Risale-i Nur

The First Letter

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise. {[*]:}

[This consists of the brief answers to four questions]

FIRST QUESTION

Is Hadhrat Khidr alive? If he is alive, why do some important religious scholars not accept this?

The Answer: He is alive, but there are five degrees of life. He is

at the second degree. It is because of this that some religious scholars have been doubtful about it.

The First Level of Life is that of our life, which is very restricted.

The Second Level of Life is that of the lives of Khidr and Ilyas (May God grant them peace), which is free to an extent. That is to say, they can be present in numerous places at the same time. They are not permanently restricted by the requirements of humanity like us. They can eat and drink like us when they want to, but are not compelled to like we are. The saints are those who uncover and witness the realities of creation, and the reports of their adventures with Khidr are unanimous and elucidate and prove this level of life. There is even one degree of sainthood which is called 'the degree of Khidr.' A saint who reaches this degree receives instruction from Khidr and meets with him. But sometimes the one at that degree is mistakenly thought to be Khidr himself.

The Third Level of Life is that of Idris and Jesus (May God grant them peace) which, being removed from the requirements of humanity, rises to an angelic level of life and acquires a luminous fineness. Quite simply, Idris and Jesus are present in the heavens with their earthly bodies, which have the subtlety of bodies from the World of Similitudes and the luminosity of star-like bodies. The Hadith the meaning of which is, "At the end of time, Jesus (Upon whom be peace) will come and will act in accordance with the Shari'a of Muhammad (PBUH)," {[*]:} indicates that at the end of time the religion of Christianity will be purified and divest itself of superstition in the face of the current of unbelief and atheism born of Naturalist philosophy, and will be transformed into Islam. At this point, the collective personality of Christianity will kill the fearsome collective personality of irreligion with the sword of heavenly Revelation; so too, representing the collective personality of Christianity, Jesus (Upon whom be peace) will kill the Dajjal, who represents the collective personality of irreligion, that is, he will kill atheistic thought.

The Fourth Level of Life is that of the martyrs. According to the Qur'an, the martyrs are at a level of life higher than that of the other dead in their graves. Since the martyrs sacrificed their worldly lives in the way of truth, in His perfect munificence, Almighty God bestows on them in the Intermediate Realm a life resembling earthly life, but without the sorrow and hardship. They do not know themselves to be dead, thinking only that they have gone to a better world. They enjoy themselves in perfect happiness and do not suffer the pains of separation that accompany

death. For sure the spirits of the dead are immortal, but they know themselves to be dead. The happiness and pleasure they experience in the Intermediate World are not equal to that of the martyrs. Like if two men in their dreams enter a beautiful palace resembling Paradise; one knows that he is dreaming and the pleasure and enjoyment he receives are deficient. He thinks: "If I wake up, all this enjoyment will disappear." While the other man does not know he is dreaming, and he experiences true happiness and pleasure.

The way the martyrs and other dead benefit from life in the Intermediate Realm is thus different. It has been established by innumerable incidents and narrations and it is certain that the martyrs manifest life in that way and think that they are alive. Indeed, this level of life has been illuminated and proved on repeated occasions by many occurrences like Hamza (May God be pleased with him) -the lord of the martyrs-protecting those that have recourse to him and performing and making performed matters in this world. I myself, even, had a nephew and student called Ubeyd. He was killed at my side and in my place and became a martyr. Then, when I was being held as a prisoner-of-war at a place three months' distance away, I entered his grave in a true dream, which was in the form of a dwelling-place under the earth, although I did not know where he was buried. I saw him living the level of life of martyrs. He evidently thought that I was dead, and said that he had wept much for me. He thought that he was alive, but having retreated from the Russian invasion, had made himself a good home under the ground. Thus, through a number of such indications, this unimportant dream afforded the conviction as certain as witnessing it concerning the above-mentioned truth.

The Fifth Level of Life is that of the life of the spirits of the dead in their graves. Yes, death is a change of residence, the liberation of the spirit, a discharge from duties; it is not annihilation, non-existence, and a going to nothingness. Many evidences like innumerable occurrences of the spirits of the saints assuming forms and appearing to those who uncover the realities, and the other dead having relations with us while awake or sleeping and their telling us of things that are conformable with reality, evidences like these illuminate and prove this level of life. In fact, the Twenty-Ninth Word about the immortality of man's spirit demonstrates this level of life with incontrovertible proofs.

SECOND QUESTION

Verses like the following in the All-Wise Qur'an, the Criterion of Truth and Falsehood,

Who creates death and life that He may try you, which of you is the best in conduct, {[*]:}

make it understood that "death is created like life; it too is a bounty." Whereas apparently death is dissolution, non-existence, decay, the extinction of life, the annihilator of pleasures; how can it be created and a bounty?

As was stated at the end of the answer to the First Question, death is a discharge from the duties of life; it is a rest, a change of residence, a change of existence; it is an invitation to an eternal life, a beginning, the introduction to an immortal life. Just as life comes into the world through an act of creation and a determining, so too departure from the world is through a creation and determining, through a wise and purposeful direction. For the death of plant life, the simplest level of life, shows that it is a more orderly work of art than life. For although the death of fruits, seeds, and grains appear to occur through decay and dissolution, their death is in fact a kneading which comprises an exceedingly well-ordered chemical reaction and well-balanced combining of elements and wise formation of particles; this unseen, orderly and wise death appears through the life of the new shoots. That is to say, the death of the seed is the start of life of the shoot; indeed, since it is like life itself, this death is created and well-ordered as much as is life.

Moreover, the death of the fruits of living beings and animals in the human stomach is the beginning of their rising to the level of human life; it may therefore be said "such a death is more orderly and created than their own life."

Thus, if the death of plant life, the lowest level of life, is thus created, wise, and ordered, so also must be the death that befalls human life, the most elevated level of life. And like a seed sown in the ground becomes a tree in the world of the air, so a man who is laid in the earth will surely produce the shoots of an everlasting life in the Intermediate Realm.

As for the aspects of death that are bounties, we shall point out four of them.

It is a great bounty because it is to be freed from the duties and obligations of life, which become burdensome, and is a door through

which to join and be united with the ninety-nine out of a hundred of one's friends who are already in the Intermediate Realm.

It is a release from the narrow, irksome, turbulent, and agitated prison of this world, and, manifesting an expansive, joyful, troublefree immortal life, it is to enter the sphere of mercy of the Eternally Beloved One.

There are numerous factors like old age which make the conditions of life arduous and show death to be a bounty far superior to life. For example, if together with your very elderly parents who cause you much distress were now in front of you your grandfather's grandfathers in all their pitiful state, you would understand what a calamity is life, and what a bounty, death. Also for example, it is understood how difficult are the lives in the conditions of winter of the beautiful flying insects, the lovers of the beautiful flowers, and what mercy are their deaths.

Just as sleep is a comfort, a mercy, a rest, particularly for those afflicted by disaster and the wounded and the sick, so too is death, the elder brother of sleep, a pure bounty and mercy for those struck by disaster and suffering tribulations which drive them to suicide. However, as is proved decisively in many of the Words, for the people of misguidance, death is pure torment like life, and pure affliction, but it is outside the discussion here.

THIRD QUESTION

Where is Hell?

Say: the knowledge is with God alone. {[*]:} * None knows the Unseen save God.

According to some narrations, Hell is beneath the earth. As we have explained in other places, in its annual orbit, the globe of the earth traces a circle around an area that in the future will be the place of the Great Gathering and Last Judgement. It means Hell is beneath the area of its orbit. It is invisible and unperceptible because it consists of veiled and lightless fire. In the vast distance travelled by the earth are many creatures that are invisible because they are without light. Like the moon loses its existence when its light withdraws, so we are unable to see numerous lightless globes and creatures which are before of our eyes.

