In this sohbet, Sheikh Bahauddin Adil Efendi turns to the education of our children and invites us to look beyond the familiar idea that success is measured by titles, degrees or professional status. Every child, he reminds us, arrives already endowed with a divine identity and purpose, and true learning must honour both mind and soul.
State and society urge parents to send their children to school, stressing literacy, mathematics and “intelligent” minds; “our children should become doctors, engineers, useful citizens” is heard everywhere. Sheikh Bahauddin asks whether this focus truly serves the child’s deeper well‑being. When a child is only three or five years old, are we ready to decide the path they must follow? He points out that nature already distinguishes each being: Allah gave femininity to the female and masculinity to the male, just as a cat instinctively follows its counterpart and a male bird builds a nest for its mate. For him, these patterns show that gender is not merely a social construct but a divine gift, and that we should respect the order God created.
Beyond this, Sheikh Bahauddin speaks of serkilasyon – the completion of the inner spiritual circle. When each person recognises their unique, divinely appointed role and education takes this into account, the world begins to “see how many corners it truly has.” When schooling supports spiritual growth rather than only feeding the intellect, humanity comes closer to a harmonious whole.
We are invited to reflect on how our educational choices can nurture both the heart and the mind of the next generation. More of Sheikh Bahauddin’s talks and writings can be found in our digital library: Royal Ottoman Society Library.
