RİNAP Science and Service Awards Presented!

The first "Science and Service Awards 2026" ceremony, organized this year by the Risale-i Nur Research Platform (RİNAP) operating within Üsküdar University, honored individuals who have made a difference in the academic world and in social service.
In the program where 9 individuals were awarded in different fields, Prof. Nevzat Tarhan, addressing current societal events, said, "9 young people were killed in Kahramanmaraş. Our hearts ached. Children should not only be taught faith; they should also be taught the balance of good-bad, right-wrong, and freedom-responsibility."
 

The "Science and Service Awards 2026" ceremony, organized by the Risale-i Nur Research Platform (RİNAP) operating within Üsküdar University, was held at the Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall in the Main Campus. 

In this first ceremony, organized to encourage works that unite science and wisdom and to honor individuals dedicated to the Risale-i Nur field, the awards were presented to their recipients.

The program began with a recitation of the Holy Quran. Afterwards, a short film about the life and scientific struggle of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi was screened.

Prof. Nevzat Tarhan: "We wanted to do something different this time"

President of Üsküdar University and Chairman of the Board of Governors Prof. Nevzat Tarhan stated in his opening speech that this year's Bediüzzaman Commemoration and Understanding Day programs, held every March since the university's establishment, were approached with different content.

Prof. Tarhan said, "Such commemoration and understanding programs have become very widespread. This time, we wanted to do something different. We organized this program to remember all the visible and invisible contributors who put effort into the realization of this service and to record it in history."

Pointing to Said Nursi's approach of bringing together religious sciences and natural sciences, Prof. Tarhan said, "New generations do not sufficiently recognize this thought due to various societal prejudices."

Prof. Tarhan also explained the increasing international interest in the Risale-i Nur collection with examples, stating, "I was in Indonesia recently. There is a serious need and intense interest in Risale-i Nur there. People learn religious knowledge but struggle to explain the reasons for worship. The Risale-i Nur movement offers an approach that can answer these questions by bringing kalam (scholastic theology) to high school level."

"9 young people were killed in Kahramanmaraş. Our hearts ached"

Addressing current societal events, Prof. Tarhan said, "9 young people were killed in Kahramanmaraş. Our hearts ached. What would Bediüzzaman say about this issue if he lived in this time? He says, 'If you do not teach your children Islamic upbringing, they will become small monsters later on.' He does not only explain tawhid (oneness of God) and faith but also how to behave in life. Children should not only be taught faith; they should also be taught the balance of good-bad, right-wrong, and freedom-responsibility."

One of the most important shortcomings is the 'Sense of Accountability' 

Prof. Nevzat Tarhan emphasized that one of the most significant shortcomings in the context of values education for children and youth is the "sense of accountability," stating that increasing secularization in modern society deepens this situation.

Prof. Tarhan stated that Said Nursi also pointed out two fundamental problems of the age: "There are two important diseases of this age: one is egoism, meaning vanity; the other is worldliness, meaning secularism. The secularism I refer to here is worldliness in the philosophical sense."

Raising children as "leaders of the house" can lead to serious problems in later ages

Prof. Tarhan highlighted that family attitudes are decisive in children's personality development, stating that raising children as "leaders of the house" in particular can lead to serious problems in later ages. Prof. Tarhan said, "A Hadith states, 'In the end of times, children will be the masters of the house.' When you raise a child with excessive attention and unlimited tolerance, fulfilling all their wishes, the child perceives themselves as the center of the world. This situation might not be noticed until the age of 10-11. However, when the social environment intervenes with adolescence, the child encounters 'no' for the first time. In this case, they perceive it as injustice, and anger accumulates."

Prof. Tarhan stated that this type of upbringing nurtures narcissistic tendencies, saying, "Narcissism is egoism that has become a personality trait. Such a child acts with the thought, 'I am special, what I say should happen.' When their expectations are not met, they begin to see their environment as an enemy."

Background of societal violence incidents

Prof. Tarhan pointed out that similar dynamics can be observed in the background of societal violence incidents, citing the 2014 attack in the USA where Elliot Rodger killed six people, stating that this incident sparked a movement called "incel."

Prof. Tarhan stated that academic or behavioral education alone is not sufficient for children to grow into healthy individuals, saying, "If we want to take weapons out of our children's hands, we need to teach them a sense of accountability. Awareness of death, the afterlife, and receiving recompense for their actions must be instilled. What protects a person is not solely their good intentions or patriotism; it is the consciousness of accountability."

Children should be taught to respect others' rights

Prof. Tarhan stated that religious and moral concepts offer an important framework at this point, saying, "In Islamic thought, the concept referred to as 'day of religion' actually means the day of reckoning. In this world, there are deeds, but no reckoning; after death, there are no deeds, but there is reckoning. If this awareness is not instilled, the child cannot develop empathy, cannot learn to respect the rights of others. They cannot learn 'kul hakkı' (rights of fellow human beings)."