There are two Hells, the Lesser and the Greater. In the future, the Lesser will be transformed into the Greater and is like its seed; in the future it will become one of its habitations. The Lesser Hell is under the earth, that is, at the earth's centre. It is the inside and centre of the globe. It is known in geology that in digging downwards, the heat for the most part increases one degree every thirty-three metres. That means that since half the diametre of the earth is around six thousand kilometres, the fire at the centre is at a temperature of around two hundred thousand degrees, that is, two hundred times hotter than fire at the circumference; this is in agreement with what is related by Hadiths. This Lesser Hell performs many of the functions of the Greater Hell in this world and Intermediate Realm, and this is indicated in Hadiths. Just as in the world of the hereafter, the earth will pour its inhabitants into the arena of the resurrection within its annual orbit, so too at the Divine command will it hand over the Lesser Hell within it to the Greater Hell.

Some of the Mu'tazilite imams said that "Hell will be created later," but this is mistaken and foolish, and arises from Hell not having completely opened up at the present time and developed into a form entirely appropriate to its inhabitants. In order to see with our worldly eyes the dwelling places of the world of the hereafter within the veil of the Unseen and to demonstrate them, either the universe has to be shrunk to the size of two provinces, or our eyes have to be enlarged to the size of stars, so that we can see and specify their places. God knows best, the dwelling-places of the hereafter are not visible to our worldly eyes, but as indicated by certain narrations, the Hell of the hereafter is connected with our world. In a Hadith it is said of the intense heat of summer, "It gives an inkling of Hell." {[*]:} That is to say, that Greater Hell is not visible to the tiny and dim eyes of the minds of this world. However, we may look with the light of the Divine Name of All-Wise, as follows:

The Greater Hell beneath the earth's annual orbit has as though made the Lesser Hell at the earth's centre its deputy and made it perform some of its functions. The possessions of the All-Powerful One of Glory are truly extensive; wherever Divine wisdom pointed out, He situated the Greater Hell there. Yes, an All-Powerful One of Glory, an All-Wise One of Perfection Who is owner of the command of 'Be!' and it is has tied the moon to the earth before our eyes in perfect wisdom and order, and with vast power and perfect order tied the earth to the sun, and has made the

sun travel together with its planets with a speed close to that of the annual rotation of the earth, and with the majesty of His dominicality, according to one possibility, made it travel towards the sun of suns, and like a fleet decked out with electric lights has made the stars luminous witnesses to the sovereignty of His dominicality. It is not far from the perfect wisdom, tremendous power, and sovereignty of dominicality of one thus All-Glorious to make the Greater Hell like the boiler of an electric light factory and with it set fire to the stars of the heavens which look to the hereafter, and give them heat and power. That is, give light to the stars from Paradise, the world of light, and send them fire and heat from Hell, and at the same time, make part of that Hell a habitation and place of imprisonment for those who are to be tormented. Furthermore, He is an All-Wise Creator Who conceals a tree as large as a mountain in a seed the size of a finger-nail. It is surely not far then from the power and wisdom of such an All-Glorious One to conceal the Greater Hell in the seed of the Lesser Hell in the heart of the globe of the earth.

Paradise and Hell are the two fruits of a branch of the tree of creation which stretches out towards eternity. The fruits' place is at the branch's tip. And they are the two results of the chain of the universe; and the places of the results are the two sides of the chain. The base and heavy are on its lower side, the luminous and elevated on its upper side. They are also the two stores of this flood of events and the immaterial produce of the earth. And the place of a store is according to the variety of the produce, the bad beneath, the good above. They are also the two pools of the flood of beings which flows in waves towards eternity. As for the pool's place, it is where the flood stops and gathers. That is, the obscene and filthy below, the good and the pure above. They are also the two places of manifestation, the one of beneficence and mercy, the other of wrath and tremendousness. Places of manifestation may be anywhere; the All-Merciful One of Beauty, the All-Compelling One of Glory, establishes His places of manifestation where He wishes.

As for the existence of Paradise and Hell, they have been proved most decisively in the Tenth, Twenty-Eighth, and Twenty-Ninth Words. Here, we only say this: the existence of the fruit is as definite and certain as that of the branch; the result as the chain; the store as the produce; the pool as the river; and the places of manifestation as definite and certain as the existence of mercy and wrath.

FOURTH QUESTION

Like metaphorical love for objects of love can be transformed into true love, can the metaphorical love that most people have for this world also be transformed into true love?

Yes, if a lover with metaphorical love for the transitory face of the world sees the ugliness of the decline and transience on that face and turns away from it. If he searches for an immortal beloved and is successful in seeing the world's other two most beautiful faces, that of mirror to the Divine Names and the tillage of the hereafter, his illicit metaphorical love then starts to be transformed into true love. But on the one condition that he does not confuse with the outside world his own fleeting and unstable world which is bound to his life. If like the people of misguidance and heedlessness he forgets himself, plunges into the outside world, and supposing the general world to be his private world becomes the lover of it, he will fall into the swamp of Nature and drown. Unless, extraordinarily, a hand of favour saves him. Consider the following comparison which will illuminate this truth.

For example, if on the four walls of this finely decorated room are four full-length mirrors belonging to the four of us, then there would be five rooms. One would be actual and general, and four, similitudes and personal. Each of us would be able to change the shape, form, and colour of his personal room by means of his mirror. If we were to paint it red, it would appear red, if we were to paint it green, it would appear green. Likewise, we could give it numerous states by adjusting the mirror; we could make it ugly, or beautiful, give it different forms. But we could not easily adjust and change the outer and general room. While in reality the general and personal rooms are the same, in practice they are different. You could destroy your own room with one finger, but you could not make one stone of the other stir.

Thus, this world is a decorated house. The life of each of us is a full-length mirror. We each of us have a world from this world, but its support, centre, and door is our life. Indeed, that personal world of ours is a page, and our life is a pen; many things that are written with it pass to the page of our actions. If we have loved our world, later we have seen that since it is constructed on our life, it is fleeting, transitory, and unstable like our life. We have perceived and understood this. Our love for it turns towards the beautiful impresses of the Divine Names to which our personal world is the mirror and which it represents. Moreover, if we are aware that that personal world of ours is a temporary seed-bed of the hereafter and Paradise, and if we direct our feelings for it like intense

desire, love, and greed, towards the benefits of the hereafter, which are its results, fruits, and shoots, then that metaphorical love is transformed into true love. Otherwise, manifesting the meaning of the verse,

Those who forget God; and he made them forget their own souls. Such are the rebellious transgressors, {[*]:}

a person will forget himself, not think of life's fleeting nature, suppose his personal, unstable world to be constant like the general world, and imagine himself to be undying; he will fix himself on the world and embrace it with intense emotions; he will drown in it and depart. Such love will be boundless torment and tribulation for him. For an orphan-like compassion, a despairing softness of heart will be born of that love. He will pity all living beings. Indeed, he will feel sympathy for all beautiful creatures which suffer decline, and the pain of separation, but he will be able to do nothing, he will suffer in absolute despair.

However, the first man, who is saved from heedlessness, finds an elevated antidote for the pain of that intense compassion. For in the death and decline of all the living beings he pities, he sees the mirrors of their spirits, in which are depicted the perpetual manifestations of the enduring Names of an Ever-Enduring One, to be immortal; his compassion is transformed into joy. He also sees behind all beautiful creatures which are subject to death and transience, an impress, a making beautiful, an art, adornment, bestowal, and illuminating which are permanent and which make perceived a transcendent beauty, a sacred loveliness. He sees the death and transience to be renewal for the purpose of increasing the beauty, refreshing the pleasure, and exhibiting the art, and this augments his pleasure, his ardour, his wonder.

