Today’s person is unusually weary, uneasy, anxious about tomorrow, and doubled over with the panic that unexpected surprises may erupt at any moment. Surely, there is the enormous influence of certain pessimism-mongers and some media outlets spewing pitch-black ideas day after day—if those can even be called ideas—as instruments of gloom and hopelessness. Perhaps they are the actual cause of this pitch-dark picture; for whenever they open their mouths, they only mutter anger, spite, hatred, and rage. While they mutter, it is as if the cellars of their subconscious have burst open and everything inside spills everywhere, pumping new omens of misfortune into the people’s spirit each day. Without ever changing their attitude, without distinguishing right from wrong, without considering what this costs the people, the same things are repeated daily with a fixed logic of resentment and ambition. Moreover, by portraying some segments of society as if they were potential criminals in the eyes of others, an atmosphere of conflict is persistently engineered between them; even worse, everything is pushed into dead ends so that the state appears helpless, thus opening the door for certain anti-democratic formations and extending an invitation to them.

In such an unstable climate, it is not only emotional individuals—whose reason and judgment often buckle under the weight of their feelings or brute force—but even people with a measure of common sense who occasionally fail to abide by reason, logic, or sound judgment. Whether due to the tension saturating the public atmosphere or the influence and power some hold, troubles and unrest can swell further—or be made to appear as though they have swelled. At times, the longing of helpless masses for a new world contributes to this, intensifying the sense of turmoil. As a result, nearly every segment of society is driven to search for alternatives. It should not be difficult to imagine what crowds mired in such chaos might do—or be made to do.

The warm atmosphere of Ramadan

Fortunately, in a time when intertwined crises are being experienced on all sides, we once more find ourselves in the warm atmosphere of Ramadan. While everyone stumbles their way through dusty, smoky paths, we feel as though we are enveloped in a paradisiacal clime, and by becoming thoroughly spiritual, we sense our souls reaching a “cool and peaceful” safety deep within.

Indeed, in these days—when some people darken time and space in the most merciless way and turn everything into a kind of hell—if we can raise our heads and look with the eye of faith, we will feel that divine mercy, which never abandons us, flows into our hearts once more through the enchanting proclamation of the crescent in the sky, the magical expression of mosques and minarets, and through the mysterious tongue of the luminous messages they display. In this way, our spirits are lifted into the spacious climate of spirituality, and we respond to our fortune with smiles. In fact, such a gentle leaning of the heart toward eternity begins as soon as the three blessed months (Rajab, Shaban, and Ramadan) appear on the horizon; each day and each night until Ramadan emerges carries a preparatory tone, and when the time comes, they assume a quality that pours light and serenity into people’s hearts. Ramadan is the final link in this three-month journey with Khidr, the clearest horizon of closeness to God, and the most open vantage point from which the conscience beholds the beyond. Ramadan is a month of favors and compliments, when all the beauties of existence pour more clearly into the hearts of believers, and when the refinement, finesse, and luminosity in their spirits find full expression. Indeed, its lively and vibrant state is like an echo of the heavenly realm’s attention toward us.

Paradise on the other side of Ramadan

People with believing hearts who witness Ramadan often find themselves in such a love and excitement, as if responding to celestial voices rising pitch by pitch in the depths of the heavens. They enjoy the best of melodies of spiritual delights, each according to the depth of their faith, knowledge of God, and love. During the self-expression of the believers’ hearts—the most natural instruments of Ramadan’s tune—their heartfelt sounds and otherworldly delights, which embrace their entire being with a different overtone every moment, assume such qualities—particularly during the night hours—that every soul fortunate enough to achieve complete concentration cannot help but murmur: “Is Paradise on the other side of Ramadan?” They almost sense it as a haven of reunion with the Almighty.

Especially during the pre-dawn meal, the calls to prayer and praises for God give their own hue to this general atmosphere. They allow hearts to sip otherworldly states in those deep minutes, revealing many surprises and wonders—though everyone may not be able to perceive this depth.

While the proclamations of God’s greatness, of faith, and of praise overflow from the minarets into our homes; children scurrying here and there in the bustle of the pre-dawn meal, young men and women whose bearing reflects a youth spent in sincerity, discipline, and devotion, and elders whose faces and eyes bear the dignity of belief like monuments of awe—all of them, resembling different instruments of a single choir, each unique yet sharing a common rhythm and tone of excitement—all of them, with their sincere state in which the eye of the heart is turned toward the realm beyond mundane phenomena, appear so deep, so full of meaning, and so heartfelt that their general manner brings to mind people racing to behold the Divine Beauty on the slopes of Paradise.

Seamless pieces of light

There is no other span of time in the world so enchanting, colorful, and profound as the days of Ramadan. With each arrival, it comes in a new manner and with new richness. It comes, and within its wholeness, it divides into its own segments of varying colors. Its pre-dawns are always mantled in an indigo tulle from the depths of the heavens… its morning calls to prayer and the prayers observed become suffused with a unique enchantment not found at other times… its days, like mysterious corridors of intertwined hopes and expectations, draw those who fast into a feeling of reunion… Through the delights of the palate, the moments of breaking the fast always ring a bell of the final reunion deep within… The tarawih prayers let our souls feel the festive anticipation of meeting with the Friend… and Ramadan, with its seamless pieces of light and color, constantly whispers distinct things into our feelings.

In complete unity, it pours onto the slopes of our hearts with the dazzling colors of the beyond, always making us sense wonders that lie beyond time and space; and often we feel as though we are walking through a magical realm outside this world. So much so that throughout every hour of the day and everywhere we walk, we feel a shower of divine blessings descending upon our spirits; and like bees that dive into flowers and strive to drink their essence—savoring a new delight each time—we experience the fullness of a fresh inspiration and abundance at every moment, sharing a different delight each time.

Thus, those characteristic breezes of Ramadan never entirely cease at any hour; they continue unbroken… and within hearts that have assumed the hue of Ramadan, alongside the eternal honoring and special divine compliments, countless images begin to materialize—about so many things: from the shared excitement felt in our homes, streets, mosques, schools, and barracks, to the scenes that deepen in our imaginations and become legend-like; from the feelings shaped by our faith and convictions to the careful interpretations of our reason. These images come into view and envelop our souls. They stir our emotions and desires to a new pleasure at every moment and pour into our hearts as a distinct delight.

