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In Memoriam
Fethullah
Gülen

In Memoriam
Fethullah
Gülen

This is a special edition dedicated to M. Fethullah Gülen, our beloved teacher and writer, who contributed to our magazine from the very beginning. After a life of service to God and to humanity, Gülen returned to his Creator on October 20, 2024.

Writers
from Around the World

Writers
from Around the World

Fethullah Gülen

In Pursuit of the Brightest Stars

Fethullah Gülen, an influential Islamic scholar, dedicated his life to promoting education, dialogue, and peaceful coexistence. His teachings inspired the global Hizmet movement, which established numerous schools worldwide and fostered cross-cultural communication. Despite facing opposition and ex…

Fethullah Gülen

Hand in Hand, Heart in Heart

M. Fethullah Gülen

This compilation of excerpts from Fethullah Gülen's writings was read by Professor Scott C. Alexander during the funeral service on October 24, 2024 at the Skylands Stadium, Frankford Township, New Jersey.

Scott C. Alexander

The Light Remains

Scott C. Alexander

If our desire is to honor the memory and precious legacy of Hocaefendi, let us do what I know he would want us to do. Let us recognize and affirm that, although the lamp of his earthly life is no longer, the light of God endures.

Reverend Thomas Michel, S.J.

A True Companion

Fr. Thomas Michel, S.J.

Like many in Hizmet and beyond, I mourn his loss but find solace in the belief that he has achieved his eternal reward.

Jalal Ahmad Arabi

Exit of a Colossus

Jalal Ahmad Arabi

God has shown grace to Hocaefendi, a man of peace, understanding, and boundless humility. He exemplified simplicity and piety, teaching the world the beauty of sacrifice, the rewards of hard work, and the value of perseverance.

Charles Panganiban

The True Measure of Greatness

Charles Panganiban

Speaking of admiring greatness, I want to pay a humble tribute to a person who loved and cared for others in the same way one would take care of their family, even though he never saw them at all.

Lyndsey Eksili

Arriving at Eternal Love

My first meeting with Hocaefendi is a memory I will always hold dear. I shared with him how deeply his teachings had moved me, expressing how they had touched my life in ways words could hardly convey.

Khalif Syed Mohammed Sadiq Raza

To Allah we belong, and indeed to Him we shall return

Khalif Syed Mohammed Sadiq Raza

Paul Weller

Hodjaefendi Fethullah Gülen: A Personal Appreciation

The creative inheritance of Gülen will not be found so much in the substantive body of his inherited teaching, pregnant though that remains with matters that will remain important into the future

Ahmad Rehab

He Lived Because He Loved

Inna lilah wa inna ilayh rajeoon اللهم ارحم و اغفر لعبدك محمد فتح الله جولن و ارزقه الجنه و صبر اهله و اصدقائه We must remember one thing: Bodies leave but legacies live Souls “return” to Allah (what better place?) Legacies don’t leave us. and bodies never were the point. From dust to dust…

Sister Laila Muhammad

Education and Peace for All

This is his legacy: education and peace for all. As an African American (Bilalian), I resonate with and look forward to continued collaboration with the Hizmet movement. May their grief be comforted, and may it inspire them to work even harder for the causes of education and peace.

Rajendran Govender

A Beacon of Peace: Honoring the Legacy of Fethullah Gülen

Rajendran Govender

The passing of Mr. Fethullah Gülen is a profound loss to the global community. His life’s work was dedicated to service, education, and the unification of humanity through principles of dialogue, peace, and respect.

Arzu Ahmadzai

In Memory of Our Esteemed M. Fethullah Gülen

Our teacher’s passing has cast a profound sadness upon us all, for “the death of a scholar is the death of a world.” Thousands of students from every continent shed tears at our loss.