The Second Letter

[Part of the letter written in response to a gift from his above-mentioned, well-known student] {[*]:}

You sent me a present, and want to break an extremely important rule of mine! I do not say: "I don't accept presents from you in the same way that I don't accept them from Abdülmecid {[*]:} and Abdurrahman, {[*]:} my brother and nephew," because since you are more advanced than them and closer in spirit, even if everyone's gifts are refused, just this time, yours may not be refused. But in connection with this, I shall tell you the reason for my rule. It is like this:

The Old Said never accepted favours. He preferred death to becoming obliged to people. He never broke that rule of his despite suffering great hardship and difficulty. This characteristic, which was left as a legacy by the Old Said to this wretched brother of yours, is not asceticism or artificial self-sufficiency, but is based on four or five serious reasons

The people of misguidance accuse religious scholars of making their learning a means of subsistence. They attack them unfairly, saying: "They are making knowledge and religion a means of livelihood for themselves." It is necessary to show this to be false by action.

We are charged with following the prophets in disseminating the truth. In the All-Wise Qur'an, those who do this say,

My reward is only due from God * My reward is only due from God {[*]:}

and display independence. The sentence in Sura Ya. Sin.,

Follow those who ask no reward of you, and who have themselves received guidance {[*]:}

is most meaningful regarding this matter of ours.

As is explained in the First Word, one should give in God's name and take in God's name. Whereas mostly either the one giving is heedless and gives in his own name and implicitly puts the other under an obligation, or the one who receives is heedless; he gives the thanks and praise due to the True Provider to apparent causes and is in error.

Reliance on God, contentment, and frugality are such a treasury and wealth that they can be exchanged for nothing. I do not want to take things from people and shut up that inexhaustible treasury and store. I offer hundreds of thousands of thanks to the All-Glorious Provider that since my childhood He has not compelled me to remain under obligation and be abased. Relying on His munificence, I beseech His mercy that I may also spend the remainder of my life in accordance with this rule.

As a result of many signs and experiences over the past year or two I have formed the firm conviction that I am not permitted to receive the people's goods and particularly the gifts of the rich and of officials. Some of them make me ill... rather, they are made to be like that, they are made so that I cannot eat them. Sometimes they are turned into a form that upsets me. This means that it is in effect an order not to receive the goods of others and is a prohibition to receive them. Moreover, I have a need for solitude, I cannot receive everyone all the time. Accepting the people's gifts necessitates considering their feelings and accepting them at times I do not want to. And I do not find that agreeable. I find it more agreeable to eat a small piece of dry bread and wear

clothes patched in a hundred places, and be saved from artificiality and sycophancy. It is disagreeable for me to eat the best quality baklava and wear the finest clothes at the hands of others and be obliged to consider their feelings.

The most important reason for self-sufficiency is what Ibn Hajar, the most reliable scholar of our school of law, says: "If you are not righteous it is forbidden to accept something intended for the righteous." {[*]:}

Thus, due to greed and ambition, the people of this age sell the smallest gift very expensively. They imagine a sinful wretch like myself to be righteous or a saint and they give him a loaf of bread. If, God forbid, I consider myself to be righteous, it is a sign of pride and points to the absence of righteousness. If I do not consider myself to be righteous, it is not permissible to accept those goods. Also, to receive alms and gifts in return for actions directed towards the hereafter, means consuming the eternal fruits of the hereafter in transitory form in this world.

The Third Letter

[Part of a letter sent to the well-known student of his.] {[*]:}

You wrote in one of your letters to me that you wanted to share in my feelings here, so listen now to one thousandth of them.

One night at the height of a hundred-storey building in my tree-house at the top of a cedar tree, I looked at the beautiful face of the heavens gilded with stars and saw in the All-Wise Qur'an's oath of,

So verily I call to witness the planets * That recede, go forth, or hide {[*]:}

an elevated light of miraculousness and brilliant secret of eloquence. This verse, which refers to the planets and their being concealed and spread abroad, displays to the gaze of observers a most elevated embroidery of art and exalted and instructive tapestry. These planets emerge from the sphere of the sun, their commander, and entering that of the fixed stars, display fresh embroideries and instances of art in the skies. Sometimes they come shoulder to shoulder with another star like themselves and display a beautiful situation. And sometimes they enter among the small stars and take up the position of commander. Especially in this season after evening, Venus on the horizon, and before the early dawn one of its shining companions, display a truly graceful and lovely scene. Later, after carrying out their duties as inspectors and acting as shuttles in the tapestries of art, they return, and entering the dazzling sphere of the sun, hide themselves. Now they demonstrate as brilliantly as the sun the majesty of dominicality and glittering Divine sovereignty of the One Who

spins this earth of ours and the planets described in the above verse with perfect order in space, each like a ship or aeroplane. See that majestic dominion which has under its sway ships and aeroplanes a thousand times greater in size than the earth, and that travel thousands of times faster.

You can see from this then what an elevated happiness, what a great honour, it is to be connected to such a Monarch through worship and belief, and to be his guest.

Then I looked at the moon, and saw a shining light of miraculousless in the verse,

And the moon, We have measured for her mansions till she returns like the old lower part of a date stalk. {[*]:}

Indeed, the determining, rotating, regulating, and illuminating of the moon, and its positioning in regard to the earth and the sun with an extremely precise reckoning is so wonderful, so astonishing, that for the All-Powerful One Who orders and determines it thus nothing at all could be difficult. It instructs all beings with intelligence who behold it, conveying to them the idea, "The One Who makes it thus can surely do everything." And it follows the sun so that it does not deviate from its path even for a second, or lag behind one iota in its duties. It makes those who observe it carefully exclaim: Glory be to the One Whose art bewilders the mind! Especially when like at the end of May it sometimes comes into conjunction with the Pleiades in the shape of fine crescent, displaying the form of the curved white branch of a date-palm, and the Pleiades appearing as a bunch of grapes, it conjures up in the imagination the existence of a huge luminous tree behind the veil of the green heavens. As if the pointed tip of one of the tree's branches had pierced the veil and stuck out its head together with its bunch of grapes and become the Pleiades and the crescent moon, and the other stars had become the fruits of that hidden tree. So see the subtlety and eloquence of the metaphor of,

Like the old lower part of a date stalk.

Then this verse occurred to me,

He it is Who has made the earth submissive to you, so traverse its tracts, {[*]:}

which suggests that the earth is a subjugated ship or mount. From this I saw myself high up in a huge ship journeying at speed through space. I recited the verse,

Glory be to Him Whom has subjected these to us, for we could never have accomplished this, {[*]:}

which it is Sunna to recite when mounting means of transport like horses or ships. {[*]:}

I saw that with this motion the globe of the earth had taken the position of a projector showing images like in the cinema; it brought into movement all the heavens, and began to mobilize all the stars like a magnificent army. It shows such fine and lofty scenes that it intoxicates and fills with wonder those who think. "Glory be to God!", I exclaimed; what numerous, vast, strange, wonderful, and elevated works are performed at so little expense. Two subtle points concerning belief occurred to me from this:

A few days ago I was asked a question by a guest; its basis, which displayed doubt, was this: Paradise and Hell are a great distance away. Through Divine grace, the people of Paradise will pass through the resurrection like lightening or like Buraq, and enter Paradise. But the people of Hell, how will they go, with their heavy bodies and loaded down with the heavy burdens of their sins? By what means will they travel?

What occurred to me was this: like if for example all nations are invited to a general congress in America and each boards a huge boat and goes there; in the same way, the globe of the earth, which travels the long distance of twenty-five thousand years in one year in the vast ocean of the universe, will take on its people, travel to the field of the resurrection, and disembark them. Furthermore, the Hell at the centre of the earth, which is indicated by the fact that the earth's temperature increases one degree every thirty-three metres, will pour its fire, whose temperature of 200,000 ? is similar to that described in Hadith and according to Hadiths will carry out some of the duties of the Greater Hell in this world and the Intermediate Realm, into the Greater Hell, then at a Divine command, the earth will be transformed into a better and eternal form, and become one of the dwelling-places of the hereafter.

