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

Overshadowing the graft probe

Erdoğan’s government has removed around 113 police chiefs from their posts in a major overhaul and issued a decree that dealt a serious blow to judicial independence since the operation, which targeted some members of his inner circle, was initiated on Dec. 17. All these draconian measures taken by the government are intended to prevent the police and judiciary from carrying out criminal investigations without the government’s — i.e., the executive’s — knowledge.

55 students from 30 countries captivate İzmir residents with poems of praise

A total of 55 students from 30 countries captivated hundreds of spectators with their recitations of naats — poems in praise of the Prophet Muhammad — during a ceremony held in the Aegean province of İzmir on Monday evening to celebrate Holy Birth Week.

Turkish dinner in Erie brings together flavors, cultures

She was telling me about the event and I was about to explain that she needed to send something in writing and we’d be happy to put it in the appropriate calendars of events. Then she caught my ear: Turkish cooking class … at a Presbyterian church … as a fundraiser for Puerto Rico? Wait, wait, wait, wait.

Burma/Thailand: Deported Turkish Man at Risk

Burma and Thailand flagrantly violated Furkan Sökmen’s human rights by caving in to pressure from Ankara and deporting him despite his claim for asylum and the real risk of ill-treatment and an unfair trial in Turkey.

Finally, an awakening… press freedom in Turkey

Yavuz Baydar “…notes with concern that most media are owned by and concentrated in large conglomerates with a wide range of business interests ; reiterates its call for the adoption of a new media law addressing, inter alia, the issues of independence, ownership and administrative control…” The excerpt is from the European Parliament Resolution on […]

Is it civil disobedience or passive resistance?

My first response to this question is to question whether or not we are really obliged to use the concept of civil disobedience, one created by the West, when we are talking about the Muslim world, which is after all so very different. Does analyzing a civil and social movement which receives the support of so many factions of society…

Latest News

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

Ankara systematically tortures supporters of Gülen movement, Kurds, Turkey Tribunal rapporteurs say

Erdogan possessed by Pharaoh, Herod, Hitler spirits?

Devious Use of International Organizations to Persecute Dissidents Abroad: The Erdogan Case

A “Controlled Coup”: Erdogan’s Contribution to the Autocrats’ Playbook

Why is Turkey’s Erdogan persecuting the Gulen movement?

Purge-victim man sent back to prison over Gulen links despite stage 4 cancer diagnosis

In Case You Missed It

Anti-democratic practices after graft probe reminiscent of Feb. 28 era

Speaking about Gülen, Chomsky: ‘Mandela declared as terrorist, too’

Hizmet and self-criticism

Rumi Forum bestows Peace and Dialogue Awards

Indonesian authorities request 100 more Turkish schools

On Hizmet: Why do I not criticize it?

Police officers become victims of torture in Turkey

Copyright 2025 Hizmet News