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Said Nursi (Ottoman Turkish: سعيد نورسی, Kurdish: سەعید نوورسی, romanized: Seîdê Nursî‎; 1877 – 23 March 1960), also spelled Said-i Nursî or Said-i Kurdî, and commonly known with the honorifics Bediüzzaman (meaning "wonder of the age") and Üstad (meaning "master") among his followers, was a Kurdish Sunni Muslim theologian who wrote the Risale-i Nur Collection, a body of Qur'anic commentary exceeding six thousand pages. Believing that modern science and logic was the way of the future, he advocated teaching religious sciences in secular schools and modern sciences in religious schools. Nursi inspired a religious movement that has played a vital role in the revival of Islam in Turkey and now numbers several millions of followers worldwide. His followers, often known as the "Nurcu movement" or the "Nur cemaati". In a 2008 publication Nurcu worldwide adherents were estimated at 5 to 6 millions with numbers going up to 9 millions, with around 5500 dershanes or study halls where adherents would read Nursi’s writings collectively. Nursi categorizes his life as 3 periods: The first period he calls as "Old Said" which he describes as the period when he was actively involved in politics and believed he could serve Islam through politics. This period is from his birth until early 1920's coinciding with the aftermath of World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire. This period of upheaval caused Nursi to undergo a deep personal transformation. In the "New Said" period he entirely abstained from politics, and focused on writing Risale-i Nur collection using reasoning to demonstrate truth of Islam. Most of this period he spent in jail and exile. This period ended when he was released from Afyon prison in 1949. From 1949 till his death in 1960 he considers as "3rd Said" period when he experienced relative freedom which coincides with the first democratic elections in Turkey. "Old Said" Period Early life Said Nursi was born in the Kurdish village of Nurs near Hizan in the Bitlis Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire. His father Mirza and his mother Nuriye both were Ahl al-Bayt (lineage of the Islamic prophet Muhammad). After staying with his brother for some time Said came back to Siirt. He went to the madrasa of Mullah Fathullah. Mullah Fathullah mentioned to Said that he[Said] was reading "Süyûtî" last year and asked whether he is reading "Mullah Jâmî" this year. Said responded that he finished Mullah Jami and many other books. Said was able to answer all questions from whatever book Mullah Fathullah asked. Mullah Fathullah was amazed by his intelligence. Said was able to recite many books from memory. For instance: "So then he [Molla Fathullah] decided to test his memory and handed him a copy of the work by Al-Hariri of Basra (1054–1122) — also famous for his intelligence and power of memory — called Maqamat al-Hariri. Said read one page once, memorized it, then repeated it by heart. Molla Fathullah expressed his amazement." This news spread throughout Siirt. Mullah Fathullah said to the scholars, "A young student came to my school and answered every question I asked him. I am amazed by the wisdom and knowledge he has attained at such a young age!". After this, scholars of Siirt gave him the title "Bediuzzaman" meaning "Wonder of the Age". When he was 13–14 years old he completed the entire madrasa curriculum in 3 months, (there were more than a hundred books in the madrasa curriculum), which normally takes 10–15 years to complete. Said’s approach was to rely on the teacher , only to understand the key ideas of each book then to master whatever remained in the book with self-study. Later on, he was invited by the governor of the Vilayet of Van to stay within his residency. In the library of the governor, Nursi gained access to an archive of scientific knowledge he had not had access to previously. He studied the principles of history, geography, mathematics, geology, physics, chemistry, astronomy, and philosophy during his stay, besides Islamic sciences. He also memorized the books he studied, these are 90 books. Said Nursi also learned the Ottoman Turkish language there. During this time, he developed a plan to establish a university in the Eastern provinces of the Ottoman Empire, which he named as "Madrasat-uz Zahra" which would combine scientific and religious (Islamic) education, and expected to advance overall education of these regions. He was able to secure 19 000 golds as funding for this project from the Ottoman Sultan Mehmed V and the construction started in 1913, but after the World War I started the project became void. Enraged by a newspaper report claiming that William Gladstone, the British Secretary for Colonies, stated in the parliament: "so long as the Muslims have the Qur’an we shall be unable to dominate them. We must either take it from them or make them lose their love of it." Said allegedly declared: "I shall prove and demonstrate to the world that the Quran is an undying, inexhaustible Sun!", and set out to write his comprehensive Risale-i Nur, a collection of Said Nursi's own commentaries and interpretations of the Quran and Islam, as well as writings about his own life. Nursî and World War I After World War I started, Russia attacked the Eastern part of Turkey. Nursî with his students established a volunteer brigade to resist the invasion. In the First World War, he would enter the trenches himself despite heavy shelling which earned him the admiration of the troops he commanded. It was during these experiences that he allegedly wrote his Quranic commentary, Isharatul Icaz dictating to a scribe while on horseback or when he was back in trenches. During a combat day, he broke his leg and was forced to surrender to Russian forces. He was taken prisoner by the Russian forces and spent 2.5 years in the Kostroma prisoner camp in the North-East of Moscow. During his imprisonment, one day the Russian Commander-in-Chief Nicolai Nicolaevich came to inspect the camp. He walked in front of him but Nursî didn't stand up, unlike the other prisoners. He walked again but Nursî didn't pay any attention to Nicolaevich. Nicolaevich asked him whether he knew who he was. Nursî said that he knew who he was, but because he is a Muslim scholar and a person with faith is superior to a person without, he couldn't stand up, that would be disrespecting his own faith. Russian martial court ordered his execution. He asked to do his last prayer before the execution. After a couple of minutes, they took him and tried to blindfold him, which he refused, claiming that he wants to look at paradise. Nicolaevich admired the brave attitude of him and understood that his intention was not to insult him, his behavior was just self respect. Nicolaevich immediately ordered to stop the execution and asked for forgiveness from him. Later on, he was allowed to stay in a Tatar mosque nearby. After some time he found a way to escape from the Russian camp. He traveled to Istanbul via War.... Discover the Ramazan Balci popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Ramazan Balci books.