village and movedto Goynuk town.

The Conquerer was in his cradie when Haji Bayram alWali visited Edirne. When Sultan Murad said to Haji Bayram al-Wali: We need Istanbul, give your heartfelt supportand let us get this city , the Sheikh said: My Lord, you willnot conquer this city, neither I will see this. The prince inthe cradie and our beardless will conquer it , pointing Akshemseddin. Sultan Murad used to say to his prince: Mehmed, you will conquer Istanbul together with the WhiteSheikh'.

Haji Bayram al-Wali visited Edirne. Sultan Murad IIsaid to Haji Bayram We need Istanbul, give us you spiritual support and let us we conquer it . Haji Bayram al-Walisaid: The conquer of Constantinapolis will be by thehand of our beardless (Akshemseddin) and your son in thecradie (Sultan Mehmetthe Conquerer). (Ycel, 1994: s25). Following this, Sultan Murad said to his prince: Me-


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hmed, your will conquer Istanbul together with the WhiteSheikh (Ayverdi, 1953 p. 19)

Akshemseddin, who encouraged the Conqueror for theseize and conquer of Istanbul and strengthened his hope,was also a member of the war assembly of the Conqueror.

a n l , 1980: 13)Attending the conquest, Akshemseddin played an im-portant role in keeping the morale of the army high. t issaid that, during bad times when the hope to conquest di-minished, the hopeful Jetters wrote by Akshemseddin tothe Conqueror for keeping his morale high, has importantrole in the conquest taking place in short time. C e b e c i o l u ,2001; 84 .

According to the narrations, Sultan Mehmed asked forassigning the time for the conquest of the castle, and uponthis sent hmed Pasha to Akshemseddin. Akshemseddinundertook a contemplation, his face sweated, eyes wetted,and he raised his head and said They shall walk from suchdirectian with loyalty and strength in the dawn of twenti-eth day of Jamazialawwal of this year, and the castle shallbe o n q t e r e d on h a t day C e b e c i o l u , 1995: 395)

kshemseddinreturned to Goynuk immediately follow-ing the conquest of Istanbul, and continued with the teach-ing and student raising works. One year after r e h r n i n g to

G o y m k from Istanbul, he assigned his son MuhammedFazlullah as his successor to his dargah. He dealt with thesearching and education of his son, Hamdullah, in the lastyears of his life. N a l b a n t o l u , t.y.: 18).

The medical aspect of Akshemseddin is also striking. t'is known that he had a treatise on the science of medicine,


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3 CATEGORIES OF SERVITUDE AND THE SEN SE OF NOT FEELING OF N ~ 7that he practiced medicine in many places, treated patientsand he was the first person who mentioned about the microbe in the history of medicine centuries before the microbe was first known in the west. ( D A , 2/301)

Akshemseddin passed way in h.863/m.1459 His grave isnext to the mosque that he himself built in Goynuk. Histomb was built around 5 years following his death and thes c r i p t u r ~ on his sarchophagus belongs to his son MehmedSadullah. is sons, Mehmed Sadullah and Nurullah, arealso buried in that tomb.

The v o r k s o Akshemseddin are as f o l l o v s : 1) Risalet nNuriyye 2) Def u M e t i i i i s - S l f i y y e .3) Risiile-i Zi/crulliih 4)Risiile-1 e r l i Aleval-f a c B a y r a m - V e l 1 5 ) T e l l i s u Def i e t i i i 6) M a l c a m i i t - Evliyil 7 Risiilel ii d-Duii 8) Miiddet7-Hayiit 9)Poems ( E i i r ) (Yurt, 1972: 35).

The Servitude Thought and Categories of Servitude inkshemsed in

In the discionary, servitude has the meaning of worship,which means obedience Ibn Manzur, 1968: 272 In Sufijargon, it is defined as the effort demonstrated by the Sufipupil to complete his spiritual journey. A s m Efendi, 1305:1199; Crcani, 1300: 119; U l u d a , 2001: 237)

According to Qashani, ibadah worship) is being des- .titute before God, which is the final point of degradationfor the ordinary public. Ubudiyyah, is for the spiritual elitewho are loyal to God on the Sufi path they walk with loyalty. Ubudah, is for the supreme elite hawass ul hawass),who stand at the s ta e of Farq and J m, and who worship to


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Him with Him, and consider themselves as standing withHim. (Qashani, 2004: 53)

Akshemseddin who considers ibadah (worshipping) asthe purpose of creation, studies it in five categories.

