6P Bediuzzaman Said
6P Bediuzzaman Said
6P Bediuzzaman Said
Article QR
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.121.06
Received: July 14, 2021, Revised: April 29, 2022, Accepted: May 04, 2022, Available
History: Online: June 25, 2022
Ihsan, Nur Hadi, Ridani Faulika Permana, and Abdullah Muslich Rizal Maulana.
"Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and the Nature of Human Creation in his Major
Citation:
Works: Considering a New Breakthrough in Islamic Philosophy." Journal of
Islamic Thought and Civilization 12, no. 1 (2022): 114−137.
https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.121.06
A publication of
Department of Islamic Thought and Civilization, School of Social Sciences and Humanities
University of Management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and the Nature of Human Creation in his
Major Works: Considering a New Breakthrough
in Islamic Philosophy
Nur Hadi Ihsan
Aqeedah and Islamic Philosophy
University of Darussalam Gontor, Indonesia
Ridani Faulika Permana
Department of Tafseer and Qur’anic Science
Faculty of Ushuluddin
University of Darussalam Gontor, Indonesia
Abdullah Muslich Rizal Maulana
Department of Comparative Study of Religions
Faculty of Ushuluddin, University of Darussalam Gontor, Indonesia
Abstract
This paper aimed to analyse Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s ideas regarding the nature
of human creation in his major works. In order to achieve such goal, this paper
utilized a ‘conceptual analysis’ method to reveal Nursi’s elaboration on the
concept. The research found that humans, according to Nursi, arise from the
mother's womb with God's fondness -Rahīm- governed with the eternal pact in the
metaphysical realm to be ‘abid in the physical world, who are expected to fulfil
their responsibility as God's servant by worshipping Him and Him alone in the
form of honest submission. Furthermore, worship is only possible via the perfect
actualization of intellect, and recognizing the essence of worship is the Amānah to
be the vicegerent of God -Khalīfatullāh- as humans will discover a comprehensive
understanding of God -Ma'rifātullah- through their worldly journey. This work
finally ended with a reflection pertaining to the possibility of the philosophical
thoughts of Nursi as a breakthrough in advancing Islamic philosophy in the present
age.
Keywords: Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Human Creation, Islamic Philosophy,
Khalīfatullah, Risale-i Nur
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Abdullah Muslich
Rizal Maulana, Department of Comparative Study of Religions, Faculty of Ushuluddin,
University of Darussalam Gontor at [email protected].
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Introduction
Human beings are unique since they are honoured with a distinguished
capacity to grasp their surrounding environment 1 including talents in the form of
physical senses and intellect which become their basis to determine what is good
and bad for them. 2 The privilege of humans, moreover, comes in their adequacy to
establish a harmonious relationship between living things as through their
exclusive competency utilizing their sense and intellect, mankind possibly
dominates an equalized appositeness on earth.3 In Islam, the integrity of intellect
is the acclaim given by God. The mandate is not given either to the most obedient
creature -Angel/Malāikah- or ones who have been created from fire -Devil/Jinn-
but to humans only. In the scripture, the creation of mankind has been told in the
way of dignity and prestige which has not occurred earlier. 4 As human creation is
exceptional, they will also realize the need for obedience and worshipping God
only. Such understanding is only achievable in virtue of an ideal control of the
intellect.5 As the consequence of intelligence, mankind will comprehend the true
nature of God.6 Besides, God has created mankind only to be His vicegerent or
deputy -Khalīfah. Realizing intellect as their potential to dissent something is
1
Ibrahim ’Ati, Al-Insān Fi al-Falsafah al-Islāmiyyah (Cairo: General Egyptian Book
Organization, 1993), 7.
2
Amru Syarif, Rihlatu ‘Aqlin: Wa Hakadzā Yaqūdu-al- ‘Ilm Asyrasu al-Mulahadah
Ilā al-Īmān, (Cairo: Shorouk International Bookshop, 2010), 139.
