(8 January 2009)

ADNAN OKTAR: Said Nursi makes it quite clear that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear. He says he will come as an individual, but that even some of his own followers, some of Bediuzzaman’s own followers do not expect Hazrat Mahdi (as) to come, even though he openly tells them that he will. He speaks of the return of the Prophet Jesus (as), but that does not interest them, either. They say that they are both collective personalities, there is not such a reality, they will not appear as individuals but as collective personalities, they say. The fact is that hadith, Said Nursi’s statements and the Qur’an expressly state that the Prophet Jesus (as) ascended to the sky in bodily form and will return again in bodily form. Yet some people feign ignorance about it. Said Nursi says that that some people whose faith is weak, but whose ego and arrogance is strong, just chose to deny these facts. They deny it because it bears hard on them to come under his command and to obey him when Hazrat Mahdi (as) comes, and to have to obey the Prophet Jesus (as) if he returns, because some people regard themselves as greater than Hazrat Mahdi (as) and the Prophet Jesus (as) and even, Allah is beyond that, as greater than Allah Himself. For that reason the idea of obedience bears very hard on them. As you know, obedience came as very difficult to satan. Allah told him to prostrate himself before the Prophet Adam (as), but because of his pride and arrogance satan was maddened and refused to do what Allah commanded. He was enraged, and became the first entity to behave like a psychopath. People who follow satan are similarly proud and arrogant, and are unwilling to recognize and obey any authority over them. It may sometimes stem from this, and sometimes from ignorance. Sometimes people’s faith may be weak, and other people may be apathetic, unconcerned by anything in this world.

(3 April 2009)

ADNAN OKTAR: This question of the collective personality is emphasized 38 times in 36 different places in the Risale-i Nur collection, saying that Hazrat Mahdi (as) is a person, a human being and an individual. Look, he says 38 times in his book, in 36 different places, that he is an individual human being.

For example, there are three repetitions of “that great personage of the End Times.” “He will be from the Ahl al-Bayt of our Prophet (saas).”

For example: “Muhammad Mahdi (first expression) from the Ahl al-Bayt, a radiant personage (second repetition), that individual (third repetition), (will prepare a plan for himself (look, fourth repetition) from the works made by lengthy analysis and investigation of a community. However that great personage of the End Times…(fifth repetition)” Even an unintelligent person can grasp that. It is because Said Nursi was well aware of it that he kept repeating it, so that others would understand; yet they still deny it. That is unbelievable.

For example, he refers to Hazrat Mahdi (as) as “that unique individual (sixth repetition) who will come in the future, and that great commander (seventh repetition) and great renovator (see how he refers to Hazrat Mahdi (as) as a renovator, as an individual) (eighth repetition) and the greatest mujaddid (ninth repetition) and a judge (someone who will serve as a judge, tenth repetition), and the qutb az-azam (greatest saint of the time) (there can only be one qutb az-azam, eleventh repetition), and radiant personage (that means a single individual, twelfth repetition), and that person (thirteenth repetition)... and goes on…” He says that by Allah’s leave the true owners long in the future, in the broad sphere of the End Times (look how he describes the Risale-i Nur), long in the future, in the broad sphere of the End Times (refers to this period, the period after the year 1400 according to the Islamic calendar), in other words Hazrat Mahdi (as) (fourteenth repetition) and his followers will come, and will broaden that sphere and the seeds thereof will sprout. If someone still fails to understand then I really do not know what else I can say.

For example, “A collective personality can only combine in the End Times in Hazrat Mahdi (as) (fifteenth repetition) who represents the radiance of the community of the Ahl al-Bayt of our Prophet (saas) and in his community (group of followers).” In other words we have Hazrat Mahdi (as), his community, and also a collective personality. In other words, there is a government, a prime minister, ministers, and the collective personality of the government. There is a prime minister, and the collective personality of the government as a whole. Is there any invisible government in Turkey? It is not a collective personality, there is prime minister and there is government.

