The Secret in the Love of God

The Secret In The Love For God

by

Osman Nuri Topbas

The Secret In The Love For God

Published by Osman Nuri Topbas at Smashwords

Copyright © 2010 by Osman Nuri Topbas

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

Istanbul 2009

E-mail: english@altinoluk.com

Web site: http://www.islamicpublishing.net

Tranlator Selman Cul

Copy Editor Gabriel Fouad Haddad

Table Of Contents

About the author

Preface

The secret in the love of Allah

The Perfect Man

Standing firm on the path of Allah

Being with the righteous and the truthful

Sincerity towards Allah

Fear and hope

Heedlessness

The beautification of death

Rizq (sustenance)

Light and darkness

Excellence (Ihsan) and vigilance (Muraqabah)

Mankind’s reality

Selflessness (ithar)

Islam gives life to mankind

The significance of manners in tasawwuf

Love (muhabbah)

Interview of Osman Nuri Topbas on tasawwuf

Footnotes

About the author

Osman Nuri Topbas was born in 1942 in Erenkoy, Istanbul, Turkey to Musa Topbas and Fatma Feride Hanim, H. Fahri Kigili’s daughter. He went to Erenkoy Zihni Pasa Primary School and, in 1953, Istanbul Imam Hatip High School, one of the leading secondary educational institutions with highly respected teachers such as M. Celaleddin Okten, Mahir Iz, and Nureddin Topcu. During that time, he studied under the supervision of M. Zekai Konrapa, Yaman Dede (Abdulkadir Keceoglu), Ahmet Davutoglu, Mahmud Bayram, and Ali Riza Sagman. He also became acquainted with famous poet and thinker Necip Fazil. He joined the latter’s circle of friends, attended his speeches, followed his magazine Buyuk Dogu, and became an ardent supporter of his ideas. Both Osman and his uncle Abidin Topbas graduated from high school in 1960.

After graduation, Topbas engaged in trade and industry for some time. In 1962 he performed his military service in Tillo, Siirt as a reserve officer teacher. He loved teaching and being involved with people when he was in the army.

Having completed military service, Topbas went back to trade but he never severed himself from learning and philanthropy. He was an active member of Ilim Yayma Cemiyeti (Association for the Promulgation of Knowledge). His business site operated like a charitable organization and foundation; it was a center for giving scholarships to students and assistance to the poor. He was also in charge of his family’s philanthropic services. He continued his charitable activities under the roof of Hudayi endowment after its foundation in 1985. He was instrumental not only in its foundation but also in spreading its services to students from neighboring countries.

Topbas began to write in the early 1990s as a result of his interest in religious studies and poetry. Among his works published in Istanbul:

1. Bir Testi Su (1996), translated into English as Tears of the Heart.

2. Rahmet Esintileri (1997), translated to English as Prophet of Mercy.

3. Nebiler Silsilesi I- IV (1997-1998).

4. Tarihten Gunumuze Ibret Isiklari (1998).

5. Abide Sahsiyetleri ve Muessesleriyle Osmanli (1999).

6. Islam Iman Ibadet (2000), translated into English as Islam: Spirit and Form.

7. Muhabbetteki Sir (2001). The present book is its translation from Turkish to English based on the 2001 edition.

8. Imandan Ihsana Tasavvuf (2002).

9. Vakif-Infak-Hizmet (2002).

10. Son Nefes (2003).

Topbas’s books have been translated into several languages. He has shared his vision also through teaching seminars, speaking at conferences and chairing panels in many different countries.

He is married and has four children.

PREFACE

Praise be to Allah the Exalted who has blessed us, His powerless servants, with the joy and peace of true faith. Blessings and peace be upon the Endless Pride of the universe, Prophet Muhammad, who has led humanity from darkness to boundless light.

Allah Almighty has bestowed upon existence a unique secret: He has created it out of love. Because of this, there is decline wherever love does not exist and there are manifestations of perfection wherever it exists. As Rumi’s Mathnawi explains it:

Allah whispered a secret into the ear of a cloud, and tears of water poured down from its eyes like a bucket. He whispered a secret into the ear of a rose and beautified it with colours and fragrance. He whispered a secret to a stone and turned it into shimmering carnelian in the mine. He bestowed a secret to a human being and exalted the ones who protected it to eternity.

