The establishment of the Turkish-Islamic Union will be the
salvation of everyone, of people of all faiths, all nations and all
opinions, not just of the Islamic world. This union will bring love,
brotherhood, friendship, plenty and abundance to the world. The
Turkish-Islamic Union to be established under Turkish leadership will
be instrumental in the world attaining an entirely new beauty, in a huge
rise in plenty and abundance, in major progress in art and science,
and in the construction of a powerful and deep-rooted civilization. By
Allah's leave, the establishment of the Turkish-Islamic Union is an
absolute certainty. This is the destiny ordained by Allah.
Turkey will be the natural leader of this Union. All Turkic
and Muslim countries sincerely accept and desire Turkish leadership. At
the root of this lie Turkey's historic experience and the moral
virtues of the Turkish nation, which have been proved over and over
again. The Turkish nation's desire for the role of leader is not based
on any idea of racial superiority. There are no irrational and
illogical ideas behind this, ideas that would also run contrary to the
moral values of the Qur'an, along the lines of "we want to be the
leader and for everyone else to follow behind" or "we are superior, and
all other races must follow us."
The superiority in question is a moral one. The leadership to be
assumed is in fact a desire to assume suffering and responsibility in
order to protect, watch over and serve others, to act as a kind of
older brother.
One of the main proofs that the Turkish Nation will fulfill this historic responsibility is the way that in the hadith about the end times our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) makes particular reference to Istanbul and to Turkey. As revealed by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be active in Istanbul, will construct the Turkish-Islamic Union by bringing the dispersed Turkic states back together, and will appear with the Sacred Trusts.
HAZRAT MAHDI (PBUH) WILL SPIRITUALLY CAPTURE ISTANBUL
Narrated by ibn 'Amr: … The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "O Ummah! Six things will happen before the Hour … The sixth is the conquest of Medina."
He was asked, "O Messenger of Allah, which medina [city]?"
He said, "Constantinople [Istanbul]."
(*) This is the conquest of Constantinople by Hazrat Mahdi
(pbuh). (Signs of the Last Day, p. 204; Ramuz al-Ahadith, 296)
Allah will capture Constantinople [Istanbul] through His
beloved friends [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)]. (Signs of the Last Day, p. 181)
Nations will come under his [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] command.
Allah will make him the instrument of the [spiritual] capture of
Constantinople [Istanbul]. (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir
al-Zaman, p. 56)
HAZRAT MAHDI (PBUH) WILL SERVE AMONG THE TURKS
Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will never leave Rum, the
Turks [because Turkey used to be known as the region of Rum].
(Narrated from Ish'afu'r-Ragibin, Tilsimlar, p. 212)
A Tirmidhi hadith says that "the Hour will not come
until Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) rules the Arabs" (Tirmidhi, Fitan:
43). This means he will not appear from among the Arabs because in
order to rule over the Arabs he will have not to be one of them. (Signs
of the Last Day, p. 170)
Some people will appear from the East and
prepare the way for Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)
will be the ruler among them. (Ibn Majah, Kitabul Fitan: 35
(4088) This hadith shows that he will come from among a people existing
in or coming from the east. This refers to the Turks, who were
then living in the east and who subsequently settled in Anatolia, and
Allah knows the truth. (Signs of the Last Day, p. 171)
Ibn Khaldun and al-Qurtubi record that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)
will come from the Mashriq (the east), Khorasan (the area to the west
of the Caspian Sea) and the Amu Darya (these being regions inhabited by
Turks). (Macdonald, Encyclopedia of Islam, 7:478.)