Time filled with successive heavenly feasts

Hearts that have assumed the hue of Ramadan sometimes directly experience these bestowed meanings, and sometimes they sense them in the emotions or faces of others… And sometimes—because of an inner dullness—some neither hear nor savor those blessed hours and minutes, which long to converse with them, to recite poetry to them, and to pour melodies into them. And thus, a span of time filled with successive heavenly feasts keeps flowing by like a river, yet cannot find the chance to express itself even to the degree of a single drop.

Since it is the human mind that understands Ramadan, the human conscience that senses it, and the human heart that tastes it, just as we need eyes, ears, reason, and judgment to perceive and evaluate the existence, we likewise need—crucially need—reason, consciousness, the activation of the heart, and keeping it vigilant in order to sense and savor Ramadan.

Note that most times, we enter and exit the brightest days and live through the most colorful hours repeatedly, yet do not even notice them. And sometimes, thanks to having good concentration—we taste moments that are not outwardly so bright or colorful with such delight that we feel as though we are in the gardens of Paradise, drinking from its fountains.

Above all, for these spiritual beauties to reach our hearts and become a source of delight, our inner perspective and orientation must be well attuned. If this can be done, Ramadan suddenly transforms and pervades us so deeply that we feel our world of emotions continuously blooming, and we find ourselves in an atmosphere overflowing with meanings and feelings.

Everything around us suddenly gains a tongue, and like an orator, each of them delivers unheard sermons into our souls and utters words never spoken before: the pre-dawn times and deeds, calls to prayer and the worship, minarets and the luminous messages hung between them, streets and their lamps, sounds of the Qur’an rising everywhere, the melodious recitations of memorizers, the breaths of the imam and faces of the congregation, the cries of children and the composure of the elderly… what truths they whisper into our spirits! Thus, they lay out such feasts for our spirits through their declarations without letters or words.

With feelings and meanings of utter surprise, almost every Ramadan pours upon our hearts—whose desires are as vast as universes and whose aspirations are as expansive as eternity. Like earth quickened with rain, it revives our spirits, promises a fresh resurrection to our feelings after their moments of death, makes our consciences more responsive, and it flows into us by turning into delight. It flows with such force that it makes us forget all our grief and sorrow, and we see it as though it were woven from poetry, emotion, and intertwined dreams. We feel liberated from the apprehension of seeking another source for deepening, and we share the delight of freedom our souls attain by worshipping the Almighty. We echo the words of Rumi, “I have become a servant, I have become a servant; I have found true freedom within captivity to God,” and we let out cries of joy.

Ramadan arrives almost every time so full of brightness that even those irretrievably enslaved to their carnal soul, whose inner worlds are layered with darkness, most definitely still sense something within its atmosphere. They begin to voice unexpected feelings, sensing that their inner world has entered new states. Even though some with heedless hearts continue to doze, carefree souls keep living unrestrained, deadened consciences collapse under the contempt born of familiarity, Ramadan will still flow quietly into our inner world with its tones of light, color, and sound. It will unlock even the rustiest of locks with its calls to prayer, pre-dawn meals, fast-breaking dinners, and its tarawih prayers; it will certainly speak to even to the hardest of hearts. Indeed it will, for Ramadan carries the power and luminosity to convey such truths, and the human soul possesses the nature and capacity to receive them and give them voice.

Many appear to have found God, but many live far from Him. His name rests on the tongues, but hearts often remain largely blind. What is read and learned does not evolve into deep spiritual understanding. Understanding is not crowned with love, nor does it rise to the horizon of longing and passion. Despite bold claims made in the name of religion and belief, only tentative, crawling steps are taken on His path. Not for everyone, perhaps, but when one looks at the overall picture, it is hard to claim that nights are revitalized with depth and sincerity. The heart is silent, and the spiritual core that should illuminate it has grown faint. Against this backdrop, it would be accurate to say that in the name of piety, many lead a stumbling, faltering life that struggles to move towards its true goal.

This is precisely because the spiritual core has fallen quiet, the heart has fallen mute, consciousness and sensitivity have become paralyzed, and the flame of love and fervor has been extinguished. As a result, the stage is left to the tongue and the lips, which fill this void by rambling endlessly and making noise about every subject. The tongue, now in command, starts telling lies, spreading slander, making baseless accusations, and indulging in meaningless or frivolous talk. It becomes engaged in distortion, false narratives, and worthless chatter that benefits no one. Minds that have severed their link with the heart become polluted, and naturally, the words and writings arising from such minds spread corruption throughout society. If you doubt this, just glance at the media of our times—listen to the news, read the articles—and you will understand precisely what I mean.

Make no mistake: I am not referring to people with no connection to religion or faith. I am talking about those who call themselves believers, who pray five times a day, stand humbly before God, bow, and place their foreheads upon the ground. Yet, unfortunately, many have become people with deadened consciences, hardened hearts, and dried-up spirits. As a result, countless individuals openly indulge in idle chatter, employing every potential of the tongue for negativity. Such people have very little to offer the world—and very little to present in the name of religion.

We have always believed that dedicated hearts would revive religious sentiment and understanding, and make it an active force in daily life. We have hoped for an exemplary community which would arise with its own character, and that its resonance would draw others to it. We pray that God will not disappoint us in this hope or cause our trust to be misplaced.

All thanks be to God, despite the tireless efforts of oppressors to utilize every force at their disposal for ruin, God did not allow their vile ambitions to prevail. We pray that, as in the past, He will also frustrate the schemes of today’s oppressors, leaving their aspirations unfulfilled. So it shall be, for no one can extinguish the flame that God Himself has ignited.

From our own perspective, we consider these trials and injustices as a form of “gentle slap” — a warning from God, prompting us to reflect upon how well we have fulfilled the trust granted to us. We recognize that despite the showers of mercy and favor poured upon us, we have fallen short of responding with genuine gratitude, remembrance, and reverence. We have neglected to acknowledge Him as the sole source of every beauty and blessing. We have succumbed to complacency, drifted into forgetfulness, and distracted ourselves with worldly concerns. We have weakened ourselves with fatigue from the long journey, dulled ourselves with the intoxication of apparent success, or fallen prey to the poison of ego and vanity. As a result, when trials and hardships befall us, we try to draw ourselves into account. We regard these moments as warnings, accept that God is refining and teaching us through them, and seek to draw lessons and wisdom from every challenge. We accept every difficulty and disaster as a form of merciful discipline and adopt an attitude shaped by this understanding.

