The “Human Being” lies at the Center of Rumi’s and Bediuzzaman’s writings

The topic of the academic seminar hosted last week by the IFSC focused on a comparison of how Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and Mevlana Rumi viewed the concept of “the value of the human being”.

Associate Professor Dr. Huseyin Kurt from Ahi Evran University presented an outline from one of his studies on both the aforementioned scholars, stating that though they were separated from each other by seven centuries, their intellectual and contemplative worldviews were very close. In addition, he explained that both thinkers adopted the same methodology whilst expounding the way in which people can know their Lord and attain the path towards eternal happiness.

He said that one particular method that was utilized was the “metaphor of the mirror”. In this respect, Nursi says that “The beauty of creational art indicates and attests to the existence of the Artist and the existence of His desire and wish to adorn and beautify. The qualities of beautifying and adorning indicate the fondness of the Artist for His art and creation. Such fondness and compassion finds itself in the evident proof that the most perfect artistic work is the human being. For the means and honour of that love and affection is humanity.”

Dr. Huseyin Kurt again referred to the metaphor of the mirror by explaining how Nursi described the faculties of mankind as containing the greatest evidence of both Allah’s unity and existence. He then explained Mevlana Rumi’s method, stating that “For Mevlana, the heart is the seat of the consciousness of the human being and the center of his entire existence. The heart is the place into which Allah looks and it is where His Light is mirrored.”
 

Huseyin Kurt also discussed how both the intellect and the heart have been described by Mevlana and Nursi via the mirror metaphor, as well as the fact that they emphasized the need for the harmonization of faculties of the intellect and heart via the light of Belief (Iman). He also mentioned that “Without this light of Faith, it is impossible to harmonize these two faculties in order to produce the ideal human being (insan-i kamil). Thusly, for Bediuzzaman in particular there was a fundamental concern for cultivating a harmony between the heart and the intellect”.

Dr. Kurt also drew attention to the fact that both Mevlana Rumi and Nursi adopted the method of similtudes, similes and comparisons when explaining aspects of the Qur’an and Hadith. He also stated that such a method is very important when it comes to adding eloquence to expositions of scripture and that it allows more people to gain a better understanding of the subjects that are addressed.