. . cnow that the worships are in five hjpes:One is the servitude of flesh . This order is to aclcnowledgewhat God orders and avoid anything he prohibits.The second is the servitude o spirit. This means to train your-

self. The method of Sufism is to refrain from obeying the one' sdesires and acting on its contrary.

The third is the servitude of heart. This servitude is to turnone s face away. That is, to turn face away from the worlc andwhat is in it, to hereafter and to goodness.

The third is the servitude o secret. Servitude ofseeret is to beempty, empty of either o the worlds. To love God for reachingGod.

The fifth is the servitude o saul. This servitude is accom-plished by sacrifice, for the salce of witnessing. Whoever doesnot worship God, he shall not be able to reach such asces-sions (Akshemseddin, 125)

a ervitude o fleshThis is the first grade in servitude, and is characterizedas the lowest step. One who performs the provisions of sha-ria externally, that is bodily, could be said to have attainedthe stage of servitude of flesh. In other words, a slave wholives by striving to acknowledge the orders of the od andavoid what he prohibits, is at this stage.

Fulfilling the daily prayers, fastening, pilgrimage andgiving alms, and refraining from what od prohibits, are


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3. CATEGORIES OF SERVITUDE AND THE ENSE OF NOT FEELING O F F N ~ 73the most significant characteristics of this degree of servi-tude. (Akshemseddin, 125).

b Servitude o SpiritThespirit (nafs) means the reviled morals and actions

of the slave. Spirit, in the nomenclature of Sufism, is gener-ally deseribed as the sublime entity whiCh is where the badhabits, ill characteristics, evil feelings habit (Qushayri, 2003:86

According to Akshemseddin, this grade of servitude isthe levelsuperior to the servitude of flesh, wherein the per-son fulfills his obligations against God and trains his spiritto reach to this level. To become a member of a Sufi path,to train one's spirit in accordance with the instr1. 1ctions andpractices of that Sufi path, to resist the d esires of one' s spiritconstitute the situation heavily seen at this level of servi-tude. (Akshemseddin, 125).

It is a clear fact that the spirit has a quality which lovescomfort, refrains from the Divine orders, and has a tendeneyto opt what is prohibited. In fact, this is the natural creationand attitude of the spirit which is not trained. Suhrawardisays: When the spirit is taken under control and forced toobey and is oriented towards the orders of God, its hostilityagainst the heart disappears and a complete agreement anda balance approach occurs between the heart and the nafs. .He also writes: If the spirit is fed and any promise is givento it, it becomes avaricious; but if it is forced to modesty, itbecomes modest. (Suhrawardi, t.y.: 52).

This being the case, the spir it has such a character whichshould be struggled against all the time. Whereasit has a


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high quality essence which could always be oriented towards the beautiful if exposed to hardness, i thasa character that has atendeney towards the evil if let al one. (Izutsu,2003: 24).

c Servitude o HeartHeart (qalb) means tUrning something to anything other,

to orient something towards another direction, and to rota efrom one side to the other. Sametimes the word heart, qalb,is used tomean fuad , reason core, essence and realityof something . The heart of human being is deseribed withthis name since it continuously changes directian and turnsfrom one condition to another. (Isfahani: 682

According to Akshemseddin, this level of servitude is torefrain from the world and what it contains, and to directoneself completely to the hereafter. At this level of servitude, the person refrains from the worldly things and turnshis face only to the other world. (Akshemseddin: 125).

