MYM: Sir, "Is it possible to take the wisdom and good examples from negative things also?” Would you illuminate us on this issue?

Everything in this universe, for the people who can look with deep contemplation, is an exhibition that contains thousands of warning and lessons. But, both to be able to comprehend of this magnificent exhibition deservedly and seeing and recognizing its wisdoms; and deal with any obvious sign of wisdoms that taken from the results of positive-negative events depend on a high heart level and gaining consistency. For the heart that reached to this level; Even a single leaf which is transformed from shape to shape, and from color to color by a wind breezes, will be "a diwan that explains the mârifetullâh (knowing Allah) and divine greatness”. The qualified person gathers many wisdom and lesson from this small leaf to his/her own heart. He/she has contemplation the wisdoms of every creature’s life history. Thus he/she can understand the power and glory of Allah; so directs all his/her actions and attitudes to the direction to be appropriate in consent of Allah by trying a greater effort to achieve of the divine goals.

However, if a person`s heart has no destiny of the mârifetullah, depriving of spiritual contemplation, being darkened in the heedless and gloom, finally, a person who lost spiritual heart, can not take lessons from the events that encountered in his life. He/she falls into the cloisters of bodily life, and goes thrown like an autumn leaf. Such a heart, can not benefit even the most effective advices. As a result, if the person do not take lesson from anything, any case finally everyone watches him/her as a sadness giving example.

Indeed, arrogant and cruel people of Noah, Aad, and Thamud tribes; the Pharaoh who claim he is a god and a handful of water destroyed at the end, and warring with prophets; the Nimrod that defeated by a fly; the people the Lot’s tribe whose lifestyle is even lower than animals, devoid of moral, depraved and dirty people, and many more evil-doers preferred to be terrible example until the Day of Resurrection for humanity instead of taking lesson from reported warnings.

Master Mawlana said the reality a beautiful manner:

"Only person is intelligent who takes lesson from the calamities that people is exposed” For this reason, essential issue is the mârifetullah, namely progressing by love in the way of recognition of Allah the Almighty in his/her heart, and to adorn it with affection of the Prophet. Because the heart, in the extent of traveling on this love and affection, can solve the wisdoms in the deepness of good and evil things, kindness and tribulation, and every events that would be facing in its life span, and knows to utilize them as spiritually.

For example, property, children, position and authority are the kindness of Allah for people. But even such kindness can harm people. For example, his own property may lead to seduce himself by leading to bodily desires. If property makes him haughty and arrogant, he is damaged from his richness. The maqam ( worldly position) is like property also. If it leads to persecution, it lowers and lowers humankind up to a miserable situation.

In contrast, while manifestation of grief may damage to someone, it supplies benefits for the other. For example, one suffers from a disease, he endures on illness and trusts in Allah, he can win the reward due to being patient on illness. In contrary, another person may disobey of Allah due to this illness, so he commit a sin by this reason.

The encountered divine examination events can lead to a man`s mercy, grace and happiness. But the same events can lead to the other persons worldly or ethereal grief and disasters. In other words, human should not grieve or rejoice too much for the events occurring outside their own will and desire. Instead of this, the human should look for the wisdom and should chose to a way of benefiting it spiritually.

The following story is a good example regarding to above mentioned issue. The story shows how we can take lesson from a fallacious and horrible event, and learn wisdom from negative desires. The story occurred in the time before the Bahâuddin Naqshband entered to Sufi path (Tasawwuf).

Bahâuddin Naqshband narrated as:

"One day I go my way, I was passing in front of a casino. Inside, I saw a community, they were playing an ambitious gamble. Especially two of them in the game were so intensified in playing themselves that they were not aware of anything. They were bound gambling by all their material-spiritual powers, as if they had become drunk because of the love of gambling.

In that situation, they went on gambling and so many times both of them win and lost each other. After a while one of them has been defeated, and lost and lost all his money. Then the defeated one put forward what was present beside him as goods. As a result, the winner took away everything, all the belongings whatever is worldly of his opponent.

Although the situation that he fallen, he was still going on gambling as if as fallen in love, the game continued with utmost care. As he defeated, his ambition was growing. At one point, to his opponent who always wins, as showing his insistence on a negative action such as gambling, he said:

"-Look at me! Not only my property and entire wealth, if I know that I will give even my head, I will never stop playing with you again! At the expense of my life, I will win at the end. So just in that way, you will fall into the same miserable situation that I fallen before“

When I saw the insistence, determination, ambition, eagerness and enthusiasm of the gambler’s who going on to gambling play despite damage to every aspect of this degree, even at the expense of his soul, on this fallacious way, that came to me the strength of willing and endeavor. I thought to myself: I was born to eternal life. And I am in a world of exam. If a gambler is acting insistently as committed and determined in a fallacious work to win; how I got to be in a determination and effort to win of Allah’s consent ?

In short, the dissipated life and miserable state of gamblers was instrumental for coming of my effort back. Since this day, my decision to follow the path of Allah grew day by day even more . Praise be my Lord, my request is increasing with every passing day. "(See Sağıroğlu Ekrem, Shah-i Naqshbandi, Yasin Publication, Istanbul, 2001, pp. 99-100)

We should interrogate ourselves as if seeing the tables of lesson that presented, and hearing all the advices delivering us. In particular, as we think about the people’s situation that follow empty and fallacious cases with great difficulties for the sake of sacrifice, we should make serious conscien cinterrogation ourselves regarding the level of our religious effort and as followers/members of the righteous case.

Master Mawlana says:

"Look at the wisdom, grace and kidnes of Allah that we came in later times, following to other nations or Ummah. The mercy of Allah warned us with the destructions of people of Noah and Hud.

Allah the Almighty overpowered them that we see their fate, hear the disasters that defeated them and so we fear all these events and take lessons, we should belive His presence and unity. If this job had been reversed, namely if we were created previously and they were come after us, woe is us!”

What a happy good servant they!. That they are not remembered as a bad example for future generations, on the contrary, they will be remembered with their virtue, with furnished high morality, as an exemplary personality of the righteous servants.

Allah the Almighty may give us an ability to understand of deep wisdoms clearly and perfectly, and to take lessons deservedly from every positive and negative incidents that we encounter in our life span.

Amen! ...

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