ADNAN OKTAR: The source of my works is the Qur’an. In the Qur’an, it is Allah’s command to spread Allah’s commands, to enjoin the good and forbid evil, warn people and tell them the beauty, goodness and love. I do this only because it is Allah’s command. That is, to earn Allah’s good pleasure and His love.
JAMES ALLEN: Adnan is connected with Jews, Christians and Muslims alike. He is a friend of Christians and Jews as I read the literature in his website. Do you believe that all roads lead to the same God? Do you believe that Judaism, Christianity and Islam are worshipping the very same God?
ADNAN OKTAR: Of course, there is only One Allah. There is no other Allah. People worship Allah, the Creator of the entire universe. Christians, Muslims and Jews alike worship the same Allah. This is a known fact. Some people advocate the contrary but this is out of their ignorance and their corrupted conscientious outlook.
JAMES ALLEN: I think there are some differences between Judaism Christianity and Islam. And those differences that I believe exist in the definition of God. How does the Muslim atone for his or her sins? Judaism has Yom Kippur, Christians have Easter, which are both representations of atonement against an infinite God. Where and how does Islam address this?
ADNAN OKTAR: One repents to Allah. That is, one expresses his remorse for his sins and says that he would never commit them again. Then a Muslim hopes for Allah’s forgiveness.
JAMES ALLEN: Do you believe that God is setting aside his justice to be merciful and can this be consistent with an infinite, eternal, and unchangeable God?
ADNAN OKTAR: Of course, His beginning is infinite just as how His end is also infinite. His end is also infinite. That is All-Mighty Allah has neither a beginning nor an end.
JAMES ALLEN: Is Allah infinite without bounds and limits?
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, infinitely endless. That is, All-Mighty Allah is infinitely endless in His beauty, power and all other subjects.
JAMES ALLEN: Do you believe Allah is unchangeable?
ADNAN OKTAR: Of course. JAMES ALLEN: How do Muslims atone for an infinite God? We have offended an infinite God. So who is going to atone for this?
ADNAN OKTAR: If someone has committed a sin, as I have already expressed, he repents. Alternatively, one may sacrifice an animal, give away money to the poor or serve them food. He may also buy outfit for them. If he has other means to do any good, then he would do them.
JAMES ALLEN: If God is infinite and we are finite how can a human being pay for the transgressions against an infinite God? How can man pay for an infinite price?
ADNAN OKTAR: We endeavor to approach Allah by assuming the attitudes He would appreciate. That is to say, we try to earn His good pleasure. All-Mighty Allah is forgiving, He has infinite moral perfection. He has infinite love. He wants us to be good. We, on the other hand, try to be good as much as we can. As a result, if Allah is pleased with us and loves us, He places us in His infinite Paradise. That is, we will, insha’Allah, enter a different dimension of life. Everything there is positive. That is, there is nothing negative there. For instance, it does not become night, it is always day there. There is no evil, there is constant goodness. There is no ugliness, there is always beauty. There is no pain. No dust, no dirt, everything is created in their most perfect form. All objects there are alive. If you call an object, it comes to you. If you ask it to go, it goes. Once you pick a fruit from its branch, the fruit comes into existence again at that moment. It reappears. When you want to go somewhere, the armchair moves and takes you there. Paradise is a fabulous form of life, an extraordinary dimension of life. We, insha’Allah, try to deserve Allah’s love. If He wills, we want to go to Paradise insha’Allah.
JAMES ALLEN: Do you believe that Allah is just and merciful?
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, All-Mighty Allah has an infinite moral perfection. He is forgiving and compassionate. He wants the best for His servants. He wants them to have the best morality. We are going through a training in this world. After going through a good training, if we show a morality with which Allah will be pleased, He will take us to a dimension called Paradise. We will live in that Paradise for all eternity insha’Allah. There is no death there. Death is peculiar only to this world.
JAMES ALLEN: Do you believe in original sin?
ADNAN OKTAR: Every sinner is responsible for his own sins. That is to say, other people do not become responsible of that sin. Only that person is hold responsible. This is a requisite of Allah’s concept of justice, for this would also logically, conscientiously and by reason inaccurate. For this reason All-Mighty Allah holds only the person in question responsible.
JAMES ALLEN: Why are you not a Christian then?
ADNAN OKTAR: Christianity, Islam and Judaism are already the religions of Islam. We believe in the Allah whom the Prophet Abraham (as), the Prophet Isaac (as), the Prophet Jacob (as) and the Prophet Ishmael (as) believed. We believe in the same Allah. They are all religions of Islam. Yet, because the religion which has not been distorted whatsoever is Islam, I live by Islam and worship within the commands of Islam.
