Can science and faith work together? Can we reconcile experiment and observation with Divine wisdom?

Connecting what is experimentally observed/measured to the creations of the All-Wise One (meaning there is nothing by coincidence or meaningless) helps us interpret scientific facts with spiritual insights, offering a view that appreciates the connection between science, thought, and spiritual wisdom. Such interpretation would enrich both our knowledge and spirit. The price methods of Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE), which is a set of analyzing techniques in science and technology industries, offer us such a connection highlighting the wonders of creations by the Divine.

The journey to understanding through measurement

Measurement is a fundamental aspect of human curiosity and our quest to understand the world, going beyond simple tools like rulers or scales. It includes various testing and evaluation methods that uncover hidden details of our environment. For example, Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) is a technique used to check the safety of structures (e.g., bridges, airplanes, pipelines, etc.) by using special tools that look inside the structure without causing any damage. There are several common NDE methods, such as ultrasound, visual inspection, and electromagnetic techniques. Ultrasound NDE uses high-frequency sound waves to detect internal flaws. Visual inspection involves examining structures for flaws using the naked eye or optical aids. These methods ensure safety and reliability, connecting both the visible and invisible aspects of measurement. Our journey is not just about technical details; it is about linking the natural world with a deeper sense of purpose.

The philosophy of measurement in NDE

What do we measure? Every particle in the NDE field can give us important information as it moves. For example, ultrasonic NDE uses high frequency sound waves – outside the range of human hearing – to create images of an object’s interior. By tracking how the particles move (similar to how sound wave travels), we can determine important information based on specific rules of physics. This helps us better understand the data we collect.

Understanding the data from NDE methods is a challenging job. Think of it like when doctors use ultrasound to see inside a pregnant woman’s body. They send high-frequency sound waves into the body with the help of a gel, and by analyzing the echoes, they can see what is happening inside the patient.

Why do we measure? This question takes us back to the very essence of human inquiry. We measure to understand and predict in response to our material needs, but appreciating the complexity of creation often comes as another major outcome. Historically, scientific discoveries have sometimes conflicted with personal beliefs, like when people learned that the Earth orbits the sun. Measurement transforms subjective observations into objective data, bridging the gap between what we see and the deeper truths they reveal.

Similarly, the philosophy of measurement in NDE, one might think, is actually based on a similar search for truth, connecting, as it were, science with faith. When we observe something happening, it usually triggers a question about having a very wise and knowledgeable power behind it, the One who sets the rules of nature to make things work with such harmony and intelligence.

Let’s explore the most widely used method among electromagnetic NDE techniques – Eddy Current NDE. This method is based on a principle discovered by Michael Faraday. When you pass an electric current through a wire that keeps changing direction, it generates a changing magnetic field. This changing magnetic field can cause small loops of electric current, called eddy currents, to form in nearby metal objects. Tracking how these eddy currents flow helps us detect any defects or irregularities in the material. Early detection of these issues is important to ensure the safety and reliability of engineering structures.

Eddy Current NDE: A glimpse into the unseen

NDE is like a doctor’s gentle touch, diagnosing without cutting open. It uses technologies such as ultrasound and electromagnetic techniques to look into the heart of materials, detecting structural flaws that could lead to future failures. For example, Eddy Current Testing (ECT) uses electromagnetism to scan for irregularities, ensuring the reliability of metal components and aircraft parts without leaving a mark. ECT detects surface and near-surface flaws in conductive materials by inducing and measuring electrical currents (Mussatayev et al., 2024). Any flaws in the material disrupt the flow of eddy currents, which can be detected by sensor, as shown in Figure 1.

For example, when eddy currents flow through undamaged material (see Figure 1), the movement is smooth and shows no sign of disturbance. However, when a defect was present between 60 and 80 mm, the sensors picked up a clear, symmetrical change in voltage readings.

Recent advances in science and technology are making such measurements even more precise. For instance, new machines can automatically adjust themselves during composite manufacturing (Nguyen et al., 2023). Researchers have also shown that sound waves can lift, move, and spin tiny objects in the air—an innovation that could greatly improve how certain medicines are delivered in the future (Marzo et al., 2015).

The dance of particles: A reflection of Divine order

Every particle, wave, and pulse of energy in the NDE process reflects an underlying order. These particles move according to precise laws, hinting at a greater orchestration. It is a dance choreographed by the Creator, displaying creativity and direction that invites us to ponder the purpose behind existence.

Studying how particles move in NDE methods helps us understand their formation and behavior. Despite their many tasks, the movement of particles provides crucial insights in understanding the feature of interest in material under the test. Just like a tiny seed contains all the “program codes” for a huge tree, the systematic and repetitive movement of particles reveals information about the hidden aspects of the material world to engineers.

One can speculate three possible explanations as to why particles can perform so many functions:

• Each particle knows everything. In this case, it would need to have infinite wisdom and power. It would have to see everything, be aware of all things, and have control over everything.
• Each particle is made to serve a greater purpose. So, the particles that perform their roles in structures and bodies do so with the permission, command, knowledge, and will of an entity with complete wisdom.
• Particles move based on general rules without needing prior knowledge.

If we applied an NDE process to these particles, the most logical explanation would be that they are created by one Creator, designed with complexity to demonstrate His power and will. This implies that only the One who creates the flow of all particles can place each particle in its position. To uncover these “hidden treasures,” humans rely on curiosity and structured measurement (metrology) to explore the natural world.

Divine Wisdom and human innovation: Exploring the Creator’s influence

Advancements in technology show that humans are inspired by the order we see in nature, and we try to use these natural laws for our benefit. It’s as if the Creator gives us the ability to understand and control things to some extent in different scientific areas. While we can’t fully understand everything because God knows all, we can still learn and explore from the laws of nature.

These are introductory insights that warrant deeper exploration, yet they illustrate important concepts about the nature of knowledge and its boundaries. Empirical knowledge, while immensely valuable for understanding the natural world, has limitations. It provides evidence of order and design, hinting at an intelligent designer, but it cannot fully capture the essence or attributes of the Divine. The concept of an intelligent Creator aligns with the argument of design, as seen in nature’s intricate systems, yet the full scope of divine attributes lies beyond empirical reach.

This perspective is enriched by philosophical discussions about the self, the soul, and their connection to the material world. Take the idea of causality, for example, which explains the link between cause and effect. A cause produces a result not because it looks like the effect, but because it has a unique property that makes that result possible—like fire producing heat because of what it is, not because it resembles heat. This way of thinking highlights the careful design behind natural phenomena and points to divine wisdom and purpose.

“As a scientist, I can move a small particle a short distance (Marzo et al., 2015).” However, God manages all the cells in my body and everything in the universe continuously. This suggests that our ego can help us understand some of God’s attributes, such as being All-Wise and All-Compassionate, with limitless knowledge and power. Imagine an endless land without boundaries; it requires an imaginary limit to comprehend its vastness. Similarly, our ego acts like a reference point in geometry, setting a limit by saying, “I can control the movement of a particle up to this point; beyond that, God controls everything.” Although this limit does not physically exist, it helps us understand, much like a thermometer indicates temperature. In this way, through the lens of this perspective, an engineer can see the nature of the universe. With our limited knowledge, we catch a glimpse of the Creator’s power and authority over creation. But if the “I” believes it exists on its own and belongs only to itself, it ends up dividing God’s sovereignty between itself and other imagined causes.

In this context, the human capacity to reason, explore, and innovate mirrors aspects of divine knowledge and wisdom. Our ability to uncover the laws of nature serves as a reflection of the Creator’s infinite knowledge and deepens our appreciation of His dominion. When approached with humility, the pursuit of science becomes a way to honor the Creator, bridging the gap between human curiosity and divine majesty.

Integrating science and spirituality

Curiosity is something humans possess to understand how nature works and to contemplate what lies behind it as Divine wisdom. The philosophy of measurement leads to questions about existence and the Creator’s rule in the cosmos. When people measure things, it is to answer specific questions in different fields. Measurement is not only a tool for understanding the physical world but also a metaphor for seeking spiritual knowledge and wisdom. For example, someone might want to explore a natural event, and through new branches of science, we can learn measurable facts about the universe. These observations connect with what we already know about the things we measure.

Finally, experts make sense of the measurements through validation and assign meaning to the scores based on theory (Adcock and Collier 2001), as shown in Figure 2. As Nursi says, the Creator made everything with a purpose, and this is a way to inspire humans to find their purpose on Earth.

Over the centuries, a rift between science and religion has emerged, but understanding the order in particle behavior can help bridge this gap. Particles operate under divine laws, reflecting the Creator’s will and power. This perspective aligns with the view of a universe created with intent, where every element serves a purpose.

A need for balance

Considering different explanations for particle behavior, the idea that particles follow divine laws without inherent knowledge harmonizes scientific understanding and religious belief. This view suggests a universe created with intent, where everything has a purpose. Integrating scientific exploration into religious education can foster deeper understanding and respect among various traditions.

