Question: What is the essential duty of those who seek to ensure that humanity and faith can be properly represented once again?

Many current problems Muslims are facing can be related to their own approach to faith, which does not go beyond practicing ostensibly, which fails to internalize it properly, and lacks purity of intention (ikhlas) and God-consciousness (ihsan). Their acts and behaviors that go against the criteria prescribed by Islam as well as their failure to observe the bounds of lawful and unlawful undermines the clean name of Islam and Muslims. The primary duty that must be fulfilled by devoted souls – the cavalry of revival – is to revive the values of the life of the spirit and heart, and ensure that these values become part of our very nature with their full vivacity. Saving humanity from formalist and superficial practice of Islam depends on this. Purity of intention is one of the most important of these values.

By analogy, if the content of Islam is a poem, purity of intention is its rhyme. Purity of intention is to perform with a profound consciousness of servitude to God; it is to do all we do in a way that they are eventually connected to Him. As is known, purity of intention is when we do things simply because they are commanded by God, and only in order to attain His pleasure. As noted by Bediüzzaman Said Nursi at the beginning of his First Word, purity of intention means that a person should do anything for the sake of God, begin anything for the sake of God, meet anyone for the sake of God, and act within the framework of seeking God’s pleasure. It is to do all our deeds and errands in order to attain His pleasure. We should ask for His good pleasure and purity of intention every time we raise our hands in supplication. This is such an important point that it would not be too much if we said incessantly, “O My Lord, I am asking for purity of intention and Your good pleasure,” repeating it all through the day. Indeed, it is the highest goal, centered upon the very reason of creation, for a believer to spurn all worldly considerations in order to attain a pure and clear consciousness of servitude to God. In this regard, our quest for peaking in servitude to God should not be made contingent upon even otherworldly expectations, let alone worldly ones, but should be carried out only to earn God’s contentment.

Yet, we should remember that it is not easy to reach that horizon. There are so many things that attack, eat into and gnaw on one’s purity of intention. Human desires, search for ease and comfort, wish for fame, unworthy and tawdry feelings, worldly interests, etc., drive us away from purity of intention and sincerity, preventing us from sailing out to otherworldly and metaphysical domains, and having us deprived of the greatest attainments. Even those people who are walking on the straight path may suffer from breakdowns in purity of intention over time due to lowly feelings and insignificant expediencies if they fail to be cautious in the way they live; and they may be subject to falls even if they assume to be walking in God’s cause, and they may lose while they seem to be winning.

It is not a virtue to fulfill many tasks, undertake great works, and devise grand schemes. The true merit is to be able to make everything done coupled with His good pleasure. Indeed, there is no loftier errand than to seek adherence to deeds that would be pleasing to God. If you fail to attain purity of intention in your deeds and services, you will lose yourself even though you change the color of the world. Even if you seem to be winning, you will end up in the category of unfortunate losers in the eyes of God. The things you think you have achieved will not be long-lived. They will soon fade away. So in everything you do, you should try to attain purity of intention and unremittingly maintain your inner struggle to this end.

The more profound one’s knowledge of God, the more that person will succeed in attaining purity of intention. It is essential that knowledge of God govern the entire self-identity of a person so that s/he can attain true purity of intention. Such people will not forget, not even for a moment, that they are in the presence of God as they open up their mouths, speak, blink, or move their hands or feet. Their looks have inner depth, their attitudes sobriety, their stances dignity, and their words mannerliness… All their acts and attitudes are guided with faith in, knowledge of, and awe of God. They never engage in any unseemly act or attitude. If human identity is embraced and governed with knowledge of God at such a level, that person can attain the profundity in his/her faith and purity of intention in his/her deeds.

The essential duty that must be undertaken by those who seek to ensure that humanity and Islam can be properly represented once again through a novel revival movement is to revive this consciousness of servitude to God. Thus, it is not about encouraging people to fulfill the duty of daily prayers, but it is about making them, as it were, “crazy for prayers.” The task is to make them so obsessed with daily prayers that they would leave their hearts at the mosque after performing one prayer and start to wait for the next prayer impatiently, as described in a noble saying of the Prophet. They should be so concentrated on worship that, immediately after they fulfill the noon prayer, they would complain about the muezzin’s not making the call for the afternoon prayer right away so that they could stand at once at the court of God in respect and admiration, ready for worship, and acknowledge His greatness vis-à-vis their inferiority while in prostration. They should be like that not only for daily prayers, but also for other worships, including fasting and spending in charity or good causes. They should be steadfast in performing all worships with purity of intention and consciousness.

