Fethullah Gülen's message for the comptetiton "The Infinite Light" held in India

All praise is for God The Lord of all worlds and may peace be upon the Prophet (saw), his pious family members and his blessed companions.
Respected great brethren who combine the qualities of excellence and distinction with great civilizational character in a historic land.
Great religious scholars, leaders of opinions and views, ladies and gentlemen, dear students.

Assalam-o-Aliakum wa Rahmatullah-e- wa Barakatuhu

It is a matter of immense pleasure that you are hosting a distinguished delegation in your land. They are motivated by overwhelming hope in boosting the linkage of brotherhood which has no limit. It is the same linkage and connection to which our beloved prophet (saw) has called. With your generosity and noble heartedness you have been the sky and earth of that call and the representative of its gentle features.

Distinguished audience:

The birth of the Prophet was in fact the rebirth of the humanity. Prior to that this earth was like a place of funeral ceremony and intense darkness. It was because of the Prophet (SAW) that the light got distinguished from darkness, the universe turned into a clearly readable book and each creature started throbbing with life. The prophet (saw) is the bearer of the secret of eternity. Before his light the light of the sun is nothing but a fading fire. Before the orchard of his attributes the fascinating gardens of this earth are like barren desert. He is the man of sound words in explaining the reality of divinity, universe and humankind. He was the last to prophesy about the unknown. He was one who explained to us the meaning of existence and connected it to its real Lord. He told us that we were not alone in this world but we are living under the divine care. In this way he removed the feelings of alienation from our minds and filled our heart with the feelings of friendliness and tranquillity. If we feel safe in this temporary abode and if our eyes roam around into the horizons of this universe with contemplation and meditation, the credit for that goes to the light which our Prophet (saw) kindled in our senses. Therefore the humanity was never in need of the prophetic spirit than it is today as the facts have been turned upside down and the ideals have been distorted badly. The beloved of our hearts whom we remember today is the orbit of the honour of humanity. He is the leader of the caravan of prophets and guide of men and jinn. In his absence (from our life) there is nothing but grief and in getting away from his path there is nothing but disappointment and getting lost.

Respected audience:

Ever since the start of his mission on this earth, the great Prophet (saw) devoted his full energy to conquer the hearts and made endeavour to inscribe the image of faith in every human sentiment interacting with all units of the life. He taught us the great wisdom that there was a strong harmony between Islam being deeply rooted in our hearts and minds and its running through the veins of our practical life. The more it is rooted in our soul the more our life is illuminated with its light. The more its image is shining in our inner hearts the more it will reflect in our social, economic, administrative and cultural life.

Distinguished scholars & audience:

These beautiful attributes of the pride of humanity the Prophet (saw) which we recall here are a few drops from the ocean of your knowledge and a few rays of the sun of your intellect. We applause the great people of this great Indian land, its scholars and men of wisdom about whom some one has rightly said:" from the land of India a group of learned scholars and men of letters emerged both in its past and its present". They are stars in the sky of knowledge which are visible to all eyes. They are too many in numbers to be counted. They include scholars of jurisprudence, exegesis, principles of fiqh and hadith, genealogy and history. There is not a single branch of knowledge in which we do not find some great names who left their imprint through their writings which provide guidance to sincere scholars.

Today we see that the successors are treading in the steps of their ancestors with the divine spirit and with the divine light. They unite what God has ordained to unite and remember what God has ordered to remember. They stand united before the one who is the best in the universe. God Almighty chooses their leader from among themselves and urge them to do good work and to sow the seeds of piety. They always are eager to do prayer for the Prophet and by maintaining his traditions and its understanding and application in their life they are building a happy tomorrow and leading the humanity towards a new dawn.

This august assembly and this blessed initiative has come as epitome of that breeze and an evidence of those divine manifestations. I feel sad at not being there and deprived of seeing your bright faces due to unavoidable circumstances as it was destined by God. It include my illness and other things which God knows better. But in my heart and my sentiment I witness your program and listen to your talks. In this way I enjoy the meeting with you as if I am present amongst you. I extend my greetings equal to all that is there between the earth and sky; greetings that are sung by travellers aspiring to see you and your country. I congratulate you with the prayer that God Almighty may bless your endeavour and destine for the world a dawn the light of which may emerge from your land.

My greetings to all of you.

M. Fethullah Gülen