Highlights From The Closing Ceremony Of The Graduate Nursi Studies Conference

Last week, the closing ceremony of our annual International Nursi Studies Conference experienced a very high number of enthusiastic attendees as well as participants. Members of the public as well as academicians and students were hosted by the IFSC in a programme featuring several speakers from around the world.

Despite the fact that the room became packed to overflowing, there was a relaxed atmosphere and stirring of feelings of brotherhood that was generated in particular from Mehmed Firinci’s speech, which was the first one of the event.

After offering his thanks and appreciation to the participants, Mehmed Firinci welcomed Executive President Said Yüce to the podium who expressed his gratitude that the Foundation was able to host such a conference that reflected Nursi’s spiritual life goals and wishes. “Said Nursi was somebody who offered us treatments from the pharmacy of the Qur’an for the various material and spiritual afflictions of this age. Thanks to the Grace of God, our academic studies of the Risale-i Nur achieved via such conferences will work towards such principles that Nursi expounded in his work.”

Mr Yüce also mentioned that, in comparison to a certain portion of “Kalam” books written in previous centuries, the Risale-i Nur offers treatments to spiritual wounds without causing harm or injury. For the Risale manages to bring healing as a result of its being clean from wrongful ideas and thoughts, doubts or mistakes. He went onto quote from, “Signs Of Miraculousness”:

“The task of the Risale-i Nur is as such: In order to not leave a mark on the minds and consciousness, the Risale offers such a response and reply to its opponents that it both avoids acting as an advert for their misguidance (through its mentioning their ideas) as well as cancelling out all room for further suspicion and whisperings from Satan”

Said Yüce also mentioned how Nursi was concerned with ensuring that everybody was able to protect their eternal life and that such studies of the Risale-i Nur by academicians and students have helped to facilitate this, and strengthen the faith. 

Following Mr Yüce’s talk, the Arabic translator of Risale-i Nur Ihsan Kasim Salihi explained that all the numerous students who have written PHd and Masters’ Thesis’ based on the Risale should continue not only their studies in this area but also maintain contact with each other. In particular, new students will gain much benefit from such an active forum, he stated. 

Dr. Memun Jarar, an Arabic lecturer from Jordan said that after years of following and attending such academic programmes, the benefits and usefulness of it has become more and more apparent over the years. He also emphasised that the foremost aim for students and researchers is to become a true student of the Risale, rather than merely somebody who writes on the Risale.

Jordanian Prof. Dr. Ammar Jidal said that the door is open for all who want to benefit and make use of the Risale-i Nur.

“The Risale-i Nur assigns a new value and richness to human beings”, he said. “This is because it contains within it both the devices of literature and also truth and reality. It brings further light to ones’ mind, it brings exhilaration to the heart, and enlivens the spirit”.

He also stated that the Risale-i Nur is not just meant to address the needs of Turks, but also those of the whole of humanity. He added, “Risale-i Nur does not marginalise any particular person or group nor does it show them disrespect. In fact, everybody can make use of the Risale according to their own level of understanding and their own context, situation and profession. They are indeed encouraged as such by the Risale.”

Following this, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Halil Çiçek of Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University said that “While the muslim world has become enmeshed within the general material quagmire of survival and death, the collective muslim mind and level of intellect has dropped and descended to a new low. The core reason for this is our strong need for Belief through Tahkik (Investigation) rather than just imitation”.

 Prof. Dr. Abdulkerim Akkevi expressed how people from different countries had come to Istanbul in order to encounter the Risale-i Nur from within the frame of their own mirror. And from this encounter they were able to obtain knowledge and sciences of religion and a host of different benefits. The greatest aim of the Risale, he said, was for people to “Attain the Straight Path through the guidance of the Qur’an and Sunnah”.

Nejip Soudi expressed his gratitude of attending the event and sent salaams and well-wishes from the people of his native Yemen.

“O brothers and friends from Yemen and all Arab countries, we are all appealing to Allah about the calamities we are facing in my country. Everyday that passes we have more orphans and widows, everyday that passes we see yet more blood flowing. Such things cause us great distress. I believe that the solution to the core of such violence and discord lies in the Risale-i Nur and in giving it due attention”.

Professor Dr. Elmira from International Islamic University Malaysia stated that various people from around the world had contributed a variety of perspectives and subjects in-depth and placed them within a firm contextual grounding of the Risale-i Nur. "Al hamdullah, we completed again one more training of our young researchers", she said. "And we had very interesting topics in the English language sessions. The talks were spoken from the hearts of concerned young muslims, concerned with the many problems happening in their countries and around the world. I really hope that our relationship between the Professors and students will not end today after completing the conference. We look forward to continuing correspondence and engagement with students, and we invite them to write and contact us whenever they wish. I again thank the IFSC for providing a great platform for Nursi studies and for scholars and students to meet and benefit from each other".

