A saint, a blessed person was to visit our lands, as it was told. The people were curious. They said he was a great person, the greatest one… He showed miracles and ascended to the skies. I’ve never seen anything like this. The people were in a hurry to show respect, but this person did not like attention; He wanted to be treated like an ordinary person. Our place doesn’t have much pomp anyway, it’s just a common border town. Though our trees are beautiful, the air is good-natured. Our animals are well-behaved. Our people have good manners…
I like here the most in spring. At that time, it was spring months, I was wondering how the visiting saint would honor us. What can I say, I had never seen such a thing as going up to the sky. So I didn’t know what to say. After all, we are clerks, we are people of good knowledge. He has ascended to the skies and been in different places at the same time… Are we to believe because we heard a few words? Our religion is already miraculous with its beautiful language and good morals. I would believe it if the saint flew in front of me, but I didn’t know if there would be a person flying.
I swore, I said I will ask all, flying, disappearing… They told a lot of stories. For example, he walked on water while fighting witches. Let’s say there is a witch, what about walking on water? Thanks for expelling the witches, but walking on water is inconceivable. They say that he prayed over the lake on Mount Kaf. I did not understand how he made the prayer rug unsinkable when it was placed in the water. What about the squirt of water from the stone? It is rumored that he brought water out of nowhere for people who were broken by thirst, said to be, I repent, “estağfurullah.” The people believed, and I wanted to believe. We believe in miracles, of course, but believing in fake ones is a sin. Isn’t it possible to be in different places at the same time? They call it alem-i amr. A dedicated, well-rounded holy man… I said we will ask for the account of all of them.
I was viewing these news as “the people make it up when they don’t hear it”. Just “a few words” would get them going, see if there is any ground for these blessed ones! What can I say, when everyone started to stress out, I came to believe it was a blessed person too. Still, I wasn’t going to believe his immortallity, I wouldn’t believe it even if I saw it. Even His Holiness the Prophet had died. He did so, he did so, but undying is only Allah.
I was not fooled by every word, but I hoped for some. I was going to ask what I had already heard, how did you walk, how did you fly, how did you do it. Then I asked when he will come, no one knows. Isn’t there a ceremony, a procession? Nothing was being done for him. I said we’ll see. A few weeks later, I heard some conversations on my way from home to work in the morning. “Such a great person, such a great person.” I said here’s our guy. First I went to work, I said I’d go to the tekke after work. It’s not running away, after all, non-spatial and immortal he is…
Located high up on the side of town towards the slopes, the monastery was generally quiet. Now there was only a small amount of sound coming from inside. The notables of the town were curious and wanted to see this guest. But they have also warned some of them so that they do not crowd, because our passengers are tired of the road. I made a move too, but when I was told that there would be a chat the next day, I made my way back home. I was still in an attitude of contempt, I said it has so many miracles but it’s getting tired of the way; he can’t talk to more than one person at the same time, amazing!
Anyway, the next day it was time to chat. Not because I’m from the notables of the town, but maybe they called me to find healing. Did I mention I’m one of the weirdos in town? By God, people were weird to me, and I was weird to them as well. I can’t apologize for being myself. They called me because the great person would be helpful. We went and said hello and sat down. A man like you-me, his outfit-appearance is ordinary. If I saw it on the street, I wouldn’t say immortal.
It’s no different, at first it was strange, but then I got used to it. He began the conversation by describing who he was and what he did. “I am a traveler, my ancestors were also travelers. Who has stayed in the world anyway! Others call me a saint. Some say fugitive, nomad, but I do not accept it; not because from the evil of the name, one cannot escape from oneself, . Everywhere I go I am alone with myself…”
It caught my attention, as it continued I got more and more curious. The more he continued, the more I didn’t know anymore. “When I am with myself, there are others. There are trees and animals. I talk to them. That’s why they call me crazy because I talk to the things that are there, and I will not accept this as well, not because of the bad name, but because it is unfair to those who are really crazy.”
