Coursera, founded in 2012, emerged as one of the pioneering platforms of the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) movement. Soon, leading universities – Stanford, Princeton, Michigan, Duke and others – joined in and education began to spill beyond campuses into the hands of anyone with an Internet connection. What printing had achieved for the written word, MOOCs began to achieve for university-level learning: expanding the circle of who gets to learn.

But technology did not stop there. While MOOCs delivered information, AI (Artificial Intelligence) began shaping tools that could interact with learners. Unlike a textbook, these tools could respond, adjust, explain, and guide. AI assistants such as ChatGPT represent a moment when

education becomes personalized, flexible, and available at any hour of the day. They are not simply repositories of information – they are companions in thinking.

The roots of ChatGPT lie in a breakthrough known as the Transformer architecture, introduced in 2017 under the title “Attention Is All You Need.” This innovation made possible a family of models – GPT-1, GPT-2, GPT-3 and further – capable of understanding patterns in human language at remarkable depth. Over time, ChatGPT evolved from a single model into a spectrum of specialized assistants, able to analyze, create, and collaborate. (https://developers.openai.com/api/docs/models)

Yet the idea that knowledge will one day reach everyone, without distinction, is not new.

A narration attributed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) conveys a striking divine promise:

“God said, ‘In the end of time, I will spread knowledge so widely that men and women, the free and the enslaved, the young and the old – everyone – will have the opportunity to learn.’” (Ibn Abd al-Barr. Jami’ Bayan al-‘Ilm wa Fadlih)

This narration is not found in the authenticated primary sources due to weak chain of narration. It is found in secondary sources; but the fact that renowned scholars like Ibn Abd al-Barr noted it in their works makes it worth pondering over. This wise saying predicts not simply an expansion of education, but a transformation of society. In a world where access to learning has historically been shaped by gender, wealth, age, or social position, these words imagine a future where knowledge becomes universal and where the privilege of learning dissolves into a shared human inheritance.

“Men and women” – a hint that gender will no longer determine who may seek understanding. “The free and the enslaved” – that knowledge will transcend status and economic barriers. “The young and the old” – that learning becomes lifelong, not limited to childhood and youth.

One cannot help but assume that long before our age of digital platforms and AI, a future where learning flows to all corners of society was already being imagined in the ancient world. It is not difficult to see resonances with the present moment: AI tutors on smartphones, open courses from world-class universities, translated materials, adaptive learning systems, and global communities of learners who can study together without ever meeting in person.

From this perspective, AI technology is not an isolated achievement of the 21st century; it is part of a broader human journey toward expanding the horizons of knowledge. And perhaps, as this narration suggests, it is also part of a spiritual journey, one in which the spread of learning reflects a divine mercy extended to all people.

Patience is a fundamental foundation upon which we rise and attain virtue. It is a victory of the willpower. Without patience, developing the soul and rising to the mysteries of the ego are unimaginable. Through patience, the human will free themselves from the bondage to the flesh and the earth, and through it they will become an angelic candidate for the exalted realms. Patience is a narrow pass and a challenging peak that leads to the kingdoms beyond. When this is the case, truth-seekers who have given their hearts to the realms beyond are like Hercules, confronting all paths that seem impossible to cross – a Hercules in whose eyes the steepest hills appear as flat lands free from any obstacle.

Patience is the person’s discernment of the harmony that is inherent in the bosom of primordial nature – it is when he or she comprehends this harmony and aligns their lives accordingly. Indeed, patience means understanding the language of things and events and striving to establish a dialogue with them. A person is truly honored when they persevere until they begin to understand this language and seek to build a bridge between the flow of time and their actions, becoming one with nature. How grand is this divine music that resonates throughout the universe, and what a spectacle it is to sense and behold this harmony!

Patience means recognizing the influence of time over matter and comprehending how events are crushed and ground down and transformed between the relentless teeth of time. Under its silent force of conversion and dissolution, those who can transform themselves into steel or ice, depending on the conditions, will ascend to a different dimension and thus protect themselves from annihilation. Those who fail to grasp this reality will be demolished in the iron claws of time.

Yes, nature will break the legs and crush the spirit of those who do not abide by its laws. On the other hand, for those who recognize it and give voice to its silent indignations by singing the newest songs of David, nature will soften like candle wax in their hands.

O the hasty, mischievous ones who do not embrace patience!

Yes, there are many who are not aware of themselves and who fail to recognize the essence of their natural disposition. They run for years, only to realize that they have advanced no further than the length of a needle. And then there are those who appear quiet and motionless, like deep rivers, yet they continue moving, step by step, overcoming all darkness in their path and abolishing all barriers without a sound. They walk silently, without bragging, without noise or commotion. Just like corals at the bottom of the ocean—corals that have endured suffering, that have been drenched in blood to attain the rank of an emerald.

A seed penetrates the rock or soil in this manner, silently and with perseverance. A flower bud springs into existence by opening its chest to the sun a hundred times and struggling just as often against the darkness of the night.

Consider an embryo forming in the mother’s womb, passing from one stage of darkness to another—a fascinating journey, a strange yet wondrous voyage that serves as the ultimate example of patience. Yes, it undergoes countless transformations, taking on different forms until, after nine months, it emerges into the world in all its elegance.

Let us also reflect on the creation of this magnificent cosmos—the universe. Everything comes into existence by the All-Powerful One’s command, “Be,” and the vast expanse of space and matter undergoes countless phases over billions of years to take its present form as His creation. What a profound and remarkable lesson this holds!

Everything in existence embodies incredible patience, never-ending determination and resilience as it moves step by step towards the objective. There is no haste, only a steadfast adherence to the laws commanded in nature, without deviation or change in course.

O impatient human! You alone show impatience. You are the one who disrupts the order that prevails in all of existence! It is you who refuses to endure the journey, striving to leap ahead instead of taking measured steps. You seek results without considering the necessary causes. You chase the impossible, building ivory towers in your imagination. And yet, you are also the one who grows weary from delusions and worries of your own making. You speak without thinking, only to be consumed by regret—yet you never learn from the countless regrets that repeat themselves. If only you knew how unfortunate and unappealing this behavior truly is.

If only you could learn from the events around you, each one an eloquent preacher, speaking its own language. If only you knew how to abide by the delicate order woven into existence and fulfill what the cause-and-effect relationship demands of you. If only you carried on with faith, determination, and willpower, rather than being led astray by mere imagination.

Your existence is measured with your patience, and in the sight of the Almighty, your worth is as great as your patience. It is your patience and determination that drive you to embody the highest virtues and character traits defined in your Book—striving to fulfill them as perfectly as possible, without deficiency or interruption. It is your strength and perseverance in resisting what the Book deems ugly and undesirable. Ultimately, your true value lies in your joyful and wholehearted acceptance of whatever comes from above:

Whether it is suffering that comes from your Majesty
Or loyalty from Your Beauty;
Both are pleasures to my soul;
Pleasant are both Your trials and blessings…

Living all that is elevating, constantly and without respite; being cautious and prepared against all that is debasing; and, finally, enduring with relentless tolerance the dilemmas that arise unexpectedly to test and trouble you—this is patience. It is a pain more profound than any other, yet its outcome is like the purest, life-giving water.

Patience means never abandoning your post, even at the cost of losing everything. It is melting like a candle, yet steadfastly remaining in your place.

Where are perseverance and willpower? Where are gallantry and bravery? We have lost our way, confused by our constant shifting of paths and directions. Preoccupied with something different each day, we have exhausted ourselves—running from one direction to another, leaving us uncertain of where to turn.

A saint once said that he was guided by a cat—a creature that waits patiently before a hole for its prey, unwavering until daylight, without blinking. But what about you, O human being! How long have you remained steadfast in your eternal pursuit, without wavering in your stance or losing focus? How many times have your plans been ruined? How many times have your efforts been lost, forcing you to start anew—without giving up or feeling disheartened? How many times have you been turned away from the gates, expelled and banished, only to return, humbled, to the steps of your Beloved?

Did you think you would enter Paradise without enduring the trials faced by those before you? The noble Prophet and his devoted followers experienced such despair and suffering that they were shaken to their core, crying out, “When will the aid of God come?” Perhaps His help is already on its way—to those who patiently persist in their servitude, who battle fiercely against sin, and who refuse to lose hope or determination, even when their plans and lives have been shattered a thousand times.

Yes, His help is coming to those who say, “On the path of our love, we care not for our own lives. We walk on a passionate path, and from now on, we need nothing else.”

It was May 2019. We were observing the holy month of Ramadan, and while we were physically in the office and doing our usual work, our stomachs and spirits were on their annual leave. Deprived from my habitual caffeine intake of tea and coffee, my eyes rolled over to social media for some distraction. It was indeed a happy distraction, for I saw another beautiful post from one of favorite accounts. I read the post loudly so my colleagues could hear. “How nice it would be if we published a book by him,” I said. “Is ‘him’ Craig Considine?” asked one of my colleagues; “I just noticed an email from him in our spam box,” he said. He rarely checks the spam box—that day, he was meant to do so. And in that email, Craig was inquiring if we would be interested in publishing his manuscript. It was indeed a serendipitous moment when the first seeds of the book The Humanity of Muhammad: A Christian Perspective were being sown. It was released about a year later. Commercially, it was not the best time because of Covid-19. But we were all very pleased that it was available for mass readership.

The Humanity of Muhammad soon became a bestseller in its category and was later designated as one of best books of all time (in the field of Middle East studies) by www.bookauthority.com. The success of this book prompted Dr. Considine to write another volume: People of the Book: Prophet Muhammad’s Encounters with Christians (published by Hurst).

Around the days when The Humanity of Muhammad was released, George Floyd was brutally killed, leading to mass demonstrations in the United States. Sadly, race-triggered violence is happening all over the globe. There are thousands of people being abused like slaves in many countries. And today, in many places, religious intolerance is no different than it was in seventh century Arabia. Women are still being discriminated against in the workplace, and they continue to suffer domestic violence. At the center of all these problems is the absence of wisdom, of equal opportunities, and of awareness of basic human rights and civic duties. In this book, Dr. Considine engages with the life of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, in consideration of these rights and duties, and explores how he contributed to human civilization in this regard.

We spoke with Dr. Considine about his book and a bit more:

Craig, you are touching the hearts of many believers around the world with your activism promoting understanding between Christians and Muslims. Your book “The Humanity of Muhammad” is great evidence to that. Why the “humanity” of Muhammad?

Because the humanity of Muhammad provides a necessary medicine to cure the world of its many ills. His love of humanity is evident in promoting civic nation building, racial equality, and religious pluralism. These things are needed now more than ever.

