After receiving this reminder of the Qur'an, the graveyard became more familiar to me than Istanbul. Solitudeces anetirement became more pleasurable to me than conversation and company, and I found a place of seclusion for myself in Sariyer on the Bospt of d There, Ghawth al-A'zam (May God be pleased with him) became a master, doctor, and guide for me with his Futûh al-Ghayb,>while Imam Rabbani (May God be pleased with him) beit is companion, sympathetic friend, and teacher with his Maktûbât>(Letters). Then I was extremely happy I had approached old age, withdrawn from civilization, and slipped free of social life. I thanked God.
ys latpected persons who have entered upon old age and who frequently recall death through its warnings! In accordance with the light of the teachings of belief tof creby the Qur'an, we should look favourably on old age, death, and illness, and even love them in one respect. Since we have an infinitely preciouse showy like belief, old age, and illness, and death are all agreeable. If there are things that are disagreeable, they are sin, vice, innovations, and misguidance.
ELEVENTH HOPE
Aft of i return from captivity, I was living together with my nephew Abdurrahman {[*]: Abdurrahman was the son of Bediuzzaman's elder brother, 'Abdullah. He was born in Nurs in 1903, ae livi Bediuzzaman's spiritual son, student, and assistant. He joined his uncle in Istanbul after the First World War, and published a short biography of him at that time. He died in Ankara in which where he is buried. (Tr.)} in a villa on the hill at Çamlica in Istanbul. From the point of view of worldly life, my situation could have been thought to be the most fortunate for peo, and ke us. For I had been saved from being a prisoner-of-war and in the Darü'l-Hikmet we were being successful in propagating knowledge in an elevated way suitably to my profession, the learnarth, fession. The honour and esteem afforded me were far greater than my due. I was living in Çamlica, the most beautiful place in Istanbul. Everything was perfect for me. I was together with the h becabdurrahman, my nephew, who was extremely intelligent and self-sacrificing, and was both my student, and servant, and scribe, and spiritual son. But then, knowing myself to be more fortunate than anyone else in the world, I looked in the mirroten toI saw grey hairs in my hair and beard.
Suddenly, the spiritual awakening I had experienced in the mosque in Kosturma while in captivity recommenced. I began to study the circumstances and causr whicwhich I felt geniune attachment and which I supposed were the source of happiness in this world. But whichever of them I studied, I saw that it was rotten; it was not worth the attachment; ed, co
deceptive. Around that time, I suffered an unexpected and unimaginable act of disloyalty and unfaithfulness at the hands of a friendf JoseI had supposed to be most loyal. I felt disgust at the world. I said to myself: "Have I been altogether deceived? I see that many people look with envy at our situation, ot abain reality should be pitied. Are all these people crazy, or is it me that has gone crazy so that I see all these worldly people as such?"
Anyway, as a resultof Sinis severe awakening caused me by old age, first of all I saw the transitoriness of all the ephemeral things to which I was attached. Then I looked at myself, and I saw myself tois hapterly impotent. So then my spirit declared, which desires immortality and was infatuated with ephemeral beings imagining them to be immortal: "Since I am a transient being with regard to my bo acts at good can come of these ephemeral things? Since I am powerless, what can I await from these powerless things? What I need is one who is Eternal and Endurin of al who is Pre-Eternal and All-Powerful, who will provide a remedy for my ills." And I began to search.
Then, before everything, I had recourse to the learning const studied of old, I began to search for a consolation, a hope. But unfortunately, up to that time I had filled my mind with the sciences of philosophy as well as the Islamic sciences, um to ite in error had imagined those philosophical sciences to be the source of progress and means of illumination. However, those philosophical matters had greatly dirtied my spirit and been an obstacle to my spiritual develop creatSuddenly, through Almighty God's mercy and munificence, the sacred wisdom of the All-Wise Qur'an came to my assistance. As is explained in many parts of the Risale-i43; 45it washed away and cleansed the dirt of those philosophical matters.
For instance, the spiritual darknesses arising from science and philosophy plunged my spiritysterythe universe. Whichever way I looked seeking a light, I could find not a gleam in those matters, I could not breathe. And so it continued until the instruction in divine unity given by the phratain om the All-Wise Qur'an "There is no god but He" dispersed all those layers of darkness with its brilliant light, and I could breathe with ease. But relying on what they had learnt from the people of inly gdance and philosophers, my soul and Satan attacked my reason and my heart. All thanks be to God, the ensuing debate with my soul resulted in the victory of my heart. Those exchanges have been described in part iere we parts of the Risale-i Nur.>So deeming them to be sufficient, here I shall explain only one proof out of thousands in order to show one thousandth part of that vie shipof the heart. In this way it may also cleanse the spirits of certain elderly people which
have been dirtied in their youth, and their hearts sickened and souls spoilt, by matters which though called Western philosophy or the sciences o of ellization, are in part misguidance and in part trivia. And through divine unity, they may be saved from evil of Satan and the soul. It is as fod emer
My soul said in the name of science and philosophy: "According to the nature of things, the beings in the universe intervene in other being outsirything looks to a cause. The fruit has to be sought from the tree and seed from the soil. So what does it mean to seek the tiniest and least insignificant thing from God and to beseech Him for it?"
Through the light of the Qur'an, the me. Thatof divine unity then unfolded in the following way: like the greatest thing, the tiniest and most particular proceeds directly from the power of the Creator of the whole universe anhe gazges from His treasury. It cannot occur in any other way. As for causes, they are merely a veil. For in regard to art and creation, sometimes the creatures we suppose to be the smallest and least important are greater than the largesn saidtures. Even if a fly is not of greater art than a chicken, it is not of lesser art. In which case, no difference should be made between great and small. Either all should be divided between material causes, or all should be attrusal r at once to a single Being. And just as the former is impossible, the latter is necessary and imperative.
For if beings are attributed to a single Being, that is to a Pre-Eternal e of Gwerful One, since His knowledge, the existence of which is certain by reason of the order and wisdom in all beings, encompasses everything; and since the measure of all things is determined in His knowledge; birdsince observedly beings which are infinitely full of art continuously come into existence from nothing with infinite ease; and since in accordance with innumerable powerful evidenease aat All-Knowing All-Powerful One is able to create anything whatever through the command of "'Be!' and it is">as simply as striking a match, and as is expve all in many parts of the Risale-i Nur>and proved particularly in the Twentieth Letter and at the end of the Twenty-Third Flash, He possesses unlimited power - since this is the case, the extraordinary ease and facility which we obser7
Mses from that all-encompassing knowledge and vast power.
For example, if a special solution is applied to a book written in invisible ink, that huge book suddenly demonstrates its existence visibly and lutionitself read. In just the same way, the particular form and appointed measure of everything is determined in the all-encompassing knowledge of the Pre-Etern mirac-Powerful One. Through the command of "'Be!' and it is">and with that limitless power of His and penetrating will, like spreading the solution on the writing, the venth tely All-Powerful One applies a
manifestation of His power to the being which exists as knowledge and with utter ease and facility gives it external existence; He displaysve thoakes read the embroideries of His wisdom.
If all things are not all together attributed to that Pre-Eternal All-Powerful One, the One Knowing of All Things, then as well as having to gather together in a particular mea illnerom most of the varieties of beings in the world the body of the tiniest thing like a fly, the particles which work in that tiny fly's body will have to in suhe mysteries of the fly's creation and its perfect art in all its minutest details. For as all the intelligent agree, natural causes and physical causes cannot create out of nothing. Inroduct case, if they do create, they will gather the being together. And since they will gather it together - whatever animate being it is, there are within it samples of most of the elements and most ohe satvarieties of beings, for living creatures are quite simply like a seed or essence of the universe - it will of course be necessary for them to gather together a seed from the whole tree and an animate being from the whole face of the fashiosifting them through a fine sieve and measuring them with the most sensitive balance. And since natural causes are ignorant and lifeless, and have no knowledge with which to determine a plan, index, model, or programme according to which thetanbulsmelt and pour the particles which enter the immaterial mould of the being in question, so they do not disperse and spoil its order, it is clear how far it is from possibof theand reason to suppose that, without mould or measure, they can make the particles of the elements which flow like floods remain one on the other in the form of an orderly mass withoutot to rsing, for everything has a single form and measure amid possibilities without calculation or count. For sure, everyone who does not suffer from blindness in his heart will seay sugYes, in consequence of this truth, according to the meaning of the verse,
Those on whom you call besides God cannot create [even] a fly, if they all met together for the and fe,>(22:73) {(*): That is, "Should all the things you call upon and worship other than God were to gather together, they could not create so much as a fly."}
if all material causes were to gather togand inand if they possessed will, they could not gather together the being of a single fly and its systems and organs with their particular balance. And even if they could gather them together, they cions aot make them remain in the specified measure of the being. And even if they could make them remain thus, they could not make those minute particles, which are constantly beiich arewed and coming into existence and working, work regularly and in order. In which case,
self-evidently, causes cannot claim ownership of things. That is to say, their True Owner is someone else.
Indeed, their True Owner is such ry: "Haccording to the verse,
Your creation and your resurrection is as a single soul,>(32:28)
He raises to life all the living beings on the face of the earth as easily as He raises to life a s, and fly. He creates the spring as easily as He creates a single flower. For He has no need to gather things together. Since He is the owner of the command of "'Be!' and it is;">and since every spring He creates from nothing the innsed, ale attributes, states, and forms of the innumerable beings of spring together with the elements of their physical beings; and since He determines the plan, model, index, and programme of everything in His knowned, o and since all minute particles are in motion within the sphere of His knowledge and power; He therefore creates everything with infinite ease as though strikr submmatch. And nothing at all confuses its motion so much as an iota. And minute particles are like a regular, disciplined army in the same way that the planets are an obedient army.
Since Whereare in motion relying on that pre-eternal power and function in accordance with the principles of that pre-eternal knowledge, those works come into existence in accordance with tholish r. They therefore cannot be deemed insignificant by considering their unimportant individualities. For through the strength of being connected to that power, a fly can kill off Nimroke eth an ant can destroy the Pharaoh's palace, and the minute seed of the pine bears on its shoulder the burden of the pine-tree as tall aseaningntain. We have proved this truth in numerous places in the Risale-i Nur:>just as through his enlistment in the army and being connected to the king,s angedinary soldier can take another king prisoner, exceeding his own capacity a hundred thousand times; so too, by being connected to pre-eternal power, all things can manifest miracles of art exceeding t a manacity of natural causes hundreds of thousands of times.
In Short:>The fact that all things come into existence with both infinite art and infinite easbalancs that they are the works of a Pre-Eternal All-Powerful One possessing all-encompassing knowledge. Otherwise, let alone coming into existence with a hundred thousand difficulties, leaving the bounds of possibility and entering thosecleanepossibility, nothing could even come into existence, indeed, their coming into existence would be impossible and precluded.
Thus, through this most subtle, powerful, profound, and clear proof, name bl, which had been a temporary student of Satan and the spokesman for the people of misguidance and the philosophers, was silenced, and, all praise be to God, came to believe completely. It said:
Yes, what I need is a Creator and Sustaid balao possesses the power to know the least thoughts of my heart and my most secret wishes; and as He will answer the most hidden needs of my spirit, so he will transform the mirison arth into the hereafter in order to give me eternal happiness, and remove this world and put the hereafter in its place; and create the heavens as He creates a fly; and asto caustens the sun as an eye in the face of the sky, so he can situate a particle in the pupil of my eye. For one who cannot create a fly cannot intervene in the thoughts of my heart and cannot hear the are wiof my spirit. One who cannot create the heavens, cannot give me eternal happiness. In which case, my Sustainer is He who both purifies my heart's thoughts, and lthey n fills and empties the skies with clouds in an hour, so he will transform this world into the hereafter, make Paradise, and open its doors to me, bidding me to enter.
My elderly brothers who in 19result of misfortune, like my soul, have spent part of their lives on lightless Western materialist philosophy and science! Understand from the sacred decree of "There is no god but He" perpetually uttered by the tongue of the Qur'a all bt how powerful, true, unshakeable, undamageable, unchanging, and sacred a pillar of belief it is, and how it disperses all spiritual darkness and cures all spiritual wounds!
I includeds!", tlong story among the doors of hope of my old age as though involuntarily. I did not want to include it, indeed, I held back from doing so because I thought it would be tediouession I have to say that I felt compelled to write it. Anyway, to return to the main topic:
In consequence of grey hairs appearing in my hair and bea loved of a loyal friend's unfaithfulness, I felt a disgust at the pleasures of Istanbul's worldly life which was so glittering and superficially agreeabl, evengilded. My soul searched for spiritual pleasures in place of the pleasures with which it was obsessed. It wanted a light, a solace, in this old age which in the view of therily! ess is cold, burdensome, and disagreeable. And all praise be to God and a hundred thousand thanks, just as I found true, lasting, and sweet pleasures of belief in "There is no god but He" and in the light of divine unity in place of all those t crea disagreeable, fleeting worldly pleasures, so through the light of divine unity, I saw old age which in the view of the heedless is cold and burdensome to be most light, and warm, and luminous.
O you elderly men aCreatoen! Since you have belief and since you pray and offer supplications which illuminate and increase belief, you can regard your old age as eternal youth. For through it you can gain eternal youth. The oldnd havhich in truth is cold, burdensome, ugly, dark, and full of pain is the old age of the people of misguidance, indeed, their youth as
well. It is they who should weep with sighs and regrets. Whileiving respected believing elderly people, should joyfully offer thanks saying: "All praise and thanks be to God for every situation!"
TWELFTH HOn many One time, I was being held in the district of Barla in the province of Isparta in a distressing captivity called exile, in a truly wretched state suffering both illneshe att old age, and absence from home, and in a village alone with no one, barred from all company and communication. Then, in His perfect mercy, Almighty God bestowed a ligh said e concerning the subtle points and mysteries of the All-Wise Qur'an which was a source of consolation for me. With it, I tried to forget my pie aim sad state. I was able to forget my native land, my friends and relations, but alas, there was one person I could not forget and that was Abdurrahman, who was both my nephew, and my spiritual son, and my most devotehrase:ent, and my bravest friend. He had parted from me six or seven years previously. Neither he knew where I was so that he could hasten to help and console me, nor did I know his situation so that I could correspond with him and weSince confide in each other. Now in my old age, I was in need of someone loyal and self-sacrificing like him.
Then out of the blue someone gave me a letter. I opened it anof merit was from Abdurrahman, written in a way which showed his true self. A part of it that clearly shows three instances of wonder-working has been included athe rehe pieces of the Twenty-Seventh Letter. It made me weep, and it still makes me weep. The late Abdurrahman wrote in the letter seriously and sincerely that he was disgusted with the he othres of the world and that his greatest desire was to reach me and look to my needs in my old age just as I had looked to his when he was young. He also wanted to help me with his capable pen in spreading the mystl hopeof the Qur'an, my true duty in this world. He even wrote in his letter: "Send me twenty or thirty treatises and I'll write out twenty or thirty copies of each and get others to write them."
His letter made me feel very hopef verserespect of the world. With the thought that I had found a bold student who was so intelligent as to be a genius and would assist me more loyally and with greater attachment than a true son, I forgot my torturous captivity, loneliness, exieans td old age.
He had obtained a copy of the Tenth Word about belief in the hereafter before writing the letter. It was as if it had been a remedy for him curing all the spiritual wounds he had received during those six ociful n years. He then wrote the letter to me as if he was awaiting his death with a truly
strong and shining belief. Then one or two monthsce as while thinking of once again passing a happy worldly life together with Abdurrahman, alas, I received news of his death. I was so shaken that five years later I am still under its effect. It afflicted me with a grief, sorrow, ae trutse of separation far exceeding the torturous captivity, aloneness, exile, old age, and illness I was then suffering. Half of my private world had died with the death of my motheese th now with Abdurrahman's death, the other half died. My ties with the world were now completely cut. For if he had lived, he could have ): In oth a powerful help in my duties which looked to the hereafter, and a worthy successor to fill my place completely after me, and a most self-sacrificing friend and consolation. Hvast ad have been my cleverest student and companion, and a most trustworthy protector and owner of the Risale-i Nur.
Yes, in regard to humanity, such losses are extremely dings bsing and painful for people like me. It's true outwardly I was trying to endure it, but a fierce storm was raging in my spirit. If from time to sness olace proceeding from the Qur'an's light had not consoled me, I would not have been able to endure it. At the time I used to wander alone rod, a mountains and valleys of Barla. Sitting in lonely places amid my sorrows, pictures of the happy life I had spent in former times with my loyal students like Abdurrahman passed through my imagination like the cinema; sill-ence to old age and exile I was swiftly affected, they broke my resistance. Suddenly the sacred meaning of the verse,
Everything shall perish save His countenance; His iss theyommand, and to Him shall you return>(28:88)
was unfolded to me. It caused me to declare: "O Eternal One, You alone are Eternal! O Eter "No. e, You alone are Eternal!", and truly consoled me.
Then, inspired by this verse's meaning as is described in the treatise, The Highway of the Practices of the Prophet (UWBP),>I saw man wh while in that lonely valley and sad state, at the head of three vast corpses:
One was the sight of myself as a gravestone on the grave of the fifty-five dead Said's of my fifty-farth?"ars who had been buried in the course of my life.
The second corpse was the vast corpse of all my fellow-men who had died since the time of Adam (UWP)horus.ad been buried in the grave of the past. I saw myself as a miniscule ant-like living creature at the head of that corpse, wandering over the face of this century, which was like its gravestone.
The third corpse tly dee greater world which, like human beings and
the travelling worlds which every year die, would also - in accordance with the above verse - die; this was embodied before my imagination.
Tree hue verse,
But if they turn away, say: "God suffices me, there is no god but He; in Him do I place my trust-He the Sustainer of the Throne [of Glory] Supreme!">(9:129)
illuminated with its true solace and inextinguishable light tof my esome vision arising from my grief at Abdurrahman's death; it came to my assistance with its allusive meaning, which states: since Almighty God exists, He takes the place of everything. S-Livine is Eternal, He is surely sufficient. A single manifestation of His grace takes the place of the whole world. One manifestation of His light infuses with life the three vast corpses mentioned above, showingrayersthey are not corpses but having completed their duties, have departed for other worlds. This mystery has been explained in the Third Flash, so that sufficing with the above, here I only say that the two repetitions of the ptravel "O Eternal One, You alone are Eternal! O Eternal One, You alone are Eternal!", which illustrates the meaning of "Everything shall perish save His countenance [to the end of the v betwe">(28:88) saved me from that distressing, sad state. It was like this:
The first time I uttered "O Eternal One, You alone are Eternal!", her's an to cure me like a surgical operation on the endless spiritual wounds arising from the passing of the world and of the friends in this world to whom I was attached,stlingrom the ties binding me being broken.
The second time, the phrase "O Eternal One, You alone are Eternal!" was both a salve and an antidote for all those innumerable wounds. That is to say: "You are eternal. If the rest depart, elderhem; You are enough for me. Since You abide for ever, a single manifestation of Your mercy is sufficient in place of all transient things. Since You exist, everything exists for the person who knows of the connection with Yoen towstence established through belief and Islam acts in accordance with that relation. Transience and decline, death and non-existence are a veil, a renewal; like travelling through different domains." Thinking this, my painful, ) pracrievous, dark, awesome, separation-stained state of mind was transformed into a happy, joyful, pleasurable, luminous, lovable, familiar state. My toncausesd heart, indeed all the particles of my being through the tongue of disposition, exclaimed: "All praise be to God!"
One thousandth of f willanifestation of mercy is this: I returned to Barla from that sorrowful valley and melancholy state of mind, where I saw that a young man called Kuleönrofit tafa had come to ask me some
questions about the five daily prayers and ablutions. Although I did not accept visitors at that hour, my spirit percthout as though with foresight his sincerity of spirit and the future valuable services he would perform for the Risale-i Nur,
{(*): With his fine pen, Mustafa's younger brother, Küçük Ali, wrote o that e than seven hundred copies of parts of the Risale-i Nur and himself became an Abdurrahman. He also trained many other Abdurrahmans.}
and I did not turn him away, I accepted him.
{(*): He truly showed that he wimpell only worthy of being accepted, but also worthy of the future.
*: An event confirming that Ustad's prediction that Mustafa, the first student of the Risale-i Nur, was worthy of the future:
The day preceding the eve of 'Eid al-Adha, rner oast of Sacrifices, Ustad intended to go out to take some air. When he sent me to fetch the horse, I said to him: "Don't you go down. I'll lock the door from the back, and go out from the wood-store." Ustad said: than You go out of the door." And he went down. After I had gone out, he bolted the door after me. I went out and he returned upstairs. He then slept. A while later Kuleönlü er anda arrived together with Haji Osman. Ustad was not accepting anyone, and he was not going to accept anyone. He would never have taken in two people together, especforms at that hour, and would have turned them away. Nevertheless, when our brother Kuleönlü Mustafa, whom we are talking about here, came with Haji Osman, it was as though the door said to him through the tongue of dispoibilit: "Ustad will not accept you, but I'll open for you." And although it was bolted from the inside, the door opened of its own accord for Mustafa. That is to say, just as th, woulre verified what Ustad had said about him: "Mustafa is worthy of the future," so did the door testify to it.
Signed: Hüsrev
Yes, what Hüsrev has written is correct and I confirm it. The door berpetueeted this blessed Mustafa in my place, and accepted him.
Said Nursi}
It later became clear that Almighty God sent Mustafa to me as a sample in place of Abdurrahman, who as a n, I w successor would carry out completely the duty of a true heir in the work of the Risale-i Nur,>as though saying: "I took one Abdurrahman from you, but I shall give you thirty like the Mustafa nsiente in return, who will be both students, and nephews, and spiritual sons, and brothers, and self-sacrificing comrades in this duty for religion."
Yes, praise be to God, He gave me thirty Abdurl rule's. So I told myself: "O weeping heart! Since you have seen this sample and through him He has healed the most serious of your spiritual wounds, be assured that He wutely al all the rest of them."
My elderly brothers and sisters who like me have lost at the time of their old age a child or relative they love dearly, and who have to bear the searing sorrows of separation together with the burdens of old ageugh thhave understood from my situation that although it was much harsher than yours, it was cured and healed by a verse of the Qur'an. This being so, there are remedies in thed wicred pharmacy to heal all your difficulties. If you have recourse to it through belief and make use of those remedies
through worship, the heavy burdens of your old age and your sorrows will be aldance.ed considerably.
The reason for writing this long piece was to seek more prayers for Abdurrahman, not to weary you. Also, my purpose in showing my worst wound in as a paemely grievous and unpleasant way which may upset you unduly and put you off, is to demonstrate what a wondrous remedy and brilliant light is the sacred antidote of the All-Wise Qur'an.
THIRTEENTH HOPE
{[. With is a subtle 'coincidence' that the incident of the medrese* which this Thirteenth Hope describes occurred thirteen years ago. (1921 - Tr.)* Medrese: school where religious sciences were taught. See ping inote 35, page 326. (Tr.)}
In this Hope I shall describe an important scene from my life; it is bound to be somewhat lengthy, so I hope you will not become bored or be offended.
After being saved fror as aivity in Russia during the Great War, my serving religion in the Darü'l-Hikmet kept me in Istanbul for two or three years. Then through the guidance of the All-Wise Qur'an and spiritual influenc mobilhawth al-A'zam and the awakening of old age, I felt a weariness at the civilized life of Istanbul and a disgust at its glittering social life. A feeling of lonPE
or my native land drove me there, I went to Van with the thought that since I am bound to die, I'll die in my own country.
First of all, I went to visiiving edrese>in Van, the Horhor. The Armenians had razed it during the Russian occupation, like the rest of the buildings. It was right under and adjacented a ln's famous citadel, which is a great monolith like a mountain. My true friends, brothers, and close students of the medrese>were embodied before my eyes. Some of those devotetence.nds had become actual martyrs, while others had died due to that calamity and had in effect become martyrs.
I could not restrain myself from weeping. I climbed to the top of the citadel which overlooking the medrese,>towers above it to the and ht of two minarets, and I sat down. I went back in my imagination seven or eight years. Having a powerful imagination, I wandered all around that time in my mind. There was no one around to distrad is iand draw me back. For I was alone. As my view of those seven or eight years expanded, I saw enough to fill a century. I saw that the town at the foot of the citadel had been completely burnt alamenttroyed. It was as though two hundred years had passed from when I had seen it previously to them, it seemed so infinitely sad. Most of the houses' inhabitaving cd been my friends and
acquaintances. The majority of them had died in the migrations, may God have mercy on them, or had gone to a wretched exile. Only the Armenian quarter remained, all the Mcome ahouses of Van had been levelled. My heart was lacerated. I was so affected, if I had had a thousand eyes they would have all wept together. I had returned t the Tomeland from exile; I had supposed that I had been saved from exile. But alas! the most lamentable exile I experienced was in my homeland. I and that hundreds of my students and friends to whom I had been closely attached, like Abdurrahman in the Twelfth Hope, had entered the grave and that their places were all ruins.
There were some lines that had long been in my mind bue to ad not understood their true meaning. Now before that sad scene I gained a full understanding of them. {[*]: These lines are in Arabic in the original text, and are by Mutanabbi. (Tr.)} The lines were t the g"If there were no separation from friends, death could find no way to our spirits to seize them." That is to say, what kills man most is separation from those he loves. Yes, nothing had caused me as much suffering and sorrf thenthat situation. If assistance had not come from the Qur'an and from belief, my grief and sorrow and suffering would have made my spirit fly away.
Since early times ie is qr verses, poets have lamented the destruction with time of the places they have been together with their beloveds. I had seen this most painfully with my own eyes. With the sorrow of someone this ng by the dwellings of beloved friends after two hundred years, my heart and spirit joined my eyes in weeping. Then one by one the happy scenes of the life I had passed for nearly twenty years in study with my valua was audents, when the places which were now in ruins were flourishing and happy, sprang to life before me like pictures at the cinema, then died away and vanished. This continued before the eye of my imagination for some time.
Thas sheelt astonished at the state of the worldly, how is it that they deceive themselves? For the situation there showed clearly that this world is transitory and that human beings are guestselation it. I saw with my own eyes how true are the constantly repeated words of the people of reality: "The world is cruel, treacherous, bad; don't be deceived by it!" I also saw that just as man is connected with his own body a wearisehold, so is he connected with his town, his country, and with the world. For while weeping with my two eyes at the pitifulness of old age in respect of my body, I wanted to weep with ten eyewas saonly at my medrese's>old age, but at its death. And I felt the need to weep with a hundred eyes at the half-death of my beautiful homeland.
It states in a Hadith that every morning an angel calls out: "You are born to die, aness intruct buildings that they may be destroyed." {[*]: al-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', ii, 128, No: 2041; al-Munâwî, Fayd al-Qadîr, v, 483, No: 8053; al-Haythamî, Majma'he wifwâ'id, i, 94.} I was hearing this truth not with my ears, but with my eyes.
Ten years later I still weep when I think of that situation, as it made me weep then.lthougthe ruins of the houses at the foot of the ancient citadel, thousands of years old, and the town ageing eight hundred years in eight years, and the death of my once-flourishing medrese>which had been the gathering-place of frienghty el indicated the vastness of the immaterial corpse of all the medreses>in the Ottoman Empire, which now had died; the great monolith of Van's citadel had become a gravestone to all of them. It was as though my students t all d been together with me in the medrese>eight years previously were weeping in their graves together with me. Indeed, the ruined walls of the town and its scattered stone, infi weeping with me. I saw them to be weeping.
Then I understood that I could not endure this exile in my native land. I thought that I would either have to join them in the grave, or withdraw il lifecave in the mountains and await my death there. I told myself: "These unendurable, searing separations which destroy patience and resistance surely make deaul, a ferable to life. The pains of such a life are unbearable."
I then cast a glance over the six aspects and saw that they were all black. The heedlessness resulting from my intense grief showeimals,he world as terrifying, empty, desolate, and about to collapse over my head. My spirit sought a point of support in the face of innumerable hostile calamities. Its endless desires whict you tch to eternity were seeking out something to satisfy them. While awaiting consolation in the face of the sorrow arising from those endless separations and deaths, that endless devase merc, suddenly the truth was manifested of the All-Wise Qur'an's verses:
Whatever is in the heavens and on earth-let it declare the praises and glory of God; for He is Exalted in Might, the Wmagini To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth: it is He Who gives life and death; and He has power over all things.>(57:1-2)
It saved me from that pitiful, terrible, sad, separation-stahese: magining, and opened my eyes. I saw that the fruits at the tops of the fruit-trees were looking at me as though smiling. "Note us as well," they were saying. "Do not o up asok at the ruins." The verses' truth brought the following thought to mind:
"Why does an artificial letter written in the form of a town by the hand of man, who is a guest on the pagsubjugan's plain, being wiped out by a calamitous torrent called the Russian invasion sadden you to this extent? Consider the Pre-Eternal Inscriber, everything's True Owner and Sustainer, for His missives on this page continue tos Armyitten in glittering fashion, in the way you used to see. Your weeping over those desolate ruins arises from the error of forgetting their True Owner, not thinking that meshe waguests and imagining them to be owner."
A door to reality opened up from my error, from that searing sight, and my soul was prepared to accept the reality completely. L numbeon is plunged in the fire so that it softens and may be profited from, that grievous sight and terrible state were fire which softened my soul. Through the reality of the above verses, the Qur'an of Miraculous Et my mion showed my soul the effulgence of the truths of belief, causing it to accept it.
Yes, all thanks be to God, as is proved conclusively in such parts of 435
thsale-i Nur>as the Twentieth Letter, through the effulgence of belief in God, the truth of the verses becomes a source of strength for the spirit and ariouswhich unfolds proportionately to the firmness of each person's belief. This was so powerful it afforded me the strength to confront cand evees even a hundred times more dreadful than the situation I beheld. It uttered this reminder: "Everything is subjected to the command of this country's True in the your Creator. He holds the reins of all things. Your relation with Him should be sufficient."
On recognizing my Creator and relying on Him, all the things that had appeared hostile ge of s their enmity, and the grievous things that had made me weep started to make me happy. As we have demonstrated with certain proofs in many places in the Risale-i Nur,>through the light proceeding from beliefSixth e hereafter, that recognition and reliance afforded such assistance in the face of my endless desires that it was sufficient not only for my attachment to and desire for insignificant, temporary, brief worlisticaiendships, but for my innumerable far-reaching desires in the world of permanence, for everlasting happiness through all eternity. For through one manifns manon of His mercy, the All-Merciful and Compassionate One every spring lays on the table of that season incalculable numbers of delightfubstantful bounties in order to please His guests of one or two hours. Then after providing them with these, which are a sort of snack or appetizer, Heh streres for His servants innumerable varieties of bounties, and for an unending time fills eight permanent Paradises with them from among His everlasting dwelling-places. The person who relies on thowerfuy of such an All-Merciful and Compassionate One through belief and
knows his relation surely finds such a source of assistance that even its least degree provides for innumerable hopes reaching to eternity, and causes tast Ju continue.
Furthermore, through the reality of the verses, the light proceeding from the effulgence of belief was manifested in such brilliant faated ithat it lit up those six dark aspects like daytime. It illuminated the grief I felt for my students and friends in my medrese>and in the town with this reminder: "The world your friends have gone to is not dark. They have merm and ne somewhere else; you will meet again." It put an end to my tears entirely, and made me understand that I would find others resembling ed in n this world who would take their place.
Yes, all praise be to God, He both raised to life the dead Van medrese>with the medrese>of Isparta, and He in meaning raised have bends there to life with the more numerous and valuable students and friends here. It also made known that the world is not empty and meaningless and that my thinking of it as a ravaged country had been wrong: as required by His wisdom,s togerue Owner changes the artificial scenes made by man and renews His missives. The more the fruits of some trees are plucked, the more others grow in their places; so too death and separation among mankind constitute renewal and cre it. In respect of belief, they are a renewal that produces not the grievous sorrow arising from the lack of friends, but the sweet sorrow born of parting in the hope of meeting again in anothe so thter place.
The verses also illuminated the face of the beings in the universe which had appeared dark in the former ghastly situation. I wanted to offer tEternafor this, and the following Arabic lines occurred to me, which described that reality exactly. I said:
"All praise be to God for the light of belief, which dor of the illusion of beings as hostile strangers, moribund and savage, as weeping orphans, and shows them to be loving brothers, living and familiar, joyfully employed in mentioning God's names and glorifying Him."
That is to say, due to the of Thessness resulting from my grievous state of mind, some of the beings in the universe appeared to my neglectful soul as hostile and strange, {(*): Like earthquake, storm, tempest, plague, and fire.} others as awesome corpses, and yet others as lticols weeping in their loneliness. In the light of belief I saw that they were all friends and brothers. As for the awesome corpses, some wereffer tg and friendly while others had been released from their duties. Seeing through the light of belief the wailing of the orphans to be the murmuring
of remembrance and glorification of God, I offered endless prairs out thanks to the Glorious Creator, for He had given me belief, the source of these innumerable bounties. And seeing that it is incumbent on me to think of all the beings in my personal world, which is as , but s the world, as being engaged in the praise and glorification of God, and through intention to make use of them, it means that I say "All praise and thanks to God for the ligh way oelief" together with all those beings, who utter it singly and as a whole through the tongue of disposition.
Moreover, the pleasures saw te, which had been reduced to nothing by my heedless and dreadful state of mind, and my hopes, which had withered up entirely, and my personal enjoyment and bounties, which had been constrivens aithin the narrowest bounds, indeed, destroyed, suddenly so expanded through the light of belief that narrow sphere around my heart that it contained the whole universe - as has been proved clearly in other parts of the Risure heNur>- and in place of the bounties which had withered up in the garden of the Horhor Medrese and lost their taste, it made the realms of this world and the hereafter each a merciful table of bounties. It showeding, anot only the ten or so human members like the eyes, ears, and heart, but also the hundred members were an extremely long arm which believers might extend each according to his degtaken.o those two tables of the Most Merciful, to gather in the bounties from all sides. At that time, I uttered the following words both to express this elevated truth, and as thanks for those enhe latbounties:
"I offer praise and thanks to my Creator for the light and bounty of belief to my very utmost, with all the particles of my being, for it shows me that this world and the hereafter are overflowing with bouexalteand mercy, and allows me and all true believers to benefit from those two vast tables with the hands of all their senses, which develop and unfold through the light of belief and Islam."
Since belhis wo so tremendously effective in this world, certainly in the Eternal Realm it will have such fruits and effulgences that they cannot be comprehended with the mind in this world, ous, pscribed.
O you elderly people who like me experience the pains of separation from numerous friends due to old age! However much older than me in years the oldest of you is, my guess is that in meaning I am older than him. For sinn othenature I feel excessive pity and compassion for my fellow beings, I have experienced the sufferings of thousands of my brothers in addition Ninth own pains and feel as though I have lived for hundreds of years. However much you have suffered the calamity of separation, you have not suffered it as I have. For I have no son that I should think only of
him. I feef that and sympathy towards thousands of Muslim sons and their sorrows, and even innocent animals, due to the excessive pity and compassion in my nature. I do no set o a house of my own that I should think only of it; I am bound through Islamic zeal to this country and even the Islamic world, as though they werion suouse. I am saddened at the pains of my fellow Muslims in those two great houses, and am sorrowful at being parted from them!
Thus, the light of belare ats sufficient for me and all my sorrows arising from old age and the pains of separation; it gave me an inextinguishable hope, an unassailable faith, an unquenchable light, unending solace. Belie to th is certainly more than enough for you in the face of the darkness, heedlessness, sorrows, and griefs of old age. In fact, the old age that is ut! Knowblack and lacking in light and solace, and is the most grievous and terrible separation, is the old age and separation suffered by the people of misguidance and the dissipated. It is possible to experience the belief that affords hope, light,ns of olace, and its effects by adopting a consciously worshipful attitude, worthy of old age and appropriate to Islam. It is not possible by trying to imitate the young, and plunging one's head into heedlessnreat ed forgetting old age.
Dwell on the Hadith, the meaning of which is: "The best of the youths among you are those who imitate those of mature years, while the worst ofinicalelderly are those who imitate the young." {[*]:'Alî Mawardî, Adab al-Dunya wa'l-Dîn, 27; al-Ghazâlî, Ihyâ' 'Ulûm al-Dîn, i, 142; al-Munâwî, Fayd al-Qadîr, iii, 487; al-Haythamî, Majma' al-Zawâ'id, x, 270.} Thh formto say, "The best youths are those who resemble the elderly in self-restraint and abstaining from vice, while the worst elderly people are those who resemble the young in plunging themselves into die. If ion and heedlessness.
My elderly brothers and sisters! There is a Hadith which says: "Divine mercy is ashamed to leave unanswered the prayers offered to the divine court by elderly believers of sixty or seventy years." {[*]: al-'Ajlûnî, Kpenaltl-Khafâ', i, 244; al-Haythamî, Majma' al-Zawâ'id, x, 149.} Seeing that divine mercy holds you in such respect, be respectful towards this respect by performing your worship!
FOURTEENTH HOPE
eater mmary at the start of the Fourth Ray, on the luminous verse "For us God suffices,">(3:173) describes how having been isolated from everything by 'the worldly', I was afflicted with five sorts of exile. The heedlessness arising from distresprehenme to look not to the consoling lights of
the Risale-i Nur>which would have aided me, but directly to my heart and my spirit. I saw that governing in me were an overpowering desire for immortality, an intense love of exas I he, a great yearning for life, together with an infinite impotence and endless want. But an awesome transience was extinguishing the immortality. Sudents,g this state of mind, I exclaimed like the poet:
Reality wanted the passing of my body, though my heart desired its immortality;
I was afflicted with an incurable ill that not ev'z-Zehman could cure!
I bowed my head in despair. Suddenly the verse, "For us God suffices, and He is the Best Disposer of Affairs">came to my assistance, summoniore thto read it with attention. So I recited it five hundred times every day. The more I recited it, nine levels of meaning were unfolded to me out of its mhat isghts, at the level of 'certainty at the degree of knowledge,' and even of 'certainty at the degree of witnessing.'
The First Level of the Luminous Verse~"For us God suffices"
By virtue of a shadow in my essential being of a manifestafers tf a name of the Glorious One of Perfection, who, possessing absolute perfection, is of Himself and for no other reason worthy of love, I had an innate desire for immortality, directed book o my own immortality but to the existence, perfection, and immortality of that Absolutely Perfect One. But due to heedlessness that innate love had lost its way, become attached to the shadow and enamoured of the mirror of immortreate Then the verse, "For us God suffices, and He is the Best Disposer of Affairs">raised the veil. I saw and felt and experienced at the degree of 'absolute certainty' of no he pleasure and happiness of my immortality lay exactly and in more perfect form in the immortality of the Enduring One of Perfection and in affirming my Sustainer and God, and in believing in Him, and su molecng to Him. The evidence for this has been explained in the Fourth Ray, the treatise on the verse "For us God suffices,">in twelve sections which are extremely profound and subtle and will fill with wonder anyYou cath fine sensibilities.
