ABSTRACT
The modernization that the early reformists hoped to achieve depended heavily on the upward participation of the citizens. Understanding the position of Sa'id al-Nursi vis-a-vis modern science and philosophy is not a straightforward task and may elicit confusion. The Risale is an exegesis and elucidation of the message of the Qur'an written for an age in which 'disbelief and misguidance are advocated in the guise of science and knowledge'. Al-Nursi argued that the modern scientific formulation and vision of reality is anchored in a faulty understanding which delivers a distorted meaning of being. In al-Nursi's works, philosophy or science become wisdom when they serve the worldview of Prophethood that is when they study the universe in accordance with the revealed purpose of creation. Many Muslim philosophers were dedicated to Greek philosophy, which depicted the world as a system operating on natural principles.