What is the message of Prophet Muhammad to you in terms of 1) belief in God; and 2) as a believer in a time when religion is not the most “fashionable” thing in the world?

Muhammad was a believer in the Oneness of Creation, thus, the fundamental connection of human beings first as human beings instead of exclusive categories rooted in ethnicity, race, or religion. His “primary” identity was “human.”

Women continue to be oppressed even today. Religion and clergy are not particularly known for defending women’s rights. But the Prophet Muhammad you portray is in contrast to this general perception. What would you say on that?

Muhammad was not just an advocate of women’s rights; he was a champion of them. He was far, far ahead of his time when it came to the promotion of a current buzz word like “feminism.” The examples are too many too count, but his relationship with Khadija speaks volumes about his views on the rightful place of a woman in a given society.

We know you particularly liked the cover. Why was that? What does the cover represent?

The cover intrigued me because it shows a beautiful blending of colors and textures. The blending of humanity is what Muhammad had envisioned for the Ummah. Diverse groups of people coming together to figure out how to make the “best” of human civilization.

As a Christian who writes positively on Islam, you are not always receiving positive reactions. Muslims want you to become Muslim, and Christians think you are not a good Christian. Does this become unbearable at times?

No, it is never “unbearable,” as I believe wholeheartedly in the “mission” of “being a bridge.” My belief and faith keep me focused and hopeful. Plus, my mom always told me, “You cannot please everyone!”

The first question Krista Tippett asks her guests in her show On Being is about their earliest memories of faith in childhood. What is your earliest memory of faith?

My earliest memory of “true faith” is watching Angelina Tedesco (ni Alonzo), my Italian “Nana” (grandmother), praying the Rosary on her rocking chair in Newton, Massachusetts while I was sitting on the ground right next to her. I was trying to get her attention; Nana did not even flinch when I tried to talk to her. She was “locked into” her prayers.

We are living in a time when many historians and futurists look into a future when AI will dominate the world, so much so that humanity as we know will not survive. What is your projection of life?

My projection on “life” itself is that human civilizations need to look beyond our world for other spaces to live and hopefully thrive. As for the influence of AI, I do not think it will ever get to the point of iRobot, the movie starring Will Smith, but I suppose it is also possible.

What is the purpose of life? Is there a purpose? What is your purpose in life? What is it that makes you wake up every morning?

Jim Valvano, the Italian American college basketball coach, said it best in his well-known ESPY speech during his battle with cancer. He said that we should do three things every single day of our lives: laugh, think (spending time in thought), and cry (being moved to tears by joy or happiness). In summary, a “life of purpose” seeks to love and to do good, to be kind and hospitable, and to love one another as we would want to be loved ourselves.

What does faith offer to humanity? Why do we need to believe?

Faith in the ability to create a better world is crucial to the well-being of humanity itself. Faith provides optimism for a better future. Without faith, life becomes stagnant. If we do not have faith in ourselves, we cannot have faith in others, which contributes to social incohesion. We want to avoid that at all costs.

Who is God in your eyes? The Watchmaker? Or the One Who is actively involved in all affairs?

To be honest, I am unsure about who or what exactly “God” is or is not. I do believe in a “force” that created everything. Outside of that, I turn to Socrates, who humbly said, “I know that I do not know.” I like to keep it humble.

There are some exemplary people who we may call “embodiments of rectitude.” These exceptional people look at life with a holistic view. They see things correctly, they think correctly, and they attach their every initiative with a consideration for truth. They move forward between the carnal soul and what lies beyond their nature always with this consideration in mind. They turn the lens of their willpower and consciousness to behold their inner world and check with their essential nature; then they turn it to beyond and further beyond and open up to the Creator. They give an account of their situation to Him, renew their covenant, and humbly prostrate themselves. They are aware of the fact that they are mirrors to the Divine and that they are created as an index for all existence and worlds.

With such an all-comprehensive awareness, these people always endeavor to act in accordance with the purpose of their creation and frequently supervise their inner worlds. They come to grips with themselves and keep vigilant against contamination of their considerations. They live with an alertness to not allow any darkening of the heart and rusting of the spirit. Most of the time, with a concern for having contaminated them, they run to purifying basins of turning to God, and they constantly sigh with the thought that they failed to give the due of the honor of being the best of creation.

They never open the door of their imagination to any form of filth; let alone that, they shake like a leaf fearing the possibility of the least contamination of their dreams or conceptions and fog of stagnancy. In the face of such a possibility, they start seeking fresh means of turning to God. Their hands always on the knob of Divine mercy and forgiveness, they lead an angelic life. Given that they are heroes of closeness to God and are burning with a love for reunion with Him, then their way should be the lane of ardent longing for reunion with God. This should be the staircase of overcoming one’s own remoteness and attaining togetherness beyond forms with Him Who is closer than the closest to us!

Those who did reach the horizons did so with such resolution and great effort; as for those entangled by the web of their fancies, however, they remained halfway on the road.

Throughout history, those who took their shadow behind them and always walked with their face turned to the sun reckoned and came to grips with themselves with a different depth. They trembled with concerns for falling on account of things they saw or assumed they saw in their hearts, spirit, conception, and imagination. As their feelings, excitement and worries were reflected in their words, they kept sighing and sincerely implored God Almighty.

From Prophet Muhammad the brilliant moon, peace be upon him, to the stars that gathered around his perfect guidance, all of the embodiments of rectitude have become loyal journeyers on the path of the Prophets leading to a reception with the Divine, and they have presented exemplary behaviors that will never misguide later generations who follow their footsteps. May their way be clear and may the All-Merciful Lord render us journeyers of that path, too!

Now, let us try to push a door to look at the example of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, who is for us the unique vanguard of this road, the most distinguished and blessed guide of all time. Let us have a vista to see his example and come to grips with ourselves, with the acknowledgement that our own situation could only be that of a drop in the ocean.

The Prophet, the blessed master of the created and who had the utmost closeness to God, would open up to Him with an expansive state of his spirit, attitude of self-possession, and a consideration of guiding those behind him; and thus, his morning was a separate session of vigilance, and his evening was a different time of turning to God. And he would pray as, “Glorified are You, O God!” And although sins did not visit him even in his dreams, he would say, “I seek Your forgiveness for my sins, and I ask You for Your mercy.” [1]

Thus, the Messenger of God would show the way to exercise self-supervision to his followers and present an astounding attitude of humbleness and effacement. Likewise, when daybreak drew near, his sincere petitioning was like a wake-up call for those who heedlessly indulged themselves in sleep and an admonition to the fluctuant. He would touch the doorknob of Divine mercy by beseeching as follows:

I seek refuge in You from wronging others and being wronged, from committing aggression and being the object of aggression, and from committing an error or committing a sin which is not forgiven. [2]

He did this even though these were miles and miles away from even entering his world of imagination. How I wish if only a quarter of this opening up to God were found within us and leaders of our nations.

Even before he was commissioned as a Prophet, and certainly after he was, at almost every phase of his blessed life he kept his carnal soul and fancies under control; in spite of this, he met every new sunrise with diamond words of supplication rising from his heart, in a manner of self-possession: “My Lord, truly if you leave me to myself, You leave me to weakness I cannot bear, an overwhelming need, sin and error.” After voicing his petition with these words of his vigilant soul, he would conclude his blessed appeal befitting him so well with the following expressions: “Truly I rely on nothing except Your mercy, so forgive me all my sins, for no one forgives sins except You” [3]. He prayed thus as if he ever had any sins!

He continued opening up to God and against the carnal soul and Satan, who could not even visit his world of imagination. He said the following, which I think was actually a way of giving counsel to his followers:

My God, I seek refuge in You from the evil of my self, the evil of Satan and his traps, and from committing wrong to myself or another Muslim. [4]

He would repeat these sincere sighs four times. Such a manifold degree of self-possession and deliberation! He would not suffice with these, holding the doorknob of mercy, Divine protection, and guardianship, he would pray as:

Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum (O Giver of life and Who maintains it)! For the sake of Your Mercy, I beg for help. Rectify all my states of being and leave me not to myself even for the blinking of an eye! [5]

Let his example illuminate the blind eyes and deaf ears of those who stumble through their lives. He was so sensitive and vigilant against the carnal soul and fancies that even though he was miles away from them, they did not—could not—cast a shadow on his radiant world of thought. We take a step back again and once more give an ear to the deep sighs and petitioning of that sultan of speech: “I seek refuge in You from the evil of my soul and from the evil of every creature in Your grasp.” What vigilance! What an immense feeling of self-possession!

Even his archenemies did not, could not, dare ascribe the least degree of vice to him. Both before his mission as the Messenger of God and afterwards, he was acknowledged by all as the most trustworthy person. Yet, as if he had any shortcomings, he would pray, “O Allah! Conceal my imperfections and calm all my fears!” [6]. How exalted he is! He certainly did not have any shortcomings, but let us take this prayer as the guide’s counsel for us who need guidance.

In terms of his considerations of awe and reverence before Divine grandeur, he had a heart that always shook with fear of God. In this respect, he was marking the course leading to true virtue for those to follow his way. Saying that he would sleep at night like we do is gross disrespect against him, because he had settled this issue, too, by stating “my eyes do sleep, but my heart does not” [7]. However, even when that distinguished soul who surpassed angels was to enter his special sleep, he would earnestly turn to God wholeheartedly and say:

O God! in Your name have I laid down on my side. Forgive me my sins and drive away my devil; release me from my dependency (on others) and place me in the highest assembly! [8]

In spite of his much lauded and distinguished position, he was teaching so much to us even with that deep sigh. His Ascension to the heavens (mi’raj) was blessed with the gift of daily prayers (salah), and his prayers were each like a new Ascension [9]. While he was heading to perform his prayers, which is like an earthly ascension, he would be imbued with perfect goodness (ihsan) in all of his attitudes; and when he started the worship at God’s beck and call, the following blessed words would come out of his lips as a beautiful expression of the deed being observed:

O God, You are the Owner, there is no deity other than You. You are my sole Lord, and I am your servant. I have wronged my soul; I confess my sin—[O dearest innocent soul, which sin are you talking about!]—please forgive all of my sins; no one but You can forgive them. Guide me to good character, as only You can grant guidance! [10]

These prayers are meant to call us, too, to those horizons. May God also bless us with that complete guidance. His distance, from what he mentioned as “sin,” was further away from the distance between East and West, but against things he considered wrong—wrongs did not even visit his dreams—he opened up to God and moaned with utter self-possession and a vow of perfect goodness:

O God, distance me from my misdeeds as You have distanced the East from the West!
O God, wash away my sins with pure water, snow, and hail! [11]

What a profundity it is, my dearest beloved one! You are the one poets praised as:

You are the glorified sultan of the Prophets, my master
You are a majestic bestowal to helpless ones, my master
You are the chief in the Divine Council, my master
You are the one affirmed by God’s swear by your life, my master. (Sheikh Galib)

O the light of my endeavor and my shining sun, you are speaking in the first person and imploring God; yet, by doing so, if you are calling us to be ourselves on your blessed path, we have been alienated to those horizons with our degenerates and leaders. That being the case, our dreams are filled with hopes, and we are expecting your favor upon us; for the sake of God, do not make us wait further!

