Question: In various countries around the world, theses are being prepared, papers are being presented, and articles are being written about you [Fethullah Gulen] and the Hizmet Movement. How do you evaluate such works?

Answer: First and foremost, I must express this: Most people only look at the causes. They cannot see beyond the apparent reasons. Therefore, they get stuck on the individuals who seem to be behind the work and attribute the achievements to their intelligence, success, and ability. Sometimes, they even exaggerate, magnifying these individuals and perhaps mythologizing them. Since they do not know how to evaluate the issue from the perspective of Islamic religious sensitivities, they both make incorrect assessments and fall into some theological errors.

Divine Guidance

No matter what anyone believes or what kind of interpretations they make, our perspective is this: Behind all the work done and all the successes achieved is the grace of God. If He does not accompany us with His grace and guidance, we cannot do anything, nor can our works be long-lasting. You may work and strive for a thousand years to produce something, but the moment He withdraws His grace, an opposing wind can scatter everything like chaff, and everything goes up in smoke.

Maintaining a sound thought in this regard is crucial to avoid falling into shirk (associating partners with God) and serves as a shield against potential damage to the services rendered. If God is to protect the services carried out in His path, it will be because we turn to Him and remain close to Him. If we fully close the doors to associating partners with God, lock them securely, and attribute everything to Him, reaching complete monotheism, He will continue His grace and blessings.

To elaborate further, as believers, we think that the harmony and unity among the members of a community attract the divine guidance of God; that His hand of grace is upon those who march together in the same direction with hearts beating in unison; and thus, we believe that the beauties that emerge are a result of the collective effort of the whole community.

We operate based on the principle of the proportionality of cause and effect, considering some material causes significant for the outcomes we desire and fulfilling them accordingly. However, sometimes God blesses and fructifies sincere efforts to such an extent that He turns our ones into thousands and our drops into oceans. According to the purity and grandeur of our intentions and efforts, He bestows additional blessings upon us.

Furthermore, we see the efforts of some individuals behind beneficial services as God’s employment. God, according to His divine will, uses us as mere figures in fulfilling certain duties. Though we may appear in front of the curtain, it is God Who creates, brings into existence, and manages everything. As the Qur’an states, it is God who creates us and our deeds. He is the One Who makes us speak, Who inspires us, and Who makes us act.

Protecting the Rights of the Public

From the perspective of causes, we can say this: If there is a work worthy of appreciation and praise, the rights of everyone who contributed to its realization should be acknowledged. Countless people have dedicated themselves to serving the religion of Islam and have strived to elevate the word of God, creating a conducive environment for this cause, all without any worldly expectations in return. Therefore, every person should be given their due rights. While one may withdraw themselves and waive their own rights, they cannot do the same for others.

It is crucial to consider these subtleties in the work being done and to avoid attributing successes to a particular person or a few individuals. Otherwise, the rights of a large community will be infringed, and it may even lead to associating partners with God in a sense. Worldly people are often negligent in such matters, and unfortunately, believers also frequently fail to show the necessary sensitivity in their interpretations and evaluations. Sometimes, they attribute the results achieved through the efforts and struggles of dedicated individuals to certain people, ignoring God’s grace and blessings. It is beneficial to correct such errors both from the perspective of belief and reality.

In summary, those who have not internalized the concept of monotheism in Islam, are unfamiliar with religious terminology, and are not sufficiently sensitive to respecting public rights, no matter how loyal, diligent, sincere, and objective they may be, cannot accurately convey the nature of the Hizmet Movement or faithfully pass it down to history. Since they will approach the issues according to their own thought processes and worldviews, they will always see individuals behind the services rendered, rather than turning their faces to the Divine Essence. They may attribute the matter sometimes to your love and compassion, sometimes to your Sufism and dervishness, and sometimes to your morality and honesty, but they can never see the vastness of the Divine grace that is the real cause.

Therefore, if someone is going to write about this movement, we cannot prevent them or say anything against it, but those who have dedicated themselves to this work, spent their lives within this movement, repeatedly witnessed God’s grace, and observed many times that the work done cannot be explained by ordinary causes alone, should lead this effort to do justice to it.

