In our gloomy lands, we have waited years for a breeze of revival,
expecting the momentous sound of a resurrecting trumpet. Though we hope God
will not make us wait any longer, we are determined to actively wait until
the day we find our lost values. But I wonder, are we qualified for such an
expectation? Is our spiritual enthusiasm high enough? And are we able to
stand before God as duly required?
If not, obviously such a passive stance is everything but being in
expectation. If the resurrection we are awaiting is a revival during which
we become ourselves in our feelings, thoughts, spiritual lives, and lives
of the heart – and there is no doubt that it is – then it is necessary to
once more review our situation and our expectations. For according to the
principle of causality, there is a proportional relationship between our
current attitude, behavior, and our expectations.
This great expectation is not a task for the ignorant, those without
ideals, those bereft of a cause, or those poor in wisdom. It is an ideal
for those spirits who possess knowledge and wisdom and who are dedicated to
the truth. If one day our ill-fated fortune is to change, it will change
with God’s permission by the hands of these heroes, and anything other than
God’s will is an unnecessary condition (shart al-adi). To
date it has always happened like this – God knows best, after all, but it
will be like this again, and attacks from both inside and outside will
continue. Loyalty that is normally expected from friends will not be shown.
Destruction will follow destruction. Our spiritual roots that make us who
we are will constantly be harmed. Our hearts will long for love, and moans
of death will be heard from all sides. But, despite all these negative
things there will always be the vanguards of revival who will blow life in
every direction.
Our society has suffered from many different ruptures and disintegrations
throughout history. People’s cultural and religious values were snatched
from their hands while they were made to endure the most painful
alienations. Their sun was stolen, the moon was extinguished, and they were
subjected to eclipses one after another.
While writhing under their adversaries’ oppression, they cried because of
the disloyalty of “friends.” The bands of evil that were destroyed and
dispersed were followed by new ones that always made their predecessors
look good. The oppression of tyrants has never ceased nor did the hostility
toward and hatred of the faithful; it did not end and they turned this
world into Hell.
Today, the same despotism, oppression, and assaults are continuing. There
is an attempt being made to put out the lights of people’s hope, and their
rights and justice are being infringed. Those who want to live what they
believe, as individuals or as societies, are not given the opportunity to
do so; in fact, they are being subjected to an inquisition.
Despite all of this, the torches of hope that promise revival on behalf of
the future, and in different dimensions are burning brightly. Those
enlightened spirits who interpret everything according to love and respect
are continuing on their journey. They move towards reviving our exalted
human values without getting caught up in anger, hatred, and assault, and
they do not falter. God has never forsaken servants faithful to His door,
as opposed to oppressive tyrants and despots – may His grace upon these
servants never diminish!
Although sporadically false thought has drowned the surroundings in noise
and done everything to cut the voice and breath of the truth, the cawing of
society is always transitory; the voice of truth is heard in a higher
pitch. Even if God gives tyrants respite upon respite in some periods; but
when their tyranny reaches to a point where divine response becomes
inevitable, He eventually takes them in His grip and punishes them. He
raises up the innocent and shows them the path to gathering themselves
together. He always alerts them of the roads to scientific, social,
intellectual, emotional, and spiritual revival.
Thus, the people God held and supported, and those He will hold and
support, will give voice – in the near future, if not today – to those deep
feelings of compassion that constantly rise in their spirits. Like a
celestial angel, they will embrace the innocent everywhere; they will say
to all the oppressors and high-handed tyrants and those merciless
cutthroats, “This day let no reproach be (cast) on you: God will forgive
you, and He is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy!” (12:92) They
will not hesitate to open their bosoms with compassion to even the
bloodiest madmen who, until the revival, always thought blood, talked
blood, spilled blood and drank blood.
Yes, it’s certain that one day these idealistic people, who represent the
manifestation of such broad mercy; these heroes of faith and action; and
these servants who are cautious and vigilant in their relationships with
God, will appear from all four sides, each embodying mercy, and they will
offer us goblets filled with the tonic of revival.
Now, if God is going to realize such a revival with people of this high
level, first, He will spiritually resurrect them according to the
principles necessary in this world, and then He will revive all of us. It
is not possible for believers who have no purpose or goals in this life,
who are tired in their feelings and enthusiasm, and who are not fully
alive, to help revive others.
