""..." "And say:" "Truth had come and falsehood had vanished away." "Falsehood is ever bound to vanish..." KORAN" "A MAN'S FEAR OF GOD" "Come here, Rauf." "Do you really think he's the right one?" "And you?" "I have no doubt in his faith and trust in Allah." "But my question is whether he can do it or not." "Muharrem has come here since his youth." "He is devout." "He is kind-hearted..." "But he does not understand." "Allah created us all differently." "Each of Allah's creations has a function." "Yours is different to his." "He has a good heart and will not harm you." "Worldly matters need a good heart not a good mind." "The devil easily takes hold of a lively mind." "You must show Muharrem what to do." "Your mind will be enough for him." "He must learn that being ordinary is what makes him extraordinary." "And you will be his closest friend and my closest assistant." "Come closer." "Let me free you from doubt." "May peace be upon you." "Good morning!" "May peace be upon you." "Call Tokat and order some more sacks." " I can call them, but we've hardly sold any." " Just do it." " Ünal!" " What?" "Mr. Ali's coffee." " Muharrem!" " Yes, sir?" "Call Selami for a game of backgammon." "I'll show him how to olay properly." "And two glasses of tea." "Let's go, old cheater!" "Peace be upon you." " Peace be upon you." " Peace be upon you too." "I give you permission to lead the dhikr this evening." "Oh Lord, be gracious upon us." "Oh messenger of God, be gracious upon us!" "Be gracious upon us, House of the Praised One!" "Be gracious upon us master of this abode by the grace of God!" "Lord, forgive me, my sins." "Lord, forgive me, my sins." "Lord, forgive me my sins." "Good morrow, Your Excellency." "Was His Excellency shaking the bed all night?" "No, no." "I must have just nodded off." "Get me my coffee, then." "What's the matter, Muharrem?" "I was just having a little doze and Ali caught me." "That's why you're so worried?" "That can happen to anyone." "My father entrusted me to Ali's father when I was a young child." "Still, I shouldn't sleep in the shop." "Here you are, one coffee for our Mr. Ali." "But don't spill the froth." "That would get him really angry." "You can go." "I'll lock up." " Yes, sir." "Have a nice evening." " Have a nice evening." "Oh Lord, praise be to you for all you bestow upon me." "Amen." "Who could that be at this time of the day?" " May peace be upon you." " May peace be upon you, Brother Rauf." "I ate earlier and went to the mosque round the corner here for evening prayers." "So I thought I'd stop by and ask how you were doing." " God bless you." " Brother, may God bless us all." "Perhaps we can attend the dhikr ceremony in the seminary." "Is there a dhikr today?" "It wasn't scheduled, actually, but some guests came from Ankara." "My noble Master agreed to hold a ceremony for them." " Or are you busy?" " No, no." "I'm not doing anything." "It is very kind of you to inform me." "May God reward you." "He'll reward you for your own deeds, brother." "I am just His tool." " How about a glass of tea?" " We can even have two!" "I swear, I just brewed a pot before you came." "Must have been fate!" "I'll be right back." "My noble Master wants to grant you an audience after the ceremony." "Please don't leave without his permission." "All right." "Leave him, he is rapt." "There is no sin for him in this world." "But I know Devran." "Our mothers shared the same breast." " Peace be upon you, too." " And peace be upon you." "Do you know how our order runs, where our soup comes from?" "How we can give so many children Koran courses and keep the students in the dormitories?" "Most of them are orphans or from poor families." "For centuries, devout people have left property to the order." "We have not only high expenses but a high income too, praise be to Allah." "And that needs administration." "It is not wise for the learned to deal with such worldly affairs." "Upon careful evaluation, we have concluded that you would be the best oerson." "If you accept, you will be showing your loyalty to the order and serving Allah." "What do you say?" "I don't know if I can do it, my noble Master." "I don't want to disappoint you." "One can accomplish anything with Allah's help." "The task is difficult because it is worldly." "But it is easy for a man with a good heart." "You will collect our rents." "If repairs are needed you will have them done." "That's all." "Now, you go home and have a good sleep." "Entrust yourself to Allah and to the order." "Everything will be fine." "Do not