JAMES ALLEN: Why do you believe that God did not preserve the Holy Bible or the New Testament but He preserves the Book of Islam, He preserves Qur’an?
ADNAN OKTAR: This has been the way it is since the very first religions were revealed. For instance, Buddhism was also probably a righteous religion, but it has been corrupted. The religion of the Prophet Abraham (as) also disappeared in time. So did the Prophet Noah’s (as) religion. That is, this is the law of Allah. Allah revealed Islam as the last religion. And in 2120 Doomsday will take place and thus insha’Allah the world will come to an end. That is, if All-Mighty Allah willed, He could change the religion of Islam in time and send another prophet. But the last Prophet is the Prophet Muhammad (saas). Islam is the last religion. And we have already come to the end of the world. The coming of our Prophet (saas) is the portent of Doomsday. Insha’Allah Jesus (as) will come in 15-20 years time. Hazrat Mahdi (as) has appeared, the leader of the Islamic world. Hazrat Mahdi (as) and Jesus (as) will unite in this century and make Islam rule the world in this century insha’Allah. In 1545 Hegira calendar, which matches to 2120 according to the Gregorian calendar, insha’Allah Doomsday will take place. We are in the End Times of the world. The world right now lives its oldest period.
JAMES ALLEN: Do you believe that Jesus Christ was crucified? Or do you believe that Jesus Christ just ascended in the heaven?
ADNAN OKTAR: They could not do anything to Jesus (as). The informant of Jesus (as) was assumed to be Jesus (as) and he was crucified. 2000 years ago Jesus (as) was ascended to the heavens. He will come in his original state when he was 33 years old with all his beauty, his long, chestnut hair, grey eyes and his small nose. He has an athletic appearance with wide shoulders. He will come with the same outfit and shoes. He will come into a community that lives by Christianity and Islam simultaneously. That is to say, it is a Christian community that seems like Islam. All-Mighty Allah will leave Jesus (as) in a state of sleep into that community. Jesus (as) will then examine the Qur’an, the Gospel and the Torah and convert to Islam.
JAMES ALLEN: He goes by a different name when he writes, why is that?
ADNAN OKTAR: Harun (Aaron) was the helper of the Prophet Moses (as). Yahya (John), on the other hand, was Jesus’ (as) helper. In order to remember their beautiful memories I assumed that name in hope of being a helper of our Prophet (saas).
JAMES ALLEN: Are you in the group of Shiite, Sunni, what group exactly you identify with?
ADNAN OKTAR: Sunni.
JAMES ALLEN: Has your life been in danger for your passion to speak out about your views in the areas of Islamic creationism and your challenges against evolution?
ADNAN OKTAR: Yes, I was assassinated 9 times. They put me in a mental hospital for 10 months. Then the military hospital issued a report verifying my spiritual and physical well-being. I was rescued from there. I also had another report certifying my physical and mental well-being from the Forensic Medicine Supreme Specialty Council. That is how I went out of the hospital. During the time I was in that ward, there were 300 mental patients who murdered people. They killed 7 people only during the time I was there. Besides, they mixed cocaine into my food and drink when I was in custody in police station. Then the Forensic Medicine determined that the cocaine was mixed into my food and drink and thus I was acquitted in the Court. They again slandered me about a woman. I again proved the inaccuracy of this slander by describing the difference between the two houses. In my house the columns and girders were not seen. The house in which that woman was seen had obvious girders. And I also proved other technical differences. This way, I was also cleaned of this slander but the press used it against me for years. They still make such type of slanders. So my activities proceed under such intensive pressure.
JAMES ALLEN: Why do we not hear more moderate Muslims speaking out on the issues of terrorism, the oppression of women, the oppression of sharia law?
ADNAN OKTAR: The Qur’an is already moderate. The Qur’an demands a life full of love, compassion and affection. It demands forgiveness. I believe some forces willing to destroy Islam from inside employ some ignorant people to make Muslims aggressive, apt to violence and terror. Some of them are trained in foreign countries and undergo Darwinist and materialist education. They train these people in such a way that they remain distant to human love. They receive a training which leave them deprived of love, compassion, affection, fear of Allah and love of Allah. Their names are Muslim but they are not actual Muslims. They advocate Stalinist, terrorist ideas. They are so-called Muslims but they claim to be Darwinist, Stalinist and Muslims. These are, of course, very irrational. A genuine Muslim is full of love towards Allah. He is compassionate and merciful.