3
James Luke Meagher., Man, the Mirror of the Universe; or the Agreement of Science
and Religion, Explained for the People (New York: Russel Brothers, 1887), 272.
4
’Aisyah Abdur Rahman bint Al-Syati., Maqāl Fi Al-Insān: Dirāsah Qur’āniyyah
(Cairo: Dar El Maaref, 1969), 26; Murat Sofuoğlu, The Manifest Destiny of Human Being,
ed. Trevor Guazos (New York: University Press of America, 2004), 30.
5
M. G. El-Fandy, Islam and Science (Cairo: The Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs,
1993), 31.
6
Benaouda Bensaid, Salah Machouche, and Fadila Grine, “A Qur’ānic Framework for
Spiritual Intelligence,” Religions Vol. 5, no. 1 (February 26, 2014), 179-98,
https://doi.org/10.3390/rel5010179; Ali Muhammad Bhat, “Human Psychology (Fitrah)
from Islamic Perspective,” International Journal of Nusantara IslamB Vol. 4, no. 2
(August 21, 2016), 61-74, https://doi.org/10.15575/ijni.v4i2.1187; Yousuf Ali, “Human
Nature and His Potentialities Attributes Towards Virtue and Morality,” Journal of
Education and Social Sciences, Vol. 5, no. 1, (October 2016), 118-27.
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7
Muhammad Abduh, and Rasyid Ridha, Tafsīr Al-Qur’ān al-Hakīm al-Musytahār Bi
Ism Tafsīr al-Mannār, vol. 1, (Cairo: Dar El Manar, 1947), 258.
8
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi., The Immortality of Man’s Spirit (Istanbul: Sozler
Publications, 2013), 9.
9
Hans-Johann Clock., “Impure Conceptual Analysis,” in The Cambridge Companion
to Philosophical Methodology (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017), 81.
10
Clock, (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017), 81.
11
John Hospers, An Introduction to Philosophical Analysis, 4th ed. (Oxfordshire:
Routledge, 1997), 5.
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concept will be elucidated in a highly appropriate manner, using his writings as the
primary source of information.
12
Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi,’ (Ed.), Islam at the Crossroads: On the Life and Thought of
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (New York: State University of New York Press, 2003), ix;
Şükran Vahide, Islam in Modern Turkey: An Intellectual Biography of Bediuzzaman Said
Nursi, ed. Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabiʻ (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2005),
349.
13
Vahide, Islam in Modern Turkey, (Albany: State University of New York Press,
2005), 349.
14
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Sīrah Dzātiyyah (Cairo: Sozler Publications, 2013), 45.
15
Vahide, Islam in Modern Turkey, (Albany: State University of New York Press,
2005), 4.
16
Vahide, (Albany: State University of New York Press, 2005), 193.
17
Ibrahim M. Abu-Rabi,ʻ ed., Theodicy and Justice in Modern Islamic Thought: The
Case of Said Nursi (Oxfordshire: Routledge, 2010), xi.
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God.18 Risale-i Nūr is exceptionally one-of-a-kind, and it is far different from other
Qur’ānic commentaries as the discussion of faith is adapted to the current
conditions of Muslims who are in the process of dealing with complicated
obstacles. In addition, Risale-I Nūr also employs the Qur’ānic ma’nawi (meaning)
as therapy for diseases. The healing measure, following the procedure taught
within the text of Risale-i Nūr, is built upon a strong faith in the heart of Muslims
advancing the curing operation.19
Since he was young, Nursi has had the ambition to restore the glory of Islamic
civilization. Damascus Sermon, indeed, has become a notable event in the history
of Nursi. The Sermon is an exhortation delivered by Nursi, telling about diseases
suffered by Muslims and how they should overcome this issue -reflecting the social
life that took place during the transition from the Ottoman to the Secular Republic
of Turkey-. The Euphoria at that time contained a lot of Western interference and
thoughts that pervaded the youth at the same time, managing the Sermon to be one
of Nursi’s most crucial appearances.20
In terms of education, Nursi was obsessed with Medresetuz Zehra, a sort of
Islamic college that he imagined would become the centre of excellence owning
the whole proficiency needed to guide the society to solving their dilemmas. This
idea turned out to be a result of his observation on Al-Azhar University. In order
to implement this plan, Nursi went to Damascus with some al-Azhar alumni. From
Damascus, he went to Beirut, then Izmir, and finally Istanbul. The trip was finally
ended with the approval of Sultan Resad to build the college. Sultan Resad
willingly donated 1000 gold lira to Nursi as his support to commence the
construction of the college. This beautiful agenda, however, was desperately
affected by the World War I which resulted in the termination of the school
development. Medresetuz Zehra, in the end, has yet to be realized. 21
18
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, The Staff of Moses, ed. Şükran Vahide (Istanbul: Sözler
Publisher, 2011), 245.
