Our modern society has gone astray during much of the past several centuries. While every person is in pursuit of one thing or another, we are searching for our own soul. If we can persist on this search on a sustainable path then we can hope that the days in which we will be revived as our true selves are very close; the days when we will turn towards our true nature and win back our best values.

Enduring a most unfortunate period, the last couple of generations have renounced their warm, cozy homes and embarked upon peculiar pursuits; they either took refuge in a world of “matter,” or rather machines. They fell prey to different fantasies, let themselves fall into the maddest of delusions, and spent their lifetimes amidst insanity. At times they turned into wild mad men, and their thoughts were stained with blood. This disorder has continued up to our days and these brutal and unrelenting sins are no more bearable.

Nowadays, however, they are growing more and more aware of the void they happen to be in and have started to open the doorways for alternative thoughts – even if only a little. They have started speaking about faith; they have even started to accredit some value to the past and its wisdoms. Indeed, though it was only yesterday that they made no mention of God or His Messengers, and that they insulted believers and cursed at our historical values, today they are adorning many of their thoughts with soul and meaning, weaving their words with the silk threads of the metaphysical. For this change to hold ground with this color and harmony we want, it is important that these divine days continue uninterrupted for another quarter century. Afterwards, perhaps we can be hopeful for a prosperous future.

To this day, those who have lost their spiritual power have gone to waste just like seeds that have decayed in infertile soil. Indeed, whatever has happened to this day cannot be undone, and many have been sacrificed, honor has been destroyed, decency has been tattered, and our innocence and purity have been shaken as a punishment for misinterpreting history. From now on, we must review our intentions and wish for the best. We must always be alert and awake not to leave any voids in our feelings, thoughts, or logic that may prevent us from serving others so that our future will not become soaked in blood and tears. We must take advantage of all possible opportunities when the hurricanes subside to some extent, and where signs appear on our horizon in order to breathe life into even the most lifeless points of time so that they become the voice of common sense. We have just started to gain a feeling of the mystery, magic, and endlessness of this “book of existence” and all of its contents that are put on exhibition in the universe. We must practice active patience, remain alert, and be prudent so that we are not held back and pushed further away from what is close at hand until the day the meaning and wisdom found in this “book of existence” become evident with the help of the sciences and allow us to learn the purpose of our lives. We must be careful to not suffer any spiritual or moral loss on what seems to be a winning path.

Indeed, in this apparently calm yet active period, as the promised divine days have started to break with their colorful flow, we must knead the dough of spirit and meaning that will shape the enlightened generation that represents the future. They will bear this spirit on their shoulders with their own coat of arms made of hues and patterns unique to them. We must knead that dough in our safe basins and in the best form we can so that our society will be able to step onto new lively formations with a rich heritage of thought and consciousness of history. While we, as a society, strive to realize this very significant task, there will be those who either knowingly or not will try to object to these vital efforts, not to mention those who will underestimate, belittle, and even reject the efforts altogether. In response to all of these hindrances, on one hand, we will make a great effort to strengthen our free will by starving the roots of our evil inclinations while uplifting our capacity to do good; on the other hand, we will exhibit a sensitivity to not allow any intellectual or logical voids in our plans and projects as we strive to advance with a purity of intention. We believe that because our ultimate goal is the consent of God and our provisions along the way are faith and sincerity, God will raise us with advances of mercy and favor along the way. No matter where we happen to be, we will be nurtured through His manifestations.  

Yes, as we close our eyes and fill ourselves with the exhilaration of serving God Almighty, the seeds we scatter throughout the four corners of the world will, through His Divine will, certainly find life one day. Even those we think have been lost will sway like ever-blooming ears of grain, and they will sing the melody of their good fortune when the season is right.

With favor and mercy from God, we will walk into the future with “faith and knowledge” taking the lead as “thought and worship” will be closely knit together. We will do our best to conform to “causes” and submit to God with a tight embrace in full acceptance of His will (tawakkul). Our hope will be the source of our action, and our patience will follow right behind like a trusted companion. Even retributions will be considered a blessing, and each blessing – just like an unexpected advance – are references to the reliability of the true source of everything.

We will walk, and He will always guide and protect us and will never abandon us throughout our journey. We will walk, as the light from the waves of the eternal worlds will manifest in our eyes, while our ears will have the ability to receive the truest of words without error, and our hearts will beat with inspirations of wisdom. This can be possible if we can maintain our relationship with Him as our Creator and us as the created, and do not forsake His kind favors to “familiarity” and monotony, for this may fade away “colors and freshness” like the winds of autumn.

We will walk away from today’s lethargic masses to discover the enlightened generations who offer much promise for a brand-new world. We will walk away from them without tarnishing the image of, or slandering, anyone by planning our thoughts according to our actions and carrying out our actions as lifeguards do so that others may live. We will do this to prove that there really are passengers who can be void of blood and grime, and void of revenge and hatred. We will keep walking without stumbling on our path and will not be obstructed by any obstacles along the way. We do not, and cannot, claim to pardon the thousand and one incidents of murder and brigandage that we have been witnesses to. When the laws and rights of the public are the matters at hand, the feeling of forgiveness and pardoning transforms into a feeling of justice, and the style of living closes off to inhumane behavior of any kind. Yes, it is requisite of one’s respect for humanity to transform goodness – and the bridges leading to goodness – into avenues and to award those who want to go on this destination. Likewise, respect for the human being also requires the prevention of evil and stopping those who engage in evil. Indeed, goodness must always be recognized and praised, and, at the same time, people must be warned against sins so that no one avoids accountability by saying, “The fault is not ours; we were driven to these ways.”

Those who think in this manner are actually trying to take refuge in such inconsistent excuses in order to escape the responsibility of their present wretchedness and misery. In fact, they can be described as disoriented and decayed souls that have been unable to appreciate and comprehend the distinction of being human. It is a fact that those who carry the spirit of true humanity have no other choice than to assume part of the responsibility that belongs to the society in which they too have risen and flourished. Such a sense of responsibility is the requisite of a humane spirit, comprehension, and thought – not to mention the command and will of the One who has equipped the human being with such dynamics. Provided that their conscience has not decayed completely, become atrophied, or that understanding has not died, it is unthinkable for a human being to be negligent of such a responsibility.

In terms of the contemplation of being truly human, we hold ourselves accountable for current mishaps and for the sake of the peace and security of tomorrow’s world. When we say “the human being” and “culture” we wish to underline once more the priority of “faith,” which is the first stage of true liberty and the only source of light to guide us to the final destination.

Indeed, the first phase and the highest priority in reviving out-of-control generations to their true human form is by embedding faith and all that it promises into the depths of their nature and character, and to ensure their continuity. Explaining to generations and feeding their souls with both the apparent and hidden aspects of existence by imbuing them with the culture of faith and making it possible for them to embrace all things with compassion will serve to liberate the generations who we have failed to keep under control and whose disintegration we have been unable to prevent. A spirit that is not cleansed through faith cannot be pulled completely away from savagery, avoid aggression, love or compromise with other people, and, above all, cannot begin to reach towards the heavens. It is inevitable for such a person to be tainted by greedy ambitions and to live a life full of grudges and hatred, and to have their heart be blackened with grime. Truly, faith enables the human to hear, listen, and interpret existence in a completely different way by imbuing knowledge and love of the eternal, building a connection with all of existence, and by moderating hatred and flaws. It saves a person from the misery of disorientation.

At the present time, generations from every walk of life who have reached such deep levels of faith, and thus – though weak at the present moment – hold promise and hope for the future, must be imbued with a zeal for service to humanity and a feeling of responsibility and duty free from the promise of fame, fortune, or status. They must be nurtured to have no expectations for recompense so that they neither dive into thoughts of gaining support from any government, from the public, or centers of power so that they will not raise their hopes for future prosperity. In this way, strong structures that flourish with knowledge and wisdom will light the lanterns of our thoughts in every corner, and we will not be held back by certain desires and ambitions. Instead, we will continue on with feelings of altruism, purity in our souls, seeking God’s good will and consent, and always aware that He is the one who employs us in this service.

