RISALA ON THE PATH OF NAQSHBANDI

Ibrahim Hakki of Erzurum (may Allah sanctify his secret)

Edited by: Dr. Necati Aksu

During my studies, I became aware of this work, authored in the Ottoman alphabet, through an article published in the Journal of International Social Research. I obtained it from the Austrian National Library, where it is registered, and rendered it into contemporary Turkish in a simplified form.

While doing this, I endeavored not to alter the author’s expressions too much, providing the meanings of certain words in parentheses when necessary.

I have also included in the book both the edition published in the Ottoman alphabet and its transliteration into the Turkish alphabet.

In our view, this treatise, written by Ibrahim Hakki of Erzurum, along with many other treatises, was later compiled by the author himself in his famous work Ma‘rifetname. Indeed, in the Ma‘rifetname there is a section entitled “Explaining the Pillars, Truth, Methods, and Subtleties of the Naqshbandi Path,” the content of which is almost identical.

– The Entire Treatise

– Ottoman Turkish Version

– Transliteration

– Simplified Turkish

SIMPLIFIED

This is Ibrahim Hakki’s Treatise on the Naqshbandi Path

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate...

Praise be to Allah, and peace be upon Mustafa (the Prophet Muhammad).

Then: O traveler on the Path of Truth, O you who desire the Absolute Giver of Grace (Allah, who possesses infinite bounty and blessings)!

Any heart in which the pain of longing has appeared must first consider this a divine fortune and strive day and night to increase it. For the love and longing for the Eternal Beloved is reflected in the mirror of the heart.

O you who seek the Truth!

Know that the Naqshbandi Path is of three kinds:

The First Path:
It is to engage in remembrance with the pure phrase La ilaha illallah (There is no deity but Allah).
Namely, place your tongue against the upper palate and remember Allah with your heart. Hold your breath. Draw your abdomen strongly inward so the entire body feels it. During this remembrance, fill your heart with the conviction: la mahbuba illa Allah (there is none to be loved except Allah), la matluba illa Allah (there is none to be sought except Allah), and la mawjuda illa Hu (there is none existent except Him), and strive to expel everything else from your heart. Drive away all other thoughts and make the declaration of Divine Unity your constant practice. Begin by inhaling every third, fifth, or seventh repetition, and gradually increase until reaching twenty-one.

At that point, the light of remembrance will affect the heart of the one remembering and illuminate it. All thoughts other than Allah will vanish, and the heart will find ease and attain a great delight.

If, at the count of twenty-one, this state does not occur, and the heart does not attain annihilation in Allah (fana fi’llah), begin again from the start. Continue until you find annihilation in Allah and the heart is ever awake and present with the Truth. If, by chance, you wish to relinquish this awareness, you will not be able.

In the eye and the heart, every imagination and thought will be of Allah. The purpose of self-effacement is precisely this: that you vanish and your heart remains alone with the One remembered. You cease the act of remembrance and become occupied with the Remembered. You become immersed in eternal felicity.

The Second Path:
It is to turn to the Divine Name “Allah,” that is, to say “Allah” with the heart.
While practicing this remembrance, know and never forget that Allah Most High encompasses every particle of existence. Remember to the point of being lost in Him. You will reach a degree where this state becomes an attribute of the heart’s essence, and your innermost being will be filled with this light.

Know that while occupied with this remembrance, the heart is seized by wonder, and the marvels of the unseen world are unveiled to it. In such moments, abandon remembrance and enter into that wonder. These conditions of the heart should remain hidden within and never be disclosed. One must never depart from the Sacred Law.

When this state of wonder subsides, resume the remembrance. When wonder returns again, cease the remembrance. For this wonder is the doorway to the world of the unseen (malakut). Once the door is opened, the only proper etiquette is silence.

Over time, this wonder increases day by day until the one remembering is effaced and only the Remembered remains.

In keeping with the saying Sudur al-ahrar qubur al-asrar (“The hearts of the truly free are the tombs of secrets”), the one who is submerged in this wonder conceals it. Such a one is strong and blessed with this annihilation.

The one in whom this state predominates will incline toward spiritual retreat and seclusion—remaining apart from people, cut off in devotion. For such a person, multiplicity becomes unity and solitude, being outwardly among creation yet inwardly detached.

Their very breath becomes worship. Their words are wisdom. Their actions are pure service. Their movements are mercy itself.

For the intoxicated one who drinks the wine of Unity and is immersed in the ocean of Divine love is ever present before the Divine Presence. They harmonize with all opposites and are intimate with all. Wherever they are, they are at peace, and their heart is joyful.

They are never saddened by the darkness of the world. Their soul never leaves the Beloved for even a moment. They do not rely on or incline toward anything other than Allah in their hearts or their gaze.

Indeed, nothing remains in their heart or eyes but Allah. When they close their eyes, they are in annihilation in Allah (fana fi’llah). When they open them, they abide in Allah (baqa bi’llah).

These states, these stations, these degrees of perfection may be attained—in proportion to aptitude and capacity—in a year, in forty days, perhaps in ten days, in a day, or even in an hour. According to sincerity and the strength of turning to Allah, the heart reaches its Lord.