Appreciating the Work Done

At the same time, it is indeed very important that people from different emotional and intellectual backgrounds see the Hizmet projects and services being performed, comment on them, evaluate them, and express their appreciation. Especially in times when some ideological detractors, tyrannical politicians, and hostile individuals are looking for opportunities to attack you and rain arrows on you at the first chance they get, having some voices stand by your side and defend the work being done as beneficial for the world and humanity is particularly commendable. Such an honorable stance not only strengthens your morale but also helps silence your adversaries.

It should also be remembered that there is a segment of society today that has completely turned its face towards the West, accepting everything coming from there without hesitation. The words of Western writers and intellectuals carry more weight for them. Their point of reference and source of validation have become the West. They pay more attention to and take more seriously the voices rising from there. From this perspective, if the opinions and evaluations of some Western academicians about the Hizmet Movement can help some hesitant individuals understand you or at least arouse their curiosity about the good works being done, it is our duty to greet such efforts with appreciation and gratitude.

On the other hand, if some individuals, despite growing up in different cultural environments and having different worldviews, see the services being performed as beneficial for humanity, appreciate them, and conduct academic-level studies to explain them to others, we should treat them with due appreciation and respect. If some scholars see your approach of opening your heart to people with love and compassion in a world often characterized by conflict and brute force, support your efforts in tolerance and dialogue, and speak about you at every opportunity, you should also remember such efforts with appreciation.

Therefore, even if the works done about the Hizmet Movement do not depict the complete truth,* they should be greeted with appreciation and applause because they express an important aspect of the truth and can lead to significant gains on your behalf. Thanks to them, the negativity and stubbornness of many obstinate detractors can be broken, the voices of deniers can be silenced, people who are undecided may feel closer to you, those who are unaware of you may turn their attention to you, the impact of those who misrepresent you can be diminished, and your morale can be strengthened. Work that brings such multifaceted gains cannot, of course, be considered insignificant.

Advantages of an External/Outsider Perspective

We can also say that there are some advantages to viewing the Hizmet projects and services from an external perspective. Sometimes, things become fully developed in contrast to their opposites. For instance, individuals who have not tasted the sweetness of faith, do not know what altruism or sacrifice is, conduct their human relationships based on self-interest, and are distant from spirituality, may be struck when they see your sincerity, generosity, and dedication. When they see in you the virtues they could not find in their dark worlds or experience in their own lives, they may better appreciate their value. Your relationship with God, your social bonds, your human interactions, your manners, and your morals may appear original to them. Since you have already grown up in light, you may not grasp their value as they do, because light is not noticeable where there is no darkness.

Additionally, people who have academic success, think about the problems of humanity, and have the ability to analyze and dissect social issues constantly exercise their brains on these matters. When they put you under the analytical lens, they may come up with very different insights. Unfortunately, there is a certain laziness in thinking in our world. Minds are not being exercised. Perhaps there are some active minds, but they approach you with prejudice. Even if you try to explain yourself in fifty different ways, they do not believe you. Normally, even if you successfully demonstrate the things they also admire and appreciate, they still do not believe you. From this perspective, it is important to see the work done by active and working minds about you as a significant opportunity.

Indeed, our duty is to show as many people as possible the beauties we have encountered through divine guidance, and to share our feelings and thoughts with as many people as possible. We should reach everyone we can, introduce them to people of high endeavor, and ensure they benefit from their thoughts. We should show them educational institutions, host them in our homes, and create opportunities for them to get to know us better. They should become closely acquainted with the chastity, purity, philanthropy, sacrifices, integrity, truthfulness, and beautiful feelings Hizmet volunteers have for humanity. They should closely see and know how the services are conducted, the principles they operate on, and the energy that drives them. There is no need for heroic tales. What is important is that you represent the values you believe in flawlessly and without error. Then, the conferences organized about you will be presented in a more elevated manner, and the research done and books written will be closer to voicing the truth.◄

*The phrase “do not depict the complete truth” refers to the attribution of success and accomplishments to certain individuals, especially Fethullah Gülen. Scholar Gülen himself does not see such attributions as the complete truth, as he believes every good thing is due to God’s grace.