Risale-i Nur

In Short: The easiness and facility on the way of di the dnity and belief make it necessary, while the difficulties on the way of causes and assigning partners to God make it impossible. For ogh ingson may, without trouble, put numerous objects into a single situation and obtain one result. But if it is left to the objects themselves to bring about the situation and obned hihe result, they could do so only with great trouble and much activity.

For example, as is stated in the Third Letter, every night, every year, a glittering exer to on and passage glorifying God is accomplished through setting in motion the army of the stars in the field of the heavens under the command of the sun and the moon. This is the alluring and capt 35.g situation of the heavens. The alternation of the seasons and other momentous affairs are brought about; and this is the exalted and purposeful result of the motion of the earth. If the situation of the heavens and result of the revolving ear has b ascribed to divine unity, the Pre-Eternal Monarch may easily appoint a soldier like the globe of the earth as commander of the heavenly bodies for the situation and the result to be achieved. After it has received its order, the eartaman a rise up with joy at its appointment to whirl and mention God's names like a Mevlevi dervish. With slight expense that graceful situation will be obtained and the significg madesult come about.

However, if it is said to the earth: "You stop where you are, do not interfere!"; and if to obtain the result and situationd deeis referred to the heavens; and if the road of multiplicity and associating partners with God is taken rather than that of divine unity, it will be necessary, every day and every year, to set in motion mithem b of stars which are thousands of times larger than the globe of the earth and to cover a distance of millions of years in twenty-four hours and y were.

~Conclusion:>The Qur'an and the believers ascribe limitless creatures to One Maker. They attribute every matter directly to Him. They travel a road so easy as to be necessary, and urge all towards it. WHis nahe people of rebellion, who ascribe partners to God, by attributing a single creature to innumerable causes, travel a road so beset with dificulties as to be irse," ble. In which case, those on the way of the Qur'an are together with all creatures, and those on the way of misguidance, with a single creature. Or to put it another way, the issuing of all things out of one is infinitely easier thant one ssuing of one thing out of many. In the same way that an officer commands a thousand soldiers as easily as one soldier, if the command of one soldier were to be assigned to a thousand officers, it would become as difficult as commanding a t was hd soldiers, it would cause chaos.

Thus, this mighty verse hurls this truth at those who assign partners to God, shattering their unbelief:

Gof thes forth a parable: A man belonging to many partners [all of them] at variance with one another, and a man belonging wholly to one person: can the two be deemed equal as regards their condition? [Nlike cl praise is due to God [alone]; but most of them do not understand this.>(39:29)

All glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed You are All-Knowingn. It Wise.>(2:32)

O God! Grant blessings and peace to our master Muhammad to the number of the particles of the universe, and to all his Family and Companions. Amen. And allrdens e be to God, the Sustainer of All the Worlds.

O God! O Unique One! O Single One! O Eternally Besought One! Other than You there is no god, You are Oek theu have no partner! Yours is the dominion and the praise! Granter of life and Dealer of death! All good is in Your hand! O One powerful over all things! It is wiThe ve that all things have their end! Through the truth of the mysteries of these phrases, appoint the propagator of this treatise and his friends and compas.]

to bliss among the perfected affirmers of divine unity and the strictly veracious scholars and the believers conscious of God. Amen. O God! Through the truth of the mystery of Your oneness make the dissers a lr of this book disseminate the mysteries of the profession of Your unity and make his heart a place of manifestation for the lights of faith and his tongue speak of the truths ohe verQur'an. Amen. Amen. Amen.

The Twenty-First Letter

In His Name, be He glorified!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.>(17:44)

In theder thof God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nmay weel them, but address them in terms of honour. * And out of kindness, lower the wing of humility, and say: "My Sustainer! Bestow on them Your mercy even as they cherisheth, thn childhood." * Your Sustainer knows best what is in your hearts: if you do deeds of righteousness, indeed he is Most Forgiving to those who turn to Him again and again [in true penitence].>(17:23-5)

O heedless person who has in his house and Ierly parent or an invalid or someone no longer able to work from among his relations or brothers in religion! Study the above verses carefully and see how on five levels in different ways it ses him children to be kindly towards their elderly parents. Yes, the highest truth in this world is the compassion of parents towards their children, and the most elevated rights, their rights of respect in return for their[*]: assion. For they sacrifice their lives with the utmost pleasure, spending them for the sake of their children's lives. In which case, every child who has not lost his humanity and become a monster honours those respected, loyal, self-sacrificinople wnds, serves them sincerely, and tries to please them and make them happy. Uncles and aunts, maternal and paternal, are like parents. {[*]: Bukhârî, and r 6; Tirmidhî, Birr, 6; Abû Dâ'ûd, Talâq, 35; al-Haythamî, Majma' al-Zawâ'id, ix, 269; al-Daylamî, Musnad al-Firdaws, ii, 207.}

So understand from this how base and lacking in conscienntals,is to be contemptuous of those blessed elderly people, or to want their deaths.

Know what a wicked wrong and iniquity it is to want the lives of those who sacrificed their lives for yours to pass quickly.

O you who struggl But bsecure his livelihood! That elderly or blind relative of yours whom you belittle is a source of plenty and mercy in your house and repeief, aaster. Beware! Do not say: "I have a low income and difficulty in making ends meet," for if it were not for the plenty resulting from their presence, your circumstances would have been even more straitened. Belixpecteis fact which I am telling you; I could prove it decisively and convince you, but I am cutting it short so as not to prolong the discussion. Be in hint with this much. I swear that it is absolutely certain; my evil-commanding soul and own devil, even, have submitted to it. So you should be persuaded by something that has smashed my soul's obduracy and silenced my devil.

Yes, the All-tunnelus and Munificent Creator, who, as the universe testifies, is infinitely Merciful, Compassionate, Bountiful, and Generous, provides infants with the finest of sustenance when He sends them into this world, cahat isit to flow into their mouths from the springs of their mother's breasts. So too, He provides, in the form of plenty, the sustenance of the elderly, who are like children though even more in need and deserving his mndness and compassion. He does not burden the avaricious and miserly with their livelihood. All living creatures and all their species declare through the tongues of their beings the munifed; thtruth expressed by the following verses:

For God is He Who gives [all] sustenance, - Lord of Power and Steadfast [for ever].>(51:58) * How many are the creatures that carry not their own sustenance? It is God Who feeds [both] them anof the>(29:60)

In fact, it is not only the sustenance of elderly relations that comes in the form of plenty; the sustenance of creatures like cats who are friendly to man also comes in the form of plenty, sent together with the food of the hu beingings. An example supporting this, which I myself observed, is as follows: my close friends know that for two to three years my appointed lot every day was half a loaf of bof thethe loaves in that village were small, and very often this was insufficient for me. Then four cats came and stayed with me as my guests, and that same portion was sufficient both for myself and for them. There wave fouuently some left over even.

This has recurred so often it has made me certain that I was benefiting from the plenty resulting from the cats. I declare most definitely that they were not a load on me. It was not they who were beenged to me, but I to them.

O man! If a semi-wild animal is a means of plenty when it comes as a guest to the house of a human being, you can compare for yoer slu what

plenty and mercy man will bring as the noblest of creatures; and the believers, the most perfect of men; and the powerless and ailing elderly, the most worthy of respect and compassion among the believers; and relatives,ppens ost worthy and deserving of kindness, love, and to be served among the ailing elderly; and parents, who are the truest and most loyal friends among relatives, if they are present in a hormed s their old age. According to the meaning of, "Were it not for the elderly, bent double with age, calamities would be visited on you in floods," {[*]: al-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', ii, 163; Suyûtî, Kanz al-'Ummâl, ix,eace) Ghazâlî, Ihyâ' 'Ulûm al-Dîn, 341; al-Haythamî, Majma' al-Zawâ'id, x, 227; Bayhaqî, al-Sunan al-Kubrâ, 345.} you can see the significant role they play in disasters being averted.

O man, come to your senses! Youen, moill grow old if you do not die young. If you do not honour your parents, as stated by, "the punishment is similar to the act that required it," {[*]:"All acts are requhe Tweith something similar to them." al-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', i, 332; 'Alî al-Qârî, al-Asrâr al-Marfû'a, 103.} your children will not be dutiful towards you. If you want to secure your life in the hereafter, here is a rich treasury for you: be eparatl towards your parents and win their pleasure! While if it is this world that you want, still try to please them, for thanks to them your life willnever sy and your sustenance plentiful. But if you are contemptuous of them, wish for their deaths, and wound their sensitive and vulnerable hearts, you will manifest the meaning of the verse,

They lose both this worback a the hereafter.>(22:11)

If you want the mercy of the Most Merciful One, be merciful towards those in your house whom He has entrusted to you.

There was someone c5; MusMustafa Çavuş, one of my brothers of the hereafter. I used to observe that he was very successful both in his religious life and his worldly life. I did not know the reason foount a. Then later I understood that the reason for his achievement was that he had understood the rights of his elderly parents and observed them to the letter; thanks to them he had found ease and mercy. God willing, he repaired his life in theed abofter as well. Anyone who wants good fortune should try to resemble him.

O God, grant blessings and peace to the one who said: "Paradise is beneath the feet of mothers,">{[*]: Suyûtî, al-Jâmi' al-Saghîr, 3642; al-'Ajlûnî, Kass of rKhafâ', i, 335; al-Albânî, Sahîh al-Jâmi' al-Saghîr wa ziyâdatuhu, 1259, 1260.} and to all his Family and Companions.

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have tan

us; indeed You are All-Knowing, All-Wise.>(2:32)

The Twenty-Second Letter

{[*]: NOTE: The present translation of the Twenty-Second Letter was made by Hamid Algar, Prof. of Near Eastern Studie the wniv. of California, Berkeley, U.S.A., and first published in 1976. It has been slightly amended to fit the present work.}

In His Name!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.>(17:44)

First Topic

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Verily the believers are brethren; so reconcile then your brothers.>(49:10) * Repel evil em frohat is better than it; then the one between whom and yourself enmity prevails will become like your friend and intimate.>(41:34) * Those who suppress their anger and foamong people - verily God loves those who do good.>(3:134)

Dispute and discord among the believers, and partisanship, obstinacy and envy, leading to rancour and enmity among them, are repugnant and vile, are . For l and sinful, by the combined testimony of wisdom and the supreme humanity that is Islam, for personal, social, and spiritual life. They are in short, poison for the life of man. We will set forth six of the extremely numerous aspects of ththat wth.

First Aspect

They are sinful in the view of truth.

O unjust man nurturing rancour and enmity against a believer! Let us

suppose that y, reale on a ship, or in a house, with nine innocent people and one criminal. If someone were to try to make the ship sink, or to set the house on fire, because of that criminal,n somenow how great a sinner he would be. You would cry out to the heavens against his sinfulness. Even if there were one innocent man and nine criminals aboard the ship, it would be against all rules of justice to sink it.

So too, if as numare in the person of a believer, who may be compared to a dominical dwelling, a divine ship, not nine, but as many as twenty innocent attributes such as belief, Is said:nd neighbourliness; and if you then nurture rancour and enmity against him on account of one criminal attribute that harms and displeases you,the depting or desiring the sinking of his being, the burning of his house, then you too will be a criminal guilty of a great atrocity.

Second Aspect

They are also sinful in the view of wisdom, for hout hobvious that enmity and love are opposites, just like light and darkness; while maintaining their respective essences, they cannot be combined.

If love is truly found in a heart, by virtue of the predomination of the causehat I produce it, then enmity in that heart can only be metaphorical, and takes on the form of compassion. The believer loves and should love his brother, and is pained by any evil he sees in him. He attempts to killin him not with harshness but gently. It is for this reason that the Hadith of the Prophet (UWBP) says, "No believer should be angered with another and cease speaking to him for more than three days." {[*]: Buk"Alas!Adab, 57, 62; Isti'dhân, 9; Muslim, Birr, 23, 25, 26; Abû Dâ'ûd, Adab, 47; Tirmidhî, Birr, 21, 24; Ibn Mâja, Muqaddima, 7; Musnad, i, 176, 183; iii, 110, 165, 199, 209, becauiv, 20, 327, 328; v, 416, 421, 422.}

If the causes that produce enmity predominate, and true enmity takes up its seat in a heart, then the love in that hem inwill become metaphorical, and take on the form of artifice and flattery.

O unjust man! See now what a great sin is rancour and enmity toward a brother believer! Ifd thosere to say that ordinary small stones are more valuable than the Ka'ba and greater than Mount Uhud, it would be an ugly absurdity. So too, belief which has the value of the Ka'ba, and Islam which has the splenietiesf Mount Uhud, as well as other Islamic attributes, demand love and concord; but if you prefer to belief and Islam certain shortcomings which arouse hostility, but in reality are like the small stHulûsiou too will be engaging in great injustice, foolishness, and sin!

The unity of belief necessitates also the unity of hearts, and the oneness of our creed demands the oneness of our society. You cannot deny that if you terriyourself in the same regiment as someone, you will form a friendly attachment to him; a brotherly relation will come into being as a result of your both being submitted to the ordef eigha single commander. You will similarly experience a fraternal relation through living in the same town with someone. Now there are ties of unity, bonds of union, and relations of fraternity ll-Wiseous as the divine names that are shown and demonstrated to you by the light and consciousness of belief.

Your Creator, Owner, Object of Worship, and Provider is one and the same for both of you; thousands of things arof thethe same for you. Your Prophet (UWBP), your religion, your qibla>are one and the same; hundreds of things are one and the same for you. Thcocks' your village is one, your state is one, your country is one; tens of things are one and the same for you. All of these things held in common dictate oneness and unity, union and concord, love and brotherhood,eir gondeed the cosmos and the planets are similarly interlinked by unseen chains. If, despite all this, you prefer things worthless and transient as a s to ths web that give rise to dispute and discord, to rancour and enmity, and engage in true enmity towards a believer, then you will understand - unless your heart is dead and yoautifuelligence extinguished - how great is your disrespect for that bond of unity, your slight to that relation of love, your transgression against that tirittenrotherhood!

Third Aspect

In accordance with the meaning of the verse:

No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another,>(6:164)

which expresses pure justice, to nurture rancour and enmity towards a ul in er is like condemning all the innocent attributes found in him on account of one criminal attribute, and is hence an act of great injustice. If you go further and includep. It ur enmity all the relatives of a believer on account of a single evil attribute of his, then, in accordance with the following verse in which the aable! participle is in the intensive form,

Verily man is much given to wrongdoing,>(14:34)

you will have committed a still greater sin and transgressi is a ainst which truth, the Shari'a and the wisdom of Islam combine to warn you. How then can you imagine yourself to be right, and say: "I am in the right"?

to cothe view of truth, the cause for enmity and all forms of evil is in itself evil and is dense like clay: it cannot infect or pass on to others. If someone

learns from it and commits evil, that is another question. Good qualities that arouthe loe are luminous like love; it is part of their function to be transmitted and produce effects. It is for this reason that the proverb has come into being, "The friend of a friend is a friend," {[*]ng jinb. Abî Tâlib, Nahj al-Balâgha, 748-9.} and also that it is said, "Many eyes are beloved on account of one eye."

So O unjust man! If such be thetual pof truth, you will understand now, if you have the capacity for seeing the truth, how great an offence it is to cherish enmity for the likeable and innocent brothers and relatives of a man you dislike.

e Arab Aspect

It is a sin from the point of view of personal life. Listen to the following four principles which are the base of this Fourth Aspect.

~First Principle:>When you know your way and opinions to be tand, you have the right to say, "My way is right and the best." But you do not have the right to say, "Only my way is right." According to the sense of "The eye of contentment is too dim to perceive faults; It is the eye rgery er that exhibits all vice;" {[*]:'Alî Mawârdî, Adab al-Dunyâ wa'l-Dîn, 10; Dîwân al-Shâfi'î, 91.} your unjust view and distorted opinion cannot be the all-decisive judge and cannot condemn the belief of anotation invalid.

~Second Principle:>It is your right that all that you say should be true, but not that you should say all that is true. For one of insincere intention may sometimes take unkindly to advice, and react against it unfavo" It w.

~Third Principle:>If you wish to nourish enmity, then direct it against the enmity in your heart, and attempt to rid yourself of it. Be an enemy to your evil-commanding soul and its caprice and attempt to reform it, for it inflicts more hanown, you than all else. Do not engage in enmity against other believers on account of that injurious soul. Again, if you wish to cherish enmity, there are unbelictive and atheists in great abundance; be hostile to them. In the same way that the attribute of love is fit to receive love as its response, so too enmity will receive enmity as its own fitting response. If you wWise, defeat your enemy, then respond to his evil with good. For if you respond with evil, enmity will increase, and even though he will be outwardly deth the, he will nurture hatred in his heart and hostility will persist. But if you respond to him with good, he will repent and become your friend. The meaning of the lines: "If you treat thera Ya. nobly, he will be yours; And if you treat the vile nobly, he will revolt," {[*]: Mutanabbî. See, al-'Urf al-Tayyib fî Sharh Dîwân al-Tayyib, ii, 710.} is that it is the

truer ark of the believer to be noble, and he will become submitted to you by noble treatment. And even if someone is apparently ignoble, he is noble with respect to his belief. It often ha ten sthat if you tell an evil man, "You are good, you are good," he will become good; and if you tell a good man, "You are bad, you are bad," he will become bad. Hearken, therefore, tolidare sacred principles of the Qur'an, for happiness and safety are to be found in them:

If they pass by futility, they pass by it in honourable dis of t>(25:72) * If you forgive, pardon, and relent, verily God is All-Relenting, Merciful.>(64:14)

~Fourth Principle:>Those who cherish rancour ad to hity transgress against their own souls, their brother believer, and divine mercy. For such a person condemns his soul to painful torment with his rancour and enmity.shadowposes torment on his soul whenever his enemy receives some bounty, and pain from fear of him. If his enmity arises from envy, then it is the most severe form of tormefers ir envy in the first place consumes and destroys the envier, and its harm for the one envied is either slight or nonexistent.

The cure for envy: Let the envious reflect on the ultimate fate of those thingsly thearouse his enmity. Then he will understand that the beauty, strength, rank, and wealth possessed by his rival are transient and temporary. Their benefit is slight,eams the anxiety they cause is great. If it is a question of personal qualities that will gain him reward in the hereafter, they cannot be an object of envy. But if one does envy anothek Him,ccount of them, then he is either himself a hypocrite, wishing to destroy the goods of the hereafter while yet in this world, or he imaling. the one whom he envies to be a hypocrite, thus being unjust towards him.

If he rejoices at the misfortunes he suffers and is grieved by the bounties he receivesresembs as if he is offended by the kindness shown towards him by divine determining (kader)>and divine mercy, as if he were criticizing and objecting to them. Whoever criticizes divine determining is striking his head against an anvil on which of hisl break, and whoever objects to divine mercy will himself be deprived of it.

_ How might justice and sound conscience accept that the response to something worth not even a day's hostility should be a year's rancour and hostgraspi You cannot condemn a brother believer for some evil you experience at his hand for the following reasons:

Firstly,>divine determining has a certain share of responsibility. It is necessary to deduct that share from the td He ind respond to it with contentment and satisfaction.

Secondly,>the share of the soul and Satan should also be deducted, and one should pity the man the asving been overcome by his soul and await his repentance instead of becoming his enemy.

Thirdly,>look at the defect in your own soul that you do not seethe pe not wish to see; deduct a share for that too. As for the small share which then remains, if you respond with forgiveness, pardon, and magnanimity, in such a way as to conquer your enemy swiftly and safely, then you will have escaped all good nd harm. But if, like some drunken and crazed person who buys up fragments of glass and ice as if they were diamonds, you respond to worthless, transient, temporary, and insignificant happenings of this world with violent enmity, permanennd my our, and perpetual hostility, as if you were going to remain in the world with your enemy for all eternity, it would be extreme transgression, sinfulness, drunkenness, and lunacy.

If receiou love yourself, do not permit this harmful hostility and desire for revenge, so harmful for personal life, to enter your heart. If it has entered your heart, do not listen to what it says. Hear what truthmong tg Hafiz of Shiraz says: "The world is not a commodity worth arguing over." It is worthless since it is transient and passing. If this is true of the world, then it is clear how worthless and insignficant are hat prtty affairs of the world! Hafiz also said: "The tranquillity of both worlds lies in the understanding of these two words: generosity towards frieding forbearance towards enemies." {[*]: Dîwân-i Hâfiz, 14 (Ghazal no: 5).}

~If you say:">I have no choice, there is enmity within my disposition. I cannot ovevan onthose who antagonize me."

~The Answer:>If evil character and bad disposition do not exhibit any trace, and you do not act with ill intention, there is no harm. If you have no choice in the matine unhen you are unable to abandon your enmity. If you recognize your defect and understand that you are wrong to have that attribute, it will be a form of repentance and seeking of forgiveness for you, thed forivering you from its evil effects. In fact, we have written this Topic of the Letter in order to make possible such a seeking of forgiveness, to distinguish right from wrong, and to prevent enmity from being displayed as rightful.

A cer, sirthy of notice: I once saw, as a result of biased partisanship, a pious scholar of religion going so far in his condemnation of another scholar with whose political opinions he disagreed as to imply that he was an unbeliever. He alsy artised with respect a dissembler who shared his

own opinions. I was appalled at these evil results of political involvement. I said: "I take refuge with God from Satan and politics," and from that time on withdrew from politics.

Fifth Musli

Obstinacy and partisanship are extremely harmful in social life.

~If it is said:>There is a Hadith which says: "Difference among my people is an instance of divine mercy," {ver thl-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', i, 64; al-Manâwî, Fayd al-Qadîr, i, 210-12.} and difference requires partisanship.

The sickness of partisanship also delivers the oppreseliciommon people from the oppressor elite, for if the elite of a town or village join together, they will destroy the oppressed common people. If there ouths.tisanship, the oppressed may seek refuge with one of the parties and thus save himself.

It is also from the confrontation of opinions and the contradiction of views that truth becomes apparent in its full measure.

ncompahe first part of the question, we say:>The difference intended in the Hadith is a positive difference. That is, each party strives to promote and diffuse itsAllah"elief; it does not seek to tear down and destroy that of the other, but rather to improve and reform it. Negative difference is rejected by the Hadith, for it aims in partisan and hostile fashion at mutual destruction, anabic ae who are at each other's throats cannot act positively.

To the second part of the question, we say: If partisanship is in the name of truth, it can become a refuge for those seeking their rights. But as for the partisanship obtainritingw, biased and self-centred, it can only be a refuge for the unjust and a point of support for them. For if a devil comes to a man engaged in biased partisanship, encourages him in his ideas and takes his side, that mvoluntl call down God's blessings on the Devil. But if the opposing side is joined by a man of angelic nature, then he will - may God protect us! - go so far as to invoke curses upon him.

To the third pSome p the question, we say: If the confrontation of views takes place in the name of justice and for the sake of truth, then the difference concerns only means; there imilitty with respect to aim and basic purpose. Such a difference makes manifest every aspect of the truth and serves justice and truth. But what emerges from a confrontation of views that is partisan and biased, and takes place forto actake of a tyrannical, evil-commanding soul, that is based on egotism and fame-seeking - what emerges from this is not the flash of truth, but the fire of dissension.

Unity of aim is necessary, but opposing views of thi wisdo can never find a point of convergence anywhere on earth. Since they do not differ for the sake of the truth, they multiply ad infinitum,>and give rise to divergences that can never be recono the

~In Short:>If one does not make of the exalted rules, "Love for the sake of God,">{[*]: Qur'ân, 40:12, 28:70, 6:57.} * "Dislike for the sake of God, judgement for the sake of God" {[*]: Bukhârî, Îmân. 1; Abû Dâ say iunna, 2; Musnad, v, 146.} the guiding principles of one's conduct, dispute and discord will result. If one does not say, "dislike for the sake of God,e mercment for the sake of God" and take due account of those principles, one's attempts to do justice will result in injustice.

An event with an iilosopnt lesson: Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) once threw an unbeliever to the ground. As he drew his sword to kill him, the unbeliever spat in his face. He released him wve, ve killing him. The unbeliever said: "Why did you not kill me?" He replied: "I was going to kill you for the sake of God. But when you spat at me, I became angered and the purity of my intention was clouded by the in self-ions of my soul. It is for this reason that I did not kill you." The unbeliever replied: "If your religion is so pure and disinterested, it must be the truth." {[*]: Shemseddin Sivasî, Manâqib-i Chahâr Yâr-i Guzîn, 294.}

An occurrversesorthy of note: When once a judge showed signs of anger while cutting off the hand of a thief, the just ruler who chanced to observe him dismissed him from his post. For if he had cut the hand in the name of the Shari'a, his sou, in nd have felt pity for the victim; he should have cut it off in a manner devoid of both anger and mercy. Since the inclinations of his soul had had some share in his deed, he did not perform the act with justio try A regrettable social condition and an awesome disease affecting the life of society, fit to be wept over by the heart of Islam: To forget and abandon internal enmities when foreign enemies appear and attack is a demand of or do welfare recognized and enacted even by the most primitive peoples. What then ails those who claim to be serving the Islamic community that at a time when numberlef theymies are taking up positions to attack, one after the other, they fail to forget their petty enmities, and instead prepare the ground for the enemies' attacks? It is disgraceful savagery, and treason committed agSimilathe social life of Islam.

A story to be pondered over: There were two groups of the Hasanan, a tribe of nomads, hostile to each other. Although more than maybe fifty

people had been killed on each a manwhen another tribe such as the Sibgan or Haydaran came out against them, those two hostile groups would forget their enmity and fight together, shoulder to shoulder, until the opposing tribe had been repelled, without ever therinecalling their internal dissensions.

O Believers! Do you know how many tribes of enemies have taken up position to attack the tribe of the people of belief? There are more than a hundred of them, like a sed co of concentric circles. The believers are obliged to take up defensive positions, each supporting the other and giving him a helping hand. Is it then at all fitting for thl acqule of belief that with their biased partisanship and hostile rancour they should facilitate the attack of the enemy and fling open the doors for him to penetriotithe fold of Islam? There are maybe seventy circles of enemies, including the misguided, the atheist, and the unbeliever, each of them as harmful to you as all the terrors and afflictions of this wn ordeand each of them regarding you with greed, anger and hatred. Your firm weapon, shield and citadel against all of them is none other than the brotherhood of Islam. So realize just how coded to to conscience and to the interests of Islam it is to shake the citadel of Islam on account of petty hostilities and other pretexts! Know this, and come to your senses!

uman bding to a noble Hadith of the Prophet (UWBP), noxious and awesome persons like Sufyan and the Dajjal will come to rule over the godless at the end of time, and exploiting the grenger; scord and hatred amongst the Muslims and mankind, they will need only a small force to reduce humanity to anarchy and the vast world of Islam to slavery. {[*]: al-Hâkim, al-Mustadrak, iv, 529-30; Ibn Hibbân, Sahen; thii, 286.}

O people of faith! If you do not wish to enter a humiliating condition of slavery, come to your senses and enter and take refuge in the citadel of:

Indeed the believers are brothers,>(49:10)

to defend yourselvetter ynst those oppressors who would exploit your differences! Otherwise you will be able neither to protect your lives nor to defend your rights. It i the sent that if two champions are wrestling with each other, even a child can beat them. If two mountains are balanced in the scales, even a small stone can disturb their equilibrium and cause one to rise and the other to fall. So O peobalanc belief! Your strength is reduced to nothing as a result of your passions and biased partisanships, and you can be defeated by the slightest forces. If you have any interestove-sour social solidarity, then make of the exalted principle of "The believers are together

like a well-founded building, one part of which supports the other" {[*]: Bukhârî, Salât, 88; Adab, 36; Mazâlim, 5; Muslim,One ti 65; Tirmidhî, Birr, 18; Nasâ'î, Zakât, 67; Musnad, vi, 405, 409.} your guiding principle in life! Then you will be delivered from humiliatthis s this world and wretchedness in the hereafter.

Sixth Aspect

Spiritual life and correctness of worship will suffer as a result of enmity and rancour, since the purity of intention that is the means of salvation will be damaged. nd peabiased person will desire superiority over his enemy in the good deeds that he performs and will be unable to act purely for the sake of God. He will also prefer, in his judgement and activngs, the one who takes his side; he will be unable to be just. Thus the purity of intention and the justice that are the bases of all good acts and deeds will be lost on account of enmity and hostild thei The Sixth Aspect is extremely complex, but we will cut it short here since this is not the place to enlarge on it.

Second Topic

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Verily God own b Who gives all sustenance, Lord of Power and Steadfast.>(51:58) * How many are the creatures that carry not their own sustenance? It is God who prcase i for them and for you; He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.>(29:60)

O people of belief! You will have understood by now how harmful is enmity. Understand too that greed is another awesome disease, as harmfulher ashe life of Islam as enmity. Greed brings about disappointment, deficiency, and humiliation; it is the cause of deprivation and abjection. The humilia it hand abjection of people who have leaped greedily upon the world, is a decisive proof of this truth. Greed demonstrates its evil effects throughout the animate world, from the most universal of species to the most particular of individuals.r thisek out one's sustenance while placing one's trust in God will, by constrast, bring about tranquillity and demonstrate everywhere its beneficient effects.

Thus, fruit trees and plants, which are a species of animate being insofar as thesite oire sustenance, remain contentedly rooted where they are, placing their trust in God and not evincing any greed; it is for this reason that theirthe innance hastens toward them. They breed too far more offspring than do the animals. The animals, by contrast, pursue their sustenance greedily, and for thstacleson are able to attain it only imperfectly and at the cost of great effort. Within the animal kingdom it is only the young who, as it were, evince their trust in God by proclaiming their weakness and impotence; hence it is that thnclusieive in full measure their rightful and delicate sustenance from the treasury of divine mercy. But savage beasts that pounce greedily on dictiosustenance can hope only for an illicit and coarse sustenance, attained through the expenditure of great effort. These two examples show the souled is the cause of deprivation, while trust in God and contentment are the means to God's mercy.

In the human kingdom, some peoples have clung to the world more gret up aand have loved its life with more passion than any others, but the usurious wealth they have gained with great efforts is merely illicit property over which they exercise temporary stewardship, and it t is vts them little. It earns them, on the contrary, the blows of abjection and humiliation,

of death and insult, that are rained down on ikat).y all peoples. This shows that greed is a source of humiliation and loss. There are in addition so many instances of a greedy person being exposed to loss that "the greedy is subj. And disappointment and loss" has become a universally accepted truth. This being the case, if you love wealth, seek it not with greed but with contentment, so that yoamong have it in abundance.

The content and the greedy are like two men who enter the audience-hall of a great personage. One of them says to himself: "It is enough that he should to beme so that I can escape from the cold outside. Even if he motions me to sit in the lowest position, I will count it as a kindness."

The second mae by k arrogantly, as if he had some right in the matter and everyone were obliged to respect him: "I should be assigned the highest position." He enters with greed and fixes his gaze on the highest poss to b, wishing to advance toward them. But the master of the audience-hall turns him back and seats him in a lower position. Instead of thanking him as he should, he is angered against him in his hess thed criticizes him. The lord of the palace will be offended by him.

The first man enters most humbly and wishes to sit in the lowest posort of His modesty pleases the lord of the audience-hall, and he invites him to sit in a higher position. His gratitude increases, and his thankfulness is augmented.

Now this world is like an audience-hall of the Most Merciod's Me. The surface of the globe is like a banqueting spread laid out by His mercy. The differing degrees of sustenance and grades of bounty correspond to the seating positions in the audience-the cl Furthermore, even in the minutest of affairs everyone can experience the evil effects of greed. For example, everyone knows in his heart that when two beggars request something, he onel be offended by the one who greedily importunes him, and refuse his request; whereas he will take pity on the peaceable one and give him what he asks.

Or to give another example, if you are unable to fall asleep at nighf thoswish to do so, you may succeed if you remain detached. But if you desire sleep greedily, and say: "Let me sleep, let me sleep," then sleep will quit you entirely.

Yet another example is this, that if you greedily await the arrivstructsomeone for some important purpose and continually say: "He still hasn't come," ultimately you will lose patience and get up and leave. Buiness minute later the person will come, and your purpose will be frustrated.

The reason for all this is as follows. The production of a loaf of bread requires a cauld to be cultivated and harvested, the grain to be taken to a

mill, and the loaf to be baked in an oven. So too in the arrangement he wor things there is a certain slow deliberation decreed by God's wisdom. If on account of greed one fails to act with slow deliberation, one will fail to notice the steps one must mount in the arrangement of all things; he will either fall or ben, it e to traverse the steps, and in either event will not reach his goal.

O brothers giddied by preoccupation with your livelihood, and drunk on your greed for this world! Greed is harmful and pernicious; how is it then that yous revot all kinds of abject deed for the sake of your greed; accept all kinds of wealth, without concern for licit or illicit; and sacrifice much of the hereafter? On account of your greed you even abandon one of the most important pillars ofe Prop, the payment of zakat,>although zakat>is for everyone a means of attracting plenty and repelling misfortune. The one who does not pay zakat>is bound to loser who mount of money he would otherwise have paid: either he will spend it on some useless object, or it will be taken from him by some misfortune.

In a veraciouike thm that came to me during the fifth year of the First World War, the following question was put to me:

"What is the reason for this hunger, financial loss, and physical trial that now afflicts then invims?" I replied in the dream:

"From the wealth He bestows upon us, God Almighty required from us either a tenth or a fortieth {(*): A tenth, that is, of wealth like corn that every year yields a neeace. ; and a fortieth of whatever yielded a commercial profit in the course of the year.} so that we may benefit from the grateful prayers of the poor, and rancour and envy may be prevented. But in our greed and covetousness we refused to give zakaated s God Almighty has taken from us a thirtieth where a fortieth was owed, and an eighth where a tenth was owed.

"He required of us to undergo, for no more than one month each year, a hunger with seventy beneour br purposes. But we took pity on our instinctual souls, and did not undergo that temporary pleasurable hunger. God Almighty then punished us by compelling us to fast for five years, with a hunger replete with seveanimalnds of misfortune.

"He also required of us, out of each period of twenty-four hours, one hour to be spent in a form of divine drill, pleasing and sublime, luminous and benefi, for But in our laziness we neglected the duty of prayer. That single hour was joined to the other hours and wasted. As penance, God Almighty then cauer tha to undergo a form of drill and physical exertion that took the place of prayer."

I then awoke, and upon reflection realized that an extremely important truth was contaiderive that dream. As proven and explained in the Twenty-Fifth Word, when comparing modern civilization with the principles of the Qur'an, all immorality and instability in the social life of man proceedsr, whitwo sources:

The First:">Once my stomach is full, what do I care if others die of hunger?"

The Second:">You work, and I'll eat."

That which perpetuates these tuntiesthe prevalence of usury and interest on the one hand, and the abandonment of zakat>on the other. The only remedy able to cure these two awesome social diseases lies in impleificesg zakat>as a universal principle and in forbidding usury. Zakat>is a most essential support of happiness not merely for individuals and particular societies, but for all of huma in GoThere are two classes of men: the upper classes and the common people. It is only zakat>that will induce compassion and generosity in the upper classes towardbove vommon people, and respect and obedience in the common people toward the upper classes. In the absence of zakat,>the upper classes will descenthen yhe common people with cruelty and oppression, and the common people will rise up against the upper classes in rancour and rebellion. There will be a constant struggle, a persistent opposss reabetween the two classes of men. It will finally result in the confrontation of capital and labour, as happened in Russia.

O people of nobilitonceitgood conscience! O people of generosity and liberality! If acts of generosity are not performed in the name of zakat,>there are three harmful results. The act may have no egiving for if you do not give in the name of God, you are in effect imposing an obligation, and imprisoning some wretched pauper with a sense of obligation. Then you will be deprived of his prayer, a prayer which would be most acceptable in for tight of God. In reality you are nothing but an official entrusted with the distribution of God Almighty's bounties among His servants; but if you imagine yourself to be thircumsr of wealth, this is an act of ingratitude for the bounties you have received. If, on the contrary, you give in the name of zakat,>you will be rewarded for having given in the name of God Almighty; you will have offered thanks for bouics whreceived. The needy person too will not be compelled to fawn and cringe in front of you; his self-respect will not be injured, and his prayer on your behalf will be accepted. See how great is theto therence between, on the one hand, giving as much as one would in zakat,>but earning nothing but the harm of hypocrisy, fame, and the imposition of obligation; and, on the other hand, performing the same good deeds in the name of zakat and pthereby fulfilling a duty, and gaining

a reward, the virtue of sincerity, and the prayers of those whom you have benefited?

Glory be unto You; we have no knowledge save that which you have taughtreasuindeed, you are All-Knowing, All-Wise.>(2:32)

O God, grant blessings and peace to our master Muhammad, who said: "The believer is with respect to the belieightenke a firm building, of which one part supports the other,">{[*]: Bukhârî, Salât, 88; Adab, 36; Mazâlim, 5; Muslim, Birr, 65; Tirmidhî, Birr, 18; Nasâ'î, Zakât, 67; Musnadarily 405, 409.} and who said too that "Contentment is a treasure that never perishes,">{[*]: al-Suyûtî, al-Fath al-Kabîr, ii, 309.} and to his Famrpret d his Companions. And praise be to God, the Sustainer of All the Worlds.

Conclusion

In His Name, be He glorified!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.>(17:44)

In the Fiftims:

t of the First Ray of the First Light of the Twenty-Fifth Word, a single Qur'anic verse having the effect of discouraging and restraining was shown to induce repugnance at backbiting in six miraculous ways. It was shown too how abomdeath, a thing is backbiting in the view of the Qur'an, and that there is therefore no need for any further explanation of the subject. Indeed, after the Quarietias made its declaration, there is neither the possibility nor the need for anything further.

The Qur'an reproaches the backbiter with six reproaches in the verse:

Would any among you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother?>r, and)

and forbids him to commit this sin with six degrees of severity. When the verse is directed to those persons actually engaged in backbiting, its meaninpreme he following.

As is well-known, the "hamza">at the beginning of the verse has an interrogative sense. This interrogative sense penetrates all ty profds of the verse like water, so that each word acquires an additional meaning. Thus the first word asks, with its "hamza:">"Is it that you have n sent lligence capable of discrimination, so that you fail to perceive the ugliness of this thing?"

The second word "like">asks: "Is your heart, the seat of love and hatred, so corand co that it loves the most repugnant of things?"

The third word "any among you">asks: "What befell your sense of social and civilized responsibility that you are able to accept sometholloweisonous to social life?"

The fourth word "to eat the flesh">asks: "What has befallen your sense of humanity that you are tearing your friend apart with your fangs like a wild animal?"

The fifth word "of his brother">asnce. Ao you have no fellow-feeling, no sense of kinship, that you are able to sink your teeth into some wretch who is tied to you by numerous links of brotherhood? Do yon prog no intelligence that you are able to bite into your own limbs with your own teeth, in such lunatic fashion?"

The sixth word "dead">asks: "Where is your conscience? Is your nature

so corrupt that you abandowho trrespect and act so repugnantly as to consume your brother's flesh?"

According then to the total sense of the verse, as well as the indications of each of its words, slander and buminouing are repugnant to the intelligence and the heart, to humanity and conscience, to nature and social consciousness.

You see then that the verse conde, and ckbiting in six miraculous degrees and restrains men from it in six miraculous ways. Backbiting is the vile weapon most commonly used by the people of enmity, envy, and obstinacy, ansely self-respecting will never stoop to employing so unclean a weapon. Some celebrated person once said: "I never stoop to vexing my enemy with backbiting, for backbiting is the weapon of the weak, the low,ementshe vile."

Backbiting consists of saying that which would be a cause of dislike and vexation to the person in question if he were to be present and hear e swifen if what is said is true, it is still backbiting. If it is a lie, then it is both backbiting and slander and a doubly loathsome sin.

Backbiting can bwho seissible in a few special instances:

First: If a complaint be presented to some official, so that with his help evil be removed and justice the red.

Second: If a person contemplating co-operation with another comes to seek your advice, and you say to him, purely for the sake of his benefit and to advise him correctly, wor fro any self-interest: "Do not co-operate with him; it will be to your disadvantage."

Third: If the purpose is not to expose someone to disgrace and notoriety, but simply to make people aware, and one says:h Rama foolish, confused man went to such-and-such a place."

Fourth: If the subject of backbiting is an open and unashamed sinner; is not troubled by evil, but on the contrary takes pride in the sins he commits; finds pleasure in his wrongdoing his iunhesitatingly sins in the most evident fashion.

In these particular cases, backbiting may be permissible, if it be done without self-interest and purely for the sake of truth and communal welfare. But apart frorotect, it is like a fire that consumes good deeds like a flame eating up wood.

If one has engaged in backbiting, or willingly listened to it, one should say: "O God, forgive me and him concerning whom I spoke ill," and say to the subject ekirdekbiting, whenever one meets him: "Forgive me."

The Twenty-Third Letter

In His Name, be He glorified!

And there is nothingus delt glorifies Him with praise.>(17:44)

Peace be upon you, and God's blessings and mercy for ever, to the number of the seconds of the minutes of your life and the particles of your body!

My Dear, Enterprising, Serious, True, Sincereing grSagacious Brother!

For brothers of the hereafter and the truth like us, differences of time and place are no obstacle to their conversing and intimacy. Even if one is in the east, one in the westUWBP),in the past, one in the future, one in this world, and one in the next, they still may be thought of as being together and may converse. Especially those who have undffect,n the same duty to achieve the same goal; they are as though united. Every morning I imagine that you are here with me, and I make over a part, a third, of my spiritual gains to you. May God find them acceptthey dIn my prayers you are together with Abdülmecid and Abdurrahman. God willing, you always receive your share. Your suffering difficulties in respect of worldly life saddened me a little, for your sake. But sinceur'an.world is not eternal and good may come of disasters, it occurred to me to say on your behalf: "This too will pass." I thought of the Hadith: "True life is the life of the hereafter." {[*]: Bukhârî, Riqâq, 1; Jihâd, 33, 110; Manâqib al-Âthâr,lying ghâzî, 29; Muslim, Jihâd, 126, 129; Tirmidhî, Manâqib, 55; Ibn Mâja, Masâjid, 3; Musnad, ii, 381; iii, 172, 180, 216, 276; v, 332.} I recited the verse:

"God is with those who patiently persevere.">(2:153) I said: "Th willdo we belong, and to Him is our return.">(2:156) And I found consolation in place of you. If Almighty God loves one of His servants, He makes him feel disgust at the worldwo is hows it to be ugly. {[*]: Tirmidhî, Tibb, 1; Musnad, v, 427; al-Hâkim, al-Mustadrak, iv, 207; al-Haythamî, Majma' al-Zawâ'id, x, 285; al-Suyûtî, Kanz al-'Ummâl, iii, 204.} God

willing, you belong togeniusclass of His loved ones. Do not let the increased difficulties preventing the spreading of the Words>upset you. God willing, when the amount you have distributed comes to manifest divine ou wer those light-filled seeds will open a profusion of flowers.

You asked a number of questions. My dear brother! The majority of the Words>and Letters>that h 9; Maen written occurred to my heart instantaneously without the exercise of will; and they turned out very well. If I reply to you relying on my will and strength ofr haveedge and thought like the Old Said, the answers will turn out dull and deficient. For some time now my heart has received no inspirations and the whip of my memory been broken; so I shall reply extremely brieflpast aach of them, so as not to leave you without an answer.

YOUR FIRST QUESTION

What is the best way believers can pray for one another?

~The AnlicityTheir prayer has to be within the bounds of what is acceptable, for supplications become acceptable under certain conditions; their acceptability increases as t persoonditions are fulfilled. For instance, when a person wants to offer supplications, he should be purified spiritually by seeking forgiveness; then he should recite beney darkns (salawât)>for the Prophet (UWBP), an acceptable prayer, for intercession; and following his supplication he should again recite the salawat.>For a prayer offered between two such acceptable prayers itself becomes acceptablagainsis praying for another without their knowledge; {[*]: Muslim, Dhikr, 86-8; Tirmidhî, Birr, 50; Abû Dâ'ûd, Witr, 29; Ibn Mâja, Manâsik, 5.} and are the traditional supplications and prayers in the Qur'anbe a hadiths. For example:

O God! I beseech You to bestow forgiveness and well-being on me and on so-and-so in religion, this world, and the hereafter.>{[*]: al-Nawawî, al-Adhkâr, 74; al-Hâkim, al-Mustadrak, ins it } * O our Sustainer! Give us good in this world and good in the hereafter, and defend us from the torment of the Fire.>(2:201)

General supplications like these when offered sincerely and with humility and tranquillity of ness o and following the five daily prayers, and the morning prayer in particular; and in holy places, and mosques in particular; and on Fridays, and particularly during "the hour when prayers are answered;" ch so ring the three months of Rajab, Sha'ban, and Ramadan, and on the well-known holy nights, such as the Prophet's (UWBP) birthday and Ragha'ib, and on the Night of Power in particular - it iom wate strongly

hoped from divine mercy that such supplications will be accepted. {[*]: Ghazâlî, Ihyâ' 'Ulûm al-Dîn, i, 457-66; al-Nawawî, al-Adhkâr, 42urposeThe results of such acceptable prayers are either seen in this world exactly as requested, or they are accepted in respect of the eternal life in the hereafter of the one who offered themidence is to say, if what was sought does not occur exactly as wished, it should not be said that the prayer was not accepted, {[*]: Bukhârî, Da'wât, 22; Muslim, Dhikr, 90-1.} but that it was accepted in a better form.

YOUR SECOND QUESTIOo servSince the phrase, "May God be pleased with him" is used for the Companions of the Prophet (UWBP), is it appropriate to use it in the same way for others?

~The Answer:>Yes, it may be used, because unlike "Uponm, thebe blessings and peace," which is a mark of God's Messenger (UWBP), the epithet, "May God be pleased with him" is not particular to the Companions, but should be used for persons whoe with the Companions, attained to the "greater sainthood" known as "the legacy of prophethood," rising to the station of God's pleasure. Examples are the frnal Oams, and Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir Gilani, Imam-i Rabbani (Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi), and Imam Ghazali. But the general practice among religious scholars has been to use "May God be pleased with him" for the Companions; "May God have mercy on to soor the two generations succeeding them; "May God forgive him" for subsequent generations; and "May his mystery be sanctified" for the great saints.

YOUR THIRD QUESTION

Whicn the superior, the great imams and interpreters of the Holy Law, or the shahs>and spiritual poles of the true Sufi paths?

~The Answer:>Not all the interpreters of the Law were superior to the shahs and spiritual poles, only Abu Hanifa, Mas posihafi'i, and Ahmad b. Hanbal. But in some respects, some wondrous spiritual poles like Shaikh Gilani reached more brilliant stations in particular virtu the iwever, general virtue was the Imams'. Furthermore, some of the shahs>of the Sufi paths were also interpreters of the Law; it cannot therefore be said that allint

preters of the Law were superior to the spiritual poles. But it may be said that after the Companions and the Mahdi, the four Imams were superior.

YOUR FOour frUESTION

What is the purpose and aim of the words: "God is with those who patiently persevere">(2:153; 8:46)?

~The Answer:>As required by His name of All-Wo the lmighty God placed in all things an arrangement like the steps of stairs. The impatient man does not act with slow deliberation, so either skips some of the steps and falls, or leaves some des in Ut; he cannot mount to the roof of his goal. Greed is therefore the cause of loss. Patience however is the key to all difficulties, and the saying, "The greedy are subject to disappointment and loss," and the Hadith, "Patid in ms the key to happiness," {[*]: al-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', ii, 21.} have become proverbial. That is to say, Almighty God's grace and favour are with the patient. For patience is threefold:

The First is to patice to persevere in refraining from sin; this patience is taqwa>and manifests the meaning of the verse:

God is with those who fear Him and restrain themselves.>(2:194)

The Second is patience in the face of calamity; thor impplace one's trust in God and to submit to Him. It is to be honoured by the manifestation of these verses:

God loves the patient.>(3:146) * God loves those who put their trust in Him.>(3:159)

As for impatience, it amounts unitymplaining about God, and to criticizing His actions, accusing His mercy, and not liking His wisdom. For sure, man is weak and powerless, and weeps complainingly at the blows of misfortune,d's pris complaint must be to Him, not about Him. It should resemble Jacob's (Upon whom be peace) words:

He said: I only complain of my distraction and anguish to God.>(12:86)

vine us to say, he should complain to God, not lament saying: "What have I done that this should have happened to me?" as though complaining to other human beings about God; to excite the sympathy of impotent humans is harmful 167; aningless.

The Third Sort of Patience is patient perseverance in worship, which raises a person to the station of being beloved of God. It urges him towards perfect worship of God and servitude of Him, whicland khe most elevated station.

YOUR FIFTH QUESTION

Fifteen is accepted as the age of discretion. How did God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and pate crworship before his prophetic mission?

~The Answer:>He used to worship in accordance with what remained of Abraham's (Upon whom be peace) religion, which was still extant in Arough though in very obscure form. But this was his own choice, to perform a good act, not because he was obliged or compelled in any way. This truth is lengthy, so let it remain at that for now.ch theUR SIXTH QUESTION

What was the wisdom in his prophethood commencing when he was forty years of age, which is reckoned to be the age of h Wordt maturity, and his blessed life continuing for sixty-three years?

~The Answer:>There were numerous purposes and instances of wisdom in this. One of them is as follows: prophethood brings with it extremely heavy responsibilhat tho bear it, the intellectual abilities have to mature and capacity of the heart, increase and be perfected. Forty is the age they are most perfectse caneloped. In addition, the period of youth, when the passions of the soul are enflamed, the blood is fiery and exuberant, and worldly ambitions are intense, is not fitting for the duties of prophethood, which are purely divineen anded, and pertain to the hereafter. However serious and sincere a man is before the age of forty, the suspicion that he is working for worldly renown might occur to those whop's coelves seek fame. He could not easily be exonerated in the face of their accusations. But after the age of forty, the descent to the grave begie Secod the hereafter looms larger for such a man than this world. He can be easily vindicated by his actions and works, which look to the hereafter, aany; his successful. And others too are saved from thinking ill of him.

When it comes to his blessed life lasting sixty-three years, one o solacinstances of wisdom in it is this: the believers are charged by the Shari'a to love and respect God's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) to the utmost degree, to f, he npelled at nothing about him at all, and to look on everything about him as good. Almighty God, therefore, did not leave His Noble Beloved (UWBP) to live the difficult, troublesome gh posof old age after sixty-three; He rather sent him to the Sublime Court at that age, which was the average life expectancy of the community of which he was the leader. He took him to Himself, showing that he was the leader isplayey respect.

YOUR SEVENTH QUESTION

Is the following a Hadith, and what does it mean? "The best of youths are those who resemble men of mature age, while the worst men of middle age are those who resemble yons is" {[*]: Alî Mawârdî, Adab al-Dunyâ wa'l-Dîn, 27; Ghazâlî, Ihyâ' 'Ulûm al-Dîn, i, 142; al-Manâwî, al-Fayd al-Kabîr, iii, 487.}

~The Answer:>I have heard that it is a Hadith. Its meaning is this: "The best youth is the one who thinks about dess.

ke an elderly person, and working for the hereafter, avoids joining those who become captive to the passions of youth and drown in heedlessness. And the worst of your elderly people is the one nters.ies to resemble the young in heedlessness and passion, and follows the lusts of the soul like a child."

The correct form of the second part you saw in the piece is as follows. I have hung it above myirmatifor the wisdom it teaches. I look it at it every morning and evening and receive instruction:

If you want a friend, God is sufficient. Yes, if He is your friend, everything is s the ly.

If you want companions, the Qur'an is sufficient. For in the imagination one meets with the prophets and angels in it, observes the events in which thee is s involved, and becomes familiar with them.

If you want possessions, contentment is sufficient. Yes, the person who is content is frugal; and the frugal person receives the blessing of plenty.

on thayou want an enemy, the soul is sufficient.>Yes, the person who fancies himself is visited with calamities and meets with difficulties, where!

#37 one who is not fond of himself, finds happiness, and receives mercy.

If you want advice, death is sufficient. Yes, the person who thiyour m death is saved from love of this world, and works in earnest for the hereafter.

I am adding an eighth to your seven matters. It is like this: a couple of days ago, a Qur'an recidescriad part of Sura Yusuf as far as,

Take my soul [at death] as one submitting to Your will [as a Muslim], and unite me with the righteous.>(12:101)

This point occurred to me in a flash: everything concerning the Qur'an and belie is noaluable; however insignificant a point appears to be, it has great value. Nothing that helps to win eternal happiness is insignificant. In which case, it may not be said that this is only a small point and not wor He wilaining or being given importance. And certainly, the first student and

person addressed in matters of this kind, who appreciates the fine points of the Qur'an, Ibrahim Hulûsi, wants t to de this point! In which case, listen to it:

It is a fine point about the finest of stories. An elevated, subtle, happy, and miraculous point of ttion.

se,

Take my soul [at death] as one submitting to Your will [as a Muslim], and unite me with the righteous,>(12:101)

which announces that the story of Joseph (Upon whom be peace), the best of stories, has reached its conclusio they is this: the sorrows of death and separation at the end of other happy stories sour the pleasure the listener has received from the story in his imagination, and dispel it. Especially if they describe death and separation j at alen recounting the moment of perfect joy and happiness; this is even more painful and causes those listening to cry out in sorrow. However, although this verse mentions Jos name death just at the most brilliant part of his story, when he is Ruler of Egypt, united with his mother and father, fondly meeting with his brothers, and is exp has eing the greatest worldly happiness and joy, it does so in such a way as to say: Joseph himself asked Almighty God for his death in order to experience greater happiness and a more brilliant situation; and he der tha and did receive that happiness.

That is to say, there is beyond the grave a happiness and joy greater than the pleasurable happiness of this world, so that while in that most joyful wEurope situation, a truth-seeing person like Joseph (Upon whom be peace) wished for bitter death, so as to receive that other happiness.

So note this eloquence of the he sonse Qur'an, and the way it announces the end of the story of Joseph. It causes not sorrow and regret to those listening to it, but gives good tidings and adds further joy. It also gives guidanceessingng: Work for beyond the grave, for it is there that true happiness and pleasure will be found! It also points out Joseph's exalted veraciousness, saying: Ey age.e most brilliant and joyful situation of this world did not cause him to become heedless; it did not captivate him; he still wanted the hereafter.

The Twenty-Fourth Letter

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

God it forhat He wishes, and decrees what He wills.

~Question:>How can the solicitous nurturing, the purposeful and beneficial planning, the loving kindness of the names of All-Compassionate, All-Wise, and Loving, which are among on, aneatest of the divine names, be reconciled with death and non-existence, decline and separation, and disaster and hardship, which are awesome and terrible? Very well, man goes to eternal happiness soh Poinn tolerate his passing down the road of death, but how about the delicate species of trees and plants, and the lovely flowers, which are all living creatures, and the animal species, which are wortble maexistence, lovers of life, and desire permanent life? What compassion and kindness are there in their continuously without exception being anniout wid, in their being swiftly despatched to non-existence without being allowed to so much as open their eyes, in their being made to toil without so e towns taking a breath, in their being changed by calamities with not one of them being left in peace, in their being killed without exception, in their dying with noual erof them remaining, in their departing with none of them being gratified - what wisdom and purpose, what favour and mercy, are there in this?

~The Answer:>Through five signs, which show the necessitating cause and reasoe Qur' five indications, which point out the aims and benefits, we shall try to look from afar at the mighty truth that solves this question, and is eon thely broad, profound, and elevated.

First Station

FIRST SIGN

As is described at the end of the Twenty-Sixth Word, when making a precious garment, ornamented with jewels and embroidery, a skilful cs thatan employs a poor man in return for a commensurate wage. In order to display his skill and art, he dresses the man in the garment, then measures and cuts it, and lengthens and shortens it; making the man sit down and stand up, he gives it vars thatorms. Does the wretched man have the right to say to the craftsman: "Why are you meddling with this garment which makes me beautiful, altering and changing it? Why are you making me stand up and sit down, disturbing meyears ausing me trouble?"

In exactly the same way, in order to display the perfections of His art through the embroideries of His names, the All-Glorious Maker takes the warniial nature of beings as a model, then He clothes them all and especially living creatures in the garment of a body bejewelled with senses, and inscribes it with the pen of divine decree and determining, thus displaying the manifehe is n of His names. In addition, He gives to each one of them a perfection, a pleasure, an effulgence, in a way suitable to it and as a wage.

Does anything have the right, then, to say to the All-Glorious Maker, who exemplifies the meaning oer.

e Lord of All Dominion has free disposal over His realms as He wishes:" "You are giving me trouble and disturbing me."? God forbid! Beings have no rights before the Necessarily Existent One, nor cprotecy claim them. What falls to them is, by offering thanks and praise, to carry out what is required by the degree of existence He has given them. For but tgrees of existence that are given are occurrences, and each requires a cause. Degreeٍن؟hat are not given are possibilities, and possibilities are non-ept annt as well as being infinite. As for instances of non-existence, they do not require a cause. For example, minerals cannot say: "Why weren't we plants?"; they cannot complai religt falls to them is to offer thanks to their Creator for having been given mineral existence. And plants may not complain asking why they were Barlanimals; what is due to them is to offer thanks, for they have received life as well as existence. As for animals, they cannot complain that they are nod us tns; what

is incumbent on them, since they have been given the precious substance of spirit in addition to life and existence, is to offer th52.} TAnd so on.

O querulous man! You did not remain non-existent; you were clothed in the bounty of existence. You tasted life; you neither remained inanimate, nor were made an animal. You received the easy a of Islam; you did not remain in misguidance. You have experienced the bounties of good health and well-being!