Conclusion: A call for unity

In summary, the dialogue between science and faith is ancient, with moments of conflict and reconciliation. Today, they can coexist, complementing each other in the search for truth. Measurement, in its purest form, honors the Creator by unraveling the mysteries of the universe. The Abrahamic traditions share a belief in purposeful creation, which could be the foundation for a future where science and faith walk hand in hand, fostering understanding and peace.

References

• Adcock, Robert, and David Collier. 2001. “Measurement Validity: A Shared Standard for Qualitative and Quantitative Research.” American Political Science Review 95(3):529–46. doi: 10.1017/S0003055401003100.
• Marzo, Asier, Sue Ann Seah, Bruce W. Drinkwater, Deepak Ranjan Sahoo, Benjamin Long, and Sriram Subramanian. 2015. “Holographic Acoustic Elements for Manipulation of Levitated Objects.” Nature Communications 6(May):1–7. doi: 10.1038/ncomms9661.
• Mussatayev, Meirbek, Qiuji Yi, Mark Fitzgerald, Vincent K. Maes, Paul Wilcox, and Robert Hughes. 2024. “Directional Eddy Current Probe Configuration for In-Line Detection of out-of-Plane Wrinkles.” Composites Part B: Engineering 268:111048. doi: 10.1016/j.compositesb.2023.111048.
• Nguyen, Duc H., Xiaochuan Sun, Iryna Tretiak, Mario A. Valverde, and James Kratz. 2023. “Automatic Process Control of an Automated Fibre Placement Machine.” Composites Part A: Applied Science and Manufacturing 168(November 2022):107465. doi: 10.1016/j.compositesa.2023.107465.
• Nursi, Said. 2023. “Sözler.”

One of the most fundamental laws of nature is known as the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Put simply, this law states that entropy, a measure of disorder or randomness, tends to increase over time. In everyday life, we observe this principle in the tendency of things to break down or decay: metal rusts, organisms age, and heat flows from warm objects to cooler ones until a balance is reached. In the language of physics, unless energy is supplied from outside, an isolated system will inevitably move toward greater disorder. This one-way drive toward disorganization reflects a fundamental directionality in the universe. Sir Arthur Eddington even remarked that the Second Law holds “the supreme position among the laws of nature,” so universally valid that if your theory contradicts it, you have no hope but “to collapse in deepest humiliation.” In other words, no process ever observed has violated this march toward higher entropy.

But how might this apparent law of cosmic disorder relate to the idea of a single, unified Creator behind the universe? At first glance, the inevitable decay of all things culminating in the so-called “heat death” of the universe, a cold and lifeless equilibrium state, could evoke a sense of cosmic pessimism. Indeed, it has led some thinkers to bleak conclusions about meaning. Yet from the perspective of faith in an eternal and transcendent God, this very impermanence can serve as a powerful reminder of the Divine’s uniqueness and everlasting nature. Rather than undermining spiritual belief, entropy underscores the finite, contingent nature of the material world, which in turn points toward an absolute, necessary existence beyond it. This article explores the scientific and philosophical dimensions of the Second Law of Thermodynamics and highlights its intersections with the concept of divine unity across religious thought.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics tells us that energy transformations in nature proceed in a particular direction. This “arrow of time,” encapsulated by the concept of entropy, indicates that the amount of disorder in an isolated system (and in the universe as a whole) is always increasing. In practical terms, usable energy naturally flows from more concentrated forms to more dispersed ones like heat diffusing from a hot cup of coffee into the cooler surrounding air. This results in a steady loss of available energy to do work and a gradual slide toward disorder. Because of this law, many physical processes are irreversible: a hot cup of coffee will inevitably cool down over time, but it will never spontaneously heat itself back up.

As physicist and theologian Sir John Polkinghorne explains, the reason entropy must increase is essentially statistical: “There are just so many more ways to be disordered than ordered.” Over time, chaos overtakes structure simply because disordered arrangements are far more probable than highly ordered ones. Thus, given enough time, all processes in the universe tend toward outcomes such as biological death and material breakdown. This matches our everyday experience: our bodies age, machines wear out, and living things eventually die. From a scientific standpoint, it is only natural that order gradually yields to disorder as time progresses.

Scientists often refer to entropy’s inexorable rise as the “arrow of time,” because it gives time a definite direction. The past can be distinguished from the future by the fact that the overall entropy was lower in the past and will be higher in the future. The renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking identified this relentless increase in entropy as the key element that gives time its forward direction. This idea carries a profound existential weight, confronting us with the reality of mortality and decay. The philosopher Bertrand Russell, writing in the early 20th century, captured this sentiment of inevitable cosmic ruin in a famous passage:

“All the labors of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system… Only within the scaffolding of these truths, only on the firm foundation of unyielding despair, can the soul’s habitation henceforth be safely built.”

Russell, emphasizing the certainty of the universe’s eventual heat death, paints a worldview devoid of any cosmic consolation. In purely physical terms, the Second Law’s long-range prediction is indeed stark: given enough time, stars will exhaust their fuel, matter will decay, and the cosmos will drift into a dark, cold, and lifeless expanse. This “heat death” scenario remains a serious scientific hypothesis for the ultimate fate of the universe.

The universe with a beginning

At this juncture, a profound question naturally arises: if the universe had existed eternally into the past, wouldn’t it already have reached this state of thermodynamic exhaustion by now? In other words, if entropy has been increasing forever, all usable energy should long ago have been depleted. The fact that we still see stars shining and life thriving today suggests that the universe has not existed indefinitely into the past; otherwise, it would have already run down. This line of reasoning leads us to consider the question of the universe’s beginning.

By the late 19th century, physicists recognized that the Second Law of Thermodynamics pointed toward a bleak future for the cosmos: eventual heat death. They also realized that if the universe were infinitely old, it should already be in that lifeless equilibrium state. Yet the universe clearly has not reached such a state, implying that it cannot have existed forever. In modern times, this insight has become part of a cosmological argument for a beginning of the universe. The philosopher William Lane Craig, for example, has invoked the Second Law as evidence in support of the kalam cosmological argument, which asserts that the universe must have a starting point. Craig writes that “the universe began in a state of low entropy (extraordinarily high order) and has followed the trajectory outlined by the Second Law ever since,” underlining that the cosmos has a temporally finite past.

This view accords with contemporary cosmology. Discoveries in astronomy during the 20th century, such as the expansion of the universe and the validation of the Big Bang theory, confirm that the cosmos had a definite beginning in time. Significantly, the Second Law’s arrow of time implies that the universe’s beginning was a moment of exceptionally low entropy. In fact, physicist Roger Penrose has calculated that the level of order at the Big Bang had to be unimaginably high; the universe started in an extraordinarily special state of arrangement. Such a low-entropy outset is so statistically unlikely that it cries out for an explanation beyond mere chance. It is as if the dice were loaded in favor of an orderly cosmos. The question naturally arises: Who or what “loaded the dice” at the inception of the universe?

Some scientists writing on thermodynamics have even openly reflected on this question. In their textbook Introduction to Thermodynamics: Classical and Statistical, Gordon J. Van Wylen and Richard Sonntag note that while science cannot definitively address the absolute origin of the universe, the Second Law “indicates in the direction of before (and continuing work of) a Creator.” In their view, the very fact that nature follows orderly laws (like entropy) is suggestive of an initial and ongoing act of creation. In other words, the cosmos has not been left to itself: an extraordinary order was present at the beginning, and the continued reliability of natural law can be seen as a sign of a sustaining power behind it.

The remarkable order at the universe’s birth is closely connected to what scientists today call the fine-tuning of the cosmos. Notable physicists such as Paul Davies have pointed out that the laws of nature appear to be finely adjusted to permit the existence of complex structures, life, and consciousness, an alignment that is difficult to attribute to pure chance. In his 1984 book Superforce, Davies remarks: “The laws that enable the universe to exist seem to be the product of exceedingly clever design. If physics is the product of design, the universe must have a purpose; and modern physics strongly suggests to me that this purpose includes us.” Many scientists and philosophers have echoed this amazement at how precisely the fundamental constants of physics and the initial conditions of the universe are set. This phenomenon of fine-tuning is often taken as evidence that the universe is not a random accident, but the result of purposeful intent.

A meaningful creation

From a spiritual perspective, the notion of a finely ordered cosmos aligns closely with the timeless belief that creation is intentional and meaningful, rather than a random occurrence. Many faith traditions echo a shared intuition that the harmony and balance we observe in the universe indicate the presence of a singular intelligent source. This divine wisdom within creation suggests that what science identifies as “order” and “laws” reflect an underlying purposeful design.

