Abstract:

The Turkish War Indipendence (Millî Mücadele) is one of the struggles of the Turkish nations survival on earth. During the years of War of Indipendence Mehmed Âkif, who left his family behind to move to Anatolia and, in there, enlightened the Muslim-Turkish people with the speeches he mode at mosque pulpits, crowded this struggle with the Turkish Nation Anthem (İstiklâl Marşı) he wrote. Therefore, the National Anthem is also a concise expression of the superior values of the Turkish nation such as indipendence, truth, faith, patriotism and Islam, which these values will continue to be in existence forever. This article on the activities of Mehmed Âkif during the years of the War of Indipendence and the main themes in the National Anthem. Mehmed Âkif, especially in the speech he gave at the Nasrullah Mosque in Kastamonu, invited the people to unity and solidarity, stated the enemy could never be friend, and by citing various verses from the Qur’an, emphasized that it was religiously obligatory to fight against the enemy. This speech of Mehmed Âkif, published in Sebîlürreşad, was printed in thousands of copies, and distributed to the Anatolian people and the soldiers fighting at the front. As a very modest and honorable person, Mehmed Âkif did not want to participate in the "National Anthem Competition" because of the money award, but when the award was removed, he sent his poem to the competition board. The poet of the National Anthem, Mehmed Âkif returned to Istanbul after he could not be elected as a deputy for the second time in the 1924 elections, and he was treated as an ordinary citizien afterwards. It is only because of this tereatment that Mehmed Âkif, spent the rest of his life abroad after this date.

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