In his statement, Gümüş gave critical warnings and made important recommendations on many issues, including the upcoming three sacred months, the slackness and laziness of Muslims, the importance of mosques, the critical role of the family in society, the dangers of the spread of drug addictions, and the Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

The full text of the message is as follows:

In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

“Among the believers are men who have been true to their covenant with Allah; of them some have fulfilled their Nahbah; and some of them are still waiting, but they have never changed in the least.” (Surah Al-Ahzaab Verse 23)

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family, companions and followers.

On the occasion of our return to January 17, I remember with prayers and respect our community's founding guide, Hüseyin Velioğlu, and his fellow comrades who became martyrs. They fulfilled their pledge to their Lord and departed from among us, leaving behind a beautiful legacy. We will, God willing, uphold and cherish the legacy they left us. May Allah (swt) grant us the opportunity to depart from this world with faith and martyrdom as well.

Dear brothers and sisters,

We have entered the blessed three months. During this period, make an effort to emphasize repentance and seeking forgiveness, and devote yourself to reading the Qur'an, studying the life of the Prophet (Siyer), delving into exegesis of Holy Quran (Tefsir), exploring the Hadith, and understanding Islamic jurisprudence (Fıkıh). Increase your prayers and prostrations and try to intensify your worship.

To my brothers and sisters of all ages, especially the youth, my first advice is to read and, more importantly, to live by what you read. Engage sincerely in righteous deeds. Read and learn constantly, keeping a planned and structured approach to your reading.

During these three months, especially during the blessed month of Ramadan, give priority to attending mosques, offering congregational prayers as often as possible, and helping to bring mosques to life with Qur'an recitations, discussions on the life of the Prophet, and Tarawih prayers.

Increase your efforts in the work of invitation (da'wah) day by day, and expand and popularize it. Use the three months as an opportunity to intensify these efforts. Never forget that people desperately need the invitation to Islam. Salvation lies in Islam and in understanding and living Islam.

During the three months, increase your acts of charity and almsgiving. Calculate and give your Zakat before the month of Ramadan. But do not stop there. Encourage your relatives, acquaintances, friends and neighbors to do the same. Avoid all forms of extravagance, remembering that extravagance is forbidden. Allah's command is clear: "Eat and drink, but not to excess. Your spending should be balanced. This will enable you to benefit even more from the great act of worship that is "spending in the way of Allah" (infak).

Moreover, at a time when access to food is difficult in many parts of the world, there can be no excuse for Muslims to waste. Learn how the Prophet Muhammad, his family and his companions lived to avoid waste. Imagine the hardships of our brothers and sisters in Gaza under the attacks and blockade of the zionist occupation regime.

Dear mothers and fathers,

Today, hostile forces are targeting the institution of the family. Their aim is to dismantle the Islamic family structure by attacking it from various angles, closing the doors to the Islamic concept of marriage, promoting unmarried unions in society, and spreading immorality among the youth. Be extremely vigilant and sensitive to these attacks. While steadfastly preserving your family structure, strive to exert more control over your family members and protect them from these harms. Work to facilitate the marriage of young people who have reached the age of consent. Make marriage accessible. Build the foundation of the family not on materialism but on spirituality and service to the cause of Islam. Young people, base your marriage choices in this direction. Parents, support these choices, taking into account the consciousness, knowledge, righteous deeds, and good morals of your sons and daughters-in-law, without magnifying material and correctable shortcomings. Help them to maintain and strengthen their marital bonds.

Always remain in a state of "gratitude, patience and trust in God". Take the example of our sister in Gaza who, after saying, "All six of my children are dead," immediately followed with, "Alhamdulillah" (Praise be to Allah), "hasbunallahu wa ni'mal wakeel" (Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs). Let their answer be an inspiration to you. We hear and know that a significant number of those who carried out the "Aqsa Flood" operation were brought up as Quran memorizers. We have seen once again that knowledge and righteous deeds are crucial foundations for success. So equip your children with knowledge and wisdom. Raise righteous children who avoid sin, abstain from the forbidden, are God-conscious, and surrender to their Lord like Prophet Isma'il (AS).

Protecting your eyes from the forbidden and observing Islamic modesty should be at the top of your agenda. Moral corruption and improper relationships are among the greatest calamities that have befallen humanity. Trying to create a humanity that only pursues desires, devoid of the virtues that make human beings human, enslaved by animal instincts, is entirely the plan of Satan. Muslim women, preserve your modesty, cover yourselves as well as you can. Teach this to your children and enforce it. Muslim men, protect your eyes from the forbidden. Let there be no improper relations between men and women, whether in the real or virtual world. Avoid this vehemently. Do not meet, look at, correspond with, or confide in those who are not Mahram to you. Do not overstep the boundaries set by Allah. Let the words of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi guide you: "The circle of halal is enough for pleasure".