Just as you looked at those in your special circle,
Please grant a look at this humble one also,
And let me burn ablaze with your sacred love.
Let my atmosphere not be darkened with the sadness of being without you,
Please say, “he is also from me,” so that I do not remain distant from you. (F. Gülen)

We learned from you that prostration is the state when a person is closest to God [12].

Where the head meets the feet, kissing the prayer rug on the ground
Is the road that carries a person to closeness to God. (F. Gülen)

The Prophet used to put his head on the ground very humbly, his blessed head that never bowed before anyone other than the Almighty, and he would open up to God with different words and implored Him as follows:

My God, please forgive all of my sins [my innocent sultan of sultans, your Lord did not let you commit sins in the past, and with your loyalty He sealed all doors and windows to sin for you] [13]. O God, forgive me for all my sins, the greater and the minor, the first and the last, and the openly known and those kept secret! [14]

If only those who spend their lives in the filth of sins could also understand these moans and sighs loftier than breaths of angels! Unfortunately, those who said farewell to a life centered on realizing the heart’s potential are unaware of the horizons of the spirit and will neither feel nor understand these sighs.

As he knelt down during his prayer (tashahhud) where he felt to the core his closeness to God and realized peak spiritual delight, he moaned again to the profundity of his own knowledge of God and showed how unreachable his spirit is with the following words from his heart, which are in fact meant to be reminders for unknowing ones like ourselves:

O God, truly I have greatly wronged my soul, and no one forgives sins except You, so forgive me with Your forgiveness, and have mercy on me, for You are the All-Forgiving, the All-Compassionate. [15]

If only we could also moan wholeheartedly for our lagging so far behind that guide, the Messenger of God who would always woe for certain heart-darkening conditions, which might hold true for us any time and, yet, were so far away from his horizon:

O God, I take refuge in You from a hard heart, heedlessness, poverty, humiliation, and deprivation. I take refuge in You from want, unbelief, immorality, divisiveness, pretentiousness, and ostentation…[16]

I don’t know whether such degree of vigilance and sobriety is ever felt by anyone else in such an astounding profundity. I do not think so and nobody else can deem it possible…

At the end of our discussed topic, which is like a drop from the ocean in terms of the Messenger’s imploring and petitioning, I say, “the subject is not over, yet to be also covered are the purest souls from his circle. And I beg forgiveness from God on account of my mistakes…

1. Abu Dawud, Adab 107.
2. Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Musnad 5/191; Tabarani, al-Mu’jamu’l-kabir 5/119.
3. Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Musnad 5/191; Tabarani, ad-Dua, p.122.
4. Tirmidhi, Daawat, 105, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Al-Musnad, 2:171.
5. Abu Dawud, Adab 101; Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Musnad 5/42.
6. Abu Dawud, Adab, 100, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Al-Musnad, 2:25.
7. Bukhari, tahajjud, 16, tarawikh 1; Muslim, Salatu’l-Musafirin 125.
8. Abu Dawud, Adab 107; Tabarani, Mu’jamu’l-kabir 22/298.
9. One of the major miracles of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was his journey from Mecca to Jerusalem, and from there to the heavens. In this miraculous journey into heavenly dimensions, he met with other Prophets and eventually God. One of the gifts of this journey is daily prayers (salah), which Muslims are commanded to observe five times a day.
10. Muslim, salatu’l-musafirin 201; Abu Dawud, salat 124.
11. Bukhari, adhan 89; Muslim, Masajid 147.
12. Muslim, salat 215; Abu Dawud, salat 148; Nasai, mawaqit 35, tatbiq 78.
13. Fath 48:2.
14. Muslim, salatu’l-musafirin 201; Abu Dawud, salat 118; Tirmidhi, daavat 32.
15. Bukhari, Adhan 151, Daawat 17, Tawhid 9; Muslim, Dhikr 48.
16. Ibn Hibban, Sahih, 3/300; Hakim, al-Mustadrak, 1/712.

Although suffering always takes on the same form, dervishes experience it differently according to their capacities and their powers of resistance. Some are almost completely freed from corporeality and worldliness, and are content with extremely little to meet the essentials of life, spending all their time in worship, thinking and mentioning God. Some others try to live consciously every hour, minute and second, letting no part of life pass without an effort to attain His nearness. Hours pass, weeks follow one upon another, and hunger, thirst and other hardships continue, without any sign of ending, but a dervish who has been accustomed to suffering as a way of life never desires the periods of suffering to come to an end. However, when the first period of forty days ends, the guide investigates to see at what stage the dervish is. The guide looks into the heart of the individual or reflects upon any dreams or visions reported. If the dervish has reached the point of being able to lead a life at the level of the heart and spirit, the guide will then put an end to the period of suffering with certain ceremonies. But it is always possible that new periods will be assigned if the guide considers that the dervish still needs more suffering in order to complete the spiritual purification.

In addition to the Mawlawis—followers of the Sufi order attributed to Mawlana Jalalu’d-Din Rumi—Persians, Azerbaijanis and even some Baktashis—followers of a Turkish mystical order—have ceremonies of their own for suffering. To whatever spiritual order or way a dervish belongs, the purpose of suffering is that travelers to God should purify themselves, discover their inner world and advance toward new horizons through the steps that are to be taken during the spiritual journey, leading a life at the level of the heart and then deepening through their other innermost faculties, such as “the secret” and “the private,” and “the more private,” observing their relations with and duties to the guide, perceiving the significance of obedience to orders, and endowing their spirit with humility and a feeling of nothingness, sincerely adopting the principle of being a simple human being among the people. This is what the guides, who teach dervishes suffering, and the dervishes who suffer, are seeking and what they expect from suffering. The final goal is to become true, perfect human beings.

However, it is not inevitable that one must suffer a certain period in order to attain what is expected from suffering. It is possible to obtain the expected result by abstention from doubtful things, not only the forbidden ones, being content with the pleasures inherent in the lawful sphere under the supervision of a guide who has truly succeeded God’s Messenger, upon him be pace and blessings, and who has achieved the degree of great sainthood, by the acknowledgment of one’s innate poverty and helplessness before God, by thankfulness to Him, by zeal in serving His cause, and by exceptional piety, abstinence, and sincerity. What is absolutely essential in this way is that we should not approach the forbidden things, we should be careful about doubtful things, and we should benefit from the lawful only to the extent of what is necessary.

For those who succeed the Prophets, suffering is, rather than going into retreat to be busy with worship and the recitation of God’s Names, and the abandonment of an easy life for the sake of torment, the pursuit only of God’s good pleasure and approval, always being aware of God’s company even while among people, arousing in hearts zeal for worshipping God with sincere Islamic thoughts, feelings and attitudes, representing Islam in daily life in the best way possible, stirring up Islamic feelings in others, and by developing in others the desire to believe. This is the way of the Companions.

Suffering in this sense becomes, beyond our own spiritual progress, the dedication of our lives to the happiness of others in both worlds and living for others. In other words, we should seek our spiritual progress in the happiness of others. This is the most advisable and the best approved kind of suffering: that is, we die and are revived a few times a day for the guidance and happiness of others, we feel any fire raging in another heart also in our own heart, and we feel the suffering of all people in our spirits. In response to selfish considerations, such as “One who has not suffered does not know what suffering is,” we groan with the afflictions and pains which others in our immediate and distant surroundings endure.

Actively expecting (exerting the necessary efforts for) the subsidence of the storms of denial and heresy is a great suffering, while enduring with humility and grace life among rude and ignorant people in order to enlighten them both mentally and spiritually is double suffering. The struggle with the cruel people who take belief in and submission to God as a sport and who reject Islamic values is suffering upon suffering. Finally, in an atmosphere where all the causes of suffering already mentioned exist, and where friends are unfaithful, where time and conditions are pitiless, where troubles are numerous, where cures are extremely scant, where enemies are powerful, and where the wheel of events turn in the opposite direction, to always breathe in the atmosphere of the Ultimate Truth while having to live every moment of life as if sipping poison is the greatest of sufferings. All of this will help travelers to God to reach the final point in a very short time.

Those who suffered the most in this sense are the Prophets, and on their right and left are the pure, verifying scholars who succeed them and the saints. The hadith, Those who are subjected to the greatest afflictions and suffering are the Prophets, and then come others (according to the depth of their belief) [1] indicates this fact and reminds us that the intensity of suffering is directly proportional to the resistance of the sufferer.

There are few who really suffer in the sense that has been discussed here. It is not genuine suffering that people are subjected to in daily life. Those who really suffer feel suffering and bear it in their private worlds. It cannot be shared by others. Prophet Joseph, upon him be peace, whose suffering began when he was cast into a well, experienced suffering doubly in a foreign county when he was sold as a slave and thrown into jail, and left among a people who had a different culture and language, and who did not sympathize with him. The suffering he experienced purified and perfected him in the name of his mission as a Messenger; and God made him nearer to Him. Prophet Adam, upon him be peace, bore his suffering with tears, and Noah, upon him be peace, had to breast terrible disasters and destruction, while Abraham, upon him be peace, whom God took to Himself as an intimate friend, always had to travel in rings of fire. Prophet Moses, upon him be peace, whom God addressed directly, struggled fiercely against the rebellion of brute force. Jesus, upon him be peace, a pure spirit from God, called people to God under the fatal shadows of the gallows. And finally, the master of creation, upon him be peace and blessings, suffered all that the other Prophets and Messengers suffered. He wept tears, groaned and burnt inwardly for the salvation and happiness of others, but without displaying any sign of suffering.

Hundreds of sufferers from the first day of human history have tasted the pleasure of suffering for the salvation and happiness of others in both worlds in utmost submission to God and have been wholly dedicated to the life of others, without ever considering that they have been made to experience the greatest of sufferings. More than this, they have welcomed such suffering and have been intoxicated with the pleasure thus received.