The opposite of such a sincerity-filled awareness of being God’s servants is to perform religious rituals in a casual manner with a consideration to get rid of them quickly. It is the form of indolently performed worshiping where heedless people fail to make their hearts quiver, feel in the neurons of their brains their prayers, and realize the identity of the One before whom they stand. People should at least nurture the intention and endeavor for performing their religious rituals with a conscious manner. Initially, it may not be possible to feel everything with due profundity as this calls for serious and continuous endeavors and efforts. Junayd al-Baghdadi expressed that he attained the horizon of worship and knowledge of God he had desired to achieve only after the age of sixty. Bediüzzaman noted that only towards the end of his life did he start to glorify God in the same manner the favorite great figures would do and hear as if the entire creation said, “Glory be to God,” in his company. Therefore, what matters is that we should have the will to attain such a horizon and work to achieve it at all times.

If you are a candidate for setting sail to vastness and depth in your worships and attain the horizon of purity of intention and God-consciousness of restraint, you will attain your goal sooner or later. Then, you should move on to help others feel the things you have felt. This is the responsibility of those who aspire to take part in this revival. As noted earlier, this is the responsibility for saving people from being Muslims in form, helping them become Muslims in essence, and guiding them to the life of the spirit and heart. As a matter of fact, many people in our time need to strengthen their relationship to God with the help of this spiritual movement so that they can ward off pressures of daily politics.

Human beings are by nature prone to errors; everyone can make mistakes. Still, those people who have attained such maturity will be subject to fewer lapses. And whenever they find themselves in aberration, they will quickly turn to God, pour out their hearts, and ask forgiveness for their errors and sins, getting rid of their stains and purifying themselves. If the people who have attained this level of maturity in any place can come together, they can serve as a core example for other people who will adopt their acts and attitudes.

In our time, such a revival is desperately needed. People who will feel and practice the religion in the same way with Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali (may God be pleased with them) are needed. And we should focus on these lofty ideals, try to attain them and repeatedly pray for God’s help in this quest. All other things are nonessential matters for us.

Countdown to the winners is around the corner! Here is the top 20 shortlist.

Winners will be announced very soon. Please follow our announcements!

• ; – Zoleigh Borg
• Bipolar Revival – Laura Merleau
• A True Public Health Story – Matt P. Jager
• A Chilled Glass of Lemonade On A Very Hot Day – Gift Ehigiator
• At The Mercy of Time – Anna Mc Donald
• Code Blue, Code New – Mica Librella
• Commas That Look Like Full Stops – Shivali Yadav
• 682 Days Later – Courtney Conover
• Reflections on a COVID Christmas – Linda Caradine
• Covid: Reawakening Revival – Adina Y
• The Flower – Darcy Farwell
• There Is Light Beyond the Darkness – Alyssa Liverman
• Fruit Flies – M_Shai Dash
• Scar Tissue by Chandra Snicker – Chandra Snicker
• Spring has come – Elise Gao
• The Road to Resurrection – Ethan Alexander – Ethan Alexander
• A Reason to Smile: Revival after the Pandemic – Kristin Toedtmann
• Two Years of Solitude: A Violin and Revival – Vikram Kolli
• What Could Have Been – Wyatt Snyder
• Where Hope and Optimism meet the Warmth of Community – Laila Gosselin

Here is the top 100 shortlist for 2021-2022 Essay Contest “Revival.” Congratulations to all!

We are thankful to all participants for sharing their stories of “coming back to life” out of different trials they have been through, be it pandemic, separation, or death.

Winners will be announced very soon. Please follow our announcements!

