[ Confronting the Charge of Heresy : Contemporary Islamic Philosophers in the Midst of Modernity and Postmodernity.

From the eyes of Shahid Murtaza Mutahari, Said Nursi and Seyyed October 25, 2013 Hossein Nasr ] Yusuf Morales,PhD

Abstract and Introduction :

Philosophy and faith has been considered dead in the eyes of the Philosophers of the west, while the rise of fundamentalism in the Islamic world has both given Philosophers a bad taste by labeling discoursive philosophy (Kalam) heretical. In today s world where in the words of Marx, religion is viewed as the opium of the Masses, and the context that Philosopy has died in the social sphere , the discourse lies on how to make Islamic philosophy relevant to modern day means responding to the context of the loss of faith and the presence of commercialization amidst globalization. There are three notable Islamic thinker-Philosophers whose works were known transected between the middle 1900's to the current century. Shahid Murtaza Mutahari is a well known Iranian Islamic scholar whoose works transected disciplines and focuses on the in -relation of Islamic spirituality, faith, reason and ethical conduct. Said Nursi, also known as "Beduizzaman" (turkish for wonder of the age), was born during the waning years of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey then was trapped in the middle of its collapse as an empire and in its place,a highly secularist republic, wherein religion and philosophywas confined to the private sphere. Nursi proposed an ethical and intellectual worldview that responded to an absence of faith with reason coupled with belief. Nursi proposed a model that eventually pushed the Turkish people to reinvigorate faith and belief in the midst of a collapsing certainty and the rise of secularism. Dr. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, is both a religious and academic scholar, and is one of the few living Philosophers. He actually looks towards Philosophizing faith as an active return towards a religious worldview responsive to both the discourses of Modernism and post modernism. It is impossible to see an Islamic discourse that can respond to post-modernity without a discussion of their ideas. The paper therefore, will attempt to look at their opinions as how to confront secularism as well as responding to the the absence of faith in the midst of a secular society with a special focus on the development of akhlaq akhiruz zaman (ethical modern man) as a concept.

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[ Confronting the Charge of Heresy : Contemporary Islamic Philosophers in the Midst of Modernity and Postmodernity. From the eyes of Shahid Murtaza Mutahari, Said Nursi and Seyyed October 25, 2013 Hossein Nasr ] Yusuf Morales,PhD

Corpus. These three major thinkers in the Islamic world, two posthumous, and one still living that are considered as beacons of Islamic philosophy in the Islamic world. Each having their own philosophical movements that are considered Mujadidi revivalist in nature and considered a pillar of the intellectual nexus and legacy of Islam. Shahid Murtaza Mutahari can be best described as the fruit of Imam Khomeini's intellectual endevours, wherein he nurtured through time and was end to accomplish many of Imam Khomeini's mandates in Iran. he is considered to be both Islamic Jurist, Islamic scholar extraordinaire but also a Philosopher par excellence. His primary focus was on the ethical relativism and mans need for ethical action in the world. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi can be best described in the magnum opus that he had penned, the Risale Nur (treatise of light) wherein he has selective commentaries on the Quran as well as primarilly focusing on his central theme, the loss of faith which has led mankind into the arms of secularism. Seyyed Hossein Nasr is considered to be one of the living Philosophers of the world, a scholar who uses Philosophy as a discourse in looking at the world through the Islamic worldview. Sitting in the middle of both the Shia , Sunni and Sufi traditions, he weaves a worldview in the traditions of the Islamic Philosophical masters and yet marvels the world with how he presents the love of philosophy and its evolution throughout time. In the current world of Philosophy which has now focused on either Continental or abstract Philosophers, there is an existential need to present a summary of their works in passing as to how their works interlock and weave in the looking of an Islamic worldview that is hinged on a Philosophical underpinning. One must consider the world wherein these three thinkers exist. It is a period where the Islamic Caliphate has gradually sunk into oblivion while scholars had tried their best to interpret this event in either apocalyptic or metaphysical terms. The period of these three thinkers intersect from the Turkish Osmanli period, the Pahlavi periods, the Rise of the Islamic Republic and the post Islamic renaissance period. These periods saw the entry of western liberal ideas, both from a capitalist and Marxist milieu. However, these three thinkers sought primarily ways as to how the Muslim Ummah should address societal ills without using alien paradigms which sought to perpetuate materialist discourses. 2 | PAP Midyear Conference. Philosophy, Spirituality, and Secularity

