Yunus Emre
Yunus Emre was a thirteenth century dervish from Anatolia. He is obsessed with love, but his love is the love of a true mystic. He did wear torn clothing, a dervish robe, and wandered about in Anatolia. He was but one of the thousands of Sufi dervishes of Islam, but he played an outstanding role in Turkish culture, literature and philosophy. Some writers regard him as the most important poet in Turkish history; his poetry, language and philosophy shaped Turkish culture and still do so.
He likely lived from AD1240-1241 to 1320-21, when he was 82 years old.
The rest of his life - whether he was a wandering dervish or a Seyh of a tekke, his tariqat (or Sufi order), his poetry, and finally his death are all mysteries, with various sources giving various different interpretations.
Yunus' impact on Turkish culture can be seen in various ways. During the efforts to purify the Turkish language in the 1920's his poetry was a prime example of the dialect of Anatolian peasants. Several authors claim that many idioms in everyday language are actually verses from his poetry. His philosophy, metaphysics and humanism have been examined in various symposiums and conferences on a regular basis both in Turkey and abroad. UNESCO named Yunus Emre one of the main cultural figures of world, and dedicated 1991 as "The International Yunus Emre Year". His work has been translated into several languages, and historians consider his system of thought important for clues about thirteenth-century Anatolia.
Let us now turn to the legend of Emre; after all, Yunus has told us:
I am not at this place to dwell,
I arrived here just to depart.
I am a well-stocked peddler, I sell
To all those who'll buy from my mart
Turkish culture is full of legends about or attributed to Yunus Emre. One famous story about Yunus Emre describes how he became a dervish.
Young Yunus was a poor Anatolian villager, who would starve if the harvest was bad and live like a king when it was good. One day he ran out of seeds for his field; he got on his donkey and collected various wild fruits from forests in hope of exchanging them for seeds. After a long journey he stopped at Haci Bektas Tekke, the famous tekke (Sufi lodge) of the founder of the most latitudinarian sect of Bektasis of Anatolia. He entered Haci Bektas's room and asked him for seeds in exchange for his wild fruits. Haci Bektas, a grand Seyh and poet in his own right, offered Yunus a "nefes" (a breath of blessing) in return for his fruits. Yunus refused. Haci Bektas then offered ten "nefes" for each handful, but Yunus still refused. To his suprise, Yunus ended up getting as much seeds as he could carry from Haci Bektas after this incident. On his way back to his village, Yunus reflected: "This man must be a noble spirit; how could anyone else be so generous to a poor stranger?". Thus he took the seeds back to Haci Bektas to ask for a "nefes". However, Haci Bektas replied: "I cannot, because I have turned over your padlock to Taptuk Emre.".
Let us pause here and think about possible the symbolism of this story. Yunus begins a journey in search of "seeds" in exchange of "wild fruits". A wild fruit is the untreated, uneducated version of the corresponding domestic fruit, Yunus seeks to give away these to get seeds, which symbolize the foundations of a new life, the beginning of a transformation, a journey - in short, "the Way" described by many Sufis. His journey leads him to Haci Bektas, a Seyh and a man of great wisdom, who offers Yunus "nefes", something that many people would yearn to get but Yunus refuses. Haci Bektas is a generous person, however, - one of God's attributes, or the attributes of a perfect man in Sufism.Thus he gives Yunus many seeds, which makes Yunus reconsider the situation. Yunus understands the signs given to him by Haci Bektas through this incident, but it is too late; his "lock" has been turned over to Taptuk Emre. In Sufistic terms, this means that a spiritual guide, a Seyh or Pir, has been appointed for Yunus on his path in search of God's truth - here in search of the source of Haci Bektas' wisdom.
Emre clearly states that one should feel the love of God to start this journey of transformation. The flame from the chimney of the house of love allows one to overcome the obstacle of palace, which could be a metaphor worldy riches that are believed to be an obstacle on a Sufi's path.
After one falls in love with God, the journey begins with the appointment of a guide and joining a tekke, is hinted in the mention of "$eriat" and Koran. The legend has Yunus being led to Haci Bektas, who in turn guides him to Taptuk Emre. Yunus's meeting with Haci Bektas serves the purpose of associating him with the highest possible saintliness; only after this meeting is he guided to Taptuk Emre - a less famous saint.
Yunus means that every deed (tree) has a special kind of fruit. "Prune, "grape" and "nut" refer respectively to the Divine Law to the mystical Path, "tariqat", and the Divine Reality, "haqiqat". One eats the outer parts of the prune but not its interior, whatever is like the prune corresponds to the outward aspect of actions. The grape is eaten and many delicious examples of Turkish cuisine are made of it. Though a few remains of hypocrisy (vinegar vs. wine), fame , and other unwanted attributes exist in the grape , it is still on the Path to the Reality. The nut is completely a symbol of Reality for the interior of the nut has nothing to be thrown away and it is the remedy for many illnesses, whereas the outer part, a symbol for the Self, is totally useless, and must be discarded possibly through a lot of suffering.
a random legend emphasizes Yunus' saintly position in the eyes of Anatolian peasants; and the respect shown to him by the enlightened ones means that even Yunus himself did not realize this importance. Perhaps Yunus was still on the earlier stages of his journey and had not yet acquired a good amount of self-knowledge.
This story is a story of love between two men, Yunus Emre and Taptuk Emre, a common theme in Sufism. The love described here is not necessarily homosexual love, but a divine love of the guide and his student.

