Mecca and Medina are the two sanctuaries of Islam, places which every Muslim dreams of visiting at least once in a lifetime. Mecca is believed to be the very first location of human settlement and it was the birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. The Ka'ba, found in Mecca, was raised by the Prophet Abraham from its foundations to become the direction of prayer for believers. Medina is the city in which Islamic civilization was centralized and flourished religiously, politically, and socially. Faruk Aksoy, a BBC cameraman, took hundreds of photographs of these blessed cities from the most spectacular angles. This album includes over 160 select pictures shot by Aksoy since 1980s. He provides for us a picturesque pilgrimage experience and gives us an opportunity to share in the blessings of a lifetime journey as we browse through the pages accompanied by inspirational text. Features: The Ka'ba and the Golden Gutter; The Prophet's Mosque and the Rawda; Cemeteries of Jannat al-Mualla and Jannat al-Baqi; Mount Nur; Mina, Mount Arafat.
Known by his simple and austere lifestyle, Fethullah Gülen, affectionately called Hodjaefendi, is a scholar of extraordinary proportions. This man for all seasons was born in Erzurum, eastern Turkey, in 1941. Upon graduation from a private divinity school in Erzurum, he obtained his license and began to preach and teach about the importance of understanding and tolerance. His social reform efforts have made him one of Turkey's most well-known and respected public figures during the 1960s. Gülen has spent his adult life voicing the cries and laments, as well as the beliefs and aspirations, of Muslims in particular and of humanity in general. He bears his own sorrows, but those of others crush him. He feels each blow delivered at humanity to be delivered first at his own heart. He feels himself so deeply and inwardly connected to creation that once he said: "Whenever I see a leaf fall from its branch in autumn, I feel as much pain as if my arm had been amputated.