“Yes, I confess that I was feverishly engaged in writing out rough drafts of the works my Master disseminated in serving the Qur’an, when the post of imam in a mosque in our quarter became available. With the intention of dressing once again in my former robe and wearing the turban, I temporarily neglected my service and avoided doing it. I received a compassionate slap contrary to my intentions. Although for eight or nine months I acted as imam, extraordinarily I was unable to wear the turban, despite the repeated promises of the Mufti. I have no doubt that this compassionate slap was the result of my error. I was both someone addressed by my Master, and was his scribe of rough drafts. He suffered difficulties due to my neglect. In any event... Still, thanks be to God, we realized my error and understood just how sacred this service is. We were confident that we had behind us a Master like a protecting angel, like Shah Geylani.
“The weakest of God’s servants,
“Hâfız Halid”
THE FOURTEENTH
This consists of the three small slaps the three Mustafa’s received.
The First: For eight years Mustafa Çavuş (May God grant him mercy) attended to our small private mosque, and saw to its stove, paraffin, and even the matches. I learnt later that for the eight years he provided for the paraffin and matches out of his own pocket. On the night before Friday in particular he would join the congregation as long as there was no other essential matter to attend to. Then, taking advantage of his ingenuousness, ‘the worldly’ said to him: “They are going to interfere in Hâfız’s – one of the scribes of the Words – wearing a turban. He should also temporarily stop making the call to prayer secretly. You tell the scribe to take off his turban before they remove it by force.” They did not know that it was extremely difficult for someone with a lofty spirit like Mustafa Çavuş to tell someone else employed in service of the Qur’an to remove his turban. But he told him what they had said.
That night I dreamt that Mustafa Çavuş came to my room with dirty hands behind the Kaymakam. I asked him the following day: “Mustafa Çavuş, who did you see today? I dreamt of you with dirty hands behind the Kaymakam.” He replied: “Alas! The village headman told me to ‘tell the scribe.’ I didn’t know what was behind it.”
Also, that same day he brought almost an okka1 of paraffin to the mosque. In a way he had never done before, he left the door open and a
An okka was the equivalent of 2.9 lbs. (Tr.)