In his Risalat an-Nur collection the great Islamic scholar, regarded as the mujaddid (renovator) of the Islamic 13th century, Said Nursi made important statements about the second coming to Earth of the Prophet Jesus. He described, in the light of verses and hadith, how the Prophet Jesus would return to Earth in the End Times, how he will call on Christians to adhere to the values of the true faith by freeing themselves from superstitious beliefs and practices, how true Christians who follow the Prophet Jesus and Muslims will be allied together, and how, together with the Mahdi, the Prophet Jesus will be instrumental in the moral values of Islam coming to rule the world.
However, these statements by Said Nursi are sometimes misunderstood and misconstrued. In particular, it is erroneously concluded from Said Nursi’s references to the “collective personalities” of the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi that the blessed individual of the Prophet Jesus will not be coming at all. But Said Nursi’s statements do not imply such a meaning. As is made explicit in several places in the Risalat an-Noor, Said Nursi said that the Prophet Jesus himself will return to Earth in the End Times.
Indeed, a definition of the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi as invisible forces, such as spiritual entities, spirits or meanings, would be at total odds with the law of Allah revealed in the verses of the Qur’an. No messenger or prophet has ever come in the form of a collective personality.
Much detailed information is provided in the Qur’an about the lives, struggles and messages of messengers sent to various communities. Until the very end of their lives they have called the people to whom they were sent to the true faith, warned them of Allah’s punishment and bestowed the glad tidings of Paradise on believers. They responded to the pressure, traps and struggle against the true faith on the part of the deniers in their communities with fortitude and trust in Allah and called on them to live in a way that would be pleasing to Him. All this shows that no messenger has ever been sent as a spiritual personality, but rather as individuals.
This law of Allah that has applied for hundreds of years also applies, as it does to the rest of Islamic history, to the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi. However, like all the other prophets and messengers, the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi will also have their collective personalities. We are told in the Qur’an that there have been communities of believers around all the prophets and messengers there have ever been, and that these have followed the true path shown by them. All the people who believed in the messengers and all their actions performed together with those messengers, constitute these messengers’ collective personalities.
This can clearly be seen in the stories about the prophets in the Qur’an. For example, the people of our Prophet represented his collective personality. But this formed on the condition of the Prophet’s existence. This will not change in the End Times. As Said Nursi has said, the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi will personally exist as leaders of guidance at the head of the communities of believers accompanying them.
Therefore, in using the term “collective personality,” Said Nursi used it in conformity with the law of Allah revealed in the Qur’an. In fact, in referring to his own students and works as a collective personality, Said Nursi was personally at its head.
The collective personality of the Risalat an-Nur includes those students that follow it as well as the works, but Said Nursi, the leader of the Nur movement, cannot be considered as distinct from it.
This will be better understood by an examination of the comments in the Risalat an-Nur about the second coming of the Prophet Jesus:
- It could only be a wondrous person with the power of miracles who could neutralize and change the way of the awesome antichrist, who will preserve himself through wonders, bestowed on him by Allah in order to lead him astray, such as magic, hypnotic powers, and spiritualism, and will spellbind everyone. And that person will be Jesus, who is the prophet of the majority of mankind…127 In this passage, Said Nursi describes how the messiah antichrist who will appear in the End Times will seek to deceive people using various supernatural powers, but that this corruption will be totally eliminated with the second coming of the Prophet Jesus:
The awesome antichrist, who will preserve himself through wonders, bestowed on him by Allah in order to lead him astray, such as magic, hypnotic powers, and spiritualism, and will spellbind everyone:
Said Nursi notes, in the light of the hadith of our Prophet, that the antichrist will possess various supernatural powers.
Some of the hadith that show that the antichrist will work false miracles are as follows:
One of his corruptions is this; He will say to a Bedouin, “Tell me! Will you believe I am your Lord if I resurrect your mother and your father?” The Bedouin will say, “Yes.” At this two devils will appear in the forms of his mother and father… 128
One of his corruptions is this: He will call a single person, kill him and cut him up with a saw. That person’s body will be cast away in two pieces. The antichrist will then tell those around him, “Look at this servant I have killed.
I shall now bring him back to life.” … 129
The hadith tell us that the antichrist will use false miracles to have people accept his corruption. (Allah knows the truth.) Less intelligent people may imagine these are literally “miracles.” The fact is, however, that a miracle is a blessing from Allah to His sainted servants. The extraordinary phenomena displayed by the antichrist are mere magic, in other words, are false miracles created by Allah to test people, and seen in unbelievers.