JAMES ALLEN: Do you think that there is a large group that of real Muslims in the world?
ADNAN OKTAR: The predomination of real Muslims will be in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as) insha’Allah. From the hadith we know in details that Muslims will suffer corruption before Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) advent. They will fall out with each other, separate into many sects and get into struggle with one another. In the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as) all schools will be abolished. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will bring all Muslims together. He will put an end to all struggles and conflicts among them. He will ally with Christians, be very compassionate and full of love towards Jews. He will address to Christians with the original Gospel, to Jews with the original Torah and to Muslims with the morality of the Qur’an.
With the advent of Jesus (as) Islam will dominate all the world insha’Allah.
JAMES ALLEN: You say the 9/11 hijackers were not terrorists; they were Darwinists, materialists, not true Muslims. I don’t believe that Islam is a religion of hate. I believe there are certain extremists but these extremists are a large number. Can you please comment on that?
ADNAN OKTAR: Previously some of them were trained in Palestine. Palestine was the castle of communists. They became devout later. Iraq was also the castle of communists. Iraq was Stalinist. People in Iraq reverted to religion now and started to become more devout. Syria was under the control of communists. It became a place where people mainly live by Islam. It will become more perfect, much better because Hazrat Mahdi (as) has come. The shadow of Mahdism, its spiritual effect is surrounding the entire world right now. When Jesus (as) comes he will perform the prayer (salat) together with Hazrat Mahdi (as) and he will dominate Islam all over the world insha’Allah. We are on the eve of those happy days. Terrorist Muslim image will totally disappear from the face of the Earth. Sincere Muslims full of love will predominate the world insha’Allah.
JAMES ALLEN: If there’s no difference between Islam, Christianity and Judaism then why does Islam get to prevail?
ADNAN OKTAR: Christianity has been distorted with the appearance of the belief of trinity. The fact is, however, there is only one Allah. But as a distortion the Christianity developed the belief of 3 gods. When Jesus (as) comes, he will correct this situation. Meanwhile, in some schools of Judaism, faith in the Hereafter, that is faith in Paradise and Hell are removed. He will correct them. Consequently they will all convert to Islam. He will correct such deficient aspects in the light of the Qur’an. People will live by the morality of the Qur’an and nothing will be left behind. Religion will attain its most perfect state.
JAMES ALLEN: The way you are describing what true Islam is, it doesn’t seem to me that there are a whole a lot of Muslims in the world. Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Pakistan are centers of what? Materialistic, Darwinistic foundations? So where are the true Muslims in the world?
ADNAN OKTAR: Genuine Islam will be displayed in its real sense to the world by Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his disciples. Our Prophet (saas) gives a detailed account regarding the corruption of Islam in the End Times. However in the following 10-15 years there will be wonderful developments in Islam. All misconceptions will be removed, and Islam will attain its purest form insha’Allah and revert to its state in our Prophet’s (saas) time. It is called the “Age of Happiness.” Islam will revert to the perfection of that age.
JAMES ALLEN: In Pakistan there is a case of a woman named Asia who is being tried for stating that Jesus is alive and that Muhammad is dead. What are you thoughts?
ADNAN OKTAR: People have the freedom to choose any religion as they wish. A Jew, if he wishes, may reject his religion. Likewise, a Muslim may convert to another religion. Or, if he wishes a Christian may become a Muslim. A Jew may convert to Islam. People may choose any religion they wish. Allah granted this freedom to Muslims and all people because this is how they are tested. If we oppress them, then people become hypocrites and insincere. In a contrary situation, people express their sincere convictions and thus insincere people called hypocrites are removed. Everybody lives by their own sincere creed. Consequently, everybody is free to choose the religion they wish. Yet according to my conviction, what is ideal for a person is to be a Muslim.
No, on the contrary, a person should live by the creed he wishes sincerely. The contrary is called a hypocrite. Hypocrisy is a great corruption. A Muslim may convert to any creed he wishes. Yet what is ideal is his being a Muslim. But beliefs of a person can not be directed by oppression. In the Qur’an there is a verse. I take refuge in Allah from satan: “There is no compulsion where the religion is concerned.” Allah overtly says that there is no compulsion in religion.
Jihad means to “struggle.” It comes from the word, “Jahd.” That is to convince people with love, compassion, affection, by means of scientific evidence. Bringing scientific evidence against Darwinist, materialist views, guiding people to the truth, and employing the means of technology are jihad. But embarrassing people, trying to make them believe in a certain faith by oppression; these are amorality. This is not something a Muslim would ever commit.