19
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Al-Malahiq: Fi Fiqhi Da’wah al-Nūr, trans. Ihsan Kasim
al-Salihi (Cairo: Sozler Publications, 1999), 98.
20
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, The Damascus Sermon (Istanbul: Sözler Publications,
1996), 27; Zubair Hamid, “Muslim Response to the West: A Comparative Study of
Muhammad ‘Abduh and Said Nursi,” Journal of Islamic Thought and Civilization 04, no.
02 (October 2014): 01-08, https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.42.01; Kamil Fadel, and Eren
Tatari, “A Political Analysis of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s Damascus Sermon,”
Humanities and Social Sciences Review Vol. 5, no. 3 (December 2016): 302-22.
21
Vahide, Islam in Modern Turkey, (Albany: State University of New York Press,
2005), 102.
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Nursi spent his childhood studying with his eldest brother, Molla Abdullah.
Every weekend, his brother returned from school to home to teach his seven-year-
old sibling the Qur’ān during the leisure time. After a year, Nursi started to study
science. It is recorded that, as a result of his outstanding ability and learning, he
studied not only all traditional religious sciences but also modern science. 22 As
time passed, Nursi was known to dominate leading brainpower, owning the
outstanding ability to memorize and deliver his ideas altogether. Compared with
other adolescents, Nursi’s perception was far beyond their levels. Growing up as a
boy with extraordinary desire and ability above common children, Nursi was often
challenged not only by his friends but also by adults. The confrontation was varied
as sometimes it approached him in the form of physical fight or he even had to
accept an invitation to scientific debate. Later, his special brilliance became the
forerunner for his nickname, al-Nursi al-Masyhūr or ‘The Famous Nursi.’ The
alias was inevitable given his outstanding intelligence. 23
Nursi’s life a whole was divided into three phases, ‘Old Nursi’, ‘New Nursi,’
and ‘Third Nursi.’24 These three divisions seem to be able to deliver an appropriate
understanding of the development of Nursi’s school of thoughts. The ‘Old Nursi’
ranged from 1877 to 1926, encompassing a large number of movements he carried
out during the period. These activities included Darul Hikmatil Islamiyah, World
War I, Opposition to the British Colonialization, the Union of Muhammad, and so
on.25 Besides involving himself in various combats, Nursi was also interested in
politics. He was later, however, disappointed with the development of political
parties in Turkey.26 He observed that the World War I not only affected the
Westernization of Islamic Politics but also inflicted an ideological dispute between
22
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Belief and Man (USA: Phoenix, 2010), 7.
23
Husayn Utsman, Khalil Jadu, and Muhammad Abu al-Khayr al-Sayyid, (trans.),
Sirāh Bedi’uzzaman Said Nursi Bi Lisānihi Wa Aqlāmihi Wa Talāmīdzihi (Istanbul: Envar
Neşriyat, 2016), 53.