As stated by Said Nursi, the antichrist will deceive most people using these deceptive techniques. The false miracles and deceptions perpetrated by the antichrist, at a time when the whole Christian world is awaiting the return to Earth of the Prophet Jesus and the Jews are awaiting Messiah, may cause many people to be deceived by the antichrist. In this passage, Said Nursi emphasizes this attribute of the antichrist and also implies that he is not a collective personality. Said Nursi makes this perfectly clear by referring to the way the antichrist deceives people using such deceptive techniques as hypnosis and displays of magic.
There is no doubt that it would be wrong for one, who accepts that the antichrist is an individual in the light of these statements of Said Nursi, to claim that the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi could be collective personalities despite all the evidence and details Said Nursi provides on the subject.
There is no doubt that in all his statements Said Nursi, who possessed a very high level of knowledge, set the truth out in the best way for Muslims and he said, in a way that leaves no room for doubt, that “like the antichrist, Jesus and the Mahdi are both individuals.”
It could only be a wondrous person with the power of miracles… who is the prophet of the majority of mankind:
Said Nursi says that the person who will eliminate the corruption of the antichrist will be a blessed “individual” who, by the mercy of Allah, will work miracles, and whom the great majority of people follow. In the next part of the passage he identifies this person as the Prophet Jesus. This is so explicit as to leave no room for any other interpretation.
Said Nursi explicitly states that “Jesus is an individual.” This explicit statement totally disproves any idea that he might be a collective personality.
In addition, by referring to “a wondrous person with the power of miracles… who is the prophet of the majority of mankind,” Said Nursi emphasizes some important properties revealing that the Prophet Jesus is an individual. Said Nursi states that “Jesus is a person who works marvels and miracles.” In addition, he recalls that “Jesus is a person in whom the great majority of people believe.”
Undoubtedly, Said Nursi, with his superior knowledge, knew very well that it is impossible for a collective personality to perform miracles. He also knew that a collective personality could not be “a person in whom the majority of people believe.” Using these attributes descriptive of the Prophet Jesus in a very deliberate manner, he gives all Muslims the glad tidings that he will return to Earth as “a person.”
That person will be Jesus:
Said Nursi reveals, as the Prophet tells us in the hadith, that the Prophet Jesus will eradicate the fitnah (trial and tribulation) of the antichrist:
When the enemy of Allah [antichrist] would see him [Jesus], it would disappear just as the salt dissolves itself in water and if he [Jesus] were not to confront them at all, even then it would dissolve com- pletely, but Allah would make him ineffective by his [Jesus’] hand.130… As the antichrist spreads corruption, Allah would send the Messiah, Jesus son of Maryam… Every non-believer who would smell the odor of his self would die and his breath would reach as far as he would be able to see. He [Jesus] would then search for him [antichrist] until he would catch hold of him at the gate of Ludd and would make him ineffective. 131
… Following that, Jesus will chase the antichrist and will catch him at the gate of Ludd near Bait-ul- Maqdis, and will make him ineffective.132
The term “that person” employed by Said Nursi makes it clear the Prophet Jesus is “one individual.” Said Nursi does not refer to “two or three individuals.” On the contrary, he always refers to the Prophet Jesus in the “singular” and as “a single individual.” With these statements, Said Nursi has made it quite clear that the Prophet Jesus is not a collective personality, but “a blessed individual.”
- In fact, even the descent of Jesus and that he himself is Jesus, can only be known by the light of faith; not everyone will know. Similarly, fearsome figures such as the antichrist and sufyan do not know themselves to be such…. 133
Said Nursi reports that the Prophet Jesus will return to Earth in the End Times, but that not everyone will recognize this blessed personage when he comes:
The descent of Jesus:
By referring to “the descent of Jesus” Said Nursi describes how the Prophet Jesus will return to Earth in human form in the End Times, as a miracle from Allah. Through this information, Said Nursi clearly explains that the Prophet Jesus will be “a person,” not a meaning or a collective personality, leading the Christian community to true guidance.
That he himself is Jesus:
With these words, Said Nursi says that when the Prophet Jesus first returns to Earth he will not at first know he is the Prophet Jesus, but that he will realize this later. Obviously, “there can be no question of a collective personality having such consciousness and awareness.” The concepts of “knowing” and “understanding” can only apply to a “human being.” Only a person “may realize who he is,” and recognize the situation he is in. As someone who is well aware of this, Said Nursi used these words to explicitly state that the Prophet Jesus is not a collective personality.
One of the elements by which Said Nursi confirms that is the word “himself.” This word again expresses the concept of “individual” and in this way, Said Nursi is stating yet again that “Jesus will come in physical form, as an individual.”
Can only be known by the light of faith; not everyone will know:
Said Nursi said that the people around him would only recognize the awaited Prophet Jesus “by the light of faith.” This again shows that Said Nursi is not referring to the Prophet Jesus as a collective personality. Said Nursi clearly refers to their recognizing “an individual they are awaiting,” not a collective personality. Said Nursi also says that “not everyone will know,” that not everyone will recognize the Prophet Jesus.
