At one time this blessed world bore little resemblance to the one we know today. Its colors, atmosphere, and people were steeped in a unique spiritual essence. With an unyielding determination to safeguard their identity, its inhabitants cherished the values inherited from the past, celebrated timeless traditions, and reveled in the rich tapestry of material-spiritual beauties that derived from this unique combination. The downtowns, markets, and streets were each just like the sacred space of a sanctuary, and places of worship were just like a projection of the Ka’ba. With the breadth of their feelings, thoughts, and hearts, people all over this world would encounter spirits of remarkable depth, refinement, kindness, and contentment, wherever they ventured. It felt as though their warm reception had washed over them, and they would forever whisper words of gratitude for the privilege of residing in such a welcoming country. The mercy of the heavens, the splendor of the angels, and the compassion of mothers could be heard in every sound and breath, and every district would emerge like a bay of trust. In this place, people would occasionally turn earnest when extolling the Truth, and at other moments, their heartfelt gratitude would erupt in joyful cheers, yet they always carried a smile in their thoughts and words. Wherever these cheerful faces journeyed, it seemed as though a delightful morning breeze was gently caressing the surroundings. Hearts burdened by life’s pressures and spirits weighed down by some momentary setbacks would find solace in this magical atmosphere akin to seeking refuge in the shade of heaven. They would cast off their worries and, as if they had taken a spiritual bath, they would emerge refreshed and serene.

Schools perpetually beamed with the radiance of knowledge and wisdom. Sanctuaries, each a sacred space of light and splendor, would illuminate their surroundings throughout the day just like a spiritual guide or teacher. They would gently share celestial words with those seeking refuge, gracing them with heavenly guidance. Pulpits would become upsurge stations of otherworldly wisdom and spread rays of their sacred enlightenment into hearts. Our houses would transform into the gateway to these schools, sanctuaries and pulpits, resound with spirit and meaning as they celebrated the gentle breezes and lights radiating from these places. Streets and roads, enriched by individuals embodying faith and enlightenment, resembled showcases of divine blessings from these schools and sanctuaries, as if they were transforming every location into a sacred space for both worship and learning.

People of that time refrained from disparaging themselves with lies, slander, or conspiracies. Even if occasionally the pitiful murmur of a few wretches – ignorant of human values and showing no respect for people or God – or the clamor of oppression were audible, the predominant disposition of the vast majority of society consistently remained distant to such lowly actions which could be attributed only to those of lesser character. Immorality was never so publicly displayed to embarrass the face of the nation. Evil found no prolonged opportunity to endure. Shamelessness absolutely could not spread, and even if the aptitude for sin and rebellion flexed its muscles, it did so secretly. Efforts in such a rebellious direction would not succeed. If they did, they couldn’t persist, they would perish shortly after birth, leaving behind an enduring sense of regret. People of that time often sought repentance regardless of whether or not they had sinned, and hurried to purify themselves under the fountains of sincere penitence. They constantly strengthened their determination through prayer and pleading, striving to draw nearer to God.

In that society, everyone regarded each other with trust, took great care to maintain trustworthiness, and no one felt unsafe from others. Even if on the rare occasion they were deceived, they never deceived others – it never even crossed their minds. They considered deceiving or cheating someone as the greatest disrespect to the reality of being human, and they protected their reputation as they did their honor. The voice and influence of brute force asserting “I said so” were seldom heard among them. In the event of sporadic capricious acts or transgressions, they would solve them without creating a commotion, they would give concessions enough to silence the one who was causing anarchy.

In contrast to places and times when might was right, rule of law was miserable and arbitrary, in this blessed society, law was essential, justice was predominant, people assisted one another, and power consistently rested in the hands of the “right.” Individuals of the society were like the limbs of one body. They were respectful towards one another and valued the importance and necessity of every individual. Sharing was second nature to them. Diverse ideas and opinions were seen as enriching, and they held a broad respect for different viewpoints. No one labeled another a bigot based on belief or disbelief. Apart from a few isolated instances, there was no fear of being assaulted or crushed upon. Their hearts were guided by commitment agreements, trust, compassion, and mercy. Lies were considered something a believer would never lower himself or herself for, and even the mentioning of the word “disloyal” was cause for embarrassment. Oppression and transgression were always met with reprehension, and killing was considered to be monstrous.

