He was born in house No. 1 of the Shifa Yokushu, Vezirtekke Sokagi, Servi Mahallesi, Ayyub Sultan, in Istanbul, on the beautiful spring morning of the 8th of March, 1911 (1329 Hijri). His father Said Effendi and grandfather Ibrahim Effendi were from the village of Tepova near Lofja (Lovec), in Bulgaria, and his mother Aisha Hanim and her father Husain Aga were from Lofja. During the War of "Ninety-three" against the Russians (1295 Hijri, Miladi 1878), Said Effendi emigrated to Istanbul and settled at Vezirtekke, where he married. Because of the sufferings caused by war and emigration, he could not attend school, and he was employed as an official of weights control in the municipality, where he worked for more than forty years. He constantly attended the lectures of the famous scholars in the great mosques of Istanbul and gained a profound knowledge in the religion. Due to his experience in his career, he became so skillful in solving four arithmetical operations from memory that he would provoke wonderment. Husain Hilmi Effendi went to the Mihr-i Shah Sultan school, which was between the Ayyub Mosque and the Bostan wharf, when he was five years old. Here he completed the Qur'an al- karim in two years. At age seven, he began his primary education at the Resadiyye Numune Mektebi, which was adjacent to the tomb of Sultan Resad Han. During the vacations, his father sent him to religious schools called Hakim Kutbuddin, Kalenderhane and Abussuud and laid much stress on his good upbringing. When Husain Hilmi Effendi finished primary school with the highest honors in 1924, the goldgilt prizes he was awarded in every subject filled a large album. He was admitted to the Halicioglu Military High school, which had moved from Konya to Istanbul that year, with an "excellent" grade in the entrance examination. He past to the second class of the secondary division as the best student in the same year. After maintaining his status as an honor student every year, he graduated from the Military High school as captain of the class and was selected for the Military Medical school in 1929.

In High school, the geometry master used to have Husain Hilmi Effendi review the lesson at the end of every session. His friends used to say that they understood things better from his review. It was in one of those sessions in the second class of High school that he once paused while explaining a theorem that stated, "In order for the projection of a right angle to be a right angle, it is necessary and sufficient for one of its sides to be parallel to a plane [on which the angle is projected]"; the master Captain Fuad Bey tried to help him, but he said, "Sir, I cannot understand it. I see what you mean, but the two explanations explain each other." Fuad Bey then asked for the opinion of the second best student in the class, who, pleased with his competitor's situation, said, "No sir, Hilmi Effendi is wrong. The textbook, too, writes the same as what you stated." When Hilmi Effendi insisted that he could not understand it, Fuad Bey said, "Please be seated," and added, "Hilmi Effendi, we are human... Perhaps you have worked much today and feel weary. Or you have another problem. You will understand it some other time. Don't worry!" At night, while all the boarders were asleep, the watchman woke Hilmi Effendi up and said that the geometry master was waiting for him in the teachers' room. He got up and put his clothes on and walked confusedly to the room. Fuad Bey said, "My son! I thought things over after I went home. I said to myself, 'Hilmi Effendi repeats every new lesson fluently and can solve the most difficult mathematical problems. There must be a reason that forced him to say that there was a contradiction with the problem.' I pondered over it much. I saw that you were quite right. Hadamar, the French author of the textbook, has written it wrongly, and Ahmad Nazmi Bey, the geometry teacher at Izmir High school, did not notice it, and I have taught it incorrectly for years. You are right, my son. I congratulate you. I am proud to have a student like you. I could not wait till morning to see that you shall sleep quietly and feel joyful." He kissed Hilmi Effendi on the forehead and left.

Hilmi Effendi fasted every Ramadan and performed every ritual salat throughout his education in the Military High school. Among the seniors, it was he alone who could continue to perform the ritual salat. Some teachers, who were deceived or perhaps hired by the enemies of Islam, had been striving to inoculate his classmates with irreligiousness and hostility towards Islam through lies, slanders and false interpretations of science. The geology teacher, Adam Nazihi, the physics teacher, Sabri, the philosophy teacher, Jamil Sana, and the history teacher, Major Bagdadli Galib, went to extremes in their mischievous teachings. But he was not deceived by these teachers. He studied their subjects much more and received perfect scores in their examinations, winning their appreciation.

When he was a senior at the Military High school, his father Said Effendi passed away. The officers, teachers and students of the school attended the funeral. The people of Ayyub were bewildered by the large crowd of those who attended the funeral.

Hilmi Effendi was uneasy when he studied at the Faculty of Science in the delicately ornamented Zeyneb Valide Sultan Hall at Bayazid Square; whenever he attended Friday prayer performed in the Bayazid Mosque, there would be only one row of Muslims behind the imam, and they all were old. He was worried that a few years later there would be no Muslims and was trying to find the cause of this decline. In no way could he make it out. He was filled with despair, but had no friends in the school with whom he could have a sincere talk or receive help from.

