This is a translation of my friend's blogpost, the original can be found at this link:
https://ediphalime.wordpress.com/2020/03/28/goren-dusunen-isiten-ve-hisseden-canli-biri-oldugum-icin
-yuruyebiliyorum-ya-da-yurudukce-canlaniyorum
I can walk because I’m a living being who sees, thinks, hears and feels OR
I become more alive as I walk!
Remembrance of the name of the compassionate Beloved
Not just any Beloved but the Absolute Source of Compassion and Grace
In the darkness of the night, in secrecy from all ears
Remembrance of the names of the All-Hearing, All-Seeing
To remember, the tongues’ uttering the remembrance of the heart comes forth from being remembered*
O! How beautiful is the manifestation of your name in each moment
So gracious, most gracious of the gracious, elegant and delicate
To remember, your heart’s remembrance of It** comes forth from being remembered
*T.N: it’s only because God remembers us that we can remember God
**T.N: We used “It” to denote the gender free nature of God, it’s a personable “It”.
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ
LIMITLEss in His glory is He who transported His servant (adorer) by night from the Inviolable
House of Worship [at Mecca] to the Remote House of Worship [at Jerusalem] - the environs of
which We had blessed -so that We might show him some of Our symbols: for, verily, He alone is
all-hearing, all-seeing. [Qur’an, Chapter of the Journey by Night, 17:1 (Asad’s translation)]
1: The word ‘inviolable (haram)’, denotes an area encircled with a clear delineation and the Inviolable House of Worship is
the name of the masjeed (place of prostration) in the area where the Prophet lived. In this context, I interpret the ‘Inviolable’
in ‘the Inviolable House of Worship’ as an individual’s personal experiences; and ‘the House of Worship (masjeed/place of
prostration)’ as the place, event, situation, moment which moves me to prostrate.
2: The word ‘remote’ in ‘the Remote House of Worship’ refers to the distance between Mecca (home to the Prophet) and
Jerusalem. Building upon my understanding in the note above, I interpret ‘the Remote House of Worship’ as all experiences
which took place outside of one’s life, i.e. remote* to the self, and which result in someone else's meaningful prostration.
*T.N. This remoteness can be understood in three ways: 1.Physical distance. 2.In the distant past. 3.The distance between
levels of spiritual progress (with regards to God-realization, sainthood and prophethood)
3: There are two scholarly opinions regarding the grammatical ambiguity of who ‘he’ is in the sentence ‘He is all-hearing,
all-seeing’: in one, ‘He’ refers to God, the Beloved; according to the second interpretation ‘he’ refers to the worshiper, the
adorer, the creation, specifically the human.
First Step
“Limitless in His glory* is He who transported His adorer by night (17:1)”
*T.N.: The word for “Limitless in His glory” in Arabic (subhan) is of the same root as “sabbaha” which means, swimming or
gliding through.
I’m walking…
Like the moon who glides through the pitch dark sky, I walk through the night.
I spread the space out before me and walk through the time.
One day I dive into an ocean of troubles, another day I am exuberant with waves of happiness. At times
I unconsciously let myself go with the flow caught in the busyness of life. At other times I am taken by
fear and take refuge at a bay. I swim through the oceans in hopes of eventually reaching a shore of
salvation.
I'm being made to walk, alongside humankind, in the night that is this world enshrouded in a veil of
wisdom. I keep floating through space running in my orbit as is laid down by the decree of the One who
brings this universe into an impeccable orderly existence. Had not my adventure also started with a
journey of the night! Had I not fallen into darkness as an adorer, in the completely foreign womb of my
mother.
Second Step
‘‘from the inviolable house of Worship (at Mecca) to the remote House of Worship (at Jerusalem)
–environs of which We had blessed-’’
I submit...
I accept my weakness and I surrender.
This acceptance is truly genuine.
I become aware of my weakness, enshrouded in a private* feeling I can not express to anyone, piercing
into the depths of my heart like an arrow. I can neither remove the arrow nor can I find a remedy.
*T.N: In Turkish and Arabic the word for ‘‘private’’ (mahram) and the word for “inviolable” (haram) share the same Semitic
triliteral root (h-r-m). Haram also expresses that which is sacred or forbidden, whose limits, boundary are delineated,
well-defined. Mahrem denotes privacy, that which exists within sacred bounds, whether the sacredness of family privacy or
the sacredness of the privacy of one’s heart.
At first I assumed that my experience was unique to me. I can not get out of the night until it is over.