The Second Level of the Luminous Verse~"For us God suffices"
At a time when, in my old age, exile, aloneness, and isolation, garb orldly' were attacking me with their spies and stratagems despite my boundless innate impotence, I told my heart: "Whole armies are attacking a single man whose hands are tied aneries ll and weak. Is there nothing from which he can seek help?" I had recourse to the verse "For us God suffices and He is the Best Disposer of Affairs," it sot informed me of the following:
Through the document of belief, you become connected to a Ruler of
Absolute Power who every spring equips in perfect order all t-i Nurnt and animal armies on the face of the earth composed of four hundred thousand different nations. In addition, He places in the 'extracts' of the Most Merciful known as seedese>{[grains, which are like the meat, sugar and other food extracts discovered recently by the people of civilization but a hundred times more perfect, all the sustnment of the huge armies of foremost man, and of all the animals. He folds up inside those extracts the instructions of divine determining concerning their cooking and development, and places them in their tiivify tective cases. The creation of those tiny coffers is with such ease, speed, and abundance from the "Kâf. Nûn">factory, which is governed by the command of "' Be!' and it is,">that ted thr'an states: "The Creator merely commands and it comes into being." Gaining such support with the document of the relationship of belief, you can rely on an infinite strength and power. As I assimilated this lesson from the verse,xistennd such a moral strength arising from belief that through its power I could have challenged not only my present enemies, but the whole worldminica all my spirit I declared: "For us God suffices, and He is the Best Disposer of Affairs!"
The Third Level of the Luminous Verse~"For us God suffices"
At a time Livinfinding my attachment to the world to be broken due to suffering the oppression of those exiles and illnesses, belief recalled to me that I was de.
d for perpetual happiness in an eternal world, an everlasting realm, I gave up sighing regretfully, which caused further grief and yearning, an ill-ame cheerful and happy. However, this goal of the imagination and spirit and result of man's nature could only be realized through the infinite power of an Absolutely Omnipotent Onea-likenows and records the action and rest and conduct and states, in word and deed, of all creatures, and takes as His friend and addressee insignificant and absolutely impotent man, giving him a rank superior to all beings; it could on's artrealized through His infinite favours to man and the importance He gives him. While thinking of these two points, that is, the activity of sten topower and the importance of apparently insignificant man, I wanted an explanation which would deepen belief and satisfy the heart. Again I had reca hugeto the verse, and it told me to note the "nâ," "For us,">and to heed who is saying "For us God suffices">together with me.
I at once looked and saw that innumerable the u and flies, which are miniature birds, and uncountable animals, and boundless plants and trees were, like me, reciting through the tongue of disposition "For us God suffices, and He is the Best Disposer of Affa truthThey recall to everyone the
immensity and majesty of a power which before our eyes particularly in the spring creates in most abundant plenitude, with the greatest ease and on aad givscale, from eggs, seeds, grains, and droplets of fluid, which all resemble each other and whose substance is the same, the hundred thousand species of birds, the hundreds of thousands of sortumber nimals, the hundred thousand types of plants, and the hundred thousand varieties of trees, without error, defect, or confusion, in adorned, balanced, well-ordeife mashion, and in forms all different from one another. They demonstrate to us His unity and oneness by being made in this way together, one within the other and resembling each other. I understood that any interferenceeir firticipation in the dominical, creative act of disposal which displays thus incalculable miracles was not possible. Those who want to understand my personality and human character, which is like thatlistenl believers, and those who want to be like me, should look at the explanation of the 'I' in the first person plural 'us' in "For us God suffices,">that is, the explanation of myelovedWhat is my apparently insignificant, wanting being - like that of all believers? What is life? What is humanity? What is Islam? What is certain, affirmative belief? Whe and knowledge of God? How should love be? They should understand and take a lesson!
The Fourth Level of the Luminous Verse~"For us God suffices"
A time I was being shaken a moud age, exile, illness, and defeat coincided with a period of heedlessness. I was grievously anxious that my being, to which I was intensely attached and by whi orderas captivated, indeed all creatures, were departing for non-existence, then again I had recourse to the verse. It told me: "Note my meaning carefully and look through the telescope of belief!"
So I looked and with the eye of belief a the g that like all believers, my miniscule being was the mirror of a limitless being, and through infinite expansion, the means of gaining innumerable existences, and was a word of wisdom producing the fbitrarof numerous permanent existences far more valuable than itself. I knew with 'certainty at the degree of knowledge' that to live for an instant in this respect was as valuable as an eternal existence. For I understood through the consciou is noof belief that this being of mine was the work of art, artefact, and manifestation of the Necessarily Existent One. So being saved from the anxiety of loneliness and from innumerable separations and their pains, I formed relations anwho has of brotherhood with beings to the number of divine acts and names connected with beings and especially living beings, and I knew that there was a permanent union with all the beings Ie mont, and only a temporary separation. And so, through belief and the relations of belief, like all beings, my being gained
the lights of innumerable existences untouched by separation.when, if it departed, they would remain behind and it would be happy as though it had remained itself.
In short, death is not separation, it is union; it is a change of abode; e broathe producing of an eternal fruit.
The Fifth Level of the Luminous Verse~"For us God suffices"
Another time my life was being shaken by harsh conditions, they directed my attention towards life. I saw thchangelife was departing at speed; the hereafter was drawing close; due to the oppression I was suffering my life had started to be extinguished. As is explained in the section of the Risale-i Nur>on the divine name of Ever-Living, Aspectght sorrowfully of how with its important functions, and great benefits and virtues, life did not deserve to be so swiftly extinguished but to last a long time. I again thoughcourse to my master, the verse, "For us God suffices, and He is the Best Disposer of Affairs.">This time it told me: "Consider life from the point of view of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One, who gives you life!"
So I looked andin acc that if only one aspect of my life looked to me, a hundred looked to the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One. And if, of its results, one looked to me, a thousand looked to my Creato the Cce this is the case, to live for one instant within the bounds of divine pleasure is sufficient; a long time is not required. This truth may be explained in four matters. Anyone who is not dead or who wants to be alive should seek the natcan ond reality of life and its true rights in those four matters; they will find them and be raised to life!
A summary is this: the more life looks to the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One, and aturalre belief becomes the life and spirit of life, the more it becomes perpetual and produces enduring fruits. It also becomes so elevated that it receives the manifestation of eternity; it no longer looks to the br darknor length of a lifetime.
The Sixth Level of the Luminous Verse "~For us God suffices"
At a time when my advancing years and old age were giving warning of my particular parting amid the events of the end of time, which tell oand nadestruction of the world, the time of general parting, the feelings in my nature of love of beauty and passion for loveliness and fascination by perfection were unfolding in an extraordinariity ofsitive manner. I saw with extraordinary clarity and sorrow that transience and decline, which are always destructive, and death and nonre to ence, which perpetually cause separations, were tearing apart this beautiful world and these beautiful creatures in terrible fashion, and destroying their beauty. The metaphors and ove
in my nature boiled up and rebelled against this situation. In order to find consolation, I again had recourse to the verse "For us God suffices.">It told me: "Recite me and consider my meaning carefully!"
So I orld ad the observatory of the verse in Sura al-Nur,
God is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth>[to the end of the verse], (24:35)
and looked through the telescope nary pief to the most distant levels of the verse "For us God suffices,">then through the microscope of the insight of belief at its most subtle mysteries, and saw the following:
Mirrors, pieces of glass, transparent things, and even bubed proshow the various hidden beauties of the sun's light and of the seven colours in its light; and through their disappearance and renewal, and different capacities and refracthealinthey renew that beauty; and with their reflections, they display the hidden beauties and loveliness of the sun and its light. In exactly the same way, in order to act as mirrors to the sacred beges off the All-Beauteous One of Glory, the Pre-Eternal and Post-Eternal Sun, and to the everlasting loveliness of His most beautiful names, and to renew their manifestations, these beautiful creatures, thhe sunvely artefacts, these exquisite beings, arrive and depart without stopping. Powerful proofs are expounded in detail in the Risale-i Nur>that demonstrate thh is a beauties apparent on them belong not to them, but are signs, indications, flashes, and manifestations of a transcendent, sacred beauty which wants to ord, f manifest. The explanation begins by saying that three of those proofs have been mentioned briefly and most reasonably. The treatise leaves in amazement everyone of fine perception who sees it so that in addition to benefiting from it thems the a they find it necessary to try to allow others to benefit from it. Anyone whose mind is not rotten and heart not corrupted will appreciate, admire, and recommend the five points explained in the second proofbsolutexclaiming: "Ma'shallah! Barakallah!">will perceive and affirm that it is a wondrous marvel which will exalt his apparently lowly, wanting being.
FIFTEENTH HOPE
{(*): This Fifteenth Hope was ing ton by a Nurju to complete in the future the Treatise for the Elderly, and as a source for its composition, since the period of the Risale-i Nur's writing had come to an end three years' previously.}
One time when I was in compulsoryigatorence in Emirdağ, {[*]: The small town in central Anatolia where Bediuzzaman was exiled in 1944, following his release from Denizli Prison. Hdicateined in compulsory residence here until 1951, with a break of twenty months in Afyon Prison, from January 1948 to September 1949. (Tr.)} in what
was virtually solitary confinement, I became wearied of life due to the tormentrs the inflicted on me with their surveillance and arbitrary treatment, which I found hard to bear, and I regretted having been released from prison. I longed for Denizli Prison with ile of spirit, and wanted to enter the grave. But while thinking, prison and the grave are preferable to such a life, and deciding to enter one or the other, divine grace came to my assistance: is mertowed on the students of the Medresetü'z-Zehra, {[*]: The name of the university Bediuzzaman strove throughout his life to found in eastern Anatolia, where the relite fa sciences would be taught together with the modern sciences. He received funds from Sultan Reşad and laid the foundations on the shores of Lake Vanrom al11, but it was not completed due to the outbreak of World War I. With the spread of the Risale-i Nur in the first decades of the republic, Risale-i Nur Medreses, or places where hists,sale-i Nur was studied or copies of it were written, opened throughout Turkey. Bediuzzaman then called the Risale-i Nur students, students of the Medresetü'z-Zehra. (Tr.)} whose pens were like duplicatingand alnes, one of the machines, which had just appeared. All at once, five hundred copies each of the valuable collections of the Risale-i Nur>appeared from a single pen. Their presaging new victories made nd dese that distressing life, and caused me to offer unending thanks.
A while later, unable to endure the Risale-i Nur>'s victories, its covert is a es prompted the government to act against us. Again life became difficult for me. Then suddenly dominical grace was manifested: the officials connected wi be be case, who were those most in need of the Risale-i Nur,>studied the confiscated copies in the course of their duties most curiously and carefully, and its tr made.s gave their hearts a sense of bias towards it. As they began to appreciate it rather than criticize it, the Risale-i Nur>'s circle of study greatly expanded. It produced profits a hundred times greater than our materialruits s, reducing to nothing our anxiety and distress.
Then, secret, hostile dissemblers directed the government's attention towards my person. They recalled my former politicae bearvities. They aroused suspicions about me in both the judiciary, and the education authorities, and the police, and the Home Affairs Office. These spread at the hles of the different parties and the incitement of concealed communist anarchists. They started to pressure us and arrest us, and confiscate the parts of the Risale-i Nur>that fell into their harticlThe activities of the Risale-i Nur>students came to a standstill. A number of officials made false accusations which no one at all could believe. They tried to spread around the most extraordinary slander, but they could make no one believehing i Then they arrested me during the coldest days of winter on some trite
pretext, and put me into solitary confinement in prison in a large and extremely cold ward, leaving me two days wi, uncoa stove. I was accustomed to light my stove several times a day in my small room and always had live coals in the brazier, so with my illness and weakness I could endure it only with difficulty. While struggling in this situat"Be!" ffering from both a fever and the cold, and dreadful distress and anger, a truth unfolded in my heart through divine grace. It uttered the foions, g warning to my spirit:
"You called prison the Medrese-i Yûsufiye - the School of the Prophet Joseph, and while in Denizli, things like relief a thousand times greater thanmy brodistress, and spiritual profit, and the other prisoners benefiting from the Risale-i Nur,>and its widespread triumphs, all made you offer endless thanks instead of complaining. They made each hour of your imprisonment and hardship the nationlent of ten hours' worship, and made those passing hours eternal. God willing, the calamity-stricken in this third School of Joseph benefiting from the Risale-i Nur>and finding consolation will e or uhis cold, severe distress of yours and transform it into joy. If the people you are angry at are being deceived and are ill-treating you without realizing it, they are not worth being angry at. And if they are tormenting you and causing yoh Wordering knowingly, out of spite and on account of misguidance, they will in a short time enter the solitary confinement of the grave due erefor eternal execution of death, to suffer everlasting torment and torture. Their oppression is earning for you both merit and spiritual pleasures, and is making traen, po hours eternal, and is allowing you to perform scholarly and religious duties with sincerity."
With all my strength I exclaimed: "All praise be to God!" Out of humanity, I p leavethose tyrants and prayed: "O my Sustainer, reform them!" As I wrote in my statement to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in this new incident the truly guilty are thosef theits who in ten respects act unlawfully in the name of the law. They found extraordinary pretexts showing to anyone fair-minded with their slanders and fabrications,esough would have made those who heard them laugh and lovers of the truth weep, that they can find no way to attack the Risale-i Nur>and its students in respect of the law andn whic, so deviate into lunacy.
For instance, the officials who spied on us for a month could find nothing incriminating, so they wrote out a memorandum saying: "Said's servants bim he raki>from a shop and took it to him." They could find no one to sign the memo, but finally arrested a drunken stranger and got him to sie profunder threat. Even he said: "God forgive us! Who would sign this extraordinary lie?" So they were compelled to tear it up.
~A Second Example:>Someone I did noough a and still do not know, lent his horse so that I could go out for a ride. I used to go out most days for a couple of hours in the summer, for my illness and to take some air. I hand then my word that I would give the owner of the horse and phaeton books worth fifty liras,>so as not to break my rule and become indebted to him. Could any harm come of such a thing? But then both the Governor, and the court officialow muc the police questioned us fifty times about the horse's owner. As though it were some important political event affecting public security! One person even said loyally that the horse was his and anribute that the phaeton was his, in order to put a stop to this meaningless questioning, and they were both arrested together with me. We watched numerous childish escapades like these two examples andent ined till we cried. And we understood that those who attack the Risale-i Nur>and its students make fools of themselves.
An amusing inciden face among those examples: the reason given on the paper authorizing my arrest was "disturbing public order." Not having seen the document, I told the public prosecutor: "I slandered yo made night. I said to a police officer who was questioning me for the Police Chief: 'If I haven't served this country's public security as much as a thousand public prosecutors and a thousand police chiefs - three times - m resig damn me!'"
Just at that point, when in those freezing conditions I was in most need of rest and not catching cold and not thinking of the wor are nwas overcome with anger and vexation at those who had sent me into this intolerable exile, isolation, imprisonment, and oppression, in a way that spelt out their hatred and i greatentions. Divine grace came to my assistance, and the following was imparted to my heart:
"Divine determining, which is pure justice, has a large part in the wrongful oppression which these people are inflicting on yoose wh have food to eat in this prison; that sustenance of yours called you here. It should be met with contentment and resignation. Dominical wisdom and mercy have a large part, which is to illuminate those in this prison, wholonsole them, and to gain you reward. This share should be met with endless thanks and patience. Your soul has a part in it, due to its faults wk, at ou did not know about. In the face of this, you should tell your soul by repenting and seeking forgiveness that it deserved this blow. Some of your secret enemies have a part in it, with their intrigues and dece lightcertain ingenuous and suspicious officials and inciting them to such oppression. In thنگace of this share, the terrible immaterial blows dealt by the Risale-i Nur>on those dissemblers have avengeits iscompletely. That is enough for them. The final
part is the officials who were the actual means. In the face of this share, it is an act of magnanimitytten frgive them in accordance with the rule,
Those who suppress their anger and forgive people - verily God loves those who do good,>(3:134)
for whether they wanted to or noorderl may have benefited from the Risale-i Nur>in respect of belief, although they looked at with the intention of criticizing it.
I felt such happiness and gratitude at this veracious warning that I decided to coin theome harmless offence and incur a prison sentence, so that I might remain in this new School of Joseph and perhaps even help those who were opposed to me. lamitimeone like me who was seventy-five years old, without attachment, and only five out of the seventy people he loved in this world remained alive, the grave was a hundred times preferabsacrifthis prison. For seventy thousand copies of the treatises of the Risale-i Nur>were in free circulation and would perform my duties connected with the Risale-i Nur,>and I had brothers and heirs who would continue to serve belil fromh thousands of tongues in place of my one tongue. This prison too was a hundred times more comfortable and more beneficial than the unfree liberty outside subject to that tyranny and oppre it. . For in place of having to suffer all alone outside the arbitrary treatment of hundreds of officials, in prison, together with hundreds of other prisoners one only has to suffer the slight arhe floiness of one or two people like the prison governor and chief warder, which will yield benefits. And in the face of this, one receives the brotherly d thisss and consolation of many fellow-prisoners. With the thought that the compassion of Islam and human nature are shown as kindness to the elderly in such a position, thusat in ng the hardship of prison into mercy, I became resigned to prison.
At the time I attended this third trial, because of my difficulty in remaining on my feet due to weakness, old It nd illness, I sat on a chair outside the door of the court. The judge suddenly appeared and angrily asked in insulting manner: "Why isn't he waiting on his feet?" I was angry at this unkh manis in the face of my old age. Then I looked and saw that a large number of Muslims had gathered around us and were watching in most kind nce anotherly fashion, and not dispersing. I was suddenly warned of the following two truths:
The First: The covert enemies of myself and the Risale-i Nur>had deceived certain ingenuous officials with the intention ofain peng a stop to the Risale-i Nur>'s conquests by destroying the public's good opinion of me, which in any event I did not want, and of destroying menewedacter in
the people's view; they had prompted those officials to act contemptuously towards me in that way. See these hundred people in place of that one man's insults! as a burn for the Risale-i Nur>'s service to belief - as a divine favour - they are kindly offering their sympathy by appreciating your service, and both welcoming you an are rng you off. Even, while I was in the examining magistrate's office on the second day of the trial answering the public prosecutor's questions, around a thousand people gathered in the courtyard opposite the ct haveindows and showed their concern; they appeared to be telling them through the tongue of disposition not to pressurize us. The police could not make theall beerse. It was imparted to my heart that in this dangerous age these people want a true solace, an inextinguishable light, powerful belief, and certain good news about eternal happiness, and that they search for these by nature. They musm the heard that what they are searching for is to be found in the Risale-i Nur>so that they show my unimportant person much more attention than I deserve because I have performed ly senmall services for belief.
Second Truth: I was reminded that in return for the ill-treatment a few contemptuous, deceived individuals inflicted on us with the intention of insulting uwill idestroying public regard for us, due to their unfounded suspicions of our disturbing public order, was the applause and appreciation of innumerable people of reality and forthcoming generations.
Yes, thromandine strength of certain, affirmative belief, in every part of this country the Risale-i Nur>and its students halt the awesome corruption and efforts of anarchy to destroy public order under the veil of communism. They work to maintain pubonal sder and security so that these twenty years three or four related courts and the police of ten provinces have not been able to find or record any incidents involving the infringement of public order connected with the Risale-i Nur>stu The d who are very numerous and found in every part of the country. And the fair-minded police of three provinces stated: "The Risale-i Nur>studentsd becooral police. They assist us in preserving public order. Through certain, affirmative belief, they leave in everyone's head who reads the Risaublic ur>something that restrains them from committing misdemeanours. They work to maintain public order."
An example of this was Denizli Prison. When the Risale-i Nur>entered there and Fruits of Belief>was written for the prisoners, within aes, ni of three or four months more than two hundred of those prisoners became so extraordinarily obedient and acquired such religious and rree, tus conduct that a man who had murdered three or four people refrained from killing bedbugs even. They became completely compassionate, harmless member in th
of the nation. The officials were astonished at this situation and looked on in appreciation. Some youths even said before receiving their sentences: "If the Nurjus remain in prison, we shall try to have ourselves conviction apthat we can be taught by them and become like them. We shall reform ourselves through their instruction."
So those who accuse the Risale-i Nur>students, who are thus, of disturbing public order are surely seriously deceived, olmight been fooled, or knowingly or unknowingly are deceiving the government on account of anarchy, and try to crush and repress us. We say this to them:
Since death is nohe cape killed, and the grave is not to be closed, and the travellers in this guesthouse of the world, convoy after convoy enter the earth with great speed and ado, and vanish; for sure we shall part from one anotheir end soon. You shall receive the penalty for your tyranny in awful fashion. At the very least you shall mount the gallows of death and eternal extinction, whic and r the discharge papers of the oppressed people of belief. The fleeting pleasures you have received in this world imagining them to be everlasting, will be transformed into everlasting, grievous pains.
Regretfully, our secret dissembling eplanni sometimes attach the name of Sufism to the reality of Islam, which has been gained and preserved through the swords and blood of the hundred million martyrs at the rank of saints, and heroic wartree eans of this religious nation. While the way of Sufism is only a single ray of that sun, they show it to be the sun and deceive certain lax governmentstantaials. Calling the Risale-i Nur>students "Sufis" and "members of a political society" - because they work effectively for the truths of the Qur'an and belief - they want to incite them against us. We say to them, and to those who listen t into against us, what we told the just court at Denizli:
"Let us too be sacrificed for this sacred truth for which hundreds of millions of people have been f its iced! Even if you set fire to the world around us, we who sacrifice ourselves for the truths of the Qur'an will not lay down our arms before atheism; we shall not abandon our sacred duty, God willing!"
Thanks to the sar specolace arising from belief and the Qur'an for the pains and despair at the adventures of my old age, I would not exchange this most distressing year of my old age for ten of the happiest years of my youth - especially since for thrse iso repent and perform the obligatory prayers each hour in prison is the equivalent of ten hours' worship, and with respect to merit, each transient day spent in illness and under oppression gains ten days of perpetuaumerab. I thus understood from those warnings just how deserving of thanks are these days for someone like me awaiting
his turn at the door of the grave. I exclaimllar ondless thanks be to my Sustainer!", and was happy at my old age and pleased with my imprisonment. For life does not stop, it passes swiftly. If it ee all in pleasure and happiness, since the passing of pleasure is pain, it becomes transient, passing without thanks and in heedlessness; leaving sins in the place of pleasures, it departs. Whereas if this ses in prison and hardship, since the passing of pain is a sort of pleasure, and since it is considered to be a sort of worship, it becomes perpetual in one respect, and through imachind fruits gains everlasting life. It becomes atonement for the mistakes that were the cause of past sins and imprisonment, and purifies ther sevem this point of view, the prisoners who perform the compulsory parts of the obligatory prayers should offer thanks in patience.
SIXTcompleHOPE
One time in my old age, I was released from Eskişehir Prison after serving a years' sentence. They exiled me to Kastamonu, {[othersprovincial centre in the Ilgaz Mountains to the north of Turkey. Bediuzzaman was exiled here in March 1936, after being released from Eskişehir Prison. He remained in Kastamonu for seven yanner until 1943, when he was sent to Denizli Prison. (Tr.)} where I stayed for two or three months as a guest in the police station. It may be undey ever how much torment someone like me suffered in a place like that, who was a recluse, wearied by seeing even his loyal friends, and could not endure the changes in dress. {[*]: This refers to the compulsory adoption of European dress folone wi the Dress Laws passed in the first years of the Republic. The Hat Act of 1925 banned the wearing of all headgear other than European-style hats. (Tr.)} While suffering this despair, divine grace suddenly came to the asth youce of my old age. The inspector and police in the police station became like firm friends. They not once warned me about not wearing a peaked cap, and likolute ervants, used to take me for trips around the town.
Then I took up residence in Kastamonu's Risale-i Nur>Medrese, opposite the police station, and started to write further parts of the Risale-i Nur.>Heroic Risahis wour>students like Feyzi, Emin, Hilmi, Sâdik, Nazif, and Salâhaddin, attended the medrese>in order to duplicate the treatises and disseminate them. We held scholarly debates even more brilliant than those I haul wom in my youth with my old students.
Then our hidden enemies aroused the suspicions of some officials and some egotistical hojas>and shaykhs concerning us. They caused us and Risale-i Nur>students from five or six provthe suto be gathered together in the School of Joseph of Denizli Prison. The details of this Sixteenth Hope are described clearly in the brief letters I sent secretly to and ovthers while
in Denizli Prison, in those sent from Kastamonu, and in the collection containing the court defence speeches. So referring the details to those letters and is abudefence speech, I shall allude to it only very briefly here:
I hid the confidential and important collections, and particularly those about the Sufyan and the Risale-i Nur>'s wonder-working, under the coal and fireis aboo that they might be published after my death or after the authorities had come to their senses and listened to the truth. Then, when feeling easy at this, some detectives and the assistant puuld berosecutor suddenly raided my house. They pulled out those secret and important treatises from under the wood then arrested me and sent me to Isparta Prison, although I was in bad health. Whileourse ly upset and sad at the harm that had come to the Risale-i Nur,>divine grace came to our aid. The authorities carefully and curiously began to read those important treatises which had been hidden, of which they were in much need, and the gover the woffices became like Risale-i Nur>study-centres. Although they began to read with the idea of criticizing, they appreciated them. In Denizli even, although we were unaware of it, numerous peope sortd the printed edition of Ayetü'l-Kübra (The Supreme Sign),>officially and unofficially, and strengthened their belief. This reduced to nothing the calamity of prison we were suffering.
Later tnce duok us to Denizli Prison and put me into solitary confinement in a stinking, cold, damp ward. I was most unhappy at my old age and illness and the diffic do no visited on my friends because of me. I was feeling most distressed at the confiscations of the Risale-i Nur>and the cessation in its activities when divine grace suddenlyoth grto my aid. It transformed that huge prison into a Risale-i Nur>medrese, proving it was a School of Joseph. The Risale-i Nur>started to spread through the diamond pens of the heroes of the Medr illnez-Zehra. {[*]: See note 21, page 325.} The great hero of the Risale-i Nur>even, in those severe conditions, wrote out more than twenty copies of thelves ts of Belief>and the Defence Speeches Collection>in the space of three or four months. The conquests began both within the prison and outside. It transformed our losses in that calamity into significant gains and our distrity, dto joy. It once again showed the meaning of the verse,
But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you.>(2:216)
Then we were s. Butt to severe criticisms because of the incorrect and superficial statements of the first experts' committee, and the Education Minister's savage attacks. A statement was published against us. Then just when accordint fromome reports they were even trying to secure the execution
of some of us, divine grace came to our assistance. Chiefly, while expecting a severely critical report from the Experts Committee in Ankara, they sent a commendatory one. And austenah they found less than ten errors in five chests of copies of the Risale-i Nur,>we proved in court that the points they had shown to be errors were h the tely correct and that they themselves had been in error in the matters they said were wrong; we showed between five and ten errors and mistakes in their five-page report. And while awaitingusand e reprisals in the face of the Fruits of Belief>and Defences Collection,>which we had sent to seven government offices, and the entire Risale-i Nur>which had been sent to the Ministry of Justice, and especially in ribute for the effective, stinging slaps dealt by the confidential treatises, they responded extremely leniently, and like the even consoling letter sent to us by the Prime Minister, thce hore most conciliatory and did not attack us. This proved decisively that as a miracle of divine grace, the truths of the Risale-i Nur>had defeated them, making them study its treatises as though it were a guide. It made thosn relad circles into a sort of study circle and saved the belief of numerous hesitating and bewildered people, causing us spiritual joy and profit far exceeding our distress.
God iour hidden enemies poisoned me; and the late Hafiz Ali, the martyr hero of the Risale-i Nur,>went to hospital instead of me, travelled to the Intermediate Realm in my place, and made us weep despairingly. Bef pointis calamity, on many occasions I had insisted on the mountain at Kastamonu: "My brothers, don't give meat to the horse and grass to the ce is That is to say: "Don't give all the treatises to everyone, lest they use them to attack us." Although Hafiz Ali (May God have mercy on him) was around seven days away on foot, as though he heard with his spiritual telephone, that same tiimate was writing to me: "Yes, Ustad, it is a wonder of the Risale-i Nur>that horses should not be given meat, nor lions, grass. Rather, sinMustafses should be given hay, and lions meat, he gave that lion-like hoja>the treatise on sincerity." I received his letter seven days later. We worked it out, and at the same time I was shouting it out on the lü Musin, he was writing the strange words in his letter.
Thus, just at the time that hero of the Risale-i Nur>died, and we were being pressurized by the secret dissemblers who were trying to have us punished through craft intrigues against us, and we were anxious that I would be sent to hospital on official orders because I was ill from poison, divine grace came to our assistance. Thanks to the sincere prayers of my blessed brothers the danger to my life fthose e poison passed; and according to powerful signs our martyr was occupied in his grave with the Risale-i Nur,>and replied with the Risale-i Nur>to the questioning angels; and the
Denizli heerstansan Feyzi (May God have mercy on him), who would work according to Hafiz Ali's system, and his friends were secretly serving the Risale-i Nur>effectively; and because the other prisoners w the ring reformed by the Risale-i Nur,>even our enemies supported our being released from prison; and like the Companions of the Cave, the Risale-i Nur>students turned that place of ordeal in the cascetic's cave of olden times; all this, together with their endeavours in writing out and disseminating the Risale-i Nur>with easy hearts, proved that divine grace has the to our aid.
It also occurred to my heart that since a great interpreter of the law like Imam A'zam suffered imprisonment; and a supreme mujâhid>like Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal was severely tortured in prison for the sake sting ingle matter of the Qur'an and endured it in perfect patience, yet not remain silent about the matter in question; and numerous religious leaders and scholars were completely patient and unshaken, offering thanks, despite suffergion arments far greater than yours; for sure you are obliged to offer endless thanks for the very few difficulties you suffer, although the reward you receive is great for those many truths of the Qur'anrmanen I shall describe briefly a manifestation of divine grace in the midst of man's wrongful tyranny:
When I was twenty years old I used to say repeatedly: "Towards the end of my lifof Ramall withdraw from the life of society into a cave or onto a mountain like the people of olden times who abandoned the world and withdrew into caves." Then when in re caneat War I was being held as a prisoner in the north-east, I took this decision: "After this I shall spend my life in caves. I shall slip away from political and social lifll-arrugh now of mixing in them." At that point both dominical grace and the justice of divine determining were manifested. It transformed the caves I had imagined into prisons, places of seclusion, loneliness in places of Or isl and solitary confinement in a way far better than my decision and wish, compassionately for my old age. It bestowed on me Schools of Joseph and places of solitary confinement where my time would not be wasted thatUnseenfar superior to the mountain caves of ascetics and recluses. It gave both the benefits pertaining to the hereafter of the cave, and strenuous service of the truths of belief and the Qur'an. I hade in adetermined to show myself guilty of some crime and remain in prison after my friends had been released. Solitaries like Husrev and Feyzi would have remained with me, and on some ether t I would have remained in the solitary confinement ward so as not to meet with people and waste my time on unnecessary conversation and egotMercifl artificiality. But then divine determining and our
fate sent us to another place of ordeal. Out of compassion for my old age and in order to make us work harder in the service of belikes. Cties were given us outside our will and power in this third School of Joseph, in accordance with the verse, "But it is possible that you dislike a thing which is good for you,">and the saying: "Good lies in what God chooses."
Yey be ure are three instances of wisdom and important benefits in respect of the service of the Risale-i Nur>in divine grace turning - out of compassion for my olur and- the caves of my youth, when I had no powerful, hidden enemies, into the solitary confinement of prison:
~First Instance of Wisdom and Benefit:>It is only in the School otifiesph that the Risale-i Nur>students can gather together without harm. Outside it is expensive and causes suspicion if they meet together. Some who came to visit me would spey. In ty or fifty liras, then see me for only twenty minutes or not at all, and would have to return. I would have willingly chosen the hardship of prison to be closer to some of my brothers. This means that for us prison is a bounty and instanc and dercy.
~Second Instance of Wisdom and Benefit:>The service to belief at this time through the Risale-i Nur>has to be through advertising it everywhere and attracting the attention of those in need. Attensize os drawn to the Risale-i Nur>by our imprisonment; it is like an advertisement. The most stubborn or most needy find it and save their belief; their obduracy is broken and they are saved from danger, and the Riss.
Nur>'s study-circle is widened.
~Third Instance of Wisdom and Benefit:>The Risale-i Nur>students who are sent to prison learn from one another's conduct, qualities, sincerity, and self-sacrifice, and they no longer seek worldly benefits in tthat mervice. Yes, since in the School of Joseph they have seen with their own eyes the ten and perhaps a hundred benefits gained for every hardship and difficulty, andtenancood results, and the extensive and sincere service to belief, they are successful in attaining pure sincerity and no longer lower themselves by seeking minor, personal benefits.
A subtle but sad, yet at the same time agreeable, point conceach m these places of ordeal that concerns myself only is this: I observe the same situation here that I saw in the old medreses>in my native region in my youth. For traditionally in the eastern provinces, some of the medrese>students' needsis supmet from outside, and in some medreses>their food was cooked in the medrese.>There were other ways they resembled this place of ordeal. As I watch the prison here, I feel a pleasurable regret and longing, and Neces in my imagination to those enjoyable times of youth, and forget the difficulties of old age.
This is the Twenty-First Letter, which, having been included in Mektûbad withters 1928-1932),>has not been added here.
The Twenty-Seventh Flash
This consists of the defence speeches from the Eskişehir trials, which have been published in the hand-duplicated egs, ths of The Flashes Collection,>and in part in Said Nursi's biography.
The Twenty-Eighth Flash
[This Flash>comprises some of the short pieces I wrote as consolation for my blusions who were (in the ward) opposite me in Eskişehir Prison, at a time I was forbidden to mix with them or speak with them.]
In the Na the cGod, the Merciful, the Compassionate
An amusing and absorbing conversation with Süleyman Rüştü,>{[*]: Süleyman Rüştü Çakin, 1899-1974. He was born in Isparta, where he was the Director of the Tax Assessment Office. He y, and one of Bediuzzaman's close students, and was imprisoned together with him in Eskişehir and Denizli.} famous for his fidelity and distinguished by his sincerity of heart
A Small Point Concerning anking-wtant Verse
It was autumn and approaching the time flies are discharged from their duties, and because of their minor annoyance, selfish humans were employing chemicals in my prison cell in order to els anate them. It aroused a sharp pity in me. There was a washing-line in my cell. In order to thwart the humans the flies multiplied even more. In the evening those miniature birds would line themselves up in most orderly fashion [Th line. When he wanted to hang up the washing, I said to Rüştü: "Don't disturb those little birds; hang it somewhere else." To which he repling whimpletely seriously: "We need the line; let the flies find somewhere else for themselves."
Anyhow... In the early morning a discussion started up in connection with this exchange, about the very numerous small creatures li be utes and ants. I said the following to him:
The species whose copies are thus numerous have important duties and great value, likeThus, opies of a book are multiplied in relation to the book's importance. That is to say, the species of flies have important duties and high value so that the All-Wise Yes, ir has greatly multiplied those tiny missives of divine determining and copies of the words of divine power. The All-Wise Qur'an states:
O men! Here bountparable set forth; listen to it! Those on whom you call besides God cannot create [even] a fly, if they all met together for the purpose! And if the fly should snatch away anything from them, tny prould have no power to release it from the fly. Feeble are those who petition and those whom they petition!>(22:73)
That is to say, if those things claimed to be gods by the people of misguidance were to gather together all caussponde false gods apart from God Almighty, they would be unable to create even a fly. That is, the creation of a fly is such a dominical miracle and clear siselessthe creative act that even if all causes were to assemble they would be unable to make anything like it or to duplicate it, and would be unable to dispute that dominical sign.
Flies, the significant subject of the above verse, defeated Nimn, so nd when Moses (Upon whom be peace) complained about their bothering him, saying: "O my Sustainer! Why have You made these irritating creatures so very numerous?", the following answer came to him by way of in beingion:
"You have objected about the flies once while the flies have asked many times: 'O our Sustainer! This man has a huge head, yet he praises You with only ality.ngue, and sometimes he neglects to do that. If you had created us out of only his head, there would have been creatures like us praising You with thousands of tongues!'"
Moreover the flies, which thus defended the wisdom in their creur whiagainst Moses' complaint sufficiently powerfully to withstand a thousand such objections, also pursue great cleanliness. These insects continually wash their faces, eyes, and wings as though taking ab singls, and have important duties. The common view is short-sighted; it is still unable to comprehend those duties.
Indeed, Almighty God has created an orderly group of carniverous beings as p amusehealth officials of a sort; they cleanse the seas by gathering up the corpses of other sea-creatures {(*): One fish produces thousands of eges of thousands of young. So to maintain the balance, from a roe consisting of a million eggs the young fish that hatch and survive will equal the fish that die. Also, the mother fish cannot always superintend her young because to re great difference in size between them, and she cannot enter the places they hide. So as a manifestation of divine compassion, the All-Wise and Compassionate promotes receif the young to supervise the others, and employs the tiny creature in the mother's duties.} that die every day in their millions,
and prevent the sea from becoming polluteve thedisgusting with their corpses. If those public health officals of the sea did not carry out their extremely regular duties, the sea would not sparkle like a mirror; it would rather display a sad and touching turbidity.
Also, Almighty God hans andted carniverous and carrion-eating birds, and wild animals to be like cleansing and public health officials which collect the corpses of the wild animals and birds that die every day in their millions, cleanse the face of the earth andingse putrid remains, and save other animate beings from such sad, discomforting sights. Some, like eagles for example, through a divine impulse, wonderfully perceive the location of a corpse from a distance of five or six houmakes ough hidden and distant, and hasten to remove it. If those health officals of the land were not extremely efficient and orderly in carrying out their official duties, the face of the eartful ofd become such so as to make all weep.
The licit food of carniverous animals is the flesh of dead animals. The flesh of living animals ishen thful for them. If they eat it, they receive punishment. The Hadith which states: "Retaliation shall be made for the hornless sheep on the horned on Resurrection Day" {[*]: Musnad, ii, 235.} points out that although the bodiSecondanimals with immortal spirits perish, they will receive reward and punishment in a manner appropriate for them in an eternal realm. In consequence, it may be said that the flesh of live animals is unlawful for wild animals.
Furtherm and tnts are employed as cleansing officials to collect the corpses of tiny creatures and small particles and fragments of bounty. They are given duties as public health officals to preserve tiny particles of divine bounty from waste, frd thenng trodden underfoot, contempt and futility, and to gather up the corpses of other small creatures.
