At a gathering on 7 November 2019, during our Mevlid-i Şerif pilgrimage, we had the privilege of asking Sheikh Mehmed Efendi directly about the dissent that sometimes surfaces within our circles regarding Ottoman history. The question was simple yet urgent: “What should we say to the voices that criticize the Ottomans and rally against them?”
Sheikh Mehmed’s reply was firm and compassionate, grounded in the relationship between the Ottoman legacy and the Divine.
The Ottoman Path Is One With God
He began by emphasizing that the Ottoman state always stood with the Almighty. “Either you stand with Satan or you stand with God,” he declared. In his view, siding with the criticism of the Ottomans therefore means siding with the forces that oppose truth and mercy.
The Sheikh reminded us that the Ottoman state served Islam for seven centuries, protecting the faith and its peoples with courage (mertlik). “They treated everyone with humanity,” he said, noting how the empire offered refuge to Turks, Armenians, Jews and many others. In his words, “the Ottomans gave freedom that Europe has never known.”
Service, Compassion, Honesty
Drawing on the teachings of our great master, Sheikh Nazım Kıbrısî, Sheikh Mehmed highlighted three virtues that defined Ottoman conduct:
- Goodness to others – a consistent practice of kindness and mercy.
- Compassion – an enduring concern for the welfare of all souls.
- Honesty – unwavering truthfulness in governance and in personal dealings.
These qualities, he explained, do not depend on any ethnic label; they belong to the community that follows the Sunnah, the path of the Prophet (peace be upon him), not merely to “Turkishness” or any other worldly identity.
Modern Misinterpretations
Sheikh Mehmed also addressed how contemporary narratives have distorted the Ottoman legacy. He warned against those who claim the empire was a flawed system that deserved to collapse, calling such voices hypocritical—speaking of peace while sowing division.
Many of these critics, he observed, are driven by the wish to exploit peoples for their own gain, echoing the “Western craft” that seeks to dismantle authentic Islamic governance.
Intention Matters: The Rome Journey
Asked about our trip to Rome on 2 November 2019—undertaken with the blessings of Sheikh Nazım Kıbrısî and Sheikh Mehmed Efendi—he stressed that intention (niyya) is decisive. The journey was made solely for the pleasure of Allah and to share the noble Ottoman heritage with others, not for any worldly recognition.
A Call for Unity
Sheikh Mehmed’s message is clear: criticism that stems from envy, falsehood or hatred toward the Ottomans has no place in a community rooted in truth. We are urged to uphold the spirit of service, compassion and honesty that the Ottoman tradition embodied.
May we, as members of the Royal Ottoman Society, take this guidance to heart, protect the legacy entrusted to us, and continue walking together on the path of our forebears.
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