I was fortunate to be one of the first to hear his will, which he had written in Ottoman Turkish. As Abdullah Aymaz Hodja read it aloud slowly and deliberately, everyone present bowed their heads, lost in deep thought. There were no sobbing cries, but some let their tears flow down their cheeks, revealing their sadness, while others swallowed their cries, lost in endless dreams. Who knows what each person was contemplating in their own inner world?
After the will was made public, I set aside that overwhelming sense of emotion and began to think more rationally. I read the document repeatedly and asked myself: If Fethullah Gulen Hodjaefendi had written a will the day before he passed, how would it differ from this one? Have you looked at it with this perspective? If not, I encourage you to try. I did, and I’ve decided to share my conclusions with you.
- There is no specific date for when the will was written. However, since the will references a debt from 1966, it must have been composed after that year.
- It is confirmed by the testimony of many people that the debts he mentioned, marked as “requests from those who know me where I pass away” and which he wished to be paid, were all settled by Hodjaefendi himself in his lifetime.
- “Apart from the plain red blanket, everything else was assumed to be for my service, so all remaining items.” This sentence is significant. It is likely that Hodjaefendi refers here to items furnished in homes where he stayed, such as in Kestanepazarı, or in houses like Mektupçu, Kardeş, and Çeşme, where he lived before moving to Bozyaka in 1976.
However, I can testify that after 1984, in every place he stayed, he purchased all his personal items with his own money down to the last penny. This is based on my own witness. I am as certain that he displayed this same sensitivity before 1984. This can be confirmed by those who were there. If you insist on an example: Hodjaefendi paid $6,500 monthly in rent at the camp, covering every penny of his food and drink expenses himself.
I also learned directly from those involved that for Âsûde, where he spent the last five or six months, he personally paid his rent and food expenses.
- Given that he paid for his personal items from his own earnings, always paid his rent on time, left no financial debts, donated his library books, and contributed his book and audio proceeds to Hizmet institutions worldwide, I return to the question of what he would have written if he had made a new will the day before his death. What do you think?
The answer is this: there was no need for him to write anything. Doesn’t this mean that he left the world as he entered it? And he even paid for his burial shroud and funeral expenses ($2,000) from his own pocket. Doesn’t this answer the question many of us have wondered about, “Why didn’t he update his will?”
- To clarify my answer to “Why didn’t he update his will?”: because it was unnecessary. Nothing changed in his standard of living between 1966 and 2024, even though he had access to greater financial means.
He never altered his worldview or stance. Don’t you agree? Had he wished, could he not have lived in luxurious mansions or owned olive groves from Ayvalik to Gemlik, as suggested by the slander of malicious people?
As Enes Ergene Hodja noted in an upcoming article, “I view this historical document as a legitimate expression of his life, thoughts, and ideals.” Truly, this is the case.
- Let us move to the final question: $20,020 in cash and gold worth $12,640. The cash was found in three separate envelopes, each labeled “Royalty Money.” This means that it was the accumulated royalties he had received over time.
Why did he keep this money?
Many know Hodjaefendi as a very generous man. Whether giving a person an allowance, travel expenses, wedding, or funeral assistance, he would give far beyond what was needed. If you are fair-minded, you’ll acknowledge that this sum is quite small compared to the amount he distributed. It seems he simply didn’t have the opportunity or occasion to give it away.
As for the gold, these were gifts he would send to newlywed couples for their weddings. Anyone who knows Hodjaefendi is aware of his habit of sending gold gifts to couples. Given the size of his circle, this amount would likely be spent within a month or two.
In sum, just as it was said of Khalid ibn al-Walid, Hodjaefendi lived in line with his philosophy: “He lived with honor and dignity, and passed away as a lost soul of Islam, returning to the Merciful.”
May he rest in light.