The glad tidings At-turuq ila’llah bi ‘adad anfasi’l-khala’iq (“The paths to Allah are as numerous as the breaths of creation”) allude to this diversity.

If, at every moment, in every breath, the heart is never empty of the Beloved, and when falling asleep the heart is not distracted from remembrance, then sleep becomes like the day—a presence before Allah. Annihilation in Allah quickly arises, and one passes through the gate of nonexistence.

With the eye of the heart, one beholds the face of the Friend unveiled.

This remembrance—calling upon the Divine Essence—is unique, and the effects found in it are not present in other names. This remembrance, if continued without interruption even for a short time, by Allah’s permission, grants the person mastery over the world of the unseen.

The Third Path:
It is the path of rabita (spiritual connection).
That is, by means of a mature and discerning spiritual guide (murshid), one constantly follows their words and deeds, day and night. One keeps the visible form of the guide ever before the mind—standing, sitting, eating, speaking—never heedless for even a breath.

As time passes, by exerting oneself, the disciple reaches a degree where the image of the guide becomes established in the heart, so that even without effort, the heart spontaneously calls the guide to mind.

Then, whatever grace descends from the unseen realm into the inner being of the guide, from there it finds a path to the heart of the disciple. But through the neglect of proper etiquette, this channel of grace may be broken. For this reason, this path requires effort.

However, the path of the Divine Name “Allah” is the closest of all.

If a disciple inscribes the image of his sheikh upon his heart,
What is granted to the sheikh will also be granted to him.
Yet if he abandons proper etiquette, this state will vanish.
For this reason, it is especially difficult.

O brother!
Take hold of the thread of destiny and fortune in your hand,
Do not waste this precious life in idle dreams.
Always, in every place, in every action, in every state,
Remember your Beloved, turn the eyes of your heart towards Him.

Only those afflicted with the pain of love understand its secret sorrow.
Do not imagine that the proud and self-admiring ones comprehend the secret of the heart.
The gnostic perceives the Artisan through observing the design,
And this wondrous design is understood by the followers of Naqshbandi.

The Naqshbandis are wondrous leaders of a caravan,
They guide the caravan through hidden ways to the Sanctuary (Divine Presence).
If the attraction of their companionship reaches the seeker,
It dispels the anxieties of seclusion and the thought of ascetic suffering.

O you who seek the Truth!

Know that those who put their trust in the Naqshbandi path and weep tears of longing, outwardly mingle with people and serve among them, yet inwardly they know and find only the Divine Truth. They conceal themselves in multiplicity, but in their hearts they follow the path of unity. They entrust their outward appearance to the people and their inner reality to God. By this hidden way, they go straight to God.

According to the meaning of “El-irâdeti terki’l-irâdeti fi’l-irâde” (“To abandon one’s will by means of will”), they attain annihilation in God (fanâ fi’llâh), and through the state of poverty and self-effacement, they reach abiding subsistence with God (baqâ bi’llâh.

[“El-irâdeti terki’l-irâdeti fi’l-irâde” can be explained in parts as follows:

  • el-irâde: will, desire, intention

  • terk: to abandon, to leave

  • fi: in, within

  • terki’l-irâde: abandoning the will

  • fi’l-irâde: within the will

So word by word:
“To abandon the will within the will.”

Its meaning:
A person sets out on the path, turning toward God, through “will” (choice), that is, through an inclination that arises in the heart. But as one progresses along this path, they completely renounce even their personal wishes and desires. Still, it was their will (their own choice) that first led them onto this path. Yet in the reality of this journey, they even abandon the claim of “I want.”

In simpler terms:

On the path of reaching God, a person first acts by their own intention (using will). But then, in order to surrender fully to God’s will, they abandon their own will. Still, even this act of renouncing is not compelled; it too is the result of their own deliberate choice and will.

As a Sufi saying expresses it:

“At the beginning, it is your wanting that moves you; but in the end, even saying ‘I do not want’ is done by God’s wanting.”

For this reason, it is called abandoning the will within the will.
It means to remain a possessor of will, yet choose to let go of your own will.]

Their state is as follows:

Their forms are in multiplicity, their meanings in unity,
Their appearances in separation, their inner selves in union,
Outwardly strangers, inwardly companions,
The body among outsiders, the heart with the Beloved,
The eyes upon rivals, the heart upon the Friend,
The ears with sound, the heart with God,
The tongue with speech, the heart with the One it loves,
The hands engaged in craft, the heart in Divine Presence,
The feet in walking, the heart in remembrance,
The body in resting, the heart in journeying,
The body asleep, the heart awake,
The body at ease, the heart in travel,
The body with the mat, the heart with the Friend,
The body in place, the heart beyond place,
The body with causes, the heart with the Lord of all lords,
The body in struggle, the heart with the Master,
The body with the world, the heart with the Beloved.

Through this way, they bring happiness to their hearts,
Whatever secrets they have, they keep hidden and veiled within, never exposing them to people.