Every event rests in God’s hands. If it is He who delivers the slap, tugs the ear, and gives the warning, then it must be because He intends to guide us towards something beautiful and worthwhile. Everything has its appointed time, its fixed term. When that time arrives, God bestows such blessings upon you and fills your heart with such serenity that you say to yourself, “So this was why I suffered! All those hardships came only so I could one day smile. To be granted such grace was worth every pain I endured.”

We must never forget that we were created for another realm. According to the deeds we carry out and the trials we experience here, we will assume a form and state in the life to come. What we become in the Hereafter will be shaped by the picture we paint for ourselves in this world. Everything we do here will be reflected there, determining the nature of our existence in that realm. In fact, how we respond to trials and calamities—how we pray, fast, and worship—is, in a sense, a decision about the life we will lead in the Hereafter. In this way, every deed performed in this world can be seen as a preparation for the world to come. According to this measure, some will rise to Paradise, some will remain suspended between realms, and others will tumble into Hell.

A believer must live with an eternal perspective, rising above the trials and hardships of this transient world. They must work ceaselessly and faithfully, striving with every breath to be a person of the Hereafter. In an era when one injustice gives rise to another, when countless people suffer cruelty, when honor and dignity are violated, and countless brothers and sisters are wronged, our hearts must quiver for them. We must bow down, press our foreheads to the ground, and pour forth tears like a river, calling upon God with sincerity.

If we approach Him with a single teardrop, He will respond with oceans. Even if our deeds weigh no more than a grain of dust, He will repay them with the brilliance of the sun. The deeds we offer to God, however small and insignificant, will be met with returns as magnificent and boundless as His glory and majesty.

Since the creation of mankind, humans frequently longed for a much different world, and have occasionally criticized the periods in which they lived. This behavior may be acceptable, even admired, if it stems from the longing for eternity we feel in our conscience, or for an enthusiasm we have for a lost paradise. However, when this criticism targets the present time and is expressed with despair and pessimism, I believe it is neither admirable nor acceptable. Rather, it should be viewed as a disease that warrants careful scrutiny. When discontent leads to dismissing long-standing principles and traditions that have withstood the test of time and collective wisdom, it may reflect a need for introspection and a deeper understanding of spiritual and social harmony.

Unfortunately, this kind of contrarianism is increasingly prevalent today. With arguments that contradict each other, people question everything that has been embraced by the general public. They dismiss all that comes from the past as outdated and believe it must be discarded, yet they seldom propose constructive alternatives. Instead, they act with a purely rebellious mindset, adopting the attitude, “We will destruct everything now and if something has to be done, we will consider that later.” Such an approach often leads to a cycle of destruction rather than meaningful renewal.

This rebellious and impulsive mentality is entirely different from the constructive desire to refine outdated ideas and replace them with fresh interpretations. Nor is it a response aimed at those who adapt indiscriminately to everything, failing to distinguish between good and bad.

I believe the root of such behavior lies in hysterical anguish, a confused mentality, a crude form of thoughtlessness, spiritual instability, or a fanciful urge to say something new for the sake of novelty. Those who act in this way manipulate words and concepts, creating ambiguity and obscurity that often cloud their so-called ideas. This is frequently done to conceal their lack of depth on one hand and to seek attention or validation on the other. In every word, thought, and action, they seek to captivate more fans, yet remaining prisoners of their own desires.

These emotional states may not seem extraordinary for a spiritually diseased person, for their emotions and thoughts are stalked by inner conflicts and contradictions. However, when such a spiritual state goes beyond individuals and begins to cause uncertainty and confusion in the society and holds people captive, it cannot be ignored.

Occasionally, this kind of behavior and discourse can also be found in people of exceptional intelligence who are experiencing a state of crisis and depression. This arises because such individuals, in their search for alternative systems, often engage in profound self-interrogation of their egos and exhibit the courage to critique and question their own thoughts. However, this noble state of self-examination is as distant from the rebellious destructive state as the sun is from the earth. One represents the resolute, thoughtful path of the Prophets, and the other of deceitful naysayers.

The representatives of the first way are great architects of thought, resolute in their commitment to building. Even when they must destroy, it is only to lay the foundation for a greater construction. In contrast, the unfortunate representatives of the second way are never genuine in their emotions, thoughts, or actions. They spend their lives in a constant state of ebb and flow. Even when they appear to build, in truth, they only destroy.

“I am educated; I am an intellectual,” they delusionally repeat. Influenced by disbelief, communistic ideologies, and nihilism to varying degrees, they exist like the people of purgatory, suspended in an intermediary state. In their thoughts and emotions, these hybrid individuals do not fully align with either the East or the West. Instead, they remain disconnected from the essence of both worlds, yet show little hesitation in presenting themselves as otherwise. The following lines seem as though Mehmet Akif the poet wrote them with such individuals in mind.

They neither look to the East, nor are aware of the West,
nor have any share of good conduct.
All they have as resources is a face that do not blush
and eyes that do not water.

According to this shameless perspective—one that can emerge from any ideological group—humanity stands on the brink of terrifying destruction. Disasters and tribulations, recurring throughout history, now surge as dense and merciless as tidal waves. Rulers are as despotic as Caesar and as self-centered as Napoleon, while the population at large is viewed as a heedless, disrespectable mass.

According to this same perspective, just as past civilizations were born, flourished, and ultimately vanished, the civilizations of our age will also fade away, one by one. For the last time, the world will descend into a dark abyss of despair and gloom. Indeed, the current civilization has already obliterated much of the meaning it inherited from past civilizations, which once served as its spirit and roots. Today, individuals in many parts of the world stand as striking examples of deprivation. The family unit is in a state of profound disintegration and shambles. Parents often appear indifferent as their children pursue nothing but carnal desires. With this indifference, they risk harming the souls of their children, who seem to exist merely as products of fleeting physical pleasure. Spiritual values are disregarded, violated, and subjected to disrespect.

The education of the heart and conscience has faded from prominence, leaving new generations struggling under the weight of their own ego-driven desires. “Hearts are merciless, emotions are base, ambitions are wicked. / Eyes look disparagingly on the worshippers of God” (Akif). These living corpses, who spend their entire lives consumed by eating, drinking, and pursuing worldly pleasures, remain entirely unaware that they are continuously circling the whirlpool of evil.