The fact that a love for Divine Truth holds great importance, in itself, is also something that should certainly be underlined. The power that forms when reading, contemplating, studying, and researching are united with a love of connecting to the truth – for the sole fact that it is the truth – would, I believe, be enough to open the doors for the whole universe. For centuries, while certain nations have been lifted towards the skies through a love of the truth, even if only in certain fields, others have always been the ones to watch from afar with a desire and longing to imitate their success. They have taken it in with a sigh, watching like paralyzed spirits that are bound by the chains which enclose our feelings and thoughts. Nowadays, even if we can appreciate the fact that this important matter is at least being articulated, syllable by syllable by a certain group of people, it is still difficult to say that it is being handled in the mindset of true scientific thinking. We are in need of true scientific thinking that has, with its cultural and ethical dimensions, settled over the blockade of belief in the truth and will awaken in our souls a thought of physical and spiritual transformation towards the heavenly realms. The constant development of thought, the transformation of theory into practice, and the promise of advancement that such a transformation holds have, so far, only been possible, and will only be possible, through the push of such scientific thinking. True scientific thinking is what is fundamental; science and technology, on the other hand, are merely products derived from it. We are witnesses to the many high caliber individuals, to the heroes of determination, to such great performances, and lifetimes dedicated to this cause.

Those who will reconstruct the future will come from among these heroes. They will turn around this narrow, contaminated world, won over by adversities, to construct a wider, purified and more harmonious world that will remind us of heavenly beauties. They will do this to the extent that we are able to teach them love for the truth, the spirit of research, and the nuance of renewal. This will raise them to a level where they are able to distinguish between what does and does not belong to the roots of spirituality and meaning.

While the generations that have been connected with these dynamics and have reached a love for truth are considered the heroes of their own people, the disoriented masses who have lost their souls and meaning will always be considered a source of shame and dishonor and will darken the future of our society.

We foster the hopes that our intellectuals who stand in a position of influence will take advantage of the opportunities at hand, prepare future generations to the throne of hearts, and turn the pits of failure into zeniths of victory.

There is anticipation in the air. People from all walks of life are vigilant, waiting for a ray of light to shine upon them. Their eyes are fixed on the horizon, expecting the rise of a “true dawn,” and their hopes are spurred at each trace of light in the east. When they cannot see what they were expecting, they groan with disappointment, yet turn again to their horizon of hope and wonder, “when is the sunrise?” They lower their heads and set sail to another broken dream. Remembering the glorious days of old and seeing the fearful images of today, they sing songs of sorrow and drift in the high and low tides of hope and despair.

Horrific scenes of disintegration are seen on all sides as we witness more than ever before defiled feelings, darkened spirits floundering in the pus, hopes knocked down over and over, dead hearts that do not see and cannot understand, paralyzed souls, trashed consciences that have no horizons and are blind to what lies beyond. Ears are deaf to heavenly voices; eyes – persistently denying their nature – misread and misunderstand laws of creation; minds are intoxicated with positivism, naturalism, materialism, and all that nonsense that don’t fit within the framework of reason. Thus buried are the brightest truths in the darkest of the dark and with the darkest of souls. It is like a long gloomy night blackened by pitch-black thoughts of pharaohs.

On the other end of the spectrum, those who can fathom the mysteries and truths of humankind are but a few. Still, as whips lash above their heads, their mouths are zipped up, and their hands are cuffed, all they can do is wait for an extraordinary Divine help. Those who keep their hopes alive move on, saying, “God is enough; the rest is a passing desire.” Sometimes, they breathe by uttering the words of the poet:

Let the world come with all its causes of suffering,
Call me a traitor if I turn back on my struggle for the people. (N. Kemal)

Problems have reached the furthest boundaries; brute force is rampant; persecution and violence are blindingly daring; every corner is filled with helpless masses that moan and grieve. The sovereigns whose hearts have been captured by the devil and the elite who are somewhat lettered but whose eminence is but on the surface do not hear these groans. Even if they hear, they do not care; on the contrary they applaud the tyranny, praise the tyrant, and strive to become like the vizier Haman [1] to the Pharaohs. What is left for the victims, is to suffer.

God gave humankind reason and heart so we can discover and understand the inner truths of existence. Failing to use these to discern the developments around us and what they stand for will cause us to fail to maintain the quality of “the perfect pattern of creation” [2]; we may not even be aware of this failure. For those who fell from this status, life has been wasted in a vicious cycle of diversions and slips; they confuse the white with the black, the flower with the thorn. For them, the beauty of a rose becomes unfathomable; the songs of nightingale are the caws of a crow. Saving themselves from these crooked thoughts is rare, leading them to err one after another, and to become lower than their level of creation. While their feet are stuck in pitch-dark thoughts, their spirits drift aimlessly in all directions, and their hearts deform at all levels. They are headed to disintegration and to an inevitable naught.

As a matter of fact, there is a crystal-clear path, a way to be released from these deviations, a path that those who lead a life in the orbit of their carnality are unable to see. Everything points to the direction of this path in every possible language and style. The way out is to know and believe in the All-Glorious One as He is; to look into existence and events with the lens of such a Divine knowledge and make analyses accordingly; to explore the natural phenomena with what lies beyond their material being; to study the mysteries that underlie the essence of humankind; to apply mathematical decoding to all the known universe; to evaluate the Earth and all that is found here; and to continue all this work without a break.

Such firm persistence will lead to exploration of human nature, with its physical and metaphysical dimensions. It will turn the human into a projector that will show how to read the book of the universe, for a person is but a comprehensive index of the universe. Reading the book of the universe accurately is a vital prescription for us humans who can reason. This is how humans can gather themselves together, be protected from all kinds of deviations, and will reconquer themselves. This is how we will be saved from being dragged by whims, will be guided by knowledge, and we will cherish the relief and reassurance of turning to the One, will love Him, and will sing songs of love and reunion.

Unless there is a special Divine grace, it is not possible for the unfortunate ones who are unable to read and discover their profound nature to know and love the Unique Faithful Beloved; to surpass their physical and carnal aspects and move forward in accordance with the purpose of their creation, to overcome all humanly errors and soar for a reunion with Him.

The path to attaining knowledge of the Unique Truth and to be guided to Him require engaging in serious contemplation and deep thinking, and thereby reaching accurate assessments about one’s self. Such a frame of mind becomes a means for the gifts of faith and Divine knowledge, which all together will be of service to the person, allowing them to fathom their reason for existing, what they are expected to do with this life, and the content of the Divine message that has been blown into our souls with the breaths of Prophets. Then they start becoming aware of their status vis-à-vis all of existence, turning their faces gradually in the right direction. Having grasped their purpose, they let themselves flow with the current leading to the Ultimate Purpose. The journey becomes paths of discovery, as the person realizes all material and spiritual depths are the keys to the mystery of existence. They start hearing invitations from deeper realities at each departure from the shore towards the endless horizons, turning their back on all those that are destined to disappear. They build greenhouses against disintegration and hold themselves to account on how to live and behave. As they strain further in their spiritual struggle, they appear as role models and awaken those who are asleep with the hymns of the dawn. They guide to God those who can purify themselves from arrogance, vanity, and narcissism.

On the other hand, there are those unwise souls who think looking is the same as seeing. They are unable to hear the humming of all that exists in all corners of the universe in their unique languages of disposition; they cannot comprehend their precious status in the midst of everything. They keep their ears closed to sounds and tunes from what lies beyond the physical realms. Theirs is the life of the blind and the deaf. While every letter of the universe cries out for the One, they are far from understanding it. Deprived of senses and enthusiasm, these unfortunate souls live like moving corpses who regret the inner pains of their contradictions.

The discovery of phenomena occurs via one’s self-discovery. The human mind, spirit, and all other faculties become lenses to see even deeper, spurring feelings that ask for even more. It is without doubt that such a constant search does not go unrewarded. Then, the truth of this heavenly word is revealed: “Those who know themselves begin looking for Me; those who look for Me will surely find Me” [3]. This search is what being in the “perfect pattern of creation” entails.