24
Vahide, Islam in Modern Turkey (Albany: State University of New York Press,
2005), xiii–xvi; Kamaruzaman Yusoff, Omer Yilmaz, and Mansoureh Ebrahimi,
“Transition in Turkey: An Overview of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, His Life and Works for
Medresetü’z-Zehra,” International Journal of West Asian Studies 5, no. 2 (n.d.): 67-77,
https://doi.org/10.5895/ijwas.2013.11; Sujiat Zubaidi Saleh, The Epistemology of
Contemporary Tafsir With Reference To_Risale-I Nur Bediuzzaman Said Nursi
(Yogyakarta: Kurnia Kalam Semesta, 2019), 33.
25
Nursi, Sīrah Dzātiyyah (Cairo: Sozler Publications, 2013), 164.
26
Ian S. and Suencam Birinci Pirim Markham, An Introduction to Said Nursi: Life,
Thought, and Writings, An Introduction to Said Nursi (Ashgate, 2016), 14,
https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315566917.
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belief and infidelity.27 For Nursi, it was impossible for Muslims to revive and come
back to confront the dilemmas except by standing on appropriate Islamic views of
Politics. This angle then triggered the next phase of Nursi, the ‘New Nursi.’28
The stage of ‘New Nursi’ occurred in around 1926-1950 as a stage that was
full of social activities aside from the political sphere. As he believed that every
political movement was evil, it was unavoidably on account of the political
movements he found had polluted the truths from the Qur’ān. Nursi often said: “I
take refuge in God from Satan and from politics.”29 The passage shows us how
dangerous the ‘secular’ politics was before him. Accordingly, in this stage of ‘New
Nursi,’ he had witnessed the signs of political evil during the Turkish Reformation
-with the victims being his own students as well- 30 leading him to the ambitious
goal to find a way to guide the majority of the Turkish to the Qur’an. He moved
far away from politicians and turned to more ‘religious’ conditions, expressed by
his identical dark clothes, building a treehouse, and secluding in quiet mountains
for praying and worship. He also focused more on explaining and teaching
fundamental faith, tauhīd, and what kind of life would be hereafter.31 The New
Nursi, furthermore, always adhered to the revelation of God and agreed that I'jaz
al-Qur’ān -the miracles of the Qur’ān- is the Moslem salvation to face the flow of
fallacy of belief among people.32
The ‘Third Nursi’ period finally took place between 1950 and 1960 as the last
ten years of his life journey. At that time, his concern was mostly about the
consolidation of the Nur Movement and Jihād of words in the way of Risale-i Nūr,
devoting himself to the Qur'ān which was continued solidly by the Thullāb al-Nūr
and the composition Risale-i Nūr.33 It was noticed that during this ‘Third Nursi’ he
began to put aside worldly affairs, emphasizing his peak spiritual journey. 34 By
avoiding politics more, he advised Thullāb al-Nūr a lot not to engage in any
27
Vahide, Islam in Modern Turkey, 278.
28
Nursi, Sīrah Dzātiyyah (Cairo: Sozler Publications, 2013), 180.
29
Colin Turner, and Dale Eickelman, Qur’ān Revealed: A Critical Analysis of Said
Nursi’s Epistles of Light (London: Gerlach Press, 2013), 537.
30
Vahide, Islam in Modern Turkey, 211.
31
Ibid, 177.
32
Ihsan Kasim al-Shalihi, Sīrah Dzātiyah Mukhtaṣarah Li Badīuzzamān Sa’id al-Nursī
(Cairo: Sozler Publications, 2010), 45; Ihsan Kasim al-Shalihi, Nazhrah ‘Āmmah ‘an
Ḥayāti Badi’Uzzamān Said Nūrsi (Cairo: Sozler Publications, 2010), 45.
33
Vahide, Islam in Modern Turkey, 305.
34
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, The Rays Collection, trans. Şükran Vahide (Istanbul:
Sözler Neşriyat A.Ş., 2007), 523.
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35
Vahide, Islam in Modern Turkey, 307.