At that time, embezzlement, which is now a significant issue, was unheard of. Speculation was a word that could only be found in some foreign dictionaries. Appropriating things unlawfully was considered banditry. Getting involved in this kind of vice was a cause of shame not only for the perpetrator, but also for their family, tribe, and village or town where they lived. Their faithful sentiments and thoughts ran as profound as the marrow within their bones, constituting the essence and vitality of their being. Virtue was considered an indispensable high truth and living faithfully a necessity of being human. Everyone lived constantly with the ideas of “faith,” “knowledge,” and “wisdom” and frequently exuded love and reverence for God. No one transgressed the boundaries of others. In cases of accidental transgressions, they acted in accordance with the principles of believers, refraining from responding to a wrong with another wrong. If mistreated, they upheld their commitment without any anticipation of reciprocation. They would counter crude behavior with courtesy aiming to teach through example; thus, ensuring evil remained unidirectional, reducing by half the potential negative consequences that might have arisen.

During the last few centuries, as a society we have become, if not fully so, very remote from these high human values. Our collective thought and character have been marred by a succession of ruptures. The beliefs and thoughts we used to identify ourselves with have started to lose color, and some of us have even found ourselves in degradation. The smiling and pleasant faces of the past have been replaced with frowning, complaining, sullen faces, often darkening with hostility and hatred and reddening with rage. It seems as if the spirited, joyful, warm, welcoming, and refined individuals of our society have vanished, replaced by extremely rigid, rough, and fragile entities that resemble humans but whose essence and spirit have become charred. 

However, this situation hasn’t always applied universally. Alongside those experiencing internal decay, detachment, or identity denial, there were also many individuals whose characters had not degenerated, who remained pure and uncontaminated, tied to the roots of their spiritual essence. They eagerly anticipated a guiding light, a call to prayer, and a renewal of their faith with a sincere, contemporary voice. With a sense of temperateness that had exuded from their roots of spiritual essence, imbued with natural goodness, respect and forgiveness towards all, they patiently awaited an opportune moment to express themselves. Actually, for some time, these people occasionally congregated,  driven by the noble values of their heritage, to explore ways to foster societal harmony. Through these endeavors, they beckoned for God’s extra blessings, and, whether consciously or not, they steadily advanced towards a revival, as if they had heard the trumpet of Israfil. These pure spirits, which I will compare to the currents of fresh water in the salty seas, exuded an unwavering sincerity, profound resignation, and submission to God that mirrored His presence, and consistently evoked a captivating impact on people.

They were not just in harmony with people, but also with the heavens and earth and all of creation. They were at peace with everyone – they were friends to friendship and enemies to hostility and hatred. They were open to sharing and closed to things like self-interest. They walked towards the horizon of genuine humanity, eyes sparkling with hope and their hearts brimming with the excitement of love, all the while avoiding entanglement in the surrounding chaos. On the one hand, their beliefs in the next life and eternity were sincere, and on the other hand, in some respects, they were fully aware of the worldly affairs. They adeptly analyzed events, considering both this life and the next in their interpretations. They consistently aspired to align their lives with the vibrant hues and intricate patterns of their hearts, fueled by a determination akin to that of the prophets, as they journeyed towards eternity. In their eyes, pleasures and joy that come their way without their asking for them are nothing but rewards given in advance to the weak, and the praises they received were tokens of celestial hospitality extended as a courtesy by heaven.

Yet, these experiences were reserved for only a select few. For them to be fully adopted by a majority, at least accepted and lived to a certain extent, it is evident that people must possess a love for truth and exploring. They should analyze and synthesize, and engage in continuous brainstorming. Once these principles are put into action, minds will be enriched with knowledge, judgment will evolve into a wellspring of wisdom, and softened hearts will pulsate with love. Only then will the uniqueness of truly being human emerge with full clarity.

