[Abdurrahman Sami Paşa'nın bir kitabından Seniha Sami Moralı'nın yaptığı özet]

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CONTENTS

Page

2 Pir-grt- essay4 On the qualities of the Higher World.

9 On the composition of the world of elements

NJ.^3 0n "the composition of the human body-

16 The 4e-sgriytion of the essence of man, according to the asseftion

of philosophers

18 On the positivenes of human reason

19 A n answer

21 A n essay

22 On the immortality of the soul

24 A p p endix

25 Another opinion

26 A judgment

26 Some characteristics of Ibni Sina

29 The Poem of the Soul, by Ibni Sina

31 A translation of the above poem

34 On the mystery of the

i~^yi trrp n

35 Another opinion

38 On the properties of the essence of reason

40 Appendix

43 Second appendix

44 Third appendix

46 On the Hni*4y of God

48 On the doctrine of naturalists }

53 An anecdote concerning the Greek philosopher Pythagoras

56 Appendix

57 Appendix

60 The doctrine of deist philosophers

63 On the philosophy of Aristotle and his disciple, Ibni Sfna

68 On the proof of prophecy

73 On the missions of the pronhets -— ■

75 Preface

76 On the description of the of dreams

78 On the explanation of the states t!r# dreams

82 On the ten senses of man

90 On the occurence of the renovation of religions, and abundant

Page

A relation of the divergence which occured after the Prophet's death, and of the institution of the caliphate.

The punishment of renegades in the time of the Caliphate of A b u Bakir, commander of believers

The end of the time of Abu Bakir, and the caliphate of Omar A na*t by the author.

A digression Tho— end

eulogistic poem in praise of the Prophet

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This is the approved book,

SIGNS OF PHILOSOPHY,

which His Excellency Abdurrahman Sami Paşa, a minister of the Ottoman Empire, and member of the Supreme Council, succeeded in compiling on

the religious doctrines and human behavior.

The rights of printing and publishing belong to His Excellency..

The first edition was printed in 1287, in thf* printing-house of the şeyh Yahya Efendi, pre si deni:'' of Mustafa Paşa's Tekye, outside

the f Gate dirnel

FIRST 3SSAY

ON THE QUALITY OF THE HIGHER WORLD L

In the foliage of green trees, in the eyes of the sage, Each leaf is a book of the art of the Maker.

On examining with minute attention the signs of Divine power

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/there are/

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^ apparent in the phases of the universe it is conceived that the life-wate

of all elements and creatures flows continually with the abundance of a boundless spiritual sea. B u U t ^ pur sue the knowledge of the .H i vine m y steries hidden in -spri t^iad lphenomena^, s beyond the power

of the human^sanrnr. It depends uniquely on the illumination and enlightment of human reason. Consequently, to those who chose to undertake the hardship of moral discipline and adopt the fatigue

of worship, and who endeavored to free themselves from the darkness of material weight, and proceeded to purify their heart with the ardor of love, the result was that the lamp of the morning of their predisposition began to appear with gradual manifestations, and then, to their eyes which saw the truth, this material world seemed like

a world of existence and non-emi s t e n c e , As they abstained from material joys and pleasures and divested themselves of its lowly goods, they triumphed in discovering several eternal and brilliant worlds. For instance, the famous mystical poet, Sana!, wrote,

There are heavens in the province of the soul, They rule the a fairs of the heaven of the world. In the path of the soul/the low and the high,

There are lofty m o u n t a i nsT. ooae.(j )

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AS*-ADDENDUM

Ancient and modern scholars are agreed that the elstence of material worlds has been proved definitely, for Instance, the/great

scholar, Razi, in his commentary on the holy verse, "the Lord of the Worlds", concluded that the term, "worlds” implies material worlds. Dut to comprehend the spiritual worlds is impossible except for the privlliged who have attained Insight.