• ; – Zoleigh Borg
• “Revival” of The Fittest – Jessica Castillo
• Bipolar Revival – Laura Merleau
• A True Public Health Story – Matt P. Jager
• A Breath of Air – Ifunanya Ezike
• A Chilled Glass of Lemonade On A Very Hot Day – Gift Ehigiator
• A continuous revival of mind and body – Celesta Teijema
• A Deep Breath – Anne Spollen
• A Glimpse into Life During My COVID-19 Pandemic – Velma Cooper
• A Journey Through Revival – Alhardy Salum
• A New Leaf! Ahoy, Let_s Sail! – Rimmo Loyi Lego
• A New Path to Hope – Abigail Emig
• A Period of Discovery – Multifandom Shruti
• A Revival of the People – Kayla Thacker
• A Revival Out of Grief – Sariet Perea
• Are We Going Back to Our Old Lives – Anna Magtalas
• As the World Turns – Daryl Rothman
• At The Mercy of Time – Anna Mc Donald
• Back to life – Elena Korsakova
• Be the Change_ An Essayo Revival – London New
• Bouncing Back – Lisa Anne
• Breathe In, Breath Out – Barsha Mallik
• Revival And Its Disguised Beauty – Chelsea Bender
• Revival: A New Hope – Christina Ryan
• Code Blue, Code New – Mica Librella
• Commas That Look Like Full Stops – Shivali Yadav
• My Cursed Blessing – Noorah K.
• 682 Days Later – Courtney Conover
• Shot at Humanity – Deepshika Rathod
• Reflections on a COVID Christmas – Linda Caradine
• Covid: Reawakening Revival – Adina Y
• The Flower – Darcy Farwell
• There Is Light Beyond the Darkness – Alyssa Liverman
• Emerging from Ashes – Krishangi Oberoi
• Fall down seven times, stand up eight times – Kate June Gestopa
• For those of us with chronic illnesses – Echo
• Forging ahead: lessons for new paths – Ngozi Anna
• Shattered Pandemic Psyche – Elisabeth Blain
• Disaster Leads to Life’s Biggest Transformations – Robin Steeley
• The Meaning of Revival – Maria Velasco
• Revival and all its meanings – HB Best
• Change as the New Normal – Robert Stegman
• Surviving Schizophrenia – Sarah Myers
• The Sparks of Regrowth – Irena Hess
• The Formula for Revival – Raghav Pandya
• Perpetual Amelioration – Jiya Kalwani
• Pande-mixed Feelings; a 14-Year-Old’s Take on Covid-19 – Hakan Gulluk         
• The Importance of Revival – Hailey Beegle
• Loving, Losing, Letting Go, Loving – Danika Tintzman
• An Abrupt Adjustment – Frehley Galaski
• From Ashes – Nick Fontaine
• Fruit Flies – M_Shai Dash
• Gooseberries – Iulia
• The Hero’s Journey of Revival – Umar Saleem
• In Sickness and In Health – E.M. Ansley
• Life before and after. Pandemic as a new reference point in time – Aigerim Serikbay
• Life With and After Covid – Jason Harkness
• The Ultimate Revival- A Story of Love, Loss, and Hope – Emma Farabaugh
• The Longest, Shortest Summer – Sophia Preiser
• Night of the Living Dead: An Analysis of Revival during a Yearlong Spring Break – Simone White
• Of Lawn Chairs and Shared Coffee: A Reflection on Healing – Yea-Lyn Pak
• Only a simple clause in any contract – samantha pinazza
• Opening the Present – Katrina Kittle
• Discovering Life Again – Christine Picascia
• Revival – Reconnecting with Our Purpose – Evyn Jensen
• Revival – The Road to Restoration and Hope – Nnene
• When life isn’t complicated – Tarik Emir Acikgoz
• Revival and Its Life Lessons during a Pandemic – Lisa Wall
• Revival and Preparation – Cooper Mcbrayer
• Revival and the Present: How Has the Pandemic Affected Revivals? – Kym Stevens
• Looking for a Light Switch in a Pitch Black Room – Suzy Bryan
• Revival of My Life – Vanessa Morse
• Revival Post-Pandemic: How Society Mirrors the Cycles of Nature – Natalie Vaughn
• Revival The Metamorphosis of Contentment – Michelle Zhang
• I Revived – Phoebe
• Reviving the Dead – Jean Ong
• Scar Tissue by Chandra Snicker – Chandra Snicker
• What does revival mean to me? – Hayden Reeves
• Sometimes it’s the Little Things – Miriam Johnson
• Spring has come – Elise Gao
• Stars Can’t Shine Without Darkness – Makenzie Crum
• Strange Notions – Anderson Doe
• That one time I worked in a covid van – Laura Fenney
• The Complexity of Life Through Death – Juno Bennett
• The Coronavirus, Dissolved Agitations – Rachel Friedman
• The World We Shape as our Own – Monika Przewoznik
• Revival: From Surviving to Thriving – Lydia Hardman
• The Normality Paradox of the Covid Era – Ariel Martínez Chávez
• The River Must Flow – Alexandria Jun
• The Road to Resurrection – Ethan Alexander – Ethan Alexander
• The Strength in Fighting – Divyasri Moulee
• the timeline of revival – Evie Korten
• The Lessons of Mortality – Sneha Pathak
• To Be, Or Not To Be – Iyanuoluwa Esther
• A Reason to Smile: Revival after the Pandemic – Kristin Toedtmann
• Two Years of Solitude: A Violin and Revival – Vikram Kolli
• An Unwanted Diagnosis in A Pandemic – Mitchell Warnken
• Weaving Warmth and Wailing Whispers – Kala C
• What Could Have Been – Wyatt Snyder
• Where Hope and Optimism meet the Warmth of Community – Laila Gosselin

The real, profound worth of life is revealed when one’s life is dedicated to the well-being of humanity. It thus gains an otherworldly dimension and attains a quality comparable to that of the dwellers of heaven. Centering life around such an ideal renders one’s life many times more fruitful. Those awakened souls experience such a state of rapture that it cannot be contained in a single lifetime. Then they begin to feel this cramped world as if it were but one of the spacious relieving climes of the eternal realms. Such individuals aspire to breathe life into everybody. With every revival they inspire, their hearts overflow with exuberance, as if they too are experiencing a resurrection on the path of being a life for other souls. Saving a single person is akin to saving all of humanity, says the Divine word, and this message constantly rings in the ears of their hearts.

