In the “Psychology Talks from Existence to the Search for Meaning” program, which focused on Ramadan, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that Ramadan is an important period for people to remember their servitude to God. Tarhan stated that the ego desires endlessly, is greedy, insatiable, limitless, irresponsible, and like a wild horse, and that Ramadan is a significant period for disciplining the ego. Tarhan said, “If we give command to the heart, we will be on the good side; if we give command to the ego, we will be on the side of the wicked.”
This week, during the “Psychology Talks from Existence to the Search for Meaning” with Üsküdar University Founding Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan, organized by the Conscience of the Age Club with the support of the Üsküdar University Health, Culture and Sports Department, the month of Ramadan was discussed.
“If there were no fasting, the severity of hunger and poverty would not be comprehended.”
Making striking evaluations about the month of Ramadan, Tarhan emphasized that this important time we are in is a period of social awareness. Tarhan stated that if there were no fasting, it would not be understood how severe hunger and poverty are; “Allah invites the rich to help the poor; in other words, the test for the rich is to help the needy. The test for the poor is to not rebel against this situation, but to be patient and work. The rich can fully feel the pitiful conditions and hunger of the poor through the hunger experienced during fasting. If there is no fasting, the severity of hunger and poverty and how much those in this situation need compassion cannot be comprehended. That compassion is actually a form of gratitude; when we say ‘gratitude,’ we always understand the word ‘Alhamdulillah,’ yet showing compassion, helping someone who has fallen, and aiding someone in need are also forms of gratitude. A beautiful example in our culture during Ramadan is going to the neighborhood grocer, taking the credit ledger, tearing out the pages, and paying the debts. Zakat is actually given once a year, but people time it with the month of Ramadan for greater reward, as it is a blessed month. Zakat is the debt of the rich to the poor; Zakat is not the property of the rich; after one year, one-fortieth of that money is the right of the poor. Unpaid Zakat will be given as a piece of fire into that person's hand; it is a violation of human rights (kul hakkı - right of others). No one can go before Allah with this. Humans mistakenly believe fleeting, temporary things to be eternal.” he said.
“The Quran imposes chivalry and Zakat obligation against global inequality”
Stating that compassion and mercy strengthen social bonds, Tarhan drew attention to some rules implemented by Islam, such as the prohibition of interest, to prevent global inequality. Tarhan said; “With the month of Ramadan, practices that increase compassion lead to the rich noticing the poor, and the poor not harboring malice, anger, or hatred towards the rich. The mentality of ‘What do I care if someone else starves to death!’ is the biggest cause of social chaos, conflict, and rebellions. Today, global inequality is at an extreme level. At the World Economic Forum 2019 meeting held in Davos, it was decided that there are three dangers awaiting the world. These are; loneliness, climate change, and global inequality. The Holy Quran imposes chivalry (mürüvvet - generosity, nobility) and Zakat obligation against global inequality. This means you either put your money to work or you pay Zakat. In such situations, people are forced to make their money work, fearing it will erode if idle, thereby pushing themselves to support economic activity. The logic of 'you work, I eat' leads to interest. With the money earned from interest, one travels the world and enjoys themselves without working at all, while in another sector, many companies work day and night to pay off debts incurred from interest, leading to bankruptcy. Economies collapse due to interest, people go bankrupt, and states go bankrupt due to their debts. Islam also brings the prohibition of interest against this danger, which is a rule that regulates social life. Especially in Ramadan, it prepares the ground to draw attention to this.” he stated.
“If we give command to the heart, we are heading in a good direction; if we give command to the ego, we are heading in a bad direction”
Tarhan stated the need to raise awareness about controlling the ego during Ramadan, emphasizing that if we give command to the heart, we will be on the good side, and if we give command to the ego, we will be on the side of the wicked. Tarhan said; “The ego desires endlessly; it is greedy, insatiable, limitless, and irresponsible. The ego ceaselessly desires like a wild horse. The ego desires, but because the soul connects with conscience, it tells the ego to stop, to brake. The heart and soul are on one side; the ego and Satan are on the other; there is a balance. Reason says not to obey the ego; reason synthesizes here, we use our partial free will with reason. The inclinations of Satan and the ego are malevolent inclinations, while the inclinations of the soul and heart are benevolent inclinations. With our reason, we choose one of these inclinations. If we give command to the heart, we are heading in a good direction; if we give command to the ego, we are heading in a bad direction. Reason only makes us choose; if you give command to the heart, you stay away from error by connecting with Allah. If you give command to your ego, it is self-serving, greedy, insatiable. It has recently been understood that positive and negative emotions are divided into two in our brain; if a person, when something comes, says 'this is from good emotions,' it goes to the positive files of the brain; if they say 'this is bad,' it goes to memory files related to bad behaviors, and accordingly, chemicals in the brain become active. If one thinks of it as malevolent, avoidance and fear arise. If one thinks of it as benevolent, compassion and cooperation occur, and the brain starts secreting hormones related to it. We actually receive the upfront payment for thinking good or bad in this world.” he explained.
