Exploring Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s Thought on Nature from the Perspective of Kalām Jadīd
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22452/afkar.vol28no1.2Keywords:
Said Nursi, Kalām jadīd (new theology), al-ma‘nā al-ismī, al-ma‘nā al-ḥarfī, environmental ethics.Abstract
This study examines Said Nursi’s interpretation of nature within the framework of Kalām Jadīd (Neo Kalam) as a response to modern secular understandings of the natural world. Modern scientific discourse has often been shaped by philosophical currents such as naturalism, scientism, and materialism, which interpret nature as an autonomous system governed solely by causal laws without reference to divine agency. From the perspective of Islamic theology, such interpretations raise fundamental questions about the relationship between God and the natural order. Using qualitative textual analysis, primarily based on Nursi’s Risale-i Nur, this study explores how Nursi reconstructs the concept of nature through the epistemological distinction between al-ma‘nā al-ismī (the nominal meaning) and al-ma‘nā al-ḥarfī (the indicative/relational meaning). The findings show that the ismī perspective represents a secular mode of perception that treats nature as a self-sufficient material reality explained through causation, natural laws, and chance. In contrast, the harfī perspective understands nature as a network of signs (āyāt) that reflect divine attributes and point to the existence of the Creator. Within this framework, causal relations function not as independent creative powers but as patterns through which divine wisdom becomes manifest. This perspective also has environmental implications, encouraging a responsible and ethical relationship between humans and nature.
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