INTEGRATING SECULAR AND THE SACRED BRANCHES OF KNOWLEDGE: BADIUZZAMAN SAID NURSI’S PERSPECTIVE

Year 2020, Issue: 9, 223 - 236, 30.06.2020

Javaid Ayub Sheikh

Abstract

There is no denying of the fact that Islam lays a great thrust on education but the duality in the education system has created a huge gulf between the secular and the sacred. Religious educational institutions have been cut off from the scientific knowledge and hence from the world altogether, and the secular educational institutions are cut off from the Wahi (the Divine guidance), hence cut off from the other world. Under the prevailing setup, both systems are inadequate to produce the desired man-the Khalifa. Therefore, Nursi views integration of both streams of knowledge as the only solution not only for the progress and development of the Muslim world but also for curbing and eliminating fundamentalism and religious intolerance. Nursi views Integration of knowledge as the only way forward for reviewing spiritualism and belief. His integrated system of knowledge aims to build a cohesive society based on values, spiritualism and morality. Said Nursi believes that the secular and the sacred should be taught under the same roof. His Medresetu’z-Zehra model presents a workable model for institutions to follow. The study focuses on presenting Said Nursi’s education thought as a solution to educational dualism faced by the entire Muslim world today. Said Nursi, unlike Said Qutub and Sayyed Maudoodiseems more concerned for building a progressive state, indeed Islamic, but did not seem much concerned about political Islam or the creation of Islamic state. Said Nursi’s approach is faith based rather than ideological. The paper begins with a short biographic note of Said Nursi. The second part deals with the educational thought of Said Nursi and its relevance today. In the third part of the study the main arguments are concluded.   

Keywords

Madrasa education, Risale-i Nur, Medresetu’z-Zehra, Integration of education, ,Said Nursi and education

Supporting Institution

None

Project Number

None

BEDİÜZZAMAN SAİD NURSİ’NİN PERSPEKTİFİNDEN: DÜNYEVİ VE KUTSAL BİLGİ DALLARININ BİRLEŞTİRİLMESİ

Abstract

İslam’ın eğitime büyük önem verdiği inkâr edilemezse de ancak eğitim sistemlerindeki ikilik dünyevi ve kutsal olan arasında büyük uçurumlar oluşturmuştur. Dini eğitim kurumları bilimsel bilgiden ve dolayısıyla dünyadan ve dünyevi eğitim kurumları da Vahy’den ve dolayısıyla öteki dünyadan tamamıyla kopmuş durumdalar. Bu mevcut şartlarda her iki sistem de arzu edilen insanı yani Yeryüzünün Halifesini ortaya koymakta yetersiz kalmaktadır. Bu sebeple Nursi her iki bilgi akımını birleştirmeye (entegrasyona) tek çözüm olarak bakmaktadır. Bu sadece Müslüman dünyasının ilerlemesi için değil aynı zamanda fundamentalizmi ve dini müsamahasızlığı törpülemek ve ortadan kaldırmaya da yöneliktir. Nursi bilginin birleştirilmesini maneviyat ve imanın güçlenmesinin de tek yolu olarak görmektedir. Onun birleştirilmiş bilgi sistemi değerlere, maneviyat ve ahlaka dayalı uyumlu bir toplumu inşa etmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Said Nursi Dünyevi ve Kutsal olanın aynı çatı altında çğretilmesinin gereğine inanmaktadır. Onun Medresetu’z-Zehra modeli kurumlara uygulanabilir bir model teşkil etmektedir. Bu çalışma Said Nursi’nin eğitim düşüncesini bugün tüm İslam dünyasının karşı karşıya olduğu eğitim ikiliğine bir çözüm olarak sunmaya odaklanmıştır. Seyid Kutup ve Seyyid Mevdudi’den farklı olarak Said Nursi gerçekte İslami olan ilerici bir devlet inşası ile ilgilenmekte ancak siyasi İslam yada İslami bir devletin meydana getirilmesiyle pek alakalı gözükmemektedir. Onun yaklaşımı ideolojik değil iman esaslıdır. Makale Said Nursi’nin kısa bir özgeçmişi ile başlamakta ve onun eğitim düşüncesi ve günümüzle olan münasebeti ile devam etmektedir. Üçüncü bölümde ise ana fikirler özetlenmektedir.