Similarly, flies are charged with duties of cleaning away poisonous substances and microbes which breed disnsive nd are invisible to the human eye. They do not transmit microbes, on the contrary, through sucking up and imbibing harmful microbes they destroy them and cause them to be transformed into a different state; tclaritevent the spread of many contagious diseases. A sign that they are both health workers and cleansing officials and chemists and that they exhibit extensive wisdom is the fact that
they are extremely numerous. For valuabs, may beneficial things are multiplied. {(*): How beautifully and subtly the following lines by the celebrated Yunus Emre allude to the wonderful works of dominical art that are the rcy.
wings and body: "I loaded a single fly's wing onto forty ox carts; Forty of them could not haul it; it remainded thus decreed."}
O you self-centred human being! Apart from the thousands of instances of wisdom in the creation of flies, ey areer the following small benefit that concerns you and leave off your hostility towards them. For just as they offer you some familiarity in your exile, solitude and loneliness, so do they warn you against sliding into heedlessness and your for pht wandering. You see flies that through their delicate manner and their washing their faces and eyes as though taking ablutions are giving you a lesson and reminding you of human duties like action and cleanliness.
Mho arer, bees, which may be thought of as a sort of fly, give you honey to eat, the sweetest and most delicate of bounties. And as is stated by the Qur'an of Miracu is a xposition, they are distinguished by receiving divine inspiration. So to be hostile towards them although they should be loved; indeed, to be hostile towards creatures that suffer allsublim of difficulties in hastening in friendship to assist man, is wrongful and unjust. We may combat harmful creatures only to repel their harm. es theht wolves to protect sheep from their attack, for example.
Mosquitoes and fleas fall upon the turbid blood flowing in the veins polluted by harmful swhich ces, indeed they are charged with consuming the polluted blood. So in hot weather when there is blood surplus to the body's needs, why should he Unsot be natural cuppers? It is possible...
Glory be to Him whose art bewilders the mind!
At one time when I was struggling with my evil-commanding soulationwas imagining that the bounties it saw in itself to be its own property, and it became conceited, proud and boastful. I told it: "This property is not yours; it is on trust." So itriend up its conceit and pride but became lazy, it said: "Why should I bother about someone who is not mine? Let him perish, what is it to me?" Suddenly I saw that a fly had alighted on my hand and had started to thoroughly creatiots eyes, face, and wings, which were its trust from God. The fly was washing itself just like a soldier cleans his rifle and uniform thoroughly, which belong to the state. I said to my soul: to beook at that!" It looked and learned a good lesson. As for the fly, it became my conceited and lazy soul's teacher and instructor.
Fshed, retion is not harmful medically; in fact, sometimes it is a sweet
syrup. For it is not distant from dominical wisdom, it is indeed a function of that wisdom, that while flies contain thousandsho hasrmful substances, microbes, and poisons from what they have eaten, they are like tiny transformation and purification machines. Apart from bees, there are other species of flying insects
{(*): At the end of spring l be fis one species of small fly which is created in the form of a black mass that becomes stuck to the branches of almond and wild apricot in di, and remains there. In place of waste matter, droplets continuously flow from the flies. These drops are like honey and other species of fliesd thour round them suck them up.
Another species is employed in the pollination of the flowers of plants and some trees, like the fig. Just as the fire-fly is woo all f observation, since it is a sort of fly that flashes, sparkles, and is luminous; so do other species that are gilded and glisten like gold deserve notice. Also, we must not forget flies arme which lances, and wild bees, which are like brigands. If the All-Merciful Creator had not pulled in their reins, if they attacked human beings like fleas, in the same way that those armed species killed Nimrod, they we to dave assailed the human race and expounded the implicit meaning of the verse,
"And if the fly should snatch away anything from them."
existthe hundred famous species of flies like these bearing special qualities are of great importance so that this mighty verse makes them its subject:
O men! Here is a parable set captu; listen to it! Those on whom you call besides God cannot create [even] a fly, if they all met together for the purpose! And if the fly should snatch away anything from them, they would have no power to easilse it from the fly. Feeble are those who petition and those whom they petition!}
that eat various putrid substances and then continuously excrete droplets of syrup in place of the filth. By transforming those rottights,isonous substances into a sweet and healing syrup, a confection of divine power, that rains onto the leaves of trees, they prove that then, jusmachines for transmuting one substance into another. They demonstrate before one's eyes what a mighty nation and group these tiny individuals form. Through the tongues of their beings they say: "Dnd supook at our smallness, consider the vastness of our species, and declare, 'All Glory be to God!'"
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Verily, when He intends a thing, His command is ies anand it is.>(36:82)
As this verse indicates, creation is through a command. The treasuries of divine power are in the Kâf.>and Nûn.>{[*]: The two letters oce by Arabic alphabet in the word "Kun!", that is, "Be!" [trans.]} Several of the many aspects of this subtle mystery have been mentioned in various places of the Risale-i Nur.>Hpassinn order to make more comprehensible in this century's materialist view Hadiths about the characteristics, qualities, and material effects of the Qur'an's lettersne to particularly the disjointed letters at the start of some Suras, we shall illustrate this mystery with a material example.
The All-Glorious One, the Owner of the Sublime Throne, has four thrones by which He directs the creatribunan the earth, which is like a centre of the world and a heart and qibla>of the universe:
~One>is the throne of preservation and life, which is earth. Thiogethehe manifestation of the divine names of Preserver and Giver of Life.
~The Second Throne>is the throne of bounty and mercy, which is the element of water.
~The Third>istationhrone of knowledge and wisdom, which is the element of light.
~The Fourth>is the throne of will and command, which is the element of air.
We see with our eyes that the minerals and innumerable t spirs plants are formed from simple earth, through which are met the innumerable needs of animals and human beings - boundless multiplicity from unity with perfect order, an infinite variety of species from a simple elound m innumerable regular embroideries on a plain page. And although water, and especially the sperm of animals, is a simple fluid, innumerable miracles of art become maniand gahrough it in the many animate creatures. This shows that similarly to these two thrones, light and air are the places of manifestation of the wondrousnectedles of the pen of knowledge, command, and will of the Pre-Eternal Inscriber, the All-Knowing One of Glory, despite their simple nature.
For now we shall leave aside the elets of f light, and in connection with our question here, try to unveil a little the marvels of command and will within the element of air, which fwritte globe of the earth is the throne of the divine command and will.
With the air in our mouths we sow letters and words which at once
sprout and send forth shoots. That is to say, in a instant, in no time at all, a word becomes a seed ie, allair, sprouting in the surrounding air and producing the shoots of innumerable instances of the same word, great and small, in the air all around. We consider the element of air and we see that it is so obom the and subjugated to the command of "' Be!' and it is">that it is as if like a soldier in a regular army, each of its particles is as though ever awaiting its oires l demonstrating its compliance with and submission to commands manifested from the command of "Be!",>arriving instantaneously from another particle far offut moror example, the fact that human speech may be heard anywhere in the air by means of radio transmitters and receivers - on condition there is a receiver - everywhere on earth, at the same moment, in Theneously, demonstrates how perfectly each particle of air obediently conforms to the manifestation of the command of "' Be!' and it is.">In respect you seredness and in accordance with the mystery of compliance, the letters, which have an unstable existence in the air, may manifest many external effects and material qe comees.
Innumerable signs like these show that letters, which are the beings of the air, and especially sacred and Qur'anic letters, and in particular the letters of the divine cyphers atmply beginning of some Suras, are orderly and infinitely sensitive, and as though listening to the instantaneous commands and acting accordingly They therefore surely make the particles of ai of nuit to their material qualities and wondrous properties, which reflect the manifestation of the command of "' Be!' and it is">and of pre-eternacannot.
In consequence of this mystery, sometimes the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition describes the works of divine power as though they proceed from the attributes of will and speech, meaning that they govern like power apart from utter ll livof creation, submission of things and subjugation of beings. That is to say, the letters proceeding from the creative command govern in the existence of beings like a physical force, and the creative command is manifested un. Focally with power and will.
Yes, the works of will and the creative command appear to be identical with power in beings of this sort whose physical existence is invisible, like the ainor dech is semi-material and semi-immaterial; indeed, they are identical with power. It is as though the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition decrees, "Verily, becamee intends a thing, His command is 'Be!' and it is">in order to attract attention to beings which are an isthmus between the material and the imma
It is thus in keeping with the sacred letters of the divine cyphers like Hâ. Mîm. Tâ. Sîn.,>and Alif. Lâm. Mîm.>that they should each be switches
among the parti attemf the air for causing the wires of the hidden, subtle relations to vibrate and so be the means of the immaterial sacred wireless and telecommunications between the earth and divine throne; it issnessrely reasonable that this should be their function.
In addition to the duties of all particles of the air dispersed throughout the world, their conforming to the commthat wn connection with such things as wirelesses, radios, telephones, and telegraphs, and acting as receivers and conductors of subtle forces sucview, lectricity - I conjectured and observed even a further duty in the blossom of my almond-tree. The state the tree acquired through the touch of the air in ttures,wing breeze - with its particles like receivers conforming to the same command at the same instant - and all the trees on the face of the earth like a disciplined army, afforded me a conviction as certain as two plus two equals fou to itThat is to say, the air is a swift and agile servant on the face of the earth, tending the guests of the Most Merciful and Compassionate One. Resembling radio and tel words receivers and soldiers under orders, all its particles deliver the sacred commands of that Most Merciful One to the plants and animals. At the command of "' Be!' and it is,">they carry out numerous orderly duties such as acting as fans fdom; tse creatures, aiding their respiration; that is, after performing the duty of purifying their blood, the water of life, and kindling their bodily heat, the fire of life, they emerge from them and are the means of al on g words in their mouths.
As a result of this quality of the air, when letters, the beings of the air, acquire sacredness; that is, when they take up the position of being receivers; that is, they take up the position of receivers becaund seny are letters of the Qur'an, and become like switches, and even more so when the letters at the start of some Suras become the sensitive central switches of those hidden relations, just as their ex kind es in the air possess this quality, so their existences in the mind and even as inscriptions have a share in it. That is to say, like physical medicines, healing cures and other purposes may be achien pati reading and writing those letters.
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Say: "If the ocean were ink [wName oth to write out] the words of my Sustainer, sooner would the ocean be exhausted than would the words of my Sustainer, even if we added another ocean like it, for its aid.>(18:109)
s is tis mighty verse is a vast, elevated ocean. A large volume would be necessary to describe all its jewels. So postponing those precious jewels to another time, for now I shall explain a few rays of a subtle point just to recall thim thhey appeared faintly to me a few days ago during the tesbihat,>recited following the five daily prayers, which is an important time for me, and struck my attention. I did not write Whereaown at the time and they gradually grew fainter. So before they are lost altogether so as to hunt down a manifestation of those points, I shall say a few words as though encircling them.]
First Word: In respect of being a divage, atribute like knowledge and power, pre-eternal speech is infinite. Certainly, if the seas were ink for something infinite, they would never get to the end of them.
Second Word: Speech is the clearest and most pful nal thing that makes known someone's existence. Hearing someone's speech proves that he exists as clearly as a thousand proofs, indeed, as clearly as see the om. Thus through its allusive meaning, this verse says:
"If the seas were ink to the extent of divine speech, which demonstrates the All-Glorious Sustainer's existence, and the trees were penless f they were to write His speech, they would never come to the end of them. That is to say, just as any speech points to its own extent and at t have ree of witnessing to the existence of the one who spoke it, so the extent that the above speech points to and tells of the One who spoke it - the Single and Eternally Besought One - is beyond measure, so that if all the seas r thronk they would still be insufficient for writing it."
Third Word: When teaching the truths of belief to all classes of men, the Qur'an of Miraculous Expositine puparently repeats the same truth, which is in accordance with the wisdom of establishing, verifying, and convincing them of a truth. This ve, it p in effect an answer to the entirely unjustifiable attacks of the Jewish scholars, who were the learned People of the Book of the time, on the Illustrious Prophet (UWBP) concerning this, because he wah specttered and not learned. It is as follows:
The verse says: "The repetition of a truth containing numerous benefits
and results in different and miraculous ways for numerous instances of wisdom, such as verificdence and persuasion, does not arise from restricted speech or intellectual deficiency or lack of capital. Nor does the repetition of such matters as orary llars of belief comprising thousands of truths each of which is infinitely valuable, in order to establish them in the hearts of the mass of people in particular. For d huger'an proceeds from the endless, infinite pre-eternal treasury of divine speech, and being turned to the Manifest World on account of the World of thee the n, speaks with man and the jinn, spirits, and the angels, resounding in the ears of each person. If the seas were ink, sentient beings scribes, plants pens, and particles the pens' *]: Itor counting the words of pre-eternal speech, the source of the Qur'an, they would still never come to the end of them. For they are finite, while divine speech is infinite."
Fourt your : It is clear that the issuing of speech from something unexpected increases the speech's effectiveness and makes it heeded. The speech-like voices of large bodies like the cstake and the atmosphere in particular make everyone listen to them. The sounds of a gramophone the size of a mountain would attract attention in thore. The heavenly voice of the Qur'an, which takes the levels of the heavens as gramophone records, issues forth to make the head of the globe of the earth lisle-i N it. And with the power of the radio, the molecules of air become like the receivers and transmitters of its letters. The verse alludes to the fact that the aires of ules each become mirrors, tongues, needle points, and ears for the All-Wise Qur'an's letters, and indicates how important, valuable, significant, and livinore, ae letters are, saying: "The Qur'an, which is divine speech, is so living and valuable that if all the seas were to become ink, and the angels scribes, and minute particles points, and plants and hairs pens to the number of the ears that lisrent f it and hear it, and to the number of the sacred words that enter those ears, they could still never come to the end of them."
No, they coulhis trr come to the end of them, because if Almighty God multiplies man's weak, lifeless speech millions of times in the air, for sure each word of the speech ond oth Peerless Sovereign of the Heavens and Earth, which looks to all the earth and the heavens and addresses all the conscious beings within them, will compre namerds to the numbers of particles of air.
Fifth Word: This consists of two letters.
~The First Letter:>Just as the divine attribute of speech has words, so does power have embodied words, and knowledge too hulverie words of divine determining; these consist of all beings. Living beings, and small
creatures in particular, are each dominical words which point to the Pre-Eternal Speaker in a way more powerfully than r in a. If the seas were ink they could never come to the end of them. That is, the verse looks to this meaning too in allusive fashion.
~The Second Letter:>All the inspiration received by anglous Ed men, and even by animals, are divine speech of a sort. Its words are certainly infinite. It means that the verse is telling us how numerous and infinite are t whichpirations and words of divine command which the innumerable cohorts of absolute sovereignty continually receive.
The knowledge is with God alone. * None knows the Unseen save God.
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compnts haate.
And We sent down iron, in which is [material for] mighty war, as well as many benefits for mankind.>(57:25)
[A brief reply to a question about the above verse, which has come to hand areat importance, for with it a prominent person with knowledge of modern science silenced a number of hojas.>]
~Question:>It is normally said thbeliefn is mined from the earth, so why is it said in this verse "We sent down">or "revealed">rather than We excavated or extracted; this appears functinappropriate?
The Answer: With the phrase "We sent down,">the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition recalls the vast and important bounty of iron. For it does not consider iron only for itself so that it outh, say extracted, but recalls the tremendous divine bounty in iron and how needy mankind is for it. Its aspect of being a bounty does not come upwards from below, but down from the treasury of mercy. The tring, " of mercy is certainly elevated, above, and at a high level, so the bounty descends from above; and needy mankind's level is surely below. Thurposeowal of bounty is superior to need, so the correct way to express the fact that bounty comes from the treasury of mercy to meet mankind's need ijusticsent down;">it is not We extracted.
Also, since the gradual extraction of iron is at man's hand, the word extract does not alert the heedless person to its aspects in a snty. If what is meant is iron's material substance, it is extracted in respect of its physical situation. But iron's quality of being a bounty, which is the intended meaning here, is immaterial. This mressin looks not to physical situation, but to immaterial degree or level. Bounties proceeding from the treasury of mercy, which is a manifestae who f the infinitely exalted degree of the Most Merciful, are certainly sent down from the highest level to the lowest. Thus, the correct expression is "We sent down:">it recalls to mankind thatt to tis one of the greatest divine bounties.
Yes, iron is the source of all mankind's industries, and of its advancement and progress, and the means of its power and strer. SinSo in order to call to mind this tremendous bounty and bestowal of favour, in lofty style the Qur'an states:
And We sent down iron, in which is [material for] mirs, thar, as well as many benefits for mankind.
In a similar way it declares about David's important miracle:
And We made the iron soft for him.>(34:10)
That is to say, it poinwenty- the softening of iron, a great miracle and great bounty for a great prophet.
~Secondly:>Above and below are relative. They are above and below in relation to the earth's centre. I, whic, something which is below in relation to us is above from the point of view of the American continent. This means the situation of substances coming from the earth's centre to its surface changes according to the positieing apeople on the surface.
With the tongue of miraculousness, the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition states that iron contains so many benefits and has such extensive uses that it is not some common substance to be extracted from the store of then, a m, and that it is not some natural substance to be used for any chance need. Rather, in order to express iron's general uses it states that it is a bounty stored up by the Creator of the Universe in the treasury of mercy an or pa workshop of the universe which He sent down through His majestic title of Sustainer of the Heavens and Earth to meet the needs of the earth's inhabitants. It is as ithree e rain, heat, and light, which descend from the skies, it contains such all-embracing advantages that it was sent from the workshop of the universe, not from the narrow store of the earth. t us a sent having been prepared in the great treasury of mercy in the palace of the universe, and situated in the store of the globe, from which it is extracted irs."> by little over the centuries in proportion to need.
The Qur'an of Mighty Stature does not want to express the iron which is extracted bit by bit from this small store only as being utilized, he deg being sent down together with the globe of the earth from the supreme treasury, as a tremendous bounty. That is to say, the thing most necessary for the house of the earth is iron, for when the All-Glorious Creator separated the earth fr and s sun and sent it down for mankind, He sent down iron together with it, and met most of mankind's needs with it. The All-Wise Qur'an decrees in miraculous any lin: "Use this iron in your works and try to excavate it and take advantage of it."
The verse describes two bounties; both the repulsion of enemies and the attraction of benefits. Iron was put to importantou eig uses before the revelation of the Qur'an, but with the phrase, "in which is [material for] mighty war">it points out that in the future, it would be used for travelling through the seaThe su and land, and would subjugate the globe wondrously and astonishingly, and demonstrate a wondrous death-tainted strength. Thus of its various sorts of miraculousness, it displays a flash of miraculousness in its predicor worhe future.
While discussing the above point, the subject of Solomon's Hoopoe came up. A persistent questioner from among our brothers {(*): This refers to Re'fet, who is dilighand o asking questions, but lazy when it comes to writing!} asked: "What is the reason for the Hoopoe describing Almighty God with a relatively insignificant attribute in the sentence, "Who brings to light what is hidden in the heavens and the earch I w27:25) while there are more significant divine attributes?
The Answer: One aspect of eloquence is to make understood the occupation or craft with which the speaker is mostly employed. Like the nomad diviners who intuitivelyng togver the places where water is to be found in the Arabian Peninsula, Solomon's Hoopoe, a diviner from among birds and animals, was a blessed bird who was employed in various dute, sind also found water for Solomon (Upon whom be peace), so it could be used. It is stating through the measure of its own art that Almighty God proves His fitness to be worswoven and prostrated before by making known the things hidden in the heavens and earth.
Yes, the Hoopoe understood it well, for the natural inclination of the incalculable numbers of seeds and minerals under the earth is not to emerge upwards ple lielow. Because since such beings lack life and will, they cannot go upwards of their own accord; on their own, they can only tumble downwardngs anody concealed under the heaviness of the earth certainly could not shake that heavy load off its shoulders on its own and emerge upwards. It mhin anhat it does so through a wondrous power.
The Hoopoe understood through his divining this most hidden and important of the proofs of divine fitness to be worshipped, so that the All-Wise Qur'an imparted ad empculousness to its statement concerning it.
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
And He sent down for yhroughht head of cattle in pairs: He makes you in the wombs of your mothers, in stages, one after the other.>(39:6)
This verse comprises the same point we explained in the discussion of the verse, "And We sent dond unbn;">(57:25) it both corroborates it and is corroborated by it.
By saying in Sura al-Zumar, "And He sent down for you eight head of cattle in pairs,">and not saying: And He created for yoers tht head of cattle in pairs, the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition is stating: "Eight sorts of blessed animals have been sent down to you from the treasury of mercy, as though t, but re bounties of Paradise." Yes, those blessed animals are a gift for mankind with all their parts, for their wool or hair is made into the mobile homes and clothes of nomadsmetimeesome food is made from their flesh, delicious sustenance is had from their milk, shoes and so on are made from their hides, cultivated landpplicaurished by their manure and men make fuel from it. It is as though those blessed animals are pure bounty and embodied mercy.
It is because of this that like rain is called "merpocrisahma),>these blessed beasts are called "bounty" (an'âm).>As though just as embodied mercy becomes rain, so too embodied bounty takes on the form of goats, s of w cattle, water-buffalo, and camels. For sure their physical bodies are created on the earth, but since the attribute of being bounties and the meaning of mercy have totally predominated over their physical beings, Owner,ordance with the phrase "And He sent down,">the All-Compassionate Creator sent down these blessed animals directly from the exalted degree of His mercy and His elevated, immaterial Paradise, as gifts from the treasury of mercy.
se horimes art of high worth is present in material worth virtually nothing. It is given value in respect of the art, not of the material's value, like the tiny material being of a fly and the sublime dominical art wity anit. Sometimes valuable material worth five lira>contains art worth nothing; then the material predominates.
In just the same way, sometimes in some physical material the meaning of bounty and mercy isnd con to such a degree that it is a hundred times more important than the material. The physical matter is quite simply hidden and its aspect of bounty predominates. Thus, just as the vast benefits of iron and the many pfly's s it yields conceal its material aspect, so too bounty being present in every member of the blessed animals mentioned
above has transformed their physical matter into bounugh ex is because of this that their immaterial attributes have been considered, and their physical beings disregarded, and this is expressed with the phrases, "And He sent down,">and, "And We sent down."
These twoof thees state the above-mentioned point both in regard to reality, and they miraculously express an important meaning in respect of eloquence. It is as follows:
Together with its extremely tough nature, and its being hidden, frequenknow tep underground, iron is found everywhere, bestowed with the quality of being easily softened. Everyone can therefore obtain it easily everywhere for everythe of rn order to express this, it states through the phrase "And We sent down iron,">that iron tools are are obtained so easily they are as though sent down from a workbench above as natural, heavenly bounties, and placedbout mn's hand.
Furthermore, although some animal species, from the mosquito to snakes, scorpions, wolves, and lions are harmful to human beings, large beasts like the water-buffalo, ox, and camel, who are important among anong wi are extremely docile and submissive. So much so they may be led by even a child. To express the idea of their submissiveness, the verse "And He sent down for you eight head of cattle in pairs">states that being neither wild nor dangerous,nershi blessed beasts do not resemble worldly animals. They are rather useful and harmless like paradisaical animals. They have been sent down from above, t-sleep, from the treasury of mercy.
Perhaps this is why some Qur'anic commentators have said that these animals have been sent down from Paradise. It is hardly prolix to write a whole page about a single letter of the All-Wise Qur'ang, one: What some Qur'anic commentators intended by saying "Their origins were the heavens" was this: the continued existence of the animals known as "an'âm" is through sustenance, and their sustenance is fodder. The fodder's sustenance is rain. For tis the water of life and mercy; so sustenance also comes from the heavens. The verse,
"And in the heavens is our sustenance" (51:22)
alludes to this. s and those animals' continually renewed existences lie in the rain which comes from the skies, the expression "And He sent down" is apt, for it expresses the meaning of havstringen sent down from the sky.}
for it is God's Word. It has therefore not been wasteful to write two or three pages on the expression "And We sent down.">Sometimes one letter of the Qur'an is the ke have treasury.
Pieces Written in Eskişehir Prison as a True Solace for the Risale-i Nur Students
My Dear Brothers!
I was exceedingly unhappy for you;ee's r crushed by grief. But it was imparted to me that divine determining and your fate have given you this prison's water to drink and bread to eat, all together. I saw that as a mark of divine mercy and manifestation of doy provl favour, your eating this bread together and drinking this water was the easiest, lightest, best, and most meritorious of ways; that this prison was a most beneficial place of instruction for the Risale-i in ittudents, and a most effulgent place of ordeal; that it was a most exacting place of examination teaching just how essential it is to act prudently in theu imagof one's enemies. I saw it in the form of a luminous place of study and tekke>for learning and benefiting from the elevated qualities and fine characteristics of our frienemonste, which are all different, and to establish and renew the brotherhood between them. I did not complain about this situation therefore, but offered thanks wit Sometmy spirit. Yes, our way is thanks. And it is to see an aspect of mercy, an aspect of bounty, in everything.
From your brother who is grieved at the pains of all of you,
Risale-i Nur>students should not seek light outside the circle of the Risale-i Nur,>and they cannot seek it. If they do so, they will find a lamp in place of the immaterial sun giving light thropassese window of the Risale-i Nur,>and perhaps lose the sun.
Also, the pure and powerful way of friendship and brotherhood within the circle of the Risale-i Nur,>which gains numerous spirits for each person and throughus in ystery of the legacy of prophethood depicts the Companions' way of brotherhood, leaves no need for seeking a spiritual guide or father outside that sphere, in a way t hundr harmful to them in three respects; it provides many ağabeys>that is, elder brothers, in place of a single father. The joint compassion of elder brothers reduces a fatrsi
Someone who has a shaykh before entering the Risale-i Nur>circle may keep him after entering it. But the person who does not, may only seek a guide within the circle. Moreover, the knowledge of reality taure. Anthin the circle of the Risale-i Nur,>which offers the effulgence of the legacy of prophethood, the greater sainthood, leaves no need for the Sufi ordeiverseside that circle - unless of course they are self-indulgent people who misunderstand the way of Sufism, are addicted to pleasant dreams and imagining was ihts and spiritual pleasures, and desire worldly, fanciful pleasures which are different to the virtues of the hereafter, and want a rank where peoplee and recourse to them.
This world is the abode of labour and service; recompense is commensurate with hardship and difficulty; it is not a place of reward. The people of reality attach no importance, therefore, to the m multres and lights of illuminations and wonder-working. Indeed, they sometimes flee them and want to conceal them.
Furthermore, the Risale-i Nur>'s circle is very broad, and its studenure anry numerous. It does not seek anyone who depart from it. It gives them no importance and perhaps will not again admit them. Everyone has only one heart, and a single heart cannot be both within the circle and outside it.e woulso, those desirous for guidance outside should not busy themselves with the Risale-i Nur>students. For they may receive harm in three respects. Those people who are within the bounds of fear of God do not need guidancehe actoutside it there are abundant people who do not perform the five daily prayers. To leave aside the latter and busy oneself with the former is not gui funda If such a person loves the students, let him firstly enter the circle and be not a father, but a brother, and if he is very virtuous, an elder brother.
It has also become apparent from this incident that attachment tor withisale-i Nur>holds much importance and has a high price. If he is sensible, the person who gives this price and takes up a position striving against irreligion in the name of the Islamic world, will n else,ndon this way which is as valuable as diamonds, and embrace other ways.
A Short Piece Written in Eskişehir Prison
My Bro turn!
On numerous occasions I have defended the Risale-i Nur>students in the manner of which they are worthy. God willing, I shall shout it out in court. I shall make the world hear both of not ensale-i Nur,>and of its students' value. However, I remind you of the following: the condition of my retaining this mention of your value in my defenmanifeyour not feeling offended at the Risale-i Nur>due to your painful experiences in this affair, nor at your Master, nor to feel disgust at your brothers on the prfest tof the difficulties you suffer, nor to find fault with or accuse one another. You will recall that in the treatise on divine determining we have proved that thereI thouwo aspects to the wrongs that are visited on us: one is man's aspect, the other, divine determining's. In the same event, man does wrong, but diviitied ermining is fair and acts in justice. In this matter of ours, we should think more of the justice of divine determining and mystery of divine wisdom than man's tyranny and wrongdoing.
Yements.ine determining summoned the Risale-i Nur>students to this gathering. And the wisdom in this was the unfolding of their striving and struggle, which droothersm to this truly very distressing School of Joseph. Man's tyranny and pretexts were the means. So beware, do not say to one another: "If I had not done such-and-such I would not have been arrested."
Part of My Defence Speech, which was included here and not later removed
I seek an important right from the Chief and Members of the Court, as follows:
In thisare inr it is not only my person which is under scrutiny so that with your exonerating me and becoming aware of the reality of the case, the case ct me be solved. For the collective personality of the pious and the people of learning has been incriminated in the eyes of the nation, and a lack of confidence has been engendered in the government towards the pious and reliriod tscholars, and they need to know how they will avoid dangerous and harmful attempts against them. I therefore request that this
last part of my defence be printed in the new letters and distributed. Then the piooncern the scholars will not be deceived by the intrigues, or embark on any dangerous and damaging enterprises. Their collective personality will be saved from being suspect in the eyes of the nation. The govere riddtoo will have confidence in the scholars and an end will be put to this misunderstanding. Incidents and misunderstandings like this, which are extremely harmful for the government and the nationgreatehe country, will not then be repeated.
My Brothers!
If everyone, and even I, withdraw from defending and preserving the Risale-i Nur,>five of our brothers should not rn foraw. These are Hüseyin Usta, Halil İbrahim, Re'fet Bey, Hüsrev, and Hakki Efendi. The involuntary lack of caution of the first three... because of the personal grudges of the open enemies of throng rer two - the intention was to cause excessive harm to the Risale-i Nur.>If it had not resulted in a great bounty like the Risale-i Nur>being spread and made known to a significant degred studse brothers would have been greatly upset at having caused the unhappiness of so many innocent Risale-i Nur>students. Thus, more than everyone, these five brotheg me duld be cautious and united.
My Brothers!
It was imparted to my heart that just as the Mathnawi>was the mirror to one of seven truths appearing from the Sun of the Qur'an, thus acquiring a sacred illustriousne by th becoming the undying guide of numerous people of the heart besides the Mevlevis;>so too represented together in the mirror of the Risale-i Nur>are the seven colours of the Qur'anic sun's light and its vaon't l multicoloured effulgences. God willing, it will be an eternal guide and teacher for the people of reality, illustrious and sacred in seven respects, as much as seven Mathnawi's.> is on *
My Brothers!
Look at the protection of the All-Glorious Preserver! As a coincidence with the number of treatises of the Risale-i Nur,>one hundred and twenty people were questioned to it.
with their confidential documents. Yet despite the intrigues of the foreigners and the stratagems of the secret societies, nothing was found to connect any Risaleppetit>student with any of the many existent associations. This was a most clear and brilliant instance of dominical protection and divine preservation, and was a favour of the Most Merciful corroborating
Alondrous predictions concerning the Risale-i Nur>of Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) and Ghawth al-A'zam (May God be pleased with him). The hands of forty-two of our innocent, wronged brothers raisedes shopplication to the divine court halted a missile directed at them, turned it back and in effect exploded it over the heads of those who had fired it. Our losses amount to only a few minor cuts and bruises which will gain us rine at It is a marvel to be saved with such minor injury from a gun that was being charged for the past year. One should respond with thanks and joy to such a great bounty. After this resulives will not be our own, for according to the plans of the spreaders of corruption, we were to be completely wiped out. That means after this we should pledge our lives not to ouring hi, but to truth and reality. We should try to always see the trace, face, and essence of mercy in things, which will cause us not to complain, but to offeetext ks.
I request of my brothers that they are not offended at one another due to discomfort, or distress of the spirit, or fastidiousness, or being deceivewhere atan's wiles, or at the offensive language uttered by some of them. They should not say that their honour has been insulted. I take upon myself any badg of m that are spoken. They should not be offended. If I had a hundred honours, I would sacrifice all of them for love and cordiality among my brothers.
My Brothers!
I have understood certa Nur>she last two or three days that unfortunately we suffered a blow from divine mercy. I understood even that one of the many indications of a verse concerning the people of rebellion looks to us. It is this:
But wat iroey forgot the warning they had received... on a sudden We called them to account.>(6:44; 7:165)
That is, "When they forgot the instruction and advice with which we have warned them and did not act in aso vehnce with it, We took hold of them and afflicted them with disaster."
Yes, recently we were prompted to write a treatise on the meaning of sincerithange.truth, it was a most luminous and exalted rule of brotherhood, a sacred principle which allows ten men to withstand calamities and events e bothnormally could only be withstood with the strength of tens of thousands. But unfortunately we, and foremost myself, did not act in accordance wi O res warning. In accordance with the allusive meaning of the verse, according to the science of jafr,>the value of "We called them to account">is one thousand three hundred and fifty-two. We were arrested on the same date. Some of us suffered a of thdealt by divine compassion. Others suffered, not such a blow, but were included in these tribulations in order to be a solace to our brothers who did suffer it, sry man it might be a means of earning reward and profit.
For three months I was barred from mixing with others, but for the past three days I have been able to learn my r to ers' states of mind. An unimaginable incident had occurred opposed to the meaning of sincerity involving brothers whom I had supposed to be the most sincere. I understood from this that an allusive ms to b of the verse, "But when they forgot the warning they had received... on a sudden We called them to account">looked to us from afar. For the people of misguidance, for whom the verse was revealed, were punishment, but for us it is a blow from divine compassion in order to train our souls, as atonement for sins, and so that we may raise our spiritual degrees. Evidence that we suffered this blow because we did not completely appreciate the one nof the divine bounty we had received is that we were not contented with our sacred service of the Qur'an through the Risale-i Nur,>a most sacred striving in God's way which receives the effulgence of 'greater sainthood' through thant every of the legacy of prophethood and is a means to attaining the essence of the way of the Companions. Through my severe warnings on several occasions, the wish to join a Sufth ther was forestalled, the advantages of which are very few for us at the moment and could possibly have caused us much
harm in this situation. Otherwise, both our unity would hcontinen destroyed, and it would have caused both differences in ideas which would have reduced the value of four alifs>- which through solidarity is one thousand one hunded and eleven - to four, Yes, utual antipathy, which would have reduced our strength to nothing.
The author of the Gulistan,>Shaykh Sa'di Shirazi, relates: "I saw one of the people ofhrougheart in a tekke>while occupied with his spiritual journeying. Several days later I saw him among students in the medrese. I asked him why he had left the effulgent tekke>and come to the religious school. He replied that there everyo and kld save themselves, if they were successful, whereas here in the religious school persons of high aspiration were trying to save many others besides themselves. suffity and high endeavour were theirs; virtue and exertion were theirs; that was why he went there.
Shaykh Sa'di wrote a summary of this in his Gulistan.
So if the ugh thmatter of students parsing verbs is superior to the recitations in the tekkes,>since the Risale-i Nur>teaches in the clearest and most certain manner the sacred truths of belief of the confession of faith: "I believe in God, and Hiving ols, and His Books, and His prophets, and in the Last Day" and silences the most obdurate atheists and obstinate philosophers, to abandon it, or cause its activities to come to a standstill, or not to be content with it, and des-i Nurthe Sufi way to enter the dissolved Sufi tekkes>without asking permission of the Risale-i Nur,>is entirely wrong and shows how much we deserve this blow of divine compassion.
The I sht: Fifteen years ago when a prisoner-of-war in the north of Russia I was being held together with ninety other officers in a large factory. Numerous arguments and disturbances arose due to the discomfort and oppreerson conditions. I used to pacify them, since they all had great respect for me. I appointed four or five officers to keep the peace, telling them: "Whenever you hear an uproar, go there and help whichever side is in the wrong." It is a facive up with this precaution a stop was put to the noise. They asked me why I helped those who were in the wrong. In reply I told them:
People in the wrong are unfair. They do not give up a single benefit for
the sake of publicill he forty times greater. Whereas the person who is in the right is fair. He sacrifices and waives his own right, worth little, for the advantage of his friend, which is part of the public peace and worth much.ore, tisturbance ceases and peace is restored. The ninety people in this ward can be comfortable. If the person in the right is helped, the noise would increase even more. In communal life of this sort, the ul in l good takes precedence.
And so, my brothers! In this communal life of ours, do not say: "I am fed up with my brother, for he's been unfair to me." To do so is a grors trror. If such a friend of yours has caused you a little harm, your being angry with him causes us harm of high cost. It is possible it would evenm. Fro excessive harm to the Risale-i Nur.>But, praise be to God, with our friends being prevented from repeatedly going to be questioned, no harm came to our powerful and rightful defences. Otherwise like getting somethiat my tiny a fly's wing in one's eye or a spark falling into gunpowder, due to a little pique brothers who are vexed with one another can cause a great deal of harm.
Second Story: There was once ansult ily woman who had eight sons. She gave each of them a loaf of bread from the loaves she had, but none remained for herself. So each of them gave her half his loaf. She then had four loaves, while theirs was reduced to half a loaf.
My the unrs! I feel in myself half the pains of the share in this calamity of each of the forty of you. I take no notice of my own hardships. One day I felt excessively afflicted and studied my previous position wondering if I was paying the lief ay for some error I had committed. I saw that I had no part at all in the fomenting and incitement of this calamity; on the contrary I h99
wisloyed every possible means to avoid it. That means it is a divine decree. It has been planned against us by intriguers over the past yek of ad made inevitable. It was not possible to avoid it. It was inevitable that we should be embroiled in it. A hundred thousand thanks to I fouty God that He reduced the calamity from a hundred to one.
In consequence of this fact therefore, do not blame me saying "We are suffering this disaster because of you!" Forgie bounrather, and pray for me. And do not criticize each other, saying: "If you had not done such-and-such, this would not have happened." For example, with one of our brothers mentioning two or tenanceignatures, the plan the mischief-makers were hatching in order embroil numerous people in a calamity, was restricted and many were saved from it. It was the cause not of harm, but ofng giv advantage. It resulted in many innocent people being saved from this disaster.
[This piece is very valuable. Everyone may benefit from it as far as the Secondin ete.]
In connection with certain unpleasant situations which come about in Eskişehir Prison, not through bad morality but because of the distress, this is about one fine point of a well-known verse that has remained undisclosed, and a point clows:
ing good behaviour.
FIRST POINT
Out of His perfect munificence, compassion, and justice, Almighty God has included in good works an immediate reward and in bad actions an immediate punishment. He haso feauded in good works spiritual pleasures that recall the rewards of the hereafter, while in bad works are spiritual penalties which recall thf the ents of Hell.
For example, love between believers is a praiseworthy action for the people of faith. Included in that good work are a spiritual pleasure, a gratification, an ease of mind that recall the physical rewards of ess acreafter. Anyone who refers to his heart will feel this pleasure.
And for example, enmity and hostility between believers are an evil that cause noble spirits to feel torment of the conscience enougal Allverwhelm the heart and spirit. I myself have experienced it perhaps more than a hundred times: when I have felt enmity towards a believing brother I have suffered such torment tlî, Ih has left me in no doubt that it was the immediate punishment for my evil deed.
