TURKS
AND THE RELIGION OF ISLAM IN HISTORY
The Turkish
Nation, which established so rooted and strong empires that
no nation would ever have in history, has undoubtedly taken
its strength from the religion of Islam. The most important
consequence of Turks’ acceptance of Islam has been the fact
that this nation has soon turned Islam into a “religion of
the world”.
The most
important reason which brought the Turks close to Islam has
been the “Belief of Tawhid”. The belief in the unity of God
was a widespread belief among the Turks. Mengu Khaghan, who
called the clerics to appear before him, had said “We
believe that there is only one God, that we live thanks to
him and that we die upon his order”.
The Turks
had named the belief in the unity of God as “Kok Tengri”.
The similarity between the beliefs of Turks and the belief
in Islam was not limited to this. The pre-Islam Turks used
to believe in the afterlife, in returning to life after
death, in accidents and fate and they used to sacrifice
sheep. Adultery and homosexuality were strictly forbidden
and robbery was punished with heavy sentences. The Turks,
who felt affinity towards Islam with every passing day as
they comprehended the great similarities between their
beliefs and Islam, did not show any reaction when the
Umayyad Governor opened mosques and madrasas in Khorasan in
order to spread Islam. This process of affinity reached its
peak when the Arab Muslims fought together with the Turks
shoulder to shoulder against the Chinese, their common enemy.
During the
“Talas War” which provided the ground for the meeting of the
Turks with the religion of Islam and Muslim Arabs, Turkish
cavalries helped the Muslims who had difficulties in
struggling with the Chinese Army. The Chinese, who were
surprised to see the Turkish cavalries that entered the
battlefield upon the instruction of the Prince of Karluk
watching the war, were defeated in the Talas War. Following
this war, Islam became permanent in Maveraolnehr and the
Turks were free from the Chinese danger for a long period of
time.
The Muslim
Arabs who entered the region had the opportunity to learn
about the high morals, as well as the supreme abilities of
the Turks in administration and war. At the end of the Talas
War, with the acceptance of Islam by the Turks, a belief
emerged that this religion would soon become a “religion of
the World”. The Talas War, which caused the Turks to get to
know the Muslim Arabs and the Arabs to get to know the Turks,
has been a turning point also for the world’s history. The
Turks who converted to Islam in masses after the war did not
encounter any oppression opposed to what is being claimed.
When the Turks accepted Islam sincerely as a mass, on their
on will and without any oppression or foreign pressure, they
entered a new stage in their history… By becoming Muslims,
the Turkish nature of the Turks had become perfect and
almost matured.
The Turks
who accepted Islam did not only bring to the world the Turk-Islam
justice and tolerance for the sake of the “Divine
Kelimetullah” case, but also accepted it as their task to
protect and defend people from over 30 religions and races
under their control. One should know that Turks have never
adopted an imperialistic approach on the territories they
dominated. Especially the people in the countries with a
Muslim population enjoyed equal rights with the Turks in
every field. The Arab peoples felt great sympathy for the
Turks for their services to Islam and for this reason they
called them “Ghome Nejip (Polite Tribe)”. The Arabs who
lived under the Turkish rule in the fourth century had a
wealthy life that was safe against any kind of internal and
external attack. This peaceful, safe and tolerant atmosphere
lasted for centuries in the same manner… The Turks who
served a lot to Islam were the defenders of this religion
and holy places. Meanwhile, the Turkish and Arab nation
lived as brothers under the same state… The unity of the two
nations which lasted for centuries created their common
cultural values…
However,
the wind of independence that blew in the Arab countries in
the 19th century with the provocation of the Western
countries, which coveted the natural resources, did not
bring about any peace and safety as opposed to what was
claimed. The Western countries which provoked the Arabs by
saying “Turks are colonist in the Arab countries” used these
countries in line with their imperialistic interests until
the end of World War II. Owing to the change of balances
that occurred after the Ottoman State was broken into pieces,
the regional peace was disrupted. Today, when we consider
the problems in the geography we are living, it is possible
to see that the same reasons are lying beneath all what is
being experienced, and the scenario put into operation for
the region remains the same although hundreds of years have
passed.
