Islam & Sufism Archives

Speech on Magic and Tasawwuf (November 2023)

4. December 20235. December 2023 Peter Cunz

Int. Mevlana Foundation Istanbul, November 20^th 2023 by Peter Hüseyin Cunz

My Shaykh Hüseyin Top Dede mentioned some month ago here in this room the
problem of magic. Our Prophet was attacked by malice magic, and he needed
protection. So the Sura 113 al-Falaq (the daybreak) was revealed. This gave me the
idea to give to you some detailed information about magic.

We all believe in Angels and love them, don’t we. They protect us. But likewise
we have to accept the existence of Devils. Do you know where the angels and devils
are located? Are you clear about where they come from to help us or to create
difficulties? That’s about what I’d like to talk now. And of course, after that you may
ask questions. Read More

The awareness of Islam and the Prophet (December 2016)

21. December 201611. May 2018 administrator

Peter Hüseyin Cunz, Congress in Konya, 15.12.2016

Bismillahi ar-Rahmani ar-Rahim, assalamo aleikum,

Praise be to our Prophet Muhammad, he who serves as our reference! Peace and Blessings of Allah may accompany him and his relatives!

I express my sincere thanks to the Authorities of Konya and to the organizers for having invited me to this event. And I thank the family Çelebi for being the custodians of Mevlana’s heritage, making it possible for us in Europe and elsewhere in the world to understand the Prophet and his light!

If Islam started in the 7th century, what then does this mean for the science of evolution, for the modern physics and psychology? Or, was Islam since ever?

If Muhammad is the seal of the Prophets, what then does this mean for 1 billion Chinese, 1 billion Christians, 1 billion Hindus and several billions of rationalists? Or, is Allah also to them “closer than the jugular vein”? (ayat 50.16)

Muslims go into war against Muslims, intelligent theologians fight with the tongue against other intelligent theologians because of differences in the interpretation of holy scripts. Muslims build walls instead of reaching hands. What does this mean for today’s Islam who should guide us on a way beyond the boarders of comprehension?

These are questions to which I have to be able to answer in a comprehensive way when I wish to convince Europeans about the universality of Islam.

With the internet the world has become very little: ethical values and rules of society are completely different than in the 7th century on the Arabian Peninsula. Today slavery is rejected as unethical, and today it is not tolerated anymore to have the men ruling over women. I have to consider this if I want to convince Europeans about the universality of Islam.

Dear brothers and sisters, time is relative. Time is bound to gravitation, and it changes according to the condition of matter. Time disappears if we get close to the divine. Saints such as Hz. Mevlana knew this very well. By reducing Islam to its historical context we rob it the universality.

May we have the courage to testify a universal view of Islam! Allah is not only close to Muslims. Let us stop to reduce Allah to the limited comprehension of the medieval theologians! Let us recognise the Light of Muhammad also in the Christian, the Buddhist, the Hindu and the rationalist! Let us reach hands, be it with Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Hindus or rationalists! Let us be amazed in gratitude, let us look into the heart of each other, and let us together with the non-Muslims bow in front of the incomprehensible cryptic Ultimate that we Muslims call Allah!

Dear Brothers and Sisters, I’m a thankful guest here in Konya, and therefore I wish to close with a verse of my Pir. It is to be found in the first book of his Mesnevi:

You are an idol worshipper when you remain in bondage to forms. Leave the idol’s form and look at the reality.

If you are a man for the Pilgrimage, seek a pilgrim as your companion, whether he be a Hindu or a Turk or an Arab.

Do not look at his figure and colour, look at his purpose and intention.

If he is black, yet he is in accord with you: call him white, for spiritually his complexion is the same as yours.

(Mesnevi 1:2893-2896)

Amen

A Still Point in a Turning World (December 2000)

6. May 201530. August 2019 administrator

Speech of Hüseyin Peter Cunz in Ankara on 15./16.12.2000

Bismillah

Honourable Minister, your Excellencies,

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

I’m thankful to be allowed to be among you, and I congratulate the organisers for this well-done event. Please allow me to outline – in other words – a few points from the paper I offered for this occasion. I begin with a verse from T.S.Eliot:

At the still point of the turning world
Neither flesh nor fleshless
Neither from or towards
At the still point, there the dance is
But neither arrest nor movement

Let us acknowledge that everything in this world is subject to change and movement! And it is not alone the environment, politics and social co-operation that are subject to change. Also religion is confronted with the changes of our time. If we accept that Hz Mohammed 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.

Sufism and freedom (H. Nur ARTIRAN, July 2009)

23. March 201530. August 2019 administrator

Speech by H. Nur Artıran at a conference of the Tariqa Alawyyia in Mostaganem, July 2009

Distinguished guests, my friends, firstly I would like to express how happy it makes me to be here amongst you, in your esteemed presence. May I pay my deepest respects to every one of you and pray that this meeting at this time reaches all of its objectives and is instrumental in bringing beneficence to the World.

