An analytical study of bediuzzaman said nursi’s intellectual development and composition of risale-i nūr (A thematic qur’ānic exegesis)

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.