Colin turner risale i nur

Said Nursi Colin Turner and Hasan Horkuc. London and New York: I.B. Tauris, 2009. vi, 140 pp. ISBN 978-1-84511-774-0.

M. Zakyi Ibrahim

# Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2009

Keywords Said Nursi . Turkey. Muslim intellectual

While introducing the “Makers of Islamic Civilization” series, of which this book is a part, the editor explains that the series ‘aims to provide an introduction to outstanding figures in the history of Islamic civilization. They will serve as the essential first point of reference for the study of the persons, events and ideas that have shaped the Islamic world and cultural resources on which Muslims continue to draw’ (p. ii). As it turns out, this statement is very useful for any objective review of Said Nursi, for it both spares the reviewer from having to search for a concise introduction and saves the book itself from a glaring criticism that might not be unwarranted. Hoping for a ‘leading scholar in the field,’ Colin Turner’s unchallenged credentials make him the perfect pick for this project. His former supervisee and coauthor Hasan Horkuc has also done extensive work on Said Nursi. Such facts may cause one to wonder if this task was, perhaps, too light as a joint project.

As indicated by the title, this book is about Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, one of the makers of contemporary Islam in Turkey. Ideally, earning a special place among the “Makers of Islamic Civilization” would require not only unassailable intellectual and religious credentials, but also a heightened sense of sociopolitical conscience or accomplishments (such as Fethullah Gulen, Muhammad Abduh, and Muhammad Iqbal, to name a few). But despite his impeccable records, as reflected in his extensive writings on issues pertaining to Islam and Muslims (intellectually), reinterpreting Islam and the Qur’an, instilling religious sense in Muslims (religiously), and successfully mobilizing young Muslims around his Risale in the form of the Nurculuk (socially), our coauthors insist that Nursi ‘repudiated’ politics

Cont Islam DOI 10.1007/s11562-009-0113-z

M. Z. Ibrahim (*) Comparative Religion Department, California State University, Fullerton, CA, USA e-mail: zibrahim@Exchange.FULLERTON.EDU

(p. 3). But his activities, at least as chronicled in their book, leave the impression that, in reality, he was repudiated not so much by politicians, even though cases of detention abound, as by the political system with which he was faced in the new Turkish Republic. If that is the case, he would not be the first scholar to declare his disgust for conventional ‘politicking’ (p. 3) after several attempts, or at least gestures (p. 42), designed to take full advantage of the political system failed (e.g., Ibn Hazm [d. 1064] or al-Afghani [d. 1897]). This failure, though, as in the case of previous legends, hardly diminishes his well-entrenched socio-religious achievements.

Said Nursi, a relatively short read, is true to expectations in delineating Nursi’s important aspects as outlined in the table of contents. Excepting the bibliography and the index, it is divided into six sections, consisting of the ‘Introduction’; ‘Life and works’; ‘Thought and teachings’; ‘Nursi on culture, society and politics’; ‘Conclusion’; and ‘Further reading.’

Unquestionably, by far the book’s best part for both experts and novices is ‘Thought and Teachings’, particularly ‘The Central Themes of the Risale-i Nur.’ Although this chapter seems to begin with uncertain deliberations about Nursi’s thoughts, the coauthors prove to be highly innovative in their discussion of its ‘central themes’. Their ingenuity is on full display when they identify the compelling issues to be discussed and the following effortless explication of Nursi’s complicated ideas. Among the many themes that abound in the Risale-i Nur, the coauthors chose six which they consider to be central. These themes—and one may surmise the same about other parts of the Risale—revolve around discussions that some may ultimately consider, justifiably or not, to be either theological or mystical interpretations of the Qur’an. Consider, for instance, (i) The most beautiful names; (ii) The Talisman of the human ‘I’; (iii) The ‘self-referential’ and the ‘Other- indicative’; (iv) Causality; (v) Belief (iman) and submission (islam); and (vi) ‘Closed doors of creation.’