“In Ramadan, everyone, from the richest to the poorest, understands that they are not the owner!”
Tarhan conveyed that in the holy Ramadan, everyone, from the richest to the poorest, remembers that they are not the owner but a servant (abid); “Modern people eat insatiably, live in luxury, and throw half of it in the trash. They usurp the rights of the poor. If your neighbor is hungry and you throw half your food in the trash, the One who gives these blessings will call you to account. The Prophet Muhammad says, ‘He who sleeps full while his neighbor is hungry is not one of us.’ In the holy Ramadan, everyone's ego, from the richest to the poorest, understands that they are not the owner (malik) but the owned (memluk)! It tells the ego, ‘You are not the owner, you are owned, not free, you are a servant.’ Emotional intelligence training has begun under the name of Positive Psychology. The most important thing it teaches us is that a person will not be spontaneously helpful unless expected, nor will a person be spontaneously good unless expected. The universe, family, society, system, education system, and state must expect them to be a good person; if not, when a person is not educated and is left to their natural flow, they become malevolent. Positive psychology tells us this. The person needs to be commanded to goodness. That is, their parents and the education system must approve of them being good. Only then will the person know their own boundaries and the boundaries of others, not infringe on others' rights, and cut off greed, insatiability, and limitlessness. Ramadan provides this. In Ramadan, the month reminds people of the thought, ‘There are hungry and poor people, I must know my place. I am not the owner; this property is not mine. I am a guest here.’ Adopting their servitude and worship, remembering that they are a servant, not a kind of earthly god, is true gratitude. Once they embrace their servitude and worship, if their head can go into prostration, prostrating means feeling one's helplessness and weakness before Allah.” he stated.
“Our desire for immortality is proof that there is life after death”
Tarhan emphasized that there is a causal link between our intellect, heart, emotional world, and eternity, noting that desires for perfection and immortality prove the existence of life after death. Tarhan said; “Evil was created for the understanding of good. Therefore, if there is no justice in this world right now, then there must be a Great Supreme Court after this world; otherwise, this world has no meaning. In this world, evil goes unpunished for many people, and many good people die as victims. If there is no life after death, there is no justice in this world. For the Creator of this world to make such an unjust thing is against reason and conscience. Therefore, since He gave us the desire to ask, He must have wanted to give us eternal life. Our faculty of reason, our faculty of heart, our faculty of emotion, our desire for eternity, perfection, and immortality are proof that there is life after death. Just as the existence of hunger in our stomach is proof of food, and if there is a causal link between them, there is a causal link between these faculties within us and the eternal realm. Therefore, we can find Allah through methods of reasoning, understand the afterlife, comprehend why we serve and the necessity of worship, and strongly, almost certainly, believe in the existence of eternal life. We see this with the eye of reason. Allah, as a secret of the test, does not show it with the physical eye. But He gave reason and says, ‘Search, find’; for the عارف (arife - one who knows), a sign is enough… Allah has given signs to that extent. Destiny says, ‘You have to make an effort; there's no such thing as a pear falling into your mouth already ripe.’ He gives a respite, but does not neglect. They ask Hz. Ali; ‘You worship so much, what if there is no Allah?’, and he replies; ‘If He doesn't exist, I lose nothing from my worship and servitude. I am happier, more peaceful.’ The things Allah asks are not impossible for us to do. He says you will be moral, honest, conscientious, fair, mindful of others' rights (kul hakkı), and you will not consume what is forbidden. ‘I gave you 24 gold coins, spend 1 of these 24 for me in worship,’ He says. ‘There are 24 hours in a day, spend 1 hour in worship; this is what I want; apart from that, you are free within the general framework.’” he concluded.