As Said Nursi says, when the Prophet Jesus returns to Earth, true believers will immediately recognize this blessed individual through the light of their faith and by Allah’s leave, and will be his helpers and supporters.
Fearsome figures such as the antichrist and sufyan do not know themselves to be such:
In these words, Said Nursi is saying that individuals of the End Times, such as the antichrist and the sufyan, who will wage a campaign based on denial against the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi will again not be recognized by everyone. Said Nursi used the word “figures” in the phrase “fearsome figures” to refer to the antichrist and the sufyan as “individuals.”
In his works, Said Nursi uses similar words that also mean “person, individual” to refer to the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi. It would be a very contradictory state of affairs for one to accept that the antichrist and sufyan will appear as individuals but to think that the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi will merely be collective personalities. As Said Nursi says, just like the sufyan antichrist and messiah antichrist will appear as individuals, the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi who will do away with all their fitnah will also, by Allah’s leave, appear as blessed individuals in the End Times.
- “Jesus will come and will perform the obligatory prayers behind the Mahdi and follow him,” alludes to this union, and to the sovereignty of the Qur’an and its being followed. 134
Our Prophet reveals in one hadith how the Prophet Jesus will pray behind the Mahdi:
When the Mahdi is performing the morning prayer with the faithful at the Bayt al-Maqdis, he will introduce Jesus who has appeared, and Jesus will place his hands on his shoulder and say, “The call to the prayer has been issued for you, so you must lead it” …135
Said Nursi cites this hadith of our Prophet’s and recalls how this incident is one of the major sings of the coming of the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi.
Said Nursi also states that, by Allah’s leave, Islamic morality will rule the whole world in the time of the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi. The great intellectual struggle to be waged by the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi in alliance will be instrumental in this, he says.
Jesus will come and will perform the obligatory prayers behind the Mahdi and follow him:
In this passage, Said Nursi says, in the light of authentic hadith of our Prophet’s, “that Jesus will pray together with the Mahdi.” Our Lord has made the prayer a religious obligation. It is impossible for collective personalities to pray alongside or for them to serve as imam. Said Nursi was without doubt well aware of this and says, through his words, that the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi will appear as “individuals.”
When the Prophet Jesus appears, by Allah’s leave, he will continue to perform the prayer just like he performed during his first coming. This is revealed as follows in the Qur’an:
He [Jesus] said, “I am the servant of Allah, He has given me the Book and made me a Prophet. He has made me blessed wherever I am and directed me to perform the prayer and pay the alms as long as i live” (Surah Maryam 30-31)
The Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi will appear as blessed individuals in the End Times. The Prophet Jesus will pray behind the Mahdi, and Islamic moral values will rule the world as a result of the great intellectual struggle these two blessed personages will wage.
Said Nursi recalls this matter, which appears in a great many authentic hadith, and goes on to say that the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi will enjoy a reciprocal dialogue when they come. For that, it is essential that both blessed individuals appear at the same time and come together. The whole Islamic world is waiting for the Prophet Jesus to come and perform the prayer together with the Mahdi.
- It is an allusion and sign that quantitatively the spiritual community of those struggling in Allah’s cause who will recognize Jesus through the light of faith and follow him will be very few and small comparatively to the scientific, physical armies of the antichrist.136 In this passage Said Nursi describes the features of the community that will recognize and support the Prophet Jesus when he returns:
Who will recognize Jesus through the light of faith:
In this extract Said Nursi again refers to the Prophet Jesus being recognized “by the light of faith” by the community that supports him, and makes it clear that the Prophet Jesus is “an individual.” The verb “recognize” suggests that “there is someone to be recognized,” and again reveals that Said Nursi is referring to the Prophet Jesus as an individual, not to a collective personality.
In addition, by these words Said Nursi also makes it clear that the Prophet Jesus and his collective personality are distinct concepts. That is because he speaks of a “community that recognizes Jesus” and of “Jesus being recognized by that community.” There is no question of a collective personality recognizing another collective personality or of being recognized by one.
And [who] follow him:
Said Nursi here refers to the existence of a community that “follows” the Prophet Jesus. It is of course impossible for a collective personality to follow another collective personality, because only an individual can be followed, not a collective personality. Said Nursi is expressing that reality here and reminds us that the Prophet Jesus will be “an individual” at the head of a community that follows him and the way he shows to them, in other words, his collective personality.
It is a great honor desired by all Muslims to live at the same time as the Prophet Jesus, to follow this blessed individual and be his helpers in the way of Allah, just like his disciples. As stated in the hadith and by Said Nursi, Allah will permit the Mahdi and the people around him to stand in the same ranks during the intellectual struggle as the Prophet Jesus and those few believers who follow him.
