Arabic word ‘tebettul' comes from the root of ‘betl' which means to renounce. Because she gave birth to a child without a relation with a man, and raised a higher level than an ordinary woman, Hadrat Mary was named as ‘ el betul' . In The Noble Quran, Muzammil Sura, it was declared addressing Hadrat Prophet -peace be upon him- :
“But keep in remembrance the name of the Lord and devote thyself to Him wholeheartedly .” (1)
And he was commanded to turn towards Allah The Most High with all his heart. Because:
“Nay thunder repeateth His praises and so do the angels with awe: He flingeth the loud-voiced thunderbolts and therewith He striketh whomsoever He will... Yet these (are the men) who (dare to) dispute about Allah with the strength of His power (supreme)!”
”For Him (alone) is prayer in Truth: any others that they call upon besides Him hear them no more than if they were to stretch forth their hands for water to reach their mouth but it reaches them not: for the prayer of those without Faith is nothing but (futile) wandering (in the mind).” (2)
‘Tebettul' is turning towards Allah by being isolated from everything, and this is “tejrid-i mahd”- devoting oneself to religious contemplation-.
Ibn Kayyim el-Jevziyye explained ‘ tejrid-i mahd' as “worship without expecting a return” for not to be like a paid worker. Someone who works for a return goes a way when he took his wage. But someone who works only for being in the service of his Lord not for a return, does not leave the service Lord unless he rebels and become like a ‘abik' runaway slave. ‘Abik' is the servant who goes out of the quality of being a servant but still cannot attain real freedom. The greatest honor for the self of a person-nafs- is to worship Allah voluntarily and with love not by force. So a born servant who obeys to Allah with love in respect of knowledge, pleasure and behavior, attains the degree of ‘ tebettu'l and ‘ tejrid-i mahd'.
There are three levels of tebettul :
• Turning towards Allah The Most High without having any fear against other beings and without expecting something and only to consider His good pleasure.
• Without letting carnal mind-nafs- , going to desires, comfort and without waiting the thunderbolts of punishment, turning to Allah with a complete resolution and will.
• To advance in the way of Allah The Most High with the hope of meeting with Him by correcting one's own direction. .
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(1) Chapter Müzzemmil, 73/8.
• Chapter Ra'd, 13 /14.