And for example, to be respectful towards those worthy of respect, and comom thenate to those worthy of compassion, and to assist them, are good works, good deeds. They hold a pleasure and gratification so great they make felt the rewards oftheir ereafter. And they so increase the respect and compassion they make the person ready to sacrifice his very life. The pleasure and reward a mother receives through the comade ton she feels for her child may be so great she will sacrifice her life due to it. The hen who attacks a lion in order to save her chick is an example of tt of buth in the animal kingdom. This means that there is an immediate reward in compassion and respect. Magnanimous people of high aspiration feel it, and for this reason assume their heroic attitttered And for example, in greed and wastefulness is such a punishment that, afflicting his heart and spirit, it makes man complaining and anxious, and bewilders him. And in jealousy and envy is such an immediate punishment that it scorches thesene who feels them. While in contentment and reliance
on God is such an immediate, pleasurable reward that it dispels all the pains and tribuive ofs of poverty and indigence.
And for example, in pride and conceit is a heavy burden, for the proud man wants respect from everyone. And because he is despised dis worthis desire, he suffers constant torment. Yes, respect is given, it may not be sought.
And for example, in humility and the giving up of egotism is a pleasurable reward by which a person is saved from the heavy burden of trying to mme of mself liked.
And for example, in pessimism and always interpreting things unfavourably is an immediate punishment in this world. In accordance with the rule, "Whoever strikes is struck," those who think unfavourablhey wethers are also thought of unfavourably. The actions of those who misinterpret the actions of their believing brothers are also misinterpreted, and they suffer the punishment for it.
And so on, all good and bad deeds should be measurd aspeording to this yardstick. I beseech divine mercy that those who witness the Qur'anic miraculousness manifested at this time in the Risale-i Nur,>experience te of tpiritual pleasures; they will not suffer from bad morals, God willing.
SECOND POINT
In the Name of Goe best Merciful, the Compassionate.
I created not jinn and mankind except that they might worship me. * No sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they should feed me. only God is He Who gives [all] sustenance - Lord of Power - Steadfast [for ever].>(51:56-8)
For a long time these verses worried my mind, since according to many Qur'anic comderiesies their apparent meaning did not reflect the Qur'an's elevated miraculousness. I shall now explain briefly three aspects of their extremely beautiful and exalted meanings, which proceed from the effulgence of the Qur'an.
~The First:>So the bs Almighty God attributes to Himself certain states that could pertain to His Messenger, so as to honour and exalt him. Here too, the verses, "I created yt is a worship; not to give Me sustenance and feed me," have this meaning: "My Messenger does not want a wage, recompense, or reward, or to be fed in return for his duty of messengership and conveying to you the obligations of worsht, withey refer to the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) being given food and sustenance.
Otherwise it would be making knted homething self-evident and clear, and would be incompatible with the Qur'an's miraculous eloquence.
~The Second Aspect:>Man is excessivel with ccupied with his sustenance. So lest he is deluded into making his winning it a pretext for neglecting worship, or making it an excuse, the verse says: "You were created for worship. The result of your creation is worship. Winning sustenanceared irship of a sort, from the point of view of its being a divine command. I have undertaken to provide your sustenance and that of your families and animals, my creatures; it p turnss to me; you were not created to procure food and sustenance, for I am the Provider. I provide the sustenance of my servants, your dependants. So do not make it an excuse and gand en worship!"
If its meaning is not this, it becomes a statement of the obvious, for to provide Almighty God with food and sustenance is self-evidently impossible. It is an established rulor althetoric that if the meaning of a sentence is clear and obvious, it is not that meaning which is intended, but a meaning necessitated by it and dependent on it. For example, if you say to someone: "You are a hafiz,">it is srnatio the obvious. The intended meaning is "I know that you are a hafiz.">You are informing him because he did not know that you knew.
Thus, in consequence of this rule, the meanlearly the verse, in which the prohibition of giving food to Almighty God is a metaphor, is this: "You were not created in order to produce food for My creatures, which are Mine and the providing of whose sustenance I have undernfinit Your fundamental duty is worship. But to strive to procure sustenance in accordance with My commands is also a sort of worship."
~The Third Aspect:>In Sura al-Ikhlas the apparent meaning of,
He begets not, nor is Herth.
ten>(112:3)
is self-evident and obvious, hence another meaning is intended which is necessitated by it. That is to say, Almighty God states extremely clearly and self-evidently "He begets not, nor is He begotten,">meaning: "Anyone w utmos a father and mother cannot be a god," and, "pre-eternal and post-eternal," to deny the divinity of Jesus (UWP), and of Uzayr, and the angels, and stars, a* For er false gods. It is just the same with our example, the verse, "The All-Glorious Provider, your object of worship, does not require sustenance for Himself, you were not created to provide Him with food" means: "Things with the abilitibutedeceive sustenance and food cannot be gods and objects of worship," meaning: "Beings that are in need of sustenance and being provided for are not worthy of worship."
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compae formte.
Or while they slept for their afternoon rest.>(7:4)
This was written in connection with Re'fet being curious and asking about the word ' qâ'ilûn>- slept for tect offternoon rest - in the verse, "Or while they slept for their afternoon rest">and to prevent his diamond-like pen becoming idle in prison, and lethargic, as a result of sleeping after tht causing prayer like the others.
Sleep is of three sorts:
The First is Ghaylûla.>This is from pre-dawn to forty minutes or so after the sun has risen, the time when prayer is lawful al-A'zprehensible. Sleep at this time is contrary to the Practices of the Prophet (UWBP), since according to Hadiths, it leads to a decrease in livelihood and its being unfruitful.ly excost appropriate time for preparing to earn one's living is when it is cool. One is overcome by lethargy when this has passed. It has been established by many experiences that this is both detrimental to the day's labour and indirectly to one38, 48elihood, and is the cause of unfruitfulness.
The Second is Faylûla.>This is from the afternoon prayer till sunset. Sleep at this time leads to a diminution of life, that is, it makes life that day shorter and pass in a state of semito be and drowsiness, thus causing a physical deficiency to life. Moreover, immaterially, since most of the day's results, material and immaterial, become appareng lookr the afternoon prayer, to pass that time in sleep as though prevents the results being reaped and the day becomes as though unlived.
The Third is Qaylûla,>which is in accord with the Prophet's (UWBPaid Nutices. {[*]: Ibn Mâja, Siyâm, 22; al-Munâwî, Fayd al-Qadîr, iv, 531; al-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', 330; al-Albânî, Sahîh Jâmi' al-Saghîr, No: 4307.} It is from mid-morning to just past noon. Such sleep is Sunna since it allowts of rson to rise at night to pray. So too it is the custom in the Arabian Peninsula to rest from work at noon when it is intensely hot, corroborating this practice of the Prophet (UWBP). This sleep augments causeife and sustenance. For half an hour's Qaylula>sleep is the equivalent of two hours' sleep at night. This means it adds one and a half hours' tsly purson's life every day. It saves one and a half hours from the hand of sleep, the brother of death, and gives it life, increasing the time of working for one's lies throd.
"This is good as well"
While reciting, "Endless blessings and endless peace be upon you, O Messenger of God!" in the tesbihat>feing. ng the prayers, I saw from afar a subtle point which gradually unfolded. I was unable to grasp all of it, and shall recount one or two sentences by way ofs of aing to it.
I saw that the world of the night is like a newly opened dwelling of the world. I entered it during 'Isha,>the prayer at nightfall. Since man is connected tconsidthe world, through an extraordinary expansion of the imagination I saw the mighty world that night as a dwelling. Living creatures andrderedecame so tiny they were invisible. I observed with the imagination that the only thing that inhabited the dwelling and made it familiar, and filled ituniverlight, was the collective personality of Muhammad (UWBP). As a person greets those present when he enters a house, I was overwhelmed withOPE
esire to say: "Endless peace be upon you, O Messenger of God!" {(*): The divine mercy received by Muhammad (UWBP) looks to the needs of all his community through all eternity. For whichingnesn, endless greetings are appropriate. If someone enters a vast house like the world, desolate and empty and dark due to heedlessness, how frightened and displeas he will be. Then suddenly the house is lit up and a familiar, friendly, lovable and beloved Lieutenant appears in the forefront. If he describes and makes known the house's Compassionate and Generous Owner through all its fness. s and furnishings, you can understand what joy, familiarity, happiness, light, and ease it will give. From this you may appreciate the value and pleasure of the greetings for the Messenger (UWBP)the lawas as though I was greeting him to the number of all men and jinn. That is to say, I offered greetings, meaning: I renew my allegiance to you, accept your mission, submit to the nging nd commands you brought, and state through the greetings that they will be safe from our assaults, and making speak all the parts of my world and all jinn and men, all conscious beings, I offer greetings in their name.
As he 'the wnated my world through the light and gift he brought, so he illuminates and fills with bounties the worlds of everyone in this world. In grateful response for the gift, I exclaimed: "Endless blessings be upon you!" That is, "We ion of respond to this goodness of yours, so we show our gratitude to you by beseeching that mercy be bestowed upon you from our Creator's treasury of mercy, to the number of the inhabitants of the heavens." I perceived this meani." He my imagination.
In respect of his worship and on account of his being turned from creation to Creator, the person of Muhammad (UWBP) requires blessings which have the meaninf the ercy. While in respect of his messengership and
being the envoy sent from Creator to creation, he requires peace. He is worthy of peace to the n losseof jinn and men, and we offer a general renewal of our allegiance to their number. So too he is worthy of blessings from the treasury of mercy to tto awaber of the inhabitants of the heavens and in the name of all of them. For it was through the light he brought that the perfections of all things became apparent, and tnibs fue of beings was made manifest, and the dominical duties of creatures could be observed, and the divine purposes in creatures were made known. Therefore, if all things utteregs outally what they express through their tongues of disposition, it is certain that they would declare: "Blessings and peace be upon you, O Messenger of God!", and we say in the name of all of them: "Endless blessings ourt wdless peace be upon you O Prophet of God, to the number of jinn and men, and of angels and stars!"
It is enough that Allah grants him blessings,
And assigns him peace and benedictions.
My Dear tancesr!
You want an explanation of the Unity of Existence. In one of the Flashes>of the Thirty-First Letter there is a very powerful and elale-i ing answer to Muhyiddin's ideas concerning this matter. For now we just say the following:
Teaching this question of the Unity of Existence to people at the present time causes serious harm. Like when metaphors and similes pass fad (UWe hands of the learned to those of the common people and knowledge passes from scholars to the ignorant, they are thought to be literally true, {(*): Just like the two angels, called the Bull and the Fish in conn resid with certain metaphors, were supposed by the common people to be a vast bull and enormous fish.} so when elevated truths such as the Unity of Existence pass to the heedless and to the common people submerged in causes, they are thought to beordinae, and cause three significant instances of harm.
~The First:>The way of the Unity of Existence is quite simply to deny the universe on account of Almighty God. Despite this, when it is adopted by the heedless common people and enters their them which are tainted by materialist thought in particular, it leads to denial of the Godhead on account of the universe and materiality.
~The Second:>The way of the Unity of Existence rejects the dominicality of anything other than God ise. *emently that it denies everything other than God and removes duality. Since it does not recognize the independent existence of anything, let alone that of evil-com the eg souls, with the predominance of the idea of nature at this time and pride and egotism inflating the evil-commanding soul and causing the hereafter and the Creator to be forgotten, to inculcate the Uni let tExistence in people whose evil-commanding souls are small pharaohs and quite simply are disposed to taking their own selves as their objects of worship, so inflates the evil-commbalanc soul that - I seek refuge with God - it can no longer be contained.
~The Third:>While the All-Glorious One is free and exempt from, pure of and exalted abo proof change, alteration, division, and being comprehended in time or place, the Unity of Existence gives rise to conceptions that are not fitting for His necessary existence, compasss, and being free of all defect, and leads to false teachings. Yes, if one who speaks of the Unity of Existence rises in the mind from the ground to the Pleiades,wood ss the universe behind and fixes his gaze on the sublime throne, ecstatically reckoning the universe to be non-existent, through the strength of his earth he may see everything to be directly from the Single One of Unity. But the person who stands behind the universe and looks at it, and sees causes before him and looks from the gre futuay possibly become submerged in causes and immersed in the swamp of nature. The person who rises in the mind to the divine throne may say like Jalaluddin Rumi: "Listen! The words you hear uttered by evhrough, you may hear as uttered by Almighty God, like natural gramophones." But if you say to the one who cannot rise as high as Jalaluddin, nor sgh whi beings from the ground to the divine throne in the form of mirrors: "Listen! You will hear the divine speech from everything," he will in effect fall from the throne to the ground, and will also be afflicted by false imagarekal contrary to the truth!
Say: "God [sent it down]": then leave them to plunge in vain discourse and trifling. (6:91) * Glory be to the One whose Essence is holy above anything similar to It and whose att a ones are free of anything resembling them, and whose signs testify to His dominicality, may His glory be exalted, for there is no god but He.
I do not have the time to wei to Hithe ideas of Mustafa Sabri {[*]: Mustafa Sabri (1869-1954). A leading religious scholar and public figure in the last decades of the Ottoman Empire, he was publisher of the journal Beyanu'l-Hak, and Şeyhülislam 19of the0. He left Turkey in 1922 and remained in exile in Egypt till his death.} and those of Musa Bekûf. {[*]: Mûsa Jarullah Bigi (yef) was a native of Turkestan and a reformist Islamic scholar and prominent figure. H cannosent into exile by the Russians in 1904 together with Abdurrashid Ibrahim, and was the author of many works.} I shall only say this much, thatings. ne went to one extreme and the other, to the other extreme. Mustafa Sabri was right relatively to Musa Bekuf, but it is not right to denigrate someone like Muhyiddin who was a miracle of the Islamic sciences.
Yes, and thdin was himself rightly-guided and acceptable, but should not be the guide and instructor with all his works. Since he very often proceededh to te realities without balance, he opposed the rules of the Sunnis and some of the things he said apparently denote misguidance. However, he himself was free of misguidance. A word may sometimes appearEENTH unbelief, but the one who speaks it is not an unbeliever. Mustafa Sabri did not take these points into consideration; he was extreme concerning certain points of Sunni law, due to bigotry.ring t for Musa Bekûf, he was excessively in favour of renewal; because of this and the concessions he made to modernity in respect of his ideas, he was verysely cin error. He corrupted some of the truths of Islam with his false interpretations. He went far to excess by maintaining that someone rejected like Abu'l-A'la al-Ma'arrê was superior to authorin orde scholars, and favouring disproportionately matters stated by Muhyiddin which oppose the Sunnis because they suited his own ideas.
MuhyiddiSince : "Other people who are not one of us and do not know our station should not read our books, for it may be damaging for them." Yes, it is harmful to read Muhyiddin's books at the present tif the pecially the matters related to the Unity of Existence.
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
I shall explain a matter that unfolded before t who ke of my imagination one glittering night of the festival, while watching from my prison window through the lens of prudence and foresight the laughter of mankind t gloriuld turn into tears. As the lives of people of previous ages who lie in the graveyard may be seen in the cinema, so I as though saw the moving corpses of people who would inath,>(it in the near future. I wept for those merrymakers. All of a sudden a feeling of desolation and pity came over me. I turned to my intellect and asked of reality: "What is this ipraiseng?" Reality replied, saying:
In fifty years time, out of the fifty who are now laughing and enjoying themselves with such joy five willrefer nt and stooping seventy-year-olds, while forty-five will have rotted in the graveyard. Those beautiful features and joyful smiles will have been transformed into theblic posites. According to the rule of "All that is coming is close," since it is to some degree true that things that are going to happen in the near future are seen to have already arrived, then surely wha and ssee is not imagination.
Furthermore, since the heedless laughter of this world veils bitter facts that thus turn it into tears, and is biogorary and subject to decline, most certainly it is only thankful, innocent enjoyment within the bounds of the licit, which leads to awareness of God's to thce and dispels heedlessness, and pleasures that will be permanent by reason of their reward that will cause joy to wretched man's eternity-wtchednping heart and his spirit, which has an irresistible desire for immortality, and make them smile.
It is because of this that there are among the narratioreturny that strongly encourage thanks and remembrance of God at festival times, in order to prevent heedlessness from prevailing and deviation into the illicit. To do this at such times may transform thty of ties of joy and happiness into thanks and make the bounty continue and increase it. For thanks increases bounty and dispels heedlessness.
In the Nam As food, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
This {(*): This piece is beneficial for everyone.} concerns one point contained in the verse,
The [human] soul is certainly proost dievil,>(12:53)
and in the Hadith the meaning of which is, "Your worst enemy is your soul." {[*]: al-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', i, 143; al-Ghazâunty, yâ 'Ulûm al-Dîn, iii, 4.}
The person who loves himself - if his evil-commanding soul has not been purified - will love no one else. Even if he does apparently, he does not do so sincerely, but onl and ethe pleasure of it or for some good he receives. He always tries to make himself liked. Also, he never ascribes faults to himself; he defends and exonerates himself like a lawyer. He praises himself, exaggerating as
#330n lying, showing himself to be free of fault, as though sanctifying himself, and according to his degree receives a slap from the verse,
Who takes as his god his desires.>(25: weepi:23)
His self-praise and efforts to make himself liked have the reverse effect, for he attracts contempt and is treated coldly. He also loses sincerity in his actions that look to the hereafter and they become mixed lion!"ypocrisy. He is defeated by the emotions and desires of the soul, which are blind to the consequences, do not think of results, and are obsesseay God present pleasure; he serves a year's prison sentence due to one hour's pleasure demanded by his emotions, which have gone astray. He pays ten years' penalty on account love e minute's pride or revenge. Quite simply like a silly child who sells the portion of the Qur'an he is learning to buy a single sweet, in order to flatter his emotions, gratify his senses, and satisfy his a, and es, he makes his diamond-like good deeds the means to egotistical pleasures as insignificant as fragments of glass, and he loses out in profitable works.
O God! Preserve us from the evil xposit soul and of Satan, and from the evil of jinn and men.
How can incarceration in Hell for an infinite d with n in return for unbelief for a short duration be justice?
Reckoning a year to be three hundred and sixty-five days, the law of justice requires forherewi-minute murder, seven million eight hundred and eighty-four thousand minutes' imprisonment. So, since one minute's unbelief is like a thousand murders, according to the law of human justice, someone who lives a life of twenty years in unbereatesnd dies in that state deserves imprisonment for fifty-seven billion, two hundred and one thousand two hundred million years. It may be understood fr aunt s how conformable with divine justice is the verse,
They will dwell therein for ever.>(33:65, etc.)
The reason for the connection between these two numbers, so far from one another, is this: since murdlamiti unbelief are destruction and aggression, they have an effect on others. A murder which takes one minute negates on average at least fifteen years of the victim's life, so the mo for r is imprisoned in their place. While since one minute of unbelief denies a thousand and one divine names and denigrates their inscriptions, violates the rights of the universe and deniesnd diserfections, and gives the lie to innumerable evidences of divine unity and rejects their testimony, the unbeliever is cast down to the lowest of the low for more than a thousand years, and "dwells" in imprisonment.
The 'coincidence' {[*]: For 'coincidence' (tevâfuk), see, fn 22, page 199. (Tr.)} of Article 163, {[*]: Article 163 of the Turkish Criminal Code. (Tr.)} unde the uh the Risale-i Nur>students were charged and sentenced, and the number of deputies, one hundred and sixty-three out of two hundred, who allotted one hundred and fifty thousand liras for the medrf be u*]: This refers to the Medresetü'z-Zehra. See, fn 21, page 325. (Tr.)} of the Risale-i Nur>'s author in effect says this: the appreciative signatures of one hundred and sixty-three deputies of the government of the republic quashes sort oling of Article 163 of the Criminal Code concerning him.
Another subtle and meaningful 'coincidence' is this: the one hundred and twenty-eight parts of the Risale-i Nur>are put together in one hundred and fifing toooklets. The number of days from when the Risale-i Nur>students and its author were first arrested on 27th April, 1935 to the date on which thxistent passed judgement on 19th August, 1935 was one hundred and fifteen coinciding with the number of books of the Risale-i Nur.>In addition, the one hundred and fifteen people found guilty coincides with the number exactly, showing thathe inkalamity visited on the Risale-i Nur>students and its author is being regulated by a Hand of Favour.
{(*): It is worth noting that the arrests of some of the Risale-i Nur students started on 25 April 1935. Thus, bec.
Sn the indictment one hundred and seventeen people were cited as guilty - the names of two of them had been repeated - the number shown for the students was one hundred and se Even n, this coincided with the one hundred and seventeen days from the date that group were arrested to the date of the court's judgement, adding a further subtlety to the f the h'coincidence.'}
The Twenty-Eighth Point of the Twenty-Eighth Flash
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
[So] they should not strain their earFor sohe direction of the Exalted Assembly, but be cast away from every side * Repulsed, for they are under a perpetual penalty, * Except such as snatch away something by stealth, and they are pursued by a flaming fire, of piforms brightness.>(37:8-10) * And We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and We have made them missiles to drive away the evil ones.>(67:5)
An important point concerning verses like t valuwill be explained in connection with criticisms made by the people of misguidance. It is as follows:
Spies from among the jinn and satans eavesdrop on events in the heavens, and like soothsayers, mediums, and some spiriy so tts, convey news from the World of the Unseen. So that their giving information about the Unseen should not give rise to any doubts when the Qur'an was first revealed, their continual espionagd neveprevented to a greater extent and they were repulsed by shooting stars. The following is a brief reply to an extremely important question in three f unitconcerning the above verses, which are about this subject.
~Question:>It is understood from verses like these that spying satans infiltrate the distant lands of the heavens in order to learn of some minor his fven personal event in the Unseen. Rumours of such minor events as though spread everywhere in those vast lands, and any satan anywhere may hear a confused version of them and pass e that However, reason and science cannot accept such a thing.
Also, it is said that some of the people of prophethood and some wonder-workers as though pluck the fruits of Paradise from nearby, which according to definite verses of the Qur'an, oadensve the heavens, and they sometimes gaze on Paradise from near at hand. This matter, which concerns infinite distance within infinite proximity, is not conformable with the understanding of the present age.
Also, the unimportant situation of, and important person being the subject of discussion in the Sublime Assembly in the universal, vast land of the heavens is not conformable with the wisdom of the utterly wise administration of the universe. Nevertheless, the and ree matters are considered to be among the truths of Islam.
~Firstly:>In the seven 'Steps' of the treatise called the Fifteenth Word, the repulsion and ejection with stars of diabolical spies frd ande heavens, expressed by the verse,
And We have adorned the lowest heaven with lamps, and We have made them missiles to drive away the evil ones,
is proved so certainly with seven premises that it convinces the obd. Somematerialist, silencing him and forcing him to accept it.
~Secondly:>We shall allude to those three truths which are supposed to be far from the reason with a comparison that will bring them close to narrow minds.
For example, if a state'erred Office is in the east of the country, its Ministry of Justice in the west, its Education Ministry in the north, its Religious Affairs Department in the sesetü'and its Civil Service in the centre, and each department and ministry communicates and is connected with the others by means of radio, telephone, and telegraph in most regular and orderly fashion, the whole country will quite sind thre its Army Office the same as it is its Ministry of Justice, and will be its learned establishment as it is its Civil Service.
And for example, it sometimes happens that numerous countries and states whose capitalties Hdifferent have sovereignty over a single country in different ways, through colonies, or concessions, or trade. Although the country's subjects and nation are one, through t fruincessions, each state has connections with them. The affairs of those states, which are distant from one another, touch on each other; they come close to each oths and all the houses of the country, and they share in each of its people. Its minor matters are seen in a minor sphere in its points of contact. For h to oinor matter is not taken from the universal sphere. But when those minor matters are discussed, they are mentioned as though they are taken from the unbandonl sphere, since they are directly in accordance with the universal sphere's laws; they are given the form of a matter discussed in that sphere.
Like these two comparisons, although the land of the heavens is extremely distant in respeceings ts centre and capital, it has immaterial telephones reaching the hearts of men in the land of the earth. Furthermore, it does not only look to the corporeal world, but in one respect encompasses the ManproperWorld since it comprises the Spirit World and World of the Inner Dimension of Things.
The sphere of influence of Paradise too, whic٥نآs from the world of eternity and everlasting realm, stretches out and sd prog in luminous fashion
beneath the veil of the manifest, despite its infinite distance. Just as although, through the wisdom and power of the All-Wise and Ghem. Ts Maker, the centres of the senses in man's head are all different, each governs the body taking it under its disposal; so the universe, the macroanthropos, comprises thousands of worldthe unwithin the other like concentric circles. Sometimes the situations and events that occur in them are the object of attention in respect o meanir universality and particularity and insignificance and immensity; that is to say, those particulars are to be seen in particular, near places, while the universals and immense matters are surdere universal, vast stations.
However, sometimes a minor, particular event occupies a vast world. In whichever corner of the world you listen, you will hear about it. And sometimes some vast mobilization ally, against the enemy's forces, but for a show of pomp and majesty. For example, the event of Muhammad (UWBP) and sacred occurrence of the Qur'an's revelation were the most important events in the land of the heavens and were bruited in every congers f it. Then there were more falling stars, which was a dominical sign proclaiming the degree of splendour of the Qur'anic revelation and its glittering sovereignty and the degree of its truthfulness, which coul unit enetrated by no doubt, and was expressed and illustrated by the sentries posted on the distant, towering bastions of the vast heavens t presg down missiles to drive off and repulse the devils. The Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition expounds and proclaims that cosmic proclamation, gn of ludes to those heavenly signs.
Yes, such a tremendous heavenly sign, and the spying satans, who being made to do battle with the angels although they could have been blown away at of bouffing of an angel, was surely to show the majesty of the Qur'anic Revelation's sovereignty. Also, this splendid exposition of the Qur'an and vast heavenly mobilization indicate that there was nowhere the each and devils could interfere on the long way from the heart of Muhammad (UWBP) to the world of the heavens and the Sublime Throne, not that the jinns and satans possess some power which drove thef The itants of the heavens to fight them and defend against them. The Qur'anic Revelation was a truth discussed by all the angels in the heavens; in order, tou forans were compelled to rise to the heavens to draw close to it a little, but were not successful and were repulsed. This shows that the Revelation that came to the heart of Muhammad (UWBP), and Gabriel who came the plapresence, and the truths of the Unseen which appeared to his gaze, were sound and straight and could be pierced by no doubts. The Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition tells this in miraculous who hon.
As for Paradise being seen from very close despite its great distance and being part of the World of Eternity, and sometimes should being plucked from it, this transient world and Manifest Realm is a veil to the World of the Unseen and Everlasting Realm as may be understood from the above two comth prens. Paradise may be seen everywhere by means of the mirror of the World of Similitudes, despite the distance of its supreme centre. So too, where there is belief at the degree of 'absolute certainty', Paradise mahe Qur sorts of colonies and ministries in this transient world - if there is no mistake in the comparison - and by means of the telephone of the heart, may communicate with elevated spirits, and its gifts may comeeationem.
As for a universal sphere being preoccupied with particular, personal matters; that is to say, satans rising to the heavens and eavesdropping in order to bring reports of divinseen to soothsayers, and their bringing false, confused news, as is described in Qur'anic commentaries, it must be as follows: it is not a question of their going as far as the capital of the land of the heavens s womathering particular news; but of there being certain places resembling police outposts - if the metaphor is not mistaken - in the country of tason ovens, which encompasses the atmosphere. In these they have relations with the country of the earth. The satans eavesdrop on particular events in those particular places. The human heart even is one such place, where the angel of inspiration where rsonal devil do battle.
Also, however particular the truths of belief and the Qur'an and the events connected with Muhammad (UWBP), they are as though the greatest and most universal and importths ofents and are published at the Sublime Throne and in the sphere of the heavens, the most universal sphere, in - if the comparison is not mistaken - the newspapers of the appointed events of the universe. They aregreatessed on every corner. Since from the heart of Muhammad (UWBP) to the sphere of the throne there is no way the satans can interfere, they do nothing apart from listening to the heavens. Thus, the verse proclaims and shows most It wasntly, indeed, miraculously, how elevated and true are the Qur'anic revelation and prophethood of Muhammad (UWBP), and that it is in no way possible to oppose them or draith Goe to them with subterfuge or falsehood.
The Twenty-Ninth Flash
Thirteen years ago, my heart combined with my mind and urged me to the way of reflectih God,ught which the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition commands with such verses as,
That you may consider.>(2:219; 2:266) * Perchance they may reflect.>(7:176, etc.) * Do they not reflect imely mr own minds, did God create the heavens and the earth?>(30:8) * There are signs for those who consider.>(13:3, etc.)
The Hadith the meaning of which is "An hour'e was ective thought is better than a year's [supererogatory] worship" {[*]: al-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', i, 143; al-Ghazâlî, Ihyâ' 'Ulûm al-Dîn, iv, 409 (KitventeeTafakkûr); al-Haythamî, Majma' al-Zawâ'id, i, 78.} states that on occasion an hour's reflection may be equivalent to a year's worship. It also offers powerful encouragement for reflective lty ast. For myself, in order to preserve the extensive lights and lengthy truths which appeared to my mind and heart during the thirteen years I have follow and bs way, I recorded a number of phrases by way of indications, not to point out those lights but to indicate their existence, facilitate reflection, and preserve the order. I used to recite the phrases to myself verbally in vtualis Arabic terms when I embarked on the reflection. Although repeated thousands of times over this long period, I never became wearied, nor did the pleasure they afforded diminish, nor the spirit's nhat wo them lessen. For since the reflection all consisted of flashes from Qur'anic verses, the qualities of not causing weariness and preservinguman f sweetness, which are qualities of the verses, were represented in the mirror of that reflective thought.
I realized recently that the powerfingle rce of life and brilliant lights in the various parts of the Risale-i Nur>are flashes of those sequences of
thought. Thinking that they would affIndeedhers as they had affected me, I formed the intention to set them all down in writing towards the end of my life. For sure, important parts of them have been included in the Risale-i Nur>but a further power and value wilsome sound in them in their totality.
Since the end of life is not clear, and since the conditions here of my imprisonment have taken on a form worse than death, not waiting for my life to end, on the insistence and importunity of my brothers I hevateditten those sequences of thought without changing them, as seven chapters.
[The remaining six chapters of this Flash>have been published in hand-duplicated editions ucidat Flashes,>and not included here.]
On the Degrees of 'God is Most Great!'
We shall mention seven of its thirty-three degrees. An important part of those degrees have been expounded in the Seconties,tion of the Twentieth Letter, at the end of the Second Stopping-Place of the Thirty-Second Word, and at the beginning of the Third Stopping-Place. Those who want to understand the reality of those degrees should e, to to those two parts of the Risale-i Nur.
THE FIRST DEGREE
Say: "Praise be to God who begets no son and has no partner in [His] dominion: nor [needs] He any to pssion. Him from humiliation: yes, magnify Him for His greatness and glory!">(17:111)
God is Most Great, may His Glory be exalted! In power and knowledge, greater is He than e theiring. For He is the Creator, the Maker, the Giver of Form, who through His power fashions man like the universe; He writes the universe with the pen of His determining as He writes man with the same pen. Fo prepamacrocosm is like the microcosm: both are fashioned by His power, inscribed by His pen; He creates the macrocosm as a place of prostration, while He gives existence to the microcosm as prostrating; He brings thiversaer into being as a property, while He gives existence to the latter as owned and needy for the property; His art in the former displays it d the ook, while His colouring in the latter shines through speech; His power in the former reveals His majesty, while His mercy in the latter arrays His bounty; His majesty in the former testifies that He is One, while His bounty in ted in ter proclaims that He is Single, Undivided; His stamp
on the former is on all things, universal and particular, whether at rest or in motion, while His seinto athe latter is on the body and on the limbs, and on their cells and particles.
Now consider His works as a whole: you will see as clearly as daylight absolute profusion within absolute order and regularity; with absolutrainind yet absolute balance; with absolute ease yet with absolute skill; on a vast scale yet with absolute beauty of art; over infinite distances yet with complete unity of kind; with absccordaintermingling, yet absolute differentiation; with absolute lack of expense together with absolute value. This situation testifies to the mind, as it compels the fo takesdissembler to accept, that this art and unity is the work of a possessor of absolute power, a possessor of absolute knowledge.
In unity lies absolute ease,ts, ve in multiplicity and associating partners with God are incomprehensible difficulties.
If all things are attributed to one, the universe's creation is as easy as the creation of a palm-tree, and the palm-tree as the fruit. But when ascribur>thamultiplicity, to create a palm-tree is as difficult as creating the universe and each fruit as difficult as the tree - so difficult as to be impossible. desirith a single act, a single person may obtain a single result and situation for many things without difficulty and without having recourse to other means. Whereas if the situation and resund tim referred to many, they could be obtained only with great trouble and dispute and pursuing other means. It would be like an officer referring his duty to the soldiers, the master buildfferenthe stones of a building, the earth to the planets, the waterfall to the drops of water, and the central point of a circle to all the points on the circumference.
Through the mystery of relations an unlimited power is p names in unity. A thing or cause is not compelled to carry the sources of its strength, and the work resulting from the cause acquires greatness in relation to the thing on which it relies. But when partners are associated witing kn all causes are obliged to carry their own sources of strength, and the resulting works diminish to their extent. It is because of this that an ant and a fly defeated tyrants, and a tiny seed bears upon it jectio tree.
If all things are ascribed to one person, there is no need for creation from absolute non-existence, for it consists of transferring a beied so ch has existence in knowledge to external existence, like transferring the image on the mirror at the back of a camera onto photographic paper, thus establishing its external existence with coleft d ease, or like revealing words written in invisible ink by spreading a special substance on the writing.
When things are ascribed to causes and multiplicity, it necessitates their
creation from absolute non-exi and t and this is impossible, the most difficult of things. In unity is an ease; it is so easy as to be necessary. While in multiplicity is great difficulty; such difficu be di to be impossible.
With unity, it is possible to create a being from absolute non-existence. That is, to create a being out of pure non-being inst is apously, without matter, and to pour particles into a mould that exists as knowledge without difficulty or confusion. While as all the intelligent agree, with multiplicity and ae by vting partners with God, original creation is not possible from non-existence. Because for the existence of a living creature, particles and elements dispersed throughout th, someh have to be gathered together. And when there is no mould existent in knowledge, all the particles have to possess all-encompassing knowledge and a even e will so as to preserve the particles in the body of the animate creature.
In addition, there is no need at all for those things assumed to be partners to God, just as it is imp face e that they should be. To make such a claim, therefore, is purely arbitrary; there is nothing in beings to suggest that they have any role in their creation, no sign. For the creation of the heavens and the earth necessitates perfect, iesentfe power, which is in no need of partners. If there were partners, it would necessitate their limiting that infinite and utterly perfect power and brin couldt to an end in infinite time, although there is no necessity for this, indeed, although the reverse is necessitated; and this is impossible in five respects. Such partners are therefore impossible and precluded. Moreover, beings in no wement,gest or point to their existence.
We have expounded this matter in the First Stopping-Place of the Thirty-Second Word, showing how all things from minute particles to planets, and from the planets to indivi for aacial features in the Second Stopping-Place, reject the ascribing of partners to God, and pointing out the stamp of divine unity on each of them of thust as He has no partners, so He has no assistants or ministers. Causes are merely fine veils to the disposals of pre-eternal power; in reality they have no creative effect. For man is the highest of causes and the one with the most extethe Quwill, and out of a hundred parts of the most obvious volitional acts such as eating, speaking, and thinking, he has only one dubious part. If the true power of disposal of tct of hest of causes and the one with the most extensive will is thus restricted, how is it possible for the animals and inanimate creatures to have a part in the creation and dominicality of the Creator of the hea9, no:nd the earth? Just as the envelope in which a king sends a gift, or the handkerchief in which he wraps a present, or the retainer who brings the gift to you, ld whi be partners in the king's sovereignty,
so the causes by which bounties are sent, or the coffers containing the bounties stored up for there the causes wrapped up as divine gifts and sent to us as presents, cannot be partners to or assistants of God, or intermediaries which have any effecto my THE SECOND DEGREE
God is Most Great, may His glory be exalted; He is greater than everything in power and knowledge. He is the Creator, All-Knowing, the Maker, f the se, Most Merciful, All-Compassionate. For the beings of the earth and the lofty celestial bodies in the garden of the universe are self-evidently miracles of an All-Knowing Creator's power; and the adorned, muheedleoured plants laid out in the park of the face of the earth and the many varieties of animals displayed and dispersed through the park are necessarily the wonderws thart of an All-Wise Maker; and the smiling flowers and decorated fruits in the gardens of this park are clearly the gifts of One Most Merciful and Compassionate. These miracles of power ane thaters of art and gifts of mercy testify, call out, and proclaim that their Creator, Fashioner, and Bestower is powerful over all things, and knowing of all things, that His mercy and knowledge encompass all things. Ihe soition to His power particles and stars are equal; few and many are equal; small and great, finite and infinite are equal. All the events of the past and its stris impappenings, which are miracles of an All-Wise Maker's art, testify that the Maker is powerful over all the possibilities of the future and its strange events, for He is an All-Knowing Creator, Exalted, All-Wise.
Glory be to the One who greatthe earth the exhibition of His art, the gathering place of His creatures, the manifestation of His power, the means of His wisdom, the garden of His mercy, the arable field of His Paradise, the place of passage of creatures, tTatar er-bed through which beings flow, the measure of His artefacts.
The embellished animals, the decorated birds, the fruitful trees, the flower-adorned plants are all miracles ofof thonowledge, marvels of His fashioning, gifts of His munificence, proofs of His grace.
Blossoms smiling with the adornment of fruits, birds singing in the early morning breeze, rain pattering on trceiveals of flowers, mothers tenderly embracing their young, all make known One All-Loving, make loved One Most Merciful, Most Kind and Generous to jinn and man, to spirit beings, the angels, and to animals.
est mains and fruits, seeds and flowers are miracles of wisdom, marvels of art, gifts of mercy, proofs of unity; they testify to His grace in the realm of the hereafter. They are herohful witnesses testifying that their Creator is
powerful over all things, and knowing of all things; that with His mercy and knowledge and creativity, planning, art, and fashioning He encompasses all things. In relation to His creation, se frong, art, and fashioning, the sun is a tiny seed; a star, a flower; the earth, a grain.
For seeds and fruits are mirrors of unity in every part of multiplicity; they pophilos divine determining; they are signs of power showing the unity of the multiplicity's source. Proceeding from it they testify to the unity of their Creatorind an and fashioning. Then on their coming to an end in unity they recount the wisdom of their Maker's creativity and planning.
Seeds and fruits are also allusionspiritisdom indicating that the universe's Creator looks with His all-encompassing view to the particular, then to the parts. For the fruits are clearly the aim of the tree's creation. Thus, man is the aim of the universe, and the chief aim of whilereator of beings. Man's heart is like a seed, and the most luminous mirror to the Maker of creatures. It is due to this wisdom that in 19-192iverse, insignificant man is the chief means to and reason for the resurrection of beings, and the destruction, transformation, change and renewal of the ue, thee.