Dr. Adem Eryiğit of Iğdır University discussed some of the troubling problems facing him and other colleagues as teachers of theology:

“What statistics currently tell us, is that across the country only around 50 to 60% of Theology faculty students actually perform prayers. Our experience in our own university faculty appears to echo this. This raises the general question as to what makes people generally interested in engaging in Islamic sciences? What impact does it actually make in their world? This is among the important issues that we have come to discuss at such fora and conferences like the ones the IFSC has hosted”.

Dr.  Eryiğit said that such tendencies were not to be found in places where the Risale-i Nur was read regularly by students. He mentioned that, for example, if an engineering student or science student reads the Risale-i Nur as a habit then he will perform prayers even without anybody reminding him to do so. He will come to live a God-fearing life. “Thus the aim of religious knowledge is actually to enrich the spiritual life of the individual and facilitate his development and perfection as a human being”.

Indonesian participant Shukran Makmun related a lesson that he heard from Firinci Abi, Nursi’s disciple and student:

“When I complete my studies in this field it will not be simply an academic thing that I have practiced to completion. For both myself and the muslim community in Indonesia I will contribute beneficial works and studies in all areas of life. We as a country aim to take knowledge, the fruits of belief and many other insights from the Risale-i Nur and benefit from it inshallah”.

Nur Dalila, who had presented her research on mathematics and synchronicity in the Risale-i Nur at our conference, gave a speech stating that the “Qur’an is a Book full of such miracles. So why not show them?”. She told the audience that the Risale-i Nur has been a great source of inspiration and motivation for her and had helped her to further understand the uniqueness of the Qur’an, “We as muslims believe that the Qur’an is Sacred and that mankind can neither truly imitate it or copy it. But in order to help further prove that, I wanted to pursue a study of this miraculousness from within the field of my own academic subject. Despite the fact that my study has far from finished, I managed to still witness many Qur’anic miracles that just kept on coming. Inshallah my study will help be an inspiration and source for other studies in this area of mathematics and the Quran, because there is indeed a lot required to do”.

Muhammed Enes Janjua told the audience that this was the first time he had travelled from his native Pakistan to Turkey. His primary aim was to become further acquainted with and gain further knowledge of the Risale-i Nur. Coming to Turkey was with the intention of “Obtaining water from its source”, as he put it. He found the feedback from the professors and academicians to be of great benefit and Firinci Abi’s humble and sincere presence and words to be very touching.

Abdurrahim Ilboudo from Burkina Faso, a contributor to the Arabic postgraduate conference had the following comments:

“As somebody representing Burkina Faso I can tell you that not just my country but the whole of Africa is in great need of the Risale-i Nur and the Reality it expounds. Unfortunately, Burkina Faso is dominated by either Christians or pagans. Inshallah and with God’s Help let us start to save these people and bring this light to their hearts and minds.”

Muhammad Hadi, a student from Zeytuna, the worlds’ oldest university - emphasised his great fondness for the Risale-i Nur in its native language and his sense of strong connection with Bediuzzaman Said Nursi through his engagement with the text. Echoing the words that Nursi had exclaimed whilst on the mountains of Barla (“This light will soon shine and radiate abroad”), Muhammad Hadi said that “Thanks be to God, we are now living these words”. He also talked about the weekly Risale-i Nur study and reading circle that he had established in his university at Tunisia as well as his happiness in soon being able to publish his masters thesis that is based on the Risale.

Ahsenul Haq, a PHD student from Bangladesh, told the audience that Nursi is not just considered an important figure for the Turkish nation but rather for the whole muslim world. He expressed his gratification for Nursi’s work and struggles and said that Bangladesh and the Turkish nation have a connection both spiritually and historically.  Seven hundred years ago, he said, a man called Muhammed Batiyar came to the Bengal region and taught and spread Islam to the local inhabitants. Owing to this, we have a great fondness and affection for Turks and feel that our nation will benefit from continual engagement with the Risale-i Nur. Those who pursue Nursi studies at postgraduate and PHD level will help contribute towards the enrichment of our nation, he said.

The closing session of the 10th International Graduate Nursi Studies Conference brought several speakers and attendees together for photographs and warm engagements until its final close with certificates and awards handed out to participants.