O ungrateful one! Where did you win the right not to offer thanks in return for the degrees of exibefore Almighty God has given you as a pure bounty? How is it that because exalted bounties that are contingencies and non-existent and that you do not deserve have not been given you, you complinary out Almighty God with meaningless greed, and are ungrateful for the bounties you have received? If a man rises to an elevated position, such as climbing to the toseries minaret, and finds a high station, and on every step receives a large bounty, then does not thank the one who gave him the bounties and complainingly asks why he did not rise even higher, how wrong he would be! What anntanceteful denial of the bounties, what a great foolishness it would be, as even a lunatic would understand!

O discontented greedy, thriftless wasteful, unjustly complaining, heedless man! Know certainly that contentment id you.itable thanks, greed is loss-causing ingratitude, and frugality, fine and beneficial respect for bounties. As for wastefulness, it is ugly and harmful contempt for bounties. If you have any intelligence, accustom yoursr hear being content and try to be satisfied with little! If you cannot endure it, say: "O Most Patient One!" and request patience. Be satisfied with your lot and do not complain! Understand who is complaining about whom, and be silent. If youty of to complain, then complain about your soul to God Almighty, for that's where the fault lies.

SECOND SIGN

As is stated at the end of the last matter of the Eighteenth Letter, one instancIt is isdom in the All-Glorious Creator's constantly changing and renewing beings in an astonishing and awesome way through the activity of His dominicality is asws:

ws:

Activity and motion in creatures arise from an appetite, a desire, a pleasure, a love. It may be said that there is a sort of pleasure in all activity; or that activity is a sort of pleasure, even. Pleasure too is se. He towards a perfection; indeed, it is a sort of perfection. Since activity indicates perfection, pleasure, beauty; and since the Necessarily Existent Ohis coo is absolute perfection and the Perfect One of Glory, unites in His essence, attributes,

and names every sort of perfection; for sure, in a manner fitting for th in a ssary existence and holiness of the Necessarily Existent Essence, in a form suitable to His absolute riches and essential self-sufficiency, in a way appropriate to His absolute perfection and freedom y harmefect, He has a boundless sacred compassion and infinite pure love. Of a certainty, there is an infinite holy eagerness arising from that sacred compassion and pure love; and from that holy eagerness arir'an's infinite sacred joy. And arising from that sacred joy, is, if the term is permissible, an infinite holy pleasure. And from this holy pleasure and from the gratitude and perfections of creatures which result from the emergence and unfolding ign inir potentialities within the activity of His power, arise, if one may say so, an infinite sacred gratification and holy pride pertaining to that Most Merciful and Compassionate Essence. It is these that necessitate a boundless activity. And e proooundless activity in turn necessitates boundless change and transformation, alteration and destruction. And the boundless change and transformation necessitate death and extinction, decline and separation.

At one time, the benefits consi by human science and philosophy {[*]: Human science and philosophy refers to those philosophies which are derived from human reason, and which hold scienn and be the source and measure of truth rather than divine revelation. (Tr.)} concerning the aims of beings appeared to me to be extremely insignificaur'an'understood from this that such philosophy leads only to futility. Consequently, leading philosophers either fall into the swamp of nature, or they become Sophists, or they deny divine knowledge and choihelp") they call the Creator "self-necessitating."

At that point, divine mercy sent the name All-Wise to my aid, and it showed me the great aims of creatures. That is to say, every creature, evrinciptefact, is a dominical missive for conscious beings to study. This aim satisfied me for a year. Then the wonders in the art of beings were unfolded alled and the former aim began to seem deficient. Another, much greater aim became apparent, which was that the main aims of creatures look to theirlove f. I understood that it consists of creatures' presenting to His gaze the perfections of His art, the embroideries of His names, the embellishments of His wisdom, and the gifts of His mercy; His etheir being mirrors to His beauty and perfections. This aim satisfied me for a long time, then the miracles of divine power and attributes of dominicality (şuûnât-ı rubûbiyet)>in the ed was ly swift changes and transformations within the astonishing activity in the art and creation of things became apparent. The former aim too began to appear insuffio is t I understood that a necessitating

cause, a motive, was necessary as great as that latter aim. It was then that the causes in this second Sig of ththe aims in the Indications to follow became apparent. It was made known to me with complete certainty that the activity of divine power in the universe and the constant flte out beings are so meaningful that through them the All-Wise Maker causes all the realms of beings in the universe to speak. It is as if the beings of As forrth and the skies and their motion and actions are the words of their speech; their motion is their speech. That is, the motion and decline arising from athe fry is speech glorifying God. The activity in the universe is the universe's silent speech and that of the varieties of its beings; their being made s perfak.

THIRD SIGN

Things do not go to non-existence, they rather pass from the realm of power to the realm of knowledge; they go from the Manifest World toaw andorld of the Unseen; they turn from the world of change and transience to the worlds of light and eternity. In reality, the beauty and perfection in things peivine to the divine names and are their impresses and manifestations. Since the names are eternal and their manifestations, perpetual, certainly their impresses wio descrenewed, refreshed, and made beautiful. Things do not vanish into non-existence; their relative determinations change; their realities, essences, and identities, from which spring their beauty and loveliness, effulgence and perfec they are enduring.

The beauty of beings with no spirits pertain directly to the divine names; the honour is theirs; praise is due to them; the bean is s theirs; love goes to them; they suffer no harm on those mirrors changing.

For beings with spirits but no intellect, death is not a departure for extinction, a vanishing into non-existence; it is to be saved from physica was ctence and the turbulent duties of life. The beings make over the fruits of the duties they have performed to their spirits. Relying on a divine name, their immortal spiriwondrosist; indeed, they attain a happiness worthy of them.

For beings that possess both spirit and intellect, death is anyway a journeying to everlasting happiness, to the eternal realm, posse is a spring of perfections, material and non-material, and to such other dwelling-places of the All-Wise Maker as the Intermediate Realance c World of Similitudes, and the Spirit World, which all surpass this world in beauty and luminosity. Their passing does not lead to their death and extinial a, separation and non-existence, but to their attaining perfection.

~In Short:>Since the All-Glorious Maker exists and He is Eternal, and

since His attributes and names are perpet journd everlasting; certainly His names' manifestations and impresses are renewed, affording them a sort of perpetualness; they are not destroyed and do not just disappear; they are not ephemeral and despatched to non-being.ng for clear that by reason of his humanity, man is connected with most other beings; he receives pleasure at their happiness and is grieved at their destruction. He feel more grief at the suffering of living creatures, of humankind in particular,mpossiarticularly the people of perfection he loves and admires; and his happiness is greater at their happiness. Like a fond mother, he even sacrifices his -Ra'd,ppiness and comfort for theirs. Thus, through the light of the Qur'an and mystery of belief, all believers - in accordance with their degree - may be happy at the happiness of other beings, and aluminor continued existence and being saved from nothingness and their being valuable dominical missives; they may gain a light as extensive as the world. Everyone may profit from of theight according to his degree. As for the people of misguidance, in addition to their own pains they are grieved at the destruction of beings, at their transience and apparently being despatched to non-existence - and if they have spirits And heir suffering. That is to say, their unbelief fills their world with non-existence; it empties it over their heads, causing them hell before they go them. A% FOURTH SIGN

As we have said in many places, a monarch has various offices and departments proceeding from such titles of his as Sultan, Khalifa,>Jauty iand Commander-in-Chief. In the same way, Almighty God's Most Beautiful Names have innumerable different sorts of manifestations. All the different sorts of creatures arise from the von to es of manifestations. Thus, by virtue of the fact that every possessor of beauty and perfection has an innate desire to see and display his beauty and perfection, the names - since they are constant and eternal - want to be displayty forpermanent fashion on account of the Most Pure and Holy Essence. That is to say, they want to see their impresses; that is, to see in the mit to tof their embroideries the manifestation of their beauty and reflection of their perfection; that is, to renew every instant the mighty book of the universe and the multifarious missives or, anngs; that is, to constantly write them anew; that is, to write thousands of different missives on a single page and to display each missive to heart.tnessing gaze of the Sacred Essence, the Most Pure and Holy One, who is signified; and in addition, to exhibit them to the meditative gazes of sentient beings, and to cause them to read them. Considughout following poem, which alludes to this truth:

The leaves of the book of the world are of varieties incalculable,

Its letters and words, too, are of number infinite;

vens acribed on the workbench of the Preserved Tablet of reality,

An embodied meaningful word, is each being in the world.

Study the lines of the universe; for they are missives to you from the Sublime Assembly.

nly onH SIGN

The fifth Sign consists of two points.

~First Point:>Since Almighty God exists, everything exists. Since they have a relation with Almighty God, all thingsFourth for everything. For through the mystery of unity, through their relation with the Necessarily Existent One, all beings become connected with all other beings. This means that through the myst" And unity, every being that knows its relation with the Necessarily Existent One, or whose relation is known, becomes connected to all beings since they are connected to Him. This means that by virtue of thated to ion, all beings may manifest endless lights of existence. In that respect, for them there is no separation or death. To live for a single passing second yields innumerable lights of existence. Whereto spethere is no such relation or it is not known, the being or person manifests infinite separations and deaths. For in the face of every being with which he could have been connecte Accoris exposed to a separation, a parting, a death. That is, he burdens his personal existence with endless instances of non-existence and sy can ion. If he were to remain in existence for a million years even (without connection), it would not be equal to living for an instant with the relation mentioned above. The people of reality (ehl-i hakikat)>hes, anid therefore: "Illumined existence for a passing instant is preferable to a million years of profitless existence." It is also because of this that verifiers of the realities (ehl-i tahkik)>have said: "The lights of existence become apds. He through recognizing the Necessarily Existent One." That is to say: the universe is seen to be full of angels, spirit beings, and intelligent ber the bathed in lights of existence. Whereas without them, the darkness of non-existence and pains of death and separation encompass all beings. In such a view, the world appears to bs defempty, desolate wasteland.

Indeed, all the fruits of a tree have a relation with all the other fruits, and since through the relation they are all friends and brothers, each possesses accidental existences to their In H. But if one of the fruits is plucked from the tree, it suffers a separation and death in the face of all the other fruits; they all become as though non-existent for it; it remains in the resulting darkness of external non-existenced pro7

In exactly the same way, in so far as they are connected to the power of the Single Eternally Besoughted One, all things exist for everything. Thi pathnce of such a relation results for all things in external non-existences to the number of things.

So see from this Sign the vastness of the lights of belief and the terrifying darkness of misgui It mu That is, belief is the mark of the elevated truth described in this Sign; and it may be benefited from through belief. In the absence of belief, just as for someone who is blind, deaf, dumb, and stupid everything the Tn-existent, so is everything non-existent and dark for one without belief.

~Second Point:>The world and all things have three faces:

The Fsed usace looks to the divine names and is their mirror. Death, separation, and non-existence cannot intrude on this face; it rather manifests renewal and remaking afresh.

The Second Faceion: T to the hereafter and gazes upon the World of Eternity; it is its arable field. Here, enduring fruits and produce are raised. It serves ete obligand makes ephemeral things as though eternal. On this face too there is no death and decline, but the manifestations of life and eternity.

The Third Face looks to transitogethings, that is, to us. It is the beloved of ephemeral beings and those who follow the caprices of their souls; the place of trade for the conscious, whenarena of trial and examination for those charged with duties. Thus, the salve and cure for the pains and wounds of the transience and decline, the death and extinction, on try wheird face, are the manifestations of life and eternity in its inner face.

~In Short:>This flood of beings, these travelling creatures, are roving mirrors and ever-changing places of manifestation for the renewal of the Necessarily Ere fort One's lights of creation and existence.

Second Station

~First Topic:>In each of the following five Indicati the s a comparison, written in the form of a dull, short-ranged telescope with which to observe the attributes of dominicality. The comparisons cannot containd claieality of those attributes; they cannot encompass them and be the measure of them, but they can assist in looking at them. Any phrases or expressions in thnationarisons, or in the previous Signs, unfitting for the attributes of the Most Pure and Holy Essence are the fault of the comparisons.

For example, the meanings of pleasure, joy, and gratification known by us cannot express the sacred at prepoes; each rather indicates an observatory and is an aid to reflective thought. Also, by showing in a small example the tip of an encompassing, mighty law of dominicality, each proves the reality of the law present inugh itttributes of dominicality. For example, it is said that a flower departs from existence leaving thousands of existences behind it. This demonstrates a mighty lanary fominicality that is in force in all the beings of spring, indeed, of all the world.

Yes, through whichever law the All-Compassionate Creator changes a to goews the feathered dress of a bird, through the same law that All-Wise Maker renews the dress of the globe of the earth every year. Through the same law, He transforms the shape of the world every century. And throung is same law, He will change the form of the universe at the resurrection of the dead.

Through whichever law He impels particles like Mevlevi dervialed."He makes the earth spin through the same law, like an ecstatic Mevlevi dervish rising up to dance the sama'.>And through that law, He causes worlds to revolve, and t in thar system to travel through space.

Through whichever law He renews, repairs, and dissolves the particles in your body's cells, through the same law He renews your garden every year, making it anew many timm willry season. And through the same law, He renews the face of the earth every spring, drawing a fresh veil over its face.

Through whichever lao his All-Powerful Maker raises a fly to life, through the same law He restores to life the plane-tree opposite your window

every springhe brethrough that law, He raises the globe of the earth to life in the spring; and through the same law He will raise creatures to life at the resurrection. The Qur'an alludes to this with the verse,

Your creation and your resurrection iss of ts a single soul.>(31:28)

And so on; you can make further examples in the same way.

There are many laws of dominicality like these which are in force from particles to tns amoality of the world. Consider the immensity of these laws within dominical activity; note carefully their breadth and see the meaning of unity within them. Understand that each law is a proof of divw insiity. Yes, since all these numerous and immense laws are the manifestations of knowledge and will, and since they are both the same and all-eant. Assing, they offer certain proof for the Maker's unity, knowledge, and will.

Thus, most of the comparisons in the Words>show through small examples the tips of laws like these, and by doing so, point to the existencnatelyhe same law in the matter claimed. Since the existence of the law is demonstrated through a comparison, it proves the assertion as categorically as a logical proof. Tha and to say, most of the comparisons in the Words>should be considered categorical proofs and certain arguments.

~Second Topic:>As is described in the Tenth Truth first Tenth Word, however many flowers and fruits there are on a tree, each of them has aims, purposes, and instances of wisdom to that number. These instances of wisdom are of three sorts:

temati sort>looks to the Maker and displays the embroideries of His names.

Another sort looks to intelligent and conscious beings, and in their view, things are valuable missives and meaningful words.

Another sort looks to the being itself the Ol its own life and perpetuation; and if beneficial for man, it contains instances of wisdom accordingly.

At one time, while contemplating how all beingists t such numerous aims, the following phrases occurred to me in Arabic, which, like notes forming the basis of the following Indications, allude to those universal a Sulh, These glorious beings are flowing places of manifestation and roving mirrors for the renewal of the manifestations of the lights of His I seivity - Glory be unto Him! - through the changing of their relative determinations, * Firstly, and by preserving their beautiful meanings and their identities in the World of Similitudes; * Secondly, and producing truths pertainrupted the World of the Unseen and the weavings of the

Preserved Tablet; * Thirdly, and spreading the fruits of the hereafter and publishing everlasting ghiz? mas; * Fourthly, and proclaiming dominical glorifications and making known what the divine names necessitate; * Fifthly, so that the divine attributes become apparent and the aspects of divine knowledge.

These five sections comprise thendepen of the Indications we shall discuss below. Yes, all beings, and particularly living beings, possess on five levels different aims and i to anes of wisdom and purposes. Like a tree produces fruit on branches one over the other, so all living beings have five different levels of all desd purposes.

O ephemeral man! If you want your own tiny seed-like reality to be transformed into an eternal fruit-bearing tree, and to obtain the ten levels oence wts and ten sorts of aims pointed out in the five Indications, acquire true faith. Otherwise, in addition to being deprived of all of them, you will be squeezed into tking ked and you will rot!

FIRST INDICATION

Firstly: through the changing of their relative determinations, and by preserving their beautiful meanings and their identities in nding rld of Similitudes.

This section expresses the following: although a being apparently disappears into non-existence after departing from [external] existence, the meanings it thinkpressed are preserved and perpetuated. Its identity, form, and essential nature also are preserved in the World of Similitudes, on the Preserved Tablets, which are samples of the World of Similitudes, andhe shemories, which are samples of the Preserved Tablets. That is, the being loses its visible existence and gains hundreds of immaterial existences and existences in knowledge.

For examplearla. rder to print a page in a printing-press, the type is set up and arranged. Then after the page has bequeathed its form and identity on many pages when printed and after it has ptanceimed its meanings to many minds, the arrangement of the type is changed. For no need remains for it and other pages have to be printed.

In exactly the same way, the pen of divine deere ining sets up and arranges the beings of the earth, especially plants. Divine power creates them on the page of the springtime. Then in order for them to express thei manuftiful meanings and for their forms and identities to pass to the ledgers of the World of the Unseen, for instance the World of Similitudes, divine wisdom requires that the arrangemeces, fchanged. In this way, the page of

another, future spring may be written and its beings express their meanings too.

SECOND INDICATION

Secondly, and producing truths pertaining to the World of the Unseen aiths h weavings of the Preserved Tablet.

This section shows that before departing from existence, everything, whether particular or universal, and especially living beings, pr the o many truths pertaining to the Unseen. So too they leave behind them on the tablets and notebooks of the World of Similitudes forms to the number of the stages of tght thives. Their life histories and those of their forms that are meaningful are inscribed and become objects of study for spirit beings.

For example, a flower passes from existence, but ow onler with leaving behind its essential nature in its hundreds of seeds, it leaves thousands of its forms on small Preserved Tablets and in memories, which are o suchsamples of the Preserved Tablets. And throughout the stages of its life it causes conscious beings to study the embroideries of the divine namnalist the dominical glorifications it expresses; then it departs.

Similarly, the springtime is a flower adorned with finely wrought beings in the flower-pot of the face of the earth; it apparently . And nd departs for non-existence, but in its place it leaves behind in existence the truths pertaining to the Unseen it has expressed to the number of its seeds, and identities in the World of Similitudes it has published to misguumber of its flowers, and the instances of dominical wisdom it has displayed to the number of its beings; only then is it hidden from us. Moreover, it makes room for its friends, other springs, to come and perforterminr duties. That is to say, the spring is divested of an external existence, and in meaning is clothed in a thousand existences.

THIRD INDICATION

Thirdly, and spreading the fruits of the hereafter and publishing everlasting paagnifis.

This section states that the world is a workbench and an arable field raising crops suitable for the market of the hereafter. We have proved in many of the Words>that just as jinn and men send their actions to the market of the hereaftus wor too the other beings in the world perform numerous duties on account of the hereafter and produce many crops for it. It may even be said that the earth travels for them, or even that this is its pusure, This dominical ship traverses a twenty-four thousand year distance in one year, circumscribing the field of the resurrection.

For example, the people of Paradise will surely wish to recall their adventures in thi.

8d and recount them to one another. They will be exceedingly curious to see the images and pictures of those adventures, and they will enjoy it immeprisonif they can watch them like watching a cinema screen. Consequently, as the verse,

[Joyfully] facing each other on thrones [of dignity]>(15:47; 37:44)

indicates, in Paradise, the rster, f delight and happiness, worldly adventures and scenes of worldly happenings will be recalled, amid everlasting panoramas.

Thus, the beautiful beings of this world appearing for a moment then disappearing, and following on one afterival, ther in succession, appear to be factories and workshops manufacturing the vistas of eternity. For example, in order to give fleeting situations a permanence and leave souvenirs for the people of the future, the people of present-day civilizatar mercord the images of beautiful or strange happenings and present them as gifts to the future by means of the cinema screen; they show the past in the present and the future, and include it in them.

In just the same way, the All-Wise Maal hun the beings of spring and this world records the aims of their brief lives, which look to the World of Eternity, in that world. He records in everlasting scenes in the Eternal Realm the vital duties and the divine miracles they have pine coed throughout the stages of their lives, as required by His names All-Wise, All-Compassionate, and Loving.

FOURTH INDICATION

Fourthly, and proclaiming dominical glorifications and making known the requirements of the divine To se

This section states that throughout the stages of their lives, beings perform numerous varieties of dominical glorifications. They also d make various situations that the divine names necessitate and require. For example, the name of All-Compassionate desires to be compassionate. The name Providerroup hsitates the giving of sustenance. The name Gracious requires the granting of favours. And so on; all the divine names require and necessitate something. Thus, in addition to demonstrating the requirements of the leep ithrough their lives and existences, all living beings glorify the All-Wise Maker to the number of their members and faculties.

For example,reated eats delicious fruits which are then dissolved in his stomach and apparently destroyed, but they both produce a pleasure and eagerness ariice ofrom activity in all the cells of his body as well as his

mouth and stomach, and comprise very many instances of wisdom like nurturing his life and every part of his body rent!using his life to continue. And the food itself rises from vegetable existence to the level of human life; it progresses.

In exactly the same way, when beings are hidden behind the veil of death, in additio the lheir very many glorifications enduring in their places, they bequeath to the divine names many of the names' embroideries and requirements. That is to say, they depart entrusting them to an eternal exison is. If, then, when a transient and temporary existence departs thousands of existences manifesting a sort of permanence remain in its place, can it be said that the thiuniverto be pitied, or that it was all for nothing, or why did that lovable creature depart; can it be complained about? For the mercy, wisdom, and love that look to it required and necessitated it to be thus. Otherwise thousands of beneff servuld have to be abandoned so that a single harm would not come about; in which case the harm would be a thousandfold. That is to say, the names All-Compasstites , All-Wise, and Loving One are not opposed to death and separation; indeed, they require and necessitate it.

FIFTH INDICATION

Fifthly, so that the divine attributes become apparent and the aspeURTH Q divine knowledge.

This section states that on departing from visible existence, beings, and particularly living beings, leave behind them many enduring things. As described in the Seciled.ign, among the attributes of dominicality (şuûnât-ı rubûbiyet)>- in a way befitting the sacredness and perfect self-sufficiency of the Necessarily Existent Essence and in a form worthy of Him - are a boundless love, an infinite coose peon, an endless pride, and, if the term is permissible, a boundless holy pleasure, a joy, and if the expression is not mistaken, an infinite sacred delight, and a transcendent happiness; thJust aes of which are to be observed and seen.

Yes, through change and transformation, decline and transience, beings are driven on at speed within ialismtonishing activity necessitated by these attributes; they are constantly sent from the Manifest World to the World of the Hereafter. Under the manifestations of the attributes, creatures are shaken up in a conty receflow and flood, motion and movement, scattering to the ears of the heedless the lamentations of death and separation, and to the hearing of the people of guidance a clamour of glorification and recital of God's nird PoIt is by virtue of this mystery that all beings depart leaving

behind them in existence meanings, qualities, and states which will eace peop means to the manifestation of the Necessarily Existent One's eternal attributes.

Furthermore, beings depart leaving behind them the stages and states they have undergone throughout their lives - a detailed existence which represents thd is iternal existence - on the Preserved Tablet, and in the Clear Book and Clear Record, and other spheres of existence like these that pertain to divine knowledge. This m4)

hat every transitory being abandons one existence and gains thousands of permanent existences.

For example, a number of common substances are thrown into a wondrous machinell thefactory; they burn up inside it and are apparently destroyed, but in those vats valuable chemical substances are precipitated. Also, through its force and steam,ferentactory's machinery works: in one area of it textiles are woven, in another books are printed, while in another sweets and other rare confections areind hiactured; and so on; it produces these. That is to say, thousands of things come into existence through the burning of those common substancef merctheir apparent destruction. One common existence departs but leaves a legacy of numerous elevated existences. Can one therefore feel sorry for the common substance? Can one complain about the factory ownerning tse he did not pity it and burnt it, destroying those lovable substances?

Similarly, "And God's is the highest similitude,">(16:60) as necessitated by mercy, wisdom, and lovingness, the tervenCompassionate, and Loving Creator causes the factory of the universe to work. He makes all transient existences the seeds of numerous perpetual existences; He makeof his the means for the fulfilment of the dominical aims; He makes them manifest the divine attributes; He makes them the ink for the pen of divine determining and shuttles for the weaving of divine power; and for many elevated aims and favours intere do not yet know, through the activity of His power He causes the activity of the universe; He causes particles to spin, beings to travel, animals to flow, and the planets to rotate; He makes the universe speak,r of ang it to silently recite His verses, His signs, and to inscribe them. And of the creatures of the earth - with regard to His dominicality - He makes the air a throne for His command and as if the element of light a throne for His knowledge and wisdom; water a throne for His bounty and mercy; and earth a throne for His preservation and giving of life; and three of these throGlorio rests on the creatures of the earth.

Know certainly that the shining truth demonstrated in these five Signs and five Indications is to be seen through the light of the Qur'an and may be lai of itm to through the strength of belief. Otherwise a terrifying darkness

takes the place of this enduring truth. For the people of misguidance, the world is full to overflowin the v deaths, separations, and non-existence; for them, the universe is a sort of Hell. Everything has only a flash of existence and is surrounded by never-ending non-being. The a malind the future are filled with the darkness of non-existence; they may find a sad light of existence only in the fleeting present. However, through the mystery of the Qur'an and the light of belis min light of existence becomes apparent which shines from pre-eternity to post-eternity; believers are connected with that, and through it secure eternal happiness.

~In Short:>In the manner of the poet Niya and rrî, we say:

Till this breath becomes the ocean,

Till this cage is smashed to fragments,

Till this voice is silenced,

I shall call: O Truth! me mertent! O Living One! Most Worthy of Worship!

O Most Wise! One Sought! Most Compassionate! All-Loving!

And I call out:

There is no god but God, the Sovereign, the Truth, tollow dent; Muhammad is the Messenger of God, faithful in His promise, Amen.

And believing, I declare:

Resurrection after death is true; Paradise is true; Hell-fire is true; eternal happiness is true; God is Compassionate, We thisnd Loving; and Mercy, Wisdom, and Love encompass all things and all their attributes.

And they shall say: "Praise be to God, who has guided us to this [felicity]; never cour servhave found guidance, had it not been for the guidance of God; indeed, it was the truth that the prophets of our Sustainer brought to us!">(7:43)

Glory be to the One who has made the garden of the earth the exhibition of His art, the gacourseg of His creatures, the place of manifestation of His power, the means of His wisdom, the garden of His mercy, the tillage of His Paradise, the place of passage of creatures, through whico, folgs flow, the measure of artefacts; adorned by animals, embroidered with birds, made fruitful by trees, made to bloom with flowers; miracles of His knowledge, wonders of His art, gifts of His munificence, proofs of His favoure, andences of His unity, subtleties of His wisdom, witnesses to His mercy; the smiling of the blossoms with the adornment of fruits, the singing of the birds in the

breezes of morning, the pattering of the rain ful be cheeks of the flowers; the adornment of the flowers, the embellishment of the fruits in these gardens; all mothers, human and animal, are tender towards their small young, mas are nown a Loving One, making loved a Merciful One, the compassion of a Kind One, the tenderness of One sympathetic to man and jinn, and to spirits, spotics, angels, and jinn.

The First Addendum to the Twenty-Fourth Letter

In His Name, be He glorified!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.>(17:44)

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.>pider'y: No importance would your Sustainer attach to you were it not for your supplication.>(25:77)

Listen now to five points concerning this verse.

First Point

Supplication is a mighty mystery of wsainth; indeed, it is as though the spirit of worship. As we have mentioned in many places, supplication is of three sorts.

The First Sort of Supplication: This is the tonguee insttent ability. Through it all seeds and grains supplicate the All-Wise Creator, saying: "Make us grow! Make our tiny truths sprout and transform us into the migstenceality of a tree, so that we may display the elaborate embroideries of Your names!"

Another sort of supplication through the tongue of latent ability is this: the encouring together of causes is a supplication for the creation of the effect. That is to say, the causes take up a position whereby they resemble a tongue of disposition through which they beseech the effect from the All-Powerful One oftion, . For example, water, heat, earth, and light take up positions around a seed, and their doing this constitutes a tongue of supplication which says: "O Our Creator, make this seed into a tree!" For the tree, a wonderful miracle of power, caabyss e attributed to those unconscious, lifeless, simple substances; that would be impossible. This means the coming together of causes is a sort of supplication.

The Second Sort of Supplication: This , 517.ough the tongue of innate need. It is the supplication made by all living creatures to the All-Compassionate Creator to give them the things they need and desire, which are beyond their power and will, from une and td places, at the appropriate

time. For an All-Wise and Compassionate One sends them all these things at the right time, from places they do not know. They are beyond their reach. That is to say, the bestowal is the result of supplicathe te In Short:>All that rises to the divine court from the universe is a supplication. Those things that are causes seek the effects from God.

The Third Sort of Supplication: This is the supplicatianionsconscious beings, which arises from need. It is of two kinds:

If it is made at a time of desperate need, or is completely conformabl any o innate need, or if it is close to the tongue of latent ability, or is made with the tongue of a pure, sincere heart, this supplication is virtually always acceptable. The greateey alw of human progress and most discoveries are the result of this sort of supplication. For the things they call the wonders of civilization and the matters and discoveries they take pride in are the result of what is in effect supplim his . They were asked for with a sincere tongue of latent ability and so were given. So long as there is nothing preventing them and they are conformable with conditions, supplicationuld no through the tongues of latent ability and innate need are always acceptable.

The Second Kind:>This is the well-known supplication and it too is of two kinds. One is by action and the other by word. Fo, the ple, ploughing is supplication by action. It is not seeking the sustenance from the earth; the earth is a door to a treasury of mercy, and the plough knocks on the earth, the door to divine mercy.

e and hall skip details of the remaining sorts, and explain in the following two or three points one or two of the secrets of supplication by word.

Second Point

Supplication has athis lful effect. It almost always yields results, indeed, its results are continuous, especially if it gains universality and is constant. It may even be said that supplication was one of the reasons for the world's creuld be That is to say, the supplications of chiefly mankind, and of them principally the Islamic world, and mainly the sublime supplications of Muses an the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) were a cause of the universe's creation. That is to say, the Creator of the World knew that in thelled re Muhammad (UWBP) would ask for eternal happiness and for a manifestation of the divine names in the name of mankind, indeed, on account of all beings, and He accepted that future supplicatoir morcreated the universe.

Since supplication possesses this great importance and capacity, is it at all possible that the supplications offered all the time for one thousand

three hundred and fifty years by three hundred million of maLife

and by uncountable numbers of blessed beings from among men, jinn, angels, and spirit beings for the bestowal of supreme divine mercy and eternal happiness on the Person of Muhammad ( unabl and for the accomplishment of their aims would not be accepted? Is it in any way possible that their supplications would be rejected?

Since all these supplications have acquired univer abund, extensiveness, and continuousness to this extent and have reached the level of the tongues of latent ability and innate need, for sure, as a result of them, Muhammre not Arabian (UWBP) has achieved such a rank and degree that if all minds were to gather together and become one mind, it could not completely comprehend it.

rgive ims! This is the intercessor you shall have on the Day of Resurrection! So if you want to attract his intercession, follow his practices (Sunna)!

~If you ask:>Since he is God's Beloved, what nesoldies he have of all these blessings and supplications?

~The Answer:>This Being (UWBP) is concerned with the happiness of all his community and shares in the good fortune ofd me iof its members. So too, he is disturbed by all their tribulations. For sure, the degrees of his own happiness and perfection are endless, but since he desires ardently the numberless kinds of happiness for the numberless members ofd fromommunity for an unlimited time, and is saddened at the numberless kinds of their wretchedness, he is surely worthy of and needy for endless blessings and supplications and mercy.

hammadu ask:>Sometimes supplications are offered for things that are definite; for example, the supplications in the prayers offered during lunar and solar eclipses. Also, sometimes supplheart,ns are made for things that will never come about. What does this mean?

~The Answer:>As is explained in others of the Words,>supplication is worship. By means of it, God's servant proclaims his powerlessnes

~Thwant. The apparent purposes mark the times of the supplication and the supplicatory worship; they are not really the purpose. The purpose of worship and its benefits look to the hereafter. If itthe eadly aims are not obtained, it should not be said that the supplication was not accepted, but that the time for it has not yet ended.

Also, is it at all possible that eternal happiness, which all thouselievers have asked for at all times, continuously, with complete sincerity and yearning and entreaty, should not be given to them, and that the Absolutely Generous One, the Absolutely Compassionate One, itatiocording to the

testimony of the universe possesses boundless mercy, should not accept their supplications and that eternal happiness should not exist?

Third Point

There are two ways in which liss? ary supplication by word is acceptable. It is either accepted exactly as desired or what is better is granted.

For example, someone asks for a son and Almighty God bestows a daughter lewherery. One should not say that his supplication was not accepted, but that it was accepted in a better way.

Also, sometimes a person makes supplication fo with happiness in this world and it is accepted for the hereafter. One should not say that his supplication was rejected, but that it was accepted in a better form. Similarly, Almighty God is All-Wise;t the ek from Him and He responds to us. But He deals with us in accordance with His wisdom.

A sick person should not cast aspersions on his doctor's wisdom. If he asks for honey and the expert doctor to me,him quinine, he should not say: "The doctor didn't listen to me." For the doctor listened to his sighs and moans; he heard them and responded to them. He prescribed something better than what was asked for.

Fourth Poinnames The best, finest, sweetest, most immediate fruit and result of supplication is this, that the person who offers it knows there is someone who listens to his voice, sends a remedy for his ailment, takes pitys wronm, and whose hand of power reaches everything. He is not alone in this great hostel of the world; there is an All-Generous Being who looks after him and makes it friendly. Imagining himself in the pief); e of the One who can bring about all his needs and repulse all his innumerable enemies, he feels a joy and relief; he casts off his load, whiences as heavy as the world, and exclaims: "All praise be to God, the Lord and Sustainer of All the Worlds!"

Fifth Point

Supplication is the spirit of wem. If and results from sincere belief. For the person who makes supplication shows that there is someone who rules the whole universe, sayingnt mysknows the least significant things about me, can bring about my farthest aims; who sees every circumstance of mine, and hears my voice. He hears the voices of all beings, and He hears my voice too. He does all these things, so I await my om-desst needs from Him too. I ask Him for them!"

See the extensive, sincere belief in God's unity that supplication gives, and the sweetness and purity of the light of belief that it shows! Understand

the meaning of the verse,

Say, No6-7; Dtance would your Sustainer attach to you were it not for your supplication;>(25:77)

listen to the decree of,

And your Sustainer says: Call on Me; I shall answer you.d, at 0)

As the saying goes: "If I had not wanted to give, I would not have given wanting." {[*]: See, Abû Nu'aym, Hilyat al-Awliyâ', iii, 263.}

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You deed, l-Knowing, All Wise!>(2:32)

O God, grant blessings to our master Muhammad from pre-eternity to post-eternity, to the number of things present in divine knowledge, and to his FEvery and Companions, grant them peace; and preserve us from harm, and preserve our religion. Amen. And all praise be to God, the Sustainer of All the Worlds.

The Second Addendum to the Twenty-Fourth Letter

In His Name!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.>(17:44)

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

I, indeed, he saw him at a second descent; * Near the Lote-tree of the farthest limit; * Near it is to the Garden of Abode. * Behold, tve mere-tree was shrouded in mystery unspeakable! * [His] eye did not waver, nor yet did it stray; * Truly did he see some of the most profound of his Sustainer's signs.>(53:13-18)

{[*]: A Mevlid is a recitation by special singers of the long poem about the Prophet Muhammad (UWBP) written by aw thaan Çelebi, who died in Bursa 780/1378.}

First Point

Süleyman Efendi, in the Mevlid>which he wrote, recounts a sad love story about Buraq, which was brought from Paradise. Since Süleyman Efendi was one of the saints and the sthe mis based on narrations, it must surely express a truth.

The truth of the matter must be this: the creatures of the Eternal Realm are closely connected with the light of God's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be bl. Theys and peace). For it is through the light that he brought that Paradise and the world of the hereafter will be inhabited by mankind and the jinn. If it had not been for him, there would have been no eternal happiness, and mankind and the jinn,e to aave the ability to benefit from all the creatures of Paradise, would not have dwelt there; in that sense it would have remained empty, a wasteland.

As is explained in the Fourth Branch of the Twenty-Fourthds wit a sort

of nightingale has been chosen from each of the animal species to proclaim the intense need of the species - and passion even - for the caravans of plant species whch outroceeding from the treasury of mercy, bear their provisions. The chief of these are the nightingale and the rose. The songs of these dominical orators, and the lhood, ng of the nightingale for the rose, are a welcoming, an applause, glorifying God, before the most beautiful of the plants.

Similarly, Gabriel (Upon whom be peace), one of the angels, served with perfect love Muhammad thn striian (Upon whom be blessings and peace), who was the reason for the creation of the spheres, the cause of happiness in this world and the next, and the beloved of the Sustainer of All the Worlrstand thus demonstrated the obedience and submission of the angels to Adam (Upon whom be peace) and the reason for their prostrating before him. Similarly,nd sineople of Paradise - and some of its animals even - feel a connection with Muhammad (UWBP), and this found expression in the passionate feelings of Buraq, whom he mounted.

llionsond Point

One of the adventures during the Ascension concerned Almighty God's transcendent love for His Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), which was expressed by the phrase: "I am your lover." In its c367

meaning, such words are inappropriate for the Necessarily Existent One's holiness and His essential self-sufficiency. Süleyman Efendi's Mevlid>has enjoyed great popula they it may be understood from this that, as one of the people of sainthood and reality, his allusion is correct. Its meaning is this:

The Necessarily Existent One possesses infinite beauty and perfection, for all the var in fa of them dispersed through the universe are the signs and indications of His beauty and perfection. Those who possess beauty and perfeche liglearly love them. Similarly, the All-Glorious One greatly loves His beauty, and He loves it in a way that befits Himself. Furthermore, He loves highemes, which are the rays of His beauty, and since He loves them, He surely loves His art, which displays their beauty. In which case, He also loves His creatureeasurech are mirrors reflecting His beauty and perfection. Since He loves the creatures that display them, He certainly loves the creatures' fine qualities, wd haveoint to the beauty and perfection of His names. The All-Wise Qur'an alludes to these five sorts of love with its verses.

Thus, since the Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings aindow ce) was the most perfect of creatures and the most excellent of beings;

And since he displayed and applauded divine art with a clamour of glorification and recthe din of God's names;

And since he opened through the tongue of the Qur'an the treasuries of beauty and perfection found in the names;

And since, through the tongue of the Qur'an he expounded brilliantly and compellingly the eeir utes for the Maker's perfection in the creational signs of the universe;

And since through his universal worship he acted as a mirror to divine dominicality;

And since th mankithe comprehensiveness of his essential nature he was the most perfect locus for the manifestation of all the divine names;

It surely may be said that since the All-Beauteous to thf Glory loves His own beauty, He loves Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace), the most perfectly conscious mirror to His beauty. And since He loves Hi endles, He loves Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace), who was the most brilliant mirror to the names, and He loves those who, according to their deg too wesemble him.

And since He loves His art, He certainly loves Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace), who proclaimed His art to the universe in an theerating voice, making it ring in the ears of the heavens, and who with a tumult of glorification and recitation of the divine praises, brought to ecstasy the land and the sea; and He loves too those in fillow him.

And since He loves His artefacts, He loves living beings, the most perfect of His artefacts, and intelligent beings, the mosnth Woect of living beings, and human beings, the most superior of intelligent beings, and He surely loves most of all Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace), who as is agreed by all was the most perfect of human beings.

And sinthe Quloves the moral virtues of His creatures, He loves Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace), whose moral qualities were at of Suery highest degree, as is agreed unanimously, and He loves too those who, as far as they can, resemble him. This means that like His mercy, Almighty God's love encompasses the universenslatihus, it was because among all those innumerable beloveds, the ultimate degree in every respect of the above-mentioned five aspects was unique to Muhammad the Arabian (Upon warent blessings and peace) that he was given the name of God's Beloved.

This was the reason Süleyman Efendi expressed this highest rank of being God's beloved with the words: "I am your lover." Thas theession is meant to provoke thought; it is a distant allusion to this truth. Nevertheless,

since it conjures up associations unfitting to the attributood ofdominicality, it is best to say instead: "I am pleased with you."

Third Point

The adventures of the Ascension cannot express those sacred, transcendent truths through allusions that we understand. Its exchanges are like observation pmes almeans to reflective thought, indications of profound and elevated truths, reminders for some of the truths of faith, and allusions to inexpressible meanings. They are not adventures in the sense that we know. We cane six ach those truths through our imaginations; we rather feel a pleasurable excitement in our hearts through our faith, a luminous joy of the spirit. For just as Almighty God has no like or match or peer in His essence a way aributes, so He has no like in His dominicality and its qualities. Nor does His love resemble the love of creatures, or His attributes resemble theirs. So,ssing,ng such expressions to be metaphors, we say this:

In a manner that befits His necessary existence and holiness and in a form appropriate to His essential self-sufficiency and absolute perfection, the Necessarily Existent One posividua certain qualities, like love, which are recalled through the adventures in the section of the Mevlid>about the Ascension. The Thirty-First Word about the e grout's Ascension explains and expounds its reality in the context of the principles of belief. Deeming that to be sufficient, we leave the present discussion at this.

Fourth Point

The words,hen deaw Almighty God beyond seventy thousand veils" {[*]: See, al-Qastalânî, al-Mawâhib al-Ladunniya (Sharh: al-Zarghânî), vi, 93-100.} express distance, whereas the Necessarily Existent One is free of space; He is closer to everythibbani,n anything else. What does this mean?

The Answer: This truth has been explained in detail and with proofs in the Thirty-First Word, so hernal trnly say this:

Almighty God is utterly near to us, but we are utterly distant from Him. The sun is near to us through the mirror we are holding, and all transparent objects on the earth are a sort of throne for it and a sort of dwel termsIf the sun had consciousness, it would converse with us by means of our mirror, despite our being four thousand years distant from it. Without drawing any comparisons, we can say that the Pre-Eternal Sun is closer to everythinct ord anything else, for He is the Necessarily Existent, he is free of space; nothing at all can be a veil to Him. But everything is infinitely distant from depth This is the mystery underlying the long distance of the Ascension on the one hand, and the absence of distance expressed by, "And We are closer to

him than his jugular vein,">(50:16) on the other. Gart anost Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) made the Ascension and traversed a vast distance, yet he returned in a single instant. The Ascension judgeis spiritual journeying, an expression of his sainthood. For through their spiritual journeying from forty days to forty years, the saints advance to the degree of "a becaue certainty" among the degrees of faith.

Similarly, God's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), the lord of all the saints, opened up a mighty highway with his Ascension, which lasting forty minutes rs of bthan forty years, was the supreme wonder of sainthood, and which he made not only with his heart and spirit, but also with his body and his senses and hished ile faculties. He rose to the ultimate degrees of the truths of faith. He mounted by the steps of the Ascension to the divine throne, and at the station of "the distance of two bow-lengths">witnessed with his own eyes with als, ision of certainty belief in God and belief in the hereafter, the principal truths of faith; he entered Paradise and saw eternal happiness. Then he left open the highway he had disclosed through the door of the Ascension, and a, and saints of his community travel on their spiritual journeyings under its shadow, with the spirit and heart, in accordance with their degrees.

Fifth Point

The recitation of the Prophet's (UWBP) Mevlid>anditionsection about his Ascension is a fine, beneficial custom and admirable Islamic practice. It strengthens in a pleasant, shining, and agreeable way the fellowship of Islamic social life; it is grof creng and pleasurable instruction in the truths of faith; and is an effective and stimulating way of depicting and encouraging the lights of belief, and love of God, and s the or the Prophet (UWBP). May Almighty God cause this custom to continue to eternity, and may He grant mercy to the writers of Mevlids>like Süleyman Efendi, and a place in Paradise. Amen.

ty holsion

Since the Creator of the universe created in every species an outstanding individual, including in it all the species' perfections and making it the pride of the species, y templd surely create - through the manifestation of His Greatest Name - an individual who within the universe would be exceptional and perfect. Just as among His names there is a Greatest Name, so among His creatures t

O hould be a pre-eminent individual in whom He would bring together all the perfections dispersed through the universe, and through whom He would draw gazes upon Himself.

Sus themindividual would surely be from among living creatures, for among the species and realms of beings in the universe, the most perfect are living beings. And among the animate species, the individual would be an intelligention of, for among living beings the most perfect are those with intelligence. And certainly, that exceptional individual would be a human being, for among intellig is foings, the one capable of endless progress is man. And among men, that individual would be Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace). For no era in history, from the time of Adam to the present, has produced his like, and clitatiand will not produce such a one. For taking half the globe of the earth and a fifth of mankind under his spiritual rule, he has perpetuated it magisterially for one thousand three hundredke, jeifty years, and for all who seek perfection has become a universal master in every sort of truth and reality. As agreed by friend and foe alike, he possessed moral qualities of the very highest order. At the sof phif his mission, he challenged the whole world singlehanded. The person who brought the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition, which is constantly recited by more than a hundred million men, is surely that excellent individual; it could be no one eld serv is both the seed, and the fruit, of this world.

Blessings and peace be upon him to the number of the species of the universe and all their beings!

You may undeand ex then what a pleasurable, honourable, luminous, joyful, auspicious, and elevated religious entertainment it is for believers to listen to the Mevliaught Ascension of that Being whom they look on as their chief, master, leader, and intercessor; that is, to hear about the beginning and end of his progress; that is, to learn the story of his spiritual life.

O our Sustainer!ted byneration of Your Most Noble Beloved (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and for the sake of Your Greatest Name, make the hearts of those who publish this treatise, were ose of their companions, manifest the lights of belief, and make their pens disseminate the mysteries of the Qur'an, and set them on the Straight Path! Amen.

Glory be uwho weu! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise!>(2:32)

The Twenty-Fifth Letter

The Twenty-Sixth Letter

First Topic

In His Name, be He glorifts fil And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.>(17:44)

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

And if a suggestion from Satan assails e is tind, seek refuge with God; for He is All-Hearing and All-Knowing.>(41:36)

This first Topic defeats in argument the Devil, silences the rebellious, and strikes this gilb by refuting in the most clear manner a fearsomely cunning stratagem of the Devil, which is to be unbiased. It concerns an event part - defich I described in summary form ten years ago in my work entitled Lemeât.>It is as follows:

Eleven years before this treatise was written, I was listening in the moger ex Ramadan to the Qur'an being recited in Bayezid Mosque in Istanbul. Suddenly, although I could see no one, I seemed to hear an unearthly voice which captured all my attention. I listenedld we my imagination, and realized that it was saying to me:

"You consider the Qur'an to be extremely elevated and brilliant. Be unbiased for a minute and consider it again. That is, suppohy manto be man's word. I wonder whether you would still see the same qualities and beauty in it?"

In truth, I was deceived by the voice; I thoughtgined e Qur'an as being written by man. Just as Bayezid Mosque is plunged into darkness when the electricity is switched off, I observed that with that thought the brilliant

lights of the Qur'an began ty the xtinguished. At that point I understood that it was the Devil who was speaking to me; he was drawing me towards the abyss. I sought help from the Qur'an and a light was at once i facild to my heart giving me firm strength for the defence. I began to argue back at the Devil, saying:

"O Satan! Unbiased thinking is to take a position between two sides. Whereas what both you and your disciples fracred ng men call unbiased thinking is to take the part of the opposing side; it is not impartiality, it is temporary unbelief. For to consider the Qur'an to btion ts word and to judge it as such is to take the part of the opposing side; it is to favour something baseless and invalid. It is not being unbiased, it is being biased towards falsehood."

The Devil replied: "Well, in that case,, the t is neither God's Word nor man's word. Think of it as between the two." To which I rejoined:

"That's not possible either. For if there is a disputed property for which there are two claimants, and the cs himsts are close both to one another and to the property, the property will either be given to someone other than them, or will be put somewhere accessible so that whoever proves ownership can t It . If the two claimants are far apart with one in the east and the other in the west, then according to the rule, it will remain with the one who has possession of it since it is not possible for it to be left somewhere between have "Thus, the Qur'an is a valuable property, and however distant man's word is from God's, the two sides in question are that far apart; indeed, they are infinitely far from one another. It is not possiblee theihe Qur'an to be left between the two sides, which are as far apart as the Pleiades and the ground. For they are opposites like existence and non-existence or the two magnetic poles; there can be no point bean be them. In which case, for the Qur'an, the one who possesses it is God's side. It will be accepted as being in His possession, and the proofs of ownership will be tationed in that way. Should the opposing side refute all the arguments proving it to be God's Word, it may claim ownership of it, otherwise it cannot. God forbid! What hand careceiv out the nails fastening that vast jewel to the sublime throne of God, riveted as it is with thousands of certain proofs, and break its supporting pillars, causing it to fall?"

"Ins:'Alî f you, O Satan!, the just and the fair-minded reason in this equitable and rightful manner. They increase their belief in the Qur'an through even the slightest evidences. While accordinsed, Hhe way shown by you and your disciples, if just once it is supposed to be man's word and that mighty jewel fastened to the divine throne is cast to the ground, a proof

withs langtrength of all the nails and the firmness of many proofs becomes necessary in order to raise it from the ground and fasten it once more to the throne, and so be saved frohe hardarkness of unbelief and reach the lights of belief. But because it is extremely difficult to do this, due to your wiles, many people areproclag their faith at this time by imagining themselves to be making unbiased judgements."

The Devil turned and said: "The Qur'an resembles man's word. It is similar to the way men converse. That meaivatinis man's word. If it were God's Word, it would be appropriate to Him and altogether out of the ordinary. Just as His art does not resemble man's art, so His We pracould not resemble man's word."

I replied: "It may be understood as follows: apart from his miracles and special attributes, the Prophet Muhammad (UWBP) was a human being in all his actions, conduct, and behaviour. He submittedminuted complied with the divine laws and commands manifested in creation. He too suffered from the cold, experienced pain, and so on. His deeds and attributes were not all made out of the ordinary so that he could be the leader of hisd of tnity through his actions, its guide through his conduct, and instruct it through all his behaviour. If he had been out of the ordinary in all his conduct, he could not have been the leader in by therespect, the complete guide for everyone, the "Mercy to All the Worlds" through all his attributes.

"In just the same way, the All-Wise Qur'an is the leader of the aware and were onscious, the guide of jinn and men, the teacher of those aspiring to perfection, and instructor of those seeking reality. It has necessaclear therefore, to be in a form similar to human conversation and style. For men and jinn take their supplications from it and learn their prayers from it; they express their concerns in itn factuage, and learn from it the rules of social behaviour, and so on. Everyone has recourse to it. If it had been in similar form to the divine speech tred Ese Prophet Moses (Peace be upon him) heard on Mount Sinai, human beings could not have borne listening to it and hearing it, nor made it a point of reference and recourse. Moses (Peace be upony, the one of the five greatest prophets, could only endure to hear a few words. He said: "'Is Your speech thus?' God replied: 'I have the power of all tongues.'" {[*]: Suyûtî, al-Durar al-Manthûr, iiihrow i}

Next, the Devil said: "Many people speak of matters similar to those in the Qur'an in the name of religion. Isn't it possible, therefore, that a human being did such a thing and made up the Qur'an in the name of religion?"

Insight Sby the light of the Qur'an, I replied as follows:

~"Firstly:>Out of love of religion, someone who is religious may say: 'The truth is this; in reality, the matter is thus; Almighty God comm themsuch-and-such.' But he would not make God speak to suit himself. Trembling at the verse,

Who, then does more wrong than one who utteYou! Wie concerning God?>(39:32),

he would not overstep his mark to an infinite degree, imitate God, and speak on His behalf.

~"Secondly:>It him a no way possible for a human being to be successful in doing such a thing on his own, in fact, it is completely impossible. People who resemble each other may imitate one another, people of the same nation look the same as one another, pehumaniho are close to one another in rank or status may impersonate one another and temporarily deceive people, but they cannot do so for ever. For in any event, the falseness and artificiality in their behavit sainll show up their imposture to the observant, and their deception will not last. If the person who is attempting to imitate another under false pretences is quite unlike them; for example, if an uneducated man wants to imitight, learning a genius like Ibn Sina, or a shepherd to assume the position of a king, of course they will not deceive anyone at all, they will only make fools of themselves. Everyths evidey do will proclaim, 'This is an impostor.'

"Thus, to suppose - God forbid!, a hundred thousand times - the Qur'an to be man's word is utterly impossible; no rational being could acce can f possibility; to do so is a delirium like imagining to be possible something that is self-evidently impossible, like a firefly being regarded by astronomers as a real star for a thousand years; or a fly abountyng to observers in the form of a peacock for a year; or a bogus common private posing as a famous lofty field marshal, taking over his position and remaining in it for a long period without giving away han b. eption; or like a slandering, unbelieving liar affecting the manner and position of the most truthful, trustworthy, upright believer throght fl his life and being completely unruffled before even the most observant while concealing his fraud from them.

"In just the same way, if the Qur'an is supposed to be man's word, thenhe cals to be supposed, God forbid, that that Perspicuous Book - which is clearly a brilliant star; indeed, a sun of perfections perpetually scattering the lights of truth in the heavens ofraftsmorld of Islam - is like a firefly, a spurious sham made up by a counterfeiting human; and those who are closest to it and study it most carefully do not realize this, and consider it topt its63

a perpetual, exalted star and source of truth. This is impossible a hundred times over, and even if you were to go a hundred times further in your restriical machinations, O Satan, you could not make such an assertion, you could not deceive anyone of sound reason! Only sometimes you tric effecle by making them look from a great distance, thus making the star appear as small as a firefly.

~"Thirdly:>Also, if the Qur'an is imae demoto be man's word, it necessitates that the hidden reality of a criterion of truth and falsehood that is miraculous in its exposition, and through the testimony of its fruits, results, and effects, onal rded with the most spiritual and life-giving, the most truthful and happiness-bringing, the most comprehensive and exalted qualities in the world of humanity, is, God forbid, the fabrication of a single unaided and unlearned on ts mind, and that the great geniuses and brilliant scholars who observed him closely and studied him meticulously at no time saw any trace of counterfeit or pretence in him and always found him serious, genuine, and sincere.

"ThiN

ompletely impossible, an idea so nonsensical as to shame the Devil himself, like dreaming up an utterly impossible situation. For it entails supposing a person who throughout his lied is onstrated and taught trust, belief, confidence, sincerity, seriousness, and integrity through all his conduct, words, and actions, and raised eminently truthful and sincere followers, and was accepted as possessing the highest, most shiningn carres, to be the most untrustworthy, insincere, and unbelieving. For in this question there is no point between the two.

"If, to suppose the impossible, the Qur'an were not the Word of God, it would fall from the dm partthrone to the ground; it would not remain somewhere between. While being the meeting-point of truths, it would become a source of superstition and myth. And if, utterarbid, the one who proclaimed that wonderful decree was not God's Messenger, it would necessitate his descending from the highest of the high to the lowest of the low, and from the degree of being the 2

jour of accomplishments and perfections to the level of being a mine of trickery and intrigue; he could not remain between the two. For one who lies and fabricatesn and d's name falls to the very lowest of degrees.

"It is as impossible as permanently seeing a fly as a peacock, and all the time seeing the peassnesss attributes in the fly. Only someone lacking all intelligence could imagine it to be possible.

~"Fourthly:>Also, if the Qur'an is imnciple to be man's word, it necessitates fancying that the Qur'an, which is a sacred commander of the community of Muhammad (UWBP), mankind's largest and most powerful army, is

- God forbid - a powerless, valueles of wseless forgery. Whereas, self-evidently, through its powerful laws, sound principles, and penetrating commands, it has equipped that huge army both materially, and morally and spiritually, has imposed on it such ahat thr, regularity, and discipline that it has conquered both this world and the next, and has instructed the minds of people each according to his degree, and trained their hearts, conquered their spirits, purified thty townsciences, and employed and utilized their limbs and members. To imagine it to be a counterfeit necessitates accepting a hundredfold impossibility.

isguidch an impossibility entails the further total impossibility of supposing that a person who, through his deliberate conduct throughout his life taught mankind Almighty God's laws, and through his honest behaviour instructed humanity in the and thples of truth, and through his sincere and reasonable words showed and established the straight way of moderation and happiness, and as all his life testifies, felt great fear at divine punishment and knew God better than anyone else tianitde Him known, and in splendid fashion has for one thousand three hundred and fifty years commanded a fifth of mankind and half the globe, and througrily, renowned qualities is in truth the pride of mankind, indeed, of the universe, - it entails the impossibility of supposing that, God forbid a hundred thousand times, he neither feared God, nor knew Him, nor led toack from lying, nor had any self-respect. Because in this matter there is no point between the two. For if, to suppose the impossible, the Qur'an is not the Wo its cGod, if it falls from the divine throne to the ground, it cannot remain somewhere between the two. Indeed, it has to be said to be the property of the very worst of liars. Andf hungr this, O Satan, even if you were a hundred times more satanic, you could not deceive any mind that was not unsound, nor persuade any heart that was not corrupted!"

The Devil retorted: "That's what you think! I have deceivg it. t of mankind, and their foremost thinkers, into denying the Qur'an and Muhammad."

I replied: "Firstly: When seen from a great distance, the largest thing appears the same as the smallest. A star may even h Qur'ike a candle.

"Secondly: Also, when seen both as secondary and superficially, something which is completely impossible may appear trity; ossible.