[ Confronting the Charge of Heresy : Contemporary Islamic Philosophers in the Midst of Modernity and Postmodernity. From the eyes of Shahid Murtaza Mutahari, Said Nursi and Seyyed October 25, 2013 Hossein Nasr ] Yusuf Morales,PhD

Said Nursi was a Turkish scholar born during the waning years of the Osmanli Khilafah where the influence of the Ottomans were being supplanted by the growing western imperialist colonials sprouting on Ottoman lands. after the successful Bedouin uprising orchestrated by Col Lawrence of Arabia, Muslim lands gradually were separated into "territories administered by western powers." The conquest of Egypt even allowed Muslims to look at a western education during that era as a symbol for intellectual advancement. Nursi viewed this gradual decay of Islamic Intellectual prowess as a sign of something deeper and sought to investigate this malaise. Simultaneous to this era was the gradual decay of the Qajar rulers who were being being outboxed by the Tsarist rulers of the era. This was succeeded by the Pahlavi rulers who imposed an impossible system of governance that bordered on Tyrany and "persianification" through revival of its Zoroastrian heritage and alliance with the West which allowed western liberal and marxist ideas to challenge the Islamic scholars on the social analysis and class analysis. This was the environment that both Shahid Mutahari and Seyyed Hossein Nasr was born into. Shahid Mutahari, being born into a family of scholars went into classical islamic studies in Qum, becoming a student of great islamic scholars like Seyyed Muhammad Tabatabaie and Imam Khomeini (QS) and other Islamic Luminaries of Qum. His eventual settling in the University of Tehran was a direct response to the Imam's mandate to share Islam to the University. His workds were clearly intellectual responses to students querries into the Islamic persepective and a response against western philosophical ideas, drawing from the well of kauthar (the School of Ahlul Bayt), Shahid Mutahari presented discourses on the need for yaqeen (certainty) in matters of life. belief and faith in his quest for meaning. Seyyed Nasr was born into an family of Royal scholars and physicians who were part of the Imperial academic circle, thrust into the challenge of understanding the west and the Islamic tradition as such he went into the west to understand it through academic studies as well as engaging in the classical studies of Islamic texts under the Islamic scholars of the Day both Shia, sunni and Sufi; immersing himself in the study of knowledge and the discourse of knowledge "Philo-sofia" The entry of western powers into the Muslim world raised several critical questions of the day. Among them was the level of systematic doubt leveled at Islam itself, at the worldview it espoused about the singularity of existence (wahdat al wujuud) which is manifested though Tawhid and the Unity of understanding (wahdatul shuhood) manifested though islamc dialectical system. 3 | PAP Midyear Conference. Philosophy, Spirituality, and Secularity

