The President of Religious Affairs Erbaş attends the 2024 Summer Qur’an Courses Inaugural Program

The President of Religious Affairs Prof. Dr. Ali Erbaş attended the 2024 Summer Qur’an Courses Inaugural Program organized by the General Directorate of Education Services at Samsun Metropolitan Municipality Atakum Art Center.

Delivering a speech in the program, Erbaş, the President of Religious Affairs, wished success to all students who will attend summer Qur’an courses in Türkiye and abroad.

The President Erbaş noted that the Prophet was sent as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, a warner, and an inviter to bring humanity out of darkness into light with the Qur’an.

Pointing out that the first verses that were revealed started with the word “read” and the second surah that was revealed in the order of revelation was Surah Al-Qalam, the President Erbaş said, “The message we will understand and take from here is that the foundation of our civilization is based on science, knowledge, wisdom and insight. For 23 years, from the age of 40 to 63, first 13 years in Makkah and then 10 years in Madinah Al-Munawwarah, the Messenger of Allah waged a great struggle to bring people out of darkness into the light with the Qur’an. The way to turn Yathrib into Madinah al-Munawwarah was through the school. He established that school inside the Masjid al-Nabawi, we call it the suffah.”

“Greetings to all our religious teachers who are on the journey to raise our children and young people with the morals of the Prophet”

Stating that the Presidency of Religious Affairs is the successor of the Masjid al-Nabawi, the religious teachers working in the Presidency are the heirs of the Prophet, and the students in Qur’an courses are the heirs of the students who studied in Suffah, the President Erbaş said, “As the heirs of our Prophet, we continue our witnessing and dawah (invitation to Islam). We are trying to be worthy of this so that the youth and people will work for knowledge and wisdom and devote themselves to this path with our guidance, training and education, which is necessary to bring people out of darkness into the light. Such an important institution is the Presidency of Religious Affairs. It is the heir of the Masjid al-Nabawi of the Messenger of Allah. Our beloved Prophet managed the religious affairs from Masjid al-Nabawi and carried out his work there.

Addressing all the teachers who will take part in the summer Qur'an courses, President Erbaş said, "Greetings to our brothers and sisters and all our religous teachers who have set out to raise our children and young people with the morals of the Prophet in the most beautiful way in line with the hadith of 'I was sent to perfect good morals.’”

“Let our mosques and Qur’an courses be brightened up with our children”

Reminding that the Prophet said, “The best among you (Muslims) are those who learn the Qur’an and teach it,” the President Erbaş said, “I would like to especially address the parents here; precious brothers and sisters, precious mothers, precious fathers, make the most of this opportunity. Let your children be involved in this work, which the Prophet described as 'the best.’”

Emphasizing that summer Qur’an courses should be made the most of, the President Erbaş said, “Let our mosques and our Qur’an courses be brightened up with our children. As parents, one day our mortal life will end, and we will meet our Lord. On the day when the judgment is made, our book of deeds will be opened in front of us. We will be told, ‘Read your book of deeds, read your book.’ At that time, how we showed our children the beautiful path, the right path, how we brought them together with the Holy Quran will appear before us in our book of deeds.”

Explaining that values education including the Prophet's morals, universal values such as truthfulness, honesty, goodness, love and respect is provided in summer Qur'an courses, President Erbaş indicated that a society consisting of children and young people who were raised away from these values could not be a peaceful society.

“The world needs the mercy of Islam”

Underlining that Islam is a blessing for all humanity, the President Erbaş said, “Look at the state of the world. Look at the societies formed by people who do not have the morals of the Qur’an and think that they are human beings. You see how the occupying, cruel, Zionist community kills babies, children, innocents, women without blinking an eye, like a beast. You see how they bomb them in front of the eyes of the world, don’t you?”

Explaining that the Quran and the Muslim law of war, which was inspired by the Quran, requires soldiers to spare the enemy's women, children, innocents, temples, unarmed people, clergy, animals and forests when they have to fight, President Erbaş emphasized that Islamic civilization is a civilization of mercy.

The President Erbaş stated, “That is why the world needs the Qur’an. That is why the world needs the mercy of Islam, the mercy of the Qur’an. The world needs the mercy of the Prophet of Mercy, the Prophet who was sent as a praise for the universe. Our children, our youth, our society need the mercy civilization of Islam. This is our problem, our concern, our aim. Let our children grow up with the values of such a civilization. Muslim children need to grow up with Muslim mercy, with the values of Islamic civilization. Everyone should be in this consciousness and awareness.”

Emphasizing that everyone from administrators to parents has a responsibility to give these values to children and young people, the President Erbaş asked teachers and administrators to encourage students to choose elective Qur’an and elective Life of Our Prophet courses in schools.

Noting that the Prophet said, “Make things easy for the people, and do not make it difficult for them, and make them calm (with glad tidings) and do not repulse (them)” the President Erbaş asked everyone who teaches in Qur’an courses and schools to fulfill this advice of the Prophet while educating their students.

Wishing success to all students who will attend the summer Qur’an courses and all the teachers who will teach them, the President Erbaş asked parents to cooperate with the teachers to make the courses productive.

The President Erbaş expressed his gratitude to those who contributed to the program and hoped that the summer Qur’an courses would be completed in the best way possible.

In the program, which started with the recitation of the Qur’an by the students of the Qur’an Course and in which students from different Qur’an courses recited hymns, made presentations and performed shows, Orhan Tavlı, Governor of Samsun , Sedide Akbulut, General Director of Education Services of the Presidency of Religious Affairs and Seyfullah Çakır, Samsun Provincial Mufti also delivered speeches.

Prof. Dr. Yavuz Ünal, Rector of Ondokuz Mayıs University, Prof. Dr. Mahmut Aydın, Rector of Samsun University, administrators, Qur’an course teachers, students and their families attended the program.