But the humans unaware of their status vis-à-vis the Divine constantly trip; their lives are no different than those of life forms that eat, drink, and sleep, indifferent to the outer world. They are plagued with the pressing fears of eventual ruin. They try to avoid these fears and run away from themselves by seeking fun, drunkenness, and various forms of hypnosis. Theirs becomes a life wasted, and when the time comes, the candle of life is blown out, leaving them in the hands of the inescapable end they have always feared.

Today, there are so many who are navigated not by their reason but the devil, enslaved by their carnal desires, and who have set sail to waters of rebellion. They act in opposition to what their hearts and spirits call them to; their thoughts are paralyzed, and the qualities that make them human have fallen apart.

Good character has disappeared, indecency is everywhere
How many ugly faces
were covered by that thin veil of morals!
Loyalty, honoring covenants, and trust
are nowhere to be found.
Lies, betrayals are all around, and truth is unknown.
O Lord! No strand of hair shudders of this scene,
How disastrous a revolution this has been.
Religion and faith are no more;
religion is destroyed, faith is a mirage
Let all the pride go and hearts turn mute
Freedom is no more
when this moral decay is underway! (M. Akif)

It is useless to expect anything from those whose knowledge of themselves is the least. Falsehood is disguised as truth and has set its throne in so many hearts. Those who masquerade as the elite whose job is otherwise to convey the true message and the raw souls who are merchants of religion act as “mute devils” – turn their faces away from atrocities and say nothing to prevent them, inviting even more trouble. Conspiracies are staged as truth and masses are manipulated so deceitfully that even the devils are ashamed.

All of these negativities started at a time when societies lost their true identities; call it our luck, or rather bad luck, that our times have witnessed their flourishing to unprecedented heights. We do not wish this, but it looks like they will continue to shape our future until we patch up the wear and tear of the last few centuries and reach days of revival.

The first step of such a blessed revival would be to establish our connection with the Divine as His servants and the place He has ordained for us in the universe. When the fog clears, and we can finally see the true Ka‘ba, we will turn in the same direction and seek opportunities of harmony and unity. As we will offer our unity as a call for help and success from the Divine, we will and should aspire to attain our true human status.

Among the major principles of this revival would be to think systematically, look comprehensively, question the authenticity of our current knowledge, be freed from the disease of imitation, and trample the filth of arrogance, conceit, and egotism under our feet. Those who put themselves first and are chained to their ego are in fact humiliating themselves.

You are unaware of yourself, so it seems
O humankind, you think you are a lowly being
If only you knew
Your essence is precious, even more so than angels
Hidden in you are the worlds, wrapped are the universes.

Those who become aware of their value leave behind their ego and move on so their remoteness to the One is shortened. As they are welcomed by heavenly beings into unreachable horizons, they abandon all worldly recognition and glory and cherish the discovery of their own nature. Then, not only the deceiving beauties of the world, but even the pleasures of the heavens, become invisible to their eyes. They live calling on the One with the words of Yunus: “I need You and You only.” Those who call on the world and are trapped in the beauties of this false life are fooled by assumptions and aspirations of an eternal life here and tend to ignore an eternal life there. Their minds and hearts are mortgaged by luxurious mansions and fleets of ships they own. I do not want to defile my language for them, and leave them with their fate to be recorded in history books, for this is not what the cavalries of light are expecting; with torches in their hands these cavalries are hunting for light and striving to attain whatever God wills for them.

God renders evils into goodness,
Don’t think He does otherwise. 
The wise will wait and behold His works;
What God will do, let’s wait and see 
Surely beautiful it will be.

Notes

1. While Haman in the Hebrew Bible is a vizier in the Persian Empire under King Ahasuerus, the Qur’an refers to this name in 40:36 as the vizier of the Pharaoh in the time of Moses, peace be upon him: “The Pharaoh said: ‘O Haman! Build me a lofty tower so that I may attain the ways, the ways of (peering into) the skies, and that I may have a look at the God of Moses, though I surely think that he is a liar.’”
2. Qur’an 95:4.
3. This quote is narrated in books concerning Sufism as a hadith qutsi – a saying, the meaning of which is from God and the wording of which was inspired in the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. This saying is considered to be the gist or kernel of all explanations concerning knowledge of God.

In an era when many parts of the world were defeated by darkness, our horizon was everywhere emblazoned with colors, and the festivals of dawn came one after another. At breakneck speed were the heralds of light, with brightest torches in their hands, calling the people to revival in every land. Those to whom they drew near found new life, as though having felt the breath of the Messiah, and the lands through which they passed turned green, as though Al-Khidr had stopped by. With one eye on this world and one fixed upon the Hereafter, these entrancing countenances were turned to Divine whilst amongst the people. Their minds and hearts were joined hand in hand in this worldly adventure. With those magical travels sometimes here and sometimes beyond, they experienced a separate festival each day.

The firmaments were interwoven and converged with this world. Our cities and villages were like the layers of the heavens. We imagined journeying across these heavenly layers as if on land, from continent to continent. We were like children as our days and nights passed with the sweetest of dreams. We felt our existence anew with each dawn and sunrise, and we returned to life all over once more. Breezes of Paradise forever blew in our horizon of thought, and it was as though we heard the flutter of angelic spirits above us. We lived an entire past intertwined with this day, and this day with the near and distant future. At a time when our contemporaries writhed in different crises due to the narrowness of the present, we perpetually breathed an air of tranquility and joy, as though strolling across the spacious and relief-laden slopes of Paradise.

Once upon a time, our magical world was like the wellspring of life of the earth and the heart of the heavens.

In this world forever agleam with lights from eternity were our villages and cities dazzling with their celestial profundities and our glistening homes resembling a bridal chamber. In this world, the rose was reconciled with the thorn, the cat side by side with the pigeon, the nightingale friends with the magpie; everything oscillated so deeply while singing the song of eternity. In everything we saw and heard we straightened ourselves and rose up once again: as if having received the sound of the Trumpet of Resurrection, took to walking toward the Divine at an even greater pace, and felt as though our roads reached all the way to the heavens. Especially for the luminous souls who have attained the happiness of walking along the trajectory of a life of the heart and spirit, living in this world was a privilege, so to speak.

With the sounds of the call to prayer, a call to eternity at each dawn, we experienced a new resurrection and felt the faith with the freshness of the day it was first revealed from the heavens, feelings refreshed, hearts wakeful to the utmost, and our spirits neck and neck with the angels. It was as if we could see the smiling countenance of the Infinite Light, peace be upon him, just a few steps ahead and stood dazed with reverence. Our thoughts were as profound as to project to the beyond, evaluated life with the gravity of the angels, and spent every moment like hearts familiar with God.

Our magical world back then was like the wellspring of life of the earth and the heart of the heavens; this heart constantly proclaimed the Almighty with its rhythmic beating, and with its living and inanimate accessories it offered us unimaginable surprises reminiscent of the beauties of Paradise. Everywhere was aglow; looking to our surrounds, we felt the dazzling magnificence of the world beyond in the face of existence and creation.

Our nights always passed with the luminosity of a “daybreak” while our days were as bright as the slopes of the highest level in Paradise. The atmosphere hanging over us and the natural landscape it encircled were refulgent, as was spring, summer, autumn, winter, and indeed all creation. In this colorful climate, we always asked for that which surpassed our will by means of our supplication and entreaties and incessantly mumbled utterances that would please Him. With feelings alive and our hearts quivering like the lowest note struck, we always presented to Him melodies with a different tune each time! The lamentations breaking loose from our hearts from time to time and rising from our bosoms ascended like the heartfelt cries of Prophet Jacob, and the winds blew with the fragrance from the shirt of Prophet Joseph, peace be upon them. All around, the sugar-sweet words were woven with pure feelings, and accompanied with deeds of righteousness. These “good words” (Qur’an 14:24) rose to the best of their “dew points,” and then poured back upon us as another form of Divine favor.  Those days were the days promised to the believers, those places were places from the Ka’ba and Mount Sinai, and we were the auspicious inheritors of the earth.

Then, the day came when the ruthless assaults of the enemies combined with the disloyalty of friends, and we were no longer able to stand where we once stood. We experienced tremors one after another and thus toppled over suddenly. Who knows, perhaps if we had not been subjected to all those betrayals, this world would have continued to bedazzle until the end of time with its own particular beauty.

