Table of Contents
Hizmetpedia
The feelings and thoughts, noble ideals and texts of the venerable Fethullah Gülen and Master Bediüzzaman Said Nursi are indispensable sources of inspiration for the mental and spiritual nourishment of the volunteers and sympathizers of the Hizmet Movement. It is an important duty to classify these corpora in a way that can be shared and updated, to compile the body of knowledge and practices of the Hizmet Movement, to transfer these resources to future generations, to keep the cultural and spiritual heritage alive, and to reproduce knowledge and wisdom.
For new generations to benefit more from these sources, there is a need for the definition and classification of the concepts mentioned in these resources with intertextual references. Intertextuality is a means of inspiration.
Concepts serve to comprehend meanings. Concepts in the mind refer to the external facts. If contemplation corresponds to the truths and laws of life, verification takes place. The verified concepts are assimilated and the light of the meanings settles in the heart. Concepts serve as keystones in the construction of a civilization. Works and institutions remain alive with spirited concepts and meanings. The vivid notions in minds, hearts, and spirits lead to revivals in culture, art, and knowledge.
Hizmetpedia is an attempt to elaborate and preserve the concepts mentioned in the works of Nursi and Gülen by making use of the common insight and wisdom literature of humanity, and to convey these concepts and meanings to world languages.
We will describe these concepts, depict the semantic fields of notions by making quotations from the works of Nursi and Gülen, refer to the resources that include wise judgments and universal principles, which are determined by the experts from different cultures with a sincere epistemic curiosity, and make connections with the related concepts.
Methodology
The concepts are used in the main sources of the Hizmet Movement. A concept is usually defined by referring to dictionaries and encyclopedias, and if there is a special meaning attributed to the concept by the Hizmet Movement, it is briefly stated. Then, a semantic framework is drawn by making quotations from the main sources.1) In addition, hyperlinks are made to other concepts that are mentioned in each page.
The concepts are compiled and written in Turkish, translated into other languages, and added to the site by a group of editors. In the light of feedbacks and comments, the concepts are regularly reviewed by the editors. By considering the cultural subtleties in different languages, the editors make some adaptations, and refer to reliable sources for those who want to obtain detailed information.
Logo
The “red bird” represents the inspirations and epiphanies that awaken the spirit and the heart.
Red represents metanoia (spiritual conversion). Red is connected with irfan (gnosis or spiritual knowledge).2) Nursi has chosen this color for the covers of his books, The Risale-i Nur Collection (The Collection of the Treatises of Light).3)
“… one manifestation of the Divine Name the All-Living, which is one of the Divine Names that have all-encompassing manifestations or one of the six lights of the All-Encompassing Name of God, appeared to my mind from afar in the month of Shawwal while in Eskişehir Prison. It was not recorded at that time; we could not capture that sacred bird.”4)
“The spirits awakened to the truth, who turn their hearts into bright mirrors shining with the Divine Self-disclosures, go hunting these Self-disclosures on their prayer rugs.”5)
“The spirits awakened to the truth or on the way to it are constantly vigilant for hunting the Divine Self-disclosures, mysteries, inspirations, and other blessings such as experiences of knowledge of God, intense love for Him, and spiritual delight. As for those unaware of the truth and what is right, who have given in to worldliness, they neither feel the breezes of Divine manifestations nor experience the excitement of pouring an inspirational blessing to the cup of their heart.”6)