Kenan Rifai

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Ken’an Rifai was born in Selanica in 1867. His mother was Hatice Cenan. His father, Abdülhalim, was the son of Hadji Hasan, a member of a dynastic family from Filibe.

Having graduated from Galatasaray High School, he was given a position at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Babiali. After that, when he was a Science Instructor at the Iranian School, he was appointed as an Assistant Secretary to the German Supervisor, Mr. Groll at the Ministry of Postal Services. Meanwhile, he studied law at the university.

His mother, Hatice Cenan was the key person who opened the gates of moral and spiritual world for his son. Later on, she aided her son under the guidance and supervision of her murshid, Sheikh Edhem Efendi. These two murshids led Ken’an Rifai’s moral and spiritual personality to reach maturity.

Ken’an Rifai who believed that spiritual and material world are closely attached to one another, found himself working under the roof of educational system. He worked as the Principal of Education in Balikesir, Adana, Manastir, Üsküp, Trabzon and later on, at Numune-i Terakki and Medine-i Münevvere Idadi-i Hamidi High Schools. Having returned to Istanbul, he worked as an instructor of French Language at Erkek Muallim Mektebi (Teachers’College for Males), a Council Member at Tedkik-i Ilmiye (Scientific Research Center), the Principal at Darüssafaka High School and a member at Meclis-i Maarif (Council of Education). After his retirement, he taught Turkish at Fener Rum (Greek) High School for thirteen years. His work at this school is a clear evidence of the fact that he considered all the religions as a whole. It also emphasises that he accepted and got people to accept the philosophy suggesting that “to serve any person -no matter what religious background he or she comes from- means to serve Allah”. He regarded all the religions as sequential steps to complete one’s journey in spiritual education. That is why there exist only some differences of degree among religions.

Ken’an Rifai’s eleven-month service in Balikesir was a period when his spiritual and moral being based on the teaching of his mother, Hatice Cenan, a wali of Allah, was taken under the full responsibility of her murshid, Sheikh Edhem. His hodja restricted Ken’an Rifai’s materialistic needs and in this way he let him have the pure pleasure of living with the minimum. Through this asceticism (riyazat), he became a spiritual monument that could share all the pain of his people. Balikesir was also the place, where, by the will of his murshid, he started his first musical education and blew the ‘nay’. He, then, learned how to play the violin and the piano. The hymns he wrote and composed constituted one of the most effective ways of spreading his spiritual light to all his students.

While Ken’an Rifai was the Principal of Education in Manastir, his murshid, Sheikh Edhem (walked to Cemal) passed away, informing from the spiritual world that Ken’an Rifai succeeded him.

During the time when he was the Principal at Medine-i Münevvere Idadi-i Hamidi High School, he was in the service of Seyh’ül Mesayih Hamza Rifai. After four years, he was given the permission to teach (irsad), thus became a murshid. Once, Hamza Rifai said to him “ I do not know who is whose murshid, you mine or me yours?” This points out quite explicitly how high a degree of spirituality he had attained.

Having returned to Istanbul, he began to teach his murids Islamic Mysticism and Sufism in Altay Tekke, founded by his mother, Hatice Cenan. He knew French, German, Arabic, Persian, Greek, Circassian and English, (which he started to learn after the age of 80) as well as his native language.

HIS WORKS:

Mukteza-yi Hayat / The Requirements of Living,

A translation from Camille Flammarion “The Revolution of the Earth”,

Rehber-i Salikin / A Guide for the Followers,

Tuhfe-i Ken’an / A Gift by Ken’an,

Ahmed-er Rifai,

Ilahiyat-i Ken’an, (including hymns written and composed by Kenan Rifai)

A Commentary Volume of Mesnevi-i Serif.

His essential masterpieces, however, were humans such as Server Hilmi, Aziz Efendi, the Calligrapher, Nazli Sultan, Semiha Cemal, Samiha Ayverdi, Sofi Huri, Safiye Erol, Meskure Sargut, Zehra Sultan, Nezihe Araz etc.

Kenan Rifai is the living Koran. He practiced the ethic and moral principles of Hz. Mohammed (s.a.v.). He considered everything and everyone as “Hak”, and invited people around him to the Heaven and peace of “tevhid” (unification of Allah with all his manifestations).