36
Abu Manshur Muhammad Ibn Ahmad al-Azhari, Tahdzīb Al-Lughah, vol. 2 (Beirut:
Dar Ehia al-Tourath al-Arabi, 2001), 16-18; Arthur Jeffery, The Foreign Vocabulary of
The Qur’ān, Texts and Studies on the Qurʼān, v. 3 (Leiden ; Boston: Brill, 2007), 124;
Hans Wehr, A Dictionary of Modern Written Arabic, ed. J. Milton Cowan, 3rd ed. (New
York: Spoken Language Services, 1976), 258.
37
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, The Flashes Collection, trans. Şükran Vahide (Istanbul:
Sözler Neşriyat A.Ş., 2009), 253.
38
Ibid, 253.
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39
Robert Audi, The Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy, Choice Reviews Online, Vol.
33 (Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996), 192,
https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.33-3059.
40
Turner and Eickelman, Qur’ān Revealed: A Critical Analysis of Said Nursi’s Epistles
of Light, 33.
41
Alparslan Acikgenc, “Classification of Science in Islam and Its Relevance
Concerning the Rasā’il” (10th International Graduate Conference on Risale-i Nur Studies,
Istanbul: Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture, 2019).
42
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam: An
Exposition of the Fundamental Aspect of the Worldview of Islam (Kuala Lumpur:
International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization (ISTAC), 1995), chap. 1.
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are crucially required to sustain and cultivate mankind’s bodily existence. Spiritual
advantages, in addition, may help humanity to safeguard the system of their society
including language, religion, culture, and so on. 43 To sum up, Nursi’s conception
of human creation is not merely seen as the material reality but the metaphysical
phenomenon as well since ‘bodily eye’ may not be able to enquire the essence of
the mother’s womb associated with the divine aspect of Rahīm while the ‘mind’s
eye’ may.
Nursi initiated an explanation regarding the nature of human creation by
interpreting Chapter al-Mu’minun (Believers) Verse 12-14 of the Qur’ān:
We created man from an essence of clay; then We placed him as a drop of fluid
in a safe place, 14 then We made that drop into a clinging form, and We made
that form into a lump of flesh, and We made that lump into bones, and We clothed
those bones with flesh, and later We made him into other forms –– glory be to
God, the best of creators! ––44
Through these verses, Nursi expressed the beauty of God’s creation,
emphasizing His Divine Right while manifesting the creation process at the same
time. While mankind is considered as a ‘text,’ His Name is a ‘meaning’, and the
divine attributes are always possible to be bound to them since realizing their
existence is consistently related to God. Further consequences also emerge in that
human is appraised more as an ‘essence’ of the whole creatures comparatively. 45
As they are considered as the fundamental nature of creation, it is also affirmed
that they will consciously understand the demand to serve and benefit another
being rather than selfishly suffice their own needs. The ultimate aim of human
creation according to Nursi is an act of community service indeed. 46
6. Nursi and his Interpretation Regarding the Nature and
Implications of Human Creation
Nursi’s kind of ‘self-consciousness’ embedded in the concept of human
creation in the previous part of the discussion is also related to how he
43
Kamaruzaman Yusoff et al., “Philosophy and Functional Structure of Medresetü’z-
Zehra: A Study on Bediüzzaman Said Nursi,” Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences
7, no. 1 (January 5, 2016): 36-43, https://doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2016.v7n1s1p36.
44
M. A. S Abdel Haleem, trans., The Qurʻān: A New Translation by M. A. S. Abdel
Haleem (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005), 215.
45
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, The Words on the Nature and Purposes of Man, Life, and
All Things, trans. Şükran Vahide (Istanbul: Sözler Publications A. S., 2008), 432.
46
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Man and the Universe (Istanbul: Sozler Publications,
1993), 29.
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47
Ibid, 111.
48
Nursi, The Rays Collection (Istanbul: Sözler Neşriyat A.Ş., 2007), 16.