Suffering of thought is also another great suffering. Thinking, leading others to think, setting themselves to solve the severest problems and world-heavy enigmas, including that of existence, is a form of suffering. Without yielding, making  compositions and syntheses from the thought under the guidance of the Divine Revelation and presenting pure extracts produced from these compositions and syntheses to “hungry” and “thirsty” hearts and minds: this is the suffering in which the heroes of suffering, who are as sincere as angels and who have followed the Messengers, have found an antidote for poison in the poison itself, peace and coolness in the fire, having experienced such with the greatest pleasure. Such people are fortunate that there is no end to their periods of suffering; they cannot be pleased with the idea that such suffering is bound to come to an end. If you attempt to take them out of gardens of suffering, you will not be able to do so; if you were able to do so, you would extinguish their fire and leave them to die.

It is this suffering which is the purest source that feeds the spirit of a true dervish, and which is the most powerful means for travelers to the Ultimate Truth to reach eternality.

Our Lord! In You we trust, and to You we turn in contrition, and to You is our homecoming. Our Lord! Pour out upon us patience, and set our feet firm, and help us to victory over the unbelievers. And bestow blessings and peace on our master Muhammad, the leader of those nearest and most lovable to You, and on his Family and Companions, patient and faithful.

Notes

• at-Tirmidhi, “Zuhd,” 57; Ibn Maja, “Fitan,” 23.

Many of us must have watched a video in which a mother antelope is sacrificing herself when she saw a crocodile was approaching from behind her fawns.

Such incidences in the animal kingdom draw our attention to the innate feeling of compassion in humans and its effects on other emotions. A human whose feeling of compassion has dried up cannot show the sacrifice that the antelope has shown to her little fawns—not toward others, not even to their offspring. Studies in the field of psychology have established important facts about compassion and its effect on other emotions, especially forgiveness. When internalized, the feeling of affection plays a central role and positively influences other feelings. When this feeling dries up, a person becomes more susceptible to evil or cruel acts. American psychologist Kristin Neff gives the example of a battery when describing compassion toward our beloved ones and friends. She asserts that acquiring this emotion is a way of emotionally recharging our batteries and says that compassion strengthens our tendencies to forgive the wrongdoings of our friends.

It is striking that Ms. Neff considers forgiveness and compassion from the point of one’s close circle of friends. According to her, an internalized compassion makes forgiving easier and, to an extent, gives us the opportunity to heal the emotional wounds caused by others. However, by stressing that forgiving doesn’t mean giving up defending our rights, Neff also points out the need to keep balance between compassion, forgiveness, and justice [1]. When a criminal act is committed, a personal or public right is violated. People tried and found guilty by an independent, just, and impartial court must be penalized.

Source of bad intentions

Psychotherapist Beverly Engel, who has written books on emotions, draws attention to the complications that a lack of compassion can cause in human psychology. According to her, the source of every evil desire in individuals is a deficiency of compassion. Beverly Engel states that reinvigorating the feeling of compassion can help healing other emotions that have been damaged [2]. For Tara Brach, to be compassionate means to be courageous—to love ourselves, each other, and the whole world [3].

Norwegian Theologians Einar Berg and Oddbjørn Leirvik, who conduct research about Islam, investigate the religious grounds that compassion can blossom upon and link this feeling with the Holy Qur’an and its unequalled representative Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Leirvik compares Prophet Muhammad’s forgiveness to Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him); just like Joseph forgave his brothers who had treated him cruelly, Leirvik reminds us that Prophet Muhammad forgave his enemies when he conquered Mecca [4]. According to Berg, compassion and forgiveness are what the Holy Qur’an often emphasizes [5]. Berg sheds light on the feeling of compassion by highlighting the following verse: “Inform My servants that I am the Forgiver, the Merciful” (Surah Hijr – The Rock- verse 49).

As also mentioned by Berg, in Islam a great emphasis is placed on compassion and forgiveness – for forgiveness is a manifestation of compassion. God introduces Himself to us with His divine names al-Rahman (the Gracious) and al-Raheem (the Merciful). Many verses of the Qur’an mention God’s blessed name, al-Rauf (the most Benevolent, most Compassionate) [6]. Manifestations of these divine names can be seen to the utmost level in Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), who is described as “the Sun of Compassion” and “the Prophet of Mercy.”

Al-Ragheb al-Isfahani and Al-Jawhari (two prominent Muslim scholars) state that compassion and mercy are the most significant attributes of our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). They explain that the word “Rahma” in the verse, “We did not send you except as mercy to mankind” (Surah Anbiya -The Prophets- verse 107), means deep affection and kindness which require being tender-hearted, forgiving, and beneficent [7]. For this reason, Muslim scholars often refer to the following Hadith of Prophet Muhammad: “God the Gracious treats with mercy and kindness those who treat each other with feelings of mercy. (So) you act with mercy and kindness toward those on earth so that those in heavens shall show you mercy” [8].

Real chivalry

Fudayl bin Iyadh, too, addresses forgiveness relating to close friends and says that real chivalry is to forgive the faults of one’s companions. Wahb bin Munabbih mentions compassion together with benignity and states that, “Compassion is the twin sister of benignity” [9]. According to Imam Ghazali, one believer forgiving another believer’s mistakes is one of the rights of brotherhood [10].

In the teachings of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, compassion has an important place. For him, compassion is one of the “fastest and safest” ways leading us to truth, and it is also one of the principles among the laws established in nature. He states that compassion has an all-comprehensive truth and acts as a mirror for the divine name al-Rahim (The Merciful). A person whose senses and emotions have gained integrity and wholeness, begins showing affection, not only to his or her own offspring but to all innocent beings. Bediuzzaman draws attention to the point that compassion is a sincere, pure, and gratuitous feeling that does not expect any return, and shows animals’ adorable and self-denying affection toward their little babies as evidence for this fact [11].

When we consider the mercy and compassion of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, we see that correctly and properly fulfilling the duty of conveying and instructing the divine message is strongly linked with earnest compassion and tender mercy. No matter when they live, it is absolutely fundamental for the conveyors of this divine message to never deviate from this path [12]. Scholar Fethullah Gülen reminds that Islam advises forgiving by any means possible, not to surrender to the urges of grudge or hatred, and to never be possessed by the feeling of revenge [13].

References

1. 1. Kristin Neff, Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, 2011.
2. Beverly Engel, It Wasn’t Your Fault, New Harbinger Publications. 2015.
3. Tara Brach, Radical Compassion, New York: Viking, 2019.
4. Oddbjørn Leirvik, Islams Etikk, Universitetsforlaget, 2002, p. 45.
5. Einar Berg, Islam: Fra konfilikt til dialog, Universitetsforlaget, 1982.
6. Nur 24:20; Nahl 16:47; Tawbah 9:128.
7. ar-Ragib al-Isfahani, al-Mufradat, p. 191; al-Jawhari, as-Sihah, V, 1929; al-Munjid, “rhm,” p. 253. Bukhari, Janaiz 32, Ayman 9, Tawhid 25; Muslim, Janaiz 9, 11; Abu Dawud, Janaiz 24.
8. Tirmidhi, Birr 16; Abu Dawud, Adab 58.
9. Imam Ghazali, Ihya-i Ulumi’d-Din, Edited by: Dr. Mehmet Yavuz Şeker, Işık Yayınları. 2015.
10. Ibid.
11. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Mektubat, Istanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2014, p. 29.
12. www.herkul.org/kirik-testi/sefkatle-acilan-kapilar/
13. M. Fethullah Gülen, “İnanmış İnsanın Nitelikleri”, Çağlayan, Ağustos 2020.

One of the reasons for widespread Islamophobia is the wrong understanding of the Qur’an, Islam’s Holy Book. There is a general perception that the Qur’an contains references to war and violence, inciting Muslims to take up arms against non-Muslims. Ironically, most people who criticize the Qur’an are those who have not read it. They mislead the ignorant by quoting cherry-picked verses to incite Islamophobic feelings.

Still, it’s worth asking: why does the Qur’an contain references to battles and the battlefield? The answer is simple. War has been a part of human civilization since dawn of humanity. The history of pre-Islamic Arabia also reflects the same reality. It is a well-known fact that the ancient Arab tribal system lacked any central government or political institutions, such as courts or police. As a result, warfare was the only institution for settling scores [1]. The enmity between tribes over trivial issues could exist for decades, resulting in seemingly endless wars. Battlefield atrocities and inhuman war practices were also part of Arab culture before the advent of Islam. It is not an exaggeration to say that fighting was a kind of sport for Arab tribes [2]. Keeping this in mind, many verses in the Qur’an propose strategies for conflict prevention, ethics for defensive battle, and guidelines for humanitarian interventions—and these were revolutionary at the time.

A deep study of the Qur’an reveals that the verses 4:140 and 6:68 relate to conflict prevention in the case of a blasphemous encounter. Verse 140 of Surah Nisa states, “When you hear the Revelations of God being rejected and mocked, no longer sit with them until they engage in some other talk” (4:140). The same theme is discussed in Surah Anam verse 68: “When you meet such as indulge in (blasphemous) talk about Our Revelations, turn away from them until they enter into some other discourse” (6:68).

By commanding Muslims to stay away, the Qur’an suggests a pragmatic strategy for diffusing the situation in order to prevent anger and aggression. However, a general message from the above verses is to control one’s negative emotions and make all efforts to prevent a possible conflict. It is true that the Qur’an sanctions fighting in self-defense, but only as the last resort to survival.

It’s unfair to analyze battle-related Quranic verses without knowing the context of these verses. In the early years of Islam, Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), his family, and his followers faced deadly opposition from the pagans of Mecca, who prohibited Muslims from practicing their religion. The non-Muslim chieftains tortured the new Muslims beyond the limits of human endurance. They were brutally beaten, dragged with ropes around the neck, and forced to lie down on burning sand in the very hot desert climate. The pagans left no stone unturned in their harassment of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) [3]. At one point, they hatched an unsuccessful conspiracy to murder him. They also imposed a brutal social and economic boycott on the Prophet and his followers, who were forced to eat tree leaves for months. The cries of the hungry children and suckling babies could not move the heart of the pagans [4]. The Prophet and his companions non-violently bore these hardships for 12 years and did not retaliate. To avoid the devastating persecution, the Muslims migrated first to Abyssinia and then finally to Medina. However, the pagans of Mecca kept chasing the Muslims and put all their efforts into destroying them in Medina. Consequently, the Muslims were left with no other option than to perish or to fight back. In this context, the permission to fight back in self-defense was granted in the Qur’an and the battle-related verses were revealed [5].