In the material world, he showed excellent modesty. In spite of his great spirituality, he absolutely and sincerely believed in “fakr” (having or owning nothing of value for God is the only true existence and everything belongs to him. We are all part of his wholeness). In his social life, he preferred and succeeded to stay always at the back stage as a simple, plain, unassertive, unimposing, and modest person. That is why he, as a perfect example of a human being, succeeded to both gather and conceal the merits of justice, generosity, tolerance, faithfulness, mercy, good will, patience, endurance, and his fight for Islam (mücahit).

KEN’AN RIFAI’S UNDERSTANDING OF SUFISM AND LOVE (ASK)

Ken’an Rifai did not regard Sufism as only a moral and ethical issue as Gazali did. Nor did he consider it as only the uniqueness of existence (vahdet-i vücut) like Muhittin-i Arabi did. Neither did he totally free himself from ‘this world’ and ‘the other world’ due to his love (ask) for God as Mevlana did. Combining these three, Ken’an Rifai established a way of living.

Ken’an Rifai, the Sultan says “those who wish to see only this world, the images and the material are not likely to see the other world, the meaning and the spiritual. However, one should put on such eyeglasses that seeing this world i.e. the outside image will not hinder him from seeing the meaning and the spiritual”.

According to our Hodja, Ken’an Rifai, mysticism is the path which defines the human soul in depth. It also helps determine where we are in the universe and how we relate ourselves to the other beings. Besides, mysticism leads us to the path that provides the real contact with the Truth. And mystic is the one who practices life according to the requirements of this harmoniously balancing aspect of living. In other words, the mystic is the one who views Love (Ask) as the principle truth of the universe. Our murshid also believes that religion can not be without mystical commentary and that all religions have been explained through mysticism. In this way, they have become a way of living.

Mysticism means unification. Nothing can take place without God’s will power. Such a perception is possible only through the unity of the Mind and the Soul, the core of which is the God. Some other definitions of mysticism by Ken’an Rifai are: “Mysticism means ethicalvirtues; ethical virtues (güzel ahlak) mean (good manners) ‘edeb-[adab]’; and edeb means seeing no one but God as the one and only Ruler and Creator.” “Mysticism means not getting hurt by others or not hurting others.” “Plurality (‘kesret’) is not an obstacle for the oneness of God just as the waves not being an obstacle for the oneness of the sea.” Rumi explains the idea of unity saying: “Have a close look at the letters from ‘elif’ (the first letter in the Arabic alphabet which is a vertical straight line) to ‘ya’ (the last letter in the Arabic alphabet). They all look different and produce different sounds. However, when you take a much closer look, you will notice that all these seemingly different letters are formed by the different twisting and bending of the same letter, or line ‘elif’. This means that a single letter ‘elif’ can form any word. Although they come from the same source i.e. in principle they are one, they can form numerous words and sentences that seem different and separate when manifest (just as all the numbers being composed of repetitive additions of number one). Hz Ebubekir says, “I have witnessed no being in which I can not see God”. In the light of all these, the person who has reached spiritual maturity (insan-i kamil) is the one who teaches and displays in his heart this unity. “Since its existence, the Ka‘ba- house of God (‘Beytullah’) has not been visited by God. In the house of my soul, however, there is nothing but God” says Rumi. In brief, mysticism means gaining this insight.

There is a variety of names in God’s unity. These names became evident only through coming into existence. Tolerance for plurality (‘kesret’) is due to respect for the unity, which is the meaning of love. Ken’an Rifai’s love for God was evident in his love for all the creatures in the universe. In other words, he made the spiritual essence apparent for us.

Ken’an Rifai says, “Respecting opposition (‘ziddiyet’) means respecting God. “In a house and in the ruins, in the house of God (Kabe) and in the house of idols, I call the beloved Friend (Dost)” says Misri Niyazi. It is the fundamental principle to see the same manifestation (tecelli) in the misbeliever (kafir) and the believer (mümin), in the rich and the poor, in the fire and the light. “Come, whatever you are, come!” says Rumi expressing God’s unity. How can one mention freedom when enslaved by bad habits (‘nefs’-[nafs]) “Nothing but God (‘agyar’) exists; there exist oppositions (‘ziddiyet’)”.