In his works Said Nursi says that this intellectual struggle for the truth will take place immediately after his own time and, thus that the coming of the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi had not yet taken place in his own day.
The spiritual community of those struggling in Allah’s cause:
In this passage, Said Nursi refers to a community made up of people who support and believe in the Prophet Jesus and who follow the way he shows to them.
This community represents the collective personality of the Prophet Jesus. But it will also have the Prophet Jesus in person as its leader, an individual who represents this collective personality. Said Nursi is emphasizing here that the person of the Prophet Jesus and his collective personality are two distinct concepts.
Understanding the lofty spirituality of the Prophet Jesus is something that will only be bestowed on those who possess sufficient spirituality to perceive this blessed individual. Said Nursi describes this community as “the spiritual community of those struggling in Allah’s cause.” As Said Nursi also says, this community will enjoy a high level of spirituality and will strive and wage a constant intellectual struggle on the path of Allah.
Quantitatively … very few and small:
Said Nursi reports that the community led by the Prophet Jesus will be very few in number and small compared to the society of the deniers of Allah. As Almighty Allah has revealed in the Qur’an, “… How many a small force has triumphed over a much greater one by Allah’s permission.” (Surat al-Baqara:249)
The true believers who, albeit few in number, are devoted to the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi in the End Times will, by Allah’s leave, be victorious and totally eradicate the fitnah of the antichrist. In these words Said Nursi once again refers to the community represented by the Prophet Jesus in person and describes its characteristics.
As clarified above, however, it is the person of the Prophet Jesus who will lead this community. Said Nursi is thus making it clear that the Prophet Jesus is “an individual” at the head of the collective personality he represents, not a collective personality himself.
- It is narrated that “he will be so powerful and longlived that only Jesus will be able to destroy him; nothing else will be able to.” That is, it will only be a revealed, elevated, pure religion that will be able to overturn his way and rapacious regime, and eliminate them. such a religion will emerge among the true followers of Jesus, and it will follow the truth of the Qur’an and become united with it. On the descent of Jesus, the irreligious occupation [of antichrist’s] will be wiped out and will cease… 137
In this extract Said Nursi refers to a hadith that notes that only the Prophet Jesus will be able to neutralize the fitnah of the antichrist.
He says that the people who will eliminate the denialbased order of the antichrist and his aggressive regime and mission, described as “spreading irreligion and harming sacred matters,” will be the Prophet Jesus and the sincere Christians who follow him. With his second coming, the Prophet Jesus will eliminate and neutralize this irreligious mission of the antichrist:
Only Jesus will be able to destroy him; nothing else will be able to:
Here Said Nursi is saying, in the light of the hadith of our Prophet, that only the Prophet Jesus can intellectually neutralize the antichrist and free the world from his fitnah.
The use by Said Nursi here of the word “him” means that the antichrist is “an individual.” In Said Nursi’s view, it is “the invidual Jesus” who will put an end to that individual’s efforts to spread denial.
Said Nursi’s words are quite explicit, and to adopt the idea of the antichrist as an individual but the Prophet Jesus as a collective entity very definitely conflicts with the information provided by Said Nursi. Said Nursi has clearly stated that the Prophet Jesus is the only individual capable of neutralizing the antichrist and has imparted to all believers the glad tidings of the return to Earth of this worthy individual.
That will be able to overturn his way and rapacious regime, and eliminate them:
Said Nursi notes that the fitnah of the antichrist will lead to terrible corruption across the world. He also reports that this fitnah will be totally eliminated by way of the Prophet Jesus.
Said Nursi says that the mission of the antichrist is to spread irreligion across the world and to cause disaster originating from irreligion. He also imparts the glad tidings that when the Prophet Jesus returns to Earth he will prevent the disasters and evils caused by the antichrist, will neutralize his mission and cause the moral values of Islam to rule the entire world.
In this extract Said Nursi reiterates that the Prophet Jesus will return as “a human being” in physical existence. The use of the word “HIS” once again emphasizes that the antichrist is also an individual, and that this individual will be neutralized by the Prophet Jesus, another “individual.”
A revealed, elevated, pure religion … will emerge among the true followers of Jesus, and it will follow the truth of the Qur’an and become united with it:
The Prophet Jesus is a blessed messenger of Allah. Like all the prophets, he called on people to believe in Allah, the One and Only, and to live by the religious morality issued by Allah.
Following the accession of the Prophet Jesus into the Presence of Allah, however, Christian belief was corrupted and Christians turned away from the true faith preached by the Prophet Jesus. When the Prophet Jesus returns he will purify Christianity of those elements that have been corrupted and restore it to its form as a true faith. Said Nursi also notes this fact in the words “a pure religion … will emerge among the true followers of Jesus.”
