Invisible University

When we examine Türkiye’s recent history, we encounter a spiritual center of education that rose within the country’s spiritual geography—without walls, yet with an influence that transcended continents. What is the name of this center? “The Invisible University.” This institution is vastly different from the academic podiums, diplomas, and lecture halls we know. As author Ersin Gürdoğan emphasizes, “this university resembles no other university.”^【1】 So what is the name of this “Invisible University”? Mehmet Zahit Kotku.

^{Mehmet Zahit Kotku} (TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi)

Mehmet Zahit Kotku is both the founder of this exceptional school and its spiritual rector, whose presence touched the soul of every student. He did not merely seek to equip individuals with knowledge but aimed to teach them to view objects and events through the prophetic gaze, enriching the inner worlds of individuals and building a center of civilization and progress.

His story began in Bursa in 1897, shaped by the profound sense of orphanhood he felt after losing his mother, Sabire Hanım, at the age of three. As a member of a family that migrated from the Caucasus to Anatolia, Zahit Kotku lived his childhood and youth under this melancholy. At the age of eighteen, he rushed to the Syrian front to defend his homeland. During the harsh years of the First World War, Mehmet Zahit Kotku witnessed the Ottoman army’s withdrawal from Syria and the collapse of an empire. From 1919 to 1922, while continuing his military service in Istanbul, he sought ways to fill the great void within his soul with divine love.^【2】

Seeking spiritual solace through mosque sermons and lectures in Istanbul, Mehmet Zahit Efendi’s life took a decisive turn when he entered the Gümüşhânevî Tekkesi next to Fatma Sultan Camii in Cağaloğlu in 1920. There he met the person who would transform his life and make him the embodiment of the “Invisible University.” Who was this figure? His spiritual journey began with allegiance to Dağıstanlı Ömer Ziyâeddin Efendi and reached its perfection at the feet of Mustafa Feyzi Efendi after his master’s passing.^【3】

Built in 1505 by İskender Paşa, vizier of Sultan Bayezid II, this blessed mosque—whose square plan echoes the dimensions of the Kaaba—was reborn and flourished with the arrival of Mehmet Zahit Kotku. This stone structure, bearing the wear of centuries, its muqarnas mihrab, marble pulpit, and calligraphic decorations, became not merely an architectural masterpiece but a dergâh guiding thousands to guidance. Appointed to this mosque in 1958, Mehmet Zahit Kotku filled every corner of the mosque with knowledge and spiritual insight through his lessons on Râmûzü’l-eḥâdîs, delivered after the Sunday afternoon prayers.^【4】

^{İskenderpaşa Camii} (TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi)

His guidance did not confine itself to prayer beads and mosque walls; he consistently advocated for the necessity of industrialization and domestic production to uphold the dignity of Muslims, urging them to be active in trade and politics. This counsel helped pave the way for the establishment of Gümüş Motor, Türkiye’s first domestic engine factory, which took its name from the Gümüşhânevî Dergâh.^【6】 This center produced statesmen such as Necmettin Erbakan and Turgut Özal and became the epicenter of Türkiye’s defense and production ethos.^【7】

For Mehmet Zahit Kotku, religion was not a set of rituals detached from life, but life itself and service to humanity. He defined the greeting not merely as a verbal utterance but as “learning the need of the brother you meet on the path and doing what you can before continuing your journey,” and advised that religion demands from each person to give according to their means. This great figure, who consistently advised his students and followers to uphold rights and argued that scholars must lead society in addressing social issues, engraved the importance of self-discipline and the rights of parents upon hearts through his works such as Cennet Yolları and Tasavvufî Ahlâk.^【8】

^{Mehmet Zahit Kotku Kabri} (TDV Ansiklopedisi)

On 13 November 1980, Mehmet Zahit Kotku departed for the eternal realm, leaving behind thousands of orphaned hearts. A week before his passing, while in Medina, he summarized his life with these words: “All in this world is vanity... Money is vanity, books are vanity, dervishhood is vanity... What matters is to become a good servant.”^【9】

Süleymaniye Camii, where his funeral prayer was held, was followed by his burial in the courtyard of the Tomb of Sultan Süleyman the Lawgiver. This great guide continues to live in hearts as the unextinguished light of the “Invisible University,” illuminating the path even to this day.