[ Confronting the Charge of Heresy : Contemporary Islamic Philosophers in the Midst of Modernity and Postmodernity. From the eyes of Shahid Murtaza Mutahari, Said Nursi and Seyyed October 25, 2013 Hossein Nasr ] Yusuf Morales,PhD Bediuzzaman looked into the process as to how there was an active need to respond to western secularism and gleaning this response from the primary texts of Islam, in a way a Tafsir commentary that aims to answer the challenge of the west that faith has been found lacking and that how these primary texts can be used as a foundational document or basis for a renewal of faith in an era where Kemalist secularism permeated the day. The events in the post-world war 1 turkey was that it was highly anti-religious sentiment and that the Kemalist political forces managed to rally support against the so-called religious establishments and curtailed the Ulama from carrying a creative discourse. Considering the mounting political, economic and military losses that Turkey had, Nursi felt a strong stab to the Muslim psyche that he personally took as well .i With Islamic religiosity and faith ebbing as time went time, Nursi harnessed his energies towards a theological project called the Resale Nur which were composed of two elements , first, the creation of a corpus of literature that would answer both the theological and philosophical arguments of both the west as an institution and the Secular philosophy that was permeating through the world as well as Turkey itself; and Second, the creation of a cadre /generation of students who would ensure that the perpetuation of this philosophicalintellectual tradition through an active study of this corpus of religious materialii. While many view this as a primarilly theological counter-movement like the the Ikhwanul Muslimin of Syed Qutbiii, Sayyid Hossein Nasr, a living Philosopher, considers him a Philosopher since the movement he created was primarily philosophical in nature answering a philosophical questioniv. Nursi was initially a Pan-Islamist who wanted the Ottoman state to act in the interests of the Muslim Ummah, but after personally witnessing the degeneration and collapse of the Empire was faced with a question, who shall guard the Muslim Ummah and oversee the spiritual and political guardianship of the Ummah. It was this frustration that eventually pushed him into creation of his theological project which metamorphosed him into a Quranic exegete then an Islamic Philosopher. Nursis view of this epistemological strain was best illustrated by this quote: "You should definitely know that the highest aim of the [humans] innate character (hilkat) and the most sublime result of the [humans] inborn disposition (firtrat) are [to have] faith in God. And the most exalted position and the greatest status in [the ranks] of humanity are [to attain] the knowledge of God within faith in God. The most delightful happiness and the sweetest bounty for jinn and human beings are [to attain] the love of God within the knowledge of God. The purest joy for the human spirit and the finest pleasure for the human heart are [to experience] the spiritual taste 4 | PAP Midyear Conference. Philosophy, Spirituality, and Secularity

[ Confronting the Charge of Heresy : Contemporary Islamic Philosophers in the Midst of Modernity and Postmodernity. From the eyes of Shahid Murtaza Mutahari, Said Nursi and Seyyed October 25, 2013 Hossein Nasr ] Yusuf Morales,PhD [contained] within the love of God. Surely, all true happiness, pure joy, pleasant bounty, and sheer taste are all found in [and experienced through] the knowledge of God and the love of God"v Shahid Mutahari on the other hand who was raised in a community that was imbibing in the philosophical sea of Ahlul Bayt (as), which was a school of thought that stood as an intellectual counter-current to the Osmanli-supported Sunni Schools of thought, but also witnessed the gradual entry of the West into the Muslim world, wherein Marxist and liberal discourse were permeating and engaging in an active challenge with the Muslim World. Nasr refers to this as the rationalism forcing its way to embed into the Islamic corpus of consciousness, even mentioning of an anti-Islamist Western scholar and French intellectual Ernst Renan who wrote on Ibn Rushd (Averoes) and eventually having this work become , " Which has been reprinted now after 140 years in France, in which he says exactly the same kinds of things. He says that Averroes represents rationalism which led to modern science. [He] represents Arabic Islamic thought and Western theology, [which] simply did not understand this, has always been an impediment to the rise of modern science. So a kind of psychological and, loosely speaking, philosophical alliance was created between Islamic modernist thinkers and anti-religious philosophers in the West. "vi This rationalism was gradually seeping in the Muslims who were viewing secularism as a viable alternative worldview, wherein faith and politics were separate. There was also another strain of thought though confronting philosophy and considered Philosophy to be the antithema of Islam and the Islamic faith was such that it considered it the bane of Islam- the Salafi school of thought. These created groups wherein you see one group favoring the separation of politics and faith and that Philosophy formed a core justification for the separation of this line; while another group viewed the role of philosophy as absent and even inimical to the place of Islam, viewing Islamic Philosophers as heretics though employing a philosophical discourse on what they called Aqeedah (creed or ideology). This was the perennial challenge to the Muslim intelligentsia, to involve in a rational discourse providing both the theological and philosophical basis for an Islamic response while being able to respond in kind to Islamic groups that stand on an anti-Philosophy stand. Nasr personally believed that science should be perceived as all-encompassing furthering 5 | PAP Midyear Conference. Philosophy, Spirituality, and Secularity

