Page 113 - The Importance of the Ahl Al-Sunnah

ADNAN OKTAR

a dream about Prophet Muhammad (saas), which impelled him
to return to his studies. At the age of 21, his name became
known in eastern provinces and was given the name
Bediuzzaman (The Wonder of the Age).
One of his major goals in life was the establishment of
Madrassah al-Zahra University in Van. In 1907 he came to
Istanbul and explained his project to Sultan Abd al-Hamid II
but his efforts to convince him failed. Upon this, he rented a
room in Sekerci Han in Fatih, Istanbul and settled there.
Although he had no connections with the events of 31
March, he was arrested during the incidents but then he was
acquitted. Following the events of 31 March, he left Istanbul
and proceeded with his studies in Van, Tbilisi, Damascus,
Beirut, and Izmir. With the advent of the World War I, he par-
ticipated in Teskilat-i Mahsusa (the Ottoman intelligence agen-
cy). In 1916, he was in Pasinler as the militia commander and
was taken as a prisoner of war. During the Bolshevik
Revolution, getting advantage of the disorder, he ran away and
succeeded to come to Istanbul with difficulty.
Said Nursi’s life changed with the rebellion of Sheikh Said, to
whom he did not actually lend support. Said Nursi tells why he
did not support the rebellion: “The Turkish Nation has been
the flag man of Islam for ages. This nation has brought up
many walis and martyrs. One cannot draw one’s sword to
the grandsons of such a nation. We are Muslims, we are
brothers. Do not let brothers struggle with one another.
This is not acceptable in terms of Sharia. Swords are drawn
to the outer foes, are not used within the nation. In this
time, our sole salvation is in the enlightenment and gui-
dance through Qur’an and the signs of faith. It is to remove

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