The Second Point which comes to mind: it is the custom of the All-Powerful Maker, the All-Wise Creator, the Single One of Unity, in order to demonstrate the perfection of His power and beauty of His wisdom and proofs of His Unity, to perform many works with very little and to have large duties carried out by small things. As I have said in some of

the Words, if all things are attributed to a single being, things become so easy as to be necessary. Whereas if things are attributed to numerous makers and causes, as many difficulties arise as to make it impossible. For a single individual like an officer or master builder easily gives a single situation to numerous soldiers or numerous stones with a single act, a single movement, and obtains a result. But if, in order to obtain that situation and result, they were referred to the soldiers in the army or the stones of the dome, which is without support, they could only be achieved with truly numerous acts, numerous difficulties, and great confusion.

And so, if the acts like the whirling and rotations, the circulation and revolutions, and the glorification-scattering promenading and the excursions of the four seasons and day and night in the universe are ascribed to unity, then by impelling a single globe with a single command, a Single Being can obtain those elevated situations and exalted results, like displaying the wonders of art in the alternation of the seasons, and the wonders of wisdom in the revolutions of day and night, and the graceful spectacles in the apparent motions of the stars, sun, and moon. For the army of all beings is His. If He wishes, He may appoint a soldier like the earth as commander of all the stars, make the mighty sun a lamp furnishing heat and light for his people, and the four seasons, which are tablets of the inscriptions of His power, as shuttles, and night and day, which are pages for the writings of His wisdom, He can make into bows. By showing to each day the moon in a different shape, He makes it into a calendar for reckoning time. And just as He makes the stars adorned, elegant, shining lanterns in the hands of the angels, dancing in ecstasy, so too He demonstrates many instances of their wisdom concerning the earth. If these situations are not sought from One Being Whose command, order, law, and regulation address all beings, then all the suns and stars would have to cut an infinite distance each day with actual motion and infinite speed.

It is because of this infinite ease in unity and infinite difficulty in multiplicity that businessmen and industrialists give a unity to multiplicity and so secure an ease and facility; that is, they form companies.

There are infinite difficulties in the way of misguidance, and infinite ease in the way of unity.

The Fourth Letter

May God's peace and mercy and blessings be upon you, and upon my brothers especially.......

My Dear Brothers!

I am now on a high peak on Çam Dagi (Pine Mountain), at the top of a mighty pine-tree in a tree-house. In lonely solitude far from men, I have grown accustomed to this isolation. When I wish for conversation with men, I imagine you to be here with me, and I talk with you and find consolation. If there is nothing to prevent it, I would like to remain alone here for one or two months. When I return to Barla, {[*]:} I shall search for some means for the verbal conversation with you I so long for, if you would like it. For now I am writing two or three things which come to mind here in this pine-tree.

This is somewhat confidential, but no secrets are concealed from you. It is as follows:

Some of the people of reality manifest the Divine Name of Loving One, and through that manifestation at a maximum degree look to the Necessarily Existent One through the windows of beings. In the same way, but just when he is employed in service of the Qur'an and is the herald of its infinite treasuries, this brother of yours who is nothing, but nothing, is given a state whereby he manifests the Divine Names of All-Compassionate and All-Wise. God willing, the Words [the Risale-i Nur]

manifest the meaning of the verse: He who has been given wisdom, has been given great good. {[*]:}

This saying concerning the Naqshbandi Order suddenly occurred to me: "On the Naqshbandi way, one must abandon four things: the world, the hereafter, existence, and abandoning itself." It gave rise to the following thought:

"On the way of impotence four things are necessary: absolute poverty, absolute impotence, absolute thanks, and absolute ardour, my friend."

Then the rich and colourful poem you had written, "Look at the multicoloured page of the book of the universe, etc." came to mind. I looked at the stars on the face of skies through it. I said to myself, if only I had been a poet and completed it. And although I have no ability to write poetry or verse, I still began, but it was not poetry. However it occurred to me, that is how I wrote it. You, my heir, may transform it into poetry and set it into verse. What suddenly came to mind was this:

Then listen to the stars, listen to their harmonious address!

See what wisdom has emblazed on the decree of its light.

Altogether they start to speak with the tongue of truth,

We are each of us light-scattering proofs of the existence of our Maker,

We are witnesses both to His Unity and His Power,

We are subtle miracles gilding the face of the skies for the angels to gaze upon.

We are the innumerable attentive eyes of the heavens which watch the earth, which study Paradise.

{(*):}

We are the innumerable exquisite fruits which the hand of wisdom of the All-Glorious and Beauteous One has fastened

To the celestial portion of the tree of creation, to all the branches of the Milky Way.

For the inhabitants of the heavens,

We are each of us a travelling mosque, a spinning house, a lofty home;

Each is an illumining lamp, a mighty ship, an aeroplane.

We are each of us a miracle of power, a wonder of creative art

Created by the Powerful One of Perfection, the All-Wise One of Glory;

A rarity of His wisdom, a marvel of His creation, a world of light.

We demonstrated to mankind innumerable proofs,

We made them hear with these innumerable tongues of ours;

But their accursed unseeing, unbelieving eyes did not see our faces,

They did not hear our words.

Our stamp is one, our seal is one,

We are mastered by our Sustainer,

We glorify Him through our subjugation,

We recite His Names,

We are each of us in ecstasy,

A member of the mighty circle of the Milky Way.

The Enduring One, He is the Enduring One!

The Fifth Letter

In his Letters (Maktubat), Imam-i Rabbani {[*]:} (May God be pleased with him), the hero and a sun of the Naqshbandi Order, said: "I prefer the unfolding of a single matter of the truths of belief to thousands of illuminations, ecstasies, and instances of wonder-working."

He also said: "The final point of all the Sufi ways is the clarification and unfolding of the truths of belief."

He also said: "Sainthood is of three sorts: one is the 'lesser sainthood,' which is the well-known sainthood. The others are the 'middle sainthood' and the 'greater sainthood.' 'Greater sainthood' is to open up by way of the legacy of prophethood a direct way to reality without entering the intermediate realm of Sufism."

He said also: "The spiritual journeying on the Naqshi way is with two wings." That is, "Through having firm belief in the truths of faith and carrying out the religious obligations. If there is defect in these two wings, the way cannot be traversed." In which case, the Naqshi way consists of three 'veils':

The First and most important is direct service to the truths of belief; Imam-i Rabbani travelled this way in his later years.

The Second is service to the religious obligations and Glorious Sunna under the veil of the Sufi way.

The Third

is to work to eliminate the sicknesses of the heart by way of Sufism and to journey with the feet of the heart. Of these, the first is the equivalent of obligatory, the second, close to obligatory, and the third, Sunna.

Since the reality of the matter is thus, my conjecture is that if persons like Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir Gilani {[*]:} (May God be pleased with him) and Shah Naqshband {[*]:} (May God be pleased with him) and Imam-i Rabbani (May God be pleased with him) were alive at the present time, they would expend all their efforts in strengthening the truths of belief and tenets of Islam. For they are the means to eternal happiness. If there is deficiency in them, it results in eternal misery. A person without belief may not enter Paradise, but very many have gone to Paradise without Sufism. Man cannot live without bread, but he can live without fruit. Sufism is the fruit, the truths of Islam, basic sustenance. In former times, through spiritual journeying from forty days to as much as forty years, a person might rise to some of the truths of belief. But now, if through Almighty God's mercy there is a way to rise to those truths in forty minutes, it surely is not sensible to remain indifferent to it.

Thus, those who have studied carefully the thirty-three Words state that they have opened up just such a Qur'anic way. Since this is a fact, I am of the opinion that the Words written about the mysteries of the Qur'an are a most appropriate medicine and salve for the wounds of this time, and a most beneficial light for the totality of Islam which has been subject to the assaults of darkness, and a most right guide for those wandering bewildered in the valleys of misguidance.

