Cemalnur Sargut

Ken’an Rifai was full of unlimited love not only for human but also for all kinds of living and non-living things. He was in love with all human beings without considering the gender, race, religion, social status, and language. He said “We say ‘the God of the whole universe’, not just ‘the God of Muslims. How can I make a distinction when God doesn’t?”

Ken’an Rifai often reminded that “All human beings are the integrated parts of each other just like the organs of a body because they are created from the same essence.” And he continued, “Anyhow, Islam considers the practice of this idea as a worship.”

Ken’an Rifai wished for the friendship of all the people and nations and spent each and every minute of his life on this aim.

He continuously helped people and while doing this he was very careful not to make people feel ashamed. He said, “To be able to make a person in need happy is a gift of God. Therefore, I would like to kiss the hand which demands help from me.” His maturity was so high that when his money was stolen, he was able to say “Let it be his to spend and enjoy.” On the other hand, he took all kinds of precautions to prevent events that disturb the order in the society.

He treated his servants as if they were his own children and did not demand the things that they were unable to do. He said, “Every sin can be forgiven except for violating human rights (kul hakki).”

An aspect of the ethics of Ken’an Rifai can be called ‘the ethics of labor’. He said, “It is very important that everyone in a society has a function. Otherwise, the unemployed in the society become the victims of gambling, narcotics and various illnesses.” During his retirement, he kept on working.

One of his ethic principals was based on forgiving, excusing and forgetting the bad deeds. For this reason, another aspect of his ethics is called “the ethics of tolerance”.

Moses asks to God: “Who is your most beloved servant?” God replies, “The one who forgives despite having the power to punish.”

It was asked to Christ, “The soul of God! What is the biggest and the most difficult thing in the world and hereafter?” He replied, “The wrath of God. They asked, “How can we avoid this wrath? He replied, “Overcome your anger and pacify your violence.”

Ken’an Rifai searched for excuses to forgive the bad treatment against him. He was nearly as ashamed as the person who acted in an undesired manner. When he was to make a warning, he either talked with the person involved alone or talked among others by not addressing to anyone in particular.

He explained the importance of being able to forgive, “There is no badness in absolute beauty (hüsn-i mutlak). But if you eliminate whatever seems bad to you, a huge gap appears in the world and thus the world’s balance is upset.”

Although he encouraged us to forget the badness, he never forgot the goodness and favor. He said, “The one who does not know how to thank the means will not be able to know how to thank God. He didn’t appreciate throwing away even a material that is of no use any more.

Promise was of great importance to Ken’an Rifai. He said, “When you promise someone to do something, this means that you promise God. Be careful when you talk; promise is very important.

Hazret-i Muhammed (s.a.v.) says: “As the head is a part of the body, patience is a part of faith.” Ken’an Rifai was the monument of patience. During the most serious phase of his disease, when the doctor asked, “What are your complaints?” he replied: “Complaint? Thank God, I have no complaint.” His doctors felt as if they were being treated by him, instead of treating him. He considered his disease as a guest to be welcomed. On the other hand, he often told the people around him to take care of themselves stating that he also suffered due to their illnesses. In fact, he felt the same for all human beings. We can call this ‘the ethics of sharing’.

Ken’an Rifai shared the pleasure of people. Once his relatives complained about the noise coming from next door, he warned them and asked them to respect the neighbours’ feelings. In a supportive manner, he said, “Let them enjoy. It is my pleasure to see people having a good time and taking pleasure out of life.” He further explained, “Not everyone will enjoy your company, but you should try to enjoy the company of others. This is what is expected of a human.”

We notice that he was against the idea of divine fate (ilahi takdir) being absolute in terms of not holding the person responsible of his deeds and seeing the person as a robot. He mentioned that each man is free in accepting or rejecting the divine rules, is responsible from his behaviors and will live what he deserves.

What you get is what you have asked for

Don’t think that the defect belongs to divine justice.

Ken’an Rifai, who spent all his life correcting the fault, always felt sad about those who claimed that they had closed their gates to sins and mistakes. He said, “Deficiency is the mirror of maturity.” In order for the good deeds to appear, the existence of the opposing bad deeds is required. For this reason he was merciful. To him, expecting people to be free of mistakes was a mistake in itself, which he didn’t appreciate.

Ken’an Rifai always felt pity for the tyrant more than he did for the oppressed. He was fully aware that the right of the oppressed was his sword and shield. He didn’t attempt to get rid of the people at fault. He tried to win them over.

For moral purification of people, he chose not to use violence but let them use their own logic and critical thinking.

Ken’an Rifai believed that it was necessary for everybody to make use of their best personality traits and experience the deep satisfaction of living a totally mature life. To make this possible, one should try to improve oneself to maximum capacity. He also found it necessary to explain one’s experiences according to explicit laws of nature. Once the order is established in this way, one should be able to realize the meaning of life in comparison to the Whole. This enables the person to be able to love, feel secure, make the right decisions and have the freedom to express oneself.