Bediuzzaman Said Nursi has said ''Hazrat Mahdi (as) will have three great duties;'' ''it is Hazrat Mahdi (as) who will perform these three duties together and across the world.''

In his works Bediuzzaman has stated that “Hazrat Mahdi (as) will have three great duties” and that “the performance of these three duties together is one of the main signs in the recognition of Hazrat Mahdi (as).”  The first of these duties is “intellectual struggle against materialist, Darwinist and atheist philosophies and the complete silencing of them intellectually.” The second is, “the establishment of the Islamic Union by assuming the leadership of the Islamic world”, and the third “the restoration of the moral values of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of our Prophet (saas) and causing these to rule across the world.” Bediuzzaman also said that these three duties had not been discharged together in his own time and that only Hazrat Mahdi (as) can do that: 

 

Bediuzzaman said that Hazrat Mahdi (as) would discharge the "THREE DUTIES TOGETHER:" and that none of the previous mujaddid (renovators of the faith), himself included, had ever combined the three together. In the words “AT THIS TIME,” Bediuzzaman says that it is impossible for a single individual in his time to discharge the three duties that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will perform. Moreover, he says that it is impossible for these three duties to hinder one another.  The powerful nature of this opinion of Bediuzzaman’s is confirmed by the words “VERY REMOTE” and “LITERALLY IMPOSSIBLE.”  Bediüzzaman reveals that only the Great Mahdi who will appear a century after him will perform them all together. 

In another passage, Bediuzzaman says that various Muslim individuals had come in previous centuries with the aim of causing the moral values of the Qur’an to rule across the world, but that none of these had discharged the three duties of Hazrat Mahdi (as) together. He says that this is why none of them was able to assume the title of "GREAT MAHDI” of the End Times.

Bediuzzaman says that his Risale-i Nur collection also discharged the first of these duties of Hazrat Mahdi (as), “saving the faith.”  But that this service had been rendered in only a very narrow sphere or framework. “Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) faith-related work will bring Islamic moral values to rule “over the whole world:”

 

Bediuzzaman stated that HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) who will bear the title of the “Great Mahdi” will discharge the duty of SALVAGING THE FAITH AND THE TWO OTHER DUTIES ALL TOGETHER, AS WELL AS ACROSS THE WORLD.  “Bediuzzaman did not discharge Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) other duties, did not establish the Islamic Union, he did not bear the attribute of spiritual leader of all the Muslims of the world, did not forge an alliance with the Christian world with that attribute, and did not conduce in restoring the moral values of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (saas) and causing them to prevail across the world.” 

Since all these facts make the truth perfectly clear, it is dishonest to say that the fact that Bediuzzaman discharged only one or two of these duties only partially is a sign that he is the Mahdi.  It is evident that Bediuzzaman did not cause Islamic moral values to rule the world, establish Islamic Union among the Muslims of the world or cause all Christians to convert to Islam.

 

Bediuzzaman stated that Hazrat Mahdi (as) would serve as Mahdi in three different fields, and that he would be “THE MAHDI OF POLITICS,”  “THE MAHDI OF GOVERNMENT” and the “MAHDI OF RELIGION.” One of the passages in which Bediuzzaman clarifies this important feature of Hazrat Mahdi (as) reads:
 

“the Great Mahdi will have numerous functions. He will carry out duties IN THE WORLD OF POLITICS, THE WORLD OF RELIGION, THE WORLD OF GOVERNMENT, AND IN THE MANY SPHERES OF THE WORLD OF STRUGGLE....” (Rays, p. 590)

According to Bediuzzaman, “Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not serve as Mahdi in one sphere alone, but will perform great and important functions in four separate areas.” 

In addition, Bediuzzaman provided a wide-range of information about the three great duties to be discharged by Hazrat Mahdi (as) and described how Hazrat Mahdi (as) would “discharge the role of Mahdi in the fields of religion, politics, government and struggle.”  He stated in detail how Hazrat Mahdi (as) would “Cause Islamic moral values to rule the world, bring about Islamic Union by assuming the spiritual leadership of Muslims, and forming an alliance with the Christian world.”

People who imagine that Bediuzzaman might be Hazrat Mahdi (as) are unable to explain why, as Bediuzzaman agreed in his own works, the second and third duties of Hazrat Mahdi (as) set out in the hadith of the Prophet (saas) had not been fulfilled. Bediuzzaman dedicated his life to spreading the morality of Islam and rendered great service in terms of faith willingly by making all kinds of sacrifices. However, he never bore the total of spiritual leader of all Muslims during his life, never established an Islamic Union, never formed an alliance with the Christian world, never joined together with the Prophet Jesus (as), never prayed with him and never induced in Islamic moral values ruling the world. As he says in his own statements, he never served as Mahdi in the spheres of politics and government. He never brought justice and sovereignty to the world and never induced in the elimination of all the oppression and injustice inflicted on Muslims.

BEDIUZZAMAN STATED THAT “HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) WILL HAVE GREAT MATERIAL POWER AND SOVEREIGNTY,” BUT HIS OWN LIFE WAS FILLED WITH TROUBLES AND DIFFICULTIES 

 

... THE SECOND DUTY OF THIS INDIVIDUAL WILL BE TO APPLY AND IMPLEMENT THE ESSENCE OF QUR’ANIC MORAL VALUES AND THE SUNNAH OF OUR PROPHET (SAAS). Although the first duty will not be with physical force, but perhaps through a powerful and genuine faith and observance of the approval of Allah alone and through sincere devotion, A VERY GREAT MATERIAL FORCE AND DOMINION IS NECESSARY IN ORDER FOR THIS SECOND DUTY TO BE DISCHARGED. (The Seal of Affirmation of Hidden Things, p. 9)

Bediuzzaman stated that ONE OF THE DUTIES OF Hazrat Mahdi (as) is “TO APPLY THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE MORAL VALUES OF THE QUR’AN IN SOCIETY” and that “THIS DUTY COULD ONLY BE CARRIED OUT WITH A GREAT MATERIAL POWER AND SOVEREIGNTY.” The only person to possess such power is Hazrat Mahdi (as). Material power and sovereignty will be a means in discharging his other important duties. No such power and sovereignty has ever been established since the time of our Prophet (saas). Neither did Bediuzzaman have any such power and sovereignty during his life. He devoted his whole life to preaching the moral values of the Qur’an bore all kinds of sacrifices and rendered very great service. However, Bediuzzaman's preaching was performed not within material power and sovereignty, but under incomparable difficult physical conditions. Both Bediuzzaman and his students performed very great services using very limited means. Therefore, Bediuzzaman was never in a ruling position; on the contrary, he was pressurized and spent 30 years of his life as a prisoner, under very difficult physical circumstances and difficulties. He never enjoyed the support of a wide section of society as described; on the contrary, he was subjected to various injustices and spent much of his life under conditions like in prison or exile.  These things are all very honorable phenomena that, by Allah’s leave, raise one’s station in this world and the Hereafter. And these difficulties made Bediuzzaman's honorable struggle even more worthy and with his purity and honesty he is an excellent role model for Muslims. However, and as he himself states, these circumstances also reveals that the “great material power and sovereignty” that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will enjoy never applied to Bediuzzaman's own life. Bediuzzaman stated that these things would be bestowed on Hazrat Mahdi (as), the renovator of the century after his.