One day he left the campus and entered the Bayazid Mosque for the noon salat. After performing the salat, he saw somebody preaching on the left side of the mosque. He sat down. The preacher was explaining the six fundamentals of iman from a thin, small-sized book in his hand. Hilmi Effendi knew all of what was explained, but he did not leave his place for fear that the preacher's heart would be broken with the thought that his preaching did not please him. As a matter of fact, there were only a few old men who were listening. He cut his preaching short and, showing the little books in his hand, said, "Everybody needs these books. I sell them.' His appearance suggested that he was very poor. Nobody bought one. Hilmi Effendi pitied the preacher and, thinking that he would give it to a youth, asked its price. But, when the preacher said it was twenty-five kurushes, he gave up the idea, because neither did he have that much money nor was the book worth that much. The currency of those days was very valuable; an imam and a lieutenant received only 17 and 61 liras[48] respectively. The price of the book should have been five kurushes at most, and he found it unbecoming for the preacher to ask for such a high price. "It should be given free for Allah's sake. Well, if he lives on it, he should ask for five kurushes at most," he thought in disapproval. He walked to the other side of the mosque. The inside and outside of the balustrade on this side were very crowded. An old man seated inside was talking. With difficulty he made his way in and sat down behind him. The old man was reading a book and explaining how Muslims should visit the shrines of Awliya', a matter which Hilmi Effendi did not know but was very anxious to learn. While listening, however, he could not help thinking of the other preacher and said to himself, "One who loves Allah should give religious books freely," repeatedly. Meanwhile, the afternoon salat was begun in the mosque, and the old preacher closed the book he was reading and gave it to Hilmi Effendi while saying, "This is my present to a young effendi for Allah's sake," and began his salat. Though this preacher had not seen Hilmi Effendi, he knew he was sitting behind him. Hilmi Effendi took the book and joined in the salat. After the salat, he looked at the title "Rabita-i Sharifa" and underneath it the author's name "Abdulhakim" on the cover of the book and learned from someone in the Mosque that the person who gave him the book was 'Abdulhakim Effendi and that he preached at the Ayyub mosque on Fridays. He returned to the building called "Bekir Aga Bolugu" near the Bayazid Tower where he stayed.

On Friday, the weekend holiday in those days, he went to the big mosque. He looked for the preacher but could not see him. Then he learned that he was an imam at another mosque and would come after salat. He could not stay inside and went out. He saw the preacher standing beside a bookseller's stand. He approached him from behind looking steadily at him with love. He heard the bookseller say, "Sir, don't stand, sit on this chair," which was covered with snow. When he was about to sit, Hilmi Effendi jumped up close and said, "Please, just a moment," and cleaned the snow off with his handkerchief. He took off his overcoat, folded it and put it on the chair and said, "Please be seated now." He looked at him. His blessed, awe-inspiring face, black eyebrows and eyes and round beard was very beautiful and lovely. 'Abdulhakim Effendi said, "take your overcoat!" and sat on the bare wood of the chair. Hilmi Effendi felt sorry but was pleased when he was told, "Put it on my back." When some people came out of the mosque, he went in and sat on his high cushion on the floor of the right side of the mosque and began his lesson by explaining from a book on the low desk (rahla) in front of him. Hilmi Effendi sat in the first row facing him and was listening carefully. He listened with delight; the religious and worldly information, all of which he had never heard, was very interesting. He was like a poor person who had found a treasure, like a thirsty person who had discovered cool water. He could not move his eyes away from Sayyid 'Abdulhakim Effendi. He was absorbed in watching his lovely, shining face and listening to the invaluable brilliant words he uttered. He had become beside himself and had forgotten about his school, his worldly affairs, and everything. Something sweet moved about his heart; it was as if he was being cleaned, washed with something sweet. It was during the very first sohbat that the first few words had been enough to entrance him as if forming in him the very blessing called fana', the attainment of which takes many years of sufferings. Unfortunately, the sohbat ended in an hour. For Hilmi Effendi, this one hour had passed like a moment. As if awakening from a sweet dream, he put his notebook into his pocket and stood in the line going out. While he was tying his shoe-laces, somebody bent over and whispered to him, "Young Effendi, I love you very much. Our house is in the cemetery. Come visit us. We will talk." Sayyid 'Abdulhakim Effendi was the one who spoke these sweet, inspiring words. The same night Hilmi Effendi dreamt of a clear, bright, blue sky, balustraded like the dome of a mosque. Someone with a shining face was walking in it. When he looked up, he saw that it was Sayyid 'Abdulhakim Effendi, and awoke in delight. A few days later he dreamt of somebody whose face glittered like the moon, who was sitting at the head of the sarcophagus at Hadrat Khalid Ayyub al-Ansari's shrine and for whom people were standing in a line to kiss his hand. Hilmi Effendi joined the line and woke up just as he was kissing his hand.

In those days Hilmi Effendi lived in Fatih and went to Sayyid 'Abdulhakim Effendi's house every Friday. Sometimes he would go before the morning salat and leave unwillingly after the night salat. He would forget everything as if seeing everything afresh. He would always stay close to 'Abdulhakim Effendi, even while eating, praying, resting and visiting. He always watched his manners carefully and listened to him. He tried hard not to waste even a minute. He went to him during every holiday, and whenever he had free time. He never missed his sermons in mosques. Firstly Turkish books and some months later Arabic sarf[49] and nahw[50] were taught. Amsila, Awamil, Simai masdars, Qasida-i Amali, Mawlana Khalid's Diwan and the logic book Isaguji were memorized. A couplet, a line or an Arabic or Persian sentence would be written and explained at every meeting. All of what was written was memorized.

The first work Sayyid 'Abdulhakim Effendi assigned to Husain Hilmi Effendi was the translation from Arabic into Turkish of a small passage from al-Imam al-Baghawi on qada' and qadar. He did the translation[51] at home during the night and took it to his master the following day. His master said, "Very good! You've translated it correctly. I like it."

