Reflections on the Qur'an

The Hizmet (service) movement associated with M. Fethullah Gulen (b. 1941), the Turkish theologian, is one of the most influential Muslim religio-social movements in existence globally today. Inspired by the work and example of an earlier Muslim reformer, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1874–1960), and both generalised and developed by Gulen’s own activities and writings, it aims to align Islamic thought with the requirements of modern scientific societies. Promoting high educational standards and attainment, pro-social service and inter-faith dialogue with religiously inspired modernisation, it offers a revitalised spirituality that is wedded simultaneously to orthodox Muslim practice and to the natural and human sciences which have lifted the material prosperity in particular of Western societies. In this collection of expositions of Qur’anic surahs, we meet Gulen, the state Hoja effendi, with his original pastoral and teaching concerns for those committed to his care. He memorised the Qur’an at a young age and testifies that he “began praying when I was 4 years old, and have never missed a prayer since” [Unal and Williams, 2000, p. 10]. Gulen dedicated himself early in his life to a simple lifestyle devoted to prayer, meditation, religious writing and teaching. Eschewing family life, he chose an ascetic’s path, devoting his life to prayer and religious pursuits and owning virtually no possessions. His ubiquitous writings cover a wide range of spiritual topics from questions put to the faith by the modern world to basic introductions to the teachings of Islam and Muhammad.