Condolences on the Passing of Mr Fethullah Gülen
We mourn the passing of Mr Fethullah Gulen, an exceptional figure who served as a source of faith, wisdom, and spiritual inspiration for Hizmet volunteers and countless people around the world. His life, organised around the themes of faith, love, tolerance, dialogue, and education, will continue to guide and inspire those dedicated to serving humanity.
The loss of Mr. Gülen is a time for reflection and prayer for the Hizmet movement. His legacy extends far beyond his earthly life. He was an extraordinary religious and intellectual thinker whose influence will be felt for generations to come.
This page is in your service to share your thoughts, reflections and memories regarding the passing of Mr Fethullah Gulen. Your shares will be published after the editorial check.
If there is a movement in Islam that we, Westerners, can embrace, it is this one.
First and foremost, Gülen was and remains the religious leader of a modern Islam movement, at once akin to the mysticism of Sufism, and with an emphasis on service to society, love and tolerance, intercultural and inter-faith dialogue. His own books attest to this, more than anything others have attributed to him. During his active life, Gülen met almost all the major religious leaders of other religions. His movement still organises interfaith dialogues and conferences.
I feel deep sorrow for the passing of Mr Fethullah Gulen. He was really a world leader, a religious leader in the first place. Someone I would compare to the Pope of the Catholic Church. He was also a good friend of Pope Francis because they both held the same values of love, understanding, tolerance, peace, interreligious dialogue, priority for the fight against poverty, commitment to the social well-being of society, and open-mindedness.
De Morgen news article: https://www.demorgen.be/meningen/als-er-een-stroming-is-in-de-islam-die-wij-westerlingen-kunnen-omarmen-dan-is-het-die-van-fethullah-gulen~b47e8553
I am aware that the loss of Fethullah Gülen has deeply affected you and those around you. He and the Hizmet movement that grew out of him had a profound effect on your adolescence and your passage into adulthood, from your understanding of Islam to your spiritual, cultural and professional commitment to life. His exile, the repression of Hizmet in Turkey and the restrictions imposed on its expansion in many countries are all upheavals that have disrupted your plans and forced you to reshape your professional future. I would like to express my sincere sympathy for your profound sadness.
At the same time, I would like to say how much I appreciate the way in which you have embraced the ‘values’ of Hizmet here in France and how you have remained firmly attached to these values even in difficult times. Thanks to your vast knowledge, your interest in Christianity and your strong spiritual faith, I have understood the great ‘opportunity’ that Hizmet offers for Christian-Muslim dialogue. You embody the Islamic faith, which you represent through the Koran, with a deep commitment to the greatness, justice, mercy and openness of God through your fraternal, respectful and tolerant way of life. This representation, coupled with your Islamic culture and wisdom, is further enhanced by the awareness that you must demonstrate the distinctive importance of Islam in today’s cultural context.
You have been close to me since our first meeting, and this friendship has continued. Your place in the ‘Fraternité d’Abraham’ in Neudorf is permanently recognised in my book ‘Le défi interreligieux’. I know that Philippe le Vallois, who has been in charge of this fraternal group for a long time, also shares this awareness of our closeness to you.
Each of you, together with those close to you, will continue your journey. The death of witnesses is like planting a seed in the ground that will grow and blossom over time. History – and ultimately divine judgement – will select those elements of Fethullah Gülen’s work that will remain fruitful, transcending historical variability and his death.
The death of Fethullah Gülen is an important moment for us, Muslims and Christians, to express our deep gratitude, to acknowledge what remains and to continue our commitment to the path of faith, hope and love.
With my loyal and sincere friendship,
I wish you strength, courage, perseverance, confidence, hope and well-being.
The mission of those who remain is to focus on Gülen’s message.
The most important aspects of Fethullah Gülen, in my opinion, are, firstly, that he is a person whose ideas have evolved; secondly, that he is a person who quickly realised the importance of a positive dialogue between different faiths in achieving a peaceful society; and thirdly, that he is a person who has placed the issue of education at the top of his agenda, with the involvement of parents. The fact that he was able to convey this message to millions of people shows great charisma and organisational skills.