Husain Hilmi Effendi passed to the second class of Medical school as the best student. While sitting in a garden during a visit with his master at Ayyub, the time happened to coincide with his completion of a course in osteology and he was about to work on a cadavar. His master asked him what he was studying at the university. Upon his answer, Sayyid 'Abdulhakim Effendi said, "You will not become a physician. You had better transfer to the school of Pharmacy." Hilmi Effendi said, "I have the highest scores in the class. They won't let me go to the school of Pharmacy." "You submit your petition. Insha-Allah, Allahu ta'ala will grant it," said his master. After many petitions, Hilmi Effendi entered the school of Pharmacy as a sophomore towards the end of the first semester. Although the curriculum was half over and he had to take some more examinations on the courses given in the first year, he passed all of the examinations at the end of the second semester. He graduated from the school of Pharmacy and completed one year of probation at the Gulhane Hospital with the highest honors. He was first appointed as a Lieutenant Assistant- master at the Military Medical school. He had subscribed to the paper Le Matin, which was published in Paris, by the order of 'Abdulhakim Effendi and increased his knowledge in French while he was a student at the school of Pharmacy. He began studying at the school of Chemical Engineering, again by the order of 'Abdulhakim Effendi when he was an Assistant-master. He learned calculus from Von Mises, mechanics from Professor Prage, physics from Dember and technical chemistry from Goss. He worked with Arndt, a Professor of Chemistry, and evoked his appreciation. In the last six months of the research he carried out under his supervision, he synthesized and determined a formula for ester "phenylcyannitro-methan-methyl." This successful research, which was the first in its field in the world, was published in The Journal of The Istanbul Faculty of Science and in the German chemical journal Zentral Blatt (number 2519, in 1937) under the name of Husain Hilmi Isik. When he received a Diploma of Master of Science in Chemical Engineering (numbered 1/1) in 1936, Husain Hilmi Isik appeared in the daily papers as the first and unique Chemical Engineer in Turkey. Because of this success of his, he was appointed as a Chemist Officer at the Department of Poisonous Gases in Mamak, Ankara. He served there for eleven years, many of which he worked with Merzbacher, General Director of the Auer Factories; Goldstein, Doctor of chemistry; and Neumann, Doctor of Optics. He also learned German from them. He became an expert in poison-gases. He rendered service. For example, England sold one hundred thousand gasmasks to Poland during the Second World War. While the masks were on their way along the Dardanelles, Germans invaded Poland, and the Britons wanted to sell the masks to Turkey. Captain Husain Hilmi Isik examined the masks and, after realizing that their filters leaked poisonous gas, reported them to be "unusable, good for nothing." The Minister of National Defense and the British Ambassador became quite alarmed and did not believe the report. "How could it be possible for a British product to be defective?" it was said. He proved his words. At last he had to give the order that they could be broken into pieces and used a spare parts; thereby, the British were able to get their money.

When Husain Hilmi Effendi worked in Ankara he visited Istanbul on every occasion. When visiting was difficult, he calmed himself by writing to Istanbul. 'Abdulhakim Effendi, in his blessed-hand-written replies, which were written from Istanbul to the village of Mamak, said:

"Dear Hilmi! I thank Allahu ta'ala for the health you enjoy as you write. It pleases me very much to learn that you are teaching [your brother] Sedad the 'awamil.[52] I see it is not without reason that you are ordained to stay away from the city. Both of you will get much benefit... I send my salams[53] and pray for you, your mother and sisters. Write me frequently. Tell me about your state in detail! Write me about your situation immediately after the inspection!"

"My very much beloved Hilmi and Sedad! I have received your lovely letter. It causes me to express thanksgiving and praise to [Allahu ta'ala]... He has translated the 'awamil beautifully. Then, he has understood it. Hilmi will benefit from it. Sedad will benefit from it. The 'awamil has a sharh and a mu'rab. I will send them by someone. In fact, they will suffice in respect to nahw. Then, in addition to being a chemical engineer, you will also become an engineer in sarf and nahw. Other engineers will fall in value as their numbers increase. This branch of engineering, however, in addition to being valuable in itself, will become much more valuable because the experts in this branch have become rare or have disappeared. The reason why you are there then, seems to be to enable you to attain great prosperity (dawlat-i 'azima). We send salams and prayers."

"Hilmi! I felt much pleasure and happiness upon reading your latest letter. I want you to believe in what you wrote. I benefit much from the laxatives. If it is easy, prepare some more and send it to me!"

"Alaikum salam! It is not sunnat[54] to greet (salam) someone while one is reciting the Qur'an. When greeted, however, it is wajib[55] to reply: the reciter pauses and then gives the salam, afterwards he continues to recite, since the recitation [of the Qur'an] is a sunnat while responding to the salam is a wajib. A wajib cannot be abandoned or delayed for the advantage of a sunnat, but a sunnat should be abandoned or delayed for a wajib. As for your second question, read it is you saw and understood it before! In fact, 'esteem' (hurmat) is meant by 'haqq' (right) in this context. 'Bi-haqq-i Muhammad', may Allah bless and save him, means 'bi-hurmat-i Muhammad.' The author of Mawqufat assumed that 'haqq' was a 'haqq-i shar'i' (a legal right) or a 'haqq-i 'aqli' (a logical right). If this had been the case, he would have been right. This prayer has been read this way from days of old. It is true that nothing is in any way, neither legally nor logically, obligatory upon Allahu ta'ala. By 'haqq' this is not meant. Perhaps the interpreter understood it wrongly. My dear! Like you, everybody is troubled with the same trouble, sorrowful with the same sorrow. If it were not so, people would have been distressed in another way. This has been the 'Adat-Allah (the Law of Allah). An Arabic couple says, 'Kullu man talqahu yaskhu dahrahu./Ya layta sha'ri hadhihi 'd-dunya liman?" (Whomever you encounter complains about his state, his time,/Oh, if I ever knew whose world this was.) So you're still better! [Your sorrow is meritorious, and it is a sign of being a good human being.]"

"Hilmi! I am grateful for your letter. I thanked Allahu ta'ala for your good health. You must know that it is a great blessing and endowment to read and understand even part of the book Maktubat [by al-Imam ar-Rabbani Ahmad al-Faruqi as-Sirhindi], the like of which on the religion of Islam has never been written and which will help you the most in your din (religion) and dunya (world)." The handwritten copies of these letters which were sent from Istanbul to Mamak village are kept in the file named [Memorial Letters].