In order to be able to make the teachings of Sufism a way of life, one needs a murshid from whose mirror one can watch the world and to whom one can be devoted.

THE SUPREME TEACHER (MÜRSID-I AGAH)

The person who has reached spiritual maturity, (‘insan-i kamil’) defines the truth and the meaning of being a human (hakikat-i insaniye). In Koran the term ‘kelime-kelam’ (which means ‘word’) is used when referring to ‘insan-i kamil’. It says “If all the seas become ink and all the trees become pencils, there still won’t be enough material to write the meaning of this ‘kelime’”. (Sura Kehf, Verse 109: “Kul lev kane’l bahru midaden li kelimati Rabbi le- nefide’i bahru kable en tenfede kelimatü Rabbi velev ci’na bimislihi mededa).

Ken’an Rifai is a mystic Sultan. Being mystic means both being aware of the secret of the reality of humanity (hakikat) and living it. He sees through one’s spirit, inside of one’s soul, discovers one’s reason for being and respects it. Aware of Hakikat-i Muhammediye, he knows which names of God one bears.

Ken’an Rifai is a wise man having the wisdom (hikmet) of the truth. He reveals the secret of the universe, turns it into a meaningful essence of life and injected it to all his people. And he explained the truth, each time adjusting to the level of understanding of each particular person.

Ken’an Rifai is the supreme teacher like Mevlana, who says “One of my feet stays strictly on ‘Sheriad’-[Shari‘a] (the holy law of Islam) while with my other foot I visit and become one with seventy-two nations.”, Ken’an Rifai strictly adheres to the rules of Islam (will of God) knowing the demands of his path. He is well aware of the nature of the societies. He teaches each one of his pupils individually according to their capacity.

Ken’an Rifai is a tutor (‘mürebbi’). He guides and enlightens his people with (‘irsad’) and sees to it that the enlightenment continues.

Ken’an Rifai is a philosopher. Seeing that God arises with a new glory everyday, he is open to being innovative and up-to-date and interpreted Kor’an accordingly.

The Perfect Guide (mürsid-i agah) does not belong only to a specific group of people but to the whole universe. He does not address his understanding of Love and sufism to people only for a period of time but for centuries. Our murshid, Ken’an Rifai has taught and guided (irsat) us with all his unlimited love and knowledge. A sultan of love lacking knowledge would definitely not be able to address for centuries.

One of Ken’an Rifai’s students called Sofi Huri, who is a daughter of a priest, said, “Influenced by his personality that reminded the awe of the prophets in the Old Testament (Ahd-i Atik Peygamberler), I was amazed to see how tolerant and understanding he was, which showed his well-earned greatness. I was shaken by the waterfall of understanding and tolerance that went together with the awe of seeing through human soul detecting its tiniest mistakes”. She added, “In the presence of his majesty, I observed absolute ‘fakr’ (realising the nothingness of oneself when compared to the creator) and endless modesty”. “In his attitude and on his face, one can observe the calm and relief of a person who has eliminated all the earthly claims and won all the earthly fights. It was only when my murshid taught me that I realised the Islamic mysticism and its virtues essentially go hand in hand with the principles of Christianity.” She further stated, “The extent of the moral qualities of Ken’an Rifai’s tolerance and forgiveness can never be measured. He teaches us to be able to excuse everyone, to never find anyone’s faults and not to condemn anyone. In his social gatherings, there is no room for gossiping, talking behind people (‘giybet’), complaining or showing even a slightest sign of discontent.”

Being tolerant is one of the requirements of his spiritual maturity (kemal). “One of the prominent signs of virtue and spiritual maturity is not seeing or saying anyone else’s fault.” said Ken’an Rifai. He not only said so but also acted so throughout his life, which proved his moral quality. He stated, “Those who wish to be on God’s route should accept this world as God’s house and its people as his family and should act accordingly.”

Ken’an Rifai’s spiritual maturity can be viewed in his great modesty. He said, “I am God’s humble servant. I am non-existent. I am nothing at all. I am just a servant of God!”

“The most sinful body in the universe I have

Not shameless enough to reach God with my rebellion.