Homes, whether in the countryside or urban areas, often lack the warmth of emotion, compassion, understanding, and mindfulness. Many streets evoke a sense of despair, their corners heavy with gloom. Schools, in many ways, seem to have lost their direction, leaving them adrift in uncertainty. Places of worship have become quiet shadows of their former vitality, visited by those who may not fully appreciate the spiritual depth they once embodied. Centers of spiritual retreat, once vibrant with meaning, are now reduced to ceremonial traditions lacking their original essence. Power is now enslaved to cruelty and oppression, hanging over truth like a merciless sledgehammer. Freedom has become a token granted at the pleasure of tyrants. Order is established by brute force, and desperate cries echo everywhere.

In the presence of such pessimistic scenes, neither hope nor determination remains. I am unsure if portraying these scenes serves any benefit, but one thing I do know is that even the purest of minds can become muddled by such depictions. Many of these portrayals are, in fact, true, and events attest to them. For instance, it is true that we are beggars at the doors of a cruel world to which we have devoted ourselves as servants. It is true that we abandoned the rich inheritance of our past: our values, beliefs, customs, and traditions and, to a certain extent, we have even abandoned our spirituality. We have imported foreign ethics and perceptions as though they were scientific or technological commodities.

Yes, it is true that our ship has been battered repeatedly – but we have no right to paralyze our determination, or portray it as such, to reborn within our feelings, thoughts, and conscience. Whether we possess such a right or not, any word, thought, or action that weakens our hope and willpower is not only disrespectful but also a betrayal of our ideals. Moreover, in our life of thought, determination and

faith, a significant regeneration is clearly underway– even if difficulties remain. Indeed, although it may appear frayed and weakened, the willpower of people is flourishing almost everywhere, awakening to the purpose of their creation.

We can hear the echoes of supplications turning to God all around us. Equally sacred are the breaths of God’s servants, pursuing the path of truth, which ascend as melodies of elation to the habitants of the heavens.

As one prophetic tradition suggests, it would not be an exaggeration to say that angels converse about the prayers reverberating within the domes across the world. While some of us may not fully deserve the roles we hold or do justice to the positions we occupy, the ballads rising at the intersection where the farsightedness of friends meets the curiosity of enemies are undoubtedly the songs of our revival.

Indeed, the roads we have walked have brought us to town squares and harbors, from which we believe we will set sail to the boundless horizons we nurture in our hopes. Thus, perhaps not all members of our society feel the same, we are in a state of eagerness and excitement, as if embarking on a journey along the slopes of Paradise.

In the very near future, the sun, moon, and stars will rise and set over our hillsides, illuminating the blossoms of modesty, honesty, loyalty, devotion, the passion for knowledge, and the spirit of exploration. Wherever we go, we will walk under arches of rainbows built just for us, and the days when we will experience profound spiritual joys are fast approaching.

The dawn is just beyond the horizon, heralding days when every face will reflect sincere purity, every heart will burn with the fire of love, and every action will carry an otherworldly depth. These will be days when we journey from one captivating vista to another, basking in the radiance of our bright fortune with smiles of gratitude.

We have complete faith that, despite the growing disrespect and egoism of these modern times, we are on the verge of a new day where respect will flourish and thrive, and the gentle breezes of humbleness, modesty and kindness will sweep across the world.

The younger generations have endured the erosion of their inner worlds, led from one abyss to another. They have been confined to a three-dimensional space and a dull, colorless, single dimension of time, disconnected from both the past and the future. Yet, amidst this, we witness many who, with their farsighted and purposeful visions, have lifted their spirits off the ground, have managed to re-orient themselves to their inner truths, and explored the beauties of the universe and existence.

The spirit and ethical values that form the foundations of our society have resurfaced once again with their unique qualities and dimensions of consciousness, emotion, willpower, and heart. On many faces, we see a radiant expression of modesty, while their actions exude sincerity and enthusiasm. This spiritual depth and humility are promising signs for these new generations.

Today, this pure generation seems to be fulfilling its responsibilities with a profound sense of duty and passion, offering us the chance to reclaim the lost gardens of prosperity. While these youth grow

vertically in personal depth and character, their numbers increase exponentially across society—a blessing from God. Indeed, these selfless individuals, who sacrifice their own comfort for the well-being of others, inspire hope that the afflictions of the past few centuries will soon come to an end.

In much the same way that fire melts solids and purifies impurities, the disasters and hardships of the past few centuries have led our society through a process of self-purification. These trials have inspired a renewed commitment to preserving this newfound purity and innocence.

Yesterday, destiny—always just—placed shackles on our society and made us captives of our desires, reflecting the inner corruption of our souls. Today, that same destiny will surely guide us to glory, as signs of hope illuminate our hearts, and our willpower and determination grow as strong as steel.

Societies and individuals are like seeds. This is especially true of individuals who represent certain systems, thoughts, and philosophies. They feel, reason, strive, and are filled with enthusiasm to exist. They are affluent in their prime, but fade and droop during their own fall. By using their own inner dynamism, some have a long life and some short, but all walk toward their inevitable end.

When the day comes and regression takes the place of prosperity, all vital activity stops. Colors fade like leaves struck by fall, emotions and enthusiasm subside, and the world moans with the melody of death. We often ascribe such a disintegration to the weakness of centrifugal force, and other times to the lack of ideals. Sometimes we blame it on an inability to stay focused on the target, and sometimes to the failure to maintain sincerity. The real cause may be one of these, maybe all of them, maybe even the will of the overwhelming Power of God which is free of all causes. Regardless of the cause, if a person is not focused, serious, and hardworking wholeheartedly; if they do not or cannot pursue progress with ever-broadening considerations; and more importantly if they are not determined to sail toward new depths, then they will wither, and even decay or decompose.

Indeed, one’s eyes must perpetually be on the summit and one’s wings must always be ready to soar higher. Goals must follow a trajectory as elevated as “the masters of determination”¹ if one is to reach higher peaks and maintain his or her elevation. Otherwise, stagnation and disintegration are inevitable.

“Has not the time yet come for those who believe that their hearts should soften with humility and submit in the face of God’s Remembrance and what has come down of the truth?” (57:16). The Qur’an calls humanity to a new resurrection, the framework of which is delineated in this verse. By complying with this call, the believer must have the fervor and excitement of always advancing. Thus, they will maintain their dynamism, constantly pursue new heights, and seek wholeness so that they can receive protection, and remain perpetually firm and fresh as long as they live.

