As a matter of fact, just reading his poems entitled “Sorrowful Absence from Home” and “Longing for Home” which Gulen wrote while living in the U.S., away from his home, would be enough to comprehend the degree of suffering he is goes through as he longs for his home country. Nonetheless, we, as the website fgulen.com, have compiled Fethullah Gulen’s explanations on his love and longing for Turkey and are presenting it to you with the hopes that if the number of those who understand and share Gulen’s longing and love for Turkey—the longing and love that he has expressed through misery and sometimes through tears that result from an overflow of emotion, throughout the years of this sorrowful absence from home—increases then the transform of this longing into a reunion will pick up speed with positive developments. As you read these you will witness the fire of a heart that is wailing, stinging, and aching with a yearning for home. You will see the scope of selflessness of a soul that sacrifices itself over and over again, with every breath, for the sake of his people and country.
Fethullah Gulen’s Love for Turkey
In order to understand Fethullah Gulen’s longing for Turkey, one must first know about his love for his people and country. Fethullah Gulen’s love of Turkey actually stands apparent before our eyes like a solid landmark which bears its signs in every corner of the world. Ever since his childhood, his heart has been ablaze with the love of Turkey and the ideal of Great Turkey. Through sparks jumping out from his burning heart he has ignited a great many other hearts with a love of Turkey and has motivated them to serve their country well. Every speech he gives, every article he writes overflows with the thoughts and feelings he uses to express the love one should feel towards their people and country:
“When I was 12-13 years old and was studying at the madrasa in Erzurum Kursunlu, I would have a book of Arabic in one hand and a map in the other. I would think, “O my Gracious God, how can we once again become a country whose words are listened to in the equilibrium of world countries?” and I would make plans for this, even at that very young age. These were the dreams I grew up with. I had no other goals or ambitions aside from this in life. A good house, children, or a car, none of these were things that I wished for…As a person who grew up with the feelings and ambitions of serving my people and my country, if, right now, this service is first of all through education, then my interest in education is as natural as the flowing of water, the rising and setting of the sun and the movement of the Earth.” [Sabah, 01.27.1997]
“Ever since childhood, I did not ever think of myself. Up until today, I did not rejoice too much over positive events regarding myself. However, the future of my nation, claiming its rightful position in the equilibrium of the countries of the world, having even the biggest nations look into its eye for approval, and having it reach a position in which the other nations say, “Let’s see what they have to say,” when deciding on an issue, these have been the grand purpose and vision in my life. Even if this seems like a utopia, a fantasy, or the subject of a novel for some, I have only experienced contentment and pleasure through the positive developments regarding this grand purpose.” [Weekly online sermon (Bamteli), 10.11.2010]
“If I am not able to serve my country, nation, people, religion, or culture, I consider my living as unnecessary and in vain. I pray and beg every day to my Lord, saying, ‘If I live for the sake of these goals only then is there a meaning to my life, if not, O Lord, I seek refuge in You from living in vain and unnecessarily taking up space in this world!’” [Weekly online article (Kırık Testi), 06.01.2004]
“If I know that I am going to live in constant misery, unable to see the light of day in this world, being exposed to death threats, having to emigrate from place to place trying to find a place to settle, receiving all kinds of insults.. yes, even if I know all this is going to happen, I will still ask for permission from my Lord to live amongst my people and shoulder their burdens and hardship together with them. I will pray, “O my Gracious Lord, if my existence has any function in serving my people’s prosperity and having a voice among the great countries of the world, then let me stay in the world a little longer.” ["A Love One’s People with Passion", 12.26.2005]
“My only passion is serving my religion and my people; it encompasses my horizon completely and does not leave any room for the need to pursue any other endeavors. It is for that very reason that I do not possess any worldly belongings, and I wish to pass over to the worlds beyond without even having a house belong to myself.” [The Broken Jug, 11.28.2004]
“My Lord, who is the Protector and Guardian over everything, knows that my only goal is to become and finally end my life as an ordinary individual among the people who endure the self-sacrifice that blows one’s mind for the sake of the today and tomorrows of this nation. The story of my life of 65 years is in the open for everyone who wants to know. I am a man who delivered sermons in the pulpits of mosques for nearly 30 years. I travelled from city to city, from town to town, being together with the people, laughing with them at times, and crying with them at other times. Throughout my life, their joy has become my joy, their sorrow has become my sorrow. I am not saying this out of self-praise, I am merely stating it to clarify a certain truth. Throughout this period, I have voluntarily put aside my personal luxuries and pleasure and have made my people’s worries and troubles my own worries and troubles. My heart burns with a longing for my hometown as I live in this land far away from home. As I spend the last days of my life in seclusion not only with a body that struggles with so many illnesses but also amidst the traps and conspiracies set by certain people that act like gory murderers having weaved their webs, my wounded heart aches from deep inside because the friends from whom you expect loyalty fail to—as far as I can feel and comprehend—show the faithfulness and fidelity to this movement of willful volunteers.” [The Broken Jug, 05.11.2003]
“One of my feelings that I have expressed with deep sincerity is this: In the face of the possibility of a part of Turkey being separated from the country on account of racial discrimination, or a piece of land being ripped apart in the eastern or southeastern part of Turkey on account of any other issue, I have always said, as Gandhi says, “I would rather they cut me in half with a saw than to have a piece of land taken from my country!” [An Atlas of Thoughts]
“Every corner of the country is just as precious in our hearts; we are in love with our native land as a whole. In my room, I have 70 different kinds of soil that has come from each corner of my country; I hold them to my eyes and kiss them as though they had come from the Ka’ba. Just as I don’t differentiate between any of the cities, I do not differentiate between the people of the different regions, and I would put my face to the feet of every one of them. Just as I cherish every inch of soil in my native land, I see each individual living inside it as being a part of me, I deeply respect each and every one… I am a Turkish citizen and am an individual of this nation; thus every single issue that concern it also concerns my greatly. Just the mere thought of some individuals taking a handful of Turkey’s land is enough to terrify me. I have no intention of judging anyone’s patriotism or nationalism; but, on account of myself, I can easily say that I love Turkey more than most people would be able to love their country. I have nothing else in the world; I only have Turkey which I yearn for; with its mountains and rocks, its people, its memories and its soil, the soil that has come from 70 different corners of the country and which adorns my room bringing over the scent of my home across the ocean…” [The Broken Jug, 04.03.2006]
“There is a deep and powerful love for one’s country in all your speeches and articles. One not-so-well-known incident is that you entered as a fugitive into Turkey from Syria in 1986. Did you love Turkey to the extent that you would risk entering through mines?” In response to this question, Gulen spoke with these words, “As I passed through with no shoes, crawling on the ground and stepping on thorns, I realized once again that I really do love this country. Even the land of my most beloved Prophet wasn’t able to keep me from coming back to it. I realized that one didn’t know how much in love they were until they had been exposed to such a situation. I experienced a kind of festival, a kind of celebration. In fact, there were times after that when I missed the festival I had experienced and I asked those around me to take me there so I could feel that festival once again.” [Yeni Yuzyil (The New Century), 07.21.1997]
to be continued..