You know that if misguidance arises from ignorance, it is easy to dispel. Whereas if it proceeds from science and learning, it is difficult to eliminate. In former times, the latter were one in a thousand, and of these only one in a thousand could come to the way through guidance. For such people fancy themselves. And they do not know, but they suppose that they do know. I think that Almighty God has bestowed the Words at this time, which are flashes of the Qur'an's miraculousness, as an antidote to this atheistic misguidance.

The Sixth Letter

May God's peace and His mercy and His blessings be upon you and upon your brothers so long as day and night continue and the ages follow on in succession and the sun and moon endure and the two stars in Ursa Minor are in opposition.

My hard-working brothers, zealous friends, and means of consolation in these lands of exile known as the world!

Since Almighty God has made you shareholders in the meanings He has imparted to my mind, it is surely also your right to share in my feelings. In order not to sadden you unduly, I shall skip the excessively grievous part of my loneliness in exile and shall relate another part to you, as follows:

These last two or three months I have been very much alone. Sometimes once every two or three weeks I have a guest with me; the rest of the time I am alone. And for nearly three weeks now there have been none of those working in the mountains near me; they have all dispersed...

One night in these strange mountains, silent and alone amid the mournful sighing of the trees, I saw myself in five exiles of different hues.

The first: due to old age, I was alone and a stranger away from the great majority of my friends, relations, and those close to me; I felt a sad exile at their having left me and departed for the Intermediate Realm. Then another sphere of exile was opened within this one: I felt a sad

sense of separation and exile at most of the beings to which I was attached, like last spring, having left me and departed. And a further sphere of exile opened up within this, which was that I had fallen apart from my native land and relations, and was alone. I felt a sense of separation and exile arising from this too. Then through that, the lonesomeness of the night and the mountains made me feel another pitiable exile. And then I saw my spirit in an overwhelming exile, which had been prepared to journey to eternity both from this exile and from the transitory guest-house of this world. I said to myself suddenly, My God, how can these exiles and layers of darkness be borne? My heart cried out:

My Lord! I am a stranger, I have no one, I am weak, I am powerless, I am impotent, I am old;

I am without will; I seek recourse, I seek forgiveness, I seek help from Your Court, O God!

Suddenly the light of belief, the effulgence of the Qur'an, and the grace of the Most Merciful came to my aid. They transformed those five dark exiles into five luminous and familiar spheres. My tongue said:

God is enough for us, and He is the best disposer of affairs. {[*]:}

While my heart recited the verse:

And if they turn away, say: God is enough for me, there is no god but He; in Him do I place my trust, for He is the Lord of the Mighty Throne. {[*]:}

My mind too addressed my soul, crying out in distress and terror, saying:

Cry not out at misfortune, O wretch, come, trust in God!

For know that crying out compounds the misfortune and is a great error.

Find misfortune's Sender, and know it is a gift within gift, and pleasure.

So leave crying out and offer thanks; like the nightingale, smile through your tears!

If you find Him not, know the world is all pain within pain, transience and loss.

So why lament at a small misfortune while upon you is a worldful of woe? Come trust in God!

Trust in God! Laugh in misfortune's face; it too will laugh.

As it laughs, it will diminish; it will be changed and transformed.

And like Mawlana Jalal al-Din, {[*]:} one of my masters, said to his soul, I too said:

«He said: 'Am I not your Lord?', and you assented. So what is thanks for that 'Yes'? It is to suffer tribulation. And what is the true meaning of tribulation? It means to be the door-knocker on the abode of poverty and annihilation.»

So then my soul declared: "Yes, yes, through impotence and reliance on God, and poverty and seeking refuge with Him, the door of light is opened and the layers of darkness are dispersed. All praise be to God for the light of belief and Islam!" I saw what an elevated truth the following lines of the famous Hikam Ata'iyya express:

«What does the one who finds God lose? And what does the one who loses Him find?» {[*]:}

That is, the one who finds Him finds everything, while the one who does not find Him, can find nothing. If he does find it, it will only bring him trouble. And I understood the meaning of the Hadith, «Tuba (happiness) for strangers in exile.» {[*]:} And I offered thanks.

And so, my brothers, for sure these dark exiles were lit up through the light of belief, but they still affected me to an extent, provoking the following thought: "Since I am a stranger and I am in exile and I shall go to exile, I wonder if my duties in this guest-house are finished? Should I hand over the Words to you and completely sever all my ties?" For this reason I asked you if the Words that have been written are sufficient or are lacking something. That is, is my duty finished, so that with ease of heart I can cast myself into a light-filled, pleasurable, true exile, forget the world, and say like Mawlana Jalal al-Din,

"Do you know what the sama' is? To become unconscious of existence,

«To taste eternity in absolute annihilation.»?

Asking, "can I search for an elevated exile?", I troubled you with these questions.

The Seventh Letter

May peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings for ever and ever.

My Dear Brothers!

I gather you told Samli Hafiz {[*]:} to ask me two things:

THE FIRST

"Like the dissemblers in early times, the people of misguidance of modern times make the marriage of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) with Zaynab a pretext for criticism, considering it to have been to satisfy the lusts of the soul."

God forbid, a hundred thousand times! Such vile doubts cannot be directed at that lofty one! Yes, he was such that from the age of fifteen to forty when the blood is fiery and exuberant and the passions of the soul enflamed, he sufficed and was content with a single older woman like Khadija the Great (May God be pleased with her) with complete chastity and purity-as is agreed by friend and foe alike. His then having numerous wives after the age of forty, that is, when bodily heat subsides and the passions are quietened, is evidence proving decisively and self-evidently to those who are even a little fair-minded that such marriages were not to satisfy the carnal appetites, but were for other important reasons and instances of wisdom.

One of those instances of wisdom is this: like his words, the actions, states, conduct, and deeds of God's Messenger (PBUH) are the sources of religion and the Shari'a, and the authority for its injunctions. While the Companions transmitted the outward, public things, the transmitters and narrators of the private matters of religion and injunctions of the Shari'a which were manifested from his private conduct in the personal sphere, were his wives; they performed this function. Perhaps half of the personal matters of religion and the injunctions concerning them come from them. That is to say, numerous wives of differing temperament were required to perform this necessary duty.

Now let us consider his marriage with Zaynab. In connection with the verse,

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but [he is] the Messsenger of God and the Seal of the Prophets, {[*]:}

which is one of the examples given in the Third Ray of the First Light in the Twenty-Fifth Word, it is written that with its many aspects, a single verse states meanings appropriate to the understandings of all classes of men.

One class's share of understanding of the above verse is this: according to a sound narration based on his own admission, Zayd, the Noble Messenger's (Upon whom be blessings and peace) servant whom he addressed as "my son," divorced his proud wife because he did not find himself equal to her. That is to say, with his perceptiveness, Zayd realized that Zaynab had been created with an elevated character different to his and that it was in her nature to be a prophet's wife. Since he found himself to be by nature unequal to her as a spouse and this caused incompatibility, he divorced her. At God's command, His Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) took her. That is, as indicated by the verse,

We joined her in marriage to you {[*]:}

showing that it was a heavenly contract, this marriage was out of the ordinary, above external relations, and purely on the orders of Divine Determining. Thus, the Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) submitted to the decree of Divine Determining and was compelled to do so; it was not at the behest of carnal desire.

The verse,

In order that [in future] there may be no difficulty to the believers in [the matter of] marriage with the wives of their adopted sons {[*]:}

comprises an important injunction of the Shari'a, a general instance of wisdom, and a comprehensive, general benefit pertaining to this decree of Divine Determining; it indicates that adults calling the young "my son" is not forbidden, as is the matter of zihar, that is, a man saying to his wife "you are like my mother," so that ordinances should change due to it. Also, great ones looking to their followers and Divine Messengers looking to their communities and addressing them in fatherly fashion, is due to the functions of leadership and messengership; it is not in respect of their human personalities so that it should be inappropriate for them to take wives from them.