The belief in one God, an ultimate, singular power governing all existence is a central tenet across many monotheistic faiths. This belief suggests that the unity and coherence observed in nature’s laws reflect the will of a single, unifying Creator. The logic here is straightforward: if multiple independent divine forces governed the universe, disorder and conflict would likely prevail rather than the consistent harmony observed in physical laws. This consistency in the laws of physics from Earth to distant galaxies implies a single, unified source behind them. In philosophical terms, the universe behaves more like a kingdom governed by one sovereign than an empire divided among competing rulers.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics, universal and unfailing, can itself be viewed as part of this overarching cosmic order. It reminds us that all things in creation are subject to change, decay, and eventual dissolution. Everything in the material world is perishable; nothing shares the permanence of the ultimate divine reality. This aligns closely with the spiritual understanding in many religious traditions that all compound or material things eventually break down and fade away. Rather than being merely a grim observation, this scientific fact holds profound moral and spiritual lessons. It encourages humility in acknowledging life’s fragility and inspires us to seek what endures beyond physical existence.

Many spiritual traditions emphasize that observing the natural world can lead to profound wisdom and insight. Contemplating phenomena such as the stars, the cycle of life and death, or even everyday experiences like the cooling of a cup of coffee can provide perspective about our place in the universe and inspire reflection on realities beyond the physical. Through thoughtful observation, the universe reveals itself not just as a realm of matter and energy, but as a profound source of spiritual guidance and enlightenment.

Most religious worldviews also foresee an end to the cosmos as we know it; not as a meaningless collapse, but as a transition to a new order. In Islamic eschatology, for instance, it is said that at the end of time the heavens and earth will be rolled up, symbolically demonstrating absolute kingship over creation, before ushering in a new world. Similarly, Christian theology speaks of “a new heaven and a new earth” established by God beyond the end of our current universe. John Polkinghorne, reflecting on entropy from his dual perspective as a physicist and a priest, noted that while decay and death are intrinsic to this present world (and even serve a role in life’s development), the promise of a divinely renewed creation is that it will be free from decay. In a world to come, in Polkinghorne’s words, “a different material order not subject to decay may emerge.” In religious terms, this is the idea of resurrection or paradise: an existence in which the effects of entropy are abolished by divine decree. In the Islamic description of paradise, for example, it is a realm where people “will not taste death” anymore and will abide in an everlasting life. The notion of an existence not subject to entropy may lie outside the scope of physical science, but it is entirely within the scope of an omnipotent God.

A temporary universe

Seen through this broader lens, the Second Law of Thermodynamics the principle that our universe is winding down takes on a deeper meaning. Rather than implying that everything is pointless, it reminds us that this universe is temporary. It serves as a signpost directing the attentive mind beyond the physical realm toward the eternal. The interplay of order and disorder in nature, then, is not a sign of an absurd cosmos but part of a grander story. On the one hand, the Second Law teaches us to be humble and to recognize the impermanence of worldly things. On the other hand, the astonishing fine-tuning and lawful structure of the universe encourage us to consider the reality of a single, sustaining Creator.

Bridging scientific insight with spiritual understanding is a venerable endeavor. Centuries ago, scholars in various religious traditions asserted that studying nature is a way of learning about God, since the laws of the universe can be seen as manifestations of a divine order. The medieval Muslim thinker Al-Ghazali, for example, described the patterns in nature as part of God’s customary way of acting, and he encouraged believers to contemplate the natural world as a means to deepen their faith. In the modern age, many scientists and philosophers whether Muslim, Christian, or otherwise have similarly found that the discoveries of science resonate with the idea of a Creator. Figures like William Lane Craig, John Polkinghorne, Paul Davies, and Gordon Van Wylen come from different backgrounds, yet all have argued that the empirical evidence of a cosmic beginning, finely tuned laws, and life-friendly conditions makes sense in light of an intentional, intelligent origin. From a monotheistic viewpoint, all of these pointers ultimately direct us to the same conclusion: there is one underlying source behind reality. The conviction that all order (and even what we experience as “disorder”) is governed by a single cosmic will is a unifying idea found across many faiths. Through this lens, one can embrace scientific truth while also recognizing a transcendent meaning beyond it.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics and the spiritual principle of divine unity are not opposing explanations of reality, but complementary ones. Entropy’s increase teaches us about the physical fate of our universe, yet it can also be understood as a signpost to deeper truths. It exposes the mortality and finiteness inherent in the world, even as it invites us to reflect on what might be eternal. In the seemingly cold fact of cosmic decay, one can discern a gentle reminder: “Everything besides the One is perishing.” Seeing traces of a higher order amidst cosmic disorder is part of a holistic quest for truth, merging the scientific and the spiritual. By synthesizing insights from physics with insights from faith, we gain a richer understanding of our place in the cosmos. Ultimately, beyond the visible flux of the material universe lies a transcendent order that gives the cosmos meaning a reality which, according to the world’s great spiritual traditions, has been there all along and will endure when the stars themselves have faded.

References

• Polkinghorne, J. (2011). Believing in God in an Age of Science [Interview: “Holes in the Net”]. Vision Magazine.
• Craig, W. L. (2016). “Excursus on Natural Theology (Part 13): 2nd Scientific Confirmation of the Beginning of the Universe.” ReasonableFaith.org.
• Van Wylen, G. J., & Sonntag, R. E. (1971). Introduction to Thermodynamics: Classical and Statistical. John Wiley & Sons.
• Davies, P. (1984). Superforce: The Search for a Grand Unified Theory of Nature. Simon & Schuster.
• Russell, B. (1903). “A Free Man’s Worship.” (Reprinted in Mysticism and Logic and Other Essays).

I am an American Jewish leader who has devoted the last 20 years to strengthening Muslim-Jewish communication and cooperation in the U.S. and around the world. In that pursuit, I have interacted with inspirational leaders of the Hizmet movement in Washington, New York, Denver, Los Angeles and other cities. In all these places and more, I have had the privilege of organizing wonderful dialogue and service events with Hizmet, through its various branches including Rumi Forum, Peace Islands, and Pacifica; events that have served to enhance Muslim-Jewish relations in those cities. Rumi Forum is a close ally of JAMAAT (Jews and Muslims and Allies Acting Together), a grass roots interfaith body in the Washington area dedicated to voicing our shared support for pluralism, democracy and religious freedom and opposition to bigotry, and its superb representatives, Ibrahim Anli and Vedat Samur, have served fruitfully on our Board.

Even in difficult periods, such as the past year, when Muslim-Jewish relations have been buffeted by the terrible Israel-Gaza conflict, leaders of Hizmet around the U.S. have continued to strengthen ties of friendship and trust with the Jewish community. For them, there is no turning back from Gülen’s vision of interfaith harmony as an essential element of a peaceful and humane world. Based on my interactions with Hizmet leaders over two decades, I can only conclude that Fethullah Gülen was a great spiritual leader whose influence will continue to expand exponentially for decades and centuries to come through the beautiful movement he built. There can be no more precious legacy for the long run.

The truly great and legendary among us don’t need tributes, for their eminence and legacy is celebrated and revered, regardless of whether they’re still with us in this world or they’ve moved on to the next.

Indeed, no words can totally encapsulate the impact that they leave in our lives; the best that they can do is to provide a fleeting snapshot.

Still, I am pretty sure that if not for the Islamic prohibition on displaying the likenesses of people, I can safely say that many, myself included, would have lobbied and went to great lengths to erect statues, gardens, and edifices in his name all over the world. After all, he has touched the lives of millions of people through his social, education, interfaith, and cultural initiatives.

Speaking of admiring greatness, I want to pay a humble tribute to a person who loved and cared for others in the same way one would take care of their family, even though he never saw them at all.

Now, in the place where I live, we have just started to reap the fruits of peace and prosperity. Many of us thought that these two words were nothing but the keywords of an impossible-to-reach algorithm; others even thought that Mindanao would forever be a thrice-cursed land, marred by rivers of blood and endless violence.

I live in a city called Zamboanga, a major commercial city in Southern Philippines known for its sardines and barter trade as well as the only place in Asia where a Spanish creole, called Chavacano, is spoken. Population-wise, it has more or less the same population as Edmonton in Canada or Cologne in Germany. Today, if you were to walk around the city, you will admire the small-town vibes that the city exudes by day. At night, everyone talks about the latest hangout or neighborhood gossip while drinking a nice, warm cup of coffee, just like any other normal neighborhood elsewhere in the world. It’s a nice, cozy sight, no?

Those who live in the region know very well it wasn’t always like this. To put it shortly, conflict was so pervasive to the point that it spilled into everyone’s daily lives and relationships: It would not be far-fetched to say that trust was in short supply.

As a former student who was lucky to earn a scholarship at Filipino-Turkish Tolerance School, I got to see first-hand that Christians and Muslims can actually live together in harmony, share the same interests, and forge strong relationships.

I was lucky to experience that culture of peace and positive diversity that was made possible through the educational vision of Hocaefendi and the unrelenting, hard work of our teachers, all of whom shared the same ideas and aspirations.

Through his educational vision, we gained the chance to learn and embrace sustainability, inclusivity, and multiculturalism long before they became the buzzwords that we see today on our smartphones and LED screens.

Most importantly, we have learned to live for others. 