forget." "Allah is all-seeing, He is all-hearing." "Whatever you say, my Sheikh." "May God be with you." " Have a nice evening." " Have a nice evening." "In the name of Allah, the Merciful." "In the name of Allah, the Merciful." "May peace be upon you." "May peace be upon you, my noble Master." "Why do you make my poor soul happy with your visit?" "Isn't Master Muharrem in?" "We wanted to visit you and Muharrem." "How are you, my son?" "I pray for you, my noble Master." "I wanted to go to the Fatih Mosque for my Friday prayers." "So I thought I should visit our Muharrem." "It's an honour, my noble Master." "The earth you tread is blessed." "God willing." "But enough talking." "Let us not miss the prayer." "What's up, Brother Muharrem?" "No idea." "He's come to ask how we are." " We're going to the Friday prayer." " May your prayers be heard." "Come closer." "Don't lag behind." "Permit me to kiss your blessed hand, noble Master." "My son, I want you to do me a favour." "Whatever you say, my noble Master." "You will give this brother of ours every afternoon off." "It is up to you to cut his salary or not." "But let him go after the noon prayer." "He will do Allah's work, take my word for it." "Peace be upon you." "Get me a coffee, Muharrem." "I mean..." "Master Muharrem." "My God, forgive me!" "Is it a sin now if I send you for coffee?" "Please, Mr. Ali." "I owe so much to you." "Hello, Fuat?" "How are you?" "Thank you." "I wish you a blessed Friday." "Listen, you know our Muharrem, my apprentice." "Yes, that's him." "The poor man has got old, he can't work like he used to." "I want to hire a new apprentice." "Do you know of any man from an honest family?" "There's no froth on it." "May all God's blessings be upon you." " Here you are." " May God be with you." "Enjoy it, my brother." "You aren't having coffee?" " Never have." " Why?" "My mother used to say, if children drink coffee they turn black as moors." "Since then I haven't touched coffee." "You're a funny one, Muharrem!" "Now you listen to me." "Move to the seminary." "It's much better than living all alone." "Lock uo your house and come to us." "If it doesn't work, you can come back here." "What can I say, Brother Rauf?" "I've lived here all my life." "I don't know." "I can't take all these pictures with me." "But I can'tjust leave them here, either." "I have always worked hard for a crust of bread." " I really don't know." " I know it's a difficult decision." "If I move to the seminary, I can do this work, right, Brother Rauf?" "God willing." "I'm trembling, I'm so scared of failing and disappointing my Sheikh." "It's so difficult." "I've been leading a simple life." "It's so difficult." "Listen." "Once upon a time there was a lion whose fame spread far and wide." "Many people undertook the arduous journey to see the lion." "But once they beheld the lion, they were rooted to the soot." "The wise men said to these people:" ""You have travelled from afar for love of this lion." "But the lion will harm no one who is brave and touches him with love." "So why do you hesitate, now you're so close?" "Dare to step forward!"" "When no one dared to take the first step, the wise men said:" ""The steps of a long journey are easy." "The only difficult step is the one in the face of the lion." "It is not granted unto many."" " Brother Rauf, let me take that." " It's all right." "Let's go, let's give them a hand." "I wonder who stayed here..." "Who?" "Which murids, which dervishes?" "Their spirits are still here." "I left my mother and father's spirits back home." "Now I live here with the spirits of the dervishes." "My God, help me to deserve their trust in me." "Don't let me down." "My God, do not let me disappoint them." "Help me, my God, my beloved Allah." "Protect me." "My God, praise be to You." "Have mercy upon me, my God." "Amen." "Right, Muhittin, your boss after me is Brother Muharrem." "You do what he says." " Do you get it?" " Yes." "If I get back late, you can just leave, Muharrem." "Anyway, the boy is here." "And make him get his hair cut." "All right, Mr. Ali." "Right, let's go to the store room, Muhittin." "Sit down." "Do you smoke?" "Yes." "Listen, don't smoke in the store room." "God protect us, there are sacks everywhere." "If they catch fire, the whole building could burn down." "Coming late is out of the question." "Don't shirk the cleaning." "The rest is easy." "Do you get it?" "I get it, brother." "Now, your hair." "We'll have to get it cut." "The customers, the neighbours..." "It is not appropriate." "All