In Mamak, Husain Hilmi Effendi read several times and strove to understand the Turkish translations of al-Imam ar-Rabbani's and his son Muhammad Mathum's Maktubats, each of which was of three volumes, and he compiled a summary-index of the six volumes in alphabetical order. When he came to Istanbul, he read the entire 3846 entries of its summary to Sayyid 'Abdulhakim Effendi, who listened to it for several hours and liked it very much. When 'Abdulhakim Effendi said, "This makes up a book. Give it the title 'Invaluable Writings'," Husain Hilmi Effendi was surprised, but he further added, "Didn't you get it? Can their value ever be estimated?" The entries which were derived from the first volume were later appended to the end of the Turkish Maktubat Tercemesi as an alphabetical index.

In 1359 (1940), Hilmi Isik asked his master 'Abdulhakim Effendi, "Sir, I intend to marry. What will you say?"

"Whom will you marry?" his master asked. "The one whom you permit." "Really?" "Yes, sir." "Then Ziya Bey's daughter is suitable for you." When Hilmi Effendi wanted his curiosity addressed before he returned to Ankara, 'Abdulhakim Effendi summoned Ziya Bey the following day, and, after a long talk, his promise was obtained. A week later, Hilmi Effendi came to Istanbul again, and the engagement ring was placed on his finger by the blessed hands of 'Abdulhakim Effendi, who also carried out the Islamic betrothal according to the Hanafi and Shafii madhhabs after registering at the municipality. The wedding was held two months later. At the feast, 'Abdulhakim Effendi sat beside Hilmi Effendi and, after the night prayer, said a prayer in person. When the couple visited him a week later, 'Abdulhakim Effendi conveyed tawajjuh to the bride and said, "You are both my daughter and daughter-in-law."

When Hilmi Effendi was at home at Hamamonu, in. Ankara, during the autumn of 1362 (1943 A.D.), Faruq Bey's son Barrister Nevzad Isik came to him and said, "Sir, 'Abdulhakim Effendi awaits you at our house." "Are you joking? He is in Istanbul! Why do you say he awaits me?" Hilmi Effendi asked. Nevzad Bey swore and together they went to Faruq Bey's house at Haji Bayram. He learned there that the police had taken 'Abdulhakim Effendi from his house in Ayyub, Istanbul, to Izmir and later to Ankara. After many petitions, he was permitted to stay at his nephew Faruq Bey's house under police supervision. He had become weak and exhausted out of anxiety and travel. He told Hilmi Effendi, "Come to me every day!" Every evening Hilmi Effendi helped him arm-in-arm to his Bedroom, put blankets on him and left after reciting and blowing Suras al-Falaq and an-Nas upon him. The visitors who came during the day would sit on the chairs lined across the room and soon leave. He always let Hilmi Effendi sit at the bedside and conversed with him silently. When he was interred in Baglum, a village near Ankara, Hilmi Effendi went in the grave and carried out certain religious duties upon the command of Ahmad Makki Effendi, 'Abdulhakim Effendi's son. Makki Effendi also said, "Father loved Hilmi very much. He knows his voice. Hilmi shall read the talqin!"[56] This honorable service, too, fell to the lot of Hilmi Effendi. A few years later Hilmi Effendi placed a marble tablet, which he had written in Istanbul, at the head of the grave. He also put a marble tablet on the grave of Hadrat Sayyid Fahim in Van and repaired the shrines of Abdulfettah, Muhammad Amin Tokadi and cherkes Hasan Bey in Istanbul. He lead the funeral prayer of Behice Me'an Sultan, the late wife of 'AbdulHamid Han II, as she had willed, in 1389 (1969 A.D.), and he had a shrine constructed over her grave in the Yahya Effendi cemetery. In the autumn of 1391 (1971 A.D.), he visited Delhi, Diobend, Sirhind and Karachi and, seeing that the graves of Hadrat Sana'Allah and Mazhar-i Jan-i Janan's wife in the town of Paniput being trodden under foot, donated five hundred dollars for their repair and protection.

Husain Hilmi Effendi was appointed as a chemistry teacher at the Bursa Military High school in 1947, where he later became its Principal. Afterwards, he became a chemistry teacher at the Kuleli (Istanbul) and Erzincan Military High schools for many years. After teaching hundreds of officers, he retired following the coup d'etat of 1960. Later he taught mathematics and chemistry at Vefa, Imam-Khatib, Cagaloglu, Bakirkoy and at many other high schools in Istanbul. He trained many faithful youths. Without discontinuing teaching, he bought the Merkez Pharmacy in Yesilkoy, a suburb of Istanbul, in 1962 and served the health of the people as proprietor and manager of the dispensary for many years. While he taught chemistry at the Kuleli Military High school in Istanbul, he learned ma'qul, manqul, usul and furu' as it relates to fiqh, tafsir and hadith from the virtuous Ahmad Makki Effendi, the late Mufti of uskudar (Scutari) and later of Kadikoy in Istanbul. Husain Hilmi Effendi was graduated with the Ijazat-i Mutlaqa (Certificate of Absolute Authority) for religious instruction in 1373 (1953).

He published Se'adet-i Ebediyye (Endless Bliss) in 1956. He founded Isik Kitabevi in Istanbul in 1967, and established the Waqf Ikhlas in 1396 (1976 A.D.) He disseminated throughout the world his Turkish, German, French, English and offset-reproduced Arabic books and received thousands of letters expressing appreciation, congratulations and thanks. Some of his works were translated into Japanese, Asian and African languages. He always said that he had neither the ability nor efficiency, and that all the services done were the results of the spiritual help and grace of Hadrat Sayyid 'Abdulhakim Effendi and the blessings ensuing from his excessive love and respect for the scholars of Islam.

Husain Hilmi Effendi constantly said that he found the taste in the sohbat and words of Sayyid 'Abdulhakim Effendi in nothing else and that the most pleasant moments he enjoys are when he remembers those sweet days he spent with Sayyid 'Abdulhakim Effendi. He said his nasal bones ached out of the grief of separation and yearning when he remembers those days. He frequently recites the couplet:

"Zi-hijr-i dositan, khun shud darun-i Sina jan-i man,

Firaq-i ham-nashinan sokht, maghz-i istakhan-i man!"

