Writing is an essential companion to reading. While reading introduces us to new ideas, writing deepens our understanding and enables us to express our thoughts. It fosters critical thinking, personal growth, and effective communication.
Introduction
"Read, O Prophet, in the Name of your Lord Who created humans from a clinging clot”[1] was the first command revealed to the Prophet ﷺ. This verse serves as a fundamental duty for Muslims and an emphatic call to reading. Undoubtedly, the first book that must be read is the Qur'an.
“This is the Book! There is no doubt about it—a guide for those mindful of Allah!”[2],
"˹Remember, O Prophet, when Allah took the covenant of those given the Scripture to make it known to people and not hide it, yet they cast it behind their backs and traded it for a fleeting gain. What a miserable profit!”[3],
“Do they not then reflect on the Quran? Or are there locks upon their hearts?”[4],
“This is a blessed Book which We have revealed to you, O Prophet, so that they may contemplate its verses, and people of reason may be mindful.”[5]
The above verses highlight the importance of profoundly reading, understanding, and interpreting the Qur'an. Therefore, to understand the Qur'an in depth, we need an exegesis. If we wish to explain it to others, we need to write an exegesis. Various scholars have written interpretations, explanations of interpretations, and other Islamic books. For example, the "Pırlanta Books," the "Risale-i Nur Collection," "Fusus al-Hikam," and so on.
Reading is essential before writing, but we cannot wait until we have read enough to start writing. We must give back the zakat (alms) and gratitude for what we have read, in its own form—namely, by returning it as knowledge.
Throughout history, writings have always been influential. Indeed, even a text written approximately 5,000 years ago remains a subject of research today.[6] In our time, it is especially important to write and publish articles and blog posts to contribute to the development of artificial intelligence by members of the Hizmet Movement.[7][8]
This paper is directed primarily towards the youth and members of the Hizmet Movement. It emphasizes the importance of writing by adding a second dimension to the already encouraged habit of reading within our community and culture.
1. The Importance of Writing in Terms of Its Contributions to the Writer
1.1 The Psychological Benefits of Writing for the Writer
When evaluating the psychological benefits of writing for the writer, we can categorize texts into three types:
A diary is a type of writing in which a person records daily experiences, impressions, and the emotions and thoughts these impressions evoke, usually with a date, on a day-to-day basis. Some of the most famous works written in diary form include: "The Diary of Anne Frank," "The Diary of Samuel Pepys," and "The Journals of André Gide."
A letter is a form of writing sent to a distant friend or acquaintance or used for communication between public institutions. Letters convey emotions, desires, and thoughts, expressing wishes and sentiments.
Creative writing aims to express thoughts and emotions rather than simply providing or transferring information. Examples of creative writing include novels, poems, epics, short stories, screenplays, songs, and more.[9]
Writing these types of texts is one of the most effective methods for recognizing and releasing emotions healthily, a process known as catharsis. To use the familiar analogy of glass and water, as we fill the glass with knowledge through reading, listening, or thinking, it eventually reaches its capacity and begins to overflow. Picking up a pen allows us to purify the water in the glass and ensure that the overflowing water isn't wasted. When a person writes down their expectations, plans, or gratitudes, or even writes a letter to their future self, it revives feelings of enjoyment and satisfaction in life, providing a source of motivation. This is why, in psychotherapy sessions, writing down emotions or creating to-do lists are among the most commonly recommended practices.
Another critical point to address is the benefit of writing on automatic thoughts. Automatic thoughts are instantaneous, habitual, and unconscious. They are accepted without any logical filtering or questioning. These functions occur outside the individual's conscious awareness and negatively impact them. For example, when you're late to a meeting, you may panic and feel a sense of dread. If you ask yourself at that moment, "What am I telling myself?" or "Why is this upsetting me?" you might find responses like, "I can't do anything right," or "This always happens to me."