Given that even a single human life in this transient world bears this much importance, it isn’t an exaggeration to say that an endeavor for a worldwide revival is likely to break the scales of good deeds on the Day of Judgment. With a zest for blowing life into others, a champion of revival is ever-conscious of the fact that humanity has been blessed with the best pattern of creation amongst all living creatures. These champions feel that the consciences of those who are spiritually paralyzed resemble a grim autumn scene. They are so compelled by their mission that ceasing it would qualify as a sinful act. They compose melodies of revival from the tongues of their hearts for those in spiritual death throes; they run to help these lost ones, as if running from one intensive care unit to the next.

This exhausting run is nothing to be overstated in their eyes. They spur their free will on toward the horizons of lofty ideals as being truly human necessitates. They serve as guides on this path of idealism for those who do not know the way, blow energy into those weary of walking, and become compasses for the masses who are without navigation. To those who have their backs to the sun and so keep following only their own shadow, they inspire them always to return to the source of light. These people become a support and prop for those who are weak and prone to stumble, and provide guardianship for those who are left crawling in misery from the impact of various calamities. They try to soothe sobs echoing on all sides, share the troubles of the wearied ones, forbear various separations with the resolve to keep company with the needy, and come between the growls of oppressors and groans of the oppressed. They keep running like firemen to extinguish one fire after another. As this sense of revival is preserved deep in their consciences, they strive to fulfill this spiritual endeavor in sincerity and only for Divine approval.

A person with this depth of feeling and thought brings to mind the notion of the “journey from God”; they are in a constant state of metaphysical vigilance. Their groans are their pain at how to bring happiness to others instead of themselves. They seek to effect peace in the hearts of others instead of self-indulging in the pleasures of this world. They view life always from a perspective of the sufferings and joys of others and build torches along the path of those who try to make their way through darkness. Reaching success is dependent on making others succeed; they regard indifference to laments as akin to being a mute devil and see remaining lively as conditional to blowing life into others; walkers on the path of Divine guides are their inheritors.

These actions by champions of revival yield such surprise fruits when the due time comes; they are like a kernel in the soil that flourishes into some 20-30 ears. It gives messages of being modest to hundreds of thousands of people and encourages smiles all around as hundreds of new ones have begun walking as one.

If not, obviously such a passive stance is everything but being in expectation. If the resurrection we are awaiting is a revival during which we become ourselves in our feelings, thoughts, spiritual lives, and lives of the heart – and there is no doubt that it is – then it is necessary to once more review our situation and our expectations. For according to the principle of causality, there is a proportional relationship between our current attitude, behavior, and our expectations.

This great expectation is not a task for the ignorant, those without ideals, those bereft of a cause, or those poor in wisdom. It is an ideal for those spirits who possess knowledge and wisdom and who are dedicated to the truth. If one day our ill-fated fortune is to change, it will change with God’s permission by the hands of these heroes, and anything other than God’s will is an unnecessary condition (shart al-adi). To date it has always happened like this – God knows best, after all, but it will be like this again, and attacks from both inside and outside will continue. Loyalty that is normally expected from friends will not be shown. Destruction will follow destruction. Our spiritual roots that make us who we are will constantly be harmed. Our hearts will long for love, and moans of death will be heard from all sides. But, despite all these negative things there will always be the vanguards of revival who will blow life in every direction.

Our society has suffered from many different ruptures and disintegrations throughout history. People’s cultural and religious values were snatched from their hands while they were made to endure the most painful alienations. Their sun was stolen, the moon was extinguished, and they were subjected to eclipses one after another.

While writhing under their adversaries’ oppression, they cried because of the disloyalty of “friends.” The bands of evil that were destroyed and dispersed were followed by new ones that always made their predecessors look good. The oppression of tyrants has never ceased nor did the hostility toward and hatred of the faithful; it did not end and they turned this world into Hell.

Today, the same despotism, oppression, and assaults are continuing. There is an attempt being made to put out the lights of people’s hope, and their rights and justice are being infringed. Those who want to live what they believe, as individuals or as societies, are not given the opportunity to do so; in fact, they are being subjected to an inquisition.

Despite all of this, the torches of hope that promise revival on behalf of the future, and in different dimensions are burning brightly. Those enlightened spirits who interpret everything according to love and respect are continuing on their journey. They move towards reviving our exalted human values without getting caught up in anger, hatred, and assault, and they do not falter. God has never forsaken servants faithful to His door, as opposed to oppressive tyrants and despots – may His grace upon these servants never diminish!

Although sporadically false thought has drowned the surroundings in noise and done everything to cut the voice and breath of the truth, the cawing of society is always transitory; the voice of truth is heard in a higher pitch. Even if God gives tyrants respite upon respite in some periods; but when their tyranny reaches to a point where divine response becomes inevitable, He eventually takes them in His grip and punishes them. He raises up the innocent and shows them the path to gathering themselves together. He always alerts them of the roads to scientific, social, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual revival.

Thus, the people God held and supported, and those He will hold and support, will give voice – in the near future, if not today – to those deep feelings of compassion that constantly rise in their spirits. Like a celestial angel, they will embrace the innocent everywhere; they will say to all the oppressors and high-handed tyrants and those merciless cutthroats, “This day let no reproach be (cast) on you: God will forgive you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!” (12:92) They will not hesitate to open their bosoms with compassion to even the bloodiest madmen who, until the revival, always thought blood, talked blood, spilled blood and drank blood.