Drug use among young people is increasing. As stated in a hadith, every intoxicating substance that affects the mind is the mother of evil. Therefore, all of you, especially parents, should be vigilant and sensitive. Monitor and control who your children and young people associate with, who their friends are, where they hang out and what they do, and make serious efforts to keep them away from this evil habit.

Dear Muslims and fellow believers!

We are living in a time of rapid development and are faced with numerous and diverse problems every day. However, we should be aware that not all of them are natural and innocent. Imperialist powers hostile to Islam and Muslims are creating artificial agendas for their political and ideological interests, diverting society's attention where they want it, while trying to tarnish Islam, denigrate Muslims and harm them.

We must be vigilant and sensitive to these efforts. Let's not fall for their provocations, let's not get caught up in their traps and let's not be swayed by the agendas they create. We have our own agendas and important tasks to focus on.

For more than a century, the Zionists have continued to seize Palestinian land and subject the Muslim population to relentless oppression. They destroy homes and martyr people ruthlessly, making no distinction between women, children, the young and the old. Especially after the operation "Aqsa Flood" on 7 October, they carried out a massacre rarely seen in history. The Gaza Strip, already turned into an open-air prison, has been completely reduced to ruins. Unfortunately, these actions are taking place before the eyes of the world, but the world remains indifferent.

The text expresses commitment to the cause of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa, considering it a personal cause guided by faith. Efforts have been made to support legitimate actions for this cause, and the commitment to continue these efforts is emphasized. There is a call to keep the issue of Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa on the agenda, to resist the creation of alternative agendas, to fill public spaces with awareness, to inform people, especially the youth, to maintain continuous activities and events, and to actively support those who are waging jihad in Palestine.

There is a call to pray abundantly for those actively engaged in jihad, such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Palestine. Efforts to stop zionist operations and isolate them internationally are urged. A boycott of goods from entities supporting the Zionists is recommended. Muslim countries bordering on Palestine are urged to press the frontiers and seek active participation in the Jihad. Those in distant regions are encouraged to continue their support through demonstrations, boycotts and material and spiritual contributions, while preparing themselves mentally and physically for active jihad.

Reconquering Jerusalem and defeating Zionism may seem difficult, but it is not impossible. With Allah's permission, as it happened in the past, it will happen in the future. Let's work hard towards this goal. Let's understand and follow the great figures who taught us struggle, courage and victory. Let's study the conqueror of Jerusalem, Abu Ubayd, Saladin al-Ayyubi, and Sheikh Said. Introduce them to our children, keep their names alive. Let's name our newborns Saladin, Said and Ubayd, and bring them up in a manner befitting their names.

Despite the heartbreaking events in Gaza today, atrocities against Muslims continue around the world. We know very well that the main reason for the persecution of Muslims everywhere is the disunity of the Ummah. If the Ummah were united, these events would not be happening. Unfortunately, the leaders of Muslim countries continue to make issues out of trivial matters, engage in disputes under the guise of 'national interest', and fail to come together and discuss their own problems. If the Muslim countries do not unite despite all their differences, the imperialists will either divide and conquer each Muslim country or make their governments subservient to them. Therefore, while Gaza is being destroyed in front of the eyes of the Muslim countries, some leaders remain silent while others only talk without making any concrete contribution. This silence and inaction only whet the appetite of the United States and the Zionists. Muslim countries and their people must be prepared, knowing that they could be next.

Imperialism and Zionism pose a clear danger not only to Muslims but to all humanity, as recent events have shown. It is vital that all nations, be they Turkish, Kurdish, Arab, Persian and others, realise this. Our Lord says in the Qur'an: "O mankind! We have indeed created you from male and female, and made you peoples and tribes, that you may know one another. The most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. For Allah is Knowing and Knowing" (Surah Al-Hujurat: 13). Muslim nations must unite to avoid falling prey to these movements, supporting themselves as well as their Muslim brothers and sisters from different communities. They should be aware that prioritising interests based on nationalism and nation-state motives leads Muslim nations to enmity and division and undermines the unity of the Ummah.

In this context, the situation of the Kurdish people must be thoroughly analyzed. The countries that have Kurdish population should consider justice and brotherhood and recognize the rights of Kurdish citizens. In the four parts where Kurds live, there have been many oppressions, expulsions and bans on the Kurdish language. The process, which is driven by repression and punishment, has unfortunately strengthened America and consequently Zionism in the region, giving them a foothold and allowing them to settle in Muslim countries. Muslim countries and leaders must accept the longstanding demands of the Kurds and take steps to find common ground for mutual acceptance. They should not delegate their problems to the imperialists and should be aware that they want to go down in history among the just and not among the oppressors.

Therefore, the Kurds should preserve their core values and draw inspiration from their ancestors such as Saladin al-Ayyubi and the martyr Sheikh Said, who carried the banner of Islam. They should thwart the plans of the infidels and imperialists against them. Do not deprive us of your prayers at the most favorable times for prayer. May you be under the protection of Allah.

Your brother, Edip Gümüş                                                                                                                    (ILKHA)