“Muslims do not have any other gods but God and Muhammad (saas) is His messenger. There is no mystery and secret in it.”

The writer of these words is Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy, author of such literary masterpieces.

As the famous Russian author questioned the purpose behind existence, he experienced various changes in his perspective toward the world, human beings and life. Along with these changes, he wrote works describing Allah, man, life and death.

Tolstoy, who enjoyed great fame and wealth, abandoned the bourgeois life he had been living and turned to religion. He revealed his religious aspect in several works such as "What Is Religion?".

Tolstoy felt a huge admiration for Islam and our Prophet Muhammad (saas).

Tolstoy also emphasized in his treatise “The Prophet Muhammad,” (saas) which contained hadiths, that the religion preached by our Prophet (saas) was the last and most perfect faith.

In the 1900s, attempts were made to impose an “atheist” identity on the Russian people. The people, and Russian intellectuals and scholars in particular, attached great importance to and admired Tolstoy. For that reason, the appearance of his conversion to Islam* might have sparked a major turning to Islamic moral values in Russian society. For that reason, the treatise of hadiths that Tolstoy had printed in 1909 was kept hidden for many years.

In his treatise, Tolstoy mainly employed hadiths containing matters such as belief in Allah, poverty, quality, death and being a good person.

This work of Tolstoy’s was translated from Russian into Azeri, and then by dedicated efforts of Mr. Arif Arslan from Azeri into Turkish.

Some quotes from Tolstoy's books read:

“Wish for your brother that which you wish for yourself. Wish not for your brother that which you wish not for yourself.”

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“O Lord grant to me the love of Thee; grant that I love those that love Thee; grant that I may do the deed than win Thy love; make Thy love dearer to me than self, family and wealth.”

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“The true believer never disgraces others, do wrongs and talks vainly.”

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“Abstain exploring the faults of people…”

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“Be merciful to mankind, so that God has mercy on you.”

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“God orders to be gentle and modest, so that nobody wrongs others.”

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“Whoever suppresses his anger, when he has in his power to show it, Allah will give him great reward.”

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“Prayer is the union with Allah of the faithful.”

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“Death is a bridge that unites friend with friend.”

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“When you speak, speak the truth; perform when you promise; discharge your trust; commit not fornication; be chaste; have no impure desires; withhold your hands from striking, and from taking that which is unlawful or evil.”