Report On Takva – Film Reflection

Muharrem, the protagonist in the film Takva is a humble and God-fearing man who prays often and practices sexual abstinence. Due to his exceptional devotion, Muharrem captures the interest of a Sheikh leading a Sufi order in Istanbul who wants to give him an administrative position in the management of the assets owned by the seminary. His main duty will be rent collection, and the income from these assets will be used to cater for poor and orphaned children. The Sheikh chooses him as a rent-collector because he has a good heard and because God has shown him in a dream that Muharrem is the chosen one for that task. It may also be because of his honesty and lack of cunningness for worldly possessions that he is chosen
The Sheikh’s associate, Rauf, who is also Muharrem’s friend urges him to leave his house and move with him to the seminary. Muharrem is hesitant to leave his house since he emphasizes that that is where he has lived all his life. He is also afraid that he might fail at his job and disappoint the Sheikh. Rauf in turn gives him the allegory of the lion meaning that although the task ahead of him may seem daunting (like facing a lion), he will succeed and face no harm by being courageous to first take the job (taking the first step towards the lion). When he says that many travelled from far to see the lion but none dared to the first step in its face he challenges Muharrem that he is so close to a great opportunity and should not allow his fear hold him back.
However, the challenges he faces in his new role as a rent-collector make it impossible for him to maintain his virtues of simplicity and purity of belief. After he accepts the job of a rent collector, he experiences a clash of following what he believes would please God with the operation processes of the Sufi order. For instance, he believes it would please God to let the woman with children and a sick husband stay in the seminary’s rental house even though she cannot pay rent. However, his Sheikh is not pleased and wants everyone to pay rent in spite of their situation. He is even more surprised to find that the seminary leaders side with the drunkard because he pays rent, giving him a dilemma. Despite his will to please God, he finds himself getting deeper into deception, corruption, and hypocrisy. He becomes frustrated and experiences fits. All these experiences make it impossible for Muharrem to keep his simplicity and putrity of belief. Considering the business operations and use of modern technology by the Muslim brotherhood, Islamic virtues change with time and Muharrem needs to go with that if he is to fit in.
The economy run by the Sufi brotherhood consists of rental flats, shops, and storage spaces spread across Istanbul. Compared to the economy run by banks, theirs is unjust because Muharrem is discouraged from conducting repairs on damaged houses on the basis that it is expensive. This shows that the brotherhood does not care about the tenants yet it wants their money. However, almost all banks would do repairs for their tenants. Their economy is also unjust because their economy operates such that those who sell the products as well as the customers all belong to the brotherhood and services from outside are not wanted. For instance Murarrem is told that repairs can only be done by members of the brotherhood only. In the economy ran by banks services can come from different members of the society in spite of the ethnic or social background. The brotherhood just like banks is also only after profit hence they are also no better than the banks they shun for making interest.
In the end, Muharrem is in bed catatonic unaware that the woman he sees in his dreams is the one caring for him. I make the sense that he is in a deep spiritual crisis due to the clash between the righteous he once had with the change he has had by being exposed into the modern world unprepared by his new job. This shows that he fails because he was unprepared to face the world by avoiding the changes of modernity all his life. I consider that as the failure of Muharrem’s faith as a devout Muslim.