[ Confronting the Charge of Heresy : Contemporary Islamic Philosophers in the Midst of Modernity and Postmodernity. From the eyes of Shahid Murtaza Mutahari, Said Nursi and Seyyed October 25, 2013 Hossein Nasr ] Yusuf Morales,PhD science with a foundation of an Islamic Logic of sciencevii which is generally a philosophical underpinning, this was in his opinion, a way of ensuring that a worldview anchored on Philosophy would still be anchored in faith, from where Philosophy gains its primal legitimacy. Mutahari was concerned with many issues on the current generation as wella s the gradual loss of faith which is manifested in todays generation of youth. Since we now live in a Knowledge-centric economy, he mentions the greater incidence of systematic doubt among believers: "very few people entertained doubts, confusion and questions (about the religion), however this mode of thinking has now changed and people are asking more and more questions. It is natural that when intelligence increases, then questions would also be raised in the minds of the people that were not thought of previously, and these doubts and confusions must be removed from the minds of the people and the questions that they pose and the needs of their intelligence must be answered."viii This in effect has been the negative consequences of a globalized world, where the more access to information occurs; the more critical the people become, critical in the sense that even the process of criticism has been viewed with skepticism. This has become the scourge of Modernity and Post-modernity, the gradual secularization, liberalism and loss of faith in Faith based ideologies and movements and the beginning of individualization of philosophy. Centered fully in the idiom, my experience is different from yours, hence my philosophy primarily would differ from yours in effect becoming anarchistic. Nasr refers to this as the social value of Modernity and post modernity, wherein the onus of value shifts to the individual rather than to the collective persona of society, resulting to the creation of values putting primacy over the self rather than to society. Mutahari seeing this moral dilemma, proposes on a discourseix : There is a speech from Imam Jafar ibn Muhammad as-Sadiq (a.s.) which is a very lofty speech. This hadith has been narrated in al-Kafix in which the following sentence is mentioned in a (long) hadith:

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[ Confronting the Charge of Heresy : Contemporary Islamic Philosophers in the Midst of Modernity and Postmodernity. From the eyes of Shahid Murtaza Mutahari, Said Nursi and Seyyed October 25, 2013 Hossein Nasr ] Yusuf Morales,PhD

The person who is fully aware of the time in which he is living, will never be overcome with bewilderment (of the things around him).
This means that the person who knows, recognizes and understands the time in which he is living will never fall prey to confusion or perplexity about the things occurring around him. The word confused used in this hadith is commonly used in Farsi in the meaning of a strong or forceful attack that is launched against another person. However in the Arabic language it is in the meaning of a person who is carrying something and all of a sudden, out of his own inability or unawareness, becomes negligent of his surroundings. In this hadith the Imam (a.s.) has told us that, If a person is fully aware of his own surroundings, then he will never fall prey or victim to the confusion and bewilderment of those things around him, such that one time he looks and forgets even his own hands and feet and he is not able to make use of his own strength and energy nor is he able to gather together his thoughts to solve a problem. This is truly a great saying. There are many such important phrases in this same hadith, although I have not memorized all of them, however another line states:

That person who does not use his intellect will not be successful, and that person who does not have knowledge will not be able to use his intellect.
The meaning of intellect ( )is the power or ability to deduce and rationalize something and to establish a relationship between two arguments meaning to bring about the prerequisites for an issue and then come to a conclusion. The intellect takes its source of inspiration from knowledge and thus, intellect is the lamp whose oil which it runs upon is knowledge. The hadith then goes on to say: 7 | PAP Midyear Conference. Philosophy, Spirituality, and Secularity