Yes, it’s certain that one day these idealistic people, who represent the manifestation of such broad mercy; these heroes of faith and action; and these servants who are cautious and vigilant in their relationships with God, will appear from all four sides, each embodying mercy, and they will offer us goblets filled with the tonic of revival.

Now, if God is going to realize such a revival with people of this high level, first, He will spiritually resurrect them according to the principles necessary in this world, and then He will revive all of us. It is not possible for believers who have no purpose or goals in this life, who are tired in their feelings and enthusiasm, and who are not fully alive, to help revive others.

God’s promise of reviving people and making them a vehicle for the revival of others is dependent upon people turning towards Him sincerely and that they have a prophetic resolution and determination. These people are such monuments of sincerity that if God is going to give special favors, He will give them to these servants because of their steadfastness and devotedness. They possess an unshakable faith, always stand firm in their place, ignore all the pressures that may come from any direction, and are never distraught by the difficulties and disasters that they may face. On the contrary, they are always a source of morale for those around them, are advanced in service and duty, have no desire for monetary rewards, and are absorbed in silent self-accounting. If God is going to blow life into people, He will do it using the breaths of these servants.

At any rate, these heroes of resurrection, who have dedicated themselves to the revival of mankind, are determined to use, to the last centimeter, their capabilities and capacities that God has bestowed upon them to establish their ideals. They are always willing to make enormous sacrifices, are as sure as possible in seeing and monitoring the trust they have taken upon themselves, possess a deep feeling of submission, and are waiting with active patience for the commendation and favor of God. These are things that must be done by a spirit that has truly dedicated itself to the Truth. They do everything necessary to gather themselves together and stand on their feet, yet they are also aware of the fact that results cannot be obtained when their time is not yet due – they know how to wait for years and years; they never panic.

Yes, sometimes all responsibilities are fulfilled; however, standing up and expressing oneself as a servant of revival may not be realized immediately. Sometimes this is because the person waiting for revival has not fully ripened, or, even if they have, are not being able to concentrate all their energy to awaken their spirit. At other times they are distracted by busying themselves with things that they should not be, things that can in no way contribute to the process of revival.

Reviving and becoming ourselves is a divine favor, and indeed it is. If that favor is given before the people are ready for it, its value will not be appreciated, thus it will go as immediately as it comes, and it will cause some new deprivations to be experienced, the compensation of which will be very difficult.

In addition, if God has tied His material-spiritual blessings to people’s giving their willpower its due – which we believe to be the case – then divine favor will probably be delayed until the moment they can utilize all the opportunities. 

Other matters related to this topic are as follows:

Sometimes, God does not immediately give to the travelers of this path what they want, because they have either fallen – or there is a danger that they may fall – into the mistake of considering their own power, strength, and capability to be absolute – and relying solely on them, thus straying from God. This is to protect them from this mistake of associating partners to what is within the domain of divine power. In this what may be called a favor that is rather compelled upon them, God turns their faces towards a perfect faith in His uniqueness. Sometimes, servants of revival may fail to fully achieve this turn, although all the conditions are convenient; in such a situation, they are subjected to different oppressions, attacks, and pressures, and God does not respond to their efforts at revival for a certain period of time in order for them to turn towards Him with a spiritual state of need and to divulge their difficulties to Him. Sometimes, they may entertain some worldly expectations and not be able to purify their hearts from considerations of position, status, high rank, and their personal future aspirations. They may also have difficulty being fully selfless. In this respect, until the moment they can fully escape from other considerations and turn towards God with pure resignation, they may not be able to obtain the results of revival.

In addition to all these matters, such tribulations serve as a litmus test to see who is sincerely involved with pure intentions and those who are not. Such difficult tests also reveal the true identity of the tyrants and oppressors to be recognized as they are by every sector of society. Based on their partisanship with the oppressors, masses who are easily deceived might oppose the heroes of revival, and this is partly due to the fact that things are not clearly revealed to them as they are supposed to be. In this respect, until the moment when good and evil are separated from one another, and where everyone, the learned and the ignorant, will position themselves become apparent, everyone is given an opportunity to reflect; consequently, the result becomes delayed a little.

Regardless of the reason, it is our duty to perform our jobs according to the rules and within the circle of wisdom, and refer the rest to God. Every servant of revival should know that as long as they respond to the call of God and His messengers, God will show them the paths to revival and will never allow them to fall.

This matter has two aspects; we are concerned with one aspect, while the other one is beyond our capacity. Regarding the aspect associated with us, service to revive ethical values is done only because it is ordered by God. Unless all these deeds—those that make our nights sleepless, ruin our comfort, restrain us from food and drink, tire our minds and bodies—are performed for the good pleasure of God, it means that we have been acting in vain. Having sincere intentions lies at the soul of all actions. Unless this soul exists, both the deeds we have done and the ones we shall do will bear no positive worth.