And the delight of their hearts is never diminished.
They remain far from the calamity of fame and become among the most select servants of God.
Their remembrance (dhikr) is also with the heart,
for this heart-based remembrance is the nearest and most beneficial path to God.
It is free from all dangers, it is the key to the wondrous realities of the world of unity,
and it draws one into the lofty Presence of God.

O you who seek the Truth!

Know that the pillars of the Naqshbandi path are three:

  • Eating little,

  • Sleeping little,

  • Speaking little.

But eating little helps one to sleep little,
and sleeping little leads one to speak little,
and speaking little strengthens the preservation of remembrance.
Yet the true purpose is only the Presence of the Almighty.
In eating, sleeping, and speaking, following the middle way suffices.

Verse:
Eating little, sleeping little, and speaking little—
Whoever unites all these within himself, know that he becomes like an angel.

(In the Marifetname, this couplet appears as:
Eating little, sleeping little, and speaking little—
Whoever gathers all these within himself, know that he is an angel.)

O you who seek the Truth!

Know that the reality of this path is threefold:

  • Constantly repelling stray thoughts,

  • Continual remembrance (dhikr), and

  • Steady vigilance (murāqaba).

Perseverance in repelling stray thoughts strengthens the persistence of remembrance.
Continual remembrance supports the continuity of vigilance.
And vigilance means never letting the awareness that God is present and observing everywhere depart from the heart for even an instant.

This is the purpose and intended goal of this path.

Verse:
One counsel is enough for you in both worlds—
Never draw a breath without God.

O you who seek the Truth!

Know that the Friends of God (ahlullāh) are of two kinds:
Some choose to act through taqwā (pious caution),
while others choose to act through hardship.

The saint of seclusion (the one who prefers solitude) is more honorable in terms of state,
but the saint of companionship (the one who remains among people) is superior in terms of perfection.

Whether he be a saint of seclusion or a saint of companionship,
his purpose is to benefit people, to show compassion, and to serve.
For such people have transcended their own egos,
they have drunk the wine of unity.
They have found the Beloved and attained what they sought.
Their occupations never hinder their hearts,
and their hearts never spend a single breath without the Divine Presence.

They have become mirrors reflecting the Essence and Attributes of the Beloved,
and they are in awe of His Beauty.

Indeed, a mirror is precious to the Beloved,
for in it He beholds His own Beauty—
and this is something deeply desired.

In this station, faith becomes manifest,
and what is manifest hides within itself.
Union and separation become one,
life and death are made easy.

O you who seek the Truth!

Know that the master (pir) of our order is Khwaja Bahauddin (may God’s mercy be upon him).

And the entire Naqshbandi path consists of these twelve principles:

  • Nafy-i vucud (Negation of one’s own existence),

  • Bezlu’l-mevcud (Freely giving what one possesses),

  • Tarku’s-surat (Abandoning attachment to appearances),

  • ‘Amal bi’l-‘azima (Acting upon strict piety),

  • Hush dar dam (Being aware in every breath),

  • Nazar bar qadam (Watching one’s own steps; minding oneself, not others),

  • Safar dar watan (Journeying within one’s homeland—inner spiritual journey),

  • Khalwat dar anjuman (Solitude within the crowd—being with God among people),

  • Ihtimam ‘ani’l-bid‘a (Avoiding innovations in religion),

  • Iqtida bi’s-sunna (Following the prophetic tradition),

  • Uzlat ‘ani’l-anam (Keeping distance from people),

  • Dhikr ‘ala’d-dawam (Constant remembrance).

And all praise is due to Allah in the most complete sense.

And it was inspired:

O heart, find the Beloved within yourself!
O you, the Adam of full breath, whose heart is filled with longing!
O ancient heart, looking within yourself—
The vision of the heart’s Beloved is the very essence of the heart.

Indeed, I am the servant of the heart of love and beauty.
In the heart within the heart is the house of love.
Love is my very soul within the soul,
Enter, then, into the all-encompassing heart within the heart—
Whatever exists is within the heart, my friend.
The heart is both the lover and the beloved;
I am the love and the heart’s heart’s Beloved.
The soul is the abode of the Beloved—
Love itself is both the lover and the beloved.

I am outwardly among the created, yet inwardly in command.
Outwardly I am a stranger, yet inwardly I am captivated by love’s deception.
The secret must be within, not without.

Love, the innermost core of the core,
The love of love,
The essence of the essence—
Its command is within the heart’s heart,
The gate of all gates.

The heart is God’s dwelling place.
The heart is the cave of intimacy.
The heart is the retreat of the Beloved.
The heart is the qibla of all longing.
The heart is the mirror of love’s beauty.
The soul is the instrument of love’s music.
Love is the ancient Friend within the soul—
The moment of love.

A single point, when repeated, becomes a book.
A single hair, through repetition, becomes a carpet or a rug.
A single drop, through repetition, becomes the ocean.
A single seed, by repetition, became a garden and orchard.
A single number, by repetition, became a hundred thousand.
A single seed, repeated, became the trees of the world.
From a single soul came forth all these human beings.
And here this treatise finds its conclusion.

Enderûnî Mustafâ Mîrkânî