Writing down these emotions, especially using Aaron T. Beck's three-column technique, is one of the most effective approaches for changing thought patterns.[10] We see that Beck's three-column technique is even used in cancer treatments.[11]
1.2 The Academic Benefits of Writing for the Writer
Writing is one of the most challenging skills to develop compared to other abilities. Consequently, forming a writing habit can be pretty tricky. However, without a doubt, the most effective way to improve writing skills is through consistent practice by writing more frequently. Studies have shown that there is a positive and significant relationship between writing proficiency and academic success.[12] Therefore, students must develop a writing habit, as it plays a significant role in their academic achievement.[13]
1.3 The Contribution of Free Writing to Developing a Writing Habit and Improving Writing Skills
Free writing plays a significant role in an individual's development. Several aspects of free writing that contribute to acquiring a writing habit can be outlined as follows:
Free writing helps ease the fundamental psychological challenge of writing by allowing individuals to find the words in their minds and transfer them onto a blank page. Since a person can stop even in the middle of writing if they wish, it conserves the energy that would otherwise be spent on actions like worrying, hesitating, or crossing out words. Frequent free writing exercises help the writer maintain continuity in writing by preventing concerns over word choice from becoming a hindrance.
Therefore, free writing is the best way to learn how to separate the writing process from the revision process—not just in theory but also in practice. Free writing exercises are about creating without judgment, allowing writers to assess their work more objectively during revision. Spending ten minutes on free writing before starting the main text helps the writers warm up, enabling them to start the writing task more quickly without struggling to find words.
Free writing also aids the writer in discovering topics. Ideas that may have been lost in the busyness of daily life are brought to light, resurfacing through cues that emerge during the writing process.
Moreover, free writing strengthens the writer's skills by allowing them to practice “focusing-but-not-trying”. It enables words to be selected by their natural order or thought rather than by the conscious self. The difference between everyday spoken and written language is a clear example. Spoken language often has a more natural sentence structure, while in written language carefully chosen expressions tend to be used. In this way, free writing gradually adds a deeper resonance to one's writing.
Free writing also helps a piece of writing achieve surface-level coherence. Even when writing quickly, the writer maintains sentence structure, which enhances the flow and strength of the text, ultimately allowing for the creation of more profound and more cohesive writing.[14]
2. The Importance of Writing in Terms of Its Contribution to the Community
2.1 The Role of Written Works in Preserving Cultural Heritage
According to Edward Tylor (1871), culture is a complex whole that includes knowledge, beliefs, art, law, morals, traditions, and other capabilities and habits humans acquire as members of society. Talcott Parsons (1949) defines culture as "the products of behaviors and actions inherited from generation to generation, separate from biological ties." Raymond Williams (2007) further elaborates that the term culture encompasses the entire way of life of an individual or society, including their beliefs, traditions, and customs.[15]
The Qur'an, the biography of the Prophet (Siyer), and Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh) form the foundations of our cultural heritage. Alongside these, there are essential supplementary resources. Two of them are the "Risale-i Nur Collection" and the "Pırlanta Series." If we take a broader view, we encounter explanations and summaries of these supplementary resources. Examples include Abdullah Aymaz's "Üzerine" series or the "Pırlanta Summaries" published on the HizmetWiki Blog.[16] Going even broader, one could consider articles written on these texts, summaries, lecture notes, and discussion notes as additional examples.
Obviously, written texts are vital for preserving and transmitting cultural heritage to future generations. Producing new writings is essential to ensure that these resources remain relevant and resonate with the times. Young people are the most capable group for undertaking this task. Even those lacking sufficient education, knowledge, or skills should be encouraged to start writing as soon as possible, and sometimes, they must take the initiative without delay.
2.2 The Importance of the Abundance of Written Works in the Modern Era
The existence of written works is vital. When a question arises in our minds, one of the first things we do is search the Internet, where tens of thousands of results appear. Some may be blog posts, others academic articles, or even passages from sacred texts. However, the one constant across all these sources is that they are all written works.
