Fethullah Gulen and the Concept of Ikhlas: Fr. Thomas Michel


Date posted: June 22, 2013

A conference titled “Muslims between Tradition and Modernity: The Gulen Movement as a Bridge between Cultures” was held at Potsdam University in Berlin.

The respond to the question about “Ikhlas”

This is been commented on this concept by Muslims an every century. But when Fethullah Gulen focuses on Ikhlas, there are two ideas are always there.

The first one, Ikhlas is element of the mystery of the persons individual relationship to God. Ikhlas is whatever we do whether picking up people at the airport, or whether it’s providing drinks at the coffee break. If you do this for God this has a value which is only God knows and rewards.

Second aspect of Ikhlas, which is important to Gulen, Unity of the Community. How is unity maintained in the community. Well, if people nothing breaks a community apart more than some people going after privileges, are ambition, are rivalry, are competition. But focus on Ikhlas helps people to maintain that unity seeing that everything it’s done, is done only for the pleasure of God.

This are the two focuses foresight than we find in Gulen’s treatment of Ikhlas.

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