“O you who believe! Respond to God and to the Messenger when the Messenger calls you (in the Name of God) to that which gives you life.” (Al Anfal 8:24)

Yes, this is a matter of life-giving, that is, a revival and helping others revive. And this revival, as clearly stated in the above verse, is considered possible only by faith and by making it the essence of life. Our personal thoughts and desires should in no way interfere in our deeds performed for God’s good pleasure in order to reach “the rank of contentment.” This is important, for there is a fine balance here. For instance, the belief that an unfaithful person shall face perdition may cause some sensitive souls to feel resentment; but this is a judgment in which we have no say of. Likewise, it would also put our balance on the brink of collapse if we were to include our personal feelings and push hard on legitimate bounds, or contrarily conceive unnecessary limits even for some legitimate forms of relationship, say, in an effort to prevent sexual misbehavior. Therefore, it is significant to stay in line with what has been prescribed and be content with it especially at times when we think we could serve God’s good pleasure by other means; this is what we are accountable of.

The other aspect, mentioned previously as being beyond our capacity, imposing upon others our message. This is something really beyond our power and ability, and this is not something we are responsible of. Just as it is God who can make someone accept, it is also Him who can make them not accept. Just as we do not consider this to be within our own authority, we cannot claim the opposite to ourselves either. If our words are welcomed and people respond to our call, we should not associate this with our intelligence, knowledge or ability, as everything is a favor of God. By contrast, if we are not welcomed, we should question ourselves, check our senses, intentions, worship; continually engage in self-inspection, and never fall in despair. Throughout history, numerous great figures of logic and reasoning have come and gone, and they have only been followed by a handful of people. Again, many people of inspiration and blessings have passed away, after whom one or two followers may or may not have gone. Indeed, faith is a light which God turns on in the heart of His servant, and the decision to turn it on is only under His authority.

Bediuzzaman walked on a holy path, by the grace of God, throughout his life, and despite all his achievements he did not associate anything to himself. He always managed to restrain and throw aside his ego by saying, “God Almighty may and is able to glorify His religion even by a sinful slave; yes, you should regard yourself that sinful slave!” In the same way, he lived his life through a continuous self-inspection and self-reckoning, declaring “you can not be a recipient of these blessings, but a mere passage through which others can reach them!”

The following generations after him, however, have found themselves surrounded by pleasurable services already established and have started wondering what else they could do. Just then, one more time, God Almighty poured on them His blessings, and now, everything we can see around the world today is merely the works of His own action, made out of His own material. Thus the end result is an abundance of positive consequences that can even surpass the works of saints.

“All becomes easy when God manifests Himself;
Creates He the causes and bestows them in a moment.”

It is a clear fact that these good services cannot be run by people who go through ups and downs; some of us are so weak in character that we want to leave half way when faced with difficulty or feel depressed, but after we realize all other routes are no exit, we get back on track. Even though a group of people, a community, may receive great honors and rewards based on their sincerity and hard work, we should admit that God Almighty is the real agent behind all things. So, no one should blur these services by mixing with it some other thoughts, delusions, or future expectations. No one should exploit the results obtained from these services for his or her own benefit so that all these favors can become a means of salvation for them. However, this spring of benevolence that can meet even the spiritual and otherworldly needs of next generations, may possibly become useless if we spoil it by crediting the blessings granted to ourselves.

It is therefore necessary to practice self-introspection, hold ourselves to account for all of our actions, and do our best to maintain self-control. Each of these favors should trigger even more servanthood and prayer with even more deeply observed worship, turning each prostration to a gate of reunion, not willing to lift our heads even for a moment, knowing that each favor will multiply with our gratitude. We have to rethink our condition; if we are brushing aside over our prayers, if we are being dragged away by our lust, and if we are enjoying all the carnal pleasures of this life in its fullest sense, then we have already started spoiling these favors.

The book first presents us with an overall view of the condition of the Muslim world, and we see that wherever Muslims are to be found, there exists a paradox. On the one hand, there is depression, weakness, and the people are approaching the edge of the abyss through ignorance and superstition; on the other, people in general are more inclined to turn to God and they struggle for revival almost everywhere . . . Everywhere you can see people who are thirsty for the peace and security promised by Islam. The depression, which the author terms “days of decline,” has been the constantly bleeding wound of the Muslim world for the past few centuries.

Muslims, who had once turned the world into “a dimension of Paradise,” sacrificed the religion, their real source of power, to this world and lost the perfect balance they had established between the universe, humanity, and life. In this way, they rejected the heritage of a thousand years, and tried to replace it with new, but weak, building blocks incompatible with the primordial nature of humanity. However, it is a reality that in spite of all the traumas, depressions, and storms of the days of decline, the idea of a revival has always remained in wait in some remote corner for the day when it will prevail.