right, brother." "Right, now you start cleaning the too floor." "Hold on!" "First get a tea for your master." "You can smoke outdoors, young man." "Go ahead." "Sit down Muhittin." "I'm late." "Muhittin, it's not only you who is starting work today." "I'm starting an important task today, too, in the name of God." "May God keep us from shame." "You're in charge of the shop now." "You can have my tea." "We have 43 flats 35 shops and 7 storage spaces across Istanbul." "You just collect the rents when they're due." "Here are the addresses." "Then you give the money to me at the seminary." "What's so difficult about that?" "Why don't you do it yourself then, Brother Rauf?" "You are the one chosen by the noble Master." "May peace be upon you." "Where is Bank Street?" "It's right behind this one." " May God be with you." " May God be with you, too." "I am here for the rent." " Mr. Muharrem?" " Yes." " The ceiling's still not fixed." " What's wrong?" "Take a look for yourself." "Brother Ünal." "We're collecting for the victims of the Kosovo war." "Any donations are welcome." "We are in a war, too." "Ours is a fight for bread." "Praise be to Allah." "Peace be upon you, Brother Muharrem." "Peace be upon you, Brother Rauf." "Here you are." " May it serve the greater good." " Amen." "Praise be to You, Allah." "Allah is the Living One" "Allah is the Living One" "Oh proud messenger" "There is no god except Allah!" "Oh, Muhammad, the Chosen One" "May God's peace and blessings be upon You" "You, the light of the family of the righteous" "Oh radiant Fatima" "Oh Ali, the blissful one," "Sublime face of Allah" "Oh sons of Fatima" "Oh Hasan, the elect" "Oh enlightened lover of God" "Oh Huseyin of Karbala" "Oh martyrs of the messenger" "Revered successors to the messenger" "God is!" "Oh Jilani, our Sheikh," "Abd-ul Qadir Jilani!" "Sit down, sit down." "Brother Muharrem, come with me to the Sheikh's chambers." "We must look at the accounts." "Sit down, sit down." "May God be with you, my son Muharrem." "I had a quick look at the accounts, we need to correct some mistakes." "You had some repair work done." "You should have called workers who belong to our order." "All property belongs to Allah and is only entrusted to us." "Any work on this property amounts to serving God." "So let us help our brothers to do good and help our order to progress." "This is yours." "If you are in doubt about something, call Rauf." "He is more experienced than you and knows all the beneficiaries." "Thank you." "I..." "I want to do the best I can." "May he who doubts you burn in hell." "Don't worry." "No need to be grateful." "It is not mine, it is His." "Every thing, every substance, every attribute belongs to Him." "Every deed we do for Him." "That is not all we entrust you with." "Go ahead, give him the other entrustments." "Come here, Master Muharrem." "Now..." "Take this watch." "It is for you to see the time." "Don't worry, it's always accurate." "Made by heathens!" "Here..." "This pen is one of the very best." "And these prayer beads are obsidian." "But even my Sheikh doesn't touch any of these." "I'm not worthy of them!" "Are his symbols of wealth the same as yours, Master Muharrem?" "You must reflect his wisdom and the wealth and blessing of our brotherhood." "Remember the poet's words:" ""Look at my garden, and you can see my spring."" "All worldly goods are transient." "Only wisdom is permanent." "May Allah grant it upon us." "Your cell is small." "But you'll find space for it all." "Right, let's go." "Come on, Master Muharrem." "Look, this is entrusted to you too." "Mahmut will drive it but it's yours." "Whenever Master Muharrem calls you you will pick him up and do what he says, is that clear?" "You will be at Master Muharrem's disposal all day except prayer times." "His word is your command!" "Understand?" "Allah is almighty." "Go now and have a good sleep." "Good night." "We know that these things entrusted upon you will not distract you and you will use them for good deeds, not your own pleasures." "God is with you." "May you do well." "Lord, forgive me my sins!" "Lord, forgive me my sins!" "Lord, forgive me my sins!" " May God be with you." " May God be with you, too." "Muhittin!" "Why didn't you say something?" "Get me a tea!" "And one for yourself." "Back already?" "Put it down over there." "Put what down?" "Mr. Ali!" "I thought it was Muhittin." "He's out getting me a tea." "Muhittin, go and pay the electricity bill." "I have to pay the bills for the Foundation this afternoon." "I'll do it." "Muharrem, you