Islams Reformers

always with forgivingness,” and he would be a little well-behaved
in his writings. Those who made Islamic caliphs lead a dungeon
life and who usurped their rights of caliphate from them after
’Abbâsids were shameless enough to call themselves “Sultân al-
Haramain” in khutba. When Sultan Yavuz Selim Khan conquered
Egypt and rescued the caliphate from slavery in 923 A.H. (1517),
he silenced the orator who also called him “Sultân al-Haramain”
in khutba customarily, and said, “For me, there cannot be a
greater honour than being a slave of those blessed places. Call me
Khâdim al-Haramain!” It is written in history books. It may be
understood now whether the Egyptians or the Ottomans froze
Islamic morals. During the reign of (the Ottoman empire) Sultan
Abdulhamîd Khan II, a secretarial position in the royal palace was
reserved to be awarded annually to the best of the graduates in
Political Sciences. The Sultan had established this to encourage
youngsters to work and study. Es’ad Bey, who was assigned as a
clerk, says in his book Hâtirât-i Abdulhamîd Khân Thânî, “At a
midnight I enciphered a message and took it to the Sultan’s room
for his signature. I knocked at the door. It was not opened. I
knocked once again. It was not opened this time, either. I was
about to give it a third try, when the door was opened and there
was the Sultan, drying his face with a towel. ‘My son,’ he said. ‘I’m
sorry for keeping you waiting! I was up with your first knocking. I
knew you were here for an important signature, at this time of
night. Yet I did not have an ablution. I have never signed a paper
concerning my nation’s matters without an ablution. I am late
because I was making an ablution. Now read it for me please.’
After I read it, he said the Basmala [1] and then signed it, adding,
‘Inshâ-Allah, let’s hope for the best.’ ” The Ottoman Sultans were
that much attached and that much respectful to Islam. Eyyub
Sabri Pasha says in his book Mir’ât al-Haram-Ain, “Sultan
Abdulmejid Khan, upon learning that Mustafa Reshid Pasha was
a freemason and had chosen a path not compatible with Islam,
became ill with anxiety and sorrow. He could not sit on the bed;
he always lay. Only important papers were being read to him in
order to take the imperial rescript. About a paper which had been
awaiting its turn, he was said, ‘An application of the inhabitants of
[1] Bism-Illâh-ir-Rahmân-ir-Rahîm. (In the name of Allah, the Most
Merciful and the Most Compassionate.)
– 277 –