On the implications of ‘the most beautiful names’, we are told that while Nursi was influenced by the pantheistic tendencies of scholars like Ibn ‘Arabi and Sirhindi (p. 54), he nevertheless tried to distinguish himself from them (p. 55). As the belief that all beings ‘manifest God’s names’ and praise Him through their natural disposition is commonplace in pantheism and may even reflect the Qur’an’s own declaration (Q, 17: 44), Nursi’s distinct ‘vision is one in which all things actually and actively reflect the Other, yet without compromising their own distinct otherness’ (p. 55). On the one hand, Nursi was as influenced by the Sufi mystics and their ideas (pp. 54–55; 86–87) as he was sympathetic to their plight (p. 90). Yet for some strategic reasons most certainly attributable to the socio-cultural climate of his time, he declared Sufism to be unfit for the twentieth century (p. 86). In other words, he wanted to ‘have his cake and eat it too’ with respect to the Sufis, their ideas, and their relevance. Consequently, Turner and Horkuc justifiably and aptly describe him as a ‘non-Order-affiliated Sufi’ (p. 90).

Chapter 4, ‘Nursi on culture, society and politics’, introduces his truly important ideas: Sufism, Nationhood and nationalism, Jihad, Peace, public order and security, and The concept of metaphorical (ma‘nawi) jihad. As a matured leader, Nursi advocated ‘peace, public order and security’ at all cost, even though he held a contextualized understanding of jihad during the early part of Islam. In his opinion, these simple moral principles are the sources of stability and positive social change

Cont Islam

(pp. 100–2). Noteworthy here is the discussion on Nursi’s tolerance and moderate positions. His defense of Ibn ‘Arabi against those who attacked the latter’s concept of wahdat al-wujud, however, should not be seen so much an index for his tolerance and moderate propensity (so emphasized by the coauthors), as it was an indication of his sympathy with a respected Sufi master (p. 99). But his standing up on behalf of innocent Christians and Muslims who were being persecuted certainly was tolerant, and therefore deserved recognition (pp. 108–9).

Meanwhile, quite unique to Said Nursi, even if naïve, is the metaphorical jihad that he urges Muslims to wage against the ‘civilized world’. Turner and Horkuc write:

‘As far as religion is concerned, Nursi says, the civilized can be conquered not through force but through peaceful persuasion: to this end, all that Muslims have to do is demonstrate the elevated nature of Islam with the “tongue of mute eloquence”— namely by adhering to the precepts of Islam in their own lives and thus acting as ambassadors of Islam in the presence of others: “Our action towards non-Muslims is persuasion, for we know them to be civilized, and to show them that Islam is [an] elevated [religion] and worthy of love”’ (p. 107).

As they rightly point out, Nursi never defined what he meant by ‘civilized’ other than the prevailing perception in his time that, due to its scientific and technological advancements, Europe is the ‘civilized’ group of nations. ‘Further reading’ is, in practical terms, the most useful section because it contains a detailed annotated bibliography of the book’s three main sections. ‘Life and works’, the longest section and one fully supported by adequate acknowledgements, reads like an abridged version of Sukran Vahide’s The Author of the Risale-i Nur: Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (Istanbul: Sozler Publications, 1992). Any casual reader will notice how overly dependent it is on Vahide’s book as well as on Serif Mardin’s works. Experts and critical observers who are familiar with some works on Said Nursi, however, may find this irritating. The subtitles and content are designed to mirror Vahide’s, sometimes with slight changes in wording and often with extensive omissions. An acceptable excuse for this may be what I alluded to above regarding the series editor’s expectation, namely, making the book accessible, perhaps at any cost. This part does, however, provide adequate information about Said Nursi’s life and thus may be the only grounds on which readers may pardon the distinguished coauthors. Despite this, I found Said Nursi to be exactly what the editors hoped for—a recommended simple introduction about this important figure’s life and works.