“Call to good and prevent wrong”— amr bil ma'ruf wa nahy an al munkar. Depending on the translations within the Qur'anic contexts, “calling to good” may be rendered as promoting the right, just, honorable, righteous behavior, and virtue; whereas “preventing wrong” is forbidding what is evil, dishonorable, and vice. The Qur'an urges believers to embrace this duty individually and collectively and praises them when they practice this obligation (Al ‘Imran 3:104, 110).

This duty is meant to encourage righteous behavior and discourage immorality and aims to remove oppression from society and instead establish justice. It should, ideally, be the distinguishing trait of a Muslim community as it applies to the moral, social, political, and economic facets of life.

“Calling to good and preventing wrong” can be classified as a duty in the framework of teaching others about faith (tabligh). Literally meaning “to reach out” or “to convey,” tabligh is directed to raise the consciousness among people about their responsibility towards religion. It disseminates knowledge about living one's faith in a principled way. Therefore, any discourse, or any act, that conveys, communicates, reminds, promotes, or publishes the teachings and commands of God to the unknowing—or to the less informed—or any discourse or act, that discourages or prevents people from being wrong, unjust, or evil, comes under the meaning of this word, tabligh.

Rooted deeply in the Qur'an, hadith, and commentaries of notable scholars, the book in your hands is a precious resource to comprehend the context and dynamics that make spiritual mentoring and guidance an important part of a faithful life. The content of the book consists of transcripts of a series of sermons M. Fethullah Gülen delivered early in his career as a preacher. While presenting extensive commentary based on examples from the time of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and Rightly Guided Caliphs, Gülen does so with awareness of the realities of the modern era, especially with regards to being free from political interests and keeping the scope as wide as possible so to embrace the whole of humanity. The book supports the idea that spiritual mentoring and guidance is an important duty and highlights some principles mentors should take into consideration. While being an essential reference for mentors and counselors in the Muslim community, the book offers many universal principles that all faith communities can benefit from and refer to in their services.

M. Fethullah Gülen inspired tens of thousands of people to open schools in hundreds of countries. His promotion of dialogue and understanding among peoples of the world has flourished as a social movement called Hizmet. Gülen addresses the spiritual and practical aspects of Islam and promotes interfaith dialogue and peace in his more than eighty books many of which have been published in world languages.

Chapter 1

Understanding the Call

1.1. The purpose of our existence 13

1.2. The need for conveying the message and benefits 21

1.3. The most valuable gift 30

1.4. Continuity 33

1.5. Moral obligation 40

1.6. Spiritual guidance, the individual, and society 45

1.7. Faith and hypocrisy 55

1.8. Stories of heavenly destructions 63

1.9. A measure of preserving religion 73

Chapter 2

Guidelines

2.1. Knowledge 79

2.2. Awareness of the era 86

2.3. The relationship between the Qur'an and the heart 88

2.4. Legitimate means for legitimate ends 90

2.5. Compensation 91

2.6. Knowing the person and empathy 97

2.7. The inter-play of faith, spiritual mentoring, and action 113

2.9. Relationship with authorities and the elite 136

2.10. Being resolute 138

2.11. Being insightful & conforming with innate human nature 140

Chapter 3

The Spiritual Characteristics of a Mentor

3.1. Compassion 149

3.2. Selflessness 153

3.3. Prayer 155

3.4. Being rational and realistic 156

3.5. Tolerance 157

3.6. Being caring 158

3.7. Spirituality 159

3.8. Enthusiasm 162

3.9. Purity of heart and spirit 164

Conclusion167

Endnotes173

Index178