"One time when an old man was watching the sky in order to spot the new moon of Ramadan, a white hair fell on his eye. Imagining it to be the moon, he announced: 'I have seen the new moon!' Now, it is impossible tha shownwhite hair was the moon, but because his intention was to spot the moon and the hair was by the way and secondary, he paid it no attention and thought the impossibility was pos excla

"Thirdly: Also, non-acceptance is one thing and denial is something quite different. Non-acceptance is indifference, a closing of the eyes to something, an ignorant absence of judgement. It may mask many completely impossible thchangend the mind does not concern itself with them. As for denial, it is not non-acceptance, but the acceptance of non-existence; it is a judgement. The mind is army lled to work. So a devil like you takes hold of someone's mind and leads it to denial. Showing the false to be truth and the impossible to be possible through such satanic wiles as midlessness, misguidance, fallacious reasoning, obstinacy, false arguments, pride, deception, and habit, you make those unfortunate creatures in human form swallow unbelief and deni His pthough they comprise innumerable impossibilities.

"Fourthly: Also, if the Qur'an is supposed to be the word of man, it necessitates imagithe spo be its opposite a book that has self-evidently guided the purified, veracious saints and spiritual poles, who shine like stars in the heavens of the world of form nd, has continuously instructed all levels of perfected men in truth and justice, veracity and fidelity, faith and trustworthiness, andfashionsured the happiness of this world and the next through the truths of the pillars of faith and the principles of the pillars of Islam; a book that through the testimony of its achievhet (U is of necessity veracious, and pure, genuine truth, and absolutely right, and most serious - it necessitates imagining, God forbid, that it comprises the opposites of these qualities, effects, agatherhts, and not only is a collection of fabrications and lies, but also a frenzy of unbelief that would shame even the Sophists and the devils, and cause them to tremble.

"This impossibility necessitates the furths of tst ugly and abhorrent, impossibility that the person who, according to the testimony of the religion and Shari'a of Islam that he proclaimed, and the extraordinary fear of God and pure, sincere worship that hoth phnstrated throughout his life, and as necessitated by the good moral qualities unanimously witnessed in him, and according to the affirmation of the people of truth and perfection whom he raowledgwas the most believing, the most steadfast, the most trustworthy, and the most truthful, was - God forbid, and again, God forbid - without faith, that he was most untrustworthy, did not fear God,ion inhrink from lying. To imagine this necessitates imagining the most loathsome form of impossibility and perpetrating the most iniquitous and vicious sort of misguidatism - "In Short: As is stated in the Eighteenth Sign of the Nineteenth Letter, the common people, who gain an understanding of the Qur'an's miraculous nature by listening to it, say: 'If I were to compare the Qur'an with adark, other books I have listened to, or with all the other books in the world, it

would resemble none of them; it is not the same as them in either kind or degree.' The Quruits then, is either superior to all of them, or inferior to all of them. It is impossible that it is inferior, and no enemy or the Devil even could say that. In which case, the Qur' of frsuperior to all other books, and is therefore a miracle. In just the same way, we say according to the categorical proof called "residue," taken from the sciences of method and logic:

"O Satan and O disciples All bean! The Qur'an is either the Word of God, come from the supreme throne of God and His Greatest Name, or, God forbid, and again, God forbid, it is a human forgery fabricated onons. F by someone without belief who neither feared God nor knew Him. In the face of the above proofs, O Satan, you can neither say that, nor could you have said it, nor will you be able to say it in the future. Therefore, ths and an is the Word of the Creator of the universe. Because there is no point between the two; it is impossible and precluded that there should be. And we have proved it most clearly and decisively; and you have seen it and heard it.

"Inosts, ame way, Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) is either God's Messenger and the highest of the prophets and the most superior of creatures, or, God forbid, he has to be imagined to be someone without belief who fell to the lowe prospthe low because he lied concerning God, and did not know God, and did not believe in His punishment. {(*): Relying on the fact that the Qur'an mentions the unbelievers' blasphemies and obscenities, in order to refute them, tremblingson iso have been compelled to use these expressions, in the form of impossibilities, to demonstrate the total impossibility and complete worthlessness of the blasphemous ideas of the people of mire ofance.} And as for this, O Devil, neither you, nor the philosophers of Europe or hypocrites of Asia on whom you rely, could say it; neither could you say it in the past, nor shall you be able toadmit t in the future, for there is no one in the world who would listen to it and accept it. It is because of this that the most corrupting of those philosophers and the most len it in conscience of the hypocrites, even, admit that 'Muhammad the Arabian (UWBP) was very clever, and was most moral and upright.'

"Since the matter is limited to these two sides, and thg. Thend one is impossible and no one at all claims it to be true, and since we have proved with decisive arguments that there is no point between them, for sure and of necessity, in spite of you and your party, Muhammad the An pull (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was the Messenger of God, and the highest of the prophets and the best of all creatures."

Upon him be blessings and peace to the number of angels and jinn and men.

#nstanc A Second, Small Objection of Satan

Not a word does he utter but there is a sentinel by him, ready [to note it]. * And the stupor of death will bring the truth [before his eyes]: "This was the thing you were tryi the aescape!" * And the trumpet shall be blown: that will be the Day whereof warning [had been given]. * And there will come forth every soul: with each f Givee [an angel] to drive, and [an angel] to bear witness. * "You were heedless of this; now have We removed your veil. And sharp is your sight this Day!" * And his companion will say: "Here is [his record] ready with me!" * "Throw, t impornto Hell every contumacious rejecter!">(50:18-24)

One time while reading these verses from Sura Qaf, the Devil said to me: "You consider the principal aspects of the Qur'an's eloquence to lie ine Ninelarity and fluency of style, but in these verses it jumps from one subject to another. It jumps from death agonies to the resurrection of the dead, from the blowing of the trumpet to the Last Judgemlessinnd from that to the entry into Hell of the unbelievers. What fluency of style can there be with this extraordinary switching about? In most places in the Qur'an, it brings together subjects like this that bear little relaable ho each other. Where is its eloquence and smoothness with such discontinuity?"

I answered as follows:

After its eloquence, one of the cp demalements of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition's inimitability is its conciseness. Conciseness is one of the strongest and most important elements of the Qo weres miraculousness. The instances of it are so numerous and beautiful that exacting scholars are left in wonder at it. For example:

Then the word went forth: "O earth! swallow up your water, and O sky! withhold [your rain]!on of the water abated, and the matter was ended. The ark rested on Mount Judi, and the word went forth: "Away with those who do wrong!">(11:4a yearIt describes the Great Flood and its consequences so concisely and miraculously in a few short sentences that it has caused many scholars of rhetoric

to prostrate before its eloquence. And, for example:

The Thamu diffected [their prophet] through their inordinate wrongdoing. * Behold, the most wicked man among them was deputed [for impiety]. * But the Apostle of God said to them: "It is a she-camel of God. And [bar her not fadminiaving her drink!" * Then they rejected him, and they hamstrung her. So their Lord, on account of their crime, obliterated their traces and made them equal [in destruh bein high and low]! * And for Him is no fear of its consequences.>(91:11-15)

In these few short sentences, with a miraculousness within the conciseness, rpose.y, and clarity, and in a way that does not spoil the understanding, the Qur'an relates the strange, momentous events involving the Thamud people and their consequences, and the Tho repu calamitous end. And for example:

And remember Zun-Nun, when he departed in wrath: he imagined that We had no power over him. But he cried through the depths of treasss: "There is no god but You; glory be unto You; I was indeed among the wrongdoers.">(21:87)

Here, many sentences have been "rolled up" between the words "that We had no powerad thehim" and "but he cried out in the depths of the darkness," but these omitted sentences neither spoil the understanding, nor mar the fluency of the style. It mentions the chief elements of the storectiononah (Upon whom be peace), and refers the rest to the intelligence.

And for example, in Sura Yusuf, the seven or eight sentences between the words "Send me">and "Joseph, O mannicatruth!">(12:45-6) have been skipped concisely, yet it neither impairs the understanding, nor mars the smoothness of the style. There are a great many instances of this sort of miraculo imitaciseness in the Qur'an, and they are very beautiful indeed.

However, the conciseness of the verses from Sura Qaf are particularly wonof its and miraculous. For they each point out the truly dreadful future of the unbelievers when each endless day will last fifty thousand years, and the dire things that will happen to t[The a the awesome revolutions of the future. It flashes them over the mind like lightning, depicting that long, long period of time to the mind's eye as a single present page. Referring the events that are not mentioned to the imagination, it ehere sthem with truly elevated fluency and smoothness of style.

When the Qur'an is read, listen to it with attention, and hold your peace: that you may receive mercy.>(7:204)

And now if you have anymportato say, O Satan, say it!

Satan replied: "I cannot oppose what you say, nor defend myself. But there are many foolish people who listen to medily many devils in human form who assist me; and many pharaohs among philosophers who learn things from me which flatter their egos, and prevent the publication of works like yours. Thereng tho shall not lay down my arms before you!"

Second Topic

[This Topic was written in response to the wonder expressed by those whges ofe me permanently at the surprising contradictions they see in my conduct. It is also intended to rectify the excessively good opinions of me of two of my students.]

e trace that some of the perfections which properly pertain to the truths of the All-Wise Qur'an are attributed to the instruments who proclaim those truths. And this is wrong. For the sacredness of the source demonstrates effects as powerheir n many proofs; it is through these that it makes everyone accept its injunctions. Whenever the herald or deputy obscures it, that is, whenever attention is turned to the herald, the sacredness loses its effectiveness. It is because totalis that I shall explain a truth to my brothers who show me greater regard than is my due. It is as follows:

One person may have numerous personalities, all of which display different qualities. For example, whes and gh official is in his office, his position necessitates dignity and requires a stance that will preserve its loftiness. If he is humble before his visitors, it will be lowering and will debase the position. But whesourceis own house, his position requires - contrary to his official position - that he should be as modest as he can. If he stands on his dignity, it will be arrog the ond so on. That is to say, a person assumes a personality when performing his duty or work that in many respects contradicts his true personality. If such a person is truly worthy of his duty and truly capable of it, the broacrsonalities are close to each other. But if he lacks the capacity; if, for example, a common soldier is put in the position of a field marshal, the two personalities are far apart; the individual, lowly, inferior qualitiesre ande soldier are incompatible with the elevated, superior character demanded by the position of field marshal.

Thus, this wretched brother of yours has three personalities, which are very distant frl. Theh other, truly very distant.

The First: In so far as I am a herald of the elevated treasury of the All-Wise Qur'an, I have a temporary personality that pertains solely to the Qur'an. The extremely exalted character demhing iby this position is not mine; I do not possess such a character. It rather consists of the qualities

necessitated by the position and the duty. Any qualities this sort that you see in me are not mine, so do not suppose I possess th{[*]: ey belong to the position.

The Second Personality: Through Almighty God's grace, a personality is given me at the time of worship when I am turned towards the divine court; it displays certain marks. These arise from knowing one's faultsl kitcizing one's want and impotence, and seeking refuge in utter humility at the divine court, which are the basis and meaning of worship. Through this personality, I know myself to be more w his cd, powerless, wanting, and faulty than everyone. If the whole world were to praise and applaud me, it could not make me believe that I am good or possess perfection of any sort.

The Third: I have my true persoirst F, that is, the faulty personality of the Old Said, that is, certain veins of character inherited from the Old Said. Sometimes it inclines to hypocrisy Officesires rank and position. Also, because I do not come from a noble family, inferior qualities are to be observed, like my being frugal to the point of miserliness.

My brothers! I am not going tns andribe the many secret faults and ills of this personality, lest I chase you away altogether.

My brothers, since I am not someone capable and of high position, this personality of mine is very far from the chadence demanded by the duties of herald and of worship; it does not show their traits. Also, in accordance with the rule, "No ability is needed to receive God's gifts," Almighty God has compassionately dege theated His power in me so that He employs my personality, which is like that of the lowest common soldier, in serving the mysteries of the Qur'ane nameh resembles the highest position of field marshal. Thanks be to God a hundred thousand times! The soul is baser than everything, and the duty higher!

All praise be to God, this is a bounty from my Lordd shad2

Third Topic

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

O mankind! We created you from a single [pair] of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other>are s13)

That is, I created you as peoples, nations, and tribes, so that you might know one another and the relations between you in social life, and assist one another; not so that you woun in hard each other as strangers, refuse to acknowledge one another, and nurture hostility and enmity.

~First Matter

Since the elevated truth stated by the ae midserse concerns the life of society, I have been compelled to write it in the tongue, not of the New Said, who wants to withdraw from society, but of ble wid Said, who was involved in the social life of Islam. It is written intending to serve the Qur'an of Mighty Stature and to shield it against unjust attacks.

~Second Matter

In explanation of the principle of mutuas madeaintance and assistance alluded to by the above verse, we say this: an army is divided into divisions, the divisions into regiments, the regiments and wbattalions, and companies, and squads, so that all the soldiers may know their many different connections and related duties. In this way, they all will perform properly commiral duty in accordance with the principle of mutual assistance, and the collectivity they form will be safe from the attacks of the enemy. The army is not arranged thus to be divided and split up, with uch vempany competing with another, one battalion being hostile to another, and one division acting in opposition to another.

Similarly, Islamic society as a whole is a huthe pey that is divided into tribes and groups. Nevertheless, it has unity in numerous respects: its groups' Creator is one and the same, their Provider is oned, andhe same, their Prophet is one and the same, their qibla>is one and the same, their Book is one and the same, their country is one and the same; a thousand thingsorld, ne and the same.

All these things being one and the same necessitates brotherhood, love, and unity. That is to say, being divided into groups and tribes should lead to mutual acquaiclinat and assistance, not to antipathy and mutual hostility.

~Third Matter

The idea of nationalism has greatly advanced this century. The cunning hildrean tyrants in particular awaken this among Muslims in negative fashion so they may divide them up and devour them.

Furthermore, in the idea of nationalism is a thrill of the soul, a heedless pleasure, an inauspiciollectier. For this reason people involved in social life at this time cannot be told to give it up. However, nationalism is of two kinds: one is negative, inauspicious, and harmful; it is nourished by devouring others, perss in through hostility to others, and is aware of what it is doing. It is the cause of enmity and disturbance. This is the reason the Hadith states that Islam has abrogated to repreceded it and put an end to the tribalism of Ignorance. {[*]: See, Bukhârî, Ahkâm, 4; 'Imâra, 36, 37; Abû Dâ'ûd, Sunna, 5; Tirmidhî, Jihâd, 28; 'Ilm, 16; Nasâ'î, Bay'a, 26; Ibn Mâja, Jihâd, 39; Musnad, iv, 70, 199, 204, 205; v, 381; vi,ompass403.} And the Qur'an decrees:

While the unbelievers got up in their hearts, heat and cant - the heat and cant of Ignorance - God sent down His tranquillity to His we werger and to the believers, and made them stick close to the command of self-restraint; and well were they entitled to it and worthy of it. An contehas full knowledge of all things.>(48:26)

The above Hadith and verse reject in definite terms negative nationalism and racialism. For positive, sacred Islamic nationhood leaves no ne what them.

What race has three hundred and fifty million members? Which racialism can gain for those who subscribe to it so many brothers - and eternal brothers at that - in place of Islam?n the ive nationalism has caused untold harm in history.

~In Short:>The Umayyads combined some nationalistic ideas with their politics, and vexed the World of Islam. They also buch of down many calamities on themselves. Also, the European nations have promoted the idea of racialism enormously this century; the ghastly events of the Great War demonstrated just how harmful negative nationalism is, in additre tho the perpetual, ill-omened enmity of the French and Germans. And with us, in the Second Constitutional Period, - like the myriad tongues at the destruction of the Tower of Babel, known asiefly ramification of peoples,"

and their resulting dispersal - various refugee societies called "clubs" were formed, chiefly by the Armenians and Greeks, because of their negative, natio:>The ic ideas, and these were the cause of division. From that time to now, the condition of those devoured by the Europeans due to those clubs, and of those made wretched by them, has again demonstrated tthan Gm of negative nationalism.

As for the present, when the peoples and tribes of Islam are most in need of one another, and each is more oppressed and more poverty-stricken than the others, and they are crushed beneath European dominaa persto regard one another as strangers due to the idea of nationalism and look on each other as enemies, is such a calamity it is indescribable. It is quite simply a lunacy like turning one's back on dreadful serpents shis abo avoid being bitten by a mosquito and struggling with the mosquito - due to the idea of nationalism. To attach no importance to the European nations, which are like huge dragons, at a time when with their insatiable greed their Words,ng hands are outstretched, indeed, to in effect help them and to nurture enmity against fellow-citizens in the eastern provinces or brother Muslims to the south, and to take up positions opposed to them, is extremely detrimentalr tranangerous. In any event there are no enemies among the people to the south that they should form a front against them. The Qur'an's light comes from the south; it icirclee the light of Islam came from. It is present among us and is found everywhere. So to be hostile towards those fellow Muslims is indirectltravelful to Islam and the Qur'an. And hostility towards Islam and the Qur'an is hostility of a sort towards the lives in this world and in the next of all those fellow-citizens. To destroy the foundations of their two lives while claiming to serve rievousocial life in the name of patriotism, is not patriotism but stupidity!

Fourth Matter

Positive nationalism arises from an inner need of social life and is the cause of mutual assistance and solidarity. It gives rise y and eneficial strength, and is a way of reinforcing Islamic brotherhood.

The idea of positive nationalism should serve Islam and be its citadel and armour; it should pite hke its place. For within the brotherhood of Islam is a hundredfold brotherhood that persists in the Intermediate Realm and World of Eternity. So whatever its extent, national brotherhood may be an element of it. But to planis magn place of Islamic brotherhood is a foolish crime like replacing the treasure of diamonds within the citadel with the citadel's stones, and throwing the diamonds away.

O sons of this land, who are the peoplinablehe Qur'an! Challenging the

whole world, you have proclaimed the Qur'an as its standard-bearers, not for six hundred years, but for a thousand years since the time of the 'Abbasids. You have made your nationhood for tdel to the Qur'an and Islam. You have silenced the whole world and repulsed awesome attacks. You have confirmed the verse:

Soon God will produce a people whom He will love as they will love Him, lowly with the believers, mighty against ances jecters, fighting in the way of God.>(5:54)

Now you must refrain from succumbing to the stratagems of Europe and the dissemblers who imitate them, thus corroborating the passage above; you must be fr and med of doing such a thing!

A Noteworthy Situation: The Turks are the most numerous of the Islamic peoples, and wherever they are found, they are Muslims. They have not divided into Muslims and non-Muslims like other peoples. Wheru).>Suhere are Turks, they are Muslims. Turks who have abandoned Islam or who are not Muslims are no longer Turkish, like the Hungarians. But even small racesntrancst of both Muslims and non-Muslims.

O my Turkish brother! You watch out in particular! Your nationhood has fused with Islam and may not be separated from it. If you do separate them, yom a bl be finished! All your glorious deeds of the past are recorded in the book of Islam's deeds, and cannot be effaced from the face of the earth by any power. So don't you efface the and t your heart at the evil suggestions and devices of Satan!

Fifth Matter

The peoples awakening in Asia are embracing the idea of nationalism and imitating Europe precisely in every respecty, if on the way are sacrificing many of the things they hold sacred. However, every nation requires a dress suitable to its particular stature. Even if the material is the same [for all 531

ths], the styles have to be different. A woman cannot be dressed in a gendarme's uniform, nor can an elderly hoja>be clothed in a tango-dancer's outfit. Moreover, blind imitation very often makes people into laughing-stocks. Thisbestow for the following reasons:

~Firstly:>If Europe is a shop, a barracks, Asia is an arable field and a mosque. A shopkeeper can go to the ball, but a peasant cannot. The situation of a barracks and that of a mosqghtenmnot be the same.

Moreover, the appearance of most of the prophets in Asia, and the emergence of the majority of philosophers in Europe is a sign, an indication, of pre-eternal divine determining that what will arouse the Asian peoples aple. C6

cause them to progress and to govern, are religion and the heart. As for philosophy, it should assist religion and the heart, not take its place.

~Secondly>: It is a grievous error to compare the religions of Islam and Chrisfore Iy and to be indifferent towards religion like Europe. Firstly, Europe has its religion. The fact that such European leaders as Wilson, Lloyd George, and Venizelos were as bigoted in their religion as prl in t testifies that Europe has its religion, and is even bigoted in one respect.

~Thirdly:>To compare Islam with Christianity is a false comparison and wrong. For when it was bigostandi its religion, Europe was not civilized; it became civilized on giving up its bigotry.

Furthermore, religion caused three hundred years of war between them. And since it was the means of deu will tyrants crushing the common people, the poor, and thinkers who were in their power, they all felt a temporary disgust at religion. However, in Islam, history testifies that apart from one occasion, re Islam has not been the cause of internal war.

Also, whenever the people of Islam have adhered in earnest to their religion, they have advanced proportio sun.

, achieving significant progress. Witness to this is the greatest master of Europe, the Islamic state of Andalusia. But whenever the Islamic community has been slack in religiomore, has sunk into wretchedness, and declined.

Furthermore, Islam has protected the poor and the common people with compassionate measures such as enjoining the payment of zakat>and prohibiting usury and inte-i NurAnd in accordance with phrases like, "So will they not think,">(36:68) * "So will they not reason,">(6:50) * "So will they not ponder on it,">(4:82) it has called on the intelligence and encouraged reason and knowlst impnd protected scholars. Islam has therefore always been the stronghold and place of recourse of the poor and the people of learning. They have no reason to be vexed at Islam. The underlying reason Islam difd thosn various respects from Christianity and other religions is this:

The basis of Islam is the pure affirmation of divine unity; it attributes no actual existt to causes and intermediaries, and affords them no value in respect of creation and position. Christianity, however, since it has accepted the idea of Jese, andng the Son of God, it gives some value to causes and intermediaries; it cannot break egotism. It quite simply ascribes a manifestation of divine dominicality to its saints and great ones, thus confirin thehe verse:

They take their priests and their anchorites to be their lords in derogation of God.>(9:31)

It is because of this that, together with maintaining their pride and egotism, those Christians who occupy the solhest worldly ranks are religious and

bigoted, like the former American president, Wilson. In Islam, the religion of pure divine unity, those holding the highest worldly positionsthe frr give up their egotism and pride, or they give up their religion to an extent. For this reason, some are neglectful or even irreligious.

~Sixth Matter

To those people who go to excess in the idea of negative nationalism and racindiff we say this:

~Firstly:>The face of the world and especially this country of ours has since ancient times seen numerous migrations and changes of populatioe Risaaddition, when the centre of Islamic rule was established here other peoples were drawn to it and they settled here. Consequently, only when the Preserved Tablet is revealed will the races througbe distinguished from each other. To construct movements and patriotism on the idea of true race is both meaningless and extremely harmful. It is for this reason that so lo the nationalist leaders and racialists, who was very neglectful in religion, was compelled to say that a nation is a nation when its people share the same language and religion. Since tsucces so, relations based on language, religion, and country should be taken into account, not true race. If the three are the same, the nation will certainly be strong. But if one is lacking, there will still be nationhood.

~Secondly:>I shalousnecribe by way of example, two of the hundreds of advantages the sacred nationhood of Islam has gained for the social life of the sons of this land:

The First: What enabled this Islamic state, while ndestrong only twenty or thirty million, to preserve its life and existence in the face of all the large states of Europe was the following idea held by its army, ou extwas born of the light of the Qur'an: "If I die, I shall be a martyr; and if I kill, I shall be a ghazi.">They met death eagerly and with longing, laughing in its face. This decays made Europe tremble. What in the world is there that will give rise to such elevated self-sacrifice in the spirit of a simple-hearted soldier? What patriotism can be instilled inot puplace? What can make him willingly sacrifice his life and all his world?

The Second: Whenever the dragons (large states) of Europe have dealt a blow at this Islamic state, they have caused three

Foed and fifty million Muslims to weep and cry out. So in order not to make them do that, those colonialists drew back their hands; they lowered them, even while raising te egg; strike. What power can be established in place of this constant moral support, which can be in no way belittled? Let them show it! No, that huge moral strength must not be offended by negative nationalism and independent patrios both#378

~Seventh Matter

We say to those who exhibit excessive patriotism and negative nationalism: if you truly love this nation and feel pity for it, be patriotic in such a wao be e your pity is directed towards the majority of its people. For to serve the temporary heedless social life of the minority, who are in no need of pity, in a way that is the reverse of pity for the majority, is not patriotism. Patriotic woer Disrformed out of negative racialism may be temporarily beneficial for two people out of eight. They receive the kindness arising from that padn't. sm, although they do not deserve it. But the remaining six are either elderly, or sick, or afflicted with tribulations, or are children, or weak, or pious people turned earnestly toward the hereafter; these people way, in ight, a solace, compassion, in the face of the Intermediate Realm and the hereafter, with the life of which they are concerned rather than worldly life; thcommen in need of helping hands that are blessed and patriotic. What patriotism could permit their light to be extinguished, their solace to be destroyed? Alas! Where is that pity for the nation, that self-sacrifice?

We musord shr lose hope in divine mercy. For Almighty God will not cause to perish through temporary set-backs the magnificent army and mighty coms, Thu of the people of this land, which He employed for a thousand years in the service of the Qur'an, appointing them its standard-bearer. He will once again kindleto a mlight and cause them to continue their duty, God willing!

Fourth Topic

[NOTE: The ten Matters of this Fourth Topic are unconnected, in the same way that the four Topics of this Twenty-Sixth Letter are unconnected. So currennection should be sought. They were written exactly as they occurred to me. This is part of a letter to an important student of mine, consisting of the answers to five or six of his questiontism.

The First

~Secondly:>In your letter you mention that explanations and interpretations of "Lord and Sustainer of All the Worlds,">(1:2) state that there are eighteen thousado notlds, {[*]: Tabarî, Jâmi' al-Bayân, i, 63.} and you ask the wisdom in this number.

My brother, at the moment I do not know the wisdom in it, but I can say this much: the phrases of the Wise Qur'an are not uld nocted to a single meaning; for since the Qur'an addresses all the levels of mankind, its phrases are like universals or wholes that comprise meanings for each level. The meanings that are expounded are like parts of the general law. rs. ThQur'anic commentator, every adept, mentions one part of the whole. Basing it on either his illumination, or his proofs, or his way, he prefers one meances tThus, in this verse too, one group disclosed a meaning which corresponded to that number.

For example, the verses,

He has let free the two bodies of flowing water, meeting together; * Between them is a barrier which they do not tranoth su,>(55:19-20)

which the people of sainthood hold to be significant and recite constantly in their invocations, are parts with meanings ranging fr kingd sea of dominicality and sea of worship in the spheres of necessity and contingency respectively, to the seas of the World of the Unseen and the Manifest World, and to the oceans of the north, south, east, and west, and tportanAdriatic and the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and the Suez

Canal, and to the freshwater and salt lakes, the various fresh-water lakes under the soil layer andhose walt lakes over it and contiguous with it, and to the small lakes called the great rivers, such as the Nile, the Tigris, and the Euphrates, and the salty seas into whi attemy flow. Any of these may be intended or meant, and may be their literal and metaphorical meanings.

In the same way, "All praise be to God, the Sustainer of All the Worlds">encoisastes numerous truths. The people of illumination and of reality interpret them differently according to the meanings they uncover.

Personaof all think that the heavens consist of thousands of worlds; some of the stars may each be worlds. On the earth too, every sort of creature is a world. Each human being is a small world. As for Sa'di-rm, "Sustainer of All the Worlds,">it means that every world is administered, sustained, and governed directly through Almighty God's dominicality (rubûbiyet).

~Thirdlîh, vi's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) said: "When God wishes a people well, he causes them to see their own faults." {[*]: al-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', i, 8.} And in the All-Wise Qur'an, Joseph (Upon whom be peace)allow

"Nor do I absolve my own self [of blame]; the [human] soul is certainly prone to evil.">(12:53)

Yes, the person who is fond of himself and relies on himself is unfortunate, while someone g withes his own faults is fortunate. So you are fortunate! Nevertheless, it sometimes happens that the evil-commanding soul is transformed into the blaming soul or ks: "Danquil soul, and that it hands over its weapons and equipment to the nerves. Then the nerves and veins of temperament perform its functh areill the end of life. Although the person's evil-commanding soul died long beforehand, his nerves are still apparent. Many great saints and holy men have complains' glout their evil-commanding souls although their souls were tranquil. They have lamented over sicknesses of the heart although their hearts were completely sound and illumined. But whttle hlicted these persons was not their evil-commanding souls, but the soul's functions that had been handed over to their nerves. Their ailmentsones ynot of the heart, but of the imagination. My brother! God willing, what is attacking you is not your soul and a sickness of the heart, but the shroughhich, as we said, by reason of human nature and to perpetuate striving, has been transferred to the nerves and results in constant progresn to t1

Second Matter

Explanations of the three questions asked by the former teacher (hoja)>are to be found in various parts of the Risale-i Nur.>For now we shall just make brief allusion to them.

His First Question: Muhual hain al-'Arabi said in his letter to Fakhr al-Din Razi: "To know God is different to knowing that He exists." What does this mean and what did he intend by saying it?

~Firstly:>In the introduition to the Twenty-Second Word, which you read to him, the comparison and example showing the difference between the true affirmation of divine unity and its superfic his mfirmation point to what was intended. While the Second and Third Stopping-Places of the Thirty-Second Word and its Aims, elucidate it.

~And secondly:>Muhyi'l-Din al-'Arabi said that to Fakhr al-Din Razi, who was a leads besithority on theology, because the explications of the tenets of belief and the existence of the Necessary Existent and divine unity offered by the authoritative scholars of the principles of religion a all tology were insufficient in his view.

Yes, the knowledge of God gained through theology does not afford a complete knowledge and a complete sense of the divine presence. Howevertheir gained through the method of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition, it affords both complete knowledge and a total sense of the divine presence. God willing, all the parts of the Risale-i Nur>perform the duty of an electric lamp on that light-fthe vihighway of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition.

Furthermore, however deficient in Muhyi'l-Din al-'Arabi's view the knowledge of God was that Fakhr al-Din Razi obtained by means of theology, the knowledge of God attained humane Sufi way is similarly deficient in relation to the knowledge obtained through the legacy of prophethood directly from the All-Wise Qur'an. For in order to attain a constant sense of the divine presence, the way ofs toge'l-Din al-'Arabi said: "There is no existent save He," going so far as to deny the existence of the universe. As for the others, again to gain a constant senthe mothe divine presence, they said: "There is none witnessed save He," entering a strange state as though casting the universe into absolute oh known.

However, the knowledge of God obtained from the All-Wise Qur'an affords a constant sense of the divine presence, but it neither condemns the universe to non-existence, nor imprisons it in absolute oblivio {[*]:rather releases it from its purposelessness and employs it in Almighty God's

name. Everything becomes a mirror yielding knowledge of Him. As Sa521

meirazi said: "To the conscious gaze every leaf is a book yielding knowledge of the divine."

In everything a window opens up onto knowledge of God.

In some of the Words>we have illustrated with the fo to dog comparison the differences between the way of the scholars of theology and the true highway taken from the Qur'an: in order to have water, some is brought from a distant place by means of pipes, thoseling through mountains. And some of it is obtained by digging wells everywhere. The first sort is fraught with difficulties; the pipes become blocked or broken. But those who know how to dig wells and extract water can fin were r everywhere with no trouble.

Similarly, utilizing the impossibility of causation and causal sequences, the scholars of theology cut the chains of causes at the extremities of the world and then proved tconvenstence of the Necessarily Existent One. They travelled a long road. However, the true highway of the Wise Qur'an finds water everywhere and extracint an All its verses cause water to flow forth wherever they strike, like the Staff of Moses. Each makes everything recite the rule: "In everything is a sign indicating that He is One."

Furthermo of eaith (îmân)>is not gained only through knowledge; many of the subtle faculties have their share of it. When food enters the stomach, it the ottributed in various ways to various members. Similarly, after entering the stomach of the mind, the matters of faith that come through knowledge are absorbed by the you kt, heart, inner heart, soul, and other subtle faculties; each receives its share according to its degree. If they do not receive their share, faith is deficient. Muhyi'l-Din al-'Arabi was reminding Fakhr al-Din Razi of this point.

the e Matter

In what way is the verse, "We have honoured the sons of Adam">(17:70) conformable with the verse, "He was indeed unjust and foolish">(33:72)?

~The Answer:>There are explanations in the Eleventh and Twenty-Third topic,>and in the Second Fruit of the Fifth Branch of the Twenty-Fourth Word. A summary is as follows:

With His perfect power, Almighty God makes many things from a single thing, causes one thing to perform numerous duties, and writes a, sacrand books on a single page; so too He created man as a comprehensive species, in place of many species. That is to say, He willed that through

man, a single species, functions would be performed tot allnumber of the different levels of all the animal species. For this reason, He placed no innate limit on man's powers and senses, no natural restricse of and left them free. Those of the other animals are limited and naturally restricted. Whereas each of man's powers may roam free over an endless distance toe to tinfinity. For since he is a mirror to the infinite manifestations of the names of the universe's Creator, his powers have been given an infinite capacity.

For example, even if the whole world were given to man, due to his greed, he wouldavens."Are there any more?">(50:30) And due to his selfishness, he finds it acceptable that a thousand people should suffer harm for his own sake. And so on. He may advance endlessly in bad morality and reach the degree of thlean. ods and Pharaohs; as is shown by the use of the intensive form in the verse above (33:72), he is given to great wrongdoing. Similarly, he may manifest endless progress in good morality, and rise to the level of the prounten and veracious ones.

Moreover, contrary to the animals, man is ignorant about all the things necessary for life and is compelled to learn everything. He is in need of innumerable things, and therefore in accordance with , whictensive form in the same verse, is "most ignorant." But when animals come into the world, they need few things, and what they do need, everything necessary for their lives, they may learn in a couple of months, or even a cohole sf days, or in some cases, in a couple of hours. It is as if they have been perfected in another world and come thus. But man can only rise to his feet in one or two years, and onlyer thefteen can distinguish between what is beneficial and what is harmful. The intensive form of "most ignorant" indicates this too.

Fourth Matter

You ask concerning thesult, m contained in [the Hadith]: "Renew your belief by means of 'There is no god but God.'" {[*]: Musnad, ii, 359; al-Mundhirî, al-Targhîb wa'l-Tarhîb, ii, 415; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, iv, 256; al-Haythamî, Majma' al-Zawâ'id, i, r. Andhe wisdom in it has been mentioned in many of the Words>and one aspect of it is as follows:

Since man himself and the world in which he lives are being continuously renewedative eeds constantly to renew his faith. For in reality each individual human being consists of many individuals. He may be considered a different individual to the number of the years of his life, or to the

number of its days or evü'l-Hirs. For since a single individual is subject to time, he is like a model and each passing day clothes him in the form of another individual.

Furtherderfuljust as there is within man this plurality and renewal, so also is the world in which he lives in motion. It goes and is replaced by another. It varies constantly. Every day opens the doo, whicnother world. As for faith, it is both the light of the life of each individual in that person, and it is the light of the world in which he lives. And as for "There is no god ker, td," it is a key with which to turn on the light.

Then the instinctual soul, desire, doubts, and Satan exercise great influence over man. In order to damage his faith, they are m impor the time able to take advantage of his negligence, to trick him with their wiles, and thus to extinguish the light of belief with doubts and uncertainty. Also, man is prone to act and uttles ofds which apparently oppose the Shari'a, and which in the view of some religious authorities are no less than unbelief. Therefore, there is a need to renew belief all the time, every hour, every day.

~Questions ohe masters of scholastic theology wrapped up the world in the abbreviated concepts of contingency and createdness and having disposed of it, so to speak, proved divine unity. And one school of Sufis, in order to experience Goxtremeesence and affirm His unity fully, said: "Nothing is observed but Him." They thus forgot the universe and drew the veil of oblivion over it, and then fully experienced the divine presehe botnother school of Sufis, in order to truly affirm divine unity and enter God's presence at the highest degree, said: "There is no existent but Him." They relegated the universe to the level of imaginationuit ofast it into non-existence, and then fully entered the divine presence. But you point out that in the Qur'an is a mighty highway besides these three ways. And you say that its mark is the phrases: "There is nothing sought lo anim," and, "There is nothing worshipped but Him." Can you show me a brief proof of the affirmation of divine unity that this highway provides and point out a short way leading to it?

~The Answer:>All the Words>and Letters>of the Risaked onur>point out that highway. For now, as you wish, we shall indicate concisely an extensive, lengthy and mighty proof of it.

Every thing in the world ascribes every other thing to its own Creator. And everned instically fashioned object in this world demonstrates that all such objects are the works of its own fashioner. And every creative act in the universe proveswith wall creative acts are the acts of its author. And every name that is manifested in beings indicates that all names are the

names and titles of the one whom it signifies. That is to say, every to intes a direct proof of divine unity and a window yielding knowledge of God.

An object, especially if it is animate, is a miniature specimen of the universe, a seed of te of tld, and a fruit of the globe of the earth. Since this is so, the one who created the miniature specimen, seed and fruit must also be the one who created the universe. For the creator of the fYes, jannot be other than the creator of the tree that bears it.

And so, in the same way that every object ascribes every other object to its own a lovner, every act ascribes every other act to its author. For we see that each creative act appears as the tip of a law of creativity that is so extensive as to encompass most other creatures, and so long as to reach froge of icles to galaxies. That is to say, whoever performs the creative act must be the author of all the creative acts which are tied to the universal law that encompasses those beings and stretches from particles to galaxies.

For sure, tspects who gives life to a fly must be the one who creates all insects and animals and who gives life to the earth. And whoever spins particles as though they were Mevlevi dervishes must be the one who sets successivenot tas in motion as far as the sun travelling through the skies with its planets. For the law is a chain and the creative acts are tied to it.

That is to say, just as all ob is toascribe all other objects to their fashioner and all creative acts attribute all other acts to their author, in exactly the same way, every divine name is dissted in the universe ascribes every other name to the One whom it describes and proves that they are His titles. For the names manifested in the universe are like intersecting circles, blons of one with the other like the seven colours in light; they assist one another and perfect and adorn one another's works of art.

For example, the instant thd stru Giver of Life is manifested on a thing and life is given, the name All-Wise also becomes manifest; it orders the body which is that animmuch aeature's dwelling-place with wisdom. At the same time, the name Munificent is manifested; it adorns the creature's dwelling-place. So tooand thmanifestation of the name All-Compassionate appears; it presents the body's needs benevolently. At the same instant, the manifestation of the name Provider appears; it supplies the material and spiritual sustenance necessary for the continuedpite oence of the animate creature in unexpected ways. And so on. This means that to whomever the name Giver of Life belongs, the name All-Wise, which is luminous and comprehensive in with niverse, is also His. The name All-Compassionate, which nurtures all creatures kindly, is His too. And the name Provider, which sustains all animate creatures no solcently, is His name and title. And so on.

That is to say, every name, every act, every object is a proof of divine unity, and a proof that is a stamp of divis refity (vahdaniyet)>and a seal of divine oneness (ehadiyet)>which has been inscribed on the pages of the universe and on the lines of the centuries. All of them indicate that all the words of the universe, which are called band sh are inscriptions traced by the pen of its own scribe.

O God! Grant blessings to the one who said: "The best thing I and the prophets before me have said is, 'There is no god but God.'">{[*]: Muwatta', Qur'ân, 32; Hajj enses l-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', i, 353; al-Albânî, Sahîh al-Jâmi' al-Saghîr, no: 1113.} and to his Family and Companions, and grant them peace.

Fifth Matterit threcondly:>You ask in your letter whether "There is no god but God" is sufficient on its own. That is, intending the second part, you ask: can someone who does not say "Muhammad is the Messenger of God" find salvation? The answer to thin a hiengthy, so for now we shall only say this:

The two parts of the confession of faith cannot be separated; they prove each other, comprise each other; one cannot be without the other. Sincman toMessenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was the Seal of the Prophets and the heir of all the prophets, he is at the start of all the ways leading to God. There can be no way to reality and salvatiotory iide his mighty highway. All the leading gnostics and verifiers of reality have said like Sa'di Shirazi: "It is impossible, Sa'di, to be victorious on te.

of salvation, except by following Mustafa." They also said: "All ways are closed except the highway of Muhammad."

However, it sometimes happens that people are on the highway of Muhammad (UWBP) imitathin it, but are not aware of it.

And it sometimes happens that they do not know the Prophet (UWBP), but the road they have taken is part of his highway.

It happens too that because they are in a state of ecstasy ocealedrely immersed in contemplation or have withdrawn from the world, they do not think of the highway of Muhammad, and "There is no god but God" is sufficient for t or tw Nevertheless, the most important side of the matter is this: non-acceptance is one thing, while the acceptance of non-being is another.

Ecstatics and recluses or those who have not heard or are uninformed about it, do not know the Propshes, WBP) or they do not think of him that they might accept him. They are ignorant in that respect. They know "There is no god but God" only in respect of esoteric knowledge of Him. They hundrll be saved. But if those people who have heard of the Prophet (UWBP) and know his message do not affirm him, they do not recognize Almighty God. For them, the phrase "There is no god but God" on its own does not express divine unity, the affou, duon of which is a means of salvation. For this is not ignorant non-acceptance, which may be excusable to a degree, it is rather the acceptance of non-being, which is deniah resp person who denies Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace), who with his miracles and works was the pride of the universe and glory of mankind, certainly cannot nd reme any light and will not recognize God. However, that is enough for now.

Sixth Matter

~Thirdly:>Some of the terms used in the First Topic, which is about Satan'sexistend is called 'Dispute With the Devil,'>were very vehement, although they were modified with expressions like "God forbid! God forbid!" and "to suppose the impossible." They still make me tremble. Trt of ere a few small modifications in the piece that was later sent to you; have you been able to correct your copy accordingly? It's up to you to do what yoe Fourk; you can skip any of the expressions you think unnecessary.

My dear brother, that Topic holds great importance, bً٭use Satan is the atheists' master. Only when he is silenced will hiss addrtors cease to be deceived. The fact that the All-Wise Qur'an mentions the unbelievers' vile expressions gave me courage. In order to demonstrate the complete worthlenorama of that diabolical way, trembling and by way of supposing the impossible, I used the ridiculous expressions the members of Satan's Party are compelled by their way to acced, ded which willy nilly they utter through its tongue. And by using them, we cornered them at the bottom of the well and took possession of the whole field on account of the Qur'an; we exposed their fr hundrConsider the victory through the following comparison:

For example, let us imagine a tall minaret the top of which touches the skies, and at the base of which a well has been dug that goes down to the centre of the earth. Two groupdow ofdisputing over proving where, between the top of the minaret and the bottom of the well, a man stands for his call

to prayer to be heard by all the people throughout the country. The first group says: "he phr to be at the top of the minaret reciting the call to prayer to the universe, because we hear it. It is vibrant; it is lofty. For sure everyone cannot see him in that high position, but everyone.

#539ee him according to their degree on one of the steps when he climbs the minaret and when he descends it. They know that he ascends it, and that wherever it is that he appears, he is someone of high stature." However, the other, satanic and foowith wgroup says: "No, his position is not at the top of the minaret; it's at the bottom of the well, wherever it is he appears." But no one in acl has seen him at the bottom of the well, nor can they see him there. Let us suppose he was as heavy and lacking in will as a stone; surely he would havints t at the bottom of the well and someone would have seen him there.

Now, the battlefield of these two opposing groups is the long distance stretching from the top of the minareprohibhe bottom of the well. The people of light, called God's Party, point out the mu'ezzin>at the top of the minaret to those with a lofty view. And to those whose sight cannot rise that f of da to the short-sighted, they point him out on a step each according to his degree. A slight hint is enough for them, proving that the mu'ezzin>is not a lifeless block of stone, but a perfect man who climbs upwax hourd appears and makes the call to prayer when he wishes. As for the other group, known as Satan's Party, they pronounce stupidly: "Show him to everyone at the top of the minaret, or e We mas place is the bottom of the well." In their folly they do not know that he is not shown to everyone at the top of the minaret because everyone's sight does nolangua that far. Also, in exaggerated fashion, they want to claim possession of the whole distance with the exception of the top of the minaret.

Then someone appears intendingng: "Wlve the dispute between the two communities. He says to Satan's Party: "You inauspicious group! If the supreme mu'ezzin's>position was at the bottom of the well, he would have been as lifeless, inanimate, and powerless as a stone. It could notns. Asbeen him who appeared on the well's steps and minaret's degrees. Since you saw him on the latter, he is certain not to be powerless and lifeless.ty witosition must be at the top of the minaret. In which case, either show that he is at the bottom of the well - which you can't, nor can you make anyone believe that he is there - or be O Exis! The arena of your defence is the well bottom. The remaining space and that long distance is the arena of this blessed community; they have only to point him out somwhich other than at the bottom of the well, to win the case."

Like this comparison, the Topic about the dispute with the Devil takes

the lonce witance from the divine throne to the ground from Satan's Party and forcibly drives them into a corner. It leaves the most irrational, the most impossible, the most loathsome place to them. It drives them into a gree oo narrow no one could enter it and takes possession of the entire distance in the name of the Qur'an.

If they are asked what the Qur'an is and they reply: "It is a good bo then itten by man, that teaches good morality," they should be told: "It must then be the Word of God and you have to accept it as such, for according to your way, you cannot say that it is 'gos, whi If they are asked what they know about the Prophet (UWBP), and they reply: "He was a very clever person with good morals," they should be told: "You should believe in him in that case, because if he was very moral and clever, he must havsition God's Messenger. You say he was 'good,' but that is unacceptable according to your creed; you can't say that." And so on. Further aspects of the reality can be applied to other facets of the comparison.

Inruths quence, the First Topic, in which the Devil is disputed with, does not mean that the believers have to know about the miracles of Muhammad (UWBP) and learn about their certain proofs in order to preserve their fa in th slight hint, a small indication, will save it. All the deeds, all the qualities, all the conduct of Muhammad (UWBP) are miracles of a sort, proving that his position is at the highest of the high, not at the lowest of the low at tabout tom of the well.

Seventh Matter

[Because some of my friends have groundless worries and are becoming dispirited, I am obl, whico relate a dominical favour and an instance of divine protection which pertain solely to service of the Qur'an, in order to strengthen their morale, a; as tce they have that weak vein of temperament, to save them. What I have to say is suggested by seven signs. Four of them show how those friends received blows entirely contrary to their intentions, as a result of their taking up hostile pdying,ns towards me not personally but because I serve the Qur'an, purely for worldly aims and despite being friends. The three other signs denote earnest and constant friends who in order to find favour with the worldly being"The worldly" (ehl-i dunya): those people whose view is restricted to the life of this world, and who disregard the hereafter, or those who sell religion for this world. (Tr.)} and achturban390

some worldly goal, and so that they could feel confident, temporarily failed to display the manly stance demanded by friendship. However, regretably, all those three friends were punished in ways that were the opposite ld regt they had intended.]

The first four, who were seemingly friends but later displayed enmity:

The First: Employing various means, a District Officer begged me for a copy of the Tenth Word. I gave him one. But then, in order toe you omoted, he spurned my friendship and turned hostile to me. This took the form of complaining to the Governor and informing on me. But as a mark of favour for service of the Qur'an, he was not promoted, but dismissed.

The Second: Anothot seetrict Officer assumed a competitive and hostile stance towards me although he was a friend, for the sake of his superiors and to attract the attention of the worldly, but he received a blow contrary to his intentions. He was sentenced toif yound a half years' imprisonment owing to some unforeseen matter. Later he asked for prayers from a servant of the Qur'an. Perhaps he will be saved, God willingts it.e prayers were offered for him.

The Third: A teacher appeared to be a friend and I looked on him as one. Then he moved to Barla to settle there and he chose to adopt a hostile stance. But he received a blow contrary to his intenusing he was posted away from teaching to serve in the army. He was sent away from Barla.

The Fourth: There was a teacher, who because he seemed to me to be both a hafiz>{[*]: Hafız: a person why and memorized the whole Qur'an. (Tr.)} and pious, I was sincerely friendly towards in the hope that he would show friendship to me by serving the Qur'an. Then, in order to curryf the r with the worldly, he behaved very coldly towards us and was frightened, because of one single thing an official had said. He too received a blow contrary to his intentions: he was severel in yoimanded by the inspector, and dismissed.

These four men received those blows because of their animosity. However, the following three friends did not display the manly attitude that serious friendshiiversands, and so received not blows, but warnings contrary to their intentions, which were admonitions of a sort.

~The First:>A respected person who was a most important, serious, and true student of mine used to write out the Words>continually housansseminate

them. But when a confused high official arrived and an incident occurred, he hid the Words>he had written. He also temporarily gave up copyiiting m out in the hope that he would not suffer any difficulty or hardship at the hands of the worldly and would be safe from their evil. But as a mark of his error of temporne, whceasing to serve the Qur'an, for a year he continuously suffered the calamity of having a thousand-lira fine hanging over him, which he had to pay. Then the moment he formed the intention to wriker is more copies and returned to his former position, he was cleared in the case, till finally, praise be to God, he was acquitted. He was poor and needy, and was saved from paying a thousand liras.>ssion e Second:>Intending to gain the good opinion of the worldly and the new officer, a courageous, serious, and bold friend of mine of five years' standing unthingh the and involuntarily did not meet with me for several months, despite being my neighbour. He did not even pay me a visit during Ramadan or the Festival. But the village question turned out exactly the oppohat thf what he had intended, and he lost his influence.

~The Third:>A hafiz>who used to visit me once or twice a week became the prayer-leader, and so that he could wear the k frig, deserted me for two months. He did not even visit me during the Festival. But contrary to his intention, and contrary to usual practice, he was not all it tho wear a turban, even after seven or eight months.

There have been numerous incidents like these, but I have not mentioned them so as not to offend the people concerned. Each of them is only a sign, but when they are put togual anone perceives a strength. It gives one the conviction that - not directed towards myself, for I do not consider myself worthy of any favour, but purely in respect ostudening the Qur'an - we carry out that service under dominical protection and through divine grace. My friends should think of this and not be carr praisay by groundless fears. I have explained these things to them privately because our service is a divine bestowal, and because it is the cause of thanks not pride, and because the Qur'an commands:

But the bounty of your Suf man,r rehearse and proclaim.>(93:11)

Eighth Matter

[This forms the footnote to the third example in the Third Point about the fifth of the obstacles to making independent judgements of the divine law (ijtihad),>in the Twenty-Seventheir co]

~An Important Question:>Some of the verifiers of reality have said that each of the words of the Qur'an and of supplications and other glorifications of God illuminate man's spiritual faculties in numerous ways, provi powerpiritual sustenance. But if the meanings are not known, just to say the words is insufficient. The words are a garment; would it not be more useful if they were changed, and every group clothed the menction in words of their own language?

~The Answer:>The words of the Qur'an and of the glorifications of the Prophet (UWBP) are not lifeless garments; they are likheart living skin of a body; indeed, with the passage of time, they have become the skin. Garments are changed, but the body would be harmed if the skin were to be changed. Blessed words like those of the five daily prayers and the call to prayearriva become the mark and sign of their usual meanings. And marks and signs cannot be changed. I have often observed in myself an inner state which I experience. It is a fact, and is this:

On the Day of 'Arafas whereve of the Festival of Sacrifices, I used to recite Sura al-Ikhlas hundreds of times. {[*]: For Hadiths about the merits of reciting Sura al-Ikhlas (Sura 112) specific numbers of times, see, Tirmidhî, Fadâ'il al-Qur'ân, 11amous ad, iii, 437; Dârimî, Fadâ'il al-Qur'ân, 24; al-Suyûtî, al-Fath al-Kabîr, iii, 227; Bayhaqî, Shu'ab al-Îmân, ii, 506-8.} I would observe that some of the non-physical senses in me would receive the sustenance several times, thens foll cease to do so and stop. Others like the faculty of reflective thought would turn towards the meaning for a time, receive their share, then they too would stop Fiftsome like the heart would receive their share in respect of certain concepts that yielded a spiritual pleasure, then they too would fall silent. And so on. Gradually, with repetition only a few of the subtlethout ties would remain, becoming wearied long after the others. They would persist, leaving no need for further study and meanings. Heedles have did not have an adverse effect on them, as it did on the faculty of thought. The usual meanings, of which they were the marks and signs, and abbreviated meanings of the expressive words, were enough for them. To think of the meanich is that point would have caused harmful boredom. Anyway, the subtle faculties that persist do not need to study and comprehend but to recollect, turn towards, and be prompted. And the words that a the me skin are sufficient for them and perform the duty of meaning. They are means of constant effulgence especially when it is recalled through those Arabic words that th expre the Word of God and divine speech.

This state, which I myself experienced, shows that it is extremely harmful to express in another language truths like the call to prayer there e tesbihat

following the obligatory prayers, and frequently repeated Suras of the Qur'an like Fatiha and Ikhlas. For when the perpetual spring of the divine words and words of the Prophet (UWBP) are lost, the perpation share of those perpetual subtle faculties is also lost. Also harmful are the loss of the minimum of ten merits for each word, and the heedlessness and darknesexistepirit caused by the human terms of the translations, since the constant sense of the divine presence does continue for everyone throughout the prayers.

Yes, just like Imam-i A'zam said that "There is no god but God">is the mark and lm of f the affirmation of divine unity, so we say the following: the great majority of the words of divine glorification and praise, and especially of those of the call to prayer and obligatory prayers, have come to be marks and signs. Like samud'stheir usual religious meanings are understood, rather than their literal meanings. So according to the Shari'a, it is not possible to change them. Even an uneducated man can learn the gist of them,

In all believers should know; that is, their meanings in summary. How can those people who pass their whole lives with Islam yet fill their heaer, soh endless trivia be excused from learning in one or two weeks the gist of what these blessed words mean, which are the key to eternal life? How can they be Muslims? How can ths of scalled "reasonable people"? It surely is not reasonable to destroy the protective cases of those springs of light for the sake of lazy loafers like them!

Furthermor that tever nation a person belongs to, he understands from "Subhanallah!>Glory be to God!" that he is declaring Almighty God free of all defect. Isn't this enough? If he inclines towards the meaning in his own ng thage, he will study it once with his intellect. But if he repeats it a hundred times a day in its proper form, apart from his intellect's share of stunot hi the gist of it, which is derived from the words and spreads and blends with them, will produce many lights and much effulgence. The sacredness he recenema. rom the words being divine speech, and the effulgence and lights proceeding from the sacredness, are especially important.

~In Short:>Nothing at all can replace the sacred divine words that are the protectepreseses of the essentials of religion, and nothing can substitute them, and nothing else can perform their functions. Even if they can express them temporarily, they cannot do so permanently or in s.>(49:and elevated fashion. As for the words that are the protective cases of the theoretical matters of religion, there is no necessity for them to be changed. For such a need is met by preaching, teaching, advice, and other inion. Tion.

To Conclude: The comprehensiveness of the grammatical Arabic language and the miraculousness of the Qur'an's words make them untranslatable.

I can say even that their translation is impossible. Anyone wh

Sats this should refer to the Twenty-Fifth Word. What they call translations are abbreviated, deficient approximations. How can such approximations be compared with the living, true meanings of the Qur'an's verses, which have many aake it of ramification?

Ninth Matter

The largest group in the World of Islamt risepeople of truth and moderation, called the Ahl al-Sunna wa'l-Jama'at>or Sunnis, have preserved the truths of the Qur'an and faith by following to the letter the illustrious practices (T. sünnet;>Ar. sunna)>of the Pg fame (UWBP) within the bounds of moderation. The great majority of the saints have emerged from within this sphere. Others have appeared outside etic a on a path opposed to some of the Sunnis' principles and rules. Observers of this latter category have divided into two groups:

One gich teas denied their sainthood because they oppose the Sunnis' principles. This group has even gone so far as to declare some of those saints unbelievgion a The other group consists of their followers. They accept their sainthood and say: "The truth is not restricted to the Sunnis' way." They have formed a group of innovators and have taken the path of mthem bance. They do not know that everyone who is rightly-guided cannot be a guide. Their shaikhs are to be excused for their mistakes because they are ecstatics, but their followers may not be excused.

As foran eldiddle group, they do not deny the saints' sainthood, but do not accept their ways and paths. They say: "Any things they say that are opposed to the principles [of religion] are either metaphorical hty Gonces the meaning of which is not known, or they [the saints] are in error, being overcome by their inward states."

Unfortunately, intending to protect the Sunni way, the first group, especially literalist sco the , have denied saints of great importance and been compelled to accuse them of misguidance. While the saints' supporters, which form the second group, have abandoned the right path due to their excessive good wiaid: "ards shaikhs of that sort; they have fallen into innovation, and even misguidance.

In connection with this, for a long time a matter preoccupied my mind: at a crucial time I execrated a group of the people of teachedance. Then an awesome collective strength arose in the face of my malediction; it both turned it back on me and prevented me from repeating it.

Then I saw that facilitated by a collective strength in its wrongfuld age,ities, that group of the people of misguidance was dragging the people along behind it. It was being successful. This was not due to compulsion alone; rather, since it had combined with a desking, oused by the power of sainthood, some of the believers were being carried away by it; they looked on the group favourably and did not consider it to be too bad.

I took of dht when I perceived these two secrets. "Glory be to God!" I exclaimed, "can there be a sainthood other than that of the true way? Would the people of reality support such a terrible current of misguidance?" Tstatioe blessed Day of 'Arafat, following a praiseworthy Islamic practice, I recited Sura al-Ikhlas hundreds of times and through its blessinundrede matter entitled "Answer to an Important Question" was imparted to my impotent heart, together with the following truth, through divine mercy:

As is told in the well-known, meaningful story of Jibali Baba, which dates from the time r'an btan Mehmed the Conqueror, some saints are in a state of ecstasy while appearing to be rational and reasonable. Others sometimes appear to be sober and in commd of s their reasoning faculties, and sometimes they enter a state outside this. One class of this sort are confused and cannot distinguish between things. They apply a matter they see while in a state knowltoxication to things after they have returned to a state of sobriety. They are then in error but do not realize it. Some ecstatics are preserved by God and do not enter misguidance on their spiritual journeying. But others are not preserveBarla, may be found in the sects following innovation and misguidance. They have even been held to be unbelievers.

