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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  ]]>

Risale-i Nur Collection, The Letters ]]>

A truly God-believing person does not harm any life. This has been true throughout the history of mankind. When we see people doing anything contrary to this truth, we need to examine their education system concerning God. About 70- 90% of the Western World and 95% of the Middle East believes in God. These numbers are remarkably high. Thus, within these “believers” we shouldn’t expect such a tragic outcome as the death of any innocent life. How to respond and correct such tragedy:

• by educating and proper upbringing
• by consulting teachers and scholars
• by facilitating and promoting the availability of preventive measures to the needy
• by emphasizing the need to care about each other

We understand that each society or nation will implement these measures differently based on their style. What we recommend is to incorporate God into these measures. However, I wish to emphasize that this is not about my God vs. your God, nor your religion vs. my religion. Why? Because God is Universal, meaning, the 70-95% of believers (previously mentioned statistics) should unite under the One True God.   In theology, we call all these believers, the People of the Book. So, we may now ask, “Why do the believers of God not unite?”  The reason is because too many of these believers do not have the crystal clear understanding of  God.  Sadly, this unacceptable shame is happening in our modern time of advanced knowledge and technology, a time in which we have much deeper understanding of everything except God. The solution is not, “Who is right about God?”, but rather, “What is right about God?”. To find the solution, scholars of all faiths need to brainstorm together, objectively. Our input to them about this dilemma will be presenting a masterpiece on God: the Risale-i Nur Collection by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi.  Today, millions of people around the world testify to this fact that Bediuzzaman makes the truth of God crystal clear. He brings great clarity about God through his unique methodology utilizing sound reasonings and logical proofs of God. This is our contribution to the scholars’ quest of seeking what is right about God. Dr. Osman Birgeoglu ]]>

finding God and actualizing their dreams in their ordinary lives. People crave the extraordinary because they realize they themselves don’t have it. A perfect example of this occurred this weekend with the opening of the final Harry Potter movie. According to the Los Angeles Times, the film had the highest-gross-opening of all time at the domestic and international box office. Interestingly, one theatre in Salt Lake City, Utah, the Mormon capital of the US, sold more tickets than any other theatre in America. Just in three days, the film grossed $168.6 million in the US and Canada, plus $307 million overseas in 59 countries.  It is expected to pass $1 billion overall at the global box office. These statistics reflect the unprecedented numbers of people yearning to reach beyond their ordinary lives to connect with the non-ordinary. Experiencing the extraordinary is possible, but all dreams come true only through God, no other means. Thus this deep spiritual hunger people feel for the extraordinary is possibly only through God. The Risale-i Nur published by Nur Publishers states it best, “If you find Him, you found everything.” I will add my input on this: If you don’t have everything you need, want, desire in your life, then your journey to God isn’t finished, you are not there yet.  Your unanswered needs will serve as your indicator that you need to push yourself harder and further on your journey. It’s perfectly OK to go see the Harry Potter film which stirs our hearts and spirits to obtain things of the extraordinary, mystical realms. We simply need to realize our next step then is to seek these things with God because the real power is with Him and comes through Him to His loved ones. And, becoming one of His loved ones is certainly within the reach of each of us. When we seek God genuinely we begin to see and experience the extraordinary in the ordinary; your dreams soon become real. And with Him are the keys of the unseen; none knows them except Him. And He knows what is on the land and in the sea. Not a leaf falls but that He knows it. And no grain is there within the darknesses of the earth and no moist or dry [thing] but that it is [written] in a clear record. [The Quran, 6:59] The answers we seek for our dreams, hopes, and desires are in the manual of life: God’s Revelations through Archangel Gabriel ( The Psalms, The Torah, The Bible, The Quran). Dr. Osman Birgeoglu [caption id="attachment_1755" align="alignleft" width="640" caption="the phenomenal journey to God"][/caption]  ]]>

acts of service to elevate and benefit our permanent life in the Hereafter. Ustad Bediuzzman Said Nursi visits this exact topic in the Risale-i Nur and says the following: “This world is the is the realm of wisdom, the realm of service; it is not the realm of reward and recompense. The wage for deeds and acts of service here is given in the Intermediate Realm and the Hereafter. Acts here produce fruits there. This being the truth of the matter, the results of actions that look to the hereafter should not be sought in this world. If they are given, they should be received not gratefully, but regretfully. For in Paradise, the more fruits are picked, the more they grow. So it is hardly sensible to consume in this world in fleeting fashion the fruits of action that pertain to the hereafter, which are lasting. It is like exchanging a permanent lamp for one that will last a minute and then flicker out.” – from the Risale-i Nur by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, The Lights of Reality Dr. Osman Birgeoglu  ]]>