The civilization carried by the sacrifice: from Turkey to the oppressed regions of the world

A self-serving discourse in the name of nationhood is rapidly distancing the rising generation even from being national. It produces a selfish personality that, when the occasion arises, shows not the slightest sacrifice even for its own nation. It nurtures a character, "shrewd" in its own estimation, that presents the responsibility that must be shouldered in the name of the nation as a corvée and tries, if possible, to evade every kind of duty to the homeland.

From this character emerges a model of political, economic, and social behavior that, once it catches hold of the haram, never looks at the halal, and regards every kind of corruption as its own right. The generations produced by our 100 years of national-nationalist education are, unfortunately, one of the most important reasons for our present sorry state. The insensitivity displayed, when occasion arises, toward the refugee and toward other nations becomes another manifestation of mercilessness toward one another, of a ruthless, cutthroat wolf-against-wolf competition.

Thank God, Turkey is not only this. Although our general education is inclined to raise such a character, the shiars that our Lord has placed in the heart of this nation, like educational institutions, raise a completely different type of human being: There are good people, people rushing to do good, people competing with one another in doing good. The institutions that our Lord has placed and that work like educational institutions are acts of worship such as Ramadan, Zakat, infaq, and Qurban. Although they tried to uproot this religion to its very marrow, these institutions, which have permeated down to the cells of the nation, could not be uprooted and cast away, and this society's quality of being a nation was revived from these institutions.

As the Feast of Sacrifice approaches, the activities of a great army of volunteers who rush to every part of the world to organize sacrifices, and who build the Turkish nation's bridges of sacrifice to the world's especially afflicted, oppressed, and impoverished geographies, create a truly magnificent sight. The humanitarian aid and sacrifice activities extending from Turkey to the four corners of the world over the last thirty years are in fact an indicator of a much deeper social and moral transformation.

The sacrifice work that Turkey-based foundations and associations carry out today in Palestine, in Gaza, in the Arakan refugee camps, in Somalia, Niger, Chad, Sudan, and in the remotest regions of Africa is not merely an aid activity. These are also concrete manifestations of a person's ability to transcend his own comfort zone and share in the pain of other people, of ummah consciousness, and of universal human responsibility.

The most striking side of these efforts is the human stories behind them. In previous years I had presented these human stories as "Here are fine examples for those who ask, 'Where is our youth?' These young people are of course an inheritance from the past, but beautiful, open, and courageous hearts that will build the future."

Young people who on holiday days choose refugee camps rather than vacation resorts, doctors, engineers, teachers, and volunteers who spend their annual leave in African villages or in regions where war victims live... This is the point that should truly be noted.

Let us remember that the real meaning of qurban is not only giving but drawing near, and that "qurbiyyat" at the root of the word expresses exactly this. To draw near to people while drawing near to God; to be able to make the pain of the oppressed in any corner of the world one's own concern...

Our esteemed friend Vahdettin İnce, with his usual refinement, has very beautifully shown, with sound anecdotes, that Islamic civilization is also somewhat a "civilization of sacrifice." Yes, one can apply to Islamic civilization the description of a civilization of fiqh, a civilization of waqf, but it can also be characterized as "a civilization of sacrifice that brings the distant near." When Muslims gather a little strength, these characteristics emerge as the inevitable manifestations of the commands of sacrifice, zakat, and infaq, which were placed within them as shiars by their Exalted Lord.

A sacrifice delivered to Gaza is not only meat distributed to a hungry family. It is also a message of "you are not alone" to a besieged people. A sacrifice sent to the Arakan camps is not only an aid package; it is a hand of brotherhood extended to forgotten people. A sacrifice slaughtered in the poor regions of Africa is not only food support but a powerful reminder of the universality of human dignity.

When the work of organizations operating in Turkey such as İHH, the Turkish Religious Foundation (Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı), Cansuyu, Yetim Vakfı, Deniz Feneri, Sadakataşı, Beşir Derneği, Acil-Der, Siirt Vakfı, Hayrat, the Human and Civilization Movement, and many similar ones is evaluated in this light, what confronts us is not only a network of aid but also a movement of conscience operating on a global scale. As far as I follow, all of these organizations do not only organize sacrifices; they also carry out orphan sponsorship, education, health, eye surgeries, water projects, circumcision, emergency aid to war and disaster zones, and services for refugees.

More importantly, these activities leave a transformative effect on the new generations. Because the young people who take part in sacrifice organizations grow up seeing up close the suffering of people living in other parts of the world. Thus qurban turns not only into an act of worship but into an education in compassion, solidarity, responsibility, and the sense of justice.

Perhaps this is one of Turkey's most important achievements today: That it has been able to raise a human resource that can look at the world not only through relations of interest but from the perspective of moral responsibility.

For this reason, when evaluating sacrifice activities, one should look not only at how many animals were slaughtered but at how many hearts drew closer to one another. Because the real success lies more in the bridges of brotherhood that are built than in the meat distributed. Indeed, the other activities too are activities that provide this closeness, that perform the function of qurban within their remit, that build bridges, that bring the distant near.

The real blessing of qurban also emerges here: In bringing people closer to one another, in making the pains of different corners of the world a subject of a shared conscience, and in teaching new generations the meaning of sacrifice, sharing, and responsibility.