The sermon was delivered across more than 85,000 mosques within the country, as well as over 2,000 mosques abroad under the authority of the directorate.

Provided below is the full transcript of the sermon.:

Dear Believers, who are brothers and sisters by the grace and mercy of Allah (swt), who stand shoulder to shoulder in the same row in this mosque before Allah the Almighty (swt), and who are united by the same faith and consciousness! Jumu’ah mubarak! May Allah’s (swt) peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you.

Honorable Muslims!

One day, the Prophet Muhammad (saw) said to his companions, “There are people from the servants of Allah who are neither prophets nor martyrs; the prophets and martyrs will envy them on the Day of Resurrection for their rank from Allah, the Most High.” Upon this great news, his companions asked, “Tell us, o the Messenger of Allah! Who are they? Thereupon, our beloved Prophet (saw) replied, “They are the people who love one another for Allah without having any mutual kinship or benefit.”

Dear Believers!

Our sublime religion, Islam, is the religion of tawhid and wahdat. It is the religion of unity and togetherness; and the religion of solidarity and cooperation. Our religion enjoins us to establish relations with all members of society on the basis of goodness and fairness, to live as brothers and sisters based on love and respect, and to treat each other with compassion and mercy. It also forbids turning our backs on each other, withholding our care and concern from each other, breaking the bonds of brotherhood, as well as all kinds of unfavorable words and behaviors. In this regard, our Lord Almighty (swt) states,                    وَاعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللّٰهِ  جَم۪يعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُواۖ “Hold firmly to the rope of Allah. Do not be divided.”  Mehmet Akif Ersoy, the poet of our National Anthem, tried to explain this verse in a magnificent way as follows:

“No enemy can win unless there is any division in a nation.

No cannon can destroy if all hearts beat together.” The Prophet of Mercy, Muhammad Mustafa (saw), warns us in one of his hadiths as follows: “Do not have estranged relations with one another. Do not nurse enmity and do not feel envy against one another. O servants of Allah! Be brothers.”

Dear Muslims!

We are Muslims who believe in the same religion, who are servants of the One God, Allah, who turn to the same qiblah, who follow the same book as a guide, and who are devoted to the same prophet. We are the grandchildren of glorious forefathers who showed the world the best examples of peace and justice, and sacrificed their lives for the sake of religion, homeland, national flag and sacred values. We are the representatives of a civilization that takes it as a principle to offer help without causing offense, without expecting anything in return, and regardless of one’s ethnicity, faith, sect or thought. As members of such a deep-rooted civilization, it is our duty to embrace the ethics of brotherhood and to observe each other’s rights with heartwarming words and behaviors.

Dear Believers!

Our heavenly homeland, which is the symbol of our sovereignty and which is the one and only home for all of us, is an entrustment from our forefathers. Our glorious flag is the symbol of our independence; there is enough room for all of us to live together as brothers and sisters under its shadow. The adhan, the testimonies of which are the foundations of our religion, calls us to unity and brotherhood. Then, let us see our differences as a richness. Let us embrace tightly the values that make us brothers and sisters, and that make us a nation. Let us never forget the following hadith of the Messenger of Allah (saw): “The similitude of believers in regard to  mutual love, affection, fellow-feeling is that of one body; when any limb of it aches, the whole body aches, because of sleeplessness and fever.”

Dear Muslims!

May is the month in which Diyarbakır, the first gateway for Islam in Anatolia, was conquered by the Companions. Next Monday is the 570th anniversary of the conquest of Istanbul. The Messenger of Allah (saw) heralded the conquest of Istanbul as follows: “One day Constantinople will be conquered. Great is the commander who will conquer it. Great are his soldiers.”

Dear Muslims!

It is this desire to attain the glad tidings of the Prophet (saw) that put the love of conquering Istanbul in the hearts of our glorious forefathers, that used the most advanced knowledge and technology of the century to tear down the walls that were considered impenetrable, that moved ships by land through faith and determination, and that turned Hagia Sophia into the symbol of the conquest and a sanctuary of Islam.

I would like to take this opportunity to commemorate with mercy our glorious ancestors, our great martyrs and heroic veterans. I would like to conclude this Friday’s khutbah with the following verse: “Obey Allah and His Messenger and do not dispute with one another, or you would be discouraged and weakened. Persevere! Surely Allah is with those who persevere.” (ILKHA)