In the world we live in, cause-and-effect relationships are evident. In order to obtain certain results, one resorts to the relevant causes. When the causes are fulfilled in all their aspects, the expected outcome is generally attained.
As there are exceptions in every matter, there have always been exceptions here as well in terms of causes, and there will continue to be. The essential principle, according to the order established by God, is that certain causes produce certain results. Yet there is a distinct and special dimension here: in some situations, God’s will manifests differently.
The first human being, Prophet Adam (peace be upon him), was created by God from earth without a mother or father. Thereafter, human beings have always come into the world through a mother and a father.
Prophet Zechariah (peace be upon him) was a prophet. He had no child, and his wife was barren. In advanced age, when he had grown quite old, he prayed to God for a child. He continued this prayer with courtesy and persistence. He was utterly sincere in his supplication and pledged that if he were granted a child, he would dedicate that child to working for God’s pleasure.
“My bones have grown weak, and my head has turned white…” he begins his plea. This is not a complaint; it is a confession of reality. When a servant turns to his Lord, he first lays bare his helplessness. For prayer is not the station of proclaiming one’s power, but of expressing one’s need.
Modern man, however, often strives to appear strong. He hides aging, conceals weakness, hesitates to admit deficiency. Yet the divine door is not the door of the strong; it is the door of those who recognize their need. The first lesson taught by Zechariah’s prayer is this: helplessness is the key to mercy.
Even more striking is this: Zechariah (peace be upon him) does not merely ask for a child. He says, “Grant me, from Yourself, a guardian (wali).” That is, a bearer of a cause, an heir to truth. His request is not personal; it concerns a trust. Even as he approaches the end of his life, his concern is not himself, but tomorrow.
Perhaps one of the greatest fatigues of modern humanity is this: forgetting responsibility for the future. Yet on the path of truth, the essential matter is the trace we leave behind—not material inheritance, but spiritual continuity. Zechariah’s prayer whispers to us: “Life is not merely to live; it is to leave behind a value.”
And our Lord does not leave this sincere prayer unanswered. Under conditions that seemed impossible, He grants him John (peace be upon him). This is a divine message: not conditions, but sincerity determines the outcome.
For everyone today who lives with fear of aging, anxiety of loneliness, or worry about the future, this prayer is a lamp of hope. Hair may have turned white; means may have diminished; roads may appear exhausted. Yet the door of prayer does not close.
Perhaps the greatest effort is not to lose hope.
The lives of all prophets—their actions and their counsel—were specifically for the people of their own times. Yet in a general sense, until the Day of Judgment, they remain guides for all humanity and will continue to be so.
Human life resembles, at the beginning, a race; in the middle, a struggle; and at the end, an accounting. In youth, a person thinks he will change the world; in middle age, he realizes the world has changed him; in old age, he understands that the real issue is not to build the world, but to build the heart.
Zechariah (peace be upon him) does not seek personal happiness. “Grant me from Yourself a guardian,” he says. What appears to be a request for a child is, in truth, a request for a mission—a plea that a banner not fall to the ground.
Modern man fears aging. Offended by mirrors, resentful of time, resistant to change… Yet the prophetic perspective sees old age not as loss, but as a time of maturity. Zechariah’s prayer teaches us: “The end of life is not the end of hope.”
The memory of past accepted prayers forms the foundation of confidence in the future. If a person reflects on life and recalls the small and great divine favors he has received, his prayer deepens; complaint diminishes, gratitude increases. And finally, the divine response comes, and God grants him a child—John (peace be upon him).
This is not merely the good news of a child; it is the proclamation that seemingly impossible conditions can be overcome: an aged father, a barren mother—yet an infinitely powerful Lord.
For us today, the message of this story is clear: hope is not dependent on age. Prayer is not dependent on circumstances. Truth does not remain on the shoulders of a single generation; if sought sincerely, God ensures its continuity.
Perhaps every person, at some stage in life, repeats Zechariah’s prayer in his own language—some for knowledge, some for service, some for children, some for values.
The essential question is this: What are we leaving behind? Wealth? Position? Or a spirit, a morality, a direction?
The prayer of old age whispers to us: life is not given to consume, but to leave a spiritual legacy. And the most beautiful trust is a tomorrow kneaded with prayer.