The determination for revival in the face of the lethality of time never subsides in those who are forever fresh. And in whichever era such a person lives, they sense faith with the freshness of the day it was first revealed from the heavens. Their eyes are constantly on the watch, full of considerations of the consciousness of the Divine presence. They see no peak as the final destination. Moreover, even if one day they attain the dazzling transcendence before God and the angels, they are forever humble; their gaze is fixed beyond the horizon, their wings are taut, and they are resolved to fly higher. Thus, they present to the earth’s inhabitants the multifarious lessons of the celestial customs.

Those who are defeated by their nature and carnality grow old and wither, despite their extreme passion for a life of pleasure. In contrast, the people of willpower and resolve are able to remain robust and fresh for a lifetime and perform actions that would otherwise be considered as diverse manifestations of immortality. They read and construe things and events in the way in which God’s messengers saw and interpreted them. They ascend to higher altitudes, overcoming the world’s gravity and the friction. They walk toward God like their forerunners, unconditionally and without expectation. They always ask for more of the joy of belief, the pleasure of divine knowledge, and the delight of setting their hearts on God. Seeing and hearing of those reaching God encourages them even more, while witnessing those who have been left behind causes them to turn to God with even more devotion. They turn to Him in the face of those bereft of any feeling and excitement, those deaf to the principles of religion, as well as the hapless souls unable to read the laws of creation they encounter along the way. Their present day is gleaming, their lot luminous, and their end is always crystal clear.

It is inevitable that those who fail to see each day as a period of revival, who are unable to read and interpret creation beneath the magnifying glass of time, and who do not and cannot undertake a deep self-examination as if discovering a new world, will lose their vivacity and become stale. If they fail to explore every slice of time with ever-expanding considerations about the human, the universe and God, they will experience a stagnation of their love and zeal and a decline in their spiritual state. Even if such people see themselves as fresh and full of life, they are in fact confined in a vicious cycle of fatigue. Whether they realize it or not, they are face to face with the end, necessitated by the absence of determination within their hearts. What is more, they do not even realize that they have lost altitude, have begun their descent, and that—God forbid!—they will eventually fall flat on the ground.

Such a devastating situation is a possibility for societies, as much as it is for individuals. Indeed, like individuals, societies are born, develop, and mature; they sometimes give the impression as if they are going to last forever and become entities of distinction. If the vital dynamics cannot be maintained exactly as they were at the beginning and if these societies do not remain true to their essences while still pursuing renewal, everything can come crashing down. Nothing will remain of color, nor design; feeling and fervor will wane, autumn will begin to fall, and everything will crumble to pieces when hit by an unfavorable wind.

On the contrary, if such a society is aware of its standing, holds firm, preserves its connection with its own life-sustaining dynamics, is able to renew itself constantly, and repair its cracks before it is too late, then it can quell the seemingly inescapable disintegration and providentially extend its life, living perpetually with the joyousness of youth.

Faith bestows upon its followers an exceedingly fresh and exceptionally profound zest for life; their spirit and jubilation cannot easily be destroyed. For a believer, belief is a Divine source of strength, above and beyond all forces. Full submission to the Divine is the final stop of human transcendence, and God’s approval and good pleasure are the priceless bestowal of this inextinguishable exuberance and unfading liveliness. With God’s help and grace, believers may, with such endowments and supports, defeat autumn.

In the past, there have been exemplary times, where people were vigorous and joyful and always in pursuit of perfection. They were steadfast and did not fantasize to become other than who they are. They experienced constant revivals in their heart and spirit. With a new sensation each day, a new perception, a new discovery pertaining to the outer and inner worlds, they felt their faith once more, with all their heart and soul. With Divine assistance, they constructed their faith anew and struggled commensurate with their spiritual knowledge. They always remembered God with awe; deepened their knowledge of the laws of nature and commandments that came with revelation in their true meaning, substance, and essence, and always soared to new heights.

This is how they were – and how we could be. If our wakening is not predestined before the sound of the doomsday trumpet, then perhaps revival is possible for us, too.

Dr. Colin Turner’s contribution in this issue relates to the above-mentioned peacebuilding concept and he gives us an example to follow. Turner is critical of most of the twentieth century Islamic movements for their “resurgent identity” which has “little affiliation to the faith beneath Islam.” He criticizes them for advancing “their own political and ideological agendas,” and for having no other goal but overcoming the “perceived backwardness of the Muslim peoples.” However, there is an exception: Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. In “Renewal in Belief: A Model for Modern Times” Dr. Turner shares with us a brilliant description of his understanding of this unique person, aka “wonder of the age,” one who transcended all other contemporaries owing to his primary and overriding concern: the “renewal of belief and the reform of the individual.” Human beings must be truly human and seek vicegerency, which engenders worship, “namely the nurturing of each individual soul into its true state.” In other words, Turner teaches us that peacebuilding starts with the individual.

The numerous movements of the past 150 years, characterized almost without exception as ‘Islamic movements’, have had little if anything to do with the resurgence of religious faith as such. Most of these have actually been political movements, with leaders whose underlying goal has been to solve a specific problem: the problem of the perceived backwardness of the Muslim peoples and their subservience, politically and culturally, to the West.

While none of the groups that operate within the definitional matrix of ‘Islamic movements’ can claim to be identifiable primarily as a faith movement, various individuals have appeared sporadically with the avowed aim of fostering renewal of belief – often to the extent of dedicating their whole life’s work to that aim – and around some of these individuals, movements of considerable size and import have accreted. The Turkish Muslim scholar Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1877/8–1960) is one such individual.

Progenitor of the ‘service of belief and the Qur’an’ movement, Nursi is arguably the most influential, if woefully under-researched, Muslim thinker of the twentieth century. While the ‘service of belief and the Qur’an’ movement, a faith-based movement consisting of millions of followers worldwide, does not – strictly speaking – fulfill the definitional criteria of a New Religious Movement, it stands out from other contemporary Muslim religious and ideological groupings not only for its uncompromising focus on the renewal of individual rather than collective faith, but also for its eschewal of any kind of religiously-legitimized violence or militancy for the sake of politico-ideological ends.

Although often stereotyped as the pioneer of reform of an Islam declining under the pressures inflicted on it by the Kemalist secularization policy of the Turkish state, almost half a century after his death, Nursi continues to defy any attempts to locate him precisely within the generally accepted milieu of ‘Muslim scholars’. While his magnum opus, the Risale-i Nur, is for all intents and purposes a commentary on the Qur’an, it is not a work of exegesis in the technical sense of the word, although he was clearly an accomplished exegete. And while Nursi was well-versed in the principles of scholastic theology (kalām), devoting the lion’s share of the Risale to what he claims are rational proofs for the unity (tawhīd) of God, it is not a work of traditional theology either.