look like a real gentleman now." "I meant Master Muharrem." "Don't bother, the boy can do it." "But please, Mr. Ali!" "That's my job." "Good gracious!" "KOSOVO" "KOSOVO LIBERATION ARMY" "Come in." "May God be with you." "How is everything going?" "Praise be to Allah, my noble Master." "Yesterday evening I discussed the sacred Hadith with some students." "Their level is quite good." "How is their Arabic?" " Most of them are good students." " They should all be good." "The boy from Trabzon has a beautiful voice." " He should learn the Koran by heart." " As you wish, my Master." "How is Master Muharrem?" "Is he settling in?" "Yes, my noble Master." "He really doesn't care for worldly possessions." " May God keep him on the straight oath." " All of us." "Come here, my daughter." "He is not a stranger." "It's Brother Rauf." "It's time for your medicine, father." "Rauf, do you want some?" "Delicious sherbet." "Bring another glass of sherbet for our Brother Rauf, my daughter." "Master Muharrem is all alone, and getting older." "It is high time we got him a wife." "Do you have someone in mind?" "You know my second daughter." "I am pleased with her." "If Master Muharrem agrees, I too will agree." "Because marriage is halal in Islam." "Why?" "To satisfy the bodily needs, without sin." "I will find out what he thinks, my noble Master." "He will be grateful for your confidence in him." "But do not mention her name." "Let us not show the devil the way if he is not willing." "You are very fond of Master Muharrem, my Sheikh." "We love not only those from our brotherhood who chant Allah's names in our midst but everybody who shows a smiling face to beggars such as me, in this mortal world." "But some have a different place in our heart." "Master Muharrem is one of those men." " Anything else, Master Muharrem?" " No." "May God be with you." "The banks do all this automatically now." " It is more reliable like this." " That's true." " I'll be going now then." " All right." " Don't forget to pray for us." " May God be with you." "Have a nice day." "They claim to be Muslims, and they jump the queue." "They get to oull strings." "Peace be upon you..." "Yeah, all right, all right." "Everything's fine at the electricity administration, and the water, too." "Just one more rent to collect, before I come back." "All right." "Peace be upon you." " May peace be upon you." " Cheers, man." " Peace be upon you." " Thank you, brother." "May peace be upon you." "My pious friend, the authorities came again the other day." "They say this olace is not registered orooerly." "We'll take care of it." "He was drinking in the afternoon." "What shall we do?" "Nothing." "May God show him the right path." "May God forgive him." "Amen." "Amen." "But he was drinking." "That makes his money..." "He pays his rent on time." "If he drinks, it's his sin." "May God forgive him." "If we oay the electricity and gas bills into an account the bank pays them automatically." "We can't do that." "The banks make interest." "They deposit the money we oay for electricity a day later and make an imoure orofit through interest." "We can't do that." "Then I'd rather line up in the queue, otherwise it's not fair to the others." "We should respect our fellow creatures." "We can't do that, either." "Your time is valuable." "You are using your time for God, not for your own self." "Look how many people eat and drink here." "So many are taught by our scholars so many go out into the world and open new foundations." "How do you think we make it possible?" "We must make thrive what has been entrusted to us." "This is not just any task, Muharrem." "It is a religious duty." "Do you understand?" "But I didn't say anything." "That's why every minute of your day is as valuable as gold." "That's how you should feel." "You mustn't get tired." "You mustn't waste your time." "Every single minute you save you can use to serve God." "Do you understand?" "But that man was drinking alcohol." "All right, Brother Muharrem." "You tell him to find another olace for himself next month." "OK?" "Stop preening." "Come over here." " You're here?" " I am always here." "Have a drink." "I don't drink alcohol." "In the name of Allah, the Merciful, the Compassionate." "Lord, forgive me my sins!" "Why always this girl?" "Forgive me, my Lord." "Peace be upon you, Brother Rauf." "Peace be uoon you, too, Brother Muharrem." " Just doing my ablution." " I couldn't sleep either." "My Sheikh says it's high time we got Master Muharrem a wife." "Get married?" "I closed that book long