Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: "The 20th century being the century of dictatorships has allowed us to understand the prescription of the sermon at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus."
President of Üsküdar University, Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan participated in the Hutbe-i Şamiye panel organized online by the Üsküdar University Risale-i Nur Research Platform (RİNAP) and the Nur Science and Education Foundation. Delivering his speech titled “The Hutbe-i Şamiye in the Context of Social Illnesses,” Tarhan examined the sermon delivered by Bediüzzaman in 1911 at the Umayyad Mosque from a social perspective. Tarhan stated that “The fact that the 20th century was the century of dictatorships has allowed us to understand the prescription of the sermon at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Bediüzzaman brilliantly combined the dignity of knowledge with the humility of position. Hutbe-i Şamiye equals explaining the wrongs of despotism. Those who hold the truth in their hands will not fear freedom.”
The panel, moderated by Prof. Suphi Deniz, featured Prof. Ahmet Yıldız, former Minister of Environment Rıza Akçalı, Prof. Adem Ölmez, and Prof. Nevzat Tarhan as speakers.
The program, which was also broadcast live on YouTube, attracted great attention.
“He masterfully combines the dignity of knowledge with the humility of status”
Psychiatrist Prof. Nevzat Tarhan began his remarks by emphasizing the benefits of bringing Hutbe-i Şamiye into contemporary discussion:
“This sermon was delivered 113 years ago. Reading the sermon delivered over a century ago, one might think it was written for today. Like a seed buried in the earth, it has begun to bear fruit in our time. Bediüzzaman stayed in Damascus for 3-4 months while writing Hutbe-i Şamiye. In fact, he intended to go for pilgrimage but stayed there instead. While delivering the sermon, he combined the dignity of knowledge with the humility of status, presenting it eloquently. He told the scholars there, ‘I am presenting this to you as a student prepares a lesson for their teachers.’ The humility Bediüzzaman displayed even in his 30s is quite remarkable. Such an introduction before the sermon is noteworthy, considering that at the time, there were over 100 prominent scholars in Damascus.”
“The feeling of despair blocks a person”
Explaining that Hutbe-i Şamiye contains social and psychological analysis, Tarhan made the following remarks:
“In medicine, we have the rule of 3: diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up. You must diagnose an illness, treat it, and then follow up. Only when these three are combined can results be achieved. If the diagnosis is wrong, all efforts are wasted. We must ensure the accuracy of the diagnosis. In this sermon, six illnesses are mentioned. The first is the vitality of despair within us. Despair is such a force that it blocks a person. When people who are despairing face a stressful situation, they immediately accept defeat. On the other hand, if there is hope, the body and mind start working to support the person. “This is what we call the placebo effect, which has a 40% healing effect on illnesses…”
“Social transformation comes after mental transformation, followed by political transformation”
Emphasizing that social transformation cannot occur without mental transformation, Tarhan continued his remarks as follows:
“The wars of this era are now psychological wars. The Third World War will progress as a psychological and sociological war. Therefore, what we need to do is achieve a mental transformation. After mental transformation comes social transformation, and then political transformation. In other words, it starts with the individual. Bediüzzaman has outlined a roadmap for this. It is a challenging but permanent method.
For instance, the second illness he identifies is the death of truthfulness (sıdk) in social and political life. He mentioned this in 1911. This was during the final years of the Ottoman Empire. It showed that trust among people had weakened. When truthfulness ends, when social and political life deteriorates, people begin to undermine each other. The strong oppress the weak, and chaos prevails. This became even more apparent after the proclamation of constitutionalism. Bediüzzaman diagnosed this very accurately. These are all precise diagnoses.”
Tarhan also added that the fact that the 20th century was the century of dictatorships allows us to better understand the prescription of the sermon delivered at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.
“Efforts must be made to increase truthfulness and the sense of trust”
Pointing out that those with a weak sense of trust are fueled by anger, Tarhan made the following remarks:
“Diagnosis is not about correcting society through military force. Diagnosis is about first ensuring people undergo mental transformation. It is about promoting the spread of truthfulness in social life. If this diagnosis is made, its remedy will also be devised accordingly. Another illness is adavete muhabbet—a love for hostility. This means asking, ‘Why does a person love hostility? Why do they feed on anger?’ Such individuals derive satisfaction from tripping others up or undermining them. This feeding on anger happens during times when the sense of trust weakens. For instance, if someone greets you, you might think, ‘What is in it for them?’ If someone acts differently, you might suspect they have ulterior motives. This shows that the sense of trust in society has weakened. Therefore, efforts must be made to reduce despair and increase truthfulness and the sense of trust.”
“People approach those they cannot trust with fear”
Stating that people approach those they cannot trust with fear, Tarhan stated that “The fourth illness Bediüzzaman mentions is not recognizing the luminous bonds that unite Ehl-i İman (people of faith). There are luminous bonds here, that is, relationships between people. These include the bonds of love, respect, loyalty, and trust. All these bonds have been damaged. The underlying cause of these bonds weakening is the erosion of trust. People approach those they cannot trust with fear. When they approach with fear, relationships are harmed, and the bonds between people weaken.”
