Between 1569 and 1571, the people of Aceh, a region on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, were subjected to persistent attacks by pirates. Acehnese officials eventually made their way to Istanbul and appealed to the Ottoman authorities for assistance.
They presented their plight to Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, then Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire. In response, he dispatched ships carrying weapons, accompanied by experts capable of training the Acehnese in their use.
Since the Suez Canal did not yet exist, the expedition first reached Alexandria, Egypt. The ships were dismantled, their components transported overland, and later reassembled so that the expedition could continue its journey to Aceh. Upon arrival, the Ottoman forces helped fight the pirates and taught the local population how to manufacture weapons and defend themselves. Once their mission was complete, they returned to Istanbul.
The people of Aceh never forgot this act of solidarity. According to local tradition, prayers for their Ottoman benefactors are still offered during Friday sermons. As a symbol of this historical bond, the imam delivers the sermon while holding a sword associated with that period.
During our visits to Aceh on several occasions, we heard this story directly from local people and personally witnessed the imam delivering the Friday sermon with the sword in his hand.
In 2004, a massive earthquake struck Aceh and the surrounding region, triggering a tsunami that devastated the area. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, volunteers from Turkey affiliated with the Hizmet movement traveled to Aceh as part of a delegation in which I also participated.
Bodies were still floating in the waters along the coast. A large ship had been swept inland by the tsunami and deposited in the middle of the city. Remarkably, it was being used to provide electricity to local residents.
The businesspeople and other members of our delegation did everything within their means to assist the people of Aceh. They also immediately began constructing a school, which was completed and opened within a remarkably short period.
Another powerful example comes from Ireland.
During the Lausanne negotiations, İsmet İnönü noticed that the Irish representative consistently supported Turkey whenever a vote was held concerning the country. During a break, İnönü approached him and said:
“First of all, I would like to thank you on behalf of my country. But I am also curious: Why do you always raise your hand in Turkey’s favor?”
The representative replied:
“Between 1845 and 1852, Ireland suffered a devastating famine. When the Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid learned of our plight, he sent ships carrying humanitarian aid. We have never forgotten that kindness. That is why I raise my hand in support of Turkey.”
A commemorative plaque honoring this aid can still be found in Drogheda, Ireland, where the relief supplies were reportedly unloaded. The emblem of the town’s football club also features the crescent and star associated with the Turkish flag.
Years later, during the 1990s, while Fethullah Gülen was living in Altunizade, Istanbul, the renowned and highly respected Azerbaijani poet Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh paid him a visit. I was also present on that occasion, and the two men discussed a variety of subjects.
Gülen received the distinguished poet with great respect and spoke to him with courtesy. Vahabzadeh, in turn, expressed his gratitude for the work of the Hizmet movement, whose volunteers were seeking to reach people in almost every part of the world—particularly in Azerbaijan—without expecting personal gain and solely for the sake of God. He also conveyed his appreciation for Gülen, who had inspired and encouraged these efforts.
At one point, Vahabzadeh asked Gülen:
“Sir, do you know what your service to people around the world resembles—this effort to share your resources and educational experience with everyone, regardless of religion, language, race, or nationality, without expecting anything in return and solely for the sake of God?”
Gülen replied:
“Sir, you would certainly know better than I.”
Bakhtiyar Vahabzadeh then told the following story:
“In the middle of the night, a thief was cutting through the iron shutters of a shop with a hacksaw when the neighborhood watchman caught him and asked, ‘What are you doing?’
“The thief replied, ‘I am playing the violin.’
“The watchman said, ‘But this violin makes no sound.’
“The thief answered, ‘The sound of this violin will be heard tomorrow morning.’”
Vahabzadeh then continued:
“The importance and value of the selfless efforts that you are carrying from Turkey to every corner of the world through businesspeople and young volunteers—efforts conducted beyond politics and motivated entirely by humanitarian concerns—may not be fully recognized today. But like the sound of that violin, they will be heard tomorrow. In the future, these efforts will be remembered and appreciated by people everywhere.
“Indeed, even today, people are beginning to recognize that young generations are being raised with the determination and aspiration to work first for the good of their own countries and then for the good of all humanity.
“As a fellow human being, I would like to express my gratitude, prayers, and appreciation first to you and then to all the friends striving alongside you.”
These three examples remind us of the teaching of our beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him:
“The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others.”
In the future, these and similar acts of service will undoubtedly be remembered with gratitude. Beyond that, who can know what rewards Almighty God may grant in the eternal realm to those who dedicate themselves to performing such good deeds?
As the old saying goes:
“Do good and cast it into the sea. If the fish do not know, the Creator does.”
Good deeds performed for the sake of humanity, without any expectation of reward, are never forgotten. First and foremost, they are known by God; in time, they are also remembered by people.
As we raise the generations of the future, we should share such examples with them and encourage them to discover even better ways—appropriate to the conditions and understanding of their own time and place—to continue serving humanity wherever they may be.
Especially in the period through which we are now living, people long to see more examples of this beautiful humanitarian spirit—a spirit demonstrated throughout history and increasingly embodied through contemporary acts of service.
In other words, people want the sound of the violin to continue.
Of course, such efforts should never be undertaken with the thought, “Let our names be remembered in history; let us become famous.”
Instead, guided by the words of our beloved Prophet—“The best of people are those who are most beneficial to others”—let us strive, God willing, to be counted among those who bring goodness and benefit to humanity.
May our Lord help and guide us all.