Another class's share of the understanding of this verse is this: a great ruler looks on his subjects with paternal compassion. If he is a spiritual king holding both outward and inward rule, since his compassion is a hundred times greater than that of a father, his subjects look on him as their father, as though they were his real sons. A father's view is not easily transformed into that of a husband, and a girl's view into that of a wife. So, since according to this it is inappropriate in the public view for a prophet to take in marriage the believers' daughters, with the purpose of repelling such a doubt, the Qur'an says: "On account of Divine mercy the Prophet has compassion for you, he deals with you in fatherly fashion, and in the name of messengership you are like his children. But in regard to his human personality he is not your father so that it should be inappropriate for him to take a wife from among you. And if he calls you "Son," in respect of the rulings of the Shari'a, you cannot be his children!..."

The Eighth Letter

There are numerous instances of wisdom in the Names of Most Merciful and Compassionate being included in 'In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate' and at the start of all good things. Postponing the explanation of these to another time, I shall for now recount a feeling of mine:

My brother, I see the Names of Merciful and Compassionate to be a light so vast that they embrace the whole universe and satisfy all the eternal needs of all spirits, and so luminous and powerful that they secure a person against all his innumerable enemies. The most important means I have found for attaining to these Names, these two vast lights, are poverty and thanks, impotence and compassion. That is, worship and realizing one's neediness. What comes to mind in connection with this and I say contrary to the great mystics and religious scholars, and even to Imam-i Rabbani, one of my masters, is this: the intense and brilliant emotion the Prophet Jacob (Upon whom be peace) felt for Joseph (Upon whom be peace) was not love or passion, but compassion. For compassion is much sharper and more brilliant and elevated, and purer and more worthy of the rank of prophethood than love and passion. If the love and passion for metaphorical objects of love and creatures are intense, they are not fitting for the elevated rank of prophethood. This means Jacob's feelings, which the All-Wise Qur'an describes with brilliant, glittering eloquence, and which were the means to attaining to the Name of All-Compassionate, were a high degree of compassion. As for passionate love, the means of attaining to the Name of All-Loving, it concerns the matter of Zulaikha's love for Joseph (Upon whom be peace). That is to

say, however much higher the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition shows Jacob's (Upon whom be peace) emotions to be than Zulaikha's, to that degree compassion is seen to be more elevated than passionate love. My master, Imam-i Rabbani, {[*]:} did not consider metaphorical love to be altogether fitting for the rank of prophethood and therefore said: "Joseph's virtues were virtues pertaining to the hereafter, so love for him was not of a metaphorical kind so that it should have been defective." But I say: "Master! That is an artificial interpretation, the truth of the matter must be this: that was not love, but a degree of compassion a hundred times more brilliant, more extensive, and more elevated than love." Yes, in all its varieties, compassion is subtle and pure. Whereas many varieties of love and passion may not be condescended to.

Furthermore, compassion is extremely broad. Through the compassion he feels for his child, a person's compassion encompasses all young and even all living beings, and acts as a sort of mirror to the comprehensiveness of the Name of All-Compassionate. Whereas passionate love restricts its gaze to its beloved and sacrifices everything for it. Or else to elevate and praise its beloved, it denigrates others, and in effect insults them and abuses their honour. For example, one said: "The sun saw my beloved's beauty and was embarrased. In order not to see it, it veiled itself in cloud." Lover, fine sir! What right do you have to impute shame to the sun, which is a light-filled page of eight Greatest Names?

Moreover, compassion is sincere, wants nothing in return; it is pure and seeks nothing in exchange. The self-sacrificing, unselfish compassion of animals for their young, at the most common degree even, is evidence for this. Passionate love, however, desires remuneration and seeks return. The weepings of passionate love are a sort of demanding, a desiring remuneration.

Thus, Jacob's (Upon whom be peace) compassion, the most brilliant light of Sura Yusuf -the most brilliant of the Qur'an's Suras- points to the Names of Merciful and Compassionate. It informs us that the way of compassion is the way of mercy. And as a salve for the pain of compassion, it causes a person to utter:

For God is the Best of Protectors and He is the Most Merciful of the Merciful. {[*]:}

The Ninth Letter

Your success, endeavour, and eagerness in spreading the lights of the Qur'an are a Divine bestowal, a wonder of the Qur'an, a dominical favour. I congratulate you. Since we have come to a discussion of wonder-working, bestowal, and favour, I shall tell you a difference between wonder-working and bestowal. It is like this:

So long as there is no necessity for it, to display wonder-working is harmful. Whereas to make known bestowal is to make known a Divine bounty. If someone who is honoured with wonder-working knowingly manifests an extraordinary matter, and his evil-commanding soul is persistent, then in respect of him relying on himself and on his soul and what he has uncovered and falling into pride, it may be that Almighty God is drawing him on by at first granting him success. If unknowingly he displays a wondrous act; for example, a person has an unvoiced question and involuntarily he gives an appropriate answer, and afterwards understands, this increases his confidence, not in himself, but in his Sustainer. He says: "I have a Preserver who is raising me better than I myself." And this increases his reliance on God. This is a harmless sort of wonder-working; he is not charged with concealing it, but he should not intentionally display it, because of pride. For since apparently man's power to act has some connection with it, he may relate it to himself. When it comes to bestowal, it is sounder than the second sort of wonder-working, the sound sort, and in my opinion is more elevated. To display

it is to make known a bounty. The power to act has no connection with it, and the soul does not attribute it to itself.

And so, my brother, the Divine bounties concerning both yourself, and myself, particularly in our service of the Qur'an, which for a long time past I have seen and written about, are bestowal, and to make them known is to make known a Divine bounty. For this reason I mention to you the success of both of us in our service in order to make known the Divine bounty. I always knew that it would stimulate your propensity to offer thanks, not pride.

I observe that the most fortunate person in this worldly life is he who sees the world as a military guest-house, and submits himself and acts accordingly. Through seeing it in this way, he may rise swiftly to the rank of winning God's pleasure, the highest rank. Such a person will not give the price of a lasting diamond for something of the value of glass that will be broken. He will pass his life uprightly and with pleasure. Yes, the matters to do with this world are like pieces of glass doomed to be broken, while the lasting matters of the hereafter have the value of flawless diamonds. The intense curiosity, fervent love, terrible greed, and stubborn desires, and other intense emotions in man's nature were given in order to gain the matters of the hereafter. To direct those emotions in intense fashion towards transitory worldly matters means giving the price of eternal diamonds for pieces of glass that are to be smashed. A point has occurred to me in connection with this, and I shall tell it. It is like this:

Passionate love is an ardent sort of love. When it is directed towards transitory objects, it either causes its owner perpetual torment and pain, or, since the metaphorical beloved is not worth the price of such fervent love, it causes the lover to search for an eternal beloved. Then metaphorical love is transformed into true love.

Thus, there are in man thousands of emotions, each of which has two degrees, one metaphorical, the other, true. For example, the emotion of anxiety for the future is present in everyone. When a person is intensely anxious at the future, he sees that he possesses nothing to guarantee that he will reach the future he is anxious about. Also, in respect of sustenance, there is an undertaking for it, and the future is brief and not worth such intense worry. So he turns away from the future towards the true future beyond the grave, which is long-lasting, and which for the heedless there is no undertaking.

Man also displays intense ambition for possessions and position, then he sees that the transient property which has been put temporarily under

his supervision, and calamitous fame and position, which are dangerous and lead to hypocrisy, are not worth such intense ambition. He turns away from them towards spiritual rank and degrees in closeness to God, which constitute true rank, and towards provisions for the hereafter, and good works, which are true property. Metaphorical ambition, which is a bad quality, is transformed into true ambition, an elevated quality.

