A life in tears: understanding Fethullah Gülen and his call to service

Muhammed Fethullah Gülen is the most influential and controversial spiritual leader of our time. He is indeed a leading figure in the current Turkish socio-political context. While for many he is the inspirational Islamic scholar who promoted education and global dialogue, the authoritarian Turkish state sees him and the Hizmet Movement he inspired as a threat to their status quo. Regardless of the impression different circles have about him, it is universally acknowledged that he has had a life in tears dreaming of a “golden generation,” but also a life spent in persecution and ongoing trials. Like many independent thinkers, he is an accomplished author and scholar who have had to pay a high toll for his efforts to remain free from political influence. This book goes beyond the current controversy around his name, and tries to explore Gülen as a scholar around his certain personal traits and some of the key concepts he has been emphasizing over the years to mobilize his audience. Based on a research that covers over seventy books, 564 sermons, over 500 talks by Gülen, more than fifty interviews of his close associates and friends aired on TV networks, and the author’s personal observations, this book is a useful reference for those who study scholarly traditions of Islam in general and Fethullah Gülen in particular.