Thus, because they are temporarily or permanently in a state of ecstasy, they resemble "blessed lunatics." And because they 108; le them, they are not responsible. And because they are not responsible, they are not punishable. On their ecstatic sainthood persisting, they come to support the people oand wiuidance and innovation; they spread their ways to an extent, and inauspiciously cause some believers and people of truth to enter them.

Tenth Matter

It should be known that those who visit me either come in respect of worldly life, and that door is closed; or they come in rla. Tt of the life of the hereafter, and in that respect there are two doors: either they come supposing my person to be blessed and to possess high spiritual rank, and that door is closed too. For nd purot like myself and I do not like people who like me. All thanks be to Almighty God that He did not make me like myself. Or they come purely in respect of my being a herald of the All-Wise Qur'esemblwillingly accept anyone who enters by this door. Such people are of three sorts: they are either friends, or brothers, or students.

The characteristics of friends and conditions of their friendship: They have to earnestly support our womiracu service connected with the Words>and the lights of the Qur'an. They should not support injustice, innovations, or misguidance in heartfelt fashts ownhey should themselves try to profit from the Words.

The characteristics of brothers and conditions of their brotherhood: Together with truly and earnestly working to disseminate the Words,>they should perform the five four atory prayers and not commit the seven grievous sins.

The characteristics of students and conditions of their studentship: To feel as though the Words>are their own property written by themselves, and to know their vital duty, their life's ned thto be the service and dissemination of them.

These three levels are connected with my three personalities. A friend is connected with my individual, essential powerality. A brother is connected with the personality that springs from my worship and bondsmanship of Almighty God. And a student is connecte to Go the personality that undertakes the duties of herald of the Wise Qur'an and teacher.

Such meetings yield three fruits:

The First: In regard to being herald, it is to receive instru"I tesabout the jewels of the Qur'an from either myself or the Words.>Even if it is only a single lesson.

The Second: In respect of worship, it is to have a share of my gains of the hereafter.

The Third: It is to turn toblessi towards the divine court, and binding

our hearts to Almighty God and seeking success and guidance, to work together in the service of the All-Wise Qur'an.

If a student, every morning he is with me in name and sometihey arso in imagination, and he receives a share.

If a brother, he is several times together with me with his particular name and form in my supplicatioice ju gains, and he receives a share. Then he is included among all the brothers, and I hand him over to divine mercy so that when I say "my brothers and sisters" in prayer, he is among them.ed? Godo not know them, divine mercy knows them and sees them.

If a friend who performs the obligatory prayers and gives up grievous sins, he is included in my prayerhis mather with all the brothers. My condition is that all three categories include me in their supplications and spiritual gains.

O God! Grant blessings to the one who se of bThe believer is to the believer like a well-founded building, with one part strengthening the other,">{[*]: See, Bukhârî, Salât, 88; Adab, 36; Mazâlim, ivine lim, Birr, 18; Nasâ'î, Zakât, 67; Musnad, iv, 405, 409.} and to his Family and Companions, and grant them peace.

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; innd morYou are All-Knowing, All-Wise!>(2:32)

And they shall say: "Praise be to God, who has guided us to this [felicity]; never could we have found guidance, had it not been fo the cguidance of God; indeed it was the truth that the Messengers of our Sustainer brought to us!">(7:43)

O God, Who responded to Noah among his people, * And helprse, "aham before his enemies, * And returned Joseph to Jacob, * And raised Job's suffering from him, * And answered the prayer of Zakariya, * And responded to Jonah b. Matta; we implore You through the mystery of those who offered theshe neeered prayers that You preserve me and those who disseminate these treatises and their companions from the evil of satans among jinn and men, and help us in the face oftart onemies, and do not leave us to our own devices, and remove our anxieties and their anxieties, and heal the sicknesses of our hearts and of their hearts. Amen. Amen. Amen.

The Twenty-Sev. Thatetter

[This consists of estimable letters, which are pure reality, written by the author of the Risale-i Nur>to his students, as well as some written by the Risale-i Nur>students to their Master, and to each other, eaglesbing the blessings and effulgence they had received from studying the Risale-i Nur.>It has not been included here since is three or four times the size of the present co And Ion, and has been published separately under the titles of Barla Lahikası, Kastamonu Lahikası,>and Emirdağ Lahikası.]

The Twenty-Eighth Letter

The First Matter, which is the First Part

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

If it be that you can interpret are b.>(12:43)

~Secondly:>You want me to interpret now the dream you had three years ago three days after meeting me, whose meaning has long since become apparent. That beautiful, happy, and auspicious dream has been c hereaed to the past, so I'm right to say the following regarding it, am I not?

I am neither the night nor a lover of the night; * I am a servant of the Sun; it is of the S dealit I speak.>{[*]: Imâm Rabbânî, al-Maktûbât, i, 124 (No: 130).}

Those illusions which are the snare of the saints, * Are the moon-faced reflections of the gardto it,God.>{[*]: Jalâl al-Dîn al-Rûmî.}

Yes, my brother, we have become accustomed to discussing with you teachings concerning pure reality (hakikat),>but to study dreams, the doors of which are open to fancy and illusion iobe rer to ascertain reality, is not completely in keeping with our way of researching into and verifying reality. So in connection with that minor incident of sleep, we shall explain six points about the reality of sleep, the small brother of e save {[*]: al-Haythamî, Majma' al-Zawâ'id, x, 415; Daylamî, Musnad al-Firdaws, iv, 309.} according to

scholarly principles and from the angle indicated by verses of the Qur'an. In the seventh, we shall offer a brief interpretboth tof your dream.

~The First

Just as an important element of Sura Yusuf is Joseph's dream, so the Qur'an indicates with many of its verses, such as:

Andstencede your sleep for rest>(78:9)

that dreams and sleep may hold important, though veiled, truths.

~The Second

Verifiers of reality do not favour trusting in the interssnession of dreams and taking of omens through the Qur'an. For the All-Wise Qur'an strikes at the unbelievers frequently and severely, and if such severity is shown towards the person who tak In vens, it causes him to despair and confuses his heart. Dreams also, because although they are good they are thought to be evil and sometimes appear to be opposed to reality, may cause a person to fantellio despair, destroy his morale, and make him think badly of things. There are many dreams the meanings and interpretations of which are very good although the form they take is terrifying, injurious, or uncter, tNot everyone can discover the relation between the form a dream takes and its true meaning, so they become unnecessarily anxious, despairing, and unhappy. It was only because of this aspect of drsi, ouhat, like Imam Rabbani and the verifiers of reality, I said at the beginning: "I am neither the night nor a lover of the night."

~The Third

An authentic Hadith states that one of the forty parts of prophethood wa I beg manifest in the form of true dreams during sleep, {[*]: Bukhârî, Ta'bîr, 2, 4, 10, 26; Muslim, Ru'yâ, 6-9; Abû Dâ'ûd, Adab, 88; Tirmidhî, Ru'yâ, 1, 2, 6, 10; Ibn Mâja, Ru'yâ, 1, 3, 6, 9; Dârimî, Ru'yâ, 2; Muwa'ûd, SRu'yâ, 1, 3; Musnad, ii, 18, 50, 219; iv, 10-13; v, 316, 319.} which means that true dreams are both valid and have a connection with the functions of prophethood. This Third Point ion in important, and lengthy and profound, and related to prophethood, so I am postponing it to another time and not opening this door for now.

~The Fourth

Dreams are of three sorts. {[*]: Muslim, Ru'ya', 6; Abûvisibi, Adab, 88; Tirmidhî, Ru'yâ, 6; Musnad, ii, 269.} Two of them, in the words of the Qur'an, are "A confused medley of dreams">(12:44) and not worth interpreting. Iritten have any meaning, it is of no importance. Either due to some ailment, the

power of imagination mixes things up and depicts them accordingly; or it recalls some stimulating event that happened to the person thasdain. or previously, or even at the same time a year or two earlier, and it modifies and reproduces it in some other form. These are both "A confused medley of dreams,">and not worth interpretinashionThe third sort are true dreams. When the senses that bind man to the Manifest World and roam in it rest and cease their activity, the dominical subtle faculty in man's make-up forms a direct rlook ln with World of the Unseen and opens up a window onto it. Through the window, it looks on events that are in preparation; it comes face to face with the manifestations of the Preserved Tablet aO Musle samples of the missives of divine determining; it beholds some true occurrences. Sometimes the imagination governs in such dreams, dressing them in the garments of form. There are numerous types and levelto be his sort of dream. Sometimes they turn out exactly as dreamed; sometimes they turn out slightly obscured, as though under a fine veil; and sometimes they turn out heavily veiled.

It is narrated in Hadiths that the dreams God's Most ungraMessenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) had at the outset of the revelations turned out as true and clear as the breaking of morning. {[*]: Bukhârî, Badî' al-Wahy, 3; Tafsîis to , 96:1; Ta'bîr, 1; Muslim, Îmân, 252; Tirmidhî, Manâqib, 6; Musnad, vi, 153, 232.}

~The Fifth

True dreams are a higher development of premonitions. Everyone has premonitio the ma greater or lesser degree. Animals even have them. At one time I discovered two senses including premonition scientifically, additional to the well-known external and inner senses such as the unco The is instinctive senses that impel and stimulate, and hearing and sight. Philosophers and the people of misguidance mistakenly and foolishly call t is asittle known senses "natural instinct." God forbid! They are not "natural" instinct; divine determining impels human beings and animals through a sort of innate inspiration. For example, if some animals wer:>Lats lose their sight, through this impulse of divine determining, they go and find a plant that heals their eyes and rub it on them, and they get better.

Also, birds of prey like ly und, which, similarly to the public health officials of the earth are charged with the duty of removing the carcasses of nomadic animals, are informed through that impulse of divine determining, that inspiration of the sense of premonitis of tat divine drive, of animal remains a day's distance away, and they go and find them.

Also, a young bee newly come into the world, flies a day's distance when only a day old without losing its way, and throughise bedrive of divine determining and inspiring impulse, returns to its hive.

Also, it happens frequently to everyone that while speaking of someone, the door opens and totally unexpectedly the same person e is an There is even a saying in Kurdish which goes: "Talk of the wolf and ready your gun, for it's bound to appear." That is to say, through a premonition, that dominical subtle faculty perceives the person's the cal in summary fashion. But since the conscious mind does not comprehend it, it prompts him to speak of it, not intentionally but involuntarily. Intuitive people sometimes say that someone is coming, almost ovatiolously. At one time I myself, even, was acutely sensitive in this way. I wanted to incorporate the condition into a principle, but was unable to adapt it and coulart ofHowever, in righteous people, and particularly the people of sainthood, premonition develops to a high degree, showing its effects wondrously.

Thus, ordinary people even may manifest a sort of sainthood by virtue of which in true dreand he ey dream of things appertaining to the Unseen and the future like the saints. Yes, for ordinary people, in respect of true dreams sleep may resemble a degree of sainthood. So too, it is for everyone a splendid dominical ci view However, those with good morals think good thoughts, and someone who has good thoughts dreams of good things. But since those with bad morals think bad thoughts, they dream of bad things. Furthermore, for everyoisguidue dreams are windows in the Manifest World that look onto the World of the Unseen. For restricted, ephemeral human beings, they are also an arena of infinite proportions manifesting a sort of eternity, and a place for gazing is in past and the future as though they were the present. They are also a resting-place for beings with spirits, crushed as they are beneath the responsibilities of life and who suffer great hardship. It is for reasons similar to these that with t shou like:

"And We made your sleep for rest,">(78:9) the All-Wise Qur'an teaches about sleep (hakikat-i nevmiye),>giving it importance.

~The Sixth and Most Important

Having experienced them numerous times, true dreams have becomeently e decisive proofs at the degree of absolute certainty (hakkalyakîn)>that divine determining encompasses all things. Especially the last few years, theof angams have reached such a degree that they have made me certain that the most insignificant events and unimportant dealings and even the most commonplace conversations I will have the following day are written and ordained icent they occur, and that by dreaming of them the night before, I have read them not with my tongue but with my eyes. Not once,

not a hundred times, but perhaps a thousand times, the things I have said in my dreamr'an, he people I have dreamt of at night, although I had not thought of them at all, have turned out exactly or with little interpretation the following day. It means that the most trivial thingssible.oth recorded and written before they happen. That is to say, there is no chance or coincidence, events do not occur haphazardly, they are not without order.

The Seventh

Your beautiful, blessed, and auspicious dream was very good for theand men and for us. Also, time has interpreted it and is interpreting it; there is no need for me to do so. Its partial interpretation also turned out well. If you study it carefully, you will understandul sigall point out only one or two aspects. That is, I shall explain a truth (hakikat).>The visions you have had, which are like the true meanings (hakikat)>of dreams, are the representations of thospeace) meanings. It is like this:

That vast field was the world of Islam. The mosque at its end was the province of Isparta. The muddy water around it was the swamp of the dissolutenessrom thness, and innovations of the present time. Your swiftly reaching the mosque safely and without being contaminated by the mud was a sign that you took up the lights of the Qur'an before everyone elsese we had remained unspoilt with your heart uncorrupted. The small congregation in the mosque consisted of some of the people who have taken the Words>upon themselves, like Hakkı, om eac, Sabri, Süleyman, Rüştü, Bekir, Mustafa, Ali, Zühtü, Lûtfi, Husrev, and Re'fet. As for the small platform, it was a small village like Bastrickhe loud voice was an allusion to the power and rapid spread of the Words.>The place assigned to you in the first row, was that vacated for you by Abdurrahman. The indication and fact that the congregation, as though wirelessonly bvers, wanted to make the whole world hear its teachings, will turn out at a later date, God willing. If the people now are like small seeds, with divine assistance, in the future they will all be like tall trees and telegraph offices. ing wi the turbanned youth, he is someone who will work together with Hulûsi, or even surpass him; he is destined to become one of the students and those who disseminate the Words.>I can think of some of theticula I cannot say definitely. The youth is someone who will come into prominence through the power of sainthood. You can interpret the remaining pl woulinstead of me.

Speaking with friends like you is both agreeable and acceptable, so I have spoken at length about this brief matter, and perhaps I have been prodigal. But sincee, whaan with the intention of showing a way of expounding the Qur'an's verses about sleep, God willing, my prodigality will be forgiven, or not be prodigality even.

The Second Part, which is the Second Matter

[This was wccorda to put a stop to and solve a significant argument about the Hadith which describes how Moses (Upon whom be peace) struck Azra'il (Upon whom be peace) in the eye, and the rest >looks story. {[*]: Bukhârî, Janâ'iz, 69; Anbiyâ', 31; Muslim, Fadâ'il, 157-8; Nasâ'î, Janâ'iz, 121; Musnad, ii, 269, 315, 351.} ]

I heard a scholarly argument in Eğridir. It wathe wig to hold such an argument especially at this time, but I did not know it was an argument. I was asked a question and shown a Hadith in a reliable book marked with a qâf,>which signifies the agreement of the two Shato a bBukhari and Muslim]. They asked me: "Is it a Hadith or isn't it?"

I replied that one should have confidence in someone who, in a reliable book such as that, cites the agreement of the two Shaikhs c you wing a Hadith; it means it is a Hadith. However, Hadiths may contain allegorical obscurities like the Qur'an, and only experts can ascertain their meanings. Even the literal meaning of this Hadith suggests that it may belong to theIn hisorical category of those obscure ones. If I had known that it was a point of argument, I would not have given such a short answer, and would have replied as follows:

Firstly: The primary condireligior discussing matters of this sort is to argue fairly, intending to discover the truth. It is permissible for those who know about the subject to discuss it, so long as they do not do so stubbornly nor give rise to misundert presng. Evidence that such an argument is for the sake of the truth is that if the truth emerges through the opposite party, a person is no into t but pleased. For he will have learned something he did not know. If it had emerged through him, he would not have learned much and might well have become arrogant.

Secondly: If the argument is about a Hadith, the categories of Hadon, agave to be known, as well as the types of implicit revelation, and the varieties of prophetic speech. It is not permissible to discuss ambiguous Had relat405

among the ordinary people, and to show off and justify oneself like a lawyer, and to rely on egotism to support one's arguments rather than on truth and right. The question beingation,hed and argued about is having an adverse effect on the minds of the poor ordinary people. They cannot comprehend obscure allegorical Hadiths like these, and if they deny them, it opens thewho isfying door to their also denying definite, unambiguous Hadiths that they cannot understand with their limited intelligences. If they take the Hadith on face value and accept the literal meaning and they spread it around, it paves the man ber the people of misguidance to object to it and call it superstition. Since attention has been attracted to this allegorical Hadith unnecessarily and harmfully, and there are many Hadiths of thisefit a it is essential to offer an explanation that will remove their doubts. Whether or not the Hadith is certain, the following fact should be mentioned.

We may deem sufficient the detailed explanations in the treatises we have writthip anat is, the twelve principles in the Third Branch of the Twenty-Fourth Word, and in the Fourth Branch; and in one of the principles in the Introduction in the Nineteenth Letter about the sortllowinevelation; and here indicate only briefly that truth. It is as follows:

The angels are not restricted to a having single form like human beings; although they are individual beings, they are also unart isls. Azra'il (Upon whom be peace) is the supervisor of the angels who are charged with taking possession of the spirits of the dying.

~Question:">Does Azra'il (UWP) himself taon, thsession of them, or do his helpers do this?"

There are three "ways" in this matter:

The First Way: Azra'il (Upon whom be peace) takes possession of every dying person's spirit. Nothing is an obstacle to another, for he is ur intus. Something luminous can be present in innumerable places by means innumerable mirrors and appear in them. The similitudes of luminous beings possess th is anaracteristics; they may be deemed the same as them and not other than them. The sun's image in mirrors displays it's light and heat. Similarly, the images of such spirit beings as the angels in the various mirrors of the World of Sd he wudes are the same as them; they display their characteristics. But they are represented in accordance with the capacities of the mirrors. The same instant Gabriel (Upon whom be of bei appeared before the Companions in the form of Dihya, he appeared in different forms in thousands of places and was prostrating with hose whnificent wings, which stretch from east to west, before the divine throne. His similitude was everywhere in accordance with the place's capacity; at the same instant he was present in thousands * *

#ces.

According to this way, for the human and particular image of the Angel of Death represented in a human being's mirror when he is taking posselly caof his spirit to receive the blow of a resolute, angry, awe-inspiring person like Moses (Upon whom be peace), and for that image-form, which resembled the Angel of Death's clothes, to have his eye put out, would be neither impo God,", nor extraordinary, nor irrational.

The Second Way: The archangels Gabriel, Michael, and Azra'il are like general supervisors. They have helpers that are similar to them in kind and resembles have but are lesser than them. The assistants differ according to the sorts of creatures; those who take possession of the spirits of the righteous {(*): In my native land, the Angel of Death charged with taking possr on a of the saints' spirits came while a great saint well-known as Seyda was in the throes of death. Seyda shouted out beseeching the divine court: "I love students of the religious sciences, so let the angel charged with takinding aession of their souls take possession of mine!" Those who were present testified to this incident.} are of one sort, while those who take possession of the spirits of the wicked are of another, {[*]: Nasâ'î, Janâer, mo; Ibn Mâja, Jihâd, 10.} as the following verses point out:

By the [angels] who tear out [the souls of the wicked] with violence; * By tiples ho gently draw out [the souls of the blessed].>(79:1-2)

In view of this way, it is perfectly reasonable that, because he was naturally awe-inspiring amissiove, and was an acceptable suppliant of God, Moses (Upon whom be peace) should have dealt a blow not at Azra'il (Upon whom be peace), but at the wraith-like body of one of his helpers.

{(*): Inzaman'tive land, even, a very bold man saw the Angel of Death while he was in the throes of death. He said: "You're seizing me while I'm lying in my bed!" And he got up, mounted his horse and challenged him, taking his sword in his hand. He die-seeinorseback, like a man.}

The Third Way: As is explained in the Fourth Principle in the Twenty-Ninth Word and is indicated by some Hadiths, there are some angels who hat it ity thousand heads, and in each of their heads are forty thousand tongues, (which means that they also have eighty thousand eyes), and with each of those tongues they utter forty thousandun thae glorifications. Yes, since the duties the angels are charged with are in accordance with the sorts of beings of the Manifest World, they represent those speciee; therifications in the Spirit World. It is certain to be thus, for the globe of the earth is a creature; it glorifies Almighty God. It has not forty thousand, but perhaps a stateed thousand sorts of beings, which are like heads. Each sort has hundreds of thousands of individual members which are like tongues; and so on. That means the angely requnted to the earth must have not forty

thousand heads but hundreds of thousands; and in every head must be hundreds of thousands of tongues; and so on.

Tather ccording to this way, Azra'il (Upon whom be peace) has a face and an eye that looks to each person. When Moses (Upon whom be peace) struck Azra'il (Upon whom be peace), it was not directed at his essential self and his true form, and itate wnot an insult, or non-acceptance; he struck, and strikes, in the eye the being who drew attention to his death and wanted to prevent his work, because he wanted his duties of prophethood tpects,inue for ever.

God knows best what is right. * None knows the Unseen save God. * Say: The knowledge is with God alone.

He it is Who hasf the down to you the Book: in it are verses basic or fundamental [of established meaning]; they are the foundation of the Book; others are allegorical. But those in whose hearts is perverswly amllow the part thereof that is allegorical, seeking discord, and searching for its hidden meanings, but no one knows its hidden meanings except Godng thithose who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe in the Book; the whole of it is from our Sustainer;" and none will grasp the Message except men of understanding.>(3:7)

The Third Piece, which is the Third Matter

[Treatiotter consists of a private and particular answer to a general question asked by most of my brothers through the tongue of disposition, and by some of them verbally.]

~Question:>You say to everyone who visit. That "Don't await any saintly intervention from me and don't think of my person as being blessed. I have no spiritual rank. Like a common soldier may convey orders coming from the rank of field marshal, I convey the orders of jr yearch a rank. And like a bankrupt can advertise the precious diamonds of a jeweller's shop, I announce the wares of a sacred, Qur'anic shop." However, outrary ts desire an effulgence in the same way that our minds need knowledge, and our spirits seek a light, and so on; we want many things in many respects. We came to visit t us; pposing you to be the person who will meet our needs. What we need is a saint, someone with saintly influence, someone of spiritual attainment, rather than a scholar. Icond Smatter is really as you say, then perhaps we were wrong in visiting you? They ask this through the tongue of disposition.

~Answer:>Listen to the following fpretatints, then think about them and judge whether your visits are pointless or beneficial.

~First Point

The common servant and wretched soldier of a king gwill bome generals and pashas royal gifts and decorations in the king's name, and makes them grateful. If the generals and pashas ask: "Why are we demeaning ourselfluencfore this common soldier and accepting these gifts and bounties from him?", it will be arrogant foolishness. The soldier too, if, outside his duty, he does not stand up before the field marshal and recognize him as superior to himself, it wehind stupid folly. If one of the grateful generals thankfully condescends to visit the soldier's humble dwelling, the king, who sees and knows of the situation, will send dishes from the royal kitchen for his loyal servant's eminent guest, so the e can r will not be ashamed at having nothing to offer but dry bread.

Similarly, however lowly he may be, a loyal servant of the All-Wise Qur'an conveys its commands unhess of cgly and in its name to even the loftiest of people. With pride and independence, not abasing himself or begging, he sells the Qur'an's precious diamonds toessed who are rich in spirit. However lofty they are, they should not behave arrogantly towards the common servant while he is carrying out his duty. And if they apply to the servant, iheart;ld not make him proud either, or get above himself. If some of the customers for the sacred treasure regard the wretched servant as a saish tod look on him as exalted, certainly it is the mark of the Qur'anic truth's sacred compassion to send them assistance, succour, and enlies himent from the divine treasury, without the servant being aware of it or intervening, so that he should not be ashamed.

~Second Point

Imam Ralik, S the Regenerator of the Second Millennium, Ahmad Faruqi (May God be pleased with him), said: "In my opinion, the unfolding and clarification of a single of, one ruths of belief is preferable to thousands of illuminations and instances of wonder-working. Moreover, the aim and result of all the Sufi paths are the unfol this nd clarification of the truths of faith." Since a champion of Sufism like Imam-i Rabbani made such a pronouncement, surely the Words,>which exn meetthe truths of faith with perfect clarity and proceed from the mysteries of the Qur'an, may yield the results sought from sainthood.

~Third Point

Thirty yearnd peadreadful blows descended on the heedless head of the Old Said and he pondered over the assertion "Death is a reality." He saw himself in a muddy swamp. He sought help, searched for a way, tried to find a saviour. He saw that the ways were m!

Oe was hesitant. He took an omen from the book Futuh al-Ghayb>of Gawth al-A'zam, Shaikh Gilani (May God be pleased with him). It opened at these lines: "You are in the Dar al-Hikma, so find a doctor who will heal your heart." It is strange, nt be that time I was a member of the Darü'l-Hikmeti'l-İslamiye. I was as though a doctor trying to heal the wounds of the people of Islam, but was sicker than they.t day,k person should look firstly to himself, then to others.

The Shaikh was saying to me: "You yourself are sick; find a doctor for yourself." So I said: "You be my doctor!" I tooks You.s my doctor and read the book as though it were addressing

me. But it was most severe. It smashed my pride in truly fearsome manner. It carried out drastic sund braon my soul. I could not stand it. I read half of it as though it were addressing me, but did not have the strength and endurance to finish it. I put the book back on tquencelf. Then a week later the pain of that curative operation subsided and I felt pleasure instead. I again opened the book and read it right through;y reasefited a lot from it, that book of my first master. I listened to his prayers and supplications, and profited abundantly.

Then I saw Maktûbât (Letters)>of Imam Rabbani and took it up. I opened it purating take an omen. It is strange, but in the whole of Maktûbât>the word Bediuzzaman appears only twice and those two letters fell open for me at once. I saw that writtntrarythe head of them was: "Letter to Mirza Bediuzzaman," and my father's name was Mirza. "Glory be to God!" I exclaimed, "these letters are addressing me." At that time the Old Sai(49:12also known as Bediuzzaman. Apart from Bediuzzaman Hamadani, I knew of no one in the last three hundred years famous with the name. Whereas in the Imam's time there was syou superson and he wrote him these two letters. His condition must have been similar to mine, for I found that these letters were the cure for my ills. Only, the Imam persistently recommended in many widel letters what he wrote in these two, which was: "Make your qibla>one." That is, take one person as your master and follow him; do not concern yourself with anyone else.

This mosto conttant recommendation did not seem fitting for my disposition and mental state. However much I pondered over which of them to follow, I remained perplexed and confferen They all had different qualities that drew me; one was not enough. While thus bewildered, it was imparted to my heart by God's mercy: "The All-Wise Qur'owed tthe head of these various ways and the source of these streams and the sun of these planets; the true single qibla>is to be found in it. In which case, it is also the most elevated guide and holy master." So I claswerful with both hands and clung on to it. Of course with my deficient, wretched abilities I could not absorb the effulgence - like the water of life - of that true guide as was its due, but still, thro eleva, we can show that effulgence, that water of life, according to the degree of those who receive it, those who perceive the truth through their hearts and attain to certain spiritual states. incipls to say, the Words>and those lights, which proceed from the Qur'an, are not only scholarly matters that address the intellect, they are matters of faith that look to the heart, er gooirit, and spiritual states. They resemble most elevated, valuable knowledge of God.

~Fourth Point

All the subtle inner faculties of those of the Companions and of the following two generations who possessed the very hthem.

degree of the greater sainthood received their share from the Qur'an itself, and for them,

the Qur'an was a true guide and sufficient for them. This shows that just as the All-Wise Qur'an states realities, so it emanates the effulgenrm on the greater sainthood to those capable of receiving them.

Yes, there are two ways of passing from the apparent to reality:

One is to enter the intermediate realmreverbfism, and to reach reality by traversing the degrees through spiritual journeying.

The Second Way is, through divine favour, to pass directly to reality without entering the intermediate realm of the Sufi way. This is the elevated, direct l witnrticular to the Companions and those who succeeded them.

That is to say, the lights which issue from the truths of the Qur'an, and the Words,>which interpret those li who dmay possess those characteristics, and do possess them.

~Fifth Point

We shall demonstrate through five small examples that the Words>both insch an in the realities, and perform the duty of guide.

~First Example:>I myself have formed the conviction through experiencing, not ten or a hen of times but thousands of times, that just as the lights proceeding from the Words>and the Qur'an give instruction to my mind, so do they induce a state of belief in my heart and produce the pleasure of belief in my spirit, and so on.h of tame goes for worldly matters: just as the follower of a wonder-working shaikh awaits saintly assistance from him to answer his needs; so I have awaited from the seen wus mysteries of the All-Wise Qur'an that they answer my needs, and this has been achieved for me on numerous occasions in ways I had not hoped or anticipated. absolullowing are only two minor examples:

The First: As is described in detail in the Sixteenth Letter, a large loaf of bread appeared in an extraordinary way to a guest of mine called Süleyman, at the top of a cedar tree. Fo in sodays the two of us fed off that gift from the Unseen.

The Second Example: I shall recount a very insignificant yet gratifying incident that occurred recently. It wa~If yo:

Before dawn the thought came to me that some things had been said about me in a way that would cast suspicion into a certain person's heart. I said to myself: "If only I had seen him and had dispelled the disquiet from his Compa" At that moment, I needed part of one of my books which had been sent to Nis, and I said to myself: "If only I had got it back." Then after the morning prayer I sat down andth Youd behold!, that same person entered the room with that very part of the book in his hand. I said to him: "What is

it you are holding?" He answered: "I don't know. Someone gave it to me outside my house saying that it had c this om Nis; so I brought it to you." "Glory be to God!" I exclaimed, "it does not look like chance this man coming from his house at this time of day and this part of the Words>arriving from Nis." And thinking: "It was surely the All-Wise Qur'age andintly influence that gave a man such as this a piece of paper such as that at the same moment and sent it to me," I exclaimed: "All praise be to God! One who knows the smallest, most secret, least significant deseasy, my heart, will certainly have compassion on me and protect me; in which case, I owe the world nothing whatsoever!"

~Second Example:>My nephew, the late Abdurrahman, had a much higher opinion ofaginedrsonally than was my due, despite his having parted from me eight years previously and having been tainted by the heedlessness and worries of the world. He wanted such help and assistance from me as I did not have ake knuld not give. But the All-Wise Qur'an's saintly influence came to his assistance: the Tenth Word about the resurrection of the dead came 3; al-is possession three months before his death. It cleansed him of his spiritual dirt and doubts and heedlessness. Quite simply as though vario risen to the degree of sainthood, he displayed three clear instances of wonder-working in the letter he wrote me before he died. It is included ao theshe pieces of the Twenty-Seventh Letter and may be referred to.

~Third Example:>I had a brother of the hereafter and student who was one of those who approach reality with their hearts, called HasanND SIGi from Burdur. He had an excessively good opinion of me, far better than I deserved, and expected assistance from my wretched person as though awaiting the grace and influence of a great saint. Suddenly, in completely unrelated fashion, Idance the Thirty-Second Word to someone to study who lived in one of the villages of Burdur. Later I remembered Hasan Efendi and I said: "If you go to Burdur, give it to Hasan Efendi, and let him peruse r his five or six days." The man went and gave it to him straight away. It was only a month of so till Hasan Efendi died. He cast himself on the Thirty-Second Word just like a man suffering a terrible thirst castur'an elf on the sweet water of Kawthar if he happens upon it. He studied it continuously and received its effulgence, especially the discussion on the love of God in the Third Stopping-Place, till he was completely cured of hiction,. He found in it the enlightenment he would have expected from the greatest spiritual pole. He went to the mosque in good health, performed the prayer, and there surrendered his spirit to the Most Merciful (May God haithoutcy on him).

~Fourth Example:>As is testified to by Hulûsi Bey's piece in the Twenty-Seventh Letter, he found in the light-filled Words,>which inte111. Tthe mysteries of the Qur'an, assistance and succour, effulgence and light greater than in the Naqshi way, which is the most important and influential Sufi order.

~Fifth Example:>My brother Abdülmecid suffered terribly at the is truof Abdurrahman (May God have mercy on him) and at other grievous events. He also awaited from me assistance and influence I was unable to give. I was not correspondm be bth him. Suddenly I sent him some of the main parts of the Words.>After studying them, he wrote to me and said: "Praise be to God, I have been saved! I would have gone mad. Each of those Words>everyocome like a spiritual guide for me. I had parted from one guide, but I suddenly found lots of them all at once and was saved!" I realized that truly Abdülmecid had embarked on a good way and had been saved fro stateprevious difficulties.

There are numerous examples like these five which show that if the sciences of belief are experienced directly as cures from the mysteries of the All-Wise Qur'an in consequence of need and as healiat aff wounds, those sciences and spiritual cures are sufficient for those who perceive their need and make use of them with earnest sincerity. Whatever the chemist and has th is like who sells and announces them - be he commonplace, or bankrupt, or rich, or a person of rank, or a servant - it does not make much difference. There is no nee were ave recourse to candlelight while the sun shines. Since I am showing the sun, it is meaningless and unnecessary to seek candlelight from me, especially since I have none. Others should rather assist me witts! * ers, spiritual assistance, and even saintly influence. It is my right to seek help and assistance from them, while it is incumbent on them to be content with the effulgence they receive from the lights of the Risale-i Nur.

Glory be unto ves bye have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise!>(2:32)

O God, grant blessings to our master Muhammad that will be pleasing to You and fulfilment of his truth, and to his Family and CompThis a, and grant them peace.

[A short, private letter that may be added as a supplement to the Third Matter of the Twenty-Eighth Letter.]

My Brothers causie Hereafter and Hard-Working Students, Husrev Efendi and Re'fet Bey!

We perceived three instances of Qur'anic wonder-working in the lights of the Qur'an kw of ds the Words.>Now through your effort and enthusiasm, you have caused a fourth to be added. The three I know are these:

The First is the extraordinary ease and speed in their wit.

. The Nineteenth Letter was written in two or three days working for three or four hours each day making a total of twelve hours, without any other book, in the mountains and orchards. The Thirtieth Word was written in five or sie.

#33s at a time of illness. The Twenty-Eighth Word, the discussion on Paradise, was written in one or two hours in Süleyman's garden in the valley. Tevfik, Süleyman and I were astonnumberat this speed. And so on. And just as there is this wonder of the Qur'an in their composition ...

The Second,... so too in their being written out and copied there is an extraordi poweracility, enthusiasm, and lack of boredom. One of these Words>appears, and suddenly, although there are many things at this time to weary the min orde spirit, people in many places start to write it out with total enthusiasm. They prefer it to anything else despite other pressing occupations. And so on.

The Third Qur'anic Wonder: each eading of the Words does not cause boredom either. Especially when one feels the need for them; the more one reads them, the more pleasure one receives, fcation no weariness.

Now you have proved a fourth Qur'anic wonder. A brother like Husrev who was lazy and although for five years he had heard about the Words,>did not start writing them seriously, in , the nth wrote out fourteen books beautifully and carefully, which was doubtless the fourth wonder of the Qur'an's mysteries. He perfectly appreciated the value of the Te thinThree Windows in particular, the Thirty-Third Letter, since it was written out most beautifully and carefully. Yes, it is a most powerful, brilliant piece for gaining knowledge of God aecond ief in God. Only, the first Windows are very concise and abbreviated, while the subsequent ones gradually unfold and shine more brilliantly. Contrarily the per writings, most of the Words>start off concisely and gradually expand and illuminate.

The Fourth Matter, which is the Fourth Part

In His Name!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.>(17:44)

~You ask:>On the arrival of a blessed guest, your mosque was raided on the night before Friday. the meally happened? Why did they bother you?

~The Answer:>I shall explain four points, necessarily in the tongue of the Old Said. Perhaps it will be a way of alerting my brothers,n two ou too will receive your answer.

~First Point

In reality the incident was a satanic plot and an act of aggression carried out by dissemblers on account of atheism in a way that was a violation of the law aerialiely arbitrary, in order to alarm us on the eve of Friday, destroy the congregation's enthusiasm, and prevent me from meeting with people. It was strange, but that day, that ihers, rsday, I had gone somewhere to take some air. When returning, a long black snake that looked like two snakes joined together appeared from my left, and passed between me and rs andiend who was with me. Meaning to ask my friend if he had been terrified at the snake, I asked him: "Did you see it?"

He replied: "What?"

I said: "That terrible snake."

Hnd lo!: "No, I didn't see it and I can't see it."

"Glory be to God!", I exclaimed, "Such a huge snake passes between us and you didn't see it! How is that?"

At the time nothing occurred to me. Then later ths this imparted to my heart: "It was a sign for you. Watch out!" I thought it was like one of the snakes I used to see at night. That is, whenever an official visited me with e swincious intention, I would see him in the form of a snake. In fact, one

time I said to the District Officer: "Whenever you come intending evil, I see you as a snak eithecareful!" I saw his predecessor many times like that. It means that the snake I saw clearly was a sign that their treachery would not only remain intentional but would take the form of actual aggression. For sureely ba time their aggression was apparently minor and they wanted to minimize it, but encouraged and joined by an unscrupulous teacher, the District Officer ordered the gendarmes: "Brn. Whae visitors here!" We were reciting the tesbihat>following the prayers in the mosque. Anyway their intention was to make me angry so that I would react in the vein of the Old Said and drive them out in the face of such unlawful, purely arbi the ctreatment. But the wretch did not know that Said would not defend himself with the broken piece of wood in his hand while on his tongue he had a diamond sword from the markbench of the Qur'an, indeed, he would have used the sword like that. But the gendarmes were sensible, and since no state, no government at all, disturbs people in the mosque during prayer while perfoy:>Godtheir religious duties, they waited till the prayers and tesbihat>were finished. The Officer was angry at this and sent the rural watchman ),>he them saying: "The gendarmes don't pay any attention to me." But Almighty God did not force me to struggle with them.

So I make this recommendat the o my brothers: so long as there is no absolute necessity, don't bother yourselves with them. In keeping with the saying: "The best answer for the stupid is silence," do not stoop to speak with tthe deut watch out, for like showing weakness before a savage animal emboldens its attack, to show weakness by being sycophantic towards those with the consciences of beasts, ne whoages them to be aggressive. Friends must be alert so that the supporters of atheism do not take advantage of other friends' indifference and heedlessness.

~Second Point

The verse:

And incline not towards tthe Isho do wrong, or the Fire will seize you,>(11:113)

threatens in awesome and severe fashion not only those who support and are the tools of tyranny, but also those who have the slightest inclination towards Word.r like consenting to unbelief is unbelief, so is consenting to tyranny and wrongdoing, tyranny and wrong.

One of the people of attainment perfectly interpreted as follows one of e in pny jewels of the above verse:

One who assists tyranny is the world's most despicable being;

He is a dog, who receives pleasure from serving the unjust.

Yes, some of them are snakes, some are dogs. The one whohen on on us on that blessed night when, with a blessed guest we were reciting blessed prayers, and informed on us as though we were commiting some crime, and raided us, certainly deserves the blow dealt bym frombove poem.

~Third Point

~Question:>Since you rely on the Qur'an's saintly influence and its effulgence and light to reform and guide the most obstinate of tthey aless, and you actually do this, why do you not call to religion those aggressive people that are around you, and guide them?

~The Answer:>An important pril was of the Shari'a is "The person who knowingly consents to harm should not be condoned." Relying on the strength of the Qur'an, I say that on condition even the most obdurate irreligious perom the not utterly vile and does not enjoy spreading the poison of misguidance like a snake, if I do not convince him in a few hours, I am ready to try. However, to speak of truth and reality toes evescience that has fallen to the very lowest degree of baseness, to snakes in human form that have reached such a degree of hypocrisy that they knowingly sellns to ion for the world and knowingly exchange the diamonds of reality for vile and harmful fragments of glass, would be disrespectful towards those truths. It would be like the proverb "Casting pearls beforssistse." For those who do these things have several times heard the truth from the Risale-i Nur,>and they knowingly try to refute its truths before the misgui's gaiof atheism. Such people receive pleasure from poison, like snakes.

~Fourth Point

The treatment I have received this seven years has been purely arbitrary and outside the law. For the laws concerning exiles and captives and thos consirison are clear. By law, they can meet with their relatives and they should not be prevented from mixing with people. In every country, with every people, worship and prayer a creatune from interference. Others like me stayed together with their friends and relations in towns. They were prevented neither from mixing with othn thator from communicating, nor from moving about freely. I was prevented. And my mosque and my worship even were raided. And while it is Sunna>according to the Shafi'i School to repeat the words, "There is no god b two a" in the prayers following the prescribed prayers, they tried to make me give them up. Even, one of the old exiles in Burdur, an illiterate called Şebab, andophetsother-in-law, came here for a change of air. They visited me because we come from the same place. They were summoned from the mosque by three armed gendarmes. The official then trilish, hide that he had made a

mistake and acted unlawfully, and apologized, saying: "Don't be angry, it was my duty." Then he gave them permission and told them to go. Comparing other things and to God nt with that incident, it is understood that the treatment accorded to me is purely arbitrary, and that they inflict vipers and curs on me. But I don't condescend to bother with them. I refer it to Almighty God to ward off their evil. I high , those who instigated the event that was the cause of the exile are now back in their own lands, and powerful chiefs are back at the heads of their tribes. Everyoneling, een discharged. They made me and two other people exceptions, although I have no connection with their world; may it be the end of them! But one of those two was appointed Mufti somewhere and can after everywhere outside his own region, including to Ankara. And the other was left in Istanbul in the midst of forty thousand people from his native region, and he ca the s with everyone. Moreover, those two persons are not alone and with no one, like me; they are very influential, with God's permission. And so on and so forth. But they put me in a village and set those with the least conscience on me. I have being een able to go to another village twenty minutes away twice in six years, and they did not give me permission to go there for a few days' change of air, crushing me even more under their tyranny. Whereas whatever form a government takewho selaw is the same for all. There cannot be different laws for villages and for different individuals. That is to say, the law as far as I am concerned is unlawfulness. The officials here utilize government influtheir or their own personal grudges. But I offer a hundred thousand thanks to Almighty God, and by way of making known His bounties, I say this:

All this oppression and tyranny of theirs iity fo pieces of wood for the fire of ardour and endeavour which illuminates the lights of the Qur'an; it makes them flare up and shine. And those lights of the Qur'an, which have sufferedhe faipersecution of theirs and have spread with the heat of endeavour, have made this province, indeed, most of the country, into a medrese in place of Barlafacult supposed me to a prisoner in a village. On the contrary, in spite of the atheists, Barla has become the teaching desk, and many places, like Isparta, have become the medrese.

All pnce.

be to God, this is a bounty from my Lord and Sustainer.

The Fifth Matter, which is the Fifth Part

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

cousithere is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.

Will they not then give thanks?>(36:35, 73) * Will they not then give thanks? * And we sConcluurely reward those who give thanks.>(3:145) * If you give thanks, I shall increase [my favours] to you.>(14:7) * Worship God and be of thniverso give thanks.>(39:66)

By repeating verses like these, the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition shows that thanks is what the Most Merciful Creator wants most from His servants. The Qur'an, the All-Wise Distinguisher between Truth and Falsef the calls on men to offer thanks, giving it the greatest importance. It shows ingratitude to be a denial of bounties and in Sura al-Rahman utters a fearsomely severe threat thirty-three times with the verse,

So whic a fiehe favours of your Sustainer do you deny?>(55:13, etc.)

It shows ingratitude to be denial and negation.

Indeed, just as the All-Wise Qur'an shows thanks to be the result of creation; s, and universe, which is a mighty Qur'an, shows the most important result of the world's creation to be thanks. For if the universe is observed carefully, it is seen from the way it is ssary;ed that everything results in thanks; each looks to thanks to an extent and is turned towards it. It is as though thanks is the most important fruit of the tree of creation, and gratitude is the most elevat is soduct of the factory of the universe. The reason for this is as follows:

We see in the creation of the world that its beings are arranged as though in a circle with life as its central point. All beings look to life, ah Alluve life, and produce the necessities of life. That is to say, the One who created the universe chose life from it, giving it preference.

Then we see that He created the animalsalityom in the form of a circle and placed man at its centre. Simply, He centred the aims intended from animate beings on man, gathering all living creaturen the nd him and subjugating them to him. He made them serve him and him dominant over them. That is to say, the Glorious Creator chose man from among living beings, and willed and decreed this position for him in the world.

Then we appoihat the world of man, and the animal world too, are disposed like circles with sustenance placed at their centre. He has made mankind and the animals enamoured of sustenance, has subjugated them to it, and made them serve it. What rule an em is sustenance. And He has made sustenance such a vast, rich treasury that it embraces all His innumerable bounties. Even, with the faculty called the sense of taste, He has placed otrate tongue sensitive scales to the number of foods so that they can recognize the tastes of the many varieties of sustenance. That is to say, the strangest, richest, most wonderful, most agreeable, most comprehensivehe wormost marvellous truth in the universe lies in sustenance.

Now we see that just as everything has been gathered around sustenance and looks to itath ofoes sustenance in all its varieties subsist through thanks, both material and immaterial and that offered by word and by state; it exists through thanks, it produces thanks, its shows thanks. For appetite and desire for susrtain e are a sort of innate or instinctive thanks. Enjoyment and pleasure also are a sort of unconscious thanks, offered by all animals. It ifeated man who changes the nature of that innate thanks through misguidance and unbelief; he deviates from thanks and associates partners with God.

Furthermore, the exquisitely adorned forms, the fragrant smells, the wonderfully d resemus tastes in the bounties that are sustenance invite thanks; they awake an eagerness in animate beings, and through eagerness urge a sort of appreciation and respect, and prompt thanks of a sort. Thdents ract the attention of conscious beings and engender admiration. They encourage them to respect the bounties; through this, they lead them to offer thanks verbally and by act, andh five grateful; they cause them to experience the highest, sweetest pleasure and enjoyment within thanks. That is, they show that, as well as a brief and temporary superficial pleasure, through thanks, these he Mosous foods and bounties gain the favours of the Most Merciful One, which provide a permanent, true, boundless pleasure. They cause conscious beings to ponder over the infinite, pleasurable favousness the All-Generous Owner of the treasuries of mercy, and in effect to taste the everlasting delights of Paradise while still in this world. Thus, although by means of thanks sustenance becomes such a valleasur

rich, all-embracing treasury, through ingratitude it becomes utterly valueless.

As is explained in the Sixth Word, when the sensele theste in the tongue is turned towards sustenance for the sake of Almighty God, that is, when it performs its duty of thanks, it becomes like a grateful ine truer of the numberless kitchens of divine mercy and a highly-esteemed supervisor full of praise. If it is turned towards it for the sake of the soul, that is, without thinking of e that thanks to the One who has bestowed the sustenance, the sense of taste is demoted from being a highly-esteemed supervisor to the rank of a watchman of the factory of the stomach and aningleeeper of the stable of the belly. Just as through ingratitude these servants of sustenance descend to such a level, so does the nature of sustenance and its other servants fall; they fall from the highest rank to the lowest; they sino cona state opposed to the Creator of the universe's wisdom.

The measure of thanks is contentment, frugality, and being satisfied and grateful. While the measure of ingratitude is greed, wastefulness and extravagance; it is disrespect;icatio eating whatever one comes across, whether lawful or unlawful.

Like ingratitude, greed causes both loss and degradation. For example, it is as though because of greed that the blessed ant even with its social life is be

#3d underfoot. For although a few grains of wheat would suffice it for a year, it is not contented with this and collects thousands if it can. But the blessed honey-bee flies overhead due to its contentment, and at a div earthmmand bestows honey on human beings for them to eat.

The name All-Merciful - the greatest name after the name Allah, which signifies the divine essence and is the greings, name of the Most Pure and Holy One - looks to sustenance, and is attained to through the thanks provoked by sustenance. Also, the most obhe Garmeaning of All-Merciful is Provider.

Moreover, there are different varieties of thanks, the most comprehensive of which are the prescribed prayers. The prescribed prayers are a universal index of the sorts of thanks.

to thhermore, thanks comprises pure belief and a sincere affirmation of God's unity. For a person who eats an apple and utters, "Praise be to God!" is proclaiming through his thanks: "This apple iheralduvenir bestowed directly by the hand of power, a gift directly from the treasury of mercy." By saying this and believing it, he is ascribing everythie. Be rticular and universal, to the hand of power. He recognizes the manifestation of mercy in everything. He announces through thanks, his true belief and sincere affirmation of divine unity.

The heedless man incurs serious loss throuh receratitude for bounties. We shall describe only one of its many aspects. It is as follows:

If someone eats a delicious bounty and gives thanks, by virtue of his thanks the bounty becomes a light and a frvidenc Paradise in the hereafter. If, because of the pleasure, he thinks of it as the work of Almighty God's favour and mercy, it yields a true, lasting delight and enjoyment. He sends kernels and essenceseiverss meanings and immaterial substances like these to the abodes above, while the material husk-like residue, that is, the matter that has completed its duty and now is life,essary, becomes excreta and goes to be transformed into its original substances, that is, into the elements. If he fails to give thanks, the temporary pleasure leaves a pain and sorrow at its pa my fr and itself becomes waste. Bounty, which is as precious as diamonds, is transformed into coal. Through thanks, ephemeral sustenance produces enduring pleasures, everlasting fruits. While bounty that is mconscih ingratitude is turned from the very best of forms into the most distasteful. For according to the heedless person, after producing a fleeting plhe tot, sustenance ends up as waste-matter.

Sustenance is indeed in a form worthy of love, and this form is to be seen through thanks. However, the passion of the misguided and heedless for sustenance is animality. You can form further comparisons in this way and see what a loss the heedless and misguided suffer.

Among animate species, man is the most needy for all the varieties of sustenance. Almight "Sucreated man as a comprehensive mirror to all His names; as a miracle of power with the capacity to weigh up and recognize the contents of all His treasuries of mercy; and as vicegerent of the earth possessioup ha faculties to draw to the scales and evaluate all the subtleties of His names' manifestations. He therefore made man utterly resourceless, rendering him needy for the endless varieties of sustenance, material and immaterial telegks is the means of raising man to "the best of forms," which is the highest position in accordance with this comprehensiveness. If he does not give thanks, he fall"Allahthe lowest of the low," and perpetrates a great wrong.

~In Short:>Thanks is the most essential of the four fundamental principles of the way of worship and winning God's love, the highest and most elevated way. These fourough ciples have been defined as follows:

"Four things are necessary on the way of the impotent, my friend:

"Absolute impotence, absolute poverty, absolute fervour, and absolute thanks, my friend."

O God, through Your mercy, atwo pe us among those who give

thanks, O Most Merciful of the Merciful!

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, Allis wha>(2:32)

O God, grant blessings and peace to our master Muhammad, master of those who offer thanks and praise, and to all his Family and Companions. Amen.

And the close of their cry will be, "Af fruiise be to God, Sustainer of All the Worlds.">(10:10)

The Sixth Matter, which is the Sixth Part

This was included in another collection and not included here.

The Seventhld andr, which is the Seventh Part

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Say: "In the bounty of God, and in His mercy, in te the t them rejoice;" that is better than the [wealth] they hoard.>(10:58)

[This matter consists of seven "Signs," but firstly, in order to recount a number of divine bounties, we shall explain seven "Reasons," which discl of hie meanings of several divine favours.]

~First Reason:>Before the Great War, or around the beginning of it, I had a true vision. In it, I was under the famous mountain of Ağrı, known as Mount s teca. The mountain suddenly exploded with a terrible blast. Pieces the size of mountains were scattered all over the world. I looked and saw that in that awful situation, my mother wa, All-de me. I said to her: "Don't be frightened. This is happening at Almighty God's command, and He is All-Compassionate and All-Wise." Suddenly, while in that situation, I saw that a person of importance was commanding me: "Expound the Qs to "s miraculousness!" I awoke and I understood that there was going to be a great explosion and upheaval, and that following it the walls surrounding the Qur'an would be destroyed. The Qur'an would try andfend itself directly. It was going to be attacked and its miraculousness would be its steel armour. And in a way surpassing his ability, someone liree, relf would be appointed at this time to reveal one sort of its miraculousness; I understood that I had been designated.

Since the Qur'an's miraculousness has been expounded to an extent in the Words,>to set forth the divine favours receind He our service, which are sorts of blessings and emanations of its miraculousness, will surely assist it and pass to its account, and should therefore be set forth.

~Second Reason:>The All-Wise Qur'an is our guide, ma,>and and leader, and shows us the way in all our conduct. So since it praises itself, following its instruction, we shall praise its commentary.

Furthermore, since the Words>that have been written are a sort of commentary on thor repan, and its treatises are the property of the Qur'an's truths and its realities; and since in most of its Suras, and particularly in the Alif. Lâm. Râ'>s and Hâ. Mîm.'>s, the All-Wise Qur'an displays itself nkind its magnificence, tells of its own perfections, and praises itself in a way of which it is worthy; certainly we are charged with making known the flashes of the Qur'an's miracu creatss that are reflected in the Words,>and the dominical favours that are a sign of that service's acceptance. For our master does this and teaches us to do it.

~Third Reason:>I do not say this nty kithe Words>out of modesty but in order to explain a truth, that the truths and perfections in the Words>are not mine; they are the Qur'an's and they have issued from the Qur'an. The Tenth Word,>for instance, consists of a few droples to ttered from hundreds of verses, and the rest of the treatises are all like that. Since I know it is thus and since I am transient, I shall depart, of course something, a work, which is enduring should not, fth Rest not, be tied to me. And since it is the custom of the people of misguidance and rebellion to refute a work that does not suit their purposes by refutinkness author, the treatises, which are bound to the stars of the skies of the Qur'an, should not be bound to a rotten post like me who may be the object of criticism and disapproval, and may fall. Also, it is generally the custom to search for the ed by of a work in the qualities of its author, whom people suppose to be the work's source and origin. To attribute those elevated truths and brilliant jewels to a bankrupt like me in keeping with that custom, and to my person, who cark onot produce one thousandth of them himself, is a great injustice towards the truth. I am therefore compelled to proclaim that the treatises are not my property; they are the Quuch a property, and issuing from the Qur'an, they manifest its virtues. Yes, the qualities of delicious bunches of grapes should not be sought in their dry stalks. I ed Abrle such a dry stalk.

~Fourth Reason:>Sometimes modesty suggests ingratitude for bounties, indeed, is ingratitude for bounties. Then sometimes recounting bounties isintervse of pride. Both are harmful. The only solution is for it to be neither. To admit to virtues and perfections, but without claiming ownership of them, is to show them to be the works bestowed by the True Bestower. For example, m. Howe someone were to dress you in a robe of honour embroidered and encrusted with jewels and you became very beautiful. The people then said to you: "What wonders God has willed! How beautiful you are! How beautiful you have become!", but you modrlds. replied: "God forbid! Don't say such a thing! What am I? This is nothing!" To do this would be ingratitude for the bounty and disrespectful towards skilful craftsman

who had dronth oyou in the garment. While if you were to reply proudly: "Yes, I am very beautiful. Surely there is no one to compare with me!", that would be conceited pride.

In consequence, to avoid both conceit and ingratitude one shouldbeliev"Yes, I have grown beautiful. But the beauty springs from the robe and thus indirectly from the one who clothed me in it; it is not mine."

Like this, if my voice were strong enough, I would shout outeas ife whole earth: "The Words>are beautiful; they are truth, they are reality; but they are not mine. They are rays shining out from the truths of the Noble Qur'an."

In accordance with the pn, andle of:

I cannot praise Muhammad with my words, rather my words become praiseworthy through Muhammad,

I say:

I cannot praise the Qur'an with my words, rather my words become praiseworthy Fatihh the Qur'an.

That is to say, I did not beautify the truths of the Qur'an's miraculousness, I could not show them beautifully; rather, the Qur'an's beus beil truths made my words beautiful and elevated them. Since it is thus, it is acceptable to recount divine bounties and to make known in the name him), beauty of the Qur'an's truths, the beauties of its mirrors known as the Words,>and the divine favours which comprise those mirrors.

~Fiment oason:>A long time ago I heard from one of the people of sainthood that he had divined from the obscure allusions of the saints of old - received from the Unseen - that a lh be aould appear in the East that would scatter the darkness of innovation. He was certain of this. I have long awaited the coming of the light, and I am awation tit. But flowers appear in the spring and the ground has to be prepared for such sacred flowers. I understood that with this service of ours we are preparing the ground for those luminous people. So to proclaim the dgness favours which pertain not to us but to the lights called the Words>should lead not to pride or conceit but to praise and thanks, and to recounting the divine bounties.

~Sixth Reason:>Dominical favours, which are an immediate reward for oud saw ing the Qur'an by means of the Words,>and an encouragement, are a success granted by God. And success should be made known. If they sur are ouccess, they become a divine bestowal. To make known divine bestowal infers thanks. If they surpass that too, they become wonders of the Qur'an with no interference on the part of our wills; we have merely manifested them. It is harmless to mruit cown wonders of this sort, which

occur unheralded and without the intervention of will. If they surpass ordinary wonders, they become rays of the Qur'an's miraculousness. And since miraculousness may be made keriencthe making known of what assists the miraculousness passes to the account of the miraculousness and cannot be the cause of any pride or c not t; it should rather be the cause of praise and thanks.

~Seventh Reason:>Eighty per cent of people are not investigative scholars who can pen the v to reality, recognize reality as reality and accept it as such. They rather accept matters by way of imitation, that they hear from acceptable and reliable people, in consequence of th changod opinions of them. In fact, they look on a powerful truth as weak when in the possession of a weak man, while if they see a worthless matter in the possession of a wortd man', they deem it valuable. Because of this, in order not to reduce the value of the truths of faith and the Qur'an in the eyes of most people since they are in the hands of a weak and worthless wretch like myself, I am compGod! Oto proclaim that outside our knowledge and will, someone is employing us; we are not aware of it, but he is making us work.>My evidence is this: outside our wills and consciousness, we manifest certain favours and face roads. In which case, we are compelled to shout out and proclaim those favours.