And, for example, with intense obstinacy, man expends his emotions on trivial, fleeting, transient things. Then he sees that he pursues for a year something not worth even a minute's obstinacy. Also, in the name of obstinacy, he persists in something damaging and harmful. Then he sees that this powerful emotion was not given him for such things and that it is contrary to wisdom and truth to expend it on them. So he utilizes his intense obstinacy, not on those unnecessary transient matters, but on the elevated and eternal truths of belief and foundations of Islam and service and duties pertaining to the hereafter. Metaphorical obstinacy, a base quality, is transformed into true obstinacy; that is, ardent steadfastness and constancy in what is right, a fine and good quality.

Thus, as these three examples show, if man uses the faculties given to him on account of the soul and this world, and behaves heedlessly as though he was going to remain in the world for ever, they become the means to base morality, wastefulness, and futility. But if he expends the lesser of them on the matters of this world and the more intense of them on spiritual duties and duties pertaining to the hereafter, they become the source of laudable morals and the means to happiness in this world and the next in conformity with wisdom and reality.

My guess is that one reason the advice and admonitions given at this time have been ineffective is that those giving them say: "Don't be ambitious! Don't display greed! Don't hate! Don't be obstinate! Don't love the world!" That is, they propose something that is apparently impossible for those they address like changing their inborn natures. If only they would say: "Turn these emotions towards beneficial things, change their direction, their channel," their advice would be both effective, and they would be proposing something within the bounds of their wills.

The differences between 'Islam' and 'belief' have frequently been the subjects of discussion among Islamic scholars. One group has said that they are the same, while another has said that they are not the same, but that there cannot be one without the other. They have expressed various ideas similar to this. I myself have understood the following difference:

Islam is a preference, while belief is a conviction. To put it another way, Islam is taking the part of the truth and is submission and obedience to it, and belief is acceptance of and assent to the truth. Long ago I saw certain irreligious people who fervently supported the injunctions of the Qur'an. That is to say, such people by in one respect taking the part of the truth were Muslim, and were called "irreligious Muslims." Then later I saw certain believers who did not show any support for the injunctions of the Qur'an, they did not take the part of them, and they reflected the term "non-Muslim believers."

Can belief without Islam be the means of salvation?

Just as Islam without belief cannot be the means of salvation, neither can belief without Islam be the means of salvation. All praise and bounty is God's, through the grace of the Qur'an's miraculousness, the comparisons of the Risale-i Nur have demonstrated the fruits and results of the religion of Islam and Qur'anic truths in such a way that even if someone without religion does not understand them, it is not possible for him not to be sympathetic towards them. And they have shown the evidences and proofs of belief and Islam in such powerful fashion that if a non-Muslim even understands them, he is certain to assent to them. Although he would be a non-Muslim, he would believe. Yes, the Words show the fruits of belief and Islam to be sweet and delectable like the fruits of the Tuba-tree of Paradise, and show their results to be pleasant and agreeable like the pleasures of happiness in this world and the next. They therefore induce in those who see them and know them a feeling of infinite partiality, support, and surrender. And they have demonstrated proofs as powerful as the chains of beings and numerous as minute particles so that they afford infinite conviction and strength of belief. On certain occasions even, when testifying to belief in the invocations of Shah Naqshband and saying, In accordance with that we live, in accordance with it we shall die, and in accordance with it shall we be raised up on the morrow, I have felt an infinite feeling of partiality. If the whole world was given me, I could not sacrifice a single truth of belief. It causes me extreme distress to imagine the reverse of a truth of belief for a minute even. Even if the whole world was to be given me, my soul would submit without hesitation for the existence of a single truth of belief. When I say, We believe in what You have sent through the Prophet, and we believe in what You have revealed through the Book, and we assent to it, I feel an infinite strength of belief. I think the opposite of all the truths of belief is rationally impossible, and I consider the people of misguidance to be infinitely foolish and crazy.

I send many greetings to your parents and offer them my respects. So let them pray for me. They are like my mother and father, since you are my brother. And I send greetings to the people of your village, especially to all those who listen to you reading the Words.

The Tenth Letter

[This consists of the answers to two questions.]

The First

concerns the footnote to the long sentence describing the transformations of minute particles in the Second Aim of the Thirtieth Word. {[*]:}

'The Clear Book' and 'The Clear Record' are mentioned in many places in the All-Wise Qur'an. Some Qur'anic commentators said they are the same, while others said they are different. Their explanations as to what are in reality differ, but in short, they said they are titles for Divine knowledge. However, through the effulgence of the Qur'an I have formed this opinion: the Clear Record is a title for a variety of Divine knowledge and command which looks to the World of the Unseen rather than the Manifest World. That is, it looks to the past and the future more than the present. That is, it looks to the origin, progeny, roots and seeds of things more than their external existence. It is a notebook of Divine Determining. The existence of this notebook has been proved both in the Twenty-Sixth Word and in a footnote in the Tenth Word.

Yes, the Clear Record is a title for an aspect of Divine knowledge and the Divine command. For since the origins, roots, and sources of things result in their existences with perfect order and extreme art, they show that they are ordered in accordance with a notebook of the principles of Divine knowledge. And since the results, progeny, and seeds of things comprise the programmes and indexes of beings that will come in the future, they surely infer that they are miniature collections of Divine

commands. For example, it may be said that a seed resembles the programmes and indexes which will set in order all the parts of the tree, and is like a miniature embodiment of those creative commands, which specify the index and programme.

The Clear Record is like a programme or index of the tree of creation, the branches of which have spread throughout the past and the future and the World of the Unseen. The Clear Record with this meaning is a notebook of Divine Determining and a collection of its principles. Minute particles are despatched to their duties and motions in the bodies of things through the dictation and decree of those principles.

As for the Clear Book, it looks to the Manifest World rather than the World of the Unseen. That is, it looks to the present more than the past and the future. It is a title, a notebook, a ledger, of Divine power and will more than of knowledge and command. If the Clear Record is the notebook of Divine Determining, the Clear Book is the notebook of Divine power.

That is to say, the perfect art and order in the beings, essences, attributes, and qualities of all things show that they are being clothed in existence through the principles of a perfect power and the laws of a penetrating will. Their forms are determined and specified, each is given definite proportions and a particular shape. This means the power and will have a universal, general collection of laws, a great ledger, according to which the particular existences and forms of things are cut out, sewn, and clothed. The existence of this notebook, like the Clear Record, has been proved in the matters concerning Divine Determining and man's will. See the foolishness of the people of misguidance, heedlessness, and philosophy, for they perceived the Preserved Tablet of Creative Power and the manifestation, reflection, and similitude in things of that perspicacious book of dominical Wisdom and Will, but, God forbid, calling it "Nature," they made it blind. Thus, through the dictation of the Clear Record, that is, through the decree of Divine Determining and according to its principles, Divine power writes and creates the chains of beings, each of which is a sign in the creation of beings, on the page of time known as 'the Tablet of Appearance and Dissolution,' and causes the motion of particles...

This means that the motion of particles is a vibration, a movement, arising from that writing and copying, in the passage of beings from the World of the Unseen to the Manifest World, from Knowledge to Power. As for the Tablet of Appearance and Dissolution, it is an ever-changing notebook, a slate for writing and erasing, in the sphere of contingency of the Supreme Preserved Tablet -which is fixed and constant- that is, in

beings, which constantly manifest life and death, existence and annihilation; it is the reality of time. Yes, like everything has a reality, so does time; the reality of what we call 'time', a mighty river which flows through the universe, is like the page and ink of the writing of Power in the Tablet of Appearance and Dissolution.

None knows the Unseen save God.

Second Question:

Where will the Great Gathering and Last Judgement take place?

