Islam in Modern Turkey

Abstract

Sukran Vahide’s Islam inModern Turkey: An Intellectual Biography of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi is a timely contribution to the study of one of the most prominent Islamic thinkers of the twentieth century. This comprehensive study on Nursi’s life (1876-1960) and works would be appropriate for use in graduate and undergraduate courses in religious, Islamic, andMiddle Eastern studies departments. Vahide fills an important gap in the study of Nursi and his works, which has become increasingly popular among western scholars in recent decades. Prior to its publication, only a few brief biographies of Nursi existed, and those focused solely on presenting a chronological account of his life. Hence this book’s most significant contribution is, as pointed out in the subtitle, the fact that it is an “intellectual biography.” Although Vahide organizes the book into sections that correspond with the chronological developments in his life, the book is divided into three parts that denote the significant intellectual phases (also pointed out by Nursi himself in his writings): “The Old Said,” “The New Said,” and “The Third Said.” In this way, the author situates Nursi’s writings and ideas, which have inspired the most prominent faith movement in modern Turkey (approximately 7 million followers), into the historical context in which they were developed and transmitted to others at a much needed time in Turkish history ...