For example, “..the individual (sixteenth repetition) awaited in the End Times..”; “..holy community represented by Hazrat Mahdi (as) (seventeenth repetition)..”; “..therefore can be seen to be that holy individual (an individual is a person, is that not right? (Eighteenth repetition) who will come in the future; that individual (who will come in 1400 according to the Islamic calendar, nineteenth repetition)..”; “..who is truly awaited and will appear in the next century is of course that great personage (twentieth repetition) of the End Times...”

ADNAN OKTAR: I can go on with a few more. In the Rays he says; “there are separate different reports about Hazrat Mahdi (as) who will be descended from our Prophet (saas) and come from the Ahl al-bayt (twenty-first repetition)”. He says “I am not a sayyid, but Hazrat Mahdi (as) is a sayyid.” They rejected them saying he is descended from the Prophet (saas) (twenty-second repetition).” He refers to Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his followers as those luminous individuals. For example, “Of course a great and sovereign power will appear, and Hazrat Mahdi (as) will pass to its head and will encourage the truth and the true signs (twenty-fourth repetition).” It goes on, and if someone still fails to understand, then I am totally at a loss for words.

ADNAN OKTAR’S LIVE INTERVIEW ON KOCAELI TV AND KACKAR TV

(30 April 2009)

ADNAN OKTAR: Said Nursi expounded this in hundreds of pages; I do not think that those who read it have not understood it. It is very clear, even a five-year old would understand it. Probably, Allah forbid, some might have weak faith, or some others might think what would happen in case he did not come and thus Said Nursi proves to be wrong. They are not in a position to make an explanation about this subject; may be they would like to make an explanation regarding his location if he came. They might have been in such a deadlock. Otherwise, Said Nursi’s explanations are quite clear. The part where our brother has read and explained is very explicit. It says that he will perform all the three duties together. I ask your attention; one, two, three; he says that he will render all the three duties at the same time and that is why he has earned the title of Great Hazrat Mahdi (as). He says that the others have not earned the title of Great Mahdi. He says this very explicitly and adds that, in one respect, he has performed the first duty. This is very clear, explicit. Islam will prevail over the Earth, Christians and Muslims will unite, Prophet Jesus (as) will descend. When all these will become clear, Islam will entirely prevail over the earth. Yet people here, some of them, employ a style that deny this. Said Nursi also brings an explanation to this. Some hodjas, he says, whose faith is weak but whose ego is strong, whose arrogance is strong, just chose to deny these facts. That is, they simply say, he does not exist. Some, on the other hand, say Hazrat Mahdi (as) has come and passed away. Now; those brothers of us are the addressee of this saying of Said Nursi; they are the ones who say “he has come and passed away.” Some others say “he does not exist”; they are the ones whose faith is weak. Said Nursi also adds that some others await the kind of Mahdi with impossible features. For instance they think he has a cloud over his head with an angel appearing within who says, “This is Mahdi”. According to them, this angel continuously says, “This is Mahdi so comply with him.” In this case, of course, everyone would comply with Hazrat Mahdi (as). In this case, a person’s free will would not be taken away. This aside, he would no longer be tested. Besides, he says that tank, cannon, atom bomb, nothing would have an affect upon him. Does such a person go through pain=? Think of how much suffering have the prophets gone through. All the prophets have suffered. Does such a person ever face trouble, a person upon whom tanks, cannons or atom bombs have no affect?

ADNAN OKTAR: He says, “atom bomb or bomb will have no affect on him.” Bomb, cannon, none of them have any affect on him. This being the case, then how will Hazrat Mahdi (as) go through suffering? Is it possible to put a person upon whom bombs or cannons have no affect into prison? He will be imprisoned, go through suffering and be oppressed. Why should such a person hide? A person who is not affected by tanks or cannons? Look how stupid this claim is. This aside, there will be a cloud above his head, and an angel upon this cloud and say, “This is Hazrat Mahdi (as).” In this case, who would not have faith? Who can challenge him? Think of a man upon whom neither tanks nor cannons can have affect. This would hinder one’s ability to exercise his freewill. There is also an angel upon his head and it says, “This is Hazrat Mahdi (as).” That is, so foolish. At this point, these people make one abandon the religion and give harm to the religion. The fact is, however, in the realm of angels, for instance, there is Hazrat Jibril (as), Hazrat Mikhail (as) and Hazrat Israphil (as). There are angels everywhere but we can not see them, for Allah says that if they descend to Earth, then people would have no reprieve. Even, as related in the Qur’an, unbelievers say that there had to be an angel next to our Prophet (saas) to confirm him. In other words, this is the style employed by unbelievers. Allah has granted angels to none of the prophets. In the Qur’an there is not one incident in which an angel comes and commands people to obey the prophet. They say, “Why has an angel not been sent down to him so that it can be a warner along with him?” Said Nursi says that since there will not be an angel with him, people will not lose their discretion and even Hazrat Mahdi (as) himself will not know that he is Mahdi. So how can this be possible? If there exists an angel above his head and tells that he is Hazrat Mahdi (as), and neither tanks nor cannons can have any affect upon him, what would you do if you were him? What does tank or cannon mean? This means that no power can withstand him.

