Painting gifted by Erbaş to Erdoğan sparks backlash! Did he choose the verse on purpose?

The 8th International Kindness Awards Ceremony, organized by the Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation, was held at the Presidential Palace.

President of Religious Affairs Ali Erbaş, who attended the ceremony, AKP Chairman and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğanpresented a painting inscribed with Celi Sülüs calligraphy.

The inclusion of the 10th verse of Surah Al-Fath in the painting drew attention.

The translation of this verse is as follows: 

'Indeed, those who pledge allegiance to you are actually pledging allegiance to Allah. The hand of Allah is over their hands. So he who breaks his word only breaks it to the detriment of himself. And he who fulfills that which he has covenanted with Allah - He will give him a great reward.'

DID ERBAŞ CHOOSE THIS GIFT ON PURPOSE?

While the verse on the painting gifted by Erbaş to Erdoğan, which mentions 'allegiance' (biat), sparked controversy, it has been suggested that he chose this gift intentionally.

Erbaş, who has been at the helm of the Diyanet since 2017, was reappointed for a second term in 2021.

Under Erbaş's leadership, the Diyanet has frequently made headlines over the past eight years for its lavish spending and budgets that exceed those of various ministries. In Ankara political circles, it is being discussed that Erbaş's term expires in September and that this gift is being interpreted as an effort to remain in office.

According to the official exegesis (tafsir) of the Presidency of Religious Affairs, the 10th verse of Surah Al-Fath emphasizes that those who pledge allegiance to the Prophet are, in fact, pledging allegiance to Allah. The exegesis states, 'In many verses, it is expressed that those who obey His messenger are obeying Allah. In the 10th verse, pledging allegiance to the Prophet, who is the messenger of Allah, is also evaluated as a commitment and a promise of obedience indirectly given to Allah.'

DEBATES ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Erbaş's gift to Erdoğan triggered backlash and criticism. Some users claimed that the verse was taken out of context and used as a political message. Following these allegations, the Presidency of Religious Affairs was forced to issue a statement.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE DIYANET

In its statement, the Presidency of Religious Affairs said, 'Those who are not familiar with the Quran and do not know the meaning of the verses must have tried to distort this divine message. However, no scholar has ever interpreted this verse by taking it out of context. If the criticism is directed at the meaning of the verse, this is a terrible manifestation of ignorance. It is worrying for the intellectual future of our country that a verse carrying such a clear message is being used as material for meaningless debates.' the statement read.