Cemalnur Sargut

According to Ken’an Rifai, mysticism is a life experience, a line of thought that begins with humanity and evolves along with humanity existing independent of religion. The fact that it is always mentioned with religion is because religion needs mysticism to help interpreting, explaining and describing concepts.

Mysticism, which has the ability to reveal the ore of religion, completes its evolution in Islam reaching the top level of wisdom and “kemal” (knowledge and maturity that leads to realization of the truth). Islamic mysticism is similar to Islam in regard to the fact that Islam is built on the platform of all preexisting religions, combining them all within its body. Just like an erupting volcano it is impossible to prevent the flow of mysticism on earth.

In Ken’an Rifai’s understanding of mysticism different trends (such as those favoring ethics, favoring ‘vahdet’ i.e. oneness and those favoring observation of the divine existence) are combined into one strong mixture used as a cement to strengthen his personality. The above-mentioned fact can be illustrated in the meaning of the following words of his: ‘I have three eyeglasses. One is for near-sightedness, another is for far-sightedness and the third is for both having two different kinds of lenses. If one looks at subjects that are near to him with glasses for far-sightedness or vice versa, he may feel dizzy. However, the third pair enables me to see both far and near better. Due to the two types of lenses both kinds of vision problems are solved. To conclude, for people who wish to see only the materialistic world, it becomes impossible to see the spiritual world, the soul and the meaning. Those who wish to see only the spiritual world find it hard to see and live in this materialistic world. People should wear eyeglasses that enable them to see, observe and comprehend both worlds.

In the broadest sense mysticism for Ken’an Rifai is oneness. To be able to see One, know One and love One in this world of false plurality. When he is asked what mysticism is, he says, “It is the knowledge of ‘gönül’ (soul)”. In another definition he says, “it is having ‘adap’ (good manners) in all situations at all times.” “Mysticism is ethics (moral virtues) and moral virtues are ‘adap’ and ‘adap’ is to see only Allah nothing but Allah in everything.” Performing our duties is worshipping. Our actions are our roles assigned in accordance to our capacities staged on this world.

Mysticism is being nothing in verbal expression but everything in “gönül”.

Mysticism means not to hurt and not to be hurt.  Allah’s kindness, graciousness, wrath and furry towards men are manifested through men. So who would you hurt or from whom would you be hurt knowing that everything comes from Allah? Our bodies serve as a means to make the words, actions and all the attributes of Allah observable. One mostly thinks that what he has or does are results of his own will. Actually these attributes are temporarily given to him. They, in fact, belong to Allah. This is what Prophet Mohammed believes in his words saying, “The one who knows his ‘nafs’ (ego, self) knows Allah”.

The plurality of waves cannot change the fact that the sea is a whole. In a similar fashion plurality in this world is not an obstacle to Allah’s oneness. Let us look at the numbers. We say one, two, three and so on. Does ‘two’ really exist? Two is the repetition of one. So are all the other numbers. Always ‘vahdet’! In other words absolute unity! When you are aware of oneness, then you know that the source of everything is Allah. This is why Hz. Ebu Bekir says, “I have seen nothing in which I cannot observe Allah.” Once you reach this wisdom, you cannot despise any creature on earth.

Since Ken’an Rifai regards everything on earth as the manifestations of Allah and realizes the fact that every tiny bit of a being carries Allah’s light (‘nur’) and every droplet has an aspect of his appearance, he regards his relations with all beings as relations with Allah. He respects and loves the creatures due to their attachments with the creator. Ken’an Rifai has been able to bring down his love of Allah from abstract to concrete onto this world for the created. His love is no longer a mere emotion but an action.

Ken’an Rifai wants us to know the meaning of each word and action and to behave in accordance to that.  He says: ‘To intone “la ilahe illaallah” all day long is useless. Unless you know what it means, a record player can perform just as well.

Whenever man sees the manifestations of Allah in everything and everybody around him, then he is really saying the divine words “la ilahe illaallah”. This is what the poet Niyazi means when he says: ‘I call out friend, friend! Be it in Kabe or in a temple for idols, be it in a mansion or in a ruin.’ He also says: ‘Nothing that is not in fact Allah exists so don’t try to reach him. He is not far away. You are always with him.’ He adds: ‘The veil is your body. Reach Allah without the presence of your self. The obstacle between you and Allah is you yourself’.

Real freedom is being free from ‘nafs’. One cannot be independent just by claiming that he is. If one is the slave of his ‘nafs’, he can never be considered free. For instance, think of a smoker who wishes to quit smoking but cannot keep himself from being a slave of a cigarette. How can such a person claim to be free? Only those who rule their desires, instincts and passions and are not ruled by them are indeed free like Dyogen, who addressed to Great Alexandria as the slave of his slave.

Everything that exists including the tiniest particle is the sight of Allah’s manifestation. Each individual is a friend extending his hand to us representing another aspect of Allah. What a pleasure it is to see life with the eyes of Niyazi, who says, “Nothing exists but the true friend who is invisible for the ones without eyes”. How happy is the eye that can comprehend the meaning of the existence of opposites! Nothing is strange but they are opposites of one another. And thus watch the greatness of oneness in awe. What leaks from a container is whatever it contains.

Allah is the absolute wisdom (“akl-ı kül”). We can perceive Him only with the partial intellect (“cüz-i akıl”) we have. Hz Ebu Bekir says, “I saw Allah and asked Him who He was. He said I am you”. Similarly Ibn-al Arabi says, “Man is Allah and Allah is man”.

To sum up we can say that according to Ken’an Rifai mysticism is based on recognizing the created (“halk”) as Allah (“Hakk”) and Allah as the created. Mysticism asks us to use our mortal body in serving Allah and thus people. Ken’an Rifai was a real mysticist who was able to comprehend Allah as a meaningful oneness in spite of the plurality of images revealed to the human mind.

Ken’an Rifai was neither a mystic philosopher nor a moral philosopher. The difference is clear. The former lives and the latter examines and forms. A mysticist doesn’t need to name or classify his lifestyle or his life experiences. Nor does he have time for that. He accepts life as the nature presents it. He is able to carry human/material relations from oneness to plurality just like the circles originating from a single center formed by a stone hitting water.