In the Education of Tasawwuf Nafs Tawhid and Zat

“When Fahri (qs), one of our Shaykh’s faqirs (derwishes) and the one capable of carrying the amanah (…) wished to come to us, he was in a place from where it would be difficult to come. He wished to know the right ways of tariqa and the secrets of marifa (knowledge of Him, given by Him) that had reached into my heart. Since I was far away from him, his questions motivated me to write this epistle. As my faults are plenty, I said Allah is powerfull enough to guide me in the rigt way. We belong to Allah an to Him we shall return.”

The book in your hands is a translation of the Risale-i Rushdiyye, an epistle in Arabic by Mehmed Nasuhi al-Khalwati al-Uskudari about the subtleties of seyr u sulook, the journey to Allah. In this epistle, Nasuhi Effendi answers the questions of his dervish Fahreddin Effendi of Beşiktaş regarding the Tasawwuf concepts of nafs (the self), tawhid (the Oneness of Allah) and zat (the Divine Essence) which many people find difficult to grasp.

Whit this translation, it is our humble hope that this epistle will reach out to many more dervishes like Fahri Effendi who are seeking true guidance on the path, and thus bring the teachings of Hazrat Nasuhi, themselves transcendent of time and place, to hearts ready to recieve them…