ago, Brother Rauf." "I am here to bow down before God, not to get married." "They will come back to us." "Peace be upon you." "Please..." "Master Muharrem, what an honour." "May God be with you, Mr. Esref, my brother." " Is the Mayor in his office?" " Certainly, sir." "Mayor, Master Muharrem is here." "Öztuna Sacks, how can I help you?" "Mr. Muharrem is only here in the mornings, sir." "I can't give you his mobile number." "You'd better call tomorrow." "He leaves around noon." "May God be with you." " May God bless your business." " May peace be upon you, too." "Is Mr. Muharrem not in?" "He is only here in the mornings." "I'll drop in again tomorrow." "He'll be in then." "Can I give him a message?" "He doesn't know me." "I've got a building site across the road." " All right, I'll droo in some" " Other day." " As you like." " May you do well." " God bless you." " You sell sacks, don't you?" " Yes, sacks." " May you do well." " Öztuna Sacks?" "Mr. Muharrem isn't in." "Can I take a message?" "Thanks, to you, too." "Now I'm that idiot's secretary." "FOR RENT" "Peace be upon you." "May peace be upon you, too." "Hayriye..." "You have to rest." "It's up to you Master Muharrem." "My husband is ill." "The children have started school and I am still breastfeeding this one." "I can't work as a cleaner any more." "We've got nothing left." "You decide, Master Muharrem." "Get well soon." "I'll come back some other time." "I've worked out the rent increases due next month." "How much have you added?" "Well, with inflation, the consumer price index and so on it boils down to 15%" "If you think that's reasonable." "As long as everyone can pay." "Everyone can pay?" "Those who can pay, pay." "Those who can't, have to leave." "I was at Mrs. Hayriye's house today, number 25 further up the block." "Her husband is dying, and they have three kids." "Didn't she pay the rent?" "She paid it." "But she won't be able to next month." "Especially with the rent increase." "Can't she pay it?" "My noble Master, they are in a really bad way." "The man is sick, his wife unemployed, three kids." "And they are devout people." "There have always been rich people and poor people." "But today many are poor who don't deserve it." "Hunger and poverty scourge the earth." "Our religion takes care of the poor, Muharrem." "Your enlightened heart is well aware of it." "That is your glory." "If we don't need her rent, don't take it." "But if we have to send a student away because of that you must choose him." "I won't take that sin uoon myself." "God has given you this responsibility." "That enlightened heart of yours will make the best decision." "Know that this is the very reason why you were chosen for this mission." "Yes, perhaps compromising on the rents is wrong, Master." "But can't we collect alms from our community and give them to the family?" "It is not right to interfere with charity." "If word spreads that we divert aims to this family to retrieve our rent our community may be harmed." "These are highly delicate issues, Muharrem, beware!" "You're right, my dearest noble Master." "These are highly delicate issues." "Sometimes I get confused." "Believe me, my noble Master these worldly tasks are very difficult." "It is difficult to deal with the public." "You are neither the first nor the last to experience this." "You keep your heart open and leave the rest to God." "Come here, Master Muharrem." "Come, take a seat." "We'll work out the new rents one by one." "First you throw a man out who pays, because he drinks." "Then you let a poor family off the rent because they're devout." " You're going to have to deal with this." " But..." "What brings you here at this time, Brother Muharrem?" "Whether it's good or evil I cannot say." "I came to see my Sheikh." "What happened?" " I had a dream, Brother Rauf." " May it be good." "In fact, I often dream, but this one was different." "I want to bow before my Sheikh and ask for his word." "My noble Master entered seclusion this morning." " He entered seclusion?" " Yes." "And he'll be there for 4O days?" "What shall I do now?" "You must keep your dream a secret." "You must whisper it into my Sheikh's ear when he comes out of seclusion." " Then he'll interpret it all for you." " But 4O days!" "He who has made you dream wants you to keep it secret for 4O days." "If only you'd asked for advice from my Sheikh before the morning orayer." "If only I had." "Brother Muharrem!" "Don't you fetch Mr. Ali's coffee anymore?" "Mind your own business." "And greet me properly!" "May peace be