This first full-length English biography of the great Turkish Muslim thinker and reformer Bediuzzaman Said Nursi is based on his own works and on accounts of those who have known or met him. It describes his life, works, and struggle, and places Bediuzzaman's ideas and activities in a historical context. It describes his scholarly endeavours in the cause of the Ottoman Empire, particularly in the areas of education, constitutionalism and Islamic unity. It also traces Bediuzzaman's silent struggle through his commentary of the Qur'an collectively known as Risale-i Nur and his opposition of the irreligion of the Turkish republic's early years.

The Nur community is one of the most significant religious and social movements in contemporary Turkey, with millions of adherents and a strong institutional and educational system throughout the country. This volume presents a picture of its spiritual dimensions by focusing on the ideas of its founder, Turkish theologian Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1877-1960). Prominent scholars in contemporary Islamic studies and comparative spirituality examine the various facets of Nursi's spirituality as revealed in his magnum opus, Risale-i Nur, which began to take shape in the 1920s and is considered Nursi's deep reflection on the Qur'an in light of rapidly changing conditions in Turkey. Nursi argued that Islam must be organically linked to empire in order to preserve its identity in the modern era, fostering a spiritual tradition that has steadfastly survived the secular project of Kemalism. Book jacket.

Said Nursi (1877-1960) was an advocate of a form of Islam strongly committed to non-violence and constructive engagement with the West and Christianity. He has six million followers - the Nursi community - primarily in Turkey. Yet many in the USA and Europe are not familiar with his important work; this book seeks to rectify that gap. In Globalization, Ethics and Islam, Jewish, Christian and Islamic scholars reflect upon the achievement of Said Nursi and apply his thought to the complex issues of non-violence, dialogue and globalization.

In the many dimensions of his lifetime of achievement as well as in his personality and character, Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1877–1960) was and, through his continuing influence, still is an important thinker and writer in the Muslim world. At a time when science and philosophy were tools of an aggressive ideology of secularism, Nursi strove for the revival of an Islamic consciousness. Even though his nonviolent stance was clear, he was seen as a potential danger and exiled to different corners of Anatolia. During the exile, he started writing his magnum opus “Risale-i Nur” (Epistles of Light), by which he aimed to guide people to the truths of faith and make them understand the Qur’an correctly. This book provides a summary of this hard but fruitful life, spent in the way of faith.

Sheds light on one of the most important religious thinkers in the modern Muslim world.

Islam in Modern Turkey presents one of the most comprehensive studies in English of the seminal Turkish thinker and theologian, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (1876–1960). A devout Muslim who strongly believed in peacefully coexisting with the West, Nursi inspired a faith movement that has played a vital role in the revival of Islam in Turkey and now numbers several million followers worldwide. While Nursi's ideas have been afforded considerable analysis, this book is the first to situate these ideas and his related activities in their historical contexts. Based on the available sources and Nursi's own works, here is a complete and balanced view of this important theologian's life and thought.