Blessed Friday to You, Brothers and Sisters!
Our Lord Almighty enjoins in the verse I have recited: "And hold fast, all of you together, to the Rope of Allah (i.e. this Qur'an), and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allah's Favor on you, for you were enemies one to another but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brothers, and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes His Ayat clear to you, that you may be guided." 1
Our Prophet (s.a.w.) says in the hadith I have read: "Nobody who enters Paradise wishes to go back to the world even if he gets everything on the earth, except a martyr who wishes to return to the world so that he may be martyred ten times because of the dignity he receives (in the Paradise)." 2
Brothers and Sisters!
We have gone through great difficulties and trials as a nation. Not long ago, powers who are devoid of justice and humanity came at us with a rusted conscience at Çanakkale, Dumlupınar, and Sakarya to wipe us out and erase us from history. We have suffered one of the greatest treasons of our history on 15 July. We had a mighty power that gave us triumph in those hard times. This power was our firm belief in Allah. It was our love towards the homeland, adhan, flag and independence. It was our longing to become a veteran or a martyr.
Thousands of our sons and daughters have become martyrs in the east, west, north, and south for the religion and all sacred values, and we have transformed these lands into our homeland together. We have overcome all challenges by being servants of the Most Beneficent, converging on the same qiblah, our fondness towards each other, and our spirit of unity and solidarity.
Dear Believers!
We have been going through certain trials as a nation and as the Islamic ummah in the recent years. Those who want to weaken us and to pit Muslims against Muslims are coming at us with the weapons of sedition, terror, and treachery. They are trying to pull our country in the pits of fire they opened in all corners of the Islamic geography. Our independence and future are targeted through various tricks and plots, plans and traps. They are trying to drive the Islamic ummah to despair by threatening our unity and peace.
Honorable Brothers and Sisters!
Our noble nation will ruin the dark games played against them with their sagacity and foresight. We will overcome challenges once again in unison and fight the treachery off. Those who target this brave nation should know this very well: Our homeland comes first when we think of our most sacred values. We would live without food or water if needed, but we will never abandon freedom and independence, honor and dignity. We will be the shields for our sacred values but we will not waive an inch of our motherland.
This noble nation has preferred peace to war and coexistence to discord throughout history. Our core principle is to always stand by the oppressed and against their oppressors. It is to defend the right and the righteous. It is to be the hope for the homeless, downtrodden, refugee, and the needy. It is to offer help to the helpless.
We have supreme ideals as required by the concept of conquest in Islam. This ideal is the enrichment of the values, not exploitation of them. It is to offer peace, comfort, and civilization to the mankind. It is to strive to prevent what is bad and make goodness prevail. Today, the glorious struggle of our nation with its every member, be it a man or woman, young or old, and with our security forces is the manifestation of this spirit and ideal.
Honorable Believers!
As a nation, before Allah and before history, each one of us have duties and responsibilities for the sake of humanity. Let us continue to firmly unite our hearts with the fellowship of faith, in spite of those who want to play us against each other. Let us be alert to the plans that aim to fuel terror, sedition, and mischief. As our Poet of Independence said:
Isn't the faith one in the heart of our front;
The goal is the same; the joy, pain, conscience is one;
Doesn't a heart beat there, unceasingly,
Even if the world is destroyed, make no mistake, this front will stand firm!
Let us stay away from all kinds of words and actions that would harm the determination, fondness, unity and solidarity depicted in these lines.
Brothers and Sisters!
Let us ask our Almighty Lord together in this holy hour of Friday:
Our Lord! For the sake of all recitations of Al-Fath, give Your Help and Blessing to our brave soldiers and security forces fighting for our independence and future, our unity and solidarity! Grant us victory as a nation! Grant our martyrs Your Mercy and our veterans recovery!
O Allah! Do not allow success to those who set their eyes on our unity and peace, those who have plans against our honor and dignity! Protect our nation and the Islamic ummah against all kinds of enemies, outside or within!
Our Lord! Allow us to unite as a nation against those who feed on terror and violence, blood and tears, sedition, mischief and evil! Don't put this honorable nation to shame, for they have carried the banner of Islam for centuries and have been struggling to make Your Name heard under this sky!
1 Al-i 'Imran, 3/103.
2 Bukhari, Jihad, 21; Muslim, Imara, 109.
Issued by: General Directorate of Religious Services