The 13th Arabic and English Graduate Conference, organized by the Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture (IIKV), has been successfully completed.
Held between August 12-18, 2024, the conference aimed to support academic studies on Risale-i Nur, with this year’s theme being “fitraH” (human nature). The conference lasted four days for training sessions and one day for paper presentations. This year, seven students and four scholars from the UK, Canada, India, and the USA participated.
On the first day of the conference, which ran parallel to the Arabic session, Prof Mustafa Tuna from Duke University in the USA delivered two lectures on “Reaching the Perfect Human and Human Nature: Nursi’s Perspective.” In the discussion session held at the end of the day, participants were actively involved in interactive discussions.
On the second day, Prof. Dr. Necati Aydın from King Faisal University in Saudi Arabia gave lectures under the title “The Theory of Fitrat and Happiness,” and the topic was further discussed in the follow-up sessions.
On the third day, Prof Alparslan Açıkgenç, a faculty member of the Philosophy of Science Department at Ibn Haldun University, emphasized the testimony of fitraH in its truthfulness, stating, “Fitrat is a guide that always leads a person towards what is right unless interfered with.” Açıkgenç added, “According to Nursi’s definition, fitraH expresses the divine commands from the will of God, and the greatest issue of humanity is spiritual progress.”
On the final day of the conference, Dr. Ahmet Subaşı from IIUM, Malaysia, discussed the relationship between fitraH and modern philosophy of science. He stated, “Modern philosophy of science has a serious problem in defining function and purpose. While questions like ‘what’ and ‘how’ are answered, the question ‘why?’ is particularly overlooked. Because when you explain the purpose of an object and its function in the universe, you will also have to explain who placed that purpose there. This would require accepting a fundamental idea that modern philosophy has always opposed.”
On the last day of the conference, participants presented their papers, which combined the knowledge gained throughout the week with their own research topics. Through these presentations, both scholars and students engaged in discussions on the problems of defining function and purpose in modern philosophy of science. The participating students particularly highlighted how Nursi’s perspective on fitraH would shape their research, noting that what they had learned during the conference would influence their future studies.
The conference concluded with a closing ceremony where certificates and gifts were presented to both the Arabic and English-speaking participants, including professors and students.
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