Then, the day came when the ruthless assaults of the enemies combined with the disloyalty of friends, and we were no longer able to stand where we once stood. 

It is a great pity that in an inauspicious age, all the lights of this luminous world were ravaged, the hands holding the torches broken, the mouths speaking the truth gagged, and a group of monstrous souls sat upon our life springs. The sun no longer rose with its own color. In the shadow of the stains upon its countenance, the moon was like a poor creature, and the earth had taken on the form of an arena of savagery where malicious demons ran wild. The damage had been done and no longer were the roses with which we were familiar blossoming, nor the flowers diffusing their fragrance to their surrounds, nor the nightingales singing. Replacing the people showering smiles upon their surroundings with serenity and jubilation were dark-spirited night demons who were overwhelmed by hatred, rancor, and enmity, and dejected souls growling with wrath. It seemed as though all people of heart and spirit had dissolved into thin air, along with that luminous era. Villages and towns were abandoned and our minds were as empty of spirit, meaning, and respect for our own values, as were the plains and prairies of life.

The masses were dead on their feet as though subjected to an illusion, those holding the reins in their hands were in pursuit of a different fantasy each day, people scattering helter-skelter away from their own values, and disorder on the societal scale was experienced. There was no respect left for the family tree, nor regard for its fruit; axes hacked away at the tree’s roots and our thousand-year legacy was cast away to the scrapheap just to spite our forebears. Hypocrisy was popularized and dissension reverberated in all quarters. Deception was considered prowess and subterfuge, in the hands of its professionals, witnessed its golden age in favor of besmirching the believers. Deviators were wilier and quicker than ever before; on the contrary, many of the believers were worship-weary, service-spent, and addicts of rewards, and matters requiring patience, determination, sacrifice, and resolve had of course been entrusted to extraordinary occurrences. As a matter of fact, how many people believing in extraordinary manifestations had actually remained, God knows!

Considering our recent history, was it at all possible for us to get back up on our feet and pull ourselves together as a society facing such a degree of disarray? Were we going to be able to stand on our own feet once more as ourselves? It was very difficult to say anything positive with respect to the apparent causes; however, for believing hearts, causes were not everything. After all, what could not happen when God manifested His Favor! How many times humanity had encountered surprise springs until the present day, at the very moment when they fell defeated to sleet and snow. How many times they had witnessed “coolness and peace” (Qur’an 21:69) in the bosom of the most formidable infernos. Each and every time humanity turned to the door to which they needed to turn with faithfulness, confided and expounded their troubles to Him, the death pits in which they found themselves were transformed into ramps of elevation and at a stretch, in the very same breath, reached peaks that had hitherto appeared unattainable. Why could it not happen once more!

Indeed, no one who had turned to Him sincerely until now had ever come away empty-handed, and there were none amongst those remaining independent of Him who had been delivered. Thus, with all these considerations at the present time, our faces are darkened, but our hearts tremble. Fixing our hopes on the vastness of His mercy, confiding our inadequacy, inconsistency, and of course our helplessness to Him, we ask that He enable us to reach a fresh phase of revival with a brand-new celestial calendar and entrust our hopes and aspirations to His favor.

The travelers on this path endear their beloved to those they reach through the tongues of disposition and representation, their most powerful arguments. They always inhale the truth and spread it wherever they go. Hence, they attain Divine love, stage by stage. They constantly repeat the statement of the Prophet, the Master of Discourse: “Endear God to His servants, so that God may love you too!” They travel to the farthest corners of the globe, carrying “talk of the Beloved” on their lips. This is a Divine rejoinder, as vast as oceans, that rewards drop-like kindness. The expression “worth the world” fails to state it befittingly.

Being under the tutelage of the Prophet and following his footsteps is one of foremost ways and means that lead a person to endear the Almighty. All who know and accept Him and enter His spiritual atmosphere are saved from inattentiveness as far as they internalize and live according to His light-diffusing scriptures, which are messages coming from His attribute of speech. Hence, they start seeing everything through the lens of insight. While their eyes watch the signs in the temple of the universe, their ears effervesce with zeal when they hear the miraculous word of God reciting the laws of creation in the huge sanctuary of events. They respire by the following lines of the poet:

“You exist, O Lord; You exist once and always,
You are always in my mind, in my heart and in my soul!”

They deeply weave together contemplations starting from faith (iman), knowledge of the Divine (marifa), love of the Divine (muhabba), and love and yearning for a reunion with God. They start murmuring the melodies which are portrayed and voiced by the paragraphs, sentences, and words of existence and events, and they say, “He.” Hence, they mention Him and constantly remember Him in words. See how exquisite a man of love and elation put this experience into words:

“This universe is entirely a colossal book,
Whichever letter you search, it denotes God.”

Hearing this voice, and reading that anthology of messages and understanding the immensely expansive meanings expressed by them, requires a seeing eye, a hearing ear, a rationalizing reason, an unrestrained discernment and understanding, and a vast curiosity and love of knowledge. It is very difficult, rather impossible, for imitators who are entangled by the glaze of imitation and unable to jump over the fences of forms and figures to sense and eventually internalize this. When all neurons in the brain lack such an expansive sense of faith, and hearts lack sincerity and profundity, the light of Divine knowledge does not exist in this spiritual anatomy either. Love does not exist in a heart and soul where there is no light and illumination of Divine knowledge. The breezes of ardent desire for reunion with God do not blow there.

Individuals who dedicate themselves to communicating His message and endearing Him to others enter the atmosphere of being loved in this way. They crown their lives with manifestations of presence in the Divine. They passionately utter His names day and night, without committing any blunder, just as they continuously run the marathon of good deeds. They sigh and say, “sincerity”; quiver as they remember “being under the constant watch of the Almighty”; contemplate resignation to God and hasten from one vista to another for more reflection. Without being delayed by steep hills, deep vales, and seas of pus and blood, they march toward God’s favor and reunion with the All-Truth, without expecting anything corporeal or ethereal. Individuals attaining this horizon watch with deep sorrow those who are entangled by worldly pomp and fame. As they weep and moan inwardly, they avoid the traps the unfortunate ones have tripped over and move forward to rip love and interest for the vanities of life from their hearts!

They say, “We hit the path of love like mad and we seek no honor!” (Sayyid Nigari) and they always mention Him. They consider the most enchanting expressions as a waste of words if they are not about Him and shift to talk about the Beloved. They scan the horizons observed in their dimensions of the soul (ruh) and inner secrets of their heart (sir).

They know their willpower is connected with all of these feelings, thoughts, and privileges, but only as an unnecessary condition; they are fully aware to credit everything to a distinct Divine favor and the exclusive will of God – they never compromise their faith in the Uniqueness of God, for the sake of which they could renounce everything. According to them, the confines of willpower are very narrow: determination and perseverance are not adequate causes; corporeality and bestiality are handicaps blocking the path leading to real humanity. In the face of all these, they deem considering all privileges as their natural right a sort of obscured blasphemy. Hence, notwithstanding all types of achievements and rewards, they murmur the considerations of:

“A slave as I am, I am not worthy of this gift
Why am I being granted this favor?” (M. Lütfî).

Attributing everything to the breadth of Divine compassion, the expansiveness of His favor, and His surprise manifestations, they voice the constant recitation of “Everything is from You, You are the All-Sufficient / O Lord, I turn toward You!” They hurry towards the Paradise of the Sultan of the Sultans, the One Who responds with His infinite favor.

Indeed, this caravan of the holy, which always marches toward Him, has set out on this path by sealing the openings of their inner realms against strangers from the beginning and drawing breath from the Divine attendance. They have constantly remembered Him along the way and been engaged with the consideration of Him. They have not wanted to hear alien songs in the realms of their hearts and emotions. They started speaking by first reasoning that all words should be in reference to Him and each discourse should be rhymed by His mention. They concluded their speech by citing Him. Moreover, by considering all expressions and conversations that do not mention Him as waste of words, they made their discussions and consultations more profound by their talk of the Beloved. Almost always, they made the following considerations the voice of their inner excitement:

“I wish all the creation in the world would love my Beloved,
I wish our talk would always be about the Beloved…”

Saying, “Either speak about the lover or stay silent / If you will, open your arms wide for that!” (the first line is from Fuzuli, the 16th century Turkish poet), they completely seal their doors against strangers.

