At the age of 84, Hilmi Şehitoğlu, who learned Arabic at the age of 71 with the dream of leaving a lasting legacy for his children, has written the entire Quran in calligraphy. He now experiences the peace of leaving a mark that will enlighten future generations.
Şehitoğlu, who started his education by walking 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) every day to his village school in Tortum, Erzurum, later graduated from the Faculty of Economic and Commercial Sciences at Ankara University in 1966, thanks to his success and determination.
Throughout his life, books have been at the center of Şehitoğlu’s world. After retiring, he continued his studies and found a new direction in his life by enrolling in an Ottoman Turkish course.
At the age of 71, he started studying Arabic calligraphy, and soon after, he decided to write the Quran in calligraphy.
Referring to the Quran as “the most sacred inheritance” he could leave for his children, Şehitoğlu completed this remarkable work after six years of tireless effort, seeing it both as an act of worship and a gift for future generations.
In an interview with Anadolu Agency (AA), Şehitoğlu shared how the value of education and books became clear to him during his challenging childhood years, and how books have always been at the center of his life.
After retiring, he decided to learn Ottoman Turkish and said, “After turning 70, I started reading and writing Arabic script. I began writing Arabic letters, and people around me said my writing was beautiful. My late wife encouraged me, and I felt a desire, ‘Could I write the Quran?’ I started with the shorter surahs.”
He continued by explaining that the writing process took years, from finding the right paper to the lengthy revision stages, taking about eight years in total.
“I remember one time, I had reached the 240th page. After about three and a half to four years, I thought I wouldn’t be able to finish it and left it. But I came back and continued. I started writing the Quran at 71 and finished it at 76. But then, of course, there was a long process of revision. I ended up rewriting 400-450 pages.”
He continued, “When I finished, I realized the first page and the last one looked different, so I rewrote 150 pages again. There were no mistakes, but the style was different. At first, I would finish a page in three to four or five days. Toward the end, I was finishing a page in one to one and a half hours.”
Şehitoğlu emphasized that the idea of leaving a legacy for the future was the greatest motivation for him during this process. “Writing the Quran, the peace it gives me, the spiritual tranquility, it has given me the greatest peace. It gives me endless peace. I’ve left an eternal spiritual inheritance. I’ve given each of my three children a printed copy, and I read it, I complete it and find peace with it. This has been my greatest happiness and peace.”
He also shared his biggest piece of advice for young people: “Read.” He stated that the Quran’s first command, “Read,” has illuminated all stages of his life.