Justice, Morality, and Modernity: What Makes the Risale-i Nur Modern?

The ideas of justice and morality expressed in the Risale-i Nur are thoroughly modern. To recognize this, we must set aside the idea of modernity dominant from the mid-twentieth century to the 1990s that deflected attention away from the contributions of religious thinkers, public religion, and public values inspired by faith. These mid-twentieth century versions of modernization theory also played a significant role outside Turkey-as within the country-in deflecting attention away from Nursi’s contributions and the Risale-i Nur to thinking about religion as it shapes justice and morality in contemporary societies, including of course the contemporary Muslim majority world.