The developers and destroyers have always found their place on the stage of history. On the same ground, they appeared when their turn came and played their assigned roles. Some actors are applauded at the end of the play, while others are jeered. One side is engraved in golden letters in history, while the other has stained the white pages of history.
While those with the vision of construction worked tirelessly, the destroyers, who watched them with envy and hatred, awaited their own time and demolished the structures that were built. With a small effort, they appeared victorious temporarily, as destruction is easy.[1]
In recent times, the builders of creation fell victim to a sinister plan of destruction known as the so-called coup attempt, orchestrated by the forces of destruction. They were saddened by the disappearance of the generation they had nurtured with the grace of God, the disappearance of the schools and reading rooms they had established, and the disappearance of the lands they had opened. Despite this, they refused to succumb to despair and continued their work. They scattered like seeds to all corners of the world.
These reformers, who have taken righteousness as their motto, are making serious efforts to spread the melodies of peace and brotherhood to every corner of the earth. As they sow their seeds in the ground without any expectations, their eyes are always on the horizon, focused on seeking the Divine consent. These gardeners, who have cast aside thoughts of despair, are focused on their work without giving much thought to the distance described in Yunus Emre’s verses.[2]
Nevertheless, these reformers have always been pursued by those with destructive intentions at various points in their lives. These pursuits have led to arrests, surveillance, abductions, and detentions. Despite all of this, they continued on their path, striving to become the blessed gardeners foretold by the hadith, making serious efforts to bring the water of life to thirsty saplings.[3] With these verses on their lips, they turned the places they visited into gardens of roses.
Tearful Eyes
The heroic people who embrace improvement,
All speak the same good news in one voice.
Their hearts are not devoted to victory, but to the expedition,
Their hands are not eager for the sword, but for the pen.
Their hearts are attuned to love, not enmity,
Their tongues are inclined to affection, not hatred.
It’s not “I,” but “we” that guide these ships,
Their journeys are illuminated even on the darkest nights.
Tearful eyes that gaze upon the horizon with hope,
Watching over what lies beyond the hill.
They all speak the same words in one voice,
“Come, O Blessed Prophet, our hearts can no longer bear the wait.”
As they did 1400 years ago, they still wait.
Despite these pursuits, the reformers who have embraced righteousness, just as in the Age of Bliss, have had to take various measures to escape these tracking efforts. They have done so not for themselves, but to prevent any harm that might befall the cause they have dedicated themselves to. These individuals, who serve the cause of righteousness, have taken various paths to elude these pursuits and have exerted serious efforts to conceal their traces from malicious spirits, for one of the objectives of these pursuits has been to eliminate them.
Throughout history, individuals who left their homes and jobs to serve religion have been pursued by individuals resembling the dark-souled SS agents.[4] These surveillances have been followed by abductions, detentions, tortures, and deaths. These aggressors have assumed different identities in different eras. At one point, they used white Toros cars, and more recently, they utilized black Transporters to carry out their sinister activities.
Through pursuits and surveillance, policies of intimidation, isolation, and fear, the Sage Bediüzzaman also spent a considerable period of his life under constant surveillance. He was under continuous surveillance, forbidden from meeting with anyone, prevented from praying with the congregation, and guards were stationed outside his home. During this time, one of the limited number of airplanes available to the state was used solely to follow him, causing distress to an elderly individual.
After the September 12th coup, a similar period began for the esteemed Fethullah Gülen Hodjaefendi. He was separated from the pulpit for six years, and his photographs were distributed everywhere during that time. Unfortunately, certain unfortunate individuals pursued him. Despite all this, he continued his meetings and visits after taking precautions. During the early days of being sought, he struggled to find places to stay and often could not stay in one place for more than an hour. During this period, Hodjaefendi likened himself to Jean Valjean from Victor Hugo’s novel Les Misérables, who was also pursued for years by the malicious police inspector Javert.
After six years of being pursued, Hodjaefendi was eventually arrested by the Javerts of his time, subjected to various insults. In response to a police officer insulting him during his arrest, he said, “You talk about order and security. If I have not served the security of this nation as much as a thousand of you have, I am ready for any punishment.”[5]
Throughout history, Javerts, reminiscent of different eras, have emerged, and in today’s world, they have emerged once again, denying the right to life for the volunteers of the Hizmet Movement. Those who operate a tracking mechanism with all the resources of the state have caused various deprivations, imprisonments, tortures, and deaths. The Just and Mighty (sublime is He), who neither delays nor overlooks the punishment of the wrongdoer, always grants victory and triumph to the pious, as promised in the Qur’an.[6]
Glad tidings to the forlorn ones!
[1] Bediüzzaman Said Nursî, Lem’alar, İstanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, p. 90.
[2] hizmetten.com/bu-yol-uzaktir-menzili-coktur-m-fethullah-gulen-hocaefendi/
[3] www.fgulen.com/tr/eserleri/kursu-akademi-yazilari/2003-kursuleri/asrin-garipleri-veya-bozguncular-karsisinda-islahcilar; Sahih Muslim, Iman, 232.
[4] Schutzstaffel is a paramilitary organization affiliated with the NSDAP in Nazi Germany.
[5] Fikret Kaplan, Hakk’a Adanmış Bir Hayat, New Jersey: Süreyya Yayınları, 2022, p. 154.
[6] Kasas, 28/83: “The (truly desirable) outcome is for the God-revering, pious.”
