PERTANIKA JOURNAL OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE

This article aims to evaluate the theological thought of Badiuzaman Said Nursi in the light of the doctine (aqidah) of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama'ah or briefly known as Sunni. It uses the qualitative methods of analytical evaluation and content analysis. It mainly evaluates Nursi's ideas derived from his primary sources including his speeches and writings including his masterpiece, Rasail al-Nur. The evaluation of Nursi's theological thought is divided into four aspects. The first aspect is the methodology of deriving legal verdicts, which is primarily divided into dalil al-naql (revelation) and dalil al-aql (reason). The second aspect is the pillars of faith (iman), which are firm belief in Allah, angels, the divine books, the prophets, judgement day and predestination. The third is related to the divine attributes and the beautiful names of Allah. The final is the different doctrines of various sects (mazhab) such as Mu'tazilah, al-Qadariyyah, Syiah Rafidhah and Zindiq (atheists). This study found that all four aspects of Nursi's theological thought are consistent with the principles of Sunni doctrine and the methods applied by Sunni scholars. Hence, it is concluded that Nursi made invaluable intellectual endeavours to defend Sunni doctrine through his speeches and writings.