When the recent earthquake struck Adapazarı in 1999, I was in Ankara, Turkey. As soon as I heard about it, I immediately took a bus to Adapazarı. I stayed there for a week. Friends associated with the Hizmet movement, both from within Adapazarı and from nearby cities, had organized themselves to collect aid supplies in one place and then distribute them systematically to those affected by the earthquake.
They included me in one of the teams. Together, we loaded urgently needed supplies into the back of an open pickup truck and began traveling from street to street. The devastation was enormous, and the people who had experienced the earthquake were almost in a state of shock. They also assigned to our team a businessman from Adapazarı whom I had known for many years. He knew the city very well, and he also knew the people.
At one place where we stopped to distribute supplies, people had formed a line. This elder brother from Adapazarı said, “One of the wealthiest young men in Adapazarı is also standing in line waiting for supplies. If he sees me here, he may feel embarrassed. I will wait for you on the next street.”
In the evenings, we continued our rounds both with the pickup trucks carrying supplies and with ambulances brought by our friends from İzmir Şifa Hospital together with doctors.
During one of these rounds, our guide greeted a young man sitting in front of a tent and invited us to join him. It turned out that he, too, was one of the well-known businessmen of Adapazarı. We got out of the vehicle, sat with them, expressed our condolences, and told them that if they needed anything, we could bring it.
At that moment, one of the young man’s children noticed some plastic toys in our vehicle and asked, “May I have one of these?” I replied, “Let me help you climb into the vehicle; you may take as many as you like.”
As we were leaving, our guide quietly said, “These people were once very wealthy. I suppose plastic toys had probably never entered their home before.”
During those days, night and day seemed to blend into one another. While traveling at night in the ambulance, we turned on the lights and moved slowly through the streets, calling out, “Is there anyone who needs a doctor?”
A young man emerged from one of the tents and asked us, “Are you friends of Fethullah Gülen Hodjaefendi?” I replied, “How did you guess?”
He said, “Our child became ill in the tent, and we did not know what to do. Just at that moment, we heard you calling out that there was a doctor. I told my wife, ‘These people can only be the friends of Fethullah Gülen Hodjaefendi and the people of Hizmet.’ And indeed, I was right, because they always serve quietly, sincerely, and without expectation.”
Two of our doctor friends entered the tent, examined the child, gave the necessary medicine, and then said, “We will return tomorrow for another check-up,” before we departed.
The fundamental reason why human beings are the most valuable creatures in the world is not merely that they possess intellect and free will. The true value lies in humanity’s capacity to remain truly human — to reflect virtues such as love, respect, compassion, and mutual assistance in everyday life.
Natural disasters such as earthquakes are not events that individuals can cope with alone. In fact, they are not situations that governments and official institutions can overcome entirely by themselves either. In such circumstances, it is vitally important that as many people as possible rush to help, just as we tried to do. This, too, is a requirement of being human.
In similar disasters, alongside helping people, homeless and hungry birds and other animals should also be cared for within the same spirit of compassion. This is also part of fulfilling the responsibility of being human.
In the Holy Qur’an, Allah Almighty says in Surah Adh-Dhariyat, verse 56: “I did not create jinn and mankind except that they worship Me.” First and foremost, human beings must learn, practice, and internalize this principle in every aspect of life.
Within this framework, questions such as, “Why did Almighty God create me?” and “What does He expect from me?” are answered clearly in this verse: that people should know Him in every respect and then fulfill the requirements of that knowledge.
Here it becomes evident that alongside the beauty and qualities of being and remaining human, there are also responsibilities.
There are principles in the universe that human beings must always observe everywhere and at all times: seeking one’s sustenance without disturbing ecological balance; being extremely careful regarding what is lawful and unlawful; never violating the rights of others; consuming what is lawful; helping people and animals in need as much as possible; extending a helping hand to anyone in need regardless of the circumstances; and striving with all one’s strength to transform the world into islands of peace free from conflict and war. These are among the essential principles of being and remaining human.
With the encouragement and guidance of Fethullah Gülen Hodjaefendi, visiting more than 190 countries around the world together with people from different segments of society in Türkiye — many of whom I personally knew — opening schools there, sharing experiences in every field, and eventually becoming like members of one family with those people are among the finest living examples of being and remaining human.
Allah has made this world a temporary stop for humanity. This world is a place of testing. According to the results of this test, in the Hereafter — the eternal world beyond this life — there will be rewards or punishments “which no eye has seen and no ear has heard.” This process continues.
For this reason, human beings must live thoughtfully and consciously. It is not enough merely to know and practice these truths personally; one must also share them with others appropriately, wisely, and gently, and strive to help people in every possible way. These, too, are requirements of being and remaining human.
Regardless of religion, language, color, or nationality, building dialogue with people within this framework, learning from their virtues and experiences, and likewise sharing our own experiences and blessings with them are all part of being and remaining human.
For this reason, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) said in one of his hadiths: “The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others.”
Protecting all living creatures — great and small — and meeting their needs are both efforts beloved by Allah and essential for preserving ecological balance.
No one except Allah knows when the red card of death will be shown to a person in this world. Therefore, we must make the best use of this brief and temporary life and prepare as much as possible for the eternal Hereafter. Otherwise — may Allah protect us — there will be no return and no compensation for what is lost. In the next world, no one will be able to help another. If help is to be given, it must be given in this world.
Since these truths are more certain than two plus two equals four, we should seriously reflect upon them. We must live a life oriented toward the Hereafter ourselves and also help others, through beautiful manners and gentle language, to live and act accordingly.
Being human is not merely a right acquired by birth; it is an art that must be learned, practiced, and sustained. Love, respect, and mutual assistance are values that not only make a person human but also enable one to remain human. Every day, amid the rush of life, performing even a small act of kindness and quietly making a difference is among the most beautiful expressions of humanity.
Being human is a responsibility; remaining human is the highest art.
What erodes marble is not the power of water, but its continuity. Likewise, becoming human is important, but what truly matters is sustaining that humanity everywhere, at all times, and under all circumstances — in other words, remaining human.
What do you think?