We all know that there are many stories about Mr. Gülen, whom we also call Hocaefendi (Esteemed Teacher): I also have one, one that shows his kindness and affection to people who he never met in person – as well as his personal effort to create stronger bonds of friendship between two cultures.

When he heard about the existence of Taluksangay Mosque, a historical center for worship built by Zamboanga’s Muslim clans in 1886 and visited by representatives of the Ottoman Sheikh-ul Islam in 1914, he didn’t hesitate to find a way to make the people of Taluksangay feel that they are a part of the greater world around them.

Without delay, he immediately raised funds to procure a chandelier to serve as a concrete and shining token of friendship between Turkey and the Philippines. If one visits the mosque today, one can see the chandelier prominently hung under the main ceiling.

Think of it: Someone just heard about a place that has a small connection to Islam and Turkish Muslim history – and immediately takes steps to strengthen those ties even without knowing who those people are. It takes sagacity, courage, and kindness to execute this step, and these are the very qualities that make Hocaefendi the person that he is.

Yes, he showed us how to be brothers to people we don’t know – and we might never see even once in our lives. While he never got the chance to visit Taluksangay, the chandelier will remain as a symbol of cordial ties between the people of Turkey and the Philippines for many, many years to come.

I am personally and eternally thankful for the kindness, the warmth, and the concern that he displayed for us here in the Philippines, despite the fact that it is literally halfway around the world.

Deep in my heart, I wished for a chance to meet him and say thank you personally. Alas, it will not come to pass, as Hocaefendi has already traveled to the presence of our Creator. Even as I write these words, my heart is still down in the dumps – as if hit by a sledgehammer.

Goodbye, Esteemed Teacher. We proudly and boldly attest that we knew you as a good person in this life, and we look forward to seeing you in the abode where existence is eternal, and happiness is abundant!

There is often mixed joy and sorrow when traveling abroad, sometimes discovered in the journeying, sometimes found at the destination. Such a mixture was mine on a recent trip with Hizmet to India, where interfaith dialogue and its wonderful fruits across the many faiths of that subcontinent were very clearly evident, but that alongside increasing communal discord and even serious and extensive street violence in the face of protests against government policies of division and exclusion. Unfortunately, such social upheavals are today not limited to India; they seem to be spreading like fires in drought-stricken forests around the world, engulfing too many developing and developed countries, alike.

Early one morning around 2am, when sleep evaded me, I deeply felt the poignancy of this turbulent travel, while my mind drifted to recollect some stories often told of St Francis of Assisi preaching not only to human beings but to birds, as well as other creatures of creation:

When he drew nigh unto Bevagna he came unto a spot wherein a great multitude of birds of divers species were gathered together. When the holy man of God perceived them, he ran with all speed unto the place and greeted them as if they shared in human understanding. They on their part all awaited him and turned toward him, those that were perched on bushes bending their heads as he drew nigh them, and looking on him in unwonted wise, while he came right among them, and diligently exhorted them all to hear the word of God, saying: “My brothers the birds, much ought ye to praise your Creator, Who hath clothed you with feathers and given you wings to fly, and hath made over unto you the pure air, and careth for you without your taking thought for yourselves.” While he was speaking unto them these and other like words, the little birds—behaving themselves in wondrous wise—began to stretch their necks, to spread their wings, to open their beaks, and to look intently on him. He, with wondrous fervour of spirit, passed in and out among them, touching them with his habit, nor did one of them move from the spot until he had made the sign of the Cross over them and given them leave; then, with the blessing of the man of God, they all flew away together. All these things were witnessed by his companions that stood awaiting him by the way. Returning unto them, the simple and holy man began to blame himself for neglect in that he had not afore then preached unto the birds. [Saint Bonaventura, The Life of Saint Francis, 12.3]

And so I wondered (dreamed?), what might the birds tell us of their lives and struggles in this newly disruptive age?

The Birds: A Parable

Once upon a time, there was a bountiful flock of birds, all with iridescent blue-green plumage and a melodic trilling song of thanks through God for their heritage as a single community: together they preened, together they sang, together they lived and thrived upon the resource-laden land God gifted to their stewardship.

As time passed, other flocks were drawn to this same rich territory, as well, all with their varied distinctive plumage—fiery yellows and reds, subdued grayish-browns, and dazzling whites—and all with their individual God-given songs of praise.

The original flock generously welcomed all these newcomers, judging that sharing was better than selfish hoarding, opening better than closing ranks, and accepting different characteristics better than demanding uniformity in attributes. Together they fashioned a unity in their very diversity, sharing the riches of the land, extolling their variegated colors in songs to their Creator, generating a harmonious chorale that exemplified the Creator’s love for all of His making, as stewards of land and of one another, together…together. Generations passed in peace, colors and songs filled the land, and unity was manifested.

But a season came when a spirit of fearful possessiveness arose among some of the descendants of the blue-green flock, who began looking askance at those whose colors and songs differed. “What place have these foreigners amongst us? Have they not intruded into our way of life, depleted our resources and now threaten our very existence? Let them depart to other lands, apart from us, with their own kind.”

Though few in actual number in the beginning, these dissident voices seeded fear and discord, which took root and grew widely where once unity had thrived. For although the ones they called “foreigners” had passed many generations upon the shared land and even now comprised only a small proportion of the overall population, hardship borne of dissimulation had come to many of the birds across all the flocks. Stewardship of the land had been overshadowed by exploitation of resources for the benefit of a greedy few, and the detriment of many. Now, a scapegoat was needed to divert attention from the real causes of increasing distress and hardship.

Arbitrary hierarchies were manufactured and enforced, purporting to be inherent and according to “purity” of color and song. Only those deemed worthy now had a proper place in society, and their numbers were strictly circumscribed by documented ancestry via sole descent from the first flock. All others were relegated to some separate, ignoble status. And now, uniformity and unison in song, rather than harmony of distinctives, became the priority: “How else could the Creator receive proper praise? So-called harmony was really just cacophony, and no God could be pleased with that!” If the song were different, it had no arena, even when the song was echoing celestial praise; if the bird’s color and song were different, the bird was no longer welcomed, it had no place.

Unity was shattered, harmony disappeared, estrangement normalized. Jealously ostracizing others became the common rule. Harsh words became the norm…violence the ready remedy…destruction, injury and death the ultimate result.

More fully awake, now, I considered, “Can the birds recover themselves? Can they listen anew to St Francis’ call together joyously to offer praise to their Creator and so be content? Or is it too late?”

Perhaps more importantly, is there more than a fanciful story, here? what might these birds tell us of today’s challenges to our societies…to our very humanity? Can we, today, respond to the call of St Francis as did the birds of the field near Bevagna, to live together in peace unto the praise our Creator, seeking only His commendation?

When President Trump recently visited India, banners were emblazoned with the slogan that the world’s oldest democracy was meeting with the world’s largest democracy. Thomas Mann, in 1947 testimony before a U.S. congressional committee, noted a depressing increase in “spiritual intolerance, political inquisitions, and declining legal security,” that typically foreshadows an ultimate breakdown in democracy itself, which can only finally usher in a breakdown in societal peace and prosperity (subsequently realized in the fever of McCarthyism in the US, and the violent partition of India). Where there is no sense of the sacred through acceptance of difference and mutuality in dialogue, there is eventually only polarization: there will be those who agree to think the same way who are called friends; while all the rest are demonized as enemies. And where there are only friends and enemies, insiders and outsiders, “us” and “them,” civil war—metaphoric at least, actual bloodletting at worst—is inevitable.

So, can India recover itself? It was once the standard bearer of secular/multi-faith democracy in the developing world—or is it too late? Can we in the US recover ourselves? We were once the standard bearer of an immigrant-filled country grounded on practicing civil discourse in the developed world—or is it too late?

May the Creator grant that we all together comprehend and affirm His path of acceptance, affirmation, and peacemaking:

The Spirit has never ceased brooding over the waters … ever creating, superintending, re-creating, all that is, according to the counsel of God’s own purposive will. Together with the angels and saints, we rejoice in faith, hope and love, as the Only Holy One continually, eternally renews the face of the heavens and the earth.
Our Only Creator
through His creation
is creating us
is sustaining us
is provisioning us
is re-creating us
unto the restoration
of all His creation.

What makes this event unique compared to other attempts at bringing people together to celebrate our heritages, our cultures, and our languages? For me it is the spirit of the philosophical rationale underpinning the organizers of the event: the Horizon Educational Trust, the Gauteng Provincial Department of Arts, Culture and Recreation of South Africa, the South African-Turkish Business Association, and the Turquoise Harmony Institute. What do they share in common that helps them to run a festival of diversity?