That secret is the secret of love. That is why the only way for a human being to reach Allah Almighty’s good pleasure and the intercession of the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace) – and consequently gain salvation in this world and the hereafter – is a simple truth hidden inside the secret of love. Those know this truth and are obedient to its precepts experience intense emotion and exhilaration in their hearts just like the crying tree stump which cried out of love for the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace). For living at such a level of love exalts a human being to a state of perfection and the zenith of creation. It leads to the straight path.

However, to stay on the straight path is only possible through the company of the righteous and truthful believers. Such fellowship builds up the balance of soul and body until the sultan-soul prevails over the slave-body. The heart – the place where the divine manifestations appear – achieves tranquility and relief because it can reach the Truth.

The servant progresses on the way to spiritual perfection, facing various trials of faith. At every stage of this journey to eternity, he or she is treated in proportion to his or her sincerity. The key to Allah’s mercy and grace lies in one’s straddling fear and hope – a very important munition to win the war against ambition and jealousy, and achieve contentment. A servant who has achieved this state will stay alert against the danger of heedlessness and worship his or her Lord with an alert and sound heart. By watching one’s lower self, one strengthens one’s heart toward controlling one’s anger.

Thus those who can be the real wrestlers as in the saying of the Prophet (upon him blessings and peace)1 comprehend the divine wisdom behind life and death. They do not put stock in the temporary pleasures of this world. They only try to do good deeds and live a life adorned with knowledge, understanding, servitude and worship. Because such a life would fill the heart with love of Truth, the servant realizes the serenity and beauty of death. He or she regards death as a reunion with the Beloved and eagerly waits for it.

A believer works to earn his licit sustenance in the day and gets spiritual nourishment through his or her prayers in the middle of the night. That is why they are neither concerned with the pursuit of sustenance nor tossed about with worldly anxiety. Their souls are like clouds spreading mercy around them. They become springs of serenity and blessings for their community, and their family turns into a paradise in this world.

In this world of trials where light and darkness fight mercilessly, those who are raised in that paradise always take the side of right and truth – the straight path shown by the divine commands. They rapturously perform their obligations towards the Holy Qur’an. They also try to read the silent and wordless book of the universe and find out its wisdom, mysteries and truths. Thus they turn into mirrors reflecting the spiritual prosperity and serenity bestowed upon them. This eminent state is the state of being a living Qur’an. Indeed all the righteous struggles, from the battle of Badr to the battles fought by our Ottoman ancestors, are efforts to reach and protect that eminent state.

This, then, is a summary of this humble book, which I have named From the Garden of the Heart: The Secret in the Love for Allah.

May our Lord bestow upon us manifestations of prosperity and spirituality. May Allah grant us the ecstasy of faith. May He illuminate our hearts with the light of the Qur’an and draw out springs of wisdom in our perception. May our Lord grace us with His love, mercy and compassion.

Amin!

1- The secret in the love of Allah

One of the most prominent attributes of the hidden treasure mentioned in the saying I was a secret treasure. I wanted to be known and so I created creation is absolute grace. Allah Almighty did not desire this mysterious, infinite and imperceptible grace to be concealed, so He created creation.

A small drop of His infinite love was granted to this universe and to this earth. Thus, the earth gained superiority over other creations; Allah also created the human being, the most honorable creature, from the earth.

Allah, who created all creatures with love, made them a sign of His artistry and perfection. The existence of the human being as a divine masterpiece has become the perfect manifestation of love and kindness. For the purpose of this world’s creation was not solely to adorn it with green fields, valleys, vast deserts and mountains; it was the human being – the spring of love and the quintessence of creation. For that reason, the honor of a human being is in direct proportion his preserving this objective of his own creation.

Furthermore, since the reason for creation is love, the attribute of love is present as a natural inclination in all creatures. Even a scorpion’s conveyance of its offspring on its back is the result of this love.

