42ND LETTER

This letter, written to Shaikh Darwish, explains that the best medicine for clearing away the rust of loving others from the heart is to hold on to the Sunnat-i saniyya (the Sharî'at).

May Allahu ta'âlâ give you salvation! As long as a man remains attached to various things his heart cannot be purified. As long as it remains foul it will remain deprived of and far from happiness. Loving things other than Allahu ta'âlâ blackens, stains the heart, which is called Haqîqat-i-Jâmi'a. This stain should be cleared away. The best cleaner is to follow, to obey, the Sunnat-i saniyya-i Mustafâwiyya ('alâ masdariha-ssalâtu was-salâmi wat-tahiyya). Following the Sunnat-i saniyya does away with the habits and the desires of the nafs that cause the heart to darken.

How lucky for those who are honoured with receiving this blessing! Shame upon those who are deprived of this high luck! May Allahu ta'âlâ give salvation to you and to those who follow the righteous way!

[The word "sunnat" has three meanings in our religion. When "the Book and Sunnat" is said together, "the Book" means "the Qur'ân" and "Sunnat"means "hadîths." When referred to as "fard and sunnat" fard means "Allah's commands" and "sunnat" means our "Prophet's sunnat, that is, his commands". When the word "sunnat" is used alone, it means "the sharî'at, that is, all the rules of Islâm". Fiqh books say that this is so. For instance, it is written in the bookMukhtasar al-Qudûrî, "He who knows the sunnat the best becomes the imâm." In explaining this point, the book Jawhara says, "Here, 'Sunnat' means Islam'."

It is understood that it is necessary to obey Islam for purifying the heart. Obeying the Sharî'at means doing the commandments and abstaining from prohibitions and bid'ats.

Bid'at means something that was invented afterwards. They are things that had not existed during the time of our Prophet and his four caliphs 'radiy-Allâhu anhum' which were fabricated and done in the name of worships. For example, since it is necessary to recite the (âyat called) Âyat-al-Kursî immediately after the (five daily prayers called) namâz, it is bid'at to recite the (prayer termed) 'Salâtan Tunjînâ'

or to say other prayers. These must be recited after Âyat-ul-Kursî and telling the tasbîhs. It is bid'at to prostrate and then get up after finishing namâz and saying duâ (personal, individual prayer.) It is bid'at to call the azân through loudspeakers. Every kind of change and reform in the religion is bid'at. On the other hand, it is not bid'at to use forks and spoons, to wear ties, to drink coffee or tea, or to smoke cigarettes, for they are not worships, but habits, and they are mubâh.

They are not harâm. Statements made by Islamic scholars about smoking are quoted and explained in detail in the (Turkish) book Se'âdet-i ebediyye.There are three types of bid'at:

1 – It is the worst bid'at to use things which Islam says are symbols of disbelief.

2 – Kinds of belief not conforming with what the Ahl-i sunnat scholars communicate are also bad bid'ats.

3 – Renovations and reforms done as worships are bid'ats and are grave sins.]

Couplet:

Faithfulness is what becomes a man, even when wronged; 
If a person is true, Allah will him uphold.