In Memory of Dr. Ibrahim Abu Rabi & his Service to Risale-i Nur

I wish to dedicate this post to my friend, Dr. Ibrahim Abu Rabi. His services to Risale-i Nur were outstanding, to say the least. His sudden and unexpected death came while traveling to Jordan, Saturday, July 2nd, this year. His death at the early age of 55 shocked many of us,  indeed, it was very sad news for all of us to lose such an exceptional scholar and important friend. We pray for his family now.  We also pray that his invaluable services to better understanding of Islam in the United States will continue.  Dr. Ibrahim was the first full-time Muslim faculty member at an accredited Christian Seminary, the Hartford Seminary. Once, in 2005,  I was attending a conference at the Seminary in Connecticut, Dr. Ibrahim was the Chairperson for the conference.  He and I were also in the company of Mehmet Firinci Agabey and Sukran Vahide, both arriving to the US from Turkey. We all really enjoyed the presentations on the Risale-i Nur.  Dr. Ibrahim was the one person responsible for this conference taking place. I was coming from Phoenix, Arizona and at one point, Dr. Ibrahim told me: “how about if we have the next Risale-i Nur conference in Phoenix?” I was very happy for his encouragement of this suggestion. Inshaallah, his soul will be blessed and rewarded whenever our team holds seminars or lectures in Phoenix. Needless to say, he brought so much good to very many people around the world.  We will not forget him. May Allah increase His blessings on our good brother, Ibrahim Abu Rabi. Ameen. Dr. Osman Birgeoglu  ]]>