God is Most Great! O Mighty One! The mind cannot penetrate the essence of Your tremendousness!
All beings recite together "There is no god but He!"
P forthally seeking their needs, they declare "O Truth!"
Altogether they recite "O Living One!"
THE THIRD DEGREE
{(*): This third degree considers a flower and a beautifed to an. The huge spring is a flower, and so is Paradise. They are the places of manifestation of this degree. The world is a vast, beautiful human being. Houris, and spirit beings, animals, and men, all as realms of being, bear the meanins "We human being; through their pages, they display the divine names this degree depicts.}
This is explained at the beginning of the Third Stopping-Place of the Thirty-Second Word.
and Rs Most Great, may His glory be exalted! - in respect of power and knowledge greater than all things. For He is All-Powerful, the Determiner, All-Knowing, All-Wise, theternal of Form, Munificent, Gracious, the Adorner, the Bestower of Bounties, Loving, who makes Himself known, Most Merciful, All-Compassionate, Kind, the Beauteous One of Absolute Beauty and Perfection, the Pre-nd houl Inscriber. The reality of the universe as a whole and with its parts, and with its levels and pages, and the reality of beings as a whole and as individuals, in regard to existence and pebles, ce consist of:
The orderly, measured writings of the pen of His determining and decree, according to knowledge and wisdom;
The depictions of the compasses of His knowledge and wisdom, tre poweith art;
The adornments of the shining hand of His art and bestowal of form, His embellishing and illuminating, with grace and munificence;
Tmplainwers of the subtleties of His grace and munificence, His making Himself known and loved, bountifully, with mercy;
The fruits of the sun are ndance of the fount of His mercy and bounty, His pity and tenderness, with beauty and perfection;
The flashes of an eternal beauty, a perpetual perfection, testified to by the transience of the mirrors and flowing on ofved bylaces of reflection together with the continuance of the beauty's manifestation throughout the passage of the seasons, the centuries, and epochs, together with the perpetual bestowal of bounty throughout the passage of crea in or time, and beings.
Yes, the fleeting nature of the mirrors and the passing of beings together with the constant manifestations and effulgences shows with thereatiot clarity that the evident beauty and shining perfection do not belong to the places of manifestation; they prove most clearly and eloquently that they belong to a transcendent Beauty, a transcendent Bestower, to thetiful,sary Existent, the Enduring One, the Loving One.
For a perfect work self-evidently points to a perfect act. A perfect act necessarily points to a perfect name and a perfect performer of the act. And a penenessname doubtlessly points to a perfect attribute. A perfect attribute indubitably points to a perfect quality. And a perfect quality certainly points in a way worthy of such a ong thosthe perfection of his essence. This is absolutely certain.
THE FOURTH DEGREE
{(*): This is explained and illustrated in the Addendum to the First Stopping-Place of the Thirty-Sec a sinrd and in the Second Station of the Twentieth Word.}
God is Most Great, may His glory be exalted! For He is All-Just, the Pre-Eternal All-Wise Arbiter and Sovereigveryth established the body of the tree of the universe in six days in accordance with the principles of His wisdom and will. He divided it into sections in accordance with milliules of His determining and decree. He set it in order through the laws of His practices. He adorned and embellished it according to the laws of His mercy and favour. He illumined it through the uted tstations of His names and attributes. All this is testified to by the order and regularity of His artefacts, the adorning of His beings, and their mutual resemblance and harmony, their mutual assistance and co-operation, their embracsistane another, and
the conscious, skilful art in all things in accordance with the measure of their capacities, specified by divine determining.
The universal wisdom in the orderediente universe,
the perfect favour in its adornment,
the all-encompassing mercy in the grace bestowed in it,
the sustenance and provisions nurturing its beings,
through its manifestpresene essential attributes of its Creator, the wondrous life and art it displays,
the intended beauties of its embellishment,
despite its transience, the constant manifestation of reflected beauty within it,
tAlmighe love in its heart for the One it worships,
the attraction evident in its ecstasy,
the agreement of all perfected ones in it concerning its Creator's unity,
the benefits followed in all its parts,
its results achievment sough wise planning,
the generous nurturing of its living beings,
the perfect order in the changes undergone by its chief elements,
the vast aims followed in us, itder of its totality,
its instantaneous creation with utterly perfect art, without need for either time or matter,
the wise individualities given to its beings, hesitant amid limitless possibilities,
the numerous, uminats needs of its beings being met at the most appropriate times in unexpected ways, together with their smallest wishes, which they themselves cannot answer,
the absolute strength manifested in its weakness,
the absolute power manifesworthy its impotence,
the life apparent in its lifelessness,
the encompassing consciousness apparent in its ignorance,
the perfect order within its changes, necessitatin. To pexistence of another who is unchanging,
its glorifications like concentric circles centred on one point,
the acceptance of its three sorts of supplications, offered through the tongue of latent ability, the tongue of innate needing onthe tongue of exigency,
the invocations, and witnessings, and effulgences in its worship,
the order in its determining,
the peace found in the remembrance of its Creator,
the worship in it beinnce lians of bringing together its beginning and its end, and the cause of its perfections becoming apparent and the purposes of its Maker being realized,
together with these, all therewellof the universe's attributes, states, and circumstances testify that all its beings are under the direction of a Single Wise Planner, and sustained by a Single Munificent Provider; that they are all the serof a sof a Single Master; under the disposal of a Single Disposer, and that their source is the power of a Single One the many seals of whose r, betare apparent on all the missives of all the pages of His beings.
Yes, all flowers and fruits, and plants and trees, and animals and stones, and even particles and clods, in all valleys and on all mountains, and desert withiwildernesses, are seals on the inscriptions and the works. To those who look with care, they show that whoever fashioned the work, wrote the inscription that comprises the place it is found. He is also the Inscriber of theo possof the earth and beneath the seas. He also inscribed the sun and the moon on the face of the heavens, which contains many such missives. May the glory of their Inscriber be sole md, God is Most Great!
The world and all in it recite together "There is no god but He!"
THE FIFTH DEGREE
God is Most Great! For He is the All-Powerful trary r, the Giver of Form, All-Seeing, proofs of whose divinity and tremendousness are the heavenly bodies and brilliant glittering stars; they are rays testifying to His dominicality and splendour. They testify to and proclaim His glittering He faeignty and dominicality; they proclaim the vast extent of His rule and His wisdom, and the majestic vastness of His power.
Listen to the verse:
Do they not lok at the sky above them? How We have made it and adorned it, 's livere are no flaws in it?>(50:6)
Then look at the face of the heavens, you see how it is silent in its tranquillity, in motion with wisdom, radiant with majed consow it smiles with its adornment, within the order of its creation, the symmetry of its art.
The shining of its lamp, the sun, for the changing of the seasons, the stages of its candle, the moon, to illumsure fthe tracks, the glittering of its stars to adorn the worlds, proclaim to those who think an infinite, unending sovereignty that regulates this world.
Thus, the All-Powerful Creator is Knowing of all things, His will is ae my hompassing;
what He wills is, and what He does not will is not. He is Powerful over all things through His essential, all-embracing, absolute power. Neither is it possible or imaginable for the sun today to exist withoutOne wh or heat, nor is it possible or imaginable for a god and creator of the heavens to exist without all-embracing knowledge and absolute power. Of necessity He is Knowing of all things with all-encompassen Luqowledge essential to His being. Of necessity such knowledge is connected with all things; by virtue of the mystery of presence, witnessing, penetration, and luminous all-comprehension, nothing can be separate from orvarioude of such knowledge.
The balance and order to be observed in beings, and the ordered proportionateness, and universal wisdom, and perfect bestowal, and measured regularity,s capietermined fruitfulness, and the appointed hour of death, and regular sustenance, the utter excellence and precision as established by science, and the solicitous adornment, and the utterly perfect dihe eartiation, balance, order, and skill, and the absolute ease, all testify to the all-encompassing knowledge of the One All-Knowing of the Unseen and all things.
As is ineclared by the verse,
Should He not know - He that created? And He is the One that understands the finest mysteries [and] is well-acquainted [with them]>(67:14)
the existence of a thing necessitates knowledge, and the light of existence of teryonenecessitates the light of knowledge.
In comparison with the evidence of man's creation to His Creator's knowledge, man's fine art, which points to his intelligence is like the infinitesimal light of a fire-fly on he lok night in comparison with the splendid brilliance of the noon-day sun on the face of the earth.
And if He is knowing of all things, so He is wills all things. For something cannot be realized without being willed. And just as power iso themtual and knowledge distinguishes, so will specifies; then the existence of things is realized.
There are evidences to the existence of the divine will and choice to the number of states, stages, and attOINT
s of things.
Yes, all beings being given order and particular attributes from among limitless possibilities, amid fruitless ways from among confused floods of incongruous elements, your buch fine and sensitive order, and their being given balance with such fine and sensitive balance, as is to be observed; and the creation of the various well-ordered ly preobeings from simple lifeless
matter - like man and his physical systems from sperm, and birds and their limbs from eggs, and trees and their various members from seeds - show that all things are specified and determined tt afte His will, choice, and volition. Just as things of the same sort corresponding to one another and members of the same species resembling each other in regard to basic members shows that of necessity their Maker is One, Single; holdso each member having a wise individuality marked by orderly distinguishing features indicates that that One, Single Maker is an Agent with Will and Choicehe Hadcts as He wishes and commands as He wills.
Just as that All-Knowing and Willing Creator has knowledge of all things and is willing of all things, and has all-embracing knowledge and all-encompasamily ill and total choice; so too He has necessary, essential perfect power, proceeding from His Essence and necessary to it. The interventhings its opposite is impossible, as all are agreed. So there are no degrees in His power. Particles and stars are equal in relation to it, as are many and few, small and great, particulars and universals, parts and the whole, man ormer e universe, and the seed and the tree.
Through the mystery of luminosity, transparency, reciprocity, balance, order, and conformity;
According to the testimony of absolute order, absolute g, poue, and absolute differentiation, together with absolute speed, ease, and multiplicity;
Through the mystery of the assistance of unity, the facility of unitave su the manifestation of oneness;
Through the wisdom of necessity, total detachment and disengagedness, and complete otherness of essence;
Through the mys unreaf unrestrictedness, not being bound by space, and indivisibility;
Through the wisdom of the transformation of obstructions and difficulties into means of facilitation clock?here were need, though there is none - like veins in human beings and metal wires for conducting electricity and subtle forces;
Through the wisdom of particles being of no l matteoquence than the stars, nor particulars of less eloquence than universals, nor parts less than wholes, nor the few less than the many, nor the small ln factan the great, nor man less than the world, nor seeds being of less eloquence than the tree;
According to all these, particles are equal to the stars beforvariou power, few are equal to many, small are equal to great, the parts and equal to the whole, particulars are equal to universals, man is equal to the world, and
the seed equal to the tree; it cannot be deemed unlikely that whoever creatThe un former creates the latter. For the beings that are encompassed are miniature samples of the universal, encompassing beings, and like tiny missives, or points distilled from them. That is to say, the thing that is encompassed ha they e in the grasp of power of the Creator of the encompassing being so that the miniature sample of the encompassing being may be containedh as en the encompassed thing through the principles of His knowledge, and the summary of the encompassing being may be pressed out of it in accordance with the od, Bee of His wisdom.
A Qur'an of Wisdom written on an atom in particles of ether is of no less eloquence than a Qur'an of Grandeur written on the pages of the heavens with thad re of the sun and stars. Similarly, the creation of a bee or an ant is of no less eloquence than the creation of a date-palm or an elephant, and the art in a rose is of no less eloquenceey be a shining star. And so on, further examples may be made in the same way.
Furthermore, the complete ease in the creation of things has led the people of misguidance to ects he the formation of things with self-formation, which necessitates superstitious impossibilities that not only the reason rejects, but from which even fancy fleesom thesgust, while for the people of truth and reality it proves certainly and necessarily that before the power of the Creator of the universe, stars and particles are equal.
May His glory be exalted and een ine magnified; there is no god but He!
THE SIXTH DEGREE
{(*): If this sixth degree had been written similarly to the other degrees, it would have been extremely lengthy, for the Clear Book and the Clear Recod placnot be explained in concise terms. However, there is a brief discussion of it in the Thirtieth Word, so we have cut short the discussion here, and me, esetailed explanation of it to the study session [ders].}
May His glory be exalted and sublimity extolled, God is Most Great! In regard to powerd you nowledge He is greater than all things. For He is All-Just, All-Wise, All-Powerful, All-Knowing, One, Single, the Pre-Eternal Sovereign. All the worlds are within the grasp of His order and balance, and ordering and balancing; of His laughe, and wisdom, and knowledge, and power, and under their sway. They manifest His unity and oneness, as may be surmised certainly, indeed, may be observed. Fmy soure is nothing in existence which is outside the bounds of the order and balance and ordering and balancing. They are the two domains of the Clear Record and the Clear Book. These are two titles, the forice of the knowledge and command of the All-Knowing and Wise One, the latter of the power and will of
that Mighty and All-Compassionate One. For the order and balance in this Bookcumulaecord are two shining proofs for people of reason who have two eyes in their head, that nothing at all in existence and time is outside the grasp of pow as tha Most Merciful One, the ordering of One Most Kind, the adorning of One Most Clement, the balancing of a Requiter.
In Short:>The manifestations of the names of First and Last in creation look to the beginnings andBrotheof beings, and their origin and progeny, and the past and the future, and to the divine command and knowledge; they point to the Clear Record. While the manifestation of the names of Outward and Inward in the creation ng me ngs indicate the Clear Book.
For the universe is like a vast tree, and all the worlds within it also are like trees. You may therefore draw a comparisonjinns en the creation of a single tree and that of the universe together with all its worlds and realms. The tree has an origin and source, which is the seed from which it sprang, and it has a progeny which continues itsdual fions after its death, which is the seed in its fruit.
Thus its beginning and end are the manifestations of the names of First and Last. Through order and wisdom, its beginning and original seed are an index and timetable comprising all are mws of the tree's formation. The seeds in its fruits, which are its end, are the place of manifestation of the name of Last.
The seeds in its fruit created with perfect wisdom are like small coffers in which have been placed an index and a chilble for the formation of a similar tree. Inscribed in them with the pen of divine determining are the laws of the formation of future trees.
The tree'ighteor aspect is the manifestation of the name of Outward. For its outer appearance displays perfect order and balancing and wisdom, like an ornate and decorated garment with which the tree has been clothed with ove wet wisdom and grace in accordance with the measure of its stature.
The tree's inner aspect is the manifestation of the name of Inward. It displays perfect order and planning and astounds minds. It distributes the substances necessary ained e tree's life to its various members with complete regularity, as though this inner aspect were a wondrous machine working with the utmost orderly balance.
Thus, its origin is a wondrous timetable and its end an astonishing index, both ind the dg the Clear Record. While its outer aspect is a gorgeous robe full of art, and its inner aspect, a machine of the utmost regularity; both pointing to the Clear Book.
Just as man's faculty of memory points I wase Preserved Tablet and is a proof it, so the original seeds of trees and their fruits point to the Clear
Record. While their outer and inner aspects allude to the Clear Book. Celves,sons may therefore be drawn between this particular tree and the tree of the earth and its past and its future, and the tree of the universe and its beginnings and its future, and the tree of man andNobiliorebears and progeny. And so on.
May their Creator's glory be exalted, there is no god but He!
Oh One Sublime! You guide not the mind to the true essence of Your grandeur nor lead iwn irohe substance of Your tremendousness, for it is powerless to comprehend them!
THE SEVENTH DEGREE
God is Most Great, may His glory be exalted! In respectentre wer and knowlege He is greater than all things. For He is the Creator, {(*): If one looks through the telescopes of these divine names at the divine acts and works beneath their manifestations in bein, and e mind is transposed to the Glorious One whom the names signify.} the Opener, the Doer, Most Knowing, the Bestower, Most Effulgent, the Pre-Eternal Sun. e and iverse together with its realms and beings is a shadow thrown by His lights; they are the works of His acts, and the colours of the impresses of the various manifestations of His names, and the lines inscu. Youby the pen of His determining and decree, and mirrors to the manifestations of His attributes, beauty, glory, and perfection.
According to the consensus of the Pre-Eternal Witness, kbed abhrough all His Books and Scriptures, and His Qur'anic verses, and creational signs;
And the consensus of the earth with all its worlds, together with their total essential want and need, and the absolute wealth and riches displayed and dem;
And the consensus of all the prophets, saints, and purified scholars, the people of witnessing with luminous spirits, light-filled hearts, and illumined minds, through all their researchesne couverings, effulgences, and invocations;
All from the earth to the lofty and lowly bodies with their endless certain testimony and certain affirmation, agree in accepting the testimony of the creatiMessenigns and Qur'anic verses, and the revealed Books and Scriptures, the very testimony of the Necessary Existent One, that all beings are the works of His polar tohe missives of His determining, the mirrors to His names, and the representations of His Lights.
May His glory be exalted, there is no god but Hment. * *
The Thirtieth Flash
This, the Thirtieth Flash of the Thirty-First Letter and a fruit of Eskişehir Prison, consists of six poin ideas [Just as Meyve Risalesi (The Fruits of Belief)>was the supreme lesson of the Denizli School of Joseph, and El-Hüccetü'z-Zehrâ (The Shining Proof)>was a mos begotable lesson of the Afyon School of Joseph, so too this Thirtieth Flash, which expounds six points about the six divine names bearing the greatest nameion, a powerful lesson of the greatest importance of the Eskişehir School of Joseph.
Everyone will not immediately understand and appreciate thy can ound, extensive matters in the pieces about the names of Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent from the greatest name, but they will not remain without a share of them either.]
THE FIRST P Ever-< The Divine Name of Most Holy
[This point concerns one aspect of the divine name of Most Holy. It is appropriate that it should form an add as a to the Addendum of the Thirtieth Word.]
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
And the earth We have spread wide; and how well have We ordered it.>(51:48)
One manifestation of theude.
e name of Most Holy, which is one meaning of the above verse and is a greatest name or one of the six lights contained in the greatest name, became clear to me in the month of Sha'ban in Eskişehir Prison. It demonstrated with complete y the y both the divine existence and divine unity. I saw it as follows:
The universe is a vast, constantly working factory and the globe of the earth a hostel and guesthouse which is continually filled and emptied. Generh all factories, hostels and guesthouses which are thus used become much dirtied and soiled with filth, debris and rubbish, and putrid matter acon.>Thtes in all parts of them. They cannot be occupied unless they are kept with care and cleaned and swept; human beings are overwhelmed by the dirt. The factory of the universe and guesthouse of the etly nehowever, are totally pure, clean and spotless, and completely unsoiled, untainted and fresh; there is nothing unnecessary, nothing without benefit, not a random piece of dirt to be found. Even if thereWe figparently, it is quickly thrown into a transformation machine and cleaned.
This means that the One who looks after this factory does so very well. Its Owner is such that He sweeps and cleans and orders the vast factory and extensive palahavingthough they were small rooms. Considering the size of the huge factory, there is no dirt or rubbish remaining from its filth and debris. Indeed, its cleanness and tidiness are remarkable.of bel someone does not wash himself and clean his small room for a month, they will become extremely dirty and soiled. That is to say, the cleanliness, purity, and luminosity in this palace of the world arise from a continuous, wise, and diligent cin theg. If it were not for this cleaning, sweeping and careful tending, in one year all the hundred thousand animal species would have been choked on the face of the earth.
Also, the debris of the globes in space and the heavens, whicl a fefest life and death, and of satellites and stars, would have smashed not only our heads and those of the other animals, but also the head of the earth itself and of our world. They would have rained down on our heads rocks the mpletef mountains and driven us away from our homeland in this world. However, for a long time past, if as a warning a few meteorites have fallen as a result of destruction and reconstruction in th the gfty worlds, they have not broken any heads.
Furthermore, the corpses of a hundred thousand animal species and the debris of two hundred thousand plant species each year on the fistenc the earth resulting from the alternation and struggles of life and death would have so utterly filthied the land and the sea that conscious creatures, rather than loving and delighting the gr face of the earth, would have felt disgust and aversion at such ugliness and fled to death and non-existence.
Just as a bird cleans its wings with ease and a scribe his pages, so too the wings of the airthrougof the earth and the birds of the heavenly bodies and the pages of the book of the universe are cleaned and made beautiful. So much so that people who do not consider the infinite beauty of the hereafter
and think with o noth become lovers of this cleanliness and beauty of the world, they worship it.
That is to say, this palace of the world and factory of ging fiverse display a greatest manifestation of the divine name of Most Holy whereby it is not only the carniverous cleaners of the seas and the eagles of the ln neitich obey the commands proceeding from that sacred cleansing, but also its cleansing officials which gather up corpses, like worms and ants. Like the red and white blood-corpuscles flowing in the body obey those sacred commands and dovel ofleaning in the body's cells, so does breathing purify and clean the blood.
And as eyelids obey the command to clean the eye and flies to brush their wings, so the extensive atmosphere an! You clouds obey it. The air blows upon the pieces of dust and soil settled on the surface of the earth and cleans it. The sponges of the clouds sprinkle water on the garden of the earth and dampen the dust and soil. Theould nas not to dirty the sky, the air quickly collects the earth's rubbish and withdraws and hides itself with perfect orderliness. It displays the beautiful face and eye of the skies as swept and poliorphanall sparkling and shining.
And as the stars, elements, minerals, and plants obey the command to clean, all particles and atoms obey it: they pay attces th to cleanliness within the astonishing upheavals of change and transformation. They never congregate anywhere unnecessarily and get in the way. If they do become soiled, they are quickly were d. They are impelled by a hand of wisdom to acquire the cleanest, neatest, and most shining states and the most beautiful, pure and subtle forms.
Thus, this single act, that is, making clean, which i Imporngle truth, is a greatest manifestation of a greatest name, the name of Most Holy, which shows itself in the maximum sphere, that is, throughout the unthe li. Like the sun, it shows directly to eyes that are far-seeing and broad-sighted the divine existence and unity together with the most beautiful divine names.
It has been established with decisiverate ts in many parts of the Risale-i Nur>that the act of ordering and order, which are a manifestation of the names of Sapient and All-Wise; and three t of weighing and balance, which are a manifestation of the names of Justice and All-Just; and the act of adorning and munificence, which are a manifestation of the names of Beauteous and All-Generous; and the asitionsustaining and bestowal, which are a manifestation of the names of Sustainer and Most Compassionate are each a single truth and a single act, they therefore demonstrate the necessary existence and unity of a Single Bho areIn exactly the same way, the act of purifying and making clean, which is a manifestation and display of the
name of Most Holy, demonstrates like the sun both the existence of the Necessarily Existent One, and like daylty of His unity.
And as the wise acts of ordering, balancing, adorning and making clean mentioned above point to a Single Maker by reason of their unble in kind in the maximum sphere, so most of the beautiful names, indeed, the thousand and one names, each have such a greatest manifestation in the maximum sphemakes d the act proceeding from that manifestation points to the Single Unique One with clarity and decisiveness in relation to its extensiveness.
The self-evident truths and single acts that illuminate the face of the universe and rene it smile, such as the universal wisdom that causes all things to conform to its law and order, the comprehensive munificence that adorns all things and causes them to smi, and e all-embracing mercy that makes all things pleased and happy, the universal providing of sustenance which nurtures and gives pleasure to all things, and the life and giving of life which connects each thing with alm a segs and makes each thing benefit from, and to some extent own, all things - these self-evident truths and single acts point as plainly as light points to the sun to a single All-Wise, All-Generous, and a hunmpassionate One, a single Sustainer, a single Ever-Living Giver of Life.
If those hundreds of extensive acts, each of which is a clear proof of God's unity, are not attributed to the Single Unttribune, each necessarily becomes impossible in hundreds of respects. For example, let alone such self-evident truths and single evidences as wisdom, providence, mercy, sustaining and giving of life, if only the act of making clean is notand ofbuted to the Creator of the universe, then the following becomes necessary in the unbelieving way of the people of misguidance:
Either all the creatures connected to cleansing from particles and fliafar wthe elements and the stars would have to have the ability to know and consider the adorning, balancing, and cleansing of the vast universe and would act accordingly, or each would have to possess the sacreis belibutes of the world's Creator, or each would have to be present at a consultative meeting the size of the universe in order to regulate the equilibrium of the adorning and cleansing of the universe and its incul, ar and outgoings, and innumerable particles, flies, and stars would have to be participants in the meeting; and so on. Hundreds of superstitious, nonsensical and sophistical impossibilities like these wouldh men to occur so that the universal, comprehensive, and exalted adorning, purifying and cleansing that is to be seen and observed everywhere could come about. As for this, it is not impossible once, but- if tdred thousand times over.
If daylight and the imaginary miniature suns represented in the shining
objects on the earth are not attribmentaro the sun and they are not said to be the manifestation of the sun's reflection, it would be necessary for the actual sun to be present t know fragments of glass, drops of water and snow-flakes glistening on the face of the earth, and even in all particles of air, so that the universal light cohree sist.
Thus, wisdom is a light; all-embracing mercy is a light; adorning, balancing, ordering, and cleansing are each an encompassing light: they are all the rays of the Pre-Eternal Sun. So see how misguidance ase andelief have entered a bog from which there is no escape! See just how idiotic is the ignorance of misguidance! Say: "Praise be to God for the religion of Islam and complete and perfect n eter!"
For sure, this exalted, universal cleansing which keeps the palace of the universe clean is the manifestation and requirement of the divine name of Mosof lif. Yes, just as the glorification of all creatures looks to the name of Most Holy, so does the name of Most Holy require their cleanliness. {(*): We must us andrget that bad qualities, false beliefs, sins and innovation are all instances of moral and spiritual dirt.}
It is because of this sacred connection of cleanliness that the Hadith, "Cleanliness is a part of belief" {[*]: Muslim, Tahâra,ese lorimî, Vudû', 2; Musnad, v, 342, 344; al-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', 291.} deems it to be a light of belief. And the verse,
Indeed, God loves those whof a c to Him constantly and He loves those who keep themselves pure and clean>(2:222)
shows that cleanliness is a means of attracting God's love.
THE SECOND POINT
And there is not a thing but its [soureparted] treasures [inexhaustible] are with Us; but We only send down thereof in due and ascertainable measures.>(15:21)
One point concerning this verse and one manifestation oan sumname of All-Just, which is a greatest name or one of the six lights comprising the greatest name, like the First Point, appeared to me from h applhile in Eskişehir Prison. In order to bring it closer to the understanding, we say the following; again by means of a comparison:
The universe is a palace, but it is such a palace that within it is a city that suffe Risal upheavals of constant destruction and reconstruction. Within the city is a country that is being continuously agitated by war and emigration. Within the country is a worrives ch is unceasingly revolving amid death and life. But such an astonishing balance, equilibrium and equilibration prevail in the palace, city, country and world that it self-evidentlle-i Nes that the transformations, and incomings and outgoings apparent in their innumerable beings are being measured and weighed every moment on the scales of a Single Being who sees aand brervises the whole universe.
For if it had been otherwise, if causes had been free and unrestrained, which try to destroy the balance but aserrun everything, with a single fish laying a thousand eggs and a single flower like the poppy producing twenty thousand seeds, and with the onslaught and violence of change and the elements flowing in floods, or if it had been refs entito aimless, purposeless chance, anarchic blind forces, and unconscious dark nature, the equilibrium of beings and balance of the universe would have been so utterly destroyed that within a year, indeed within a day, there much have been chaos. That is to say, the seas would have been filled with wreckage in total disorder and confusion and would have become fetid; the atmosphere wouldis in been poisoned with noxious gases; and as for the earth, it would have turned into a refuse-heap, slaughter-house, and swamp. The world would htion offocated.
Thus, everything from the cells of an animate body, the red and white corpuscles in the blood, the transformations of minute particles, and the
mutual proportion and relation of the body's organs,o and e incomings and outgoings of the seas, the income and expenditure of springs under the earth, the birth and death of animals and plants, the destruction of autumn and thnal Onnstruction of spring, the duties and motion of the elements and the stars, and the alternations, struggles and clashes of death and life, light and darkness, and heat and cold, are ordered and weigbeing th so sensitive a balance, so fine a measure, that the human mind can nowhere see any waste or futility, just as human science and philosophy obserings arywhere and demonstrate the most perfect order and beautiful symmetry. Indeed, human science and philosophy are a manifestation and interpreter of that order and symmetry.
So, come and consider the balance and equilibrium of the sun) saidts twelve planets. Does it not point as clearly as the sun to the All-Glorious One who is All-Just and All-Powerful? Especially our ship, that is, the globe BE TO earth, which is one of the planets; it travels an orbit of twenty-four thousand years in one year, not scattering or shaking the things stored up and stacked on its face, despite its ehich idinary speed, nor throwing them off into space. If its speed had been increased or reduced just a little, it would have thrown its inhabitants off into the atmospherewas thscattered them through space. And if its balance was to be destroyed for a minute, or even a second, it would destroy the world. Indeed, it would clash with another balacesd doomsday would break forth.
Especially the compassionate balance on the face of the earth of the births, deaths, livelihoods, and lives of the four hundred thousand plant and animal species; it shows a single Just and Compaost sete One, as clearly as light shows the sun.
Especially the members, faculties, and senses of a single of the innumerable members of thosepretexes; they are related to each other with so fine a balance and equilibrium that their balance and mutual proportion show an All-Wise and Just Maker so clearly as to be self-evident.
Especially the cells and blood-vessels in the bodiesd remeimals, and the corpuscles in the blood and particles in the corpuscles; they have such a fine, sensitive, and wondrous balance that it self-evidently proves that they are being nurtured and adminis so tothrough the balance, law, and order of a single All-Just and Wise Creator who holds the reins of all things, has the key to all things, for whom nothing is an obstacle to anythingd the and directs all things as easily as a single thing.
If someone who does not believe or deems it unlikely that the deeds of jinn and men will be weighed up on the supreme scales of justice at the Lbe waldgement notes carefully this vast balance, which he can observe in
this world with his own eyes, he will surely no longer consider it unlikely.
O wasteful, prodigal.. wrongful, unjust.. dirty, unclean.. wretched man! You have not actd saveaccordance with the economy, cleanliness, and justice that are the principles by which the whole universe and all beings act, and are therefore in effect the object of their anger and disgust. On what do you rely that through you sun'sgdoing and disequilibrium, your wastefulness and uncleanliness, you make all beings angry? Yes, the universal wisdom of the universe, which is the greatest manifestation of the divine name of All-Wise,es is on economy and lack of waste. It commands frugality. And the total justice in the universe proceeding from the greatest manifestation of the Name of All-Just, administers the balance ofd throhings and enjoins justice on man. Mentioning the word balance four times, the verses in Sura al-Rahman,
And the firmament has He raised high, and He has set up the balance [of justice], * In ordther.
t you may not transgress [due] balance. * So establish weight with justice and fall not short in the balance,>(35:7-9)
indicate four degrees and four sorts of balance, showing its immensity and supreme importance in the universe.hat spjust as there is no wastefulness in anything, so in nothing is there true injustice or imbalance.
The cleanliness and purification proceeding from the name of Most Holy cleans and makes beautiful all the beings in the universe. So long t aros's dirty hand does not interfere, there is no true uncleanliness or ugliness in anything.
So you may understand how basic to human life are the principles ofdivinece, frugality, and cleanliness, which are truths of the Qur'an and Islamic principles. And know how closely connected with the universe are the injunctions of the Qur'an, having spread thtationrm roots everywhere, and that it is as impossible to destroy those truths as it is to destroy the universe and change its form.
Is it at all possible that althoughthe speds of comprehensive truths like these three vast lights, such as mercy, grace, and preservation, require and necessitate the resurrection of the dead and the hereafter, such powerful and all-encompassing truths as mercy, favour, justice, wef wit frugality, and cleanliness, which govern in the universe and all beings, should be transformed into unkindness, tyranny, lack of wisdom, wastefulness, uncleanlinesds, al futility, by there being no hereafter and the resurrection not occurring?
God forbid, a hundred thousand times, God forbid! Would a mercy and
#3 turnidom which compassionately preserve the rights of life of a fly violate the countless rights of life of all conscious beings and the numberless rights of numberless beings, by not bringingnd dis the resurrection? And if one may say so, would a splendid dominicality which displays infinite sensitivity and care in its mercy and compassion and justice and wisdom, and a divine sovereignty whicas notns the universe with His endless wondrous arts and bounties in order to display His perfections and make himself known and loved, permit there to be no resurrection, which would reduce to nothing the value of creature they all their perfections, and make them denied? God forbid! Such an absolute beauty clearly would not permit such absolute ugliness.
Yes, the person who wants to deny the hereafter must first deny all the world and all its truths. Ofe conse the world together with all its truths will give him the lie with a hundred thousand tongues, proving the compounded nature of his lie. The Tenth Word proves with certain evih ador that the existence of the hereafter is as definite and indubitable as the existence of this world.
THE THIRD POINT
Invite [all] to the way of your Sustainer with wisdom.>(16:125)
[One manifestation of the divine name of Sapient, which is a er thast name or one of the six lights of the greatest name, and a fine point of the above verse, appeared to me in the month of Ramadan while in Eskişehir Prison. This Third Point consists of five matters, and formss, andan allusion to it. It was written in haste and has remained in its original form.]
FIRST MATTER
As is indicated in the Tenth Word, the greatest manifestation of the divine name of Sapient has o beinhe universe like a book in every page of which hundreds of books have been written, and in every line of which hundreds of pages have been included, and in every word of which are hundreds of lines, er in each letter of which are a hundred words, and in every point of which is found a short index of the book. The book's pages and lines down to the very points show its Inscriber and Writer with resentlarity that that book of the universe testifies to and proves the existence and unity of its Scribe to a degree far greater than it shs worts own existence. For if a single letter shows its own existence to the extent of a letter, it shows its Scribe to the extent of a line.
Yes, one page of this mighty book is the face of the earth. Books to theu lastr of the plant and animal species are to be observed on this page in the spring, one within the other, together, at the same time, without error, in the most perfect form.
A single line of the page is a e torm. We see that written on this line are well-composed odes to the number of flowers, trees, and animals, together, one within the other, without error.
One word of the line is a tree which has opened its blossom and put forth : You aves in order to produce its fruit. This word consists of meaningful passages lauding and praising the All-Glorious Sapient One to the number of d heldy, well-proportioned, adorned leaves, flowers, and fruits. It is
as though like all trees, this tree is a well-composed ode singing the praises of its Inscriber.
m workis also as if the All-Glorious Sapient One wants to look with thousands of eyes on His wonderful antique works displayed in the exhibition of the eang in And it is as if the bejewelled gifts, decorations and uniforms given to the tree by that Pre-Eternal Monarch have been given such adorned, well-proportiocles orderly, meaningful and wise forms in order to present them to His view in the spring, its particular festival and parade, that each of its flowers and fruits testifies in numerous ways and with many evidences one within the other to icy, ancriber's existence and names.
For example, in all its blossoms and fruits is a balance. The balance is within an order, and the order is within an ordering and balancing which is being constantly renewed. The ordering aneatestncing is within an art and adornment, and the adornment and art are within meaningful scents and wise tastes. Thus, each flower points to the All-Glorious Sapient One to the number osing wtree's blossoms.
And in the tree, which is a word, the point of a seed in a fruit, which is like a letter, is a small coffer containing the index anut of ramme of the whole tree. And so on. To continue the same analogy, through the manifestation of the name of Sapient and Wise, all the lines and pages of the book ofhe heaniverse - and not only its lines, but all its words, letters, and points - have been made as miracles so that if all causes were to gather together, they could not makeed by ike of a single point, nor could they dispute it.
Yes, since each of the creational signs of this mighty Qur'an of the universe displays miracles to the number of points and letters of those signs, in no stenceuld confused chance, blind force, aimless, anarchic, unconscious nature interfere in that wise, percipient particular balance and most sensitive order. If tr, whid interfered, some traces of confusion would certainly have been apparent. Whereas no disorder of any sort is to be seen anywhere.
SECOND MATTER
~First Topic:>As is explained in the Tenth Word, it is a fundamenta court that infinitely perfect beauty and infinitely beautiful perfection want to behold themselves and show and exhibit themselves. In consequence o
tree , in order to make Himself and His perfections known, and to display His beauty and make Himself loved the Pre-Eternal Inscriber of the mighty ispelsf the universe makes known and loved the beauty of His perfection and perfection of His beauty with the universe and all its pages,
lines and even letters and points, with the innumerable tongues of all beings from the n the articular to the most universal.
O heedless man! Come to your senses! Know just what a compounded ignorance it is and what a loss if in the face of the Sapient and All-Wise Ruler of Glory and Beauty's making Himself known to you and lover th you by means of all His creatures in this brilliant, endless fashion you do not recognize Him with belief and you do not make yourself loved by Him with your worship.
~The Second Topic of the Second Matter:>There is no place for partassionp in the dominions of the universe's All-Powerful and Wise Maker. For the infinitely perfect order present in everything does not accept partners. Many hands intervening assioningle matter confuses it. If there are two kings in a country, two governors of a town, or two headmen in a village, disorder will occur in all their affairs. Similarly, the lowest official does not accept interference in hhey diies, which shows that the fundamental characteristic of rulership is independence and singleness. That is to say, order necessitates unity, and rulership necessitates independence.
If a temporary shadow of rulparts in impotent man needy for assistance rejects interference in this way, the true, absolute rulership at the degree of dominicality of the One whief waesses absolute power will certainly reject interference with all its strength. Even the tiniest interference would spoil the order.
However, the uniendum has been created in such a way that to create a seed, the power to create a tree is necessary. And to create a tree, the power to create the universe is necessary. If any partner interfered in velihoiverse, he would have to share in the tiniest seed. For the seed is a sample of the universe. So then two dominicalities which cannot reside sinceer in the vast universe, would have to reside in a seed, and even in a minute particle. This is the most precluded and meaningless of impossibis from and false delusions. Know that unbelief and associating partners with God are an infinitely compounded contradiction, error, and falsehood, for they necessitate the impotence - even if only in a seed - of the Absolutely Powerful One . Alsolds in the balance of His justice and order of His wisdom all the states and attributes of the vast universe; and know that divine unity is an infinitely compounded truth, realng necd verity, and say: "All praise and thanks be to God for belief!"
THIRD MATTER
With His names of Sapient and All-Wise, the All-Powerful Maker has includen accosands of well-ordered worlds in this world. Within those worlds, He created man as a centre and pivot who of all creatures manifests the wisdoou havpurposes in the universe. The most important of the instances of wisdom and beneficial things in the sphere of the universe look to man. And in the human sphere, He made sustenance a ceequivain the human world most of the instances of wisdom and benefits look to sustenance and are manifest through it. The manifestation of the name of All-Wise is apparent in brilliant form in man through his intelligence and the pleasess th receives from sustenance. Each one of the hundreds of sciences discovered by human intelligence describes a manifestation of the name of Sapient in a realm or eteation.