God’s promise of reviving people and making them a vehicle for the revival
of others is dependent upon people turning towards Him sincerely and that
they have a prophetic resolution and determination. These people are such
monuments of sincerity that if God is going to give special favors, He will
give them to these servants because of their steadfastness and devotedness.
They possess an unshakable faith, always stand firm in their place, ignore
all the pressures that may come from any direction, and are never
distraught by the difficulties and disasters that they may face. On the
contrary, they are always a source of morale for those around them, are
advanced in service and duty, have no desire for monetary rewards, and are
absorbed in silent self-accounting. If God is going to blow life into
people, He will do it using the breaths of these servants.
At any rate, these heroes of resurrection, who have dedicated themselves to
the revival of mankind, are determined to use, to the last centimeter,
their capabilities and capacities that God has bestowed upon them to
establish their ideals. They are always willing to make enormous
sacrifices, are as sure as possible in seeing and monitoring the trust they
have taken upon themselves, possess a deep feeling of submission, and are
waiting with active patience for the commendation and favor of God. These
are things that must be done by a spirit that has truly dedicated itself to
the Truth. They do everything necessary to gather themselves together and
stand on their feet, yet they are also aware of the fact that results
cannot be obtained when their time is not yet due – they know how to wait
for years and years; they never panic.
Yes, sometimes all responsibilities are fulfilled; however, standing up and
expressing oneself as a servant of revival may not be realized immediately.
Sometimes this is because the person waiting for revival has not fully
ripened, or, even if they have, are not being able to concentrate all their
energy to awaken their spirit. At other times they are distracted by
busying themselves with things that they should not be, things that can in
no way contribute to the process of revival.
Reviving and becoming ourselves is a divine favor, and indeed it is. If
that favor is given before the people are ready for it, its value will not
be appreciated, thus it will go as immediately as it comes, and it will
cause some new deprivations to be experienced, the compensation of which
will be very difficult.
In addition, if God has tied His material-spiritual blessings to people’s
giving their willpower its due – which we believe to be the case – then
divine favor will probably be delayed until the moment they can utilize all
the opportunities.
Other matters related to this topic are as follows:
Sometimes, God does not immediately give to the travelers of this path what
they want, because they have either fallen – or there is a danger that they
may fall – into the mistake of considering their own power, strength, and
capability to be absolute – and relying solely on them, thus straying from
God. This is to protect them from this mistake of associating partners to
what is within the domain of divine power. In this what may be called a
favor that is rather compelled upon them, God turns their faces towards a
perfect faith in His uniqueness. Sometimes, servants of revival may fail to
fully achieve this turn, although all the conditions are convenient; in
such a situation, they are subjected to different oppressions, attacks, and
pressures, and God does not respond to their efforts at revival for a
certain period of time in order for them to turn towards Him with a
spiritual state of need and to divulge their difficulties to Him.
Sometimes, they may entertain some worldly expectations and not be able to
purify their hearts from considerations of position, status, high rank, and
their personal future aspirations. They may also have difficulty being
fully selfless. In this respect, until the moment they can fully escape
from other considerations and turn towards God with pure resignation, they
may not be able to obtain the results of revival.
In addition to all these matters, such tribulations serve as a litmus test
to see who is sincerely involved with pure intentions and those who are
not. Such difficult tests also reveal the true identity of the tyrants and
oppressors to be recognized as they are by every sector of society. Based
on their partisanship with the oppressors, masses who are easily deceived
might oppose the heroes of revival, and this is partly due to the fact that
things are not clearly revealed to them as they are supposed to be. In this
respect, until the moment when good and evil are separated from one
another, and where everyone, the learned and the ignorant, will position
themselves become apparent, everyone is given an opportunity to reflect;
consequently, the result becomes delayed a little.
Regardless of the reason, it is our duty to perform our jobs according to
the rules and within the circle of wisdom, and refer the rest to God. Every
servant of revival should know that as long as they respond to the call of
God and His messengers, God will show them the paths to revival and will
never allow them to fall.
Fethullah Gulen’s lead article has been published on Fountain Magazine, #120, Nov-Dec 2017