Islam sanctions fighting when the opponent violates peace agreements, disrespects the sovereignty of a state by carrying out an aggressive attack, or persecutes a weak and helpless community. The verse 190 of Surah Baqara clearly highlights this defensive mode: “Fight in God’s cause against those who fight against you, but do not exceed the bounds (set by God), for surely God loves not those who exceed the bounds” (2:190). In addition, the following verses clearly mention the legitimate reasons for fighting:

“The believers against whom war is waged are given permission to fight in response, for they have been wronged” (22:39).

“Will you not fight against the people who have broken their pledges and have done all they could to drive the Messenger, and initiated hostilities against you?” (9:13).

“The route (of blame and retaliation) is only against those who wrong people and behave rebelliously on earth, offending against all right” (42:42).

“…. drive them out from where they drove you out; disorder is worse than killing.” (2:191).

Article 51 of the UN Charter also sanctions the same rights by explaining that: “Nothing in the present Charter shall impair the inherent right of collective or individual self-defense if an armed attack occurs against a member of the United Nations” [6].

Islam not only sanctions the right to self-defense but also ordains the protection of persecuted populations. The Qur’an’s idea of war and peace hinges upon the ideal of social justice. Peace and justice are inseparable in the Qur’an. Leaving a persecuted population at the mercy of the aggressors is contrary to the concept of social justice the Qur’an propagates. How can peace prevail if a large number of people are ill-treated or tormented? Hence, the Qur’an does not support leaving the helpless at the mercy of oppressors, which is explicit in Surah Nisa: “Why, then, should you not fight in the cause of God and of the oppressed, helpless men, women, and children, who cry out: ‘O Lord! Bring us out of this land whose people are oppressors, and appoint for us from Your Presence a protector, and appoint for us from Your Presence a helper!’” (4:75). This highlights the circumstances when humanitarian intervention becomes a moral obligation. Furthermore, the phrase “fight in the cause of Allah” should not be mistaken as fighting to promote Islam; the above verse clearly states that fighting in the way of Allah is synonymous with fighting for the rights of the weak and vulnerable.

The Qur’an does not differentiate between Muslims and non-Muslims as far as justice is concerned. It says, “If two parties of believers fall to fighting, make peace between them (and act promptly). But if one of them aggressively encroaches the rights of the other, then fight you all against the aggressive side until they comply with God’s decree (concerning the matter). If they comply, then make peace between them with justice and be scrupulously equitable. Surely God loves the scrupulously equitable” (49:9).

Another crucial matter is that, in Islam, only a state has the right to fight external aggression. Non-state actors cannot lead such expeditions [7]. Furthermore, peace must be given preference and sought at every step. The Qur’an prohibits continuing the battle if the opponent inclined to peace: “Then if they desist (from fighting), surely God is All-Forgiving, All-Compassionate” (2:192).

 “If they desist, then there is no hostility except to the wrongdoers” (2:193).

 “And if they (the enemies) incline to peace, incline to it also” (8:61).

Seeking peace is more important than winning a war.

As for battle, the Qur’an clearly states that all noncombatants need to be treated kindly and justly. It is clearly stated: “God does not forbid you, as regards those who do not make war against you on account of your Religion, nor drive you away from your homes, to be kindly to them, and act towards them with equity. God surely loves the scrupulously equitable” (60:8).

It is clear that Islam does not approve of war for selfish motives, worldly gain, and satisfaction of the ego. Verse 190 of Surah Baqarah says, “fight those who fight you,” clearly highlighting two important points: the first is that fighting is only allowed in self-defense or against persecution; and second, war can only be waged against enemy combatants. The nonbelligerent, civilians, and non-combatants belonging to the enemy group cannot be harmed as it goes against the Qur’anic and Islamic conception of justice. Islam warns its believers that “by no means let your detestation for a people (or their detestation for you) move you to (commit the sin of) deviating from justice” (5:8). Furthermore, the verse 5:32 describes the sanctity of an innocent human life, leaving no room for terrorism, genocide, massacres, or activities which cause harm to civilian populations. According to the verse, “He who kills a soul unless it be (in legal punishment) for murder or for causing disorder and corruption on the earth will be as if he had killed all humankind; and he who saves a life will be as if he had saved the lives of all humankind” (5:32).

In Islam, nothing can legitimize the killing of civilians, regardless of the community or religion they belong to. From an Islamic perspective, everything is not fair in war: Qur’an sets very strict rules for battle.

Modern warfare

Fourteen centuries ago, the wars were fought with swords, and the Muslims under Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) not only ensured the safety of non-combatants but also took special care to protect the environment from the hazards of war. Unfortunately, this seems impossible in modern warfare. With the invention of gunpowder, wars often result in the indiscriminate killing of combatants and noncombatants. As military industries grew and produced advanced weapons—like nuclear bombs, missiles, and drones—civilian deaths increased to unprecedented levels. It is almost impossible to ensure the safety of a civilian population, which is one of the integral Islamic ethics of war. Hence, it goes without saying that modern warfare has no place in Islam, which is implicit in the Qur’an (2:190, 5:32 and 60:8).

Islam taught the ancient nomadic Arab tribes the ethics of war and the sanctity of innocent human life. If verse 5:32 alone were implemented, it could save the world from destructive warfare and the madness of nuclear weapons. Unfortunately,  Muslims and non-Muslims alike are deaf to the Qur’an’s message.

Endnotes

1. Sayyid Ali Asghar Razwy,“A Restatement of the History of Islam and Muslims”. Al-Islam. Accessed October 15, 2021. https://www.al-islam.org/restatement-history-islam-and-muslims-sayyid-ali-asghar-razwy/arabia-islam#political-conditions-arabia
2. Marisa Farrugia, “War and peace in pre-Islamic Arabic poetry,” Humanitas: Journal of the Faculty of Arts, 2 (2003): 143-153.
3. Ibn Ishāq, Sīratu Rasūlillāh, trans. Alfred Guillaume (Oxford: University Press, 2004), 146.
4. Safiurrahman. Al-Mubarakfuri, Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum, trans. The Sealed Nectar (Al-Riyadh: Dar-us-Salam Publications 1996), 75.
5. Al-Mubarakfuri, 125-126.
6. United Nations, “The Charter of the United Nations,” 51 (VII) A (Paris, 1945), https://www.un.org/en/about-us/un-charter/chapter-7
7. Niaz A. Shah, “The Use of Force under Islamic Law,” European Journal of International Law 24, no. 1(2013):343-65.

Question: What are the points to be considered while seeking to have a fair perspective of Prophet Muhammad?

There are extensive literature and sources that explore the different aspects of the noble Prophet’s life, attributes of his Prophethood, and his general human qualities. Undoubtedly, those works are very important for a proper recognition and understanding of him. However, it should not be forgotten that the narrations related in those works are based on some subjective considerations from the authors’ own perceptions according to what they heard, perceived, and understood. For this reason, while reading such works and learning about some everyday situations one may subconsciously lose respect for him and fall for considerations that are not very appropriate for his actual standing. For this reason, the entirety of the narrations about him needs to be brought together and considered with a holistic perspective.

Undoubtedly, the people who knew him best were his Companions as they were the ones that lived directly with him while he was alive. In particular the four people known as the Rightly Guided Caliphs are the foremost ones among the Companions. Each of them knew him more accurately than we do and benefited from that fresh spring to their heart’s content. They not only benefited from it, but also transmitted everything they heard and saw so that the next generations could get to know him better. What falls to us is to appreciate this transfer of information and to benefit from it. Each of the Companions perceived the noble Prophet with a different depth. If we can bring their words together and view his character thus then we can see and recognize him in accordance with his actual standing.

Believing in the teachings of the Messenger of God, and adhering to his traditions, is a means of deliverance for believers. According to Muslims, he is the owner of the first blessed light and is regarded as the purpose of creation; thus, it is very important to be able to see his actual worth. There is a saying acknowledged mostly by mystics but criticized by hadith scholars, which goes as follows: “God would not have created the universe, if it weren’t for him” (Ajluni, Kashfu’l- Khafa 2/214). The late Necip Fazil also named a book he wrote about the Prophet “He for the Sake of Whom We Are.”

The meaning of this is that the universe would not be understood if there was no person to serve as a guide for the attendants to this universe that is laid before us as an exhibition. It could not be known that existence consists of the manifestations of the Divine names; God Himself would not be known with His beautiful Names and glorified Attributes. Likewise, people would live in the world unaware that they remain here as guests and are to migrate to another realm. Therefore, they could not find the right path, could not walk on the right path, and could not reach the horizons they are supposed to reach. If we know anything about all of these matters we know of them thanks to the Messenger of God. In order to express this truth, the poet Mehmed Akif said,

Indebted to him are his society,
so is each person;
indebted to him are the entire humanity.
O Lord! Please resurrect us upon this affirmation
on the Day of Resurrection!

In this respect, his blessed personage is beyond the scope of books of history.

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi states this truth as follows: “…since he is creation’s result and most perfect fruit, as well as the beloved and interpreter of the Creator of the universe, his true nature and true perfections cannot be contained in accounts of his recorded human qualities. Certainly the stature of one served by archangels Gabriel and Michael as aides-de-camp during the Battle of Badr cannot be sought in accounts of, for example, his bargaining over the price of a horse. To avoid falling into error, we must focus on his true nature and illustrious spiritual persona in his rank of Messengership. Otherwise we may risk showing him disrespect or entertain uncertainties about his persona” [Nursi, Bediuzzaman Said. 19th Letter, Fifth Essential, The Light Inc., p.125].

One should not take the Messenger of God as an ordinary person by looking at the narrations about the mundane situations in his everyday life. In addition to such situations, it should not be forgotten that he is in contact with the heavenly realms beyond this one, that God blessed him with a shower of revelations, that people clearly witnessed different miracles by means of him, that he was a paragon of Qur’anic virtues. Also, Nursi gives the analogy of a peacock that its beauty cannot be appreciated by looking at the eggshell it was hatched in. In the same way, one cannot appreciate the true worth of the Messenger of God spiritual personage with a superficial glance at his early life (The Letters, p. 126).

In order to understand his true value, one should look at the light he has spread all over the world. At the beginning, a peacock is just a chick out of an egg, but later on it grows up and begins to possess colorful patterns, dazzling colors, and dizzying beauty; it is necessary to see this aspect instead.

In the same way, one should not be preoccupied with the “eggshell” while looking at the Messenger of God. If he is evaluated only in terms of his parents, the household he grew up in, the environment in which he grew up, if he is seen only as the orphan of Abu Talib then one will fail to appreciate his true worth. He is an exceptional being that God created with a special nature. In a way, God Almighty takes him as a measure in consideration of the existence. Great personages, who were aware of this value of him, did not neglect to ask for togetherness and reunion with God’s beloved while praying for reunion with God. It is necessary to try to feel and know him with all of these merits.