Said Nursi states that Christianity will unite with Islam in following the Qur’an, and reminds us that all these developments are signs of the second coming of the Prophet Jesus.
These developments described by Said Nursi have not yet happened. Said Nursi referred to this in the time he was living and imparted the glad tidings of the coming of the Prophet Jesus at a later date, emphasizing that neither the coming of the Prophet Jesus, nor that of the Mahdi who would be contemporaneous with him, had yet taken place in his own day.
On the descent of Jesus, the irreligious occupation [of antichrist’s] will be wiped out and will cease:
Based on the information provided in verses from the Qur’an and hadith, Said Nursi states that the Prophet Jesus will come to Earth for a second time. Said Nursi’s use of a word meaning “descent” means he is referring to the Prophet Jesus as “an individual” who will return to Earth for a second time in his human bodily form as a miracle of Allah, and not as “a meaning, a spirit or representative entity.”
Said Nursi is saying that the antichrist’s denialbased efforts will come to an end following the “descent,” in other words “the coming to Earth of Jesus as an individual.”
- Yes, in the words of the hadith, the descent of Jesus from the heavens is certain. In addition to other facts it imparts in its indicative meaning, it also miraculously indicates this fact.138 Said Nursi says it is certain that the Prophet Jesus will return to Earth in the End Times:
The descent of Jesus from the heavens is certain:
The return to Earth in the End Times of the Prophet Jesus is a fact reported in the Qur’an and the hadith. Said Nursi also states this fact, saying that the hadith explicitly refer to the second coming of the Prophet Jesus. These are highly valuable tidings for true believers. By Allah’s leave, believers living in the End Times will witness this miracle and see the return to Earth of the Prophet Jesus after an interval of 2000 years.
Said Nursi uses the word “certain,” and says that the second coming of the Prophet Jesus is “certain.” This report, which Said Nursi provides on the basis of the hadith of our Prophet, invalidates all other contrary ideas.
7…. representing the collective personality of Christianity, Jesus will eliminate the antichrist, who represents the collective personality of irreligion…139
In this passage Said Nursi says that the Prophet Jesus will return to Earth and intellectually neutralize the fitnah of the antichrist:
Representing the collective personality of Christianity, Jesus:
Said Nursi here says that the Prophet Jesus “represents the collective personality of Christianity.”
Said Nursi states that, like all the prophets and messengers there have ever been, the Prophet Jesus will have a collective personality made up of people who support, believe in and follow him.
However, by referring to “representing the collective personality of Christianity,” Said Nursi is saying that, in agreement with the law of Allah, “Jesus will be present personally as a leader to guidance at the head of this collective personality.”
It is impossible for one collective personality to represent another collective personality. In order for there to be a collective personality there has to be “a person” at its head. Emphasizing this fact, Said Nursi states that the Prophet Jesus is not a collective personality but that he will personally be at the head of and lead his collective personality.
These facts reported by Said Nursi can be more clearly seen when we ask one or two questions:
1- A person represents the collective personality of Christianity. Who is that person?
The Prophet Jesus. 2- Who does the Prophet Jesus represent? The collective personality of Christianity. The answers to these questions clearly show that Said Nursi refers to the Prophet Jesus and his collective personality as two separate concepts.
The antichrist, who represents the collective personality of irreligion:
Said Nursi says that, like the Prophet Jesus, the antichrist will have a collective personality. However, in the words the antichrist, who represents the collective personality of irreligion,”
Said Nursi is saying that the antichrist will also “be personally at the head of this collective personality as an individual.”
In his works, Said Nursi says, with various supporting evidence, that all the names cited by our Prophet as coming in the End Times are individuals. The antichrist is one of these individuals of the End Times. Said Nursi has provided the same amount of detail concerning the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi being individuals as he has provided for the antichrist being one.
It would certainly be a mistake to misinterpret some of these statements by Said Nursi in such a way as to conclude that while the antichrist is an individual, the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi are collective personalities. That is because Said Nursi has persistently reiterated that, like the antichrist, “Jesus and the Mahdi will come as individuals” and has provided the evidence to confirm this.
8…. Although defeated before the irreligious current while separate, Christianity and Islam will have the capability to defeat and rout it as a result of their union. Then the person of Jesus, who is present with his human body in the world of the heavens, will come to lead the current of true religion, as, relying on the promise of One Powerful Over All Things, the Bringer of Sure News has said. Since He has told of it, it is true, and since One Powerful over all things has promised it, He will certainly bring it about…140
Said Nursi says that as a result of Christians’ turning to the Qur’an and following Islam, and of the amalgamation of the two faiths, they will grow stronger and powerful enough to eliminate irreligious philosophies.
