Islam in Modern Turkey

Sukran Vahide’s Islam inModern Turkey: An Intellectual Biography of BediuzzamanSaid Nursi is a timely contribution to the study of one of the most prominent Islamic thinkers of the twentieth century. This comprehensivestudy on Nursi’s life (1876-1960) and works would be appropriate for use ingraduate and undergraduate courses in religious, Islamic, andMiddle Easternstudies departments.Vahide fills an important gap in the study of Nursi and his works, whichhas become increasingly popular among western scholars in recent decades.Prior to its publication, only a few brief biographies of Nursi existed, andthose focused solely on presenting a chronological account of his life. Hencethis book’s most significant contribution is, as pointed out in the subtitle, thefact that it is an “intellectual biography.” Although Vahide organizes thebook into sections that correspond with the chronological developments inhis life, the book is divided into three parts that denote the significant intellectualphases (also pointed out by Nursi himself in his writings): “The OldSaid,” “The New Said,” and “The Third Said.” In this way, the author situatesNursi’s writings and ideas, which have inspired the most prominent faithmovement in modern Turkey (approximately 7 million followers), into thehistorical context in which they were developed and transmitted to others ata much needed time in Turkish history ...