In contrast to those souls devoted to God, who constantly inhale these considerations on the path of prophets, there are others who are deprived of a lofty goal in their lives, who are egotistic, victims of avarice, power-addicted, rotten human beings with dark souls and feelings are the aides of the devil. This latter group has never quit maligning the devotees on the path to Him. These dark souls have used various methods of oppression and domination to annihilate the devoted souls – yet, they have been the ones annihilated. They have waged war against the light, which the Divine has endowed to the devoted souls who endeavored to represent it. They have lied and defamed, trying their best to block the path of the travelers of light. However, they themselves have been defamed by means of their own wickedness and meanness, for the travelers of love and munificence have been following the footsteps of the prophets and they are under the protection of God. Nobody will be able to eradicate those who have been scattered by God on the plain of service and have grown like ears of grain. Nobody will put out the torch lit by God. Because behind that illuminating torch is the mercy of God, the will of the All-Glorified, and the decree of the Beneficent Bestower of Bounties. How nicely Ziya Paşa puts it:

“God’s Decree is not moved by muscle strength,
A candle lit by the Lord cannot be blown out!”

Therefore, it may be said that the wrongdoers have revived the practice of the hypocrite Ibn Salul, yet in vain was their endeavor! Because behind the travelers of Truth is the help of God;

“God, the beauty of whose glory is apparent in all corners,
In hearts is a shadow of that manifestation;
Sensing this, one wanders and seeks Him everywhere,
And the sweetest memories loom before his eyes.
Each color, voice and pattern is an expression of His existence…”

May God speed you, O the valiant souls of Hizmet and the people of the Qur’an!

People of our age are the victims of living without a purpose or ideal. With no aspiration to follow, they have at times allowed their willpower to decay; at other times, they have unleashed it, but only to cause destruction to the values they once held dear, like peace and human dignity. When they were in a state of lethargy this has led them to self-destruct from within, and when they sprang into action, it was to raze to the ground values such as faith, ethics, and justice. So, both their withdrawal and involvement have always caused trouble.

These carnal beings are guided by the whims of desire instead of the wisdom of conscience. They are constantly piqued emotionally, but their hearts prefer daily gossip and small talk. They have no perspective, no new ideas, no code of conduct, and no significant projects for the future. At their times of weakness, they remain silent regarding almost every subject. But when they attain power, they attempt to express themselves through various means of destruction; and just like leaves scattered around with the coming of autumn, they are continuously swept from one place to another according to the direction of the winds; and occasionally those who pass by tread on these piles of leaves.

For many years, this dark and gloomy atmosphere virtually became a part of the nature of today’s people. Indeed, ever since this society willingly restricted its emotions, thoughts, and objectives, it was either overcome by an inferiority complex, or it raved with delirium. In both cases, it was a war waged against its distinctive identity. Unfortunately, even today this battle continues at full speed, just in a different dimension. While one half of the world pursues new projects in contemplation of a new age, the other half is still suffering amidst the vicious circles of old crises. Our thoughts are confused, our emotions repressed, our behavior inconsistent, and our hearts uncompassionate. The masses are mere puppets in the traps of the meaningless tides; the society pursues a different path, changing direction every day, and the guides are reckless. Each and every institution we study corrodes from within, and this makes us shudder. Indeed, it is almost impossible to observe a life of thought—or its morals, culture, art, politics, or law—without feeling the pangs of sorrow.

There are many nations that have shared a similar fate of oppression and injustice. They persist in competing among each other in undesired behavior.  They secretly cause destruction amongst one another, and are constantly at war. The fate of this vast world might be a perpetual state where power dominates justice, and countries try to imitate one another in a race to the bottom. But in all honesty, it would be wrong to expect sparrows to win a victory lost by eagles…

This society is like a ship taking on water, and being damaged from within. To prepare this ship for the long journey ahead, we need courageous individuals who have been successful in protecting their faith, determination, and hope. They possess high ideals, their lives are devoted to permanent service, and they are prepared to make both material and spiritual sacrifices. They are determined individuals capable of eliminating oppression of the sorts suffocating society over the last few centuries. These brave souls bind their own salvation to being in the service of others, disregard their stability, and spread it like soil on the path of others’ happiness. They circulate in people’s veins as air and blood to give life to others. They overflow as waterfalls to subdue the scorching heat of those burning with longing. Their actions arise out of a sense of responsibility that lies as an aspiration deep in their soul. Their mercy goes far beyond the borders of personal accountability and their compassion is vast enough to embrace all of humanity.

With these qualities they will remind humanity of the spiritual essence it has lost. They will serve as an example to those idle souls who have whittled away the last few centuries bearing no ideals. The fate of humanity is unity, not division. Even if we close our eyes and ignore certain things, by embedding the common aspects between us into our minds, events attract us more towards the communal atmosphere of pleasure and sorrow rather than individual emotions. We are reminded in our consciences of our social collectiveness. Indeed, just as our every move involves everyone in one way or another, any incident occurring, even in the most remote corner of the earth, involves us, too. This solidarity is due to our universal humanity, our shared emotions and thoughts. We were destined to live together with others, and we were created to share and sympathize. Principally, if mankind could perceive that its nature has been programmed for this solidarity, then, by taking advantage of this fate, we can change the course of our world together.

Once synchronized with our intentions and willpower, this natural flow will be enriched with new dimensions of reason, common sense, and free will. This will reveal the uniqueness of being human and will reward us for our choice and good intentions. Our willpower will be key that unlocks the ideal of an everlasting life.

Therefore, those who seek an everlasting life must bear the ideal of embracing others, so that they in turn may be embraced on the path towards eternity. On the contrary, just as the selfish, overly ambitious, and uncompassionate souls whose salvation depends upon the destruction of others were never capable of loving these “others,” they were themselves never loved. In addition, the pain of the injured and the devastation of the aggrieved have a greater effect on those who actually suffer these afflictions. An individual who is privileged enough to sacrifice for others is respected by all, even those besieged by loss and sorrow.

Those who behave selfishly and without compassion are condemned to remain prisoners in their individual worlds; they will never experience the vastness of true collectivity. These selfish humans are little more than living corpses who suffer nothing but misery between the course of life and death. They are only deceiving their own souls and consciences by eliminating the true values of being human.

The true life is planned for the generations of today and the future; an ideal life lived for noble causes, a life lived for others. Every step of this life is suffused with this collective awareness. The reflection of this kind of life is a full-length mirror of the characteristics that define a real human; it is the peak of perfection. Those who can look with wisdom can easily see behind this reflection a profound and intimate connection with the whole of existence. In this reflection, one observes both himself and others with the eyes of the heart and perceives with the appreciativeness of the conscience. Therefore, just as individuals have a sounder connection with their own spiritual worlds, they also attain the ability to observe and grow familiar with their surrounding environments; they see that everything appears to be kinder and more reasonable.

However, it is impossible to achieve this transformation overnight. This is the manifest of compassion which emerges following a long fermentation process within the depths of our souls, and a call to humanism in the language of the heart. This call surges from spiritual souls, spreading its own colors into the environment; over a period of time, it begins to ensure that everything speaks in its own language. As this emotion ascends directly from the heart, it can never be affected by exterior influences and parasites which pollute the entire environment.

This call is most fitting to be welcomed in the heavens and the earth, for it is faith-inspired and grace-filled. One day, the residents of spiritual realms will honor this call and the gates to the heavens will be opened to usher it in with praise and courtesy. Then, all the hearts will beat with compassion, think with compassion, speak with compassion, act with compassion, and embrace the whole world with compassion… And I believe on that day, when the earth has become a radiant reflection of compassion, we will embrace life and encourage others to embrace life with more sincerity. By completely escaping miserliness in showing others the path to eternity, by observing the inner spirits of both ourselves and others, we will have reached the spiritual capability of perceiving from a much different angle. By not being satisfied solely with the good ideas we are capable of accomplishing, we will also strive to attain the goodness and kindness beyond our capability. And when the inaccessible becomes accessible, it will roar with the gratitude of benefaction; and those transcendent ideals will inspire us with hope and anticipation.