49
Turner and Eickelman, Qur’ān Revealed: A Critical Analysis of Said Nursi’s Epistles
of Light (London: Gerlach Press, 2013), 172.
50
Al-Attas, Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam: An Exposition of the
Fundamental Aspect of the Worldview of Islam (Kuala Lumpur: IBFIM, 2015), 68-69.
51
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Signs of Miraculousness (Istanbul: Nur Publishers, 2006),
21-22.
52
__, Al-Matsnā al-’Arabīy al-Nawarīy, ed. Ihsan Kasim al-Shalihi (Cairo: Sozler
Publications, 2004), 337.
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employment of ratio that humans will worship God with full obedience and
submissiveness.
Nursi expanded this illustration further with an image of this worldly life as
the lavish banquet, providing human’s soul and faith as the main dish in the feast.
The human soul subsumes a lot of appetizing menus, while their soul is full of
God’s love and affection. 53 As such, ‘Ibadah becomes the fundamental solemnity
occupied by mankind to execute their responsibility as khalīfatullāh -the
vicegerent of Allah.54 The mandate, affirmed by Nursi, is proof of validating the
higher position of mankind compared to other creatures.55 It is on account of their
capability to consciously act freely in deciding what is good and bad, and the
competence they possess, again, has existed within themselves far since their
worldly presence commences on earth. It starts when they have the agreement
(mithāq) with God in the invisible world, witnessing His Absolute Existence in the
‘womb dimension’ prior to their birth to the world. As it has been mentioned in
Chapter al-A’rāf (The Heights) Verse 172 of the Qur’ān:
[Prophet], when your Lord took out the offspring from the loins of the Children
of Adam and made them bear witness about themselves, He said, ‘Am I not your
Lord?’ and they replied, ‘Yes, we bear witness.’ So, you cannot say on the Day
of Resurrection, ‘We were not aware of this,’56
In addition to this formulation, mankind, while accomplishing their occupation
as ‘ābid and khalīfatullāh, is determined with Amānah as a barometer of their
activities regarding the responsibility they have to carry out on earth. According
to Nursi, Amānah is a trust contributed by God swathed with the noble tasks. In
order to implement such kind of responsibility to be ‘ābid and khālifatullāh
altogether, mankind should devout themselves to Him with imān, so the nuance
while doing worship will be different with another worldly task.57 Amānah itself is
founded on Imān -faith in God, resulting in ma’rifatullāh- realization of God with
full sincerity and honesty. Conversely, amānah will safeguard mankind from any
53
__, The Immortality of Man’s Spirit (Istanbul: Sozler Publications, 2013), 71-72.
54
Abbas Mahmoud Alakkad, Al-Qarn al-’Isyrun (Cairo: Hindawi Foundation for
Education and Culture, 2013), 79.
55
Markham, An Introduction to Said Nursi: Life, Thought, and Writings (London:
Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2016), 30.
56
Haleem, The Qurʻān: A New Translation by M.A.S. Abdel Haleem (New York:
Oxford University Press, 2005), 106.
57
Nursi, The Words on the Nature and Purposes of Man, Life, and All Things (Istanbul:
Sözler Publications A. S., 2008), 138.
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58
Ibid, 268.
59
Ibid, 89, 100.
60
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, The Letters: 1928-1932, trans. Şükran Vahide (Istanbul:
Sözler Neşriyat A.Ş., 2007), 58.
61
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, On Justice and the Nature of Man: A
Commentary on Sūrah al-Nisā’ (4): 58 and Sūrah al-Mu’minūn (23): 12-14 (Kuala
Lumpur: IBFIM, 2015), 7.
62
Abdullah Muslich Rizal Maulana, “Semantic Reinterpretation of The Prophet
Muhammad’s Obligatory Properties for Da’wah Advancement in The Interreligious
Context,” Jurnal Manajemen Dakwah Vol. 4, no. 1 (2018): 1-22,
https://doi.org/10.14421/jmd.2018.41-01.
