RISALE-I NUR AND THE POSITIVISM
Hakan Yalman
There occurred very important changes in the lives of human beings during
the end of nineteenth and the beginning of twentieth century. Mankind who
had been to translate the book of universe and to understand that book
and together with it, himself, for centuries, accelerated this struggle
during this period. While these changes were taking place, many different
schools of philosophy and variations of thought came into existence. Very
rapid progresses in the science and the technology enlargement of our limits
for perceiving the universe caused new questions and different approaches
to these questions brought different answers and different schools of philosophy
in a very short period of time. These changes also affected Turkish community
and many changes took place in our social and political life. Progress
in the science and the technology resulted in big gaps in the understanding
way of Qur'an which was based on imitation of the previous ways of approach
to Qur'an. In turn this caused big suspicions in the minds of intelligent
people and affected their spiritual life. They began to search for the
new ways of explanations. The Muslim intelligentsia who were sent to the
western countries to bring the science and the technology shouldn't have
prepared the necessary explanations for these new things in their insights
and the spiritual lives, since they brought new schools of philosophy and
methods of explanations instead of the science and the technology. One
of the most impressive examples of this argument is Abdullah Cevdet and
the biological materialism which was imported to Turkish community by him.
Turkish Republic, which has established during these kinds of changes,
has also affected by the different thoughts of the age. One of the most
important of those was "positivism". "Positivism had been separated in
Turkey through the illumination of the ideas of August Comt. In literature,
Hypolitte Taire who tried to practice positivist methods in this field,
impressed the community. The periodical which was named as "Servet-i Funun"
and considered to be the representative of a literature school leaded to
different thoughts which was at the beginning thought to be scientific,
and under the impression of west, later in Turkish Republic, positivism
became the basic social philosophy of the community and showed its effects
under illumination of Durkheim's ideas."
Religious Scholar Bediuzzaman Said Nursi(1877-1960) was born in Turkey,
and has great effects on Turkey's social and cultural life by his Risale-i
Nur Collection. His life and books had great impression on the spiritual
and intellectual lives of Turkish people. Were these books and the author
been affected by the different ideas of the age and the positivism which
was the basic philosophy of the social life? To give an answer to this
question, it is necessary to understand the basics of Risale-i Nur Collection.
If we accept that these books are the products of his intellectual and
cultural experience he gained during all his life, it should be compulsory
for him to be affected by the events of his time But on the other hand
we should take into account that Risale-i Nur has a strong connection to
Qur'an and rather than being the ideas of a person it is the expression
of exalted fact of Qur'an in the language of human beings. Since it's source
is Qur'an, such type of explanations shouldn't be thought to be affected
by the humanly interpretations of the book of universe. Qur'an is giving
the explanations of the universe and examining it in all aspects on one
side, and human being which is limited in all of his perceptions he uses
to understand the universe on the other. This comparison is done in an
excellent way in The Twelfth Word: "One time, a renowned Ruler was both
religious and a fine craftsman wanted to write the All-Wise Qur'an in a
scripts worthy of the sacredness in its meaning and miraculousness in its
words, so that its marvel displaying stature would be arrayed in wondrous
apparel. And so the artist King wrote the Turkey represents Islam in Europe.
A lot of journalists, diplomats and academicians discussed the "Bosnian
Crisis and the Islamic World" in a lecture organized by the Middle East
Institute of Colombia University. Among the lecturers there were Prof.
Maria Todoroval from Florida University who is an expert on Balkans, Prof.
Dennison Rusinow from Pittsburgh University, Cemal Hashoca from the newspaper
Al-Hayat, Roger Qur'an in a truly wonderful fashion. He used all his precious
jewels in its writing. In order to point the great variety of its truths,
he wrote same of its embodied letters in diamonds and emeralds, and some
in rubies and agate, and other sorts in brilliants and coral, while others
he inscribed with silver and gold. And he adorned and decorated in such
a way that everyone, these who knew how to read and these who did not,
were full of admiration and astonishment when they beheld it. Especially
in the view of the people of truth, since the outer beauty was an indication
in its meaning, it became a most precious antique.
Then the Ruler showed the artistically wrought and bejeweled Qur'an to
a European philosopher and to a Muslim scholar. In order to test them:
"Each of you write a work about the wisdom of this!" First the philosopher,
then the scholar composed a book about it. However, the philosopher's book
discussed only the decorations of the letters and their relationships and
conditions, and the properties of the jewels, and described them. He did
not touch on their meaning at all, for the European had no knowledge at
the Arabic script. He did not know that the embellished Qur'an was a book
and a writing expressing a meaning. He rather looked on it as an ornamented
antiques He did not know any Arabic, but he was a very good engineer, and
he described things very well, and he was a skillful chemist, and an ingenious
jeweler. And so the man wrote his work according to these crafts.