Prof. Tarhan drew attention to the importance of virtue-based moral education, stating that this education should be supported by scientific methods, and said, "Children should be taught not only rules but also virtue ethics. This should also be approached with a scientific methodology."

"He brought Imam Ghazali to this era"

Prof. Tarhan stated that Bediüzzaman developed a completely new perspective in his works, preserving fundamental principles instead of repeating tradition, and used the following expressions:

"In Bediüzzaman's works, we see this: he took religion, meaning it's as if he didn't go to Imam Ghazali's time to answer questions. He brought Imam Ghazali to this era, answering by thinking 'how would he answer if he were in this time.' In other words, he did not spend time writing commentaries on Imam Ghazali. He started anew, preserving the essentials and presenting 6000 pages related to Islam with a new, unparalleled perspective in other works, tailored to the understanding of this age."

"200-year-old methods don't work for today's youth" 

Addressing the wrong perception of religion and cultural pressures in society, Prof. Tarhan said, "William Chittick, an American convert, said, 'I see people in Türkiye worshiping religion, not Allah.' It's a very strong statement, but he means this: We mistake tradition for religion. We have accepted Mesopotamia's culture of oppression as Islamic teaching. However, in prophetic morality, in the life of the Messenger of Allah, even raising one's voice is absent. Methods that worked 200 years ago do not work for today's youth."

Artificial intelligence will enable us to reach the capillaries of the world

Emphasizing the role of technology in the future vision, Prof. Tarhan said, "We need to use artificial intelligence to reach the people of this age. If we use artificial intelligence appropriately for our purpose, it will give us the advantage of reaching all the capillaries of the world. Everyone should act with the motivation of 'What is my duty, how many new people can I explain these truths to.'"

Prof. Mehmet Zelka: "Bediüzzaman used to say, 'I can live without bread, but I cannot live without freedom.'"

RİNAP President Prof. Mehmet Zelka, in his opening speech, stated that the current era, despite its technological advancements, harbors deep injustices, and he touched upon Bediüzzaman's emphasis on freedom, recalling that Said Nursi said, 'I can live without bread, but I cannot live without freedom.'

Prof. Zelka stated that Bediüzzaman's call for "awakening" to the Islamic world and Asian societies has a universal quality, and he also said that Bediüzzaman stated, "Our enemies are ignorance, poverty, and discord. Against these, we will wage jihad with the weapons of knowledge, wisdom, and unity."

Prof. Mehmet Zelka stated that the aim of the program was to display an example of loyalty, and said, "The esteemed individuals we are honoring here today have been living representatives of these truths. They have carried out a silent but effective service by basing their work on knowledge against ignorance, solidarity against poverty, and unity against discord. We have gathered here to express our gratitude to them and to demonstrate an example of loyalty." 

"9 awards are a start; we have many elders who deserve them"

Prof. Zelka stated that the awards presented at the ceremony are symbolic tokens of gratitude, and said, "Nine awards are being presented here today, but the number of awards that should be presented is certainly not limited to this figure. These presentations will continue in the future. Today, we are presenting four of the nine awards as 'Special Service Awards' and five as 'Science Awards.' We know that there are many esteemed elders, both deceased and living, who are worthy of these awards."

Science and service awards found their owners

At the ceremony, awards were presented to individuals who contributed to the understanding, research, and dissemination of Risale-i Nur to society.

The RİNAP Special Service Award was given to Lawyer Gültekin Sarıgül for his contributions to the Risale-i Nur cases. 

The RİNAP Science Award was presented to Necmettin Şahiner, known for his research and documentation work. 

Another recipient of the Service Award was Fevzi Allahverdi for his contributions to the promotion of Risale-i Nur. 

Prof. Ahmet Akgündüz, prominent with his scientific studies and works, was also deemed worthy of the RİNAP Science Award. 

Asst. Prof. Abdülvehap Erin, who contributed with his academic work, was also among the award recipients.

At the ceremony, some awards were presented by proxy due to the absence of the recipients. 

The RİNAP Special Service Award was given to Abdulvahit Mutkan's representative, while İhsan Kasım Salihi, who stands out with his Arabic translation works, had his award received by his son, and a video message he sent was played. Additionally, the award for Şerafettin Kartal was presented by proxy, and Şükran Vahide, who translated Risale-i Nur into English, was also among those deemed worthy of the science award.

The program concluded with a photo shoot

The ceremony, which took place with high participation, concluded with a group photo shoot. At the event, while loyalty was shown to scholars and service providers with the understanding that "merit is subject to praise," it was emphasized that the aim was to increase the impact of Risale-i Nur studies in academic and social fields.