First, the festival is deeply focused on the “the diamonds” of the show: namely, the youth, who are students from a range of Turkish schools across the globe who came to showcase their experiences of dialogue, sharing the riches of their own cultures while embracing the opportunities for self-growth, discovery, and development as they learned to speak a common language of respect and value. Yes, there were the perfunctory speeches from dignitaries and sponsors. Yes, the organizers emphasized the role of Turkey offering not just bilateral South Africa-Turkey relations, but also access into the worlds where Turkish conceptions were sowing seeds across the international community. Yes, there was a nod to providing awards to the Mandela family in recognition of his contribution to world peace. But these speeches did not dominate the program; it was clear that the unexpressed agenda of the organizers was directed not towards scoring political points or grandstanding. The event was an opportunity to learn from others through appreciating difference and viewing “others” not as potential threats, a waging of supremacist ideological battles, or the harmful promotion of political factions. We, as the audience, were spectators of a new world in gestation.

The simplicity and genuineness of the hosts came through on multiple levels, but especially in how they promoted the view that cultural dialogues are easily communicated beyond linguistic specifics. The universal languages of arts, music, and dance speak volumes. The festival program directors marked each individual presentation with an evocative introduction translating the songs they rendered and offering connection with the message of the colors of a rainbow world, enriched by our diversity. Whist they hinted at the countries of origin of the performers, they were careful not to set any one up as “exotic others” against some normative hegemony, or in a competitive ascendancy. Each performance was afforded a dignity in its own right and the young stars rose spectacularly to the occasion with confidence and committed expertise. They exuded that this was a festival, not a competition; a celebration of dialogue of selves, not egoistic performances.

Notably, the program was also consciously planned to bring different performers onto the same stage in simultaneous coupled or multiple-group renditions, showing that it is not uniqueness alone that is to be valued, but one’s ability to stand alongside, and in concert with, other perspectives and points of view. We saw Romanian and Georgian songstresses hold back-to-back performances with South African backing vocals. We were mesmerized by a heartfelt Whitney Houston song, “I Am Nothing Without You” performed by an Australian teenager wearing traditional Islamic dress. We witnessed the choral singing of Turkish and South African songs by enthusiastic students on a full stage. A duo of a lanky African American and a suave South African Durbanite executed a spirited “Stand By Me” performance. An elegant impersonation of Adele’s “Someone Like You” by a Catholic girl from the Philippines sent shivers down one spine and brought tears to most eyes:

I wish nothing but the best for you…

The penetrating, almost operative gusto of “Je t’aime” by a pint-sized French lass celebrated the wonderful potential young people possess. Mozambican sisters, and Netherlander siblings, and Madagascar soloist performers continued to show the spirit of the festival by singing in Portuguese, Dutch, and Turkish. Audience members fervently waved randomly distributed miniature flags from all participating countries. Each member of the audience was randomly assigned arbitrary custodianship of these nationalistic symbols. The “We are the World” popular mantra brought all solo performers alongside the whole starry cast in a memorable display of togetherness. A South African dance group exhibited their pot pourri of traditional Turkish folkdances. Local variations of kwaito music and gumboot dancers culminated in a costumed celebration of all performers: North, South, East, and West in a rousing reinterpretation of the Southern anthem, Shoholoza. A tribute from the whole student group to both Mahatma Gandhi (in Gurathi) and Nelson Mandela (in isiXhosa) demonstrated the lessons of these international icons of harmony and commitment to social justice, through quiet, yet powerful engagement and dialogue. The celebratory pictures of their historical lives, presented in a back-to-back sequence, were a tribute by themselves. What a collage of possibilities peppered with the spice of smiles!

The music genres spanned both traditional and modern forms. It was quite evident that the star performers (ranging in age from early to late teens) were selected as exemplars of exceptional artistry. Each performance was reinforced by graphic slides depicting scenes from the performers’ home countries. Natural fauna and flora, cultural and architectural monuments, and significant people or groups formed the worldwide educational tour via the panoramic backdrop visuals. Some graphics told visual stories of evolving forms and features of the worldwide community. The program saw the presentation of singers performing their own and other cultural languages. They adapted costume styles from different settings outside their home countries. The kaleidoscope that emerged was a festival of variety: where people of different groups exchanged dress styles, languages, and dance choreographs to communicate the possibility for the dialogical space that a new cultural movement can embrace.

South Africans are perhaps skeptical of this kind of multicultural celebration due to apartheid. In such a form of cultural celebration, different cultures are placed alongside each other as enclaved entities, highlighting the “boundaries” of one’s beliefs, a celebration of otherness. Such divergence produced a “multi-cultural” endeavor that promoted a political hierarchy of perspectives which took on racialized proportions with disastrous effects.

In present times however, many proponents of the “new era” of cultural affirmation in post-apartheid South Africa see cultural celebration as an attempt to assert a new regime of hierarchies with one cultural form replacing the previously powerful forms. This is also more often associated with the representations of political power which silence those who differ from the majority perspective, the new master narrative, or dominant worldview. How different is this from multi-cultural apartheid?

By contrast, the Turkish school movement inspired by the international Hizmet philosophy of “service to humanity” is characterized by a worldview that celebrates the interdependent common ground across all cultural expressions. Their outward manifestations may differ, but cultural representations highlight the similitude of our humanity, and our quest for dialogue, love, and tolerance. This is embodied by the writings and teachings of a key founder of the Hizmet Movement: Fethullah Gülen. In this version of “inter-culturalism,” the attempt is to develop individuals who are conscious of their own self and their heritage, but not in service of a protectionist or preservationist agenda. From this firm position of self-strength, one is able to reach out to the world of others. We see in others, too, our agenda for our common quests. Our reaching out is a service to realizing peace and harmony – which is a goal sorely needed in a war-torn, politicized and ideologized world, which often uses religious beliefs as rallying points for promoting hostility, supremacy, and divergence. Sometimes these separatist agendas are disguised econometric plots, too! Cultural affirmation is not a hearkening to a fossilized past, but a recognition that our habits and routines can mutate and extend through dialogue and exchange; our borders can be more inviting and more welcoming.

A third kind of cultural engagement is “juxta-culturalism” which merely tolerates different groups walking alongside each other, never interconnecting. This is sadly the lived experiences of many who pursue only a narcissist nationalistic myopic agenda, seeing only the boundaries of geography and politics as the border of their selfhood. This produces expressions of xenophobia which does not recognize the inherent commonality of all human beings. We are all created equal in the eyes of God. Our nationalist identity is only a man-made demarcation, dividing one set of people from another. It is more commonplace that many individuals in our modern global society, live outside the borders within which their forefathers were born. We may draw our cultural roots from one geographic space, but live in another context altogether.

Human history has been replete with stories of crossing borders, migrations due to the ravages of political, economic, or natural disasters. Not all of these journeys are tales of joy. More likely, the fragile settled communities interpret the visiting migrant culture as undercutting the nationalistic goals of their society. Open hostility is unfortunately sanctioned as the appropriate response to keep the outsiders from penetrating our “safe world.” So, which version of cultural affirmation did the festival of language and culture promote?

I think that a version of “trans-disciplinary culturalism” emerged as the young stars of the show interacted to generate a positive energy of harmony by crossing over to the other side. Their own past matters; they remained rooted on their own river banks. But they were confident enough to swim across to the other side. The young performers were firmly grounded in the here and now of the present 21^st century, with all its influences: technology, media, and new musical and art forms, which they transported across the global village. And they dared us to dream of the possibility of building a new, shared cultural world. Their message was simple: we are simultaneously of the past, in the present, and eager to create the future. This movement across time and space, culture and geography, history and identity, are not threatening but enriching.

One of my lasting impressions was the emotional image of students embracing each other at the end of the show: this was the world in dialogue with each other. They had made a connection with those around them that would live on in their lives for many years. They will become the ambassadors of the new world order. The official festival song reverberates:

I saw a luminous future in my dream one night.
Lights were silent pouring down everywhere.
It was like a harmoniously working clock.
Dark nights had gone away.
A new world!
A new world!
They were building a new world.
Everywhere sparkled like the skies.
They were building a new world.

After the ceremony, I chatted with a young 12 year-old Albanian youth to congratulate him on his commanding and welcoming stage performance. He simply smiled broadly.

“No English. Me speak no English.” He smiled and held my hand, clutching his Albanian costume in one hand, his proud flag in another, and his infectious energy pouring out. Despite his lack of English skills, he was able to communicate via his open-hearted spirit.

What a festival of cultures and languages! Not essentialized, but harmonized. It was an expression of joyous humanity.

And there we found our God.

But now I think: was he from Albania or Afghanistan? Why do I not know these countries and their foreign flags? But does it matter?

His heart sparkled.

Reflections on the “13^th International Festival of Languages and Culture”
www.iflc.co.za
“Colours of the world”
18 March 2015
Nelson Mandela Theatre, Braaamfontein, Johannesburg

Michael Anthony Samuel is a professor of education at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Education, Durban, South Africa.

Masses who have developed with different thoughts and objectives that are in conflict, and who have been deprived of positive cultivation, they form a society wherein passion, animosity, and hatred run rampant. Such a society promises nothing in the way of goodness and decency.