As for the Muslim scholar, when he looked at the Qur'an, he understood
that it was the Perspicuous Book, the All-Wise Qur'an. And so this truthloving
person neither attached importance to the external adornments, nor busied
with something that was a million times higher, more elevated, more subtle,
more noble, more beneficial, and more comprehensive than the matters with
which the other man had busied himself. For discussing the sacred truths
and lights of mysteries beneath the veil of decorations, he wrote on truly
fine commentary. Then the two of them took their works and presented them
to the Illustrious Ruler. The Ruler first took the philosopher's work.
He looked at it and saw that self -centered and nature-worshipping man
had worked very hard, but he had written nothing of true wisdom. He had
understood nothing of its meaning. Indeed, he had confused it and been
disrespectful towards it, and ill-mannered even. For supposing that source
truths, the Qur'an, to be meaningless decoration had insulted it as being
without value in regard to its meaning. And so the Wise Ruler hit him over
the head with his work and expelled him from his presence.
Then he looked at the work of the other, the truthloving, scrupulous scholar,
and saw that it was an extremely fine and beneficial commentary , a most
wise composition full of guidance. "Congratulations! My God bless you!"
he said. Thus, wisdom is this and they call those who possess it knowledgeable
and wise. As for the other man, He was a craftsman who had exceeded his
mark. Then in reward for the scholar's work, he commanded that in return
for each letter ten gold pieces should be given him from his inexhaustible
treasury. And so if you have understood the comparison, look at its reality
and see this.
The ornament Qur'an is this artistically fashioned universe. And the Ruler
is the Pre-Eternal All-Wise One. As for the two men, one -the European-
represents philosophy and its philosophers, and the other , the Qur'an
and its students. Yes, the All-Wise Qur'an is a most elevated expounder,
a most eloquent translator of the Mighty Qur'an of the universe. Yes ,
it is a Criterion which instructs man and the jinn concerning the signs
creation inscribed by the pen of power on the pages of the universe and
on the leaves of time. And it looks at beings , each of which is a meaningful
letter, as bearing the meaning of another, that is , it looks at them on
the account of their Maker. It says , "how beautifully they have been made!
How exquisitely they point to the beauty of their Maker!" And through this
shows the universe's true beauty. But the philosophy they call natural
philosophy or science has plunged in into the decorations of the letters
of beings and into their relationships, and has become bewildered; it has
confused the way of reality. While the letters of this mighty book should
be looked at as bearing the meaning of another, that is , on account of
God, they have not done this; they have looked at beings as signifying
themselves. That is, they have looked at beings on account of beings, and
have discussed them in that way. Instead of saying , "How beautifully they
have been made ", they say "How beautiful they are", and have made them
ugly. In doing this they have insulted the universe , and made it complain
about them. Indeed, philosophy without religion is a sophistry divorced
from reality and insult to the universe."1
"If you want to understand Qur'an's superiority among all the Divine scriptures,
and its supremacy tected from unbelief, and those of the madrasa from fanaticism."
With this idea, he twice went to Istanbul-once in 1896, the second time
in 1907- where he sought to convince the Sultan to establish a university
in Anatolia, one that would teach religious and modern sciences together.
But the sharp words in his conversation with the Sultan caused him to be
count-martialed, and during his trial over all speech and writings, then
consider the following two comparisons:
The First: A king has two forms of speech, two forms of address.
One is to speak on his private telephone with a common subject concerning
some minor matter, some private need. The other, under the title sublime
sovereignty , supreme vicegerent, and universal rulership is to speak with
an envoy or high official with aim of making known and promulgating his
commands, to make an utterance through an elevated decree proclaiming his
majesty.
The Second:One man holds the mirror he has in hand, up to the sun.
He receives light containing the sever colors according to capacity of
the mirror. He becomes connector to the sun through that relation and converses
with it, and if he directs the light-filled mirror towards his dark house
or his garden covered by a roof, he will benefit , not in relation to sun's
value ,but in accordance with the capacity of the mirror. Another man,
however opens up broad windows out of his house or out of the roof of his
garden. He opens up ways to the sun in the sky. He converses with perpetual
light of the actual sun and speaks with it, and says in gratitude through
tongue of his disposition: "O you beauty of the world who gilds the face
of the earth with your light and makes the faces of flowers smile! O beauty
of the skies, fine sun! You have finished my little hose and garden with
light and heat the same as you have them. "Whereas the man with the mirror
cannot say that. The reflection and works of the sun under that restriction.
And so, look at the Qur'an through the telescope of these two comparisons
and see its miraculousness and understand its sacredness.