These things all show that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will engage
in intensive activities among the Turks. (Saban Dogen, Mehdi ve Deccal
[The Mahdi and the Dajjal], p. 172)
Sayyid Ahmad Husamaddin (ra) says this about Hazrat Mahdi's
(pbuh) birthplace in his Istihracname:
"An individual will come from among the
Muslims, and the honor of that individual will be
radiant like the rays of the Sun, shining around from the
greatest peak of the Caucasus." (Osman Yuksel Serdengecti, City
with No Temple, Serdengecti Publication: VI, p.107)
THE FRAGMENTED TURKISH STATES WILL BE
UNITED BY HAZRAT MAHDI (PBUH)
... And dispersed Turkish flags will appear and help my
son [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] in every nook and cranny. (al-Ghaybah
al-Nomani, p. 323)
... Allah will cause him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] to conquer
Rum, Daylam, Sindh, India, Kabul and the Caspian. (Sheikh Muhammad bin
Ibrahim Nomani, al-Ghaybah al-Nomani, p. 274)
According to a hadith of the Prophet's (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace), Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will first appear from Turkey
with the Turkish flag and will then become the spiritual ruler of other
Islamic countries with their green flags. He will be instrumental in
the founding of the Turkish-Islamic Union and will assume the spiritual
leadership of it. The hadith is as follows:
In that year the disappearance of my son [Hazrat Mahdi
(pbuh)], who will have the red flag and afterwards the green flag, will
be announced. (Sheikh Muhammad bin Ibrahim Nomani, al-Ghaybah
al-Nomani, p. 170)
HAZRAT MAHDI (PBUH) WILL HAVE THE SACRED TRUSTS WITH HIM
The scholars who narrated the hadith about the end times spoke of the events of the end times being based in the centers of the caliphate of their own times. This is why, with regard to the place where Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will appear from, different scholars have cited such places as Iraq, Damascus, Kufa and Medina, which were the centers of the caliphate in their own times. However, the common feature of these accounts is that the events of the end times will take place in the center of the caliphate. The final center of the caliphate was "Istanbul." The caliphate was officially abolished at the beginning of the last century, and it was never transferred anywhere else after that time. Consequently, Istanbul is the only city to still bear this spiritual title. The two standards, sword and robe of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), together with other sacred trusts, are kept in Topkapi Palace, Istanbul.
It is related from Abdullah ibn Shurafa: "The banner of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) will be adorned, together with Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)." (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p. 65)
Nuaym ibn Hammad narrates from Abu Jafar; "Hazrat
Mahdi (pbuh) will appear in the evening with the banner, robe, sword,
signs, radiance and beautiful expression of our Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace). (Mar'iy Ibn Yusuf Ibn Abi Baqr
ibn Ahmad ibn Yusuf al-Maqdi'si Faraidu Fawaidi'l Fikr Fi'l Imam
al-Mahdi al-Muntazar)
The Mahdi (pbuh) will appear with the banner of our Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace). That banner is unstitched,
black, and has four corners. It has never been unfurled since
the death of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) but
will be unfurled by Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). (The Book of Portents
of the Awaited Mahdi, pp. 41-42, 52, 54)
As for signs, he [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will have
with him the shirt, the sword, and the banner of our Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace). That banner has never been
unfurled since the death of our Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace). And, it will not be unfurled until the appearance of Hazrat
Mahdi (pbuh). (Portents of the Last Day, p. 164)
He will appear with the camel hair banner of our Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace). That banner has four
corners, is unstitched and black in color. There is a halo on
it. It has not been unfurled since the death of our Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace), but it will be opened when
Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) appears. (Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi
Akhir al-zaman, p. 23)
One important feature of this banner, which we are told will only
be unfurled by Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in the end times is that "it has
never been unfurled since the death of the Prophet (may Allah bless him
and grant him peace)." The banner has never been opened by any state,
including the Ottoman Empire, out of respect for the Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace), and was never taken out of its cover
even during the battles or during the ceremonies it was taken to. The
banner, preserved in this way for 14 centuries, will be opened when the
moral values of Islam rule the world, with the coming of Hazrat Mahdi
(pbuh).
NO BLOOD WILL BE SHED IN THE WORLD WHEN THE TURKISH-ISLAMIC UNION IS ESTABLISHED
As set out in detail in the sections that follow, the
Turkish-Islamic Union will be a union that is based on the moral values
of the Qur'an, and therefore one of peace that treats people of all
opinions, beliefs and nations with affection and understanding and that
protects the rights of all and sets everyone at ease. The
Turkish-Islamic Union will put a complete end to all conflicts, acts of
terror and anarchy. With its establishment, all strife will come to an
end. With the construction of this fine union, Jews and Christians will
also attain an environment in which they can worship in security, do
business as they wish, settle where they choose and feel themselves in
complete safety. The foundation of the Turkish-Islamic Union will take
place without a drop of blood being spilled, with Muslims coming
together in love, and with the spread of friendship through affection,
good words, wise and rational language.
