THE MASTER

What Does Mujaddid Mean?

Mujaddid is a word that means “to renew,” “to revive” or “to amend.” This is a term that also means “to restore” or “to reform something that has experienced deformation.” As a result of His eternal mercy, when a community or society became corrupt, God sent blessed individuals as reformers, revivers or spiritual guides. These individuals reformed the people by eliminating corruption and ordered the preservation of the religion conveyed by the noble Prophet.

In one of the traditions, the Messenger of God said, “At the beginning of every century God will raise up for this community one who will revive its religion.”

Basically, the message of every Prophet was the mission of revival. The noble Prophets guided those who had distanced themselves from the essence of faith, once again familiarizing them with their religion and enabling them to live amidst the atmosphere of the divine revelations. They returned the corrupt or deformed aspects of the people to their original state. However, no other Prophets were to come after Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. In view of the meaning of the tradition mentioned previously, immediately after the end of the first century AH, Islamic scholars regarded Umar ibn Abdul Aziz—and after the middle of the second century, Imam Shafi—as revivers or reformers of Islam.

However, in various periods multiple revivers were recognized in a given century. For example, in the past century, Egypt’s Hasan al-Banna and Pakistan’s Abu Ala Mawdudi were acknowledged as revivers or reformers. As the duty of reviving religion is not a rank like Prophethood, every civilization regarded its own leader as a reviver, a reformer of religion. Maybe these opinions should be regarded with leniency. However, there is no harm in referring to the efforts made for the sake of religion as a revival, a renewal of the Islamic religion. Rather than inquiring who was responsible for the revival, it is a believer’s duty to live in accordance with their faith and submit themselves to God.

Presentation

Among the names which had an influence on Turkey’s agenda in the past century, Said Nursi (commonly known as “Bediüzzaman”—the Sage of the Age) was one of the most prominent. He influenced the people immensely both with his life and his books.

However, he was constantly denied the respect and interest he deserved. There may be various reasons for this; one of the main causes of this was that specific sects remained distant from him. Nonetheless, he generated opinions regarding the most fundamental topics in the fields of sociology, law, Islamic sciences and eventually political sciences. This thinker and scholar had such an impact on the century in which he lived that he should not have been deprived of the respect he deserved. As a scholar, who was born and brought up in Turkey and played a major role in instilling uncontaminated opinions in the people of this country, his mission and movement should never have been downplayed or ignored. When Said Nursi is recognized for his true characteristics, it will be clear that there is not a single individual within this nation who would distance himself from him. As fate would have it, Said Nursi was constantly accused contrary to his intentions; he was always the target of mechanisms that generated unwarranted hostilities.

He was sincere and altruistic enough to say, “I forgive those who prepared my place in prison, who prosecuted me in the courts, and those who poisoned me” and “I do not want my followers to take revenge.” Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, who was one of the greatest thinkers of the twentieth century, exuded an outpouring of affection and love that could reach the hearts of all; his intelligence was broad enough to encompass every worthy thought and opinion. This author of innovative works is certainly deserving of honor.

Bediüzzaman Said Nursi said, “If a person’s endeavor is his nation, that person forms a miniature nation on his own.” Likewise, “A person who considers his nation first is a nation himself.” As precious metals are concealed beneath huge mountains by Divine law, the honorable souls who, due to their intentions, represent a whole nation hide beneath a vast silence; usually these exalted, humble souls disappear before they are exposed. We will have the opportunity of taking a closer look at the life of this great scholar whose achievement was attained with the devotion and self-sacrifice of the Anatolian spirit.

In every orchard, every garden, there are rotten fruits. A human matures with weakness, faults and forgetfulness. Our faults are our own, but excellence belongs to the person to whom it was granted, his works and his mission. Our main endeavor is supplication made for the help of God.

