My Journey through Risale-i Nur 

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Risale-i Nur explains the divine truths of the Qur’an and Sunnah in a clear and convincing way.

Almighty Allah says in the Qur’an, “Allah is the nur (light) of the heavens and the earth. The example of His nur is like a niche within which is a lamp; the lamp is within glass, the glass as if it were a pearly [white] star lit from [the oil of] a blessed olive tree, neither of the east nor of the west, whose oil would almost glow even if untouched by fire. Nur upon nur. Allah guides to His nur whom He wills. And Allah presents examples for the people, and Allah is All Knowing of all things.” (Nur, 24:35)

Risale-i Nur is a nur that it has enlightened my conscience, changed my point of view about the world and my life. I heard of it, but I was not aware of its nature, content or author. All I knew those treatises of Risale-i Nur were about the Qur’an and Sunnah.

I felt a serious desire to read Risale-i Nur.  Meanwhile I was invited to a symposium titled “Risale-i Nur’s Role in Renovation of Philosophy and Theology” held in Sudan by Hayrat Foundation and Philosophy Department of the Faculty of Arts of University of Khartoum.

Accepting the invitation eagerly, I attended the symposium with enthusiasm. Symposium hall was filled with university students and professors. The symposium began with presentations and evaluations. There I learnt that Bediuzzaman wrote these works, and he was from Turkey.

This symposium aroused a lot of questions in my mind. First of all, who was this Islamic scholar that I heard his name for the first time? I said to myself “If such a big international symposium is held about him, he must be a great scholar then.”

In the second day I took my sister along to the symposium as the truths of faith I heard had a great impact on me. We stayed until the end of the symposium. At the end of the program, we met with female representative of Hayrat Foundation. She gave us a card that describes the head office for women.

Then we visited that office. Once we got in there, Risale-i Nur students greeted us. We spent some time with them. The subject of that day’s lesson was “Does Allah need our prayers?” That lesson aroused a great influence on me and I was amazed. Besides, it changed my perspective on universe, heavens, earth, trees, fruit, animals, mountains, clouds, people and all creatures. It was like all these creatures were different than I knew. All of them were changed by the nur I found. In the same way, the prayer, fasting, worship, charity and kindness I did in the past had also been changed by that nur.

Risale-i Nur is a candle that shakes and stimulates all the limbs of my body, enlightens all the darkness of my mind, brings my dead heart back to life and radiates nur and light.

It is a spring breeze that blows towards me in the hottest summer and that takes all my troubles and sorrows away when I breathe it.

Like it rains in the desert and everywhere becomes green, Risale-i Nur enlivened and enlightened my body and gave life to it.

It is a mercy, grace and blessing sent by Allah (swt) when I needed it the most. It intruded into my heart and mind, and made my heart satisfied and refreshed my soul.

I give much importance to knowledge, scholars and books. However, until now I have not seen another book like this which is deep in thought, addresses all walks of life with reason and emotion, and brings together theological and scientific knowledge.

I had a lot of benefits from these precious bright pearly books that explain the divine truths of the Qur’an and Sunnah. The luminous conqueror of my heart, Risale-i Nur, has been answer to a lot of unknown secrets in the universe and to a lot of problems and questions in my life in a clear and convincing way. Many scholars became helpless in treating many of those issues which Risale-i Nur answered.

With Risale-i Nur, I saw that everything belongs to Allah (swt) and everything is a mirror reflecting the Divine Names of Allah (swt). It is the oxygen I breathe, the speech I whisper to all creatures and beings, the remedy for many wounds and calamities that I have. My ear that makes me hear the praises of all creatures. It has enlightened my vision, my hearing, my soul, my heart and my life.

Thousands of blessings be upon Imam Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, the lover of the Ummah.