Like many other Sufis Yunus Emre triggered a heavy reaction from Moslem dogmatists who began to regard him as a foe. A legend describes that Molla KasIm, a traditionalist, decided to destroy all transcriptions of Yunus's poems. He sat on a river bank and starts tearing all the material he found heretical, throwing the scraps into the river, until he saw two lines:
Molla KasIm burst into tears as he understood his mistake. He saved the rest of precious the poetry - some claim two thirds of Yunus Emre's poetry was destroyed this way- for the rest of his life. How Yunus knew about Molla KasIm nobody knows; nobody is even sure whether this piece of poetry really belongs to Yunus or if it is part of the thousands of verses recited in his name centuries after. Thereafter, the legend claims, his poetry was carried around by the rivers, recited by the fish in the water, blown by the winds and recited by the angels in the air, with the remaining part recited by thousands of people.
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aspects of his poetry relevant to our main topic of humanism.
One constant theme in Yunus' poetry is Love, that of God for man and, therefore, of man for God.
Yunus' love is the most powerful of everything, it is for the creator of the universe but it is also the creator, it is fierce and burning, consuming Yunus' mere existence.
Yunus is like Mecnun, "the mad man of Love" who suffered , appear to have gone mad, and died just for the love of Leyla. Yunus wants to be as drunk, i.e. mad, as Mecnun, for his Love which wounds him terribly.
For Yunus external forms of religion are not important and reward and punishment are not of concern; he only cares for God, yearns of his Love.
The world is temporary and even when he dies, even when he is killed like the martyr of love Hallaj (Yunus refers to him in various other pieces of poetry), whatever is left of him will be yearning for God. Yunus can argue with God that His Love is killing people, making them suffer enormously, he seems to complain of his unjust treatment, but regardless, his love is so great that he can not help yearning for Him. He believes that he existed with God before there was existence.
Of course, he is no different than God:
I was a star for a long time;
in the skies the angels were desirous [of me].
The all-compelling God commanded;
I was There then.
Before I was in this form,
when my name was not Yunus,
I was He, He was I,
I was with the one who offered this love.

Yunus is hinting at a common Sufi theme of the existence of the Saints during the primordial time. Yunus is a perfect-man himself who was with the Creator before the Creation. He shared the divine knowledge with God. This idea is revealed more clearly in the following verses:
Before the created universe came here,
Before the skies were filled with angels,
Before this realm had a foundation,
I was with the creator of the Domain.

He is not content to make this shocking statement; he calls everyone else to accept it also:
If you don't identify Man as God,
All your learning is of no use at all.

