Hutbe-i Şamiye possesses the properties of a map seeking and showing the ways of the revival of Islamic societies which loose power, are left backwards vis-à-vis the West, and display their weaknesses through the “hopelessness” they have. To propose this work, which can also be described as a manifesto on the process of the revival of Islamic civilization, into the agenda of the Muslims, we gave place in our previous issue to the texts of the conference “Said Nursi’s Project of Islamic World: Hutbe-i Şamiye” held in Damascus by the Risale-i Nur Institute last March. In this issue, we keep on discussing the ideas in Hutbe-i Şamiye.

As a work drawing attention to the basic problems of the Islamic world and their ways of solution, Hutbe-i Şamiye analyzes the miserable situation of the Islamic societies from a number of aspects, diagnoses the illnesses which are accepted as the reasons of decline, and indicates the paths of treatment.

Said Nursi, who evaluates the weakening and decline of the Islamic world with respect to the West and goes beyond the classical approaches via separating himself from the thinkers who tried to take precautions regarding this issue, grounds his ideas through getting rid of the modernist constraints. Nursi, first of all, gets to the bottom of the diseases which left the Muslims in the darkness of the middle ages, and then he shows the ways of remedy via utilizing the pharmacy of Quran. This treatment method also offers the clues for a global peace which, starting from the Islamic societies, will cover all humankind.

Our writers, who discussed the illnesses of hopelessness, death of accuracy, loving enmity, being unfamiliar with the luminous ties connecting the believers to each other, despotism, and individualism in our previous issue, continue to talk about the ideas which will make Islamic societies advance and contribute to global peace, especially around the concepts of accuracy, love, and brotherhood in this issue. From this point of view, Hutbe-i Şamiye’s characteristic as being the manifesto of accuracy, love, brotherhood and solidarity comes into prominence.

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While Bünyamin Duran tries to ground the importance of universal love for reaching global peace departing from the works of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi; Atilla Yargıcı deals with the thesis that possessing love for human beings is the recipe of societal diseases, and assesses this thesis from Risale-i Nur’s perspective. Sebahattin Yaşar, who, from a similar point of view, states that love is a formula which can solve the problems of not only the Islamic world, but also all humankind, mentions with examples that Said Nursi is suggesting a social treatment method which starts from the inner world of the person to confront the social diseases. Developing a critical approach to the modern perception of entity via a deeper analysis, Hakan Yalman emphasizes that a proper explanation of the being should contain the truth of nur-u Muhammedi (pbuh), and makes clear that the truth of “things” is love through an integrated ontological approach.

Cüneyt Gökçe, who examines brotherhood as one of the basic concepts mentioned in Hutbe-i Şamiye, emphasizes that the brotherhood of Islam is a connection of brotherhood, which totally depends on religious grounds, ties the hearts to each other via the bond of faith and derives from the principle of taqwa; and then he states the basic elements of the brotherhood of Islam. Musa Kazım Yılmaz, on the other hand, puts weight on the ways to overcome the problems of weaknesses in the brotherhood of faith, and draws attention to the concepts of agreement and sincerity.

Nimet Demir’s article discusses the relationship among “individualism, counseling, and patriotism” departing from the sixth illness in Hutbe-i Şamiye which is described as “devotion of help to personal benefit.” The comprehensive work produced by Mustafa Akça deals with two of the theses in Said Nursi’s Hutbe-i Şamiye. One of them argues that, as the point of “progress” is concerned, Muslims should get rid of the present modernist structure and Europe which produces this structure. And secondly, explanations are made regarding the six illnesses mentioned in Hutbe-i Şamiye.

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We witness a time period in which the good news given by Bediüzzaman a hundred years ago are being realized one by one. We hold a certain belief that the seeds of “hope” which were put under the soil by Hutbe-i Şamiye will flourish in the Islamic world, the climate of accuracy, love and brotherhood will cover all personalities, and an understanding of freedom which is adorned by right, justice, and virtue will spread.

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ABSTRACTS OF THE ARTİCLES 

Universal Love for Global Peace -A Psychoanalysis Based on the Risale-i Nur

Prof. Dr. Bünyamin DURAN

In this study, the main purpose is to found the significance of universal love in reaching global peace departing from the works of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi. To fulfill this aim, firstly love will be described from different aspects and then the possibilities for global peace will be sought via diagnosing the reasons which produce lovelessness in the Western and Eastern societies. In order to ground the fact of love, the psychoanalyses of Erich Fromm and Adorno will be made use of; while the general concepts regarding love will be evaluated from a different perspective utilizing Bediüzzaman's theology, with the purpose of contributing to the topic with a new dimension.