It is a fact imparted by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) that in the time of the foundation of the Turkish-Islamic
Union all conflicts will come to an end, all weapons will fall silent
and people will live in peace and love. Our Prophet (may Allah bless
him and grant him peace) has revealed that not one drop of blood will
be shed in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). We are told in hadith that
when Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) appears and the Turkish-Islamic Union is
established peace, justice, beauty and safety will enfold the world:
People will seek refuge in Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) as honey bees cluster around their sovereign. He will fill the world that was once full of cruelty, with justice. His justice will be as such that HE WILL NOT wake a sleeping person or EVEN SHED ONE DROP OF BLOOD. The earth will return to the age of happiness. (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 29)
[Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will follow the way of the Prophet
(may Allah bless him and grant him peace). HE WILL NOT wake up a
sleeping person or SHED BLOOD. (Al-Barzanji, Pamuk Publishing,
Istanbul, 2002, p. 163)
In the time of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) NO ONE WILL be
woken up from their sleep or HAVE A BLEEDING NOSE. (Al-Qawl
al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 44)
Those obeying him [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] will pay homage to
him between ruqun and maqam (near Qaba). THEY WILL not wake a
sleeping person, NEVER SHED BLOOD. (Al-Haytami, Al-Qawl
al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 24)
This (Amr) [Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh)] WILL FILL EARTH
WITH JUSTICE, just as people previously filled it with
cruelty. (Sunan Ibn Majah, 10/348)
The world filled with oppression and tyranny WILL
OVERFLOW WITH JUSTICE AFTER HE [HAZRAT MAHDI (pbuh)] COMES. (Al-Qawl
al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 20)
THERE WILL BE SUCH AN ABUNDANCE OF JUSTICE IN THE
HAZRAT MAHDI'S (pbuh) TIME that just as all the goods
taken away by force will be returned to their owners. (Al-Qawl
al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 23)
HIS [THE MAHDI'S (pbuh)] JUSTICE WILL COVER ALL
PLACES and he will rule among people with the Sunnah
of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). He will even
also call for one who is in need to be brought forward, and when that
command is obeyed only one person will come. (Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi
`Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntazar, p. 20)
If there were only one day left for the world, that day
would be lengthened until a man from among the people of my household,
was sent; just as the Earth is filled with cruelty, HE WILL
FILL THE EARTH WITH JUSTICE. (Sunan Abu-Dawud, 5/92)
Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) is one of my people, and HE
WILL FILL THE EARTH WITH TRUTH AND JUSTICE, just as it is now
filled with cruelty and torture. (Sunan Abu-Dawud, 5/93)
Like the cup fills with water, SO WILL EARTH FILL
WITH PEACE. THERE WILL BE NO ENMITY LEFT between any people. ALL
HOSTILITY, FIGHTING, AND ENVY WILL DISAPPEAR. (Sahih Muslim,
1/136)
... In the same way that Almighty Allah started Islam with
me, so He will end it with him (Hazrat Mahdi [pbuh]). In the same way
that THEY WERE FREED FROM POLYTHEISM AND ENMITY AND THEIR
HEARTS WERE FILLED WITH FRIENDSHIP AND LOVE THROUGH ME, SO IT WILL BE
AGAIN [WITH THE COMING OF HAZRAT MAHDI (pbuh)]. (Portents of
the Mahdi of the End Times, Jalaladdin as-Suyuti, p. 20)
... IN HIS [HAZRAT MAHDI (pbuh)] TIME THE GOOD
BECOME EVEN BETTER, AND EVEN THE WICKED ONES ARE TREATED WELL.
(Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-zaman, p.
17)
THE GREATEST RELIGIOUS OBLIGATION OF THE
AGE IS ISLAMIC UNION
Bediüzzaman Said Nursi
For Muslims to be united and not to fall into division and fragmentation is a command that Allah reveals in the Qur'an. All Muslims are brothers, no matter what their language, race or sect. The closeness and friendship between them should therefore resemble that between brothers. No matter where in the world they may live, Muslims must love, protect and support one another like true brothers, in the same way that brothers never leave one another in difficulties, always run to help and support one another and protect and watch over each other.
If Muslims do not do this, if they do not love and protect one
another like brothers, if they are not united in a spirit of
solidarity, then they have disobeyed Allah's command. And that is a
situation no Muslim will wish to find himself in. It is essential for
every Muslim who loves and fears Allah and scrupulously obeys all His
commands to strive and constantly pray for the unity of the Islamic
world.
If the Islamic world wishes to construct a powerful, stable and
prosperous civilization and to guide the world and lead the way in all
spheres, then it must act as one. The lack of such unity, division and
fragmentation among Muslim countries, the failure of the Islamic world
to speak with one voice, leaves innocent Muslim peoples defenseless.