Yunus in fact refers to the idea of "vahdet'i vucut" , unity of being, which is a common theme on Sufi mysticism. He adheres to most of the common , dominant ideas of Sufism, as can clearly be seen from these pieces of poetry and his other works. What is different and most striking in Yunus is his use of the simple Turkish of his time - which could still be understood and appreciated quite easily by a modern Turkish speaker, and his outstanding humanism. It is the second aspect which primarily interests us here which certainly is not separate from his use of folk language.
Yunus Emre lived seven centuries ago and recited verses which express ideas amazingly similar to humanism that has become popular in the last few decades. He communicated these values to his audience in simple language. Understanding of Emre's humanism, moreover, shed light on the philosophy of life of thirteenth-century Anatolia.
Humanism in general is a system of thought which dignifies man in his relation with God, nature and society. The humanist accepts man as the criterion of creation or of mere existence, but the fanatical dogma of many major religions, including Islam, preaches that man's existence on earth is much lower in significance or value in relation to that of God's. As in all mystic traditions, Sufis in Islam emerged as the dialectical antithesis to this theological interpretation and to religious formalism. Yunus Emre stood strictly against Moslem dogmatists in expressing the primary importance of human existence.
Sufism in general has a very humanistic approach to religion. Sufis, like other mystics, are trying to reach God or the ultimate Truth by following a certain path. In doing this, they disregard the dichotomy of the physical world and the divine, or better to say that they get rid of the veils separating them. This also means that as humans, they become God-like through this process which again involves human activity. God is internalized , making man not an outcast but an extension of God's reality and love.
Yunus Emre's humanism is not only a humanism of "peace and brotherhood" but also calls for social justice, charity and many other familiar ideals of today's world. For example, Yunus Emre calls for helping other people and sharing one's possessions with them.
Yunus offers rewards from God to people who do good for the poor and unfortunate. He calls for good character, which is obtained by helping others. Of course, the physical world, belongings, riches and jewels are anathema to mystics for they block his way from God.
Yunus was a popular poet, a preacher, a man of the people. He was not elitist like the Renaissance literary humanism. He called for social justice, equality and prosperity.
He spoke against the feudal rulers, landowners, officials, religious leaders or anybody else who would oppress the people of thirteenth-century Anatolia.
For Yunus the poor and the rich, the Sultan and the slave are all equals.
Both rich and poor, the lords and the slaves, all die and lie in the cemetery wearing the burial shroud. All have now become equals and the real Sultan, God, shows his powers over them. What we do or possess during our earthly life does not make us any more "divine" than others unless we seek the true path.
As a seeker of God, Yunus tried hard to find God everywhere he could imagine.
To his suprise Yunus found God inside the Man. All human beings are divine beings and their equality ultimately rests in their divinity. He advises everyone to seek God within themselves.

God permeates the whole wide world,
Yet his truth is revealed to none.
You better seek Him in yourself,
You and He aren't apart - you're one.