The harmony in this resplendent book of the universe continues with the mutual support of all things, living and non-living, and their coming together to form a cohesive whole. Every kind of destruction and devastation transpires due to the collision of opposing currents. Such destruction is proportionate to the intensity of the clash.

Human societies are united under the same feelings, thoughts, and visions. They reach spiritual perfection with the same edification and all have a promising future.

As for those masses who have developed with different thoughts and objectives that are in conflict, and who have been deprived of positive cultivation, they form a society wherein passion, animosity, and hatred run rampant. Such a society promises nothing in the way of goodness and decency. In such a tumultuous society, the odds of an individual finding his or her true purpose and attaining serenity are unlikely – and perhaps even impossible. This is especially true when that society’s chief institutions are at the epicenter of the upheaval. When this happens, the society has become completely disordered. As a result, chaos and confusion reign.

However, the regularity of human societies, as with the order and harmony in the universe, is necessary and indispensible, both so that humanity can conform to nature’s universal harmony and so that humans do not contradict their own innate disposition. Every movement that does not adhere to the general symphony present in the book of the universe is a debacle, and the populace that falls prey to this erroneous movement is very unfortunate.

As such, in a population where successive oppressions and counter aggressions in the name of reprisal form a vicious cycle, the turmoil and mayhem resulting from disputes, uncertainties, and above all, deficiencies of the heart and soul, will engulf its surroundings like a terrifying tornado. In the ensuing terror, none will have the security to consider and examine the events or the reasons behind them. And of course, in the meantime, with collisions taking place one after another, the nation-tree will be shaken over and over again; homes will be intermittently destroyed, and individuals left stupefied. If only those rushing to society’s rescue in the sphere of belief and thought possessed a sense of order, faith in renewal, the power of persuasion, and sincerity and earnestness. Alas! Not in the least!

Virtually none of them has embarked upon this task with a clear worldview, an initial plan and system, or any anxiety over their destiny. Perhaps, with respect to the majority, even those who first sensed and recoiled in the face of such danger, especially the sensitive and exceptionally spiteful, were so unrefined in spirit that they said “yes” to every kind of tyranny, attack, and domination for the sake of satiating their carnal selves…

How sad it is that in this struggle, which defies all reason and comprehension – or more precisely, in this uproar – those most wronged and perpetually subjected to tumult have been the innocent multitudes. These naive masses, united by their centuries old cultural and historical values, have been unable to determine quite where they have come from and where they are going. They have been dragged into error after error, unaware of whose account they were acting. They have been corrupted and afflicted even more as their intellectuals have been denying their past and all they ought to take pride in, who could have otherwise served as a beacon of light and direction. When, eventually, the seeds scattered on our soil with countless ill intentions sprang up and developed, all segments of society formed into “enemy-camps” ready for conflict.

The masses have become such an ill-fated and uninhibited horde-who excuse everything as permissible, obliterate in one stroke all that is sacred, and ridicule all their values-that an individual falling into their clutches is but a vagrant, not bound by any limitations. And, as such, the national spirit worn away for centuries by internal erosion, and paralyzed in these ill-omened hands, has become completely bedridden.

If only the behavior of those wanting to protect their spirit in the face of such destructive movements were heartfelt, valiant, compassionate, and constructive… Alas! They too, could not establish the expected balance and provide the people with a sense of security…

On the contrary, by responding to excessiveness with excessiveness, they sacrificed myriad magnificent, righteous, and beneficial things. In this chaos, truth was slaughtered innumerable times; on top of that, those who slaughtered it did so for another presumed truth. How many times the masses were fooled and the multitudes were set against each other with wrong being shown as right and right being shown as wrong! Time and time again, after the battles erupting between enemy camps exhausted both groups, rifts had already formed that were difficult to heal.

Indeed, in this collective chaos, however harmful and destructive this ravenous “miscreant-spirit” has been, those naive immature spirits unable to rest their defense on a sensible system and who return “hate” for hate and “anger” for anger, have been just as detrimental. And thus, on one side are those miserable creatures who have rejected all their human values, have denied their past and their source of pride, and through an ever-increasing estrangement, have completely altered their nature-those irreverent, unloving, rootless, disbelieving slaves of their desires. And on the other side, up against these wretched creatures, are only those simpletons, deprived of the fighting spirit and ideal, who respond with anger, coercion, and brute force… For years on end, people grappled with the waves emerging from these opposing currents, resisted all these eddies, were assaulted again and again, and were repeatedly abandoned to hopelessness…

At this time, we await a community of devotees, who will “neutralize” these damaging currents. They will be respectful of the truth, hold the sake and pleasure of God over everything else, possess reason and conscience, have enlightened minds, radiant hearts, and souls that take flight in the realms high above. They will be reverent towards all the universal values we inherited from our forebears, to traditions and customs, to art and culture, and to morality and sound upbringing. This cadre would not overturn the spiritual roots and historical values that have held us on our feet for centuries. On the contrary, they would revive these in the face of changing world conditions; and, viewing each of these as a part of the national structure, would take complete ownership of them.

At a time when our sense of identity faces annihilation, this group of blessed ones-the possessors of this “sense of sacred suffering” who take upon themselves the task of its rescue-will applaud goodness and neutralize evil. They will do so by thwarting the internal decay and discord that has gnawed away at society for years on end, by ensuring a road for peace, and by removing the archaic methods, damaging fanaticisms, and monopolist designs used by both groups and which have crippled our society.

Today, when society’s ailments have reached their peak, when real enmity and our enemies have clearly emerged, and when the dialogue we have with the world to which we are connected gains strength with every passing day, we are exceedingly hopeful for humankind and hold the belief that we will rise once again.

As planets have been moving like whirling dervishes around the sun for millions of years, the Milky Way and billions of galaxies in the universe constantly keep turning in space, whose boundaries we are unable to define, in a realm of ether. As the world completes rotating around its own axis in 24 hours, it orbits around the sun with a speed of 30 km/hr and it does not even make a second’s delay in completing its yearly tour. A crowded family formed by the other nearby worlds and their satellites are travelling toward the Vega system with a speed of 220 km/second. Thanks to this rhythmic order, the orbits of planets and their positions at a given date, the times for lunar and solar eclipses, and changes with the length of days and nights, can be predicted years in advance, or calculated for historical times. The repetitive nature of these movements and continuity of the present order, for millions of years, show that everything depends on a certain plan and law, and that nothing acts on its own. There is no place for coincidence when things happen within a frame of laws, where order and rhythm exist.

The continuity of existence depends on the repetition of existing motions within a certain period – namely, on rhythmical motion. The cessation of motion in the cosmos would mean the non-existence of rhythm. It is not possible to talk about rhythm without motion and activity. This movement in existence must have a meaning and purpose. It is exceedingly difficult to explain, with physical laws, why existence came to be and the purpose in this motion. In addition, why this motion began and how long it will last, cannot solely be explained with physical laws. However, there is great meaning in this harmonious turning; an unbroken bond in existence, and a unity. Everything uses a silent language to give a meaningful message to insightful hearts. Then, how is this message supposed to be read and understood?

As we understand from holy scriptures, existence is made subservient to humanity. Existence stands as a means for human comprehension of the meaning within. A person who can view existence with eyes of wisdom and manages to hear creation’s silent melody becomes enraptured with this rhythm and feels like a whirling dervish awed by the Divine.

Rhythm in nature

There exists a balance in nature and a meaningful bond between beings. As everything runs in harmony, beings both help and compensate for one another. The sun, the earth’s source of energy and light, and essential for the continuity of life, is made dependent on a certain order with its rhythmical motion; the world and other planets move in accordance with this main rhythm. Day and night happen by the earth’s spinning around its axis, which is another rhythmical and constant occurrence. An absence of rhythm causes uncertainty and the situation is defined as chaos. If the future is completely uncertain, it gives way to utter chaos and life on earth cannot continue.

The holistic and integrated nature of beings is reflected in human biology, as it is in all living beings. Humans can always perceive, in daily life, that the motions in the universe are in a rhythmical order. As a person comes to this world connected with these rhythms; one can feel their effect in every stage of life and in one’s own body. The circular motion that occurs with the periodical repetition of minutes, hours, days, seasons, and years influences us. The inner rhythm we call our “biorhythm” is adjusted in accordance with the order outside, and there is a 24-hour periodical rhythm in daily life. Every individual has an innately given, peculiar, and distinctive bio rhythm special to the person’s biological and spiritual structure. As in human beings, a periodical rhythm is observable in many living things’ metabolism, heartbeat, and bodily functions, like respiration and sleep; this is known as the circadian rhythm. If the rhythms of living beings are upset, their biological balance is also upset, a situation which can sometimes cause death.

