I have read the article by Fethullah Gulen Believers Do Not Fall... No Matter How Shaken They May Be written in 70 Issue of the Fountain, a bi-monthly magazine dedicated to scientific and spiritual thought. This is one of the eloquent, passionate and persuasive articles I have ever read.
The article touches on a very important subject – the believer’s attitude towards problems and disasters in his life and in the world. Everyone experiences such moments in his/her life when problems seem to be as big as an ocean, and it is very hard to cope with them. In such moments life seems to be extremely difficult and miserable. This article is a remedy which helps to overcome such difficult periods in our life. It makes you face the reality yet it makes you feel strong and rejuvenated. It gives you the power to struggle with all kind of difficulties and stay powerful no matter what happens. Furthermore, it gives you the key to overcome all problems, no matter how big they are. This key is belief in God.
Let me summarize the article. First of all, Gulen makes the reader face harsh reality – this world is not very easy place to live in. He says, “there are disasters all over, society is shaken by misfortunes of all kinds-earthquakes, floods, fires, road deaths; tyranny, oppression, conspiracies, murders, subjugation of conscience.” Unfortunately, Fethullah Gulen is right. If we turn the news on, we constantly hear about wars and military conflicts happening here and there, about natural disasters striking poor people in some areas, about famine and incurable illnesses that take away lives of million people, terrible accidents and all kind of other calamities that may hit us as well any second. On the other side, world is full of corrupt people who can commit every kind of sin without fearing God’s punishment. Gulen says, “we have deceitful tyrants who act cruelly and shed crocodile tears in an effort to incriminate the oppressed; there are unbalanced masses incessantly rising in rage for various reasons; exclusive circles pushing these masses further into violence and fury: despots, people impervious to sympathy, incapable executives, and provocateurs; we see bandits for whom fraud is smart and robbery is virtuous, opportunists who cooperate with the bandits, victims of a sinful life deprived of any morality taking refuge in legal immunities…” In brief, everyone can fall victim of worldly calamities and people’s evil intentions. In fact, we may become so stuck in problems that life might seem pointless and miserable.
There is only one remedy that will help to survive through the darkness and moments of meaninglessness of this life. This remedy is belief in God. Those who truly believe in the Allmighty might face any kind of problem and still stay strong as they used to be. There are two well-known hadiths about strength of believers’ character. First one is the following:
The example of a believer is that of a fresh tender plant. From whatever direction the wind comes, it bends it. But when the wind becomes quiet, it becomes straight again. Similarly, a believer is afflicted with calamities (but remains patient until Allah removes the difficulty). (Bukhari)
This hadith emphasizes the significance of faith. Only those who believe can fully understand that calamities are not permanent; they come to test our faith and go away, just as Turkish singer Kirac wrote in his meaningful song Zaman (Time), ‘All nights will finally turn into mornings.’ Remember that everything in this world is temporary; and even the worst and unsolvable, as it seems, problem will finally meet its end and solution.
Second hadith says,
Wondrous are the believer's affairs. For him there is good in all his affairs, and this is so only for the believer. When something pleasing happens to him, he is grateful, and that is good for him; and when something displeasing happens to him, he is patient, and that is good for him. (Muslim)
This hadith summarizes the message that Fethullah Gulen was trying to send in this article. The message is that the believer will be rewarded whether anything good or bad happens to him. In first case he will be rewarded if he is thankful to God for the good, while in the second case he will be rewarded for the patience he shows in front of any problems.
The ending paragraph of the article was particularly important and striking. I would like to cite two sentences of this paragraph. Gulen wrote,
If tomorrow is our consideration and if we are dreaming of fresh successes in the future, we must always remember that distances are covered by increasing pace and peaks can be reached by perseverance, willpower, and planning. So many times have impossible mountaintops and insurmountable heights bowed before determination and willpower.
During the moments that seem to be unbearable we, as believers, should always remember that all our good intentions, persevering and efforts will turn into luscious fruits someday. Faith in God coupled with willpower and action will help us to overcome any kind of problem and reach any kind of goal. I believe that this piece of writing is truly a must read for anyone as it gives an outstanding motivation and inspiration to stay strong and move forward. To read the article please click on the following link:
http://www.fountainmagazine.com/Issue/detail/Believers-Do-Not-Fall-No-Matter-How-Shaken-They-May-Be
