Spiritual Conquests of Anatolia and Abu'l-Hasan Harakani

"Whoever comes to this door, give him his bread and do not ask about his faith. For whoever is worthy of bearing a soul in the sight of Almighty Allah is worthy of eating bread at the table of Abu'l-Hasan."

In this study, we will explore the futuwwa ethics of the Khorasan Saints and Abu'l Hasan Harakani. Harakani, being a native of the historical Khorasan region, is a leading representative of the Sufi school of thought specific to this region. Two works stand out among Harakani's sources. The first is Muntahâb-ı Nûru'l-'Ulûm, attributed to him and whose sole manuscript is in the British Museum.

An examination of this work and the anecdotes about Harakani reveals Harakani's understanding of futuwwa. Harakani said, "The most luminous of hearts is the one that contains nothing but the love of God. The best of deeds is the one that is free from hypocrisy, that is, based on sincerity." In a sense, this forms the foundation of the ethics of futuwwa.
Regardless of how one understands Futuwwa within its historical context, in its unique sense, it is the spiritual state of renouncing any god but God. Futuwwa symbolizes the willingness to make any sacrifice for religious feeling, thought, and life, and the rebellion against superstition, superstitious understanding, and superstitious behavior. By devoting themselves to God, the Saints of Khorasan contributed to the formation of a social structure that would defy centuries. This was such a foundation that it became a cornerstone in the Islamization of Anatolia and the Balkans.

One characteristic of someone who dedicates themselves to God is their unwavering commitment to reaching their desired destination without giving up in the face of challenges and problems. The foundation of the futuwwa ethics that define the principles of this struggle is the Quran and Hadith. Fulfilling one's true duty as a servant of God without compromising it or being swept away by problems is another dimension of futuwwa. Futuwwa is the way of life expressed in the verse, "I created the jinn and mankind only that they might worship Me."

While Sulemi did not include the verses quoted as evidence for futuwwa in his treatise (except for the 60th verse of Surah Anbiya and the 13th verse of Surah Al-Kahf), Ansari compiled his treatise in a certain system, first listing the verses he considered as evidence for futuwwa, and then quoting his questions and statements about futuwwa.

Futuwwa is the ideal of life. Another dimension of achieving this ideal of life is the effort and ability to disregard oneself. It must never be forgotten that being a representative of our Prophet, the Mercy to the Worlds (peace and blessings be upon him), requires being a representative of futuwwa.

Futuwwa, which cultivates our world of values, closed to all forms of lovelessness, evil, and alienation, is a collection of moral, religious, social, and cultural values that unite the heart with the mind and melt matter in the fire of meaning. In fact, the foundation of many of our values that are vanishing today lies in Futuwwa.