What is Sufism, and what is love in the Sufi sense?

Seyfi asks again. Go ahead and ask, Seyfi. Hodja, in Sufism emphasis is placed on the necessity of renouncing the world. In your view, how should we look at the world? I kiss your hands. Good evening. Let us explain, Seyfi. In Sufism no emphasis is placed on the necessity of renouncing the world. Those who do not know, the ignorant, those who are in ignorance perceive it that way. Those who are in ignorance.

Let us recite a couplet. A couplet. Didn't the pride of the worlds say: al-faqru fakhri, al-faqru fakhri? Remember your poverty, remember your poverty. This heart of mine found poverty in annihilation too. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says this.

What is this poor one? In Arabic they do not call someone without property poor. In Arabic, poor in the sense we understand is miskin, miskin. So what is poor? Even if Allah granted you all the wealth of this world, knowing that every single possession of this world, from the atom to the globe, belongs to Allah Almighty, and handing this wealth over to Allah, being detached from this wealth, knowing the owner of the wealth: if you can hand over these blessings He has given to the owner of the wealth, you are in the state of the poor. Otherwise it is not being detached like that, not leaving the world, not renouncing the world.

This is how you will renounce the whole world. How are you supposed to renounce it? How are you supposed to be detached? You will know that the owner of all the blessings Allah has given you, whatever exists from the atom to the globe, is Allah Almighty. What does it say in the verse? The inheritance of the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. Every soul shall taste death. Finally, it says, in the end you will be returned to Allah, it says. So if the inheritance of the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah, if you know that the blessings Allah Almighty has granted you are a blessing of Allah, temporarily with you, and accordingly hand these blessings over to their owner, you are in the state of the poor.

That is what detachment is. This is what it means in the inner understanding of Sufism. But our poor ones take it not this way: give, give. Sir, the Prophet too, they say, sat on a straw mat. Where was he sitting? Look what the Prophet (peace be upon him) says. At the end of the world, he says, my community will need material means. That will also protect its faith. Look at today's situation. In this openness. Our people, our children envy them. But those, my child, have fallen into an inferiority complex in the face of this lack of means. In order to gain themselves some standing, sir, in order to get in among people, they are forced to conform to them.

And they take advantage of them and roll about in this swamp. My son, look, my child, look, do we need anything? You have money, and you have servants too. And you live like (?). Right? You strip that from them with material means. Today you will protect your family and children with material means. See, you did not detach yourself. If you detached yourself, what does Allah Almighty say in the Holy Quran? Work hard. Verses again. Rise to a superior position, it says, so that your enemies fear you. When they fear you, it says, perhaps you will be at ease. Or they will envy you and become Muslims, it says.

Today the unbelievers are doing the same thing. Who said be detached? That is how they deceived us. They took our wealth and property out of my hands. They made us, sir, dependent on five cents. And then we made people hold out their hands to everyone, and below them we set about slaving for them like donkeys. They climbed onto our backs, our shoulders. They drive us, they lead us along. We will work, we will work. We will work hard. You will work as if you will never die. And you will worship Allah as if you will die tomorrow or right now.

Muslims are wide awake. But they have put them to sleep. And we are trying to wake them up. Wake up. Don't be naive. Faith is separate. Material means are separate. If faith were material means and material means faith, today no one would value material means because of faith, they would live anyway; but Allah made us sustained by eating and drinking. So we need material means. He placed a responsibility on us. What is it? He placed on us the responsibility for our children. He placed on us the responsibility of family life. It says: whoever provides for his family in the best way is as if he has worshipped in the best way, it says. How beautifully it puts it.

He is providing in the best way. Bringing his family lawful food from lawful earnings. Being a good example to them in the religion of Islam.

Which of us does this? In front of our families and children, my child, we watch filth on television, stark naked. What good will you expect from that child? Or how far will that child respect you?

What kind of family life is this? Just think what kind of game the media, the Dajjal, is playing on you. Yes, did you understand, Seyfi? In Sufism emphasis is placed on the necessity of renouncing the world, he says; who said that? Those ignorant ones dwell on it. Yes, Seyfi asks again. Seyfi has very good questions. Seyfi has come a long way, Seyfi has come a long way. Here he will resolve the troubles of his questions. Of course he will. He will ask. Sir, Hodja, in the Sufi sense, how can we understand love in the Sufi sense? Good night. Yes, in the Sufi sense it is not possible to understand love, because in the Sufi sense there is no love; passionate love is one thing in words, affection is another, affection is separate, passionate love is separate, we have mixed up affection and passionate love. As I explained the other day, for example, we have started calling graveyards kabristanlık.

Whereas kabristanlık are the graves where our souls wait in the realm of Barzakh. That is called kabristanlık; the place where our soul waits is called kabristanlık. And the place where our bodies wait is called graveyards. It already says Directorate of Graveyards, but now some also write Directorate of Kabristanlık, not knowing, those who are in ignorance.

For example, today they call children my pasha, my pasha; a pasha is a general who wins wars, he will be a pasha; they call children my pasha. Love has been mixed up with words like these. Passionate love cannot be equated with affection. Why can it not be equated? One needs to learn this well. Now, when we say affection, a person has an affection of a sensual kind. A person has an affection for his mother and father. You cannot mix this up with the sensual kind. A person has an affection for his sibling. You cannot mix this up with the affection for mother and father or the other one either. People have an affection for creatures.

You cannot mix this up with the other affections either. See, the affections differ. Affection; but when you say passionate love, that love is the love and devotion of the created for the one and only Creator. That is, our words are not enough for what is above affection, so we will call it love. What is this love? It is like the other affections, but it is not affection. You can compare this neither to animal affection, nor to the affection you feel for mother and father, nor to any other affection you feel. This affection, this love, is the work of a feeling that comes directly from surrender to your Lord and, because you know that He is the one who created you, from surrendering to Him with your whole being; this is love.

This is what is called love. He has come to love, they say. What is it? His love roars. That is, he felt such a love and devotion for Allah Almighty that Allah Almighty also made such a manifestation in his heart, manifested Himself in such a way, that he can no longer give Him up; like a magnet drawing iron filings to itself, he has come to be unable to part from his Lord, a person who lives within himself the state of not being able to live without Him. Love and devotion. When he says Allah, his heart trembles, tears flow from his eyes. The bone of his nose aches. His eyes become as if blinded to all else.

This is love. Never confuse the affection of people with love. Allah forbid, this leads to shirk.

But since deeds depend on intentions, Allah Almighty forgives. So learn the words well. Did you understand, my child Seyfi? I am not saying this only to you. To all people. You ask good questions. And people are surely benefiting a great deal too.