Speaking at the opening of the program held at the Ankara Turkiye Diyanet Foundation Conference Hall, President of Religious Affairs Erbaş wished the program to be beneficial and blessed.

Erbaş stated that the Mawlid al-Sharif will be observed on the night of Friday, October 7th, and said: "The week of the theme of 'Our Prophet, Mosque and Faithfulness' that we have started came together one after another with 'Mosques and Religious Officials Week'. So, we will experience these two weeks together not for 1 week but for 15 days, Inshallah, with our people, we will try to handle this matter in many environments in all our provinces, our districts, at home and abroad.”

Emphasizing that the most basic obligation of a person is to know that he owes his wealth to Allah (swt), the only Owner, Erbaş said: “To always turn to the good, the right, the halal and clean; to avoid evil, sin, haram and munkar is one of our most important duties, for which requires irshad. Of course, every human being, thanks to his/her innate characteristics, has the equipment, the opportunity and the will to fulfill his obligations.”

Erbaş stated that there is a potential for people to tend to evil as well as good, wrong as well as right, haram as well as halal in their nature, and said that how to use this potential depends on one's own free will.

"People are in danger of alienation from the purpose of creation”

Stating that man is facing the danger of distancing oneself from the purpose of creation at any moment, Erbaş said the following: “This situation shows that a person needs a solid guide in his/her life journey. It shows that there is always a need for almighty guidance in order to use their preferences in favor of the good, right and halal. The need for an irshad that will protect a person from going astray when faced difficulties and troubles of life, challenges and difficulties of the world, that will help them be steadfast and show them the right way, is a truth that is as old as humanity. The first man is also the first Prophet. The phenomenon of irshad began with him, and all the Prophets pioneered it. Based on this need, Almighty Allah (swt) has shown the way to truth and salvation by sending revelations and messengers since the first man.”

“The most basic aim of revelation and prophethood is to inform people of their responsibilities and to show them the ways to live a rightful life,” Erbaş said.

“Since the first human and the first prophet, Prophet Adam, was sent to the world, all the messengers of Allah (swt) have strived to realize this ideal. For this cause, they showed the courage and resilience to give up worldly possessions; they put their lives on the path of announcement, invitation and guidance. In the essence of the announcement and invitation of the last prophet, Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (saw), is the same goal, the same determination and the same endeavor."

"Humanity will be in need of the Qur'an and the invitation of our Prophet until the Day of Judgment”

Noting that the Prophet (saw) came to earth, there was a hope of salvation for people who lost their way and were looking for the light of truth, Erbaş said: "The arrival of the Messenger of Allah (swt), the exemplary life that is a source of knowledge, wisdom, love has been an infallible guide on the path will bring humanity to eternal peace.  At that time, humanity is in need of the Qur'an and the

irshad, announcement and invitation of the Prophet (saw) as much as it was in need today. This need will always continue until the Day of Judgment.”

Stating that the Holy Qur'an is the truest guide who directs humanity to knowledge, truth, goodness, righteousness and beauty in all areas of life, Erbaş said: “It is a compass of life that will guide us until the day of judgment about the revival of human virtues; it is a guide that will lead us to the salvation of both worlds. In other words, we need to express on every occasion that all humanity needs to meet that guide, that murshid."

Erbaş stated that the world is struggling with crises, dangers and problems that threaten the future of societies, and continued as follows:

"On the one hand, invasions, wars, conflicts and terrorist incidents make life difficult for people; on the other hand, emerging ideological obsessions in which human, familial, moral and social values are disturbed and pushed away threaten the present and future of humanity. The fact that Muslims and the Islamic world have not been able to assume an effective and deterrent role in the face of all these events is the most serious aspect of the issue.  Unfortunately, today's Islamic world has not got rid of the mistake of considering dimensions, dispositions, racial and similar subordinate affiliations as reasons for separation. For this reason, acts of violence that destroy trust, cruelties that injure consciences and pitfalls of strife that dynamite our ummah unity keep wavering.”

"As humanity, let us claim the Qur'an so that the world becomes livable”

Underlining that for the solution of the problems in the world, there is no other way than to return to the essence and to embrace the morals of the Prophet (saw), who was praised by the Qur'an, Erbaş said: “Islam was sent to the earth for this purpose. Islam is a means of preventing the balance of the earth from deteriorating. A Muslim is also a person of balance. It is the Muslims who will maintain this balance in the best way. Allah (swt) states in the Holy Qur'an that He sent Islam as a blessing. We need to look after this blessing. As all of humanity, let us claim this blessing so that the world becomes livable.”

"Irshad is basically a duty of servitude that is imposed on the shoulders of the messengers of Allah and the scholars who are their heirs, but in fact every Muslim is obliged to perform it according to his strength and ability,” said Erbaş.

“As Muslims, we must first bring together our environment and the whole of humanity with the life-giving principles, values and messages of the Qur'an and the Sunnah, starting with ourselves.  In this context, it is of great importance to understand the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah correctly. We need to understand well the method of invitation and irshad of our Prophet (saw),” he said.

Erbaş emphasized the importance of language, discourse, attitude and style in the irshad activities inside and outside the mosque, pointing out that mosques should not be seen only as places where prayers are performed, but should carry out the school function like Masjid an-Nabawi.

"The understanding of religion that destroys reason and mercy cannot find a basis in the Qur'an and Sunnah"

Emphasizing that the main effect of the Prophet Muhammad's (saw) announcement and invitation is due to the fact that he personally lives what he inculcates people in his own life, Erbaş said: “Islam, as told by our Prophet (saw), is a life order that can be lived, practiced groundedly. It is not possible for the concept of religion, which has been legendary, cut off from life and even taken on a personality that exceeds the ability of humans, to find a response in his life.  It is not possible for an understanding of religion that eliminates the mind, intellect and mercy to find a basis in the Qur'an and the Sunnah. Islam appeals to the mind as much as it appeals to the heart. As much as it touches emotions, it also builds minds.”

Erbaş warned that language, discourse, style and attitude used in a careless way may be the basis for people to move further away from the truth, and said: “The effect of the word is in its truthfulness and beauty.  It is necessary to say a good word and say the word beautifully. We must definitely take into account how the words we will say on behalf of Islam and our Prophet (saw) will resonate in the world of the mind of today's people. If what we say will be misunderstood, it is better to be silent than to speak.”

Underlining that it is necessary to develop a method of irshad that takes into account the realities of the age in order to convey the right, truth, justice, mercy and good moral principles of Islam to all humanity, President Erbaş said: “I believe that this symposium on the theme of our Prophet, the Mosque and Irshad will have important results in this context.  The announcements to be presented here and the negotiations to be held will open important horizons for us at the point of carrying the word that rose from the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi fourteen centuries ago to the present day in a prophetic style. It will create a serious awareness about the mosque-centered invitation, irshad and civilization-building activities of our Prophet (saw).” (ILKHA)