Abstract
In the history of ṣūfī thought, worshiping with the desire for heaven or fear of hell is an attitude that has been criticized. Ṣūfīs resemble the one who worships with the desire of heaven to the child who does business with bribe while they compare the one who worships out of fear of hell to a slave who does business out of fear of being beaten. This attitude sometimes goes even further: Even paradise becomes meaningless for a ṣūfī if he is not with Allah. If Allah's consent is present, the ṣūfī becomes not afraid even of being in hell. This understanding has led to the accusation that the ṣūfīs underestimate heaven and hell or religious elements. However, as this study will reveal, it is not correct to say that the Ṣūfīs’ conceptions of heaven and hell are in opposition to religious teaching. On the contrary, the reason for these views, which are usually expressed in poetic expressions, is the desire of the mystics to build servitude in the center of ik̲h̲lāṣ without expecting any reward. Another thought expressed in ṣūfī texts in the understanding of heaven and hell is that the ṣūfī is willing to burn in hell in return for Allah’s saving all people from hell. Such a ṣūfī not only passes away from the desire for heaven, but also takes the torment of hell instead of someone else as a manifestation of his compassion for the people. In this study, the understanding of heaven and hell of two important ṣūfī poets Yūnus Emre and Kemāl Ümmī, who nurtured the Anatolian ṣūfī culture, will be examined, and the place of their views on heaven and hell in ṣūfī thought will be determined.