Friends of Hz.Mawlana (Video - What am i?)

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Friends of Hz.Mawlana

Written By Prof.Dr. Emine Yeniterzi - Konya Selcuk University

Shams   al-Tabrizi

Mawlana, during his education which lasted for years, studied Quranic exegesis (tafsir), tradition (hadith), Islamic law (fiqh) Arabic and so on; and became one of the most distinguished scholars of his era. He said: "The account of whole my life is no more than these three words:  “I was raw, I cooked, I burned." He was matured by the spiritual guidance of his father, the Sultan of scholars, and of Burhan al-Walad, however his spiritual journey was yet to reach its final stop, or aim. He had hundreds of disciples and students. He passed all his time in the training of his students, and guiding his disciples spiritually.

At just that time, a light that would burn Mawlana, sparkled: Shams al-Tabrizi. Shams, who was the disciple of Abu Bakr al-Tabrizi, and had not been satisfied by the spiritual degree that he had obtained, and had been wandering place after place in search of a spiritual guide, who would remove the lacking of mature people. It was reported that the first meeting of these two friends of God (wali) was realized in Damascus. However, the real meeting place, that would burn these two friends of God in the fire of His appearing (tajalli), was Konya. In 29 November 1244, Shams arrived in the Şekerciler (Candy makers/sellers) Caravanserai (Kervansaray ) , in Konya. Mawlana, at that time, was a scholar who taught in four colleges simultaneously. One day, Mawlana, along with his students, was passing by the Şekerciler Caravanserai. Shams saw them and reined in the horse of Mawlana and asked him: "O the jeweler of the world and spiritual knowledge! Can you tell me which of these two is a greater man, the Prophet Muhammad or Bayazid al-Bestami?" Mawlana answered: "the noble Prophet Muhammad is the chief of all prophets and mystics, therefore greatness belongs to him". Shams said: "the noble Prophet cried. 'O my Lord! I glorify You; we could never appreciate Your worth' ", whereas Bayazid said, "I glorify myself; how great my reputation is". Mawlana replied: "Bayazid's thirstiness was satisfied with a sip and he had enough of water. Whereas the noble Prophet Muhammad was burning with thirstiness and not satisfied with a sip. Bayazid thought that he was overwhelmed with God's first manifestation, hence searched no more than this. The Prophet Muhammad, on the other hand, saw God more each day, and came closer to Him. As he increasingly observed God's absolute power and highness day by day, he said, "we could never appreciate Your worth".

Mawlana's friendship with Shams began with these words. Mawlana gave up training, teaching and preaching. These two friends together sank into God's lights and divine conversations. But the people could not stand Mawlana's cutting off his relations with themselves and started gossiping jealously about Shams. As a result of these hostilities, Shams was forced to leave Konya in March in 1246 and went to Damascus.

Having lost his true and great friend, Mawlana sank into a deep suffering and cut off relations with all his friends, and finally, isolated himself entirely from everyone. Everybody was remorseful for what they had done. Meanwhile, Shams sent a letter to Mawlana. Upon this letter, Mawlana joyfully started again dancing the sama (dance of whirling), writing poems, and complimenting his friends. The people, who were jealous of them, repented and asked Sultan Walad to go to Damascus and looked for Shams. Sultan Walad, along with a letter written in verses, went to Damascus and found Shams and invited him to Konya once again. Shams considered Mawlana's letter and invitation as an order, and returned together with Sultan Walad to Konya in May in 1247.

This time everybody was pleased with Shams's arrival in Konya. Feasts were given, sama, sessions were arranged, and the days full of conversation and chat started in his honor. However, these days of love and tranquility did not last long. Unrefined people started again, nourishing a grudge and enmity against Shams. Finally, Shams suddenly disappeared on the night of 5 December, 1247. The bals of the Divine Truth and Reality had made him disappear. Mawlânâ was not told about this incident, however, the news of Shams's disappearance was spread around. The works written after Mawlânâ's death only shed a bit of light upon his mysterious death. Following Mawlânâ's death, a tomb was built over Shams's grave in Konya.

Upon Shams's death, Mawlânâ recited poems that burned hearts by the grief of that separation. Many of these poems wrilten under the tttle of "Shams" in the Dîwân al-Kabîr belonged to this stage. At this time, in order to find Shams, Mavlânâ went to Damascus, but he was unable to see him. However, Shams's meaning reflected upon Mawlânâ, and aftenvards, Mawlânâ gave up searching, and made him live in his heart.

XI-  His Other  Friends

a) Sheikh Salâh al-Dîn Zarqûbî (Salahaddin-i Zerkub)

A new phase started in Mawlânâ's life after Shams. His days passed in sama sessions, reciting poems, and training the heart. He directed his love, which once he felt for Shams, to another friend and sheikh. Salâh al-Dîn Zarqûbî. Although Salâh al-Dîn never had a college (madrasah) education, he had been trained spiritually by Sayyid Burhan al-Dîn, and had taken place in Shams's lectures. He was a friend of God (walî), and perfect by nature, and a man of integrity. He was a jeweller, a master craftsman who transformed golden ingots İnto very fine teaves. Therefore, he was called "Zarqûbî".

One certain day, while Salâh al-Dîn, together with his apprentices, was forging golden ingots in order to make fine leaves, Mawlânâ, who was passing by the shop, underwent divine attraction (at-jadhh) by the sounds of the hammer blows and started dancing sama'. When Salâh al-Dîn saw Mawlânâ's dancing he without any thought of losing his golden ingot, ordered his apprentices. saying "blow your hammers until Mawlânâ finishes his sama', even if the leaves fail into in tatters" flew off and cast himself at the feet of Mawlânâ.

Sama' continued from noon until mid-afternoon on that day. When they finished sama' and entered the shop, they saw that not even one piece of gold was wasted and the shop was fılled up with golden leaves. Then, Salâh al-Dîn  too abandoned the world and the shop, and became a disciple of Mawlânâ.-13

Mawlânâ saw the light of sainthood (walâya) of Shams in Salâh al-Dîn. He himself was living in a spiritual world. Therefore, he appointed Salâh al-Dîn as caliph who would be busy with the spiritual guidance of the disciples. Their friendship lasted for ten years. İn order lo strengthen this friendship, Mawlânâ took Salâh al-Dîn's daughter, Fatma Khatun, in marriage to his son. Sultan Valad, and by so doing, established the bonds of relationship with Salah al-Din. Sheikh Salah al-Din died in January in 1231

b)  Chalabi  Khusam  al-Din (Husameddin Celebi )

When Salah al-Din al-Zarqubi died, Mawlana appointed his disciple Chalabi Khusam al-Din as caliph. Khusam al-Din had received his training under the spiritual guidance of Mawlana", and had become mature, and deserved the light of sainthood (walaya). He carried out this task as long as Mawlana lived38; and after Mawlana's death, he carried on to fulfill  this task until his own death in 128439; so his sheikhdom added up to twenty-five years.

Khusam al-Din was a close friend and confident of Mawlana. Apart from this, his main significance was his encouraging Mawlana to write his unique work of Mathnawi  The Mathnawi, which started with the suggestion of Khusam al-Din, was finally completed by his valuable contributions. Until Mawlana finished his work, the Mathnawi, Khusam al-Din never left him alone. Khusam al-Din wrote down what Mawlana told him, even while Mawlana was sitting, or dancing sama', or walking, or having a bath in the public bath. They sometimes started writing in the evening and continued until dawn. Mawlana told and Khusam al-Din wrote. When every volume was finished, Khusam al-Din read the verses loudly, and Mawlana recorrected and revised them.