[ Confronting the Charge of Heresy : Contemporary Islamic Philosophers in the Midst of Modernity and Postmodernity. From the eyes of Shahid Murtaza Mutahari, Said Nursi and Seyyed October 25, 2013 Hossein Nasr ] Yusuf Morales,PhD This means that whoever understands (something), then his outcome will be that he will possess a virtuous, honourable character since the outcome of a treasure or priceless good is through the work which it puts forth. By this it means that we should not be afraid of knowledge and we must not think of knowledge as being something that is dangerous. However in reality, we are the complete opposite meaning and manifestation of this hadith that states: From the beginning to the end, from the top to the bottom, from the door (of the Masjid) to the Mihrab, all of us are unaware of the times in which we are living. We are simply sitting down, unaware of our surroundings, dozing off. One time we are accosted that, for example, this land must be divided up and that the land must be cleaned and tilled (to make use of it). Unknowingly, it is as if this issue (in relation to the cleaning and tilling of the land) launches an offensive upon us since we are completely unaware of the time in which we are living. We do not have the foresight or speculation of what would happen in the future and have not planned anything to determine what our responsibilities will be or what we should be doing. We in reality, do not know what is going on in this world and what is being done beyond the curtains. We have suddenly faced the issue of womens social rights. Here, we dont have enough time to think over it and analyze all of its aspects in order to determine its importance. Are those who are defending the social rights of women really serious? Do they really want to attract more fans? Or is there another benefit that they intend to gain from arousing such questions? Along with these, there will come other doubtful and unknown matters that we do not know. Some sixty to one hundred years ago among the other Islamic countries, the issue of guiding and leading the youth had been brought up, but they have been busier in pondering and discussing this issue than we were.

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[ Confronting the Charge of Heresy : Contemporary Islamic Philosophers in the Midst of Modernity and Postmodernity. From the eyes of Shahid Murtaza Mutahari, Said Nursi and Seyyed October 25, 2013 Hossein Nasr ] Yusuf Morales,PhD Mutahari uses a Hadith from the sixth Imam Jaafar as-sadiq (as) who is reputed to be one of the primal scholars and mentors of other great Islamic scholars in both the Sunni and Shiah traditions in order to drive a point emphasizing that in the current context of globalization, loss of faith, Irtidad (apostasy) secularism and un-faith, Muslim scholars and Ulema must push forward the notion that Islamic Spirituality is both Modern and Postmodern and that responds to these periods with intellectual depth. In the midst of a secularizing environment of the Turkish state that was engulfed by Kemalism, Nursi preferred a non-participatory approach with it, choosing to deal it from a non-partisan non-state approach, focusing on the development of a distinct philosophy. Dr. Serif, looks at Nursi's belief in setting faith as a prerequisite for knowledge and exitence puts it this way : " Faith, therefore, in Nursis eyes, is more important for human beings than mere rationality. Such a conviction sounds astonishing and challenging, though, and even it may give the impression that as if our spiritual master is downgrading the value of rationality in relation to faith. However, we may begin to see the positive side of this view, even if we do not agree with it completely, if we look closely into possible causes of the todays crises in many parts of the world. As has been pointed out by many experts, most of the crises in todays modern world, particularly the economic ones, do not arise because of the insufficiency of rationality in peoples approaches to conducting and managing their businesses but as a result of many diverse factors, most common of which is unrestrained and self-centered human behavior, which is generally caused, according to Nursis diagnosis, by the lack of faith." xi Mutahari, on the other hand , under instructions from Imam Khomeini (qs) after his stint of studies at the theological seminaries at Qum, embarked on an ambitious quest for instruction of students at the University of Tehran to engage in both the teaching of Islamic Philosophy and to engage in active re-education of university students re-acquainting them with Philosophy and the Islamic faith. This action was his decision to confront philosophically both non-Islamic and Islamic movements as what he called groups who "depend on other schools, especially materialistic schools" but who present these "foreign ideas with Islamic emblems". In a June 1977 article he even wrote to warn "all great Islamic authorities" of the danger of "these external influential ideas under the pretext and banner of Islam.xii" Mutahari like all other intellectuals of the Islamic Revolution adopted both a non-aligned 9 | PAP Midyear Conference. Philosophy, Spirituality, and Secularity

