“Hagia Sophia: Sign of conquest, our trust in Fati̇h (Sultan Mehmet).”
The Turks are making no secret of what the conversion of Hagia Sophia to a mosque means. What is coming should be clear to everyone, but isn’t: in February 2018, Erdoğan declared his desire to reconquer the lands the Ottoman caliphate once ruled: “Those who think that we have erased from our hearts the lands from which we withdrew in tears a hundred years ago are wrong. We say at every opportunity we have that Syria, Iraq and other places in the geography [map] in our hearts are no different from our own homeland. We are struggling so that a foreign flag will not be waved anywhere where adhan [Islamic call to prayer in mosques] is recited. The things we have done so far [pale in comparison to the] even greater attempts and attacks [we are planning for] the coming days, inshallah [Allah willing].”
“Hagia Sophia: Top Imam uses Ottoman’s sword during Friday sermon,” Siasat Daily, July 25, 2020 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):
ISTANBUL: Turkey’s iconic Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque reopened for worship on Friday for the first time in 86 years.
Ahead of the Friday sermon, the country’s Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet) head Ali Erbaş used an Ottoman sword to climb up the staircase of the minbar (pulpit) of the historic Hagia Sophia.
Imam Erbaş read the special khutbah, or sermon, titled “Hagia Sophia: Sign of conquest, our trust in Fati̇h (Sultan Mehmet),” before the collective prayer.
When questioned why the sword was used in delivery the sermon, Imam Erbas responded saying that it is a tradition in mosques that are the symbols of conquest.
Two green flags were also hung on the minbar (pulpit) of the mosque as a symbol of conquest.
In his sermon, Erbaş said, “The longing that caused deep pain in the hearts of our people has come to an end.”
Salat and Salam be to Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) who gave the good news about the conquest by saying, “One day Constantinople will be conquered. Great is the commander who will conquer it, and great are his soldiers!”
“Today is the day when takbirs (Allahu akbar), prayers, and salavats (salutation upon the prophet of Islam) resonate in the domes of Hagia Sophia, and the adhan (call for prayer) rises from its minarets,” Erbaş stated….
Prior to the inaugural prayers, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also recited verses of the Holy Quran.