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Theologically speaking, the universality of Muhammad’s (peace and blessings be upon him) message comes from the concept of one God who is the God of all, not only of Muslims. God describes Himself in the first chapter of the Qur’an, which is recited by all Muslims during t

In this article, I will try to summarize the concept of jihad and war according to the Qur’an, and analyze their practices during the time of the Prophet. As these concepts have often been confused, it has led to some common misjudgments about Islam. In the early years of Islam,

Question: Why are we not as concerned as we should be, in spite of the heart-rending incidents we encounter every day in our world? How do you think one should act in order to be a considerate believer in the sight of God? Answer: There are circles of concern for a person, from the cl

People of Action and Scholarly Ones Question: What are the lessons today’s believers should draw from the following Divine message: “Believers should not go forth to war all together. But why should not a party from every community of them mobilize to acquire profound, correct knowled

Islam and Being Human in the True Sense Question: You have stated that, “Islam, the All-Mighty Creator’s greatest and universal gift to all, can be actualized through being human in the true sense; the human is the spiritual index of all creation, by that which is made from the intell

Soil and Rose Question: In his work, Gulistan, Sheikh Sadi states: “Be soil, so that you grow roses; nothing other than soil can grow roses.” What meanings does this aphorism suggest pertaining to our understanding of servanthood to God? Answer: If we first look at the literal meaning

I am a practicing Muslim woman living in the USA. Practicing, you may ask? How much? How well? It’s between me and God, but I can assure you that I am more practicing than I was before. I wasn’t really practicing until I came to Istanbul to attend college. There, I was sha

A Comparative Approach to Islam and Democracy Fethullah Gulen has spent much of his life as a religious teacher in Turkey. He is author of more than forty books, most of them best-sellers in Turkey, and his writing appears regularly in Turkish journals. This article was translated fro

Adab: Education of One’s Ego – A Model for Gifted Education Sermed Ogretim Although some people deny the existence of super talents, rather seeing success as a result of extreme concentration and hard work, most people agree that there are individuals who are born with cer

As the group that calls itself Islamic State, known as ISIS, continues to produce carnage in the Middle East, Muslims must confront the totalitarian ideology that animates it and other terrorist groups. Every terrorist act carried out in the name of Islam profoundly affects all Muslim