During this time, the Prophet Jesus will return to Earth and assume the leadership of this force. Said Nursi says that the Prophet has provided this information on the basis of the promise of Allah, and reminds us that Allah definitely keeps His word:
Who is present with his human body in the world of the heavens:
In this passage, Said Nursi says that Christianity will soon be restored to its original form by being freed from various beliefs and practices added onto it subsequently and will then follow the Qur’an. The Christians who turn to Islam will then join forces with Muslims and wage a common intellectual struggle against irreligion.
In the words “present with his human body in the world of the heavens” Said Nursi says that the Prophet Jesus, who is in the heavens in his human body, will return to Earth and assume the leadership of this struggle.
Said Nursi is saying that the Prophet Jesus will return in human form, as a blessed person, “an individual.”
Said Nursi uses the word “human,” thus explicitly stating that the Prophet Jesus is not a collective personality but “an individual with material existence.”
The person of Jesus:
The term “the person of Jesus” employed here by Said Nursi refers to the Prophet Jesus as an individual. It is therefore clear from Said Nursi’s words that the Prophet Jesus “is not a collective personality.”
The Prophet Jesus will return to Earth in the End Times as an individual, eliminate the fitnah of the antichrist and work together with the Mahdi. The Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi will be instrumental in Islamic moral values ruling the world.
These great glad tidings of the End Times have not yet become a reality, and the Islamic world is waiting for these blessed developments to take place. Said Nursi’s terminology reveals the error in claiming that the Mahdi had appeared in some earlier period. That is because the coming of the Prophet Jesus and his alliance with the Mahdi have not yet happened, and the fitnah of the antichrist has not been totally eliminated.
There is no doubt that such comprehensive developments will be visible to the eyes of the whole world. This great change, of which everyone will be aware and experience thanks to mass communications, never happened in Said Nursi’s or any other time.
Will come to lead the current of true religion:
Said Nursi’s words “he will come to lead the current of true religion” reveal that the Prophet Jesus will be the leader of genuine Christians when he returns to Earth. With his coming, Christianity will be purged of its false beliefs and pronouncements and will follow the Qur’an.
All these developments regarding the Prophet Jesus listed by Said Nursi will happen at the same time as the Mahdi appears. However, neither the second coming of the Prophet Jesus and his assumption of the leadership of all Christians, nor Christians’ purging their faith of all false beliefs and practices has yet happened. Neither has the alliance of the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi yet come about. Therefore, with all this information Said Nursi is clearly imparting the welcome tidings that the Mahdi had not come in an earlier period and that all these awaited developments were explicit signs of his appearance.
The One powerful over all things has promised it, He will certainly bring it about:
Said Nursi notes that the coming about of these blessed phenomena is a promise made by Almighty Allah. In the Qur’an, Allah tells all believers of the global dominion of Islamic morality.
This promise of Allah’s is revealed as follows in a verse:
Allah has promised those of you who believe and do right actions that He will make them successors in the land as He made those before them successors, and will firmly establish for them their religion with which He is pleased and give them, in place of their fear, security. “They worship Me, not associating anything with Me.” Any who disbelieve after that, such people are deviators. (Surat an-Nur:55)
The fact that Allah will certainly make good His promise is revealed as follows in the Qur’an:
That is Allah’s promise. Allah does not break His promise. But most people do not know it. (Surat ar-Rum:6)… Allah will not break His promise. (Surah Al ’Imr’an:9)… Allah will not fail to keep His promise. (Surat ar- Ra’d:31)
These glad promises made by Allah in the verses of the Qur’an will be kept, insha’Allah. Said Nursi uses a very confident term, based on this information in the Qur’an, and reminds us that, by Allah’s leave, these phenomena “will certainly come about” in the End Times.
The developments described in the hadith of our Prophet and in these passages from Said Nursi have not so far taken place. Indeed, Said Nursi says, “he will” and is thus referring to a future event, and not an event “that has taken or is taking place.”
The Prophet Jesus has not yet come to Earth for a second time. The entire Muslim and Christian worlds are awaiting the second coming of this blessed individual. His alliance with the Mahdi has not yet come about either. Said Nursi recalls this fact in these passages, and says that the Prophet Jesus and the Mahdi will come “at a later time” than his own.
- Indeed, it is not far from the wisdom of an All-Wise One of glory who all the time sends the angels to the Earth from the heavens, sometimes in human form (like Gabriel appearing in the form of Dihya), and sends spirit beings from the Spirit World making them appear in human form, and even sends the spirits of most of the dead saints to the world with similitudes of their bodies, to clothe Jesus in his body and send him to the world, so to bring the religion of Jesus to a good conclusion, for such a momentous result, -even if he was not alive and present with his body in the heavenly world, and had truly died and departed for the furthest corner of the Hereafter. Indeed he promised it because his wisdom required it to be thus, and since he promised it, he will most certainly send him.141
Said Nursi once again states that the second coming of the Prophet Jesus is a certain fact, and illuminates the subject by referring to the angels:
Who all the time sends the angels to the Earth from the heavens:
The return to Earth in the End Times of the Prophet Jesus is one of the miracles of Allah. Said Nursi refers to this manifest truth revealed in the Qur’an and the hadith, and describes the second coming of the Prophet Jesus as, by Allah’s leave, a total certainty.