In this respect, it appears that attaining this level and reaching this horizon is as difficult as it is important. Who knows what hardships those who preceded us endured in order to reach the summits they marked with their flags. What abysses they encountered, what dreams they pursued amidst weariness, what efforts they made, what perspiration they shed, what trials they weathered, and what tormenting events they endured. How many times they faced death only to rise anew, and how many times they sighed in moments of helplessness?

Indeed, maintaining one’s true self is a formidable task; self-discovery and the pursuit of reaching the standards set for humanity are challenges that surpass the ordinary difficulties of life. Such a task requires faith before anything else, an effort to investigate, suffering, and love. It requires to take advantage of opportunities, especially when hopes of survival coexist with risks of annihilation.

To date many people have succeeded in this harder-than-hard task. These heroes and their achievements can be considered as points of reference for probable future successes. Now we find solace in dreams of an illuminated future, envisioning eras enlightened and woven by love, mercy, compassion, understanding, and respect for everyone’s position. At every daybreak we eagerly await the propitious moment when the cavalry of dawn will appear.

To be able to lead a virtuous life, especially one that is extremely careful about moral values and worship, it is important to develop a character of seriousness, dignity, prudence, and contentment; and we must ensure that we graft these traits onto our nature as a dimension of our personality. Though this sounds simple, it is not a very easy venture.

As an example of how to make these traits a dimension of our nature, we can quote the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, who prescribes that one should self-train their character to this level: “This Qur’an has been revealed with sadness. Cry when you read it. If you are not able to cry, force yourself to” (Ibn Maja, Iqama, 176; Zuhd 19).

In other words, read the Qur’an with peace in your heart and tranquility in your soul. In view of this, you may need to take forced steps before gaining the traits mentioned above; and because of this you may face criticism from people who are not cognizant of the profundity of this matter. However, you should not get hung up on such things; for on this road you have set out to reach Him.

Let us consider some other examples on the attributes of virtue. I believe that avoiding vain talk comes at the fore of the principles of virtuous living. Speaking a lot may lead one to commit a lot of mistakes, which may lead to further undesired consequences. The Prophet would never speak without being asked a question, or unless he deemed it necessary to expound on a matter. Following in his footsteps, his Companions acted in the same way.

For example, it is told that Abu Bakr, the hero of faithfulness, would put a small stone in his mouth in order not to talk foolishly. When it was necessary for him to speak, he would take the stone out, speak, and then put it back again. Although I have never found this story in sound sources, I did not and would not find this to be strange. A man of such caliber like him might have done such a thing in order to discipline himself. Sound sources show that while at the Prophet’s side following the Emigration to Medina, Abu Bakr did not utter more than a few hundred words . This can be shown as proof of the earlier story.

If a person’s speech explains something related to the world of the heart, spirit, or mind, and if it enlightens others in regard to these, then it is beneficial. All other speech can be considered wasteful. How can a religion that forbids wasting water while making ablutions even on the banks of a stream consider it permissible to waste jewels like words, which are more important to a person than water?

Ascetics have adopted “scarcity of words,” “scarcity of food,” and “scarcity of sleep,” as vital life principles. In this case, we can easily see meaningless and trivial talk as objectionable. Similar to eating, drinking, and dressing, talking should also be economical; the number of words it takes to explain a theme or main idea should be approximated and spoken accordingly. Speech should be made so that absolutely no words are wasted – and consequently no time is wasted. Speaking by weighing and filtering every word is a moral task. Gaining this virtue and making it natural takes a lot of time and effort.

Asceticism—meaning abandoning worldly pleasures and resisting physical inclinations—is also morally very important. Asceticism has a very serious place for seekers of spiritual awareness, and it was pointed out by the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, as an important dynamic of the spiritual path long before it came to be considered part of the Sufi discipline. Adding to this Bediuzzaman’s approach to asceticism—”abandoning the world not physically, but in the heart,” as well as not glorifying the world and the things in it more than they deserve, having no worldly expectations, and being dignified enough to have no desire to leave behind a huge legacy—these become indispensable traits for every believer, especially those spirits who are committed to a higher cause.