In neither the spiritual, nor the material world have I any value My head not bowed, due to ignorance

When compared to any creature, my animal self is

The meanest of all with all my faith and faithlessness”

Ilahiyat-i Ken’an

“Real freedom is to have peace within self first and then with others,” said our murshid. Even when he was lying sick in bed, he wouldn’t complain or let anyone complain.

Even a slightest worried look (istika) of his people around him would make him upset.

This endurance, this peace of heart and inner calm can only be observed in such an Ehlullah (one who knows God). He is a monument of spirit, his body is of Love; his soul is of Love. In order to be able to understand this mystic Love, one should taste from the ocean of Love at least a few drops and should dive into this ocean at least for a brief moment. It is this ocean that has been pouring down the pens of great philosophers, poets and mystics over the centuries. Our murshid Ken’an Rifai, has been the center of love. For him life is significant and valuable because one lives in order to love and serve people.

Faith is centralised in divine personalities. Even though our Hodja has passed away from the material world, his high presence has always been with us.

HIS UNDERSTANDING OF WOMAN

HATICE CENAN AND SEMIHA CEMAL

According to Ken’an Rifai, it is through woman that love becomes apparent. He accepts no power other than the tutorship of love for evolving humans into genuine human being.

Whether we are aware of it or not, the goal of every human is love. However, like the adventures a water drop suffers, he passes through many devious ways toward his target. The one who cannot attain the genuine love is bounded to remain within the body cage. If one has not the ability to attain the divine (‘külli’) love, God bounds them to a figure (‘suret’) or a person so that they could generate the capability for love of God.

Our murshid says, “Actually there are no distinctions between love, lover and beloved. They all mean a single thing. The beloved is the mirror for the lover. Love is their sum. As one sees himself in the mirror, the attraction and the passion of the lover to the beloved is nothing but his passion toward his own meaning.

Love is superior to everything, even to prayer and zikir. Moreover, if the prayer lacks love, it is of no use. How immense a difference is it between the prayer performed with love thus seeing Cemal, and the one performed as a duty.

Wish also for others the goodness, the beauty, the joy of heart, the love and the divine light (nur) that you desire for yourself so that you could be a true lover. Share your pleasure, your love and wealth generously because this indicates the maturity of love. Be not only for yourself but for the universe (‘alem’) as well. How pleasant it is when wood becomes ember following its clutter of burning. Similarly, it is the pleasure and the purpose of the lover to reach serenity after passing through the primitive states, and to dedicate himself to the service of humanity.

The one lacking love, also lacks peace and ease. A man feeling at ease is the one who can recognise Hak in all existing things. Love is the telescope for the eye of wisdom, a lens viewing the future. There is no beauty, which cannot be witnessed for an eye strengthened by love.

Ken’an Rifai says, “For centuries so many things were told and written, and so many bloody adventures were attempted for the sake of women. Sometimes her name was used as a means of unbounded ambitions and was sometimes delivered as a flag to the hands of virtue. But none of the mentalities, or the philosophies have been able to appreciate her and to determine her actual place as much as Islamic mysticism.

No matter how much the way women is regarded by Islam is distorted due to personal benefits through the centuries, the value given to women can not be doubted. The greatest evidence of this is in the Kuran. In the Book all the addressing is given without any discrimination as “muminin and müminat, salihin and salihat” Mumine and saliha women are not separated from mumin and salih men. In the earlier periods of Islam, women accompanied men in every phase of social life. She even actively joined gazas (war for Islam).

Hz. Resulullah says, “In this world I was granted the virtue to appreciate woman and pleasant fragrances, and namaz which is the light of my eye. By saying “Woman is the other half of man”, he absolutely and explicitly described the social status of women.

Our murshid, Ken’an Rifai inquires, “Where does the significance that Islam gives to women come from?” Because woman has the God’s power of creating and undertakes the main role in continuation of human race, special significance is given to women. In his Mesnevi, Rumi says:

“Pertev-i Hakkest an masuk ni

Halikest an guyya mahluk ni”

It is stated in the poem that women are viewed not merely as the created but almost like the creator (‘Halik’). This is because of the fact that they represent God’s creative power, which is the essence of universe. Hazret-i Muhammed (s.a.s.) commands, “women influence men who have wisdom and heart (‘gönül’). This is what true reality (‘hakikat’) is. Gentle and wise men are able to show understanding and compassion towards women. They avoid harsh behaviour and tend not to hurt women. On the contrary, ignorant and irrational men treat women cruelly for in their nature animal instincts are predominant. Love and gentleness are human attributes whereas violence and lust are animal attributes.