Said Nursi says that angels also come to Earth, by Allah’s leave, when needed, and that the Prophet Jesus will come for the second time, at the time appointed by Allah, and that he will call on people to adopt true religious moral values as a messenger of Allah.
Angels live in a different dimension to those of space and time familiar to human beings. The following verses indicate that the dimension inhabited by the angels is beyond those concepts known to us:
[This punishment is] from Allah – the Lord of the Ascending Steps. The angels and the Spirit ascend to Him in a day whose length is fifty thousand years. (Surat al- Ma’arij:3-4)
The reference in this verse to “a day whose length is fifty thousand years” shows that the angels are not bound by the concept of time that we are fettered by. In addition, this is one of the proofs that there is another life beyond the concept of time known to human beings and that this life is not dependant upon a concept of time and space similar to those in this world. It is possible that the Prophet Jesus is living in such a dimension. (Allah knows the truth.)
The fact that angels come to Earth to do things decreed by Allah and at times appointed by Him shows that it is possible, with our Lord’s permission, to move from other dimensions to ours. It is revealed in the Qur’an that angels sometimes descend to Earth in order to transmit Allah’s revelation, and sometimes, by Allah’s leave, to help and support believers:
And when you said to the believers, “Is it not enough for you that your Lord reinforced you with three thousand angels, sent down?” (Surah Al ’Imran:124) He sends down angels with the Spirit of His command to any of His servants He wills: “Give warning that there is no deity but Me, so have fear of Me!” (Surat an-Nahl:2)
It is also revealed in the Qur’an that angels came as messengers to the Prophets Abraham and Lot and told them of the suffering that would afflict their peoples; that they came to the Prophet Zechariah and told him he would have a child; and that they came to Maryam and told her she had been chosen and of the birth of the Prophet Jesus. We are also told of the revelation of the Qur’an to our Prophet by way of the angel Gabriel, and that the Prophet saw Gabriel.
By referring to the angels, Said Nursi reveals that the second coming of the Prophet Jesus in human form in the End Times will be in conformity with the law of Allah, and that Allah’s promise will be made good.
So to bring the religion of Jesus to a good conclusion, for such a momentous result:
By these words, Said Nursi is saying that our Lord will send the Prophet Jesus to Earth for a second time for “an important, good conclusion.” With the return to Earth of the Prophet Jesus, Christianity will be cleansed of all false beliefs and practices and will turn to Islam.
By this means, Christianity will be restored to the true form revealed to the Prophet Jesus, there will be an alliance between Muslims and genuine Christians, and this alliance around the truth will bring peace to the world.
[Jesus who is] alive and present with his body in the heavenly world:
Here, Said Nursi is stating that, just like the angels, the Prophet Jesus is alive in the Presence of Allah and that he will return to Earth at the time ordained by Allah.
The angels descend to Earth and then return to Allah’s Presence at various times appointed by Him. However, the fact that they ascend into the Presence of Allah does not mean that they vanish as we understand the concept in this world. They merely pass over to another dimension and continue to live, but beyond our perception.
In a similar way, the fact that the Prophet Jesus has been taken to the Presence of Allah does not mean that he is dead. Indeed, it is made clear in several verses that the Prophet Jesus did not die, and this is also confirmed by the hadith. The Prophet Jesus is alive in a dimension we cannot comprehend. In addition, the fact that the angels can move between two dimensions, by Allah’s leave, shows that this is an easy matter if our Lord so ordains.
When the time appointed by Allah comes, the Prophet Jesus will return to Earth and he will call people to the true religious moral values as the messenger of our Lord. Said Nursi also expresses this fact by these words.
In the words “[Jesus who is] alive and present with his body in the heavenly world,” Said Nursi is telling us that the Prophet Jesus did not die, that he is still alive and will return to Earth in human form. Said Nursi thus reveals that the Prophet Jesus is not a collective personality and is imparting the good news that this blessed prophet will return to Earth, as a miracle from Allah “as an individual in human form.”
It is not far from the wisdom of an all-wise one of glory … to clothe Jesus in his body and send him to the world … for such a momentous result, -even if he … had truly died and departed for the furthest corner of the Hereafter:
With these words, Said Nursi reminds us that our Lord’s Might is infinite and that He has the power to do whatever He wills, and says that the second coming of the Prophet Jesus will, by Allah’s leave, definitely come about. Said Nursi’s mentioning our Lord’s infinite might in his description of the coming of the Prophet Jesus is certainly one of the clearest indications of his absolute certainty on the subject.
