ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s (1876-1960) perception o f his own place in the historical process, paying special attention to the ‘end o f history’. The ‘end o f history’ has different connotations depending upon whether the perspective is philosophical (evolutionary; within the natural course o f history) or eschatological (events imposed on history by Divine intervention towards the end of time). Although it is largely the eschatological tradition within Islam that delineates the parameters for Said Nursi’s understanding, his inclination to make this tradition philosophically plausible with respect to the world around him plays an important role in the development and articulation o f his ideas. This tendency to mix tradition with pragmatism has played a key role in Said Nursi’s appeal to a broad segment o f Turkish society. According to Kemal Karpat in his article in The Encyclopedia o f Islam , “Nursi’s teachings lacked the dogmatism and rigidity that infected many other fundamentalist movements and appeared at times to say many things at once. This vagueness appealed to a variety of groups, ranging from modernists to moderate conservatives to dedicated Islamists” .1