In the light of all these, one can say that it is not vain for a man to be attracted to the woman he loves. She is not merely a lover. She is the glory of God’s beauty. One can also say that woman is not simply someone who has been created by God (‘mahluk’) but she is almost like the creator (‘Halik’).

In the light of true reality (hakikat), it is easy to understand why even the strongest man may feel a weakness for a woman. The man’s capacity to love a woman is a measure of his wisdom and maturity. His defeat by a woman is possible only at a certain level of maturity.

Our murshid, Ken’an Rifai points out, “Love (‘muhabbet’) for woman is because of being able to witness God in the mirror-like existence of woman.” Ibn-i Fariz says, “Each beauty in the universe is a reflection of God’s beauty.” Therefore, man’s love for woman in a sense means longing for a reunion (‘vuslat’) with divine beauty.

Ken’an Rifai emphasizes that such thinking is true only for a man who has attained a certain level of spiritual knowledge (‘irfan’) travelling a long distance in the spiritual world. Seeing woman as a means of satisfying one’s sexual desires and lust and thus perceiving her as a sinner is a work of simple and primitive mind. However, regarding woman as a bridge, or a means of reaching the true beloved (‘mahbub-i hakiki’) is an expression of a mature mentality, which finds its highest level (‘kemal’) in Islam.

Two important women play a big role in the life of Ken’an Rifai: his mother, Hatice Cenan and Semiha Cemal. His mother poured the fortunes of womanhood and friendship, her accumulation of spiritual knowledge via a love canal free off sirk (polytheism) and malice (‘garaz’). This way, she gave him everything she possessed and became a light showing him the way in this valley. Until the day she passed away, she stood by him anytime a problem arose and found a way of saying, “You are not alone. I am with you”. Till the end of his life, Ken’an Rifai longed for the company of his novel mother.

Semiha Cemal, a perfect existence, brought him an excellent example of the agreement in passed-eternity i.e. the agreement, where the mankind accepted the one and only God. Semiha Cemal was in true love (‘ask’) with Ken’an Rifai, filled with such an understanding and faith that can hardly be witnessed in world history. The basis of her love was established by Semiha Cemal’s ability to see and understand him, her active participation in his matters and her wish to make her existence just as the same as his. Semiha Cemal’s existence served as a bridge for having exchanges with humanity. She was a friend to share his matters with and provided a shoulder on which his tired head could rest.

Her hodja said to her, “I have only one pleasure, which is to teach you spiritual knowledge (‘irfan’).” Then Semiha Cemal asked, “What can I do in return?” And replied Ken’an Rifai, “Learn not to run after your animal self (‘nefis’). Don’t be the one who is full with a single draught of water. Love me! Love me so that I love you, too. Know the meaning of ‘Love me’ very well. Love me means love my beloved, love all the people, love love (‘ask’) and love God.”.

Why did Ken’an Rifai choose woman to have this exchange? Woman is a more suitable means and a more fertile platform for an exchange of ideas, emotions and faith than man is. The whole point is that he is in contact with women and he sees them as the determiners and constructors of the future of humankind. These two profound women, Hatice Cenan and Semiha Cemal were the keys to future’s female murshidas and prepared us for them.

HIS UNDERSTANDING OF ETHICS 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.

HIS UNDERSTANDING OF RELIGION AND BELIEF

According to Ken’an Rifai, religion is an essential system that organizes and controls the relationships of man with one another and with his own conscience.

Ken’an Rifai says, “As a matter of fact, all religions are one. All religions from the primitive ones to the ones delivered by Abraham, Moses, Christ and Hazret-i Muhammed (s.a.v.) are the same in terms of their meanings. Their aim is to achieve purification of a person and thus, reach God. Religion experiences progressive phases as in a student’s educational life from elementary school to university and reaches its most mature state in Islam.”

In human life, religion has two main functions namely social and personal.

1. Social Function: To teach the individual how to hold the benefits of the society above his own benefits and to establish mutual human relations.

