Qur’anic Inimitability in the Thought of Imam Said Nursi: Concepts and Criteria

Abstract

Despite the numerous instances in which Imam Said Nursi alluded to the miraculous nature of the Quran in Rasail al-Nur, he did not provide a technical definition for the miracle nor did he discuss it theoretically in a manner that would reveal his understanding or criteria. Therefore, this study aims to understand Imam Said Nursi's perception of the miraculous nature of the Quran, and to elucidate some of the related concepts and criteria according to his perspective. This is done through a comprehensive study of Rasail al-Nur. The study concluded that the issue of the miracle, in its various dimensions, was clear to him, and he agreed with his predecessors and the majority opinion in all aspects, except in his expansion of the scope of the challenge, extending it beyond the realm of rhetoric to include news of the past and future.