The “Sunna-minded” Trend 257
his body he cannot conquer the world, and if he does not know how to pos-
sess his body he merely has to humiliate himself in front of those who may
inform him of body control, i.e. men of abstinence and purity. Then Hasan
proceeds to his justification of the need for consultation. There are things that
the sultan knows and things that he does not, since, however perfect it may
be, a mind always has need of a guide; furthermore, the affairs of ruling are
like the sea, too extensive and difficult for a single mind to perceive. That is
why consultation is so important in various matters (ba ’zı umûrda bâ-husus
meşveret sünnetdür, T289). The sultan’s consultants must not be young, but old
and experienced people who had served his predecessors and who dare tell
him the truth, however unpleasant may it be. Concrete advice starts from here,
with an enumeration of the causes for the “destruction of the world”. Hasan
states straightforwardly that the primary reason was the sultan’s doorkeepers,
who prevent the poor and the weak from having direct access to him. The door
of the caliphs, he argues, must be open. Another cause are ignorant judges:
what makes judges oppressive is fear of losing their jobs, because steadiness
in the office brings justice. This view will be seen again, below, as it is a central
leitmotif in Hasan’s thought. Ostentation (şöhret) is another means to oppres-
sion, and both the sultan and his servants must practice abstinence. Moreover,
the sultan has absolute responsibility for his poor subjects (ra ’iyyecikler). Very
often dismissing officials from their posts is like giving a sword to robbers and
telling them to destroy the world, argues Hasan, before delving into some com-
monplace advice in the “decline of the world” style: nobody listens to the old,
the ignorant have risen to high posts, people chase whoever says something
right, and so forth. Hasan claims that the sultan has gained not one faithful ser-
vant since his rise to the throne, and he adds that the real skill of government
is not in executing people, but in finding the right people for the right posts
(hüner katl itmek degildür. Hüner er yerine er bulmakdur).
After reiterating the need for consultation with pious people (and Hasan
notes that it is not easy to discern them), it is stated that two classes (ta ’ife)
can either destroy or repair the world: judges and governors (beg). If these two
classes were reformed, the repair of the world would be easy. And reform could
occur through long-term appointments: judges and governors must serve at
least for five or ten years as the sole way to prevent them oppressing the peo-
ple. The sultan, stresses Hasan, must tell them that they should have no fear of
being dismissed; if they oppress people, the sultan should cut off their head
rather than dismiss them. The reason for this advice is that today’s people do
not think of tomorrow, as the Day of Judgment is nothing but a legend to them;
that is why they are prone to oppression and immorality.