The common message emphasized by speakers at the two-day Prophet’s Path Symposium over the weekend was that the Prophet Muhammad exemplified how to live peacefully with “the societal other,” and that there are lessons people should draw from his life to secure peace in today’s world.
The two-day symposium drew in a large number of participants both from within and outside of Turkey. Among the participants were Religious Affairs Directorate head Ali Bardakoğlu, Mohammedia League of the Ulemas in Morocco Secretary-General Ahmet Abbadi and professor of Islamic law Hayrettin Karaman.
Bardakoğlu addressed an audience composed of scholars mainly from Turkey, Egypt, Syria and Morocco. He said the Prophet Muhammad’s path can be summarized as “morality, mercy and tolerance.” Bardakoğlu also noted that the Prophet was sent by the God for people to find the true path. “The holy Quran presents our lord as a witness [to the truth], as someone who knows the world and his surroundings and an inviter to the God’s path. He helped us to find our paths,” Bardakoğlu stated.
In his turn, Abbadi also touched upon Muhammad’s exemplary life. He said the Prophet organized his followers in such a way as to form a hardworking, tolerant and peaceful society. “Our lord is an example in every part of his life for everything we do today. Now we have to follow him by taking his life in its entirety. No matter what position they are in, Muslims should always ask themselves what the messenger of God would do if he was in their position,” said Abbadi. He proposed to have a commission formed from among the participants of the symposium that will be assigned to engage in extensive research on the prophet’s life to later document their research in an encyclopedic work. Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen -- who has inspired tens of thousands of people both inside and outside Turkey with his messages of mutual understanding, intercultural and interfaith dialogue in the over 50 books he has authored so far and in numerous sermons -- also delivered a message to the symposium. In that message he said Islam is about the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah -- Muhammad’s practices -- and that intellectuals, such as the participants of the two-day symposium in İstanbul, should teach people about the beauties of the religion and virtues of faith. “Every positive work today’s people produce is a gift for posterity,” Gülen said.
Justice and Development Party (AK Party) Deputy Chairman Hüseyin Çelik also took part in the event and said the Muslim world needs to take Muhammad’s life as an example, too. Underscoring that the Prophet constructed a civilization of mercy, Çelik criticized terrorist attacks carried out in the name of the Islam the very Prophet taught.”
Published on Today's Zaman, 11 October, 2010 Monday
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