Like Imam Busiri said, although he was human he was not an ordinary human being. He too had hands and feet, eyes and ears like us; he ate, drank, did trade, and met other human needs. However, besides this he hadp a different spirit, and spiritual faculties (Latifa al-rabbaniyya, sir, khafi, akhfa). Unless you look at the Messenger of God with all these qualities it is impossible to see and know his true worth. Even though he is human, he is like a ruby among stones. A ruby is also a stone, but not an ordinary one.

Holy migrant to the horizons of humanity

What has been said about the Messenger of God is only one percent of what needs to be said about him; he is the spiritual sultan of this world and the next. He is the first being determined in the divine knowledge as a kernel. In this respect, if we take the universe to be like a tree, while it is possible to view him as the kernel of that tree with reference to the initial truth (of Ahmad) he stands for it is also possible to view him as the fruit of that tree with reference to the ultimate truth (of Muhammad) yielded. As he was the first one to come to existence among the creation with his nature and status, he also directed humanity to God with the message he brought.

If the universe is viewed as a book, his blessed light is the ink of the divine pen which authored that book. And if the universe is viewed as an exhibition, his light will be the chief guide and counselor. In this respect, when looking at his prophethood the truths of him being the initial kernel, and being the ultimate fruit of the universe, need to be considered together. It is at this point that we will then be able to understand how the meaning of the universe unfolds by means of him, like a mysterious and magical key, and that God created the existence for His sake.

In terms of these characteristics, the Messenger of God is the hero of a holy migration to the horizons of humanity. The fact that he left behind his status in the realm of spirits or the realm of first creation and come to the realm of being a human is migration even more important than his migration from Mecca to Medina. The migration of the Pride of Humanity to the horizon of humanity marks a rebirth for humanity; because if humanity need to know about the relation they are supposed to establish with their Creator, the purpose of their creation and why they were sent to the world, and where they are traveling to… without knowing these, there is no difference between their existence or nonexistence. It is Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, that taught these key points to humanity and solved these problems pertaining to human life. In fact, the effects of the centrifugal force he effected in the Age of Bliss of his lifetime has reached up until the present day.

Perfected human, as a true representative of the universe

The Messenger of God led an otherworldly life thankfully praising God and in remembrance of His Name. So much so that he once stated that he takes delight in servitude to God just like ordinary people get pleasure from eating, drinking, jaunting, or other physical pleasures. He felt such a love and eagerness for worship and servitude to his Lord. Undoubtedly, this showed his profundity in knowledge of God. His certain dealings and engagement in worldly affairs were necessary for his complete guidance and practical representation of his teachings. They were intended for showing his followers how to act in those matters. Otherwise, he had nothing else to do with the world.

In the words of Abdulqadir Jili, the real perfected universal human (insan al-kamil) is Prophet Muhammad, the Pride of Humanity. His becoming the universal human is a result of his servitude to God rather than being a prophet. In the same way, his Ascension (mi’raj) to Heaven was a reward granted for his servitude. The noble Prophet realized the Ascension through the wings of his saintly aspect. It is believed that he had gained such a pious character by means of his deep devotions that he rose to the Ascension with his lucent body. Neither gravity, friction, nor the constraints of time and place posed an obstacle for him. By means of his saintly aspect, he journeyed to realms beyond the corporeal one. He entered such a dimension that distances to be covered in thousands of years became compressed under his feet. He saw things not seen before, things not felt before, and solved problems not solved before with permission from God. He was blessed with reunion with, and seeing, God while he was in this world.

Afterwards, he returned from the Ascension with his Prophethood and brought messages and glad tidings to his followers. In order to hold people by the hand and let them hear what he heard, let them see what he saw, and let them reach the same feast, he returned back to this realm of tribulation and hardship; he crowned his ascent by descending back again. After reaching the horizon of the “distance of two bows” he returned to this realm where his archenemies awaited. By leaving the blessings of Paradise behind, he had returned to a very bitter life; this is an expression of the deep care and love he had for his followers.

It is related in a weak narration that after Prophet Adam (pbuh) experienced his lapse in Paradise, he could not raise his head to the heavens for forty years, that he felt too ashamed for daring to turn to God. In the end, he prayed “forgive me for the sake of Prophet Muhammad.” Although God has knowledge over everything and has no need to ask questions, God asked him how he knew this name. He replied: “While leaving Paradise, I saw that on its gate it was written: “There is no deity but God, and Muhammad is His Messenger.” On seeing his name near Your name, I understood that there is nobody more valuable in Your sight than him. That’s why I made him an intercessor.” Like Prophet Adam, we too mention him as an intercessor at our prayers. Although some Muslims object to this, his spirituality is like a green house. We feel secure in his atmosphere.

As we take refuge in his green house in this world, God willing, we hope to gather under his Banner of Praise (Livau’l Hamd) in the next world. Those who take refuge under his flag will be saved from a hard questioning by the grace and favor of God.

To conclude, telling others about the noble Prophet with all of these qualities and profundities in mind, and helping others develop a love for him, is a duty of utmost importance for believers for letting people love him will mean letting them love God. It is unthinkable for people to turn to him but not to turn to God. People who reach up until him and enter his blessed presence will have reached God as well.

The terms translated in English as “worship,” “servanthood,” and “devotion” are taken from Arabic and possess a long history in the Islamic tradition. In particular, they have been commented upon by Sufi teachers and theoreticians down through the ages. Fethullah Gülen has appropriated this traditional language and applied it to the practice of Islam in modern situations. A study of these concepts provides a key to understanding both the Hizmet movement’s spiritual motivation as well as the success of its undertakings.

The term ‘ibada is derived from the Arabic root meaning slave or servant and carries the idea of enslaving oneself to God or of acting as God’s servant, with the consequent connotations of obedience, submission, devotion, faithfulness, service etc. The concept is not an innovation within the Abrahamic tradition, and is well known in both the Hebrew Scriptures and the Christian New Testament. Moses was referred to as God’s servant and the idea of Israel as God’s faithful Servant was later developed by the prophets, especially Isaiah. Christian authors of the New Testament identified Jesus with the Suffering Servant of God spoken of by Isaiah. In the Qur’anic account of the Night Journey (Qr 17:1), Muhammad is referred to simply as “His servant” (“Glory to God Who did take His servant for a journey by night…”

In many treatments of Islamic belief and practice, and in the minds of many Muslim believers, ‘ibada is simply equated with ritual acts, specifically the ritual practices such as the daily salat prayers, the Ramadan fast, the pilgrimage to Mecca etc., that are obligatory for all Muslims. Particularly in works of fiqh (jurisprudence), ‘ibada as ritual activity is treated as a separate chapter distinct from mu’amalat (business affairs and contracts), munakahat (marriage regulations), jinaya (expiation), hudud (punishment), faraid (inheritance) etc.

Worship as fulfilling God’s commands in daily life

Gülen expands upon this traditional view of ‘ibada to define it very broadly as “fulfilling God’s commands in one’s daily life, and fulfilling the obligations of being God’s servant” [1]. It is interesting to note that there is no specific reference to ritual performance in this definition. In Gülen’s view, ritual obligations are included in the concept of ‘ibada, but the notion goes far beyond ritual performance to include everything that one does to live and act according to God’s will. When Oğuz teaches physics in Kyrgyzstan, he is performing ‘ibada; he is worshiping God. When Erol donates funds so that schools, dialogue centers, well-digging projects, and publishing houses can be founded and maintained, he is doing ‘ibada. His donations are a form of divine worship.

Worship in this broad sense is the primary task of man and woman as God’s khalifa, or vice-regent on earth. Gülen holds that “Humanity’s vice-regency for the Creator takes place in an unusually broad sphere that encompasses acts ranging from believing in Him and worshiping Him to understanding the mysteries within things and the cause of natural phenomena” [2]. This insight has concrete application in the strong emphasis given to the natural sciences in the schools established and operated by the Gülen movement. The teachers and students are worshiping God when they undertake a scientific study of the earth.

Gülen’s comprehensive understanding of worship has resulted almost in a kind of sacralization of education and helps to account for the emphasis the movement has given to opening and operating schools. As an example, I offer this passage from one of Gülen’s writings on education. “A school is a place of learning, where everything related to this life and the next is taught. It can shed light on vital ideas and events, and enable students to understand their natural and human environment. A school can also open the way to unveiling the meaning of things and events, thereby leading a student to wholeness of thought and contemplation. In essence, a school is a kind of place of worship; the ‘holy leaders’ are the teachers” [3].

Worship as integrative and liberative

The broad compass that Gülen gives to ‘ibada is meant to have an integrating effect in the lives of his followers. “They first arrange their feelings and thoughts, regulating their individual and social life through various forms of worship, balancing familial and social relationships by their actions … doing what is necessary to be a genuine successor (khalifa).” The far-reaching notion of worship enables the members of the movement to bring together and maintain in equilibrium their devotional life, vocational commitment, and communitarian responsibilities.

To play this integrative role in the life of a believer, “worship” must embrace the totality of attitudes and actions of service. As Gülen notes: “Worship is not simply the performance of a set of particular movements, as some believe. It is what we call complete submission and the acceptance of a broad responsibility. Along with the title of vice-regent, it is the clearest expression of the relationship amongst humans, the universe, and God.”

Worship is seen to have not only an integrative but also a liberative role in the believer’s life. An attitude of worship enables the believer to arrive at true freedom by becoming free from the obstacles to freedom, escape from the self-imposed dungeon people have created for themselves [4] and the multifarious forms of slavery to which humans subject themselves. Gülen puts it as follows: “If worship is the placing of a consciousness of being bound to God into one’s heart, if it is the liberation of one’s self from all types of slavery, if it is the title of seeing, hearing, and feeling the beauty, order, and harmony that belong to Him in every molecule of existence – and there is no doubt that it is this and nothing else – then worship is the most immediate way to turn our face to God” [5].

Servanthood

Gülen distinguishes between ‘ibada and ‘ubudiyya, which can be translated as “servanthood.” For Gülen, the concept of ‘ubudiyya bears the connotation of “living in the consciousness of being God’s servant,” whereas ‘ibada means “fulfilling God’s commands in one’s daily life” [6]. In other words, ‘ibada refers to what the devout believer must do to serve and obey God in daily life, and ‘ubudiyya indicates the attitude which the believer must take towards God, the object of worship.

