[This was published
in BOGOTA FREE PLANET, Columbia on 05 April 2015]
Any attempt to know and understand Osman I or Osman Gazi (Ottoman Turkish: عثمان غازى
Osman Ghazi; Turkish: I. Osman or Osman
Bey or Osman Gazi or Osman Gazi Han; 1258[1]–1326),
sometimes transliterated in the past as Othman
or Ottoman and nicknamed
"Kara" ("black" in Turkish), was the leader of the Ottoman
Turks and the founder and namesake of the dynasty that established and ruled
the Ottoman Empire, shall take a
reader/listener readily to Sheikh Edebali (1258–1326), also referred as Balışeyh, was a highly influential Turkish
Sufi Sheikh, who helped shape and develop the policies of the growing Ottoman
State. A descendant of Banu Tamim tribe (Arabic: بنو تميم) and the Al Khater /
Khater (Arabic: خاطر) family he commanded great respect in the religious
circles. Edebali
and Ertufrul Ghazi, father of Osman Zhazi, was very close to each other and
they frequently conversed about Islam and the state of affairs of Muslims in
Anatolia. Osman,
a young prince, was known and praised widely for his religious piety. He had been Edebali's guest several times who became
Osman's mentor and eventually girt him with a Ghazi Sword, subsequently came to
be branded as The
Sword of Osman (Turkish: Taklide-Seif). It was an important
sword of state used during the coronation ceremony of the sultans of the
Ottoman Empire. The practice started when Osman was girt with the sword of
Islam by his mentor and father-in-law Sheik Edebali.The girding of the sword of
Osman was a vital ceremony which took place within two weeks of a sultan's
accession to the throne. It was held at the tomb complex at Eyüp, on the Golden
Horn waterway in the capital Constantinople. The fact that the emblem by which
a sultan was enthroned consisted of a sword was highly symbolic: it showed that
the office with which he was invested was first and foremost that of a warrior.
The Sword of Osman was girded on to the new sultan by the Sharif of Konya, a
Mevlevi dervish, who was summoned to Constantinople for that purpose. Such a
privilege was reserved to devout religious leaders from the time Osman had
established his residence in Konya in 1299, before the capital was moved to
Bursa and later to Constantinople.
Osmon frequently visited Edebali in his home
at Eskisehir where a dervish group met. One night, when Osman was a guest in
Edebali’s dergah, he had a dream as under:
‘Osman
saw himself and his host reposing near each other.
From the bosom of Edebali rose the full moon[a], and inclining towards the bosom of Osman it sank upon it, and was lost to sight.
After that a goodly tree sprang forth, which grew in beauty and in strength, ever greater and greater.
Still did the embracing verdure of its boughs and branches cast an ampler and an ampler shade, until they canopied the extreme horizon of the three parts of the world. Under the tree stood four mountains, which he knew to be Caucasus, Atlas, Taurus, and Haemus.
From the bosom of Edebali rose the full moon[a], and inclining towards the bosom of Osman it sank upon it, and was lost to sight.
After that a goodly tree sprang forth, which grew in beauty and in strength, ever greater and greater.
Still did the embracing verdure of its boughs and branches cast an ampler and an ampler shade, until they canopied the extreme horizon of the three parts of the world. Under the tree stood four mountains, which he knew to be Caucasus, Atlas, Taurus, and Haemus.
These
mountains were the four columns that seemed to support the dome of the foliage
of the sacred tree with which the earth was now centered.
From the roots of the tree gushed forth four rivers, the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Danube, and the Nile.
Tall ships and barks innumerable were on the waters.
The fields were heavy with harvest.
The mountain sides were clothed with forests.
Thence in exulting and fertilizing abundance sprang fountains and rivulets that gurgled through thickets of the cypress and the rose.
In the valleys glittered stately cities, with domes and cupolas, with pyramids and obelisks, with minaretsand towers.
The Crescent shone on their summits: from their galleries sounded the Muezzin’s call to prayer.
That sound was mingled with the sweet voices of a thousand nightingales, and with the prattling of countless parrots of every hue.
Every kind of singing bird was there.
The winged multitude warbled and flitted around beneath the fresh living roof of the interlacing branches of the all-overarching tree; and every leaf of that tree was in shape like unto a scimitar.
Suddenly there arose a mighty wind, and turned the points of the sword-leaves towards the various cities of the world, but especially towards Constantinople.
From the roots of the tree gushed forth four rivers, the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Danube, and the Nile.
