Logical Brotherhood and Sisterhood

“… emotional aspect of fraternity is essential, but never sufficient. The matter of brotherhood or sisterhood, and alliance rest on volition rather than emotion, and to achieve it, one must be decisive, determined and diligent. Logical brotherhood and sisterhood, which implies that unity of belief entails unity of society, is more salient than emotionalism in what make believers love each other. For this reason, the Sage Bediüzzaman always taught us the logical aspects and dynamics of any matter at hand.¹⁾ Both of you serve the same One Creator, Sovereign, Object of Worship, Provider… so there are as many ties between you as there are Divine Names. Your Prophet, religion Islam, and qibla are one and the same, and the number of such ties amount to almost a hundred.”²⁾

“People are required to give their freewill its due for the sake of maintaining concord and alliance. Undoubtedly, ‘feelings’ of brotherhood or sisterhood in religion are important, but not sufficient. The matter of brotherhood or sisterhood, and alliance rest on volition rather than emotion, and to achieve it, one must be decisive, determined and diligent. The issue of logical brotherhood or sisterhood, and alliance is based on reason, logic, and willful choice rather than feelings; it takes resolution, determination, and effort to realize.”³⁾

“… from the first period on both emotional and logical brotherhood or sisterhood was dominant among those ‘human stars,’ may God be pleased with them. However, this brotherhood and sisterhood ran into worldliness, and the unity among them temporarily was broken. After this the purity of heart was not again represented. Can this level of brotherhood found in the golden age, where there was full sharing in both emotions and thought and in pain and pleasure, be regained? There is first a need for strong purification in order to form such brotherhood or sisterhood. In this context, ‘emotional’ aspect of fraternity is essential, but never sufficient. As is known, there is ‘emotional brotherhood or sisterhood’ among siblings, who come from the same parents, but they can fight with each other often over a simple inheritance issue; in fact, they can kill each other. Then the “emotional brotherhood or sisterhood” that holds blood siblings together is not sufficient for establishing brotherhood to the degree of the Companions. Besides, in this broad a circle, everyone’s best interest, emotions and understanding, taste, temperament and nature are different, so that it is necessary to add elements of reason to the establishment of true brotherhood or sisterhood.”⁴⁾

Türkçe