“What a wealth it is to mind your own business and not to listen to words. We have crazy friends who are similar to trees in this regard. Their souls are with Allah, I envy them the most, I tend not to be in one place the most; That’s why I can’t stay in one place. I’m on the road right now, not because the journey isn’t over, but to be nowhere”
“It is true, my name goes first, my travels are told in places I have not been, but my name and what I do are not important. ‘Cause I’m only temporary I’ll pass, that’s all my secret,” he said. I was utterly curious. You can’t interrupt and ask questions in the monastery, so we wait. He stops, looks, and then continues. No one is interrupting.
“They say sheriff, sayyid, server, Hızır, mujahid, gazi, dervish, alp, eren, blessed, saint, greatest of the grandest, my name is passer, I myself am temporary. I have no other ability than that.” I forgot “the few words I heard” and tried to surrender myself. Because there was a different person here than what the people were talking about. When you become a human, you look at his body and you see mortality, no matter how strong he is, he will die. No body, no one has stood the test of time. This traveler “didn’t exist” to be harmed! It was as if he had been stripped of his being mortal. He had become nothing and shocked me.
The square room, which is right across from the monastery, had higher ceilings than the other rooms. I felt like voices were rising to the sky. I don’t know why, I looked at the ceiling and then at the saint. It wasn’t the ceiling, what I wanted to see was where those words came from.
I understood the words about being immortal when he said, “As you can see, I am an Adam, if I am different, It’s to accept that I am nothing, to see that there is no other way but death.” Being nothing is a level above being immortal. This venerable was beyond immortality!
“Everything is temporary,” he said. “Is there anyone who hasn’t passed? Everything passes, this world was created to pass”, and I understood how he prayed on the lake. What a wise thing to wait, to give time. He didn’t say that, but I thought in that nothingness. He really stood on the sea, but he must have waited for the sea to recede. With this humility, this closeness to the truth, there was no sea that would not dry up!
“No one came so that no one can go,” he said. He continued without interrupting. “Who came to the world himself and will go himself? There is no death, because there is no dying.” It’s that easy to get to the sky. How should I know. I’ve been ignorant all my life, I’ve been holding back from getting wings.
“Man fights with himself the most, and most of all, he should be prepared for it.” said. At that moment, my delusions came to my mind. What have I thought of and what have I done for myself in a lifetime. As saint continues, “who is the other is the second issue when you know who you are” This must be fighting witches, this is what it means to destroy the enemy. My enemies were gone. How relieved I was at that moment.
“The sign of man is his speech, his speech is remembered. He who opens his mouth should also open his mind and should not speak unless it is necessary. For, unnecessary speaker becomes unnecessary, he must do what is necessary.” It was impossible not to admire the saints speech. What a word, I am addicted to this vague character. A few words were enough to destroy the past. A few words, a few words!
He fell silent after this statement. We also left the room even though there was no command. In short, it would be acceptable because we understood. It wasn’t short but it seemed short to us. Who can settle on going up to the skies? To listen eternity from an immortal, to be everything as nothing. It was such a strange day. Then I never saw the the saint again. But he was always in my mind, so I always started seeing through never seeing.
When I asked my friends and the monastery where he was, they just kept silent. Then they said no. No… it had to be, what a strange thing to change. I changed with a few words. The words spoken in public were not the way they intended, but there was an even more strange situation. How should I know, to disappear is to exist. How should I know that an ordinary mortal is a great one.
From time to time, the folk began to talk about the passing of the saint. I tried to explain it to the people I met. However I wasn’t able to. When the people heard the words, they did not understand or insisted on not understanding. I do not know how it happened, of course, justice was manifested. Divine justice. I, who do not believe in the words of the people, started a complete description:
“He threw a drop, before us was the river, the sea. He gave way to a stone, the stone grew into a mountain, the mountain grew and became a shadow to the countries. He took one step, entered everywhere, not somewhere. He sat down and heavens were laid under.”
They said, “Did he defeat the witches and walk on the sea?” “They have understated,” I said. He made the sky from the seas and the witches prostrated before him. What can I do? If I say “he came and spoke”, a few words would not be enough.
