Prof. Dr.İshak Özgel, an academician from Süleyman Demirel University, in the seminar program called “Living with the Qur’an” at IFSC has revealed the place and significance of the Risale-i Nur among the commentaries of the Qur’an.
Özgel explained that one of the most important features of Ustad distinguishing him from his contemporary mufessirs is his not being obliged to the expectations and needs of the age. He said that “If you look at the medium in which he has written and the life he has lived, you will see that he was not after pleasing others. People’s inclination will take you to the point where they want. Those who seek the approval of others cannot say what the Qur’an actually wants of them.”
Özgel explained that the Qur’an is a text that changes and transforms its listeners in every way and that the Risale-i Nur makes clear the meanings and truths covered by the Qur’an by a method that persuades the minds and satisfies the hearts of people and thus procures this transformation.
In his speech Prof.Özgel drew the attention to the distinction between meaning and truth and indicated that the act of exegesis is an activity of discovery, stating that “Discovery is the uncovering of the existing. The Qur’an has meaning, truth, and also mystery. Exegeting is the uncovering of all these. The unveiling of just the meaning by ignoring the truth can neither satisfy man nor supply the full practice of the truths of the Qur’an in life.”
”In fact words, phrases, expressions and sentences give the meaning. However, that meaning has a reality and truth in man’s mind, heart and life. The explanation of the truth is an act of discovery that addresses not only man’s mind but also his feelings; it persuades the mind and satisfies the heart without breaking them apart. It demonstrates the tranquility given by the overlapping harmony of the truths of the Qur’an and the realities of the outer world. The Risale-I Nur as described with the words of Said Nursi as ‘an observational exegesis’, explains in this way the truths of the belief covered in the Qur’an”
“The Risale-i Nur positions man in relation to the whole universe, which, in my opinion, gives him the greatest tranquility. My reality and that of the Qur’an overlap. The truths of my religion and the truths of my nature coincide.”
İshak Özgel drew attention to the distinctions among tafsir, the ‘ilm al-tafsir and tafsir books as well:
“The word tafsir in its broadest meaning is to discover the purpose of Allah Ta’ala. All the answers given to the question of ‘What does Allah want to say in His ayahs are known as ‘tafsir’. To such an approach we may claim that all Islamic activities are activities of tafsir. ‘Fiqh’ is an attempt to discover what are ‘ibadat’ (worshipping), ‘muâmelat’ (transactions or dealings), and ‘ukûbat’ (sanctions). ‘Al-Kalām’ is an endeavor to find out the wish of Allah in terms of ‘how to believe and in what’. ‘Al-tasawwuf’ is an effort to learn and experience the acts of worshipping in accordance with the sake of Allah, and of reaching the knowledge and contemplation(and witnessing) of Allah. All these sciences, which are one in essence, have been considered as separate for the aim of definition.”
“The tafsir of the Qur’an does not only consist of the books of the ilm al-tafsir. It has a broader meaning. If the culture of a nation has been formed and remolded with the Qur’an, then the stories and proverbs of the nation can also be considered as a sort of tafsir. When we look at some proverbs, we can easily see that they are inspired by the Qur’an and they have expressed in the form of proverbs to explain certain messages from the Qur’an. A literary work such as a novel or a poem enables us to understand and practice the words of Allah-u Taʿālā. However when we approach just from the viewpoint of the criteria of the science of tafsir, then the works and books belonging to that science would have their own characteristics.”
“The lack we feel today is not the books of tafsir, but the lack of the footsteps of the Qur’an in the written and visual literature and the absence of a world of thoughts and spirit that is decorated with the truths of the Qur’an and that embraces life and man from all sides.”
Then Professor Özgel touched upon the matters that necessitated and influenced the explanation of the Qur’an and analyzed the development of tafsir activities and tafsir methods. He said that “No book has ever been explained as much as the Qur’an al-Karim. Over a period of more than 1400 years, the Qur’an has being exegeted in all areas related to human beings and the universe and consistent results have been obtained from each attempt. This shows what a big miracle the Qur’an is.”
Özgel stated that speaking different languages, living in different times and locations, and having different needs and expectations with respect to addressees, requires the tafsir of the Qur’an. At this point Özgel also drew the attention to a particular problem: “The tafsirs which were written under the influence/obligation of the demands and desires of the addressed population distracts the society from the Divine purpose.”
Özgel classified and gave examples of the following types of tafsir:
- Lügavî: (giving the dictionary meanings)
- Ahkâm: (explaining the derived rulings)
- İşârî: (giving the implicational meanings)
- Scientific (giving scientific achievements and developments)
- Madhabî (giving interpretations of the schools of Islamic jurisprudence.)
Özgel, classified the contemporary schools of tafsir as:
- Scientific
- Thematic
- Social
- Literary
He then analyzed the Risale-i Nur from the perspectives of these schools.
He referred to Bediuzzaman’s words that stated, “There are two types of tafsirs; One type is the known tafsir that explains and proves the meanings of the expressions, words and sentences of the Qur’an. The other type declares, proves and explains the Qur’anic truths concerning belief with strong evidence”. Özgel then drew attention to the words ‘declare, prove, and explain’ and gave examples of this second type of tafsir that could be well understood by the experts of the area.
The professor clarified what he meant by Ustad’s using strong evidence in proving the truths of belief:
“Risale-i Nur reveals how the Book of the Universe and the Qur’an explain each other. The operation of the universe does not change. The sinful person, the disbeliever and the Muslim live in the same place. The Earth rotates the same for all. It explains without relying on any theory that none of the facts like the coming of the summer after the spring, the coming of the day after the night, the feeding of the baby in the mother’s uterus, the survival of the man after birth takes place by chance. Thus we see that it gets rid of the weaknesses that exist in the contemporary tafsirs. Ustad Nursi puts the Book of the Universe in front of us and as long as it stands there no one can deny it.”
The consequence of such a method appears as the belief through investigation.
Prof. Özgel concluded that:
“Said Nursi fulfilled the same expectations like the contemporary tafsirs and attained the desired objectives. However he based his method on different dynamics. He achieved the goals of the contemporary tafsirs without falling into their handicaps.”
“Said Nursi succeeded in getting the message to the public, which is what the Social Tafsir wants to achieve, but unlike the movements that regard man as consisting only of reason, and instead of a society model bounded by the Western perception of man, he prefers to address to the mind as well as the heart of man at the same time.
While answering the questions of the audience he told that Bediuzzaman mentions 626 ayahs at the beginning of the chapters and refers to thousands of ayahs throughout the texts of the Risale-I Nur and that one of the most important characteristics that has to be present in an author of a tafsir is the internalization of the meanings of the Qur’an al-Karim, but not necessarily its memorization.