Full Interview can be found here: https://www.tr724.com/fethullah-gulen-kursusunun-eski-direktoru-prof-johan-leman-kalanlarin-gorevi-gulenin-mesajina-odaklanmak/
A great man, a distinguished personality, who devoted his whole life to the promotion of peace, dialogue and universal brotherhood, passed away on an occasion in the hands of Almighty God. He instilled in the hearts of people and the structures of society a spirit of service, the warmth of human relations based on the love of God.
Now he sees God ‘face to face’, to whom he devoted all his talents, his whole life, and he will guide you from the hereafter along the path he has drawn for you.
May Allah comfort you and guide you in this transition of your leader from earth to heaven!
We pray with you and for you that countless prayers will ascend to heaven in gratitude and so much grace will descend upon you!
Dearest friends,
when a spiritual leader dies
For a moment the ground shakes out from under your feet
Your heart feels lost even though it doesn’t have to
says the mind.
The earth, the sky, the divine presence
everything suddenly takes on other dimensions,
because at the same time you feel:
this is a sacred moment.
This is the moment our togetherness wants to be even closer;
you suddenly become an heir, a witness for the future…
And you want to become one.
I am deeply touched by this passing,
and am so grateful that I was indirectly able to catch and experience a glimpse
of the light and message of peace that touched you;
that has become the source of your lives
and that I have been able to recognize in so many moments
as a focal point of my own deepest aspirations,
in the many works and the pedagogy, and the fraternity for which you work so hard.
My thoughts are with you this morning, with, whom the thoughts of Fethullah Gülen are a source of inspiration. I can imagine the mixed feelings of sadness and gratitude for a spiritual heritage and meaning. In union of thought and prayer, also in view of your terrible ‘preferential treatment’ by the Turkish authorities. May Hizmet renew itself from within, while remaining faithful to its deep-rooted intuitions.
With all my heart.
My condolences to all those who draw inspiration from the spirituality of Fethullah Gulen, whose presence will not be forgotten. With you in these difficult times.
Fethullah Gülen passed away yesterday, Sunday 20 October 2024, in Pennsylvania at the age of 83. He was the leader of the Hizmet movement, which means ‘service’ in Turkish.
As Catholic Christians, we are invited to reflect on a passage from the Gospel every day, especially on Sundays. In yesterday’s reading, Jesus called his followers to him and said: “As you know, the great and powerful of this world make their authority felt. But it must not be so among you; whoever wants to be great among you will be your servant. And whoever wants to be first will be the last and the humblest of all, for the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve’ (Mark 10, 42-45).
These words of Jesus, spoken 2000 years ago, are embodied in the life and teachings of Fethullah Gülen. His spirit of ‘service’ and his life of devotion to humanity have been a source of inspiration for us. I thank God for best owing this spirit, this sublime understanding of service upon us. May Almighty God welcome Fethullah Gülen to the heavenly table.
I extend my friendship and condolences to you and all those who are deeply saddened by the passing of Fethullah Gülen.
We are Christians, and we have only come to know Fethullah Gülen through his disciples. It is through them that we have been able to discover the immense work he accomplished during his life and the trials he went through. His disciples radiated a deep spiritual life and an impressive commitment to the society around them.
With them we have been able to develop an extraordinary dialogue: one in which everyone is respected and appreciated, and which leads us to a unity of hearts.
Thank you for this wonderful gift.
Dear friend,
Every year on 30 January, the School Day of Non-violence and Peace is celebrated because on this day in 1948 Mahatma Gandhi, a pacifist leader who advocated and promoted non-violence and peaceful resistance to injustice, was shot dead by a Hindu extremist for advocating these ideas. In 2025 I would like to introduce the figure of Gandhi as well as Gülen in the schools of the world. It will be very inspiring for many.
I share the grief of the Hizmet volunteers. The passing away of Fethullah Gülen is a great loss. His efforts for peace, education will fructify even more than when he was alive. Allah will reward him with paradise as a true messenger of peace. Let’s work harder to spread these ideas around the world.
My prayers are with you…
Please accept my condolences on the sad news of the passing of Fethullah Gülen. He meant so much to you, to the Turkish community in the Netherlands and to so many people in Turkey and other parts of the world. I hope that his insights and wise teachings will live on for a long time to come. In these times of conflict in many parts of the world, we need it very much!
My sincerest regards,