(Because I am away from the beloved, my soul cries out tears of blood in may chest, Separation from those I sat together with burns my bone marrow!)

Husain Hilmi Effendi reads books by the scholars of Islam and quotes with tearful eyes the sayings of al-Imam ar-Rabbani and 'Abdulhakim Arwasi. He said, "Kalam-i kibar, kibar-i kalamast." (The words of the superiors are the superior words.) He frequently quotes 'Abdulhakim Effendi is having said:

"Why are you surprised at seeing harm coming from one who was created to be harmful! How can you expect goodness from him? I am surprised at your being surprised! He is a sharr-i mahd (unmixed evil). His vice should not be surprising. If you see him do any good deeds, then you should feel surprised! Say to yourself, how can he do something good?"

"The scholars of Islam were complete human beings. We are mere nothing beside them. If we had lived among them, we would not have been counted as human beings. If we were lost, nobody would look for us!"

"If the tekkes[57] had not been closed, many a wali would have been trained here."

"I could not find the possibility or opportunity to carry out my duty to instruct Muslims."

"If I spoke a foreign [Western] language, I could serve [Islam] much more!"

"The greatest enemy of Islam is the British. They tried to annihilate Islam with all their armies, fleets, uncountable gold coins collected from their colonies, in short, with all their imperial powers. Nevertheless, the harm of all these giant forces of the British to Islam remains secondary; a more frightening enemy of Islam is Shamseddin Gunaltay."

"A sensitive and delicate person cannot eat the food which he himself puts into a new child's brimming chamberpot. He feels disgust when he remembers the discharged matter that is put in it. Using the things that cause disbelief has the same effect. A person whose iman is firm and who is faithful to Islam does not use them however much they are praised by others." "Not everybody can understand al-Imam ar-Rabbani's Maktubat, which resembles neither Hafiz-i ShiRazi's poems nor the Khamsa. We read it not to understand it but to be blessed by reading it."

"Performing salat means to turn towards (tawajjuh) Allahu ta'ala. Realities are revealed to those who perform salat in accordance with the honorable Shariat[1] in this world. Al-'ilm al- ladunni[2] is endowed upon them. This 'ilm (branches of knowledge) is learned at seventy-two varying degrees; the one who is at the lowest degree knows how many leaves there are on a tree at a glance and can differentiate a shaqi (evil) person from a Said (pious) one. Such people perform salat in their graves, too. This kind of salat does not consist of qiyam (standing) or ruku (bowing); it means to turn towards Allahu ta'ala."

The following is the written will prepared by Husain Hilmi Isik on 24 Rabi-ul-awwal, 1410, which coincides with 24 Tashrini awwal, 1989, Tuesday:

There are eight kinds of people in the world:

1- believer who is Salih (pious, good). He says that he is a Muslim. He holds the belief of Ahl as-sunnat. A person who holds the belief of Ahl as-sunnat is called Sunni (Sunnite). He adapts himself to one of the four Madhhabs of the Ahl as-sunnat. Thus in everything he does he is in a state of obedience to the Shariat. He performs his worships in accordance with his Madhhab. He avoids harams (acts forbidden by Islam). If he makes an inadvertent mistake in this respect, he makes tawba by observing its conditions. Before sending his children to elementary school, he sends them to a Salih imam or to a teacher of Qur'an al-karim. He strives for their learning how to read Qur'an al-karim, memorizing the suras of Qur'an to be recited in the namaz, and learning Ilmihal. He sends them to elementary school after they have learned these things. He sends his sons to high school, to a university for education. It is a must that they learn religious knowledge and begin performing daily prayers of namaz regularly before elementary schooling. A father who does not bring up his children accordingly cannot be a Salih Muslim. He and his children will go to Hell. The worships he has done, e.g. pilgrimages, will not save him from going to Hell. The Muslim who is Salih will never enter Hell.

2- A believer who is Aberrant. He says he is a Muslim, and he is a Muslim, too. Yet he is not Sunni. He is without a Madhhab. In other words, his belief does not agree with the belief taught by scholars of Ahl-sunnat. Therefore none of his worships will be accepted. He will not escape Hell. If he does not perform the worships and commits harams, he will remain in Hell additionally for these sins. Because his aberrant belief does not cause unbelief, he will not remain eternally in Hell. An example of such people is the Shiite group called Imamiyya.

3- The Sinful believer says he is a Muslim, and he is so. He is Sunni, too. That is, he holds the belief of Ahl as-sunnat. Yet he neglects some or all of the worships. He commits harams. The sinful believer will suffer Hell fire if he does not make tawba or attain Shafaat (intercession of the Prophet, one of the Awliya, or Salih Muslim) or forgiveness of Allahu ta'ala. Yet even in this case he will not remain in Hell eternally.

4- A disbeliever from birth is a person with parents who are (or were) disbelievers. He has been brought up as a disbeliever. He does not believe in the fact that Muhammad 'alaihi-salam' is the Prophet. Jews and Christians are disbelievers with (heavenly) books. Communists and freemasons are disbelievers without a book. They do not believe in rising after death, either. People who worship idols and icons are called Mushrik (polytheist). Disbelievers will go to Hell and will be subjected to eternal fire. None of the goodness they have done in the world will be of any use, nor will they save them form Hell. If a disbeliever becomes a Muslim before death, he will be pardoned and will become a Salih Muslim.

5- A Murtad (renegade) is a person who abandons Islam and becomes a disbeliever. All the worships and pious acts he did as a Muslim will be deleted and, therefore, will be of no value after death. If he becomes a Muslim again, he will be pardoned and will become an extremely pure believer.

