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Author's Society Hüseyin Peter Cunz A Still Point İn a Turning World
Author's Society Hüseyin Peter Cunz A Still Point İn a Turning World
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A Still Point İn a Turning World
Hüseyin Peter CUNZ*
At the still point of the turning worldNeither flesh nor fleshlessNeither from or towardsAt the still point, there the dance isBut neither arrest nor movement(T.S. Eliot)Everything that has been created is in a state of movement. Where there is movement, there is a point of reference –a pole around which everything turns. The pole knows neither rejection nor attraction, neither desire nor antipathy, neither the recognizer, or the recognized. It is everywhere and yet nowhere to be found. It is pure recognition, resting in itself. He who is near the pole no longer concerns himself with the movements of creation. And yet Allah is even greater than His creation.God was not enough to rest in itself, and so he gazed on Himself for a short moment, setting in motion the whole of creation and making recognition possible. God wanted movement, he wanted the constant change of all things and the renewal of all opposites, for his creatures were to long for him and praise him from within their dilemmas and contradictions. Again and again Hz. Mevlana (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) speaks about the contrast between movement and pure being and the Mukebele with the turning of the dervishes celebrates this in a memorable way. Everything longs to return to the place we have all come from. There, in absolute stillness, in universal peace we, fee closest to God. The meaning of creation lies hidden in movement.So let us acknowledge that everything in this world is subject to change and movement! And it is not only the environment, politics and social cooperation which are changing in the Occident as well as the Orient. Religion is also con fronted with the changes of our time. If we accept that Hz. Mohammed (sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) was the last Prophet and that Islam was revealed for all people for all time, then we may not simultaneously demand that the culturally conditioned forms of religious expression should never change. This would be a contradiction, which would not be accepted, particularly by a discerning human being.Rightly or wrongly: Western man often sees the Islamic codex as rigid 10thCentury dogma which can no longer be reconciled with modern times. At least he sees Islam as adherence to modes of thinking and life-styles from the Orient. Such an outlook strongly restricts Islam in its universality and thus it is understandable if someone from the Occident has trouble fully committing his heart to Islam. In particular Western women do not understand why they should not have the same rights as a man in a society which calls itself Islamic, when Hz. Mohammed (sallallahu ‘alahi wa sallam) particularly campaigned for women’s rights.Those who have trouble with the Christian Church –and there are many of them in the West- mostly deny any interest in philosophical, ethical and religious questions. The West is characterized by the post French Revolution of the 18th Century, which revitalized the understanding of democracy and prepared the way for secularization. Self-sufficient action became paramount: ethics and philosophy developed further without ties to traditional religious moral expectations and modes of behaviour. People also became more independent and women slowly gained the freedom to campaign for ‘their rights. And so the freedom of thinking and of expression and generally the individual freedom of human beings, the responsibility of the individual, as well as the freedom of choice in his religious expression, are aspects which must always be taken info account when we discuss the possibility of the expansion and design of Islamic Western activity.Together with secularisation carne technical advancement, perhaps not entirely by accident, and with this a concentration on progress, which next to abundant comfort made people’s hearts “dry up”. The longing for God has remained, of course, and in the conviction that the formerly powerful churches have served their time, many Western people began in quench the thirst of their hearts with the translations of the work of great Sufis and far Eastern mystics. The works of Hz. Mevlana (radhiyşallahu ‘anhu) are extremely attractive to them, as they believe that their important individual freedom is preserved through this occupation with Tasawuf. There is no doubt that Islam, with its universal and conclusive message will gain momentum in the West –but not with- out facing some danger.In washing to submit to the wisdom of the great saints, and with the simultaneously pre-conceived ideas about oriental life forms, the seeker fails prey to providers of esoteric and books, who mix some extraordinary cocktails in the name of Sufism. The foolishness goes so far, that it is said in some circles that Sufism is older than Islam and that it has nothing to do with Islam.The importance of Hz. Mevlana (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) for Islam in today’s world can be compared with the importance of Einstein in the world of physics. Einstein did not replace Newton’s laws with his theory of relativity, but showed them in an broader context. And so Hz. Mevlana (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), who was an exemplary lover of our Prophet has –without questioning the essence of Islam- allowed pluralism by pointing out the beauty of manyness. In a society which maintains the patriarchy, pluralism is not really possible and without pluralism there is no democracy. A religious community (Umma) which does not allow for manyness disintegrates info fundamentalism. Hz. Mevlana (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) showed that fear of God and democracy can complement one another.Fear of God demands submission to the ultimate authority of God and His Haws. By contrary, democratic cohabitation in society requires flexibility and compromise regarding those who have other beliefs. The solution to this contradiction lies in the recognition of equality in essence of all human beings and the acceptance that we will never be able to fathom God’s secrets. With this, a respectful attitude towards all human beings and the environment (Adab) is given great importance. The practice of respect is one of the central obligations of the Mevlevi, as this alone strengthens us on the tightrope between the required and the voluntary, domination and acceptance, surrender and self-will, release and attachment. In the constant paradox between obligations and the knowledge of our own powerlessness (Allah alone decides our fate destiny?) the Mevlevi practices the art of walking on the straight way.A Sufi goes along with the changes of the time and does not mourn the past. In past time the Mevlevi lived the existence of monastery communities. The modern world today is characterized by international agreements and the fastest possible communication systems and will continue to change. In their work the internationally organised Mevlevi are no longer dependent on Turkey. Nevertheless it would be wonderful to operate with a visible Mevlevi Center’in Turkey.Kemal Atatürk had given Turkey a modern face and it would be wrong not to support the process of modernization. However, the provision of religious and cultural heritage is also of immense importance as a source for the thirsty hearts of humanity. We are therefore grateful to the Turkish Ministry of Culture for preserving the properties and works of the Mevlevis.Irrespective of the fact that the works of Hz. Mevlana (radhiyallahu ‘anhu), which have become very popular, are also being used as a basis for grossly sentimental and superficial publications, and irrespective of the fact that self-made teachers are offering their services as spiritual masters for monetary reward in the name of Mevlana (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) or the Mevlevi. We try to preserve the authenticity of the Mevlevi Order. Alongside a few groups in Turkey we have come so far as to be in a position to hold weekly meetings for Zhikr. Sema and study in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands as well as in the USA and Mexico. We are in constant touch with the Maqam Çelebi and the Sertarik (First Postnichin) and thus are able to keep the relationship to the history and rightful heritage of the Mevlevi Tradition alive in the rapidly changing society.The world turns and continues to change. When the Semazen extends his arms and through turning, comes closer to the still point of his heart with the essence of his being, all differences between traditions and modern times are dissolved for a limited and ecstatic moment. After the Sema everyone returns to his work with greater certainty, in remembrance of the words of Hz. Mevlana (radhiyallahu ‘anhu): “When you plant an apricot seed in the earth without its shell, nothing grows: however if you plant it with the shell a beautiful tree will grow and bear new fruit.” There are laws which are valid forever, and there are habits that should never become law. May God grant us the wisdom of discrimination between law and habit, and may God give us the necessary strength to act accordingly!
* International Mevlana Foundation, Switzerland, Postnichin
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