Prophet Job (peace be upon him) was afflicted with a severe illness. He never complained because of his condition and supplicated to God: “My Lord, indeed adversity has touched me, and You are the Most Merciful of the merciful.” According to the conditions of that time, perhaps nothing more could be done by those who knew treatment. So Job turned sincerely to God in this way. God accepted his prayers, granted healing to his illness, and he continued his prophetic duty—warning people and inviting them to the path of God.
Prophet Jonah (peace be upon him), in the darkness of the night, in the midst of the sea, was cast overboard from his ship and swallowed by a great fish. Under such difficult conditions, instead of complaining, he turned to God—who commands the night, the fish, and all circumstances—saying: “There is no deity but You. Glory be to You. Indeed, I have been among the wrongdoers.” The fish cast him upon the shore, and Jonah resumed his mission of conveying that people, as servants of God, should recognize Him and fulfill His commands.
Muslims once fell captive in war, and their enemies placed them in an open area surrounded by fences. At one point, the enemy commander climbed a watchtower near the fence to inspect the captives. The captives, one by one, came to a faucet and washed their hands, faces, and feet. Then, again in turn, they approached the gate, pressed down the handle, but since it was locked, it did not open. The commander could not make sense of this—if it was exercise, it was not exercise; if worship, it did not appear so. He ordered his aide: “Go ask them what they are doing.”
The aide called one of the captives to the wire fence and asked the meaning of this washing and touching the gate. They replied: “We are Muslims. Today is Friday. We must attend the Friday prayer. Before going, we prepare by taking ablution from the faucet. Then we come to the gate and press the handle. Since it does not open, we supplicate to our Lord: ‘O Lord, if this gate were open, we would go to the prayer in obedience to Your command.’”
When the aide heard this and returned, it was said: “Even if he is an enemy commander, God is the One who governs every heart. If you truly fulfill all the rules and carry out what God commands, He can soften even the heart of the enemy commander.” When the aide conveyed this, the commander said: “If they are going to worship, open the gate; let them perform their worship and return.”
Whether such an incident actually occurred or not is unknown. When recounting such stories, it is said: “One looks not at the literal occurrence, but at the lesson.” And the lesson here rests on this principle: people must fully carry out the causes that fall to them, and then await the result from God.
This rule is, in fact, a valid approach at all times, in all places, and in every matter: fulfill the causes, then pray to God. This can also be described as action-based prayer and verbal prayer. Doing what must be done is action-based prayer; afterward, asking God for the ultimate outcome is verbal prayer.
A similar situation is seen in the famous commander Jalal al-Din Khwarazmshah (1199–1231), who achieved significant victories against the Mongols. On one occasion, as he was heading to battle, those with him said, “You will be victorious.” In light of Bediüzzaman’s profound reflections, he replied: “I strive to do what falls to me as it should be done. Then I submit to God’s decree, who determines the outcome. Victory is from God, and defeat is also from Him.”
In truth, these matters—and others like them—have happened to everyone in one way or another, are happening now, and will continue to happen. As human beings, fulfilling the causes and then turning to the Lord who creates the ultimate result is always the servant’s duty. Not neglecting these principles is a requirement of being human. If God’s prophets experienced these realities—and they did—we must also be prepared to experience similar things. Therefore, in every matter and at all times, not losing in the “zone of gaining” should be the goal of every sound-minded person.
As Fethullah Gülen once said, “In the cyclical recurrence of history, events do not repeat themselves identically, but in similar forms.” Thus, the events mentioned above should not be regarded as things that happened and ended. Their parallels continue today and will continue in the future. What falls to us as human beings is to draw lessons from them and, adjusting ourselves accordingly, strive not to depart from this transient world to the eternal one with an account we cannot give.
This is not a game. It is God’s decree. What falls to us is to act—using the intellect, understanding, and experiences God has granted us—within the reasonableness of the Qur’an, aiming to earn His pleasure, consulting with others, and striving to share these truths with everyone in the language of time and place.
May God make us among those who win in the zone of gaining in accordance with His pleasure, and may we continue on our path with faith, hope, determination, resolve, and active patience.
