The key to winning hearts lies in gentleness and soft-spoken words. Harshness, severity, or coercion cannot open the doors to human hearts. If the Prophet Muhammad—the Pride of Humanity (peace and blessings be upon him)—was able to win over hearts, it was through his gentleness, grace, refinement, and courtesy. In this light, one may say that the most humane conduct is exemplified in the character and behavior of the perfected human being—our Prophet.
He was made to suffer bitterly for thirteen years in Mecca. While he worshiped his Lord before the Ka‘ba, his enemies placed the entrails of a camel on his head. Wretches like ‘Uqba ibn Abi Mu‘ayt attempted to strangle him to death. The hardships he endured were so immense that, had they been placed upon Mount Everest, the world’s tallest peak would have collapsed to the depths of the Dead Sea. Yet despite all this, he never lost his composure. He never raised his hand against anyone.
Years later, when he entered Mecca as a victorious commander, he forgave—without hesitation—those who had harbored hatred, spoken with venom, and whose words and hearts had long been steeped in rancor. As Prophet Joseph said to his brothers, he declared: “There is no blame or reproach upon you today. Go—you are all free.” He did not respond in kind to the Quraysh polytheists who had tormented him for years. He did not seek revenge. Even the fiercest enemies of Islam—those who had inflicted countless wrongs upon the Muslims—were moved by his exceptional composure and gracious speech. Overwhelmed, they confessed, “By God, his way is truly the right way!”
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) won over even those who had long opposed him with enmity. This is the path walked by the perfected human being. This is the moral horizon he revealed.
If, one day, those who once acted mercilessly toward you—oppressors who crushed the vulnerable and instilled fear in those they could not overpower—approach you in regret for what they have done, your response should mirror his. Do not treat oppressors as they treated you; respond not in their manner, but in accordance with your own principles. Beyond their legal accountability and any just consequences for their actions, you should expect nothing more, and you must never act out of vengeance.
Oppressors have tried everything to make us change—to radicalize us, to provoke us into harshness. Yet, praise be to God, despite all the pressure and persecution, we have not strayed from our path or altered our direction. Not once have we raised a weapon—nor even a fist—in retaliation. Though they have resorted to every form of vulgarity and baseness, the devoted souls within the Hizmet movement have never stooped to the oppressive logic of retaliating in kind. God willing, they will continue to uphold the same steadfast stance.
One of the poets of the Age of Ignorance, Zuhayr ibn Abī Sulmā, captures this timeless truth in verse:
Whatever hidden trait a person may have—
Even if they believe it concealed from others—
Sooner or later, it will be exposed and known.
Today, there are tyrants who seek to impose their power on others through oppression and cruelty. They tear mothers from their children, dismantle families, and attempt to crush or eliminate anyone they perceive as a threat to their established order. Such actions lay bare the true nature and character of these oppressors. Regardless of their religious identity or claimed affiliations, there is no doubt that the deeds they commit bear the attributes of disbelief.
Let us not forget: true strength resides in what is right—and even if not today, it will inevitably triumph one day. Those who rise by trampling others—who attempt to elevate themselves by demeaning and destroying those beneath them—will eventually meet the consequences they deserve. Those who turn the lives of others into living hells for the sake of their own indulgence have every reason to fear what awaits them. The dungeons into which they have cast others in this world are merely a foretaste of the eternal prison that awaits them in the next. The reckoning in the Hereafter is severe—even the killing of a single ant will be brought to account.
If they imagine that simply declaring “I am a believer” will save them after tormenting tens of thousands of innocent men, women, and children without distinction, they are gravely mistaken. Even claiming that they committed these atrocities in the name of Islam will not suffice to absolve them.
Just as the oppressed often do not fully comprehend the honor they are being granted, the oppressors, too, are unaware of what they are truly enduring—how they have descended into moral degradation while continuing along what they believe to be a straight path. Driven by Machiavellian fears that the power they acquired through deceit and manipulation might slip from their grasp, they legitimize every unlawful means to maintain their position. They seize upon every tool and argument the devil places before them.
While they could walk the path established and upheld through the consensus and legal judgments of the Righteous Predecessors, they instead choose the path of the devil and the ego. Rather than using their resources and opportunities for constructive purposes, they channel them into corruption—accumulating loss upon loss, even in moments when they believe themselves victorious.
Let us remember once again: every individual acts in a manner consistent with their true character. The ignorant—those who mistake power for legitimacy—may strip you of a dignified life, imprison you, or tear your family apart. Yet no matter what they do, we must unwaveringly stand with what is right and just. In the face of injustice, we must not even raise our voices—let alone our fists.
Even if others bare their teeth, froth with rage, or lash out indiscriminately, we must remain patient, exercise moral self-control, and never stoop to such indignities. We must never compromise our commitment to dignified and humane conduct. While others may engage in all forms of corruption and mischief—and even attempt to legitimize their actions—we must remain firmly on the path of reform and moral restoration.
Despite the traps laid by schemers, the betrayals of traitors that bring shame upon humanity, the deceitful games of hypocrites, the tyranny of oppressors that shakes the Divine Throne, and the brazen acts of sabotage carried out before our very eyes—we must know how to remain upright and unwavering. In other words, we must continue gathering what has been scattered by corruption, restoring what has been degraded to its original integrity, and setting things right on the path of righteousness.
Whatever lyrics we have penned thus far, and whatever melodies we have composed to accompany them, we must continue to let our voice be heard through similar words and tunes. We must not deviate from our dignified stance or alter our ethical conduct. And if we must say anything to the oppressors, the cruel, or the hypocrites, let it be this:
O God, if it is within Your Divine Will to guide them—to draw them out of the atmosphere of oppression—then grant them guidance without delay: to truth, righteousness, uprightness, love, justice, conscience, and fairness. But if this is not what You have willed, then we entrust them to You. For You are the Lord of all worlds, and our Lord as well.
No matter how profound or refined our own sense of justice may be, when compared to the justice of the Almighty, it is not even a drop in the ocean. The same is true for compassion, mercy, and tenderness. So why not entrust the matter to the One to Whom it truly belongs and continue along the path we know to be right?
We must not be deceived by the darkness of the present moment, nor disheartened by those who manipulate the masses through demagoguery. Behind this darkness lurks the devil, working to darken not only the world, but the hearts within it. Yet, by God’s permission, darkness has always yielded to light. And God willing, it will do so again. One day, all shadows will scatter; the oppressors who tried to extinguish the light will be buried one by one; and hearts that have lain dormant for three centuries will come alive once more.
If the cause of faith-based service is truly upheld by God’s infinite power, will, and decree, then all efforts to obstruct it are bound to end in failure. Let us close our words with the following verses:
Autumn arrives with winter in its song,
Yet spring composes its silent refrain.
Deep in winter’s breast, a meadow softly leavens,
And when the hour strikes—behold!—spring awakens.
Roses unfurl, the nightingale sings,
And all the earth turns into a garden of tulips.
