NurNet.Org sitemizde yazarlık da yapan Mohammed Asım Alavi’nin “Seeds of Change Thrilling Leadership Lessons from the Life of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi” kitabı çıktı!
To write a book on the life of Imam Bediüzzaman Said Nursi was what came to mind in the summer of 2010, during my visit to Barla – the launching pad of his struggle to defend the Qur’an. For the following couple of months, I was deciding on the aspects of Imam Bediüzzaman’s life I should focus on.
Finally, I came to the conclusion to focus on certain specific leadership qualities of his. Allah Almighty endowed Imam Bediüzzaman with charismatic leadership qualities as essential prerequisites for the divine mission he was to carry forward. I have selected five such qualities, which in my view, are of paramount importance for Islamic activists. Leaders are both born and made. Therefore, a person with inherent abilities can become a leader, provided he gets the right environment and training.
This book is addressed to the passionate Muslim youth in the streets. They are its targeted audience. Through this humble book of mine, I would disappoint academicians and researchers as this is not reference material type; neither is it suitable reading material for Nurcus (the Risale-i Nur students) as they would have access to plenty of materials to read on the great Imam; nor a chronological biography of an Islamic reformer.
I have tried to use simple language, moving away from florid and metaphoric usage.If the book can be presented in a storytelling style which appeals to the street youth regardless of gender, it can certainly draw his or her attention toward further reading on Imam Bediüzzaman and lead him or her to discover the moderately balanced methodology for Da’wah.
Reading Imam Bediüzzaman’s life would show energetic youth alternative ways in achieving their desired goals in both personal and social lives. His life is exemplary for youths who are inclined toward radical approaches in their endeavour for societal changes. It would teach them how to overcome difficult challenges using wisdom and beautiful preaching, without resorting to violence.
Muhammed Asım Alavi tarafından Tamil Diline (Tamilce; Hindistan’ın Güneyinde, Sri Lanka’ya yakın olan bölgede 65 milyon insan tarafından konuşulan, 2000 yıllık geçmişi olan bir dildir) çevrilen Uhuvvet, Hutbe-i Şamiye, İhlas ve Küçük Sözler, Sri Lanka’nın Batticaloa şehrinde faaliyet gösteren ve ismini Tebessüm Merkezi olarak Türkçeye çevirebileceğimiz bir sivil toplum kuruluşuna hediye edildi.
Sri Lanka Hükumeti (Sri Lanka, Hindistan’ın Güneyinde, 21 milyon nüfusa sahip bir ada ülkesidir) ile Tamil Kaplanları isimli ayrılıkçı gerillalar arasında uzun yıllar süren savaşta, Tamil Kaplanlarının kontrolünde kalmış olan Batticaloa şehri, savaşın sona ermesiyle birlikte rahat bir nefes almış ve İslami faaliyetler tekrar hız kazanmıştır.
Batticaloa bölgesi; Hindu, Hıristiyan ve Müslümanların yaşadığı bir bölgedir. Tebessüm Merkezinin amaçları arasında; İslam topluluğunu eğitim ve ekonomik alanlarda desteklemek, diğer inanç topluluklarıyla barış amaçlı dialoglara girmek de yer almaktadır. Tebessüm Merkezi isimli bu kuruluş, Nur Cemaati ile işbirliği içersinde faaliyetler yürütmek istediklerini de bildirmişlerdir.
Sets of Risalah al Nur in Tamil language (Namely: Ihlas ve Uhuvvet, Hutbe-i Samiye, Kucuk Sozler) were donated to Smile Centre, in the Batticaloa District. This district was under the control of Tamil Tiger rebels and after the end of the war people began breathing a sigh of freedom.
Islamic Da’wah activities have been accelerating. The district is home to a large number of Hindus, Christians and Muslims. Smile Centre was established with the purpose of empowering the Muslim community in educational and economic fields and engaging with people of other faiths in dialogue. The Centre has expressed its willingness to cooperate with Nur Jama’at.
Developing a clear vision for life is essential for success. When Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) started his mission he was well aware of the goal he intends to reach in future. In Makka, when the new entrants to Islam were still subjected to terrible forms of persecution, and he was not able to rescue weak companions from the ruthless clutches of the Quraish, he declared his goal as, ‘a day will come when a woman will travel from one corner of Arabia to the other, peacefully without fear except from wild wolves’ (or as he stated). At that time of chaos what he could do was only to advise them to maintain patience. He was utterly confident that he can create such a situation and indeed he did it, as the history shows us.
Creating a clear vision takes time; it requires maturing of ideas and gathering of experiences. If the goal one intends to reach has been clearly defined, the path he chooses comes second. He may make mistakes in the path and the way of approach, but that can be corrected through the process of trial and error. However, his vision should remain clear and intact throughout the journey of his entire life.