ADNAN OKTAR: It is the Hazrat Mahdi (as) who will best understand the Risale-i Nur collection. He is the real owner of Risale-i Nur. Said Nursi says that the real owners of Risale-i Nur is Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his followers. Consequently, that those brothers of ours failed to understand the Risale-i Nur is also, in one sense, compatible with the words of Said Nursi. One feature of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is his application of Risale-i Nur to the letter. Said Nursi also states this. Look what he says, “A person of light from Ahl al-Bayt in the name of Muhammad Mahdi” will remove dajjalism. Look, “A person of light from Ahl al-Bayt in the name of Muhammad Mahdi”, “A person of light.” When I say, “A person of light” to a person of average wisdom and ask him what he understands from this expression, he would say, “A person is mentioned here.” Hence, this is not something complicated. While explaining this, Said Nursi tells it in a way that a normal, average person, one who attends to university, alternatively in a way, even a kid who attends secondary school can understand it. He does not say something complicated, incomprehensive. “That great person of the End Times will be a descendant of Ahl Al-Bayt.” When “that great person” is said, I would immediately understand what is meant here. For instance, “That person will take that work which is written after lengthy scrutiny as a program for himself.” When the expression, “That person” is read to me, in any community, even a secondary school pupil would say that “a person” is mentioned here. That is to say, he would say that “a persona, an individual” is mentioned here. In other words, he would not talk about “a spiritual entity, a community”. “With that he will fully fulfill that first duty; the force and spiritual army upon which this duty will be based will be some disciples fully possessing the attributes of sincerity, loyalty and social solidarity. From this we understand that there will also be the disciples. “...No matter how few they may be...”, Said Nursi says that their number will be few, “they are spiritually regarded as strong and precious as an army.” This means that Hazrat Mahdi (as) has a distinguished community. He also adds, “I told them, I do not know myself to be from the descend of our Prophet (saas). In this age, one does not know his descend. However that great person – not the spiritual entity- of the End Times will be from the Ahl Al-Bayt, from the descend of our Prophet (saas). I do not see something complicated here. Trying to choke this with in depth interpretation, attempting to put Risale-i Nur into a totally different form is an attitude far removed from sincerity. There is not an awkward explanation here; he makes a very explicit explanation. “I assume that I am a servant of that amazing person who will come in the future and a force of security who will prepare grounds for him and a vanguard of that great commander.” Now what does this mean? “that amazing person who will come in the future” he says. He says that he will come in the future. “Amazing person, peculiar person, astounding person.” He says that he is a servant of that person. Said Nursi. Some disciples do not attribute this to him but Said Nursi himself says that he is a servant of him. He says that he will lay the grounds for him, he will feel at ease when he comes and he is a vanguard of him. In the sense that he is a pioneering soldier of him. What is that? Even a kid would understand this. Interpretation of this in another way would be unreasonable. There are very explicit expressions here. Said Nursi tells about a time that will