My journey on the path of tolerance, compassion, love, and beauty began in 2012. In my high school years, during a formative period for one’s character, I found myself at the Afghan-Turk Girls’ High School. During a time when our country’s conditions were increasingly difficult and life had reached an almost unbearable peak, educational institutions were established that brought hope and joy back into our lives. Students eagerly desired to be admitted to these Turkish schools, considered among the best and most successful in the country. Every year, thousands of students from all corners of the nation, and despite all challenges, prepared for the entrance exams of these schools. In 2012, I passed a challenging exam with over 9,000 participants, gaining the opportunity to attend the Afghan-Turk schools for my high school education.

At first, we were all astonished by the spiritual atmosphere of the school and the order and discipline that permeated every aspect, a stark contrast to the environment of insecurity and chaos prevalent in our country. Our Turkish teachers, who came from Turkey, were paragons of love, understanding, loyalty, and compassion. In my first year, we felt we had found the most trustworthy people to nourish our spirits and fill our hearts with peace. As time went on, we found ourselves fulfilled not only in a spiritual sense but also academically, and this was largely through the works of our esteemed teacher, M. Fethullah Gülen. Teachers who ventured from Turkey to over 160 countries held the highest standards in education. One of the fundamental principles of the Hizmet Movement was the union of heart and mind. Humans are multidimensional beings, requiring development on both fronts; it was first Hocaefendi and later our schoolteachers who explained and exemplified this for us.

Another prominent and important foundation of the Hizmet Movement is seeing people as individuals and treating them as such. In a world where people are judged and belittled based on their race, language, beliefs, color, and thoughts, the Hizmet Movement and the works of our esteemed teacher served as a remedy and elixir for us all, easing these troubles in our hearts. We observed through our teachers’ actions that regardless of a person’s color, race, or belief, we should extend a hand of help and compassion.

The aid campaigns held annually in our country also underscored the universality and humanitarian nature of this movement. These campaigns reached out to thousands and continue to extend a helping hand around the world. In a time when people were at war and in conflict, the Hizmet Movement embraced everyone in the spirit of Mevlana, welcoming all humanity with an invitation to peace and love. As Hocaefendi once said, “Only love can save this world,” a statement worthy of being written in gold.

One of the greatest ongoing issues in Afghanistan is the trampling of women’s rights and the extreme level of injustice they endure. The Hizmet Movement exemplifies one of the most democratic approaches, advocating respect for women’s rights and offering equal educational opportunities. The female teachers in Afghanistan were all highly educated, intelligent, and served as excellent role models, leading us to recognize our own rights. Girls’ schools were opened in various cities of our country, providing us with educational opportunities.

The most powerful element that has led this beautiful and positive movement to be accepted in 160 countries around the world is the selflessness of Hizmet volunteers. In the face of countless services and the provision of both material and spiritual education on every continent under challenging conditions, they never expected anything in return because Hizmet is a movement of volunteers, who would respond to aggression with neither hands nor words. This beautiful journey that I embarked upon in 2012 was truly our ultimate purpose in life, as shown to us by Hocaefendi and our teachers through their actions, words, and works. Now, our duty is to reach out to those who have fallen by the wayside and those who have forgotten they are travelers on this path, embracing them because they, too, are human.

Our teacher’s passing has cast a profound sadness upon us all, for “the death of a scholar is the death of a world.” Thousands of students from every continent shed tears at our loss. We hope that these tears will contribute to the development of future generations and allow them to encounter our teacher’s vision and ideas.

May our teacher’s soul rest in peace, and may his memory forever live on in our hearts and minds.