6- A Munafiq says that he is a Muslim. Yet he is not a Muslim. He is in another religion. He is a disbeliever. He pretends to be a Muslim in order to deceive Muslims. A munafiq is worse than an (undisguised) disbeliever. He is more harmful to Muslims. Formerly, the number of munafiqs was rather great. There are next to none today.

7- A Zindiq also says that he is a Muslim. Yet he is not a member of any religion. He does not believe in rising after death. He is an insidious disbeliever. In order to mislead Muslims out of Islam and to demolish their religion from within, he presents his disbelief in the name of Islam. Qadiyanis, Bahais and Baktashis are in this group.

8- A Mulhid also claims to be a Muslim and thinks he is a Muslim. He performs Islam's worships and avoids the harams. Yet he has greatly digressed from the belief held by the Sunnites in his interpretation of Qur'an al-karim, to the extent that some beliefs he holds abrogates his iman and causes disbelief. In this group are Nusayris and Ismailis, two Shiite sects, and Wahhabis. They try to present themselves as believers and the Sunnis, who are actually people with correct belief, as disbelievers. Since a person who calls a believer a disbeliever will become a disbeliever himself, these people are worse and more harmful to Muslims than disbelievers are.

Any wise person would like to live in comfort and peace in the world and to avoid torment and attain infinite blessings in the Hereafter. To this end, I wrote my book Se'adet-i Ebediyye (Endless Bliss). I tried to show the way leading to happiness for all kinds of people all over the world. First, I endeavored to learn it myself. For many years I read hundreds of books. I carried out very stringent research in history and Tasawwuf. I meditated deeply on scientific knowledge. I recognized very well and definitely believed that attaining comfort in the world and eternal blessings in the Hereafter requires being a Salih Muslim. And being a Salih Muslim, in its turn, requires learning the Islamic teachings from books written by scholars of the Ahl as sunnat.. An ignorant person cannot even be a Muslim, let alone be a Salih one. I explained in detail in my book Se'adet-i Ebediyye how a Salih Muslim should be. In short:

1- He should believe as is taught by scholars of Ahl as-sunnat. In other words, he must be a Sunni.

2- Reading a book of fiqh belonging to one of the four Madhhabs, he should learn the teachings of the Shariat correctly, perform his worships accordingly, and keep away from the harams. A person who does not adapt himself to one of the four Madhhabs or selects the facilities in the four Madhhabs and thus makes a mixture of the Madhhabs, is called a 'Madhhabless person. A Madhhabless person has abandoned the way of the Ahl as-sunnat. And a person who is not a Sunni must be either a heretic or a disbeliever.

3- He should work to make a living. He should earn his living through halal means, carrying on his dealings in a manner compatible with the commandments of Allahu ta'ala. We live in such an age that a poor person can hardly protect his faith and chastity, not even his personal rights. To protect these values and serve Islam, he should utilize the latest scientific renovations and facilities. Earning through halal means is a great act of worship. Any way of earning that will not hinder the daily prayers of namaz and which will not cause one to commit harams is good and blessed.

For worships and worldly dealings; being useful and blessed is dependent upon doing only for Allah's sake, earning only for Allah's sake, and giving only for Allah's sake; and in short having Ikhlas. Ikhlas means to love Allahu ta'ala only and to love for the sake of Allahu ta'ala only. When one loves someone, one remembers him very frequently. One's heart always makes (Dhikr) of him, that is remembers and mentions him.

If a person loves Allahu ta'ala, he will remember him very frequently, that is, his heart will always make Dhikr of Him. For this reason, it is stated in the Qur'an al-karim, "Make much Dhikr of Allahu ta'ala." The following hadith ash-Sharifs are written in the book Kunuz-ud- daqaiq: "People with high grades are those who make Dhikr of Allahu ta'ala." "The sign of love for Allah is love of making Dhikr of Him." "He who loves someone will make much dhikr of him." "He who loves Allah very much will be free from mischief." "Allahu ta'ala loves the person who makes much Dhikr of Him." Scholars of Tasawwuf have shown the ways to perform much Dhikr of Allahu ta'ala. The easiest of these ways is to find a Murshid-i kamil, love him, observe the rules of adab about him, and thus receive fayd from his heart.

Murshid-i kamil is an 'Islamic Scholar' who has received fayd from the Murshid-i-kamil preceding him and thus attained the competence of giving fayd. When he attains this competence, he receives a written warrant from his Murshid certifying that he has the qualifications. A succession of Murshids receiving fayd from one another is like the links of a chain that can be traced back to the time of Rasulullah (sall-allahu 'alaihi wassalam). In other words, a Murshid-i-kamil receives the 'fayd's, 'hal's and 'barakats' coming from Rasulullah through a chain of Murshids that flow into his heart; he then pours them into others' hearts.

The Murshid and the Murid who wishes to receive fayid from him have to be Salih Muslims. A person who does not hold the Sunni belief; e.g., who speaks ill of any one of the Ashab-i- kiram or who does not adapt himself to one of the four Madhhabs; or anyone who does not avoid the harams, e.g., who condones his wife's or daughter's going out without covering themselves properly though he can prevent them from doing so; or who does not try to teach his children Islam and how to read the Qur'an al-karim cannot be a Salih Muslim, and all the more impossible, a Murshid. Everything a Murshid says or does will be compatible with the principles of the Ahl as- sunnat and the teachings in the books of Ilmihal. One thousand years after Rasulullah's Hijra (Hegira, Migration to Medina) an era termed Akhirzaman (the latest time) began, and the signs prognosticating the end of the world began to increase in number. During this latest time period, Allahu ta'ala will manifest His Attributes of Qahr (Wrath) and Jalal (Vehemence), and mischief and afflictions will be on the increase. Religious teachings will be defiled, scholars of the Ahl as-sunnat and Murshid-i-kamils will be on the decrease.

