Said Nursi and the Islam-West Discourse

This book investigates the complex and evolving relationship between Islam and the West, tracing its origins from the Prophet Muhammad’s time to the present day. It argues that while this relationship has often been marked by conflict, through wars, colonization, and political rivalries, it has also been a conduit for significant intellectual, cultural, and economic exchange. The book offers a historical overview of key encounters such as al-Andalus, the Crusades, European imperialism, and post-9/11 debates, highlighting both confrontation and cooperation. It also examines Muslim intellectual responses to Western modernity, focusing on figures such as Jamal al-Din Afghani, Muhammad Abduh, Ali Shariati, Allama Iqbal, and Ottoman/Turkish thinkers like Said Halim Pasha, Namık Kemal, and Ziya Gökalp. The book further places special emphasis on the thought of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1876–1960), one of the most influential yet underexplored Muslim intellectuals of the twentieth century. Living through the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, two world wars, and the rise of the Turkish Republic, Nursi developed an original approach to the challenges of secularism, atheism, and declining religious education. His writings and activism aimed to preserve Islamic faith in the modern age while resisting uncritical Westernization. By weaving together historical analysis and intellectual history, the book shows how Islam–West relations have been shaped not only by political events but also by competing narratives, worldviews, and theological concerns. It contributes to scholarship by bridging history, religious studies, and political thought, while offering new perspectives on how Muslim intellectuals have grappled with the enduring challenge of engaging the West.