come after him, in the End Times, a time of conflicts. Indeed there is conflict right now. Surely He will send a person of light as the greatest mujdahid (renovator), the greatest mujaddid (reviver), the judge, the Mahdi, the teacher, the greatest scholar of the time. That person will be related to our Prophet (saas). That is, he will be from the descend of our Prophet (saas). Is there any mention to a spiritual person here? He very clearly relates the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as). He will send a person of light, a person, as a great mujdahid, a great mujaddid, a judge, a Mahdi, a scholar, the greatest scholar of the time, and that person will be from the descend of Ahl Al-Bayt. A descend of our Prophet (saas). A five-year-old can understand that. Bring in the primary school, secondary school pupils, high school pupils, and ask them what is being explained here, they would immediately tell them. Consequently it would be insincere to change them to such extent. Look, far in the distance, he says, what does this mean? In the future, in the End Times; he explains about a period after him. ‘In the wide scope of life..’, he mentions about the real owners, the real owners of Risale-i Nur. There is an owner, and there is a real owner. He is the real owner. That means, there is also those who are not the real owners. But the real owner is Hazrat Mahdi (as), he says. ‘The real owners..’, in the case of its not being understood, he brings an explanation; he says ‘the real owners are Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his disciples’. Is there anything that is not understood here. ‘By All-Mighty Allah’s leave he comes, expands that sphere and those seeds’ – he says they are in a state of seed in his time- ‘bloom’. In addition, he says, “it is unlikely that these three duties can be fulfilled by a person or a community in his time”. Look, he says, “in his time.” It is unlikely and unacceptable that these three duties can be perfectly fulfilled in his time. That is to say, he says that Mahdism is impossible in his time and it is unlikely that Hazrat Mahdi (as) could come in his time. He says he will come in the End Times, after his time. After his time, in the End Times. Said Nursi says, after his time, that is, in the End Times a person who represents the light of the community of the descend of our Prophet (saas) will come. We should pay attention that he mentions of Hazrat Mahdi (as) as a person, because who is the head of the state? Prime Minister. Who represents the government? Prime Minister, right. Look what our Prophet (saas) says, Hazrat Mahdi (as) who represents the light of the community of the descend of our Prophet (saas). Look, he says “the community” and not “my community.” That means, there is the Hazrat Mahdi (as), there is his community and the spiritual entity that is formed of his community. But he says these can only happen in the End Times, not in his time. He says it is unlikely that they can happen in his time. There are three duties of the holy community represented by Hazrat Mahdi (as). Please pay attention that there is the Hazrat Mahdi (as), his holy community and the spiritual entity of them. The person awaited by the Islamic communityin the End Times has three duties. The word “three” is significant here, and also a response to those who insistently claim that Hazrat Mahdi (as) has two duties. He says the entire the Islamic communityawaits, he himself awaits him. That person will come in the End Times; “a person.” When one says “a person”, even a primary school kid understands it. According to the grammar rules one understands an individual when one says “a person.”