Oral dhikr, i.e. saying, "Allah, Allah," is very thawab (deserving of rewards in the Hereafter) and will prime the pump for the heart's dhikr. However, the heart's dhikr requires one's being a Salih Muslim and performing dhikr for years. If a Murshid-i-kamil teaches a person how to dhikr and extends tawajjuh towards him, i.e., asks his Murshid to help this person's heart to dhikr, his heart will begin dhikr immediately. If a person cannot find a Murshid-i-kamil, he should remember any Murshid-i-kamil (he has heard of or read about). That is, he should imagine seeing him and looking with adab at his face, and beg him through his heart to make tawajjuh towards him. This is called Rabita. The following account is given in the seventeenth page of the book Barakat: "Khawaja Burhan-ud-din, a respectable Indian scholar, endeavored very hard to set his heart upon the act of performing dhikr. Try as he would, he could not attain this blessing. He looked for a Murshid-i-kamil. While visiting Hadrat Muhammad Bakee-Billah in Delhi, he begged him. This great Murshid advised him to perform Rabita towards him wherever he was, that is, to imagine himself looking at his face and ask for fayd. Surprised at his advice, the Khawaja went to the great Murshid's close friends and said, 'This advice would be given to novices coming to him for the first time. I would like a task of a higher level.' They told him he would have no other choice than follow his advice. Because he was fully convicted that this noble person was a Murshid-i-kamil, he imagined himself looking at his blessed face and began to beg him. He lost himself. His heart began to dhikr. He would hear his heart performing dhikr aside from its physiological beatings." The book Hadarat-ul-quds, in its discourse on karamats (miracles occurring through a person loved by Allahu ta'ala) through Hadrat Imam-i Rabbani, relates his fifty-fourth karamat as follows: "Hadrat Mawlana Abd-ul-hakim Siyalkuti, a great Indian scholar whose books and name are renowned world over, states: I had known and liked Hadrat Imam-i Rabbani for a long time. Yet I had not attached myself to him. One night, in my dream, he made tawajjuh towards me. My heart, began to make dhikr. Continuing this dhikr for a long time, I attained many valuable occult blessings. He educated me from a distance in a manner termed Uwaysi. Later, I attained his Sohbat." It relates the sixty-eighth karamat as follows: "One of the relatives of Hadrat Imam-i Rabbani wanted to attach himself to him. Yet he could not tell him about it. One night he decided to tell him the following morning. That night he dreamt of himself standing near a stream. On the other side was Hadrat Imam-i Rabbani, calling him, "Come here, quick, come here, quick! You're late.' When he heard this his heart began to dhikr. The next morning he visited him and told him what was happening in his heart, he said: 'This is exactly our way. Go on with it.' "

Allahu ta'ala declares in the Qur'an al-karim, in the thirty-first ayat of Al-i-'Imran sura, "Tell them: If you love Allahu ta'ala adapt yourselves to me! Allahu ta'ala will love those who adapt themselves to me and will forgive your sins [if you do so]. Allahu ta'ala is forgiving and very compassionate." He declares in the seventy-ninth ayat of Nisa sura: "He who obeys the Prophet will have obeyed Allah." Our Prophet (sall-allahu alaihi wa sallam) stated, "Be on my way and after me on the way of my four Khalifas!" Islamic scholars following the way of the four Khalifas are called Ahl as-sunnat. As it is seen, attaining love of Allahu ta'ala requires having iman as written in the books of scholars of the Ahl as-sunnat and adapting all of one's words and actions to the manners prescribed by them. This comes to mean that a person who wants to attain love of Allahu ta'ala will have to have iman accordingly and lead a life accordingly. If a person does not observe these two conditions, he cannot be a Salih Muslim. He cannot attain comfort and peace in the world nor in the Hereafter. These two values are either learned by reading books, or acquired by rote by imitating a Murshid-i-kamil. The words, looks and tawajjuhs of a Murshid-i-kamil will purify one's heart. And when one's heart is pure one will begin to experience pleasure from iman and from worships, and the harams will seem bitter, ugly and abominable. During those times when Allahu ta'ala has more mercy on His born servants the number of Murshid-i-kamils increases and it is easier to recognize them. The closer we come to the end of the world, the more severe will be the manifestation of Allahu ta'ala's Wrath, the more scarce the Murshid-i-kamils will be, and the existing ones will not be recognized. Ignorant, miscreant, and heretical people will appear in the name of religious men and will mislead people towards disasters, thereby obstructing the way leading to Allah's love.

In such murky times, those who learn iman and the teachings of the Shariat from books written by scholars of the Ahl as-sunnat will attain safety, and people who fall for the cajoling and exciting words in the bogus religious books written by ignorant and heretical people, will slip out of the right way. In such times, for purifying one's heart and setting it to perform dhikr as soon as possible, one should imagine seeing one of the past renowned Murshid-i-kamils wherever one is and whatever one is doing, except when performing namaz. And one should wish that the fayd that flowed into his heart coming from Rasulullah (sall-allahu alaihi wa sallam) will flow into one's heart. One should keep in one's mind that a Murshid-i-kamil is a (spiritual) heir to Rasulullah, and, therefore, Allahu ta'ala permanently manifests His Mercy in his heart. Hadrat Muhammad Mathum, a great Murshid, stated in his fiftieth letter, "Continual rabita will ensure thorough contact with the Murshid. Consequently, fayd will be received easily. Being in the presence of a Murshid has other uses. A Murid who cannot manage rabita in a suitable manner should attend the Murshid's sohbat. It was owing to sohbat that the Ashab al-kiram attained such high grades. Weys al-qarani received fayd from a distance by making Rabita; yet because he could not attain the sohbat, he could not reach the grades attained by the Ashab al-kiram." He stated in the seventy-eighth letter, "For receiving fayd and barakat from a Murshid-i-kamil, it is necessary to attach oneself with a cord of love to him. The Ashab al-kiram received fayd from Rasulullah (sall-allahu alaihi wa sallam) by way of in'iqas [reflection]. By the same token, a person who sits with adab and love in the presence of a Murshid-i-kamil will receive fayd from him. Anyone, no matter whether he is young or old, alive or dead, will receive this fayd. Imagining a Murshid-i- kamil sitting opposite you while you look with love and adab at his face is called Rabita. This Rabita is very useful, for man has dived into harams and his heart has darkened. As long as he is in this state he cannot receive fayd and barakat from Allahu ta'ala. A means is requisite. The means here is a noble person capable of receiving this fayd and giving it to those who demand it. And this person is a Murshid-i-kamil." He stated in the hundred and sixty-fifth letter, "Keeping a Murshid-i-kamil's face in your heart is called Rabita. Rabita is the most powerful link connecting a Murid to a Murshid. When the Rabita becomes firm, he will see his Murshid wherever he looks." He stated in the hundred and ninety-seventh letter, "When the Rabita is firm, there will seem to be no difference between the blessings attained when one is away from a Murshid-i-kamil and those attained when one is in his presence. Yet these two can never be equal. The more powerful the rabita, however, the less the difference."

