In a powerful khutbah delivered on December 4 2020, Ayberk Efendi reminded us that true proximity to the Divine is never attained through oppression or worldly power. He began with the Qur’anic call: “O believers, fear Allah and obey Him.” From this timeless injunction he drew a deeper insight about friendship, truth, and the spiritual pitfalls of our age.
The Higher Truth Beyond National Proverbs
A familiar saying in Turkish circles holds that “a Turk has no friend except another Turk.” While it may echo cultural solidarity, Ayberk Efendi invited us to look beyond such worldly measures. For a servant of Allah, the only true companion is the truth itself—Allah alone. This reality surpasses any ethnic or social bond and anchors our hearts in an everlasting relationship with the Divine.
When Tyranny Becomes a Test
In today’s world, many who have drifted away from scholars and authentic guidance may mistakenly be drawn toward tyrants, hoping that oppression will somehow bring them closer to Allah. The khutbah explained that if God cannot awaken remembrance through learned teachers, He may allow the harshness of tyranny to serve as a corrective force. Yet this is not an endorsement of oppression; it is a reminder that every trial contains a hidden mercy. As the Qur’an says, “In every hardship there is relief, and in every relief there is a test.”
Ultimately, each soul will find Allah either through the clear light of scholarly counsel or through the stark darkness of tyrannical circumstances. The path of tyranny is not a prescribed route but an inevitable test for those who have turned away from true guidance. Our ultimate return—“to Him we shall all return”—remains unchanged, and it is through sincere remembrance that we become among the understanding.
We are encouraged to seek Allah’s presence first through the counsel of learned scholars, whose words illuminate the heart without the need for suffering. By doing so, we align ourselves with the mercy of the Almighty, who watches over every servant, even those who wander.
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