However, there is also a more subtle difference between the two concepts. Acts of worship (‘ibada) consist of all physical and economic duties, which may include teaching school, financing dialogue projects, or delivering meat to the poor at the Feast of the Sacrifice, as well as such ritual obligations as the daily salat prayers or Ramadan fast. Servanthood (‘ubudiyyat) recognizes that there is a deeper, inner dimension to all these activities that requires a degree of reflective awareness on the part of the believer. What is the reason for such deeds of worship, how do they fit into one’s response in faith to God’s commands, and why is it in accord with God’s plan for humankind that they act in this way? The consciousness of the role that acts of obedience and service play in responding faithfully to God is what Gülen terms “servanthood”; it indicates an attitude that one is constantly standing before God in readiness to seek the Divine Master’s pleasure by carrying out active service in accord with His will.

Devotion

Gülen reaches back into the Sufi tradition to note a still deeper stage of worshipful involvement, that of “devotion,” or ‘ubuda. While being neither the member of a Sufi Order or the founder of a new tarekat, Gülen acknowledges his indebtedness to the Sufi tradition for its promoting a comprehensive understanding of worship as service of God, as well as its constant encouragement to those on the Path to worship God always and in every way. Thus, although not a Sufi himself, Gülen affirms his appreciation for the insights of the Sufis to the Islamic view of worship. He states: “Sufism enables individuals, through the constant worship of God, to deepen their awareness of themselves as devotees of God… Sufism allows individuals to develop the moral dimension of their existence, and enables the acquisition of a strong, heartfelt, and personally experienced conviction of the articles of faith that before they had only accepted superficially” [7].

Like the Sufis, going back to Al-Ghazali, Gülen views worship as a way to obtain experiential knowledge of the truths of faith that otherwise would remain only theoretical postulates. As the believer moves to deeper stages or levels of worship, new perceptions of the realities of faith present themselves. Gülen offers the following advice to his disciples: “Worship is the safest way to reach the most unshakable certainty in one’s conscience about the greatest truth, which is known only theoretically at the outset. In each station on this way, along which consciousness seeks certainty on the wings of reverence and respect, a person experiences a different taste of glimpsing the Beloved” [8].

The Sufi theoreticians spoke of ‘ibada as the service performed by ordinary believers striving to advance on the path to God, while ‘ubudiyya is the servanthood of those advanced souls whose mental and spiritual attitudes permit them to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, and ‘ubuda is the deep devotion of “those whose mental and spiritual states cause them to turn to God wholeheartedly with a profound feeling of being in His company” [9].

What characterizes the level of true devotion is an enthusiastic eagerness to serve God. It occurs when the worshiper moves beyond reluctance, objections, and grumbling and performs one’s duties with joyful spontaneity. Gülen cites Ibn al-Farid to affirm the superiority of this final stage of devotion: “The acts of worship and duties of servanthood required by every station or rank that I have reached during my spiritual journey have been fulfilled by my devotion.”

For the Sufis, ‘ubuda (devotion) was a rare state of soul (hal) achieved by advanced practitioners on the Sufi path. Gülen characteristically orients even the stage of ‘ubuda toward those members of his community engaged in what he sees to be the mission of Islam in the world, that is, service of God by serving others. He affirms: “This vital mission can only be realized by the devout and godly, who never think of themselves, except insofar as they see their own salvation through the salvation of others” [10].

The stage of devotion is, in the view of Gülen, not so much a spiritual achievement of the select few who have devoted their lives to the mystical path, but an attitude that can be achieved by any pious Muslim who strives to overcome their selfish passions to serve God and others. This ideal of being one of the devout is one that Gülen has held up to countless young Muslims and has inspired many of them, like Oğuz with whom I began this paper, to devote their lives to the “The Service (Hizmet),” as those in the community refer to their activities and projects.

Gülen himself puts much hope in this “new generation” of idealistic young Muslims. “The future will be the work of these devout people who can represent such a significant mission, showing their responsibility and exhibiting their accomplishments. The existence and continuance of our nation and the nations related to us will be permeated with the thoughts, inspirations and outcomes of a new civilization and with the vast, reviving dynamism of a rich culture, carried aloft into the future on the shoulders of these devout people. They are the trustees of the sublime truths and the heirs of our historical riches” [11]. As an outside observer of the movement, I might suggest that if one wants to find in a nutshell the kind of Muslim that Gülen is trying to form, one could not do better than to read this article on the pious, altruistic Muslim who has attained and manifests the final stage of worship [12].

Worship as fulfilling ritual obligations

By giving the priority to worship as a comprehensive life of service to God, Gülen does not imply that ritual performance is unimportant or optional. ‘Ibada in the sense of ritual arises from “a deeply embedded need to acknowledge the Divine” and to be in submissive contact with the “Mysterious power that controls everything” [13]. He stresses that our worship can add nothing to God’s glory, which is infinite, but ritual worship benefits the believer in this world and the next. “It is we who need to worship God; not God who needs to be worshiped. He is free of all need” [14].

The model for worship is, as is the case with regard to other aspects of Islamic life, the Prophet Muhammad. Gülen notes: “Prophet Muhammad was the foremost practitioner of all forms of Islamic worship, and the most God-conscious Muslim. He perfectly observed all details of worship, even when in danger… In his supplications and prayers, he describes his Lord with a such a degree of Divine knowledge that no Muslim has ever attained a similar degree of knowledge and description of God” [15].

For Muslims, worship in the ritual sense centers on humility and intention. The phrase “it is You whom we worship (na’budu)” in the Fatiha implies “the eternal impotence and poverty of humankind” before the Divine presence. Gülen comments as follows on the verse: “O Lord! I am determined that I will not sacrifice my freedom to anyone but You, and I will not bow in humiliation before anyone or anything. I turn to You fully intent on servanthood and worship; my eyes are fixed upon You and no other. I am filled with a desire for submission and prayer… My intention is my greatest worship; I hope that You will accept my intention as my worship. I plead for Your favor, not in proportion to the number of things that I have done, but to those I have intended to do” [16].

Conclusion

Gülen’s approach to the concept of worship and servanthood is rooted in the generations of Muslim scholars who preceded him, but he gives to the concept his characteristic emphasis. After the Prophet Muhammad himself, the figure most influential upon Gülen and most frequently cited in his writings is, not surprisingly, Mevlana Jalal al-Din Rumi. In speaking of servanthood, Gülen notes that Rumi’s greatest boast about himself is not that he was a great saint or person of great spiritual depth, but simply that he was God’s servant. He cites as a model of Islamic humility and joyful service the words of Mevlana, with their famous triple repetition for emphasis:

“I have become a servant, become a servant, become a servant;
I have bowed and doubled myself up with serving You.
Servants or slaves rejoice when they are emancipated,
Whereas I rejoice when I become Your servant.”

References

1. 1. Fethullah Gülen, Emerald Hills of the Heart: Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, Somerset, New Jersey: Tughra, 2009, I: 53.
2. M. Fethullah Gülen, Love and Tolerance: Toward a Global Civilization of Love, Somerset, N.J., The Light, 2006, p. 208.
3. Ibid., p. 329.
4. Ibid., p. 322.
5. Ibid., pp. 208-209.
6. M.F. Gülen, Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, I: 53.
7. M.F. Gülen, Toward a Global Civilization of Love and Tolerance, pp. 267-268.
8. M. Fethullah Gülen, “Understanding and Respect,” 14 June 2006, http://www.fethullahgulen.biz/about-fethullah-gulen/161-gulens-thoughts/1241-worship.html
9. Ibid., I: 54.
10. M. Fethullah Gülen, “The Devout: the Architect of Our Souls,” in The Statue of Our Souls, Somerset, N.J.: Tughra Books, 2009, p. 91. In his biography of Muhammad, Gülen describes the prophet in similar terms: “A Prophet is totally dedicated to his mission, and thus is an altruist who lives for the happiness and good of others.” M. Fethullah Gülen, Muhammad the Messenger of God: an Analysis of the Prophet’s Life, Tughra Books, 2010, p. 77.
11. Ibid., pp. 95-96.
12. “The Devout: the Architect of Our Souls, The Statue of Our Souls, pp. 91-97.
13. M. Fethullah Gülen, Questions and Answers about Islam, Somerset, N.J.: Tughra Books, 2009, I: 33.
14. Ibid., I: 35.
15. M. Fethullah Gülen, The Essentials of the Islamic Faith, Somerset, N.J.: Tughra Books, 2009, p. 180.
16. M. Fethullah Gülen, “You Alone Do We Worship,” 25 March 2008, https://fgulen.com/en/fethullah-gulens-works/reflections-on-the-quran/suratul-fatihah-the-opening/al-fatihah-1-5 (link updated)

“Sincerity” in the Islamic Tradition

Ikhlas is a Qur’anic concept that is variously translated as “sincerity” or “purity of intention,” and Gülen’s understanding of this term covers both aspects of the Qur’anic concept. In ordinary parlance, “sincerity” indicates the notion of honesty or freedom from dissimulation and hypocrisy. A sincere person is one whose external words or deeds are in accord with their interior thoughts or feelings. A sincere person does not pretend to be expressing one thought or emotion while in reality his interior dispositions are to the contrary. Thus, a sincere person is not self-promoting, hypocritical, pretentious, two-faced, or devious. The sincere person neither flatters nor manipulates others. This straightforward transparency of speech and motivation is one aspect of ikhlas.

The second aspect of the Qur’anic notion of ikhlas, which brings together the notion of “purity” with that of “dedicating, devoting or consecrating oneself” to some activity, is a key virtue in Islamic practice [1], and is the aspect of ikhlas most often stressed by Gülen. Ikhlas is an eminently interior disposition by which the faithful Muslim performs all external actions in a spirit of service and directed solely toward pleasing the Divine Lord. In fact, in Islam the perfection of one’s witness to faith can be gauged by the double standard of ikhlas (purity of intention) and ihsan (goodness).

It is noteworthy that the brief expression of the Islamic creed found in the Qur’anic Sura 112, “Say: He, Allah, is One. Allah is He on Whom all depend. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And there is none like Him,” has been known in Islamic tradition as the “Surat al-Ikhlas,” that is, “The Chapter of Sincerity” or “The Chapter of Pure Religion.”

The importance of ikhlas has been commented upon down through the centuries by Muslim scholars, exegetes, and spiritual guides in every generation. The Sufi masters have been particularly fond of elaborating on this virtue, to the extent that in the minds of many Muslims, ikhlas is considered a “Sufi concept.” In commenting on ikhlas, Said Nursi distinguishes his own advice from that of the teaching of the Sufi tradition. While praising the insights of the Sufi masters, Nursi notes that “I am not a Sufi, but these principles of theirs make a good rule for our path” [2].