Helpless and needy women, children and elderly people are waiting to be
saved from oppression in Palestine, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kashmir, East
Turkestan, Moro and many other places. Responsibility for these innocent
people lies with the Islamic world before anyone else. Muslims must
never forget our Prophet's (may Allah bless him and grant him peace)
words, "A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses
him nor leaves him in danger."
Throughout his life the great Islamic scholar Bediuzzaman waged
an intellectual struggle for the unification of the Muslim world and
made Muslims aware of the importance of that union being established.
Bediuzzaman, who said, "The greatest religious obligation of the
age is Islamic Union...," expressed the importance of striving for
the unity of the Islamic world in the wisest manner. In his Risalat
an-Noor he frequently concentrated on Muslims loving and supporting one
another, displaying solidarity and protecting and watching over one
another, and himself always behaved in a reconciliatory and unificatory
manner.
Today, too, it is most important for all Muslims to adopt this
language of Bediuzzaman's as a role model, live by the joy and
determination even more than he displayed for the unification of the
Islamic world and to allow nobody to make them faint-hearted on this
subject. It must not be forgotten that Muslim unity is a command of
Allah's and, by His will, will certainly come about. As Bediuzzaman
says: "Almighty Allah, Who fills and empties the world between the
heavens and earth with clouds, and in an instant stills the storms of
the sea, and in an hour in spring creates samples of the summer and in
an hour in summer creates a winter storm, such an All-Powerful
One of Glory can also scatter the darkness of the world of Islam by
means of Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh). He has promised this, and certainly He
will carry out His promise." (Letters / Twenty -
Ninth Letter - Seventh Section - p.515) And by Allah's leave,
these are tidings that the Islamic world will definitely be united, that
it will be bound together like buildings welded with lead, that they
will act like true brothers on the path of Allah and will be
instrumental in people all over the world living by the moral values of
the Qur'an.
Said Nursi describes Islamic Union as follows in his Damascus
Sermon:
The way of the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and
grant him peace) is free of all doubts and trickery, and therefore does
not condescend to concealing things, which is suggestive of doubt and
trickery. Anyway, such a mighty, extensive, all-embracing truth could
in no way be hidden, especially from the people of this time. How could
an ocean be concealed in a pitcher? I repeat: the means of unity of
the Muhammadan Union, which in reality is Islamic Unity, is Divine
Unity. Its oath and pledge is belief… Its membership consists of all
believers. Its code of rules are the practices of the Prophet (may
Allah bless him and grant him peace). Its laws are the commands and
prohibitions of the Shari‘a [the morality of the Qur'an]. THIS UNION IS
NOT A TRADITION BUT A WORSHIP. (The Damascus Sermon / First
Addendum / Third Part - p. 81)
In these words, Bediuzzaman clearly and explicitly describes the
values that Muslims should base their union upon:
All Muslims who
- Believe in the One Allah,
- Follow the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant
him peace) and
- Have adopted the Qur'an and the Sunnah as their guides are
brothers and have a responsibility to act together as one.
The fact that they live in different countries, belong to
different races or cultures and possess different ideas or practices is
no obstacle to their being brothers or united. On the contrary, each
of these qualities is a blessing created by Allah, and a source of
wealth for Muslims. As Bediuzzaman also says, Muslims must not regard
the establishment of the Turkish-Islamic Union as a pleasant hope, a
good tradition or a political necessity, and must never forget that
union is a religious obligation.
Bediuzzaman also notes that Muslims must have no hesitations or
doubts regarding the fulfillment of this obligation and says that
every Muslim who heeds the voice of his conscience has a great
responsibility to strive for the establishment of the Turkish-Islamic
Union, "the greatest religious obligation":
Hiding and fear are both hypocrisy, but there is no
hypocrisy in performing the obligatory acts of religion. The
obligatory act of greatest importance at the present time is Islamic
Unity. While the aim and goal of Unity is to stir into life the
long, many- branched, far-reaching luminous chain which binds together
the centers of Islam and their places of worship, to arouse those bound
to it, and through the wishes and promptings of their consciences
drive them to the way of progress. (The Damascus Sermon / First
Addendum / Third Part - p. 81)
As Bediuzzaman also said Muslims must combine all the means at
their disposal to strive for the unity of the Islamic world, work on
that path with enthusiasm, fervor and determination and rouse all
Muslims to establish this blessed union.
