Bediuzzaman Said Nursi's References to Islamic Union
The Unity of Islam is the greatest religious obligation
Hiding and fear are both hypocrisy. But there is no hypocrisy in performing the obligatory acts of religion. THE OBLIGATORY ACT OF GREATEST IMPORTANCE AT THE PRESENT TIME IS THE UNITY OF ISLAM. While the aim and goal of Unity is to stir into life the long, many branched, far-reaching luminous chain which binds together the centers of Islam and their places of worship, to arouse those bound to it, and through the wishes and promptings of their consciences drive them to the way of progress, THE WAY OF THIS UNION IS LOVE; ITS ENMITY IS ONLY FROM IGNORANCE, POVERTY, AND STRIFE. NON-MUSLIMS SHOULD FEEL SECURE THAT THIS UNION ATTACKS ONLY THOSE THREE FACTS. OUR ACTIONS TOWARDS NON-MUSLIMS CONSIST ONLY OF PERSUASION, FOR WE KNOW THEM TO BE CIVILIZED, AND WE SHOULD DEMONSTRATE THAT ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF LOVE AND MORALLY ELEVATED for we suppose them to be fair-minded. The lax and negligent should know that they cannot ingratiate themselves with the Europeans by being irreligious, for they only show that they are unprincipled. And no one likes unprincipledness and anarchy. Those who join this Union after due investigation, will not leave it by blindly imitating such people. We present to public opinion the ideas, way, and reality of the Islamic Union, which is Islamic Unity. If anyone has any objections, let him voice them; we are ready to answer them. (The Damascus Sermon, p.94)
Bediuzzaman indicates that Islamic Union will come under Turkish leadership
The foundation and spirit of our true nationhood is Islam. In so far as THEY HAVE CARRIED THE STANDARD OF THE OTTOMAN CALIPHATE AND TURKISH ARMY IN THE NAME OF THAT NATIONHOOD , the two true brothers of Arab and Turk are like the pearl and citadel of the nationhood of Islam, and the sentries of that sacred citadel. Thus, through the bond of this sacred nationhood, all the people of Islam become like a single tribe. Like the members of a tribe, the peoples and groups of Islam are bound and connected to one another through Islamic brotherhood. They assist one another morally, and if necessary, materially. It is as if all the groups of Islam are bound to each other with a luminous chain. (The Damascus Sermon, p.54)
Bediuzzaman says, “Islamic union is essential because it is an obligation, not a custom”
I repeat: the means of unity of the community of Muhammad, which in reality is the Islamic Unity, is the belief in the Oneness of Allah. Its oath and pledge is belief. Its membership consists of all believers. It code of rules are the practices of the Prophet (saas). Its laws are the commands and prohibitions of the Islamic law (things prohibited by the morality of Islam). THIS UNION CONSISTS NOT OF TRADITIONS (CUSTOMS AND HABITS), BUT OF WORSHIP. (Sermon of Damascus, The Voice of Truth, p.94)
The words of Bediuzzaman regarding the unity and brotherhood of Muslims
BELIEVERS! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY TRIBES OF ENEMIES HAVE TAKEN UP POSITION TO ATTACK THE TRIBE OF THE PEOPLE OF BELIEF? There are more than a hundred of them, like a series of concentric circles. WHILE THEY ARE OBLIGED TO BE IN SOLIDARITY, TO BE HAND IN HAND IN POSITION OF DEFENSE AGAINST EACH OF THOSE; WOULD THE NASTY, ENVIOUS, BIASED BEHAVIOR AND HOSTILE STUBBORNNESS WHICH WOULD COME TO MEAN FACILITATING THEIR ATTACKS AND OPENING A DOOR FOR THEM TO ENTER THE BLESSED PLACES OF ISLAM, BEFIT THE PEOPLE OF FAITH IN ANY ASPECT? There are maybe seventy circles of enemies, including the misguided, the atheist, and the unbeliever, each of them as harmful to you as all the terrors and afflictions of this world, and each of them regarding you with greed, anger and hatred. YOUR FIRM WEAPON, SHIELD AND CITADEL AGAINST ALL OF THEM IS NONE OTHER THAN THE BROTHERHOOD OF ISLAM. So realize just how contrary to conscience and to the interests of Islam it is to shake the citadel of Islam on account of petty hostilities and other pretexts! Know this, and come to your senses!