“If the goal is justice, the method of this era is democracy”
Noting that a democratic culture exists in societies where four values are present, Tarhan expressed that “The fifth illness he mentions is despotism spreading like contagious diseases. The term despotism is most frequently mentioned in Münazarat. Here, Bediüzzaman identifies despotism as the fifth illness. Despotism is imposing your own opinion by force, essentially saying, ‘Everyone should think like me.’ This reflects authoritarianism and despotism. Forcing your opinion on others is despotism. On the other hand, expecting everyone to think like you is totalitarianism.The remedy for one is freedom—you must not impose your opinion by force. You express your opinion; those who accept it will, and those who do not, will not. Our duty is to convey, not to coerce. The second remedy is to avoid being totalitarian, meaning to embrace pluralism. Totalitarianism is like saying, ‘In this house, everyone must like beans.’ Such a stance is totalitarian. Respecting pluralism is essential.Democratic values include freedom, pluralism, accountability, and participation. When these four values exist, a democratic culture is present. In Hutbe-i Şamiye, Bediüzzaman discusses these four values. Back then, it was called constitutionalism; today, it is called democracy. Hutbe-i Şamiye should be interpreted in this way. If the goal is justice, the method of this era is democracy.”
“There is also religious narcissism…”
Stating that democracy cannot exist where despotism prevails, Tarhan said that “Despotism rejects participation. In despotism, there is rey-i vahid (a singular opinion). What one person says goes. It is like one-party republics. All power rests in one person. In Münazarat, it says, ‘Power should reside not in individuals but in laws.’ The fourth element is consultation (meşveret) and council (şura). Decisions are made in assemblies. If there is rey-i vahid, if power rests in individuals rather than laws, and if the system of consultation does not function, then there is despotism and no democracy. Bediüzzaman essentially defines democratic culture.He saved the most striking one for the sixth point. Even now, the West has started to fall victim to this illness: menfaat-i şahsiyesine himmeti hasretme, that is, dedicating one’s efforts to personal gain. This means an increase in people who only work for themselves. This is called narcissism. There is also religious narcissism. This occurs when someone centers their own way of thinking or sect while excluding others. This, too, is religious narcissism. For example, during the Umayyad period, non-Arabs were called mawali and treated as second-class citizens. This is religious narcissism and racism, and it contradicts the essence of Islam. The most prominent characteristic of a narcissist is exaggerating their virtues and blaming others for their flaws. Such individuals rarely trust anyone and want to control everything.”
“Hutbe-i Şamiye equals explaining the wrongs of despotism”
Stating that people should act with internal motivation rather than external motivation, Tarhan said that
“Hutbe-i Şamiye equals explaining the wrongs of despotism. We need to know this. If we raise awareness about these illnesses, we will find Hedef-i İlahi (the Divine Goal). That is when God’s help arrives. During the Age of Bliss (Asr-ı Saadet), the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was offered, ‘Become the ruler of Mecca, abandon your cause, and we will let you marry whoever you wish.’ He refused. He stayed in Mecca for 13 years. Not a single weapon, not a single act of violence—only prophetic morality. Look at the life of the Prophet. If he had acted strategically within the framework of prophetic morality, he would have accepted the rulership of Mecca, established the system, and declared, ‘Now everyone will become Muslim.’ But what would have happened then? It would have ended after his death because he would not have created a civilization. To build a civilization, he had to establish a system that continued to function even after his death. For 100 years, the companions who grew up in that wild society went as far as Andalusia. How did he instill this motivation? This cannot be achieved without internal motivation. Nowadays, we try to mobilize people through external motivation. Awakening people’s aspirations requires internal motivation. As a remedy for despair, for example, he proposes el-emel. El-emel has two meanings. One is hope, and the other is ‘to have a project.’ In other words, a person with a project has an idea. Then, the project is planned, its logical framework is established, and steps are taken toward that project. A strategic roadmap is created. Thus, the word el-emel not only signifies not losing hope in God’s mercy but also having a project to transform this hope into action.”
“Those who cannot lead themselves cannot lead others”
Drawing attention to Bediüzzaman’s words about el-emel, Tarhan made the following remarks:
“Bediüzzaman said this in 1911:‘The verses of the Qur'an, at their beginning and end, refer matters to human intellect, saying, ‘Consider with your intellect. Consult your mind and heart; reflect, so that you may grasp this truth."For instance, look at the beginning and end of these verses. They say: "Why do you not look and take lessons? Look so you may know the truth. Understand!" "Know!" and "Realize!" "Pay attention to its truth!" Why cannot humans understand? Why do they fall into a complex ignorance (cehl-i mürekkep)? Complex ignorance still prevails among Muslims today. Complex ignorance means not knowing and not knowing that you do not know, that is, a complicated ignorance. Why do they not reflect? Why do they become fools? Why do they not look to see the truth? Why do humans not recall and reflect on the incidents of the world in their life’s adventure, so they may find the straight path? Why do they not ponder, contemplate, and reason logically, and instead fall into deviation? O people, take lessons! Learn from past ages to save yourselves from future spiritual calamities!’ These verses invite human intellect to consult itself, not others. Humans have three types of relationships: their relationship with themselves, with other people, and with God. He says to fix this relationship here. Start with your relationship with yourself. Those who cannot manage themselves, who cannot lead themselves, cannot lead others. Those who cannot discipline their own soul cannot reform others.”
"Those who hold the truth are not afraid of freedom"
Touching on the events in Gaza and the importance of today’s media, Tarhan concluded his remarks as follows:
“We are aware of the oppression happening in Gaza. There is truly a massacre going on there right now. We know this. However, if this were the media of the 1990s, we would only be learning about it through a few international channels. Right now, we say, ‘Thankfully, social media exists.’ Many conservative people who had a distant stance toward social media have now started using it. Because otherwise, you cannot reach the truth. Those who hold the truth are not afraid of freedom. Those who trust their ideas have no need for violence.Do not we trust the Qur'an today? Why, then, would we fear defending the Qur'an’s ideas and resort to violence? If you trust that the Qur'an is the truth, you will take its ideas and present them to this age’s understanding. You will present them to your children, to your family…”
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