In fact, on one level, the Risale is as resistant to compartmentalization as the Qur’an itself, which it claims to mirror and to elucidate. And if, as Nursi often asserts, the aim of the Qur’an is to guide man to belief, then the teachings of the Risale should be seen as consonant with that aim.

The three supreme matters in the worlds of humanity and Islam are belief, the Shari’a, and life. Since the truths of belief are the greatest of these, the Risale-i Nur’s select and loyal students avoid politics with abhorrence so that they should not be made the tool to other currents and subject to other forces, and those diamond-like Qur’anic truths not reduced to fragments of glass in the view of those who sell or exploit religion for the world, and so that they can carry out to the letter the duty of saving belief, the greatest duty.

Part of Nursi’s appeal lay in his uncompromising belief that it is belief (īmān) which must be renewed and protected, and that all other endeavors must be approached with the primacy of belief in mind: the fact that, unlike many of the popular Muslim thinkers of his own epoch, he repudiated the dubious art of politics – and, more importantly, the dubious art of politicking that is buttressed by religion – earned him respect and conferred on him a sense of authenticity that would perhaps be found wanting in so many other Muslim thinkers. Another part of his appeal lay in his shrewd interpretation of the forces ranged against him. For Nursi, unlike many of the Muslim scholars, leaders and ideologues who came later, realized that if there is a conflict between Islam – or belief – and modernity, it is not a conflict fought over issues of government or technology, over science or democracy. As Nursi’s own evaluation of the problems facing the Muslim world shows, the conflict is ultimately over transcendence, with the post-Enlightenment experiment claiming a centrality in the universe’s affairs for man that Islam, with its emphasis on the dependence of man on God, cannot countenance. Man is faced with a choice: belief in the sovereignty of God or belief in the sovereignty of man, with all that such a choice entails. For Nursi, the way to salvation consists solely in choosing the Other over the self, and it is in the dynamics of this choice that the key to an understanding of Nursi’s take on spirituality and man’s place in the cosmos may be found.

Renewal and reform, then, do play a central role in the Nursian Weltanschauung, but, unlike so many of his coevals, it is the renewal of belief and the reform of the individual that constitute his primary and overriding concern. In this respect, he is one of few Muslim thinkers in the twentieth century who has little if anything to say about the socio-economic or political externalia of Muslim life. Over the past century and a half in general, and the last twenty-five years in particular, ‘Islam is a complete way of life’ has been the mantra of choice for the vast majority of Muslim movements. As a corollary, emphasis has been largely on the ‘implementation’ of Islam at the socio-political level, with debate and discussion focusing mainly on issues such as Islamic law, Islamic education and the concept of the Islamic state. As such, the lion’s share of Muslim movements can be said to adopt an ‘externalist’ approach to the Islamic revelation, seeing in the strict adherence of Muslims to the shari‘a – and, where necessary, the imposition of such adherence through legislative means – the key to the formation of the ideal Muslim society. For the ‘externalists,’ reform has come to mean chiefly the reform of society, the underlying aspiration of which must be to return to the ‘golden age’ of Islam typified – for the externalists at least – by the community-state of Medina during the lifetime of the Prophet. These ‘dreams of Medina’, and the concomitant desire to share – or, even, impose – those dreams on others, are responsible in part for the current Western perception of Islam as more political ideology than divinely-revealed religion. The relative merits and demerits of ‘Islamism’ or ‘political Islam’ as terms by which to describe this over-politicized approach to Islam need not occupy us here. Suffice to say that in the last analysis, this approach rests on the fulcrum that is the return of ‘Islamic rule’, the transformation of the Muslim world into an umma analogous to the community-state of Medina and, wittingly or otherwise, the reduction of the Islamic revelation to the single issue of governance. While Islam made political and transformed into ideology is a relatively recent phenomenon, the ‘externalist’ approach to Islam which informs it is almost as old as Islam itself. However, whereas for the likes of ‘non-externalists’ such as Ghazali in the twelfth century and Mulla Sadra in the seventeenth it was the nomocentrism of the externalist scholars and the over-emphasis on fiqh (jurisprudence) which constituted the greatest obstacles to the health of the Muslim community, for the Ghazalis and Sadras of today – of whom Nursi is undoubtedly one – it is the over-politicization of religion which is the danger.

Arguably the most important common denominator among Islamic/Islamist groups and leaders of the past fifty to one hundred years has been the tendency to favour the use of force to change ‘religiously suspect’ regimes in the Muslim world and bring about Islamic revolutions. And it is precisely on this point where one sees a fundamental difference between Nursi and his contemporaries. For not only is Nursi distinguished by his staunch opposition to any kind of uprising or revolution in the name of Islam, but also he stands on account of his aversion to politics in general, and the politicization of Islam in particular. Nowhere is Nursi’s ideological departure from the majority of his contemporaries delineated more sharply than on the highly contentious issue of jihād. As emphasized above, for Nursi, the way to salvation consists solely in choosing the Other over the self, and it is in the dynamics of this choice that the key to an understanding of Nursi’s take on spirituality and jihād may be found.

There are many for whom it is clear that humanity is in a precarious position. We are told on a daily basis that we live under the threat of pollution, global warming, terrorism, famine and a thousand and one different ills. Our time is, we are told, a time of global crisis. Yet few are able to fathom the real cause of this crisis. It is not that we do not understand the problems around us. Our crisis – the crisis of modernity – is that we do not understand ourselves. Indeed, postmodern thought – if such a thing exists and is not really just another name for the confused ideas of late modernity – nurtures a scepticism in which the very possibility of understanding anything is called into question.

Most people, Nursi claims, have been reduced to hardship and misery by the demands and dictates of modern times. Man’s innate nobility has also been marred, he says, as the gradual divorce from religious values has opened the floodgates of ‘dissipation’, encouraging dissolute living and the ‘appetites of the flesh.’

Socio-economic inequalities are also the hallmark of this modern civilization, Nursi adds, with the Western attitude being “So long as I am full, what is it to me that others die of hunger?” and “You work so that I can live in ease and comfort’. By allowing the rift between the classes to widen, the West has engendered so much strife and sedition that it is on the brink of bringing humanity to its knees, giving rise to the struggle between capital and labor – itself the precursor of two World Wars and bloodshed and disorder on a hitherto unknown scale.