‘Spirituality and challenges of our time‘ which is perhaps the most important item on our agenda, immediately brings to our memory some couplets from Mevlâna Celaleddin Rumi:

‘You have not come to this World to feed your body which will eventually be prey for the worms in your grave¹. You have learned a certain craft or art; you do have a certain profession to nourish your body, to meet its needs. And what have you done about nourishing your soul? Learn the Art of Religion to nourish that.² Turn to ‘meaning’ (mana) for a change. Do not be attached to the transient delights of the world to live as a ‘free man’ so that you do not become a prisoner of possessions, position, food and drink and suchlike.’ ³

These precious words of Celaleddin Rumi enable us to widen our horizon and look at the notion of freedom from a different angle.

The first clause of the Declaration of Human Rights following the French Revolution of 1789 states that a human being is born free and lives a free life. Although this clause seems to be quite reasonable and acceptable, one believes that certain questions have to be raised regarding this notion of freedom.

WOMEN FROM MAWLAWI PERSPECTIVE (Nur Artıran, Istanbul 2005)

23. March 201530. August 2019 administrator

Since the creation of Adam and Eve, the value of women in society has always been a long discussed issue for all religions and civilizations. Every prevailing society, notion and civilization has presented various opinions regarding women, and based on these opinions, valued and placed them in the society.

In this context, value of women in society has also been an issue for Muslim nations; however Islam’s true view of women has not been fully understood. It was a common belief that Islam did not grant the value that women deserved and tried to keep women out of social life. Certainly, this is not true, but merely an outcome of a prejudiced perspective.

I believe that if we look at the beginning of Islam and the value of women in numerous societies, then we can better appreciate the value given to women by Islam, by the prophet Mohammed -the supreme announcer of Islam-, and consequently by Mawlana. Therefore, I would like to shortly mention how different societies viewed women.

A Mevlevi view on Chivalry (Futuwwah) in modern times (December 2014)

16. November 201430. August 2019 administrator

Symposium in Kars on 16-18 December 2014

By Peter Hüseyin Cunz

The idealization of the noble behaviour of the knights who formed the chivalry in the European Middle-Age of the 13th to the 16th century was shaped by historical events such as the power game of the Church, the crusades to the Middle East and wars among European rulers. The knights were soldiers of the aristocracy. They had to follow certain rules of obedience and bravery. For the aristocrats it was essential that their subordinates remained loyal also in difficult times. Therefore they developed and propagated an idealistic view on serving as knights. The idealisation of the noble behaviour of knights polished the reputation of the aristocrats who then were named “The Nobles”. The cult around nobility and chivalry helped the persons in power and wealth to safeguard their position. Knights were “knighted” with a sword, a ritual of initiation to a higher level (maqam). Even a king had to be knighted before he was accepted as a king. This cultural element was reflected in poetry and music. Values from Christian monasteries, such as service, chastity and asceticism also found their places in this culture.

In modern times, after the aristocracy had lost their status and gave way to the bourgeoisie, the noble virtues of chivalry remained as an ideal in movements such as the scouts, the freemasonry and various secret orders. The Christian virtue of compassionate service as described in the story of the good Samaritan told by Hz. Jesus (see Luke 10:25-37) remains as a religious duty until today. Cowboy-films and video games incorporate heroes that are powerful and represent values of chivalry. “The strong shall protect and care for the weak, and the powerful shall live an exemplary life”.

Mathnawi Sohbets (historical), Dec 2007

15. April 200828. May 2018 administrator

MATHNAWI SOHBETS(1) FROM THE OTTOMANS TO PRESENT DAY

This article was presented by H. Nur ARTIRAN in “International Traces of Mawlana in the World” Symposium organized by Konya Selcuk University on December 13th-15th, 2007.

Based on historical evidence, Mawlana Djalaluddin Rumi’s(2) Mathnawi(3) was written between 1260- 1267 and since then it has been read with much interest and admiration by millions of people from all denominations all over the world. Mathnawi informs mainly on Religion, Islamic Mysticism (better known throughout the world as Sufism) and Social affairs, relying frequently on verses from the Quran, ‘Hadith’s(4) and folk tales. It covers almost every topic; sociology, psychology, history, mysticism, as well as science – including its more recent discoveries.

Although Mathnawi is generally accepted as didactic work addressing to ‘Reason’, it also possesses passionate and exuberant poems appealing to the ‘Heart’, similar to the ones in Divan-i Shems-e Tabriz or Divan-ı Kabir as otherwise called.