Skip to main content
Home
Science
Environment
Health & Medicine
Matter and beyond
Science square
Science world
See, think, believe
Belief
Believing
Sufism
Lead Article
Religion
Questions and Answers
Spirituality
Dialogue
Humanities
A Moment for Reflection
Book Review
Culture & Society
Education
History
Literature & Languages
Psychology
Archives
Blog
Videos
Talks
Subscribe
Home
Science
Environment
Health & Medicine
Matter and beyond
Science square
Science world
See, think, believe
Belief
Believing
Sufism
Lead Article
Religion
Questions and Answers
Spirituality
Dialogue
Humanities
A Moment for Reflection
Book Review
Culture & Society
Education
History
Literature & Languages
Psychology
Archives
Blog
Videos
Talks
Subscribe
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
In Pursuit of the Brightest Stars
The Fountain
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…
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Arriving at Eternal Love
Lyndsey Eksili
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.
To Allah we belong, and indeed to Him we shall return
Khalif Syed Mohammed Sadiq Raza
Hodjaefendi Fethullah Gülen: A Personal Appreciation
Paul Weller
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
He Lived Because He Loved
Ahmad Rehab
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…
Education and Peace for All
Laila Muhammad
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.
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.
In Memory of Our Esteemed M. Fethullah Gülen
Arzu Ahmadzai
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.
God’s Voice Gift Which Has Suddenly Got Silenced
Felix Kaiza
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
M. Fethullah Gulen
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).
Not a Void, But an Inspiring Force
Kareem Irfan
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.
Syed Muhammed Fethullah Gülen and the Relevance of His Legacy
Anwar Alam
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.
A Hero Who Does Not Disappoint
Greg Barton
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…
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…
A Lifetime Dedication to Service
John Ederer
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…
Childhood Memories With Fethullah Gülen
Ceyda Sablak
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.
Seeing the World Differently Through Gülen
Simon Robinson
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.
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.
Ruminations on the Transition of Hocaefendi
Ori Z Soltes
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.
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.
Fethullah Gülen, Hizmet, and the Path Forward
Yakov Nagen
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.
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.
Destined to Leave a Lasting Impact
Paolo Branca
The late charismatic leader, founder of the expansive movement aptly named Hizmet (Service), was truly one of the most significant contemporary Muslim intellectuals.
Humanitarian legacy of Fethullah Gülen
Farid Esack
Wherever the Hizmet Movement has planted its seeds, its work has been characterised by serious attempts to engage — not proselytise — people of various communities.
Gülen for a Reconciled World
Braam Hanekom
Fethullah Gülen was a leader, a reformer, but above all a spiritual leader who was true to his spiritual foundations, but strived for a new, united, reconciled world.
In Memoriam Fethullah Gülen
Margaret A. Johnson
Although some might describe Hocaefendi as “old-fashioned,” there’s no doubt, but that he was a man of the times in which he lived. He encouraged the community to read their time well.
The Wellspring of Humility
Wahbi Long
I never had the honour of meeting Ustadh Fethullah Gülen, but the only answer to these questions that suggests itself is this: the faithfulness of the student is surely a reflection of the immeasurably greater faithfulness of the teacher.
He Lives On
John Cardinal Onaiyekan
The late Gulen was a man of great reputation for many people all over the world as an advocate for peace and harmony in our modern, divided and ever dividing world.
Rest in Peace
Tushar Gandhi
A great loss to humanity
In Honor of Mr. Gülen
Aaron Cohen
Despite the depredations they continue to suffer, the students of Mr. Gülen I know are not bitter. Indeed, they continue to plant the seeds of respect, human kindness, learning, charity, and peace, for those are the pillars of their faith.
Respected Teacher
Sudheen Kulkarni
May Gülen's legacy of Islamic contribution to a peaceful and spiritually evolving multi-religious world continue to guide both Muslims and non-Muslims.
Fethullah Gülen Hocaefendi and His Will
Mehmet Enes Ergene
As a note for history, I can attest to this through my own observations, using Rumi’s metaphor: not only was Hocaefendi’s pillow thorny, but his entire bed and cover seemed laden with thorns. He lived his entire life that way.
The Fethullah Gülen I Came to Know
Jon Pahl
When we last met, he was very frail, but still mentally sharp. He shared with me a copy of the Albanian translation of my biography of him. And he paid me a compliment I’ll never forget: “Jon, you’ve done more than a thousand Muslims.”
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