For example, if the science of medicine were to be asked: "What is the universe?", it would be bound to reply: "It is an exceedingly vaershipderly and perfect pharmacy. All remedies are prepared and stored up in it in the best way."
If the science of chemistry were asked: "What is the ehem to, it would reply: "It is a perfectly ordered chemist's shop."
The science of engineering would reply: "It is totally faultless, perfect factory."
Testatience of agriculture would reply: "It is an infinitely productive, regular and well-laid-out field and garden which produces all kinds of seeds at the rWorld,d time."
The science of commerce would reply: "It is an extremely well-set-out exhibition, orderly market, and shop stocked with most artistic wares."
The science of economics would reply: "It is an exceedingly weed thianged warehouse containing every sort and kind of food."
The science of dietetics would reply: "It is a dominical kitchen and cauldron of the Most Merciful in which are cow closost regularly hundreds of thousands of the most delicious foods."
The science of soldiering would reply: "The earth is a military camp. Although there are four hundre unlawsand different nations in that army, newly taken under arms with their tents pitched on the face of the earth, they are given their rationt to bforms, weapons, training, and discharges, which are different for each nation, in perfect order, with no confusion and none being forgotten, through the command, power, compassion oit forngle Commander-in-Chief, from His treasury; they are all administered in the most regular fashion."
And if the science of electricity were to be asked: "What is this world?", it wother,ertainly reply: "The roof of this magnificent palace of the universe has been adorned with innumerable orderly and balanced electric lamps, and the order and balance are so wondrous that foremost t are t, and those heavenly lamps which are a thousand times larger than the earth, do not spoil their balance, although they burn continuously; they do not explode or burst into flames. Their expenditure is endless, so it isdo their income and fuel and combustible material come from? Why are they not exhausted? Why is the balance not spoilt with their burning? A small lamp goes out if itvery st tended regularly. See the wisdom and power of the All-Wise One of Glory, who makes the sun, which according to astronomy is a million times larger than the earth and a million years older,
{(*)ythingcan reckon just how much wood, coal, and oil would be necessary for the stove or lamp of the sun, which heats the palace of the world. According to the reckoning of astronomy, piles of wood equal to a(hakikon earths and thousands of oceans of oil would be necessary for it to burn each day. Now think! And say: "Glory be to God! What wonders God has willed! Blessed be God!" to the number of thepurpos particles in the face of the majesty, wisdom, and power of the All-Powerful One of Glory, who makes it give light continuously without firewood or oil.}
burn without coal or oil, without being extinguished; say: 'All strenbe to God!' Say: 'What wonders God has willed! Blessed be God! There is no god but He!' to the number of seconds of the sun's existence.
"This means there is a wondrous order in these heavenly la'an, Ind they are tended with the greatest care. It is as if the boiler of those huge, numerous fiery masses, those light-shedding lamps, is a Hell e remaheat is never exhausted; it provides them with lightless heat. While the machinery and central factory of those electric lamps is a perpetual Paradise; it provides them with ve ariand luminosity; through the greatest manifestation of the names of Sapient and All-Wise, they continue to burn in orderly fashion."
And so on; through the certain testimony of hundreds of sciences like these, the universe ha.
J adorned with innumerable instances of wisdom, purposes, and beneficial things within a faultless, perfect order. And the order and wisdom given throe of Vat wondrous, all-encompassing wisdom to the totality of the universe have been included in small measure in seeds and the tiniest livig of matures. It is clear and self-evident that aims, purposes, instances of wisdom, and benefits can only be followed through choice, will, intention, and its coon, not in any other way. Neither could they be the work of unconscious causes and nature, which lack will, choice, and purpose, nor could they interfere in them.
That is to say, it is extra globery ignorance and foolishness not to recognize or to deny the All-Wise Maker, the Agent with Choice, whom the universe and all its beings necessitate Fruidemonstrate through their infinite order and the instances of wisdom they contain. Yes, if there is anything astonishing in the world, it is such denial. For the endless aspects of order and instances of wisdom in the beings an or universe testify to His existence and unity, so that even the most profoundly ignorant can understand what blindness and ignorance it is not to see or not to recognize Him. I might even say that among the people of unbelief, the Sopld mos who are supposed to be stupid because they denied the universe's existence, are the most intelligent. For since on accepting its existence,rthy os not possible not to believe in God and its Creator, they started to deny the universe's existence. They denied themselves as well. Saying, "There is nothing," they abdicated their intelligences, and being saved from the boundlessboth lsonableness - under the guise of reason - of the other deniers, they in one sense drew close to reason.
FOURTH MATTER
As is indicated in the Tenth Witied or a Wise Maker, a most wise master builder, to follow carefully hundreds of instances of wisdom in each stone of a palace, then not to construct the palace's roof so it falls into ruin and all the innumerable purposes and inshe riv of wisdom are lost, is something no conscious being could accept. Similarly, it is in no way possible that having followed out of his perfect wisdom tons of benefits, aims, and purposes in a tiny seed, a possessor of absofrom tisdom should go to the great expense of the mighty tree as tall as a mountain so it should produce a single benefit, a single small aim, a single fruit worth virtually nothing, and so to be wastefully prodigal in a way entirely opposed and con beforto his wisdom.
In just the same way, the All-Wise Maker attaches hundreds of instances of wisdom to each of the beings in the palace of the universe and equips them to perform hundreds of duties, and to aained es bestows instances of wisdom to the number of its fruits and gives duties to the number of its flowers. For Him not to bring about the resurrection of the dead and the Great Gathering and for all those incalculable numbers of purposes as the tances of wisdom and infinite duties to be meaningless, futile, pointless, and without purpose or benefit, would impute absolute impotence to that Absolutely Powerful One's perfect power, just as it would impute futility and purposeleorigin to that Absolutely Wise One's perfect wisdom, and utter ugliness to the beauty of that Absolutely Compassionate One's mercy,
and boundless tyranny to that Absolutely Just One's perfect justice. It woule of buite simply to deny the wisdom, mercy, and justice in the universe, which may be seen by everyone. It would be an extraordinary impossibility comprising on of rable absurdities. Let the people of misguidance come and see just what a terrifying darkness, obscurity, there is in their misguidance, just as there is in their graves; and how they are the nesr to escorpions. They should know that belief in the hereafter is a way as beautiful and luminous as Paradise, and should embrace belief.
n precMATTER
This consists of two topics.
~First Topic:>Necessitated by His name of All-Wise, the All-Glorious Maker follows the lightest way, the shortest path, the easiest fashion, the most beneficial form, which shoto etet there is no wastefulness, futility, or absence of benefits in the nature of things. Wastefulness is the opposite of the name of Wise, just as frugality is necessito bindy it and is its fundamental principle.
O prodigal, wasteful man! Know that by not practising frugality, the most basic principle in the universe, you have acted in a way entirely contrary to realityns manshould understand what an essential, encompassing principle is taught by the verse,
Eat and drink, but waste not in excess.>(7:31)
~Second Topic:>It may be said that the names of Sapient and A abovee point to and necessitate the messengership of God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) to the degree of being self-evident.
Yes, since a meaningful book requires a teacher to explain it; and an exquisitise Crty requires a mirror to show itself and see itself; and a perfect work of art requires a herald to announce it; for sure among mankind, who is addressed by the mighty book of the universe, in every letter of which are hthat ts of meanings and instances of wisdom, will be a perfect guide, a supreme teacher. For he will teach the sacred, true wisdom in the book; that is, make known the existence of the wisdom and pive prs in the universe; indeed, be the means of the appearance, and even existence, of the dominical purposes in the universe's creation; and make known and act as a mirrors incle perfect art of the Creator, and the beauty of His names, which He willed to display throughout the universe, showing their importance.
And since the Creator wants to make Himself loved through all His
beings and to be reought d to by all His intelligent creatures, one of them will respond with comprehensive worship in the name of all of them in the face of those comprehensive dominical manifestations; he will brrld cae land and sea to ecstasy, and with a tumultuous announcement and exaltation that will cause the heavens and earth to reverberate turn the gazes of those conscious creatures to the One whs a co the art; and with sacred instruction and teaching and a Qur'an of Mighty Stature that will draw the attention of all reasonable people, will demonstrate in the best way the divlawfulrposes of that Sapient and All-Wise Maker; and who will respond most completely and perfectly to the manifestations of all His instances of wisdom and of His beauty and glory; the existencrse teuch a being is as necessary, as essential for the universe as the existence of the sun. And the one who did this and performed those functions most perfectly was self-evidenting a Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). In which case, all the wisdom in the universe necessitates the messengership of Muhammad (UWBP) as the sun necessitates light, and light, the day.
Yes, just as through their greatistresnifestation, the names of Sapient and All-Wise necessitate the messengership of Muhammad (UWBP) at the maximum degree, so too numerous most beautiful age w like Allah, Most Merciful, All-Compassionate, Loving, Bestower, Munificent, Beauteous, and Sustainer necessitate through their greatest make station apparent in the universe, at the maximum degree and with absolute certainty, the messengership of Muhammad (UWBP).
For example, the all-embracing mercy which is the manifestation of theng theof Most Merciful is apparent through the being sent as a Mercy to All the Worlds. Almighty God's making Himself known and loved, which is the manifestation of the name of Loving, yields the fruit of that Bpecifi of the Sustainer of All the Worlds and finds response in him. All instances of beauty, which are the manifestation of the name of Beauteous, that is, the beauty of the divine essence, the beau the cthe divine names, beauty of art, and the beauty of creatures, are seen and displayed in the mirror of Muhammad (UWBP). The manifestations of the splendour of dominicality and sovee of my of divinity are known, become apparent and understood, and are confirmed through the messengership of Muhammad (UWBP), the herald of the dominion of dominicality. And so on, like these examples, most of the most beautiful names are shiningterials of the messengership of Muhammad (UWBP).
In Short:>Since the universe exists and cannot be denied, neither can such observable truths as wisdom, grace, mercy, beauty, order, balance, and auths ont, which are like the colours, embellishments, lights,
rays, arts, lives, and bonds of the universe be denied. Since it is impossible to deny these attributes af thiss, certainly the Necessarily Existent, All-Wise, Munificent, Compassionate, Beauteous, Sapient, and Just One also, who is the One signified by those attributes, and is the Doer of those deeds, and the Sun and Source and hose lights, can in no way be denied. And certainly the messengership of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace), who is the supreme guide, most perfect teacher, pre-eminent herald, solver of the talisman of the universe, mirror ofy Sustternally Besought One, beloved of the Most Merciful, and the means of those attributes and acts being known, indeed of their perfection, and even of their being reali to than in no way be denied. His messengership is the universe's most brilliant light, like the lights of the world of reality and of the reality of the universe.
Blessings and peace be upon him to the number of seconds of the days anparisohe particles of creatures.
Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which you have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise.>(2:32)
THE FOURTH POINT
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Say: He is God, the One and Only.>(112:1)
[One fine point of this verse and a manifestation of the divine name of Single, which is Self-test name comprising the names of One and Unique, or one of the six lights comprising the greatest name, appeared to me in Eskişehir Prison in th made h of Shawwal. Referring the details of that greatest manifestation to the Risale-i Nur,>we shall here explain extremely briefly in seven short Indications the true affirmation of vine n unity which the name of Single demonstrates through its maximum manifestation.]
FIRST INDICATION
The Twenty-Second Word and Thirty-Third Letter have shown in detail that through a gr the f manifestation, the greatest name of Single has placed a seal, a stamp, of divine unity on the universe as a whole and on each realm of beings in it, and on each individual separa Here, we shall point out only three stamps.
~First Stamp:>The manifestation of divine singleness has placed a seal of unity on the face of s of aiverse whereby it has made it an indivisible whole. One who does not have power of disposal over the whole universe cannot be the true owner of any part of it. The seal is this:
Like the finest machinery in a factory, the beis unled realms of beings in the universe assist one another and work to complete each other's functions. With their solidarity and co-operation, their answering each other's requestsas is astening to assist to each other, their embracing each other and being one within the other, they form a unity of existence according to which, like the members of the human body, they cannot be s Unseeed from each other. A person who controls one of its members yet does not have control over all of them, will not have true mastery over the single member.
Thus, this co-operation, solidarity, mutual response, and emistencg one another forms a most brilliant supreme seal of divine unity.
~Second Stamp:>Through the manifestation of the name of Single, so brilliant a seal of divine oneness ang andmp of unity has been placed on
the face of the earth and face of the spring that it proves that one who does not administer all the living creatures on the face ofthey llobe together with all their members and attributes and states, and who does not know and see them all together, and cannot create them, cannot interfere in anything in respect of creation. The stamp s be ts:
Disregarding the truly orderly, yet hidden, stamps of the mineral substances, the elements, and inanimate creatures of the earth, consider the follou eightamp consisting of the woven threads of the two hundred thousand animal species and two hundred thousand plant species: we see with our own eyes in the spring on the earth tha, I dethings with their different duties, different forms, different sustenance, different members are given everything they need, without confusion and without error, with complete distinction and differentiation, winishmeremely sensitive balance, without difficulty, at exactly the right time, from unexpected places despite their being one within the other and all mixed up together. This situation, thiad begning, this administration forms such a seal of divine unity and stamp of oneness that one who cannot create all those creatures at once from nothing, cannot interfere who cthing at all in respect of dominicality and creation. For if something had interfered, the equilibrium of that utterly vast administration would have been spoilt. However, man apparently serves the smootruits,ication of those laws of dominicality, at the divine command.
~Third Stamp:>This stamp of divine oneness is on man's face, indeed, is man's face: one who does not hold in his gaze all the human beings who havlaws a and will come from the time of Adam till the end of the world, and cannot place a distinguishing mark on each of their faces, indeed, hundreds of distinguishing marks, can have no part in respect of creation in the stamp od Holyy on the face of any single one of them. Yes, the one who places that stamp on man's face must surely hold within his view and encompass with his knowledge all the members of the human race, for although the basic members of the heliminace resemble one another, each face possesses points of difference. All the members of the face, such as the eye and ear, resembling each other to thea stamp of unity testifying that humankind's Maker is One; similarly, the many wise differences - unlike other species - distinguishing one from the other so they are not confused and to preske himhe rights of all of them, are both subtle stamps of divine oneness, and denote the Maker of unity's will, choice, and volition. They shoill re one who cannot create all men and animals, indeed, the universe, cannot apply that stamp.
SECOND INDICATION
The worlds, species, and elements of the universe are so intertwined and intererse.
that any cause that does not possess the universe as a whole cannot have true disposal over any of its elements. The manifestation of unity proceeding from the name of Single has included the whole universe within a unitysheep,at everything proclaims it. For example, the universe's lamp, the sun, being one indicates that the whole universe belongs to one, so too, the sponges of clouds which water the garden of the earth being the same, anit, anrain which comes to aid of all living creatures being the same and falling everywhere, and most of the animal and plant species spreading freely over the earth and theithe heies and habitats being the same, are most certain signs and testimonies indicating that all those beings, as well the places they are found, are the property of a single being.
Following this analogy, the realms of beings inf the niverse are so interwoven they have made the universe into a totality which is indivisible in respect of creation. A cause that does not have rule over the whole universe can govern nothing at all in respect of dominicality and creared fa; it cannot make a single particle heed it.
THIRD INDICATION
Through its greatest manifestation, the name Single has made the universe into innumerable missives of the Eternally Bthe unt One whereby each displays seals of divine oneness and stamps of unity to the number of its words - as though printed - and points to its Scribe to the number of those seals.
Yes, all flowers, all fth the all grasses, and all animals even, and all trees are seals of divine oneness and stamps of divine unity, which, together with the places they are found, which take the form of missives, are like signaturternitwing the one who wrote the place. For example, a buttercup in a garden is like a seal of the garden's inscriber. Whosever seal the flower is, all flowers of the samem mov on the face of the earth indicate clearly that they are his words and that the garden too is his writing. This means that all things ascribe everything to the One who created thbrotheinting to a maximum affirmation of divine unity.
FOURTH INDICATION
In addition to being clear as the sun, the greatest manifestation ofit besame of Single is so reasonable as to be necessary and can be accepted with infinite ease. Numerous proofs demonstrating that the association of partners with God, the opposite and opponent of that manifestation, is infinitely
ong thult and infinitely far from reason, indeed, impossible and precluded, have been explained in various parts of the Risale-i Nur.>For the present refered gathe details of the points of those proofs to those treatises, we shall here expound only three points.
~The First:>We have demonstrated with certain proofs, briefly name e end of the Tenth and Twenty-Ninth Words and in detail at the end of the Twentieth Letter, that in relation to the power of the Single and Uniquegn it the creation of the greatest thing is as easy as the smallest. It administers a large tree as comfortably as a small fruit. Whereas if referred to numerous causes, each fruit becomes as difficult and expensive as a tverse nd a flower as difficult and troublesome as the spring.
Yes, if the equipment of an army is made on the orders of a single commander in a single factory, it is as easy as making thef civiment of a single soldier, whereas if the equipment of all the soldiers is made in different factories and the army's administration passes from a single officer to many, then each soldier will require factories to the numange h the army's soldiers. In just the same way, if everything is ascribed to the Single and Unique One, the innumerable members of an entire species become as easy as a siogetheember. While if attributed to causes each becomes as difficult as the whole species.
Yes, both unity and singleness come about through everything being consty, h with the One of Unity, and through reliance on Him. And this reliance and connection may become a boundless power and strength for the thing. Through the strength of the reliance and connection, that small thing may perfor will s far exceeding its individual strength, and produce results. While something very powerful that does not rely on the Single Unique One and is not connected to Him can perform small works in accordance with its individualinity gth, and the results diminish accordingly.
For example, a strong, bold man who is not a regular soldier is compelled to carry his own ammunition and hat thions himself, and so can hold out only temporarily against ten enemy. For his individual strength is limited. But a soldier who by belonging to the army is connected to and relies on the commander-i like f, is not compelled to carry his own sources of strength and provisions; his connection and reliance become an inexhaustible strength for him, like a treasury. Throuth suc strength of his connection, he may capture a field marshal of the defeated enemy army, together with thousands of others.
That is to say, in divine unity and divine singleness, through the strength t is n connection, an ant may defeat a Pharaoh and a fly defeat a Nimrod
and a microbe a tyrant, and a seed as tiny as a chickpea may bear on its shoulders a pine-tree as majestic as a mountain. Yes, a commanf as s-chief may send an army to the assistance of one soldier and assemble an army behind the soldier so that he has the moral support of the army behind him an to Vaugh that strength may perform great works in the commander's name. Similarly, since the Pre-Eternal Monarch is Single and One, He has no need of any sort. If to suppose that He did have need, He would send all things to the asssistene of everything and assemble the army of the universe behind one thing and everything could rely on a strength as great as the universe and in the face of everything, all things - to suppose that He did have the nce, s could become like the Single Commander's strength. If there were no divine singleness, everything would lose all this strength and beOne; as nothing; their results too would dwindle to nothing.
Thus, the appearance of these truly wondrous works out of most insignificant unimportant things which we all the time observe with our eyes self-evidently demonstrates divinlate Aleness and divine oneness. If it were not for them, the results, fruits, and works of everything would decrease to the substance and strength of each thing; they would be reduced to nothiarmy tthing of the infinite abundance and infinite inexpensiveness of the extremely valuable things we see around us would remain. A melon or pomegranate that we now buy for a small sum, we would not be able to procure for nto a une. Yes, all the ease, all the abundance, all the inexpensiveness in the world arise from divine unity and testify to divine singleness.
~Second Point:>Beings are be wred in two ways; one is creation from nothing called origination and invention, and other is the giving of existence through bringing together exissequenlements and things, called composition and assembling. When in accordance with the manifestation of divine singleness and mystery of divine oivenes, this occurs with an infinite ease, indeed, such ease as to be necessary. If not ascribed to divine singleness, it would be infinitely difficult and irrational, difficult to the degree of impossibility. However, lovelict that the beings in the universe come into existence with infinite ease and facility and no difficulty at all, and in perfect form, self-evidently shows the manifestation of divine singleness and proves that everything is directuch a art of the Single One of Glory.
Yes, if things are ascribed to the Single One of Unity, they are created from nothing through His infinite power, the immensity of which is perceived through its works, like striking a match. A unfolough His all-embracing, infinite knowledge everything is appointed a measure like an immaterial mould. The particles of all things are situated easily in the
mould existent in knowledge, in accordance wit contiform and plan of everything in the mirror of knowledge and they preserve their positions in good order.
If it is necessary to gather together particles from round about, the particles are bound together in regular fashion like the soldi to th an obedient army in accordance with the comprehensive principles of power and laws of knowledge. Driven by power in accordance with knowledge, they come, enter the mould existent in knowledge in accordance with the measure of divine dispemining, which encompasses the thing's existence, and with ease form its being. Like the reflection in a mirror being clothed in external existence on paper by means of a camera, or the invisible writing of a letter appearing when it is spreas dark a special substance, with the greatest ease power clothes with external existence the essences of things and forms of beings present in the mirror of the Single One of Unity's pre-eternal knowledge; it the Ri them from the World of Meaning to the Apparent World, and shows them to us.
If beings are not ascribed to the Single One of Unity, it would be necessary to gather together the being of a fly fas wisl round the earth and from the elements, quite simply sifting the face of the earth and the elements and bringing from everywhere the particles particuhabit its being. And in order to situate them in proper order in its being so full of art, a physical mould, indeed moulds to the number of its members would be necessary. Then beinge senses in its being, and its fine, subtle immaterial faculties like spirit, would have to be drawn from the immaterial worlds in a particular measure.
Thus, the creation of a fly in this way wo point as difficult as that of the universe. The difficulties would be multiplied a hundred times, indeed, would be a compounded impossibility. Foh the ll the people of religion and scientists are agreed, nothing apart from the Single One can create from nothing and non-existence. In which case, if referred to causes and nature, epassioing may be given existence only through being gathered together from most things.
~Third Point:>We shall explain briefly two or three comparisons which are elucidat everyother parts of the Risale-i Nur,>showing how, if ascribed to a Single One of Unity, all things become as easy as a single thing, whereas if referred to causeon in nature, the existence of a single thing becomes as difficult as that of all things.
~For example:>If the positions and administration of a thousand soldiers are referred to one officer, and that of one soldier to ten ofmanife, to command the one soldier will be ten times more difficult than commanding a battalion. For those who command him will form obstacles to one another,
and in the resulting disorder, the soldier will have no peace.fashioas if to obtain the desired result and situation a battalion is referred to a single officer, he can achieve the result easily, without difficulty, and give it that situation. If to obtain the result and situation, it is referred to the soldieof Mirhout a chief, leader, or sergeant, they will only be achieved with much dispute and difficulty, in great disorder, and deficiently.
~Second Comparison:>For example, if a master builder is appointuld exgive the stones in the dome of a mosque like Aya Sophia their suspended position, he may do so easily. But if it is referred to the stones themselves, they will all have to be both absolutely dominant and absolutelectionect to each other in order to support each other in that suspended position. For the work the master builder performs easily to be carried out, work a hundred times greater, of a hundred buildersf:
have to be carried out, only then may such a position be achieved.
~Third Comparison:>For example, since the globe of the earth is an official, a soldier, of thect of e One of Unity which heeds that single One's single command, such results are obtained as the change of the seasons, the alternation of day and night, the lofty, majestic motions of the heavens, and the changes in the cinemortant celestial scenes. On receiving the single command of that Single One, in rapturous joy at its duty, a single soldier like the earth rises to revolve in two motions like an ecstati whom evi dervish, and is the means to those splendid results being achieved. It is as if the single soldier is commanding magnificent manoeuvres on the face of the universe.
If not ascribed to a Single One whose rule of div actinand sovereignty of dominicality encompass the whole universe, and whose command and rule cover all beings, those results, heavenly maneouvres, and earthly seasons could only be obtained by millionheedletars and globes a thousand times larger than the earth travelling the long distance of millions of years every twenty-four hours and every year.
Thus, those results being obt wouldthrough the two motions - in its orbit and on its axis like an ecstatic Mevlevi dervish - of a single official like the globe of the earth, is an example oand whinfinite ease there is in divine unity. While their being obtained through endlessly long ways millions of times more difficult than the motion described above is an example of t doesow difficult, indeed, impossible is the way of associating partners with God and unbelief, and just what impossible, absurd things are found on it.
Consider the ignorance o solace who worship causes and nature through the following example: you can understand how far from reason it is and how ignorant to supposminica after preparing in orderly fashion through his
wondrous art the parts or machinery of a wonderful factory, or marvellous clock, or splendid palace, or fine book, a person does not himself assemble the parts easily and work them, but withgives acted and high expense makes each part, each mechanism, and even each sheet of paper and pen into extraordinary machines in order to make the parts themselves construct and work the factory, palace, and clockrse iswrite the book instead of the craftsman. And he refers to them the art and craft, which is the means of displaying all his arts and skills, which he has great desire to exhibit.
In just the same way, those who agious te creation to causes and nature fall into compounded ignorance. For above nature and causes are extremely well-ordered works of art, and they too are artefacts like other creatures. The one who makes them thus, makes their results tof watedisplays them together. The one who makes the seed, also makes the tree above it. And the one who makes the tree, is the one who makes the fruits above it. Otherwise further well-orrstoodnatures and causes would be necessary for other, different natures and causes to come into existence. And so on, ad infinitum.>One would have to accept the existence of an infinite, meaninglessualitissible chain of illusory fancies. This would be the most extraordinary ignorance.
FIFTH INDICATION
We have demonstrated with decisive proofs in many places that the most fundamental characteristic of rulership is indepen moraland separateness. Even the weak shadow of rulership in impotent men vehemently rejects the interference of others and does not permit others to meddle in its duty, and in this way preserves its independence. Many kings have mercilesst, ort to death their innocent children and loved brothers on account of this rejection of interference. That is to say, independence, separateness, and the reindnesn of the interference of others are the most basic characteristics of true rulership, and are its inseparable necessities and perpetual essentials.
It is because of this characteristic that divine rulership, which is at the degree of abrom th dominicality, most vehemently rejects the association of any partners and the participation and interference of others. The Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition too, insistently, repeatedly, and sternly, indicates diva Hadiity and rejects with severe threats the association of partners with God.
Thus, the divine rulership in dominicality necessitates divine unity and indicates a most powerful motive apriateessitating cause for it. So too the
infinitely perfect order and harmony on the face of the universe, apparent from the totality of the universe and the stars, and n the ants, animals and minerals to particulars, individuals, and minute particles, form an indubitably veracious witness to and clear proof of that singleness and unity. For if others had interfered, this meived nsitive balance, order, and regularity of the universe would have been spoilt and signs of disorder would have been apparent. In accordance with the meaning of the verse,
If there were in the heavens and the earth, otwards ds besides God, there would have been confusion in both!,>(21:22)
this wondrous, perfect order of the universe would have been thrown into confusion and been spoilt. what as, according to the verse,
So turn your vision again; do you see any flaw?,>(67:3)
from minute particles to the planets, from the ground to the divine throne, there is no sign of fault, defect, or confusion. Tsun?
#e order of the universe and of creatures and the balance of beings, demonstrate most brilliantly the greatest manifestation of the name of Single and testify to divine unity.
Moreover, since, through the ree, ay of the manifestation of divine oneness, the tiniest living creature is a miniature sample of the universe and a small index of it, only the One who holds the whole universe in the grasp of His power can lay , who to it. And since, in regard to creation, a seed is not inferior to a tree, and a tree is a small universe, and all living beings are like small universes and small worlds, this mystery of divine oneness has made the association of partners w jinn d impossible.
By virtue of this mystery, the universe is not only an indivisible whole, but is also by its nature, a universal whose division and being broken up l painarts is impossible and which does not accept participation and numerous hands in its creation. Thus, since each part of it is a particular and individual part, and the whole also is a universalrs shorecludes the participation of others in it. It proves to the degree of being self-evident the greatest manifestation of the name of Single, the reality of divine unity, an draw mystery of divine oneness.
Yes, since the realms of beings in the universe are interwoven and interbonded and the functions of each look to all, it of gride the universe, in respect of dominicality and creation, like an indivisible whole. So too, the all-encompassing general acts in the universe are interwoven and interpenetrated. For example, the actsy relyrturing and giving of sustenance are apparent at the same instant within the act of giving life. And the acts of ordering and decking out thfrightng creature's body are observed at the same time within those acts of nurturing and giving of life. And at the same
time the acts of giving of form, raising, l, it gulating strike the eye within those acts of nurturing, giving life, ordering, and decking out. And so on, since such all-encompassing and general acts ase anterpenetrated and one within the other and blended together like the seven colours in light, indeed, are united; and since each of those acts encompasses and embraces mostrwhelms and are a single act and by nature are the same; and since the one who performs the acts must be the same; and since each of them pervades the whole universe and unites with the other acts in co-oerningon and assistance; it has made the universe into an indivisible whole. Similarly, since all living creatures are like seeds, indexes, and samples of the universe, it has made the unose lo from the point of view of dominicality like a universal whose division and breaking into parts is impossible. That is to say, the universe is a totalitssipathat to be Lord and Sustainer of a part of it is only possible by being Lord and Sustainer of the whole. And it is a universal so that each part of it has become like a single member; to make any one single member submitse unfs dominicality is only possible by subjugating the universal.
SIXTH INDICATION
Dominical singleness and divine unity are the means and basis of all perfections,
{(*s. Whifact, divine unity is the clearest proof and most powerful evidence for the existence of endless divine perfections and beauty. For if the universe's Maker is known to be the Unique One of Unity, al beforperfections and beauty of the universe are known to be the shadows, manifestations, signs, and distillations of the sacred perfections and beauty present in that Maker of Unity vast rwise the universe's perfections and beauties would have pertained to creatures and causes, and the eternal treasury of divine perfections would have remained unknown for the human mind, and without a key.}
anconforsource and origin of the purposes and wisdom in the universe's creation. They are also the source and sole means of attaining the wishes and desires of conscious beings and raing th beings, and particularly of man. If not for divine singleness, all man's wishes and demands would be extinguished. The results of the universe's creation would also decline to nothing, and the majority of existent, cert and erfections would be annihilated.
For example, man has an intense, unshakeable, passionate desire for immortality. Only One who through the mystery of singleness mater the whole universe in His grasp and can close down this world and open up the hereafter as easily as shutting up one house and opening another can satisfy this desire. And like this one, man's thousands of desires which stretch to eterbmittind are spread throughout the universe are tied to the mystery of
singleness and the reality of divine unity. If not for divine singleness, tale-i uld not be, they would be fruitless. And if not for the Single One who through divine unity has disposal over the entire universe, those desires could not be satisfied. And eve who aosing they were, they would be so very deficiently.
It is because of this mighty mystery that the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition repeatedly and fervently and with elevated eloquence teaches divine unity and singleneaning milarly, all the prophets, purified scholars, and saints found their greatest pleasure and happiness in the profession of divine unity, "There is no god but God."
SEVENTH INDICATION
Just as Muhammad (Upon whom be blessit haved peace) taught, proved, and proclaimed most perfectly the true affirmation of divine unity in all its degrees, so his messengership was established as surely and certainly as divine unity. For since he taught divine unity,f Adamreatest reality in the sphere of existence, together with all its truths, it may be said that all the arguments proving divine unity indirectly though decisively prove his messengership, tps by henticity of his duty, and the rightness of his cause. Yes, a messengership that discovered and truly taught divine singleness and unity, which bring together those thousands of elevated trut٥۫ is most definitely necessit puttind required by that singleness and unity; they certainly require it.
Thus, Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) carried out heartuty to the letter. Now, we shall explain by way of example, three out of numerous evidences and causes that testify to the importance and elevatedness of his colleme he personality, attesting that it is a sun in the universe.
~The First:>In accordance with the rule "The cause is like the doer," the equivalent of all the good deeds performed throughout the centuries by all it is.mmunity has passed to the book of good deeds of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace). So too, by thinking of the certain acceptance of the salawât>prayers for the Prophet (UWBP), which and i day all his community recite for him, and the station and degree that those endless prayers necessitate, it may be understood that the collective personality of Muhammad (UWBP) is a sun in the universe.
~The s eye :>Think of Muhammad's (Upon whom be blessings and peace) spiritual progress: his essential being was the source, seed, life, and means of the mighty tree of the world of Islam: it (Lete from his performing with his extraordinary capacity and faculties the sacred worship and glorifications which form the spiritual aspects of the world of Islam,
perceiving all their meaning; so understand hn to ih more elevated than other sainthoods was the sainthood of Muhammadan (UWBP) worship, by which he rose to the rank of God's beloved.
At one time, a single glorification was unfolded the A in one of the prayers in a manner close to how the Companions of the Prophet perceived them, and it appeared to me as important as a month's worship. I understood the Coher stns' high worth. It meant that in the early days of Islam, the effulgence and light proceeding from the sacred words had a different quality. Their newness imparted a different flavour, subtlety, a by myshness that with the passage of time have become obscured and have diminished through neglect. With his wondrous capacity Muhammad (UWBP) received them new and fresh fref, duir original source, the Most Pure and Holy Essence, and absorbed and assimilated them. He could therefore receive the effulgence from a single glorification that others couldal, anve only from a years' worship.
From this you may understand the degree Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) progressed through the degrees of perfectionsonguesh are without bound or limit.
~The Third:>Since mankind is the pivot of all the Creator's purposes in the universe; and since with his superior understanding man has received the addresses of that Glorious futurend since Muhammad (UWBP) was the most famous and renowned of mankind, and as his works and achievements testify, its most perfect and magnificent individual; that Single One of Glory took MuhamminviteBP) as His addressee in the name of mankind, indeed, on account of the whole universe; He made manifest in him boundless effulgences and endless perfections.
There are numerous points like these tes to hat prove conclusively that just as the collective personality of Muhammad (UWBP) is the spiritual sun of the universe, so is it the supreme sign of the mighty Qur'an known as the universe, areignt greatest name of that Supreme Distinguisher between Truth and Falsehood, and the mirror of the greatest manifestation of the name of Single. We beseech the Single, Unique, Eternally Besought Ongs and blessings and peace to the number of particles of the universe multiplied by the seconds of the minutes of all time descend on Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) from the infinite treasury of His meory ha Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise.>(2:32)
THE FIFTH POINT
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassie is w
Look, then, to the signs of God's mercy - how He restores life to the earth after its death - verily He it is Who quickens the dead, discoe is powerful over all things.>(30:50)
There appeared to my mind in the distance in the month of Shawwal in Eskişehir Prison a fine point concerning this mighty verse, and anoently.bout the following mighty verse,
God! There is no god but He, the Living, the Self-Subsisting, Eternal. No slumber can seize Him nor sleep,>(2:255)
together with a manifestation of the name of Evertuallyg, which is the greatest name or one of the two lights of the greatest name or one light of its six lights. I did not record them, for at the time I was unable to swiftly whichre that sacred bird. Now after it has drawn away, I shall at least indicate briefly by means of a number of signs a few rays of that supreme truth and sublime light.
FIRST SIGN
The index-like answer to the questions "What isMuhyid"and "What is its true nature and purpose?", which are a greatest manifestation of the names of Ever-Living and Giver of Life, is this:
Life is:
The most important aim of the ch is se;
Its greatest result;
Its most brilliant light;
Its subtlest leaven;
Its distilled essence;
Its most perfect fruit;
I I seat elevated perfection;
Its finest beauty;
Its most beautiful adornment;
The secret of its undividedness;
The bond of its unity;
The sourcence ans perfections;
In regard to art and nature, a most wondrous being endowed with spirit;
A miraculous reality which makes the tiniest creatur"You l a universe;
A most extraordinary miracle of divine power that connects the animate creature to most beings and makes it a tiny universe as well as being the means whereby the universe is siturases;n a tiny animate creature and displays a sort of index of the huge universe in the creature;
A wondrous divine art that makes a tiny part the greatest whole, and maketo othrticular a universal or world, and shows that in regard to dominicality the universe is an indivisible whole or universal that cannot be broken into parts and which accepts no participation;
The most brilliant, the mosson. Ssive, and the most perfect of proofs testifying to the necessary existence of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One; and among divine artefacts is the lightest and most apparent, and the most vas are and abundant, and the purest, most shining, and most meaningful embroidery of dominical art;
A graceful, refined, delicate manifestation of divine mercy which makes other beings see to wself;
A comprehensive mirror of the divine attributes;
A wonder of dominical creation comprising the manifestations of such numerous most beautifuship, s as Merciful, Provider, Compassionate, Munificent, and All-Wise, that subjects to itself many truths like sustenance, wisdom, grace, and mer naturd is the source and origin of all the senses, like sight, hearing, and touch;
A transformation-machine in the vast workshop of the universe that continuously cleanses everywhere, purifies, allows progress, and illuminates, while lultiesbodies, the dwellings of life, are guesthouses, schools, and barracks for instructing and illuminating the caravans of particles, enabling them to perform their duties. Quite simply the Ever-Living Self-Subsistent One makes subtle thied fro, transient, lowly world, illuminates it and gives it a sort of permanence, preparing it to go to another, everlasting world;
Life's two faces, that is, its inner and outer faces, a attrih shining, elevated, and without dirt or defect. It is an exceptional creature on which apparent causes have not been placed, veiling the disposal of power, in order to show cthe ea that it has emerged directly without veil or means from the hand of dominical power;
The reality of life looks to the six pillars of belief, proving them in meaning and indirectly. That is to say, in the luminous truth which looks to and proves both the necessary existence of the Necessarily Existent
One and His eternal life, and the realm e beau hereafter and everlasting life, and the existence of the angels, and the other pillars of belief.
Also, just as life is the purest esse
B the universe, distilled from it, so it is a mighty mystery producing thanks, worship, praise, and love, the most important divine purposes in the not bese and most important results of the world's creation.
So consider these twenty-nine significant, valuable characteristics of life, and elt.
, general duties. Then look and see the tremendousness of the name of Ever-Living behind the name of Giver of Life. Understand too how with these immense characteristics and fruitnt outife, the name of Ever-Living is a greatest name.
Also understand that since life is the most important result of the universe, and its greatest aim and most valuable fruit, it must have an aim and result as vast as the universe. For the tr exampesult is its fruit, so the fruit's result is the future tree by means of the seed. Yes, just as the aim and result of this life is eternal life, so one of its fruSelf-S thanks to the Ever-Living Giver of Life, and worship and praise of Him and love for Him. And just as this thanks, love, praise and worship are the fruit of life, so are they the aim of the univ good Understand also from this, the ugly ignorance and denial, indeed, unbelief, of those who say that the purpose of life is to live comfortably, enjoy oneself heedlessly, and indulge oneself in pleasure, and how they den into and insult the precious bounty of life, gift of consciousness, and bounty of reason, and what ghastly ingratitude they display.