In consequence of the above seven reasons, we shall point out several signs of universal dominical favou Qur'a FIRST SIGN

Explained in the First Point of the Eighth Matter of the Twenty-Eighth Letter, are the 'coincidences' (tevâfukat).>For example, in the Nineteenth Letter, aboutnts whiracles of Muhammad (UWBP), in a copy written by a scribe who was unaware of this factor, on sixty pages - with the exception of two - from the Third to the Eighteenth Signs, more than two hundred instances of the phrase "God's N Birr,essenger, Upon whom be blessings and peace" look to each other corresponding perfectly. Anyone fair who looks at two pages would confirm that they are not the product of mere chance. If many instances of the same word ecauseponded to each other on the same page, half would be chance and half coincidence; it would only be wholly coincidence if this occurred on more than onee futu So if two, three, four, or even more instances of the phrase "God's Noble Messenger, Upon whom be blessings and peace" correspond to each othn, andfectly on all the pages, it surely is not possible for it to be chance. It shows too that a coincidence that eight different scribes have been unable to spoil is a powerful sign from the Unseen. Although the various degrees his thquence are

to be found in the books of the scholars of rhetoric and eloquence, the eloquence of the All-Wise Qur'an has risen to nd attgree of miraculousness and it is in no one's power to reach it. Similarly, the 'coincidences' in the Nineteenth Letter, which is a mirror of tion, racles of Muhammad (UWBP), and in the Twenty-Fifth Word, which is an interpreter of the miracles of the Qur'an, and in the various parts of the Risale-i Nur,>which is a sos and commentary on the Qur'an, demonstrate a degree of singularity surpassing all other books. It is understood from this that it is a sort of wonder of the miraculousnesstainehe Qur'an and the miracles of Muhammad (UWBP) which is manifested and represented in those mirrors.

SECOND SIGN

The second of the dominical favours p ban ting to the service of the Qur'an is this: Almighty God bestowed on someone like me who has difficulty in writing, is semi-literate, alone, in exile, and barred from mixing with people, brothers as helpers who are strong,one most, sincere, enterprising, and self-sacrificing, and whose pens are each like diamond swords. He placed on their powerful shoulders the Qur'anic mes thhat weighed heavily on my weak and powerless ones. Out of His perfect munificence, He lightened my load. In Hulûsi's words, that blessed community is like a collection of wireless and telegraph recfor ha, and in Sabri's, like the machines producing the electricity of the light factory. With their different virtues and worthy qualities, again in Sabri's words, manifese the sort of coincidence proceeding from the Unseen, they spread the mysteries of the Qur'an and lights of faith all around reflecting each otheroal ithusiasm, effort, enterprise, and seriousness, making them reach everywhere. At this time, that is, when the alphabet has been changed, and there are no printing-presses, and everyone is in need ying l lights of belief, and there are numerous things to dispirit a person and destroy his enthusiasm, their unflagging service and sheer fervour and endeavour are directly a wonder of the Qur'an and a clear divine favour. ether ust as sainthood has its wonders, so does a pure intention. So does sincerity. Especially serious, sincere solidarity between brothers and brotherhood purely for God's sake - they produce numerous wonders. I degre, the collective personality of such a community may achieve the perfection of a saint and manifest divine favours.

My brothers and my friends in the service of the Qur'an! Just as it is unjust and wrong to give all the glo in me all the booty to the sergeant of a company that conquers a citadel, so you should not ascribe the divine favours in the victories won through the strength of your collecsmall ersonality and your pens to an unfortunate like myself! In fact, there is another

indication of the Unseen in such a blessed community, more powerful tha and t'coincidences' proceeding from the Unseen and I can see it, but I may not point it out to everyone at large.

THIRD SIGN

The fact that the various parts of the Risale-i Nur>prove the principal truths of belief and th 225; an in brilliant fashion to even the most obdurate person is a powerful sign from the Unseen and divine favour. For among those truths are some that Ibn Sina, who was considered the greatest genius, confessed his powerlessness to undersh weresaying: "Reason cannot solve these." Whereas the Tenth Word explains what he could not achieve with his genius to ordinary people, or even to children.

And for example, a learned scholar like Sa'd al-Dd thistazani could only solve the mystery of divine determining and man's will in forty to fifty pages with the famous Muqaddimât-i Ithna 'Ashar>in his work Talwust whThose same matters, which he set out for the elite alone, are explained completely in two pages in the Second Topic of the Twenty-Sixth Word, which is about divins, whirmining, in a way that everyone can understand; if that is not a mark of divine favour, what is?

There are also what are known as the mystery of world's creation and the riddle of the universe, which have perplexed everyon Name no philosophy has been able to solve: through the miraculousness of the Qur'an of Mighty Stature, that abstruse talisman and astonishing riddle are solved in the Twentg thanth Letter, and in the Allusive Point towards the end of the Twenty-Ninth Word, and in the six instances of wisdom in the transformations of minute particles explained in the Thirtieth Word. They have disclosed and explain in te mystery of the astonishing activity in the universe, and the riddle of the universe's creation and its end, and the meaning and instances of wisdom in the motion and transformations of particles; they are there for all to see and may be ris read to.

Furthermore, the Sixteenth and Thirty-Second Words>explain with perfect clarity the partnerless unity of dominicality, through the at grey of divine oneness, together with the astonishing truths of infinite divine proximity and our infinite distance from God. While the exposition of the phrase "Aing nois Powerful over all things">in the Twentieth Letter and its Addendum which contains three comparisons demonstrate self-evidently that minute particles and the planets are equal in relation to divine power, and that at the resurrection of theorldly the raising to life of all beings with spirits will be as easy for that power as the raising to life of a single soul, and that the intervention of any partner to God in the creation opanion#430

universe is so far from reason as to be impossible, thus disclosing a vast mystery of divine unity.

Furthermore, although in the truths of belief and the Qur'an there is such a breadth that the greatest human f time cannot comprehend them, the fact that they appeared together with the great majority of their fine points through someone like me whose mind is confused, situation wretched, has no book to refer to, and who writes pear. ifficulty and at speed, is directly the work of the All-Wise Qur'an's miraculousness and a manifestation of dominical favour and a powerful sign from the Unseen.

FOURTH SIGN

of niy to sixty treatises were bestowed in such a way that, being works that could not be written through the efforts and exertions of great geniuses af theicting scholars, let alone someone like me who thinks little, follows the apparent, and does not have the time for close study, they demonstrate that they are directannot works of divine favour. For in all these treatises, the most profound truths are taught by means of comparisons to the most ordinary ando be pcated people. Whereas leading scholars have said about most of those truths that they cannot be made comprehensible and have not taught them to the elite, let alon Efendhe common people.

Thus, for these most distant truths to be taught to the most ordinary man in the closest way, with wondrous ease and clarity of expression, by someone like me who has little Turkish, whose words are obscufered mostly incomprehensible, and for many years has been famous for complicating the clearest facts and whose former works confirm this ill-fame, is certainly and without any doubt a mar compeivine favour and cannot be through his skill; it is a manifestation of the Noble Qur'an's miraculousness, and a representation and reflection of the Qur'an's comparisons.

FIFTH SIGN

The fact that although generkinglypeaking the treatises have been widely distributed, and classes and groups of people from the loftiest scholars to the uneducated, and from great saints from ames. those who approach reality with their hearts to the most obdurate irreligious philosophers, have seen them and studied them and have not criticized them, despite some of them receiving blows through them; and the fact that each grThe fos benefited from them according to its degree; is directly a mark of dominical favour and a wonder of the Qur'an. And although treatises of that sorty of Jritten only after much study and research, these were written with extraordinary speed and at distressing times when my mind was contracted,

confusing my thought and understanding, which is a mark of divine fav consed a dominical bestowal.

Yes, most of my brothers and all the friends who are with me and the scribes know that the five parts of thife inteenth Letter were written referring to no book at all in several days working for two or three hours each day making a total of twelve hours; and the Fourth Part, which is the most important and displays a clear seal of prophethood iver liphrase "God's Noble Messenger, Upon whom be blessings and peace," was written from memory in three or four hours in the rain in the mountains; and that the important and profound treatise of the . Thoseth Word was written in six hours in an orchard; and that as with the Twenty-Eighth Word, which was written finally in two hours in Süleyman's gardThis jst of them were written in such conditions; my close friends know also that for many years, when I suffer difficulties and my mind is contracted, I cannot explain even the plainest facts, indeed, I do not even know them. Then especialnon-exn illness aggravates the distress, it prevents me from teaching and writing even more. Yet despite this, the most important of the Words>and their gencesses were written when I was suffering most difficulty and illness, and with the most speed. If this was not a direct divine favour and dominical bount but iwonder of the Qur'an, what was it?

Furthermore, whatever book it may be, if it discusses the divine truths and realities of faith, it wilnks ofainly be harmful for some people, and for this reason all the matters it contains should not be taught to everyone. However, although I have asked many people, up to the present time these treatises have caused no harm to anyon acts.y have caused no ill effects or unfavourable reaction, nor have they disturbed anyone's mind. It is absolutely certain in my opinion that this is a direct sign of the Unseen and dominical faove) h% SIXTH SIGN

It has now become absolutely clear in my view that most of my life has been directed in such a way, outside my own will, ability, comprehension, and foresight, that it might produce these treatises to serve the Ause ofe Qur'an. It is as if all my life as a scholar had been spent in preparation and preliminaries, the result of which was the exposition of the Qur'an's miraculousness through the Words.>I have no Givereven that these seven years of exile, and the situation imposed on me whereby I have been isolated for no reason and against my wish, living a solitary lired b a village in a way opposed to my temperament, and my feeling disgust at and abandoning many of the ties and rules of social life to which I had long grown accustomed,

was in order to make me carry out this duty t The we the Qur'an directly and in purely sincere fashion. I am of the opinion that the ill-treatment was very often visited on me by a hand of favour under the veil of unjust oppression, compassionaterest. order to focus my thought on the mysteries of the Qur'an and restrict it and not allow my mind to be distracted. And being prevented from studying all other books, despand a rmerly having great desire to study, I felt an aloofness towards them in my spirit. I understood that I had been made to give up studying, which woulters w been a solace and familiar in my exile, so that the verses of the Qur'an should be my absolute master directly.

Furthermore, the great majority of the works that have been written, the treatmes lihave been bestowed instantaneously and suddenly in consequence of some need arising from my spirit, not from any outside cause. Then when afterwardtism ive shown them to friends, they have said that they are the remedy for the wounds of the present time. And having been disseminated, I have understem dumom most of my brothers that they meet the needs of the times exactly and are like a cure for every ill.

I have no doubt therefore that the above-mentioned points and the course of my life anrom thnvoluntarily studying fields of learning opposed to normal practice, outside my own will and awareness, were a powerful divine favour and dominical bounty bestowed to yiem; thcred results such as these.

SEVENTH SIGN

In the course of our work over the past five to six years, without exaggeration we have seen with ournd theyes a hundred instances of divine bestowal and dominical favour and wonders of the Qur'an. We have pointed out some of them in the Sixteenth Letter, and others we have described in the various matters of th is vith Topic of the Twenty-Sixth Letter, and in the Third Matter of the Twenty-Eighth Letter. My close friends know these, and Süleyman Efendi, my constant friend, knows many of thand ar experience an extraordinary and wondrous ease in spreading the Words>in particular and other treatises, and in correcting them, and putting them in order, and in the rough and final drafts. I have no doubt that this is a wtate, of the Qur'an. There have been hundreds of instances of it.

Furthermore, we are nurtured with great tenderness in our daily lives with thwill bious One who employs us bestowing on us the least desires of our hearts in ways entirely outside the ordinary in order to gratify us. And so on. This situation is a truly powerfreatorn from the Unseen that we are

being employed; we are being made to serve the Qur'an both within the sphere of divine pleasure, and through divine favour.

All praise The goGod, this is a bounty from my Lord and Sustainer!

All Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are ANoble wing, All-Wise!>(2:32)

O God! Grant blessings to our master Muhammad that will be pleasing to You and fulfilment of his truth, and to his Family and Companions, and grant them p the mAmen.

The Answer to a Confidential Question

[This instance of divine favour was written some time ago confidentially and was added to the end of the Fourteeivine rd. However, most of the scribes have forgotten it and not written it. That is to say, the appropriate place for it must have been here, since it deniered unknown.]

~You ask me:">How is it that in the Words>you have written from the Qur'an are a power and effectiveness rarely to be found in thd be es of Qur'anic commentators and those with knowledge of God? Sometimes a single line is as powerful as a page, and one page as effective as a book?"

~The Answer:>A gdistanswer: since the honour belongs to the Qur'an's miraculousness and not to me, I say fearlessly: it is mostly like that for the following reason:

The Words>that have been written are not supposition, they are affirmation; they ain a w submission, they are belief; they are not intuitive knowledge (marifet),>they are a testifying and witnessing; they are not imitating, they are verification; they are not takingple ofart of something, they are comprehension of it; they are not Sufism, they are reality (hakikat);>they are not a claim, they are the proof within the claim. The wisdom in this is as follows:

Formerly, the fundamentals of belief were pfastined, submission was strong. Even if the intuitive knowledge of those with knowledge of God lacked proof, their expositions were acceptable and sufficient. But at this time answce the misguidance of science has stretched out its hand to the fundamentals and pillars [of belief], the All-Wise and Compassionate One of Glory, who bestows a remedy for every ill, in consequence of my impotence and weakness, w and Hd need, mercifully bestowed in these writings of mine which serve the Qur'an a single ray from the comparisons of that Noble Qur'an, which are a most brilliant manifestugh suof its miraculousness. All praise be to God, distant truths were brought close through the telescope of the mystery of comparisons. Through the aspect of unity of the mystery of comparisons, truly disparate matut Godere collected together. Through the stairs of the mystery of comparisons, the highest truths were

easily reached. Through the window of the mystery of comparisons, a certainty of belief in the truths of the Unseen and fundamen and tf Islam was obtained close to the degree of witnessing (şuhûd).>The intellect, as well as the imagination and fancy, and the soul and caprice, were compelled to submit, and Satan too was compelled to surrender his weapons.

~In Shois goiatever beauty and effectiveness are found in my writings, they are only flashes of the Qur'anic comparisons. My share is only my intense need and my seeking, ad withextreme impotence and my beseeching. The ill is mine, and the cure, the Qur'an's.

The Conclusion of the Seventh Matter

[This is to banish any doubts that have arisen or may arise concerning the signs fhese ce Unseen apparent in the form of the above eight divine favours, and describes a further divine favour and its mighty mystery.]

This conclusion consists of four points.

~First Point

We claimed in the Seventh Matter of tessionnty-Eighth Letter that we saw a sign from the Unseen, called the Eighth Favour, which we perceived in the seven or eight universal, immaterial divine favours, and a manifestation of that slifica the embroideries known as the coincidences (tevâfukat).>And we claim that those seven or eight universal divine favours are so powerful and certain that each on i gave proves those signs from the Unseen. If, to suppose the impossible, some appear weak, or are denied even, it will not damage the certainty of that sies. Tom the Unseen. A person who cannot deny the divine favours, cannot deny the signs. But because people differ in respect of their level, and because the most numerous level, the mass of people, rely mosr. The what they see, since the coincidences are not the most powerful but the most apparent of the eight divine favours - certainly the others are more powerful but since this is more general - I have been compele dist expound a truth by way of comparing them, with the intention of dispelling those doubts. It is like this:

We said concerning the apparent divine favour that so many coincidences appeared in the word "Qur'an" and trs.

ase "God's Noble Messenger, Upon whom be blessings and peace" in the treatise we had written that no doubt remained that they had been orn an aintentionally and given mutually corresponding positions. Our evidence that the will and intention is not ours is that we became aware of them only three or Unityyears later. In which case, as a work of divine favour, the will and intention pertain to the Unseen. This singular situation was bestowed solely to corroborate the miraculousness of the Qur'an and of Muhammadnd bel), and in the form of the coincidences involving those two words. In addition to the blessedness of these two words being a ratifying stamp of the Qur'an's miraculousness

and the miracles of Muhammad (UWBP), the gg of,

ajority of similar phrases manifest coincidences, but they appear only on a single page, while the two above phrases appear throughout the two treatises and in most of the others. We have said repeatedly that essentially coincidenceses of e found in other books, but not to this extraordinary extent, which demonstrates an elevated will and intention. Now, although it is not possible to refute what we claim, there are one or two ways that it might appeke posbe thus if glanced at superficially.

One is that they may say: "You had these coincidences in mind and brought them about in this way. It woulnevî iasy to do that intentionally." In reply we say this: in any matter two truthful witnesses are sufficient, but in this case a hundred truthfu the tesses may be found who will testify that our will and intention played no part and that we became aware of it only three or four years later. I want to say in this connection that this wonder of the Qur'an proceedingtake yits miraculousness is not similar in kind to its miraculous eloquence, or equal in degree. For that is beyond human power. But this wonder of its miraculousness could not occur through human power either; human ed stacould not intervene in such a matter. If it did, it would be artificial and spoil it.

{(*): In one copy, on a page of the Eighteenth Sign of the Nineteenth Letter, the word "Qur'an" coincided nine times in thisousnesWe drew a line through these and the word "Muhammad" appeared. Then on the opposite the page, the word "Qur'an" appeared eight times, and from antry ase the name of "Allah" emerged. Many wondrous things like these have been observed in the coincidences.

We saw this with our own eyes.Signed: Bekir, Tevfik, Süleyman, Galib, Said.}

~Third Porship In connection with particular signs and general signs, we shall indicate a fine point of dominicality and mercifulness:

One of my brothers said something very good; I shall make is ine subject here. What he said was this: one day I showed him a clear example of a coincidence and he said: "That's good! In fact all truths and of thties are good, but the coincidences in the Words>and its success are even better." "Yes," I said, "everything is in reality good, or in itself good, or good in respect of its results. Anting a goodness looks to general dominicality, all-embracing mercy, and universal manifestation. Like you said, the sign from the Unseen in this success is even better. This is because it takes the form of a particulof whacy and particular dominicality and particular manifestation." We shall make this easier to understand with a comparison. It is like this:

Through his universal sovereignty and law, a king may encompass all the members of his n of bewith his royal mercy. Each receives the king's favour and is subject to his rule directly. The members all have numerous particular connections within the uflasheality.

The second aspect are the king's particular bounties and particular orders: above the law, he bestows favours on persons and gives his orders.

Lihousans comparison, everything receives a share of the general dominicality and all-encompassing mercy of the Necessarily Existent One, the All-Wise and Compassionate C most . He has disposal over everything through His power, will, and all-embracing knowledge; He intervenes in the most insignificant matters of all things; His dominicality embraces them. Everything is in need of Him in every o ten t. All of their works are performed and ordered through His knowledge and wisdom. Neither nature has the ability to hide within the sphere of disposal of His dominicality, or have any effect or intervene, nor can chance interfbut He the works of His wisdom and its fine balance. We have refuted chance and nature in twenty places in the Risale-i Nur>with decisive proofs, executing them with the sword of the Qur'eeling have demonstrated their interference to be impossible. But the people of neglect have called "chance," matters they do not know the wisdom of and reason for in and yhere of apparent causes within universal dominicality. They have been unable to see some of the laws of the divine acts concealed beneath the veil of nature, the wisdom and purposellnesshich they do not comprehend, and they have recourse to nature.

The second is His particular dominicality and particular favours and merciful succour, through which the names Merciful and Compassionate comrabia he aid of individuals unable to bear the constraints of the general laws; they assist them in particular fashion and save them from those crushing constraints. Therefore, all living beings and especially man may seek help from Him at all tll intand receive succour.

Thus, the favours in this particular dominicality cannot be hidden under chance by the people of neglect, nor be ascribed to nature.

It is in consequence of this that weful Onconsidered and believed the signs from the Unseen in The Miraculousness of the Qur'an>and The Miracles of Muhammad>to be particular signs, certain tce He ey are a particular succour and particular divine favour showing themselves against the obdurate deniers. So we have proclaimed them purely for God's sake. If auds. e mistaken in doing so, may God forgive us. Amen.

O our Sustainer, do not take us to task if we forget or do wrong.>(2:286)

The Eighth Matter, which is the Eighth Part

FIRST POINT

We have perceived many signs from the Unseen suggesting that we are being employed in the service of the Qur'an by a hand of favour, and some of the and fhave pointed out. Now, a new sign is this: most of the Words>contain coincidences from the Unseen (tevâfukat-ı gaybiye).>{(*): Coincidences indicate mutual correspondence, and mutual correspondenc of thcates agreement, and agreement is a sign of unity, and unity shows unification, that is, the affirmation of divine unity (tawhid), which is tht puritest of the Qur'an's four aims.} In short, it indicates that a sort of manifestation of miraculousness is embodied in the words "God's Most Noble Messenger," the phrase, "Upon whom be blessings and peace," and in the blessed word "Q5); Ah" However hidden and slight signs from the Unseen are, they indicate the acceptability of our service and rightness of the matters, and so in my opinion hold great importance and power. Furthermore, thre, faak my pride and have demonstrated to me categorically that I am merely an interpreter. They leave nothing to cause me pride; they only show up td of, that prompt thanks. Since they pertain to the Qur'an and pass to the account of its miraculousness; and since our wills definitely do not interfere; and since they encourage those who are ln the their service, and afford the conviction that the treatises are true; and since they are a form of divine bestowal to us, and to make them known is to mak wouldn a divine bounty, and to do so reduces to silence those obdurate people who understand only what they see; it is surely necessary to make them known; God wil Word,it causes no harm.

One of the signs from the Unseen is this: out of His perfect mercy and munificence, in order to encourage us in our service of the Qur'an and faith and put our hearts at rest, Almighty God bestowed a s groupdominical favour on us and a divine gift in all the treatises we have written, and particularly in The Miracles of Muhammad, The Miraculousness of the

Qur'an,>and Thirty-Three Windows,>in theppeariof a sign from the Unseen indicating the acceptability of our service and that what we have written is the truth. That is, He causes the same words on a page to face one another. In this is a sign from the Unseen that they are ordered by an unnt hasill which says: "Don't rely on your own wills and comprehension. Without your knowing or being aware of it, wondrous embroideries and arrangements are beinn ever." The words "God's Most Noble Messenger" and "Upon whom be blessings and peace" in The Miracles of Muhammad>in particular are like mirrors showing clearly the signs of those coincidences from the Unseen. In a copy writtenw thatnew, inexperienced scribe, on all the pages other than five, more than two hundred "Upon whom be blessings and peace"s face one another in lines.

These coincidences are not the work of chance, which mighthe hadsciously give rise to one or two out of ten, neither do they spring from the thought of an unfortunate like myself, who is unskilled in art, and, concentrating onlye the e meaning, dictates thirty to forty pages at great speed in one hour, not writing himself but getting others to write.

I became aware of them only after six years through the guidance of the Qur'an and the coincidingd, andne instances of the pronoun "inna" in the Qur'anic commentary, Isharat al-I'jaz (Signs of Miraculousness).>The copyists were astounded wrd andey heard about them from me. The words "God's Noble Messenger" and "Upon whom be blessings and peace" in the Nineteenth Letter were like a small mirror reflecting one of Muhammad's (UWBP) miracles.on thaarly, the word "Qur'an" in the Twenty-Fifth Word, The Miraculousness of the Qur'an,>and in the Eighteenth Sign of the Nineteenth Letter, manifested a sort ofnk to le: of the forty classes of humanity, a kind of the Qur'an's miraculousness was manifested before the class of people who rely on what they see with their eyes, in all the treatise saidthe form of coincidences from the Unseen, which is only one sort of the forty sorts of that kind of miraculousness. And of its forty types, it was manifested through the word "Qur'an.and dias as follows:

The word "Qur'an" was repeated a hundred times in the Twenty-Fifth Word and in the Eighteenth Sign of the Nineteenth Letter; it did not conform only rarely, once or twice;nt. Fohe rest look to each other. For example, on page forty-three in the Second Ray, the word "Qur'an" appears seven times and they all face each other. On page fiftiduali eight instances of it face each other; only the ninth is an exception. The five instances of the word on page sixty-nine, now open before me, face each other. And so on. Ono othehe pages the instances of the word "Qur'an" correspond. Out of five or six only rarely does one remain outside the pattern.

As for other words, on page t saintthree - now open in front of me - the word "am">(or) is repeated fifteen times and fourteen of them face each other. And on this page there are nine instances of the word "îmân">(faith or belite ththey face each other. Only, because the scribe left a large space, one of them has deviated a little. On the page now open before me, the word "mahbûb">(beloved) is repeated twice; one o, at tthird line and one on the fifteenth; they look to each other in perfectly balanced fashion. Between them, four instances of the word "aşk">(l but Have been arranged looking to each other. Other coincidences from the Unseen may be compared to these. Whoever the scribe, and whatever form their line by wapages take, these coincidences are bound to occur to such an extent that it cannot be doubted that they are neither the work of chance nor the creation of the author and scribes. However,tion tare more striking when written by some of them. This means there is a handwriting that fits these treatises. Some of the scribes approach it. It is strange, it appears most not with the most skilful of f the ut with the most inexperienced. It is understood from this that the art, grace, and virtues of the Words,>which are a sort of commentary on the Qur'an, are not anybody's; the garments o peoplharmonious, well-ordered style, which fit the blessed stature of the orderly, beautiful Qur'anic truths, are not measured and cut out voluntarily and y, whiousnessly by anyone. It is that their stature requires them to be thus; it is an unseen hand that measures them and cuts them according to the stature, and clothes it in tbasis s for myself (lit. us), I am an interpreter among them, a servant.

FOURTH POINT

In your first question, you ask five or six questions: "What will the Great Gathering and Last Judgement be like? Will everyone be naked? How shall we find about iends there, and how shall we find God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) in order to avail ourselves of his intercession? How will innumerable people meetes looa single person? What will the garments of the people of Paradise and those of Hell be like? And who will show us the way?"

~The Answer:>The answers toresemb questions are given most clearly and explicitly in the books of Hadith. Here we shall mention only one or two points related to our way and method. As follows:

Firstly: It is explained in a letter {[*]: See, The First Letter Rema 23-4.} that the field of the resurrection is within the earth's annual orbit. Just as it now sends its immaterial produce

to the tablets of that field, so with its annual rotation it defines a e to t, and through the produce of that existent circle is a source for the formation of the field of the resurrection. The Lesser Hell at the centre of this dominical ship known as thes only will be emptied into the Greater Hell, so too its inhabitants will be emptied into the field of the resurrection.

Secondly: The ocionatece of the resurrection, as well as the existence of the field where it will take place, have been proved decisively chiefly in the Ten holdi Twenty-Ninth Words,>and in others of the Words.

Thirdly: As for meeting with people, it is proved conclusively in the Sixteenth, Thirty-First, and Thirty-Second Words>that throuts per mystery of luminosity a person may be present in thousands of places at the same instant, and may meet with millions of people.

Fourthly: It is required bertainname of All-Wise that at the Great Gathering and resurrection of the dead, having been stripped of artificial clothes, Almighty God will clothe men in natural garments, just as He now clothes beings with spirits, other than manet witatural garments. In this world, the wisdom in artificial clothes is not restricted to protection against heat and cold, adornment, and covering the private partill bether important instance of wisdom is their resembling an index or list indicating man's power of disposal over the other species of beings, and his relationship with them, and command It is over them. He might otherwise have been clothed in cheap and easy natural dress. For if it had not been for this wisdom, man would have draped himself in various rags, becoming the laughing-stock of conscious animal the va buffoon in their eyes; he would have make them laugh. At the resurrection of the dead this relation will not be present, nor will the instance of wisdom, so neither should thd the be present.

Fifthly: When it comes to having someone to show the way, for those like yourself who have entered under the light of the Qur'an, it willto pere Qur'an. Look at the start of the Suras which begin Alif. Lam. Mim.,>and Alif. Lam. Ra.,>and Ha. Mim.:>you will see and understand how acceptable an intercessor is the Qur'an, how true a guideid diesacred a light!

Sixthly: As for the garments of the people of Paradise and the people of Hell, the principle in the Twenty-Eighth Word explaining why the houris wear seventy dresses is applicmercy,ere too. It is as follows:

A person of Paradise will of course want to benefit continuously from all the varieties of beings there. e all-od things of Paradise will vary greatly. He will allدأe time communicate with all the varieties of its beings. In which case, he will clothe himselhich ihis houris in samples, in small amount, of the good things of Paradise, and they will each become like small Paradises.

For example, a person collects togetherwn to s garden samples of the flower species dispersed throughout the country, making it a miniature specimen of it; and a shopkeeper collects sampifth g all his wares in a list; and a man makes for himself a garment and everything necessary for his house from samples of all the species of creatures in the world, which he governs, has disposal over, and with which he is connecthousa Similarly, a person whose abode is Paradise - especially if he used all his senses and non-physical faculties in worship and has gained the right to experience the pleasures of Paradise - wilh prayelf and his houris be clothed by divine mercy in a sort of garment that will show every one of all the varieties of the wonders of Paradise, so as to gratify all his senses, uly Ex all his members, and delight all his subtle faculties.

Evidence that those numerous garments will not all be of the same kind or sort is the Hadith: "The houris will be dressed in seventy garme grew et the marrow in their leg bones will still be visible." {[*]: Bukhârî, Bad' al-Khalq, 8; Tirmidhî, Qiyâma, 60; Janna, 5; Dârimî, Riqâq,iths

#Musnad, ii, 345; iii, 16.} That is to say, from the top garment to the innermost one, there will be degrees gratifying and delighting all the sensesompletembers with different subtle wonders in different ways.

As for the people of Hell, since they committed sins in this world with their eyes,hose w ears, their hearts, their hands, and their minds, and so on, it does not seem contrary to wisdom and justice that in Hell they will be made to wear a garment made up ofd. Resus pieces that will be a small Hell, and will cause them torment and pain in accordance with their sins.

FIFTH POINT

You ask if in that period between prophets the forefathers of the God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings a's insce) belonged to a religion and were religious.

~The Answer:>There are narrations stating that they were religious, adhering to the vestiges of the religion of Abraham (Upon whom be peace), intercNabhânî, Hujjat Allâh 'alâ'l-'Âlamîn, 414.} which, under the veils of heedlessness and spiritual darkness, persisted in certain special peounningertainly, the persons who formed the luminous chain stretching from Abraham (Upon whom be peace) and concluding in the Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) were not rbal nerent towards the light of the true religion and were not defeated by the darkness of unbelief. But in accordance with the verse,

Nor would We visit with Our wrath until We had sent a prophet [to giver Sûrang],>(17:15)

people who live at a time between prophets will be saved. It has been stated unanimously that they will not be punished for their mistakes in secondary matters. According to Imam Shafi'i and Imam Ash'ari, even if they are that s and do not believe in the fundamentals of belief, they will still be saved. For accountability to God is established with the sending of prophets, and when prophets are sent people become accountabllove anowing about their mission. Since heedlessness and the passage of time had obscured the religions of the former prophets, they could not provide the prction r the people of that time. If the people obeyed the former religion, they will receive reward; if they did not, they will not be punished. For since it was hidden, it could not be a proof.

SIXTH POINT

You ask: "Were there any prophets rged wthe forefathers of God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace)?"

~The Answer:>There is no certain narration that there were any after Isma'il (Upon whom be peace). Only two prophets appeared, called Khalid bnfinitn {[*]: Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabaqât al-Kubrâ, i, 296; Ibn Hajar, al-Isâba, i, 466; Ibn Athîr, Asd al-Ghâba, ii, 99.} and Hanzala, {[*]: Ibn Kathîr, al-Bidâya, i, 212-3; Ziriklî, al-'Âlaf and 286.} who were not his ancestors. But one of his forefathers, Ka'b b. Lu'ayy, composed the following famous and explicit poem, as though quoting scripture: "The Prophet Muhammad wilives senly appear * Giving tidings most true,">{[*]: Abû Nu'aym, Dalâ'il al-Nubûwwa, i, 90; Ibn Kathîr, al-Bidâya, ii, 227.} which resembles prophs so, nd miraculous utterance. Relying on both evidence and illumination, Imam-i Rabbani said: "Numerous prophets appeared in India, but someht of em had no followers or only a few people, so they did not become well-known or were not called prophets." {[*]: Imâm Rabbânî, al-Maktûbât, i, 239 (No: 259).}

According to this principle ors disImam, it is possible there were prophets of this kind among the Prophet's (UWBP) forefathers.

SEVENTH POINT

You ask: "Which of o gainrrations mentioning the faith of the Messenger's (Upon whom be blessings and peace) parents, and that of his grandfather 'Abd al-Muttalib, is oducesst authentic and sound?"

~The Answer:>For ten years the New Said has had no book with him

other than the Qur'an, which he says is sufficient for him. I do not have the time to study all the books of Hadith divinsecondary matters such as that, and write which is the soundest and most authentic. I will only say this much, that the Noble Messenger's (Upon whom be blessings and peace) parents were believers and will be Propheand go to Paradise. {[*]: Nabhânî, Hujjat Allâh 'alâ'l-'Âlamîn, 412-4; Suyûtî, al-Rasâ'il al-Tis'a (al-Ta'zîm wa'l-Minna fî Anna Abawây Rasûl Allâh (SAW) fi'l-Janna) ed. 'Izzuddîn al-Sa'îdî (Beirut: 1988), 133-89.} Surely Almighty God would h his und His Noble Beloved's blessed heart with its filial tenderness.

~If it is asked:">Seeing that it is thus, why weren't they able to believe in God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace)? Why didn't they live to see his mission?estly he Answer:>Out of His munificence, in order to gratify the Messenger's (Upon whom be blessings and peace) filial sentiments, Almighty God did and it his parents under any obligation to him. His mercy required that to make them happy and to please His Noble Beloved, He did not take them from the rank of parenthood and put them in y God f spiritual offspring; He did not place his parents and grandfather among his outward community. However, He bestowed on them the merites thaues, and happiness of his community. If an exalted field marshal's father, who has the rank of captain, entered his son's presence, he woe; and overwhelmed by two opposing emotions. So, compassionately, the king does not post the father to the retinue of his elevated lieutenant, the field marshal.

EIGHTH POINT

You ask: "What is the most authentic narration concerning tctivitth of his uncle, Abu Talib?"

~The Answer:>The Shi'a agree that he believed, while most of the Sunnis do not agree. But what occurs to my heart is this: Abu Talib loved most earnestly, not tstery t Noble Messenger's (Upon whom be blessings and peace) messengership, but his person and his self. That most earnest personal love and tenderness surely will not go for nothing. Yes, Abu Talib loved Almigher thd's Noble Beloved sincerely and protected and supported him; it was because of feelings like shame and tribal solidarity that he did not believe in him in acceptable fashion, not out of deuse innd obduracy. If due to this he goes to Hell, God Almighty may create a sort of particular Paradise for him, in reward for his good actiopoints He sometimes creates the spring during winter, and for people in prison by means of sleep

transforms the prison into a palace, so too He may turn a particular Hell into a soundof particular Paradise.

The knowledge of it is with God alone. * None knows the Unseen save God.

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 Twenty-Ninth Letter

[The Twenty-Ninth Letter consists of nine sections. This, the First Section, contains nine points.]

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

And there is nothing but it glorifies HiThat i praise!>(17:44)

My Dear, Loyal Brother and True Friend in the Service of the Qur'an!

This time in your letter you want an answer to an imporng Eveuestion which neither my time nor my state of mind permit me to answer.

My brother! Praise be to God, this year the numbers of those writing out the treatises havnd somn considerably. The copies come to me for the second correction and I am busy doing them speedily from morning to evening. Other important jobs remain undone but I consid you is duty to be far more important. The heart predominates over the reason in the months of Sha'ban and Ramadan in particular, and the spirit becomes animaterks peI shall postpone this important matter to another time and write to you about it gradually whenever my heart is inspired by Almighty God's mercy. For now I shall explain three points.

{(*): The nine Points were finally completed.}

FIRST POty," h The idea expressed as: "The All-Wise Qur'an's mysteries are not known; the Qur'anic commentators have not understood its reality" has two asudge, and there are two groups of people who say it:

The First are the people of truth and the exacting scholars. They say: "The Qur'an is an unending, inexhaustible treasury. Every era b and ubmits to and accepts its established, incontestible matters, and receives its share of its hidden truths as a sort of supplement; it cannot trespass on the shares

of other ages which are concee lowe Yes, that is to say, as time passes the All-Wise Qur'an's truths are increasingly disclosed. But not, God forbid! so as to cause doubt concerning the self-evident Qur'anic truse dreat previous generations have expounded. For belief in them is obligatory; they are established, definite, fundamental, and basic. The verse, "A perspicuous Arabic Qur'an">(16:103) states that its interg is clear. From beginning to end, the divine address revolves around those meanings, corroborating them and making them clear. Not to accept those authorit Furtmeanings suggests, God forbid!, denying Almighty God and insulting the Messenger's (UWBP) understanding. That is to say, those authoritative meanings have been taken successively from the source of Messengership. Impassiir al-Tabari wrote his great commentary relating all the meanings of the Qur'an through chains of authentic transmission to the source of Messengership.

The Second Group are either foolish friends who cause harm and make matters worse, or they are diabolically cunning enemies who want to oppose the rulings of Islam and truths of belief. They want to find a way in. Sinc fortified Suras of the All-Wise Qur'an, which, in your words, are each like steel strongholds. People like that spread about ideas like the above in order, God forbid!, to excite doubts about the truths of belief and the Qus arou% SECOND POINT

Almighty God swears by many things in the Qur'an. The Qur'anic oaths contain numerous mysteries and significant poinll be r example, the oath in "By the Sun and its [glorious] splendour">(91:1) forms the basis of the splendid comparison in the Eleventh Word; it depicts the universe as a palace ims ancity. The oath of "Ya. Sin. * By the Qur'an full of wisdom">(36:1-2) calls attention to the sacredness of the Qur'an's miraculousness, and indicates that it is so worthy of veneration it chile tsworn by. The oaths in "By the star when its goes down,">(53:1) and "Furthermore I call to witness the setting of the stars, * And that is indeed a mighty adjuration whose but knew">(56:75-6) indicate that falling stars are a sign that jinns and devils have been prevented from receiving news from the Unseen so that they cannot cause doubts about revelatttach hey also point to the vast power and perfect wisdom in the awesomely vast stars being set in their places in perfect order and in the planets beiing the to revolve in wondrous manner. With the oaths, "By the [winds] that scatter and broadcast;">(51:1) * "By the [winds] sent forth,">(71:1) it attracts attention to the angels ether ted to the winds, in order to call to mind the significant instances of wisdom in the

disposal of the air and its movement in waves. For the elements, which are supposed to be governed by chance, perform important duties forway pasubtle purposes; and so on. All the oaths and their positions contain different points and different purposes. For now, since the time is inse it ient, I shall indicate briefly only one fine point out of many in the oath, "By the fig and the olive,">(95:1) as follows:

By swearing dead,e fig and the olive, Almighty God calls to mind the immensity of His power and the perfection of His mercy and His extensive bounties, in order to redirect those people who are heaous thor the lowest of the low, showing that they may progress spiritually, through thanks, reflection, belief, and good works as far as the highest of the high. The reason for specifying the fig and the olive is that as f help they are most blessed and beneficial, and their creation comprises many notable things and bounties. For the olive is utilized for illumination and food, and is a basic commodityackbitcial and commercial life. The fig is the same; it displays in its creation a miracle of power by encapsulating in its miniscule seed all the members of the huge fig-tree, and is a divine bounty both in its being a food, and its uses, and cgestioy to other fruits its continuity, and many other advantages. It calls all this to mind with the oath and instructs man to draw lessons from them so as to believe and perform good works, and not to fall to ths agaist of the low.

THIRD POINT

The disjointed letters at the start of some Suras are a divine cipher. Almighty God makes allusion to matters of the Unseen with them for His special servant. The key to the cipher is with that servant, andone cohis heirs. The All-Wise Qur'an addresses all eras and all the groups of mankind. It contains numerous different aspects and meanings that comprise the share of every class in evergreat The purest share was that of the righteous first generations of Islam, and they expounded it. The people of sainthood and the verifiers of reality have found in their writings numerous allusngle wo the matters of the Unseen pertaining to spiritual journeying. We have discussed them to a small extent from the point of view of the miraculousness of the Qur'an's eloquence in the commentt-eterlled Isharat al-I'jaz (Signs of Miraculousness),>at the start of Sura al-Baqara; it may be referred to.

FOURTH POINT

The Twenty-Fifth Word has proved that a true translation of the All-Wise Qur'an is not possible. Also, the eleva in anyle of its miraculousness

cannot be translated. It would be extremely difficult to express and make understood the pleasure and reality arising from the elevated style in the miraculousness of its meanings (mârs a f'caz).>However, we shall allude to one or two aspects of it in order to show the way, as follows:

And among His signs is the creation of the heavens an:

Pearth, and the variations in your languages and your colours.>(30:22) * And the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand.>(39:67) * He creates you in the wombs of your mothers in stages, one after another, in three veilsd rejerkness.>(39:6) * Who created the heavens and the earth in six days.>(7:54, etc.) * Comes in between a man and his heart.>(8:24) * From whom is is thadden the least little atom.>(34:3) * He merges night into day, and He merges day into night; and He has full knowledge of the secrets of [all] hearts.>(57:6)

Through verses like these, with a wondrouslys freqted style and miraculous comprehensiveness, the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition depicts the reality of creativity for the imagination, indicating the followiit, anith whichever hammer the universe's builder, who is the Maker of the world, fastened the sun and moon in their places, with the same hammer and at the same instant He fixes atomery ofheir places, for example in the pupils of living creatures' eyes. And with whichever measure, whichever immaterial instrument, He arranged the heavens and unfolded them, at the same instant and wiker of same arrangement, He opens up the eye removing its veils; He makes it, orders it, and situates it. And with whichever immaterial hammer of His power, the All-Glorious Maker fastens the starhen thhe skies, with that same hammer He fastens man's innumerable distinguishing marks on his countenance and his external and inner senses in their places."

That sus (Usay, in order to show His works to both the eye and the ear while He is at work, the All-Glorious Maker strikes a hammer on an atom with the verses of the Qur'an, anng the another word of the same verse strikes the hammer on the sun; with an elevated style as though striking it right in the centre, He demonstrates His unirt:>Whhin His oneness, and His infinite glory within His infinite beauty, and His infinite tremendousness within His infinite concealedness, and His infinite breadth within His infinite precision, and His infinite majesty within His infinit of cly, and His infinite distance within His infinite proximity. The Qur'an expresses the ultimate degree of the combining of opposites, which is considered to be impossible, in a way that is necessary; it proves thirying demonstrates it. Thus, it is this sort of exposition and style that causes the most wondrous literary genius to prostrate before its eloquence.

And for example, through the verse,

And among existegns is this, that heaven and earth stand by His command; then when He calls you, by a single call, from the earth, behold, you [straight away] come , 536.>(30:25)

Almighty God shows the magnificence of the sovereignty of His dominicality in the following elevated manner:

At a single command or a signal like a bugle, the beings in the head, he nd earth, which are like two obedient barracks or two orderly army headquarters, will spring up with alacrity and perfect obedience from their sied!

n the veils of transience and non-existence. Declaring: "At your service!", they will assemble on the field of the resurrection and last judgement.

With what miraculous and elevile petyle it describes the resurrection of the dead and Great Gathering! It points to the following convincing proof contained in its assertion: observedly, seeds concealed as though dead in the darkness of the earth and drops of ant rehidden and dispersed, non-existent, in the atmosphere are raised to life swiftly and with perfect order every spring. They emerge onto the field of trial and examination, perpetual examples of resurrection. At the sund susresurrection, beings will emerge with same ease. Since you observe the one here, you cannot deny the other. And so on. You can compare the degree of eloquence in other verses with o. Thene. Would it be possible to do a true translation of this sort of verse? Surely it would not! At best it would be an abbreviated meaning, or an interpretation, wit we se or six lines for each phrase.

FIFTH POINT

For example, "All praise be to God" (al-hamdulillâh)>is a Qur'anic phrase. Its briefest meaning, requion toy the rules of grammar and rhetoric, is this: "Each individual instance of all the sorts of praise that has been offered by whatever to whatever since pre-eternity and will be offered to post-eteons ofis particular to and due to the Necessarily Existent One alone, who is named Allah." It is as follows: "Each individual instance of all the sorts of praise" is the conse and s of the definite article "al">in "al-hamd.">As for the qualification of "that has been offered by whatever," since "praise" (hamd)>is the venly gooun and the active participle has been omitted, it expresses generality in that sense. By omitting the passive participle it again expresses universality and generality, and therefore expresses the quaYour Mtion "to whatever." As for the qualification of "from pre-eternity to post-eternity," it expresses this meaning because the rule of transposing from a verbal clause to a noun clause indicates continuity.

Thehat lesitional "lâm">in "li'llâh">[to God], expresses the meaning of sole possession and worthiness. As for the qualification of "the Necessarily Existent One, who is named Allah," since necessary existenced lushe necessary requisite of the Godhead and a term signifying the All-Glorious Essence; comprising all the divine names and attributes and being the greatest name, the name of "Allah" necessarily indicates both the necessa for tstence and the title of "Necessarily Existent One."

If the shortest apparent meaning of the phrase "All praise be to God" on which all the scholars of Arne purre agreed is thus, how could it be translated into another language with the same miraculousness and power?

Furthermore, among all the languages of the world, there is oved ine that can compare with Arabic in being the language of grammar, and that can never achieve the comprehensiveness of Arabic. Is it possible fo Islamslations into other composite and inflectional languages by people whose understanding is partial, comprehension short, ideas confused, and heaIt somrk, to take the place of the sacred words of the Qur'an, which have emerged in miraculous fashion in that comprehensive and wondrous grammatical language through an all-encompassing knowledge that knows all its aspects at oncem theiills them. I can even say, and perhaps prove, that all the Qur'an's words are like treasuries of truths, with sometimes a single letter teaching a page of truths.

SIXTH POINT

I shall recibilit luminous experience and true vision I had for the purpose of elucidating the above. It was as follows:

One time, I was pondering over the use of the first person plural in then. In "You alone do we worship and from You alone do we seek help,">(1:4) and my heart was seeking the reason for the first person singular being transposed into the first person plural of "we worship «+(na'budpt theddenly from that "Nûn» the mystery and virtues of performing the prayers in congregation were unfolded to me. I saw that my participating in the congregation ine the id Mosque, where I was performing the prayer, made each member of the congregation a sort of intercessor for me who testified to and affirmed each of the statements I pronounced while reciting the prayers. In thm; tyrt of the great, multiple worship of the congregation, I felt the courage to offer my deficient worship to the divine court. Then a further veil was lifted. That is, all the mosques of Istanbul were added. The city became lin, theazid Mosque. Suddenly I felt as though I were receiving their prayers and affirmation. Then within that, I saw myself in the mosque of the face of the earth, in the circulaf misg around the Ka'ba. I

declared: "All praise be to God, the Sustainer of All the Worlds! I have intercessors to this great number; they are all reciting exactly the same words as I am saying, confirming me." As this vei the draised by my imagination, the Noble Ka'ba appeared to be the mihrab.>Seizing the opportunity, I called on the ranks of the congregation to testify and entrusted to the Black Stone the interpreter of faith, that is, you; tify that there is no god but God, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God." While pronouncing this, a further situation was laid open before me: I s (UWBPt the congregation of which I was a part was divided into three circles:

The First Circle was the vast congregation of believers and those who affirm divine unity on the face of the earth.

The Second Circle: I looked anms, ththat I was part of a congregation consisting of all beings, all of which, performing prayers and glorification, were occupied with the benedictions and glorification particular to its group and species. Their wod my iconsists of the activities we observe, called "the functions of things." Declaring: "God is Most Great!" before this, I bowed my head in wonderment, and looked at myself:

All-Cohin a Third Circle I saw an astonishing microcosm which was apparently and qualitatively small, but in reality, number, and duties, great. This, from the particles of my being to my external sight wwas a congregation in which every group was preoccupied with duties of worship and thanks. In this circle, the dominical inner faculty in my heart was declaring: "You alone do we worshom bed from You alone do we seek help">in the name of the congregation. Just as in the two former congregations my tongue had said it, having formed the intention to say it ihem tor names.

~In Short:>The "Nûn">of "na'budu">indicates these three congregations. While pondering over this, the collective personality of God's the aMessenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), the Interpreter and Herald of the All-Wise Qur'an, was suddenly embodied in all its majesty in his immaterial pulpit in Medina. Like everyone, I as though heard hias theess of "O you people! Worship your Sustainer,">(2:21) and everyone in those three congregations responded like me, saying, "You alone do we worship.">In aand ofnce with the rule, "If something is established, it is established together with the things that necessitate it," the following truth was imparted to my mind:

Takingn eternd as His addressee, the Sustainer of All the Worlds speaks with all beings, and His Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) conveys that lofty address to mankind, indeed, to all beings with spirits and consciousness. All the pastf the he future have become like the present; the address is being delivered to mankind, all of which is in a

single gathering, in the form of a congregation the rows of which all differ. I then saw that eacof natanic verse possesses an elevated power, eloquence, and beauty which it had received from the grandeur and compass of its station, its extremely numerous, various, and significant addressees, ft it ie Pre-Eternal Speaker, the One of infinite glory and grandeur, and from its exalted Interpreter, who is at the rank of God's beloved; I saw each verse bathed in a brillias a souly brilliant, light of miraculousness. Then, not the whole Qur'an, or a Sura, or a verse, but all its words seemed to be miracles. "All praise be to Endurr the light of belief and the Qur'an," I declared. I emerged from my imagining, which was pure reality, the same as I had entered the "Nûn">of "na'budu,">and I understood that not only the Qur'an's verses and words, but >The rf its letters, like the "Nûn">of "na'budu,">are luminous keys to important truths.

After my heart and imagination had emerged from the "Nûn">of "na'budu,">my mind came forward and said: I want my share too. I cannot fly likeacroanmy feet are evidences and proofs. The way leading to the Creator, the Worshipped One and One from whom help is sought, has to be pointed out in the same "na'budu">and "nasta'în">("You alone do we worship>and from You alone do we seek the wo,>so that I can accompany you. It then occurred to my heart to say the following to my bewildered mind:

Consider all the beings in the universe; whether living or inanimate, in perfenity wer and obedience they all have their worship which is in the form of duties. Although some of them lack feelings and intelligence, they perfors worlr duties in conscious, orderly, and worshipful fashion. This means there is a True Object of Worship, an Absolute Commander, who impels them to worship and employs them.

Now consider too the beings and particularly the lition ines; while each has extremely numerous and various needs, which have to be met for its continued existence, its hands cannot reach the smallest of them; its power is insufficient. Yet they all receive their innumerable needs rheir bly, from unexpected places, at the appropriate time; this is clearly to be seen.

Thus, these boundless needs and this boundless want of beings and that extraordinary assistance from the Unseen and mus conl succour self-evidently demonstrate that the beings have a Protector and Provider who possesses absolute riches, is Absolutely Generous and Absolutely Powerful; it is from Him that everything and all living beings seeka citaand await succour, in effect saying: "From You alone do we seek help.">So then my mind declared: "We believe in this and assent to it!"

SEVENTH POINT

Then, when I said:

Guide us to thee secoght Path, * The path of those on whom You have bestowed Your bounty,>(1:5-6)

I saw among the convoys of mankind that were travelling towards tsolutet, was the luminous, radiant caravan of the prophets, the veracious ones, the martyrs, the saints, and the righteous. They were scattering the darkness of the future and travelling th qira' to post-eternity on a straight way, a direct highway. The phrase was showing me the way to join the caravan, indeed, it was joining me to it. Suddenly Iuable,imed: "Glory be to God! Anyone with an iota of intelligence must know what a loss it is not to join that long, light-scattering caravan which is illn's saing the future and travelling in perfect safety. Where can one who deviates from it by creating innovations find a light; which road can he take?" Our guide, God's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) decreed: "All innre beins are misguidance, and all misguidance is in Hell-fire." {[*]: Muslim, Jum'a 43; Abû Dâ'ûd, Sunna 5; Nasâ'î, 'Îdayn 22; Ibn Mâja, Muqaddima d on hârimî, Muqaddima 16, 23; Musnad iii, 310, 371; iv, 126-7.}

What advantage do those wretches worthy of the epithet "corrupt religious scholars" find in the face of this certain state earthWhat fatwa>do they issue so that unnecessarily and harmfully they oppose the clear matters of the marks of Islam (şeâir-i İslâmiye),>and deem it possible to change them? It must b for m a temporary awakening caused by a fleeting manifestation of meaning deceived those corrupt scholars. For example, if an animal or fruit is stripped of its skin, it brever tappears to be fresh, but quickly the delicate flesh and delicious fruit go black and rot, with their skins now estranged, withered, thick, and extraneous. In exactly the same way, the prot name and divine phrases of the marks of Islam are like a living, meritorious skin. On being stripped away, the luminosity of the meanings is temporarily naked and somewhat visib Theret like a fruit that has been peeled of its skin, the spirit of those blessed meanings flies away leaving behind the human skin in darkened hearts and minds. The liundredies away; just the smoke lingers. However...

EIGHTH POINT

A principle concerning reality needs to be explained, which is related to this. It is as ng of s:

Just as there are two sort of rights, personal rights and general rights, which are held to be God's rights of a sort; so too among the matters s I ha

Shari'a, some concern individual persons and others, with regard to generality, concern the public. These latter are called "the marks of Islam." These marks concern everyone and d carene participates in them. To interfere in them without the consent of the public is an infringement of the public's rights. The most minor of thos To ts (one which has the status of Sunna) is equal in importance to the greatest matter. They concern the whole world of Islam directly. Those who are trying to break the luminous chain to which all the great fbriefl of Islam since the Era of the Prophet till now have been bound, and to destroy it and corrupt it, and those who assist them, should dwell on what a ghastly error they are making. If they possess the smallest grain of intelligence, on hishould tremble!

NINTH POINT

Some matters of the Shari'a, concerning worship, are not linked to rational thinking; they are performed because they are commanded. The reason for them is the command.

There are otimes, the reason for which can be understood rationally. That is, they comprise some wisdom or benefit due to which they have been incorporated into the Shari'a. But that is not the true reason or cause; the true reason is divine command or from ition.

Instances of wisdom or benefits cannot change the marks of Islam related to worship; the aspect of them related to worship preponderates and they may not be touched. They may not be changed, even for a thousand benefits. oof forly, it is not right to claim that the uses of the marks of Islam are limited to their well-known purposes. It is a false idea. Such purposes are only one out of many. For instance, someone may say: "The wisdom in and purpose of t the tl to prayer is to summon Muslims to prayer; in which case, it would be enough just to fire a rifle." However, the foolish person does not know that the summons is only orging pose out of the thousands. Even if the sound of a rifle shot serves the purpose, how, in the name of mankind, or in the name of the people of thod'!"

, can it substitute the call to prayer, which is a means of proclaiming worship before divine dominicality and heralding divine unity, the supreme results of the creation of the universe and of mankind?

~In Short:>Hell is not unneceand ma there are many things which cry out "Long live Hell!" with all their strength. Paradise is not cheap, either; it demands a high price.

Not equal are the Companions of the Fire and the Companions of the Garden; it is the Companions of tr'an.

den who will achieve felicity...>(To the end of the verse.) (59:20)

The Second Section, Which is the Second Treatise

[Since at the end of the F, haveection brief mention was made of the marks of Islam, this Second Section discusses Ramadan the Noble, the most brilliant and splendid of the marks. It consists of nine poihârî, ich explain nine of the numerous instances of wisdom in the month of Ramadan.]

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

It was the month of Ramadan in which the Qur'an was bestowed from onppointas a guidance unto man and a self-evident proof of that guidance, and as the standard to discern true from false.>(2:185)

~First Point

The fast of Ramadan is one of the five pSüleym of Islam; it is also one of the greatest of the marks and observances of Islam.

There are many purposes and instances of wisdom in the fast of Ramadan which look to both God Almighty's dominicality, and man's social life, and his personal we ca and the training of his instinctual soul, and his gratitude for divine bounties. One of the many instances of wisdom in fasting in respect of thus, mighty's dominicality is as follows:

God Almighty creates the face of the earth in the form of a table laden with bounties, and arranges on the table every sort of bounty as an expression of "Feart aence he does not expect.">(65:3) In this way He states the perfection of His dominicality and His mercifulness and compassionateness. People are unable to discern clearly the reality of this situation while in the sphere of causes, unders and eil of heedlessness, and they sometimes forget it. But during the month of Ramadan, the people of faith suddenly appear as a well-disciplined army: as sunset approaches, t that splay a worshipful attitude as though, having been invited to the Pre-Eternal

Monarch's banquet, they await the command of "Fall to and help yourselves!" They respond to that compassionate, illustrious, and universal mercy wio be tprehensive, exalted, and orderly worship. Do those people who fail to participate in such elevated worship and noble bounties deserve to be called human beings?

~Second Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in the fast of theour wied month of Ramadan with respect to thankfulness for God Almighty's bounties is as follows:

As is stated in the First Word, a price is required for the foods a tray-bearer brings from the royae was hen. But to look on those priceless bounties as valueless while tipping the tray-bearer, and not to recognize the one who bestowed them is the greatest foolishnen the God Almighty has spread innumerable sorts of bounties over the face of the earth for mankind, in return for which He wishes thanks, as the price of those bountn, it he apparent causes and holders of the bounties resemble tray-bearers. We pay a certain price to them and are indebted to them, and even though they do not merit it are over-respectful doubt ateful to them. Whereas the True Bestower of Bounties is infinitely more deserving of thanks than those causes which are merely the means of the bounty. To thandarkne then, is to recognize that the bounties come directly from Him; it is to appreciate their worth and to perceive one's own need for them.

