This initiative represents a continuation of
the scholarly legacy laid down by the late spiritual leader Imam Mahmoud
Effendi, may Allah have mercy on him, and a revival of his mission in spreading
knowledge and serving the Shari’ah. A Warm Welcome and
Mutual Respect Upon his arrival at the college, the
President of the Union was received with a warm welcome, reflecting the high
esteem in which he is held among scholars and preachers, particularly by the
Ismail Agha Waqf. They are united by mutual respect and a shared mission. A Waqf That
Connects the Present to the Roots of Civilization In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sheikh
Al-Qaradaghi said: “This blessed Waqf, founded by
the devout scholar Ismail Agha—may Allah have mercy on him—then carried forward
by the saintly Sheikh Mahmoud Effendi, continued by his student Sheikh Hassan
Effendi, and today supervised by Sheikh Fikret and led academically by Sheikh
Salih, is not merely an institution, but a continuation of the spirit of
Islamic endowment. It nourishes the Ummah with knowledge and the Qur’an,
linking its present to the roots of its civilization.” His Eminence emphasized that the college,
the newly established boarding center, and the mosque are not mere stone
buildings, but “fortresses of light and sanctuaries of scholarly renewal rooted
in authentic chains of Islamic knowledge.” Knowledge as a
Waqf for the Sake of Allah Sheikh Al-Qaradaghi spoke about the role of
endowments (awqaf) in reviving the Ummah, stressing that when knowledge is
dedicated purely for the sake of Allah—not for career or fame—it becomes pure
knowledge that serves the Ummah and renews its faith. He added: “The concept of endowed knowledge
is a strategic vision that elevates the Ummah, especially when knowledge is
freed from the dominance of money and politics and becomes sincerely devoted to
Allah—educating, nurturing, and refining.” In reflecting on the secret behind the
continuity and lasting impact of such institutions, Sheikh Al-Qaradaghi
explained: 1-
Sincerity of intention:
Whoever is sincere to Allah, Allah preserves his knowledge and sustains his
mission. 2-
Community involvement:
The community must feel that the waqf belongs to them, that the school is
theirs, and that the responsibility is collective—not individual. A Model to Emulate His Eminence concluded his speech by
praising what he had witnessed in the city of Of, describing it as “a model to
be emulated” in terms of intergenerational connection, unity among scholars,
sincerity of purpose, sound administration, and the harmony between spiritual
depth and organizational excellence. At the end of his visit, he prayed that
Allah bless this noble initiative, place it in the record of good deeds of the
late Imam Mahmoud Effendi and his students, and bless the land that produces
men of light, knowledge born of sincerity, and endowments born of mercy. (Source:
IUMS + Social Media) ـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ
* للاطلاع على الترجمة الكاملة للخبر باللغة العربية،
اضغط (هنا).
في ضيافة أهل العلم، وعلى أعتاب منارات الوقف المبارك،بحمد الله وفضله، شرفتُ اليوم بالمشاركة في افتتاح جامع محمود أفندي رحمه الله تعالى وكلية محمود أفندي في منطقة "أوف" بولاية طرابزون التركية، في حدثٍ يلامس الروح ويُنعش الذاكرة الإسلامية الحية. وصلنا مساء أمس إلى المنطقة، حيث… pic.twitter.com/T4V8f7IT8F— د. علي القره داغي (@Ali_AlQaradaghi) July 5, 2025 ' />