Why so merciless on yourself?

Ali Ünal
Ali Ünal


Date posted: September 7, 2013

There has been no prophet who didn’t face lies or slanders about himself. All of them would be exposed to slanders and -God forbid a million times- accused of lying, self-seeking, fabricating the Qur’an -the revealed word of God- or being taught, insanity, sorcery, being taken over by genies (djinns), just reciting poetry or having a “genie-granted” eloquence in other words and many more misdeeds that they wouldn’t have the slightest bit of.

Numerous awliyas (saints) and asfiyas (the chosen) faced the same slanders and were even accused of being infidel. For instance, wasn’t it the Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) wife Aisha who felt victim to a vicious accusation? A piece on Ali ibn Abu Talib by Murtaza Mutahhiri offers a noteworthy inference: The ideal person is not the one well-liked by everyone but the one hated by as many too. A person is well-regarded by genuine believers to the extent of his/her proximity to God and equally hated by blasphemous people. So, there has been no other person in the history as revered as the Prophet Muhammad and equally hated by Satan, evil spirits and people at the same time.

If we are to name a person who has been most regarded and while being at the center of the most vicious accusations for the last 40 years, that is without a doubt the Honorable Fethullah Gulen. While many denounce Gulen and the community associated with him as pro-shariah, claiming they seek to establish shariah in the country, many others vilely accuse him and the Hizmet movement of being in alliance with various intelligence organizations and status quo or presenting a “seemingly moderate” or “US-backed” Islam.” Recently, such claims have been put into circulation systematically and more continually by employing the same people alongside the newly emerged ones. On the other hand, an old-aged writer who once did significant services for the sake of Islam can pretend to advocate Muslim unity, while another writer and many more circulate wicked slander that the community is in the expectation of Prime Minister’s dethronement and thus seizing the power.

As things stand, if the slanderers claimed “It’s the community behind drug dealing”, an allegation that suits their personality, and accused movement’s particular institutions of corruption, the word would spread. However, I personally know and have witnessed that the Honorable Gulen has urged his circle and his sympathizers, for years, to pray salatul hajat (optional prayer for fulfillment of a need) and plead “Oh God, purify all the Muslims particularly those in Turkey. Oh God, purify the minds, intentions, feelings and deeds of us and theirs. Oh God, keep us together as Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh) ummah!” And he insistently recommends praying for rehabilitation of us and those in power, in every sense

Gulen has never once cursed any Muslim, nor encouraged anyone to do so. This being the case, aren’t those who circulate most vicious slanders fear being held accountable for their ears, hearts, tongues and pens or going bankrupt if they fail to settle accounts with every single member of the community, on the Judgment Day? Don’t they fear that their righteous deeds recorded may transform into bad ones and go for nothing as their ends draw near? Everyone should know that slanders do not endure and all secrets will be entirely revealed in the Hereafter. So, you slanderers, why so insistent on harm and so merciless on yourself?

Source: HizmetMovement.Com , September 07, 2013


Related News

Cold Turkey: Erdogan’s withdrawal from democracy

The bizarre, phantom-like failed coup d’etat staged against Erdoğan’s increasingly brutal regime on July 15 last year saw him seize the opportunity to exterminate, imprison and purge tens of thousands of his enemies, real and imagined, within all strata of civil society, the military, government, media, education, health, the judiciary and other institutions.

AK Party deputy Hakan Şükür against closure of prep schools

Former national team captain and current Justice and Development Party (AK Party) İstanbul deputy Hakan Şükür, referring to the government’s plan to shut down prep schools, has said it was wrong to vote “yes” on their closure before a process is carried out which eliminates the need for the schools.

Hundreds celebrate Clifton’s diversity at festival

Yesilova prepared rich Turkish coffee for those who stopped by a table for the Turkish Cultural Center at the festival, which took place at Clifton High School. The event, which featured food and performances from around the world, was part of more than a year-long commemoration of Clifton’s 100th anniversary.

Turkey’s permanent state of crisis

However, Erdogan has a problem: Whereas Ataturk came to power as a military general, Erdogan has a democratic mandate to govern. Ataturk’s Turkey was rural and only 10 percent of the country was literate at the time, with most educated people supporting his agenda. Erdogan’s Turkey is 80 percent urban and nearly 100 percent literate, and many well-educated Turks oppose his agenda.

Walking in the Shoes of Others: Stepping in and out of Turkey

Michael Anthony Samuel* In this article I choose to focus on how Turkish citizens influenced by the Hizmet philosophy underpinned by Fethullah Gülen choose to understand their journey into the world of others, outside the borders of the society in which they were born (Çetin, 2011). What drives these members of the Turkish community to […]

Of judges and coupists – Recent coup attempt in Turkey

Let me put it on record that I’m one of the few who strongly believe the alleged coup attempt could have been stage-managed to give Tayyip Recep Erdogan the justification to clamp down on real and perceived opponents to his ambition to rewrite the constitution and transfer the centre of executive power from the office of the Prime Minister to the office of the President, which he presently occupies.

Latest News

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

After Reunion: A Quiet Transformation Within the Hizmet Movement

Erdogan’s Failed Crusade: The World Rejects His War on Hizmet

Fethullah Gulen – man of education, peace and dialogue – passes away

Fethullah Gülen’s Condolence Message for South African Human Rights Defender Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Hizmet Movement Declares Core Values with Unified Voice

In Case You Missed It

Erdogan: A saint elsewhere, outside Turkey’s shores?

Warriors of enlightenment: pen versus bullet

The view from Brussels

Informant on Gülen movement members says he fabricated testimony to avoid jail time

Better late than never: Gülen’s Kurdish education initiative

Scholars: Hizmet efforts to build schools will not stop

Should I not respond to those who want to strangle me?

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News