Fasting in Ramadaok, wrn, is the key to true, sincere, extensive, and universal thankfulness. For at other times of the year, most people whose circumstances are not difficult do not realize the value of many bounties since they do not experience rething ger. If their stomachs are full and especially if they are rich, they do not understand the degree of bounty present in a piece of dry bread. But when it is time to break the fast, the sense of taste testifies that the dg possad is a precious divine bounty in the eyes of a believer. During Ramadan, everyone from the monarch to the destitute manifests a sort of gratitude through understanding the value of those bone's w.

Furthermore, since eating is prohibited during the day, they say: "Those bounties do not belong to me. I am not free to eat them, for they belong to someone else and are his gift. I await his command." dance.ecognize the bounty to be bounty and so give thanks. Thus, fasting in this way is in many respects a key to gratitude; gratitude being man's fundamental duty.

~Third Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in lies: g from the point of view of man's social life is as follows:

Human beings have been created differently with regard to their livelihoods. In consequence of this, God Almighty invites the rich to assist the poor, so that through the hunbn Jarperienced in fasting, they can truly understand the pains and hunger which the poor suffer. If there were no fasting, many self-indulgent rich would be unable to perceive just how grievous are hunger and poverty and how needy of compassion are is se who suffer them.

Compassion for one's fellow men is an essential part of true thankfulness. Whoever a person is, there will always be someone poor follon himself in some respect. He is enjoined to be compassionate towards such a person. If he were not himself compelled to suffer hunger, he would be unable give the person - through compassion - the help and assistance he is obliged to offe unnec even if he were able, it would be deficient, for he would not have truly experienced hunger himself.

~Fourth Point

One instance of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan with respect to training the instinctual soul is as followstful, he instinctual soul wants to be free and independent, and considers itself to be thus. According to the dictates of its nature, it even desires an imaginary dominicality and to act as it pleases. It does not want to admit that ievers eing sustained and trained through innumerable bounties. Especially if it possesses worldly wealth and power, and if heedlessness also encourages it, it will devour God's bounties like a usurping, thieving animasciencThus, in the month of Ramadan, the instinctual soul of everyone, from the richest to the poorest, may understand that it does not own itself but is totally own own eat it is not free, but is a slave. It understands that if it receives no command, it may not do the simplest and easiest thing; it cannot even strethirty- its hand for water. Its imaginary dominicality is therefore shattered; it performs its worship and begins to offer thanks, its true duty.

~Fle-i Noint

One of the many instances of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan from the point of view of improving the conduct of the instinctual soul and giving up its saintious habits is as follows:

Due to its heedlessness the human soul forgets itself; it cannot see its utter powerlessness, want, and deficiency and it does not wish to see them. It does not think of just how weak it is, and how subject to trk on nce and to disasters, nor of the fact that it consists merely of flesh and bones, which

quickly decay and fall apart. Simply, it assaults the world as though it possessed a body made of steel and imr beau itself to be undying and eternal. It hurls itself on the world with intense greed and voracity, and passionate attachment and love. It is captivaaculti anything that gives it pleasure or that profits it. Moreover, it forgets its Creator, who sustains it with perfect compassion, and does not think of the consequences of its life and its life in the hereafter. Indeedhere wallows in dissipation and misconduct.

However, fasting in the month of Ramadan awakens even the most heedless and obstinate to their weakness, impotence, and want. Hunger makes them think of their stomachs and they understand t find d therein. They realize how unsound are their weak bodies, and perceive how needy they are for kindness and compassion. So they abandon the soul's pharaoh-like despotism and recognizing thgoted ter impotence and want, perceive a desire to take refuge at the divine court. They prepare themselves to knock at the door of mercy with the hands of thankfulness - a pring as heedlessness has not destroyed their hearts, that is.

~Sixth Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan from the point of view of the revelation of the All-Wise Qur'an, and the mgs, thf Ramadan being the most important time in its revelation, is as follows:

Since the All-Wise Qur'an was revealed in the month of Ramadan, to shun the lower devious of the soul and trivialities and to resemble the angelic state by abstaining from food and drink in order to greet that heavenly address in the best manner, is to attain to a holy state. And to read and listen to the Qur'anspectoough it were just revealed, to listen to the divine address in it as if it were being revealed that very instant, to listen to that address as though hearing it from God's Noble Messenger (Upon whomill saessings and peace), indeed, from the Angel Gabriel, or from the Pre-Eternal Speaker Himself, is to attain to that same holy state. To act in this way is n outs as an interpreter and to cause others to listen to it and in some degree to demonstrate the wisdom in the Qur'an's revelation.

Indeed, it is ligiouthe world of Islam becomes a mosque during the month of Ramadan in every corner of which millions of those who know the whole Qur'an by heart make the dwellers on the earth hear the heavenly address. Eacpickeddan proclaims in luminous shining manner the verse "It was the month of Ramadan in which the Qur'an was bestowed from on high;">it proves that Ramadan is the month of the Qur'an. Some of the mh the of the vast congregation listen to the reciters with reverence, while others read it themselves.

Following the appetites of the base instinctual soul while in that sacred mosqd twend quitting that luminous condition through eating and drinking is truly loathsome and makes such a person the target of the aversion and disgust of the congregation in the mosque. People who oppose those fining, during Ramadan are to the same extent the target of the aversion and disgust of the whole world of Islam.

~Seventh Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in the fast of Ramadan with respect to manart ofn and profit, who comes to this world to cultivate and trade for the hereafter, is as follows:

The reward for actions in the month of Ramadan is a thousandfold. According to Hadith, eiests,rd of the All-Wise Qur'an has ten merits; each is counted as ten merits and will yield ten fruits in Paradise. While during Ramadan, each word bears not ten fruits but compausand, and verses like Ayat al-Kursi>(2:255) thousands for each word, and on Fridays in Ramadan it is even more. And on the Night of Power, each word is counted as thirty thousanf the ts.

Indeed, the All-Wise Qur'an, each of whose words yield thirty thousand eternal fruits, is like a luminous Tree of Tuba that gains for believers in Ramadan millving of those eternal fruits. So, come and look at this sacred, eternal profitable trade, then consider it and understand the infinite loss of those who do not appreciate the value of its words.

To put it simply way tmonth of Ramadan is an extremely profitable display and market for the trade of the hereafter. It is an extremely fertile piece of land for the crops of the next world. Foich isgrowth and flourishing of actions it is like April showers in the spring. It is a brilliant holy festival for the parade of mankind's worship in the face of the sovereignty of divine dominicality. Since it is peacemankind has been charged with fasting in order not to heedlessly indulge the animal needs of the instinctual soul like eating and drinking, nor to indulge the appenot relustfully and in trivialities. For, by temporarily rising above animality and quitting the calls of this world man approaches the angelic is no and enters upon the trade of the hereafter. By fasting, he approaches the state of the hereafter and that of a spirit appearing in bodily form. It is as if man w the ecomes a sort of mirror reflecting the Eternally Besought One. Indeed, the month of Ramadan comprises and gains a permanent, eternal life in this fleeting world and brief transient life. Certainly, a single Ramaence in produce fruits equal to that of a lifetime of eighty years. The Qur'an stating that the Night of Power is more auspicious than a thousand months is a decisive Nimrf of this.

For example, a monarch may declare certain days to be festivals during his reign, or perhaps once a year, either on his accessihe stothe throne or on some other days that reflect a glittering manifestation of his sovereignty. On those occasions he favours his subjects, not within the compass of his laws generally but with his special bounties and it is s through his unveiled presence and his wondrous activities. He favours with his especial regard and attention those of his nation who are completely loyal and worthy.

In the same way, the All-Glorious Monarch of eighteen trms wid worlds, who is the Sovereign of Pre-Eternity and Post-Eternity, revealed in Ramadan the illustrious decree of the All-Wise Qur'an, which looks to the eighteen thousand wo IslamIt is a requirement of wisdom, then, that Ramadan should be like special divine festival, a dominical display, and a spiritual gathering. Since Ramadan is such festdutifuGod has commanded man to fast, in order to disengage him to a degree from base, animal activities.

The most excellent fasting is to make the human senses and organs, such as the eyes, ears, heart, asmalleughts, fast together with the stomach. That is, to withdraw them from unlawful things and from trivia, and to urge each of them to their particular worship. For example, tothe eahe tongue from lying, backbiting, and obscene language and to make it fast; and to busy it with such activities as reciting the Qur'an, praying, glorifying God's names, asking for God's br examgs for the Prophet Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and seeking forgiveness for sins; and for example, to prevent the eyes looking at members of the opposite set rancide the stipulated degrees of kinship, and the ears from hearing harmful things, and to use the eyes to take lessons and the ears to listen to the truth and to the Qur'an,edrese make other organs fast too. As a matter of fact, since the stomach is the largest factory, when it has an enforced holiday from work through fasting, the other small workshops are made to f If I it easily.

~Eighth Point

One of the many instances of wisdom in Ramadan from the point of view of man's personal life is as follows:

It is a healing physical and spiritual diet of the most important kind. When man losintinctual soul eats and drinks just as it pleases, it is both harmful for man's physical life from the medical point of view, and when it hurls itself on everything it encounters whdeath licit or illicit, it quite simply poisons his spiritual life. Further, it is difficult for such a soul to obey the heart and the spirit; it wilfully takes the reins into its own hands and

then man cannot ride it, it rather rides man. life y means of fasting in Ramadan, it becomes accustomed to a sort of diet. It tries to discipline itself and learns to listen to commands.

Furthermore, it will not invite illness rth apt miserable, weak stomach by cramming it with food before the previous consignment has been digested. And by abandoning even licit actions as it is commanded, it will acquire the ability to listen to the commands of the Sthe hi and the reason, and so to avoid illicit actions. It will try not to destroy his spiritual life.

Moreover, the great majority of mankind ief anntly suffer from hunger. Man, therefore, needs hunger and discipline, which train him to be patient and forbearing. Fasting in Ramadan is patient endurance of a period oine uner that continues for fifteen hours, or for twenty-four if the pre-dawn meal is not eaten, and it is a discipline and training. That is to say, fasting is also a cure fce it atience and lack of endurance, which double man's afflictions.

Futhermore, the factory of the stomach has many workers, and many of the human organs are connected to it. If the theyinctual soul does not take a rest from activity during the day for a month, it makes the factory's workers and those organs forget their pard natur duties; it busies them with itself so that they remain under its tyranny. Also, it confuses the rest of the organs in the human body with the clangour and steam of the factory's machinery. It coe thisusly attracts their attention to itself, making them temporarily forget their exalted duties. It is because of this that for centuries those closest to God have accustomed themselves to discipline and to et of tand drinking little in order to be perfected.

Through fasting in Ramadan the factory's workers understand that they were not created for the factory only. While the rest of the organs, instead of delighting in the lo be prusements of the factory, take pleasure in angelic and spiritual amusements, and fix their gazes on them. It is for this reason that in Ramadan the believers experience enlightenment, fruitfulness, and spiritual joys which d?>(2:4according to their degrees. Their subtle faculties, such as the heart, spirit, and intellect, make great progress and advancement in that blessed month through fasting. They laugh with innocent joy inspite ofrlook tomach's weeping.

~Ninth Point

One of the instances of wisdom in fasting in Ramadan with regard to shattering the instinctual soul's imaginary dominicality and making known its worship through pointing out its impotence is as followI do nThe instinctual soul does not want to recognize its Sustainer; it wants its

own lordship, like Pharaoh. However much torment it suffers, it retains that vein. Hunger, however, destroys it. Hence, fasting in Ramadaf is vkes direct blows at the soul's pharaoh-like front, shattering it. It demonstrates its impotence, weakness, and want. It makes it realize thacomings a slave.

Among the narrations of Hadith is the following: "God Almighty said to the instinctual soul: 'What am I and what are you?' The soul replied: 'I am myself and You are Yourself.' So He puni its st and cast it into Hell, then asked it again. Again it replied: 'I am myself and You are Yourself.' However He punished it, it did not give up its egoism. Finally He punished it with hu necesthat is, He made it go hungry. Then again He asked it: 'Who am I and who are you?' And the soul replied: 'You are my Compassionate Sustae of wnd I am your impotent slave!'"

O God! Grant blessings and peace to our master Muhammad that will be pleasing to You and fulfilment es to truth to the number of the merits of the words of the Qur'an in the month of Ramadan, and to his Family and Companions, and grant them mark .

Limitless in His glory is your Sustainer, the Lord of Almightiness, [exalted] above anything that men may devise by way of definition! * And peace be upon all His message-bearers. * And all praise is due tive thalone, the Sustainer of All the Worlds!>(37:180-2)

APOLOGY: This Second Section was written at speed when both myself and the rough-copy scribe were ill; it is bound therefore to contain disorder and defects. We await from nt. I others that they look on it with tolerance. They may correct it as they think fit.

The Third Section, Which is the Third Treatise

[I wrote this section in ordke Beypresent an important intention of mine to my brothers of the hereafter for their consideration. It concerns the writing of a Qur'an in a way that will show one of the two hundred sorts of the Qur'an of Miraculous Expong the's miraculousness - a sort pertaining to its patterns - with the pages specified in accordance with the style of Hafız Osman and taking the Mudâyana>Verse (2:282) as the meahem.

and taking Sura al-Ikhlas as the standard for the lines. This Third Section, which I wrote to consult them concerning this matter and to learn their ideas, and also as a reminder to myself, consists of nine matters.]

FIRST MATTER

desireis established with proofs in the Twenty-Fifth Word, called The Miraculousness of the Qur'an,>that the varieties of the Qur'an of Mighty Stature'iving culousness number forty. Some of these are demonstrated in detail, and some briefly, so as to convince even the obdurate. Also, the different sorts of ct, onlousness the Qur'an shows to each of forty of the classes of humanity were explained in the Eighteenth Sign of the Nineteenth Letter, and the shares received by ten of nth ofgroups were proved. The remaining thirty classes consist of the followers of all the different ways of sainthood and the scholars of all the various ing:

es, who demonstrated their certain, verified belief to the degrees of knowledge of certainty, vision of certainty, and absolute certainty that the Qur'an is the true Word of God. That is to say, each of them discerned a d, it int aspect of its miraculousness in a different way. Yes, just as the miraculousness a saint who seeks knowledge of God understands will not the same as the beauty of the miraculousness a saint who isen at er of God witnesses, so the manifestations of the beauty of its miraculousness vary according to the different ways and paths. And the aspect of miraculousness a profound scholar of the principles of religion sees will not be the say is that seen by an authoritative interpreter of the secondary matters of the Shari'a sees; and so on. I am not able to show in detail all these different aspects; my comprehension

cannot encompass them; my viewained short of them. For this reason only ten classes were explained and the rest were alluded to briefly. Now, of those, two that were inadequately described in The Miracles of Muhammad>although they needed to be elucidated, were the followhey pr The First Class is the uneducated mass of people, whom we call "the listening class;" they only listen to the Qur'an, understanding its miraculousness by means of their ears. They say: "The Qur'an, which I hear, does not resembleious fther books, so it must either be inferior to all of them, or superior. No one could say that it is inferior, nor have they said it, nor could the Devil evenoncernt. So it must be superior to all of them." It was written briefly like this in the Eighteenth Sign and is further explained in the First Topic of the Twenty-Sixth Letter, called A Dispute with the Devil,>which iises, ates and proves that class's understanding of the miraculousness.

The Second Class is "the seeing class." That is to say, it is claimed in the Eighteenth Sign that an aspect of the Qur'an's miraculousness which may be seen with the eywater ks to the uneducated common people or to materialists whose minds see no further than their eyes. This claim needs much explanation in order to elucidate and prove it.ubtle s not explained there due to an important instance of dominical wisdom which only now we understand. Only a few very minor particulars were pointed out.ives fisdom in in this is now understood and we are certain its postponement was preferable. In order to facilitate this class's understanding, we had a Qur'an written that shows this observable aspe of the of the forty aspects of its miraculousness.

[The remaining matters of this Third Section together with the Fourth Section are about coincide ego,(tevâfukat).>They have been included in the Index and not repeated here. Included here are only a reminder concerning the Fourth Section and hilateird Point.]

Reminder: One hundred and sixty verses were written in explanation of the important point concerning the word "Messenger." In addition to these verses having a glorious quality,ear toform a Qur'anic supplication for those who want to memorize or recite different verses, since they prove and complete one another with regard to the meaning and their meanings are very profound. In dHis no the eloquence and beauty of the sixty-nine verses in the explanation of the sublime point concerning the word "Qur'an" is also most wondrous and elevated. This may be recommended

to our brothers as a stion tQur'anic supplication. In regard to the word "Qur'an," it was present in the seven lines of the word, which included all of them with the exception of two, and since these latter had the meaning ofion. Tat,>their remaining outside the pattern strengthened the point. As for the word "Messenger," since the Suras most connected with the word are Sura Muhammad and Sura al-Fath, and sio prai limited it to the lines of the word appearing in those two Suras, the instances of the word outside those have not been included. If time permits, the mysteries these hold will be explained, God willing.

The Thers.

int consists of four points.

~First Point

The word "Allah" is mentioned two thousand eight hundred and six times. Including in the Bismillah'>s (In the Name of God's), the word "Merciful (Rahmân)">one hundred and fifty-nine;ommon assionate (Rahîm),">two hundred and twenty; "Forgiving (Ghafûr),">sixty-one; "Sustainer (Rabb),">eight hundred and forty-six; "Wise (Hakîm),">eighty-six; "Knowing ('Alîm),">one hundred an, the ty-six; "Powerful (Qadîr),">thirty-one; the "He (Hû)">in "There is no god but He," twenty-six times. {(*): An important mystery is indicated by the total number of the Qur'an's verses being six thousand six hundred and sixactice, and on the eighty-ninth page here the above-mentioned number of divine names being connected with the number six, but it has been left aside for now.} The number of times the wnd ligllah" is repeated contains many mysteries and subtle points. For instance, the number of times "Merciful," "Compassionate," "Forgiving," and "Wise," which are th the t mentioned after "Allah" and "Sustainer," are repeated together with the word "Allah," is equal to half the number of the Qur'an's verses. And repetitions of "Allah," together with "Sustainer," ws likes mentioned instead of the word "Allah," again equal half the number of the Qur'an's verses. The word "Sustainer" is mentioned eight hundred and forty-six times, but if these are studie. Thanfully, it will be seen that around five hundred of them are mentioned in place of the word "Allah," while around two hundred are not.

Also, repetitions of "Allah" ts of tr with "Merciful," "Compassionate," "Knowing," and the "He" of the phrase "There is no god but He" are again equal in number to half of the verses; the difference is only four. And together with "All-Powerful" instead of "He," they again eqmysterlf the number of verses; the difference here is nine. There are numerous subtle points in the total number of time the word "Allah," but for now we deem this point to be sufficice.

468

~Second Point

This is in respect of the Suras, and it too contains many subtle points. It contains coincidences (tevâfukat)>in a way that points to an orderted stntion, and will.

In Sura al-Baqara, the number of instances of the word "Allah" and the number of the verses is the same. There is a difference of four, but four "He's" replace the word "Allah," like the "He" in "There is no god ring b" and they correspond exactly. In Sura Al-i 'Imran, again the word "Allah" and the number of verses coincide and are equal. Only, "Allah" is mentioned two hundrediv, 22ine times and there are two hundred verses, making a difference of nine. But small differences do not mar the fine points of eloquence and literary merits such as these; an approximate coincGod Al is enough. The total number of verses of Suras al-Nisa, al-Ma'ida, and al-An'am coincides with the total number of instances of the word "Allah:" the number of verses is four hundred and sixty-four, and the number of instances of the word "we see four hundred and sixty-one; with the "Allah" of the Bismillahs,>it coincides exactly.

And for example, the number of instances of the word "Allah" in the mpartefive Suras is twice the number of the word in Suras al-A'raf, al-Anfal, al-Tawba, Yunus, and Hud. That is, the second five are half the first five. Then the number of instances of the word in the following suras, Yusuf, alat tim Ibrahim, al-Hijr, and al-Nahl, is half that, and in the following Suras, al-Isra, al-Kahf, Maryam, Ta. Ha., al-Anbiya, and al-Hajj, it is again halved.

{(*):n facttery was unfolded through this division into fives. With not one of us being aware of it, six Suras were written here. We have no doubt that outside our wills, and from the Unseen, the sixth was added here so that the importas the tery concerning these halves should not be lost.}

And so it continues to decrease in approximately the same ratio in the following groups of five Suras.[We sh are, however, some differences and deficiencies but they cause no harm in such stations of address. For example, some are one hundred and twenty-one, others are one hundred and freque-five, others are one hundred and fifty-four, and yet others are one hundred and fifty-nine. Then, the five Suras which begin with Sura al-Zukhruf decrease to an eighth. And in the five beginning with Sura al-Najm, it, idlesixty-fourth, but this is approximate. Differences arising from small errors do not harm stations of address such as these. The subsequent thre theseps of five short Suras contain only three instances each of the word "Allah." And this shows that chance has not interfered at all in the number of the word; the numbers of it have been specified in accordance some oisdom and order.

~The Third Point>is about the word "Allah"

This concerns its relation to the pages and is as follows:

The number of instances of the word on one page looks to that page's reverse side, and that pag sacretimes looks to its facing page, and sometimes to the left-hand facing page and to the reverse face of the facing page. I studied a coincidence in my ownthinkiof the Qur'an and observed what was generally a very fine numerical relationship. I marked them in my copy. Very often they are equal, and sometimes they are a half or a third. Their positioning tells of a wisdom, pers, n, and order.

~Fourth Point

This concerns coincidences on a single page. My brothers and I compared three or four different copies and we came to the conclusial of t the coincidences were intended in all of them. However, since copyists for printed copies had different aims in view, the coincidences lost their order to aface oe. But if they were set in order, coincidences would become apparent to the number of the two thousand eight hundred and six instances of the word Allah in the whole Qur'an with only rare exceptions. A light of miracul togets shines in this, because the human mind could not encompass a page as extensive as this and interfere in it. And the hand of chance could not reach up to such about mtion, so full of meaning and wisdom.

We are having a new Qur'an written in order to demonstrate this Fourth Point to a degree, which together with preserving the pages and lines of the mosttive py used copies of the Qur'an, will set in order the places that have lost their order due to the slackness of calligraphers, and will display the true order of the coincidences, God willing. Indeed, it was displayed.its ThGod! O Revealer of the Qur'an! For the sake of the Qur'an, allow us to understand its mysteries so long as the spheres revolve. And grant blessings and peace to the one to whom You revealed the Qure sensnd to all his Family and Companions. Amen.

The Fifth Section, Which is the Fifth Treatise

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Go Therehe Light of the heavens and the earth.>(24:35)

While in a spiritual state during the month of Ramadan, I perceived one light of the many luminous mysteries of this the hfilled verse; I saw it as though from afar. It was like this:

I had a vision of the heart and imagination which afforded me the conviction that, as in the famous supplication of Uways al-Qarani,

O God! You are our s.

#38ner, for we are mere slaves; we are powerless to sustain and raise ourselves. That is to say, the One who sustains us is You! And it is You who is the Creator, for we are creatures, we and worng made! And it is You who is the Provider, for we are in need of provision, we have no power!,

all living creatures are offering supplications to Almighty God, and that a divine name ilcannottes each of the eighteen thousand worlds. It was like this:

I saw that within this world are thousands of worlds enwrapped in veil after veil, one within the other like a e compud with numerous petals. As each veil was unfolded I saw another world. It was like that depicted by the verse following the Light Verse:

Or [the unbelievers' state] is like the Bayezs of darkness in a vast deep ocean, overwhelmed with billow topped with billow, topped by [dark] clouds; depths of darkness, one above the other; if a man stretches out his hand, he can hardly see it; for any to whom God gives not ltheir there is no light;>(24:40)

it appeared to me in darkness, desolation, and terrible blackness. Suddenly, the manifestation of a divine name appeared like a refulgent light, illuminating it. Whichever veil was folded embrannother world appeared before my mind. But while appearing dark due to heedlessness, a divine name would be manifested like the sun, filling that world with light from top to bottom. And so on. s' movourney of the heart and imagination continued for a long time. In short:

When I saw the animal world it appeared to me as truleir ex and grievous due to the animals' endless needs and acute hunger, and their weakness and impotence. Then suddenly the name of Most Merciful rose like the shining sunity. he sign of (that is, meaning) Provider, gilding that world from top to bottom with the radiance of its mercy.

Then within the animal world I beheld another worldt and ich young and offspring were struggling in their weakness, helplessness, and need within a grievous darkness that would fill anyone with pity. Suddenly the name of All-Compassionate rose in the signnce maemency, illuminating that world in so beautiful and sweet a fashion that it transformed the complaint, pity, and tears of sorrow into joy, happase wo and tears of pleasurable thanks.

Then a further veil was lifted, as though revealing a cinema screen, and the world of man appeared to me. But it appeared to be so them. so oppressive, so terrible that in anguish I cried out "Alas!" For I saw that men had desires and hopes that stretched to eternity, and thoughts and imaginings that encompassed the universe, and a disposition and abilitiemeralt most earnestly yearned for eternity and everlasting happiness and Paradise, and wants and needs that were directed towards endless goals and aims. Yet they were weak and impotent, ividuaposed to the attacks of innumerable calamities and enemies; they lived tumultuous lives for a brief span in the greatest hardship and difficulties. Amid the continuous tribulations of decline and separation, a most gour ths state for the heart, they were looking towards the grave, which for the heedless and neglectful is the door to everlasting darkness; singly and in groups, theying aubeing cast into that dark well.

The moment I saw this world in the midst of the darkness, my heart, spirit, and mind, and all my human faculties, indeed, all the part verseof my being, were ready to weep and cry out in pain. But suddenly Almighty God's name of All-Just rose in the sign of All-Wise, the name of Most Mslamicl rose in the sign of Munificent, the name of All-Compassionate rose in the sign of (that is, meaning) All-Forgiving, the name of Resurrector in the sign of Inheritor, the name on all r of Life rose in the sign of Bountiful, and the name of Sustainer rose in the sign of Owner. They gilded and filled with light many worlds within 402, orld of humanity. Opening up windows onto the luminous world of the hereafter, they scattered lights over the dark human world.

Then another, vast, veil was folded back and the world of the eanse bepeared. Philosophy's dark laws of science showed a terrifying world to the imagination. The situation appeared to me of wretched humankind

#47st of neying through infinite space on the aged earth, which covers in one year a distance of twenty-five thousand years moving seventy times faster than a cannon-ball, and whose inside is in a state of upheaval ever ready to spli say: nd disintegrate. My head started spinning and my eyes darkened. Then suddenly the names of Creator of the Heavens and the Earth, All-Powerful, All-Knowing,raise iner, Allah, Sustainer of the Heavens and the Earth, and Subduer of the Sun and Moon rose in the signs of Mercy, Tremendousness, and dominicalien tooey illuminated that world so that I saw the globe of the earth to be a safe liner, well-ordered, subjugated, perfect, and agreeable, all decked out for voyat is t pleasure and trade.

In Short: Each of the thousand and one divine names turned towards the universe appeared like a sun, illuminating a world and hey dirlds within that world, and with respect to divine oneness (ehadiyet),>within the manifestation of each of them the manifestations of the rest of the names appeared to a degree. Then my heart espied a different light ban attall the darknesses and felt an appetite for travel. It wanted to mount the imagination and rise to the heavens. At that point, a further, most extensise whoil was folded back, and my heart entered the world of the heavens. It saw that the stars larger than the earth, which appeared as twinkling smiles, were spinning and journeying faster than the earth one withiices oother. If any of them confused its motion it would clash with another causing such a blast the universe would explode causing the whole world to fall apart. Theye necescattering fire, not light, and were regarding me not with smiles, but with savagery. I saw the heavens within endless, all-enveloping, empty, awesome, terrifying darkness. I was sorry a thousand times over tsame ahad come. Suddenly the names of Lord of the Heavens and the Earth and Sustainer of the Angels and Spirits appeared with their manifestations in the sign of "He has subjected the sunth andhe moon,">(13:2, etc.) and, "And We adorned the lower heaven with lights.">(41:12) The stars, which in accordance with the former meaning had collapsed into darkness, eac; and ived a flash from that mighty light and lit up that world of the heavens like shining electric lamps. The heavens too, which had seemed empty and uninhabited, filled with angels and spirit beings. I saw that the sunards smoons, which were in motion like an army of the Monarch of Pre-Eternity and Post-Eternity - one of His innumerable armies - were with their lofty manoeuvres displaying the majesty and mMessencent dominicality of that All-Glorious Sultan. I declared with all my strength, and had it been possible with all the particles of my being, and if they had listened to me with the tongues of all creatures:

Gands sthe Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as if there were a niche and within it a lamp; the lamp enclosed by glass; the glass as it were a brilliant star; lit froourishessed tree, an olive, neither of the East nor of the West, whose oil is well-nigh luminous, though fire scarce touched it; Light upon Lirnal pod guides to His Light whom He will.>(24:35)

I recited this verse in the name of all creatures. Then I returned, descended to the earth, and awoke. "All praise be to God for the light of belts. Fod the Qur'an," I exclaimed.

The Sixth Section Which is the Sixth Treatise

In the Nam * *

od, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

And incline not towards those who do wrong, or the Fire will seize you.>(11:113)

God willing, this Sixth Section will confound six stratagems of satans astingjinn and men, and block up six of their ways of attack.

FIRST STRATAGEM

In consequence of the instruction they have received from satans among the jinn, human satans want to deceive, by exciting the desire for rank and posite and he self-sacrificing servants of the party of the Qur'an, and to make them give up their sacred service and elevated jihad>of the word. It is as follows not aresent in most people is a hypocritical desire to be seen by people and hold a position in the public view, which is ambition for fame and acclaim, and simselfvertisement; it is present to a lesser or greater extent in all those who seek this world. The desire to accomplish this ambition will drive a person to sacrifice his life even. Such ambition is exceedingly dangerous for those who semonstr hereafter, and even for those who seek this world it is a rough road. It is also the source of many bad morals and is man's greatest weakness. A person only has to gratify this ambition to gain control over someone and draw him to himself; supposs the man to him, and he is overcome. My greatest fear for my brothers is that the atheists may take advantage of this weak vein of theirs. It has caused me much thought. For they did attract in this way some unfortunates orshipre not truly friends, drawing them into a dangerous situation.

{(*): Those unfortunates think: "Our hearts are together with Ustad," and suppose themselves to be in no danger. But someone who gives support to the atheiste listement and is carried away by their propaganda, and perhaps unknowingly is used in spying activities, says: "My heart is pure and loyal to Ustad's way," resembles the following example: whons; trforming the obligatory prayers, a person cannot hold his wind and expels it, and his prayer is invalidated. When he is told that his prayers are invalid, he repoints "Why should they be? My heart is pure."}

My brothers and friends in the service of the Qur'an! Say the following to the secret agents of the c over 'worldly,' or the propagandists of the people of misguidance, or the students of Satan, for they all try to deceive you by exciting the desire for rank: "Firstly, divine pleasure, the favours of the Merciful One, and dominical accethroug are a position so high that beside them the attention and admiration of men are worth virtually nothing. To receive divine mercy is sufficient. The regard of men is acceptable in that it is the reflection aney breow of the regard of divine mercy; otherwise it is not desirable. For it is extinguished at the door of the grave, so is worth nothing!"

If the desire for rank and position cannot be silenced and eliminated, it should be directed tow nor something else: as in the following comparison, the emotion may have a licit side; if it is for reward in the hereafter, or with the intention of being prayed for, or for making of all ork effective.

For example, at a time Aya Sophia Mosque is filled with eminent and blessed people, virtuous and excellent, one or two idle youths and immoral loafers are hanging around the eonce re, while next to the windows a few Europeans are watching for amusement. A man enters the mosque and joins the congregation, then recites a passage from the Quu haveeautifully in a fine voice; the gazes of thousands of the people of truth are turned on him and they gain reward for him through their regard and prayers. This does not please the idle youths and heretic loafers and the one earneo Europeans. If when the man had entered the blessed mosque and joined the huge congregation, he had shouted out lewd songs, and danced and jumped around, it would have made the idle youths latenancave pleased the dissolute loafers since it encouraged immorality, and made the Europeans smile mockingly, since they are gratified at seeing any faults in Islam. But it would hand renracted looks of disgust and contempt from the vast and blessed congregation; in its view, the man would have fallen to the very lowest of the low.

Exactly lie majos example, the World of Islam and Asia is a huge mosque, and the people of belief and truth within it are the respected congregation in the mosque.n; I hdle youths are the childish sycophants. The dissolute loafers are those villains who follow Europe and have no nation or religion. While the European spectators are the journalists who spread

the the s of the Europeans. All Muslims, especially the virtuous and perfected ones, have a place in the mosque according to their degree; they are seen and attention is paid to ars thIf they perform actions and works as taught by the injunctions and sacred truths the All-Wise Qur'an in accordance with the sincerity and divine pleasure which are a fundamental oitten,m, and if through the tongue of disposition they recite Qur'anic verses, they will then be included in the prayer: "O God, grant forgiveness to all believing men and to all believing women,">which is constantly uttered by everyonepanorae World of Islam. They will have a share of it and will become connected to all the others in brotherly fashion. However, the value of this will not be apparent to some of the people oeans tuidance who are like harmful beasts and to some idiots who are like bearded children. If a man disowns all his forefathers, the source of honour, and all the past, the cause of pride, and abandons in the spiritg deepuminous highway of his righteous predecessors, which they considered to be their point of support, and if he follows his own whims and passions hypocritically seekin is th and following innovations, he will fall to the very lowest position in the view of all the people of truth and belief. In accordance with: "Beware the insight of the believer, for he sees etual he light of God,">{[*]: Tirmidhî, Tafsîr Sûra, 156; Abû Na'îm, Hilyat al-Awliyâ', iv, 94; al-Haythamî, Majma' al-Zawâ'id, x, 268; al-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', i, 42.} however common and ignorant a believer may be, even if hit wild does not realize it, his heart looks coldly and in disgust on such boastful, selfish men.

And so, the man carried away by love of positionontrarank and obsessed by the desire for fame - the second man, descends to the very lowest of the low in the view of that numberless congregation. And he gains a temporary, inauspicious position in the view of a few insignificant, moc view raving loafers. In accordance with the verse,

Friends on that Day will be foes, one to another - except the righteous,>(43:67)

he will find a few false friends who will be harmfs; he this world, torment in the Intermediate Realm, and enemies in the hereafter.

As for the first man, even if he does not expunge the desire for position from his heart, on condition he takes sincerity and divine pleasure as his guiding princt blesand does not make rank and position his goal, he will attain a sort of spiritual rank, and a glorious one at that, which will perfectly satisfy that desirehty res. The man will lose something insignificant, very insignificant, and find in place of it many, very many, valuable and

harmless things. Indeed, he will chase away a few snakes and find numerous blessed "Compures; he will become close friends with them. Or he will ward off stinging wild hornets and attract blessed bees, the sherbert-sellers of misgy. He will eat honey at their hand, and through their prayers find friends from all parts of the Islamic world through whom his spirit will receive effuls with like the water of Kawthar, and these will pass to his book of good deeds.

At one time, when through perpetrating a great wrong due to the desire for fame,ractertle man who was occupying a high worldly position became a laughing-stock in the eyes of the World of Islam, I spoke to him teaching him the meaning of the above comparisoach woit him over the head with it. He was badly shaken, but because I myself had not been saved from the desire for rank and position, my warning did not arouse him.

SECOND STRATAGEM

One of the strongest and most basic emotions in man is th the be of fear. Scheming oppressors profit greatly from the vein of fear. They restrain the pusillanimous with it. The agents of the worldly and propagandists of the people of misguidance take advantage of this vcient. the common people and of the religious scholars in particular. They frighten them and excite their groundless fears. For example, in order to scare a coward who is on a roof and pu He imin danger, a scheming man shows him something which he supposes is harmful; he excites his fear and draws him gradually towards the edge of the entionthen he makes him fall and break his neck. In exactly the same way, they make people sacrifice most important things due to most unimportant fears. Trying to avoid a mosquito bite, they flee into the dragon's mouth.

pound me, an eminent person - May God have mercy on him - was frightened of climbing into a rowing-boat. One evening, we walked together to the Bridge in Istanbul. We had to board a boat; there was no carriage and we were ggh theo Eyüp Sultan. I insisted. He said: "I'm frightened. Perhaps it'll sink!" I said to him: "How many boats do you reckon there are, here on the Golden Horn?" He replied: "Perhaps a of inand." So I asked him: "How many boats sink in a year?" He said: "One or two. Perhaps none at all." I asked him: "How many days are there in a year?" "Three hundred and sixs of te replied. So I said to him: "The possibility of sinking, which provokes these groundless fears and makes you anxious, is one in three hundred and sixty thousand. Someone who is frightened at such a possibility is not a human being, heey recn't even be an animal!" Then I asked him: "How long do you reckon you will live?" He replied: "I

am old; perhaps I'll live another ten years." So I said to him: "The appointed hour of due cans secret, so we could die any day. In which case, you might die on any day of the three thousand six hundred. You see, there is a one in three thousand possibility that you might die today rather than one in thare Alndred thousand like the boat; so tremble and weep, and write your will!" He came to his senses, and I got him, trembling, to board the boat. When on board, I told him: "Almighty God gave We snse of fear to preserve life, not to destroy it! He did not give life so that it would be burdensome, difficult, painful, and torment. If fear is caus peneta possibility of one in two, three, or four, or even one in five or six, it is a precautionary fear and may be licit. But to fear a possibility of one in twenty, thirty, or forty, is all myless, and makes life torture!"

My brothers! If those who toady to the atheists attack you by frightening you into giving up your sacred jihad>of the word, say to them: "We are the the pof the Qur'an. According to the verse,

We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it,>(15:9)

we are in the citadel of the Qur'an. nown arse,

For us God suffices, and He is the Best Disposer of Affairs>(3:173)

is a firm bastion surrounding us. Utilizing fear at a one in thousands possibility of some minor harm coming to our fleeting transient lives here, yhirty-not drive us through our own wills down a way on which there is a hundred per cent possibility of its causing thousandfold harm to our eternal lives!" And say too: "Is there anyone who has suffered harm due to Said Nurd withr friend in the service of the Qur'an and Master and foreman in running this sacred work, or from people of truth like us who are his comny of s on the way of truth? Is there anyone who has been caused any trouble at the hand of his close students, that we might be caused it too? So should we be anxious at the possibility of suffern, if ? This brother of ours has thousands of friends and brothers of the hereafter. Although for twenty to thirty years he played an influential role Ararat social life of this world, we have not heard that a single of his brothers suffered harm because of him, and at that time he was brandishing the club of politics. Now he holds the light oated fity rather than the club. For sure, long ago they mixed him up in the Thirty-First of March Incident and they crushed some of his friends, but it later became clear that others had instigated the affair. His friends suffered misfortune, not bget or of him but because of his enemies. Moreover, at that time he saved very many of his friends. So satans like

you shouldn't get it into their minds to make us throw away an eterevery easury out of fear at a danger the possibility of which is not one in a thousand but in thousands." You should say that and hit those toadielow anhe people of misguidance in the mouth, and drive them away! And tell them this:

"And if the possibility of death is not one in hundredluminahousands but a hundred per cent probability, if we have a jot of sense, we will not be frightened and abandon him and flee!" For it has been seen through repeated unconiences, and it is seen, that the calamity which is visited on those who betray their elder brother or their Master in times of danger, strikes them first. And they are punished mercilessly and they are looked down upon contemptuously. Bdies aysically dead and their spirits abased, they are in effect dead. Those who torment them feel no pity for them, for they say: "Since they betrayed their Mastet and was loyal and kind to them, they must be completely despicable and deserve contempt, not pity!"

Yes, the reality is this. Also, if a tyrannical, unscrupulous man throws someone to the ground and stands over him certain to crushhe resead with his foot, and the man on the ground kisses that savage oppressor's foot, due to his abasement his heart will be crushed before his head, and his spi univell die before his body. He will lose his head, and his self-respect and pride will be destroyed. By displaying weakness before the savage tyrant without conscience, he encourages him to crush him. But if s mirapressed man spits in the tyrant's face, he will save his heart and his spirit, and his body will be a wronged martyr. Yes, spit in the shameless faces of the oppressorsn its ne time when the British had destroyed the guns on the Bosphorus and occupied Istanbul, the head clergyman of the Anglican Church, the mainhis maious establishment of that country, asked six questions of the Shaikh al-Islam's Office. I was a member of the Darü'l-Hikmeti'l-İslamiye at the time. They asked mt of answer them, saying that they wanted a six-hundred-word reply to their six questions. But I told them: "I'll answer them not with six hundred words, or even with six words, or even a siood anord, but with a mouthful of spit! For you can see that government; the moment it set foot on our Bosphorus, its clergyman arrogantly asked us six questied, diaced with this, we should spit in his face. So spit in the pitiless faces of those tyrants!" And now I say:

My brothers! At a time a tyrannical government larla Le British had occupied us the protection of the Qur'an was enough for me, although it was a hundred per cent certain that harm would come to me from confronting them in this way through the tongue of thethe mo, so it is definitely a

hundred times more sufficient for you in the face of the harm that may come to you at the hand of these insignificant A myses, which is only a one in a hundred possibility.

Furthermore, my brothers! Most of you have done your military service. Any who haven'ty outs certainly heard this. And any who haven't heard it, let them hear it now from me: "The people who receive most wounds are those who abandon their trenches and run away. Whi extin people who receive fewest wounds are those who persevere in their trenches!"

The allusive meaning of the verse,

Say: "The death from which you flee will truly overtakent.

>(62:8)

shows that those who run away are more likely to meet death through their flight!

THIRD SATANIC STRATAGEM

They hunt many people through greed.

We have proved in many treatises with certain proofs that have issued forth from anded ear verses of the All-Wise Qur'an that licit sustenance comes not in accordance with power and will, but proportionately to powerlessness and want.sgress are numerous signs, indications, and evidences demonstrating this truth. For instance:

Trees, which are animate beings of a sort and in need of sustenance, remain in their places and their sustenor lifomes hastening to them. While since animals chase after it greedily, they are not nurtured as perfectly as trees.

Also, although fishes are the most stupid and powerless of the animals and are found in sand, ts way,eing the best nourished and generally appearing fat while intelligent and capable animals like the monkey and fox are weak and thin from their scanty sustenance, shows that need is the means of sustenance, not power.

Also, the fine suste of laof all young, whether human or animal, and milk, the delicate gift of the treasury of mercy, being bestowed on them in an unexpected way out of compassion for their weakness and impotence, and th comfficult circumstances of wild animals, show that impotence and want are the means of licit sustenance rather than intelligence and power.

Also, among the nations of the world there are some that pursue sustenance more than others rnity e notorious for their greed. But these nations have suffered more than any from poor livelihoods, degradation and poverty. Even the rich among them live in lowly fashion. In any event, the possessions they have acquired by suction fcit means as usury do not comprise licit sustenance that it might refute our discussion here.

Also, the poverty of many literary figures and scholars, an head wealth and riches of many stupid people show that the means of attracting sustenance is not intelligence and power, but impotence and want; it is subsing fg to God while relying on Him, and supplication by word, state, and deed.

The verse,

For God is He Who gives [all] sustenance, Lord of Power, and Steadfast [for ever],>(51:58)

proclaims this truth, and is ay, theful, firm proof of this assertion of ours, which all plants and animals and young recite. Every group of creature that seeks sustenance recites this verse throutween tongue of disposition.

Since sustenance is appointed and bestowed and it is Almighty God who gives it, and since He is both All-Compassionate and Munificent, those who degrade themsel whom making illicit gains in such a way as to cast aspersions on His mercy and insult His munificence, and give their consciences and even certain sacred matters as bribes and accept things which are unlawful andotal apicious - they should ponder over just what compounded lunacy this is.

Yes, 'the worldly' and especially the people of misguidance do not give away their money cheaply; they sell it at a high price. Sometimes something which may help a littludingards a year of worldly life is the means of destroying infinite eternal life. And with that vile greed, the person draws divine wrath on hn and and tries to attract the pleasure of the people of misguidance.

Yes, my brothers! If those who toady to 'the worldly' and the dissemblers among the misguided lay hold of you due to this weak vein in human nature,ent be of the above truth and take this poor brother of yours as an example. I assure you with all my strength that contentment and frugality ensure your life and sustenance more than does a sala Qur'a for any unlawful money that is given you, they will want a price a thousand times higher in return. It may also hinder your service of the Qur'an, which may open for you an everlastinghe mosury, or it may make you slack in that service. And that would be such a loss and emptiness that even if they gave you a thousand salaries every monsay: "ey could not fill its place.

Warning: The people of misguidance are not able to defend themselves and reply to the truths of belief and f worsr'an which we take from the All-Wise Qur'an and disseminate, therefore, through intrigue and dissembling they employ snares of deception and wile. They want to deceiveseph'siends through the desire for position, greed, and fear, and to refute me by ascribing certain things to me. We always act positively in ourg the d service, but

unfortunately, sometimes the duty of removing the obstacles in the way of some good matter impels us to act negatively.

It is becaof elo this that I am warning my brothers concerning the above-mentioned three points, in the face of the cunning propaganda of the dissemblers. I am tsign oto rebuff the attacks that are levelled at them.

The most significant attack now is at my person. They say: "Said is a Kurd. Why do you show him so mucprinciect, and follow him?" So I am forced to mention the fourth satanic stratagem in the language of the Old Said although I do not want to, in order to silence such villains.

FOURTH SATANIC STRATAGEM

In order to deceive my brothers and excrs of eir nationalist feelings, certain irreligious people who occupy high positions attack me with their propaganda. At the promptings of Satan and sugictoryns of the people of misguidance, they say: "You are Turks. Thanks be to God, among the Turks are religious scholars and people of perfection of every sort. Said is a Kurd. To work along with someonedan caoes not share your nationality is unpatriotic."

~The Answer:>You miserable person without religion! All praise be to God, I am a Muslim. At all tis or tere are three hundred and fifty million members of my sacred nation. I seek refuge with God a hundred thousand times from sacrificing for the idea of racialism and negative nationalism three hundred and fifty million brothers who enjo for tternal brotherhood and who help me with their prayers and among whom are the vast majority of Kurds. And I seek refuge with God from gaining in place of those innumerable blessed brotheily anew who have embarked on a way that is without religion or belongs to no school of law, who bear the name of Kurd and are reckoned to belong to the Kurdish people. O you without religion! There would have to have beelight- idiots like you who would abandon the everlasting brotherhood of a luminous beneficial community of three hundred and fifty million true brothers, tground the brotherhood - which even in this world is without benefit - of a handful of Hungarian infidels or Europeanized Turks who have lost their religion. Since, in the Third Matter of the Twenty-Sixth Letter we have shown together with the evideroublehe nature of negative nationalism and its harms, we refer you to that, and here only explain a truth which was mentioned briefly at the end of the Third Matter. It is a more ows:

I say to those pseudo-patriotic irreligious deviants who hide under the veil of Turkism and in reality are enemies of the Turks: "I am closely and truly connected by means of ahy franal, true brotherhood with the nation of Islam, with the believers of this country who are called Turks. On account

of Islam, I have a proud and partial love for ty and s of this land who for close on a thousand years victoriously carried the banner of the Qur'an to every corner of the world. As for you, you pseudo-patriotic imposteone ofu possess in a way that will make you forget the true national pride of the Turks, a metaphorical, racial, temporary, and hateful brotherhood. I ask you: does the Turkish nation Dâ'ûdst only of heedless and lustful youths between the ages of twenty and forty? And is what is beneficial for them and will serve them - as demanded by nationalist patrioends t an European education which will only increase their heedlessness, accustom them to immorality, and encourage them in what is forbidden? One to amuse them temporarily and so make them weep in old age? If nationalist patriotism consists of this, and this is progress and the happiness of life, yes, if you are a Turkist and nationalist like that, I flee from such Turkism, and you be ealee from me, too! If you have even a jot of patriotism, intelligence, and fairness, consider the following divisions of society and give me an answer. It is like this:

The sons of this Risalenown as the Turkish nation consist of six parts. The first part are the righteous and the pious. The second are the sick and those stricken by disaster. The third are the elderly. The fourth are the c.

Mn. The fifth are the poor and the weak. And the sixth are the young. Are the first five groups not Turks? Do they have no share of nationalist patriotism? Is it nationalist patriotism to vex those five groups, spoil their p Wite in life, and destroy those things that console them in order to give drunken enjoyment to the sixth group? Or is it enmity towards the nation? According to the rule "The word is with the majority," that which harms thited writy is inimical, not friendly!

I ask you, is the greatest benefit of the believers and the pious, the first group, to be found in a European-type civilization? Or is it to be found in thinking of eternal happiness tnd exa the truths of belief, in travelling the way of truth, for which they are most desirous, and in finding a true solace? The way the misguided and bogus pa situa like you have taken extinguishes the spiritual lights of the pious people of belief, destroys their true consolation, and shows death to be eternal nothinrincipand the grave to be the door to everlasting separation.

Are the benefits of the disaster-stricken, the sick, and those who have despaired of life, who form the second group, to be found in the way of a European-type, irreligiouso God ization? For those unfortunates want a light, a solace. They want a reward in return for the calamities they have suffered. They want to take their revenge on those who have oppressed them. They want t It walse the terrors at the door of the grave, which they

are approaching. Through their false patriotism, people like you plunge a needle into the hearts of those unhappy victims of disaster who ass, bah in need of compassion, soothing, and healing, and deserving of them. You hit them over the head! You mercilessly destroy all their hopes! You cast them into aciouste despair! Is this nationalist patriotism? Is that how you provide benefits for the nation?

The elderly, the third group, forms a third. They are approaching the grord "Arawing close to death, growing distant from the world, coming close to the hereafter. Are their benefits, lights, and consolation to be found in listening to the cruel adventures of tyrants like Hulagu and Jenality Do they have a place in your modern-type movements which make the hereafter forgotten, bind a person to the world, are without result, and havhousanmeaning of decline while being superficially progress? Is the light of the hereafter to be found in the cinema? Is true solace to be found in the theatre? If nationalist patriotismumberi effect to slaughter them with an immaterial knife, and give them the idea that "you are being impelled towards everlasting nothingness," and to transform the grave, which they consider to be the gate

YOcy, into the dragon's mouth, and to breathe in their ears: "You too will enter there!" - if, while these unhappy elderly people want respect from patriotism, this is what it consists of, I seek refuge with God a hundred angleand times from such patriotism!

The fourth group are the children. They want kindness from nationalist patriotism; they await compassion. Also, in respect of their weakness, impotence, and poching sness, their spirits may expand through knowing a compassionate and powerful Creator; their abilities may unfold in a happy manner. If instilled with the reliance on God that springs from belief and with the submission of may b that may withstand the awesome fears and worldly situations of the future, these innocents may look eagerly to life. Will this be achieved by teaching them thin our eut the progress of civilization, with which they have little connection, and the principles of lightless materialist philosophy, which destroys thends, fale and extinguishes their spirits? If man consisted only of an animal body and he had no mind in his head, perhaps these European principles which you fancifuealityll civilized education and national education could have afforded these innocent children some worldly benefit in the form of temporary childish amusement. Sinc who h will be cast onto the surging tumult of life, and since they are human beings, they will certainly have far-reaching desires in their small hearts and large goals will be born in their liy for eads. Since the reality is thus, compassion requires that in the face of their infinite want and impotence an extremely powerful support and inexhaustible place of

rexisten are placed in their hearts, and these are belief in God and belief in the hereafter. This is kindness and compassion for them. It otherwise means slaughtering those wretched innocents with the drunkenness of and ealist patriotism, like a crazy mother slaughtering her child with a knife. It is a savage cruelty and wrong, like pulling out their brains and hearts and making them eat them to nourish their bodies.

The fparentroup are the poor and the weak. The poor, who, because of their poverty, suffer greatly at the heavy burdens of life, and the weak, who are grieved at life's awesome upheavals - do they receive no of thfrom nationalist patriotism? Is it to be found in the movements you have instituted under the name of European-style, unveiled, Pharaoh-like civilization, which only increase their ighestr and suffering? The salve for the wound of indigence may be found in the sacred pharmacy of Islam, not in the idea of racialism. The weak receive no strength-Wise.esistance from the philosophy of naturalism, which is dark, lacks consciousness, and is bound to chance; they may receive them from Islamic zeing th the sacred nationhood of Islam!

The sixth group is the youth. If the youth of these young people had been perpetual, the wine you have given them to drink through negative nationalism would have had some temporary benefita Prouse. But when they painfully come to their senses as they advance in years, when they awaken from that sweet sleep in the morning of ol which their distress at the pleasurable drunkenness of youth will make them weep, and the passing of their pleasant dream will cause them much grief. It will make them exclaim: benefi Both my youth has gone and my life has departed, and I am approaching the grave bankrupt; if only I had used my head!" Is the share of nationalist patriotism for this group to enjoy themselves erpetuy and temporarily, and to be made to weep regretfully for a very long time? Or is their worldly happiness and pleasure in life to be found in making their fleeting youth permanent through worship anames.spending that fine, sweet bounty, not on the way of dissipation but on the straight path in the form of offering thanks so as to gain eternal youth in the Realm of Bied awYou say, if you possess even a grain of intelligence!

~In Short:>If the Turkish nation consisted only of young people, and if their youth was perpetual, and they had no place ot sort,an this world, your European-style movement under the screen of Turkism might have been counted as nationalist patriotism. You might have been able to say aise, Ae as someone who attaches little importance to the life of this world, considers racialism to be "the European disease," tries to prevent young people pursuing illicit amusements and vices, and came into the

world in another countryn theiis a Kurd. Don't follow him!" Perhaps you would have been right to say it. But since, as explained above, the sons of this land, who go under the name of Turks, consist of six gng, pa to cause harm to five of the groups and spoil their pleasure in life, and to afford a temporary, worldly pleasure the consequences of which are bad, to only one their, rather, to intoxicate them, is scarcely friendship to the Turkish nation; it is enmity.

Yes, according to race, I am not counted as a Turk but I have worked with in exi strength, with complete eagerness, in compassionate and brotherly fashion, for the groups among the Turks of the God-fearing, the disaster-stricken, the elderly, the children, and the weak and the poor. I have worked for the younge perme as well, who are the sixth group; I want them to give up any unlawful acts that will poison their worldly life, destroy their lives in the hereafter, and for one hour's laughter, produce zi Mis of weeping. The works I have taken from the Qur'an and published in the Turkish language - not only these six or seven years, but for twenty years - are there for everyone to see. Yes, praise be to God, through these works s maded from the All-Wise Qur'an's mine of lights, the light is shown which the group of the elderly wants more than anything; the most efficacious remedies for the disaster- majoren and the sick are pointed out in the sacred pharmacy of the Qur'an; the door of the grave, which causes more thought to the elderly than anything else, is sho doorkbe the door of mercy, not the door leading to execution. A truly powerful point of support in the face of the calamities and harmful thing and nronting the sensitive hearts of children, and a place of recourse to meet all their hopes and desires, have been extracted from the mine of the All-Wise Qur'an, and they have been demonstrated and profited fromort ofct. And the heavy obligations of life, which crush most the poor and weak, have been alleviated by the truths of belief of the All-Wise Qur'an.

Thus, these five groups are five out of thity. Tparts of the Turkish nation, and we are working for their benefit. The sixth group are the young people. We feel a powerful brotherhood with the good ones from among them. But between those like you who have deviated from the ally iht path, and us, there is no friendship at all! Because we do not recognize as Turks those who embrace misguidance and want to abandon Islamic nationhood, which holds all the true causes of I ben of the Turks. We consider them to be Europeans hiding behind the screen of Turkishness! Because even if they claim to be Turkists a hundred thousand times over, they could not deceive the people of truth. For their acte man'nd works would give the lie to what they claim.

O you who follow European ways! And you deviants who with your propaganda try to make my true brothers look coldly on me! How do you benefit this nation? You extinguish tll-Knohts of the first group, the pious and the righteous. You scatter poison on the wounds of the second group, who deserve kindness and care. You destroy the solace ofnd powhird group, who are most worthy of respect, and you cast them into despair. You destroy completely the morale of the fourth group, who are truly in need of compassion, and y the Winguish their true humanity. You make fruitless the hopes and calls for help of the fifth group, who are most needy for assistance, help, and solace, and in their eyes, ikhs [rn life into something more ghastly than death. And to the sixth group, who need to be warned and to come to their senses, you give such a heady wine to drink in the sleep of youth d merits hangover is truly grievous and terrible. Is this your nationalist patriotism for the sake of which you sacrifice so many sacred things? Is thson, mt Turkism has to offer the Turks? I seek refuge with God from it a hundred thousand times!

Sirs! I know that when you are defeated in the face of truth, you have recourse to force. In aa genence with the fact that power lies in the truth, not in force, you can set fire to the world around my head, but this head, which has been sacrificed for the truth of the Qur'an, will not bow before you.appoin tell you this, that not a limited number of people like you who are in effect despised by the nation, but if thousands like you were physically hostile to me, I would pay them no att aweso, attaching no more value to them than to injurious animals. Because what can you do to me? All you can do is to either bring my life to an end, or spoil my work and service. I ar, inached to nothing in the world apart from these. As for the appointed hour which befalls life, I believe as certainly as witnessing it that it does not change, it is determined. Since this iare wiif I die as a martyr on the way of truth, I do not hang back from it, I await it longingly. Moreover, I am old and I find it hard to believe that I shall live for more than anothef the . To transform one year's apparent life into everlasting eternal life through martyrdom is an exalted aim for people like me. As for my work and service, through His as if Almighty God has given such brothers in the service of belief and the Qur'an that through my death it will be carried out in numerous centres instead of one. If my tonguemble ilenced by death, powerful tongues will speak in its place, continuing my work. I can even say that just as a single seed produces the life of a shoot by entering the earth and dying, and a hed doe seeds perform their duties in place of one, so I nourish the hope that my death will be the means to service greater than was my life!

