Theodicy and Justice in Modern Islamic Thought

Said Nursi (1878-1960), known as Bediüzzaman or “the wonder of the age”, is arguably one of the most profound Muslim thinkers of recent times. This present collection of scholarly essays focuses generally on Nursi’s worldview and more specifically, on his views on theodicy (the justification of God’s behaviour) and justice, concepts which are not unrelated in his metaphysic of Divine Oneness. Nursi’s life is divided into two phases. The “Old Said” was a Muslim theologian trained in sacred law, modern philosophy, and science who was intimately involved in political issues and the public sphere. In the wake of the massive destruction of World War I, and the collapse of the Ottoman Caliphate, Nursi suffered a personal crisis that centered on the contemplation of death. These meditations sparked a spiritual journey and illumination which ended with the “New Said” renouncing the ways of philosophy for the eternal springs of the Qur’anic revelation. His profound engagement with the Qur’an resulted in the Risale-i-Nur (Epistles of Light), a staggering, thematic commentary on the Qur’an exceeding six-thousand pages, which demonstrates with parables and rational proofs the eternal truths of Islam. Written during Nursi’s forced eight and a half year exile in Barla by the secularist Kemalists, the Risale-i-Nur stood, and – as our contributors demonstrate – still stands, as a vanguard of Revealed Truth and a witness to the farthest reaches of wisdom in an age of increasing heedlessness. Of the realities that Nursi treats in his writings, the present collection focuses especially on the existence and nature of God, including the problem of evil, the created order and the continuity of this realm with the hereafter through the Resurrection and Final Judgment, as well as the related issues of Divine Justice, human responsibility, and morality.