2. Personal Function: To provide and maintain peace and calm one has to train his animal self and achieve spiritual maturity. It is in vain to expect peace and calm in the world without this maturity. Man is beneficial to himself and society only when he knows and becomes friends with God.

Man should know that the essence of life is faith. The spirit of faith is performance (amel). The maturity of faith is the love for God (Hak). The maturity of performance is love for people (halk). That is to say, one should know that people is not separate from God. Some consider the people as external and God as internal. Some, however, believe in just the opposite. Some others are aware that when they address to people, it is to God and when they address to God, it is to people.

In short, the ones who are free from fear and sorrow are the ones in love with God. In another words, they are the ones serving people with compassion, mercy, gentleness and patience. Those are the ones who never hurt others and are never hurt in one way or another.

His Ideas on the Practice of Religion:

Ken’an Rifai regards religion’s practical aspect related to form not as the end but as a means and values this aspect since he believes it is essential in directing man toward moral and esthetic values and in providing a way to discipline the soul.

Ken’an Rifai emphasizes the importance of meaning in worship. According to his understanding, the real worship is the one that is performed with the realization of God’s presence. The real secde (the act of prostrating oneself in worship) is the secde in which the worshiper and the worshiped are unified.

Kelime-i Sehadet (the declaration that there is no other god than Allah and that Muhammed is His prophet): To declare this is to reach the level of ‘suhut’ (believing through perceiving) getting rid of worldly desires and oppressive obstacles. It is being in a state of insolvency, poverty, destitution and witnessing the defeat and exhaustion of all the beings under the command of God. To be dervish is to act accordingly.

Namaz: Namaz is the ‘mirac- [mi'raj]’ of the ‘mümin’ (the believer). When the one who practices namaz says “Allahü ekber” after Besmele-i Serif, the soul, which is like Ibrahim cuts the throat of lust of the ‘nefs’, which is like Ismail. Rising two hands at once signifies giving up this world and hereafter. Putting hands on breast cleans his heart from all else besides Allah. Our prophet Hazret-i Muhammed (s.a.v.) regarded namaz as the light of his eyes.

Fasting: The one who fasts is honored with the title of eternity.

Fasting has three levels: One of them is the fasting of the common, which includes quitting eating, drinking and all other worldly desires that are forbidden for a certain time.

The fasting of the mature ones is to stay away from everything that is considered a sin.

The fasting of people of the highest level is to draw away from everything that comes between him and God. The secret and wisdom of fasting and starvation is to free oneself from the bonds of lust and ‘nefs’ and improving spiritually.

Alms: The external meaning of alms is to give away a certain part of one’s goods according to Islamic rules.

The inner meanings are:

The alms of the rich people is to share their richness with the poor,

The alms of the poor people is to refrain from expecting money or goods from rich people.

The alms of the lovers is to give their lives in the name of beloved, is to give their soul for the love of Allah.

The alms of the ‘arifs’ is to share their knowledge with the suitable ones who ask for it, and share their love with the lovers.

The alms of the science is to educate the one who demands it.

The alms of having a child is to take care of the orphan.

The alms of owning a house is to please and serve the guests.

The alms of the conversation is not to gossip.

The alms of being powerful is helping the weak ones.

The alms of soul is to get rid of bad manners.

In Kur’ân-i Kerim Allah says, “Blessed are the believers, who are humble in their prayers; who avoid profane talk, and give alms to the destitute.” (The Believers, 23:1-4)

Pilgrimage: The external meaning of the pilgrimage is to practice the love of Allah as a group and stand against various kinds of sufferings to achieve this love. In order to go to Kabe the pilgrims put on ‘ihram’ (the pilgrim’s grab) thus they take out their clothes. The lovers who favor the Kabe of ‘Gönül’ (heart) withdraw from everything related with both of the worlds. This is their ‘ihram’. Kabe is the territory of approval of ‘Sübhan’ (the glory of Allah). The aim of the pilgrimage is the approval of Allah. Gönül is the territory in which Rahman (all compassionate) is contemplated. The real Arafat is arif-i billah (the one who has attained true knowledge of Allah) and from him the beauty of Allah is watched.

THE UNDERSTANDING OF SCIENCE OF KEN’AN RIFAI

Ken’an Rifai thinks that regarding religion as conservative and slow in progress when compared to science is a concept that has to be corrected urgently.

