Last Updated on Wednesday, 13 May 2009 10:29 by Harun Tokak, Today's Zaman Wednesday, 13 May 2009 07:20
His white shirt and his carefully knotted tie would mingle in perfect harmony with his black suit, and his white hair would add another dimension to his maturity and exaltation. A profound delicacy, sensitiveness, sense of duty and humility were easily discerned from his manners. He would show care even to the smallest creature that most people would consider insignificant. Naturally, he would show special attention to every new person introduced to him.
Everyone wanted to be close to him. His arrival at conferences and his smiles would be welcomed like a sweet breeze in one's soul. Everyone would wait in patience to hear his wise words, which he would choose carefully, taking into consideration the theme of every conference.
His words would touch people's souls.
The meaningful speech he gave during the Harran Meetings held in Urfa in April 2000 is still remembered by everyone who was in the audience. During the opening ceremony of the meeting, conducted among the ruins of the first university established on the Harran plain, a soft breeze was carrying dust particles it had collected from here and there, pouring them on the crowd. He came to the rostrum with his black suit covered in dust.
"O God! You have covered our heads and clothes with the dust of Harran on this spring day. Cover in the same manner the sins we and our ancestors have committed so that our aged world can see spring once again," he said in a supplication that also served to remove the dust on our hearts.
Vatican’s İstanbul representative George Marovich
"I know that Muslims wake up before dawn to worship God. I, too, wake up at the same hour so that my supplications mingle with theirs," he would say. He loved all prophets. He was extremely happy whenever leaders from major world religions came together in İstanbul to pray to God for peace and hold fast-breaking dinners together other.
He nurtured a special love toward Fethullah Gülen Hocaefendi for his pioneering efforts in this respect.
"He is the Mevlana of our age," he would say.
His most ambitious project was to arrange a meeting between Gülen and Pope John Paul II.
He was summoned to appear before a court "on charges of arranging a meeting between Gülen and the pope."
This was the first time he appeared before a judge. Ahead of the hearing, he had cut a bundle of roses from the garden of his house and placed them in the room where he would pray to God and unburden his heart:
"O God! Jesus [peace be upon him] and Muhammad [peace and blessing be upon him] are now hand in hand in Paradise, walking in the company of angels. Then, why shouldn't we extend our hands to our Muslim sisters and brothers.
"Two-thousand years ago, about the mission of Jesus, the Apostles had said, 'O God! Note us as witnesses.’
"The person against whom I will testify is like Jesus. He, too, cries too much and smiles less. He, too, has not been understood by people. Like Jesus, he does not care about having children. But he has a big heart embracing all humankind. His heart is full of love for his nation. Against such a great person, my testimony must be clear and white like my hair. O God! Soothe my excitement, remove indecision from my tongue and accept my testimony! You, O God of leaning roses! Help me so that that love is not crucified."
When the judge asked, "How did you get to know Fethullah Gülen?" he replied: "I first knew him from the press. What he was talking about started to attract my attention. He was talking about love, faith and intercultural dialogue. I paid a visit to him and got a chance to know him better. Then I started to love him more, as I understood that he was a man of peace and love. Mr. Judge, we learned from him that Islam was based on love and tolerance. He has considerably influenced our Christian community. He has made us love Islam and Muhammad [peace and blessings be upon him]. As you might appreciate, such a person should be loved by all men."
In those days, one needed much courage to say these words. Yet he undertook his testimony before history and did not swerve under the burden of his responsibility. He was standing upright at a time when the hopes and dreams of the country were being shattered under the blows of a military coup.
He loved this country and had faith in its people.
On the day he accepted Turkish citizenship, he felt extremely happy, saying, "Another big dream of mine has come true."
Every year he would go to Rome and spend his summer holiday there. In July 2007, he cast his vote in the general elections before he flew to Rome.
Several days passed after his arrival in Rome. This historic city was bathing in the heat of summer. While he was standing with his close friends on a platform in a train station, he was mercilessly pushed from the platform toward an oncoming train. As he saw the wheels moving toward him, he thought his time to meet the Lord of Eternity had come.
The locomotive was moving toward him like a fire-spurting dragon. He thought that the bitter sound he heard was the last sound he would hear in this world.
After a series of operations, he felt well enough to return to İstanbul. Although he was told that traveling in his state would be too risky, he wanted to return to İstanbul and die there. He received treatment at a private hospital for a long time. Now he receives treatment from physiotherapists at the Artigiana Rest Home in Şişli.
Considerable time had passed since my last visit. A few days ago, my dear friend Cemal and I paid a visit to him. The sky was clear and beautiful. Spring had arrived like a whimsical queen and was watching the festival of the Judas trees on the hillsides along the Bosporus. When we stepped down the red cobblestone-paved stairs to reach the rest home, an official greeted us. "We have informed Monsieur Marovich that you have arrived. He is alone in his room," he said.
When we opened the door, he was sleeping alone in his bed. He was utterly exhausted and his face, slightly animated with a weak smile, had sagged. He had raised his quilt up to his breast and his luminous face was smiling like an innocent baby dreaming of angels in his sleep.
This spiritual man with utterly whitened hair was alone, completely alone. He was like a saint whose tomb had gone luminously white. This bright-faced man, who had nurtured enough love for all the people in the world, was sleeping peacefully. There was majesty in this tranquility.
We did not want to wake him up. We started to chat in muffled voices in the adjacent room. Yet it must be that he felt our presence and his eyes shone when he saw us.
He was glad to see us.
But he could not stand or walk without help from another person. This wise man, who would send soft breezes into everyone’s hearts with his sweet speeches at conferences, was now in this room alone. After chatting for a while, he said, "We did not read our daily prayer," and showed us the prayer book, "Cevşen," in his drawer. He could not bend to take it.
"O God, who sends cures to troubled people! O God, who brings relief to grieving spirits! O God, who causes dejected hearts to rejoice! There is none other than You to help us."
Before we departed, he took our hands into his considerably weakened, feeble and luminous hands and stared into our eyes.
True love is clean, pure and eternal and brings about mutual peace.
His eyes were full of love and peace.
This article was published in Harun Tokak's column in the Yeni Şafak daily.
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