It’s learned that Jamaluddin Afghani’s ideas have substantially helped to broaden the vision of Imam Bediuzzaman. He was a gifted personality. Abundance of intelligent and charismatic leadership qualities, which are blessings of Allah, were identified even at the prime of in his childhood. He possessed an enquiring mind and rational thinking to unusual levels. One of his childhood experiences describes the level of intelligence he possessed.
‘…..One night on hearing tin cans clashed together and a rifle being fired, the family rushed out of the house to find it was an eclipse the moon. Said Nursi asked his mother: ‘Why has the moon gone like that? She replied:
‘A snake had swallowed it’. So Said asked:
The why can it still be seen?
‘The snakes in the sky are like glass; they show what they have inside them’.
All those who observed the brilliant spirit he was hiding inside himself expressed amazement about his extraordinary intelligence. It was reported, ‘…The owner of the Tag Medrese, Sheikh Abdur Rahman Tagi, used to show a close interest in the students from (the village of) Nursi….moreover he used to say to the older students:
‘Look after these students from Nursi well, one of them will revivify the religion of Islam, but which of them it will be I do not know at present’. Another renown scholar of the time, Tavasli Hasan Efendi after an scholarly encounter with the young Bediuzzaman had this to say: ‘such a person has not been seen before, he is a rarity of creation. The likes of him has yet to appear’.
He possessed a rare blend of multi-faceted brilliance. That in fact was greatly helpful in acquiring diverse forms of skills and abilities. He went through the experiences of waning stages of the Khilafah Uthmaniyah; Sultan Abdul Hamid’s ambitious Pan-Islamic Unity project, abolishment of the Khilafah, the emergence of anti-Islamic Turkish Republic, the two destructive world wars, and the great despondency the Muslim Ummah had been witnessing. All these varied experiences have immensely contributed in shaping his vision.
One of the best Divine gifts he was endowed with was his ability of using similitude of things. It is the ability to explain complex Qur’anic truths through simplified stories, examples and comparisons. This is a distinguished characteristic of Risale Nur. He said: ‘my Glorious Lord blessed me with the radiance of similitude of things which is from the brightest and most eloquent miracles of the Qur’an. With my impotent, weak and inferior personality in front of my Lord, this is a great blessing He bestowed on me. I used this gift to dig out the mysteries of the Qur’an and make it easier for understanding’.
Everyone learns from mistakes. Imam Bediuzzaman was not an exception to this. As a down-to-earth leader he was accommodative of rectifications. His transformation from Old Said to New Said, then to Third Said indicates his willingness to change and alter course when he found a new and more effective way. This is not unusual for great leaders of our history. Umar Bin Al Khattab (R.A) was a transformed man after he assumed the post of Khalifa, from his pre-Khilafa times. Imam Bediuzzaman told his disciples: ‘understand that surely your Ustaz is not infallible; neither immune from mistakes. It’s totally wrong to believe he is immune from mistakes. However, the presence of one bad apple in an orchard does not spoil the orchard; likewise, the presence of some fake notes in a treasury does not devalue the value of the treasury’.
Adopting flexibility and being accommodative are essential in vision formation. A rigid person who is firmly glued with the past and a person who is adamant in upholding his old diehard ways, how erroneous they may be, cannot develop progressive vision.
A heavy and prime responsibility on the part of a leader is to spell out the vision of his organization or community. Setting out the vision in clear and unambiguous terms would give followers the idea of where to start and where to end their journey; it would help them develop appropriate approaches and means. Imam Bediuzzaman clearly spelled out the vision of Risale Nur Movement as follows:
‘... as for our occupation in this Sacred Islamic Society consist of the followings: Conveying of the truths of Iman contained in the Glorious Qur’an to the students of truth and Iman in the most correct and fairer ways in order to save us and them from permanent death penalty and eternal solitary confinement in the hell-fire...’
(Excerpt from the author’s book, ‘The Positive Warrior’- Thrilling Leadership Lessons from the Life of Imam Bediuzzaman Said Nursi)
Those who spend (in Allah’s Cause) in prosperity and in adversity, who restrain anger, and who pardon men; verily, Allah loves Al-Muhsinun (the good-doers)’[1].
Restraining anger and pardoning wrongdoers have been lauded as Ihsan (Excellence) by the Qur’an. Expressing anger hysterically is not a sign of bravery; acting arrogantly out of uncontrollable emotions too is not bravery. Bravery, rather, is an excellent virtue right in the middle between arrogance and timidity. A brave person’s heart possesses compassion towards people, whereas an arrogant person would find himself deprived of it. This is the beauty of bravery in the Islamic sense, a heart filled with compassion! But on the contrary, an arrogant person thinks himself to be superior and powerful than others; he displays the character of self-pride and rudeness; he shows disrespect to others’ opinions and emotions, how true they might be; he believes his positions, strength and wealth are gained through his own efforts, so he is not obliged to anyone. Due to this he would find himself deprived of rational thinking. On the contrary, ‘nervousness’ is written on the forehead of a timid person. ‘Cannot do’ and ‘please, you do’ are the signs his actions express. He possesses skills in abundance, but his ‘shyness’ would hold him in its powerful grip from being forward in action; he always prefer to take a back seat.
