WISE Institute 2025 Workshop Project

In its 2025 Workshop Project, the WISE Institute is spotlighting three core dimensions of M. Fethullah Gülen Hocaefendi—Science, Spirituality, and Leadership.

 

This year’s theme: Three Dimensions of M. Fethullah Gülen: Knowledge, Spirituality, Leadership

Date: June 20–22, 2025 (Friday–Sunday)

Venue: Chestnut Retreat Center (7554 Mt. Eaton Rd, Saylorsburg, PA 18353 USA)

 

Introduction

The WISE (Wisdom Islamic Studies and Education) Institute organizes an annual workshop to address key issues in Islamic thought, universal moral values, and contemporary challenges. These workshops bring together scholars, researchers, and intellectuals from various disciplines to foster academic dialogue and knowledge exchange.

The 2025 workshop is dedicated to the memory of the late honorable Fethullah Gülen Hocaefendi, who recently passed away. The theme of the workshop has been designated as: “Three Dimensions of M. Fethullah Gülen: Knowledge, Spirituality, Leadership” This event aims to explore and present Hocaefendi’s intellectual contributions, his deep spiritual life, and his visionary leadership within an academic framework, with the goal of conveying this valuable legacy to wider audiences.

 

Objectives and Goals

The main objective of this workshop is to thoroughly analyze the enduring impact of Hocaefendi in the fields of knowledge, spirituality, and leadership. The workshop seeks to achieve the following:

 

Knowledge: To evaluate Hocaefendi’s scholarly methods, educational approaches, and intellectual legacy grounded in the Qur'an and Sunnah. Fethullah Gülen Hocaefendi was a thinker with a broad intellectual horizon who built bridges between different disciplines. His scholarly life was shaped by a deep thirst for learning, a refined methodology of instruction, and a multidimensional approach to intellectual development. By striking a balance between classical Islamic sciences and modern disciplines, his academic efforts became a source of guidance for humanity. His intellectual curiosity, scholarly rigor, and humble style form the pillars of his scholarly heritage.

 

Spirituality: To explore his spiritual maturity and his philosophy of life centered on morality and excellence (ihsan). Fethullah Gülen Hocaefendi’s inner world was shaped by profound devotion to God, deep love for the Prophet, and the spiritual heritage of Anatolian wisdom. He was a guide who promoted spiritual development on both individual and societal levels. His emphasis on prayer, worship, and spiritual practices was central to his life and served as an inspiration to those around him. His model of spiritual leadership not only involved a personal journey but also included guiding communities toward collective spiritual awakening.

 

Leadership: To analyze his understanding of guidance and his leadership perspective focused on social harmony and global humanitarian service. Hocaefendi’s approach to leadership went beyond being a figure of authority—it was about transforming society, elevating people, and inspiring hearts. His leadership model was built on voluntary participation, human-centered values, and high moral standards. In times of crisis, his calm demeanor, patience, and strategic thinking stood out. He viewed leadership as a means of serving others. His leadership example offers a universally relevant model that continues to influence communities and institutions in meaningful ways across the globe.

 

Tentative Program Flow

Day 1: Friday, June 20, 2025

Focus: Knowledge

 

Day 2: Saturday, June 21, 2025

Focus: Spirituality

 

Day 3: Sunday, June 22, 2025

Focus: Leadership

 

Participation and Submission Guidelines

The deadline for paper submission is May 15.

Papers should be sent to [email protected]

Submitted papers will be reviewed by an academic committee, and selected presenters will be announced by June 1.

Presentation time is 20 minutes, followed by a 10-minute Q&A session.

Detailed formatting and submission guidelines will be shared in a separate file.

All copyright rights of the presented papers belong to WISE Institute.

WISE Institute will compile the papers into a workshop proceedings book, which may include selected papers not presented due to time constraints.

The opinions and interpretations expressed in the papers are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the institution.

We also encourage participants to self-organize into three thematic groups (Knowledge, Spirituality, Leadership). Each group should hold at least three online meetings via Zoom before the submission deadline. A group coordinator should lead these meetings. These collaborative discussions will help participants remain informed of each other’s topics, avoid redundancy, and inspire one another.

 

Conclusion

This workshop presents a significant opportunity to better understand the thought, intellectual legacy, service-centered life, and global influence of M. Fethullah Gülen Hocaefendi. The collection of papers resulting from this event will serve as a valuable academic resource and a reference for future studies.