All of a sudden Moses holds my hand and carries me far away from home. Far far away. Our first stop is
Noah’s heart. See how he laments; the earth has drowned under the Flood. Then he shows me Jonah and
his hope imprisoned in the whale. And Abraham... He may seem content of heart now, yet there once was
a time when his mind was overflown by fiery questions. O Moses who refreshes my heart everytime he
smites it with his staff! I wonder who could have taught you how to speak this way.* Just the way my
mind can be convinced and my heart can be satisfied. His smile reads two words: Gentle speech⁴.. Finally
I understand, whatever was the meaning and message that made the environs of the house of worship**
where those who are billions of years away from me had prostrated, holy, honorable, good, beautiful,
meaningful and full of wisdom, so too my places of worship which lead me to prostrate are accorded
wisdom by the same ocean of meaning.
*T.N: Moses (pbuh#) was known for having a speech impediment and his brother Aaron (pbuh) was sent to fortify his
message and he was known for his excellent oratory skills.
#pbuh= peace be upon him (‘alayhissalaam=asm in Arabic) is an expression used after mentioning a Prophet’s name.
4: to speak in a mild manner as in this verse: <<"Go forth, [then,] thou and thy brother (Moses and Aaron), with My
messages, and never tire of remembering Me: go forth, both of you, unto Pharaoh: for, verily, he has transgressed all
bounds of equity! But speak unto him in a mild manner, so that he might bethink himself or [at least] be filled with
apprehension.>> (20:42-44)
**T.N: The expression “environs” in the verse 17:1 “House of Worship (at Jerusalem) –environs of which We had blessed-”
may be interpreted as the disciples, companions, and all spiritual descendants, saints who live in the path of the Prophets.
Third Step
“-so that We* might show him (some of) Our symbols/signs”
*T.N: for an explanation of the usage of "We" in the Qur'an please see:
http://pan-cck.blogspot.com/2013/11/interpretation-of-we-in-quran.html
I seek meaning.
I struggle to assign meaning...
I fully focus on the sound of the silence and follow the traces.
My experiences point to something. A trace, a sign, a symbol, a message...
My eyes touch upon the stars, I remember Moses.
I come to understand that there are many ways to understand the truth, in fact there are as many ways as
there are created things to read the messages (verses/signs) written on the universe. I catch birds* in
order to derive meaning from some of the verses whereas to understand some other verses I resort to
abstinence from speech, not speaking to any mortal in the example of Mother Mary**. At times the
thinnest crescent is relaying the truth to me, in another instant the honey bee is spreading that
unmatched taste of the truth on my tongue. Then there are verses that drive me to break free of the
limited time and space I’m enclosed in and to travel far so I can interpret them.^
I kindle oil lamps from the olive tree Noah extends, I borrow Jonah’s moonlight and I spread Joseph’s
shirt on my eyes/my words^^. My path enlightens. I see that this journey is not meaningless; this moment
that I’m reading, this place that I’m touching, here they are, proclaiming my witnessing. O the all-seeing,
all-hearing One, I witness: I’m not being winnowed aimlessly just like that in the darkness of the night,
in every moment, at every step I’m being witnessed. I touch upon the moment as I’m being read and the
seed loaded with the Divine Names bursts into thousand and one colorful flowers in my chest. My
journey becomes alive.
*T.N.: ‘catching birds’ here is a reference to this Quranic verse about Prophet Abraham (pbuh). <And, lo, Abraham said:
"O my Sustainer! Show me how Thou givest life unto the dead!" Said He: "Hast thou, then, no faith?" (Abraham)
answered: "Yea, but [let me see it] so that my heart may be set fully at rest." Said He: "Take, then, four birds and
teach them to obey thee; . then place them separately on every hill [around thee]; then summon them: they will
come flying to thee. And know that God is almighty, wise."> 2:260
**T.N.: ‘Abstinence from speech’ is also known as ‘the sawm of Maryam’ (the fasting of Mother Mary) as mentioned in this
Qur’anic verse: <Eat, then, and drink, and let thine eye be gladdened! And if thou shouldst see any human being,
convey this unto him: `Behold, abstinence from speech (sawm) have I vowed unto the Most Gracious; hence, I may
not speak today to any mortal.> (Chapter of Mary 19:26) According to the Qur’anic narrations Mother Mary never got
married and she gave birth on her own in a far place. As she was anguished with the shame of giving birth without a father an
angel came to console her and gift her with a rivulet, ripe dates on a palm tree and assigns her with the sawm (abstinence
from speech) until she returns to her people and baby Jesus (pbuh) speaks in the cradle declaring his prophethood and his
mother’s chastity.
