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Vol. 11 No. 3 (2026)
Special Issue: Risale-i Nur Studies and Bediüzzaman Said Nursi’s Intellectual Legacy

Special Issue: Risale-i Nur Studies and Bediüzzaman Said Nursi’s Intellectual Legacy

Said Nursi’s Mānā-yī Harfī: With Special Reference to Animals and Insects

https://doi.org/10.55831/ajis.v11i3.767

Published 10.04.2026

Leesa P Giokas-Drakos
Australian Catholic University

Abstract

Bediüzzaman Said Nursi (1877-1960) was a contemporary Muslim scholar who developed a unique exegetical method of understanding Islam. He believed that it was humanity’s responsibility to know God, and the only way to do that was by observing His divine names found throughout both the Qur’an, and what Nursi termed the “Book of the Universe.” Nursi considered the universe a beautifully written book that we are all a part of, in which God has carefully painted each letter. In reading this “Book of the Universe”, Nursi was able to directly and indirectly witness God and God’s divine names everywhere, and in everything. This is Nursi’s theological concept of mānā-yī harfī, which functioned as his Weltanschauung. Because of this worldview, he deeply valued all lifeforms, and his love for God’s art extended right down to the atomic level. Though he believed that God placed humans at the top of nature’s hierarchy, Nursi did not abuse this responsibility. Rather, he demonstrated an immense love for animals throughout his life which surpassed many animal rights activists today. This article will therefore be a discourse analysis of his works, focussing largely on how they translated to his views and treatment of non-human life.

Keywords

Said Nursi, mānā-yī harfī, Animals, God's Love, Book of the Universe, Spirituality

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