Risale-i Nur
The writing Risale-i Nur (“Message of Light”) is a commentary on the Koran written by the Kurdish-Islamic thinker and scholar Said Nursî . It is a compilation of originally 130 writings and comprises 14 volumes with over 6000 pages.
Emergence
In 1927, Said Nursî was forced to settle in the village of Barla in the Turkish province of Isparta . He lived in a wooden house and often retired to the mountains for days to reflect. It was there that he wrote his writings on the Koran, some of which he dictated to a number of students. The transcripts were copied by hand in Ottoman script and distributed throughout Anatolia .
introduction
Said Nursî summarizes the goals of the Risale-i Nur in two points:
- The preservation of man and society from falling into atheism and materialism . The attainment of eternal bliss in the hereafter, which presupposes sincere belief and good, virtuous deeds (← Contribution of the Risale-i Nur with regard to the hereafter).
- The peaceful coexistence of all human beings and the preservation of humanity from all calamities, be it war, terrorism, anarchy etc. The contribution of the Risale-i Nur with regard to the second point arises from the true faith that the Risale-i Nur teaches and the Enlightenment and the education of piety, virtue, thinking about the common good (← Contribution of the Risale-i Nur regarding worldly life).
Worldview
The main concern of the Risale-i Nur is to discuss and explain the truths of belief. To this end, Said Nursî often makes use of metaphors and parables to show how sensible, appropriate, well-founded and coherent the "truths of Islam" are.
Said Nursî summarizes the meaning of this world in the following points:
- The cosmos, the earth is a school in which God's names, attributes and deeds are taught. The world is God's inn where his gifts are freely tasted, a great book that introduces him, an exhibition in which he shows his works of art.
- The world is a field on which virtues, benefits and worship are performed that are to be harvested in the hereafter.
The Risale-i Nur sees unity and harmony in faith and science. Science tells, researches and describes the universe, the stars, the earth, the flowers and everything that exists. Both the natural sciences and the humanities guide people through the great exhibition of God and interpret the great book of the cosmos. They tell in detail about the works of art of the Creator, such as plants and animals, mountains and seas, human body and soul. In this regard, all sciences serve the first aspect mentioned above.
In Germany, the Risale-i Nur students are represented by the umbrella organization "European Risale-i Nur Association".
Quotes
- “The science of religion is the light of conscience. Science reflects the light of reason. The truth is revealed through the union of the two. When they are apart, there is fanaticism in religion. And false conclusions and skepticism arise in science. "(Münazarat)
- “There is no village without a mayor, no needle without its master; she cannot be without an owner. There is no letter without its scribe; You know that. So how is it possible that this well-ordered country would be without a ruler? Where should all the wealth of art and valuable goods come from, as if every hour a train had come from the invisible? "(10th word)
- “The Islamic faith points to the unity of the Creator, unity of faith points to submission to Allah, submission leads to trust (in Allah / God). And this leads to the happiness of the two worlds (this world and the hereafter). "(23rd word)
- "The thing that the naturalists call" nature "and that only exists in their imagination but not in reality can, at best and if it has an external reality, only be a work of art, but not an artist. It's a decoration, but not the decorator. It's a ruling, but not a judge. It is a law of nature, but not the legislature. It is a created dress of honor, but not the Creator. It is a reacting object, not an acting subject. It is a code of law, not its executive body. It has no power of its own. It is a ruler and not the ruler ... "(23rd Chapter, Facets of Light)
- "If you want to hate, hate the hatred in your heart and try to stamp it out. And moreover direct your hatred against your stubborn soul, against your passionate soul, which causes you the most harm, and try to ennoble it. "(22nd letter)
- “If there is a possibility of killing death, so that now the decay of the world disappears, human weakness and poverty are lifted and the gate of the grave is closed, then tell me; I hear. If not, then be silent! ... In the great mosque of the cosmos the Qur'an explains the cosmos. Let's listen to him! Let us be enlightened by its light! Let us act according to his guidance. May he be our constant prayer! Indeed, it is the Word and that is how it is called. He is the truth. He speaks the truth. He shows the facts and radiates the light of his wisdom ... "(7th word)
- “Islam is like the sun. Nothing can erase it. It's like the day. By closing your eyes you can only create night for yourself. "(Münazarat)
- “Oh you my selfish soul! Oh you my world-worshiping friend! Love is the reason for the existence of this cosmos. In addition, it is the bond of this cosmos. Furthermore, it is the light of this cosmos and it is its life. Since man is the most versatile fruit of this cosmos, the love that can envelop the whole cosmos is placed in his heart, which is the core of this fruit. Such boundless love can only be earned by those who have boundless perfection. ”(24th word)
- “Scheria, the path of religion, consists of 99% ethics, prayer, afterlife and virtue. Only 1% is legal order. And this is the matter of the state. "(Divan-ı Harb-i Örfî)
- “Death is not an execution, it is not nothing, no passing away and passing away, no end, no eternal separation, no complete emptiness, no coincidence, no termination without someone who can rebuild, on the contrary: it is a dismissal by one all-wise and merciful creator, a change of place. It is a transport to eternal bliss, to your real home. It is a gate (behind which people) come together to (cross over) into the world of the intermediate realm, a meeting place for ninety-nine percent of your friends. "(20th letter)
Individual evidence
German-language Risale-i Nur works
- Beduizzaman Said Nursi. Small letters on the great secrets of the Koran. (Eds. Abdullah Kulac, Arhan Kardas and Wilhelm Willeke), Frankfurt am Main: Define Verlag, 2016. ISBN 978-3946463023 .
literature
- Cemil Şahinöz : The Nurculuk Movement. Creation, organization and networking. The first sociological and scientific analysis of movement. Nesil Verlag: Istanbul, 2008 ( online ) - a work by a representative of the movement