upon you!" " Upon you, too." " Make the coffee for Mr. Ali." "The rest is not your business." "Do your own work." " All right." " And get that grin off your face." " Help me, Lord." " Peace be upon you." "Upon you, too." " Mr. Muharrem?" " Yes, take a seat." "I come from across the road." "We're building there, I'm a contractor." "My name is Erol." "You're welcome." "How can I help you?" "I want to buy some sacks." "How many would you like?" "About 5OO kilograms." "And the price?" "Nine..." "Nine billion." "Do you mind if I pay in dollars?" "No, no." "Why would I mind?" "It's a great honour to meet you, Master Muharrem." "Please don't say so." "Really." "That sack business is just an excuse." "I wanted to meet you and discuss religious matters." "You mean you don't need sacks?" "No, no." "I do need sacks." "But they were a good excuse." "An excuse." "Well, we'll talk another time, Master Muharrem." "Can you send the bill to this address, please?" "As God wills, of course." "I don't want to take up any more of your time." " May peace be upon you." " Peace be upon you, too." "My God, how could I have done something so damn stupid?" "What am I going to do now?" " Where have you been, my boy?" " At the bank, brother." "I know that." "Why did it take you so long?" "But it takes time with that long queue..." "Especially on Fridays." "Especially on Fridays?" "Friday?" "Customers are coming, asking for prices, and you're not here." "Why do I have to deal with them, boy?" " Brother..." " Shut uo, don't answer back." "Get back to work." "Almighty God!" "Have mercy upon us." "Lord, forgive me my sins." "God, don't let me lose my mind." "Peace be upon you, Muharrem." "May peace be upon you, too, Mr. Ali." "Everything's fine as usual." "A customer came from across the road." " He wanted 5OO kilos of sacks." " So?" " He also needs an invoice for nine billion." " What?" "I asked for seven billion for the sacks." "It's a bit too much, I must have calculated it wrong, I'm tired." "Fine, fine." "But Mr. Ali, it's too much." "Don't exaggerate Muharrem." "This is business." "Even the Koran says we should make the most of our opportunities." "Besides, I give alms regularly." "My profit is halal and I'm entitled to it." "I have to get rid of this filth." "Keep a grip on your mind, Muharrem." "Anything the matter, Muharrem?" "That man from across the road paid the seven billion in dollars." "Here it is." "Wow!" "Cash in advance." "Well done, Muharrem." "Good for you!" "Your work for the Foundation isn't just good for your heart but also your mind." "My God!" "Now this..." "At least I got rid of seven out of the nine billion." "Now I've got two left." "Two..." "Two left..." "Hello my pious friend!" " Is something the matter?" " No, nothing, brother." "Nothing." "I have told so many lies, one after the other." "I have deceived so many people." "Still everyone seems to be pleased." "What have I done?" "How could I do it?" "I need to keep calm." "I need to keep calm." "God gave me a mind." "He'll have to save me." "What shall I do with this two billion now?" "I can't out it in my account." "If someone finds out, they'll think it's the order's money." "I can't take it back with me." "It's impure." "Patience." "Patience is everything." "What if I take all the wrongdoing upon me?" "If he could just utter a word..." "Impossible." "Impossible." "Just go and open his door." "I'm not forbidding you, brother." "You just can't go in." "But go ahead and give it a try." "I WAS ALONE I THOUGHT OF YOU" "I THOUGHT OF YOU I AM ALONE" "My God, who creates pearls out of raindrops accept my tears, too." "Good morning, brother." "Morning." "First give God's greetings, you sinner." "Peace be upon you." " Upon you, too." "Where have you been?" "I've been very busy this morning, brother." "I delivered the sacks for that man from across the road and sent off the invoice." "All right, all right." "Don't overdo it." "What's this I heard from Mr. Ali this morning?" "Nothing important." "We were just collecting for the people in the war back home." "And what's the good of that?" "What do you mean?" "It's my country." "Don't make me angry." "This is your country, and your flag is the Turkish flag!" "But you haven't been in the war." "No." "But do you know how many nights I prayed so that you'd be freed from the claws of the heathens?" " Prayers don't helo." " Shut up, that's blasphemy." "You have to pray, for peace for the dead and recovery for the sick." "You have to pray to Him, to God." "Everything is from Him:" "Good as well as