For the sake of a revival, in other words, for the sake of repairing the shaken Muslim logic, of compensating for deviations, and of establishing a new and healthy life, the entire Muslim world needs to go through a “resurrection.” This revival is one that will protect the origin of the religion within the width and universality promised by the flexible principles of Islam, a revival that will meet the needs of all classes of people and embrace all aspects of life in every time and in every place.

Gulen points out that humanity, life, and the universe should be approached from an Islamic perspective, and that it is an obligation of the Muslim societies that have pushed aside Islamic logic, thought, and concepts to be encouraged toward a renewal in all its depths.

Those who undertake this heavy responsibility and who help to realize a universal change should be a new type of people. The author refers to them as “the inheritors of the Earth,” and he describes them as people who reflect the spirit of the Prophet and Qur’anic morals.

In a way, The Statue of Our Souls describes and analyzes this renaissance that has already begun. This renaissance is a process that can be realized when an entire nation returns to its own spiritual roots. Our nation, which has experienced several revivals, can prevent sicknesses like “passion, laziness, fame-seeking, selfishness, worldliness, narrow-mindedness, the use of brute force” with exalted human values like “contentedness, courage, modesty, altruism, knowledge and virtue, and the ability to think universally”; it is then that we can say a Qur’an-oriented change back to our primordial nature will have been realized.

This resurrection, or great renaissance, is to be realized by the members of the nation who will partake of the same reviving spirit completely. In this way, our nation will take hold of its long-lost trust again, and aim to make the world a paradise-like place. The Statue of Our Souls analyzes the sociological and historical obstacles that stand before the re-construction of the Muslim world. Gulen, however, never loses trust in the nation which bears the fire of a revival deep inside and he feels connected to them through an eternal hope.

It can be seen, in fact, that the central theme of this collection of Gulen’s writings is an exhortation to a determined self-improvement in his followers and amongst Muslims generally. Muslims must strive to become worthy of the promise made to us. He alludes repeatedly to God’s promise to the faithful:

Before this We wrote in the Psalms, after the Message (Given to Moses): “My servants, the righteous, shall inherit the earth.” (Anbiya 21:105)

Gulen echoes the great teacher Rumi in telling us not to ignore the doctrine of causes, not to sit around heedlessly waiting for God’s favor, but rather to exert ourselves endlessly in order to transform this broken world into the world of peace and justice, in accordance with the Will of God. Again like Rumi, he points out that it is in this, our willing submission to the Will of God that the only true freedom is found, that paradoxically it is this submission, and only this submission which can free us from slavery to meaningless and ultimately destructive whim, fancy, folly and temptation. He indicates the path to freedom and eternal life, sometimes by giving us quite simple and direct instructions which can be applied in the worldly contexts in which we find ourselves, sometimes by ornate descriptions of the spiritual delights to be found on the path and at the destination, and he urges us again and again that we should, of our own free will, follow that straight path.

Gulen’s work is a constant exhortation to greater effort, greater knowledge, greater self-control and restraint. He reminds us that these are the qualities for which God will reward us. He reminds us of the value of patience and of how many times in the pages of the Qur’an we are urged to be patient and endure. He does not advocate and has never advocated the use of violence to attain political ends. “The days of getting things done by brute force are over,” he tells us. “In today’s enlightened world the only way to get others to accept your ideas is by persuasion and convincing argument. Those who use brute force to reach their goals are intellectually bankrupt.” He is not an “externalist,” one who thinks that Islam can be imposed on others from without by the forceful application of shari‘a. He wants the renewal of society to start from within the heart. While acknowledging the importance of law and order in society, he does not believe that virtue can be instilled by force nor that the virtuous society is built by repression. Far from it, he protests wherever freedom is restricted unnecessarily. Gulen adheres to the Qur’anic injunction that the different tribes and nations which were all made by God should learn from each other and hence does not reject all the technical, political and cultural aspects of Western modernity, such as democracy, parliamentarianism, and scientific education. Rather he advises giving such institutions an Islamic dimension and in this way avoiding both the negative effects of a wholly secularist ideology and the stagnation and fossilization of a religious society which cannot adapt to its environment.

In Gulen’s eyes and in his life Islam is not the fragile, fossilized museum relic which modern secularists would like it to be. For him and for the many who agree with him it is not only vital and alive but our only way, our true connection with the Real, with the True, with the Source of our life. As such the injunctions of God in the Qur’an and Sunna and in the cosmos must be re-examined, rebuilt, restored in every age in the light of advancing knowledge and changing states. His jihad is not the dark sinful despair and desperate struggle of extremism which sees itself as pitted against a too mighty enemy but effort along with the calm confidence of faith, the optimism of one who believes that God has placed in human hearts the desire for goodness and wholeness, and endowed them with understanding, and the belief that the Muslim’s task is to draw this out gently and bring it to bloom.