According to a noble Hadith of the Prophet (saas), noxious and fearsome persons like Sufyan and the Dajjal will come to rule over the godless at the end of time, AND EXPLOITING THE GREED, DISCORD AND HATRED AMONGST THE MUSLIMS AND MANKIND, THEY WILL NEED ONLY A SMALL FORCE TO REDUCE HUMANITY TO ANARCHY AND THE VAST WORLD OF ISLAM TO SLAVERY. (Letters, 22nd Letter)
For instance, your Creator, your Owner, your God (the One and Only you perform worship to), and your Provider is one and the same for both of you; thousands of things are one and the same for you. Your Prophet, your religion, your qibla are one and the same; hundreds of things are one and the same for you. Then too your village is one, your state is one, your country is one; tens of things are one and the same for you.
All of these things held in common dictate oneness and unity, union and concord, love and brotherhood, and indeed the cosmos and the planets are similarly interlinked by spiritual chains. If, despite all this, you prefer things worthless and as transient as a spider’s web that give rise to dispute and discord, to rancor and enmity, and engage in true enmity towards a believer, then you will understand - UNLESS YOUR HEART IS DEAD AND YOUR INTELLIGENCE EXTINGUISHED- how great is your disrespect for that bond of unity, your slight to that relation of love, your transgression against that tie of brotherhood!...
If you wish to nourish enmity, then direct it against the enmity in your heart, and attempt to rid yourself of it. Be an enemy to your evil-commanding soul and its capriciousness and attempt to reform it, for it inflicts more harm on you than all else. Do not engage in enmity against other believers on account of that injurious soul. Again, if you wish to cherish enmity, there are unbelievers and atheists in great abundance; be hostile to them. In the same way that the attribute of love is fit to receive love as its response, so too enmity will receive enmity as its own fitting response... (Letters, 22nd Letter)
“Even though the most Bedouin peoples could appreciate the necessity and implement a social order to forget and leave behind their internal animosities in the face of the attacks and the appearance of the external enemies, what is wrong with those who accepted being in the service of the community of Islam as a cause, that they do not forget the minor animosities even though there are countless enemies who stand in position to attack one after another and they pave the way for the attack of the enemies? This situation is a degradation, a savagery.” It is a disgraceful savagery, and treason committed against the social life of Islam. Yes, while they are obliged to be in solidarity, to be hand in hand in position of defense; would the nasty, envious, biased behavior and hostile stubbornness which would come to mean facilitating their attacks and opening a door for them to enter the blessed places of Islam, befit the people of faith in any aspect? (Letters, p. 269)
Beduizzaman says that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will bring about Islamic Union
The most important and greatest and most valuable of the three duties of THE PERSON AWAITED BY THE ISLAMIC COMMMUNITY, AND WHO WILL COME IN THE END TIMES is to spread out the true faith and to save believers from deviation. In that respect, that duty has been seen in the Treatise of Light in the complete sense. Individuals like Imam Ali (ra) and Ghawth al-A’zam and Osman al-Khalidi have referred to the rank of that person to come as if they have seen it in the spiritual identity of the Treatise of Light with foresight (knowing something secret with Allah inspiring into one’s heart). Sometimes they have given that spiritual identity to a servant and regarded that servant with compliments. It appears from this truth that; this blessed person who will come later will disseminate and implement the Treatise of Light as a program.