The heart is the place where the spiritual and materialaspects of the person unites and where all movements ofthe existence arise from. Heart (qalb , which is an organ ofsensatian in spiritual terms, is the place where God looksat. God does not look at your shapes and properties, butto your hearts and actions. From this aspect, the slavewho is at this servitude level should have been devoid ofall worldly concerns and filled his heart completely withother-worldly concerns. U l u d a , 2001: 230).

d Servitude o SeeretThe sates that are private and eonfidentiality e t v e e n the slave

and the Supreme Gad are ealled the seeret sir). Seeretisa ivine


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3 C TEGORIES OF SERVITUDE ND THE SENSE OF NOT FEELING O F F N ~ 7attitude in the heart. The spirit is the adobe of love, heart is theadobe ofknowledge and seeret is the adobe ofwitnessing (Cebecio-glu, 681). t isa big mistake to disclose the seeret of the Sufi path(tariqa) to those who are the foreigners of Sufi system. Becauseone who does not know this terminology may derive erroneousmeanings. As a matter of act, Sufis said if ever my button hadknown my secret, I would've removed and thrown it or if evermy hat had known what I thought, I would ve ~ a k e n it away frommy head . (Qushayri: 184).

According to Akshemseddin, at this level the slave hasno worry about the world and there hereafter. His sole purpose is to get the consent of God and to reach to Him. Anyconcerns other than im has become void. Akshemseddin: 125).

e Servitude o SpiritCan in Persian means the spirit The Mawlawi Sufis call thenew denvishes who arrive tq be admitted as can As used by Ak-

s l e m s e d d i n as one of the stages of servitude, w h i c l is the l i g l s tlevel of worship, the word spirit,, Can , is usedas the servitudethat is done by heart. C e b e c i o l u : 169).

Sufis have considered the act of brealeing the heart asa sin thatis worse than demolishing Qa'ba. Prophet Mohammad, who wasthe prophet of mercy, was sent as a mercy to all creatures andworlds, and behaved in the best manner against any person re-gardless of his identity, race or social status, befitting his dignityand honor. He was very keennot to damage any person's heart.

The attitudes of our prophet not to offend people, avoidfrom humiliating and insulting them and giving any pun-ishment using hand and tongue. There is a frequently nar-


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rated prophetic saying from the Prophet, which states "TheMuslim is one from whose hand and tongue others are safe"(Bukhari, Iman 4 . No doubt that since offending is directlyrelated to personal rights, one should pay high attention tothe issue. Whereas enduring against non-offence is important from this aspect, enduring against being offended alsois highly vital.

The heart is fragile like a crystal and it is hard to be re-paired:

The wounds of sword heal over time;Yet the injury of tongue does not.While the prayer performed by breaking the heart does

not benefit anyone, the pilgrimage completed by suffering many problems after breaking a heart will not give anybenefit.

"The old white-bearded hodjaDoes not know how he is;

e shall not strive for the pilgrimageIf he breaks one heart" (Tatci, 1997: 386)For that reason, Yunus Emre has considered conquei

ing a heart valuable than making thousands of pilgrimages.This is sufficient to demonstrate the value put by YunusEmre and Sufis in human beings. e says as follows:

"Yunus Emre says, o hodjaIf thousand pilgrimages are necessary,One that is better than i ,is to conquer a heart." T a t , 1997: 386)According to Sufis, the heart of humans beings is the

throne of God. eart is the place where God looks at. Whereas conquering the heart mediates towards the mercy


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3 CATEGORIES OF SERVITUOE AND THE SEN SE OF NOT FEELING OF N ~ and love of God, the breaker of the heart is the unluckiestperson in the world. Yunus Emre states this in the follow-ingpoem:

Heart is the throne of God;God looked at heart;The unluckiest of both worldsIs the one who breaks the heartSufis stated that not offending a person, who may evenbe an i n f i d e ~ is the way of the Prophet. Ahmed al Yawasi,

the greaJ sheikh of Turkistan, states puts this situation asfollows: Snnet m kafir bolsa berme azar. (Yesevi, 2000:20; Tosun, 2012: 82)