A person is not able to become a modern type-man that can fulfill the demands of our age if he holds the dogmas rigidly and not has enough knowledge about the contents and the aims of the grand religions. On the other hand, a person can also become a fanatic of science and a slave of scientific dogmas which is equally dangerous.

Ken’an Rifai said “If a scientist who is examining a specimen under the microscope is not astonished by this tiny part of the universe and if he doesn’t start thinking about the limitations of his knowledge modestly, we must doubt his credibility as a man of science”. And he supported his point of view by repeating the following words of Hazret-i Muhammed (s.a.v.): “Ya Rabbim, expand the magnitude of my astonishment”.

Thus, he tried to solve the problem by rescuing both science and religion from fanatics. He knew that Islam is a religion constructed on the fundamentals of science. With the Book that begins with “Recite!” and with its Prophet who says,

“Search for science even if it is in China.”

“Being in contact with scientists is regarded as worship.”

“Science is superior to worship and it is the order of religion.”

“Serve the scientists of my people, since they are the stars of this world.”

“Studying science is an obligatory act for all of my people, man or woman.”

“Study science because education is our weapon against our enemies.”

“From cradle to grave, demand for science.”

“The most virtuous worship is to demand science and maturity.”

And with great scientists, who rescued Europe from the Inquisition, it is very clear how important science is for Islam.

For instance, the English author R.V.C. Bodley handles this matter in “The Messenger, The Life of Mohammed” as such: “Muslims did not behave like the warriors of other religions. They did not destroy the land they had conquered. Instead, they built and created masterpieces on whichever land they passed through. They gave life to these territories like rain.

Our prophet Hazret-i Muhammed (s.a.v.) says that:

“Damn the day that does not add anything new to my knowledge.”

“The death of a scientist is as great a loss as the death of a nation.”

“The transitory one who dedicates himself to science gains eternalness.”

“There is no alms more valuable than spreading science.”

“There is no brutal poverty worse than ignorance.”

“Whoever serves a scientist serves Allah.”

“From science all creatures benefit, but from ‘takva’ (obeying religious rules strictly) only one person benefits.”

“The sleep of the scientist is superior to the worship of the ignorant.”

“A scientist among the ignorant is like a man living among the dead.”

Considering that science can not satisfy human beings’ need of a higher being, Ken’an Rifai regarded the religion as an ethical principle and science as a means to develop that principle. He neither committed himself to an unchangeable doctrine like the dogmatic, nor did he act heedlessly by regarding the matter as a fact like the radicals. But since he valued creative studies that are required for the development of the civilization, he drew our attention to the hesitating and irresolute pace of science. He said “What we considered as being right yesterday is proven to be wrong today. Also, tomorrow we will realise that what we know today is wrong or incomplete. In fact, progress demands this.”

He also said, “To deal with the content of the psychical world is not possible with the understanding of the previous century. The noblest behavior of our century is to accept its incompetence in explaining the truth of the physical universe.

Ken’an Rifai next to listening to the religious scientist also listened to the atheist scientist, and thus made it possible to have a comparative view on the matter.

He was undoubtedly aware that religious events need science to express themselves. Through this understanding, he often repeated these words of Hazret-i Muhammed (s.a.v.): “Whoever wants this world, must embrace science; whoever wants the Hereafter must embrace science. Whoever wants both this world and the Hereafter must also embrace science.”

He says: “As science is necessary in order to get rid of bigotry, false convictions, primitive fantasies, religion thus ‘vicdan’ (conscience) is necessary to protect the successful scientist from making moral errors.” Where did the scientists, including Einstein, who invented the nuclear bomb, get their inner power that encouraged them when they tried to prevent the nations from using it?

“We do not have peace in our heart since we look for pleasure without felicity, felicity without science and science without wisdom. Science is not science if it has no wisdom because the goal of all sciences is to know Allah. The goal of the actions is ethical virtue. And man is guided to this goal by religion and faith.”

Science and religion can unite in the best and most secure way when religion with its broadest and purest meaning and science with its most developed understanding unite. This kind of union can not be achieved by using the mechanical rules of Law or rational rules of science, or ideological propaganda alone.