Indeed, the Qur'an says:"If all the trees on the land were to become
pens and all the seas ink, and if they were to write the words of Almighty
God, they would never finish them . "Now, the reason the Qur'an has been
given the greatest rank among the infinite words of God is this: the Qur'an
has come from the Greatest Divine Name and from the greatest level of every
Name. And it is God's Word in respect of His being Sustainer of All the
Worlds. And it is God's decree through His title of God of All Beings.
And it is an address in regard to His being Creator of the Heavens end
the Earth. And it is a speech in regard to Absolute Dominicality. And it
is a pre-eternal address on account of Universal Divine Sovereignty. And
it is a notebook of the favors of the Most Merciful One from the point
of view of this Allembracing, comprehensive Mercy. And it is a collection
of communications at the beginnings of which are sometimes ciphers in respect
of the sublime majesty of the Godhead. And it is wisdom-scattering Holy
Scripture which, with descending from the reaches of the Greatest Name,
looks and inspects all-comprehensive domain of the Supreme Throne. Thus,
it is for these reasons the title of Word of God has been given with complete
worthiness to the Qur'an.
In respect to the other Divine Words, they are speech which has become
evident through a particular regard, a minor title, through the partial
manifestation of a particular Name; through a particular Dominicality,
special sovereignty, a private mercy. Their degrees vary in regard to particularity
and universality. most inspiration of this sort, but its degrees vary greatly.
For example, the most particular and simple is the inspiration of animals.
then there is the inspiration of the ordinary people. Then there the inspiration
of ordinary angels. Then the inspiration of the saints. Then the inspiration
of the higher angels. Thus, it is for this reason that a saint who offers
supplications directly without means by the telephone of the heart says:
"My heart tells me news of my Sustainer." He does not say, "It tells me
of the Sustainer of All the Worlds." And he says: "My heart is the mirror,
The throne, of my Sustainer." And he does not say, "It is the throne of
the Sustainer of All the Worlds." For he can manifest the address to the
extend of its capacity and to the degree nearly seventy thousand veils
have raised. Thus, however much higher and more elevated is the decree
of a king promulgated in respect of his supreme sovereignty than the insignificant
speech of a common man, and however more abundantly the effulgence of the
sun in the sky may be benefited from than the manifestation of its reflection
in the mirror, and however greater is its superiority, to that degree the
Qur'an of Mighty Stature is superior to all speech and all books.
After the Qur'an, at the second level, the Holy Books and Revealed Scriptures
have superiority according to their degree. They have their share from
the mystery of that superiority. If all the fine words of all men and jinn
which do not issue from the Qur'an were to be gathered together, they still
could not attain to the sacred rank of the Qur'an and imitate it." 2
Since there is nothing that the Muslim scholar would learn from the European
philosopher, the interaction between them would be in that way which the
Muslim scholar who tries to understand the universe by the explanations
of Qur'an which is the words of a Limitless One, would be affective on
European philosopher who tries to the same thing by his limited senses.
The explanations of philosophic schools every one of which deals with one
part of the reality and tries to understand creatures from that point of
view, are not completely wrong. Let's think about a person who had never
seen a surgical operation before. While watching an operation, he might
think that the people in the operation team are killing the patient by
cutting his body Since he evaluates the situation only by watching for
a limited time and from a narrow point of view, such an approach may be
accepted, but the result that comes out is completely wrong and not proper.
Since humanbeing is limited in time and place and his vision and all the
perception organs are limited, the evaluation done by him would necessarily
be improper, since, because of the limits, he would never have the chance
of exactly thorough examination and evaluation.
"Since just how far the human philosophy which challenger Qur'anic wisdom
has fallen in the face of that wisdom has been explained and illustrated
with comparisons in the Twelfth Word and proved in the other Words, we
refer readers to them and for now offer a further comparison from another
point of view. It is as follows:
Human science and philosophy look at the world as fixed and constant. And
they discuss the nature of beings and their characteristics in detail;
if they do speak of their duties before their Maker, they speak of them
briefly. Quite simply, they speak only of the decoration and letters of
the Book of the Universe, and attach no importance to it's meaning. Whereas
the Qur'an looks at the world as transient passing, deceptive, traveling,
unstable, and undergoing revolution. It speaks briefly of the nature of
beings and their superficial and material characteristics, but mentions
in detail the worshipful duties with which they are charged by the Maker,
and how and in what respects they point to His Names, and their obedience
before the Divine creational commands. And so, we shall look at the differences
between human philosophy and Qur'anic wisdom in regard to this matter of
looking at things either briefly or in detail, and shall see which is pure
truth and reality." 3
"Indeed, absolute reality can not be comprehended by restricted views.