This situation is well demonstrated by .t;\bdulqadir alGaylani: Do not make wrong to yourself or to others. Be-cause wrongdoing means darkness in this world and here-after. Injustice and arrogance darkens the heart, face andthe book of actions. Do not do anything wrong, or helpothers to do wrong ...I f you can, endure the injustice youencountered, but do not be the party that behaves unjust;be oppressed, but do not oppress anyone. God helps thosewho are oppressed. The Prophet said: If sameone seessomething wrong and cannot find any helper other thatGod, God says to him: Soan or later I will help you. . Nar..rating the prophetic saying, Abdulqadir al Gaylani statesthat one who endures will receive help, ascend and havehonor. (Geylani, 2010: 165).

an Who is ot OffendedBeside all these, it is a supreme Prophetic ethic i f a per-

son, whose heart is broken and who is offended, endures


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this and does not act upon being offended. At this stage, theslave leaves behind all his existence in order to reach to thelevel of witnessing.

According to Akshemseddin, the highest level is thelevel of seeing witnessing God (mushahada) Those whoare at the stage of rijal, even qutbiyya, reach to this level. Atthis state, the slave adopts the character of the Prophet andlooks at the essence of God through his essence. Obey me,thus God loves you. (Al-i m r a n 3/35) becomes manifest.Whereas the manifestation of the essen e of.God knockedMoses down, it has the same effect on the slaves; one loseshis mind, becomes crazy, and his social life ends. This is notconsidered as something acceptable by the Sufi masters,since one needs the reason all the times. For that reason, itis necessary to look at and witness the essence of the Godthrough the essence of the Prophet. (Akshemseddin, 125).

According to Akshemseddin, a person who wantsto reach to supreme levels should endure the burden ofprayers: Whoever wants to ascend the levels, t is obligatory for him to endure the hardness of prayers. As a mattero act, God said that Let them continue to endure their prayers'(Maryam, 16:65), wherein the witnessing inerenses with strug-gling. One who just v a t c h e s may not reach to the curtains o thesublimity of the God, the real beloved. The beauty of the belovedGod could only be witnessed thereafter. Thus one should not feeloffended. One who is offended shall have lots o spiritual plea-swes. That is why the Prophet had said: Neither o the prophetswas offended as I was . (Akshemseddin, 125). Under the lightof these sentences we could easily say that enduring thehardness of the worship rituals and keeping patience, and


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3 CATEGORIES OF SERVITUDE AND THE SEN SE OF NOT FEELING O F F N ~ 9adopting the prophetic way of not feeling offended againstothers are a must for anyone who wants to progress in thepath of reaching.

Each of the five stages of servitudes as classified by Ak-shemseddin entails unique hardness, and patience againstthese ascends the slave spiritually. Because, as it is put byhim, those who fall in love to the beauty of God should payhigh prices for this, and endure the hardness so as to reachhim One who is much offended shall have much plea-sure ".

The Prophet has endured the attacks against him in Taifand did not feel offended, which was immediately followedby the event of spiritual ascension (miraj) and he reached tohis Lord, who he loved.

Also when he conquered Makkah, he said to his coun-trymen, who previously offended him and the believersvery rudely, the following verse quoted from the prophetJoseph: "Today there is no taunting for you, let God forgiveyou (Yusuf 12/ 92), and h demonstrated a high morale.

Akshemseddin also recommends keeping patient andenduring the offenses for those who want to reach to God,namely who want to enjoy the servitude of spirit. Accord-ing to him, those who accomplish this prophetic attitudewill spiritually ascend as let by their capabilities and reachto the honor of being with the Eternal Beloved.BIBLIOGR PHY

s m Efendi. (1305). Kamus Tercmesi c. I-IV s t a n b u l .Ayverdi, Samiha, (1953). "Edebi ve Manevi n y a s i n d e

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C e b e c i o l u , Ethem. (2001). A k e m s e d d i n ' d e B a z Tasavvufi Kavramlar-I . Ankara niversitesi l a h i y a t Falcilltesi Dergisi, 42, 77-95.

C e b e c i o l u , Ethem. (1995). A k e m s e d d i n . SahabedenGnmze Allah D o s t l a r . (Der.) 7: 384-396.Crcani, (1300). Ta rifat, s t a n b u l : hmet Kamil

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