A Short Chronology:

1878 Born (There are also reports that he was born in 1873 and 1876.)

1885 Began his studies

1892 Given the title “Bediüzzaman”

1897 Began teaching in Van

1907 First traveled to Istanbul

1909 Tried and court-martialed

1910 Returned to Van

1911 Delivered a sermon in the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus

1911 June, accompanied Sultan Reshad on a journey to Rumelia

1914 November, joined the war on the Eastern front

1916 Wrote the commentary Isharat-ul I’jaz (The Signs of the Qur’an’s Miraculousness) on the battlefront

1916 March, captured by the Russians and sent to Kosturma

1918 June, escaped from prison and returned to Turkey

1920 Published his first book

1922 Travelled to Ankara for an invitation to the first Grand Assembly

1923 January, published his treatise Hubab

1923 April, departed from Ankara and returned to Van

1925 February, taken from Mount Erek and escorted to Burdur

1926 Transported to Barla

1934 August, taken from Barla and transported to Isparta

1935 April, sent to prison in Eskisehir

1936 March, transported to Kastamonu

1943 September, arrested in Kastamonu and sent to Ankara

1943 October, the Denizli trial began.

1944 June, acquitted by the Denizli court and sent to Emirdağ

1948 January, sent to prison in Afyon

1949 September, released from the Afyon prison and sent to Emirdağ for the second time

1950 June, the Azan (call to Prayer) changed to its original form.

1951 December, settled in Isparta

1952 January-March, the Guide for Youth trial in Istanbul

1953 Traveled from Isparta to Eskisehir and Emirdağ

1956 May, acquitted from the Risale-i Nur (Treatise of Light) trial in Afyon

1959 January, began the journey from Ankara to Konya and Istanbul

1960 January, banned from travelling

1960 March 20th, left for his last journey to Urfa

1960 March 23rd, died in Urfa

1960 June, his body was transported and buried in an unknown location.

Receiving the Title “Bediüzzaman” —Wonder of the Age

After he had stayed with his brother Abdullah for some time, Said went to the school of Mullah Fethullah Effendi in Siirt. That teacher said to Said playfully: “Last year you were reading Suyuti’s book; so this year what are you reading the book of Mullah Jami?”

“Yes,” he said, “I have finished Jami.”

Mullah Fethullah continued to list books, but every book he mentioned received the same answer: “I have finished it.” Finally he asked in astonishment: “You were like a madman last year; are you still mad this year?”

Said replied: “In order to save himself, a person may hide the truth from another. But to a master esteemed even more than a father, nothing but the truth can be spoken. If you command it, I will take a test on the books you have mentioned.”

Whatever book Mullah Fethullah questioned him on, he answered perfectly.

Mullah Fethullah said, “All right, you have excellent understanding, but how is your memorization? Can you repeat some lines from Maqamat Hariri after reading them only twice?” and he held out the book.

Said chose a whole page, looked at it one time, memorized it, and repeated it at once. Mullah Fethullah was shocked at this, saying, “It is truly rare to find in one person such intellect combined with such a capacious memory!”

When Mullah Ali al-Suran, who had been the teacher of Said’s teacher before, overheard this exchange, he began to take lessons from Said. While Said was in the school of Mullah Fethullah, he memorized the whole of Tajuddin as-Subki’s book Jam’ul Jawami after studying it one or two hours per day for one week. Mullah Fethullah wrote on the cover of the book: “He (Said) memorized this entire book in one week.”

News of this spread throughout Siirt, and Mullah Fethullah said to the scholars, “A young looking student came to my school. He answered my every question without hesitation. I am astounded by the exceeding wisdom and knowledge he has attained at such a tender age!”

It was upon completing an examination given to him by the scholars of Siirt that Said received the title “Bediüzzaman”—Wonder of the Age. Fifty five years later, he wrote about this in a letter:

My inquisitive brother Refet requests information regarding the duty and work of Bediüzzaman al-Hamadani from the tenth century. I know only that this person possessed a perfect intellect and amazing memory. Fifty years ago, comparing me to that great man, Mullah Fethullah gave me the same name.

Therefore it was Fethullah Effendi of Siirt who first gave him the title “Bediüzzaman.” And thus Bediüzzaman’s three month period of study in East Bayezid came to a close.

He Followed the Path of the Prophets

This great scholar neither walked on the path alone nor followed a deviant path. He advanced on the expansive path of Islam. This is the path of Prophet Adam that continued with the Prophets Ibrahim, Ismail, Ishaq, Musa and Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon them, the path that they advanced and turned into a wide, straight avenue of light and truth.

After Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Umar ibn Abdulaziz, Imam Abu Hanifa, Imam Shafi, Imam Malik, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Imam al-Ghazali, Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi, Imam Rabbani, Abdulqadr al-Jilani, Muhammad Bahauddin Shah an-Naqshband and Mawlana Khalid walked on this path, a path that was straight and infallible. By guiding those who had lost their way, this great thinker and scholar attempted to portray the essence of civilization, of truth and wisdom, and enlightened that magnificent path of history in the darkness of the night. He never looked for truths beyond Islam’s path of light; he simply strived to perceive, live and convey these truths in the best way possible. He never attempted to adapt religion to his own opinion, but destroyed the beacon of reason and found the light. He considered disobeying the Qur’anic revelations and the traditions of the noble Prophet as foolish as carrying a pitcher or water jug beside a stream flowing with pure water. This is why he always presented issues of faith with evidence, issues regarding worship with explanations of how they were perceived from the Qur’an and the traditions of the beloved Prophet. He never bore a trace of doubt regarding these topics; never took into consideration the period, place or situation; he sincerely believed that what was referred to as a desert was a desert, and what was called a lake was without any doubt a lake. He explained that a person who was deceived by the enticements of the devil and his own egoistic desires had eaten poisonous honey, and this is why they suffer the pains of destruction. This was a stormy period when it was impossible to open new avenues of possibility, but rather he supported existing doors and windows with all his strength. He achieved this and said, “Although the door to revival is open, there are obstacles that prevent entering it.”

He never attempted to find faults in others and never accused anyone, but said, rather, “We were inflicted with this due to this reason.” This was to be a bridge between a magnificent past with an even more magnificent future. Everything that comes to life dies and fades away, and everything that is new becomes old. “An inconsiderable, indecisive and confined state would attain change with a broad future.” This was the mortal world, not Paradise. The ideal realm of perfection is Paradise, and those who sought such a thing in this world always suffered disappointment, submitted to pessimism and never escaped the pleasure of accusing others. It was quite normal that in every place and period in which humans lived problems would occur. Despite this, the predecessors lived and maintained a pure, perfect life. It was an honor to stand shoulder to shoulder with them in spiritual gatherings and prostrate with them behind the Imam.

The transformation of the old Said into the new Said was an extremely difficult process. He turned to Imam Rabbani’s works and randomly opened a page from Al-Maktubat ar-Rabbaniyya (Letters of Imam Rabbani), and that particular letter was “A Letter to the Mirza Bediüzzaman.” The eminent scholar believed that the letter was addressing him. In the letter, the great Imam said, “Unite your Qiblah!” He also said, “The true master is the Qur’an. This is where you can find your real, united Qiblah.” Indeed, many years previously, an important figure, presumably Ali ibn Abi Talib, of whom he said, “I received my lessons of truth,” said to him, “Convey the miraculousness of the Qur’an.” And he realized that it was his duty to convey the great truths of the Qur’an. He described the Risale-i Nur or the Epistles of Light in this way: It is “The light of the Qur’an,” in other words, a wave of prosperity, abundance that struck the shores of this century. Certainly, the Epistles of Light is not the word of God; however, it is a conveyance, a birth of meaning that enters the heart with the abundance, the salvation of the Qur’an. In other words, it is a conveyance based on the inspirations obtained from the Qur’an’s breadth of wisdom which blooms within the heart. Just as the sun’s reflection in a mirror belongs to the sun, the Epistles of Light is a reflection, a commentary of the Qur’an.

Questions

1) Mujaddid is a word meaning what?

A) One who corrupts and destroys

B) One who reforms and corrupts

C) One who reforms and amends

D) One who amends and destroys

2) In one of the traditions, the noble Prophet said, “At the beginning of every century God will raise up for this community one who will ______.”

Which of the below can be used to fill the blank?

A) be a teacher

B) revive its religion

C) be a great thinker

D) be a saint

3) Who was considered the mujaddid of the first century after the Hijra?

A) Umar ibn Abdul Aziz

B) Imam Shafi

C) Bediüzzaman Said Nursi

D) Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi

4) Who gave Said Nursi the title “Bediüzzaman”?

A) Mullah Fethullah

B) Ramiz Effendi

C) Mullah Hamidullah

D) Alvarlı Efe

5) What was the title of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi’s work?

A) Epistles of Light

B) This Era and the New Generation

C) Eternal Light

D) The Religion of Truth, the Language of the Qur’an