Mevlevi Culture;
Mevlevis serves all humanity without discrimination of religion, language, race, or nationality, striving to recognize Exalted Mevlana and to be like Him; it is speaking of God.
The Arabic word ‘Tarikat’ means ‘path.’ To be connected to Exalted Mevlana is to connect to his path; all the representatives of sufism speak from the same source, all approach toward humanity, and represent humanity.
Exalted Mevlana is a source of love and beauty for all humanity. He loves and embraces everyone, regardless of their religion or nationality. In Him, there is no distinction of religion. Our path, which sees everyone—good or bad, rich or poor, believer or non-believer—as one, is the path of unity, love, and brotherhood. Because no spiritual master who spoke of love and passion has ever come into this world before Exalted Mevlana, nor will there ever be. He is a master of love and affection. Intellectuals from all nations find their identities in His works. He has placed great importance on humanity, even attributing divinity to humans.
The reason Mevlana is so loved is that He accepts all people as they are. He says:
“Come! Come!
Whoever you are, come,
Whether you are an infidel, a pagan, or a Zoroastrian,
Even if you have broken your repentance a hundred times, come again;
Our door is the door of hope, not the door of despair; come as you are.”
He made this beautiful invitation to all humanity eight hundred years ago. Many prophets have come to this world, but Exalted David, Exalted Moses, Exalted Jesus, and Exalted Muhammad are known through their scriptures, and they served humanity in the best way and became a light to society during their times.
Exalted Jesus prophesied the coming of Exalted Muhammad, saying:
“After me, a prince named ‘Ahmed’ will come, who will beautifully describe God. Whoever meets him, let them send my greetings; let them consider me among his friends.”
However, some of the priests, the rabbis, or the scholars have created divisions between religions. Mevlana responded to the question, “What do you say about the prophets?” by saying, “To me, all prophets are Ahmed.”
Jesus, Moses, David, and Joseph are all Ahmed. Because all the prophets spoke of the same God. The prophets are like candles; whether it is the first or the last candle you light, all serve to dispel darkness. So it is with the prophets. If a person finds one, they find them all; if one cannot find one, they find nothing. Whether you write one, a hundred, a thousand, or a million, “one” always comes first. If you find that “one,” you will have found the universe. A human being is a great being; they are a universe, and the universe is a human being. We gather here to be “human.”
Exalted Mevlana states that humans are the last beings. All entities in the world were created before humans, which is why humans recognize all beings that existed before them. God created humans last; He also created Himself within humans. Through human eyes, we observe all creations and
name them, taking our own name from humanity. He has given humans the greatest blessing, intelligence, and placed it upon their heads. A human is a thinker; wherever they focus their thoughts, their gaze follows. If they think of worldly things, they observe those; if they think of God, they observe God, and thus cannot commit evil; but if they stray from Him, they can do all kinds of wrong. All prophets have served as messengers of God.
They have taken on the burdens of humanity and guided them to beautiful paths.Exalted Mevlana embraced all the prophets and their communities throughout history, speaking of unity and inviting them to oneness. Without the sun, the world would be of no use. A human being is a living world, and it is love that guides them toward beauty. If a person has no love within, they are dead while still alive. Humans are nourished by hearing, while animals are nourished by their mouths. When a person hears beautiful words, their spirit is uplifted; when they hear bad words, their spirit darkens. Here, only beautiful words are spoken; ugly words are not allowed. That is why faces smile, and tongues speak sweetly; life here is beautiful. This is our philosophy.
To better understand Exalted Mevlana, one should first read Sultan Veled’s Maarif, followed by Exalted Mevlana’s Fihi Ma Fih. After reading Ahmed Eflaki Dede’s work Menâkıbu’l Arifin, one should move on to the Mesnevi. In the Mesnevi, all stories narrate us, that is, ‘humans’. The animals mentioned represent our ego. One cannot appreciate the Mesnevi without reading these. After that, Mevlana’s Divan-ı Kebir is read. He also wrote a beautiful work called Mecalis-i Seb’a before becoming acquainted with Shams of Tabriz. Mevlana has also served as a preacher in mosques and has trained nearly a hundred muftis.
Mevlana stated in his will: “Whoever reads my work should read it a little loudly; if they read it aloud, I will speak through their tongue. When they hear it, they grasp my words more beautifully. If they read silently with their eyes, they lose the meaning.” In other words, we cannot understand anything by merely reading through it silently.
We live in an era where all kinds of difficulties and the burdens of making a living weigh upon humanity. For this reason, Mevlana tasked the newly arriving traveler with the remembrance of God (dhikr) sixty-six times. Beyond the remembrance, if you have come to this path with a pure heart, you will be continuously engaging in that remembrance.
Exalted Mevlana said eight hundred years ago:
“You have said ‘God’ so many times, yet have you still not become one with God? You have read the Quran so much, yet have you still not become Quranic?”
Why did he say this? If you entered into the oneness with love, know that you are the owner of that remembrance. That remembrance belongs to you, for you are transcending yourself. The lover is not within themselves; the beloved exists within their body. You cannot become Quranic because you read the Quran without love; you cannot be the living Quran, the speaking Quran. Statements like, “Perform your prayers, observe your fasts, do your remembrance, and leave the rest to God, He will accept it,” are incorrect. If you perform these services with a pure heart and complete love, you will receive your reward instantly. A dervish without love is like an unfaithful hypocrite. The path is an expression of humanity; it leads nowhere else. A human being is the representative of the entire universe.