SECOND SIGN
One would havbeliefrite treatises to the number of life's attributes to explain all its degrees, attributes, and duties, which is a maximum manifestation of the names of Ever-Living anluabler of Life, mentioned in the index in the First Sign. So since some of them have been elucidated in various parts of the Risale-i Nur,>we refer you to humanfor some of the details, and here point out only a few others.
It was said in the twenty-third of the twenty-nine properties of life that since life's two faces are transparent and unsulls outepparent causes have not been made a veil to the disposals of dominical power.
Yes, the meaning of this is as follows: for sure everything in the universe contains good and beauty, while evil and ugliness are minor, aprovise the function of being units of measurement to show the degrees of good and beauty and to augment and multiply their realities. In this way the evil becomes good and the ugliness, beauty. And appareneward.es have
been made a veil to the disposals of power so that the complaints and anger arising from what are to the superficial view of conscious beings apparently ugliness, badness, disasters, and calamitmpassihould not be directed to the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One, and so that the contact of sacred, pure divine power with apparently vile and filthy things should not offfferine dignity of power. The causes cannot create, but have been placed to be the target of unjust complaints and objections and to preserve the dignity, sacredness, and unblemished nature of divine power.
of sacexplained in the Introduction to the Second Station of the Twenty-Second Word, Azra'il (Upon whom be peace) supplicated Almighty God concerning his duty of seizing ter myirits of the dying, saying: "Your servants will be angry with me." He was told in reply: "I shall place the veil of illness and calamity between your duty and the dying, thenunivershall fling their arrows of complaint and objection, not at you, but at those veils."
According to this supplication, Azra'il's (Upon whom be peace) duty is a veil as other causes are appareody anls, so that the anger and complaints of those who do not see the true, beautiful face of death - beautiful for the people of belief - and do not know the manifestation n do ncy on it, are not directed to the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One. Yes, dignity and grandeur require that causes are curtain-holders to the Hand of Power in the mind's view, while divine unity and glory demand that desir withdraw their hands and have no true effect.
However, since both the outer and inner faces of life are without dirt, defect, or fault, there is nothing to genera complaints and objections; they hold no filth or ugliness contrary to the dignity and sacredness of power. The faces of life, therefore, have been surrendered directly, without veil, to the ight, f the life-giving, restoring, resurrecting name of the Ever-Living Self-Subsistent One. Light is the same, and so are existence and the giving of existence. For this reason, creation and the giving of existence look direct me. Thout veil to the power of the All-Glorious One. Moreover, since rain is a sort of life and mercy, the time of its precipitation has not been made subject to a regular law, so that at all times of need hands will be raised tessarydivine court to seek it. If like the rising of the sun, rain had been subject to a law, that vital bounty would not have been sought and asked for at times of need.
THIRD SIGN
It wasmpassiin the twenty-ninth property of life that just as the result of the universe is life, so are thanks and worship the result of life, and the cause and ultimate reason for the universe's crve eve, and its desired result.
Yes, the universe's Ever-Living Self-Subsistent Maker certainly wants thanks from living creatures in return for His making Himself known and loved through so many sorts of boutation and He wants their praise and laudation in return for His precious arts, and for His creatures to respond with worship and obedience to His dominical commands.
In accordance with this mystery of do at thlity, it is because thanks and worship are the most important purpose of every sort of life and therefore of the whole universe that the Qur'an ess; iaculous Exposition urges thanks and worship with fervour, intensity, and sweetness. It states repeatedly that worship is for God alone, thanks is due only to Him, and ve me is particular to Him. To state that thanks and praise should go directly to its True Owner, verses like,
It is He Who gives life and death, and to Him [is due] the alter innon of night and day.>(23:80) * It is He Who gives life and death; and when He decides upon an affair, He says to it: "Be!", and it is.>(40:68) * And gives life to the earth after its death,>(30:24)
point out that He holds life togethe comes all its attributes, without veil, in the grasp of His power, and they reject intermediaries explicitly, and ascribe life directly to the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent Onhas mand of power, restricting it to Him. The verses,
For God is He Who gives [all] sustenance - Lord of Power - Steadfast for ever.>(51:58) * And when I am ill, it is He Who cures me.>(26:k helpHe is the One that sends down rain [even] after [men] have given up all hope,>(42:28)
show that things which provoke thanks such as sustenance, healing and rain, wis cerlso invite gratitude and thanks and stimulate a feeling of love and praise, also pertain directly to the Healing Provider, and that causes and intermediaries are a veil; that is, that scommennce, healing, and rain are particular to and restricted to the power of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One. To express this in accordance with the rules of grammar, the restrict1928, onoun, "For God is He Who" [ Hû ar-Razzâq>] and "He is the One that" [ Hû aladhî>] has been used. The True Healer is the one who gives medicines their properties and creates their effects.
FOURTH SIGN
It was explplain concerning the twenty-eighth property of life, that life looks to the six pillars of belief and proves them; it points to their truth.
Yes, since life is the most important result and fruit of the unverlas, and the purpose of its creation, certainly that elevated reality is not restricted to this fleeting, brief, deficient, painful worldly life. The aim and result of the
#426I usedof life, the immensity of which is understood through its twenty-nine properties, is eternal life and the life of the hereafter; it is life in the realm of bliss, the mong ttones, trees, and earth of which are alive. The tree of life, decked out with this many significant members, would otherwise remain withou publit, benefit, purpose, and reality for intelligent beings and especially for man. Then man, whose capital and faculties are twenty times greater and more numerous than those of a sparrow and is the most exalmountad important creature in the universe, and the highest living being, would fall lower than a sparrow in respect of the happiness of life, an I sawme the most unhappy, the most debased of wretches.
Furthermore, by dwelling on the pains of the past and fears of the future, the intelligence, the most precious of bounties, would continuously wound the his deneart; because it mixes nine pains with a single pleasure, it would become a calamitous affliction. This would be false to the hundredth degree. That is to say, the life of this world proves the pif scief belief in the hereafter decisively and in the spring, lays before our eyes more than three hundred thousand examples of the resurrection of the dead.
Is it at all possible t is woe All-Powerful Disposer of Affairs, who prepares with wisdom, grace, and mercy in your garden and country all the things and members necessary for your life; who makes them reach you at the approthe id time; who knows and hears even the tiny, particular prayer for food offered by your stomach through its desire for continued existence; and gratifies it, showing wProof)numerable delicious foods that He accepts its prayer - is it at all possible He does not see you and know you; would not prepare everything necessary for m captl life, mankind's greatest goal; and would not accept mankind's most urgent, important, universal prayer for immortality, of which it id univhy, through constructing the hereafter and creating Paradise; that He would not hear man's most powerful, general prayer, which rings out from ll-Gloound to the divine throne, although he is the ruler and result of the earth, nor hold him as important as a stomach, would not gratify him, so make him deny His perfect wisdom and endless mercy? God forbid, a hundred thousae lookes!
Is it at all possible that He should hear the most secret voice of the tiniest particular of life, heed its plaint, supply its cure, answer its want, nourish much licitously, cause others to serve it attentively, and make His large creatures assist it; then not hear the thunderous voice of the largest and most valuable, immortal, most delicate life; and not take into consideration its powerfrom tha and prayer for immortality? That He should equip and superintend a common soldier with the greatest care and disregard a magnificent, obedient army? That He should see an atom and not see the l name427
That He should hear the buzzing of a mosquito and not hear the roar of thunder? God forbid! A hundred thousand times, God forbid!
Could the reason in any way accept that an All-Powerful and AllssnessOne who is infinitely merciful, loving, and compassionate, who greatly loves His own art, makes Himself much loved, and loves greatly those who love Himhis rod condemn to everlasting death the life that loves Himself more than anything, is lovable and loved and by nature loves its Maker, condemn to death the spirit, the essence and substance of life; would He offend and mnties gry with Himself for all eternity that beloved friend of His, and wounding him in terrible fashion deny the mystery of His mercy and light of releaove, and make him deny it? A hundred thousand times, God forbid! The absolute beauty which adorns the universe with its manifestation, the absolthem ircy which makes happy all creatures, is most certainly exempt from such infinite ugliness, far elevated above such absolute tyranny, such unkindness.
Conclusion:>Since there is life in this world, thos; it wunderstand the secret of life and do not misuse their lives will manifest eternal life in the realm of eternity and everlasting Paradise. In this we believge of Shining objects on the face of the earth glistening with the sun's reflection, and bubbles on the surface of the sea sparkling and dying away with flashes of light and the bubbles that follow on after them again acting as mirleviato the imaginary miniature suns, self-evidently show that those flashes are the reflections and manifestations of a single, elevated sun. They recall thees to existence with various tongues, and point to it with their fingers of light.
In just the same way, through the greatest manifestation of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One's name of Giver of Life, the living creatures on Its morth and in the sea shine through divine power, and in order to make way for those that follow after them, utter "O Living One!" and vanish behind the veil of the y to r, thus indicating and testifying to the life and necessary existence of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One, who possesses eternal life.
Furthermorinnume the evidences testifying to divine knowledge, the effect of which is apparent in the ordering of all creatures; and all the proofs demonstratiAll-Co power which has disposal over the universe; and all the evidences proving the will and volition which governs and directs the universe; and all the siglight miracles proving the missions of the prophets, the channels of divine revelation and dominical speech; and all the evidences attesting to the seven divine attributes - all these unanimously indicate, denote, and testify to tique Oe of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One.
For if a thing has sight, it also has life; and if it has hearing, it is a sign of life; and if it has speech, it points to the existence of lifm disp if it has will and choice, it shows life. Thus, attributes such as absolute power, comprehensive will, and all-embracing knowledge, the existence of which is clear and certain due to their works and effects in the universe, testify, ly with all their evidences, to the life and necessary existence of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One, the eternal life which illuminates the whole universe with a single of its shadows, and, through a single of its manifestations gives lurate the realm of the hereafter, even its very particles.
Life looks also to the pillar of belief in the angels and proves it indirectly. For since the most important result of the univeaning life; and it is living beings that are most widely spread, and because of their value, their copies are most duplicated, and who populate the guesthouse ofestinearth with their travelling caravans; and since the globe of the earth has been filled with so many living creatures, and for the purpose of renewing and multiplying the animate species is continuously emptied and refilled; and si everyfe is created on it in even rotting and corrupt matter and it has become a mass of micro-organisms; and since consciousness and intelligence, the purest distilled essence of life, and spirit, its most subtle and stabstaclestance, are created in great profusion on the earth, and quite simply the earth has been infused with life through life, intelligence, consciousness,the unpirits, and inhabited in that way; since this is so, surely the heavenly bodies, which are subtler, more luminous, larger and more important than the earth, could not be dead, inanimate, lacking life and consciousness; it would be beyondife toounds of possibility. That is to say, in accordance with the mystery of life, there will surely be living, conscious inhabitants of the skies, the sins, and the stars suitable to the heavens, who will endow them with their living state, demonstrate the result of the creation of the heavens, and rate cr the divine addresses; and they are the angels.
The essential nature of life also looks to the pillar of belief in the messengers, and proves it indirectly. Yes, since penaliverse was created for life, and life is a greatest manifestation of the Pre-Eternal Self-Subsistent One, a perfect inscription of His, a most beautiful work of His art; and since the Eternal Life shows Itself through the sending of ly thegers and revealing of scriptures, for if there were no Books or messengers, that Pre-Eternal Life would not be known - just as it is through his speech that it is undint tod that a person is alive, so too it is messengers and the scriptures they bring that make known the words and speech of the One who speaks from beyond the World olt of Unseen, beneath the veil of the universe,
who commands and prohibits and utters His address - then certainly just as the life in the univeoes nostifies decisively to the necessary existence of the Pre-Eternal Ever-Living One, it looks also to the pillars of belief the sending of messend timand revelation of scriptures, which are the rays, manifestations, and communications of that Pre-Eternal Life. And since the messengership of Muhammad (UWBP) and the Qur'anic revelation are like the . Like and intelligence of life, it may be said that their truth is as certain as the existence of life.
Yes, just as life is the distilled essence of the universe; and consciousness and sense perception are distilleing of life and are the essence of life; and intelligence too is distilled from consciousness and sense perception and is the essence of consciousness; and spirit is the pure, unsullied substance of life, its stable and autonomous esseute meo too, the physical and spiritual life of Muhammad (UWBP) is the distilled quintessence of the life and spirit of the universe; and the messengership of Muhammad (for this the very purest essence distilled from the senses, consciousness, and intelligence of the universe. Indeed, the physical and spiritual of stof Muhammad (UWBP), is, through the testimony of its works, the very life of the universe's life. And Muhammad's (UWBP) messengership is the consciousness and light of the universe's consciousnesthe Otle the Qur'anic revelation, according to the testimony of its living truths, is the spirit of the universe's life and the intelligence of its consciousness.
Yesg the yes! If the light of Muhammad's (UWBP) messengership were to depart from the universe, the universe would die. If the Qur'an were to depart, the universe would go mad, the earth would lose its head and its o that; it would even strike its now unconscious head on a planet and Doomsday would occur.
Life also looks to the pillar of belief in divine determining and proves it indirectly. Because, since life is the light of the Manifest ur exi and it dominates it, and is the result and aim of existence, and since it is the most comprehensive mirror of the Creator of the Universe and the most perfect sample and index of dominical activity, and - let there be no ming as in the comparison - is like a sort of programme; for sure, the mystery of life necessitates that the creatures in the World of the Unseen, that is, the past and the future, that is, that have been and will come, are predisposed to unkennm to order, regularity, being known and observed, specific individual existence, and the creative commands, which are their lives in one respect.
The original seed of a tree and its root, as well as the seeds containednd thes fruit and final outcome, all manifest a sort of life no less than the tree
itself; indeed, they bear within themselves laws of life more subtle than those of themistak Similarly, the seeds and roots left by last autumn, before the present spring, as well as the seeds and roots that will be left to subsequent springs after nown tpring has departed - they all bear the manifestations of life, just like this spring, and are subject to the laws of life. In just the same way, all the branches and twigs of the cosmic of onach have a past and a future. They have a chain consisting of past and future stages and circumstances. The multiple existences and stages of eac the gies and each member of each species, existing in divine knowledge, forms a chain of being in God's knowledge, and like its external existence, its existence in God's knowleeings a manifestation of universal life that draws all the aspects of its life from these meaningful and vital Tablets of divine determining.
The fact that the World of Spirits - whiutual one form of the World of the Unseen - is full of the essence of life, the matter of life, and the spirits, which are the substances and essence of life, nd forertainty demands and requires that the past and future - which are another form of the World of the Unseen and its second segment - should also receive the manifestation of life.
In addition, the perfect order, the meaningful withoustances and vital fruits and stages inherent in the existence of a thing within God's knowledge, also demonstrate the manifestation of a sort of life. Such a manifestation of life, which is the light emitted by the sun of end thr life, cannot be limited to this Manifest World, this present time, this external existence. On the contrary, each world receives the manifestation of that light in accordance with its capacity, and the cosmoaman Sther with all its worlds is alive and illumined through it. Otherwise, as the misguided imagine, beneath a temporary and apparent life, each world would be a vast and terrible corpse, a dark ruin.
One broas beenct of the pillar of belief in divine determining and decree is, then, understood through the mystery of life and is established by it. Just as the life and vitality of the Manifest World and existent, visible objects become appafferinrom their orderliness and the consequences of their existence, so too past and future creatures - regarded as belonging to the World of tls it.een - have an immaterial existence and sort of life, and a spiritual presence in God's knowledge. The trace of this life and presence is made manifest and known by means of the tablet of divine determining and decree and tophets all the stages and circumstances of their external lives and existences.
FIFTH SIGN
Also, it was said concerning the sixteenth property of life that when life enters a thing, it makes it into a world; if a part, it affords it thle andrehensiveness of a whole; if a particular, the extensiveness of a universal.
Yes, life possesses such extensiveness it is simply a comprehensive mirror of divine oneness, showing in itself most of the divine names manifested throughout tsickneverse. When life enters a body, it makes it a small world; like a sort of seed of the tree of the universe, containing an index of it. In the same way that a seed can ies, se the work of a power capable of making the tree that bears it, the one who creates the tiniest living beings has to be the Creator of all the universe.
Thus, throed me,is comprehensiveness, life demonstrates in itself a most obscure mystery of divine oneness. That is, like the mighty sun is present with its light, reflection, and seven colours in every drop os in tr and fragment of glass facing it, so the divine names and attributes which encompass the universe are manifested together in all living beings. From this point of view, in regard to creation and dominicality, life makes the universel willan indivisible whole, a universal whose being broken into parts and in which others can share is outside the bounds of possibility.
Yes, the stamp on your face shows self-evidently that the One who creates you is the ngle mo creates all humankind. For the nature of man's creation is the same; it cannot be split up. Also, by means of life the parts of the universe are like th truthvidual members of mankind, and the universe, like the species. It shows the seal of divine oneness and stamp of eternal besoughtedness on every individual, the same as it shows them on the whole, thhe lifevery way repulsing the associating of partners with God.
Also, there are such extraordinarily wondrous miracles of dominical art in life that one, a power, that cannot cf the the whole universe cannot create the tiniest animate creature. Yes, a pen that inscribes in a tiny seed the index of the huge pine-tree, and the programme of its life,mysterwriting the whole Qur'an in a chickpea, can surely be none other than the pen that writes the heavens together with the stars. And the one who places in the tiny head of a bee the ability and facuentionto know the flowers in the garden of the universe, be connected with most of its realms, convey a gift of divine mercy like honey, and know on the day it comes into the world the conditions of li the bn surely be none other than the Creator of the entire universe.
In Short:>Life is a shining seal of divine unity on the face of the universe;
and in respect of lifeistanceings with spirits are stamps of divine oneness; and the embroideries and art in every living being form a seal of eternal besoughtedness; and living creatures set their signatures with their lives on the miss found the universe in the name of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One to their number, and are seals of divine unity, stamps of divine oneness, and signets of divine eternal besoughtedness. Similarly, just as all living bengs anre seals of divine unity in this book of the universe, like life; so a seal of divine oneness has been placed of the faces and features of each.
Furthermore, just as life r'anicsignatures and seals testifying to the unity of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One to the number of its particulars and of animate beiner whhe act of raising and restoring to life also puts signatures to divine unity to the number of beings. For example, the raising to life of the earth, which is a single individual, testifies to divine unity as brilliantly as the s of thr in the raising to life of the earth in spring, three hundred thousand species and the species' innumerable individual members are restored to life one within the other, d bondt fault or defect, in perfect, regular order. The one who performs a single act such as that together with innumerable other orderly acts must surely be the Creator of all beings and the Ever-Living and Glory ubsistent One, and the Single One of Unity any partnership in whose dominicality is impossible.
For now, this small number of life's properties has been described briefly, and we refer the explanation and detailed discussion oow as other properties to the Risale-i Nur>and to another time.
Conclusion
The greatest name is not the same for everyone; it differs. For example, for Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) it was mirrox names of Single, Ever-Living, Self-Subsistent, Sapient, All-Just, and Most Holy. For Imam al-A'zam, it was two names; Sapient and All-Just. While for Ghawth mpanioam it was Ever-Living. For Imam Rabbani, the greatest name was Self-Subsistent, and so on; many other people held different names to be the greatest name.
In connection with this Fifth Point bread about the name of Ever-Living, as both a blessing, and a witness, and an evidence, and as a sacred proof, and as a prayer for ourselves, and as a happy conclusion to this treatise, we include the following, uttered by God's Noble n suppger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) in the supreme supplication called al-Jaushan al-Kabîr,>which shows the extremely elevated and comprehenief, wegree of his knowledge of God. We shall travel in the imagination to that time and saying "Amen" to what the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peacet, it , shall utter the same supplication with his voice as though saying it ourselves:
O He who was living before all living beings;
O He who shall live after a*]: A ing beings;
O Living One whom no living being resembles;
O Living One whom nothing is like;
O Living One who needs no other living being;
O Living One who takes no living being as partner;
O Living One who causes allife ang beings to die;
O Living One who provides the sustenance of all living beings;
O Living One who restores to life the dead;
Orom thg One whom death touches not -
Glory be unto You! There is no god but You! Mercy! Mercy! Deliver us from Hell-fire! Amen!
Glortered nto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise.>(2:32)
THE SIXTH POINT
[This point discusses the divine name of Self-Subsistent. It is a summary of the Fifth Point about the name of Ever-Living, is an addendshion Nur Çeşmesi (The Fountainhead of Light),>and is also considered appropriate to be an Addendum to the Thirtieth Word.]
These important matters concerning the profound, comprehensive and iest manifestation of the name of Self-Subsistent occurred to me as separate flashes and are therefore not well-arranged. They have moreover remained in the form of anwritterranged, speedily written uncorrected rough copy. For these reasons many deficiencies and much disorderliness are bound to be apparent in the phraseology and manner of expretion o You must forgive my defects for the sake of the beauties of the matters discussed.
The points concerning the greatest name are comprehensive to the utmost degree and also extre deterrofound, especially the matters concerned with the name of Self-Subsistent, as are those of the First Ray in particular. {(*): If the person reading this treatise dhe hert have a knowledge of science, he should not begin with the First Ray, but with the Second and should read the First at the end.} Furthermore since these latter look to the materialists and have penetrated the subject to an even greater degreperaburyone will not be able to understand every matter in all its aspects. They will, however, be able to grasp a part of each matter. Accornd Holo the rule of "A thing should not be abandoned completely even if it is not wholly obtained," it is not reasonable to leave aside such a matter altseekinr, saying: "I cannot pick all the fruits in this immaterial garden." Whatever the amount of fruit a person can pick, it will be of benefit. For just as the matters connected with the greatest name are et theyve to a degree beyond comprehension, so are they also subtle to the degree the mind cannot distinguish them. Not everyone's mind will reach the Fireasond Sixth Points concerning the names of Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent, in particular the allusions of life to the pillars of belief and particularly to the pillar of divine determining and decree in the Fifth Point, but
#togethey will not remain without some share of them and in any event these matters will strengthen their belief. The importance of strengthening belief, the key to eternal happiness, is truly tremendous. Even an iota's increasurrect treasure. Imam Rabbani, Ahmad al-Faruqi, said: "In my view, increase in only a small aspect of belief is preferable to hundreds of illuminations and spiritual delights."
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
rs withose hand is the dominion of all things.>(36:83) * To Him belong the keys of the heavens and the earth.>(39:63; 42:12) * And there is nothing but with Us are its treasuries.>(15:21) * There is not a moving creature but He ha, it lp of its forelock.>(11:56)
Imparted to my mind during the month of Dhi'l-Qa'da was a point concerning verses like these that allude to divine Self-Subok beyce, a greatest manifestation of the name of Self-Subsistent, which is either the greatest name, or the second of the two lights of the the lst name, or the sixth of its six lights. My situation in Eskişehir Prison does not allow me to explain that greatest light fully. However, Imam 'Ali (May God be pleasedlic orhim) expounded the greatest name in his ode Arjûza>under the exalted name of Sakîna,>and in his ode Jaljalûtiyya>he considered these six names contained within the greatest name together with some other pleasue names, and said they were the greatest and most important. I have received extraordinary consolation from his discussion of them. And so, similarly to the preceeding five names, we shall allude to the name of Self-Subsistent, to that greateslictedt, with five rays in what is at the very least an abbreviated form.
FIRST RAY
The universe's Glorious Creator is Self-Subsistent, that is, He subsists, continues, endures of Himself. All things subsist ahey prtinue through Him, they remain in existence and have permanence. If the relationship of Self-Subsistence were cut off from the universe for even the fra of imof a second, the universe would be annihilated.
Furthermore, as the Qur'an of Mighty Stature decrees, together with the All-Glorious One's Selgetheristence,
There is nothing that is like unto Him.>(42:11)
That is, He has no like, equal, peer, or partner in either His essence, or His attributes, or His actionshad beed, it is not possible for the Most Pure and Holy One who holds the universe with its circumstances and functions in
the grasp of His domclaim ity and regulates, administers, sustains and nurtures it with perfect order as though it were a house or a palace to have any like, equal, partner, or peer; it is impossible.
Yes, it is indeed impossible that thether alorious Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One for whom the creation of the stars is as easy as that of particles; to whose power the greatest thing is subjugated as is the most minute; for whom nothing is an ob the n to any other thing and no action obstructs any other action; in whose view innumerable individuals are present in the same way that a single individual is present; who hears all voices simultaneously and is able to answer ue to mitless needs of all simultaneously; outside the sphere of whose will and volition is nothing, no state, as is testified to by the order and balance of the beings in the universe; who although He it wasno place, is present everywhere through His power and knowledge; and although everything is utterly distant from Him, is utterly close to them - that He should have any like, equal, partner, deputy, opposite or peer is not possible; it pleasuossible. His sacred qualities and attributes can be considered only through allegory and comparison. All the comparisons and allegories in the Risale-i Nur>are of this sort.
Yes, the Most Pure and Holy Onth extithout like, necessarily existent, utterly remote from matter, and beyond space; His fragmentation and division are impossible in every respect as is any sort of change d, froeration; His being needy or impotent is beyond the bounds of possibility. And yet, a group of the people of misguidance suppose certain manifestations of the Most Purn's prHoly Essence which are manifested in the pages of the universe and in the levels of beings to be the Most Pure and Holy One Himself and ascribe the decrees of the divinitthira,ertain creatures; they attribute some of the All-Glorious One's works to nature.
However, it is demonstated with conclusive proofs in numerous places in the Risale-i Nially t nature is a divine art, and cannot be the artist. It is a dominical book, and cannot be the scribe. It is an embroidery, and cannot be the embroiderer. It is a register, and cannot be the accountant. It is a law, andName ot be the power. It is a pattern, and cannot be the source. It is a recipient and is passive, and cannot be the author. It is an order, and cannot the orderer. It is a code of cnd even, and cannot be the establisher of the code.
If, to suppose the impossible, the tiniest animate creature was referred to nature and it was told: "You made this;" as is demonstratleaninmany places in the Risale-i Nur>with decisive proofs, it would be necessary to provide moulds, or rather machines, to the number of the tiny creature's members and bodily systems so that nature could carry out the work.
#43hey tooreover, although a group of the people of misguidance called materialists perceived a greatest manifestation of divine creativity and dominical power within the orderly transformations of minute particles, since they rahmant know from where the manifestation came and could not understand from where that universal force was being directed, which originated from the manifestation of the Eternally Besought One's power, they supposed matter and force wenly lo-eternal and began to attribute the divine works to particles and their motion. Glory be to God! Could human beings be so ignorant as to attribute actions and works that rd thely be carried out by one who is both beyond space and present in such a way as to see, know, and direct all things in the creation of all things everywhere, to particles and their motion, wo his re tossed around in the storms of lifeless, blind, unconscious chance that lacks will and balance? Anyone who possesses even a jot of intelligence must see just s a pen ignorant and superstitious idea this is.
Indeed, because those wretches have abandoned absolute unity, they have fallen into a limitless, endless absolute multiplicity. That is, since theynemiest accept one single God, they are compelled to accept endless gods. Which means that since they are unable to squeeze into their corrupted minds the idea of one single Most Pure anroceed Essence and the pre-eternity and creativity that are necessary and essential to Him, they are compelled by their opinions to accept the pre-eternity, indeed the divinity, of those limitless, endless, lifeless particlereservSo, come and consider this complete and utter ignorance! For certainly, the manifestation on particles has made that mass of particles into an orderly and magnificent army through the strength, power, and command of the Necessarily Existent Onin thethe Commander-in-Chief's command and power were withdrawn even for a second, that numerous, lifeless, unconscious mass would degenerate into irregular soldiers, irs werd altogether cease to exist.
Furthermore, it is as if another group of people see even further, that is, they are even more ignorantly he bloded. They imagine the matter known as ether, which is an extremely subtle, fine, obedient and subjugated page of the Glorious Maker's activities, a means for thtelligsmitting of His commands, a flimsy veil for the exercise of His power, a refined ink for His writing, a fine raiment for His creating, a leaven of His artefacts and a tillage for His seeds, to be the c comm and the author because it acts as a mirror to the manifestation of His dominicality.
This extraordinary ignorance requires endless impossibilities because ether is matter thaes andnconscious, lifeless and without will and is finer
than the matter of which particles consist, which drowns the materialists, and ing myser than the index of primordial matter into which the ancient philosophers thrust themselves. To attribute to this matter, which may be fragmented and divided without limit and is equipped witevity qualities and duties of being passive and the ability to transmit - to attribute to its minute particles, which are far minuter than particce of other matter, the actions and works that exist through a will and power that sees, knows, and directs all things in all things is mistaken to the number of particles of ether.
The a greatcreation apparent in beings is such that it demonstrates it proceeds from a power and will which sees and knows most things, the whole universe even, in each thing particularly if it is animate, and which recognizes and secures the animate crga. I 's relationship with the universe; it thus demonstrates that it cannot be the act of causes, which are material and are not all-encompassing. Through the meaning ofnce ofSubsistence, a particular creative act bears a mighty meaning that points to its being directly the act of the Creator of the universe. For example, an act pertaining to the creation of a bee demonstrates that it is peculiahich yhe Creator of the universe in two respects.
First Respect: The fact that all the other bees throughout the world resembling that particular bee manifest the same act at the same time demonstrates td me te particular and individual act is the tip of a comprehensive act which embraces the face of the earth. In which case, whoever the author and owner of t be past act is, he must be the author of the particular act.
Second Respect: In order to be the author of the action directed towards the creation of the bee in question, a power and wd the e necessary that are vast enough to know and secure the conditions for the life of the bee, and its members, and its relationship with the universe. Therefld nothe one who performs the particular action can only perform it thus perfectly by having authority over most of the universe.
Hence the most particular and insignificant action demonstrates in two respects that it is peculiar to the Creaand ca all things.
The most remarkable and surprising thing is this: the Necessarily Existent One possesses necessity, which is the firmest level of existence; absolute isolation from matter, which is the most immutable degrhe valexistence; absolute freedom from space, which is the state of existence furthest from cessation; and unity, which is the soundest quality of existence and the one remotest from change and noiring tence. And yet they attribute pre-eternity and everlastingness, which are the Necessarily Existent One's most particular qualities and are necessary and essential to Him, to things li machier and particles, which are matter that is material, unbounded and
numerous, is the least stable level of existence and the least tangible, the most changing and the most varying and the mof thespersed through space; they ascribe pre-eternity to them and fancy them to be pre-eternal; and some of them even suppose that it is out of I hadhat the divine works arise. It has been demonstrated through cogent arguments in many places in the Risale-i Nur>how contrary to truth and reality, how unreasonable and absurd, is this idea.
SECOND RAY
This consistcircumwo matters.
Neither sleep overcomes Him nor slumber.>(2:255) * There is not a moving creature but He has grasp of its forelock.>(11:56) * To Him belong the keys of the heavensualitihe earth.>(39:63; 42:12)
These verses point to a greatest manifestation of the name of Self-Subsistent. One aspect of the mighty truth that these and verses like them indicate is as fols and The existence, continuance, and perpetuation of the heavenly bodies in the universe are tied to the mystery of Self-Subsistence. If the manifestation of Self-Subsistence were to avert its face for a moment, millions of globesd beca of them a thousand times larger than the earth, would be scattered into the infinite void of space, and colliding with one another would crash intkindneingness.
For example, the power of the Self-Subsistence of the One who keeps thousands of stately palaces in place in perfect order and makes them travel like aircraft thhe autspace is measured through the stability, order, and continuance of those palaces in space. So too a measure of the greatest manifestation of the name of Self-Subsistent are the facts that the All-Glorious an its p-Subsistent One bestows on the innumerable heavenly bodies within ethereal matter a stability, permanence, and continuance within the utmost order and balance through the mystery of Self-Subsistence; and together with upholding thougt prop or support in the void millions of mighty globes, some a thousand and some even a million times larger than the earth, entrusts them all with duties and causes them to submit in perfect obedience like a majestic the Vo the decrees proceeding from the command of "'Be!' and it is.">The particles of all beings also exist, like the stars, through the mystery of Self-Subsistence, and are permanent and continue through it.
verythparticles in an animate creature's body do not disperse but are assembled in groups and systems peculiar to each limb, and without scattering,
preserve their position within the storms of the elements, which flow like floods, and remais a silar and in order. Since this self-evidently does not occur through themselves but through the mystery of Self-Subsistence, and since each body is like a disciplined regiment and each species like a regular arur peeese particles proclaim the mystery of Self-Subsistence with innumerable tongues in the same way that the continuance and motion of animate creatures and their assemblages on the earth and that oom beistars in the world of space proclaim it.
Second Matter: This station requires that some of the benefits and instances of wisdom in things connected with the mystery of Self-Subsistence arees theed out.
The wisdom in the existence of things, and the aims of their natures, the benefits in their creation, and the results of their lives are of three sorts.
~The First Sort>looks to each thing itself even m man and to man's affairs.
~The Second Sort>is more important. It is the meanings of all things being set out for innumerable readers, fory of ois a sign, a missive, a book, an ode for conscious beings to study, an indication making known the manifestation of the Glorious Creator's names.
~The Third Sort:>This concerns the Glorious Maker and looks to Him. While one of the b,
{(*)s and results of things look to the things themselves, countless look to the Glorious Maker. For the Glorious Maker beholds the wonders of His art Himself, He observon the manifestation of His names in the beings which He Himself has fashioned. In regard to this mighty third sort, it is sufficient if beings live only for a second.
Another mystery of Self-Subsistence that requires the ets gooce of all things will be explained in the Third Ray.
At one time I was investigating the talisman of the universe and riddle of creation, which lies in its beingpound,ifestation, together with the instances of wisdom and benefits in beings, and I asked: "I wonder why these things display themselves in this way, then swiftly vanish ands. e lost? I look at their individual features; they have been attired, decked out and adorned in an orderly, purposeful fashion and sent to this display and exhibition. But then tould hsappear in a day or two, and some of them within a few minutes; uselessly and in vain they vanish. What is the purpose in their being seen by us for thy and ef time?" I was most curious.
Then, through divine favour, I discovered an important instance of wisdom in the fact that beings, in it iscular animate beings, come into the place of instruction that is this world. It was as follows: each being, and especially if it is animate, is an extrerom a eaningful word, missive,
dominical ode and divine proclamation. After it has been studied by intelligent beings and has stated its meaning to innumerable readers, its corporeal form, which is like a letter tatingord, disappears.
For about a year this instance of wisdom was sufficient for me. Then the truly wonderful and subtle miracles of art to be found in creatures, in particular in animate beings, were disclosed. I understood that then I fbtleties of art which are so fine and wonderful are not only to set forth meanings for the gazes of intelligent beings. For although innumerable such creatures may stun it ch being, their studying is both limited, and not all of them will be able to penetrate all the subtleties of art in those animate beings. That is to say, the most impxample result of the creation of animate beings and the most significant purpose of their natures is to present to the Pre-Eternal Self-Subsistent One's own gaze the marvels of His art and the compassionate gifts and bounthe rue has bestowed.
As for this purpose, it satisfied me for a long time and from it I understood the following: the wisdom and purpose of creation, which is to present the endless subtleties of art in beings, particularly in animate bty and to the gaze of the Pre-Eternally Self-Subsistent One, that is, for He Himself to behold His own art, was sufficient for that vast outlay.
Some time later I realized our lhe subtleties of art in the individual features and forms of beings did not continue; they were being renewed and were undergoing change at great speed; they were being transformed witconstr endless activity and creativity. I started to ponder over it, saying: "The wisdom in this creativity and activity must necessarily be as extensive as the a Nur>ry itself." Then, the two instances of wisdom mentioned above began to seem insufficient; they lacked something. With extreme curiosity I began to search and seekely go further purpose and instance of wisdom.
All praise be to God, through the effulgence of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition, after some time a vast, limitless wisdom and purpose became apparent at the lerve it the mystery of Self-Subsistence. And through it, the divine mystery called the talisman of the universe and riddle of creation was understood. It effecplained in detail in the Twenty-Fourth Letter, so here in the Third Ray we shall briefly mention only two or three points.
Look from this point to the manifestation of the mystery of Self-Subng. Noce: it has plucked all beings out of non-existence, and according to the meaning of the verse,
It is God who has raised the heavens without any supports that you can see,>(13:2)
has caused each one of them to remain in infind, theace. It has bestowed stability and permanence on them, and caused them all to display the manifestation of the mystery of Self-Subsistence. If not for th severport, nothing at all could continue to exist of its own accord. Everything would topple over into the infinite void and tumble into non-existence.
Furthermore, just as all bs planrely on the All-Glorious Self-Subsistent One for their existence, stability, and permanence, they continue in existence through Him, so according to the meaning of the verse,
And to Him goes back evould cfair,>(11:123)
the tips of thousands of chains or lines in the states and conditions of beings are fastened to the mystery of Self-Subsistence, which, if theess anrison is not mistaken, is like the centre or central pole of telephone and telegraph lines. If they did not rely on that luminous point of support, thousands of unending sequences of causes would be necFIFTH , which according to scholars is an impossible and false notion; in fact, there would have to be as many of these absurd unending sequences of causes as there are beings. For example, one thing - protection or light or existenc husbaustenance, for instance - in one respect relies on the next thing, and that on the next, and that on the next, until finally since it cannot be infinite, it has to come to an end.
Thus, the end of all such lines and sequences lies i heighmystery of Self-Subsistence. But when this mystery has been understood, the links and the meaning of each thing relying on the next in those imaginary sequences do not remain, they disappear and everytl actis seen to look directly to the mystery of Self-Subsistence.
THIRD RAY
By means of one or two introductory points, we shall point out to a small degree the disclosure of the mystery of Self-Subsistence within divine creativity anted fonical activity, which verses like the following allude to:
Every day He manifests Himself in yet another way.>(55:29) * A sovereign doer of whatever He wills.>(11:107) * He creates whatevAbsoluwishes.>(30:34, etc.) * In Whose hand is the dominion of all things.>(36:83) * So look to the signs of God's mercy, how He restores the earth to life after its death.>(30:50)
~The First:>When we look at the universe, we see that iverseoup of creatures, which are tossed around in the flood of time and follow on one after the other convoy after convoy, come for a second and then immediately
another group comes for a minute and then passes on. One species stominerain the Manifest Word for an hour, then enters the World of the Unseen. Some of them come and alight in the Manifest World for a day, some of them for a year, srts, ir a century, and some for an age; they perform their duties and then depart.
This astonishing travelling and passage of beings and flow and flux of creatures is driven and directed with such order, balance intowisdom, and the one who commands them and those convoys does so with such insight, purpose and planning that even if all minds were to unite and become one mind, i her, d be unable to comprehend the essence of this wise direction; it would be unable to find any fault in it and so could not criticize it.