A spiritual level like this, which asserts an individual’s own limits through the devotion of kindness, must be the deepest, most remarkable aspect of a person. In the eyes of God, and in the eyes of other people, these individuals will reach an esteem of exceptional superiority, and will undoubtedly gain the favor of being the perfect creation due to this depth. Their affection felt towards everyone is a result of their sound relationship with God and it is an ideal at the personal level. It is a sublime ideal at the national level to pray for the nation’s glory even at the cost of one’s own life. And it is a transcendent ideal to utter the words, “I am ready to burn in the hellfire if only I could see the faith of my nation has been ensured.”[1] It is an ideal founded upon an all-encompassing sense of responsibility, mercy, and universal compassion to say, “My Lord, forgive my people, for they do not know,” to those who have even gone as far as to threaten to kill.[2]

Our present society needs courageous individuals of such noble ideals. It needs brave idealists capable of holding their hands out with a sense of compassion to their own nation, and then to the whole of mankind. We need these courageous idealists who pray for the good of others every time they hold their hands up in supplication. And as nobody else can, or will fulfill such a major demand, it is our duty to voice and enforce this amongst ourselves…

[1] A quote from Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (d. 1960).

[2] A prayer of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, after the pagans of Mecca wounded him during the Battle of Uhud.

Faithfulness and fidelity are the hallmarks of societies that are committed to living and working together for a higher good.

Fidelity or faithfulness is a rose that grows within the friendly, warm climate of amiability. To be able to encounter it in an atmosphere of enmity is extremely rare, perhaps even impossible. Faithfulness always blows gently among and around those who share common feelings and thoughts and pursue the same vision. Grievance, hatred, and envy never allow fidelity to survive, killing it straightaway. Yes, fidelity can only flourish and branch out in in the presence of love, kindness, and generosity; but in an atmosphere of enmity, it fades away and dies.

Fidelity has also been described as being in complete unison with one’s heart and soul; an insufficient definition, but a correct one. Yet, it is very difficult to speak of faithfulness to people who are lacking in their spiritual lives. Telling only the truth while speaking, being faithful in one’s promises and oaths, which are signs of fidelity, are the fruits of spiritual awareness. Meanwhile, expecting spiritual awareness would be deceptive, just as it would be unwise to demand faithfulness from those who are hypocritical, who lie, who do not fulfill their promises, and who do not carry the burden of responsibility given to them.
One who puts his or her trust in an unfaithful person will likely end up getting burned. The one who travels the road with such a person will be stranded. The one who regards such a person as a guide and scout will always fall into despair and lose.

While I was longing for fidelity, My eyes filled with tears of sorrow, Now I am stranded and lack any remedy…

By having all the attributes of faithfulness, an individual can attain and ascend to the level of confidence and credibility. A family can remain alive and happy if it is based upon faithfulness. With this sublime feeling, a nation can reach admirable qualities and high virtues. It is only through this feeling that a state can gain respect before the eyes of its citizens. In a country where fidelity is lost, we can neither speak of mature individuals, nor marriages and families that inspire confidence, nor a stable and trustworthy government. In such a country, individuals become skeptical about each other; marriages are distressed as families become anxious and restless; meanwhile, the state treats its citizens with suspicion and disregard. In such a country, neighbors become strangers, as if they were little more than lifeless rocks. Faithfulness can blend and fuse individuals to each other. Thanks to fidelity, particles combine into a whole, and separate parts unite and become one; through faithfulness, scarcity transforms into abundance. When the beams of faithfulness among these earthlings reach the eternal heavens, rays from heaven will begin to illuminate their path and clear all hindrances in front of them, as long as society matures with the feeling of faithfulness and submits to the combining and unifying arms of fidelity. Did you set your heart on a thought? Did you bond yourself to an ideal? Did you begin a friendship with someone? You may have to sacrifice your life, or lose all your wealth for the sake of this; but remain faithful! This is because faithfulness and faithful people are esteemed to be the highest by both the Creator and the created.

“I received a calling from the Lord, saying
Come, O lover, you have intimacy with Us!
This is the place of intimacy;
I have seen you as a faithful one!” (Nasimi)

With the secret key of faithfulness, Prophet Adam, peace be upon him, one by one, opened all the doors that had been closed to him and reached the refreshing fountain of God’s forgiveness. Faced with the same trial, the devil threw himself into the pitfall of unfaithfulness, and drowned. Noah (peace be upon him), the Prophet of the Flood, also lived a very long life full of suffering and sorrow, but was always faithful. His centuries of warnings and words of advice were not recognized by most of his people, but this disappointment never pushed him towards unfaithfulness towards his Lord. And it was this faithfulness that became an ark of salvation at a time when both the heavens and the earth were streaming down their fury over mankind.

How faithful was Abraham (peace be upon him), the friend of God and the father of Prophets, while he was bearing the brunt of Nimrod’s fire? When his cries of “God is enough for me, God is sufficient” united with the showering blessings and grace of God, the core of the hell-like flames became “cool and peaceful.”

The one at the forefront of all holy ones, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, reached beyond the heavens, an ascension which none had been able to attain before him, by virtue of the deep faithful feelings in his soul. Yes, he even surpassed angels and all mortal souls by virtue of faithfulness. Then, he left that realm of felicity – full of fascinating beauties that no eye has ever seen, nor anyone can imagine, and which dazzle the eyes and mesmerize hearts – and returned to his people. With them, he was going to struggle in the face of many dangers and confront many challenges, all in the hopes of elevating his community to that lofty abode.

It was his faithfulness towards his companions that made him forget all about Paradise and its dazzling beauties. It was a promise to be faithful that made him leave all those sublime honors and rewards and return to this world of sorrows and deprivation! The book of good deeds of all these elevated souls ended with faithfulness and was sealed with fidelity. The books of ugly deeds of those stranded on the way were all branded with unfaithfulness. Yes, those who bear a responsibility but exhibit unfaithfulness on the first few steps are humiliated and marked with lowliness; they are pushed to the most inferior status. Those who could not burden the sacred load and holy travel, and who eluded their responsibilities, have become a flock of voyeurs who have lost the right path and have been led astray. Eventually, when our turn of bearing the sacred ordeal came, we took over this huge responsibility by a solid oath of fidelity. We were vibrant and excited, resolved and determined.

But alas! An unexpected giant blocked our way and we broke all our oaths. And then, once again, everywhere was deserted; all our chivalry faded and died away. Roses were replaced by thorns; all our moons and suns set, one after the other, and everywhere was covered with dreary and miserable clouds; all of our gardens collapsed and decayed, and the gardeners died; “honeycombs crumbled and no honey was left.” And the youth of this unfortunate generation, who were subjected to a period of scarcity in well-versed individuals, began to glorify and bow down in front of dead souls who did not have even a speck of trustworthiness or faithfulness. They praised and applauded unrefined and crude individuals, saying, “What a clever person, and what a gentleman he is!” And the words below, from Mehmet Akif, were the last utterance of disappointment and moaning from within the heart of our people during that sad period of time:

“There is no fidelity, neither is there respect for promises… Trust is just a word with no action;
Lying prevails, betrayal, favoritism are routine, Right is something unknown!
How dreadful is all that, oh Lord! What a terrible and drastic revolution has occurred,
Neither religion remains, nor faith; Religion is in ruins and faith is a mirage.”

At this stage, every place was raided by pompous liars who broke their promises, reneged on their oaths, and lacked any notion of fidelity! They were cursed by those on earth and those in the heavens. People wondered: where did all these false, wicked men come from? Which traitor adopted these foul men? Which unfortunate parents raised them? And which accursed mouths welcomed them in?
Oh faithfulness, where have you been? We are fed up with those who break their promises, time after time, day after day. We are fed up with those whose every word is an exaggeration, whose every deed is artificial, and who are stripped of all faithfulness! Where are our faithful friends, who have waited for days at the place you promised just for the sake of faithfulness? Where are the real heroic souls who have become one with the feeling of faithfulness? Where are the innocent and honest people of a very blessed period of time who did not care about losing everything just for the sake of faithfulness?

