The Particular Purposes of Prayer in the Letters of Light by Master Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (May Allah Have Mercy on Him)

Abstract

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad and all his family.

Allah Almighty has prescribed prayer in order to achieve great purposes and benefits that return to benefit humanity in both the immediate and the hereafter. Scholars have discussed some of its purposes and wisdom both in ancient and modern times, but—as I believe—they have not comprehended the matter as comprehensively as Master Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (may Allah have mercy on him) did in his epistles called the Risale-i Nur (Letters of Light). He explained the purpose of each pillar of its pillars, every remembrance (dhikr) contained within it, and elucidated the purposes of the verses of Surat al-Fatiha, which is a fundamental pillar among its pillars. Moreover, he pointed to the purposes of the prescribed times for performing prayer and the secret behind the Lawgiver's selection of each of those specific times.

The researcher attempted to highlight the issue of the particular purposes of prayer, its wisdom, and its secrets in the Letters of Light. He collected what Master Bediuzzaman (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in some of his epistles regarding the particular purposes in prayer in general and in its pillars, in Surat al-Fatiha, and in the Wise Lawgiver's selection of these times for its performance. He organized them into independent sections and topics according to what research and study require.