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| WHIRLING DERVISHES Author: Cemil PEKCAN
Translator: Ergin SOZOZ |
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NEW PARTING OF THE WAYS
Selahaddin Zerkub was an extremely honest, friendly and conciliatory
person who did not know how to read or write. Even Sultan Veled opposed
putting him at the head of Mevlana's disciples, but Mevlana and Selahaddin
Zerkub paid little attention to his protests. By engaging Sultan Veled to
Zerkub's daughter Fatma Hatun, they even established a family bond
between them. The unity between Mevlana and Selahaddin Zerkub continued
uninterrupted for ten years. This unity was broken in two by Selahaddin
Zerkub's illness. According to Sultan Veled's explanation, three days
before his death Zerkub requested permission from Mevlana "to be released
from dungeon of his body." Upon this, Mevlana gave up visiting him. The
body of Selahaddin Zerkub, who died in 1258, was in accordance with his
will, borne to its final resting place amidst cheerfulness and joy,
accompained by the playing of drums, tambourines and small kettledrums,
and the dancing of dervish dances.
After the death of Selahaddin Zerkub, Hüsameddin Çelebi took his place at
the centre of Mevlana's attention. In the foreword to "Mesnevi", Çelebi is
referred to as "the key to the treasures of love, the steward of earthly
treasures, the Beyazid of his time, the Cüneyd of his day." Mevlana
placed him before all of his relatives and, in time, left the
administration of all his affairs to him. The service rendered by Çelebi,
who stayed at Mevlana's side for ten years until his death, first to the
Islamic world but also to humanity, was to take the lead in the writing
of "Mesnevi". According to the tales, the occasion for the writing of
"Mesnevi" came about like this. One day while Mevlana was sitting alone,
Husameddin Çelebi said that in their free time his disciples had read
Senai's "Hadika" and Attar's "Ilahiname" and "Mantıku't Tayr". Çelebi
was in no way willing to accept this situation. If Mevlana, instead
of the Iyric poems, whose number was rapidly increasing, were to write a
work of the "mesnevi"(rhyming couplets) type, everybody would read it
and obtain great benefits, he said. As soon as Husameddin Çelebi had
finished speaking, Mevlana produced from his turban and handed over
to him a paper on which were written the first eighteen couplets of
"Mesnevi". "Çelebi", he said, "I'll recite the rest if you write
it down." Husameddin Çelebi agreed to this with great pleasure. In
this way, "Mesnevi", one of the foundation stones of world literature,
came into being.
. WHIRLING DERVISHES
. THE ROAD FROM BALKH TO KONYA
. FROM THE MAN FROM TIRMIZ TO SHEMS FROM TABRIZ
. NEW PARTING OF THE WAYS
. THE DEATH OF MEVLANA
. SOME OF MEVLANA'S WORKS:
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