ON THE COMPOSITION OF THE WORLD OF ELEMENTS

Monotheist philosophers are agreed that this world is composed of four elements comprising the three realms, mineral, vegetal,

and animal. All bodies are mortal, but the human soul is everlasting and eternal.

Some ancient philosophers refute the claim that the realms of flnture are formed by the mixture of the so-called simple elements,

earth, water, fire,and air. They say that those are not simule elements b\it that they are composed of atoms.

I do not intend to discuss the numerous arguments on the lnvestiga tion of nature. The object of my book is self-improvement.

In any case,when man, acting conscientiously, and, only with

the light of his pure nature, looks on the beautiful ®xd*xxsi£ creation^ and the marvelous happenings and strange forms ever renovating,

he i3 amazed at the divine mysteries in the revolution of time, and bewildered by the order of the universe. He cannot attribute the act of creation and disposal simply to nature and to unconscious powers.

ON THE COMPOSITION OF THE HUMAN BODY

Tkax*sx«xs:«bfxth®xsnXMan belongs to the animal realm.

The essence of the soul is indenendent of matter and 3hape. In body and soul man is the noblest of all creatures. According to gnostics the most complete proof of this is "the pen and paper". Man have \srritten and bequeathed to their fellow-men books which will bring to themthe benefit of knowledge until the end of time,

Is it meet to imagine that those spiritual virtues are contained in the low soul of nature ?

ADDENDUM

6

Soul and body are inseparable throughout life. The soul orders and forbids. But the body, bearing the burden of the soul, must by no means be nep-lected.

EXPLANATION OF THE ESSENCE OF MAN ACCORDING TO THE ASSERTIONS OF THE PHILOSOPHERS

The assertion about primordial matter and the age of the world is not accepted by the scholars. According to the Divine Books and the messages of the prophets, the creation depeAa solely on the order, "Be". Ren son cannot imagine creation from nxrWtoàghas given to all kinds of His creatures perception and reason sufficient to

meet wordly wants and to the discipline of devotion, but

insufficient to fathom the«^y£tfry of Divinity. It is true that

reason is capable of dis^tinguisiting good from evil and of acquiring knowledg^and skill, but is only when man does not remain imprisoned in the dunpeon of con lecture -and when, with the power of mental

percent!on, he M « k l enllght»-«nt and blessing and ruc/eeda in embellishiw^ his heart gradually that he will be capable of being initiated to * the mysteries Oi knowledge and perfection, and gradually, with increasin'; information he will attain the summit of his aim.

ON THE POSITIVENESS OF HUMAN REASON

To those who possess consciousness and mental perception It is evident that man does not consist solely of body, and that there is a m e n .al will which controls all his perceptions and actions. That will, deist philosophers call the human reason and scholars call the human soul.

AN ANSWER

When we do not know the true nature of a thing it is not meet to deny its existence.

Bats cannot benefit from sunshine.

APPENDIX

xhe immortality of the soul has been firmly proved, but wisemen differ on the question of the multiplicity or oneness of the true nature of the soul. Some say that as men differ in their active and quiescent states, and since it is universally admitted that

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essences. Razl, in his Commentary, adopts this view,and says, "The true nature of the soul has a personal quality fik'^each man, and

he acts according to its decree. * * , \ x

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ANOTHER OPINION

Others say that the true nature of the soul cannot change or differ, that it is a pure and simple essence, arid that man, in his

mien and his speech, and in his active and quiescent states, is affected by his environment. Sunbeams are of one origin arid one essence, but

they produce different conditions according to the quality of the object they are connected with. The sun dries up salt-works, but

it melts grease and fat. The sun brings liyht and fecundity to gardens delightfulAand orcliards» and produces In each fresh flower!

^ c o l o r , scent, and flavor, according to their rear UQ

and fruit#a different inactive capabilities, *but, falling on mud and carrion it produces an evil smell.

