What are the contents of the books in Risale-i Nur Collection? What are the topics? What do they mention? Will you give general information?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Risale-i Nur is a sea of ilm (knowledge); everybody benefits from that sea based on their capacity and talent. Everybody has a different capacity of knowledge. A person may have a capacity of a glass, another one a jug, another one a barrel, another one a tank and yet another one a small lake. Therefore, people benefit from Risale-i Nur differently. Everybody gets something based on their capacity and power.

Indeed, each part of Risale-i Nur has a distinguished feature. However, all of them have a common point: investigative belief and real knowledge.

Realities of belief and knowledge (of Allah) are predominant in the books that form the basis of Risale-i Nur: Sözler (The Words), Lem’alar (The Flashes), Şualar (The Rays), Mektubat (Letters).

Sözler (The Words) : It includes general and basic issues of belief like the proof of the existence of Allah, resurrection, qadar (predestination) and the miraculousness of the Quran.

Mektubat (Letters) : It generally includes more detailed and minor issues than Sözler like where Hell is, the difference between love and compassion, and tariqahs.  

Lem’alar (The Flashes) : It is a human-centered book. It includes great realities in belief-man relationship. It gives lessons of belief in the subjective realm: The Booklet of Ill People, Booklet of Old People, Booklet of Tasattur, the explanations of some dhikrs.  

Şualar (The Rays) : It includes general revision of the lessons and draws the widest boundaries of great and comprehensive lessons of belief. In Ayetü’l-Kübra (the Supreme Sign) and Münacaat (Supplication), it starts with the sky and proves the issues of belief from, air, mountains, seas and kingdom of plants. It gives information about the Creator. It deals with general issues of belief in Meyve Risalesi (Booklet of Fruit) and al-Hujjatuz-Zahra Booklet. Müdafaalar (Defenses) is the part where the case of Risale-i Nur is defended.

Lahikalar: They mention the principles of Risale-i Nur service and the relationship among brothers. Barla Lahikası, Kastamonu Lahikası and Emirdağ Lahikası start from the small circle (man, his brother) and moves to the large circle (the whole world and methods of service).

Mesnevi-i Nuriye: It is a seed and summary of Risale-i Nur Collection. The issues that are explained in a booklet in other books are explained in one paragraph in this book.  

İşarat-ül İ’caz (Signs of Miraculousness) : is a model of tafsir; rhetoric and grammar are predominant. It is a verse by verse and word by word tafsir of the Quran including the chapter of al-Fatiha and the chapter of al-Baqara up to verse 31.

Muhakemat is methodology of tafsir and kalam.

Tarihçe-i Hayat gives information about the service and cause of Badiuzzaman Said Nursi. Seventy percent of it includes the parts in Risale-i Nur; ten percent includes his articles and defenses that are not included in Risale-i Nur; only twenty percent of it mentions the life of Badiuzzaman.

Sikke-i Tasdik-i Gaybi mentions the blessings, grants and signs showing the acceptance of Risale-i Nur service.

Small and old books like Münazarat, İşarat, Sünuhat, Hutbe-i Şamiye, Nurun İlk Kapısı and Divan-ı Harb-i Örfi mention political and social issues.

Risale-i Nur is like the doctor and medicine of this age; it can be said that it is a collection of books that produced definite solutions and cures for all illnesses and problems of this age.

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