Another matter that Bediuzzaman particularly stresses in
discussing the Turkish-Islamic Union is that it will be a union of
hearts, one of love and friendship. Muslims have a duty to tell others
of the indispensable nature of this union, by way of love, knowledge and
pleasant words. But there is no sense in entering on such an
initiative without basing it on the power of faith, love for Allah, the
moral values of the Qur'an and the Sunnah of our Prophet (may Allah
bless him and grant him peace). That is because Allah would never
permit such an initiative to be successful. But, by Allah's leave,
those who act honestly, with love for Allah and the joy of faith and
under the guidance of the moral virtues bestowed by the Qur'an and the
hadiths, will definitely enjoy success on this path.
The way of this Union is love; its enmity is only for
ignorance, poverty, and strife. Non-Muslims should feel
sure that this Union attacks only those three facts. Our actions
towards non-Muslims consist only of persuasion, for we know them to be
civilized. And we suppose them to be fair-minded, so we should
demonstrate that Islam is lovable and elevated. The lax and negligent
should know that they cannot ingratiate themselves with the non-Muslims
by being irreligious, for they only show that they are unprincipled.
And no one likes unprincipledness and anarchy. Those who join this
Union after due investigation will not leave it by blindly imitating
such people. We present to public opinion the ideas, way, and reality
of the Muhammadan Union, which is Islamic Unity. If anyone has any
objections, let him voice them; we are ready to answer them. (The
Damascus Sermon / First Addendum / Third Part - p. 81)
As Bediuzzaman describes with such wisdom, the Turkish-Islamic
Union will also protect and watch over non-Muslims. As is set out in
detail in the following sections of the book, the moral values of Islam
make it essential to treat people of other faiths and beliefs with
affection and compassion. A Muslim will preach Islam using wise,
rational and pleasant language and strive to prevent evil and spread
good, but he will be aware in so doing that "there is no compulsion in
the religion." In an environment where people live by the moral values
of Islam, everyone is free to practice his own faith, perform religious
observances as he wishes and express his own ideas. As the embodiment
of these requirements of Islamic moral values, the Turkish-Islamic
Union will be democratic and attach great importance to human rights
and will establish a climate in which freedom of expression prevails,
in which the rights of Jews, Christians, people of other beliefs and
even with no belief at all, and atheists are protected, and in which
everyone is treated as a first-class citizen.
One subject that Bediuzzaman also concentrates on in the
context of Islamic union it that this blessed union will come about
through Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and under that blessed individual's
leadership. The fact that Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will bring about the union
of the Turkish and Islamic world is revealed in the hadiths. Said
Nursi sets this truth out as follows:
His Third Duty: ... THAT INDIVIDUAL WILL SEEK TO FULFILL
THAT GREAT DUTY WITH THE SPIRITUAL ASSISTANCE OF ALL BELIEVERS, AND THE
SOLIDARITY OF ISLAMIC UNION, AND ALL SCHOLARS AND LEARNED MEN, AND IN
PARTICULAR WITH THE CONTRIBUTION OF MILLIONS OF DEVOTED SAYYIDS
DESCENDED FROM THE LINE OF OUR PROPHET (MAY ALLAH BLESS HIM AND GRANT
HIM PEACE). (Emirdag Addendum, p. 260)
As can clearly be seen in this passage from Bediuzzaman, one of
the three duties Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will do is to unite all Muslims
and establish the Turkish-Islamic Union. Therefore, at a time in which
the moral values of the Qur'an are ignored, Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) will be
instrumental in people returning to those values. He will found the
Turkish-Islamic Union, and there will be many righteous individuals who
support him in this work. Bediuzzaman reveals that this third task of
Hazrat Mahdi's (pbuh) is very important and will be supported by a
great mass of people. By referring to "THE SPIRITUAL ASSISTANCE
OF ALL BELIEVERS," Bediuzzaman is saying that a union
established through an alliance of "ALL MUSLIMS" will
assist Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) in this task. Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh) and his
helpers will be brave people who draw courage from love for Allah and
joy of faith. The light of their faith will be instrumental in the
illumination of the whole world. Support from such a wide-ranging
alliance including all Muslims did not come about in Bediuzzaman's own
day. As Bediuzzaman reveals, the spiritual help from this great mass of
people will only come about in the End Times that we are currently
living in and together with Hazrat Mahdi (pbuh), and it will play a
major role in the fulfillment of his third task.