[ Confronting the Charge of Heresy : Contemporary Islamic Philosophers in the Midst of Modernity and Postmodernity. From the eyes of Shahid Murtaza Mutahari, Said Nursi and Seyyed October 25, 2013 Hossein Nasr ] Yusuf Morales,PhD stance with the oppressing secular state but on the other hand used available mechanisms where they may access the masses through academic freedom (the universities) and the minbars, coming from an activist philosophical and theological tradition. Nasr on the other hand, although brought up in the Shiah intellectual tradition and personally being a student of prominent Muslim philosophers Allameh Tabatabaei, Sayyid Abul-Hasan Qazwini and Sayyid Muhammad Kazim Assar percieved strongly the need for an integration of knowledge from both a religious and philosophical sense during his academic studies also broached up on the study of other philosophical traditions both within the Islamic and outside the Islamic orbit. And engaged in the discipline of philosophia perrennis through his association with one of its primary persona,Fritjhof Schuon. At the same time he was exposed to the Shadhuli Tariqah a Sunni-Alawi Sufi tariqah which states all roads lead back to the Divine, thus further strengthening his intellectual resolve to stand in as a Philosophical guide to all seekers, whether within or without the Islamic tradition. His stand on the gradual secularization and de-Imanization (the loss of faith in the Modernist and post-modernist era) was that both the Ulama and the educational institutions have focused less on the intellectual study of Philosophy as a discourse but rather on the rote understandings of these traditions, hence creating a sense of disconnect with faith which people percieve in philosophical terms. Nasr however notes that with the presence of committed Islamic Philosophers, there can be a gradual movement towards a re-synchronization of Philosophy and faith; quoting this influence of Islamization and Re-Imanization (the movement towards integrating Islamic faith and Philosophy in the modern and postmodern age) in the following words : " Today, every Thursday evening when you turn on Cairo radio there are one or two very famous lecturers who are, in fact, very devout Muslims, loved by the people of Egypt, [and] the heart of their message is every single verse of the Quran which deals with either Taakul or Taffakur, that is intellection or knowledge or observation or mushahida. These [verses] are interpreted ``scientifically, that is, as an attempt to preserve Islam through scientific support for the Islamic revelation, for the Quran itself. And this is a very strong position in the Islamic world today. Therefore [the Muslim] thinks in fact there is no problem as far as Islam and modern sciences are concerned.xiii" Nasr responds to Modernity and Postmodernity by offering a pronounced discourse on theistic 10 | PAP Midyear Conference. Philosophy, Spirituality, and Secularity

[ Confronting the Charge of Heresy : Contemporary Islamic Philosophers in the Midst of Modernity and Postmodernity. From the eyes of Shahid Murtaza Mutahari, Said Nursi and Seyyed October 25, 2013 Hossein Nasr ] Yusuf Morales,PhD Philosophy, using philosophia perrenis as his mode of discourse, and using it as a vehicle wherein he can bring together other faiths in a discourse of reclaiming belief. He emphasizes that Philosophia perennis is a timeless Philosophy and tradition and shall always be relevant to Man, as this philosophy is both theistic and intellectual : If we keep in mind the historical factors that brought into being a world-view in the West based solely on the changing aspect of things, it should be possible for us to reconstruct and bring back to light permanent elements in the vision of modern man without appearing to speak of absurdities; but this can only happen if there is an understanding of traditional metaphysics and the language of symbolism through which the metaphysical truths have always been revealed. Metaphysicsxiv, or the science of the permanent, can be ignored or forgotten; but it cannot be refuted precisely because it is not concerned with change qua change. That which deals with permanence cannot become "out of date," because it is not concerned with any date as such. The permanent elements in the relation between man and the Universe remain as valid now as ever. Only they must become known once again after the long period during which the West did not search for permanent elements in change and even sought to reduce permanence itself to change and historical processxv. One must understand that these three Philosophers are not only confronting the Secular West but also the literalist paradigm within the Islamic Tradition. The Literalist position being manifested primarily by the Salafi school of thought which is predominantly supported by the Saudi-educated theodoxy. This is where the stronger challenge of heterodoxy wherein Islamic Philosophy must also respond to the charge of heresy. Does it contradict Orthodox Islamic thought or does it complement it? There are many categories of Islamic Philosophy, such as Kalam (metaphysics) Mantiq (logic) and Falsafa ( the methodic Philosophical discourse). One aspect which stands out in Islamic philosophy is that, the philosophy in Islam travels wide but comes back to conform it with the Quran and Sunna. Asgiyardi correlates Islamic Philosophy as the mirror image of the Islamic faith, finding it as the inseparable twin that pre-supposes thought. The core of Islamic philosophy is the love of wisdom and a quest for ultimate truth and as such this is also the aim in Islamic religion. In other words, Islamic philosophy aims at a comprehensive understanding of being, knowledge, and values, and no such 11 | PAP Midyear Conference. Philosophy, Spirituality, and Secularity

