Madani travelogue
Journey to Turkey
(Part 2)
Maulana Abdul Habib Attari
On Thursday 18th February 2021, after visiting the mausoleum of Sultan Muhammad Fatih رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه, we went to meet the responsible brother of an organisation of Prophetic devotees, who wished to distribute a large number of copies of the Holy Quran in Pakistan. We discussed the religious works of Dawat-e-Islami for a lengthy period of time and we had a very interesting discussion about the Holy Quran too. After this, we returned to our residence. During those days, due to COVID-19, lockdown would come into place after 9pm in Turkey, and almost all business would shut. We went to sleep quickly after Isha Salah at night.
An ocean of attendees at Fajr Salah
The next day, on Friday 19th February 2021, we offered Fajr Salah at the Masjid of Sayyiduna Abu Ayyub Ansari’s رَضِىَ الـلّٰـهُ عَـنْهُ mausoleum; all floors of the Masjid were filled with attendees. After Fajr Salah, Zikr and Du’a took place.مَاشَــآءَالـلّٰـه , the prophetic devotees of Turkey, their passion for Salah, their devotion for the Prophet and their love for the Awliya is worthy of admiration. May Allah also allow the Masajid in Pakistan to remain full with attendees throughout the entire year for Fajr Salah. Here, we met a group who had travelled from Karachi to Turkey to visit sacred places. We all presented ourselves at the mausoleum, where Na’t and Salat and Salam was recited, and collective Du’a was made.
From there we went to our residence and rested for a while, and then after having breakfast we travelled to Bursa. This journey took approximately 2 hours in a high-speed ferry. There are many mausoleums of the pious predecessors present in Bursa, including that of the author of Ruh al-Bayan, Allamah Ismail Haqqi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه (died: 1127 AH). Allah Almighty has bestowed Bursa with a lot of beautiful scenery. We also purchased some gifts for our families from there.
The founder of the Ottoman Empire
In Bursa, we also visited the mausoleum of the founder of the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Usman Ghazi. The Ottoman Empire was a very large Muslim empire, which was founded upon the name of Sultan Usman Ghazi, and Turkey remained its capital. At that time, there was no country that was equal to the Ottoman Empire in size; most current-day Muslim countries, including Arabia, were part of this empire. A point of note is that the Haramayn Sharifayn, i.e. Makkah and Madinah, were also served by the Ottoman Empire, and for as long as they served those lands, the impressions of the devotees and Sufis were openly visible in the Sanctified Haramayn.
We were fortunate to be in the company of Shaykh-ul-Hadith wat-Tafseer Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari مُدَّ ظِلُّهُ العالی during this trip. By the mausoleum of Sultan Usman Ghazi, the honourable Mufti Qasim mentioned some extremely important and faith-refreshing points from the history of the Ottoman Empire. After visiting the mausoleums in Bursa, we returned to our residence in Istanbul.
From Istanbul to Konya
On Saturday 20th February 2021, at 8am, we began our journey via train from Istanbul to Konya, which took around 5 hours. During our journey to Madina, we had the honour of travelling with The Ameer of Ahl Al-Sunnat دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ in a similar modern high-speed train too. May Allah Almighty allow us to go on this journey to Madina again.
There are many Awliya buried in Konya, and the mausoleum of Maulana Roumرَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه (died: 672 AH) is of particular note here. I have travelled to Turkey many times, but I never had the chance to visit Konya, which is why I had a strong desire to visit the mausoleum of Maulana Roum رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه. We arrived in Konya at around 1pm, and the weather was very pleasant there.
Cleanliness
One has the opportunity to view many displays of respect for the Masajid and mausoleums of Awliya in the Muslims of Turkey. When we visited the mausoleum of Maulana Roum رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه, special kinds of bags were provided outside so that they can be placed over the shoes in order to prevent any dirt, etc., from falling off the shoes inside. If only something like this was initiated here too.
Sense of spirituality
When we entered the mausoleum, a remarkable sense of spirituality could be felt in the heart. There were many other graves present inside other than Maulana Roum’s رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه, some of which had green Imamahs and others which had white Imamahs upon them. We were told that the ones with the green Imamahs were his children, whereas the ones with the white Imamahs upon them were his students.
Viewing sacred relics
During our visit to the mausoleum, we saw many sacred relics too, which included handwritten copies of the Quran which were 750 and 550 years old, and we also saw the robe and hat of Maulana Roum رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه.
Introduction to Maulana Roum
Maulana Roum رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه was a very high-ranking noble predecessor and devotee of the Prophet. When ‘Maulana’ alone is mentioned in Turkey, it is referring to him. The names of Maulana Roum, his father and his grandfather are ‘Muhammad,’ i.e. he رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه is Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Muhammad. His noble father was also an erudite scholar of his time, he was known by the title of ‘Baha al-Din’ and was from the region of Balkh. Maulana Roum رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه was also born in Balkh, and he رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه took most of his knowledge from his father. At the age of around 20, due to his mastery of the various branches of knowledge, he became well-known far and wide. Later on, at the behest of Sultan Alauddin Kaikbad, he رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه moved from Balkh to Konya, and spent the rest of his life there. There, he became known for his Friday sermons and discourses, but the people today know him through ‘Masnawi Maulana Roum.’
The Masnawi of Maulana Roum is comprised of around 8,000 lines of poetry in Persian. It is said about the Masnawi: In reality, these were the secrets of the Murshid of Maulana Roum رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه, Maulana Shams Tabrayz رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه, which were mentioned in the words of Maulana Roum رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه. The Masnawi is considered to be from the top 100 books of the world.
After visiting the mausoleum of Maulana Roum رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه, we went to the mausoleum of his Murshid, Maulana Shams Tabrayz رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه (died: 645 AH), which was situated nearby. At the mausoleums of Maulana Roum and Maulana Shams Tabriz رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْهِمَا, Mufti Qasim mentioned some very beneficial points regarding the lives of these great personalities, and the attachment and unwavering devotion of Maulana Roum رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْـه to his Murshid.
May Allah Almighty shower light upon the graves of these elders, and may He grant untold success to Dawat-e-Islami in Turkey for the sake of these blessed individuals.
اٰمِیْن بِجَاہِ النَّبِیِّ الْاَمِیْن صَلَّی اللہ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَاٰلہٖ وَسَلَّم
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