Keywords

Medrese Eğitimi, Risale-i Nur, Medresetü’z-Zehra, Eğitimin Birleştirilmesi, Said Nursi ve Eğitim

Project Number

None

References

• References {1}He is referring to the Quranic Verse ‘We did indeed offer the Trust to the heavens, and the earth, and the mountains; but they refused to undertake it being afraid thereof. But man assumed it; indeed, he is most unjust, most foolish’. Al Quran, Chapter 33, Verse, 72. {2}For instance see the Twelfth Word in The Words, 2015, pp, 143-149, The Third Ray in The Rays, 2015. {3} Some of the biographers have mentioned the year as 1877, for example see Ramazan Balci (2009), Bediuzzaman Said Nursi ‘wonder of the Age’. {4} Said Nursi moved to Van on invitation of Hasan Pasha, the Governor of Van, in 1895 or 1896 (Sukran vahide, 2005, Islam in Modern Turkey, p, 27). He stayed there for next fifteen years. {5}The Tamzimet is the name given to 37 years period from (1839-76) in which the Ottoman sultans introduced large scale reforms in government, administration and many areas of the Ottoman life along Western line. The motive was to restore the empires fast declining power. (Vahide,2005, p, 34) . {6} Abdulhamid built hundreds of schools, and in some schools attempts were made to teach modern sciences with religious science but, according to Markham, ‘due to a deep social cleavage, only a small minority benefited from these schools.’ (Markham, An Introduction to Said Nursi, p, 10). {7} Nursi’s stay in Van, helped him to acquaint himself with modern sciences. His friendly relations with Tahir Pasha gave his access to Tahir Pasha’s library, where he studied math, physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology and geology, and gained depth into history and philosophy. (Markham, 2011, p, 9, See Vahide, 2005, p, 27). {8}Nursi has been elaborative in explaining Divine Unity in ‘The Words’. See first to seven Words, Twenty-Second Word, Thirty–Second and Thirty-Third Words in The Words, See also the Second chapter of The Seventh Ray in The Rays, 2015, p, 170. {9} A Phrase used by Herbert. {10} Nursi while staying in the Madrasa of Sheikh Mohammad Celali in Bayezit developed his unique approach to the course. He completed the entire course then prevalent in madrasas in just three months. Vehide writes that such course, with the methodology it was taught then ‘took the average student under normal conditions ten to fifteen years. The works studied under traditional method were ‘heavily annotated with commentaries, commentaries on commentaries, and even commentaries on those commentaries’. Nursi ignored all these commentaries and concentrated on only the most important sections in each work. (Vahide, 2005, p, 10). Bibliography Abu-Rabi, I. M. (2003). Islam at the Crossroads. New York: State University of New York. Balci, R. (2013). Said Nursi 'Wonder of the Age'. Clifton: Tughra Books. Bhattacharjea, A. (1994). Kashmir The Wounded Valley. New Delhi: UBSPD. Gok, H. (2016). Rasal-i-Noor, Selected Readings from Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. Clifton : Tughra Books. Mardin, S. (1989). Religion and Social Change in Modern Turkey. New York: State University Press. Nursi, S. (2010). The Damascus Sermon. New Delhi: Barla Publications. Nursi, S. (2015). The Flashes. New Delhi: Barla Publications. Nursi, S. (2015). The Letters. New Delhi: Barla Publications. Nursi, S. (2015). The Rays. New Delhi: Barla Publications. Nursi, S. (2015). The Words. New Delhi: Barla Publications. Turner, C. and Horkuc, H. (2009). Said Nursi. New Delhi: Oxford University Press Vahide, S. (2005). Islam in mOdern Turkey. New York: State University Press.