The greatest, and most important, most precious of the three duties of that person is to spread the genuine faith. What does a person understand when one mentions this? One understands from this fact that he will come later. Look, he will come later. For instance if I tell someone that a person – referring to someone else- will come later, what would one understand? It is also understood from this fact that he will come later. Look, he will come later, for instance if I tell someone referring to another person that he, that holy person, will come later, what would one understand? It is understood from this fact that he, that holy person, will come later. That is, he will come later. That holy person will apply and spread Risale-i Nur as a program. This means that he is the real owner, Said Nursi also tells this. Consequently, it is very natural that some people can not understand because only its real owner can understand it. In this time there are so influential movements that, because it takes everything under its sway, the one who is absolutely awaited – see he makes an emphasis here as “absolutely awaited”- and he will come after a century. That is to say, he will come after a century, that is, one century after him. So what do we learn here? The one, a person, who is absolutely awaited and who will come. It does not mention a “spiritual entity.” That person. The fact is however, that great person of the End Times will be from the descend of our Prophet (saas). I quote from the section in which Said Nursi gives answers. Said Nursi tells that there is information about Hazrat Mahdi (as), who is one of the portents of the End Times and a descendant of our Prophet (saas) in the accounts. Said Nursi writes in one of his objections that he is not a sayyid but Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be a sayyid (Rays, p.318) but some people denied this. They simply say that this is not true and Said Nursi is a sayyid. Why should Said Nursi tell a lie? Why do you accuse Hazrat Said Nursi with being a liar? If he says that he is not a sayyid, then he is not. Do you know better than him? I, for instance, say that I did not sit on this armchair but someone else comes out and says, “No, you did.” He says Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be sayyid. Look, as an answer he says that he is not sayyid but Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be. He says that flowers bloom in spring, but there is a need to lay the grounds for flowers. That is to say, he says that he lays the grounds for flowers, and that is true. ‘And we have understood that with this service we make, that is to say, with this work we prepare a ground for Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his disciples’. Surely with that great power a zeal will come into existence, there will be an exuberance and Hazrat Mahdi (as) will lead this movement. But this exuberance has not come into existence yet. In the entire world of Islam there will be a great exuberance, and due to the oppression and torture inflicted on Muslims, due to the cruelty inflicted on Hazrat Mahdi (as) – Hazrat Mahdi (as) will undergo great cruelty and oppression – and people will say “That is enough.” “Surely in the entire world of Islam there will be a great exuberance and Hazrat Mahdi (as) will take the lead of this movement and lead to the true path.” Said Nursi has not fulfilled such a duty, he has not come in. He has not become the spiritual leader of the Islamic world. “In every age there comes a person, a kind of Mahdi, a mujaddid guiding to the truth, and he has come.” In every century a mujaddid comes. Said Nursi relates this also with the hadith, which also exists in the accounts. Their reasoning is the following; they think a mujaddid will not come in this century. According to what? Because there will be the Mahdi then; If they accept that a mujaddid comes in this century, of course it is evident that it is Hazrat Mahdi (as). What is the solution? Then a mujaddid will not come. They say he will come many centuries later. And they state that Islam will not reign in this century. The fact is however, disbelievers despair of Allah’s mercy. They eliminate the possibility of reigning Islam in this century, because otherwise it will be Hazrat Mahdi (as) who will lead it. They have put themselves into a very inconceivable logical fallacy. “In every age a Mahdi, the one who guides to the true path and a mujaddid comes and he came. But Said Nursi says that every one of them fulfilled one of the three duties in only one aspect. Look, “every one of them fulfilled one of the three duties in only one aspect.” Said Nursi says, “I came and explained the signs leading to faith [which is one aspect]. Imam-i Rabbani came and discharged only one aspect of this duty, likewise Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani came and discharged the duties in another aspect. They are all Mahdis but they could not take the name of the Great Mahdi of the End Times. The Great Mahdi of the End Times will discharge all of these three duties simultaneously.” I emphasize this because it is important. The respective explanations of these accounts is that the Great Mahdi has many duties; in the realm of politics, in the realm of religion and in the realm of sultanate. Just as he has many in the realm of religion, he has many accomplishments in many other spheres. Said Nursi did not have such a duty in the realm of politics. He discharged his duty in the realm of religion. Said Nursi says he partially fulfilled it. His duty was in the realm of religion but he says that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will discharge three of the duties. In the first place, “the Great Mahdi” he says. For instance, Said Nursi says that time and conditions do not permit Hazrat Mahdi (as) to prepare a lengthy program for himself. There are so many things to explain, hundreds of pages of length. If a person does not understand what Said Nursi explains here, then he does not want to understand. In this case, I have nothing to say.

ADNAN OKTAR: Said Nursi refutes the statements of those who say Hazrat Mahdi (as) is a collective personality a hundred times but some of these people have the reasoning of the djinn.

This is very hard to believe. Even this point closes the subject. In other words, it is obvious that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not be a sayyid. He talks about a person. He calls him “person” about forty times. He says Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come after him. It is evident that collective personality will not be sayyid. He talks about a person and calls him “a person” for forty times and adds that he will come after him. He calls him a “peculiar person” and stresses that he will perform three of the duties simultaneously. That person insistently talks about two duties. Can’t you see the difference between the number three and two? Said Nursi tells that it will be three. At this point, people should respect Said Nursi’s statements. If one is a disciple of Nur, if he respects Said Nursi, if he believes that what Said Nursi says is true, then he should believe that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will perform three of the duties altogether, for Said Nursi clearly stresses various times that he will perform three of the duties at the same time. Even he states that Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) first duty will be to demolish materialism and Darwinism. He says this is his greatest and most important duty. He also adds that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will tell people the signs leading to faith. If