63
Nursi, The Rays Collection, (Istanbul: Sözler Neşriyat A.Ş., 2007), 47.
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who carry out their duties by committing whatever they have to God alone. In other
words, humanity is the ultimate creation, representing a miniature of the entire
universe -The Microcosm within the Macrocosm. 64
64
__, The Words on the Nature and Purposes of Man, Life, and All Things (Istanbul:
Sözler Publications A. S., 2008), 442.
65
Nur Hadi Ihsan, and Moh. Isom Mudin, “Paradigma Kalam Dalam Konservasi
Lingkungan Menurut Said Nursi,” Tasfiyah 4, no. 1 (February 1, 2020): 27,
https://doi.org/10.21111/tasfiyah.v4i1.4052; Moh Isom Mudin, Hamid Fahmy Zarkasyi,
and Abdul Kadir Riyadi, “Prinsip Ekologis untuk Kehidupan Berkelanjutan Perspektif
Teologi Islam: Kajian atas Kitab Rasail al-Nur Sa`id Nursi” 9 (2021): 18,
http://dx.doi.org/10.21043/fikrah.v9i1.9018.
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66
Mohammad Dawood Sofi, “Knowledge―Toward Bridging Religious and Modern
Sciences: Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s Approach,” Journal of Islamic Thought and
Civilization 03, no. 02 (October 2013): 13-20, https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.32.02; Kharis -
Ma’ruf, “Humanisme Pendidikan Islam Perspektif Bediuzzaman Said Nursi,” Analisis:
Jurnal Studi Keislaman 17, no. 2 (August 7, 2019): 51-68,
https://doi.org/10.24042/ajsk.v17i2.2590; Muhammad Sophy Abdul Aziz, Hudzaifah
Achmad Qotadah, and Darmawan Achmad, “Badiuzzaman Said Nursi and KH Ahmad
Dahlan’s Thoughts on Education Reform: A Comparative Study,” Vol. 11, no. 1 (2021):
52-60, https://doi.org/10.15575/ijik.v11i1.9986.
67
Mohamad Zaidin Mohamad et al., “The Identity of Women According to the
Thinking of Said Nursi,” International Journal of Academic Research in Business and
Social Sciences 9, no. 3 (March 3, 2019): 555-564, https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v9-
i3/5716.
68
Fadel and Tatari, “A Political Analysis of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s Damascus
Sermon”; Adibah Abdul Rahim and Elmira Akhmetova, “Nationalism in the Light of Said
Nursi Badiuzzaman and His Framework for Social Solidarity,” Journal of Islamic Thought
and Civilization 09, no. 01 (March 2019): 37–51, https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.91.03.
69
Ahmed S. A. Al-Qodsi and Sharifah Norshah Bani Syed Bidin, “The Elements of
Sufism in the Da`Wah of Bediuzzaman Sa’id Nursi,” International Journal of Academic
Research in Business and Social Sciences 7, no. 4 (April 17, 2017): 142-150,
https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v7-i4/2794; Siswoyo Aris Munandar et al., “Nursi’s
Sufism Without Sufi Order: A Contemporary Debate Among The Ulama,” Jurnal
Ushuluddin Vol. 28, no. 2 (December 31, 2020): 155,
https://doi.org/10.24014/jush.v28i2.9643; Muhammad Faiz, “Konsep Tasawuf Said Nursi:
Implementasi Nilai-Nilai Moderasi Islam,” Millah 19, no. 2 (February 14, 2020): 199-224,
https://doi.org/10.20885/millah.vol19.iss2.art2.
