TARHAN-İDER Foundation and RINAP members gathered at the traditional iftar program

The Board of Directors of the TARHAN-İDER Foundation and members of the Risale-i Nur Research Platform (RINAP) came together at the traditional iftar program organized on the occasion of the month of Ramadan. Messages of unity, solidarity, and hope were shared during the program, which was marked by a strong spiritual atmosphere. In his speech, Chairman of the Board of the Foundation Prof. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that Ramadan is a period of psychological and spiritual purification. He underlined that Ramadan offers an important opportunity to discipline the ego within the individual.

The traditional TARHAN-İDER Foundation iftar gathering, held regularly every year, took place with great participation. The program, organized at the Üsküdar University NP Health Campus, brought together members of the TARHAN-İDER Foundation and the Risale-i Nur Research Platform (RINAP).

The program began with the recitation of the Holy Qur’an. Prayers were offered for those who had passed away, and appreciation was expressed to those who contributed to the organization.

Chairman of the Üsküdar University Board of Trustees Furkan Tarhan and TARHAN-İDER Foundation Board Member Fırat Tarhan also attended the iftar program. Speaking at the event, TARHAN-İDER Foundation Chairman Prof. Nevzat Tarhan highlighted the spiritual and psychological dimensions of Ramadan.

“Ramadan is an important opportunity to discipline the ego within us”

Stating that Ramadan is a period of psychological and spiritual purification, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan said that this time offers an important opportunity for individuals to confront their inner world. Tarhan said, “Ramadan should teach us not only to stay hungry but also to be patient. It should teach us not only thirst but also gratitude. It should remind us not of loneliness but of brotherhood. I liken Ramadan to a psychology laboratory. It is a laboratory where emotions such as haste, impatience, anger, and intolerance, which are especially common among young people today, are processed. In a way, it is an important opportunity to discipline the ego within us. In fact, more important than hunger and thirst during Ramadan is being able to experience feelings of patience, gratitude, and hope.”

“The most important thing is not to lose patience, gratitude, and hope”

Drawing attention to the atmosphere of brotherhood and solidarity fostered during Ramadan, Prof. Tarhan emphasized that the spirit of unity comes before everything else. Tarhan said, “When Bediüzzaman Said Nursi was in Isparta, some of his students from Konya came to him and complained, saying, ‘This person is doing such and such, we cannot continue our service here.’ Another student came at a different time and made similar complaints. To both of them, at different times, he gave the same response: ‘I do not expect service from you. I expect you to get along. I expect affection. I expect brotherhood.’ That is truly what matters. Ramadan is also an opportunity for this. These are days when we should focus not on differences but on similarities. Life passes one way or another, but the most important thing is not to lose patience, gratitude, and hope. The world is not getting worse. Some people constantly look at television, their surroundings, or the virtual world and feel pessimistic, but that is not the case. History moves like a sinusoidal line. When wrongdoing increases and its consequences become visible, the value of goodness is understood, and goodness begins to rise again. Hopefully, we will be among those who do good in this period as well.”

The iftar program concluded with evening prayers following the recitations.