[ Confronting the Charge of Heresy : Contemporary Islamic Philosophers in the Midst of Modernity and Postmodernity. From the eyes of Shahid Murtaza Mutahari, Said Nursi and Seyyed October 25, 2013 Hossein Nasr ] Yusuf Morales,PhD understanding can be complete if we ignore Islam. Obviously, Islam does not use revealed truths as premises in argumentation, but like secular philosophers, Islamists also appeal to pure reason. So Islamic philosophy insists on theoretical and practical aspects. Accordingly, God has two kinds of attributes, theoretical as knowing, practical as justice. Thus, the divine philosopher has rightness and trueness in thoughts as well as in practice and motivation. Nasr concedes that all thinkers are philosophers in one way or another, and that even literofundamentalists (those engaged in literalist discourse) like Syed Qutb, Hassan al-Banna and even current Salafi practitioners engage in the discipline of Philosophyxvi. This in itself is the primal argument that Islamic Philosophy in itself by nature is not heretical and continues to struggle in the elucidation of Islamic faith. One can surmise with the reading of the three Islamic intellectuals (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Shaheed Murtaza Mutahari, Seyyed Hossein Nasr), that the discourse of Philosophy in Modernity and Postmodernity has managed to allow both the discussion of theism as well as re-Imanization of the believers through active engagement in different mediums and for a, and that these discourses have proven to be both effective and successful.
End Notes :
i

Bediuzamman Said Nursi, qmaSyI-la ySqyS(Istanbul: Sozler Publication, 1998), 22. His students wrote him a letter expressing the same notion: Our revered Master, who through the effulgence of the Qurn and truths of the Risale-i-Nur and aspirations of his loyal students weeps tears of blood for the well-being of the Islamic world in this world and the next. Said Nursi, qnoaqcyaaqChSSaR ehT(Istanbul: Sozler Publications, 1998), 293.
ii

Dr Ibrahim Abu Rabi, NURSI, DISCOURSE, AND NARRATIVE ,http://nursistudies.com/teblig.php?tno=528 accessed October 20, 2012 ibid iv Sayyid Hossein Nasr, RIS Talks 2012 www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAgGB407FHs accessed October 10, 2013 v Mektubat, 20, p. 448; The Letters, 20, p.265. vi Sayyid Hossein Nasr, Islam and Modern science (para 10) http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/nasr1.htm accessed October 23,2013 vii ibid viii Shaheed Murtada Mutahari Guiding the Youth of the new generation, (Ansariyan publications,) online version : http://www.alislam.org/guiding-youth-new-generation-ayatullah-murtadha-mutahhari/difficulties-generation-must-be-understood accessed October 24, 2013 ix Ibid x Al-Kafi, Volume 1, Pages 26 and 27 xi Prof. Dr. Vaffi Serif.THE ROLE OF FAITH IN DEVELOPING A SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN THE LIGHT OF BEDIUZZAMAN SAID NURSIS RISALE-INUR http://www.bediuzzamansaidnursi.org/en/icerik/role-faith-developing-sense-responsibility-andaccountability-light-bediuzzaman-said-nursi%E2%80%99s- accessed October xii Mahmood T. Davari. "The political thought of Ayatullah Murtaza Mutahhari" Routledge Books xiii Sayyid Hossein Nasr, Islam and Modern science http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/nasr1.htm accessed October 23,2013 xiv See F. Schuon, The Transcendent Unity of Religions, trans. by P. Townsend, London , 1953, pp. 9 ff., and R. Gunon, La mtaphysique orientale, Paris , 1951. xv Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Man in the Universe: Permanence Amidst Apparent Change. (Source:) Studies in Comparative Religion, Vol. 2, No.4. (Autumn 1968) World Wisdom, Inc. (online source:) www.studiesincomparativereligion.com accessed October 24, 2013
iii xvi

Sayyid Hossein Nasr, RIS Talks 2012 www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAgGB407FHs accessed October 10, 2013

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