The second duty of that individual is to implement and practice the religion (the religion of Islam). While the first duty is performed not by material power, but rather with the strong faith, sincerity and loyalty, this second duty requires such a great material power and reign so that this second task can be performed.
THE THIRD DUTY OF THAT INDIVIDUAL IS TO SERVE THE RELIGION OF ISLAM BY BUILDING THE SUCCESSION OF ISLAM ON ISLAMIC UNITY, COOPERATING WITH THE DEVOTED FOLLOWERS OF JESUS (CHRISTIANS). This task can only be fulfilled with such great authority and power and millions of self-sacrificing followers. The first duty is three-four times more valuable than those other two duties. Yet, that second and third duties are so glorious, and performed in such a bright and broad sphere, that they appear as more important in the public eye. Propounding some views of those followers of Light and of our brothers, some of whom are saints, that require clarification and explanation will alarm and has alarmed, the people who are indulgent in this world and the people of politics; it leads to their attacks. Because they fail to see the reality and value of that first duty; they ascribe to other aspects. (Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen, p.9)
Islamic Union will be a festival and liberation of Muslims
Beloved, loyal brothers of mine,
We celebrate your blessed festival with our heart and soul. INSHA’ALLAH, YOU WILL LIVE TO REACH THE GREAT FESTIVAL OF THE ISLAMIC WORLD. THERE ARE MANY INDICATIONS (signs and proofs) TO STATE THAT THE SUPREME QUR’AN THAT IS THE ORIGIN OF THE BLESSED CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED REPUBLICS OF ISLAM WILL COMPLETELY PREVAIL IN THE FUTURE AND BRING A COMPLETE FEAST TO HUMANITY.
Secondly: No doubt has been left that the Treatise of Light and its followers are the recipients of the honor of , Divine protection and help (the protection and help of Allah), so much so that for a long time they could only harm the followers of Light with their ever so persistent wrathful stubbornness in precision and some optional laws as one in a hundred in proportion. Even though there had been a dreadful plan to distract six hundred students among the active followers of Light with the courts, only six students were temporarily bothered. Insomuch that as the hero of Light had written, twenty five courts of law are unable to find a reason for liability in hundreds of thousands of documents and hundreds of thousands of students. And those various courts of law saying “….there is no crime in Light and we cannot find it” is a solid (definitive) proof. (Emirdag Addendum, p.315)
Fifthly: Now, in this time, there is one, and only one, solution in the face of unbelief and irreligiousness and anarchism and materialism which are the greatest dangers of the time. And that is to embrace the facts of the Qur’an. Or else the disaster brought by the hand of humans that turned once- great China to communism within a very short time would not be silenced with political, material powers. The only thing that will silence it is the haqiqat al-Qur’an (the truths of the Qur’an).
The sign (traces) of the matter about the Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power, towards the end of Ramadan, when Muhammad received the first revelation of the Qur’an) in the Risala (Message) of Guide is now observed both in America and in Europe. Therefore, THE TRUE (REAL) POWER OF THIS CURRENT GOVERNMENT OF OURS IS TO RELY ON AND SERVE THE TRUTHS OF THE QUR’AN. WITH THAT, THE BROTHERS WITHIN THE UNITY OF ISLAM (THE UNION OF ISLAM) AND THE THREE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILLION BROTHERS WITHIN THE BROTHERHOOD OF ISLAM THAT IS THE RESERVE (SUBSTITUTE) POWER WILL SUCCEED. PREVIOUSLY, THE CHRISTIAN STATES WERE NOT IN FAVOR OF THIS UNITY OF ISLAM (UNION OF ISLAM), BUT NOW THAT COMMUNISM AND ANARCHISM HAVE APPEARED, BOTH AMERICA AND EUROPE ARE OBLIGED TO BE IN FAVOR OF THE QUR’AN AND THE UNION OF ISLAM (UNITY OF ISLAM)… Your Brother Said Nursi (Emirdag Addendum, p.297)