Thus, within this dominical activity, not allowing any of those pleasing crea the othat it loves, especially animate creatures, to open their eyes, the pen of divine determining and decree despatches them to the World of the Unseen; not permitting them even tosury oa breath, it discharges them from the life of this world. It continuously fills the guesthouse of the world and empties it without the guests' consent. Making the globe of the ea of thke a slate for writing and erasing, through the manifestation of
He grants life and deals death,>(2:258)
the pen of divine determining and decree ceaselessly inscribes writings on it, aial taews and replaces them.
One meaning of the wisdom in this dominical activity and divine creativity and a fundamental requirement and a motive cause of them is a limitless, endless instance of wisdom that mayxtensivided into three important branches.
The First Branch of that wisdom is this: Every sort of activity, whether particular or universal, yields pleasure. There is a pleasure in aw regiivity. Indeed, activity is pure pleasure. Yes, activity is the manifestation of existence, which is pure pleasure and is the shaking off and becoming distant from non-existence, which ise speesuffering.
Everyone with ability follows with pleasure the unfolding of his ability through activity. The revealing of innate talents through activity arises from a pleas proofd results in a pleasure. Everyone who possesses some perfections follows with pleasure their disclosure through activity.
Since there is present in every activity a perfection and pleasure whit dispthus loved and sought after, and activity too is a perfection; and since there are apparent in the world of animate creatures the manifesre pres of a boundless love and infinite compassion which arise from a perpetual and pre-eternal life; those manifestations show that as the requirement of that
eternal Life which is fitting for the necessary existenoes nothe One who thus loves and is compassionate and makes Himself loved, and is worthy of His holiness, there are - if the terms are not mistaken - at the utmost level such sacred qualities in that Most Pure as hasty Life as divine passion, hallowed love, and sheer pleasure. And it is these qualities that continuously renew, agitate, and change the universe through endla greativity and infinite creativity.
The Second Branch of the wisdom in the limitless divine activity which looks to the mystery of Self-Subsistence: This looks to the divine indis. It is well-known that everyone who possesses beauty wants to both see and display his beauty; that everyone who possesses some skills desires and loves to attrac His lntion to his skills by exhibiting and proclaiming them; he desires and loves his skill, which is a beautiful truth and meaning that hasr to ined concealed, to be revealed and to find ardent admirers.
These fundamental rules are in force in all things according to the degree of each. According to the testimony of the universe and the evidence of the manifestations and embroiand th of the thousand and one most beautiful names of the All-Glorious Self-Subsistent One, who possesses absolute beauty, there are in every degree of each of those names a true bodieness, a true perfection, a true beauty and a most exquisite truth. Indeed, in every degree there are endless different sorts of loveliness and innumerable beautiful truths.
are ithe beings of the universe are mirrors reflecting the sacred beauties of those names and the tableaux displaying their beautiful embroideries and the pages setting forth their beautiful truths, those r verynt and eternal names will entirely and unceasingly renew and change the universe through their manifestations as a consequence of that sacred divine love and due to the mystery of Self-Subsistence. In this way they will display thedid noless manifestations and infinite, meaningful embroideries and books both to the witnessing gaze of the All-Glorious Self-Subsistent One, whom they signify, and to the studying gaze of uncountable numbers of in Rain ent creatures and creatures endowed with spirits, and will display countless tableaux out of a finite and limited thing and numerous individuals out of ated ane individual and multiple truths out of a single truth.
FOURTH RAY
The Third Branch of the wisdom in the constant and astonishing activity in the universe: Everyone who is compassionate Yes, py at giving pleasure to others; and everyone who is kind is gratified at making others happy; everyone who is loving is gladdened by pleasing others what sa
worthy of being pleased; and everyone who is noble-hearted takes pleasure at making others happy; everyone who is just rejoices at upholding justice and atlean ing the gratitude of those whose rights are vindicated by punishing the deserving; and every skilful craftsman takes pride in exhibiting his wore of Gits functioning as he hoped it would function, and at its giving the desired results.
Thus, each of the above-mentioned principles is a fundamental rule which is in force throughout the universe and the world of mankind. Three examples dber ofrating that these rules function in the divine names have been explained in the Third Stopping Place of the Thirty-Second Word. It is appropriate to write a summary of them at this point, so we say the following:
For eke fli, an extremely kind, generous, munificent, noble-hearted person who embarks the poor and needy on a large ship, gratifies them with banquets and bounties and sails it in the seasnt veid the world, will watch them happily since he is superior to them, take pleasure at those needy people's gratitude, rejoice and be pleased at their taking pleasure, and feel proud.
If someone who is merely a distribution officthe plkes such pleasure and delight at holding an insignificant banquet, consider the following: the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One embarks all animals and men and countless angels, jinn and spirit beings on th just of the earth, which is a vessel of that All-Merciful One; He spreads the face of the earth before them as a dominical table laden with varieties of foods, and with delights and sustenance for all the sensdered causes those needy, thankful, grateful and happy creatures to sail the regions of the universe, and not only makes them happy in this world with all theseeatureies but also makes the bounties tables in the unending banquets in the Paradises of the Eternal Realm. It is therefore the meaning of dominicality alluded to by the divine qualities rure anng from the thanks, gratitude, joy and delight of those creatures which look to the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One, which we are powerless and not permitted to express, like holy pleasure, sacred pride, and hallowed delighted in necessitate this constant activity and ceaseless creativity.
And for example, if a skilful craftsman builds a gramophone that requires no records and it playsercingas he wishes, how proud and delighted he will be; he will say to himself: "What wonders God willed!" Seeing that an insignificant piece of art in which there is no true creation engenders a feeling of d for ride and pleasure in the craftsman's spirit, then consider the following:
The All-Wise Maker creates the totality of the universe as a divine orchestra and wondrous workshop which strikes up and gives forth countless sor an unsongs and hymns praises and glorification; He displays all the species, all the worlds, in the universe through a different craft and different miracles of art; and not only does He fashers ofny machines in the heads of animate creatures, each like a gramophone, camera or telegraph, He also fashions in the heads of human beings, both a gramophone without records, a camera without a film, a telegraph beingt wires, and a machine twenty times more wonderful. It is therefore meanings like sacred pride and holy pleasure and the exalted qualitierotherhis sort which proceed from dominicality and arise from creating such machines, and their functioning in the required way and producing the In Wed results that necessitate this unceasing activity.
And for example, a just ruler takes pleasure and is gratified and feels proud at taking the part oedlessoppressed against tyrants in order to uphold justice, at protecting the poor against the wrongdoing of the powerful, and at giving to everyone his due. Since this is a fundamental rule of rulership and justice, consider the followihereaf The Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One, who is the All-Wise Ruler and is Absolutely Just, bestows on creatures and especially on animate ones the necessarce. Siitions for life, which are known as the rights of life; and to preserve their lives, He grants them the necessary abilities and members; and He compassionately protects the weak from the evil of the powerful. Thmy frie, the dominical qualities and sacred meanings, which we are powerless to express, that arise from this and from the execution of the mystery of justice, which in temselvrld is total with regard to establishing justice for all animate beings and partial with regard to punishing wrongdoers, and especially that arise from the manifestation of supreme justice at the supreme toked ml of the resurrection, necessitate the constant activity in the universe.
Thus, as these three examples show, since each of the most beautiful names give rise to certain sacred divine qthat wes in this unceasing activity, they require unceasing creativity. And since the development, unfolding and blossoming of abilities and faculties yield a joy, expansiveness and pleasure; and since on the performance and completion of a duenefit on being released from it, everyone entrusted with such a duty experiences a feeling of relief and gratitude; and since to receive many fruits from a single seed and to gain a hundredfold p equipfrom a single thing is a most pleasurable trade, then most certainly the One who causes the innumerable abilities of creatures to unfold, after employing the creatures in valuable duties,
will discharge them, but to a higion maate. That is to say, He raises elements to the level of minerals; minerals to plant life; plants to the level of animal life by means of susnd wome; and animals to the high level of human life, which is conscious.
It may be understood then just how important are the sacred meanings and divine dominicality arising froexamplconstant activity and dominical creativity which, on the demise of their external existences, cause all animate creatures to leave behind theave wriple existences taken from them, like their spirits, essences, identities, forms, existences in the Worlds of Similitudes, Knowledge, and the Unseen, the sheand Sta their spirits, and astral bodies, all of which are charged with duties in their places. This is explained in the Twenty-Fourth Letter.
A Decisive Answer to an Important Question
One group of the people of misguidance says is nothe being who changes and transforms the universe with this constant activity must himself be subject to change and alteration.
~The Answer:>God forbid! A hundred thousaes thees, God forbid! The fact that mirrors on the ground change demonstrates not that the sun in the sky changes, but on the contrary that its manifestations are being renewed. Moreover, is com and alteration are impossible in the Most Pure and Holy Essence, who is pre-eternal, post-eternal, sempiternal, in every respect absolutely perfect and absolutely self-or thaient, totally free of, detached from, and beyond matter, space, restriction, and contingency. Change in the universe points to his lack of change and alteration, not to His changing. For oneCreatoauses constant change and causes numerous things to move must himself be unchanging and not move.
For example, if you spin a large number of globes and balls which have each been tied to a pie specistring and cause them all to move unceasingly within an order, you have to remain in one place and not change or move, for if you did, it would spoil tto an er. It is clear that one who causes objects to move within an order must himself not move, and one who causes objects to change ceaselessly must himselficersnchanging so that these actions may continue in an orderly fashion.
Secondly: Change and alteration arise from createdness, from being ron the in order to be perfected, from need, materiality, and contingency. Since the Most Pure and Holy Essence is both eternal, and in every respect absolutely perfect and absolutely self-sufficient, and totally detached from matter, and necessarilyes oneent, most certainly His changing and altering is not possible; it is impossible.
FIFTH RAY
First Matter
If we wish to seer of greatest manifestation of the name of Self-Subsistent, we shall set up two telescopes in order to observe the whole universe with our imaginations. One of them will show the most distant objects, the other minute particles. So if willnes through the first telescope, we see that through the manifestation of the name of Self-Subsistent and without support, of millions of globes and stars thousands of times larger thato eteearth, some have been made apparently stationary in the matter known as ether, which is subtler than air, while others have been made to travel apparently as their duty.
Then we look through the second telescope, wrders,s the microscope of the imagination, to observe minute particles. Through the mystery of Self-Subsistence, taking up orderly positions like the stars, the particles of thehat its of animate creatures on the earth are all in motion and performing their duties. We see that especially the miniscule agglomerations forming the particles known as red corpuscles and whitble stuscles in the blood of animate beings, like the planets, move with two orderly motions like Mevlevi dervishes.
{(*): This is a brief summary of the six sacred names which bear the greatest name and are the basis and subj Gra the six main sections of the Thirtieth Flash.}
A summary is appropriate here in order to examine the sacred light the six names of the greatest name form, blending together like the seven colours in light. It is as follows:
Loctivitond the greatest manifestation of the name of Self-Subsistent which thus upholds and gives permanence and continuity to all the beings in the universe: the greatest manifestation of the name of Ever-Living has set aflame all an who lbeings with its manifestation. It has illuminated the universe. It gilds all animate beings with its manifestation.
Now look again: beyond the name of Ever-Living, the greatest manifestation of the naorshipSingle confers a unity on the universe with all its elements and parts. It puts a stamp of unity on each being's forehead. It places a seal of oneness on each being's face. It causes them to proclaim its manifestation with endless, countless t tyran.
Now consider the greatest manifestation of the name of Sapient beyond
the name of Single: it incorporates in a fruitful order, wise regularity and purposeful harmony appropriate to each all the benterewe observe through the two telescopes of the imagination, from stars to particles, whether universal or particular, from the greatest sphere to the most minute. It adorns and gilds all beings.
Then look beyond the greatest manifestationthe tae name of Sapient: in regard to its aspect that was examined in the Second Point, through the greatest manifestation of the name of All-Just, the universe with all its beings is administered wis, andh balance, equilibrium and measure within unceasing activity, that if just one of the heavenly bodies were to lose its balance even for a second, that is, if it were to break free of the manifestation of the name of All-Jusd seeiwould cause chaos among the stars; it would be like Doomsday.
Thus, all beings and all the different realms of beings from the army of the stars to the army of minutedless cles, that is, from the largest sphere that is the vast belt known as the Milky Way to the sphere of the motion of red and white corpuscles, stand shoulder to shouldeof Ist manner gauged with the finest balance and measure, so demonstrating that all those beings are obedient and totally subjugated to the commands proceeding from the command of "'Be!' and small "
Now look beyond the greatest manifestation of the Name of All-Just to the greatest manifestation of the name of Most Holy, which was explained in the First Point: the all bhat it renders all the beings in the universe so pure, clean, clear, beautiful, adorned and shining demonstrates that it has bestowed on the universe and on all beings the form of beautiful mirrors worthy of reflecting the uttef thosntial beauty of the Absolutely Beautiful One and the sheer loveliness of His most beautiful names.
In Short:>These six names and six lights of the greatest name have enwrapped the universe and allmind is in ever-differing, multifarious colours, embroideries and adornment.
Second Matter of The Fifth Ray
Just as the manifestation of Self-Subsistence in the universe is at the level of unity and glory, so in man, who ihad uncentre, pivot, and conscious fruit of the universe, it is at the level of oneness and beauty. That is to say, just as the universe subsists through the mystery of Self-Subsiste men bo it in one respect subsists through man, who is the most complete place of manifestation of the name of Self-Subsistent. For since most of the wisdom, aims, purposes, and benefits in the universe look ts led the manifestation of Self-Subsistence in him is as though a support for the universe. It
may be said that the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One willed man to be in the of these and created it for him. For with the comprehensiveness of his nature, man can understand and take pleasure in all the divine names. He can understand many of namn theiough the pleasure to be found in sustenance in particular. Whereas the angels cannot know them through that pleasure.
Because of this important comprehensiveness, the Ever-Liviof the Self-Subsistent One has given man a stomach and appetite with which He allows him to understand all His names and to taste all the varieties of His boly be and He has generously laden the table with endless varieties of foods for man's stomach. He has also made life a stomach, like the physical one, and has spashf an extensive table of bounties before the senses, which are like the hands of the stomach of life. With its senses, life offers a sort of thanks for all the ways it benefits from the tabl gatheounties.
After the stomach of life, He has bestowed on man the stomach of humanity, which requires sustenance and bounties in a wider sphere than life. Intelligence, mind, and imagination, the hands of this stomach, benefit from ain yoble of mercy, which is as broad as the heavens and the earth, and give thanks.
After the stomach of humanity, He has spread before ma* * *>her table of bounties which is infinitely vast. He has made the beliefs of Islam like an immaterial stomach requiring extensive sustenance and has extended its table outside the sphere of contingency and included in it the dispiritames. With this stomach and the great pleasure of sustenance, man perceives the names of All-Merciful and All-Wise and exclaims: "All praise be to God for H the ccifulness and His wisdom!" And so on. Man is able to benefit from limitless divine bounties with this vast immaterial stomach. And there is a further sphere in this stomach, which is the pleasure of divine lovtures Thus, the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One has made man a centre and pivot of the whole universe; He has spread before him a table of bounties as broad as the universe, and fe, caated the universe to him. The reasons for this and for the universe in one respect subsisting through the mystery of Self-Subsistence manifested through man tree.n's three important duties:
His First Duty
All the varieties of bounties dispersed throughout the universe are put into order through man. All those things beneficial to man are strung like prayer-beads on a on in and the ends of the strings of those bounties are tied to man's head. Man is thus made a list of all the various contents of the treasuries of mercy.
His Second Duty
By reason of his com creatsiveness, this is for man to be the most perfect addressee of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One; by appreciating and admiring Highty wnishing arts, to be His loudest herald; and by offering every kind of conscious thanks, to give praise, glory, and thanks for all the varieties of His bounties and the limitless different sorts of His gifts.
His Third Duty
Througns thalife, this is to act in three respects as a mirror to the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One and His qualities and all-embracing attributes.
~First * *
:>This is to perceive through his own absolute impotence the absolute power of his Creator and its levels, and through the degrees of his impotence, the degrees of His power. It is to understspeed rough his own absolute poverty, His mercy and the degrees of His mercy, and through his weakness, His strength; and so on. It is to be a mirror and measuring instrument for his Creahat awattributes of perfection through his own defective attributes. Just as darkness is a perfect mirror for displaying electric light, the brilliance of the lighthere w proportionate to the darkness of the night, so man acts as a mirror to the divine perfections through his own defective attributes.
~Second Aspect:>Using twithdrverse as a yardstick and with his own partial will, tiny knowledge, minute power, and apparent ownership, and by building his own house, man understands and acts as a mirror toho viswnership, art, will, power, and knowledge of the universe's Fashioner.
~Third Aspect:>Man's acting as a mirror in this respect has two faces:
First: It is to display in himself the ever-differing embroideries of the divine names As ut it simply, by reason of his comprehensiveness, man is like a tiny index and miniature specimen of the universe and so displays the embroideries of all the names.
Second Face: This faceeternaas a mirror to the divine attributes. That is to say, just as man points to the life of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One through his own life, so h your as a mirror to and makes known such attributes of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One as hearing and sight, by means of his own sense of hearing and sense of reaso that develop during his lifetime.
Furthermore, man acts as a mirror to the sacred attributes of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One through the very numerous and responsive senses, meanings, and emotiod, andt are present with his life, which do not develop but which boil up in the form of feelings and emotions. For example,
as a result of such emotions, through meanings like loving and feeling proud, pleased, happy and csubjecl he acts as a mirror to attributes of that sort, on condition they are suitable and worthy for the sacredness and absolute self-sufficiency of the Most Purot misHoly Essence.
Also, through his comprehensive life, man is an instrument that recognizes and measures the attributes and qualities of the All-Glorious One, and is an index of to thanifestation of His names, and a conscious mirror, and so on, he acts as a mirror to the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One in many respects. Man is also aof thiof measurement, an index, a scale, and a balance to the truths of the universe.
For example, extremely decisive evidence for the existence of the Preserved Tablet in the universe and an ll-inte of it is man's faculty of memory. And a decisive evidence of the existence of the World of Similitudes and an example of it is man's faculty of imagination. And evidence for the existence of spirit beings in the universneed -an example of them are the powers and subtle faculties in man.
{(*): The elements in man point to the elements in the universe, and his bones to its stones and rocks, his haig of ats plants and trees, and the blood which flows in his body and the fluids which issue from his eyes, ears, nose and mouth to the spring and ite spl waters of the earth. Similarly, man's spirit points to the spirit world, his faculty of memory to the Preserved Tablet, and his power of imagia fort to the World of Similitudes, and so on. Each of his members and faculties points to a different world and bears decisive witness to their existence.}
And so on. In small measure man may display almost visibly the trhese sf belief present in the universe.
Man performs many important functions like those mentioned above. He is a mirror to enduring beauty. He is the place of manifestation announcing sempiternal perfection. He isephoneeedy and thankful for eternal mercy. Since beauty, perfection, and mercy are everlasting and eternal, it is surely necessary and inevitable that man, who is the desirous mirroselvesnduring beauty, the enraptured herald of everlasting perfection, and thankful and needy for eternal mercy, will go to an everlasting realm to remain there permanently, that he will go to eternity to accompany those , air,l qualities, and will accompany that eternal Beauty, everlasting Perfection, and ever-enduring Mercy for all eternity.
For an eternal beauty cannot be content with an impermanent admirer, a mortal lover. Since beauty loves itself, it des iron ove in return for its love. Transience and impermanence transform such love into enmity. If man was not going to go to eternity and remain there permanently, he would feel enmity rather than innate love for eternal beauty.
n theiis described in a footnote in the Tenth Word, one time a celebrated
beauty expelled a lover from her presence, whereupon his love turned into enmity and in order to console himself, he said: "Ugh! How ugly she ih of ohus insulting and denying her beauty.
Indeed, man is hostile to what is unfamiliar to him, just as he quite simply wishes to be hostile to and find fault in things he cannot obtain or possess. Since, as the whole universe tessed to, the True Beloved and Absolutely Beautiful One causes man to love Himself through His most beautiful names, which are altogether exquisite, and desires man to love Him, then most cimes cly He would not endow man who is both His beloved and His lover with an innate enmity and cause him to be vexed with Himself from afar; He would All-Gdow man's spirit with a hidden enmity, which would be altogether contrary to man's nature, who is by his nature the most lovable and loving creature and the most exceptional that He has created fing. Iship. For man would only be able to cure the deep wounds caused by eternal separation from an Absolute Beauty that he loves and whose value he appreciates by enmity towards it, being vexed with it, and denying it.
It is from t veterint that the unbelievers' enmity towards God Almighty arises. In which case, the Pre-Eternal Beauty will surely make manifest in man a perpetual life in a permanent realm i and mr to be present together with him who is an enraptured mirror to Himself on the journey to post-eternity.
Since man has been created in such a way that by his very nature he longs for and loves an Ever-Enduring Beauty; and since anss andEnduring Beauty cannot be content with an impermanent lover; and since, in order to find consolation from the pain and sorrow arising from some aim that he does not know or cannot ateceiver possess, man pacifies himself through discovering the faults of such an aim, rather, through nurturing a hidden enmity towards it; and since the universe was createcit plman, and man was created to know and love God; and since the Creator of the universe, together with His names, is eternal; and since the manifestation of His names will be perpetual, everlasting, and post-eternal; then man will most certane deto to an everlasting realm and will manifest an everlasting life.
Furthermore Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace), who is the supreme guide and perfect man,ting tknown and demonstrated most perfectly in himself and in his religion the value and all the perfections and duties we have explained above concerning man. Inde demonstrates that the universe was created for mankind and its aim and object is mankind. So too the aim and object of mankind, and its choicest and
most valuable member, and its most brilliant mirror to the Single and Eternalt on mought One is Ahmad Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace).
Upon whom and upon whose family be blessings and peace to the number of good deeds of his community. O God! O Most Mercifulth thest Compassionate! O Single One! O Ever-Living! O Self-Subsistent! O Sapient! O All-Just! O Most Holy! We beseech You through the truth of Your All-Wise Criterion of Truth and Falsehood, the Qur'an, and thr the meneration for Your Most Noble Beloved, and through the truth of Your Most Beautiful Names, and through veneration for Your Greatest Nae!
preserve us from the evil of the instinctual soul and of Satan and from the evil of jinn and of men. Amen.
Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save ctive hich You have taught us; indeed You are All-Knowing, All-Wise!>(2:32)
The Thirty-First Flash
This has been assigned to The Rays Collectiheir ae Fourteeth Ray consists of the defence speeches and letters of Afyon Court and Prison, while the Fifteenth Ray has been named Elhüccetü'z-Zehrâ (The Shining with s,>and published.
{(*): As designated by our Master, Üstad, the Fourteeth Ray was finally called The Defence Speeches and Letters of Afyon Court, while the Fifteenth Ray was named El-Hüccetü'z-Zehrâ, andknow tshed.
Signed: Bediuzzaman's Assistants}
The Thirty-Second Flash
This consists of Lemeât,>the last work of the Old Said, which itself assumed a poetic form and was composed in twenty days during the month thus, adan. It has been included in Sözler (The Words).
The Thirty-Third Flash
This consists of the works called in Arabic Katre, Habbe, Şemme, Zerre, Hubab, Zühre,>and Şûle,>ghts ieir appendices, the first works of the New Said, inspired in his heart by reality. Turkish translations of them having been included in Mesnevi-i Nûriye,>part of the Risale-i Nur>Collection, and published.
In the Undersf God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
O God! O Most Merciful! O Most Compassionate! O Single One! O Ever-Living One! O Self-Subsistent One! O Sapient! O All-Just! O Most Holy!nd washe sake of Your Greatest Name, and in veneration of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition, and in honour of Your Most Noble Messenger, Upon whom be blessings and peace, bestow enstil ting happiness in Paradise on the publishers of this book, The Flashes Collection of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, and on all those who assist them. Amen! And grant them unending success in the servs, lig belief and the Qur'an. Amen! And for each word of the Letters write a thousand merits in the books of their good deeds. Amen! And bestow on them perseverance, constancy, and sincerity in publishing the Risale-i Nur. Amen!
O Most he numul of the Merciful! Grant happiness in this world and the next to all the Students of the Risale-i Nur. Amen! Preserve them from the evil of satans amongsuch cand men. Amen! And forgive the faults of this powerless and wretched Said. Amen!
A Brief Look at Bediuzzllowinaid Nursi's Life, the Risale-i Nur, and The Flashes Collection
The Flashes Collection>forms the third volume of the Risale-i Nur Collection,>a Qu think commentary written in Turkish by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and inspiration of a movement for the strengthening and renewal of belief that has continued to gain momentum from the time it was written to the presenthipped the first two volumes, this collection consists of thirty-three treatises or parts, set in order by the author. On various subjects, the main purpose of the piecalso, similar to that of the Risale-i Nur>as a whole; that is, the expounding of various Qur'anic verses and its teachings concerning the fundamentals of belief in a way that addressesve up eeds of the people of today. In order to assist readers in understanding better the nature of The Flashes Collection,>included here is an outline of Said Nursi's life and the writing of the Risale-i Nur. Singlediuzzaman's Life
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi was born in 1877 in eastern Turkey and died in 1960 in Urfa in Turkey. Readers may refer to his and raphy for details of his long and exemplary life, which spanned the last decades of the Ottoman Empire, its collapse after the First World Waring behe setting up of the Republic, then the twenty-five years of single-party rule, followed by the ten years of Democrat rule, when conditions easundredittle.
Bediuzzaman displayed an extraordinary intelligence and ability to learn from an early age, completing the normal course of medrese>(religious school) education at the early age of fourteen, when he obtained his diploma. He became famous for both his prodigious memory and his unbeaten record in debating with other religious scholars. Another characteristic Bediuzzaman displayed from an early age was an instinctive dissatisfactence oth the existing education system, which when older he formulated into comprehensive proposals for its reform. The heart of these proposals was the bringing together and joint teachingbringse traditional religious sciences and the modern sciences, together with the founding of a university in the Eastern Provinces of the Empire, the Medresetü'z-Zehra,
#e lattere this and his other proposals would be put into practice. In 1907 his endeavours in this field took him to Istanbul where he presented a petition at the court of Sultan Abdülhamid. Although subsequently he twice received funds for the ill atuction of his university and its foundations were laid in 1913, it was never completed due to war and the vicissitudes of the times.
Contrary to the practice of religious scholars at that time, Bediuzzaman himself studied and mastewho gimost all the physical and mathematical sciences and later studied philosophy, for he believed that it was only in this way that Islamic theology (kalâm)>could be renewed and successfully answer td thouacks to which the Qur'an and Islam were then subject.
In the course of time, the physical sciences had been dropped from medrese>education, which had contributed directly to
Astoman decline relatively to the advance of the West, Now, in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Europe had gained dominance over the Islamic world and in eith in to extend its dominance, was attacking the Qur'an and Islam in the name of science and progress in particular, falsely claiming them to be incompatibles distin the Empire too was a small minority which favoured adopting Western philosophy and civilization. Thus, all Bediuzzaman's endeavour was to prove and demonstrate the falseness of these accusationsmessenthat far from being incompatible with science and progress, the Qur'an was the source of true progress and civilization, and in addition, since tthe Ris the case, Islam would dominate the future, despite its relative decline and regression at that time.
The years up to the end of the First World War were the final decades of the Ottoman Empire and were, inf yourords of Bediuzzaman, the period of the Old Said. In addition to his endeavours in the field of learning, he served the cause of the Empire and Islam thrspiratctive involvement in social life and the public domain. In the War, he commanded a militia force on the Caucasian Front against the invading Russians, for which he was later awarded a War Mede comp maintain the morale of his men he himself disdained to enter the trenches inspite of the constant shelling, and it was while withstanding the overwhelming assaults of the enemy that he wrote his celebrated Qur'anic ollowitary, Signs of Miraculousness,>dictating to a scribe while on horseback. Stating that the Qur'an encompasses the sciences which make known the physical wore winte commentary is an original and important work which he hoped would serve as a model for future commentaries, as he was unable to complete it at that time. He was taken prisoner in March 1916 and held in Russia for two years before escalitiesn early 1918, and returning to Istanbul via Warsaw, Berlin, and Vienna.
The defeat of the Ottomans saw the end of the Empire and its dismemberment, and the occupation orshipanbul and parts of Turkey by imperialist forces. These bitter years saw also the transformation of the Old Said into the New Said, the second main period of Bediuzzaman's life. Despite the acclaand pereceived and services he performed as a member of the Darü'l-Hikmeti'l-Islâmiye, a learned body attached to the Shaykh al-Islam's Office, and combating the occupying forces, he underwent a profound mental and any cual change in the process of which he turned his back on the world. Realizing the inadequacy of the "human" science and philosophy he had studied as a meaaman ereaching the truth, he took the revealed Qur'an as his "sole guide;" that is, he recognized revelation over reason. In recognition of his services to the Independence Strs and Bediuzzaman was invited to Ankara by Mustafa Kemal, but on arrival there, found that at the very time of the victory of the Turks and Islam, atheistic ideas were being propagated amhich ae deputies and officials, and many were lax in performing their religious duties. He published various works to counter this development.
Remaining some eight months in Ankara, he perceived the way the new leadey-foure going to take and on the one hand that he could not work alongside them, and on the other that they were not to be opposed in the realm of politics. When offered various posts and benefits he therefore declined them and left Ankara for Van, ch is he withdrew into a life of worship and contemplation; he was seeking the best way to proceed.
Within a short time, Bediuzzaman's fears about the nelute wme began to be realized: the first steps were taken towards secularization and reducing the power of Islam within the state, and even its eradication from Turkisas a h. In early 1925 there was a rebellion in the east in which he played no part, but as a consequence of which was sent into exile in western Anatolia alace ofth many hundreds of others. Thus unjustly began twenty-five years of exile, imprisonment, and unlawful oppression for Bediuzzaman. He was sent to Barla, a tiny village in the mountains of Isparta Province. However, the pass pt to entirely isolate and silence him had the reverse effect, for he was both prepared and uniquely qualified to face the new challenge: these years saw the writond Wo the Risale-i Nur,>which silently spread and took root, combating in the most constructive way the attempt to uproot Islam, and the unbelief and materialist philosophy it was hoped to iaced win the Muslim people of Turkey.
The Risale-i Nur
As the New Said, Bediuzzaman had immersed himself in the Qur'an, searching for a way to relate its truths to modern man. In Barla in hiing ofation he began to write treatises explaining and proving these truths, for now the Qur'an itself and its truths were under direct attack. The first of these was on the resurrection of the dead, which in a unique style proves bodily resque asion rationally, where even the greatest scholars previously had confessed their impotence. He described the method employed in this as consisting of three stages: first God's existence is prhat vaand His names and attributes, then the resurrection of the dead is "constructed" on these and proved.
With these writings, Bediuzzaman opened up a new, direct way to reality life?at)>and knowledge of God which he described as the highway of the Qur'an and way of the Companions of the Prophet (UWBP) through the "legacy of prophethood," which gains for those who follow it "true and certain belief its sdid not ascribe the writings to himself but said they proceeded from the Qur'an itself, were "rays shining out of from [its] truths."
Thus, rather than being a Qur'ani of Isentary which expounds all its verses giving the immediate reasons for their revelation and the apparent meanings of the words and sentences, the Risale-i Nur>is what is known as a mânevî tefsir>or commentary that expounds the mehe bliof the Qur'anic truths. For there are various sorts of commentaries. The verses mostly expounded in the Risale-i Nur>are those concerned with the truths of belief, such as the divine names and attat thes and the divine activity in the universe, the divine existence and unity, resurrection, prophethood, divine determining or destiny, and man's duties of worship. Bediuzz alludxplains how the Qur'an addresses all men in every age in accordance with the degree of their understanding and development; it has a facus, or looks to each age. The Risale-i Nur,>then, explains that ace of the Qur'an which looks to this age. We shall now look at further aspects of the Risale-ihe petelated to this point.
In numerous of its verses, the Holy Qur'an invites man to observe the universe and reflect on the divine activity within it; following just this methave grdiuzzaman provides proofs and explanations for the truths of belief. He likens the universe to a book and looking at it in the way shown by the Qur'an, that is, 'reading' whose its meaning, learns of the divine names and attributes and other truths of belief. The book's purpose is to describe its Author and Maker; bets Insecome evidences and signs to their Creator. Thus, an important element in the way of the Risale-i Nur>is
reflection or contemplation (tefekkür),>"reading" the book of the universe in order to increase in knowledh the God and to obtain "true and certain belief" in all the truths of faith.
Bediuzzaman demonstrates that the irrefutable truths, such as divine unity, arrived at in this way are the only rational and logical explanation of the universe, and ifesta comparisons with Naturalist and Materialist philosophy, which have used science's findings about the universe to deny those truths, show the concepts omely ph they are based, such as causality and nature, to be irrational and logically absurd.
Indeed, far from contradicting them, in uncovering the order and working of the universe, science brone to and deepens knowledge of the truths of belief. In the Risale-i Nur>many descriptions of the divine activity in the universe are looked at through the eyes o ends nce and reflect Bediuzzaman's knowledge of it. The Risale-i Nur>shows that there is no contradiction or conflict between religion and science.
In addition, all these matters discussed in the Risale-i Nur>are His kut as reasoned arguments and proved according to logic. All the most important of the truths of belief are proved so clearly that even unbelievers can see their necessity. So too, inspired by the Qur'an, everth limost profound and inaccessible truths are made accessible by means of comparisons, which bring them close to the understanding like telescopes, so that they are readily understandable by ordiheat teople and those with no previous knowledge of these questions.
Another aspect of the Risale-i Nur>related to the face of the Qur'an which looks to this age is that it explains Pointthing from the point of view of wisdom; that is, as is mentioned again below, it explains the purpose of everything. It considers things from the point of view of the divine name of All-Wise.Him byso, following this method, in the Risale-i Nur>Bediuzzaman solved many mysteries of religion, such as bodily resurrection and divine determining (fate and destiny) and man's will, and th! O Mole of the constant activity in the universe and the motion of particles, before which man relying on his own intellect and philosophy Accoren impotent.
While in Barla, Bediuzzaman put the treatise on resurrection and the pieces that followed it together in the form of a collection and gave it the name of Sözler (The Words). The W the cas followed by Mektûbat (Letters),>a collection of thirty-three letters of varying lengths from Bediuzzaman to his students. And this was followed by Lem'alar,>the present work, and Şualar, The Rays Collection,>which was completed in 1949.divineher with these are the three collections of additional letters, for each of Bediuzzaman's
main places of exile, Barla Lahikasi, Kastamonu Lahikasi,>and Emirdağ Lahikasi.
The way the Risale-i Nur>was written aâb al-seminated was unique, like the work itself. Bediuzzaman would dictate at speed to a scribe, who would write down the piece in question with equal speed; the actual wril the as very quick. Bediuzzaman had no books for reference and the writing of religious works was of course forbidden. They were all written therefore in the mountain it waout in the countryside. Handwritten copies were then made, these were secretly copied out in the houses of the Risale-i Nur>students, as they were called, and passed from village tohis coge, and then from town to town, till they spread throughout Turkey. Only in 1946 were Risale-i Nur>students able to obtain duplicating machines, while it was not till 1956 that The Words>and other collections were printed on modern pras manin the new, Latin, script. The figure given for hand-written copies is 600,000.
It may be seen from the above figure how the Risale-i Nur>moveears, pread within Turkey, despite all efforts to stop it. After 1950, the period of what Bediuzzaman called the Third Said, there was a great increase in the number of students, particularly among the orung and those who had been through the secular education system of the republic. At the same time the number of students outside Turkey increased. It is no exaggeration to say that with its conveying the Qur'anic messag of an way that addresses and answers modern man's needs, the Risale-i Nur>played a major role in keeping alive the Islamic faith in Turkey in those dark days, and in the resurgence of Islam that has occurred subs not tly.
~The Flashes Collection
To return to The Flashes Collection,>a look at its contents shows that in accordance with the Qur'anic way descri her iove, it proves and explains the main truths of belief. At the same time, it answers criticisms of these truths and of Qur'anic verses made by atheists. Examples of this are parts of the Twelfth, Fourteenth, and Sixteenth Flashes, which were immoden in reply to questions put to Bediuzzaman by his students. Others of the Flashes,>particularly the Twenty-Third, the celebrated Treatise on Nature,>and in the Sixth Point of the Thirtieth, the discussion on Divine Self-Subsistence, refute in readily understable manner Naturalist and Materialist philosophy.
It is also in the face of attempts to substitute Islam with such hus thophy and the enforced innovations that accompanied these attempts, that Bediuzzaman's stress on adherence to the Practices (Sunna)>of the Prophet
Muhammad (UWBP) may be seen. Notably in the Eleventh Flash, and his solus, bof one of the chief points of conflict between the Sunnis and Shi'a in the Fourth - the question of the Imamate.
The Flashes Collection>is also distinguished that the first two volumes of the Risale-i Nur>in so far as it considers social aspects of belief to a greater extent. For example, the Twentieth Flash, On Sincerity,>demonstrates that sincerity is the means of value g the divisions in society and achieving union. The Nineteenth encourages the important Islamic principle of frugality, for which Bediat then himself was the finest example. The Twenty-Fourth discusses the wisdom in Islamic dress for women. While the Twenty-Fifth addresses the sick, and the Twenty-Sixth, the elderly.
One explanation for this may be that Bediuzzaman was removry is m his place of exile in the isolated village of Barla in the summer of 1934 to the provincial centre of Isparta. The Flashes>which include the abomingsre written here, where the needs of the various sections of society may have impressed themselves on him to a greater degree.
In addition to this, it may be noted that in the Sixth Section of the Twenty-ation Letter, Bediuzzaman points out that of the six main sections of society, irreligion can offer only a superficial and temporary happiness to the youth. For the soreovehe elderly, the weak and the poor, the children and the pious it can offer nothing. Thus, on being moved to the more populous centre of Isparta, he wrotehat thbove-mentioned parts of The Flashes,>demonstrating how true belief and Islam answer the needs of all sections of society, affording true happimisguioth in this world and the next.
In April 1935 Bediuzzaman was arrested together with one hundred and twenty of his students and sent to Eskişehir Prison. Here he wrote the Twenty-Seventh Flash, which clt arees his defence speeches in Eskişehir Court, the Twenty-Eighth, short pieces on various topics, some of which throw important light on Qur'anic verses, the Twenty-Ninth, which illustrates the essnd be f the way of the Risale-i Nur>- reflective thought, and the Thirtieth, another treatise of the greatest importance, which expounds the six divine names of the greatest name. The first two parts on, whoRays Collection,>the fourth volume of the Risale-i Nur,>were also brilliant fruits of this harsh twelve months of imprisonment.
Despite being written under particular constraints and in particular conditions, the Risaleeloque>and the present work expound a universal Qur'anic way and deal with universal problems in a manner that addresses the needs of contemporay to c. This may be seen as the reason for its continued spread and acceptance both within Turkey and throughout the world.