An Analytical study of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s Intellectual Development and Composition of Risale-i Nur (a Thematic Qur’ānic Exegesis)

Dr Shumaila Majeed

doi:10.32350/jitc.102.10

Abstract

The current study analyses Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s life and contributions. It presents a short description of his early life, education and dissatisfaction with the then prevailing education systems. This is followed by an analysis of his intellectual development due to rapidly changing circumstances. The paper also presents an insight into Nursi’s representative work ‘Risale-i Nur’ through an analysis of its structure and methodology. This is significant because his intellectual development, due to changes in his circumstances, played an instrumental role in determining the style, method and objectives of Risale. Hence, the study of his intellectual development is imperative to understand the objectives of Risale. The findings of the paper revealed that Nursi’s approach to reform the Muslim society was not stagnant. In the ‘Old Said’ phase, he attempted to neutralize the decline in Muslim community through sociopolitical reforms. The ‘New Said’ phase was marked by his efforts to strengthen belief, encounter anti-religious ideologies and detachment from politics. In the ‘Third Said’ phase, he again took interest in sociopolitical matters but it was limited to the theoretical realm with no practical involvement. The study also found that the structure of Risale, its treatment of subjects and its methodology are its distinguishing features. It consists of the elements well-suited to the needs of the time to save Islamic belief against the onslaught of atheistic ideologies. The current research was conducted using the qualitative approach. It is beneficial for academia in understanding the intellectual development of this great 20th century Turkish Muslim scholar.

Highlights

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi1, a distinguished Muslim revivalist of the 20th century, was born circa 1876 in a small village Nurs, situated in Bitlis, a province of eastern Turkey (Anatolia)
The research finds that many factors combined to shape his thought process. His early disagreement with the education system had a pivotal role to play in his intellectual development in the years to follow
Circumstances left him in a state of disappointment and prompted him to review his strategy. This led him to his New Said phase

Summary

Introduction

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi ( referred to as Nursi), a distinguished Muslim revivalist of the 20th century, was born circa 1876 in a small village Nurs, situated in Bitlis, a province of eastern Turkey (Anatolia). As Old Said he observed abysmal political situation of Ottoman Empire and was a proponent of saving Muslims from decline through political and educational means In the meantime, he went through a spiritual crisis which resulted in his realization of inadequacy of the human philosophy. The second phase of Nursi’s life, named New Said, began in the years following WW-I which coincided with the regime of the New Republic of Turkey whose objective was to westernize Turkey In this period Nursi experienced the pain of exile and imprisonment spanning twenty five years. After 1950 with the victory of Democrats in elections, the situation eased out for him to some extent and he emerged as the Third Said This is the period when he began to take interest once again in socio-political matters of the country; but this time in a different way. He only offered his support and advice to the Government but did not take practical part in politics as he had done in the Old Said phase

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Conclusion