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Posts Tagged ‘ottoman’

Changing the World (Nov 2013)

Posted in Discussions, English, Personal, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on 01/11/2013| Leave a Comment »

Whirling Dervish

Whirling Dervishes are characteristic of Sufism. The saying below from Rumi melts many hearts as well as mine’s. We need his understanding of Islam more than ever!

The great Islamic scholar Mawlana Jalaladdin Rumi once said:

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself”

(Not comparing myself with Rumi in any way) When I was a kid I also used to think I could and had to change the world. However after 25 years of life experience with 21 years of it as a student since the age of 4 (and counting, as a PhD student), I now feel different. It seems like my dreams have become more realistic (or maybe narrowed down, depending on how you look at it)…

So I now say:

“Yesterday, I wanted to change the world. Today, I’m (concentrating on) writing my thesis” 🙂

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Sultan Suleiman and Ants (Sept 2013)

Posted in Discussions, English, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 10/09/2013| 13 Comments »

Suleiman 'The Magnificent'

Suleiman ‘The Magnificent’

One day, the famous Ottoman Sultan Suleiman (aka ‘The Magnificent’) was taking a breather in one of the gardens of Topkapi Palace. Whilst observing the trees and contemplating about them (e.g. what a miracle of God they were!), he realised that one of them was surrounded by ants. He did not like the idea of ants feeding on his trees and thought of poisoning them. However he was a wise man and knew never to act in a hurry; thus he would always seek advice from the Sheikh-ul Islam of the time, Ebussuud Efendi. He expressed his intentions with a short poem (get a Turkish friend to read it for you):

 

Suleiman:

Meyve ağaçlarını sarınca karınca (When ants invade a tree)

Günah var mı karıncayı kırınca? (Is there permission to kill them?)

His advisor Ebussuud Efendi replied with this:

Yarın Hakk’ın divanına varınca (When the time to meet the Lord comes)

Süleyman’dan hakkın alır karınca. (Suleiman will be made to pay)

 

And the result was Suleiman, the greatest ruler at the time, could not kill the ants due to his fear of God Almighty. Today, some groups kill innocent people in the name Islam – I guess they understand Islam better than the Ottoman rulers and their advisors. Certainly not! They are deluded people being used by dark forces who want to bring chaos in to countries they’re interested in, serving their ultimate aim of stealing their underground resources and treasures.

Also Suleiman once said: I am God’s slave; and Sultan of this World! Ottoman Sultans took enormous pride from being a devout servant of God. We should take them as role models and not the individuals many teenagers look upon as ‘idols’ nowadays.

Click here to learn something new about another Ottoman Sultan…

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Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II’s message to Bosnian Christians (Nov 2012)

Posted in Discussions, English, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 27/11/2012| 88 Comments »

Mehmet II 'The Conqueror' of Istanbul

Mehmet II ‘The Conqueror’ of Istanbul

The below is a Ahdnama (Declaration) from Sultan Mehmed II El Fatih (The Conqueror) in 1463 – I am not a Ottoman or Turkish nationalist but am only sharing it because I like it – seen rarely in history:

(Mehmet – son of Murat Khan, The victorious)

The command of the honorable, sublime Sultan’s sign and shining seal of the conqueror of the world is as follows:

“I, Sultan Mehmet Khan inform the world that the ones who possess this imperial edict, the Bosnian Franciscans, have got into my good graces, so I command:

Let nobody bother or disturb those who are mentioned, nor their churches. Let them dwell in peace in my empire. And let those who have become refugees live and be safe. Let them return and let them settle down their monasteries without fear in all the countries of my empire.

Neither my royal highness, nor my viziers or employees, nor my servants, nor any of the citizens of my empire shall insult or disturb them. Let nobody attack, insult or endanger neither their life or their property or the property of their church. Even if they bring somebody from abroad into my country, they are allowed to do so.

As I have graciously issued this imperial edict, I hereby take my great oath: In the name of the Creator of the earth and heaven (Allah), the one who feeds all creatures, and in the name of the seven Mustafas and our great Messenger (Muhammad PbuH), and in the name of the sword I have, nobody shall do contrary to what has been written, as long as they are obedient and faithful to my command.”

See a similar one – over 700 years before the above – from the Prophet Muhammad (PbuH): Letter to all Christians – again, sharing it as I like the message.

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Free ebooks worth reading (Nov 2012)

Posted in Discussions, English, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on 09/11/2012| 2 Comments »

I went through these three websites below and made a list of the books worth reading… Also audible.co.uk gives a free audible ebook to whoever signs up…

 

http://www.gutenberg.org/ great site, hassle free!

http://www.free-ebooks.net/ good with comments on the books

http://www.freebookspot.es/ *be careful of the junk they make you download if you aren’t paying attention

 

Order of books not important… Also I do not mean these are the only books worth reading (I have not put religious books in here, but knowledge in world religions is a must I think!)…

 

1- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1661) – The Sherlock Holmes series are great!

2- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46)

3- Les Misérables by Victor Hugo (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/135)

4- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/98)

5- Myths and Legends of Ancient Greece and Rome by E.M. Berens (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/22381)

6- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2600)

7- The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci by Leonardo da Vinci (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/5000)

8- The Art of War by Sunzi (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/132)

9- The Best American Humorous Short Stories by H. C. Bunner et al. (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10947)

10- The Communist Manifesto by Friedrich Engels and Karl Marx (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61)

It is good to read it if you want to learn a few sociological terms…

11- The Martyrs of Science, or, The lives of Galileo, Tycho Brahe, and Kepler (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/25992)

12- History of Astronomy by George Forbes (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8172)

13- Pioneers of Science by Sir Oliver Lodge (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/28613)

14- Hamlet by William Shakespeare (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1524)

Most Shakespeare books are worth reading!

15- The Machinery of the Universe by A. E. Dolbear (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29444)

16- The Einstein Theory of Relativity by H. A. Lorentz (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11335)

17- Social Life in the Insect World by Jean-Henri Fabre (http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/18350)

18- 101 Facts About the Human Body (http://www.free-ebooks.net/ebook/101-Facts-About-the-Human-Body)

19- 10 DNA Myths Busted (http://www.free-ebooks.net/ebook/10-DNA-Myths-Busted)

20- 120 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature (http://www.freebookspot.es/Comments.aspx?Element_ID=306318)

Also read: ‘Crime and Punishment’ by Dostoyevski and ‘War and Peace’ by Tolstoy

 

If there are any books you think are worth reading; please post them to me… Many thanks

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