Organized through the collaboration of the Maqasid Institute (USA), the Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture (Türkiye), and Hearts See (UK), the “Barla Universe Readings” program invites participants to re-read and re-understand the universe from the perspective of the Qur’an.
This international retreat, held in the natural and spiritual atmosphere of Barla, approaches the universe as a “divine book” and offers participants opportunities for deep reflection and reading within the framework of contemporary Islamic thought. The program represents one of the concrete outcomes of the cooperation agreement previously signed between the Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture (IIKV) and the Maqasid Institute (USA). Within the scope of this academic and intellectual partnership, the two institutions aim to develop new projects based on the Qur’an, the Risale-i Nur Collection, and the broader Islamic scholarly tradition. “Barla Universe Readings” stands as one of the first implementations of this shared vision.
Speakers and Topics:
Said Yüce – Executive Director of the Istanbul Foundation for Science and Culture
- Said Nursi: His Life and the Risale-i Nur
- Visiting Barla and the Life of Said Nursi in Barla
Dr. Osman Yapar, Oman
- The Life and Struggle of Said Nursi
Shaykh Muhammad Foulds – Founder of Hearts See, United Kingdom
- A Critique of the Modern Scientific Worldview
- Looking at Nature through the Lens of Qur’anic Verses
- Using the Senses to Read the Signs in Creation
- Integrating the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the Perception of Nature
Dr. Yamina Bouguenaya – Receiving Nur, USA
- Reading the Divine Signs (Ayat) in the Universe
- Witnessing the Beautiful Names of God (Asma al-Husna) in Nature
- Contemplation with the Heart
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Tuna – Duke University, USA
- Recognizing God in a Secular Age: Why Read the Universe?
- Knowing God Through Reflective Observation
- On Beauty: Reflective Observation in Practice
Dr. Ildus Rafikov – Vice President, Maqasid Institute, USA
- The Good Life (Hayyat al-Tayyibah): Qur’anic Guidance
- Nature as a Dynamic System: An Islamic Perspective
Dr. Ahmet Subaşı – SESTEK, United Arab Emirates
- Reading Human Nature in the Name of the Creator
- To Understand the Universe Is to Recognize the Creator
This unique retreat held in Barla opens a path not only to a scientific but also to a wisdom-based reading of the universe. Guided by the Qur’an and the Risale-i Nur, it calls participants to view nature as a constellation of divine signs and to discover divine meaning in every particle.
As part of the program:
In Çamdağı, IIKV President Said Yüce presented examples from Nursi’s tradition of contemplation. Additionally, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Tuna, a historian from Duke University (USA), read and interpreted the 19th Window from the Risale-i Nur in English, leading participants into a deep journey of reflection. Within this context, the session explored how the universe can be read as a collection of divine signs through the lens of the 19th Window.
