During a visit to Vienna, Ayberk Efendi and Sheikh Abdulhayy Efendi met with members of the Royal Ottoman Society for an informal sohbet in Turkish. They invited listeners to pause before doubt or complaint takes hold, for the decree of Allah lies beyond human interrogation: Cenab-ı Hakk’ın hikmetinden sual olunmaz.
The Unquestionable Wisdom of the Divine
The sohbet began with how quickly we grow restless when life brings unexpected challenges. When something seems inexplicable, the mind rushes to “why?” and often slips into frustration. Ayberk Efendi warned that questioning the Creator’s plan stirs inner turbulence and pulls us away from the serenity of trusting God. Every circumstance, pleasant or painful, is part of a larger design that our limited perception cannot fully grasp.
Many Paths of Destiny
The speakers described destiny not as a single fixed line but as many directions. Traditional teachings speak of six primary directions, and within each lie countless paths, so that every turn we take brings its own “kader.” Because we cannot see all possibilities at once, patience and reliance on the guidance sent through prophets, saints and sacred texts become essential.
Turning Sorrow into Joy
One illustration came from the story of Adam (a.s.), who endured forty years of sorrow before a single year of happiness arrived. Grief, the teachers said, is not an end but can become a gateway to bliss if we learn to transform it: when sadness turns into gratitude, that itself becomes joy.
Compassion over Complaint
The sohbet also touched on illness, loss and perceived injustice, and how quickly these feed rebellion against the divine will. Recalling Abu Bakr Siddiq’s ten-year toothache and his humble prayer for relief, the teachers showed that sincere supplication is far better than bitter complaint. They encouraged believers to seek inner calm, to forgive even those who have hurt them, and to recognise that every soul carries hidden blessings.
In closing, Ayberk Efendi stressed that this was not a formal lesson but a conversation for hearts ready to listen: “We do not claim the status of teachers; we simply share what the Spirit whispers.”
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