In this course, Dr. Yusuf Patel reads and reflects on Said Nursi's treatise, A Message for the Sick. This course provides a spiritual perspective on how to understand and deal with diseases. Said Nursi is considered to be one of the last great Ottoman scholars of the 19th Century. Well-known for his scholarly and spiritual contributions, he authored a critical and beneficial exposition of the Qur’an titled the Risale Nur. In this exposition, he covered an array of topics and subjects that were confronting communities of faith. One of the treatises in the Risale Nur focused on the concepts of life, death, disease, and health. Said Nursi showed and explained how Muslims should understand these states of one's existence and how one should see the divine hand at play when Allah decrees certain events to occur in one's life. Contrary to the materialistic worldview, disease and illness are laden with spiritual reminders and remedies that can enhance the spiritual rank of an individual. As the world currently comes to terms with the Covid-19 pandemic this course will provide basic guidance on how to negotiate and reconceive the burdens of disease.
- Teacher: Dr. Yousuf Patel
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
- Understand the metaphysical perspective of illness and disease.
- Appreciate the spiritual benefits and reminders laden within a disease.
- Come to terms with illness, death, and our mortality as human beings.