ABSTRACT
There is a very extensive range of material on theodicy and the problem of evil in the context of Islām. The problem, however, seems to be that in many cases, the human conception of evil in this world is taken for granted. It is thus the aim of this study to first of all try to find out whether human beings’ perception of evil is equal to the definition and understanding of sharr (evil) in the Qur’ān. Furthermore, as a second step, to explore the concept of sharr in the writings of Said Nursi; for as of yet, there is no intensified academic writing on this topic in regards to Nursi’s views. In the course of this study, Colin Turner’s The Qur’an Revealed: A Critical Analysis of Said Nursi’s Epistles of Light (Berlin: Gerlach Press, 2013) has been published; a solid work, which covers and critically analyses approximately eighteen main topics of the Risale-i Nur. Although this work touches on some issues that have been covered in this book, it does not offer an extensive analysis of the problem of sharr from Nursi’s perspective.
