Said Nursi and Science in Islam: Character Building through Nursi’s Mana-i harfi

by Necati Aydin

This book examines how the prominent Muslim scholar Said Nursi developed an integrative approach to faith and science known as "the other indicative" (mana-i harfi) and explores how his aim to reconcile two academic disciplines, often at odds with one another, could be useful in an educational context.



The book opens by examining Nursi's evolving thought with regards to secular ideology and modern science. It then utilizes the mana-i harfi approach to address a number of issues, including truth and certainty, the relationship between knowledge and worldview formation, and the meaning of beings and life. Finally, it offers a seven-dimensional knowledge approach to derive meaning and build good character through understanding scientific knowledge in the mana-i harfi perspective.



This book offers a unique perspective on one of recent Islam's most influential figures, and also offers suggestions for teaching religion and science in a more nuanced way. It is, therefore, a great resource for scholars of Islam, religion and science, Middle East studies, and educational studies.

216 pages, Hardcover

Published May 24, 2019

About the author

Dr. Necati Aydin is a professor of economics exploring wellbeing from a multi-disciplinary perspective. He was the founding director of the Neuroeconomics and Well-being Program at Florida State University. The program was established to conduct well-being studies both at individual and societal levels, bringing experts from different subject areas together for qualitative and quantitative analysis on happiness related issues. Dr.Aydin has two doctoral degrees, one in Education and the other in Economics. He worked as a researcher for a decade completing over forty research projects before embarking on his academic career. He has authored nine books, translated two, co-authored three books, and published many peer-reviewed articles. He recently published a book through Routledge on character building.

Dr.Aydin currently focuses economics of wellbeing, human development, and neureconomics. He has published in top academic journals including Journal of Business Ethics, International Journal of Social Economics, Humanomics, and Journal of Developing Area. He is a referee for several academic journals including the Journal of Happiness Studies, the Journal of Applied Research in Quality of Life. He works on a project with a professor from Brown University to test three dimensions of happiness using functional MRI. He also conducts inter-disciplinary studies to explore empirical evidence for three dimensions of happiness.

Reviews

[Amīn M Ramaḍān]

Uataḏ Saʿīd Nūrsi was a prominent theologian and a philosopher who wrote many works explaining his visions on how a Muslim can live in modern times without endangering his religious beliefs. His classic works include Risale-i Nur. In this beautiful eulogy of Ustad Nūrsi’s project against the Secularization of mind, knowledge and in turn the life, Dr Necati attempts to outline Nūrsi’s thoughts on science and the possibility of using scientific knowledge to know the God and build good character. He contrasts the secular approach towards science with that of Ustad Nūrsi where in God comes before everything. Nūrsi viewed secularism as a product of lack or uncertain faith in God, as an orientation towards the Dunya rather than the one true god. And on the contrary, Islam provides a worldview where Allah comes first. From this point of view the Universe becomes a manifestation of his will and power. From this vantage point, everything changes. This book is the manual of how should we look the Universe and how study it.

[Hadeel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read book for every human being. If you are interested in science and philosophy and understanding the meaning of the world and your own self then this is the book to read!