70
Shumaila Majeed, “An Analytical Study of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s Intellectual
Development and Composition of Risale-i Nūr (a Thematic Qur’ānic Exegesis),” Journal
of Islamic Thought and Civilization Vol. 10, no. 02 (2020): 170-89,
https://doi.org/10.32350/jitc.102.10; Peter G Riddell, “Exegeting Sūra al Fātiḥa for the
Masses: Bediüzzaman Said Nursi and Haji Muḥammad Saʿīd Bin ʿUmar,” مجلة كلية الشريعة
38 اإلسالمية الدراسات و, no. 2 (January 2021): 213-31,
https://doi.org/10.29117/jcsis.2021.0274; Ummu Salamah, “Maqâshid al-Qurân Perspektif
Badi’uzzaman Sa’id Nursi,” Studia Quranika 4, no. 1 (August 17, 2019),
https://doi.org/10.21111/studiquran.v4i1.3246.
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71
Abdullah Muslich Rizal Maulana, “Filsafat Islam; Sebuah Identifikasi Pandangan
Hidup,” Kalimah Vol. 15, no. 1 (March 31, 2017): 37,
https://doi.org/10.21111/klm.v15i1.834.
72
Leaman Oliver, An Introduction to Medieval Islamic Philosophy (Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press, 1985), 6.
73
Alparslan Acikgenc, Islamic Science: Toward a Definition (Kuala Lumpur: ISTAC,
1996), 29; al-Attas, Prolegomena to the Metaphysics of Islam: An Exposition of the
Fundamental Aspect of the Worldview of Islam, (Istanbul: Istanbul Foundation for Science
and Culture, 2019), 2.
74
Oliver, An Introduction to Medieval Islamic Philosophy (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1985), 190.
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system of reason, demonstrating the nature of the world, and negating the bias
comprehension of foreign ideas.75
Such complex process has also been done by Nursi. Through his works, we
can arrive at an advanced formulation of philosophical thoughts based on the
worldview of Islam. As the earliest process of Islamization of Greek philosophy
intended mainly to assimilate and clarify foreign ideas, Nursi, in his major works,
has beautifully countered the up-to-date Muslim dilemmas at that time, proposing
solutions based on his reflection upon the Qur’ān.
Related to our findings regarding the nature of man according to Nursi, it is
affirmed that Nursi has successfully disclosed a scientific process that
simultaneously involves both intellectual and spiritual dimensions as well as the
connecting procedure of pursuing knowledge based on the fundamental covenant
between man and God. As such, the link between rational and spiritual preparation
throughout the process is completely demonstrated. 76 Finally, a further observation
concerning Nursi’s thoughts is necessary to be an advancement basis for the
breakthrough development of Islamic philosophical ideas in the current century.
8. Conclusion
Nursi has conceptualized mankind as a sign of God’s Divine Right, chosen to
be His vicegerent -Khalīfah as they are mandated with a higher capacity compared
with other creatures to recognize a reality around them. A proper comprehension
of human to reality, as Nursi accentuated, leads to a favourable understanding of
God as the Creator of the Universe or Ma’rifatullāh. Human-God relation in Islam
is inevitably related and cannot separate, realizing that the existence of mankind is
originally traced back to their occupation as God’s servant only. Nursi’s thoughts,
moreover, have initiated potential evidence for further development of Islamic
philosophy.
The study yet leaves us several questions considered important to improve the
discussion further concerning the possibility of the discussion in the context of
Islamization of Contemporary Knowledge as the basis of Inter-Religious and Inter-
75
Abdullah Muslich Rizal Maulana et al., “Reconsidering Position of Philosophy in
Islamic Intellectual Tradition: The Unity and Relation,” Aqlania: Jurnal Filsafat Dan
Teologi Islam; Vol. 1 no. 12 (2021): June DOI- 10.32678/Aqlania.V1i12.3633, June 30,
2021, http://jurnal.uinbanten.ac.id/index.php/aqlania/article/view/3633.
76
Hamid Fahmy Zarkasyi, “Knowledge and Knowing in Islam: A Comparative Study
between Nursi and al-Attas,” GJAT 8, no. 1 (June 2018): 31-41.
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Cultural encounters in current demand, and last but not least, as an initial stage of
further enquiry in Islamic Philosophy.
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