Şabeddin Başaran, spoke to Ilke News Agency about Mullah Muhammed Said Varol, who died in a traffic accident on June 12, 2018, elaborating his scientific ability, his loyalty to the Islamic cause, his exemplary character as well as the difficult experiences that he went through in his life.

Edip Gümüş and Muhammed Said Varol

Stating that he met Mullah Muhammed Said Varol in 1988 when he was a student, Şabeddin Başaran, one of his friends, said: “There were Islamic and non-Islamic sides at that time. Vural carried out Islamic activities, preached and held conversations with young people, especially the students of high schools, in order to get the society to know their religion. He had a bookstore and I had a chance to see him there, too. In addition, especially during Ramadan, He used to hold conversations in the mosques and the gardens around Silvan town of Diyarbakır province, where we used to live. I met Vural during those conversations.”

Şabeddin Başaran

“Love and affection used to grow in the heart of those who saw him”

Başaran said: “When I first met him in the bookstore, I had a love and affection for him. Of course, it's not just me, but I found out later that other friends of mine had had the same feeling. Other friends also stated that when they first saw Vural, they felt that Allah had put a love and affection into their hearts. Vural was one of the righteous servants of Allah, whose love was drawn into the hearts. Many of my friends says, 'when we went to the bookstore, if Mullah Said was there, we would go into the shop and sit down and even want to stay long, if not, we would get out immediately '. He loved us just as we loved him. In fact, when I heard of his death, I had never felt so hurt as I felt sorry for his death. As a matter of fact, we lost many dear brothers and sisters, but the love and affection I had for him was different.”

“Of course, Vural was very effective on young people because of this love. Although Silvan is a small town, the activities of other friends had increased. But Vural’s influence on young people was very different, and we, as young people, were rallying around him. Personally, I used to like to go to the mosque where Vural is. When we heard that Vural would participate in the conversations held in the gardens, we would go running to participate in the conversations.”

“Allah had given him both foresight and courage”

Başaran went on to say: “Allah had given him both foresight and courage in those hard times. As well as the power of oratory bestowed upon him by Allah and the love and affection towards him that Allah placed in the hearts of people in his preaching, He also gave him wisdom, knowledge and courage in the troubled processes. So to speak, he was reckless, fearless. Thanks to the foresight bestowed upon him by Allah, he was doing very thorough conclusions and forward-looking analysis.

Muhammed Said Varol

"We used to feel safe with him"

“He was very talented in other aspects as well as in the Islamic knowledge. He was a scholar, and his oratory was very strong. His voice was low, his manner of speaking was very delicate. I mean, Vural was amazing in every way. We felt safe in those troubled processes because of his management qualities. Everybody in the town used to love him. In whatever he did, God would give him plenty. No one could complete a job as perfectly as he did. This is a God-given. To give an example of this; after a period of time, Vural went to another place to engage in Islamic activities and continued his activities there. Someone I knew from that city told me exactly: ‘When Vural came to our city, our activities expanded and our number increased. He brought blessings with him.' That's when I realized again that I was right in my thoughts.

Başaran concluded as follows: “The Muslims became victorious in Silvan and the oppressors were defeated by losing their power. Of course, Vural and the people around him played a big role in the victory. But I would also like to point out that even though 28 years have passed, we are still taking advantage of the benefits of those days. Had it not been for the altruistic struggles of Vural and her friends in those days, today the oppressors would not have allowed us to raise our heads. Thanks to those days, we can continue our Islamic activities today, and our children can go to school and mosque with peace of mind. So, we must remember them with mercy and pray to them and their families.” (ILKHA)