Bediuzzaman Said Nursi used the term “the followers of the Mahdi who will come a century from now” in his risale to refer to Hazrat Mahdi (as) who will appear in hijri 1400 and his followers

It now occurs to mind that if each of the letters "mim" and "lam" bearing the gemination mark are counted as two, THE PEOPLE WHO WILL DISSOLVE THE OPPRESSIONS A CENTURY LATER MAY BE THE DISCIPLES OF HAZRAT MAHDI (AS). (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Rays, The First Ray, p. 85)

By the term “A CENTURY LATER” Bediüzzaman is clearly referring to a century, a hundred years, after the time in which he was living. In addition, the Master notes that Hazrat Mahdi (as), who will come in a century’s time, and his followers will totally silence Darwinism, communism and materialism, which will have established dominion over the world until that date, through their sublime and highly effective preaching of the word.

No such great and effective activity against the antichrist had yet taken place in the time of either Mawlana Khalid or of Master Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, although preparatory activities to prepare the ground for Hazrat Mahdi (as) who will appear in Hijri 1400 did take place. In conclusion, no activity that would “dissolve the opressions,” in other words completely silence the system of the antichrist, had yet taken place either in the time of Mawlana Khalid, the Hijri 1200s, or of the Master, the Hijri 1300s.

1.    Mawlana Khalid and Master Bediuzzaman could not discharge the three duties of Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the fields of religion, governance and politics, though they were honored with the title of “a kind of Mahdi” by discharging one of them. The fact is that the great Mahdi (as) who will come in the End Times will be distinguished from all the mujaddids who went before him by discharging these three duties together and will be honored with the title of “the greatest mujtahid (a scholar who derives legal rulings) and of the Qutb al-A’zam (chief of Allah’s saints on earth).”

2.    Turkish-Islamic Union had not yet been established in the times of Mawlana Khalid and Bediuzzaman. But the Master has said that one important duty of Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be to establish this spiritual union.

The third duty of that individual is to build the caliphate of Islam on Islamic unity... (The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen, p. 9-11)

Second Duty: With his title as the caliph of Muhammad [with his title of the caliph of our Prophet (saas)], to restore the essence of Islamic moral values. By making the UNITY of the Islamic world his mainstay, to rescue mankind from physical and spiritual dangers and from the divine wrath (the wrath of Allah). The mainstay and servants of this duty will be an army of millions of individuals.

By saying, “build the caliphate of Islam” and “to make the UNITY of the Islamic world his mainstay, and to rescue mankind from physical and spiritual dangers and from the divine wrath” the Master said that Hazrat Mahdi (as) would found a great spiritual union by establishing the Turkish-Islamic Union.
Yet during the times of Mawlana Khalid and Said Nursi the Turkic and Muslim states were estranged from one another through fragmentation, division, conflict, disagreements and disarray.

3.The third duty of that individual is…to enter into collaboration and solidarity with devout Christians and Christian Scholars and thus serve Islam in this way. (The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen, p. 9-11)

No alliance with Chrtistians had been established in the time of either Bediuzzaman or of Mawlana Khalid, and Christians had not become Muslims, as our Prophet (saas) says will happen in the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as). Most important of all, the Prophet Jesus (as) never appeared in their days. Neither Mawlana Khalid nor Bediuzzaman Said Nursi ever saw the Prophet Jesus (as) or led him as imam in prayer. The fact is, however, that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will act as imam for the Prophet Jesus (as) when they pray, and Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be recognized by this great phenomenon.

There are other passages, too, in which Bediuzzaman says that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear in the century after his own. In referring to Hazrat Mahdi (as), Bediuzzaman explicitly knows he will appear a hundred years after himself. In one passage, for instance, he says;

“…There are such intellectual trends at that time that, since he takes everything for his own account, even IF THAT PERSON WHO IS TRULY AWAITED and WILL COME IN A CENTURY’S TIME comes at that time, I assume that he will disclaim the situation in the political realm and divert his target in order not to let his mission be caught by those movements … (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Kastamonu Addendum, p. 61/62)

MASTER BEDIUZZAMAN USED THESE WORDS IN HIS KASTAMONU ADDDENDUM, WRITTEN IN 1936 (HIJRI 1354). THESE DATES EQUATE TO THE HIJRI 1300s. THE CENTURY TO WHICH THE MASTER REFERS IN THE WORDS, “IN A CENTURY’S TIME...” EQUATE TO THE HIJRI 1400s.

By emphasizing the words “There are such intellectual trends at that time…” in this passage from the Kastamonu Addendum, and especially the phrase “at that time”, he is referring to the Hijri 1300s. In this passage, he, by no means, refers to Mawlana Khalid, who lived in the century before him. He is referring to someone, a holy individual, who was to come a century, one hundred years, after himself. In order that there should be no misunderstanding he again emphasized the period of a century following his own time by using the words “...If that person who is truly awaited and WILL COME IN A CENTURY’S TIME COMES AT THAT TIME…”