The Qur’anic approach to nature differs from that of two major approaches: the biocentric and the anthropocentric. One can most appropriately designate the Qur’anic approach as theocentric. One Qur’anic verse expresses this: “[God] is the c...
16 August, 2022Being the most precious creature of God in the universe, human beings are created as social creatures. The Qur’anic teaching instructs their relationship to themselves, as well as to other creatures. They have been given a variety of cap...
24 July, 2022Bediüzzaman Said Nursi was born in 1876 in the small village of Nurs in the province of Bitlis in Eastern Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). Although we are not sure of the exact day of his birth, he died on March 23, 1960, in the city of Urfa ...
20 May, 2022Only a handful of important books have been written on Islam in Turkey. Those who can write on this issue are rarer then hen's teeth. So far, mainly scholars of Political Science have written on the subject. Despite some drawbacks, Adil Ozd...
17 May, 2022The problem of evil has occupied the minds of theologians and intellectuals for centuries, asking the question, “If God is all-powerful and God is all-loving, how can evil exist in the world?” These questions, and the various answers propos...
07 May, 2022In this paper, I will elaborate on the nature and dignity of human beings as presented in the major sources of Islam, in particular the Qur’an and in the sayings of the Prophet. Before elaborating on the details of the subject, I will foc...
06 August, 2021The Encyclopedia of Religion and Nature, originally published in 2005, is a landmark work in the burgeoning field of religion and nature. It covers a vast and interdisciplinary range of material, from thinkers to religious traditions and be...
11 October, 2020To understand the place of peace and nonviolence in Islam, it is important to know first something about the Arabic word al-islam. Literally, the word islam is a noun that means obedience/surrender to God in religion. The root of the word i...
30 September, 2020In a world that increasingly sees religion as a source of violence, this book explores resources from within religious traditions that might help build peace. Drawing from the rich textual histories of Christianity and Islam, the contributo...
30 September, 2020In Islam, all creation is important because everything was created by God. Within the realm of creation, though, human beings have a special place and are the most important creatures in the universe. If the universe is a tree, human beings...
24 April, 2020In the Qur’an, Mary has a unique place. As the only woman mentioned by name, the mother of Jesus, and a pious servant of God, she has inspired Muslim men and women since the beginning of Islam. In this chapter, there will first be a short o...
22 August, 2019As is well known, one of the five pillars of Islam is to give compulsory charity (zakat). In addition to the poor and destitute, among the beneficiaries of this charity are those who are in need and are suffering. When the Qur’an says,“When...
14 September, 2017The Qur’anic approach to nature differs from that of two major approaches: the biocentric and the anthropocentric. One can most appropriately designate the Qur’anic approach as theocentric. One Qur’anic verse expresses this: “[God] is the c...
28 July, 2016The figure of Moses constitutes an important link between Jewish and Muslim traditions. Muslims consider him to be one of the five elite prophets of God, his story therefore has a prominent place in the Qurʼan. While there are minor differe...
04 June, 2016This chapter examines the transnational Gülen Movement, also known as the Hizmet Movement, one of the most prominent civic movements in Turkey with approximately eight million adherents around the world. This analytical approach is from the...
23 March, 2016The corruption scandals of 2013 and 2014 in Turkey and the swift and heavy-handed response by then prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the ruling AKP party to them have put an ever-increasing global spotlight on the Hizmet movement or w...
23 August, 2015According to Islamic theology, human beings are natural immigrants and migration is viewed positively in a variety of circumstances. There are many verses in the Qur’an praising those who migrate. Qur’an 2: 218 says, “Those who believed and...
15 January, 2015The Qur’anic approach to nature differs from that of two major approaches: the biocentric and the anthropocentric. One can most appropriately designate the Qur’anic approach as theocentric. One Qur’anic verse expresses this: “[God] is the c...
01 January, 2015Since the beginning of the millennium, interest in eschatology has become popular. Many people thought that the beginning of the new millennium would show some signs of the end. In fact, even some films have been produced predicting that 20...
07 June, 2011Our world has become a global village where people are more interconnected than ever. Technological progress continues at an amazing speed. The emergence of human beings’ awareness of their place in the universe increases their sharing in o...
12 March, 2010Since the era of the Enlightenment, religion has become a center of tension in the West. In the Islamic world, religion remained a dominant power, despite the great influence of modernity. The tension between religion on one side and secu...
06 April, 2008Wonderfully designed, nature is a masterpiece of art. Man is continuously in contact with nature. Therefore, the human relationship with nature has been and is very significant. What does nature mean to us? This is the question that is of c...
30 January, 2008This article discusses in its introduction the concept of political Islam as it first developed during the final years of the Ottoman Empire, and Nursi's reaction to politics. The bulk of the article then focuses on Nursi's stance concernin...
26 January, 2008Fethullah Gülen is one of the most influential scholars and thinkers in the contemporary Islamic world, particularly in Turkey. Although recent studies have put forward Gülen’s ideas on various topics, Gülen’s approach to peace building is ...
06 September, 2007A RUSA 2007 Outstanding Reference Title The Qur'an is the source of inspiration for one of the world's major religions, followed today by over a billion people. It plays a central role in Islam and ever since it appeared fourteen hundred ye...
02 May, 2006This work attempts to present Rumi to the English-speaking world and to shed light on his life as seen from within the Islamic mystical tradition. The knowledge presented in this work comes from Sefik Can, a great expert of Rumi and who use...
10 December, 2005The term “People of the Book” or Ahl al-kitab is mentioned in the Qur’an twenty-four times, referring to Christians and Jews in particular. The context of these Qur’anic references varies. Some of these verses praise the People of the Book ...
12 July, 2005The modern world and contemporary systems of thought claim that for the first time in history individuals have become the true, active subjects of their lives and their actions. According to these modern systems of thought, individuals have...
05 July, 2005Saritoprak discusses the Islamic approach to peace and nonviolence through an examination of the Turkish experience. Among others, he explores the Qur'an and the hadith perspective on peace and nonviolence. He further deals with Turkish Isl...
01 July, 2005This article examines the views of Bediu ̈zzaman Said Nursi (1876–1960), specifically with regard to Muslim–Christian relations. It elaborates on his view as presented in his commentary on certain qur’anic verses (specifically 2:2 and 5:51)...
08 January, 2005There are many figures that represent evil in the Islamic tradition. Among them are Satan, Iblis, Taghut, Pharaoh, and al-Masih al-Dajjal; however, the only figure with an eschatological significance is al-Dajjal. Here, Saritoprak explores ...
01 April, 2003Muslims believe that the Mahdi is the restorer who will come at the end of time to establish the reign of justice and righteousness. At the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) many messianic ideas were found among the Arabs; even ...
12 December, 2002Presented in this paper is a concise biography of Said Nursi with regard to the People of the Book and Muslim-Christian relations, aimed at giving the reader background into the scholar whose works are subsequently presented and analyzed. N...
03 March, 2000