He stated in the eighty-ninth letter of the fifth volume, "A great scholar has said, 'Allahu ta'ala would not have given the wish if He had not wanted to give the blessing.' The essence of our way is sohbat. With the barakat of sohbat, a talented Murid will receive fayd from a Murshid's heart in proportion to his talent and the degree of love he has for a Murshid. He will be freed from his bad habits, which will be replaced with the Murshid's good habits. It is for this reason that they have said that being fani (extinct, nonexistent) in a Shaikh, (who is the Murshid-i-kamil), is the beginning of (the stage), Fana-fillah (in Tasawwuf). If one cannot attain sohbat, one will receive fayd only by means of love and in proportion to one's tawajjuh towards the Murshid. Loving the people loved by Allahu ta'ala is a great blessing. Through this love one will attain the fayd gushing out of their hearts. One should not miss the blessing of making tawajjuh in a Murshid's absence. One should learn the Shariat and act accordingly. One should not waste one's lifetime playing and merrymaking. Things that are disagreeble with the Shariat are called Dunya. One should think that such things are useless and will be of no value in one's grave or on the Day of Judgement. Safety is in adapting oneself to the Sunnat and abstaining from bidats. [Adapting oneself to the Sunnat means learning the belief of the Ahl as-sunnat, adapting one's belief to it, then doing the commandments and avoiding the prohibitions, and then performing the Sunnat. When the Sunnat is done without observing this successive order, it will not be the Sunnat at all. It will be bidat. For instance, growing beard will not be a Sunnat. It will be a bidat. The beard thus grown will be a Jewish beard, a Rafidi beard, or a Wahhabi beard.] One should not make friends with bidat holders and mulhids, [that is, people without a Madhhab and religious men who are not Sunni]. They are thieves of the faith. They will defile one's religion and faith. [It is stated in a hadith ash-Sharif that bidat holders will be turned into dogs for the people of Hell].

Hadrat Imam-i-Rabbani stated in the hundred and eighty-seventh letter, "If a Murshid-i- kamil's image is shown to a Murid everywhere, this is a sign indicating that the rabita is very strong. Rabita will cause of flow of fayd from one heart to the other. This great blessing will be bestowed on only selected people"

Documents for what has been said so far are the hadith ash-Sharifs: "Everything has a source. The source of taqwa is the hearts of arifs"; "When the Awliya are seen, Dhikr of Allah is made"; "looking at an 'Alim's (scholar's) face is a worship"; "Those who keep company with them will not be shaqi; "Disasters coming upon my Ummat will be due to fajir [miscreant] men of religion," and a number of other similar hadith ash-Sharifs. These hadith ash-Sharifs are written in various books of Hadith, e.g., in Kunuz-ud-daqaiq.

That Hadrat Sayyid Abdulhakim Arwasi was a Murshid-i-kamil is a fact that can be seen as clearly as the sun from the letters of Ijazat written by his Murshids, from the letter written in the hundred and sixty-first page of my (Turkish) book, from the profundity of his knowledge, from his beautiful morality, and from his karamats. His blessed face is easy to remember, once one has seen his photograph. To remember him and receive fayd from his blessed face is a great blessing Allahu ta'ala has bestowed on Muslims. People like us, whose hearts have been blackened with so many sins, are certainly far from attaining the great blessing. Our purpose is to show the way to the desired treasure. Perhaps there will be people to attain it, though we have not. During these last days it will fall to few people's lot to hear these facts, to believe them, and to try to attain these blessings. May thanks be to our Rabb (Allah) for blessing us with the fortune of knowing and loving His beloved ones.

Ya Rabbi! Grave and many as our sins are, Thine forgiveness and compassion are boundless. Have mercy on us and forgive us for the sake of Thine beloved ones! Amin.

F O O T N O T E S

P>[48] 1 lira is 100 kurushes.

[49] Sarf: Arabic ethymology or morphology.

[50] Nahw: arabic syntax.

[51] Husain Hilmi Isik's this first translation is quoted at the end of the fourth chapter of Endless Bliss, II.

[52] Awamil: a famous textbook of nahw.

[53] Salam: Islamic greeting expressing peace and good wishes.

[54] Sunnat: an act done and liked by the Prophet, yet a duty of lesser degree than a wajib.

[55] Wajib: an act never omitted by the Prophet, almost as compulsory as a fard.

[56] Talqin: words telling and making the soul and heart of a dead person hear through the effect of the knowledge of iman.

[57] Tekke: a school where a murshid trains his disciples.

[58] Shariat: the laws of Islam.

[59] Al-'ilm al-ladunni: knowledge inspired by Allah to the hearts of awliya'.

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