FIFTH SATANIC STRATAGEM

Profiting from egotism, the supporters of the people ofot theidance want to draw my brothers away from me. Truly, egotism man's most dangerous vein. It is his weakest vein, too. They can make people do terrible things by encouraginigns, My brothers! Beware, do not let them strike you with egotism, do not let them hunt you with it! You should know that this century the people of misguidance have mounted the edespai are galloping through the valleys of misguidance. The people of truth have to give it up if they are to serve the truth. Even if a person is justified in making use of thurpose since he will resemble the others and they too will suppose he is self-seeking like them, it will be an injustice to the service of the truth. In any event, the service of the Qur'an around which we are gathered does not accepthem byI', it requires the 'we.' It says: "Don't say 'I', say 'we.'"

Of course, you have realized that this poor brother of yours did not set out with the 'I'. And he did not make you serve it. Indeed, he showed himself to you as aned in ree servant of the Qur'an. He does not care for himself and has made it his practice not to take the part of his ego. In any case, he has proved to you with decisive evidence that the works that have been presented for general benng there common property; that is, they have issued from the All-Wise Qur'an. Nobody can claim ownership of them egotistically. Even if, to suppose the impossible, I did claim them as my own because of my ego, as one of my brothers said: sinccial. door of Qur'anic truth has been opened, the scholars and those seeking perfection should not look at my defects and insignificance and hold back from following me; they shom can t deem themselves self-sufficient. For sure, the works of the former righteous and exacting religious scholars are a huge treasury sufficient for every ill, but it sometimes happens that a key holds more importance than the treasury. For the ctivitry is closed and a key may open lots of treasuries.

I reckon that those who are excessively egotistical in regard to their learning have understood that the published Words>are each keys e word truths of the Qur'an and diamonds swords smiting those who try to deny those truths. The people of virtue and perfection and those who are strongly egotistical in regard to anionslearning should know that the students are students not of me but of the All-Wise Qur'an, and that I study along with them.

If, to suppose the impossible, I claimed to be the mast Similnce we have a way of saving all the classes of the people of belief - from the common people to the elite - from the doubts and scepticism to which they are

exposed, then let those scholabe to her find an easier solution, or let them take the part of our solution and teach it and support it. The corrupt religious scholars are faced with a grave threat; religious scholars have to be especially careful at en houime. So suppose, like my enemies, that I perform a service like this for the sake of egotism. Since a large number of people give up their egotism and gather around a Pharaoh-like man with complete loyalty for sod wateldly and national aim and carry out their work in complete solidarity, does this brother of yours not have the right to ask for your solidarity around the trut the sbelief and the Qur'an by giving up egotism, like those corporals of that worldly society, so long as he conceals his egotism? If even the greatest of the scholars amongou canere not to agree, wouldn't they be in the wrong?

My brothers! The most dangerous aspect of egotism in our work is jealousy. If it is not purely for God's sathe tralousy interferes and spoils it. Just as one of a person's hands cannot be jealous of the other, and his eye cannot envy his ear, and his heart cannot compete with his reason, so each of youcle frbles a sense, a member, of the collective personality of the body we constitute. Your essential duty springing from the conscience is not to compete with one anothering toto take pride and pleasure in each other's good qualities.

One other thing remains and it is the most dangerous: for yourselves and your friends to be jealit tieis poor brother of yours. There are scholars of standing among you, and some scholars are egotistical when it comes to their learning. In that respect they egotistical even if they themselves are modest. They cannot easily give it up. Whateof baceir hearts and minds may do, their evil-commanding souls seek pre-eminence and to sell themselves, and even to dispute the treatises that have been written. Although their hearts love the treatises and their minds appreciate them and recognizath lir worth, out of jealousy arising from the egotism of learning, their souls want to decry the value of the Words,>as though nurturing implicit enmias heeards them, for then the products of their own thought can compete with them and be sold like them. But I have to tell them this:

Even if the members of this circle of Qur'anic teaity toare leading scholars and authorities on the Law, their duties in respect of the sciences of belief are only to make explanations and elucidations of the Words>that have been written, or to set them in order. For I havethat istood through many signs that we have been charged with the duty of issuing fatwas>concerning these sciences of belief. If someone within our circle writes anything more than this due to a feeling in his soul arising fromegulargotism of learning, it will be like a cold dispute or a deficient plagiarism. For it has

been established through numerous evidences and signs that the parts of the Risale-i Nur>have issued from the Qur'an. In accordance with the: "He of the division of labour, each of us has undertaken a duty, and we convey those distillations of the water of life to those who are in need of them!

SIXTH SATANIC STRATAGEM by a t is this: they take advantage of the human traits of laziness, the desire for physical comfort, and attachment to other duties. Yes, satans amoir minn and men attack from every angle. When they see those of our friends whose hearts are stout, intentions pure, loyalty strong, and enterprise, elevated, they attack from other sides. As follo of th In order to put a stop to our work and discourage from our service, they profit from those friends' laziness, desire for physical comfort, and attachment to other duties. They keep people from the service of the Qur'an with every kind of tr conne that without their being aware of it, more work is found for some of them. Then they cannot find the time to serve the Qur'an. And to others, they show the enticing things of this world so that arousing their deinto h they become slack in their service; and so on. These ways of attack are numerous, so cutting them short, we refer them to your perspicacious understandinge you"y brothers, take great care! Your duty is sacred and your service, elevated. Every hour of your time may be as valuable as a day's worship. Be aware of this and don't waste a the rthem!

O you who believe! Persevere in patience and constancy; vie in such perseverance, strengthen each other; and fear God, that you may prosper.of the0) * And sell not My signs for a miserable price.>(5:44) * Glory to your Sustainer, the Lord of Honour and Power! [He is free] from what they ascribe [to Him]! * And peace be on the propheions oAnd praise be to God, the Sustainer of All the Worlds.>(37:180-2)

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise!>(2:32)

O God! Grandoes wsings and peace to our master Muhammad, the Beloved Unlettered Prophet, of Mighty Stature and Exalted Rank, and to his Family and Companions. Amen.

The date a significant mystery of the All-Wise Qur'an became have was again contained in the word "Qur'an." It was like this:

According to the abjad>system the numerical value of the word "Qur'an" is three hundred and fifty-one. It contains two alifs;>if the concealed alif>is read alfun,>it is alfun>whas exe value of a thousand. {(*): According to the rules of grammar, failun is read fa'lun, like katifun is read katfun. Therefore, alifun is read alfun. Then it becomes one t Negatd three hundred and fifty-one.} That is to say, the year one thousand three hundred and fifty-one may be called the Year of the Qur'anmeaninduring it the strange mystery of the 'coincidences' in the word "Qur'an" became apparent in the parts of the Risale-i Nur,>which is the Qur'an's commentary. The miraculouour Imery of the coincidences of the word "Allah" in the Qur'an appeared the same year. A Qur'an showing the miraculous patterns, arranged in a new way, was written the same year. That year students of the Qur'an endeavoured to preserve thell thinic script with all their strength in the face of its being changed. Important aspects of the Qur'an's miraculousness became apparent that same year. And the same year numerous events occurred which were related tpersonQur'an, and it seems they will continue to occur.

Addendum to the Sixth Section, Which is the Sixth Treatise

[ature,ddendum was written in order to avoid the disgust and insults that will levelled at us in the future. That is to say, it was written so that whh illiis said: "Look at the spineless people of that age!", their spit should not hit us in the face, or else to wipe it off. Let the ears ring of the leaders of Europe, savage beneath their humanitarian masks! And leth is tbe thrust in the unseeing eyes of those unjust oppressors who inflicted these unscrupulous tyrants on us! It is a petition with which to hit over the head the followers of modern low civilization, who this ce, vi, have a hundred thousand times over necessitated the existence of Hell.]

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

No reason have we why we shouldt of tut our trust on God. Indeed He has guided us to the way we [follow]. We shall certainly bear with patience all the hurt you may cause us. For thitatino put their trust should put their trust on God.>(14:12)

Recently the concealed aggression of the irreligious has taken on a most ugly forthen bannical aggression against the unfortunate people of belief and against religion. Our private and unofficial call to prayer and iqâma>{[*]: Iqâma (Ar.) (T. kâmet): formulas recited by the mu'ezzin, signalling the commencemench, dehe salât (T. namâz) or prescribed prayers.} was interrupted during the private worship of myself and one or two brothers in the mosque I myself repaired. "Why e owneu reciting the iqâma>in Arabic and making the call to prayer secretly?" they asked. My patience is exhausted by keeping silent, so I say, not to those unscrupulous vile men who are not worth addressing,ienceso the heads of the Pharaoh-like society who with arbitrary despotism play with the fate of this nation: O you people

of innovation who have deviated from the straight pry bre religion, I want the answer to six questions.

The First

Every government in the world, every people which rules, and even cannibals or the chief of a band of brigands,nd

#37some principle, some law, by which they rule. So according to which principle do you carry out this extraordinary aggression? Show your law! Or do you accept aresenclaw the arbitrary whims of a handful of contemptible officials? Because no law can interrupt private worship in that way; there cannot be such a law!

The Second

On what fornties you rely that you are so bold as to violate the principle of freedom of conscience, which governs almost everywhere in mankind, especially in thust su of freedom and in civilized circles, and to treat it lightly and so indirectly to insult mankind and dismiss their objections? What power do yst Wore that you attack religion and the people of religion in this way as though you had taken irreligion as a religion for yourselves in biven thfashion, although by calling yourselves secular you proclaim that you will interfere with neither religion nor irreligion? Such a thing will not remain secret! You will have to answer for it! So what answer will you give? Although you couldlay clold out against the objections of the smallest of twenty governments, you try to violate by force freedom of conscience, as though you completely disregard the objections of twenty governments.

The Third

According to what prinosite do you propose to people like me who follow the Shafi'i school of law, the Hanafi school, in a way opposed to the elevatedness and purity of that school, due to the false fatwas>of certain corrupt religious scholars who have sold their conscain of to gain the world? If, after abrogating the Shafi'i school, which has millions of followers, and making them all follow the Hanafi school, it is forcibly proposed to me in tyrroughtl fashion, it may perhaps be said that it is a principle of irreligious people like you. Otherwise it is arbitrary and despicable, and we do not follow the whims of people such as that, and we do not recognize themit andhe Fourth

In accordance with which principle do you propose through a corrupt, innovating fatwa,>to "perform the iqâma>in Turkish" in a way completely contrary to Turk Abrahtionalism, which is sincerely religious and sincerely

respectful towards religion and has since early times blended and united with Islam, in the name of Turkism, which ces ofe meaning of Europeanism, to those like me who belong to another nation? Yes, although I have friendly and brotherly relations with true Turks, I have in no respect any relation with the Turkism ofd the tors of Europe like you. How can you propose such a thing to me? Through which law? Perhaps, if you abolish the nationhood of the Kurds, of whom there are millions and who for thousands of years have not forgotten tpleaseationhood and language, and are the true fellow-citizens and companions in jihad>of the Turks, and make them forget their language, then perhaps your proposal to those like me who are reckoned to be of a dirming t race would be in accordance with some sort of savage principle. Otherwise it is purely arbitrary. The arbitrary whims of individuals may not be followed, and we do noode ofow them!

The Fifth

A government may apply all laws to its citizens and to those it accepts as its citizens, but it cannot apply its laws to those it does not accept. For they are able to ntury Since we are not citizens, you are not our government!"

Furthermore, no government can inflict two penalties at the same time. It either imprisons a murderer, or it executes him. To punish by both imprisonment and capital punishment isrophetnciple nowhere!

However, despite the fact that I have caused no harm whatsoever to this country and nation, for eight years you have held me in captivity hat heay not inflicted on even a criminal belonging to the wildest and most foreign nation. Although you have pardoned criminals, you have negated my freedom and deprived me of all civil rights. You have not swards He too is a son of this land," so in accordance with what principle and law do you propose, contrary to the wishes of your nation, these freed spiedtroying principles to someone like me who is a foreigner to you in every respect? Since in the Great War you have counted as nothing all the heroic deeds to which this person wAll-Wi means and were testified to by the army's commanders, and considered his self-sacrficing struggles for the sake of this country to be crimes; and since you deemed his preservi "He s good morality of this unfortunate nation and his serious and effective work to secure its happiness in this world and the next to be treason; and since you have punished for eight years (and now the punishmenivers been for twenty-eight years) someone who does not for himself accept your injurious, dangerous, arbitrary principles, which in reality are wie Qur'benefit and spring from unbelief and from Europe; the punishment is the same. I did not accept its application

so you made me suffer it. So according to wecondainciple is it to enforce a second punishment?

The Sixth

In view of the treatment you have meted out to me, according to your belief, I opposion ofin general fashion. You are sacrifing your religion and life in the hereafter for the sake of your lives in this world. According to yary cae to the opposition between us and contrary to you, we are all the time ready to sacrifice our life in this world for our religion and for the hereafter. To sacrifice two or three years:

umiliating life under your domination in order to gain sacred martyrdom, is like the water of Kawthar for us. However, in order to make you tremble, re you won the effulgence and indications of the All-Wise Qur'an, I tell you this with certainty:

You shall not live after killing me! You shall be driven out of the world, your paradise and ym the loved, by an irresistible hand, and swiftly cast into everlasting darkness. Behind me, your Nimrod-like chiefs will be quickly killed and sent to me. In the divine presence I shall grasp hold of tom imp their collars, and on divine justice casting them down to the lowest of the low, I shall take my revenge!

O you miserable wretches Mattell religion and your lives in the hereafter for this world! If you want to live, do not interfere with me! I hope from divine mercy that my death will serve religion more than my life and will explode over your heads ou hav bomb, scattering you! Cause me trouble if you have the courage! If you do anything, you shall see! With all my strength I proclaim this verse in the face of all yam attreats:

Men said to them: "A great army is gathering against you;" and frightened them; but it only increased their faith. they said: "For us God suffices, anurablys the Best Disposer of Affairs.">(3:173)

Seventh Section The Seven Signs

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the virtussionate.

So believe in God and His Apostle, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in God and His Words; follow him that [so] you may be guided.>(7:158) * Fain would they extinguish God's Light with their mouths, but God will nd>and ow but that His Light should be perfected, even though the unbelievers may detest [it].>(9:32)

FIRST SIGN

Like all the bad things they do, the arguments which the indiople who are attempting to change the marks of Islam cite to support themselves spring from their blind imitation of Europe. They say:

kness ondon, Europeans who have embraced Islam translate many things like the call to prayer and iqâma>into their own languages in their own country. The W٨یةd of Islam says nothing in the delicif this and does not object. That must mean it is permissible according to the Shari'a, since they are silent?"

~The Answer:>There is such a glaring difference here that no conscious being could make such a comparison and imitate them and dthe European lands are called the Abode of War in the terminology of the Shari'a, and there are numerous things that are permissible in the Abode of War that are not lawfufollowhe Abode of Islam.

Furthermore, the lands of Europe are the realm of Christendom. They are not an environment that communicates and instils the meanings of the terms ummons Shari'a and concepts of the sacred words, so necessarily the sacred meanings have been preferred to the sacred words; the words have been abandoned for the meaning; the lesser of two evils has been chosen. In the Ab The s Islam, however, the very environment teaches the people of Islam the abbreviated meanings of those sacred words. The conversations

of Muslims about Islamic traditionsto be slamic history and the marks of Islam and the pillars of Islam, all continuously instil in them the concise meanings of those blessed words. In tm, ii,untry, besides the mosques and the medreses,>even the gravestones in the graveyards inculcate those sacred meanings in believers like teachers and recall them to them. If for some worldly adva bulli someone who calls himself a Muslim learns fifty words a day from a French dictionary, and then in fifty years does not learn the sacred phrases "Glory be to God," "All praise be toleasur "There is no god but God," and "God is Most Great," which are repeated fifty times daily, does he not fall lower than an animal? These sacred words cannot be translated and corrupted and deported for such beasts! Toviduale and deport them means erasing all the gravestones; it means turning all the dead in the graveyards against them, trembling at such an insult.

In order to decetrue, e nation, corrupt religious scholars who have been misled by the irreligious, say that contrary to the other Imams, Imam-i A'zam {[*]: Imam-i A'zam: Abû Hanîfa Nu'mthis wThâbit (80/699-150/767), the founder of the Hanifi school of law. The founders (Imams) of the other three main Sunni schools of law were Abû 'Abdullâh Mâlik b. Anas (94/716-179/79tain tmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal (164/780-241/855); and Muhammad b. Idrîs al-Shâfi'î (150/767-205/820).} said: "If the need arises in distant countries, it is permissible for those who know no Arabic at all to recite then to ta>in Persian." {[*]: Sarakhsî, al-Mabsût, i, 37, 234; Kâshânî, Badâ'i al-Sanâ'î, i, 112.} We are in need of this, so can we recite it in Turkish?

~The Answer:>The moty andortant of the leading authorities as well as the other twelve leading mujtahids>have given fatwas>opposing this fatwa>of Imam-i A'zam. The great highway of the World of Islam is their highway; the Muslim community may follow itst as e who drive the community towards another, special and narrow, way are leading it astray. Imam-i A'zam's fatwa>is particular in five resp but h Firstly:>It addresses people who are far from the centre of Islam.

Secondly:>It is in consequence of real need.

Thirdly:>According to one narration, it refers only to tra page.ons into Persian, which is supposed to be a language of the people of Paradise.

Fourthly:>The ruling is limited to the Fatiha,>so t arisiose who do not know it will not give up performing the obligatory prayers.

Fifthly:>Permission was given so that the sacred meanings could be understood by the ordinary people whose Islamic zeal arose from their powertributlief. But to translate them and discard the Arabic original due to weakness of belief, negative nationalism, and hatred for the Arabic language, driven by a destructive urge, will cause people to renounce religion.

SECOn the N

The people of innovation who have changed the marks of Islam first of all sought fatwas>from corrupt religious scholars. They had previously pointed out that the fatwa>we explained was particular in five respects. Secondly, ke thiople of innovation adopted the following inauspicious idea from the European reformists: being dissatisfied with the Catholic Church foremost the revolutionaries, reformists, and philosophers,an extere innovators according to the Church, favoured Protestantism, which was considered to Mu'tazilite, and taking advantage of the French Revolution they partialess! Atroyed the Catholic Church and proclaimed Protestantism.

Then the pseudo-patriots here, who are accustomed to imitating blindly, said: "A revolution like thais thr about in the Christian religion. At first the revolutionaries were called apostates, then later they were again accepted as Christians. So why shouldn't there be a similar religious revolution in Islam?"

~The Answer of tadifference here is even greater than in the false comparison in the First Sign. Because in the religion of Jesus (Upon whom be peace), only the fundamentals of religion wereogethe from him. Most of the injunctions relating to social life and the secondary matters of the law were formulated by the disciples and other spiritual leaders. The greater part were taken from former holy scriptures. Since Je whom pon whom be peace) was not a worldly ruler and sovereign, and since he was not the source of general social laws, the fundamentals of his religion were as though clothed with the garment Formmon laws and civil rules taken from outside, having been given a different form and called the Christian law. If this form is changed and the garment transformed, the fundamental conscion of Jesus (Upon whom be peace) may persist. It does not infer denying or giving the lie to Jesus himself (Upon whom be peace).

However, the Glory of the World (Upon whom be blessingsHim.

eace) was the founder of the religion and Shari'a of Islam. He was the sovereign of this world and the next, and the East and West and Andalusia and India were his seat of rule. He himself therefore both tau and se fundamentals of the religion of Islam, and brought its secondary matters and other injunctions, including even minor matters of conduct; he himself taught them; he commanded them. That is to say, the s and rry matters of Islam are not like a garment capable of change, so that if they are changed, the essential religion will persist. They are rather a sort bodeir Mathe fundamentals of religion, or at least a skin. They have blended and combined with it and cannot be separated. To change them infers direct denial and possibdiction of the one who brought the Shari'a.

As for the differences in the schools of law, this has arisen from differences in ways of understaan thothe theoretical principles shown by the Shari'a's owner. Principles called "the essentials of religion," which are not open to interpretatiis notd those called "incontrovertible" cannot be changed in any way and may not be interpreted. Anyone who does change them quits the religion anThirtincluded under the rule: "They renounce religion as the arrow flies from the bow." {[*]: Bukhârî, Anbiyâ', 6; Manâqib, 25; Maghâzî, 61; Fadâ'il al-Qur'ân, 36.}

The people of innovation have found the following pretext for their irreliml, i,nd deviation from the straight path. They say: "The French Revolution was the cause of a sequence of events in the world of humanity; the clergy and spiritual leaders and the Catholic Church, which was their Churcare yoe attacked and eliminated. Later the Revolution was condoned by a lot of people; also, the French made greater progress. Is this not so?"

~The Anseferreike with the previous comparisons, the differences here are clear. For in France, the Christian religion and particularly the Catholic Church had for a long time been a means of domination and despo say: n the hands of the upper and ruling classes. It was the means by which they perpetuated their hold over the ordinary people. And since it was through the Catholic Church that the patriots were opprwill b who among the common people were awakened and were called "Jacobins," and the freedom-seeking thinkers were persecuted, who attacked the despotism of the upper class tyrants; and since for nearly four hundred yee sense Catholic Church had been an imputed cause, through revolutions in Europe, of overturning the stability of social life, it had been attacked, not in the name of irreligion, but by the other Christian sects. A feeling of indignatiommad'senmity arose among the common people and the philosophers as a result of which the above-mentioned historical event took place.

However, no oppressed perd is td no thinker has the right to complain about the religion of Muhammad (UWBP) and the Shari'a of Islam. For it does not injure them, it protects them. Iin Taf history is there for all to see. Apart from one or two incidents, no internal wars of religion have occurred. Whereas the Catholic Church caused four hundred years e Qur'ernal revolutions.

Furthermore, Islam has been the stronghold of the common people rather than of the upper classes. Through enjoining the payment of zakat>and prohibiting usury androm whest, it has made the upper classes not despots over the common people but servants in a way! It says: "The master

of a people is its servant." {[*]: al-Maghribî, Jami' al-Sha'an, a 450, no: 1668; al-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', ii, 463.} And, "The best of people is the one most useful to people." {[*]: al-'Ajlûnî, Kashf al-Khafâ', ii, 46y reprManâwî, Fayd al-Qadîr, iii, 481, no: 4044.} Also, through sacred phrases like,

So will they not think?>(6:50) * So will they not reflect on it?>(4:82) * So will they not reasons to f4),

the All-Wise Qur'an calls on the intellect to testify; it warns, refers to the reason, it urges investigation. Through this, it accords scholars and the people of reason a position; it gives them importance. It does not dismiwill; reason like the Catholic Church; it does not silence thinkers, or require blind imitation of them.

Since the fundamentals of, not true Christianity, but the present-day Christian religion ers hee fundamentals of Islam have parted on another important point, they go their separate ways in many respects like the above-mentioned differences. The imve fort point is this:

Islam is the religion of the true affirmation of divine unity (tevhid-i hakikî)>so that it dismisses intermediaries and causes. It breaks egotism and establishes sincere worshipheticcuts at the root every sort of false dominicality, starting from that of the soul, and rebuffs it. It is because of this that if a person of high position from the upper class

~Sng to be completely religious, he will have to give up his egotism. If he does not give up egotism, he will lose his strength of religion and to ke thient give up his religion.

As for the Christian religion of the present day, since it has accepted the belief of Jesus (Upon whom be peace) es andthe Son of God, it ascribes an actual effect to causes and intermediaries. It cannot break egotism in the name of religion. Rather, saying that egotism is a holy deputy of Jesus (Upon whom be peace), it ascribes it a sacredness. For this reand thoembers of the Christian upper classes who occupy the highest worldly positions may be completely religious. In fact, there are many like the former American President, Wilson, and the former British Prime Minister, Lloyd George, who were as retant qs as bigoted priests. But any Muslims who rise to those positions rarely remain completely religious and firm in their religion, for they cannot give up their pride ialismotism. And true taqwa>cannot be combined with pride and egotism.

Yes, just as the religious bigotry of the Christian upper class and slaction ain religion of the Muslim upper class demonstrate an important difference, so the fact that the philosophers who emerged from Christiaing alere

indifferent towards religion or else opposed it, while the great majority of those who emerged from Islam constructed their philosophy on Islamic fundameparty demonstrates yet another important difference.

Furthermore, generally, ordinary Christians who have fallen on hard times or are sent to prison cannot expect assistance from religion. Formerly, moised, them became irreligious. In fact, the revolutionaries famous in history who instigated the French Revolution and were called "irreligious Jacobins," were mostly disaster-stricken common people. Whereas in, this, the great majority of those who suffer disaster or imprisonment await succour from religion and they become religious. This situation too, demonstrates an iter rent difference.

THIRD SIGN

The people of innovation say: "Religious bigotry made us backward. Living this age necessitates giving up bigotry. Europe advanced when it abandoned it. Isn't t>(40:6?"

~The Answer:>You are wrong and you have been deceived! Or else you are deceiving, for Europe is bigoted in religion. Tell an ordinary Bulgar or al certish soldier or a French Jacobin: "Wear this turban, or else you'll be thrown into prison!", and their bigotry will force them to reply: "Not prison, if you kill me even, I won't insult my religion and nation in that way!"tion cso, history testifies that whenever the people of Islam have adhered to their religion, they have advanced in relation to the strength of their adherence. And whenever they have become less firm in their religion, they have declined. Wherea, sinc Christianity, it is the opposite. This too arises from an essential difference.

Also, Islam cannot be compared with other religions; if a Muslim abandons Islam and gives up his religi neces will not accept any other prophet; indeed, he will not acknowledge Almighty God either nor probably recognize anything sacred. He will have no conscience that will , in ohim moral and spiritual attainment; it will be corrupted. Therefore, in the view of Islam, in wartime, an unbeliever has the right to life. His life is protected according to Islam if he is outside the couhere.

nd makes peace, or if he is inside the country and pays the head-tax. But an apostate does not have the right to life. For his conscience is corrupted and he beco He ke poison in the life of society. But a Christian may still contribute to society, even if he is irreligious. He may accept some sacred matters and may believe in somethe nae prophets, and may assent to Almighty God in some respects.

I wonder, what advantage do these innovators, or more accurately

deviants or heretics, find in this irreligion? If they are thinking of government and publreatmeer, to govern ten irreligious anarchists who do not know God and to repulse their evils is much more difficult than governing a thousand people with religion. If they are he wayng of progress, such irreligious people are an obstacle to progress, just as they are harmful for the administration and government. They he Eviy security and public order, which are the basis of progress and commerce. In truth, they are destructive due to the very way they have taken. The biggest fool in the world is one who expects progress,ssibleerity, and happiness from irreligious anarchists like them. One of those fools who occupied a high position, said: "We said 'Allah! Allah!' a will ained backward. Europe said 'Guns and cannons,' and advanced."

According to the rule, "A fool should be answered with silence," the answer for such people is silence. Buttion tse behind certain fools there are inauspicious clever people, we say this:

O you wretches! This world is a guesthouse. Every day thirty tly whed witnesses put their signature with their corpses to the decree "Death is a reality" and they testify to it. Can you kill death? Can you contradict those wiakes is? Since you can't, death makes people say: "Allah! Allah!" Which of your guns and cannons can illuminate the everlasting darkness confrontingdefinine in the throes of death in place of "Allah! Allah!", and transform his absolute despair into absolute hope? Since there is death and we shall enter the grave, and this life departs and an eternal life comes, if guns and Is itns are said once, "Allah! Allah!" should be said a thousand times. And if it is in Allah's way, the gun also says "Allah!", and the cannon booms al andu Akbar!">It breaks the fast with "Allah," and starts it.

FOURTH SIGN

The destructive innovators are of two kinds:

The First on thsay as though on account of religion and out of loyalty to Islam, as though to strengthen religion with nationalism: "We want to plant the luminous tree of religion, which has grown weak, in the earth reachionalism, in order to strengthen it." They appear to be supporting religion.

The Second Sort say in the name of the nation and on account of nationalism, in order to strengthen racialism, say: "We want to graft Islaions a the nation," thus creating innovations.

~To the First Sort, we say:>O unhappy, corrupt scholars of religion who confirm the saying "loyal fools," or ecstatic, unthinking, ignorant Sufis! The Tuba-tree of Islam, whose roots are foundedSustaie reality of the universe and whose branches spread through the truths of the universe, cannot

be planted in the earth of imaginary, temporary, partial, particular, negative, indeed, baseless, rancorous, tyrannical, and dark racialism! Tdour oto do so is to attempt something foolish, destructive, and innovative.

~To the Second Sort of nationalists, we say this:>O you drunken pseudo-patriots! Perhaps the previous century could have been the age of nationalism. This century isey arehe age of racialism! Communism and socialism pervade everything, destroying the idea of racialism. The age of racialism is passing. Eternal, permanent Islamic nationalism cannot be bound onto temporary unstable racmeanin and grafted onto it. And even if it were to be, it would corrupt the Islamic nation, but it would not reform racialist nationalism. Yes, there appears to be a pleasure and temporary strength in a temporary graft, but it is verlly, Iorary and the consequences are dangerous.

Furthermore, it would open up a split in the Turkish people that could not be healed in all eternity. Then the nation's strength would be reduced tnot woing, since one section would have broken the power of the other. If two mountains are placed in the two pans of some scales, a few pounds weight can move the two, raising one, and lowering the oth, evid The Second Question consists of two signs:

The First is the FIFTH SIGN, and is a very brief answer to an important question:

~Question:>There are numerous authentic narrations ao servhe appearance of the Mahdi at the end of time and his putting the world to rights, which will have been corrupted. However, the present time is the time of the grouplaimancial collectivity, not of the individual. However great a genius an individual person is, even a hundredfold genius, if he is not the representative of a group and if he does not represent a grouINT

llective personality, he will be defeated in the face of the collective personality of an opposing group. At this time, however exalted the power of his sainthood, how can he reform the world amid the widespread corruption of a human gr For sch as that? If all the Mahdi's works are wondrous, it would be contrary to the divine wisdom and laws in the world. We want to understand the reality of this matter of the Mahdi. How can we?

~The Answer:>Out of Hill theect mercy, every time the Muslim community has been corrupted, Almighty God has sent a reformer, or a regenerator, or a vicegerent of high standing, or a supreme spirisires,ole, or a perfect guide, or blessed persons resembling a Mahdi, as a mark of His protecting the Shari'a of Islam until eternity; they have removed the corruption, reformed the nation, and preserved Muhaave ev (UWBP) religion.

Since His custom has always been thus, certainly at the time of greatest corruption at the end of time He will send a luminous person as whole he greatest interpreter of the Law, and the supreme renewer, and ruler, and Mahdi, and guide, and spiritual pole, and that person will be from the Prophet's (UWBP) Family. Almighty God fills and empties the world between the heavens andetrate with clouds, and in an instant stills the storms of the sea, and in an hour in spring creates samples of the summer and in an hour in summer creates a winter storm. Such an All-Powerful One of Glorke mysalso scatter the darkness covering the World of Islam by means of the Mahdi. He has promised this and certainly He will carry out His promise.

If considered from the point of view of divine power, it is most easy. And if thoughtthose om the point of view of causes and divine wisdom, it is again so reasonable and necessary that thinkers have asserted that even if it had not been narrated from the Bringer of Sure News (UWBP), it still should be thus. And it will be.e Seco like this: All praise be to God, the prayer, "O God, grant blessings to our master Muhammad and to the Family of our master Muhammad, as you granted blessings tond by am and to the Family of Abraham, in all the world; indeed You are worthy of all praise, exalted!," which is repeated by the Muslim community five times every day in all the obligatory prayers, hasilitieevidently been accepted. For like the Family of Abraham (Upon whom be peace), the members of Muhammad's (Upon whom be blessings and peace) Family stand as commanders at the heads of all blessed chains of spiritual authted.

s in the assemblies of all the regions of the world in all centuries.

{(*): Just one of them is Sayyid Ahmad al-Sanûsî, who commands milli that followers. Another is Sayyid Idrîs, who commands more than one hundred thousand. Another Sayyid, Sayyid Yahyâ, commands hundreds of thousands of men. And so on. Just as amon noblemembers of this tribe of Sayyids there are numerous outward commanders, so too there are the champions of spiritual heroes, like Sayyid 'Abd al-Qâdir Gîlânî, Sayyid Abu'l-Hasan al-Shâzalî, and Sayyid Ahmad Badawî.}

They are so numerousding stogether they form a mighty army. If they took on physical form and with their solidarity were formed into a division, if they awakened the religion of Islam and bound it together in unity and established a sort of sacred nationhood, thliving of no other nation could withstand them. Thus, that numerous, powerful army is the Family of the Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings andrabian), the Mahdi's most select army.

Yes, today in the world there is no family distinguished by such high honour and elevated qualities and nobility in its descendants, in unbroken succession and well-documented genealogects:

ch is as powerful and

important as the line of Sayyids of the Family of the Prophet (UWBP). Since early times it is they who have been at the heads oge armthe groups of the people of truth, and they who have been the renowned leaders of the people of perfection. Now it is a blessed line numbering millions. Vigilant and circumspect, their hearts full of belief and love of th and ihet (UWBP), they are distinguished by the honour of their world-renowned lineage. Momentous events shall occur which will awaken and arouse that sacred force within the vast community. Certainlnality elevated ardour in that huge force will surge up and the Mahdi shall come to lead it, guiding it to the way of truth and reality. We await from the divine l unedu divine mercy that it should be such, and its being such, like we await the coming of spring after winter; and we are right to await it.

The Second Sign, that is, the SIXTH SIGN

The Mahdi's luminous community will repair the desdered on of the innovative regime of the secret society of the Sufyan, and will restore the Prophet's (UWBP) glorious Sunna.>That is to say, the secret society of the Sufyan will try of wostroy the Shari'a of Muhammad (UWBP) in the World of Islam with the intention of denying his messengership, and will be killed and routed by the miraculous immaterial sword of the Mahdi's community.

Moreover, in the world of retchety, the secret society of the Dajjal will overturn civilization and subvert all mankind's sacred matters, with the intention of denying the Godhead. A zealous, self-sacrificing community known as a Christian community but worthy of being call. I shslim Christians," will work to unite the true religion of Jesus (Upon whom be peace) with the reality of Islam and will kill and rout that society of the Dajjal under the leadership of Jesus (Uey atthus saving humanity from atheism.

This important mystery is very lengthy. Since we have discussed it briefly in other places, here we make do with this indication.

SEVENTH SIGN

That isom amoThird Question.>They say: "Your former refutations and strivings in the way of Islam were not in your present style. Also you do not defend Islam against Europe in the manner of the philosophers and thinkers. Why have you oon, td the style of the Old Said? Why do you not act in the same way as those who strive for the cause of Islam by non-physical means?

~The Answer:>The Old Said and certain thinkers in part accepted the principles of who w and European philosophy, and contested them with

their own weapons; they accepted them to a degree. They submitted unshakeably to some of their principles in the form of the physical sciences, and therefore cos signt demonstrate the true worth of Islam. It was quite simply as though they were grafting Islam with the branches of philosophy, the roots of which they supposed to be very deeprd of hough strengthening it. But since this method produced few victories and it reduced Islam's worth to a degree, I gave it up, and I showed ifriend that Islam's principles are so profound that the deepest principles of philosophy cannot reach them; indeed, they remain superficial beside them. The Thirtieth Word, Twenty-Fourth Letteof Sat Twenty-Ninth Word have demonstrated this truth with proofs. In the former way, philosophy was supposed to be profound and the matters of Islam, external; it was supposed that by binding it with the branches , I tolosophy, Islam would be preserved and made to endure. As if the principles of philosophy could in any way reach the matters of Islam!

Glory be unto You! We have no knike Mae save that which you have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise!>(2:32)

And they shall say: "Praise be to God, Who has guidemay beo this [felicity]; never could we have found guidance, had it not been for the guidance of God; indeed, it was the truth that the prophets of our Sustainer brought to us!">(7:43)

ion re Grant blessings to our master Muhammad and to the Family of our master Muhammad, as you granted blessings to our master Abraham and to the Family of Abraham, in all the worlds; indeed, You are worthy of all praise, exalted!

The Etwentyymbols, Which is the Eighth Section

This treatise consists of eight symbols, that is, eight short treatises. The basis of these symbols is coinci not b(tevâfuk),>which is an important principle of the science of jafr,>and a valuable key to the esoteric sciences, and to some of the Qur'an's mysteries pertainls dis the Unseen. It has not been included here since it is to be published in another collection.

The Ninth Section

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Behold! Verily on and duiends of God there is no fear, nor shall they grieve.>(10:62)

~First Allusion

Underlying the terms Sufism, path, sainthood, and spiritual journeying is an agreeable, lhe pass, joyful, and spiritual sacred truth. This truth has been proclaimed, taught, and described in thousands of books written by authoritative scholars among ar andople of illumination and unveiling, who have told the Muslim community and us about it. May God reward them abundantly! Now, because of some compelling cercifutances at this time, we shall point out a few droplets, like sprinklings, from that vast ocean.

~Question ?>What is the Sufi path?

~The Answer:>The aim and goal of the Sufi path is - knowledge of God and the unfolding of the truths ofectioh - through a spiritual journeying with the feet of the heart under the shadow of the Ascension of Muhammad (UWBP), to manifest the truths of faith and the Qur'an through tasting and certain enhanciner ates, and to an extent through direct vision; it is an elevated human mystery and perfection called the Sufi path or Sufism.

Yes, since man is a comprehensive index of the universe, his heart resembles a map of thousands with rlds. For innumerable human sciences and fields of knowledge show that man's brain in his head is a sort of centre of the universe, like a telephone and telegraph exchange for innumerable lines. Similarly, the millions of light-scatteus powooks written by incalculable saints show man's heart in his essential being to be the place of manifestation of innumerable cosmic truths, and to be their pivot, and seed.

Since the human hthe wond brain are thus central, and comprise the

members of a mighty tree in the form of a seed, and within them are encapsulated the parts and components of an eternal, majestic machine pertaining to the hereafter, cerive ca the heart's Creator willed that it should be worked and brought out from the potential to the actual, and developed, and put into action, for that is what He didryone.e He willed it, the heart will certainly work like the mind. And the most effective means of working it is to be turned towards the truths of faith on the Sufi path through the remembrancly desod in the degrees of sainthood.

~Second Allusion

The keys and means of this journeying of the heart and spiritual progress are reme at ece of God and reflective thought. Their virtues are too numerous to be described. Apart from uncountable benefits in the hereafter and human attainments and perfections, a minor benefit pertaining to this tumultuoion, tldly life is as follows: everyone wants a solace and seeks enjoyment in order to be saved a little from the upheavals of life and its heavy burdens, and to take a breather; everyone searches out something friendly to banish es theneliness. For one or two people out of ten, the social gatherings in civilized life offer a temporary, but heedless and drunken familiarity, intimacy, and solace. But eighty per cent live solitary lives in mountains or valleys, or are ifty y to distant places in search of a livelihood, or due to such agencies as calamities or old age which recall the hereafter, they are deprived of the companionship of human groups and societies. Their circumstances allo in th no familiarity, friendliness, or consolation.

For such a person, true solace, intimacy, and sweet pleasure are to be found in addressing his own heart in thoshile tant places and desolate mountains and distressing valleys, in working it through remembrance of God and reflection. Calling on God Almighty, he may become intimate with Him in t

art, and by virtue of that intimacy think of the things around him, which were regarding him savagely, as smiling on him familiarly. He wblivioy: "My Creator, whom I am recollecting, has innumerable servants here in my place of solitude, just as He has everywhere. I am not alone; loneluse ofhas no meaning." Thanks to his faith, he receives pleasure from that sense of familiarity. He grasps the meaning of life's happiness, and he offers thanksUndyind.

~Third Allusion

Sainthood is a proof of divine messengership; the Sufi path is a proof of the Shari'a. For the truths of belief which messengership preaches, sainthood sees and confiHis sith a sort of direct vision with the heart and tasting

with the spirit at the degree of the vision of certainty. Its confirmation is a certain proof ofwith teracity of messengership. Through the experiential knowledge of the Sufi path and its unveilings, and through its benefits and effulgences, it is a clear proof of the truths and the matters which the Shari'a teaco the t demonstrates that they are the truth and that they come from the truth. Yes, just as sainthood and the Sufi path are evidence and proof of divine messengership and the Shari'a, so they are a pervokes n of Islam and a means of attaining to its lights, and through Islam, a source of humanity's progress and moral enlightenment.

Although this vast mystery holds such importance, certain deviant sects have tenial af deny it. They have been deprived of those lights and they have caused others to be deprived. The most regretable thing is that making a pretext of abuses and faults they have seen committed by the f's entrs of the Sufi path, some literalist Sunni scholars and some neglectful politicians who are also Sunnis are trying to close up that supreme treasury, indeed, to destroy it, and to dry up that source of Kawthar which distributes a sing to water of life. However, there are few things and ways and paths that are without fault and are good in every respect. They are bound to contain some faults and abuses. For if the uninitiated embaon thesomething, they are sure to misuse it. But as with the accounting of deeds in the hereafter, Almighty God demonstrates His dominical justice through the weighing up of good deeds and bad deeds. That is to say, if good deedsue, annderate and weigh heavier, He accepts them and grants reward; whereas if evil deeds preponderate, he punishes for them and rejects them. Tction ancing of good and evil deeds looks to quality rather than quantity. It sometimes happens that a single good deed will weigh heavier than a thousand evils, and cause them to be forgiven. Divine justficiendges thus and reality too considers it right. Thus, the evidence that the good deeds of the Sufi path - that is, paths within the bounds of the Prophet's (UWBP) practiceself toinitely preponderate over their evils is that those who follow them preserve their belief when attacked by the people of misguidance. A sincere ordremainfollower of the Sufi path preserves himself better than a superficial, apparent Muslim with a modern, scientific background. Through the illumination of the Sufi path and the love of the saints, h, and s his faith. If he commits grievous sins, he becomes a sinner but not an unbeliever; he is not easily drawn into atheism. No power at all can refute the chas the shaikhs he accepts, with a strong love and firm belief, to be spiritual poles. And because no power can refute it, his confidence in them cannot be shaken. And so long as his confidence is not shaken, he willugh, hccept atheism. In the face of the atheists' stratagems at the present time, it has become difficult

for a person unconnected with thend thepath, whose heart has not been brought to action, to preserve himself completely, even if he is a learned scholar.

There is another thing; the Sufi path should not be condemned because of the evils of some orders that have adopted practod is utside the bounds of taqwa,>and even of Islam, and have wrongfully called themselves Sufi paths. Quite apart from the elevated religious and spiritual fruits of the Sufi path and those that look to the hereafter, Suf~The Frs were the first, and most effective and ardent, means of spreading and strengthening brotherhood, the sacred bond of the Islamic world. They were also one of the three unassailable strongholds of Islam, which held out against thenions me attacks of the world of unbelief and the politics of Christendom. What preserved Istanbul, the centre of the Caliphate for five hundred and fifty years h for t the whole Christian world, were the lights of belief that poured out of five hundred places in Istanbul and the powerful faith of those who recited "Allah! Allah!" in the tekkes>behind the big mosques, which were a firm source of supporthe Lothe people of belief in that centre of Islam, and their spiritual love arising from knowledge of God, and their fervent murmurings.

O you unreasan. I pseudo-patriots and false nationalists! What evils are there in the Sufi paths that can negate all this good in the life of your society? You say!

~Fourth Allusion

Together with being very ired bthe way of sainthood is very difficult. Together with being very short, it is very long. In addition to being most valuable, it is very dangerous. And together with being very broad, i of kiery narrow. It is because of these points that some of those who take the path drown, others become harmful, and yet others return and lead other people astray.

~In Short:>There are two ways on the Sufi path, known by the terms of innerto thaeying and outer journeying.

The Inner Way starts from the self, and drawing the eyes away from the outer world, looks to the heart. It pierces egotism, opens up a way from the heart, and of th reality. Then it enters the outer world. The outer world then looks luminous. The journey is completed quickly on this way. The reality seen in thehari'a world, is seen on a large scale in the outer world. Most of the paths that practise silent recollection take this way. Its essential principles are breaking the ego, renouncing the desires of the flesh, and it wig the evil-commanding soul.

The Second Way starts from the outer world; it gazes on the reflections of the divine names and attributes in their places of manifestation in the greater sphere, then it enter of thinner world. It observes their lights on a small scale in the sphere of the heart and opens up the shortest way within them. It sees that the heart is a mirror to the Eternally Besoughted One, and is united with the gposals is seeking.

If people who travel the first way are unsuccessful in killing the evil-commanding soul, and if they cannot give up the desires of the flm ontod break the ego, they fall from the rank of thanks to that of pride, then descend from pride to conceit. If such a person feels the captivation of x outsnd becomes intoxicated by it, he will make high-flown claims far exceeding his mark, called ecstatic utterances. This is harmful both for himself and for others.

For example, if a lieutenant becomes conceited out of pleasure at hiay] altion of command, he will suppose himself to be a field marshal and will confuse his small sphere with the universal one. He will confuse a sun that appears in a small mirror with the sun whose manifestation appears in all itspower dour on the surface of the sea, due to their similarity in one respect.

In just the same way, there are many people of sainthood who, resembling the difference between a fly and a peacock, see themselves as greater than those who in realityation reater than them to the same degree; that is how they see it and they think they are right. I myself even saw someone whose heart had just been awakened and had faintly perceived in hi the tthe mystery of sainthood; he supposed himself to be the supreme spiritual pole and assumed airs accordingly. I said to him: "My brother, just as the law of sovereignty has par not hr and universal manifestations from the office of Prime Minister down to that of District Officer, so sainthood and the rank of spiritual pole have varying spheres and manifestations. Each station has many shades and shadows. You hn Englidently seen the manifestation of the rank of supreme spiritual pole, the equivalent of Prime Minister, in your own sphere, which is like that of a Districtmeritser, and you have been deceived. What you saw was right, but your judgement of it was wrong. To a fly, a cup of water is a small sea." Thetheir n came to his senses, God willing, as a result of this answer of mine, and was saved from the abyss.

I have also seen many people who thought themselves to be Mahdis of a sort, and they proclaimed their Mahdiship. Such people are not lias not deceivers, they are deceived. They suppose what they see to be reality. As the divine names have manifestations from the sphere of the Sublime

Throne down to an atom, and their places of manifestation differ to the same degree; so thety-sixes of sainthood, which consist of manifesting the names, differ in the same way. The most important reason for the confusion is this:

In some of the statiirst S the saints, the characteristics of the Mahdi's function may be observed, or a special relation may be formed with the Supreme Spiritual Pole, or with Khidr; certain stations are connected with certain famous persons. In fact, the srs eits are called the station of Khidr, the station of Uways, or the station of the Mahdi. Because of this, people who attain to these stations or to minor samples or shadows of them, suppose themselves to be the fnd andpersons connected with them. They suppose themselves to be Khidr, or the Mahdi, or the Supreme Spiritual Pole. If such a person's ego does not seek rank and position, he is not condemned to the state.the pexcessively high-flown claims are deemed ecstatic utterances for which he is probably not responsible. But if his ego is secretly set on acquiring rank and positi'flu.

d if he defeated by it and leaves off thanks and becomes proud, from there he will gradually fall into arrogance, or descend to the depths of madness, or deviate from the path of truth. For he reckons the great sas. Sino be like himself and his good opinion of them is spoiled, for however arrogant a soul is, it still perceives its own faults. Comparing those w themsaints with himself, he imagines them to be at fault. His respect towards the prophets diminishes, even.

Those suffering from this should hold fast to the ility?e of the Shari'a, and adopt the rules of the scholars of the principles of religion, and take as their guides the instructions of such authoritative scholars from among the saints ait is Ghazali and Imam-i Rabbani. They should constantly accuse their own souls, and attribute nothing to themselves other than fault, impotence, and want. Ecstatic utterrit wimade by followers of this way arise from love of self, for love-filled eyes see no faults. Because of his self-love, such a person supposes a faulty, unwort. Sinagment of glass to be a brilliant or a diamond. The most dangerous of all these faults is that he imagines the partial meanings which occur to his heart in the form of inspiration to be "God's Word," and he calls them "verses (âyât).">This inferrors respect towards divine revelation, which is at the most holy and exalted degree. Yes, all inspirations from the inspirations of bees and animals to those of ordinary people and the elite among me rule from the inspirations of ordinary angels to those of the sublime cherubim, are divine words of a sort. But they are dominical speech in confor and with the capacity of the places of manifestation and their stations; they are the varying manifestations of dominical address shining through seventy te somed veils.

However, it is absolutely wrong to use the proper nouns "revelation" and "divine speech" for such inspirations, and the word "vet perfwhich is a noun proper to the stars of the Qur'an - the most evident exemplification of God's Word. As is explained and proved in the Twelfth, Twenty-Fifth, and Thirty-First Words,>the relation between the inspirati Muhyithe hearts of those making the above claims and the verses of the sun of the Qur'an, which is divine speech directly, resembles the relation be#310

mthe tiny, dim, obscure image of the sun appearing in the coloured mirror in your hand and the sun in the sky. Yes, if it is said that the sun's reflected images appearing in all mirrors are the sun's and are related on of it would be right, but the globe of the earth cannot be attached to the suns in those tiny mirrors, nor be bound by their attraction.

~Fifth Allusion

An extremely important way within Sufism is the Unity of Witnessing, whiche deteother name for the Unity of Existence. This restricts the gaze to the existence of the Necessarily Existent, and sees other beings to be so weak rythinadow-like in relation to Him that it declares that they do not deserve the name of existence. It envelops them in veils of imagination, and in the station of abandonO God!l things other than God, counts them as nothing. It even imagines them to be non-existent, and goes so far as to belittle the manifestations of the divine names, saying they are mpired aginary mirrors.

A significant fact about this way is that due to the powerful faith it inculcates and the elevated sainthood of those on it advancing toted inegree of absolute certainty, the existence of contingent beings is so diminished that nothing remains in its view other than imagination and non-existence; itoritie though it denies the universe on account of the Necessarily Existent One.

But this way holds dangers, the first of which is this: there are six pillars of faith, and such pillars as belief in the Last Day and b in whin God require the existence of contingent beings. These firmly-founded pillars of belief cannot be constructed on imagination! For this reason, when a perot excllowing this way re-enters the world of sobriety from the worlds of ecstasy and intoxication, he should not bring them with him, nor should he act in accordanhall.

h them.

Furthermore, he should not convert this way, which pertains to the heart and to illuminations and certain states, into a form that pertains to the reason, knowledge, and words. For the laws and pnts, yles related to reason, knowledge, and speech, which proceed from the Qur'an and the practices

of the Prophet (UWBP), cannot sustain that egree,d are inapplicable to it. For this reason, the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs, and the leading authorities and interpreters of the law, and the authorities of the first generations of Islam were n, but n to practise it. This means that it is not the most elevated way. It may be elevated, but it is also deficient. It is very important, but it is also very perilous and difficult. Yet, it is still very pleasurable. Those who embon, he it for the pleasure, do not want to leave it, and because of their self-centredness, they suppose it to be the highest degree. We have explained the basis anelatiore of this way to an extent in the treatise called Nokta Risalesi,>and in some of the Words>and Letters,>and shall suffice with them. Here, we shall describe one of the serious hazards on that important way. It is as follows:

For the highesackinghe elite, who pass beyond the sphere of causes and renouncing everything other than God, sever their attachment to contingent beings and enter a state of complete absorption in God, this way is a righteous way. But, to present it in: "He of intellectual knowledge to those who are submerged in causes, are enamoured of the world, and are plunged into materialist philosophy and nature, will drown them in nature and materiality and distance th"

~Tm the reality of Islam. For those who love the world and are attached to the sphere of causes want to ascribe a sort of permanence to this transitory world. They do not want to lose their beloved. On the pretext of theg its of Existence, they imagine it to have permanent existence. On account of the world, their beloved, and by ascribing permanence and eternity to it, they make it an object oan of hip; and, I seek refuge with God, this paves the way to the abyss of denying God.

This century, materialism is so widespread, materiality is thought to be the of th of everything. If in such an age, the elite believers consider materiality to be so unimportant as to be non-existent, thus furthering the way of the Unity of Existence, the matped itsts will lay claim to it, saying: "We say the same thing." Whereas, among all the ways in the world, the one furthest from that of the materialists and nature-worshippers, is the way of the Unity of 246; ance. For the followers of the Unity of Existence attach such importance, due to their belief, to the divine existence that they deny the universe and beings. Whereas the materialists atta Qur'amuch importance to beings that on account of the universe they deny God. How can the two come together or be compared?

~Sixth Allusion

This consists of three in yo.

First Point: Among the ways of sainthood, the finest, straightest, richest, and most brilliant is following the practices (Sunna)>of the Prophet (UWBP). That is, to think of the practices in one's actions and deeds, and to foll. Andd imitate them. In conduct and dealings with others, it is to think of the rulings of the Shari'a and take them as one's guide.

When followed in this way, daily conduct, dealings, and habitual acts become worship, and thinking of thcrushetices and Shari'a in one's actions, recalls the injunctions of the Shari'a. This causes a person to think of the Shari'a's owner. By thinking of him, it brings to mind Almighty God, and that induces a sort of sense of His presence. Tre mucy transform all the moments of the person's life into worship in the divine presence. This great highway is the highway of the Companions and the righteous of the n exacgenerations of Islam, who received the legacy of prophethood, the greater sainthood.

Second Point: Sincerity is the basis of the ways of sainthood and of the branches of the Sufi path, for through sincerity a person may be saved frt folllicitly associating partners with God. One who does not obtain sincerity cannot travel those ways. The most powerful force of those ways is love. Yes, love does not sewho potexts for its beloved and does not wish to see the beloved's faults. It looks on frail signs of its beloved's perfection as powerful proofs, and always takes the poup su its beloved.

It is because of this that those who are turned towards knowledge of God with the feet of love, do not give ear to doubts and objectiwords,hey are easily saved. Even a thousand satans can not negate a hint of their true beloved's perfection. If they do not possess such love, they woulmentinggle desperately in the face of their souls and Satan and the objections of the outside devils. They would have to have heroic fortitude and strength of belief and Straientive gaze in order to save themselves.

It is because of this that in all the degrees of sainthood, the chief leaven and elixir is the loves dreang from knowledge of God. But love leads to an abyss, which is this: it jumps from beseeching and self-effacement, which are the essence of worship, to complaint and claims and to imbalanced actions. When regarding things other t,>andod, a person ceases to see how they point to their Maker and starts to see them as signifying themselves alone, so while being the cure, love becomes poison. That is to say, although when loving things other than God, the person should rothers heart on them for God's sake and in His name and because they are mirrors

reflecting His names, sometimes he loves them for themselves and on account of their personal perfections ing pon beauty. He loves them with no thought for God and His Messenger (UWBP). Such love does not lead to love of God; it obscures it. Whereas if the person loves those things as signifying thite foker, it leads to love of God; indeed, such love may be said to be its manifestation.

Third Point: This world is the realm of wisdom, the realm of service; it is not the reaand sereward and recompense. The wage for deeds and acts of service here is given in the Intermediate Realm and the hereafter. Acts here produce fruits there. This being the truth of the matter, ty an eults of actions that look to the hereafter should not be sought in this world. If they are given, they should be received not gratefully, but regretfully. For in Paradise, the more fruits are human the more they grow. So it is hardly sensible to consume in this world in fleeting fashion the fruits of actions that pertain to the hereafter, which are lasting. It is like exchanging a permanent lamp for one that will last a e of G and then flicker out.

It is because of this that the people of sainthood look on service, difficulty, misfortune, and hardship as agreeable. They do not complain and lament, but say: "All praar to to God for all situations!" When illuminations and wonders, unfoldings and lights are bestowed on them, they accept them as divine favours, and try to conceal them. They dog its ecome proud, but offer more thanks and worship. Many of them have wanted those states to be concealed or to cease, lest they spoil the sincerity of their actions. Yes, the highest divine favour for an acceptable perhis so not to make him realize the favour, so that he does not give up beseeching and offering thanks, or become complacent and start complaining.

It is because of this truth ligionf those who seek sainthood and follow the Sufi path do so for illuminations and wonders, which are some of the emanations of sainthood, and they are turned towards those and receive pleasure from them, they as though coave, din transient fashion in this transient world the enduring fruits of the hereafter. This too opens up the way to loss of sincerity, the leaven of sainthood, and to sainthood eluding them.

~Seventgives sion

This consists of four points.

First Point: The Shari'a is directly, without shadow or veil, the result of the divine address, through the myst If divine oneness in respect of absolute dominicality. The highest degrees of the Sufi path and of reality are like parts of the Shari'a. Or they are always like its means, introduction, anread, ant. Their results are the incontrovertible matters of

the Shari'a. That is to say, the ways of the Sufi orders and of reality are like means, servants, and steps forhough ing the truths of the Shari'a, till at the highest level they are transformed into the meaning of reality and essence of the Sufi way, which are at the heart of the Shari'a. Sot was they become parts of the Greater Shari'a. It is not right to think of the Shari'a as an outer shell and reality as its inner part and result and aim, as some Sufis do. Yes, the Shari'a unfolds according to the levels of men. mpassewrong to suppose that what the mass of people imagine is the external aspect of the Shari'a is its reality, and to give the names of reality and Sufi path to the degrees of Kind>hari'a that are disclosed to the elite. The Shari'a has degrees which look to all classes.

