Prof. Dr. Sabri Orman, one of the pioneering figures in the field of Islamic economics and a former faculty member of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University, was commemorated at İZU on the anniversary of his passing in a program attended by President of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar.
A memorial program was organized at our University in honor of Prof. Dr. Sabri Orman, who passed away in 2020 while serving at the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences of Istanbul Sabahattin Zaim University (İZU). The event, titled “Remembering and Understanding Prof. Dr. Sabri Orman” and organized by the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences, was attended by President of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar; İZU Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Küçük; Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Erhan İçener and Prof. Dr. Nihat Erdoğmuş; İZU Secretary General Dr. Fatih Hasdemir; Dean of the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences Prof. Dr. İbrahim Güran Yumuşak; Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Istanbul Commerce University İsrafil Kuralay; Sabri Orman’s son, Turkish Airlines Vice President of Sales Sedat Orman; Member of the Board of Trustees of the Adıyamanlılar Foundation Ramazan Aksoy; as well as academics and students who had been Prof. Orman’s students and colleagues.
YUMUŞAK: “İZU’S DEPARTMENT OF ISLAMIC ECONOMICS IS PART OF PROF. SABRİ ORMAN’S LEGACY”
Delivering the opening speech, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Management Sciences Prof. Dr. İbrahim Güran Yumuşak stated that he remembered Prof. Orman with mercy and gratitude, having first met him as a university student in 1990. Dean Yumuşak noted that the establishment of İZU’s Department of Islamic Economics and Finance became possible thanks to the determined efforts of leading scholars in the field, including Prof. Sabri Orman. Ramazan Aksoy, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Adıyamanlılar Foundation, also shared his memories of Prof. Orman with the audience during the opening session.
KÜÇÜK: “PROF. SABRİ ORMAN CONTINUES TO SERVE THROUGH HIS WORKS AND STUDENTS”
Reminding the audience that every Muslim’s greatest aspiration in this world is to be remembered with goodness after passing away, İZU Rector Prof. Dr. İsmail Küçük stated that Prof. Sabri Orman was among those fortunate individuals who had attained this aspiration. “Prof. Sabri Orman continues to serve society and the scholarly world through the students he educated and the valuable works he left behind,” said Küçük, who also expressed his gratitude to everyone who contributed to the organization of the event.
ÖZVAR: “PROF. SABRİ ORMAN WILL ALWAYS BE REMEMBERED FOR HIS COURTESY, HUMILITY, DIGNITY, AND MANNER”
President of the Council of Higher Education (YÖK) Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar emphasized that Sabri Orman was not only a distinguished academic but also an exemplary individual in terms of his moral and human qualities. “Some people leave behind not only works but also a stance, a style, a moral character, and an understanding of scholarship. Prof. Sabri Orman was such a person,” said Özvar. He noted that Sabri Orman should not be remembered solely through his books, articles, and academic titles, but as someone who represented a life devoted to scholarship.
Özvar highlighted the profound influence of Sabahattin Zaim and Sabri Ülgener on the formation of Orman’s scholarly identity and stated that throughout his academic career, Orman focused on rethinking the relationship between economics, morality, and justice. The YÖK President further emphasized that Orman made significant contributions to establishing Islamic economics studies on a scientific foundation in Türkiye. He also noted that Orman’s command of Ottoman Turkish, Arabic, Persian, and English enabled him to access the sources of different civilizations directly and produce works of exceptional richness.
TABAKOĞLU: “HE LEFT US A COMPREHENSIVE CORPUS OF ISLAMIC ECONOMICS WRITTEN IN BEAUTIFUL TURKISH”
Following the opening speeches, the program continued with a panel titled “Islamic Economics and the Conception of Civilization,” moderated by YÖK President Prof. Dr. Erol Özvar. The first speaker, Prof. Dr. Ahmet Tabakoğlu, explained that his path first crossed with Sabri Orman in 1975, when both were pursuing research in Islamic economics. Stating that they studied at the same institution and graduated from the Higher Islamic Institute, Tabakoğlu remarked, “Before 1980, we attended classes under the shadow of bullets. The scholarly studies conducted today became possible thanks to the sacrifices made during those years.”