This idea of "Vahdet-i VUcud" (Unity of Existence) mentioned before is strikingly similar to Socratic humanism which supposes that truth is immanent in human subjectivity and that the divine is imbedded in man. Yunus Emre speaks of "dignitas hominis", the dignity of humanity, instead of what both the Christian and Islamic dogma of his age was supporting, "contemptus mundi": preaching scorn for the human being, promoting the idea that the human existence is futile. Yunus Emre's humanity was like Protagoras' humanity: "Man is the measure of all things".
Yunus' also believed that he as a human being had God-like powers.
Yunus sees himself as the most powerful. He is capable of creating religions, attracting followers. As a popular preacher, Yunus mentions Islam here as the "true faith".
How can Yunus can think so highly of himself? After all, he is just a poor human being; he is a fool of Love. Apparently he recognizes the power of human beings who control the destiny of this planet that we call Earth. They are God's most valuable creation. Emre recognizes the unity of being, that we are not separate from the Divine. In the modern world, there are striking parallels to this idea. For instance the world is shrinking thanks to developments in communications and transportation and we are getting closer and closer to the most fundamental knowledge about nature through modern physics. The realization of this truth has its effects on our sense of who we are, on our relationships to others and to all aspects of life.
If Emre created all religions, he has to respect all. As a lover he sees true love in ecumenical ideas. One would think that today's world would have been much different , stripped off many of the current wars, bloodshed, and animosities, if we took his advice:
Emre calls humans of all faiths, all nations to come together and make peace; this is a fundamentally Islamic idea as revealed in Quran:
For Yunus orthodoxy is like a ship in the sea of Reality, which will eventually be destroyed. The sea here represents God and the ultimate Truth in which human beings are somehow floating but from which they are separated. Hence by being a ship in the sea of Reality, Orthodoxy is actually blocking our way to God. The saints of Orthodoxy are actually rebels against Truth. One should clean his heart from its rust so that God's light can shine on it, drawing it towards enlightenment, and these ships should be abandoned.
Yunus Emre desires a world without anger.
He does not hate anyone; he does not look for revenge. Everyone receive the same treatment from Yunus which is quite natural, for:
Not only is everyone equal, but they should be treated accordingly. One should look forward to liking and loving people, not to finding their mistakes and defects. The divine knowledge is in the heart of humanity, and it is undesirable to break one's heart, whatever his religion is. A dervish is a lover of God , so he has to love humans as they are part of God. One should co-ordinate his actions towards others based on his own experience, thus Emre calls people to "behave as they would wish others to behave towards them"
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Selected Books
Yunus Emre,Selected Poems
Preface

For more than seven centuries, Yunus Emre and his poems have lived in the hearts of men and in their speech. Even in small villages in Anatolia, I 1ahow of men who can recite lines of Yunus's poems, which have reached them passing from one generation to the next by word of mouth. In Australia, I once met a Pakistani who knew no Turkish and I heard him sing Yunus Emre's hymns. I also know that those hymns are sung in Albania and the other Balkan countries.

Is it possible to imagine anyone here in Turkey with no feeling of love in his heart for Yunus? Whenever his name is mentioned, the faces of men light up and they feel love surging in them. Our love of Yunus is one of the most precious ties that bind us together. Our nation's debt to him is indeed great.

"How is it" asks Vahabzade, the great Azerbaijani poet, "That although he died in one place, his grave exists in a thousand?"
Yunus Emre is, indeed, the voice of being. He is fully aware of what is known as the "existential unity of being" and thus lives in the grass, in flowers, roses and in hearts. What forms the basis of his philosophy is his awareness of the nature of being, the supreme value of man among creation, and the necessity of making man attain awareness of his own value. He is, in other words, a Muslim mystic. He is Yunus the Dervish.

For Yunus, the cause of all existence is love. It is through love that the Creator can be reached. Love is at once the cause and purpose of life on earth. The path leading to the Creator passes through the heart of the human being who holds the highest rank among the created :

Allah, whose being is unlike that of his creation, whose Person lies beyond the grasp of man, but whose works are not inaccessible, has created man as his caliph (i.e. deputy) on earth. He has furnished man with the supreme quality of being the holiest among all creation because he has made him of the same essence as that of the universe. The human being is, in fact, the universe in miniature. He who understands man may also grasp the universe. The road leading to scientific progress is the same as the road leading to knowledge of Allah. Acquisition of scientific knowledge is a debt Allah expects man to pay him; it means attainment of self-knowledge. Self knowledge forms the basis of every science :

Each person has his own fate in this world. He or she accepts it and departs. No one remains here forever. What we should really offer and receive is love. It is Love that is the essence of all existence.

Humanity is now going through a new phase. The revolution taking place in science and technology is reshaping the whole world and its value systems. In this age of change, humanity's need for Yunus Emre's philosophy and the culture that gave rise to it will grow. In our present world of computers and robots, what may save man from dwindling into insignificance is Yunus Emre's philosophy, as it emphasises the need for self-knowledge and regards man as the highest among all creation and as the essence of the universe. His philosophy may prevent the human being's decline from a noble status to that of a mere tool in the future. It is for our nation, as heir to this culture, to lead the way. We should, therefore, learn and understand Yunus Emre and his teachings better and help humanity to know him too. In this way we may help our Age of Information change into an Age of Knowledge and of Love.