At first, taking such an attitude against wealth, social status, fame, etc., in every aspect of your personality, can be very difficult. But by beginning with small things and working towards bigger things, this will become a part of our nature. It may start with thoughts like, “it is enough that I have one dress today; no need for a second one. Otherwise, I will want a third and then a fourth.” This is the prophetic practice of an ascetic life.

We can certainly make a longer list of virtues other than these two, like being earnest in matters of character, keeping one’s eyes pure from sinful looks, avoiding pride, etc. But these are a good place to start on the journey to virtue.

Practicing one’s faith, i.e. worship, is also a matter requiring constant exercise. It starts first by praying in due time without delay; and praying with love and enthusiasm on a level at which God opens doors of acceptance. We should not pray as if ridding ourselves of a heavy weight.

Of course, the full experience of prayer is not a summit that can be attained immediately. However, a person can make it feel natural by doing it over and over again. More accurately, he must do this. As a result, in spite of all the independent desires of the ego, a person should live so as to give his will its due. To do this, the traits that make a person human should become natural to them.

Your essence is even loftier than angels.
Hidden in you are spheres and compacted globes
Mehmed Akif

The human is the main subject of every philosophical and scientific view. Neither any philosophy nor any science can be developed without taking human beings into consideration. With both physical and metaphysical sides, the human being is the ultimate subject of all sciences, and all avenues of investigation can be evaluated in relation to their significance for human dignity.

Sciences explore different human qualities, through the various branches, in books that multiply continuously, overflow, and diffuse light all over.

The body shape and function of the human is so perfectly adjusted that it marks an unbelievably ideal structure. Whichever organ we may study, it is impossible not to feel admiration before its anatomy.

And the depth of the inner world of a person has such rich potential to develop, and the potential to keep developing dimensions within; a complicated brain and a spirit with an elusive essence that evades material measure; and then the perfectly harmonious relation of these two phenomena-the physical and the spiritual together. . . mysterious beings… Within everything are meanings crystallized from the hues in the corona of that magnificent artwork-the human and her dignity.

Here, we will neither touch on this magnificent corporeality, nor delve into the inner dimensions of an individual we can hardly sense in any event. Instead, we are going to mention a few potentials and abilities that dignify the human.

The human is a difficult creature to understand in all qualities. The complexities begin from the day of we come into this world and continue. Except for the human, every creature comes to this world as if already trained about life. As for human beings, in spite of being the most magnificent and esteemed creatures, we are born devoid of all these inherent gifts and functions necessary for life. Everything that goes beyond the mechanical order of physicality develops in a person thanks to reason, mind, will, freedom, sense, and introspection. Thus, a person maintains the unity of inner and outer reality, and only in this way does an individual attain selfhood.

These potentialities, which exist in all human beings as an intention and a herald of being a great figure in the future, can only flourish through training and education. Discovering dignity requires introspection and self-criticism. Leaving a person alone to whatever whims come along means leaving one in a most miserable condition. A seed or group of seeds needs to be cultivated to grow into the most perfect thing it is intended to be. As the lion comes to the world with the paw it needs, and the cattle with horns, a person arrives in the world needing to cultivate all means to preserve one’s self, to flourish, and to work together toward mutual dignity.

A person should use his insight and intellect, will and reason and then invent things to obtain what is beneficial and avoid what is harmful. Thus she establishes both an individual and social world, where she can find serenity. And then persons can pass to future generations the works they formed and the values they established, so that dignity can be preserved in both heart and mind.

It is natural for a person to do these things, because we are not concerned with the very moment only. Past and future are always vivid along with the present and are pieces of any existent reality. For this reason, even though those who have contributed to the development of thought and science throughout history could not personally see the fruits of their efforts, they did not feel languor and give up working. They worked and strived for humanity, leaving an immense heritage in the name of knowledge and culture. If it weren’t so, we would neither be able to talk about science nor civilization on earth.

