NEWS
The book-analysis session of Bülbülzade Vakfı Education Unit was held on Friday, 31 October at the Zade Life Hotel conference hall, focusing on the book by former President of Turkey’s Religious Affairs, Ali Bardakoğlu, entitled “Rethinking Islam in the Triangle of Text, History and Society”. The event was moderated by İbrahim Kutlu Özmantar, and the author participated online. In addition to the foundation’s volunteers, many book-lovers attended the program with great interest.
In his remarks, Ali Bardakoğlu explained that in his work he examines in detail the issues to be taken into account in the approach to Islam, along with the methods that may be followed in this process and the conceptual framework on which the style of thought is based. He stated: “Islam is the last religion sent by God, and being a Muslim is our endeavour to live, apply and reflect it into our life. Therefore our Muslimness cannot be identical with, nor fully representative of, the Islam sent by God. None of us can be. Each of us is human, and with our own effort and understanding we have our own notion of being a Muslim and our own life. Sometimes we believe but cannot act. I wish we could apply everything we believe. Sometimes we know something is right but our will is weak. Religion and the Qur’an are not a book of information, they are a book of consciousness. That is, they load upon us the will, the awareness, the insight and the responsibility to reflect what we know into life.”
Bardakoğlu noted that the Qur’an was revealed in its time to say what needed to be said about religion in a proper, fitting and understandable way. He said: “The Qur’an’s main subject is our exalted Lord, getting to know Him, knowing our fundamental duty towards Him, feeling gratitude, giving thanks, and behaving in the world in a manner worthy of being a good human being, being the Khalīfah of Allah whom He entrusted with the responsibility, the consciousness of that quality. The Qur’an arrived as a form of address but it was a voice emerging from within history. And it reminded of the past prophets, reminded of the mistakes people made. What are the issues most often addressed in the Qur’an? The areas where people most often err and for which they are accountable.”
He emphasised that the Qur’an treats every event with its metaphysical dimension and the connection with God. He said: “The falling of rain, the thunder of the skies, the fruit-bearing of trees are not the Qur’an’s subject per se. But it speaks of those. ‘See the blessings of Allah on the earth, recognise them. Do not wander aimlessly on the earth. Open your eyes a little, open your heart-eye. Know the value of having been given so many blessings, then thank Allah, feel gratitude towards Him. Because we have two fundamental duties towards Allah. One: recognition, gnosis. Two: thanksgiving, gratitude. The worship we perform, the prayers we conduct, the recitations of al-hamdu are the responses to our gratitude and thankfulness towards Allah.” The book analysis programme ended after the Q & A session, with questions from participants and evaluations.
After the session, moderator İbrahim Kutlu Özmantar said that the book touches upon very important points — noting, “In our teacher’s book it is said that law can be used as a method, and the essential thing for the civilisational actor is that the chosen customary or civil law rule does not conflict with the main principles of Islam. And while explaining this he gives examples from Ottoman law. He says, ‘Law is minimal ethics’. Meaning: actually what law aims to do is to fill the gaps left by ethics. The main thing is ethics.” And with the questions posed by participants and the evaluations made, the book analysis concluded.