As we go through this chapter, we will find that Imam Bediuzzaman was brave and he used it in the right sense in the cause of his divine mission. In the following anecdote, he advised his disciples on how to be objective and use anger and valour in a controlled manner.
‘…..It was in one of the 1st World War battle fronts. In the face of relentless enemy onslaught, Ottoman army contingents were forced to make a tactical withdrawal, however, Imam Bediuzzaman insisted that he would remain in the Bitlis front with a group of highly motivated volunteers, in order to evacuate the weak who were unable to move out. No dust settled when they were suddenly confronted by a contingent of dreadful enemy force. In the melee scores of volunteers had martyred, including his sister’s son, Ubaid. Afterward, he was left with only four of the volunteers. As they had already penetrated into the enemy territory in a daring fashion, found themselves in a precarious situation. He addressed them in an entertaining way: ‘we shall not use our weapons unless the enemy confront us in large numbers; neither shall we sell our souls cheaply nor fire at one or two from among the enemy’[2].
For a leader, the objective use of bravery and anger is essential. However, that use differs from one context to another. It also differs according to the psychology of the addressee. Anger is a laudable human quality, but its hysterical use increases misery. The Qur’an in the above verses lauds those who use anger in a well balanced and restrained manner. One cannot stop anger arising in his heart, but he certainly can manage it according to the situation.
In the following situation we find how Imam Bediuzzaman uses ‘the outrage of the Ummah’ in a well balanced and constructive way. It was a time when the powerful Khilafah Uthmaniyah (Ottoman Empire), had disintegrated into pieces and the Ummah was left to wander without a political leadership. Istanbul, the Darul Khilafah (The Seat of Caliphate) was occupied by the British and the morale of the people was found in its lowest ebb. Even the Ulema (religious scholars) too were mentally shaken and showing signs of appeasement towards the British. Imam Bediuzzaman was not able to tolerate the insolence of the British, and in the meantime he did not possess any power to retaliate. In the following encounter he found a rare opportunity to spit at the British:
‘One time, when the British had destroyed the guns on the Bosporus and had invaded Istanbul, the chief cleric of the Anglican Church, which is that country’s highest religious authority, asked the Sheikhul Islam’s Office six questions about religion. I was a member of Darul Hikmah Al Islamiyah at the time and they said to me: ‘You answer them!’ They wanted a six hundred-word reply to the six questions. I said: I shall answer not with six hundred words, nor with six words, and not even with one word, but with a handful of spit! Because, you can see, the moment they stepped ashore here, their chief arrogantly started asking us questions. What has to be done in the face of this is to spit in his face. So spit in the face of that merciless tyrant![3].
This action of his should in no way be construed as preventing peoples’ access to the Truth, nor as not restraining his anger. Doubtless, it’s not allowed for a Muslim to prevent Islamic knowledge reaching to people. However, in this context, the intent of the British was malicious and in such situations, a Muslim preacher can use the most appropriate psychology to rebuff. The Qur’an advises the Prophet (PBUH) on how to behave in such situations:
‘When the hypocrites come to you, they say: “We bear witness that you are certainly Allah’s Messenger.” Allah certainly knows that you are His Messenger. But Allah also bears witness that the hypocrites are utter liars![4]
Imam Bediuzzaman explained his management of bravery as follows:
‘Surely Said shall not hit with a handle-broken staff; in his tongue there is a diamond sword made of the miraculous Qur’an; he shall certainly use that sword’[5]
His bravery drove him to speak in lucid and straight forward language. He said in the Denizli court in one of his defences: ‘Surely millions of heads have been sacrificed for the sacred truth and let our heads too be sacrificed; even if you ignite the entire world with fire on our heads, that have been sacrificed to the truth of the Qur’an, they shall not bow down nor submit to the atheists’[6].
This stance of his resembles the Prophet’s (PBUH) encounter with his uncle, Abu Talib, who under immense pressure from the Quraish leaders tried to find a way out to the problem of the Prophet’s mission and tried to persuade his nephew to forgo his preaching. The Prophet (PBUH) replied him this way: ‘O my uncle, by God, if they were to place the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, and ask me to abandon this course, I would not turn from it until God makes it victorious or I perish therein’[7].
(Excerpt from the author’s book, ‘The Positive Warrior’– Thrilling Leadership Lessons from the Life of Imam Bediuzzaman Said Nursi)