Tabakoğlu stated that at the beginning of their academic careers they shared an office at Marmara University and that, in the final period of their lives, they once again became office mates while teaching at Sabahattin Zaim University. Emphasizing that they learned morality, fairness, and composure from Sabri Orman above all else, Tabakoğlu recommended that all researchers of Islamic economics begin by reading Orman’s books, adding, “Prof. Sabri Orman left us a magnificent corpus of Islamic economics written in remarkably beautiful Turkish.”
KARLIĞA: “SABRİ ORMAN IS A ROLE MODEL”
Prof. Dr. Bekir Karlığa stated that Sabri Orman was an exceptionally warm-hearted and humble person and that he played a significant role in the transformation of the Islamic movement in Türkiye over the last forty years. Karlığa explained that although Sabri Ülgener first opened the doors to the field of Islamic economics, it was Sabri Orman who delved deeply into its primary sources. He further stated that Orman sought to academically ground the new philosophy of economics initiated by his mentor Ülgener and stressed that such distinguished personalities should be introduced to younger generations as role models.
ÇAKIR: “HE WAS THE GENTLEMAN OF ACADEMIA”
Prof. Dr. Coşkun Çakır referred to the “chain of coincidences” in Sabri Orman’s life, recounting that Sabahattin Zaim met Orman’s father in Kahta, where Zaim had been appointed as a young district governor in his first official post. According to Çakır, Zaim told the father, “This child has bright, lively eyes; you must definitely educate him.” Years later, that child arrived at university and became both the student and assistant of the former district governor, who had by then become a professor. Çakır noted that this meaningful cycle continued even after Orman’s passing, adding, “His academic journey began with Sabahattin Zaim and concluded at the university that bears Zaim’s name.”
Describing Orman’s character, Çakır said: “He was truly an exceptionally refined and dignified individual and never deviated from the straight path. He was a scholar and a man of virtue, an excellent husband and a devoted father. He was, in every sense of the words, a true gentleman. We often addressed him in this way rather than simply calling him ‘Professor’; he was truly the gentleman of academia.”
BULUT: “HE EMBODIED THE ‘GOOD PERSON’ MODEL DESCRIBED BY SABAHATTİN ZAİM”
Prof. Dr. Mehmet Bulut stated that Sabri Orman possessed a noble, elegant, and exceptionally courteous character. “Prof. Sabri Orman perfectly embodied the definition of the ‘good person’ that our esteemed Prof. Sabahattin Zaim described throughout his life; he was an exemplary individual in every respect,” he said.
Bulut emphasized that Orman always displayed a dignified demeanor and stated that, considering many of the weaknesses frequently criticized in today’s academic environment, Sabri Orman should be regarded as a pioneering figure worthy of emulation.
AYSAN: “WE SHOULD TRANSLATE PROF. SABRİ ORMAN’S BOOKS INTO ENGLISH AND INTRODUCE THEM TO THE WORLD”
Prof. Dr. A. Faruk Aysan stated that he first discovered and came to admire Sabri Orman through his works. He explained that after spending a period in the United States and returning to Türkiye, he sought to understand different schools of economic thought and began searching for his own intellectual roots, during which he encountered the profound works of Prof. Orman.
Emphasizing that Sabri Orman was one of the most significant and influential figures in Islamic economic thought not only in Türkiye but worldwide, Aysan stated that some of the scholars who contributed most to this field were raised in Türkiye, yet their value had not been sufficiently recognized. Recalling that he and Sabri Orman were appointed to the Central Bank’s Bank Assembly on the same day and worked together there for six years, Aysan described Orman’s working style as follows:
“He did not speak much during meetings; however, when particularly critical and seemingly intractable issues arose, he would intervene with a strong sense of justice, command everyone’s attention, and convince all participants.”
SEDAT ORMAN: “SUCH EVENTS ARE EXTREMELY VALUABLE FOR KEEPING HIS MEMORY ALIVE”
Speaking on behalf of the family at the conclusion of the memorial program, Turkish Airlines Vice President of Sales Sedat Orman emphasized the importance of preserving his father’s cherished memory. Highlighting the significance of passing on his father’s scholarly legacy and exemplary character to future generations, Orman stated:
“Events such as this, organized to keep his memory alive and to introduce his character and works to new generations, are of tremendous importance.”
He concluded his remarks by expressing his gratitude to everyone involved in organizing the program.