On Being Muslim: Wisdom from The Risale-i Nur

Study Islam through the wisdom of the Risale-i Nur - a Qur'an commentary by Bediüzzaman Said Nursi. His work offers rich insights on God, life, and the human condition.  A podcast hosted by Dr. Zeyneb Sayilgan Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1876-1960) was an outstanding Muslim scholar. He was born in the village of Nurs near the city of Bitlis in the Eastern region of the Ottoman Empire (modern Türkiye). Said Nursi dedicated his entire life to learning and teaching the message of the Qur’an and Prophet Muhammad’s example (God's peace and blessings be upon him). His life work the Risale-i Nur - The Message of Light - aims to cultivate knowledge, certainty, and love of God. Said Nursi’s vision was to bring back awareness of God into the center of human life. During a time in which religion was banned from all areas of public and private life, he showed how the Book of the Universe or nature can open windows to the Divine. His lifelong struggle was committed to saving and strengthening belief (iman) in God and the afterlife.  To prove God's existence, Said Nursi followed the dual Qur'anic model as stated in Chapter 51 verses 20-21. Both the outward world (macrocosmos) and the inward human world (microcosmos) testify to the existence of an All-Wise, All-Powerful, and Compassionate Creator.  In terms of the macro world, he was keen to stress that religion and science complement each other. As evident throughout Islamic history, scientific inquiry was a means to come closer to God and seek sacred knowledge about the Divine. His 6000-page Risale is full of reference to various branches of knowledge: from astronomy, biology, and geography to physics and chemistry - Said Nursi regarded the sciences as a window to

Language

English

Type

podcast