God’s Use of Prophethood for Creating the Universe: A Christian Exploration of Said Nursi’s Insights
Abstract
Said Nursi makes the exalted claim that prophethood, especially that of Prophet Muḥammad, has a crucial, even central, role in God’s activity of creating. The Christian New Testament and Nicene Creed make similar exalted claims about Christ’s role in God’s creating of the universe. These statements can occasion shock, offense and misunderstanding among people outside these respective religious traditions. Both statements underscore that God’s activity of creating is purposeful, with that purpose being definitively expressed in these respective prophets and/or their messages. Apart from considerations of purpose, there is no creating. In that sense, prophethood and God’s activity of creating are intimately connected. Nursi’s approach can help Muslims and Christians understand their own, and one another’s, respective theological languages about the relationship between prophethood and God’s creating activity.
Keywords
Nursi, Prophethood, Prophet, Creation, Purpose, Muhammad, Christ, Qur'an
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