^Note by author & translator: The part of the 17:1 verse translated into English as “(some of) Our symbols/signs” (“min
âyâtinâ” in its Arabic original) inspire me with the meaning that rather than the goal being some of the signs being shown to
us, the goal is to emphasize the various means with which -potentially- all signs can be shown to us. Just as there are various
teaching and learning methods (observing nature, classroom delivery, studying books in a library, conducting experiments in a
lab etc ), there are various ways, methods, approaches to reading the signs, comprehending, perceiving the symbols.
After the 1st verse -which is what this essay investigates- the 17th chapter goes on to mention many prophets. This leads me
to think that studying the lives of the prophets are one of many ways of reading the creation as is ordered in the Qur’anic verse
“read in the name of thy Sustainer, who has created” (96:1), even though we have a tendency to exalt prophets as
spiritually unattainable and thus distance ourselves from them. Getting out of my private life zone (Inviolable House of
Worship--refer to note above about the connection between haram and mahram) to look into the lives of the prophets (Remote
House of Worship -at Jerusalem-) which seem so distant to us, seems to be the method emphasized in the 17th chapter. Is
your wish to read the names of God? If so, gaze at the sun, the moon, the honeybee, then also consider the lives of the
prophets. You will discover that they too are human like you, they too are adorers (see note below), they too have troubles and
joys like you. Like you, like me, just like us…
^^ <<But when the bearer of good tidings came [with Joseph's tunic], he (Jacob) laid it over his face; and he regained
his sight, [and] exclaimed: "Did I not tell you, `Verily, I know, from God, something that you do not know'?">>
(Chapter of Joseph 12:96)
Fourth Step
“for, verily, He alone is all-hearing, all-seeing.”
I become more alive...
My soul is revived.
I hear a voice from afar, far far away but whose echo/reflection* I can hear from here.
The moment I realize my existence has been chosen by a Conscious One, the cliff of transience which
wants to kill me suddenly becomes flat. I can now sense that I am an adorer* of the One who can see me.
I’m being brought to existence in this journey by night, because I’m a living being who sees, becomes
aware, thinks, hears, listens and feels. Or I become more alive as I walk, my adoration is revived, my soul
stands at attention before God. I find that my heart and my mold (body) is yet again alive every morning
and evening. I have not been dealt with death yet, so I should continue my walk with hope.
*T.N: ‘Abd in Arabic, kul in Turkish refers to the worshiper, the adorer, the creation, and specifically the human. It doesn’t
necessarily denote a conscious worship or adoration. It expresses that all that exists is inherently in love with the One who
chose to bring them into existence, the Beloved. The human’s purpose in life is to come to a conscious awareness of this
inherent adoration, exaltation of, gratitude to the Beloved.
This multi-step journey by night (the life journey) may be the ascension*. Each encounter, each place,
each struggle serves as a step of my ascension: Each moment I am aware of my status as an adorer, a
worshipper; each place where I prostrate for my awareness; every jihad for the revival of my soul and
every time I strive for each of my moments to become alive in the eternal realm. Whether one undertakes
the four steps mentioned in this essay in the same or in a different order, the gradual journey towards the
perfected human may be one's ascension. In the darkness of the night slumber may take over, I may be
engulfed by heedlessness. But then I am reassured by the address of The One who knows and sees all this,
and in fact is the One who has sent me on this journey: ‘O THOU enwrapped one! Keep awake [in
prayer] at night, all but a small part of one-half thereof - or make it a little less than that, or add
to it [at will]; and [during that time] recite the Qur’an calmly and distinctly, with thy mind attuned
to its meaning. Behold, We shall bestow upon thee a weighty message[and,] verily, the hours of night
the mind most strongly and speak with the clearest voice, ‘[Al-Muzzammil 1-6]
*T.N: Ascension to heaven, spiritual ascension, also known as mi’raj was the fruition of the Night Journey (name of the 17th
chapter studied here) of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
May this be my prayer to the One who hears:
May every word that befits my pen-name “Hal’ime Edip” (The interpreter of my spiritual state) be a
stepping stone towards my ascension.*
*: God willing this essay has really served me as a stepping stone. There were many points that crossed my mind and my
heart which I couldn’t include here because I couldn't figure out how to express them in a manner which matches the literary
style of this essay. I felt my impotence from my neural pathways to my fingertips in the face of the Qur'an who expresses so
many truths in a single of its verses. I profess that the One Who has revealed the Qur'an, whom I call Allah, is the One free of
any fault, injustice or shortcoming, the Almighty, the All-Highest (as-Subhān, al-'Azeez, al-A'lā).