Felix Kaiza

God’s Voice Gift Which Has Suddenly Got Silenced

When a Turkish friend approached me strongly suggesting an article for The Fountain magazine on Fethullah Gülen’s death, from the African perspective, I wondered what he was up to. This left me with more questions than answers. How do I download the life of a moral philosopher, cleric, once declare…

Beyond the Cage of Flesh

Beyond the Cage of Flesh

M. Fethullah Gulen

Christoph Bultmann

Commemorating Fethullah Gülen

Christoph Bultmann

In this sense, as a biblical scholar, I would like to characterize Fethullah Gülen by quoting a verse from the Biblical Psalms: “By day the Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life” (Psalm 42.8).

Kareem Irfan

Not a Void, But an Inspiring Force

There was a unique personal connection, a spiritual exuberance, love, and goodness that surrounded him. He inspired this movement of millions to act gracefully in all circumstances, with affection and humility.

Anwar Alam

Syed Muhammed Fethullah Gülen and the Relevance of His Legacy

The inclusivity of Gülen’s Islamic thought, along with its philosophy of positive action and adaptive culture, enabled him and the Hizmet movement to thrive in diverse contexts—be they political, social, economic, modern, or traditional.

Greg Barton

A Hero Who Does Not Disappoint

I'm grateful for the opportunity of having known Hocaefendi. I mourn with his many friends and large global family at his passing. But I'm also grateful for a long life of service, a life filled with much sickness and being forced into exile, suffering persecution, but using that opportunity as a w…

Fethullah Gülen

One Who Has Reached (Wasil)

M. Fethullah Gulen

"Emerald Hills of the Heart" is one of the departments of The Fountain, which features an essay by Fethullah Gülen in the order as they appear in his eponymous collection. "One Who Has Reached (Wasil)" is published in this issue, not because of the choice of the editors, but simply according to the…

John Ederer

A Lifetime Dedication to Service

Many of his followers became journalists and writers; a large number of them – thousands and thousands of them actually – became schoolteachers, from elementary all the way to the top academics of graduate studies. Hizmet is this civilizational, Islamic grassroots movement started by Fethullah Güle…

Ceyda Sablak

Childhood Memories With Fethullah Gülen

I was 4 or 5 years old, so my memories are mostly snippets. Still, one is clear: I felt completely comfortable around Hocaefendi, free to be myself, even when the adults always told me to act differently —“Be quiet, stop running around, be respectful.” I was being respectful; I loved my Hocaefendi.

Simon Robinson

Seeing the World Differently Through Gülen

We had come to talk to him about dialogue and responsibility, and he was showing us what dialogue was about. At its heart is humility, a letting go of power.

Imam Syed Soharwardy

A Great Visionary

Syed Soharwardy

Mr Fethullah Gulen was a man of high moral and spiritual values. His message of tolerance and respect for difference of opinions will guide generations to come. May Allah grant him Jannatul Firdous and give patience to his family and the followers.

Ori Z Soltes

Ruminations on the Transition of Hocaefendi

More subtle is the sense of mourning for all of those younger people who are drawn to the values, principles, and teachings associated with Hocaefendi who had not yet met him in person and who will be deprived of that opportunity.

Azam Nizamuddin

Building Bridges

Azam Nizamuddin

His teachings are manifested not just in ideas that I read, but in people that we've all met and known. May his life inspire us to build bridges, seek understanding and serve humanity with love and compassion.

Yakov Nagen

Fethullah Gülen, Hizmet, and the Path Forward

I join you in mourning the passing of Hocaefendi, known to the world as Fethullah Gülen. It is with a deep sense of respect and reverence that I share my impressions of his profound impact on those who met him and studied his works.

Yakov Nagen

Fethullah Gülen: A Man, A Vision, A Movement

Francesco Zannini

Fethullah Gülen was a man of the people, thanks to his modest origins and the difficulties and sufferings he faced throughout his life, from which he drew the ability to deeply understand the needs of ordinary people, with a profound sense of empathy and altruism.

Paolo Branca

Destined to Leave a Lasting Impact

The late charismatic leader, founder of the expansive movement aptly named Hizmet (Service), was truly one of the most significant contemporary Muslim intellectuals.

When commanded by the One, I will march across as if to my 'wedding night."

When commanded by the One, I will march across as if to my 'wedding night."

M. Fethullah Gülen