In the digital age we live in, preserving culture and passing it on to future generations has become increasingly challenging.[17] The abundance of published written works is crucial for protecting the new generation from the influence of the post-truth era and ensuring that our sources are the most easily accessible in research results. Indeed, the popular chatbot ChatGPT, like many others, is fed by the information available on the internet. The prevalence of biased content online can also lead to the bias of such chatbots. For example, in 2016, Microsoft's chatbot named 'Tay,' which was launched on the Twitter platform, had to be taken down within 24 hours due to its highly racist remarks.[18]
2.3 The Political Impact of Written Works
One significant power of written works is their ability to consciously influence the worldview of their readers, often with a political agenda. No book is genuinely free from political bias.[19]
Today, physical newspapers have lost their former popularity. However, their place has been taken by more accessible platforms such as social media, television, and digital news sites, all of which have followers of all ages. The emergence of the term "iPad Kid" further illustrates this shift.
Yuval Noah Harari challenges Lincoln's notion that "You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all of the time" by highlighting the power of the media. Harari argues that government control over the media can prevent citizens from recognizing the truth.[20] A compelling example supporting Harari's argument is the aftermath of the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016, when the Minister of National Education, Ziya Selçuk, announced that over 300,000 books were destroyed in school libraries.[21] The fact that this 2019 announcement has not been widely questioned by the local population further reinforces Harari's point.
"The journalist is the mirror of truth" suggests that a journalist, like a mirror, is expected to reflect information about events and facts as they are. However, this analogy is now considered problematic.[22] It is evident that restoring this principle as fundamental to journalism, if possible at all, would be a challenging and long process. Some might even deem it impossible. Nevertheless, significant progress could be made over time if awareness and encouragement efforts begin today.
Conclusion
In the first revealed verses, the command to "read" is connected to the Creator's divine nature, while the ability to write is presented as a gift from His generosity. The gratitude and response to such a gift can only be shown by writing more and better.
Additionally, the personal benefits of writing must be noticed. Writing is one of the primary methods recommended for catharsis, ensuring that overflowing emotions are not wasted. Writing has even become a part of the treatment process for cancer patients.[23]
There is a direct correlation between students' written expression skills and their success in other subjects. Developing writing, one of the most challenging abilities to master, can be effectively achieved through free writing. Unlike assignments, essays, or theses, free writing allows individuals to write without anxiety, developing their unique writing style and helping them cultivate regular writing habits.
Writing about the sources of our cultural heritage is crucial for preserving the essence of that culture and ensuring its continuity. As Yusuf Bayram explains, students are educated and later become educators themselves, forming a chain that fosters the ongoing production and advancement of knowledge. If knowledge is not expressed in a manner appropriate to the times, it leads to rigid traditionalism, mere commentary, and uncritical transmission of information.[24]
With the advancement of technology, access to information has become significantly easier. Consequently, the number of texts aimed at changing the opinions of existing readers has also increased. This situation has led to a noticeable decline in trust in the media in many societies.[25] To reverse this trust issue, increasing the number of political writings that genuinely reflect the truth is essential.
Although we face challenges in practice, most of us in our society are aware of the importance of reading and continue to raise awareness among future generations. However, we often overlook the power of writing, which is just as important as reading. As a result, there is little effort to raise awareness about the significance of writing.
[1] Q. 96:1-2
[2] Q. 2:2
[3] Q. 3:187
[4] Q. 47:24
[5] Q. 38:29
[6] “Can We Crack the World's Oldest Writing?” University of Oxford, https://www.ox.ac.uk/research/started-in-oxford/can-we-crack-worlds-oldest-writing (accessed Oct 15, 2024).
[7] “Final Declaration of the Divan on Ethics of Artificial Intelligence - HizmetWiki English (Public),” HizmetWiki.com, https://en.hizmetwiki.com/wiki/Final_Declaration_of_the_Divan_on_Ethics_of_Artificial_Intelligence (accessed Oct 15, 2024).
