The Turkish people are perhaps passing through the darkest, most unconscious period of their history. What a tragedy that in an age where knowledge is most easily accessible, ignorance has reached its highest level. Ignorance is no longer merely not reading or not knowing; it has become willfully ignoring, mistaking lies for truth, and passing judgment without investigation.
A society that once took the command “Read!” as its guiding light has now forgotten how to read. Reading is no longer just combining letters; it is thinking, questioning, understanding, and learning. But a large segment of society has abandoned this. A mentality that recites the word faith by rote and turns the concept of religion into a commercial enterprise has reduced the essence of Islam to a tool serving its own interests.
The Caliphate, Islam, Muslimhood: So-Called Owners
Today, even sacred concepts such as “Caliphate,” “Islam,” and “Muslimhood” have become mere slogans used to steer the masses. A society that speaks of these words without knowing their meaning, without learning their history, without seeing the justice, conscience, and science at their core, is defiling its own faith with its own hands. Those who view religion as a closed system resistant to development are, in reality, killing the spirit of Islam — a spirit rooted in science, reason, and progress.
Ignorance in the Age of Information
Today, knowledge is everywhere. With a phone in our hands, we can reach the very secrets of the universe. Yet this easy access has driven people not toward knowledge, but toward laziness. People no longer read; they only listen. They do not question what they hear; they only share it. And worst of all, they live believing what they hear to be true.
The human of the social media age no longer thinks — they only react. Everyone speaks, but no one listens. Everyone thinks they know something, but no one seeks the truth. This is the most dangerous form of ignorance: “Not knowing that you do not know.”
Updating Religion or Updating the Mind?
In recent years, some have said, “We will update Islam.” Yet what needs updating is not religion, but the human mind. For religion is a timeless divine order; it is human capacity for understanding that is bound to time. A society that does not understand, no matter how many centuries pass, remains in the same place.
A Society That Sees, Hears, but Does Not Understand
The people of today have eyes that are open but blind; ears that hear but are deaf; tongues that speak but do not think. No one reads between the lines anymore; no one delves into the depths of meaning. Everyone lives in an echo chamber, believing whatever they hear.
Yet the pursuit of ‘ilm (sacred knowledge) is to seek, to research, to understand, and to convey.
When a society forgets the command “Read!” —
the future of that society is buried in the darkness of ignorance.