U> A JUDGMENT

Both opinions are sound, but we rally to the first. We are still veiled in doubt, and we are not yet initiated to the awakening to the Divine mystery. Wo are bound to conform to the pure religion oi Muhammad in order to seek the way to xsckHt: peace and salvation. The safest way Is to accept the Interpretation of Razi concerning the mystery of primordial atoms accordin'- to tradition and reasoning,

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and to ascend to the apogee of peace and happiness.

SOME CHARACTERISTIS OF IBNI SINA ( )

Fe was a profound philosopher. His devotion to philosophy enfeebled his belief, and he was subject to violent attacks-by the mystics.

*M±x±±xita®i±kEtjc But in reality he w a ^ n l i r h t e n e d man, of strong faith. He has been rarely equalled. '

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V

THE QASIDA OF THE SOUL

The translation of this poem is at the same time a commentory.

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OH THE MYSTERY 0? THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE FACULTIES OF MAN, AND HIS ASCENDING TO THE DEGREE OF PERFECTION

From the moment that he is horn a child's perceptions and faculties are developed by environment and education, f^jrougli four successive

stages, first, the development of his exoteric^perceptions, secondly the development of his esoteric perceptions, thirdly acquirement of education and initiation to art and science. The development of the child's reason is in accordance with the development of his body, as he progresses from the xstatjf to the absenjt, ?roro perception to

reason, from the material to the spiritual, from discipline to nature, and from nature to God. The highest stage is tint of perfection,

l.e. seeing the unseen, which is reserved to prophets and their splritusL heirs. Besides those four stages there are endless abstruse opinions

concerning the definition of reason, to state which is beyond the scope of this most humble booh. The a u €tezila have a strange opinion. They say that reason is distributed separately among individuals,

and that it increases or decreases according to the abundance or scarcity of knowledge. That would infer that students who study from one teacher itfould all be at the same level. Yet we have seen that an illiterate man, if witty, can be wiser than a stup5d man who has been educated, and an ardent young man wiser than an indolent old man.

In the midst of this confusion, if we want to r e t a ^ n > H- individual and submit to the pureness of our nature we are in absolute need

of a lust guide, and therefore we have been Vouchsafed the power of reason, 'nd inspired repeatedly with divine aid. If we stride to fulfil our gratitude for this sacred blessing, and, freeing ourselves from the calamity of immorality, strive to ascend to the stage of success and salvation, we must not leave from our hand the lamp of reason, but, without pride or vanity, we must proceed to seek the just and the right, and make o t x r A r l n o u a y r e a s o n follow the light of the people of sense.

There are minds like to the disk of the sun,

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ON THE PROPERTIES OF THE ESSENCE OF REASON

The effects and light of reason are spread over the whole creation. Man is the noblest of all creatures, but he cannot be exempt of

faults. Even as the moon in the sky cannot shine without reflecting the rays of the sun, nxfcn must seek the enlightment of a higher mind in questions concerning this world and the next. Then he will attain peace and salvation in both worlds. Men must consult together and help each other.

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-(-TOSS A P P E N D I C E S

In the earll-eart ages of humanity the greatest philosophers among a small body of righteous men believed in an eternal God, Creator of the universe, but t h e ^ were not listened to. Men worshiped the

forces of nature, and the stars.Vs^ , (PsyA&'y***

Most Greek philosophers divined the immortality of the soul and the Oneness of God, but some, and among them Pythagoras, erred in adopting the doctrine of metempsychosis.