There is no place for coincidence in the universe; everything runs in a regular order established by the One of infinite wisdom. What brings order to life is the existence of rhythmical motion and the continuity of this order, which gives people a sense of security and makes life easier. One can make daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly plans. For example, the fact that the sun’s motion depends on certain physical laws that can be defined with mathematical formulas, and that we see it rising at a certain hour from the same direction every day, gives a sense of comfort to our mind and feelings. Most people do not even worry whether the sun will rise the next day. A person with sound reason does not fall into contradictions while observing occurrences and looks to future with trust. Thanks to periodical occurrences, a person finds a beauty in one’s memories and feelings by remembering the past. These recurring seasons can help us to remember things that, otherwise, might be forgotten.

As an inherent quality of human nature, a person wishes to see an order to social life and expects consistent behavior from others. People with consistent behavior are more preferable as friends and inspire trust in those around them. The order formed as a consequence of individuals’ living in harmony can be seen as social rhythm. Just as a social life that respects others’ rights, and acting in accordance with the existing order, is peaceful and harmonious, a social life that runs counter to the idea of order and trust can lead to chaos and unrest.

Arts

Laws prevalent in existence can also be expressed with arithmetical equations. Mathematical curves, fractals, number series, and many other things reflect a rhythmical pattern and a plan. For example, works executed with the proportions of Fibonacci numbers and the golden ratio give aesthetic pleasure to viewers. The eye perceives numerous patterns and motifs formed by ranges of colors, and the ear perceives all melodies and sounds as rhythm. For a person who views creation with eyes of wisdom, the positions of leaves on a tree, a soaring bird, a flowing river, and all of spring’s colorful blossoms are causes of admiration and enthusiasm. Beauty appeals to human nature. And what lies in the essence of all art is aesthetic beauty and harmony, which evoke this feeling of admiration. The human reason, spirit, and emotions have their share from the mysterious activities observed in creation; they express these through art. An artist is essentially inspired by this order and harmony in the universe. If art is the name for sensing this rhythm and harmony in the universe, then the artist is a person who expresses this rhythm in one’s works. Those who grasp this fine meaning and aesthetic beauty in creation can be said to have caught the true spirit in art.

Music is the art where rhythm is sensed best. The patterns and harmony in music perfectly agree with the harmony in nature. Perhaps, how music appeals human feelings and gives us delight is a consequence of such a correspondence. A person’s recognition of this harmony and rhythm in the universe makes one conform to it and become unified with existence.

To conclude, humans have not been left to run wild in this world; an order is needed for their material and spiritual life. The balance, harmony, and beauties existing in creation are reflected in human nature as well. Without a rhythmically working order, the balance of life will be upset, chaos will begin, and maybe the world will come to an end!

Let us imagine two people of similar economic status, one of whom donates a considerable amount of money to a charity organization willingly, while the other hesitates but eventually donates the same amount of money with relative difficulty. Which action deserves the real moral praise? Intuitively, the willing donor seems to get our praise and sympathy more than the other; yet, it might require more virtue to choose the right action in the face of adverse inclinations. Acknowledging that this question is more difficult than it first appears lets us go back several millennia to hear what Aristotle, the great philosopher and ethicist, has to say on this issue.

Aristotle use the terms virtue, continence, incontinence, and vice in order to account for diverse attitudes present in individuals when confronted with ethical dilemmas. “Virtue” is an excellence of the soul that helps one to achieve complete harmony between one’s reasoning and desires. Whenever the virtuous person chooses an action as the rationally best option, he performs this action pleasurably. Yet this is a pleasure of a higher status, a noble joy, one that stems from appreciating the intrinsic value of the virtuous action and thus coming to love it. In other words, the virtuous person’s emotions and reason point at the same direction and there is no inner conflict that haunts his soul. This results in a noble and complete joy; a cultivated ability to see the intrinsic value embedded in the virtuous act through gaining a second nature. This second nature begins with having joy in doing the right thing rather than primarily being after the satisfaction of the bodily desires.

Unlike the state of virtue, the cases of continence, incontinence, and vice all include conflict to some degree between one’s reason and desires. Within this spectrum, some people better resist these counter-rational desires than others, and they are able to act in the same manner as a virtuous person, as in our example above. Aristotle calls such individuals “continent” (enkrates) and he distinguishes them from the fully virtuous. Their distinctive characteristic is that they struggle inside, but they end up doing the morally right thing. Yet, unlike the continent, some people are less successful in resisting their inner desires, and they end up doing the wrong action even though they are rationally aware of its wrongness. These individuals are called “incontinent” (akratês). Their reason and appetites drift them in opposite directions, and they find themselves in a miserable position. In the very last category, vice, are the individuals who refuse to do what an ethically virtuous person would do because they have become convinced that justice, temperance, generosity, and the like are of little or no value; Aristotle calls such people evil (kakos). This last category is demarcated from other categories sharply by the lack of any struggle against the dark side of the soul. These people both begin and end up on the negative side. Despite the fact that vicious people might seem to possess an inner harmony since both their wills and acts are in accord, Aristotle portrays them as deeply divided, because they cannot help but become dissatisfied as a result of the over-dominance of the irrational part of their souls. Aristotle assumes that if someone is in the habit of making bad decisions about how to live his life, his failures are caused by psychological forces that are less than fully rational. It is probable that his desires for pleasure, power, or some other external goal have become so strong that they make him care too little or not at all about acting ethically. It can be claimed that the vicious person lacks internal harmony because he cannot implement his rational side properly in making decisions. This reminds us of the famous chariot allegory of Aristotle’s teacher, Plato, in which he paints the picture of a charioteer driving a chariot pulled by two winged horses: one of them representing the rational and moral impulses and the other irrational appetites. The charioteer is like the human soul that needs to balance and keep the chariot going in the path towards enlightenment. While it is not easy to keep the two fighting horses in check, a human soul is better off whenever it is guided through reason, the charioteer. Yet, the evil person suffers from an imbalance and is perpetually drifted away by the whims of the bad-behaved horse. This, in the long run, results in unhappiness and sickness of the soul.

Cultivation of dispositions

Now that a brief sketch of Aristotle’s four types of ethical subjects is drawn, there is an inevitable question that awaits us. We have seen that all three of these positions involve some lack of integrity; it is only the life of a virtuous person that possesses internal harmony, and all other lives deviate to some degree from this ideal. Yet, one cannot help but wonder how we could attain this ideal state? According to Aristotle, in order to achieve the state of virtue, we need to develop proper habits and emotional responses starting from early childhood. Although full virtue is a rare achievement for human beings, it is only attainable through employment of continence persistently in life. Aristotle divides the virtues into two categories, the natural and the true virtues, and whereas the former comes by nature, the latter is cultivated through habituation. Aristotle’s truly virtuous man has cultivated (habituated) emotions rather than possessing immediate impulses to do good. Aristotle famously tells us that “action” leads to the corresponding character states; just as to be a good painter, you have to paint, and to be a good shoemaker you need to make shoes, you need to do virtuous actions to become virtuous. In Aristotle’s words, we become “just by doing just actions, and temperate by acting temperately.” (NE II.4.)

Virtue is “made perfect by habit and by practical wisdom,” and this makes the virtuous person’s position superior to that of the merely continent person. This conception of virtue as an ongoing, developmental process implies that individuals cannot typically will to feel certain emotions at a moment’s notice, but they can choose to cultivate certain emotions over time as a significant part of developing moral character.

Although Aristotle advises that virtue be our ultimate aim, he still esteems the continent person to some extent. A lack of complete harmony between reason and desires is often inescapable for human beings. We can only want or choose to do the virtuous thing, but we cannot make ourselves take pleasure from doing it. In fact, continence is often the only state we are capable of achieving, even though we might want to do the right thing cheerfully. To make an analogy, Aristotle encourages the cultivation of virtues just like the flourishing of a flower. Growing flowers require time and great care; likewise, virtuousness does not always come by nature but it is gained through cultivation and care.

Reason as the guide

The Aristotelian virtuous person is the one whose rational part overrides and guides the appetitive part. Accordingly, as long as the person is guided by his rational part, his actions are virtuous; whenever the rational side of the person is weaker than his appetitive side, it leads to moral weakness (incontinence). The idea of acting from the rational part of the soul is pivotal in Aristotle’s ethics; he ties human arête (virtue) to reasoning. For Aristotle, virtuous action must definitely originate from reasoning since it is the human arête (virtue) to be guided by the rational part of the soul. “Like every other creature in the world, man has a particular nature and the best way to live is to live up to his nature, which is to be directed by a rational soul.” Therefore, by “desiring to do the virtuous thing” Aristotle does not claim that this person should have a natural inclination to do the right thing; instead, it requires adoption of rational desires that are in line with virtuous actions.

One-way road to happiness: From continence to virtue

How can we make ourselves enjoy doing the virtuous things according to Aristotle? For instance, how can we “enjoy” giving to charity? As Aristotle proposes, we become just by doing just actions, we become temperate by acting temperately; so, the only way to arrive at true virtue goes from acting in conformity with duty even if we do it with continence. Aristotle assumes every individual begins the journey by continence and tries to arrive at virtuousness, which is a complete harmony of will and reason. In a way, Aristotle’s virtuous person is someone who walked up the ladder from continence to virtue. No one ascends to the state of virtue without first being continent. It is important to note that, for Aristotle, doing the better thing willingly is a better position to which we should aspire, but climbing up the ladder of virtue is already sufficient to make someone a good person. Full virtue and complete harmony could only be the destination we reach after a long journey of cultivation of emotions.