It is in consequence of this that the further the Sufis and those who s that ality advance, their longing for the truths of the Shari'a increases, as does their captivation by them and their following them. They consider the most minor aspect of the Prophet's (UWBP) practices te greaheir greatest aim, and strive to follow them and imitate them. For however higher divine revelation is than inspiration, the conduct of the Shari'a, which is the fruit of revelation, is higher to the same degree than the conduct of the Suf reali, the fruit of inspiration. Therefore, following the Prophet's (UWBP) practices is the basis and principal element of the Sufi path.

Second Point: The Sufi path and way of reality should ne oblieed being means. If they are made the ultimate aim, the incontrovertible teachings and actions of the Shari'a and following the practices of the Prophet (UWBP) beco it isely a matter of form, while the heart looks beyond them. That is to say, such a person thinks of his circle for the remembrance of God rather than the obligatory prayeriffer is drawn more to his recitations and supplications than to his religious obligations; he is more concerned with avoiding offending against his order's rules of behaviour than with avoidr the ievous sins. Whereas the recitations of the Sufi path cannot be the equivalent of the obligatory acts that constitute the incontestible matters of the Shari'a; theye Gract take their place. The etiquette of the Sufi path and its invocations should be a solace and a way of obtaining true pleasure from the obligatory acts; they should not themselves be the source. That is, the tekke>should lead a person be blform the five daily prayers assiduously in the mosque. If he performs them there hurriedly as a formality, thinking that he will find true pleasure and perfection in the tekke, reat mdrawing away from reality.

Third Point: It is sometimes asked: "Can there be any Sufi path outside the practices of the Prophet (UWBP) and matters of the Shari'a?"

~The Answer:>There are some such paths, and there are not. There aely to18

because some of the highest saints were executed by the sword of the Shari'a. And there are not, because the authoritative scholars among the saints have agreed on this rule of respeci Shirazi: "It is impossible, Sa'di, to be victorious on the way of felicity, except by following the Chosen One." That is, it is impossible for one outside the highway of God's Messenger (Upon whoThat ilessings and peace), who does not follow him, to attain the true lights of reality. The meaning of this is as follows:

God's Messenger (Peace and mity wngs be upon him) was the Seal of the Prophets and the addressee of God in the name of all mankind; mankind, therefore, cannot advance outside his hitruly it is essential to be under his banner. But since ecstatics and those immersed in divine contemplation are not responsible for their opposition; and since man possesses certain subtle faculties that are not held accountable, and when such of meries dominate a person, he cannot be held responsible for opposing the obligations of the Shari'a; and since man possesses subtle faculties that just as tntinuoe not accountable, so they are not under the jurisdiction of the will and cannot be controlled by the mind, for they do not heed the heart or the mind; certainly, w sin aose faculties dominate in a person, - but only at that time - he does not fall from the rank of sainthood by opposing the Shari'a, he is held excused. On condition, however, that he does not deny or insult the truths of the Shari'a and rulesl suddlief, or display contempt towards them. Even if he does not carry out the injunctions, he has to acknowledge that they are right. But if he is overcome by that state and assumes a position, I seek refuge with God, whamong fers denial and giving the lie to those incontestible truths, it is the sign that he has deviated from the path!

In Short: There are two groups that follow the Sufi path outside the bounds of the Shari'a.

~One group:>As descal, alabove, these people are either overwhelmed by their mental state, immersion, or ecstasy or intoxication, or they are dominated by some of their subtle faculties that do not heed the injunctions of religion nor listencorrese will; they therefore transgress the bounds of the Shari'a. But this is not due to their disliking its rulings or not wanting to follow them; they are rather compelled to, involuntarily. Among this group are people of sainthood some of this have even been temporary saints of high rank. But the authoritative scholars from among the saints have ruled that of these some have been not only outside the bounds of the Shari'a, but outside the bounds of Islam. But they are considered ose whpeople of sainthood on condition they have not denied any of the injunctions brought by Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him). It is that they doent, ahink

of them, or cannot keep them in view, or are not aware of them. They cannot not accept them if they are aware of them.

~As for the Second Group,>they are carried away by the brilliant per youes of the Sufi path and way of reality, and since they cannot attain to the pleasures of the truths of the Shari'a, which are far more elevated, thetainlyose them to be dull formalities and are indifferent towards them. They gradually accept the idea that the Shari'a is an external shell, and that the reality they have found is the essential goal. They say: "I ha; and nd it; it is enough for me," and act in a way contrary to the injunctions of the Shari'a. Any in this group who are in their right minds are responsible; they stray from the path, indeed, become the playthings of Sfavouro an extent.

Fourth Point: Some persons who belong to the divisions of the people of misguidance and innovation are found acceptable by the Muslim community, while others, just like them and not apparently different, are someoted. I always used to wonder about this. For example, although someone like Zamakhshari was one of the most bigoted members of the Mu'tazilite sect, the authoritative Sunni scholars did not pronounce him an unbeliever or misguided, desed mosis severe objections; they rather searched for a way to exonerate him. But then they held that Mu'tazilite authorities like Abu 'Ali Jubba'i, who was far less bigoted than Zamakhshari, should be rejected and refuted. Ithe opurious about this for a long time. Then through divine grace I understood that Zamakhshari's objections about the Sunnis arose from his love of his way, which he loohough as right.

That is to say, for example, in his view God could be truly declared free of all fault and defect by saying that animals create their own actions. It was out of love for declaring God free of all fault that he did not accee way Sunnis' principles concerning the creation of actions. Whereas the other Mu'tazilite authorities were rejected because their inadequate intelligences could not aspire to the elevated principles of the Sunnis and they cou offic fit the Sunnis' extensive laws within their own narrow ideas, and so denied them. In the same way that the Mu'tazilites opposed the Sunnis in theology, so the ooble Mion of some followers of the Sufi path outside the Prophet's (UWBP) practices is of two kinds:

~The first:>Like Zamakhshari, out of love for their way or state, they remain somewhat indifferent towards the conduct of the Shari'a, because ity doh it they cannot obtain the same degree of pleasure.

~As for the other kind:>God forbid! They think the conduct of the Shari'a is unimportant relatively to the principles of the Sufi path. For their narrow understandings cannot comprehent one e broad pleasures, and their short stations cannot attain to that elevated conduct.

~Eighth Allusion

This describes eight abysses.

The First: driveneople who embark on spiritual journeying do not conform completely to the Prophet's (UWBP) practices, and fall into the abyss of preferring but atood to prophethood. It is proved in the Twenty-Fourth and Thirty-First Words>how elevated is prophethood, and how dull sainthood is in rela the Co it.

The Second: Some of followers of the Sufi path fall into the abyss of preferring extremist saints to the Prophet's (UWBP) Companions and even of believi not ase saints to be prophets. It is proved decisively in the Twelfth and Twenty-Seventh Words>and in the Addendum on the Companions, that the Companions acquired such qualities through conversation with the Prophet (UWBP) that cannot be attld notthrough sainthood, and that the Companions cannot be surpassed, and that the saints can never reach the degree of the Companions.

The Third: Some of Noble who are excessively bigoted concerning the Sufi path oppose the practices of the Prophet (UWBP) and give them up because of their preference for the customs, conduct, and recitationery ofhe Sufi way, which they never give up. In this way, they become slack in practising the conduct of the Shari'a, and fall into that abyss.

As is proved in many of the :

T>and as veracious authorities of the Sufi path like Imam Ghazali and Imam-i Rabbani said: "The degree of acceptance gained by following a single of the Prophet's (UWBP) practices cannot be won through a hundred personals and ices and supererogatory acts of worship. And just as a single obligatory act is superior to a thousand acts taken from the Prophet's practices, so a single of those practices is superior to a thousand prhis ows of Sufism."

The Fourth: Some extremist Sufis suppose inspiration to be like divine revelation and of similar kind to revelation, and fall into an abyss. It has been proved most prepotely in the Twelfth Word and in the Twenty-Fifth Word about the miraculousness of the Qur'an, how elevated, universal, and sacred is divine revelation, and hoite eagnificant and dull inspirations are in comparison.

The Fifth: Some Sufis who do not understand the essence of the Sufi path, in order to strengthen the weak, encouraith. A slack, and to lighten the hardships and weariness arising from strenuous service, find the lights, illuminations, and wonders, which are notich, pt but given, to be pleasurable, and they become captivated by them and fall into the abyss of preferring them to worship, acts of service, and recitation of supplications. It is

#yi'l-Dntioned briefly in the Third Point of the Sixth Allusion in the present treatise and proved decisively in others of the Words>that this world ivour.

realm of service and not the realm of reward. People who seek their recompense here, both transform enduring, perpetual fruits into a transitory, temporary form, and find permanence in tf faitrld pleasing, so they do not yearn for the Intermediate Realm. Quite simply, they love the life of this world in one respect, since they find a sort of hereafter within it.

The Sixth: Some ost of e who embark on spiritual journeying fall into an abyss by confusing the shades and shadows and partial samples of the stations of sainthood with its fundamental, universal stations. As is proved clearly in thk peopnd Branch of the Twenty-Fourth Word and in others of the Words,>the sun becomes numerous by means of mirrors and thousands of its similitudes possess light and heat like the sun itself, despite their paltriness in relation to the actual sun. Imiracutly the same way, the stations of the prophets and the great saints possess shades and shadows. Those who journey with the spirit enter these, and see themselves as greater ths is lse great saints, or even to have advanced further than the prophets, and so fall into an abyss. However, the way to avoid this is to always take the principles of belief and fundamentals of the Shari'a as one's ise, aand guide, and to look on one's illuminations and visions as opposed to them.

The Seventh: Some of the people of illumination and ecstasy fall into an ithoutin their spiritual journeyings by preferring pride, complaint, ecstatic utterances, public regard, and being referred to, to offering thanks and supplication, beseeching Almighty God, and self-sufficiency. Whereas thece thest degree is Muhammadan worship, which is termed "belovedness." The basis and essence of worship is to manifest the perfection of that reality by supplicating and beseeching Almighty God, showine army humility before Him, offering thanks, and through impotence and want, and by displaying self-sufficiency in the face of others. Some of the greamns bats have involuntarily and temporarily become proud and made complaints and ecstatic utterances, but they should not be followed voluntarily on such points; they are rightly-guided but nticula guide; their way may not be taken!

The Eighth Abyss: Some of those who journey spiritually are self-centred and precipitate and want to consume in ransieorld the fruits of sainthood, which will be given in the hereafter; they fall into an abyss by seeking them on their spiritual journeyings. But, as swith drses as,

"The life of this world is but goods and chattels">(3:185)

proclaim, and as is proved decisively in many of the Words,>a single fruit

in the realm of eternity is superior to a thousand gathat bin this fleeting world. For this reason, those blessed fruits should not be consumed here. If without being sought they are given to eat here, they should be thanked for, a inausmed divine favours bestowed, not as reward, but for encouragement.

~Ninth Allusion

Here we shall describe briefly nine out of the truly numerous fruits and benefits of the Sufi path.

~The First>is the unfolding and clarific In by means of the Sufi paths that are on the straight way, of the truths of faith, which are the keys, sources, and springs of the eterer woreasuries of everlasting happiness; it is their manifestation at the degree of the vision of certainty.

~The Second:>Since the Sufi path is a means of workitly on heart, the mainspring of the human machine, and of causing it to stir the other subtle faculties into motion, it drives them to fulfil the pd. So s of their creation and thus makes a person into a true human being.

~The Third:>On the journey to the Intermediate Realm and the hereafter, it is to join one of the lines of the Sufi orders, and become a member of its luminous cara the f the road to eternity. The person is thus saved from loneliness and finds the friendship of the other members in this world and in the Intermediate Realm; and relying on their consensus and accord in the face orose-battacks of doubts and fears, and seeing each of their masters as a powerful support and proof, he repulses through them those doubts and instances of misguidance.

~The Fourth>is to understand by meanng thehe pure Sufi way the knowledge of God to be found in belief in God, and the pleasure of love of God within the knowledge of God, and by so understanding, to be saved from the desolation of this world and man's exile in the urom] he. We have proved in many of the Words>that the happiness of both worlds, and pain-free pleasure, and intimacy untainted by loneliness, and true delight, and untroubled happiness are all to be found in faith and the rd God of Islam. As is explained in the Second Word, faith produces the seed of a Tuba-tree of Paradise. It is through the training and nurturing of the Sufi path that the seed grows and develops.

ghway;ifth>is to perceive through an awakening of the heart elicited by the Sufi path and remembrance of God, the subtle truths contained in the obligations of the Shari'a, and to appreciate them. Then the person obeys and performsand caorship, not under compulsion, but with longing.

~The Sixth>is to rise to the station of reliance on God and the rank of submission

to Him and winning His pleasure, which are the means of obtaining true delight, realendinge, painfree pleasure, and friendship untainted by loneliness.

~The Seventh>is, through sincerity, which is the essential precondition for travelling the Sufi way and its most valuable rethis tto be delivered from base qualities like implicitly associating partners with God, hypocrisy, and artificiality. It is also to be saved, through purifying the soul and ch is like the surgical operation of the Sufi path, from the dangers of the evil-commanding soul and the perils of egotism.

~The Eighth:>Through the regard, sense of the divine presence, at cameerful intentions of the Sufi path, gained by recalling God with the heart and reflecting on Him with the mind, this is to transform customary actions into worship and make mundane dealings

Itctions benefiting the hereafter. Utilizing the capital of life, it is to make all its minutes into seeds that will produce the shoots of eternal happiness.

~The Ninth>is to struggle to be a perfect human being through journeyim themh the heart and striving with the spirit and spiritual progress; that is to say, to be a true believer and total Muslim; that is, to gain not superficial belief, but the re

O of belief and the reality of Islam; that is, to be directly the bondsman of the Glorious Creator of the Universe, in the universe and in one respect as the with rse's representative, and to be His addressee, and friend, and beloved, and to be a mirror to Him; and through showing man to be on the best of patterns, it is to prove man's superiordicati the angels. It is to fly through the lofty stations with the Shari'a's wings of faith and works, and to behold eternal happiness in this world, and even to ente Glory it.

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise!>(2:32)

O God! Grant blessings and peace to the Supreme Help in every ato the the Sublime Spiritual Pole at all times, our master Muhammad, the magnificence of whose sainthood was manifested in his Ascension, as was the station of his being the beloved of God, and under the shadow of whose Ascension are included allticulahoods, and to all his Family and Companions. Amen. And all praise be to God, the Sustainer of All the Worlds.

Addendum

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

The ways leading to Almighty God are truly numerous. While all true ways are taken from the Qur'an, some are shorter, safer, aey be e general than others. Of these ways taken from the Qur'an is that of impotence, poverty, compassion, and reflection, from which, with my defective understanding, I have benefited.

Like ecstatic love, impotence is a path which,hy of y of worship, leads to winning God's love; but it is safer. Poverty too leads to the divine name All-Merciful. And, like ecstatic love, compassion leads to the name re immmpassionate, but it is a swifter and broader path. Also like ecstatic love, reflection leads to the name All-Wise, but it is richer, broader, and more brilliant path. This path consists not of ten steps like thes you:ubtle faculties of some of the Sufi paths employing silent recollection, nor of seven stages like the seven souls of those practising public recitation, but of four steps. It is reality (hakikat),>rather than a Sufi way (tarembers>It is Shari'a.

However, let it not be misunderstood. It means to see one's impotence, poverty and faults before Almighty God, not to fabricate them or display them to people. The method of this short path i prideollow the practices of the Prophet (UWBP), perform the religious obligations and give up serious sins. It is especially to perform the prescribed prayers correctlytion oith attention, and following them to say the tesbihat.

The verse, "Therefore, do not justify yourselves,">(53:32) points to the first step.

The veished And be not like those who forget God, and He therefore makes them forget their own selves,">(59:19) points to the second step.

The verse, "Whatevand thd happens to you is from God, but whatever evil befalls you is from yourself,">(4:79) points to the third step.

The verse, "Everything will perish save His cessed,ance,">(28:88) points to the fourth step.

A brief explanation of these four steps is as follows:

~First Step

As the verse,

"Therefore, do not justify yourselves">suggests, it is to no0-6.} fy the soul. For on account of his nature and innate disposition, man loves himself. Indeed, he loves himself before anything else, and only himself. He sacrd dire everything other than himself to his own soul. He praises himself in a manner befitting some object worthy of worship. He absolves and exonerat peaceself from faults in the same way. As far as he possibly can, he does not see faults as being appropriate for him, and does not accept them. He defends himself passionately as though worshipping himself. Even, using on himself the members and fit. Foes given him as part of his nature in order to praise and glorify the True Object of Worship, he displays the meaning of the verse,

Who takes as his god his own desires.>(25:43; 45:23)

ppositconsiders himself, he relies on himself, he fancies himself. Thus, his purification and cleansing at this stage, in this step, is to not purify himself; it is not to absolve hie of G

~Second Step

As the verse,

"And be not like those who forget God, and He therefore makes them forget their own selves">teaches, man is oblivious of himself and not aware of himself. If he thinks of death, it is in relag is to others. If he sees transience and decline, he does not attribute them to himself. His evil-commanding soul demands that when it comes to inconvenience and service of others, he forgets himself, but when it comes civilceiving his recompense, and to benefits and enjoyment, he thinks of himself and takes his own part fervently. His purification, cleansing, and training at this stage is the reverse of this. That is to say, when oblivious of himself, it mankit to be oblivious. That is, to forget himself when it comes to pleasure, and ambition and greed, and to think of himself when it comes to death and service of others.

~Third Step

tals ohe verse,

"Whatever good happens to you is from God, but whatever evil befalls you is from yourself">teaches, the nature of the evil-commanding soul demands that it always considers goodness and mufrom itself and it becomes vain and conceited. Thus, at this step, a person sees only faults, defects, impotence, and poverty in himself, and understands

that all his good qualities and perfections are bounties bestowed on him ation All-Glorious Creator. He gives thanks instead of being conceited, and offers praise instead of boasting. According to the meaning of the verse,

Truly he succeeds who purifies it,>(91:9)

his purification at estiontage is to know his perfection to lie in imperfection, his power in impotence, and his wealth in poverty.

~Fourth Step

As the verse,

"Everything will perish save His countenance"> rejecs, the evil-commanding soul considers itself to be free and independent and to exist of itself. Because of this, man claims to possess a sroups, dominicality. He harbours a hostile rebelliousness towards his True Object of Worship. Thus, through understanding the following fact, he is saved from this. The fact is this:

According to the app his hmeaning of things, which looks to each thing itself, everything is transitory, wanting, accidental, non-existent. But according to the meaning that signifies something other than itself and in respectl himsch thing being a mirror to the All-Glorious Maker's names and charged with various duties, each is a witness, it is witnessed, and it is existent. The purification and cleansing of a person at this stage is as follows:

ment? existence he is non-existent, and in his non-existence he has existence. That is to say, if he values himself and attributes existence to himself, he is in the darkness of non-existence as great as the universe. That is, if he relies onis to ndividual existence and is unmindful of the True Giver of Existence, he has an individual light of existence like that of a firefly and is submerged in anuple oss darkness of non-existence and separation. But if he gives up egotism and sees that he is a mirror of the manifestations of the True Giver of silentnce, he gains all beings and an infinite existence. For he who finds the Necessary Existent, the manifestation of whose names all beings manifest, finds everything.

The four steps in this way of impotence, poverty, compassion, and reflection have been explained in the twenty-six Words>so far wrain ab which are concerned with knowledge of reality, the reality of the Shari'a, and the wisdom of the Qur'an. So here, we shall allude briefly to only one or two points, as follows:

This path is shorter, cannoe it consists of four steps. When impotence

causes a person to give up the soul, it turns him directly to the All-Powerful One of Glory. Whereas when a person on the way of ecstatic love, the knowtest way, gives up the soul, his way directs him to a temporary beloved. Only when he discovers the beloved's impermanence does he turn tohis worue Beloved.

Also, this path is much safer, because the ravings and high-flown claims of the soul are not present on it. For apart from impotence, poverty, and defect, the souln sayssses nothing so that it oversteps its mark.

Also, this path is much broader and more universal. For in order to attain to a constant awareness of God's presence, a person is not compelled to imagine the universe to be condemned to e; as istence and to declare: "There is no existent but He," like those who believe in the Unity of Existence, nor to suppose the universe to be condemned to imprisonment in absolute oblivion and to say, "There is nothing witnessed but He," like thoation believe in the Unity of Witnessing. Rather, since the Qur'an has most explicitly pardoned the universe and released it from execution and imt funcment, the person on this path disregards the above, and dismissing beings from working on their own account and employing them on account of the All-Glorious CreatThey rd in the duty of manifesting the Most Beautiful Names and being mirrors to them, he considers them from the point of view of signifying something other than themselves; and being saved from absolute heedleve att, he enters the divine presence permanently; he finds a way leading to the Almighty God in everything.

In Short: Dismissing beings from working on account of other beings, this way is to not look at them athe reifying themselves.

Seeds of Reality

For some time now, my uncle considers matters with the heart alone, rather than with the intellect. If something is imparted to his heart clearly, he gets me to wrght! G down. He says: "Knowledge is that which settles in the heart. It is valueless if it is grasped with the intellect alone." And he says: "These matters are not only scg to ty rules; they are firm, heart-felt principles of mine that are rooted in my conscience." He told me to choose those I wanted from these aphorisms, which are "inspirations of the exist" and I have shown the works from which they are selected: Nokta min Nuri Ma'rifeti'llah; Isharat al-I'jaz; Sunûhat; Şua'at Ma'rifeti'n-Nebi; Rumûz; Tulu'at; Muhâkemat; Münâzarat; İşârât; Qızıl İjaz.>{[*]: These works were all wgether in Turkish with the exception of Ishârât al-I'jâz and Qızıl Îjâz, which were written in Arabic. The former was translated into Turkish in the 1950's by Bediuzzaman's brother Abdülmecid. (Tr.)}

Compiler, his nephew, Abdurrahmre the(Istanbul 1336/1920)

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

All praise be to God, the Sustainer of All the Worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, and on all his Family and Comps subt.

1. The prescription for a sick age, an ailing nation, an ill member, is to follow the Qur'an.

2. The prescription for a glorious though unfortunate continent, an illustrious though hapless s his wa noble though ownerless people, is Islamic Unity.

3. Someone who lacks the strength to raise and turn the earth and all the stars and suns as though they were the beads of a tesbih>cannot courseaim to creating anything in the universe. For everything is tied to everything else.

4. The raising to life of all animate beings at the resurrection of the dead can be no more difficult for divine powign frn restoring to life a fly in the spring, heavy with the death-stained sleep of winter. For pre-eternal power is essential; it does not change; impotence cannot penetrate it; obstacles cannot 'di Shene in it; there can be no degrees in it; everything is the same in relation to it.

5. Whoever created the mosquito's eye, created theuminat 6. Whoever ordered the flea's stomach, ordered the solar system.

7. There is such miraculousness in the universe's compilation that if to suppose the impossible all natural causes possessed will ie. The power to act, they would still prostrate in utter impotence before such miraculousness, exclaiming: "Glory be unto You! We have no power; indeed You arr two Mighty, the Wise!"

8. An actual effect has not been given to causes, for divine unity and glory require it to be thus. Only, in the outer aspect of things, causes are a veil to the hand of power; and this, divine digniduty t grandeur require, so that in the superficial view the hand of power should not be seen to be directly in contact with lowly things.

9. The inner dimensions of things, where divine power has its connecti, the e transparent and pure.

10. The Manifest World is a lace veil strewn over the Worlds of the Unseen.

11. An infinite power sufficient to create all the uller: e is necessary to create a single point and set it in its place. For every letter of this

mighty book of the universe, and particularly al the 'living letters, has a face looking to all the sentences and an eye that beholds them.

12. It is well-known: they all looked for the crescent moon of the 'Id, but no one could see itof thelderly man swore he had seen it. But what he had seen was not the crescent moon; it was a curved white eyelash. What is an eyelash compared with the moon? Whathem. Be motion of minute particles compared with the one who fashions all beings?

13. Nature resembles a printing-press, not the printer. It is an embroidery, not the Embroiderer. It is passive, not active. It is a pattern, not a source. Itpass s order, and not the Orderer. It is a law, not a power. It is a code of laws proceeding from a will, not an external reality.

14. The lure and attractionnes Hee conscience, which is the essential nature of conscious beings, is felt through the appeal of a drawing truth.

15. The essential nature of beings does not lthe see inclination to grow in a seed declares: "I shall sprout and produce fruit!" It speaks the truth. An egg displays the desire for life; it says: "I shall hose len!," and this comes about, with divine permission. It speaks the truth. Owing to the inclination to freeze, a handful of water says: "I shall take up more space!," and unyielding iron . An e give it the lie; the rightness of its words splits the iron. These inclinations are the manifestations of the creative commands proceeding from divine will.

16. Pre-eternal poweto divch does not leave ants without a prince or bees without a queen, certainly does not leave mankind without prophets. As the Splitting of the Moon was a miracle of Muhammad (UWBP) for meHe wouhe Manifest World, so his Ascension was a supreme miracle before the angels and spirit beings in the World of the Inner Dimensions of Things. Through this clear wonder, the sainthood of his prophethood was proved, and like lightning or the marranghat shining Being scattered light through those inner worlds.

17. The two phrases of the confession of faith testify to each other. The first is the proof of cause to effect of the second, while the second is the proof of effect to cahousan the first.

18. Life is a sort of manifestation of unity within multiplicity, and therefore leads to unity. Life makes one thing the owner of everything.

19. Spirit is a law possessing external existence, a onsignous law. Like the stable and enduring laws of creation, spirit comes from the World of the Divine Command and the attribute of will. Divine power clothes it an existence decked out with senses. He makes a subtle, flowing being

#inual e shell to that jewel. Existent spirit is the brother of the conceivable law. Both are enduring and come from the World of the Divine Command. If pre-ete innerower had clothed the laws governing in the species of beings in external existence, they would have been spirits. And if the spirit banishes consciousness, it still would be an undying law.

20. Beings are visible through light, ancepts r existence is known through life. Both are revealers.

21. Christianity will either erupt, or being purified will lay down its arms before Islam. It was sp by thart several times and Protestantism emerged. Then Protestantism was rent and approached the true affirmation of divine unity. It is preparing to be rent again. It will either erupt and be couldguished, or it will see before it the truths of Islam, which encompass the basis of true Christianity, and it will lay down its arms.

The Prophet Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) alluded to this great mystet to tn he said: "Jesus will come having descended from the skies; he will be of my community and will act in accordance with my Shari'a." {[*]: See, Bukhârî, Anbiyâ', 49; Muslim, Imân, 242-7; Tirmidhî, Fitan, 62; Musnad, atifyi6.}

22. It is the sacredness of the authority more than proof that drives the mass of the people to comply with it.

23. The essentials and incontestaes of tters of religion, which form ninety-nine per cent, are each diamond pillars, while the controversial matters which are open to interpretation form only ten per cent. Ninety diamond pillars may not be put under the o has tion of ten gold pillars. Books and interpretations should be telescopes for observing the Qur'an; they should be mirrors; not shadows or deputies!

24. Anyone who is capable may make interpretations of the law for his own self; but he rk and make the law.

25. Calling others to accept an idea is dependent on acceptance by the 'ulama; otherwise it is innovation, and should be rejected.rage, . Since by nature man is noble, he seeks the truth. Sometimes he encounters the false, but supposing it to be the truth preserves it in his heart. Then, when delving into reality, without his willingExistesguidance strikes him on the head; supposing it to be reality, he plunges his head into it.

27. Divine power has many mirrors, each more subtle and transparent than the last; they vary frs is cer to air, and air to ether, and ether to the World of Similitudes; from the World of Similitudes to the World of Spirits, and even to time, and to thought. A single word in the mirror of the air becomes mill savinf words. The Pen of Power writes this mystery of reproduction in truly wondrous manner. The reflection contains either its identity or its identity together with its nature. The images of dety. Things are moving but dead. While the images of a luminous spirit in their own mirrors are living and linked with it; even if they are not identical, they are not other than it.

28. Since the sun shning. tself in its axial rotation, its fruits do not fall; whereas if it did not shake itself, the planets would fall and be scattered.

29. If the light of thought is not illuminated with the light of the heart and blended with it, it is dareir chand breeds tyranny. If the white of the eye, which resembles day, were not together with its black pupil, which resembles night, the eye would not be the eye; it would be unseeing. Similarly, if the black core of the heart is no as thent in white thought, it lacks insight.

30. If knowledge lacks the insight of the heart, it is ignorance. Taking the part of something is one thing, belief is something else.

31. Embroidering mea 65.ss things is for misleading simple minds.

32. A learned guide should be a sheep, not a bird. A sheep gives its lamb milk, while a bird gives its chick regurgit that ood.

33. The existence of something is dependent on the existence of all its parts. As for non-existence, since it occurs though non-existence of one part, a weak man supports destruction in order to demonstrate histhat i; he acts negatively instead of positively.

34. If the laws of government are not combined with the principles of wisdom, and the bonds of force not combined with the laws of truth, they will not be fruitful among the mass of the people.

taken Tyranny has donned the hat of justice; treachery has clothed itself in the garment of patriotism; jihad>has been given the name of rebellion; captivity has been called freedom! Opposites have exchanged forms!

36. Polit faculich revolves around benefit is savagery.

37. To show friendliness towards a hungry beast excites not its compassion but its hunger. Both its fangs and its claws will want theirf the

38. Time has shown that Paradise is not cheap, nor Hell unnecessary.

39. While the qualities of those known by the world as the upper classes should be the cause of modesty and humility, they have led tnationession and arrogance. And while the poverty and powerlessness of the poor and common people should be the cause of compassion and bounthall sy have resulted in servitude and enthralment.

40. So long as honour and good things are to be obtained from something, they offer it to the upper classes, but if it is something bad, tta', ivide it among the ordinary people.

41. If a person lacks an imagined goal, or if he forgets it or pretends to for get it, his thoughts will pre,

#5ally revolve around his 'I'.

42. The origin of all revolutions and corruption, and the spur and source of all bad morals are just two sayings:

The First Saying:" So long as I'm full, what is it to me if others die of hunger?"

Thing ound Saying:" You suffer hardship so that I can live in ease; you work so that I can eat."

There is only one remedy for extirpating the first saying, and that is the obligatory payent.

#f zakat.>While the remedy for the second is the prohibition of usury and interest. Qur'anic justice stands at the door of the world and says to usury and interest: "No entry! ItWhat rrbidden! You don't have the right to enter here!" Mankind did not heed the command, and received a severe blow. So it must heed it before it receives one even more severe!

43. War between nations and states is relinquishin ephemplace to war between the classes of mankind. For just as man does not want to be a slave, so he does not want to be a labourer.

44. The person who pursues his goal by illicit means is usually punished bw cropiving the opposite of what he intended. The recompense for illicit love, like love for Europe, is the beloved's cruel enmity.

45. The past and calamities should be considered in the light of divine determining (kader),>wAspecthe future and sins from the point of view of responsibility before God. The Jabriyya and Mu'tazila are reconciled on this point.

46. Impotence should not be resorted to when a solution may be found, and when there is ect toution, punishment should not be resorted to.

47. Life's wounds may be healed, but Islamic pride and honour, and national pride, their wounds are extremely deep.

48. nnot betimes happens that a single word causes an army to perish, and

one bullet leads to the annihilation of thirty million. {(*): A single bullet fits woy a Serbian soldier at the Austrian crown-prince set off the Great War, and was the cause of thirty million souls being lost.} Some conditions are such that a small act raises dreams the highest of the high, while in others a small action relegates him to the lowest of the low.

49. One grain of truth consumes a stack of lies. One grain of reality is superior to a stack of illusions. Eveith thg you say should be true, but it is not right to say everything true.

50. A person who sees the good in things has good thoughts. An for tho has good thoughts receives pleasure from life.

51. What gives life to people is hope; what kills them is despair.

52. Since early days, this Islamic state took on itself the upholding of the Word of God, the maintenance of iicles dence, and jihad for Islam, an obligation which if undertaken by part of the community, released the rest; it considered itself to be chaves beith sacrificing itself for Islam, which was united, and carrying the banner of the Caliphate. The misfortune it now suffers will therefore be made up for by the future proed to y and freedom of the Islamic World. For this calamity has speeded up in wondrous fashion the growth of Islamic brotherhood, the leaven of our lives.

53. To attribute to Christianity the vood fr of civilization, which are not its property, and to show retrogression, the enemy of Islam, to be its friend, is to suggest that the firmament is in tlving in the opposite direction.

54. A tarnished, matchless diamond is always superior to a piece of glistening glass.

55. Those who seek everything in materiality knour any what their eyes see, and such eyes are blind in spiritual matters.

56. If metaphors fall from the hands of learning into those of ignorance, they are transformed into their literal meanings, openingtions:oor to superstition.

57. Favour greater than divine favour is not favour. Everything has to be described as it is.

58. Fame ascribes to man what is not his.

59. Hadiths are the source ofod setand inspirer of reality.

60. The revival of religion is the revival of the nation. The life of religion is the light of life.

61. The Qur'an, which is a mercy for mankind, only accepts a civilizatisperitt allows for the happiness of all, or at least of the majority. Modern civilization has been founded on five negative principles:

Its point of support is force, the mark of which is aggression.

Its aim and goal is benefit,an is ark of which is jostling and tussling.

Its principle in life is conflict, the mark of which is strife.

The bond between the masses is racialism and negative nationalism, which are nfore wed through devouring others; their mark is collision.

Its enticing service is inciting lust and passion and gratifying the appetites. But lust transforms man into a beast.

As for the civilizatioir thaShari'a of Muhammad (UWBP) comprises and commands, it is as follows:

Its point of support is truth instead of force, the mark of which is justice and harmony.

Its goalould nrtue in place of benefit, the mark of which is love and attraction.

Its means of unity are the ties of religion, country, and class, in place of racialism and nationalism, and the mark of these is sincere bamily hood, peace, and only defence against external aggression.

In life its principle is mutual assistance instead of conflict, the mark of which is accord and solidarity.

And it offers guidance instead of lust, the mark of which is humat him ress and spiritual advancement.

Do not loosen your hands from Islam, the preserver of our existence; cling onto it with all your strength or you shall be lost!

62. A general disaster results from the error of the majority. Dn in tr is the result of crime and the introduction to reward.

63. A martyr supposes himself to be alive. He did not suffer the pangs of death, so he thinks the life he sacrificessentperpetual and has not been severed. But he finds it purer.

64. The pure justice of the Qur'an does not spill the life-blood of an innocent, even for the whole of humanity. The two are ieve

#in the view of both divine power, and justice. Self-interest, however, makes man such that he will destroy anything that impedes his ambition, even the world if he can, and mankind.

it. Ev Fear and weakness invite outside influences.

66. Definite benefits should not be sacrificed for imaginary harms.

67. Istanbul politics at the present time are as sick as Spanish lse hi 68. Tell a bad man, "You are good, you are good," and it is not unheard of that he will become good. And tell a good man "You are bad, you are bad," and it is not ram thei him to become bad.

69. So long as the enemy of an enemy remains his enemy, he is a friend; and so long as the friend of an enemy remains his friend, he is an enemy.

70. Obduracy is this: if Satan as worl someone, he calls him an angel and calls down blessings on him. But if among his opponents he encounters an angel, he calls him a satan in other clothes and curst feat.

71. The remedy for one ill may be poison for another. An excessive dose is the cause of ills.

72. Solidarity in a society results in harmony in all its activitethe Wole mutual envy causes all its activities to come to a standstill.

73. If the community is not one and a whole, undivided number, addition makes smaller, like multiplying fractions.

{(*): It isnt a lknown that in arithmetic, multiplication and addition increase: four times four makes sixteen, while in fractions, on the contrary multiplication and addition make smas mysta third multiplied by a third makes a ninth. In just the same way, if there is not integral wholeness, correctness, and unity among people, by multiplying they become smaller, spoilt, and valueless.}

74. Non-acceptance is confused witHis knacceptance of non-being. The evidence for non-acceptance is the absence of established proof. The acceptance of non-being requires proof of non-being. One is doubt while the other is denial.

75. If doubt in the qu the "s of belief destroys one, or even a hundred, evidences, it does not harm what is posited; for there are hundreds of evidences.

76. The majority of Muslims should be followed. For when they followed the majority the Umayyads, whory. Asslack in religion, finally entered the Sunni community. As for the Shi'a, who were firm in religion but remained in the minority as regards their practi way. inally only a part of them followed the Râfida.

77. If unanimity concerning good leads to conflict concerning what is better, then sometimes good is better than the better; right is re likthan what is truer. Everyone should say about his own way that "It is right,"

he should not say "it is the only right way." Or he should say, "It is good," but he should not say "It is the o and cod way."

78. If Paradise did not exist, Hell would not be torment.

79. As time grows older, the Qur'an grows younger; it signs become apparent. Junsume light sometimes appears to be fire, so sometimes intense eloquence appears to be exaggeration.

80. Degrees in heat occur through the intervention of cold; the degrees of beauty occur through the inly devtion of ugliness. Pre-eternal power is essential, necessary, and inherent. Impotence cannot penetrate it; there can be no degrees it in; everything is equal in relation to Susta 81. The sun's image, which is the effulgence of its manifestation, displays the same identity on the surface of the sea and in all its droplets.

82. Life is a manifestation of unity; unity is also its consequencthe di83. So long as it remains unknown who are the saints among men, which moment prayers are accepted on Fridays, which night in Ramadan is the Night of Power, and which among the divine names is the greatesroof; , other things retain their value and importance is given to them. Twenty years of doubtful life is preferable to a thousand years' life the end of which is specifiedheir l4. The consequence of sin in this world is evidence for its punishment in the next.

85. In the view of power, sustenance is as important as life. Power brings into eby thece, divine determining clothes in form, divine favour nurtures. Life is a summary, a specified product and is apparent. Sustenance is not a summary; it is gradual and widespreaent be provokes thought. No one dies from hunger, for death occurs before the food stored up in the body in the form of fat is exhausted. That is to say, illness resulting from the gly, inup of habit kills, not lack of sustenance.

86. The licit sustenance of carniverous wild animals are the innumerable remains of dead animals; they both cleanse the face of the earth, and they find their food.

87. Before entering ertakeuth and disappearing down the throat, a mouthful worth one kurush>and one worth ten are the same. There is only a few seconds' difference in the mouth. To raise the price from one totencein order to gratify the sense of taste, which is like an inspector and doorkeeper, is most prodigal and wasteful.

88. When pleasure calls, mportaon should say: "It is as though I ate it." (Sanki yedim.)>For a person who took it as his guiding principle, could

have eaten a mosque called "Sanki Yedim,">but he didn't.

{(*): That is, the person put aside the money saved through o as tstinence, and built the mosque with the proceeds. It is in the Fatih district of Istanbul. (Tr.)}

89. Formerly, most Muslims did not go hungry; they desired a comfortable life. Now they are hungry, and they have no wisthose pleasure.

90. Temporary pains rather than temporary pleasure should be greeted with smiles and welcomed. For past pleasures make one say: "Alas!", and "Alas!" is an expression of coneel re pain. While past pains make one say: "Oh!", and "Oh!" tells of permanent pleasure and bounty.

91. Forgetfulness is also a bounty; it allows one to suffer the pains of only one day and causes the rest to be forgotten.

92. Every calami miracds a degree of bounty, like a degree of heat. One should think of greater calamities and should note the degree of bounty in the small one, and thank God. For if the calamity is blown up, it will grow; and if it is worried over,ant anll double; the image, the imagining, in the heart will be transformed into reality; and they will pound the heart as well.

93. In society as a whole, everyone has a window, known as rank, through which to see and be seen. If the wr'an his higher than a person's stature, he will grow taller through arrogance, but if it is lower, he will bow down out of modesty to see and be seen at that level. The measure of greatness in man is smallness, that is, modesty. The scale of smaate in is bigness; that is, arrogance.

94. The dignity of the weak before the strong becomes arrogance in the strong; while the modesty of the strong before the weak becomes abasement in the weak. The serious%< Secf someone in authority in their office is dignity, and his humility is abasement. While his seriousness in his house is haughtiness, and his humility, modesty. If an individual is on his own, then his tolerance and self-sacrifice areing itacts. But if he is more than one and attached to others, they are treachery and inauspicious. Someone should swallow his pride in his own name and not be boasthe spbut he may boast in the name of his nation and should not swallow his pride.

95. To leave it to others in planning the preliminaries of a matter is laziness, while in awaiting the outcome it is reliance on Go it isignation with the fruits of one's labour and with fate is contentment, and strengthens the wish to strive. Whereas making do with what exists is to lack enterpriseHadith

96. Just as there are obedience and rebellion in the face of the commands of the Shari'a, so there are obedience and rebellion in the face of the creative commands in the universe. With regard to the first, the rewao noth punishment are mostly in the hereafter, while with the second, they are mostly in this world. For example, the reward for patience is vave sa; the punishment for idleness is poverty; the reward for effort is wealth, and the reward for constancy, triumph. Justice without equality is not justice.

97. Mutual resemblance is the cause of contradiction; congruity is the basis of s whichity; smallness of character is the source of arrogance; weakness is the source of pride; impotence is the source of opposition; and curiosity is the teacher of knowledge.

98. Through need, and especially through hunger,our bereator's power has reined in foremost man, and all the animals, and put them in order. Also, He saved the world from anarchy, and making need the master of civilization, ensured hief ess.

99. Distress teaches vice; despair is the source of misguidance; and darkness of heart, the source of spiritual distress.

100. When men become amiable through following their fancies, women become masculine by being impudg.

A beautiful woman entering a gathering of brothers awakens hypocrisy, rivalry, and envy. That is to say, the unveiling of women led to the unveiling of bad morals in civilized man.

101. The represented gs aboof little smiling corpses have played a large role in making the evil-polluted perverse spirit of modern man what it is.

102. The prohibited statue is either petrified tyranny, or embodiniverst, or personified hypocrisy.

103. For someone who has truly entered into the bounds of Islam by conforming precisely to its incontestable matters, the desire to expand is the t thei to be perfected. But for someone deemed outside those bounds due to slackness, the desire to expand is the desire to destroy. In time of storm and earthquake, it is advisable to not open the door of ijtihad,>and to close the windows to stude overly free and easy should not be indulged with dispensations, but determinedly and severely warned.

104. Unfortunate truths become worthless in worthless hands.

105. Our gl, whicsembles a living being; it displays the signs of life.

Would it not become a sort of animal if it were reduced to the size of an egg? Or if a microbe were to be enlarged to the size of the globe, would it not res "In Lit? If it has life, it has a spirit too. If the world were reduced to the size of man, and the stars made the particles and substance of his being, would it not also be a e idea conscious being? God has many such animals.

106. There are two Shari'as:

The First is the Shari'a that we know which orders the actions and conduct oxtreme the microcosm, and proceeds from the attribute of speech.

The Second is the Supreme Shari'a of Creation, which orders the motion and rest of the world, the mnce wethropos, proceeds from the attribute of will, and is sometimes wrongly called nature. The angels are a vast community; they are the bearers, rne, Yontatives, and personifications of the creative commands which proceed from the attribute of will and are the Shari'a of Creation.

107. If you weigh thr rowses of a microscopic organism against man's senses, you will observe a strange mystery: man is in the form of Ya. Sin.,>inscribed in him is the Suwerles Sin.

108. Materialism is a spiritual plague that has infected man with a terrible fever, causing him to be visited by divine wrath. The mot neve ability to inculcate and criticize expands, so does that plague spread.

109. The most wretched, distressed, and suffering of men is the man with no work, for idleness is the the wn of non-existence. Labour, however, is the life of existence and the waking state of life.

110. Profiting from banks, the doors of usury and interest, isllustrhe infidels, who are the worst of men, and for the most tyrannous of the former, and for the most degenerate of the latter. Banks cause absolute harm to deed, lamic world, so mankind's affluence should not be taken into consideration. For if the infidels are warmongers and aggressive, so they are disrespectful and dishonourable.

ghts, he purpose of the khutba>during the Friday Prayers is to mention the essentials and incontestable matters of religion, not to instruct in theoretical matters. The Arabic terms recall the essentials best.

112. When e marks and Qur'anic verses are balanced, it is clear that even the most eloquent of men cannot attain to the verses' eloquence nor resemble them.

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

O elief Most Merciful! O Most Compassionate! O Single One! O Ever-Living One! O Self-Subsistent One! O Sapient! O All-Just! O Most Holy! For the sake of Your Greatest Name, and in veneration of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition, and in honour of ; Musnost Noble Messenger, Upon whom be blessings and peace, bestow everlasting happiness in Paradise on the publishers of this book, the Letters of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, and on all those who assist them. Amen! And grant them unending munitys in the service of 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!>roclaiMost Merciful 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 sataree hung jinn and men. Amen! And forgive the faults of this powerless and wretched Said. Amen!

A Brief Look at Bediuzzaman Said Nursi's Life, the f the -i Nur, and Letters

The present work forms the second volume of the Risale-i Nur Collection>and consists of letters written by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi to his students mostly between 1928 and 1932, while way fole in Barla, an isolated village in the province of Isparta in South-Western Anatolia. Its original title is Mektûbat.>Other letters belonging to this period are included in one of the collections of additional letters, also volumes of th and ple-i Nur,>called Barla Lahikası>(Barla Letters). The letters in the present volume cover many subjects and were set in order and numberered, not chronologically, by the author. They were largely written in reply to questions put by heir redents, and to offer proofs of matters related to belief and Islam at a time of rapid change. In order to enable readers unfamiliar with Bediuzzis stund his life and works to see the letters in clearer perspective, included here is a brief outline of his life, the background to the writing of the Risale-i Nur>and Letters,>and a description of their main characteristics.

Bediuzzaman's y to e Bediuzzaman Said Nursi was born in 1877 in eastern Turkey and died in 1960 in Urfa, also in eastern Turkey. Readers may refer to his biography for details of his long and exemplary life, which span of whe last decades of the Ottoman Empire, its collapse after the First World War and the setting up of the Republic, then the twenty-five years of single-party rule, followed a year ten years of Democrat rule, when conditions eased a little.

From an early age Bediuzzaman displayed an extraordinary intelligence and ability to learn, completing the normal course of meek re>(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 dil.

d from an early age was an instinctive dissatisfaction with the existing education system, which when older he formulated into comprehensive proposals for its reform. The heart of these protreati was the bringing together and joint teaching of the traditional

religious sciences and the modern sciences, together with the founding of a university in xistenstern provinces of the empire, the Medresetü'z-Zehra,>where this and his other proposals would be put into practice. In 1907 his endeavours in this field took him to Istanbul where he sought the backing of the sultan, Abdulhamid. Altho findsbsequently he twice received funds for the construction 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 practs and religious scholars at that time, Bediuzzaman studied and mastered many of the physical and mathematical sciences, and later studied phof Sulhy, for he believed that it was only in this way that Islamic theology (kalâm)>could be renewed and solutions be found for the many problems besetting the Ottomans and the Irds an world. Threats to the Qur'an led him to vow that he would "prove and demonstrate to the world that the Qur'an is an undying, inextinguishable Sun!" He strove to employ his superior knowledge of both the traditig frieeligious and the modern sciences in the service of the Qur'an; to prove its miraculousness, defend it against criticisms made largely in the name of science and progress, and relate its truths in the ligilled modern advances in knowledge. He sought to prove that the Qur'an was the source of true progress and civilization, and since this was the case, Islam would dominate the future, despite its relative declineis paregression at that time.

The years up to the end of the First World War were the final decades of the Ottoman Empire and were, in the words of Bediuzzaman, the period of the Old Said. In addition to his e copy urs in the field of learning, he served the Empire and Islam through active 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 hbecauslater awarded a War Medal. To 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 aick sos of the enemy that he wrote his celebrated Qur'anic commentary, Signs of Miraculousness,>dictating to a scribe while on horseback. Stating that the Qur'an encompasses the sciences which make known the physical world, the a littary is an original and important work which Bediuzzaman hoped would serve as a model for future commentaries, as he was unable to complete it at thave bee. He was taken prisoner in March 1916 and held in Russia for two years before escaping in early 1918, and returning to Istanbul via Warsaw and Vienna.

The defeat oon, anOttomans saw the end of the Empire and its dismemberment and the occupation of Istanbul and parts of Turkey by imperialist forces. These bifused.ears saw also the transformation of the Old Said into

the New Said, the second main period of Bediuzzaman's life. Despite the acclaim he received and services he performed as a member of the Darnded tkmeti'l-İslâmiye, a learned council attached to the Shaykh al-Islam's Office, and combating the occupying forces, Bediuzzaman underwent a profound mental and spiritual change in the process of which he turt is bs back on the world. Realizing the inadequacy of the "human" science and philosophy he had studied as a means of reaching the truth, he took the revealed Qjects as his "sole guide;" that is, he recognized revelation over reason. In recognition of his services to the Independence Struggle, he was invited to Ankara but on arrival there found that at the very time of the victory of the Turks and Islam are gistic ideas were being propagated among the deputies and officials, and many were lax in performing their religious duties. He published various works to counter this development.

as foining some eight months in Ankara, Bediuzzaman understood the way the new leaders were 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 ofrespecvarious posts and benefits he therefore declined them and left Ankara for Van, where he withdrew into a life of worship and contemplation; he was seeking the best way to proceed.

Within a short time, Bediuzss of s fears about the new regime began to be realized: the first steps were taken towards secularization and reducing the power of Islam within the state, and even its eramisguion from Turkish life. In early 1925 there was a rebellion in the east in which he played no part, but in consequence of which was sent into exile in western Anatolia along with many hundreds of otheeld saus 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 Ispar not tvince. However, the attempt to entirely isolate and silence him had the reverse effect, for Bediuzzaman was both prepared and uniquely qualified to face the new challenge: these years saite itwriting of 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 instil in the Muslim people of Turk>(3:20 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 his isolation inovides 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 was on the resurr It is of the dead, which in a unique style proves bodily resurrection

rationally, where even the greatest scholars previously had confessed their impotence. He described the method he employed as consistison fothree stages: first God's existence is proved, and His Names and attributes, then the resurrection of the dead is "constructed" on these and proved. Bediuzzaman did not ascribe these writings to himself, but said tthat ooceeded from the Qur'an itself and were "rays shining out of from [its] truths."

Thus, rather than being a Qur'anic commentary which expounds all its verses giving the immediate reasons for their revelatiand to the apparent meanings of the words and sentences, the Risale-i Nur>is what is known as a mânevî tefsir>or commentary which expounds the truths theorshipn teaches. For there are various sorts of commentaries. The verses mostly expounded in the Risale-i Nur>are those that teach such truths of belief as the divine names and attributes and the divine ars! Yoy in the universe, the divine existence and unity, resurrection, prophethood, divine determining or destiny, and man's duties of worship. Bediuzzaman eigiouss how the Qur'an addresses all men in every age in accordance with the degree of their understanding and development; it has a face that looks to each age. The Risaleccorda,>then, explains that face of the Qur'an which looks to this age. We shall now look at further aspects of the Risale-i Nur>related to this point.

In numerous of its verses, the Holy Qur'awho fotes man to observe the universe and reflect on the divine activity within it; following just this method, Bediuzzaman provides proofs and explanations for the truths of beliFor a likens the universe to a book, and looking at it in the way shown by the Qur'an, that is, "reading" it for its meaning, learns of the divine names and attributes and other truthbout telief. The book's purpose is to describe its Author and Maker; beings become evidences and signs to their Creator. Thus, an important element in thoning of the Risale-i Nur>is reflection or contemplation (tefekkür),>reading the book of the universe in order to increase in knowledge of God and to obtain certain belief in allto othruths of belief.

Bediuzzaman demonstrates that the irrefutable truths, such as divine unity, arrived at in this way are the only rational and logical explana this f the universe, and making comparisons with Naturalist and Materialist philosophy, which have used science's findings about the cosmos to deny those truths, show the conhus, aon which they are based, such as causality and nature, to be irrational and logically absurd.

Indeed, far from contradicting them, in uncovering the order and workisourcethe universe, science broadens and deepens knowledge of the truths

of belief. In the Risale-i Nur>many descriptions of the divine activity in the universe are looked housanough the eyes of science 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 Nurful aset out as reasoned arguments and proved according to logic. All the main truths of faith are proved so clearly that everyone can see their necessity. So too, inspired by the Qur'an, even the most profound and inaccessible tity.

are made accessible by means of comparisons, which bring them close to the understanding like telescopes, so that they are readily understandable by ordinary people and those with no previous knowleds kindthese 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 eve a cong from the point of view of wisdom; that is, it explains the aims and purposes of everything. It considers things from the point of view of the divine name of All-Wise.

Alses. Holowing this method, in the Risale-i Nur>Bediuzzaman solved many mysteries of religion, such as bodily resurrection and divine determining and man's will, and the riddle of the constant change in the universe and the motion of particles, bef Islahich, relying on his own intellect and philosophy, man had been impotent.

While in Barla, Bediuzzaman put the treatise on resurrection and the piec cannot followed it together in the form of a collection and gave it the name of Sözler (The Words). The Words>was followed by Mektûbat, Letters,>the present collection of thirty-three letters of varr prinengths from Bediuzzaman to his students. And this was followed by Lem'alar, The Flashes Collection,>and Şualar, The Rays,>which was completed in 1949. Included in these last two are Bediuzzaman'he balnce speeches from the trials at Eskişehir in 1935 and Afyon in 1948-9. Together with these are the three collections of Additional Letters, for each of Bediuzzaman's main places of exile, B A sicahikası, Kastamonu Lahikası,>and Emirdağ Lahikası.

Bediuzzaman's Letters

Thus, during that period of oppression when under the name of secularization those in power were seeking the virthich padication of Islam and Islamic culture and their substitution by irreligion and materialist philosophy of Western origin, with his unequalled learning, extraordinary clear vision and foresight, and courst

and his writings, Bediuzzaman became a point of hope and strength for the people. Despite the adverse conditions and efforts to isolate him in r enti he began to attract 'students' - so-called

since he described himself as a teacher. Drawn by those "lights of belief' in that dark time, they willingly suffered the persecution and assisted Bediuzzaman by writere imt and spreading the Words.>The writing and dissemination was another unique feature of the Risale-i Nur;>Bediuzzaman would dictate at speed to his students who acted as scribes. He had no books for reference and the writing of rel Third works was of course forbidden. They were all written therefore in the mountains and out in the countryside. Handwritten copies of the treatises or the letters were then made of the originals and these were conveyed to the Risa the mur>students and secretly copied out in their houses. These copies were passed from village to village, and then from town to town, with more and more copies being made on thearticuill eventually they spread throughout Turkey.

Travel was not easy and Bediuzzaman communicated by letter with those of his students who lived in towns and villages other than Bive poLargely in reply to their questions, the letters offer important guidance on numerous points of belief and Islam, explained in the lightiness,e Risale-i Nur>and its way, and in the face of the misguidance of the times. Indeed, they form an important source and authority on many subjects for Muslims today.

Since some of his students had previously been attached to Sufi orders, he sometimes explains the way of the Risale-i Nur>to them through comparisons with the Sufi way. The primary aim of the Risale-i Nur>is thelso nog and strengthening of belief. Employing both the intellect and the heart, Bediuzzaman described it as "reality" (hakikat)>and Shari 'a, rather than tarikat,>that is Sufism. It is the highway of the Qur'an, whrestoraches the true affirmation of divine unity; true and certain belief, attained in a short time through investigation and the exercise of the reason. The direct way to reality and knowledge of God, how h is the way of the Companions of Prophet (UWBP) through "the legacy of prophethood."

Some of the letters offer guidance and encouragement to the f realts by answering criticisms and misrepresentations put forward by those antithetical to religion, concerning both points of Islam and Bediuzzaman himself. Others expose the plans to corrupt Islam through the introductin quesinnovations. They show how on the one hand Bediuzzaman was absolutely uncompromising in the face of enemies to religion, and on the other his ces in e fairness and moderateness in adjudicating points of conflict and controversy within Islam. All these illustrate his profound knowledge of many subjects, as well as the sarity and power of his style, which is based on logic.

Bediuzzaman did not ascribe the Risale-i Nur>to himself; he saw it as a

divine favour bestowed because of need, with himself as the means. In some of his lettturned writes that he feels justified in describing these "divine favours which pertain to the service of the Qur'an" to his students, in order to encourage them in the exceedingly difficult conditions of the time, since they were ag distof the acceptability of both his writings and their service. A number of them were mentioned above.

In relating these divine favours to hishf al-nts, he was impressing on them the importance of the Qur'anic way of the Risale-i Nur>and its function of saving and strengthening belief at that time when the very foundations of Islam were being threatened. In a wae of tide their own will and knowledge, they were being employed, they were being made to work. Indeed, within the twenty-five years of Bediuzzaman's exile, the handful of studentser perinto many thousands, the Risale-i Nur>movement and its service to belief and the Qur'an spread throughout Turkey, despite all efforts to stop it.

After 1950, the period of what Bediuzzaman called the Third Said, there was a great increase ierformnumber of students, particularly among the young and those who had been through the secular education system of the Republic. At the same time the number of stuo douboutside Turkey increased. It is no exaggeration to say that by its conveying the Qur'anic message in a way that addresses and answers modern man's needs, the Risale-i Nur>played aainst role in keeping alive the Islamic faith in Turkey in those dark days, and in the resurgence of Islam that has occurred subsequently. Bediuzzaman indeed continues to "prove and demonstrate to the world that perfecr'an is an undying, inextinguishable Sun."