Come and invigorate our imaginations and flood us with all that you know about faithfulness! Rise up; rise and enter our souls! Enter our souls, which have forgotten resolution, austerity, and fidelity. Come and lead us to the fountain of revival! Come, come, and save these few faithful people, who walk about here and there, from despair and disappointment! With the hope that our generation, who are thirsty for faithfulness, will preserve the feeling of fidelity…

He is the one who knows the sorrows of broken hearts, who alleviates incurable troubles, and who eliminates the loneliness and depression in our souls with breezes from His realm. Those who turn to Him turn to an opened door; those who supplicate to Him have realized the very purpose of existence.

Those who recognize Him through His works, those who truly know and feel Him through their consciences, need to learn nothing else. In the minds of those who attain knowledge of Him, pieces of that knowledge become crystal domes over diamond pillars. For the souls who do not recognize Him, knowledge is apprehension and all existence we explore with science becomes nothing more than a collection of lifeless bodies.

In the radiant climate of belief, all creation becomes clear as water, from beginning to end; thoughts and events become distilled and everything flows to Him. Those who turn and implore Him with such pure feelings and thoughts are the most fortunate among us.

Given this, wherever we are in the world, whatever the time of day, whenever we feel lonely, let us turn to Him with our whole being, open the doors of our heart to Him, and one by one, confide in Him our sufferings, pains, desires, and wishes, great or small. Then we will feel our pain alleviated, our suffering replaced with contentment, and our souls will be enveloped by the breezes of Divine favors.

Those who confine themselves within the material world will likely never feel Him. Still, with thousands of signs for those who see, He will make His presence felt in our consciences, that He is not distant, and make our hearts smile.

Nights are openings to such inspirations. The souls awakened to the truth, who turn their hearts into bright mirrors shining with Divine epiphanies, wait for blessings to pour on their prayer rugs. We, too, can watch for the surprise blessings of the night, even when we are alone. Such moments can be our time of reunion, when we can stand in His presence and open up the secrets of our heart to Him. Only share your troubles with Him, moan in His presence, and bring your head to prostration, which is the first threshold on the path leading to Him, and wait! Then you will feel doors opening to your heart, one after the other. You will melt under the lights of His being; your respective presence will vanish like a drop falling into the ocean, and in a zone beyond considerations, you will become one being united with the gigantic waves.

The deeper you allow yourself to fall into Him, the deeper the realms that will open to you, and the higher the peaks you will scale. If you set sail to these inner depths with full conviction, you’ll think you’ve skirted the eternity of Paradise, the pristine atmosphere of the realms beyond. With every new step, you will see a different favor of being closer to God.

The souls who see nothing but the material reality and fail to attain the many levels of greatness, magnificence, and inner depth will continue to stagger in darkness, never managing to break free of deprivations and depression.

If only they, too, could feel the depths within their soul, as deep as clear skies and as vast as the universe. If only they, too, could discover the light inside them, and use that light to illuminate the secrets of our Creator’s realms.

Some fail to find these radiant ways which exist as a seed inside them and lead a life unaware of this lofty truth. They fail to blossom and are trapped in physical longevities instead of discovering roads to eternity. I do not know if we should feel pity for them or pray that their eyes open to truth.

On holy days, we reflect on the joyous past and the beautiful future yet to come.
When the sun rises over our land,
only then will it be our holy day…
Alvarli Efe

Holy days are days of joy and pleasure, especially for those who perceive their true meaning. On holy days, people seem to be more serene and peaceful. They are aware that they have gained the forgiveness of their Sublime Creator, attained redemption, and once more, have experienced the feelings of both the past and the future.

Every holy day is reflected in people’s hearts, and in the whole land, as a source of delight and rejoicing. These feelings peak when they remind us of the sweet memories of the past. From these memories of previous holy days, joy flows in our souls and sometimes inspires us to reach glorious delights and pleasures that may outshine previous ones.

In every holy day, we bring together and embrace both the past and the future side by side in our imaginations, kiss both the hands of our magnificent ancestors and the foreheads of our bright-eyed, future grandchildren and taste eternal bliss. Although pessimistic and daunted souls cannot comprehend much from the past, with all its glory and dazzling colors, or the future, with all its ebullience and enthusiasm, every holy day becomes just like a rainbow over our heads, and bestows upon us such bright and festive ceremonies.

Certainly, there is no other felicity that can be equal to the happiness we experience when we watch the panorama of our past and the most striking scenes of the future side by side!

In feelings, thoughts, and heart, the human soul is connected with the past and the future just as much as with the present, and can be deeply moved by the delights and pleasures of all times. From such a broad viewpoint, it can surely perceive holy days, with their many different dimensions.

A holy day that is perceived with this meaning is very different from the one that is described by the day laborers who are stuck in the moment. Their dull and colorless holy days, which are completely detached from the past and the future, can only be described as the few days that are allocated for handing out some candies to children, but can never be considered a holy day in the true sense of the word.

To me, every holy day comes with its festive nights full of dazzling colors, shining sweet and impressive images of our history into my heart. In the coming and going of holy days, I watch in my imagination the future’s happy generations, who are both mentally and spiritually enlightened, attaining a pure and delicate heart, and embracing each other as they become one with their souls. These scenes enrapture me. At such moments, individuals at full rest in their hearts, whose minds are full with science and technical knowledge, and whose conscience are full of deep faith in their Exalted Creator and love of their Lord and all beings, appear before my eyes. My heart becomes overwhelmed with the spiritual pleasures that they carry, and I experience unique minutes of blissfulness. In that atmosphere – when I imagine the elderly as individuals who are highly esteemed and humanely honored, the youth as chaste and forbearing of their extreme sensations and refraining from wrongdoings, the children as bright and cheerful as sunflowers in the shower of light from above, and the women as the main constructors of this magical scene – I feel delighted to the bone.

At such times, the whole administration is temperately, moderately, and prudently carried out by the most sensitive, responsive, and professional people, while peace, law, and order appear before my eyes like the finest patterns of a canvas or embroidery. In this scenario of the future, ordinary people are side by side with the highest administrators and intellectuals, all acting in a great harmony. Justice vigorously reaches every little corner of the land, while the enfeebled and daunted evil sulks in its dark pit. In that new world, neither the heedless yells of the atrocious are heard, nor the moaning of the oppressed…

On holy days, I visualize schools, each of which operates like a laboratory that tries to solve and reveal all the mysteries of the universe. And in those schools, I see uplifted teachers who elevate their pupils to mysteries that extend beyond the heavens, outstanding teachers whose faces are shining, whose actions are all conducted with deep sincerity, and who are straightforward in their thinking…

On such days, I sometimes feel as if I am hearing the drums of victory from the borders of our civilization! The clatter of victorious armies comes to my ears; armies of those who forsook all their personal pleasures and desires to confront dangers of all kinds so that they could ensure a balance of power among states, and stability in the world…

Every holy day emerges in my soul with such dazzling colors, prayers, and hymns. With all its inspirations and reminders, they mesmerize my heart. I feel purified and cleansed, completely refreshed and renewed. With all these feelings, I cannot help saying to myself, “I wish everyday would be a holy day!”

For some people, all these feelings are just a fantasy, but for others, they are a sublime ideal where thousands of examples are witnessed in the past, and an explanation of the eternal signs of reality which appear on our horizon…

These exalted souls are lovers with angels; they always stand their position, even in the case of possible devastation, collapse, or resentment. They carry out their duties only to please God. They deem themselves responsible towards the community in which they live. They are neither grieved by the disturbance of their work or the disruption of their plans, nor do they panic in the face of dangers descended over their community. Above all, they never fall into despair.

They are patient and skilled, and strong and determined in their relations with others. They prepare and build radiant kiosks, silently but vigilantly, and they wait for their guests. Whoever enters their atmosphere can feel as if they met Khidr, and whoever intermingles and sympathizes with them attains true happiness.

Brightness can be seen in their faces, wisdom in their thoughts, and truth in their speech. Those who enter their private spiritual space burdened with pessimism and hopelessness leave lightened with faith and hope, having acquired the secret to everlasting existence.