SkiiHBHgfcsxsxwaxaxiiSxxaKuisdtxxSHmsxwwxexmasKXJEXJtd^xacEHixxHKisx

of man is| mystery of the Oneness of God. Nature clads his body in bestiality. Yet man cannot be totally estranged from

the light of his original essence, which is inclined to goodness and kindne s s . / tPliJss*

-PTTfphet b* were persecuted. Some were massacred, and some forced

to exile. Prophets were likewise cruelly persecuted, but they met

with success through Divine guidance, and their teaching has survived. Their ultimate aim was to p^ach introspection and the Uni t y of God, and to guide man in this world and the next, whereas philosophers dialled- t<> _{f i x - a} de-finl-te plan _{-pyaeM e-a l l y r e a s i l a t ri e .}

sometimes thought that, with the help of reason and science deist philosophefs~-earu_attain the ultimate voal of spiritual guidance and belief in Oneness, and thnt^^coiplllitkSly, moial improvement may be accomplished by knowledge, reason,, and faith. But those three

blessed qualities cannot logically be united perfectly in one individual. An intelligen^man may have missed the occasion to study. A stupid

man may be educated without benefiting from it. A man, although intelligent and well educated, may be led astray by temptatii

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failed to fix a definite plan practically reasilable.

>7-6 0 6 1 a

a p p e n d i x ,

-It la sometimes imagined that, with the help of reason and science deist philosophers can attain the ultimte goal of spiritual guidance and belief in Oneness, and that, consequently, moral improvement

may be accomplished by knowledge, reason, and faith. But those t re« blessed qualities cannot logically be united perfectly in one person. An intelligent man may have missed the occasion to study. A stupi

man may be educated without benefiting from it. A man, although intelligent and well ediicated, may be led astray by temptation.

Prophets b e l o n g i n g the human race but blessed with Divine insp ra were intrusted with the mission to guide man in the ri vht poth,

x x _ 1 ^ m n V and it is by following their teaching that man can attain moral improvement and

salvation-THE DOCTRINE OF DEIST PHILOSOPHERS

The rules and doctrines adopted in civilised have always varied aild differed.

society ancl legislatun

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O i lt h e PROOF OF : *0Y

To ignore the mission of the prophets is the misfortune reason deprived of light

of a

Y ON THE DESCRIPTION OF THE MODALITY OF DRSAM8

16 The souls of the pure travel in the world of dreams. It i a a

mental vision which has occasionally been shown to every man. 'he

soul of man is a bird flown away from its blessed nest in the infinite Garden of Eternity. *hen fate 1npr<sons it in the snare of this

world it Is evident that it cannot be stripped of its primordial connections, and it is not unlikely that it struggles to return to its ultimate home. Yet that spiritual attraction is a divine

favor Independent of material density, and when man is abstracted voluntarily or compulsorily from material perception, It can shine / with the light of mental perception. Voluntary abstraction is reserve /experience^ ^ ^ and M S & f a/when sleeping or awake. Compulsory abstractior

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failed to fix a definite plan practically reasilable.

APPENDIX

It la sometimes imagined that, with the help of reason and science deist philosophers can attain the ultimie goal of spiritual guidance and belief in Oneness, and that, consequently, moral improvement

may be accomplished by knowledge, reason, and faith. But those three blessed qualities cannot logically be united perfectly In one nerson. An intelligent man may have missed the occasion to study. A stupid

man may be educated without benefiting from it. A man, although intelligent and well educated, may be led astray by temptation.

Prophets belongint^to the human race but blessed with Divine Inspiration were intrustcsd with the mission to guide man in the right path,

arid it is by following their teaching that man can attain moral improvement and salvation*

THE DOCTRINE OP DEIST P IL0S0PHERS

The rules and doctrines adopted in e1 ••41' ~:ed society and _{l e g i s l a t u r e} have always varied aftd differed.

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To ignore the mission of the nrophets is the misfortune of a reason deprived of light

ON THE DESCRIPTION 0? THE MODALITY OF DREAMS

The souls of the pure t r v e l in the world of dreams. It i3 a mental vision which has occasionally been shown to every man. The

soul of man is a bird flown away from its blessed nest in the infinite Garden of Eternity, tfhen fato inpr^sons it in the snare of this

world it is evident that it cannot be stripped of its primordial connections, and it Is not unlikely that it struggles to return to its ultimate home. Yet that spiritual attraction is a divine

favor independent of material density, and when man is abstracted voluntarily or compulsorily from material oerception, it can shine /experienced/ ^ ^ light of mental perception. Voluntary abstraction is reserved

to the pure, and »x^lfg/when sleeping or awake. Comnulsory abstraction occurs to everybody,%nd is experienced only in sleep.