A major concept that occurs as a theme throughout the book is Gulen’s understanding of “nation.” Although this concept refers particularly to the Muslim world and the Turkish nation in the context of their roles in shaping human history, as major players and representatives of global peace, there is certainly more to it than just the concept of one particular nation, especially when we look with Gulen’s vision and his ideal of dialogue and tolerance. In this book, Gulen addresses globally valid solutions for freedom and an honorable stand which any suppressed community could resort to. The motivating ethos behind Gulen’s career as clearly manifested in numerous dialogue activities and education initiatives is one of a worldwide peace which will be accomplished by the participation of all nations. Gulen’s definition of nation does not comprise one race; Anatolia throughout history has always been a land of diverse ethnic groups, which form one united nation today. Exempt from any chauvinist characteristic, he addresses the colorful mosaic of Anatolia, which is like a crucible for peoples that have come from Central Asia, the Balkans, and Mesopotamia.

Finally, as one of the most significant thinkers and activists of Turkey, indeed of the modern Muslim world, Gulen has concerned himself throughout his life’s work with finding and enacting solutions for the tremendous sense of strain, alienation, weakness, defeat, and disintegration felt in the Muslim world since the fall of the Ottoman State at the beginning of the twentieth century. Unlike many other Muslim leaders, however, he neither denies reality and turns his back on modernity, nor does he fall into bitterness, incomprehension and fury, but rather he exhorts Muslims to educate themselves, control themselves and use their own resources to regain and restore their culture, their identity and the observance of their religion. His is essentially a message of peace and hope, a message that is best conveyed in The Statue of Our Souls.

The Statue of Our Souls: Revival in Islamic Thought and Activism
M. Fethullah Gulen
1932099875
Paperback / 172 pp.
July 2005 / The Light, Inc.

There are two religious festivals in Islam. ‘Id al-Fitr, the festival of the breaking of the fast, comes at the end of the month of Ramadan, during which Muslims fast from dawn until sunset. ‘Id al-Adha, the festival of sacrifice, comes on the tenth of Dhu’I-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic year in which the pilgrimage is performed. Both festivals enjoy a very special place in the life of Muslims and leave indelible impressions on the culture of Muslim people.

Religious festivals for Muslims are times of heightened Islamic thoughts and feelings when memories of a long and honourable past are revived, recalled and ‘lived’ afresh with all its joys and sorrows.

Religious festivals are, for Muslims, occasions of paradoxical feelings – pangs of separation and hopes of re-union, regrets and expectations, and joys and sorrows. While on the one hand, they feel sadness over losses in either individual or national spheres, on the other, they feel, paradoxically, the exhilarating pleasure of an expected revival, like the revival of nature in spring after a severe winter.

Muslims enjoy the pleasure of re-union and of a universal brotherhood on festival days. They smile at each other lovingly, greet each other respectfully, and pay visits to each other. Members of divided families whom modern, industrialized life has forced to live apart from each other in different towns, come together and feel the intoxicating pleasure of once more eating together and spending a few days together.

For Muslims, religious festivals are occasions for spiritual revival through seeking God’s forgiveness and praising and glorifying Him. They are enraptured by special supplications, odes and eulogies for the Prophet. Especially in traditional circles where the traces of the past are still alive, people experience the meaning of the festival in a more vivid, colourful fashion, on cushions or sofas, or around stoves or fire-places in their humble houses or cottages, or under the trees among the flowers in their gardens, or in the spacious halls of their homes. They feel the meaning of the festival in each morsel they eat, in each sip they drink and in each word they speak about their traditional and religious values.

Religious festivals are of a much greater significance for children. They feel a different joy and pleasure in the warm, embracing climate of the festivals, which they have been preparing to welcome a few days before. Like nightingales singing on branches of trees, they cause us to experience the festivals more deeply through their plays, songs, smiles and cheers.

Religious festivals provide the most practical means for improving human relationships. People experience a deep inward pleasure, they meet and exchange good wishes in a blessed atmosphere of spiritual harmony. It is especially when the festival permeates hearts with prayer and supplications performed consciously that souls are elevated to the realm of eternity. They then feel the urge to get rid of the clutches of worldly attachments and live in the depths of their spiritual being. In the atmosphere overflowing with love and mercy, a new hope is injected with life.

Believing souls welcome the religious festivals with wonder, expectations and otherworldly pleasures. It is, indeed, difficult to understand fully what believing souls feel during the religious festivals in the depths of their hearts. To perceive the feelings that the festivals arouse in pure souls who lead their life in ecstasies of otherworldly pleasures, it is necessary to experience such pleasures in the same degree.

Having reached the day of the festival after fulfilling their prescribed duty and responsibility, these souls display such a dignity and serenity, such a grace and spiritual excellence that those who see them think that they have all received a perfect religious and spiritual education. Some of them are so sincere and so devoted to God that each seems to represent the outcome of a long glorious history and to be the embodiment of centuries-old universal values. One may experience through their conduct and manners that taste of the fruits of Paradise, the peaceful atmosphere on the slopes of firdaws-the highest abode in Paradise-and the delight of being near to God.

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.