A universal view like Qur'an is necessary in order to comprehend it. For
sure they are instructed by the Qur'an, but with a particular mind they
can only see completely one or two sides of universal reality, are preoccupied
with them, and imprisoned in them. They spoil the balance of reality through
either excess or negligence and mar? its proportion and harmony. This truth
was explained with an unusual comparison in the Second Branch of the Twenty-Fourth
Word, and now we shall point to the matter with another comparison.
For example, let us suppose there is some treasure under the sea, full
of innumerable jewels of various kinds. Divers are plunging the depths
to search for the jewels of the treasure. Since their eyes are closed,
they understand what is there through the dexterous use of their hands.
A longish diamond comes into the hands of one of them. The diver assumes
that the whole treasures consist of a long diamond like a pillar. When
hears of other jewels from his companions, he imagines that they are subsidiary
to the diamond he has found, and are facets and embellishments of it. Into
the hand of another passes a round ruby, while another finds a square piece
of amber, and so on. Each of them believes that the jewel he sees with
his hand is the essential, major part of the treasure, and suppose that
the things of which he hears are additional parts and details of it. So
then, the balance of the truth is spoilt, and mutual proportion too is
marred. The color of many truths changes and in order to see the true color
of reality they are obliged to resort to forced interpretation and elaborate
explanations. Sometimes even they go as far as denial and rejection. anyone
who studies the books of Ishraqiyyun philosophers and the works of Sufis
who rely on illuminations and visions without weighing them on the scales
of the Sunna will doubtless confirm this statement of ours. That is to
say, although their works concern truths similar to those of the Qur'an
and are taken from the Qur'an's teachings, because they are not to the
Qur'an, they thus defective. The Qur'an's verses also, which are oceans
of truths are divers for that treasure under the sea. But their eyes are
open and encompass the treasure. They see what there is in the treasure
and what there is not. They describe and expound it with such harmony,
order, and proportion that they show the true beauty and fineness." 4
Since Risale-i Nur is explaining the truths by the illumination of Qur'an
in accordance with the needs of the age, it should be affective on the
ideas and philosophic schools of the age, rather than being affected by
them. It's job should be to bring out necessary coordination between the
different ideas of the age which are evaluating the book of universe from
their point of view, and every one of which caught one part of the reality,
by the illumination of Qur'an. In fact, positivism is also one of the philosophic
approaches of the age which has limited the understanding of universe between
the capacities of the human senses and to the events which can be inspected
in laboratory. This philosophy takes the empirical sciences as a model
and etc. basics are confirmations. Obviously, its research is only on creatures;
it consider theological and metaphysical explanations as impossible; it
takes the problems. This philosophy has taken an important place in the
spiritual life of turkish people. Positivism is one of the basics principles
of the new state, turkish Republic. During that time, there were two sides
one of which were trying to destroy the religious basics of the new state
and the other trying to repair religious destruction of the state. The
destroyer who was named, by the indications of Qur'an as "Deccal". An Egyptian
author marked that, Voltaire, Divert, Comte, Marks, Durkheim, Freud, J.J.
Rausseau, all were originally Jewish and they prepared base of Deccalism.
August Comte and Durkheim had important affect on the establishment of
positivism in Turkey.
The person who was in charge of repairing the results of the activities
against religion has noticed the forthcoming bad effects of positivism
for the community and published a book which is named " Nature Cause of
Effects " and in that book he was saying: " This treatise explains through
Nine Impossibilities, themselves comparing at least ninety impossibilities,
just how unreasonable, crude and superstitious is the reality of the way
taken by those Naturalists who are atheists. " 5 Preparation of such a
book was very important in that period. more than being an answer for a
certain philosophic school it performed the function of a barrier against
the shots towards the believes of many intelligent people of community.
" What occasioned the writing of this treatise were attacks being made
on the Qur'an by those who called everything that their corrupted minds
could not reach a superstition, who were using Nature to justify unbelief,
and were vilifying the truths of belief in a most aggressive and ugly fashion.
" 6
The importance of positivism and naturalism for the struggle between the
two important people, Deccal and the person in charge of repairment is
declared in the same treatise in this way: " When I went to Ankara in 1922,
the morale of the people of belief was extremely high as a result of victory
of the army of Islam over Greeks. But I saw that an abominable current
of atheism was treacherously trying to subvert, poison and destroy their
minds. "O God!" I said, "this monster is going to harm the fundamentals
of belief" At that point, since the above-mentioned verse makes self-evidently
plain God's existence and Unity, I sought assistance from it and wrote
a treatise in Arabic consisting of a proof taken from the All-Wise Qur'an
that was powerful enough to disperse and destroy that atheistic current."7
To explain the truths in a way acceptable by the minds, and to make proofs,
is a method of Risale-i Nur. But this should not be taken as the affect
of positivism on Risale-i Nur. In fact this method is necessary to explain
the realities of Qur'an to the people of this age who are looking for proofs
and scientific explanations to accept.
Reflection
