“What Kind of Commentary (Tafsir) is the Risale-i Nur?”

Tafsir is of two kinds:

The well-known tafsirs, which explain, clarify, and establish the meanings of the Qur’an’s wording, its words, and its sentences.

The second type of tafsir is to explain, prove, and clarify the truths of belief found in the Qur’an with powerful arguments. This part is of great importance. The apparent, well-known tafsirs sometimes include this second type briefly. But the Risale-i Nur directly takes this second type as its foundation. It is a spiritual tafsir, unique in style, that silences even the most obstinate philosophers.

The Risale-i Nur, far from subjective theories or speculations, is a collection that explains the truths of our sacred book, the Qur’an, in a rational and objective way. It presents them for the benefit of humanity and has guided millions of people in every age.

The Risale-i Nur is a luminous tafsir of Qur’anic verses—throughout, a clear demonstration of the truths of faith and divine unity—prepared in a way that appeals to all levels of understanding, equipped with the modern sciences. It persuades doubting skeptics, speaks to everyone from the most ordinary to the most learned, and even compels the most stubborn philosophers to yield.

It is a radiant collection—comprising 130 works, large and small, in the form of treatises—fully addressing the needs of the age, satisfying both intellect and heart. It is the Qur’an’s spiritual (not literal) tafsir for the twentieth century.

It demonstrates every possible question of faith—from the smallest particle to the sun—, the reality of divine oneness, and the truth of Prophethood. It proves, with the most conclusive rational, logical, and scientific evidence, matters such as the layers of the earth and heavens, the existence of angels and spirits, the reality of time, the occurrence of resurrection and the afterlife, the existence of paradise and hell, the true nature of death, and the sources of eternal happiness or misery. It is an inspiring masterpiece that eliminates doubts, convinces reason and heart with proofs more certain than mathematical equations, and encourages the modern sciences.”¹⁾

“In this age, where materialism is like a plague upon humanity, the Risale-i Nur has striven to prove with definitive arguments the existence of spirits and jinn, in order to refute materialist thought. Yet it considered this matter of secondary importance, leaving detailed treatment to others. Perhaps, God willing, a student of the Risale-i Nur will one day write a tafsir of Surah Rahman and resolve this subject more fully.”²⁾

“A true commentary of the Noble Qur’an must be a person of exceptional genius, with penetrating judgment, and possessing perfected sainthood. Especially in this age, these conditions can only be fulfilled by a great collective body, arising from solidarity, the meeting of minds, the harmony of souls, and freedom from fanaticism, born of pure sincerity. Such a collective personality may interpret the Qur’an. For, according to the principle that ‘what is not found in the part is found in the whole,’ the qualities that are not present in each individual may be found within the community.”(Bediüzzaman Said Nursî, İşârâtü’l-İ’câz, İstanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2007, p. 5.))

“Just as it is not enough for a non-Muslim to enter a mosque in order to become a Muslim, so too a subject from sciences such as philosophy, geography, or history being mentioned in books of tafsir or law does not make them tafsir or law. Moreover, for a mufassir (an author of a tafsir) or jurist, only in their specialized field is their judgment an authority in tafsir or sharia. Otherwise, statements made without authorization are not binding. Quoting such views may be permissible, but treating them as proof is not.”³⁾

“If a new tafsir of the Qur’an is to be written, two points must never be overlooked:

The truth that ‘Everything wet and dry is found in the Clear Book.’

Maintaining balance when reconciling scientific truths with the related Qur’anic verses.”⁴⁾

“… In interpreting verses and hadiths in light of scientific developments, issues should always be presented with alternatives; at the very least, one must not forget that the verses may indicate other possible meanings, and one must keep the door of possibility open, never closing matters definitively. Especially when dealing with new fields or subjects not yet clarified, giving absolute judgments about the Qur’an’s meaning can lead to serious errors. Moreover, one must always consult previous works of tafsir and be aware of what foundational sources from the earliest days have said.”⁵⁾

“Just as one cannot oppose the Qur’an and Sunnah in the name of ijtihad, one also cannot oppose the consensus (ijma) that shows us how the explicit texts (nass) of Qur’an and Sunnah are to be understood and interpreted. Ignoring these fundamental sources and speaking according to whim is one thing; but expressing an opinion with deep knowledge, based on the foundational texts and clear principles, is another. Therefore, in solving personal, familial, political, social, or economic problems, one must first refer to the Qur’an, Sunnah, and consensus. If no direct solution is found there, any ideas put forward must not contradict these fundamental principles.”⁶⁾

“Question: What do you think about a psychological tafsir of the Qur’an?

Answer: Such a tafsir has never been fully undertaken. The late Sayyid Qutb included some psychological analyses in his tafsir, but a comprehensive psychological commentary on the Qur’an has not yet been done.

In my opinion, this is a very important matter and could itself be considered another miracle of the Qur’an. For the Qur’an often treats a subject repeatedly in different places, expressed with varying material. At first sight, this might appear to be simple repetition. But when examined carefully, one sees that each repetition brings a change of tone, context, and material, and thus contains new messages. Indeed, the Qur’an reflects, like a mirror, the voices, breaths, cries, and behaviors of different peoples, as well as the unique characteristics of communities across different ages.”⁷⁾

“When interpreting the Qur’an, one must always remain balanced. For example, if the most recent discoveries of human anatomy appear to correspond with a verse of the Qur’an, then in reconciling the verse with that scientific fact and in interpreting accordingly, one must be extremely careful and cautious. If, without considering other possibilities, we insist, ‘This verse means only this,’ then many errors are bound to occur. Tafsir literature already contains many examples of this. Whatever the period, the greatest mistake has been made by those commentators who, in the face of the ever-developing sciences, insisted: ‘This verse can only mean this.’ Therefore, it is better to interpret verses in a way that allows for multiple possibilities: ‘It could mean this, or it could mean that.’ The commentaries in the Risale-i Nur on certain verses serve as a good example of this.”⁸⁾

“To interpret the Qur’an according to one’s personal opinion is dangerous, and contrary to the method of tafsir. As explained at the beginning of Surah Al Imran, there are clear verses called muhkamat, which are ‘the essence of the Book.’ This means that the ambiguous, general, complex, allegorical, metaphorical, and figurative expressions in the Qur’an must be referred back to the muhkamat for interpretation. The muhkamat are like a rope by which we hold on to cross safely in commentary. While using language and grammar, everything must be measured against these, and we must avoid contradicting them in interpretation. In other words, for the commentary, the muhkamat serve as a set of fundamental disciplines, a kind of terminology. If an interpretation conforms to these, it is correct; if not, it is rejected. The core issues in the Book have clear meanings that cannot be understood otherwise. Yet, as long as it does not conflict with these or the spirit of religion, interpretations and explanations inspired by personal spiritual insight may also be accepted.”⁹⁾

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