Keywords: Global peace, love, universal love, compassion, narcissism, virtual pleasure, despotism, dialogue

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Hutbe-i Şamiye: Said Nursi and His Attitude

Mustafa AKCA

Although Hutbe-i Şamiye is a product of Nursi's years of youth, it consists of the principles which include not only the content but also the targets and aims of his works published throughout his life. This study covers two of the theses which are included in Nursi's Hutbe-i Şamiye. Firstly, as the point of "progress" is concerned, the theses arguing that the Muslims should get rid of the psychological pressure of the present modernist structure and of Europe which produces this structure will be discussed. Secondly, some explanations will be made regarding the six illnesses which are mentioned in Hutbe-i Şamiye.

Keywords: Progress, religion, modernism, science, Islamic world

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The Affect of “Love” on the Solution of Social Problems

Sebahattin YAŞAR

Love is the most effective formula which can overcome the problems of not only the Islamic world, but also all humankind. Said Nursi, as he does in his Pamphlet of Brotherhood (Uhuvvet Risalesi), suggests to confront social diseases with a social treatment method which starts from the inner world of the subject. According to this method, the principle of “loving love and bearing enmity to hostility” is an attitude applied by Bediüzzaman in every moment of his life. In this article, the influence of love on the solution of social problems is discussed under the light of Bediüzzaman’s views.

Keywords: Love, sincerity, agreement, unity, brotherhood, partisanship, enmity, positive action

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The Basic Components of Brotherhood

Asst. Assoc. Dr. Cüneyt GÖKÇE/Harran University, Faculty of Theology

The first thing that usually comes to mind, when one mentions 'brother', is the people who were born from the same mother and father. Apart from this understanding, 'religious brotherhood' is also a subject in the issue, which refers to being attached to the same religion or worldview. The brotherhood of Islam is a connection of brotherhood, which completely bases on religious grounds, firmly binds hearts to each other through the bond of faith, and derives from the taqwa principle. In this article, the main emphasis is put on the basic elements of Islamic brotherhood.

Keywords: Brotherhood, Islamic brotherhood, ensuring brotherhood, faith, taqwa

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The Ontological Basis of Love in the Risale-i Nur

Dr. Hakan YALMAN

The modern perception of entity, with its description which depends only on observations and which cannot go beyond the material dimension of the being, paved the way for a great restriction of meaning. This limitation derives from the attribution of the science of ontology's and philosophy's inferences regarding the 'things' to the operation of only material elements. However, in general descriptions of entity, no indication to this kind of a situation is manifested. The basic constituents of substance, atoms, and the mechanisms which explain the connections among them are inadequate to produce a proper perception and knowledge of the being, when it is discussed with its relation to many spheres outside the material world. In a proper explanation of entity, it is a sine qua non that it contains the concepts of mülk and melekut, and the truth of nur-u Muhammedi (pbuh). These concepts are definitely related to love in one way or another. In this article, it is put forward that in an integrated ontological approach to the entity, the truth of the 'things' is love.

Keywords: Love, entity, mülk, melekut, truth, science and philosophy, nur-u Muhammedi

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Individuality, Counseling, and Patriotism

Nimet DEMİR

Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, in his work “Hutbe-i Şamiye”, discusses the reasons behind the backwardness of the Islamic world. One of those reasons is stated as the illness of “devotion of help to personal benefit.” Bediüzzaman underlines the “true counseling” as the solution of this problem. In this study, we will cover the relationship among “individuality, counseling, and patriotism” which is mentioned in Said Nursi’s work under the title of sixth disease.

Keywords: Individuality, counseling, patriotism, personal benefit, unity of Islam

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The Truth of Patriotism in Risale-i Nur’s View

Asst. Assoc. Dr. Yakup ASLAN/Harran University, Department of Chemistry

In his work “Hutbe-i Şamiye”, Said Nursi identifies the sixth of the diseases which left the Islamic world backwards as “devotion of help to personal benefit.” In Said Nursi’s opinion, one of the greatest problems of the Islamic world is that most of the Muslims misuse this feeling through utilizing it only for their own benefits. The main purpose of this article is to prove that the main reason of this problem is, according to Risale-i Nur, the “weakness of faith.”

Keywords: Patriotism, weakness of faith, hopelessness, individual benefit, trust in God, indifference, love of world