Endowment, Charity and Service in Islam

by Osman Nuri Topbaş

Altruism is the greatest sign of real love. Depending on level of their love, the lover regards the sacrifice for the sake of their beloved as pleasure and inevitable duty. For this reason, it is required for a believing heart to encompass and mercifully embrace all of the creation out of respect for the Creator. A serious campaign of infaq and service is needed in the contemporary world in which brotherhood sentiments have weakened, peace and tranquillity in the society have been lost and hate and enmity have intensified. In addition to these ills of contemporary society, the everpresent social and economic crises and the submission of individuals to the material world hinder financial sacrifices, one of the most neglected aspects of our faith. In this regard, the first subjects to address are our duties through zakat, infaq, and social institutions of mercy such as the waqf or endowments.

277 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2010

About the author

Osman Nuri Topbaş is a Turkish Sufi master and author who lives in Istanbul, Turkey. He is the spiritual leader of Naqshbandi Sufi Order based in Erenköy, Kadıköy, İstanbul.

He completed his first training in Erenkoy Zihni Pasha Primary School. He took special Qur'an lessons in his primary school years. He entered Istanbul Imam Hatip School (Religious High School) in 1953. In those years, this school was an important educational institution having Ottoman’s great plane trees which can be counted as masters M. Celaleddin Okten and Mahir Iz; thinkers like Nureddin Topcu who has trained in West. Master (Ustadh) Osman Nuri Topbas completed this school with his uncle and peer Abidin Topbas in 1960. In his high school years, he has taken lessons from teachers like M. Zekai Konrapa, Yaman Dede (Abdülkadir Keçeoğlu), Ahmet Davutoğlu, Mahmud Bayram, Ali Rızâ Sağman. In his Imam-Hatip years, he met Ustadh Necip Fazil. He was a regular follower of Necip Fazil’s talks and magazine “Büyük Doğu”. After completing Imam-Hatip School successfully, he was occupied with trade and industrialism. He did his military service as reserve-officer teacher in Siirt-Tillo, in 1962. During his duty, the love of being teacher fell to his heart and he started to take pleasure from caring for the teenagers.

After comeback from military service he found himself again in commerce and industry. But he has never broken off his connection with wisdom and charitable services. He has worked actively in “Dissemination of knowledge society” (Ilim Yayma Cemiyeti). His workplace was like a charity, supplying scholarship to students, helping the poor. After founding “Hudayi Foundation”, he carried these services to the foundation. He opened the service horizon of the foundation. With this foundation, he helped materially and spiritually to all youth coming from societies especially from Turkish republics.

Due to his interest in history, literature, religious science and poetry, he started his writing life in 1990. His books have been translated into many languages such as Bosnian, English, German, French, Spanish, Hungarian, Albanian, Kazakh and Azeri. He welcomes seminar, conference and panel offers from all over the world and shares his opinions.

He is married and father of four children. His books are published online for free in 43 languages