Draft:Alparslan Kuytul
| Alparslan Kuytul | |
|---|---|
 | |
| name | Alparslan Kuytul |
| Personal details | |
| religion | Islam |
| website | Sheikh Alparslan Kuytul |
Alparslan Kuytul (Alparslan Kuytul) is a Turkish cleric and exegete, the founder of the Furkan Educational and Service Foundation, also known as the Furqan Movement, and an alumnus of Al-Azhar University. His ideologies include the rejection of secularism, opposition to ethnic nationalism, Iranophobia, and the excommunication of Shiites, as well as advocating for the establishment of an Islamic government based on brotherhood and anti-Zionism. These views have led to his repeated arrest and imprisonment by the Turkish government.
Biography
Alparslan Kuytul was born in 1965 CE in Adana Province, Turkey.
Early Education
He completed his primary and secondary education in schools in Adana. During this period, he would take his school friends to the mosque opposite the school after classes and on weekends, delivering religious sermons to them.
University Education
In 1991 CE, he graduated from Çukurova University (Çukurova Üniversitesi), Faculty of Architecture and Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering. After completing his military service, he studied between 1993 CE and 1997 CE in the Department of Islamic Law at the Faculty of Sharia, Al-Azhar University in Egypt. Upon graduating from Al-Azhar University, he returned to Turkey. During his student years, in 1986 CE, while still a student, he established his first student house, where he delivered Islamic lectures to students and artisans. To further his activities, he founded the Kardeşler Bookstore (Kardeşler Kitabevini kurdu) in 1988 CE and for many years continued his weekly invitations and lectures in the bookstore's garden.
Establishment of the Furkan Educational and Service Foundation
In 1994 CE, while continuing his studies at Al-Azhar University, and with the support of benefactors, he established the Furkan Educational and Service Foundation (Kurulan Furkan Vakfı), also referred to as the "Furqan Movement." The foundation's objectives include emphasizing Islam and Islamic sciences from childhood through high school, raising a pioneering generation with true faith, love for worship and moral values, and guiding society toward charitable works. Following the foundation's establishment, Furkan volunteers continued their educational and service activities within the foundation's building. Among the activities carried out by the foundation are the following:
Teaching Islamic Courses
In addition to the exegesis (Tafsir) lesson he delivers every Friday evening at the foundation's center, which is broadcast live via the website www.furkanvakfi.org and watched by thousands, his analyses of jurisprudential, political, and current events in the Q&A section are widely followed and appreciated by audiences on social media. He also offers academic courses such as Hadith, Sirah (Prophetic biography), Fiqh, Usul, and Arabic, which help his students attain the title of scholar. Furthermore, he teaches courses on the reality of the Middle East, human ideologies, contemporary concepts, and global politics, earning him the title of intellectual.
Publication of a Periodical
In addition to his studies and service activities, in 2011 CE, he founded and served as the editor-in-chief of the periodical "Furkan Generation – Pioneering Generation" (FurkanNesli – Öncü Nesil), focusing on Islam and the condition of the Ummah through his articles and writings. He contributes monthly scientific and political articles to this publication.
Holding Conferences
Beyond teaching Islamic courses and publishing a periodical, he organizes public conferences both domestically and internationally to raise social awareness. He also engages in dialogues with students, holds discussions and exchanges of views at the bookstore, conducts virtual lessons, organizes gatherings against oppression, hosts Iftar programs during the month of Ramadan, and facilitates Ramadan-related discussions.
Revival of Traditions
Within this foundation, he has revived the tradition of I'tikaf (spiritual retreat), which had been forgotten in Turkey, for approximately 15 years. Enthusiasts of this tradition now observe I'tikaf annually in numerous mosques across various provinces of Turkey.
Attention to the Needy
The Furkan Foundation provides cash and in-kind assistance to needy families, awards scholarships to students, and organizes charity bazaars, trips, essay competitions, brotherhood nights, and other cultural events annually for this group. These efforts aim to meet their needs and foster a genuine Islamic understanding.
