Islam, September 1992
ABOUT KARAMAT AND AFFECTING DREAMS
Halil Necatioğlu
Knowledge ('ilm) is very desirable, useful, and beneficial spiritually and materialwise when used for good; if it is used for evil, it brings enormous responsibilities, burden, and harm. Our beloved Prophet (peace be upon him) had sought protection from Allah (jalla jalaluhu wa 'azza sha'nuhu) against "useless knowledge" ('ilm-u la yanfa'). Then, every Muslim must seek, teach, and use knowledge for good and for the pleasure of Allah; he must act upon the knowledge he seeks, and take God-consciousness (taqwa) as a measure in all deeds. Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala) creates opportunities for such a servant to obtain spiritual knowledge; He gives the special knowledge ('ilm-u ladun) to that person, blesses him with grace and honors in this world and in the hereafter.
The worst thing for a scholar is to be proud of his knowledge and become arrogant with it. When a scholar of Islam starts using his knowledge just to win arguments, to be considered better than others, to attract applauses, to become famous and to gather paltry material things and worldly positions, he prepares his disastrous end.
A person cannot know everything in full detail. Hence, one has to know his limits and must be able to say "It is outside of my specialization area" for matters that he has no knowledge. One has to learn his manners and how to be humble and silent when necessary.
It is also necessary to respect the scholars, righteous servants of Allah, and awliyaullah (close friends of Allah) even after they pass away. They expect the honors and recognition from Allah (subhanahu wa ta'ala); they avoid show off and blare, and disregard recognition and praise by public. They consider themselves "nothing" before Allah and live an insignificant life style. Hence, one has to pay attention and not to be fooled by the appearance, and show utmost respect for them.
Taqwa and Tasawwuf are necessary and very proper for the scholars of Shari'ah and Zaahir. It would be a pity for them to be deprived of taqwa, Tasawwuf, manners, and spiritual knowledge. If they posses all -- just like a two-winged bird (dhul-janahayn) -- they reach very high levels (a'layi 'il-liy-yeen), and recognized and respected by mankind, jinn and angels, and attain felicity in this world and in the hereafter. Hence, my dear reader, you seek knowledge with manners and taqwa; learn the apparent (zaahir) and the non-apparent (baaten).
Celaleddin Öktem (known as Jalal Khoja) -- may Allah shower His blessings on him -- was a renowned scholar of 'ilm-i kalam and aqaaid, a teacher and preacher. He used to teach Ihya-ul-Ulum; many students and famous personages benefited from his vast ocean of knowledge. He was older than our teacher Mehmed Zahid Kotku, yet he observed the extraordinary abilities of our teacher, became his disciple (murid) and benefited from him in great deal. He would tell our brothers, "Appreciate the value of your teacher. Had I not met him and learned a great deal from him, I would fear that I could not go to next world without a complete iman and pleasant state despite the the knowledge I gathered over so many years. Many of my problems have been solved in his company and conversations. His spiritual status is very high; HE CAN AFFECT THE DREAMS. É"
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There are living witness of the event: Years ago, Jalal Khoja came to our teacher and complained about the bureaucracy and negligence: "Months ago I applied for a passport to go for Hajj, and haven't got it yet." Our teacher smiled and said: "Insha-Allah, you will get it soon."
While Jalal Khoja was sitting on his knees, he fell asleep. He saw himself in the passport office in Ankara. His passport was prepared and given to him. Very pleased and happy he woke up. He was embarrassed for falling asleep by our teacher. With a smile our teacher looked into his eyes and asked, "Did you get your passport?"
(In fact, in a couple days, Jalal Khoja received his passport in Istanbul.)
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Another incident about our teacher's affecting the dreams was told by late teacher Saime Khanim. She went to our teacher in a morning and complained: "I am a widow and have no relatives to accompany me for Hajj. But, I wish to go for Hajj so much and feel so sad for not being able to go." With a smile, our teacher said, "I will take you to Hajj."
Later, Saime Khanim said: "I thought he was going to take me to Hajj next season. That morning I returned home and took a nap (qaylula). In my dream, my teacher took me for Hajj. We performed all rituals of Hajj together."
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Insha-Allah, I'll quote other events in future so that the truth about karamat becomes clear to everyone and false accusations are removed. I'll continue until those who transgress the limits come to their senses and overcome the desires of their lower selves (nufus).