One could go on, but surely the point has been made: it was impossible for Said Nursi to approve of a civilization in which the negative aspects outweighed the positive so decisively. For Nursi, the only way forward for man is to embrace a civilizational form which brings true happiness and prosperity – and if not for all, then at least for the majority.

Human beings are faced with a choice: belief in the sovereignty of God or belief in the sovereignty of man, with all that such a choice entails. For Nursi, the way to salvation consists solely in choosing the Other over the self, and it is in the dynamics of this choice that the key to an understanding of Nursi’s take on the ‘true civilization’ may be found.

For Said Nursi, for man to be truly human, he must establish for himself not an Islamic state, but an Islamic state of mind. If, in secular shorthand, ‘civilization’ is the highest thing towards which man as a social being can aspire, let us see how Said Nursi redefines the term to make it truly meaningful for limited, impotent man, giving it the ability to ‘confront the awesome silence of the grave’ in a way that no other civilization is able. Comparing Western civilization with the ideational entity known as Islamic civilization, he locates the source of the former in human artfulness (daha) and that of the latter in Divine guidance (huda). These sources, he holds, impact in very different ways on society in general and the individual in particular.

Artfulness, writes Nursi, functions in the mind and confuses the heart. It looks to the material and to the corporeal, considering the body and the evil-commanding soul, which it seeks to nurture. It develops the potentialities of the nafs while making of the ruh a servant or slave. In its love of this world, which is the only world it recognizes, it turns man into a satan, worshipping deaf nature and, in its blindness, drawing a veil of ingratitude over the face of the earth. It sees the bounties before it as ownerless booty, which it usurps like a common thief.

Guidance, on the other hand, works in the heart and lights up the spirit. It develops man’s potentialities and spiritual capacities and, in so doing, illuminates nature. It makes of the soul and the body and in so doing produces happiness in this world and the next. It sees Divine art everywhere, and the wisdom and power of God in all things. It worships Allah, the possessor of art and power. It is both seeing and hearing, and as it benefits from Divine bounties, it scatters the light of thankfulness all around it.

In Nursian terms, then, to be truly civilized, man must be truly human, and to be truly human, his goal is not the kind of khilafa that engenders power but the kind of khilafa which engenders worship – namely the nurturing of each individual soul into its true state as khalifat Allah fi al-ard, vicegerent on Earth. This, for Nursi, marks the true civilization to which man should aspire.

Dr. Colin Turner from Durham University, UK, is the co-author of Said Nursi, 2009, Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies and IB Tauris, London, New York.

As educators have such an important position in society, it is vital to reflect upon the questions of how a teacher should conduct their teaching and what kind of a personality a teacher should develop in order to fulfill their mission as an educator. Although it is hard to provide satisfactory answers to such deep questions within the scope of a short essay, a couple of points might be worth mentioning.

First of all, an educator should have the dignity of bearing knowledge. They should be aware of the fact that if knowledge is the spirit, a set of actions is the body that carries that spirit. If a teacher is not setting an example for their students with their actions, then the knowledge will lose its meaning in the eyes of the students. As most would agree, the greatest teachers in the humanity appeared among the prophets. Prophets, with all their wisdom and deep knowledge about both the physical and the meta-physical world, first established their reputation in society with their outstanding moral values, and by demonstrating the best examples of human character and behavior. Presenting the values in conduct (tamsil) always comes before teaching the values (tabligh). Changing this order would result in ineffective teaching and inner hypocrisy for one who tries to teach.

A teacher should look at the universe from multiple angles. They should not confine themselves within the walls of the school or within the limits of the syllabus. They should teach their correspondents how to see a view in its multidimensionality and how to turn any input of data into information and thus into knowledge. An educator should not be a transmitter of information before checking whether the “receivers” are ready to detect and absorb the information. One who teaches should never forget that “the purpose of learning is to make knowledge a guide for your life, to illuminate the road to human perfection. Any knowledge that does not fulfill these functions is a burden for the learner and any science that does not direct one toward sublime goals is only deception.”

As Bertrand Russell stated, “The good individual is he who ministers to the good of the whole, and the good of the whole is a pattern made up of the goods of the individuals.” A teacher should build bridges between each person and society by using the school environment as a construction site, and mobilize the unique potential embedded in human personalities for the use of society, and more generally, humanity. Nobody should be treated as insignificant and as a result no capabilities of the students will be wasted. The greatest and most dangerous waste is the waste of human capital. A teacher knows that every human being is actually a miniature universe and that each one of their apprentices is as valuable as the heavens. The emotional, spiritual, and physical aspects of human nature offer such a wide spectrum of colors that the ideal teacher will enable their students to discover their own colors within this spectrum.

Teachers are the architectures of character. A teacher is expected to see every student as a possible masterpiece and to construct that masterpiece according to a carefully designed, individual and specific plan. This is not an easy task. No one person can fit into all the dresses in this shop. The teacher has to make their students think that they are special, that they are cared for, and that the teacher is tearing down the walls of limitations with bare hands to make room for them. Even though the teacher may not be able to make the difference that they intend to, their actions and then their intentions, which carry on after their actions are exhausted, will send the message to the students. This is what it means to make a difference in the lives of one’s students. The human body develops from one fertilized egg; the human spirit and character is far more advanced than the body, turning small seeds into giant fruit bearing trees.

Educators are advocates on behalf of their students, defending their weaknesses in learning, and looking for different approaches to overcome the obstacles between the knowledge and the student. Teachers can only prosecute themselves. They see their students’ failures as their own failures and never indulge in the luxury of self-forgiveness. Like poets who treat their verses like their children, yet always try to replace them with better ones, teachers ask themselves if their students could be any better than they are in terms of what they have learnt from them.

Teaching is also learning. A teacher learns from their students how to become a better educator. A good teacher should be able to listen to the silent words that pour from their students’ tongues of disposition. Students may not talk to the teacher directly, but their looks, facial expressions, their interactions with their teacher, their voice levels and tones, all reflect a teacher’s ability to instruct. Educators who do not carefully observe these signs are like those who close their eyes during the bright daylight and wonder why they cannot see.