Said Nursi gives an example here and says that “it is not far from the wisdom of an all-wise one of glory … to clothe him in his body and send him to the world … for such a momentous result, even if he … had truly died” By these words, Said Nursi is explicitly referring to a “human being” and revealing that the Prophet Jesus is not a collective personality.
He is once again imparting the glad tidings that, with our Lord’s leave, the Prophet Jesus will return to Earth as “a person” in the End Times.
Since He promised it, He will most certainly send him:
Allah has revealed that the Prophet Jesus will return to Earth. He will definitely keep this promise.
All this evidence is a sign that those people who try to deny that the Prophet Jesus did not die and the fact that he will return to Earth, out of a failure to properly appreciate the might and greatness of Allah, are making a grave error.
It must not be forgotten that Allah is the All-Mighty, and has the power to do anything. He creates what He wills, in the form He wills. His knowledge is infinite. When the time appointed by Allah comes a great miracle will take place and the Prophet Jesus will return to Earth. This fact is imparted in verses and hadith and is a marvel that all believers must reflect on. Said Nursi also expressed this promise made by Allah and, reminding us, as revealed in the Qur’an, that our Lord is He Who does not break His promises, imparts the glad tidings that the return to Earth, in human form, of the Prophet Jesus is a “certain fact”
10…. When Jesus comes, it is not necessary that everyone should know him to be the true Jesus. His elect and those close to him will recognize him through the light of faith. It will not be self-evident, so not everyone will recognize him…142
Said Nursi says that in the early years of the Prophet Jesus’ return to Earth the number of those who know who he is will be very small. His close followers and students with a profound faith will be able to recognize him through the luminosity of faith, but society in general will not know he is the Prophet Jesus:
When Jesus comes:
By the words “when Jesus comes”
Said Nursi is shedding light on a number of important matters. With the words “when [he]… comes” Said Nursi is imparting the tidings that the Prophet Jesus will “definitely come.” Said Nursi uses the verb “come” to make it clear that the Prophet Jesus is “an individual,” not a “spiritual entity.”
A collective personality cannot “come” anywhere. A collective personality can only “form.” “Coming” is an action specific to human beings. By these words Said Nursi is emphasizing this significant difference and making it certain that the Prophet Jesus will return as a human being.
Him to be the true Jesus:
By these words Said Nursi is again emphasizing that the Prophet Jesus is “a human being” and not a spiritual entity. By referring to “the true Jesus” Said Nursi is again referring to “a person”, the difference between the Prophet Jesus and other people being made definite by the use of the word “true.” Said Nursi also uses the pronoun “him” to again reiterate the fact that the Prophet Jesus is “a human being.” In addition, Said Nursi’s use of the words “the true Jesus” emphasize that when he returns he will be different from the “false messiahs,” who also are all human beings, and that this blessed individual will be “the true Jesus.”
When the Prophet Jesus returns, together with all those features that agree with the descriptions provided in the Qur’an and the hadith, he will be distinguished from all the false messiahs and, as Said Nursi emphasizes, will be “the true Jesus.”
His elect and those close to him:
Said Nursi uses the words “his elect and those close to him” to say that the Prophet Jesus will have “close followers possessed of profound faith.” It is impossible for a collective personality to have “followers” or “people close to it.” Only a person can have followers.
Said Nursi was certainly very well aware of this. By referring to the followers of the Prophet Jesus he is telling Muslims that the Prophet Jesus is not a collective personality and that this blessed individual will personally be at the head of his followers.
Will recognize him:
By his use of the word “him” Said Nursi is again stating that the Prophet Jesus will come as “a person.” Said Nursi’s use of the word “recognize” puts the matter beyond all doubt. Only a “person”, an “individual” can be recognized. It is of course impossible for “its close followers to recognize a collective personality.”
However, Said Nursi does say that the followers of the Prophet Jesus possessed of profound faith and close to him will recognize him through the light of that faith. Said Nursi is of course well aware of this as he imparts this information. Said Nursi issues these statements in a highly conscious manner and thus proves that the Prophet Jesus is “an individual” who will be recognized by believers.
Not everyone will recognize him:
By saying “not everyone will recognize him”
Said Nursi is making it clear that in the early days of his coming not everyone will know who he is, in other words, that society as a whole will not recognize him. Said Nursi uses these words to once again draw our attention to the property of the verb “recognize” which is described above and unique to human beings. If Said Nursi thought that the Prophet Jesus was a collective personality he would not have made such a statement or have referred to the Prophet Jesus being recognized. But by using the word “him” Said Nursi is stating that the Prophet Jesus is “a person” and explains who will not be able to recognize him, thus once again emphasizing the matter.