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ON THE EXPLANATION 0? THE STATES IN DREAMS

All men are capable of seeing; a dream come true, but their dreams cannot attain the clearness of vision reserved to those who

are not stalnaiwith sin or who have p u r i f i é themselves with repentance and enli htened themselves with religion.

The world of dreams is the wÿld of the soul.

There are very few people who netfer experienced a dream come true. Every person has had such an experience at least once in his lifetime, or heard of such an experience from some trustworthy acquain­ tance .

This question is a deep abyss. The results of the reminiscences of its explorers have been summed up and registered, and their compila­ tions have been studied and examined by successive generations of

thinkers.

ON THE TEN SENSES OF MAN

T*he five exoteric senses ere slyht, hearing, taste, smell,

and touch. The five esoteric senses are c o m m o n ceti on, imagination, thought, inference, and memory. Exoteric and esoteric perceptions are closely related and inter-connected.

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NA CT

1/2. eulogistic poem in praise of the Prophet)

The kinr of the throne of infinity*space, Who adorneth the assembly of believers,

The hidden meaning of tho word, possibility,

The essence of the soul of the container of both worlds,

The single pearl the treasure of infinitjt,

The light of the Unique Majesty, f

Distributer of the meaning of the sea of knowledge, Sea of the clearness of the mystery of the Quran,

//3 0 t h c m » who art initiated into the secret nf two bow-lengths,

Beloved of God, obeyed in both worlds, Is this world a heavy gift to thee ? Or is it a present worthy of thee ? A m o n g preatures, the I-ord

Has exalted thy worth by "...but for thee..'*

Thou aft the substance of the soul of man and soul, The principal of the mystery of "Be, and It was". 0 thou, God's mercy, most noble messenger,

Superscription of prophets, huhammed, Garni is thy most humble disciple.

He has reached the ring of thy door. äistisxw Soiled with the pollution of rebellion,

He seeks the wat^r of mercy.

If, in the last ludgment he is fo\md guilty, He sheds te&rs f&r his wickedness.

Help that black-faced sinner.

13 /'f \ \ ( j l $ U S ' l t d AN ESSAY

There will be no other prophet after Muhammed, and no new religion after the religion he preached.

Muhammed said, "Scholars are the heirs of the prophets."

The progress of time brings unavoidably such important changes that the principles of religion might fall into neglect, but those men whose heart is enlightened with the mystery of the Divine mission, alike to the prophets whose heirs they are, applied the law®; of

religion according to the conditions of the time they lived in,

availing themselves of consultation and legal analogy. The first

of those blessed men were the first four califes.

A DIGRESSION

All prophets are agreed on the questions of the U n i t y of God, the creation of the world, the starting point and the goal^decree and duty, and the retribution of good and evil.

CONCLUSION

This book, "Signs of Philosophy", ends with a prayer for the prosperity of the Padişah of Islam.

In the year 1287, 1 ft- W o puro ni ghto ■ of Ramadan»—

/composition/

Thy "Rumuz", Sami, merits a place of honor.

It is a product of the heart, it is offered as a rjesent.

May its subtle writings be entered in the page of the world. May it be read until the end of time.

May thy humble name be remembered kindly among friends, Let them say, may Sari be blessed with pardon,

He has compiled an elaborate in a n e w style,

It is his keepsake to the writers of the age.

If there be faults in it, weakness of age is a natural excuse,

That excuse merits to be acce (fed by the great writers.

May his father and mothe *, ancestors and ancestresses,«'^'^' 0 Lord, enter Paradise in Thy mercy.

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