The union of mankind on an ideal cause can only be possible when that cause is sincerely acquired. When man understands the meaning, which exists behind the inner life and figures, he gets rid of the affects of his material belongings and reaches relative peace and freedom. This peace and freedom should be enriched and developed by social welfare. And this is the duty of science.

Ken’an Rifai worked on uniting people within a system of relationships enriched by the religion that is based on love and respect for Allah.

We heard these words of Hazret-i Ali (r.a.) from him several times: “The vitality of heart is due to science, come closer. But its death is due to ignorance, get away.”

When we examine the life of Ken’an Rifai we see that he was not only a supporter of science in theory, but also he practised it in his daily life. He said to one of his pupils, “Spiritual science is not enough for those who carry the responsibility of guiding. A murshid (leader) or a teacher can not carry out a relationship with his students if he does not know anything about social life of his time. When you talk to me about music thinking that I have knowledge about the subject, if I can not say anything, at least in general, won’t this bother you?

His constructive mind, as a sword that is sharpened due to working constantly, served for the problems of all kinds till he died. With this mind, along with the incomparable faith and deep knowledge, a great world of thoughts and ethic has been established.

CONCLUSION

Ken’an Rifai is such a great man who combined the former century with the later, and thus formed the structure of the future through personal trial and experiences. Every man, consciously or unconsciously, is likely to find Him in himself and know Him in one way or another.

He was so courageous and firm in fighting for his faith without expecting any reward neither from the world nor from Hereafter. Throughout his life he showed patience, he withstood difficulties, he came across insensitiveness, he struggled exhaustingly while He was trying to conduct this orchestration with no fault.

He was an idealist; he endured. He endured because He loved people. He loved so much that He was more gentle than a mother, more compassionate than a father, more loyal than a friend and He was a brother, companion and intercessor while combining the universe in his Love. He did not hurt anyone, nor was hurt by anyone; everyone whether they expected or not found forgiveness and ‘gufran’ (mercy) in abundance.

Thus, His universal love for everything in the world without considering gender, religion, doctrine, nation made Him the one who is in every heart.

This love and affection made him surrounded by the followers whose number is increasing each and every day. But he always acted with modesty preferring to be neutral, even passive, in spite of this attraction.

Thus, while formulating the universal friendship and affection and distributing it to each and every point of life, he softened even the hardest hearts, just like the roots of the tree that break the rocks, with his own peerless sincerity.

He is a value appreciated at all ages. When he was introducing a higher level of understanding to the man, like the earth that revolves both around itself and around the sun, he put the spirit of personal and social life in balance.

Ken’an Rifai is a great being who has gathered all the virtues of mankind in himself. For this reason, He can be both called with an ordinary title and remembered with a blessed one. The reason for this is that he gathers all of Esma-i Hüsna (the names of Allah) in himself. The most pleasant side of this matter is that when he said,“Some see me as Ken’an, and some as evil”, he got the same pleasure from both addresses.

Truly, the existence of a great man is nothing but a straight and polished mirror from which everyone watches his own reflection.

Here we should mention that what we have tried to tell about him so far is neither complete nor exact.

We believe that as it happened until now, from this day on everything related with goodness, rightness, beauty, prosperity and perfection will announce him to humanity and will deliver greetings from him. Every voice that leads us to love and faith, is his addressing to us. In every step we take, we will see him next to us. He has a share in our clear tears and in our calm smiles. The light of hope that appears in our despairing time is his merciful look; the hand that moves on our face is his cureful hand. He is always ashamed of our sins. We always repent, he always forgets, we repeat, he forgives. Even when we reject him, we solve our problems with the help of his existence that is full of mercy and pardon. Even when we have faith or not, or cry with repent, or are blinded by pride, in every age and period of time, we will find Him next to us. With his mercy and patience he will be the remedy of our problems. He will appear in the way we demand him.

If these great men had not existed, how lonesome would the humanity be despite its population and how poor it would be despite all of its possessions.

In the magnificent dawn of every new day, humanity will reach faith, love and security and proceed towards the essence of life. The extent of this procession will be determined by how much His grace is spread into life. We hold our tongue with the hope and faith we derived from His ocean of beauty and maturity.

References

• http://www.cemalnur.org/icerik.php?modul=english

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