[8]“Yapay Zeka Etiği Divanı Makale Kitapçığı,” HizmetWiki,com, https://tr.hizmetwiki.com/wiki/Yapay_Zeka_Eti%C4%9Fi_Divan%C4%B1_Makale_Kitap%C3%A7%C4%B1%C4%9F%C4%B1#Makale_V: (accessed Oct 15, 2024)
[9] Turkedebiyati.org, https://www.turkedebiyati.org (accessed Oct 15, 2024).
[10] David D. Burns, İyi Hissetmek: Yeni Duygudurum Tedavisi (Psikonet Yayınları, 2005), 82-88.
[11] “Kanser tedavisinde Beck tekniği,” Kemalozcan.Org, https://kemalozcan.org/kanser-tedavisinde-beck-teknigi (accessed Oct 15, 2024).
[12] Turan Temur, “İlköğretim 5. Sınıf Öğrencilerinin Yazılı Anlatım Beceri Düzeyleri İle Okul Başarısı Arasındaki İlişkisi,” Unpublished master’s thesis (Ankara Üniversitesi, 2001).
[13]Mehmet Tok, Rachım Salıcha, and Ahmet Kuş, “Yazma Alışkanlığı Kazanmış Öğrencilerin Yazma Nedenlerinin İncelenmesi,” Gazi Üniversitesi Gazi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi 34, no. 2 (June 2014).
[14] Peter Elbow, Writing With Power: Techniques for Mastering the Writing Process (New York: 1998), https://academic.oup.com/book/53353 (accessed 15 Oct 2024).
[15] Mesut Aytekin, Deniz Oguzcan, "Kültürün Yeniden Üretimi Bağlamında Türk Kültüründeki Oyun ve Oyuncakların Canlandırma Filmlerde Incelenmesi: Rafadan Tayfa Dehliz Macerası Örneği, " Journal of History School (2020).
[16] “Pırlanta Özetleri,” HizmetWiki Blog, https://blog.hizmetwiki.com/tag/pirlanta-ozetleri (accessed Oct 15 2024).
[17] Aytekin and Oguzcan, "Kültürün Yeniden Üretimi Bağlamında Türk Kültüründeki Oyun ve Oyuncakların Canlandırma Filmlerde Incelenmesi.”
[18] Amy Kraft, “Microsoft shuts down AI chatbot, Tay, after it turned into a Nazi,” CBS News, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/microsoft-shuts-down-ai-chatbot-after-it-turned-into-racist-nazi (accessed 15 Oct, 2024).
[19] George Orwell, Why I Write (Harlow, England: Penguin Books, 2004), 10.
[20] Yuval Harari, 21 Lessons for the 21st Century (London, England: Vintage, 2019), 23.
[21] “Milli Eğitim Bakanı'ndan FETÖ yayınları hakkında açıklama: 301 bin 878 adet kitap imha edildi,” T24: Bagimsiz Internet Gazetesi, https://t24.com.tr/haber/milli-egitim-bakani-ndan-feto-yayinlari-hakkinda-aciklama-301-bin-878-adet-kitap-imha-edildi,833030 (accessed Oct 15, 2024).
[22]Sevda Alankuş, Gazetecilik ve Habercilik (IPS İletişim Vakfı Yayınları, 2005), 69.
[23]James W. Pennebaker and M. Smyth Joshua, Opening Up by Writing It Down: How Expressive Writing Improves Health and Eases Emotional Pain, 3rd ed. (New York: Guilford Press, 2016), 162-165.
[24] “Yusuf Bayram ile Ropörtaj,” Hizmet Wiki Blog, https://blog.hizmetwiki.com/yusuf-bayram-ile-roportaj (accessed Oct 15, 2024).
[25] “Trust in the media has tanked. Are we entering a ‘post-news’ era?” The Christian Science Monitor, CSMonitor.com, https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2024/0503/news-media-decline-polarization-distrust (accessed Oct 15 2024).