This inclination of love is at its peak in a human being, the most honorable of creatures. Nevertheless, in this world filled with trials and tribulations, man will obtain the reward of his love to the extent of the worthiness of his beloved. This means that the human heart, created with the ability of infinite love, can only reach perfection if its possessor directs his tendency towards love of Allah. He cannot help himself by pursuing inferior and useless goals – ultimately life would end in disappointment. In other words, only as long as man devotes to Allah and those beloved to Him his natural tendency to love, can he acquire the blessing to ascend spiritually to the extent of his devotion.

Indeed, divine tests inflicted upon a human being depend upon how he directs his love. It is because of this rule that Allah granted human nature negative inclinations as well as positive ones. Allah has granted human beings a share of his three great attributes: 1) absolute existence, 2) absolute grace and 3) absolute good; but He has also impaired him with the opposites of these attributes: 1) absolute non-existence, 2) absolute ugliness and 3) absolute evil. In this context, the Qur’an says: And He inspired it (the soul) [with conscience of] what is wrong for it and what is right for it. (Shams, 91:8)

These are the two infinite, diametrically opposite poles to which human beings are attracted throughout their lives. It must be realized that the greatest misfortune of man is his inclination towards the negative pole. Those who are inclined to this pole are so blinded that they only admire themselves and their actions. This is a big weakness. Such heedlessness that prevents the human being from realising his or her full potential. It is also the most harmful spiritual illness and great arrogance for a human being who then becomes a foreigner to divine power.

The real meaning in the Sufi saying Die before death comes to you! is that one should avoid falling into the trap of acquiring the bad traits which stem from the negative pole and should, instead, escape from the whirlpool of nature. However, the method for such realization does not mean to kill the self (nafs) but to gain control over it. Rumi explains this point as follows:

If the water remains underneath the ship, it becomes a point of support. However, if it fills the ship it will destroy it. One can exemplify the same fact with the fire moving the ship. The fire in the boiler moves the ship. But if this fire spreads into the deck then it will burn the ship.

A servant therefore becomes close to his Lord inasmuch as he stems the effects of negative traits. The only way to achieve this is to steer one’s love towards Allah to the extent of the capacity of one’s heart. Yet many dangers lurk in directly steering one’s love towards Allah. At one point the heart may burn as if electrified with high voltage. This may destroy a person. The manifestation of Allah to the Prophet Moses (upon him blessings and peace) is a good example of this.

Moses (upon him blessings and peace) encountered the Kalam or speech attribute of Allah on Mount Sinai. He lost his consciousness to great love because of the spiritual attractiveness of divine conversation beyond the perception of a human being – without letters or words. Then he fervently asked to see Allah. But Allah replied, You cannot see me! When he insisted, Allah told him to glance at the mountain: the mountain was shattered by a shaft of light sent from Allah. After this terrifying event, Moses (upon him blessings and peace) fainted and asked for Allah’s forgiveness.

As this incident shows, love requires gradation. Certain practices are needed in order to develop one’s ability to experience divine love. This requires gradual training through embracing the spirituality of Allah’s friends and moving away from the authority of self. The heart can only increase its inborn ability to love by this kind of training, and can thus be purified and freed from the grip of negative traits. Only then can it gain the spiritual capacity to become a reflector of divine love, like a polished mirror.

The love of mother, father, wife, husband and children, and material and spiritual opportunities and other worldly favors are all Allah’s kindness and favor to His servants. But all these kinds of love should be a means to reach Allah. They are only signposts in Allah’s path. Our hearts should not be slaves to them, for those who are in love with Absolute Beauty do not fall in love with fragments. Those who do will be deprived of the whole. In other words, those who fall in love with the world will be deprived of Allah’s love. Rumi expresses this in the following couplet:

Those who fall in love with the world are like hunters who shoot at shadows;

how could a shadow come into their possession?

One of the foolish people tried to catch a bird’s shadow;

but even the bird on the branch was bewildered about this.

Every conscious person who thinks of his or her end can easily understand that it is the purpose of creation that one has to limit their indulgence in amusements and temporary affection by directing his or her love towards Allah. Absolute grace is the grace of Allah. All of the beauties we witness with admiration are nothing but a reflection of His beauty.

The love between Leyla and Majnun is a magnificent example of this fact. If Majnun’s heart had remained devoted to Leyla, she would have become his idol. However,