Tall ships and barks innumerable were on the waters.
The fields were heavy with harvest.
The mountain sides were clothed with forests.
Thence in exulting and fertilizing abundance sprang fountains and rivulets that gurgled through thickets of the cypress and the rose.
In the valleys glittered stately cities, with domes and cupolas, with pyramids and obelisks, with minaretsand towers.
The Crescent shone on their summits: from their galleries sounded the Muezzin’s call to prayer.
That sound was mingled with the sweet voices of a thousand nightingales, and with the prattling of countless parrots of every hue.
Every kind of singing bird was there.
The winged multitude warbled and flitted around beneath the fresh living roof of the interlacing branches of the all-overarching tree; and every leaf of that tree was in shape like unto a scimitar.
Suddenly there arose a mighty wind, and turned the points of the sword-leaves towards the various cities of the world, but especially towards Constantinople.
That
city, placed at the junction of two seas and two continents, seemed like a
diamond set between two sapphires and two emeralds, to form the most precious
stone in a ring of universal empire’.
Osman told this to his mentor Ededali. After
an epigrammatic stillness, Edebali interpreted:
“Congratulations
Osman! God Almighty bestowed sovereignty upon you and your generation. My
daughter will be your wife, and the whole world will be under the protection of
your children.
This is to be recalled here with relevance
and reference that Osman had meanwhile had fallen in love with Edebali’s
daughter Rabia Bala Hatun and proposed him to marry his daughter. But considering
the overall weights and unevenness between the two families, Edebali showed
negative attitude to the offer. Now he with good grace consented and the
marriage tool place in 1289 placing her as the second wife of Osman1 since his
first wife was Malhun Hatun and
thus the dream virtually led to the
establishment of the Ottoman State.
Factually
speaking, Edebali's advice to his son in law, Osman Ghazi, shaped and developed
Ottoman administration and rule for six centuries. In one famous declaration,
Edebali about statecrafts and kingship told Osman:
‘O
my son! Now you are king!
From
now on, wrath is for us; for you, calm!
For
us to be offended; for you to please!
For
us to accuse; for you to endure!
For
us, helplessness and error; for you, tolerance!
For
us, quarrel; for you, justice!
For
us, envy, rumor, slander; for you, forgiveness!
O
my son!
From
now on, it is for us to divide; for you to unite!
For
us, sloth; for you, warning and encouragement!
O
my son!
Be
patient, a flower does not bloom before its time. Never forget: Let man
flourish, and the state will also flourish!
O
my son!
Your
burden is heavy, your task hard, your power hangs on a hair! May God be your
helper!’
Advice
of Sheikh Edebali to Osman Ghazi preserved on marble [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheikh_Edebali]
In
directing his son Orhan
or Orhan Bey (Ottoman: اورخان غازی, Orhan Gazi; 1281 – March 1362),
the second bey of the nascent Ottoman Empire (then known as the Ottoman Beylik
or Emirate) from 1326 to 1362, to continue the administrative policies set
forth by Sheik Edebali, Osman stated:
‘Son!
Be careful about the religious issues before all other duties. The religious
precepts build a strong state. Do not give religious duties to careless,
faithless and sinful men or to dissipated, indifferent or inexperienced people.
And also do not leave the state administrations to such people. Because the one
with fear of God the Creator, has no fear of the created. One who commits a
great sin and continues to sin cannot be loyal. Scholars, virtuous men, artists
and literary men are the power of the state structure. Treat them with kindness
and honour. Build close relationship when you hear about a virtuous man and
give wealth and grant him...Put order the political and religious duties. Take
lesson from me so I came to these places as a weak leader and I reached to the
help of God although I did not deserve. You follow my way and protect
Din-i-Muhammadi and the believers and also your followers. Respect the right of
God and His servants. Do not hesitate to advise your successors in this way.
Depend on God's help in the esteem of justice and fairness, to remove the
cruelty, attempts in every duty. Protect your public from enemy's invasion and
from the cruelty. Do not behave any person in an unsuitable way with
unfairness. Gratify the public and save all of their sake [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orhan_Ghazi]’
Therefore, one may safely conclude that for a
leader, politician or statesman unfolding reality is that Osman1, founder of
Ottoman Empire, remains still a source of inspiration and enrichment. He is
indeed a case to be recalled, not to be set aside for politics and statecrafts
in our perspective as well. Let our political stalwarts take reasonably
acceptable stocks from him as well.
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