Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and Manevi Jihad

 

By Thomas Sorlie

 

“Ultimately, life becomes the pen with which people determine and write their own fate.” – Bediuzzaman Said Nursi

During the decline of the Ottoman Empire, A Kurdish scholar actively worked to save the ailing state. This activist was Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, who is largely lost in history and relatively unknown outside of Turkey. But what he advocated during the late 19th and early 20th century may be surprising to those in the West who are not familiar with his life. A devout Muslim, Said Nursi pursued a course that advocated for a republic based upon Constitutional democracy as well as an educational system that embraced science and technology. Oppressed and often jailed by the Ataturk government, it was through his force of will that the religious community, which was under attack during his life, was held together, helping to lay the foundations for the current Turkish state.

As the Ottoman Empire was collapsing during the 19th century, Said Nursi pointed the finger inward and blamed the educational system, run by religious scholars, for failing to recognize the importance of science as well as eschewing modern technology. To Nursi, this was leading to a disastrous lag behind the European states. Chastised by the religious establishment, Nursi’s concerns would prove correct as the European states would eventually defeat the Ottoman Empire during World War One.

During the period leading up to the war, Nursi not only challenged the traditional establishment about the educational system, but he also strongly advocated for an Ottoman Republic based upon constitutional democracy, but not with the intention of eliminating the position of the caliphate in Istanbul. Instead, his hopes lay in giving the subjects of the Empire freedom and a guaranteed voice in the system.

“Freedom is this: apart from the law of justice and punishment, no one can dominate anyone else. Everybody’s rights are protected. In their legitimate actions, everyone is royally free. The prohibition, ‘Take not from among yourselves as Lord over you apart from God (Qur‘an 3:64) is manifested’.”

Upon the defeat of the Ottoman Empire and the rise of the Republic of Turkey under Kemal Ataturk, a clash ensued between Ataturk and Nursi. Coming to power, Ataturk called religion, “The putrefied corpse that poisons our lives,” laying the foundation for what would become a campaign to suppress religious expression. Ataturk enacted laws that forbade much of the practice of Islam, as well as a general campaign to kill religious leaders and sentence others to long jail terms. This included Nursi, who was sentenced to jail for his religious practices.

From this, a key element of Nursi’s life came into the picture. Nursi’s reaction to Ataturk’s suppression was not to fight back; instead, he started an underground letter writing campaign to instruct his followers how to react. From his jail cell, Nursi instructed his followers to practice what he called “Manevi Jihad” (A Battle for the Heart). He advocated they should not react through the use of violence; instead, they should establish patience in their hearts and practice upright behavior and caring manners.

Upon his death in 1960, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s followers numbered one million, none of whom ever committed an act of violence in reaction to the oppression many of them were enduring. It was through his leadership that the Muslim community survived a brutal time of oppression in Turkey. His teachings have led to various movements in the current state of Turkey which have helped to tip the balance between Kemalist secularism and religious freedom back towards the center.

—Thomas Sorlie, May 9th, 2011. Edited by Michael Mizell.

 

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