Islamic World Turns to Discover Themselves In the twentieth century the Islamic world witnessed great changes and transformations as well as shocking tension. The Islamic world, composed of the Ottoman Empire as well as the countries which were colonized by imperialists at the very beginning of the century, suffered the most depressed time from World...

Interview by Feride KARAHAN f.karahan@thepenmagazine.net When the calendar shows 10th August 2009, the story starts with enormous excitement. The excitement of embracing each other from all over the world, the excitement of refreshing the ukhuwwah, the fellowship among the Ummah. No matter how easy it’s to say “We are one nation.” It is also that...

By Mustafa TOPOZ m.topoz@thepenmagazine.net Allah created humans as the best and grown-up fruit of the tree of the universe. Allah placed the talent of love, which can surround the whole universe, to the heart of the human, the core of that fruit. The human keeps love for all beings. He loves his planet as much as his home and loves the eternal paradise...

Interview by Omer EREM o.erem@thepenmagazine.net How should we interpret the importance that our Prophet (PBUH) gave to knowledge? The beauty, perfection, wisdom and thoroughness of everything relies on its relation to knowledge. The futility and uselessness of all things are harmful fruits of ignorance and lack of knowledge.

By Idris TUZUN i.tuzun@thepenmagazine.net A piece of news that Ustad Bediuzzaman read in a newspaper in 1898, when he was a guest in the house the Governor of Province Van, was a milestone in his life. According to the news, in a speech he delivered in the House of Commons, Gladstone, the minister for colonies, held the Quran in his hand and said: “As...

By Dr. Farid SHAHRAN f.shahran@thepenmagazine.net QURAN AS THE ABSOLUTE SOURCE OF RELIGION One of the fundamental reasons which urged Nursi to expound his ideas in Risale-i Nur is his the sudden realization of the greatness of the Qur’an after reading a report of a statement made in the British house of Commons by the Minister of State at the Colonial...

By Said YAVUZ s.yavuz@thepenmagazine.net An individual bears the responsibility of faith and good deeds in this worldly life. But then, there is the evil-commanding soul, which will prevent him from fulfilling his obligations and stop him from all sorts of holy services. Therefore, the hardest struggle of the human throughout history has been with...

By Mehlika YAGMUR m.yagmur@thepenmagazine.net Bediuzzaman Said Nursi established a spiritual university in Anatolia and in order to enroll at this university he demanded four essences which are impotence (ajz), poorness (faqr), compassion (shafqah), and contemplation (tafakkur). Regarding compassion as the major principal in tabligh (delivering the...