Because of its roots in the Qur’an and in the tradition of Islamic spiritual writing, this aspect of ikhlas can perhaps be more adequately conveyed in English by “purity of intention” or “pure religion” than simply by “sincerity.” Ikhlas indicates the interior disposition in which one practices all the acts of religion solely for God’s pleasure rather than for any personal benefit that may accrue to them, whether that be prestige, pride, or the admiration of others. When one “worships God with sincerity” one’s intention is pure and undefiled by base or irrelevant motives. The Qur’an commends those who devote their lives to seeking God’s pleasure: “And there is the type of man who gives his life to earn the pleasure of Allah: And Allah is full of kindness to (His) devotees” (Qur’an 2: 207).

Ikhlas in Gülen’s theology

In his treatment of ikhlas, Gülen builds upon what was elaborated in the tradition and applies these insights to the contemporary needs of communitarian life and the broader society. ¨While interpreting the basic meaning of the term to be “upright, sincere, and pure,” Gülen indicates that ikhlas means “pursuing nothing worldly while worshiping and obeying God” [3]. At the deepest level, sincerity can only be understood in the mystery of the relationship between God and God’s faithful servant. Purity of intention is a grace or divine gift that God places in the heart of those He loves [4] in order to increase, deepen and give eternal value to the servant’s ordinary good acts.

Gülen considers purity of intention to be “the wing of the bird” of a person’s life before God. The other wing is faithfulness, and together these virtues make up the two wings of divine grace that God implants in the soul that enable a person to approach God directly without hindrance. He quotes Mevlana Jalal al-din Rumi to the effect that if good deeds were a body, purity of intention (ikhlas) would be their soul. That is, it is sincerity that makes good deeds live, be effective, and have everlasting value. Without sincerity to animate deeds spiritually, all human endeavors would remain lifeless, ephemeral, and ultimately worthless. But those who fly with the two wings of sincerity and faithfulness will fly with God’s protection and will unfailingly reach their destination, that is, “God’s approval and pleasure.”

Faithfulness, the other wing of the bird, enables God’s servant to stick to his intention to serve God even when it is inconvenient or seemingly fruitless. This kind of loyalty to God is one of the most evident qualities of God’s servants, an outstanding characteristic of all the prophets, and the source of wisdom in the believer. In the loyal, faithful servant, God will plant the seeds of wisdom that will then spring from that person’s heart and tongue.

Gülen quotes Abu Yazid Bistami (Bayazid) to say that it is through sincerity, not through human deeds, that a person goes to God. It is on the basis of a person’s sincerity that God judges acts, not on the magnitude or notoriety of the deed. The size and quantity of good deeds is unimportant. Even a small deed or one that is unknown to others, if it is done with sincerity, is judged pleasing by God. This intentionality, the conviction that a person’s intention determines the value of a deed, is in keeping with the Islamic tradition. Gülen notes that God rewards a small act done with purity of intention more highly than many more ostentatious deeds done without the sincere desire to serve God alone.

For Gülen, Muslims must learn purity of intention from the prophets, particularly from the Prophet Muhammad. He states: “God’s Messenger had one intention: to please God and worship Him sincerely, as he himself stated in a famous hadith: “Perfect goodness or virtue is to worship God as if you were seeing Him, and although you do not see Him, yet truly He sees you” [5]. Just as the prophets could not take a step without sincerity, so also those who follow in the footsteps of the prophets will not be able to do anything without a pure intention. Gülen describes this purity of intention as “the pursuit of no worldly purpose in one’s relationship with God [6]. In other words, worshiping and obeying God are the only valid reasons that a sincere person should have for performing any of their good actions.

Living with purity of intention

Like Said Nursi before him, Fethullah Gülen is not interested so much in being a theoretician of the spiritual life as in offering concrete, practical advice to those who come to him for spiritual counsel. It is in this way that Gülen, following Nursi, distinguishes himself from the great Sufi Masters like Al-Muhasibi, Al-Ghazali, and Hujwiri. Gülen is interested in continuing in the line of Nursi’s “path of reality,” that of providing effective, helpful advice to Muslims who are seeking God’s pleasure in this world. He cites Nursi to insist that purity of intention is nothing other than the basic motivation for the disciple’s personal and communitarian actions: “We worship God only because we are His servants and He has told us to do so. Said Nursi said: ‘Do what you do only for God’s sake; start for God’s sake, work for God’s sake, and act within the sphere of God’s good approval’” [7].

Gülen advises his students to maintain spiritual discretion. In practical terms, if ikhlas, or purity of intention, means that the servant does everything solely to seek God’s pleasure and for no worldly motive whatsoever, it follows that sincere believers should not be ostentatious in the good deeds they perform. One seeking God’s pleasure alone should hide any supererogatory acts from the view of others and remain silent about any edifying personal experiences, special treatment received from superiors, or special gifts with which one has been endowed by God.

The underlying supposition is that there is a universal human tendency to perform one’s good deeds in order to be seen by others and gain their approval. Moreover, human motivation is often complex, with the desire to serve God mixed with a craving for human admiration and approval. The sincere servant recognizes that it is only God’s approval, not that of other persons, that matters; thus, it is unimportant whether or not one is seen in serving God. A person who has purity of intention worries neither about being praised for his accomplishments nor censured for his failures. He does not care if others are aware or unaware of his achievements, nor is he preoccupied about receiving a reward. Such a person behaves with consistency, whether or not one is in public or in private.

According to Gülen, sincerity teaches that the true goal of acts of piety and goodness is God’s pleasure, not human recognition or respect. Moreover, in sincere worship the believer discovers that one’s human longing for Paradise is not a sufficient motivation for doing what is right. Speaking of worship, Gülen explains: “Those performing [acts of worship] can be categorized by their intention, resolution, determination, and sincerity as follows: those who desire to enter Paradise, those who hope to be rescued from Hellfire, those who love and stand in awe of God, and those who feel that they must do so as a requirement of their relationship between God as the Creator and human beings” [8]. The sincere worshiper no longer cares whether his deeds will form the basis for attaining Paradise.

In fact, sincerity should become second nature to God’s servants, not a virtue after which a person consciously needs to strive. Gülen advises disciples to be “so involved in worship or religious deeds in seeking God’s pleasure that one does not even remember whether one should be sincere or not” [9]. In other words, even the virtue of sincerity itself must not be allowed to become the final goal of religious observance. The only true objective in the performance of any good act is to serve and obey God and to thereby give God the pleasure and satisfaction that is due Him.

Only a humble person can act with true sincerity. As Gülen explains: “Humble people do not attribute fruits of work and efforts to themselves, nor do they regard their successes or efforts for God as making them superior to others. They do not care how others regard them; they do not demand a return for their services for God. They regard their being loved by others as a test of their sincerity, and do not exploit God’s favors to them by boasting” [10].

To arrive at a state of mind where one does not care whether one receives recognition for one’s good deeds, the disciple must engage in self-examination and self-supervision. Only the person who has learned to be honest with oneself will be able to know whether one’s motivation is solely to worship God or whether the true incentive that is being pursued is some worldly gain, such as self-satisfaction, human respect, or personal ambition. Thus, developing a habit of honest evaluation and reflection will enable a person to grow in purity of intention. Gülen calls this muraqaba (self-supervision), by which God’s servants are led “to maintain the purity of thoughts, actions, and intentions even when they are alone, in the consciousness of His continual observation” [11].

Communitarian dimensions of ikhlas

It is not only for the purposes of an individual’s spiritual growth that purity of intention is a key virtue among those who seek to do God’s will. Purity of intention also has communitarian effects. There is nothing that can more quickly disrupt the proper bonds of friendship among disciples than personal ambition, competition, and rivalry. When a disciple is in the habit of calling attention to his superior abilities or achievements in one or another area, or to boast about his relationship to his superiors, resentment and jealousy will inevitably arise among his confreres.

In his emphasis on sincerity as a key element in preserving the unity of the community, Gülen’s approach is very similar to that of Said Nursi, who repeatedly wrote of the necessity for sincerity to prevent disunity among the students of the Risale-i Nur. The history of many religious groups in various religions has shown repeatedly that jealousy and a sense of competition among members has been the cause of factionalism, resentment, and divisions into rival groups. It has produced a loss of dynamism and resulted in the break-up of many groups. It is only by the members carrying out their tasks with sincerity that this unhealthy rivalry can be avoided. In his long discursus on sincerity, Nursi envisioned a community in which “Each of the members completes the deficiencies of the others, veils their faults, assists their needs, and helps them out in their duties” [12]. If this type of relationship among fellow disciples is to be possible and the unity of the community is to be maintained, everyone must be sincerely striving solely to please God.

By contrast, the unity of heart and intention among those involved in the Hizmet cemaat can be traced in a large part to this emphasis on sincerity and purity of intention. It means that humble tasks – meeting guests at the airport, serving tea or coffee, feeding the poor in soup kitchens – have eternal value and ennoble the one performing them, if they are done wholly for the pleasure of God. A similar understanding underlies the readiness of intelligent, well-prepared university graduates to renounce prestigious and well-paying positions in academics or business to devote their lives to teaching students in distant and often impoverished regions. The emphasis on purity of intention has convinced industrialists, businessmen, and entrepreneurs to contribute generously to projects whose completion they will never see.

Since it is sincerity that enables God’s servants to keep focused on serving God alone, thus making their actions, great or small, acceptable to God, if Gülen has been able to instill a sense of harmony and united service (hizmet) among his followers, it is largely because of the emphasis he has put on ikhlas. He cites Mevlana to this effect: “You should be sincere in all your deeds, So that the Majestic Lord may accept them. Sincerity is the wing of the bird of the acts of obedience; without a wing, how can you fly to the abode of prosperity?” [13]

Notes

1. L. Gardet, Encyclopaedia of Islam, Leiden: 2006, III: 1059.
2. Risale-i Nur, The Twenty-first Flash, p. 216
3. Gülen, Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, 1999, p. 60.
4. Ibid. p. 62.
5. Gülen, Muhammad the Messenger of God, p. 39.
6. Gülen, Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, p. 60.
7. Gülen, Muhammad the Messenger of God, p. 38. Gülen’s citation of the Risale-i Nur is taken from “The First Word,” p. 5.
8. Fethullah Gülen, Toward a Global Civilization of Love and Tolerance, Somerset: The Light, 2004, p. 54.
9. M.F. Gülen, Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, 1999, p. 62.
10. M. F. Gülen, Toward a Global Civilization of Love and Tolerance, p. 80.
11. Gülen, Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, p. 57.
12. Said Nursi, Risale-i Nur, The Twenty-first Flash, p. 214.
13. Jalal al-Din Rumi, cited by M.F. Gülen, Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism, I: 62.