In addition to sciences, accumulation of knowledge, and heritage of civilization, human dignity, human perfection and virtue are the fruit of human efforts again. Developing potentialities, regulating human behavior, channeling people to good and virtuous paths are the results of human effort. All through history, one generation after another inherited the refined manners and quest for dignity of the previous generation and took it as a duty to improve it. In this respect, the greatest gift the former generations presented to the latter was teaching good manners and edification of human dignity! Edification prevents a person from being diverted from human dignity due to base inclinations. By setting the frame of acts and activities, edification prevents any individual from running wild and degenerating. At the same time, edification helps develop the potentialities every human comes equipped. Edification helps the capabilities hidden in human spirit to be unearthed and to flourish.

There are always seeds of the good and beautiful in us; seeds of the bad and ugliness are non-existent. Even feelings like lust, rage, and revenge in a way can be seen as sprouts for indirect beautiful outcomes. However, one thing should not be forgotten: that as the beauty of everything positive or negative is the result of some edification, true human dignity depends on edification again. We need edification to make our reason, will, and introspection to utilize all their functions. Edification dignifies humanity above animal existence. Edification allows us a degree of autonomy before nature, which operates according to rules of causality. Through edification, the human can be dignified by being attached to the Absolute, Free, and Sovereign One. This distinguishing trait is developed through being a rational creature possessing will and introspection.

Reason, as defined in philosophy, is to be able to derive particularities from general conditions by framing laws and principles. So it is this power of reasoning that underlies the basis of the difference between beast and human. Reason is the prime faculty that makes us human; however, it is not given in its perfected form and matured condition, but in a simple and potential state. A person has to elaborate what makes us different from animals and make this potential flourish. When reason becomes a corridor between the inner and outer worlds, it gains a totally different identity. If we call this a combination of finding oneself and being found, then the conscience plays the role of a “reason” which makes our judgments of deeds and shows us which way to act. The ultimate aim and the loftiest ideal of reason-the ultimate source of human dignity-is coming to knowledge of the Divine. The reason or mind which has come to know God attains wisdom and undertakes conscientious responsibilities that promote the dignity of all.

One of the qualities that make a person human is freedom; in other words, we have the capacity to decide our own acts. We possess an active reason. We have “autonomy.” This way, a person supersedes the rest of creation, living or non-living; this brings us not only the ability to control our acts, but accountability for them. It is not possible to explain morality and immorality without taking freedom and human will into consideration. Sheer materialist and positivist accounts of human beings, which see us as machines and deny free will, lead to superficial and banal conclusions.

So it seems that we are obliged to accept that each person has a free and independent side, namely, there is a dimension which is not determined by laws in nature and which constitutes a basis for morality. Ultimately, this freedom results from being the addressee of a divine authority, leads to the need to carry out the responsibilities that correspond to this dignified position, which means discerning right from wrong based on both extrinsic and intrinsic reasoning.

This dignity merges cognitions about the outer world with introspection. A meaningful, dignified life is like a ray of light that provides its own verification. Dignity opens inlets to the beyond of the realm of possibility. It is as if one feels an ascent (“miraj”) from the dimensions of the present space. Such an ascension-depending on the circulation of the mind, stability of the will, and soundness of contemplation-is possible for every individual. Each of us takes a share from this dignity according to the capacity of the bowl in our hands and the heavenly drink it contains.

And further beyond, there is such a point, which the most perfected figures, the most magnificent wills, and those of deepest introspection and spiritual delight reach: it is the contemplation of the matchless beauty of our magnificent Creator who makes us feel His being beyond our own, makes us feel His Will beyond ours and who lets us enjoy this bliss.

For centuries, generations have been alien and indifferent to this lofty journey. Making people conscious of their dignified essence, letting reason flourish and vitalizing the will, purifying human feelings and maintaining our contact with the rest of creation: this is a duty upon our eminent educators.

Here I address once more those who are responsible for training the new generations. Do not delay guiding them to the values that render us truly human. That is our responsibility before history: to promote the dignity that keeps us from destroying each other.