Neither the darkness of menacing nights, nor the multiplicity of accumulated problems can discourage them. Even if they were faced with Noah’s flood, they would walk away from it without a drop touching their feet. If the destruction like the one that befell the people of ‘Ad² fell upon them, they would carry on, marching towards their target without loss of resolution or determination. Neither the fire of Nimrod, or the Pharaoh’s arrogance, nor even the atrocious despotism of Caesar could intimidate them.

Their mind has no place for excuses like, “let it be morning, then we can go,” or “let first the cold winter finish, let the snow melt and the spring come, then we can carry on our way.” They are like graceful, inveterate trees whose branches spread beautifully towards heaven, and, by the grace of God, bear fruit in both winter and snow, in both spring and summer.

Owing completely to the All-Powerful in whom they put their trust, they do not expect help, or rely on appreciation. They are not deceived by the capricious attitudes of others. Their vision will not be blurred by the might of tyrants, and their path will not be diverted by promises of wealth or power. Whenever they visualize a terrifying day—when people are desperate and buckle at the knees, when even the proudest crumple—they despise everything about the worldly life, avoid falling into the materialist void, and rise up against the idol of sensuality. Luxury and comfort are the two things they never aspire to. They consider the lethargy of a comfortable life as death for themselves and misfortune for their nation. In the eyes of their community, they strive to accommodate new ideas and perspectives. They seek to engage in relationships with all who are open to healthy, appropriate dialogues.

Throughout history, such immortal souls have never avoided their responsibilities; they have stood firm as a chain of mountains. They were neither distracted by success nor dejected by defeat; they were not misled by the multiplicity of false lodestars, nor left dumbfounded by the destruction of their shrines. Throughout history the light of their moon was extinguished, their sun did not rise, and their stars fell one by one, but they changed neither their direction, nor their path. They have remained steadfast, resolute and truehearted.

They have always been like an army of spirits who carry the vessel of life to their people. In return, the people have always been thankful, and remained faithful.

What about those who give up and stay behind because they have been scared and disheartened when faced with a little adversity? those who always wait for spring to come? those who are shaken, slacken and easily discouraged when confronted with minor oppression? those who want to govern the masses but constantly defraud, mislead and stupefy them? What about those miserable people whose pasts are troubled, whose presents are humiliating, and whose futures are susceptible to unpredictable hysteria?

They are those who behave like daredevils when spring arrives, and hop from branch-to-branch when the sun rises. But when it snows they become sluggish, and when night descends, they, too, fall into languor. They await awards at the frontline, but when the drums of danger beat, they withdraw and vanish into thin air. They are abstinent only when confronted with poverty, but act like Korah³ when showered with abundance. They are dynamic when they are flattered, but lazy and indolent when forgotten. In short, they fall into such disrepute, humiliation, and failure that it would be no exaggeration to describe them as the disgraced of their community.

I am not sure if anything can be explained to those unfortunate ones who feel saturated with thoughts and ideas even before they have awoken to their own person, those who drown in the dullness of habit and routine, those who lose the fervor of their faith and spiritual delights. How I wish even these disordered lines could mean something to them…

¹ Khidr is a spiritual personality and a man of wisdom in Islamic tradition. He lives in an angelic way, serving God in the execution of His commands and succoring people in hard conditions. It is reported that Khidr drank from a fountain in Paradise, granting him immortal life.

² ‘Ad was an ancient tribe from the region of Yemen. The people of ‘Ad rebelled against the Prophet sent to them by God (Prophet Hud, peace be upon him), and did not heed his warnings. Thus, they received the wrath of God and were destroyed in a great storm.

³ Korah was a wealthy person from among the people of Moses, peace be upon him, and his story is told both in the Qur’an and the Bible. According to the Qur’anic description, he was so rich that the very keys of his treasures alone were “too heavy a burden for a company of strong people” (Qasas 28:76). But he falsely claimed exclusive ownership over this wealth which was granted to him by God, and he betrayed his own people.

We sit for tests of all sorts throughout our lives, tests in varying scopes and levels of difficulty. Tests to enroll a school, to pass a class, to graduate, the test a son happens to endure with his father or the other way around, and many more tests. An exceptionally difficult and humiliating test is being disqualified, pushed aside, and stripped of civil rights due to one’s humanistic thoughts and lofty ideals.

The most unbearable test, however, is the one that comes with the hands of disloyal friends, particularly when one is already suffering from the words and actions of relentless and merciless foes. Although, regardless of however inhumane and short of dignity a foe may be, his or her enmity can still be reconciled by an antagonistic logic. One may rationalize—using the same logic—that the more differences in thought, worldview, and values increase, so does enmity. Nevertheless, it is unreasonable and irrational when those striving on the same line of fate, those who cherish the same feelings and ideas, betray one another because of jealousy and competition. This is no way reconcilable with human dignity.

Indeed, it hurts—as much as it is worrying—when one ends up with betrayal and pain while expecting faithfulness. What else one can do other than enduring it, as tests of this nature are rampant in a world in which deceit is considered equal to being smart, obsession is equal to to loyalty, and bigotry means conservatism. Yes, as individuals, families, and community as a whole, we have no other option than to endure and say:

A reprimand from Your Majesty
or a favor from Your Grace;
Both are a pleasure for my soul;
How pleasant is Your grace
How pleasant is Your wrath

A community or a nation may have suffered from the greatest and most painful of all tribulations and betrayals from foes, some of who were in the disguise of friends. The entire world might have advanced upon them and brought them under siege from all corners, leading some to a vain belief of their complete annihilation. Yet, they were able to survive all these tests of life-or-death, nullifying all the destructive plans. It is highly probable for similar tests to come up along the way through hills of flames and oceans of blood, all of which will in fact help them with renewal and with metaphysical regeneration. Each of these tests will be a means of awareness for them to identify who is who, for self-empowerment through learning how to recollect and get back on their feet after being knocked down by them. A human being is purified through tests and gets hold of his or her inner essence, thus their life is saved from stagnancy and becomes colorful. Our spirit matures in the face of tests and becomes prepared for bigger challenges, as the bigger the tests and harder the questions are, the more entitled the human is to pass the class and to rise higher in the school of human values and perfection.

Refinement of the individual and empowerment of the society cannot take place without tests. Only souls who have been burdened and pressured by tests can coil like a spring, thrust like an arrow, and reach their target with the blink of an eye. Worries that haunt them all day, hunger and thirst, harm and damage, troubles of all kinds that befell their properties or lives, and being trodden under the metal tracks of unexpected events will all make them as strong as steel and prepare them for the future.

Deadened hearts and raw spirits that have not been tested whatsoever cannot rise to their human potential, nor are they of any use to the community. Distinguishing the diamond-like souls from coal-like ones is only possible by way of testing, at the lack of which gold cannot be distinguished from soil, or diamond from coal. If it was not for testing, the most inauspicious ones would be confused with the highest soaring souls, for it is through testing that angel-like ones can be told apart from the evil souls and ascend to their predestined zeniths.

For those who are appreciative of this truth, each test is one added feather to a wing that will enable him or her to take off to the realms beyond the heavens, and each difficulty faced during a test is an elixir of strength and vigor. For these lofty spirits, being cast into fire is the greatest leap into a friendship with the Creator, and being nailed on the cross is an exalted means of ascension to Him.

For a heart directed towards the highest of ideals, a test is a whip lashed on his or her perseverance, a spell that makes their willpower rear up, and a ray of light that shines on the dial of heart. After each test they crystallize even more, tighten like a bow, and soar high up to the Gardens they already built in their hearts.

Let not the muffled hearts with no refinement to welcome both His reprimand and favor fathom even a grain of this phenomenon; the idealist souls that have devoted themselves to this truth will never recognize anything more pleasant than the pains suffered in this cause. They will never lament and complain to others, even though they burn like a furnace inside. Unfaithfulness of friends and ruthlessness of foes will never take them aback from serving people and their country, for they have given oath as in the words of the poet:

Let the world come at me with all possible reasons for trouble
I am a traitor if I give up any conviction in the service of my nation. (Namık Kemal)