Yet, the question still remains: how can we make our souls come to love and enjoy being virtuous? Aristotle’s answer is that when your will and reason are in complete harmony, you do the desirable thing with pleasure. Otherwise, it is continence, which is a state with a lesser degree of moral worth. Let us assume we have cultivated our emotions and habituated ourselves to do the virtuous thing. Now, I always “want” to do the right thing. Still, one cannot help but wonder how we can make ourselves “enjoy” being virtuous. Aristotle’s reply would be simple: the virtuous person, upon moral deliberation, rationally chooses the virtuous thing to do, and because he is acting in conformity with his rational part and because his rational part has supremacy over the emotional part, he is expected to perform the action pleasurably. However, this is not totally convincing; no matter how many times we “choose” or “want” to do the right thing, we might still not be able to “take pleasure” from doing the right thing. I might be able to acquire the habit of sleeping less after considerable effort, but I cannot get myself to “enjoy” this. If we define a virtuous person as the one who both “wants” and “does” the virtuous thing, then this is understandable. Yet, when it comes to “enjoying” or “taking pleasure from” the virtuous action, we are usually short of actualizing this at will.

Then, is it ever possible to be truly virtuous? Evidently, Aristotle is optimistic on this issue. He believes true virtue is possible as long as proper cultivation is provided. Nonetheless, virtue does not come without effort; it requires time and tender care — being virtuous is not possible without persistently doing the right thing and trying to strengthen our rational part so that it will have supremacy over the appetitive part. Only then can people ascend to true virtue rather than staying at the level of continence. And this journey is not something we could afford to overlook, since it harbors true happiness.

Despite Aristotle’s invaluable contribution to ethics, he falls short of providing satisfactory answers to many intuitive questions regarding how and why the human soul enjoys being virtuous. His ultimate answer revolves around the happiness of the soul and there is no greater gain other than having the best possible life that is characterized as the eudaimon life. This is not a bad ideal, but its significance is quite negligible compared to the greater ideal of gaining an immortal life of happiness and beauty. Yet, since Aristotle does not believe in an immortal soul, his arguments do not include references to eternal happiness. Given this, no matter how convincing the ethicists’ arguments are, there will always remain a question: Why would I care so much about a life that is doomed to end? Why should I take the trouble to fight with my desires and make myself a so-called virtuous person? Moreover, complete happiness is almost impossible to attain in a life that we know to be short. Even though we could lead a happy life through virtue, knowing that it will last merely for this life makes it bittersweet at best. Without immortality, we are like birds that are kept in cages in this finite world, trying to find the best way to lead a good and happy life–a small and finite goal. Instead, finding the real eternal Divine source of why our souls find happiness and peace in virtuous actions and knowing that this joy is to last forever, can grant us true happiness. Whenever we act virtuously, say, giving to the poor without expecting anything in return, we are actually imitating and aspiring to the character of the Divine who is the most Generous. Similarly, whenever a person forgives another, he would be acting in accordance with the Divine mercy that is exemplified in the name of the All-Merciful. Hence, engaging in such virtuous acts gives the person unprecedented joy of the soul because such participation in the Divine goodness is greater than other sorts of pleasure. Furthermore, with immortality such acts do not merely stay in this life; on the contrary, performing these virtuous acts become the key to eternal happiness. Acting virtuously is good because these acts derive from God’s character Who is the source of all goodness, truth, and beauty. As long as a human soul can reflect this beauty as a mirror, his actions gain intrinsic value, and she can reach true happiness, not only in this life but also in the eternal afterlife.

A: There is no Mujaddid (renewer) presently. All of them have passed on having completed their mission. Today what is left behind as a duty for us is to recognize them and make sound assessments of their interpretations and perspectives. All of them and especially “the sage of the age” (Bediuzzaman) never drew attention to themselves when they started service to belief and the Qur’an and they understood this phenomenon as a “collective personality” (shakhs al-manawi) rather than a [particular] individual (shakhs), in the sense that after this, service to belief and Islam would be represented by the “collective [spiritual] personality.” As a matter of fact, some people may fall into an error as a result of a false ijtihad (independent reasoning), and may incline to show added fondness and favor toward certain individuals. Such favored individuals-if they are any righteous-are expected to direct this favor into preventing these people from splitting apart, and will never exploit it for a personal interest (or attribute this favor to any of their personal qualities). Certainly, it is always possible that such individuals, who ensure the unity of their community and encourage them for good service, may be blessed with things that they have never thought about or never expected. If it is useful for the community, then such a fondness must be maintained. “Otherwise, all (personal) talents and gifts should be shattered like a crystal bowl; and the “collective [spiritual] personality” should always be indicated as the foundation.”

Meanwhile, there are some individuals who have become the lifeblood of a community out of a respect arising from the bottom; you can observe the presence of such individuals in every part of the structure top to bottom, although they are “nothing.” However, if these individuals are beneficial to the community even at a tiniest level, then it is not worth causing troubles for them. Such individuals become an idol, if they cannot provide guidance for the society, construct the spirit of revival at a desired level, embrace every section of the society and be in harmony with them, and can only get along with those who respect them; such idols should be brought down. It is unacceptable that these individuals are capable of representing the “collective personality” if they cannot work in harmony even with those “pharaohs” within the society.

If such individuals are equipped with some sincerity (ikhlas), when they realize they cannot be in harmony with the entire society, they would go into a self-denial and would bury themselves in an “individual absence” (ghaybubiyyat al-fardiyya), like Ibrahim Adham did, in order to find out their own souls. Otherwise, being at the head of such service may place this person in a risk to lose some of the things they possess.

Turning back to the original question, even though the Renewer (Mujaddid) had been awaited as a single individual, at a time when the world has become more global and we are experiencing a “shrinking” of distances both in time and space (taqarrub al-zaman and taqarrub al-makan), and masses apparently living far apart have become members of the same household, service to humanity (hidma) should be undertaken, not by an individual par excellence (fard al-farid), but rather by the collective [spiritual] body (shakhs al-manawi). Those who will constitute the shakhs al-manawi might be persons drawn from a wide spectrum; from those who participate to the smallest degree to those whose contribution is unimaginably great and who cooperate with everyone in perfect harmony. This service will not involve people with specialties; however, some special people will be the teachers of this communal school; they will be the “individuals par excellence” of the transcendental dervish lodge of this age; they will be the head teachers of the madrasa beyond these times; they will be the commanders of this collective barracks.

I believe that today the (spiritual ranks of) the Qutb and Fard are primarily represented by the collective spiritual bodies. At certain times, the ranks of Qutb and Ghaus are conjoined, whereas the rank of Qutb al-Irshad (Pole of Guidance) might have several representations, for it is related to guidance (irshad). The Autad (pillars) will perhaps be represented within this collective understanding or will assume the role of the lifeblood of a sacred and absolute unity that will be achieved either through uniting with this collective understanding or through spreading among all Islamic communities/groups (jamaats).

There are countless righteous saints of sevens, or forties who are climbing the stairs of Qutb al-Irshad. Even though they appear disconnected, one day they will certainly reach a point of intersection. Our master the Messenger of God says, “Souls are soldiers lined up in ranks; they come together as much as they know each other.” People who share the same soul, the same meaning, and the same thought will certainly unite, even though they are far apart, just like rivers flowing into the same sea, reaching the target sometimes by carving into mountains or by finding out different routes when their paths are blocked by visible or hidden obstructions; or like those who have intended for pilgrimage may meet at holy precincts like Arafat, Ka‘ba, or Rawda. It does not matter if they had the intention to meet or not, the domains they would like to do services at will unite them, and they will represent this grand truth with a hope-inspiring “collective gathering” (jamm al-ghafir).

All of these depend on the existence of unpretentious people with no expectations (hasbi), and they are certainly a grace of God. Therefore, people must seriously train themselves in the direction of being with no expectation in return (hasbi) and altruism. They must be unpretentious and just like the people during the Makka period could not see the season of conquests, they should also free themselves from every kind of worldly expectations and seek the pleasure of God. They should never forget that God may not allow them to continue this work till the end. These people of courage should be loyal, but should never be after any expectation. Service is done not for the reward to be given here, but because it is God’s order. If some reward is given here, then it should be regarded as ulufe (a regular salary the Sultan paid to some soldiers), but it should never be attributed to any individuals.

*This refers to the classical models of the Hidden Government in which there are ranks of saints: one Qutb (axis, pole) or Ghauth (help), 4 Autad (pillars), 7 Abrar (pious), and 40 Abdals (substitutes). Below this are 300 akhyar (Good) and 4000 Hidden saints. (Schimmel, 1975, 200).

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