If a teacher considers teaching to be a simple matter and is never aware of the burden of making an impact on others, then one must wonder about the dedication of this teacher. A teacher must be willing to take this road while also being aware of the long distances, deep valleys and oceans of hardships ahead. As Rumi stated, in the end, a teacher should be ready to say “I was raw; I was cooked; now I am burned.”

Yasin Ceran is a math teacher in Dallas, Texas.

]]> https://fountainmagazine.com/all-issues/1993/issue-4-october-december-1993/self-renewal/ Fri, 01 Oct 1993 00:00:00 +0000 http://107.21.79.195/all-issues/1993/issue-4-october-december-1993/self-renewal/ Self-renewal is the first condition of survival. Those who cannot renew themselves when necessary face annihilation sooner or later, no matter how powerful they may be. Everything lives and continues to live through the effort of self-renewal. When renewal ceases-as it has ceased for a corpse-decomposition sets in.

The earth in springtime is a wonderful image and instance of universal renewal. Grass, trees and soil-in a thumbnail portion of which countless organisms are nurtured-all together come back to life. Take a walk amongst the living creatures-how they sally forth, putting on their uniforms of renewal and rejoicing in growth! How seemingly lifeless things come to life, like armies called out to parade, transforming the earth into a cheerful, multi-coloured paradise! Thus the spring puts on show innumerable signs of global renewal. Here a sentient, animate creature panting, heaving itself forward, in a mighty effort to achieve self-renewal. There, sprouting plant-forms pushing and struggling against whatever hardship surrounds them to emerge into the light in a cluster of shoots. And there, seeds scattered in thistle down, blown along with so many other kinds by winds obedient to the season, and pollen carried upon the legs of busy insects to fertilize the eager flowers, all alike actively seeking their renewal and continuance of life. And where the effort for self-renewal is not made, a decomposing and sinking back into the soil, there to be consumed without hope of renewed emergence.

Man too must, like every other creature, make the effort for self-renewal, individually and collectively. The more that communities and societies revive and rejuvenate themselves in mind and spirit, the better they are able to shoulder the world-wide responsibilities. That is accomplished by enlightening the sciences with the truth of religion, by applying technology with the wisdom of faith, and by carrying the message of revival to all people. Those communities who fail to renew themselves in this way will never be safe from destruction and the chains of captivity.

Self-renewal must not be confused, as it often is, with the indulgence of mere novelty and the latest fashions which is mere cosmetic covering up of defects. True renewal is providing the community with immortality through the water of life from the fountain of Khadr1.

True renewal is seeking and obtaining higher and purer levels of contemplation. It is preserving the purity of seed and root, of upholding the values refined and handed down over the centuries in association with the knowledge and ideas of modern times. It is sheer delusion to make outward forms of dress a measure of modernity or backwardness, and another delusion to suppose people will long be taken in by so shallow a criterion.

Self-renewal takes place in the metaphysical, not the physical, realm and is a revival of the spirit and of the spiritual life; the term ‘renewal’ is not seriously used for any other kind of renovation.

Renewal is true insofar as it engages in and uses modern scientific developments and technological facilities as means to increase our knowledge of the universe. However, we must constantly hold up to our hearts the mirror of self-examination so that our understanding is truly and meaningfully renewed.

An individual who has succeeded in renewing himself may be considered an enduring support to the well-being of the community. A society which comprises many such individuals becomes an important element in the balance of the world. But certainly there cannot be a society-wide renewal without sufficient numbers of individuals who have truly renewed themselves. Such people have hearts radiant with faith and minds soaring into different realms in quest of ‘bright days’, people who each moment renew the quality of their consciousness of that which is holy and true. Further, it is necessary that individuals of this calibre be followed by successors willing and able to hold aloft their thoughts and ideals like a torch.

The Ummayyads were unable to save themselves from destruction at the hands of powerful rivals because, as a dynasty, they proved incapable of carrying on the revival of ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al- ‘Aziz: they wallowed in corruption and passed away in humiliation. Almost the same is true of the Abbasids, and of the Ummayyads in Andalusia, and of the Ottoman Turks of the 18th century. These magnificent states decayed and disintegrated in a similar manner, at the same time receiving heavy blows from external enemies. They applied themselves to Latin and Greek philosophy in the hope of sparking a renewal of their spirit thereby. This proved no remedy at all, rather it accelerated their destruction. Worse, in the case of the Ottomans, it caused them to deviate from their essential line of development and engage in a mindless imitativeness of their enemies so that the Ottoman intelligentsia became something of a laughing stock in Europe.

Neither the ‘New Regime’2 nor the massacre of the Janissaries, nor the Imperial Edict proclaimed in Gulhane Park3 by some callow and fanciful imitators of the West could open the road to a revival for the Ottoman society. Indeed, the reverse is true, that such measures stifled that society and threw it into a deathlike coma. We do not deny that there were some positive aspects to these movements but these were of so localized a nature as to have no bearing on the negative outcome. It can even be argued that the evident weaknesses of the Ottoman regime, disguised by these reforms, became thereby more insidious and therefore more dangerous. Such inappropriate remedies had no more long-term usefulness than sedating a patient suffering convulsions or applying a truss to a hernia.

Almost all the promises made by such dead, unintelligent souls who had lost their own way have proved a delusion which have led, and continue to lead, the ordinary mass of people astray. I do not know whether we shall be able to teach true renewal to those who have been, over and over again, deceived and misled.

Notes

1. A sage and saint believed to have been a leading a life unique to himself for centuries and to appear, at the right moment, to help those who are worthy, Those who are directly guided and educated by him are also believed to gain a kind of eternity referred to as ‘drinking the water of life from Khadr’s fountain’.

2. When the Ottoman Empire began to decline and suffer successive defeats, reforms were considered necessary. The ‘New Regime’ (nizam al-jadid) under Selim III was the result. Until the 18th century the Ottoman army had consisted of two main divisions, the State Guards (including Janissary troops) and the Cavalry units stationed in different parts of the empire and mobilized at need. Following the death of Suleiman the Magnificent, signs of degeneration began to appear in the imperial army as well in other institutions. The decline intensified in the following centuries. Under Selim III an attempt to establish a new regime was instituted for the army and a new division created on the French model and with the name nizam al-jadid. However, this was not at all a fundamental reform; there were some superficial improvements but nothing of any lasting, positive significance.

3. This Edict, read out in Gulhane Park by Moustafa Rashed Pasha, the then Grand Vizier, proclaimed the so-called political reforms of Sultan ‘Abd al-Majid.