Views and Perspectives
Attention to Divine Commands as a Factor of Awakening
Köytül believes that since his adolescence, he has witnessed a world in which people pay more attention to their own words than to divine commands, and God is absent from their lives; consequently, the right of God's sovereignty is usurped. With the slogan "In God's world, whatever God says must come to pass", he places the Islamic cause on his agenda and strives to awaken an Ummah that has fallen asleep, become frozen, and stands on the verge of losing its momentum. From his perspective, the realization of this objective depends on the following conditions:
- The divinity of Islamic understanding and structure: Muslims must take the Quran and Sunnah as their guides and derive the method of serving Islam not from their own minds, but from God and His Messenger. Such an understanding tolerates no retreat regarding obligatory and forbidden matters; however, in non-obligatory and non-forbidden affairs, or in issues where scholars differ, greater mutual understanding and tolerance must be exercised;
- The scientific nature of Islamic understanding and structure: This movement must attach importance not only to the humanities but also to Islamic sciences, adopting knowledge as its compass, thereby fostering the emergence of individuals possessing the qualities of scholars and intellectuals. Neglecting Islamic sciences entails dangers such as deviation from the Quran and Sunnah, straying from the Straight Path, and deeming the forbidden permissible. Thirdly, the comprehensiveness of Islamic understanding and structure is essential. The pharmacy of the Quran contains all the vitamins and medicines required by humanity;
- Attention to the comprehensiveness of the Quran: The Quran provides necessary doses of vitamins and medicines such as faith, worship, ethics, jihad, love of God, and piety, commanding their utilization. Therefore, consuming only one or several of these vitamins while neglecting the rest leads to the deterioration of the Muslim personality and the emergence of weak and sick Muslims. Consequently, the Quran must be a book that every society and Muslim reads with deeper understanding and transmits more frequently. No book should serve as a veil over the Quran and Hadith.
Commitment to National and Global Agendas
He is deeply grieved by the crises afflicting Muslims and the injustices they endure, striving to establish a divine movement and rescue the oppressed Ummah. Hence, one of his most distinguishing features is his refusal to remain indifferent to national and global agendas; he expresses opinions on political events in light of the Quran and Sunnah. His character, unafraid to speak what he deems right, distinguishes him from conventional models of teachers and leaders. He never feared stating what he knew to be true, always declaring: "When Islam or Muslims are harmed, I speak and consider my duty, not my end." For this reason, he has faced numerous difficulties, disputes, and slanderous accusations. Nevertheless, he consistently speaks the truth and stands alongside the righteous, without fearing condemnation, criticism, or the slanders of detractors. He calls falsehood by its name and never collaborates with oppressors, even if they are powerful.
Raising a Pioneering Generation
Alp Arslan Köytül believes that the salvation of Muslims depends upon raising a pioneering generation of intellectuals and scholars capable of leading their society and establishing Islamic civilization. To achieve this, he has dedicated his life to struggling for reconstruction and Islamic civilization, his greatest wish being the rebirth of a pioneering generation that assumes leadership of the Ummah. To this end, he endeavors day and night through teaching, devoting all his time to this cause. For years, he has continued his educational and service-oriented activities toward this objective.
Criticism of Turkish Government Policies
In recent years, he has strongly criticized Turkish government policies in the realm of the Islamic World, such as relations with the Zionist regime and insufficient attention to the Palestine issue, Turkey's involvement in the downfall of Syria and the rise of al-Julani through cooperation with the United States and the Israel, as well as domestic Turkish issues such as anti-Kurdish policies. Implicitly suggesting that Erdoğan is a Western project, he maintains that recent tensions between Turkey and the Western world mark the beginning of a process whereby the West is reclaiming the medals it previously awarded to Erdoğan.
Detention by the Turkish Government
Alparslan Kuytul, like all scholars, righteous individuals, and people of knowledge who have accepted the cause of Islam as a fundamental principle and struggled for it, has faced numerous difficulties and suffered injustice and oppression. He has devoted over thirty years to revitalizing society and, through his scholarly studies, has enlightened the people of Turkey on many Islamic and political issues. At approximately 5:30 a.m. on January 30, 2018, he was arrested at his home during an operation conducted by special operations teams. Despite thorough searches, no criminal evidence was found in his residence. Although he had committed no crime, on February 8 he was transferred to the notorious dungeon known as the "Grave of the Living" (Dirilerin mezarı) within the "Bolu F-type" Prison. As if this were not sufficient, he was subjected to solitary confinement, which the European Human Rights Organization considers a form of torture. He was deprived of rights granted to other prisoners, including exercise hours and access to the library, and was permitted to meet with no more than three visitors. His family was compelled to travel weekly for hours between Adana and the prison. The first hearing of his initial case took place on November 8, 2018, resulting in his release; however, he was not released from the second ongoing case. After enduring 663 days (22 months) of unjust detention, he was finally freed on December 5, 2019[1].
See Also
Notes
References
- Who is Professor Alparslan Kuytul? Where is he from? (Alparslan Kuytul Hocaefendi Kimdir? Nerelidir?) in English, official website of Professor Alparslan Kuytul, date of publication: n.d., date accessed: 23 Bahman 1403 SH.