bad." "Tiny children died, brother." "I can still hear the screams of the women." "And they all begged God for mercy." "They made us wash our faces with our own blood." " Where was God then?" " Stop that!" "Don't sin." "Don't tempt me." "Stop all that or I'll kill you." "We gave you a place to live, a job, food." "And you still dare to..." "Shut up or I'll kill you." "Shut up!" "It's not enough to thank God for his teaching and the way." "You have to thank the Creator when He doesn't show you the way." "Come." "Come and sit down." "You're all confused now." "But oull yourself together." "I know you feel like going mad." "The only good thing about sin is the chance to repent." "Repent." "Repent." "Don't think I'm stupid." "Stop asking questions that have no answers." "Just forget it." "Don't worry about it." "I used to think it was enough to know the end:" "Death." "What about after death?" "I thought it was enough to know that." "I thought the fear of God would out me in order." "I just wanted to be a good person, Muhittin." "I just wanted to be a good person." "God is everywhere." "God is everywhere." "You have to do what He wants, and not do what He doesn't want." "Then you're a good person in this world and will find peace in the other world." "But it doesn't work." "It's not possible." "There is always the devil." "Maybe what we call the devil is mankind itself." "Are you saving money?" "A little bit." "Good for you, good for you." "I wish I could send it to my mother and my father." "Why don't you send it?" "I have to change it into dollars." "In my country they only accept dollars." "Then get it changed." "Where?" "The tea-boy said you know these things." "I know nothing about dollars." "That tea-boy talks rubbish." "I try not to even touch it if I don't have to." "Peace be upon you, Master Muharrem." "May peace be upon you, too." "Please sit down." " I sent the boy with the goods." " That's not why we are here." "These friends are also contractors." "They have a lot of debris, and they need sacks." "What sacks?" "Master Muharrem, I bought some from you yesterday." " Like the last time, 5OO kilos?" " Yeah, yeah." "Are you all right, my friend?" "I am fine, by the grace of God, I am fine." "His grace is all that matters." "As I told you yesterday, buying sacks is just an excuse." "What matters is your reputation, isn't that right, Orhan?" "Yes, sir." "Everyone is talking about you." "Get 5OO kilos each for Orhan and me." " Do we have that many?" " Of course we do." "The same price, is that right?" "Are you sure, my boy?" " Muhittin?" " Of course, we've got olenty." "Weigh them then." "Could I say we got the calculations wrong?" "But I already let Mr. Ali pocket that seven billion." "I can't do the same thing twice." ""Be patient," Rauf said." "I wish I had been patient and hadn't given the money to Mr. Ali." "There's no going back now." "I'll have to sell again, and again." "Alms, for God's mercy." " What are you doing here?" " Pardon?" "I'll show you pardon!" "I am a murid from this order, and the watchdog at this door." " Who are you?" " Don't you recognize me, Master Muharrem?" "I am the Sheikh's daughter." "This is a humble soul caught at the threshold of enlightenment." "These things happen at times." "Master Muharrem came here to us as a gift from Allah." "As you know, this was revealed to me in a dream a few months ago." "Look at this gift from God!" "I told him:" "I have a pretty daughter, I want to give her to you as a wife." "But he said: "No." "I have renounced such things." "I don't want to marry, I want to serve this house."" "The journey to Allah is the first stage on the mystical path." "The second is the journey within God travelling in the names and the attributes of God." "Once the ascent is completed, the descent begins." "The way back to the heavens is called the journey from Allah." "The next descent is the journey to the world of substances." "The lost consciousness of substances is regained but the knowledge of truth is retained." "One descends again to the level of the creatures, and calls them to the Sublime." "That is how one becomes a spiritual guide." "Completion of these four stages of the journey is equivalent to a spiritual ascension." "But the descent is not always easy." "And at times..." "Many signs have come to pass, and the time is nigh." "Halal has turned haraam, and haraam has turned halal." "We are racing against ourselves, my dear, and shall either take life to the dead stars or let death descend upon our world." "Nazim Hikmet Ran"