Foreword
Foreword
Similarly to the authors' introduction to Bediuzzaman Said Nursi's official biography, written in the last years of his life, the first thing to state about the present biography is that it by no means describes comprehensively this unique figure the importance of whom is increasingly being understood both within the Islamic world and beyond, as his life, works, and approach to the problems facing the Islamic world, and indeed all humanity, become better known.
One reason the present work may be best described as an introduction to Bediuzzaman's life is the many-sidedness of his character and the diverse and exceptional nature of his abilities, all of which he developed to the highest degree. He was a religious scholar of the highest standing who unusually among such scholars had wide knowledge of modern science and many areas of modern life and learning. He was a great mujahid; he fought for the defence of Islam and the Ottoman Empire on the battlefield. He strove also with his pen, producing many works, writing too for newspapers and journals. He gave sermons and speeches and addressed gatherings large and small. He was a famous debater, and was known to be the solver of complex problems. And while engaging in these active and scholarly struggles in the cause of Islam, he was by nature a lover of solitude; he would retire into seclusion to devote himself to worship and contemplation of his Maker. Foremost, Bediuzzaman was the last of the great saints, a spiritual figure of the greatest stature who takes his place in Islam alongside the Ghazali's, the 'Abd al-Qadir Gilani's, the Imam Rabbani's. Indeed, he was their heir, carrying forward their legacy inherited from the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and presenting it to the people of this age and the future,
Another reason this biography may best be described as an introduction was the length of Bediuzzaman's life and the variety of the periods through which he lived: under the Ottoman Empire, he saw the absolutist rule of Sultan Abdulhamid, and the Constitutional Revolution of 1908 and ascendancy of the Committee of Union and Progress, which came to an end with the collapse of the Empire following the First World War, then the War of