The Answer: The knowledge is with God alone. The elevated instances of wisdom the All-Wise Creator displays in all things, and His even attaching vast instances of wisdom to a single insignificant thing, suggests to the point of being plain that the globe of the earth does not revolve in a circle aimlessly and pointlessly, but revolves around something important; it depicts the circumference of a vast arena. It travels around a huge place of exhibition and hands over its immaterial produce to it; because in the future the produce will be displayed there before the gazes of men. That is to say, it will fill the circle, the circumference of which is a distance of approximately twenty-five thousand years; Syria will be like a seed, according to one narration; {[*]:} the arena of the Great Gathering will be expanded out of that region. All the immaterial produce of the earth is for now sent to the notebooks and tablets of the arena which is beneath the veil of the Unseen, and in the future when the arena is opened up, the earth will also pour its inhabitants into it. Its immaterial produce will also be transposed to the Manifest Realm from that of the Unseen. Yes, like an arable field, a spring, or a measure, the earth has produced crops enough to fill that vast arena, and the creatures that will occupy it have flowed on from the earth, and those that will fill it have departed from it. That is to say, the globe of the earth is a seed, and the arena of the Great Gathering, together with those within it, a tree, a shoot, and a store. Indeed, just as a point of light becomes a luminous line or circle on moving at speed, the earth too, through its rapid, purposeful motion is the means of depicting a circle of existence, and together with that circle of existence and its produce, to the formation of the arena of the Great Gathering.

Say, the knowledge of it is with God alone. {[*]:}

The Eleventh Letter

[This letter forms a significant remedy and points out four small gems from the treasuries of four verses.]

My Dear Brother!

The All-Wise Qur'an taught my soul these four different matters at various times. I am writing them now so that those of my brothers who wish may also receive instruction or a share of them. With regard to subject matter, each has been shown as a sample, a small jewel, from the treasuries of truths of four different verses. Each of the four topics has a different form and a different benefit.

FIRST TOPIC

Indeed the wiles of Satan are weak. {[*]:}

O my soul which despairs at doubts and scruples! The association of ideas and imaginings, suppositions, that occur to one are a sort of involuntary expression or depiction. If it arises from good and luminosity, the qualities of such a depiction and reality pass to an extent to its form and image. Like the sun's light and heat pass to its image in a mirror. If the depiction is of something evil and dense, the qualities and decree of the original cannot pass to its form and spread to its image. For example, the reflected form in a mirror of something unclean and corrupt is neither unclean nor corrupt. Nor can a snake's image bite.

As a consequence, to imagine unbelief is not unbelief, and to imagine

abuse is not abuse. Particularly if it is involuntary and is a hypothetical assumption that occurs to one, it is altogether harmless. Furthermore, according to the Sunni school (Ahl al-Sunna wa'l-Jama'a), the badness or uncleanness of a thing according to the Shari'a is because it is prohibited by God. Since such things are involuntary associations of ideas, imaginings that occur to one without one's consent, prohibitions do not concern them. However ugly and unclean a form they take, they are not ugly and unclean.

SECOND TOPIC

This was a fruit of the Pine, Cedar, and Black Poplar trees of Tepelice in the mountains of Barla, which, since it has been included in The Words, has not been repeated here.

THIRD TOPIC

The two following matters are part of the examples given in the Twenty-Fifth Word showing the impotence of present-day civilization before the miraculousness of the Qur'an. They are two examples out of thousands proving how unjust is the law of present-day civilization, which opposes the Qur'an:

Just as the Qur'anic decree,

And for the man a portion equal of that of two women {[*]:}

is pure justice, so too is it pure compassion. Yes, it is justice, for the overwhelming majority of men take a wife and undertake to provide for her. As for women, they take a husband and load their livelihood on him, and this makes up for the deficiency in what they have inherited. It is also mercy, for a weak girl is greatly in need of kindness from her father and brothers. The Qur'an decrees that she receives kindness from her father without worry. Her father does not consider her anxiously, thinking of her as "a harmful child due to whom half of his wealth will pass to the hands of a stranger." Anxiety and anger are not mixed with his kindness. She also receives her brother's kindness and protection free of rivalry and jealousy. He does not consider her "as a rival who will destroy half the family and give an important part of our property to someone else." There will be no resentment and hostility mixed with his feeling of compassion and protection towards her. Thus, the girl, who is delicate and weak by nature, is apparently deprived of a small part, but in place of it she gains inexhaustible wealth in the form of the compassion and kindness of those close to her. Also, to give her more than her due

with the idea of being more merciful to her than Divine Mercy, is not kindness, but a great wrong. Indeed, the savage greed of the present time, which recalls the appalling tyranny of burying girl children alive in the Age of Ignorance due to savage jealousy, may possibly open the way to merciless wickedness. Like this one, all Qur'anic rulings confirm the decree,

And we did not send you but as a Mercy to all the worlds. {[*]:}

FOURTH TOPIC

And to the mother, a sixth. {[*]:}

This low civilization has caused an injustice by giving daughters more than their due, and it perpetrates an even greater injustice by not giving the mother what is her right. Yes, the compassion of mothers is a most sweet, subtle, and lovely manifestion of dominical mercy, and among the truths of the universe, is one most worthy of respect and reverence. A mother is so generous, so compassionate, so self-sacrificing a friend that driven by her compassion she will sacrifice all her world, her life, and her comfort for her child. A timid hen, even, the simplest and lowest level of motherhood, will cast herself at a dog and attack a lion in order to protect her young, through a tiny manifestation of that compassion.

And so, to deprive a mother, who is the bearer of such an honourable and elevated truth, of the property of her child is an appalling injustice, a most savage lack of respect, a compounded wrongful insult, an ingratitude for bounties, that causes the Divine Throne of Mercy to tremble and adds poison to a most brilliant and benefical cure for man's social life. If those human monsters who claim to love humanity cannot understand this, for sure true humans can. They know that the All-Wise Qur'an's command of,

And to the mother a sixth,

is pure truth and pure justice.

The Enduring One, He is the Enduring One!

The Twelfth Letter

Peace be upon you and on your companions.

My Dear Brothers!

You asked me a question that night and I did not reply, for it is not permissible to argue over the questions of belief. Your discussion of them was in the form of a dispute. For now I am writing very brief replies to your three questions which were the basis of your dispute. You will find the details in The Words, the names of which the chemist has written. Only, it did not occur to me to mention the Twenty-Sixth Word, about Divine Determining and man's faculty of will; look at that too, but do not read it like a newspaper. The reason for my referring the chemist to study of those Words is this: doubts about matters of that sort arise from weakness of belief in the pillars of faith. Those Words prove all of the pillars of belief.

FIRST QUESTION

What wisdom does it spring from, Adam (Upon whom be peace) being expelled from Paradise and some of mankind, the sons of Adam, being sent to Hell?

The wisdom of it concerns the charging of duties; Adam was sent charged with such a duty that the unfolding of all mankind's spiritual progress and the revealing of all mankind's potentialities and man's essential nature being a comprehensive mirror to all the Divine Names, are the results of it. If Adam had remained in Paradise, his rank would have been fixed like that of the angels; man's potentialities would

not have unfolded. In any case, the angels, whose ranks are unchanging, are numerous, and there is no need for man to perform that sort of worship. Indeed, since Divine wisdom required a realm of accountability appropriate to the potentialities of man, who would traverse infinite degrees, he was expelled from Paradise for his well-known sin, sin being the requirement of man's nature and contrary to that of the angels. That is to say, just as Adam being expelled from Paradise was pure wisdom and pure mercy, so is it just and right that the unbelievers should be sent to Hell.

As is mentioned in the Third Indication in the Tenth Word, the unbeliever only committed one sin in a short life, but within the sin was infinite wrongdoing. For unbelief is an insult to the whole universe; it negates the value of all beings, it denies the testimony to Divine Unity of all creatures, and is contempt towards the Divine Names, the manifestations of which are to be seen in the mirrors of beings. Therefore, in order to avenge the rights of beings on the unbeliever, the beings' monarch, the All-Compelling One of Glory, casts the unbelievers into Hell, and this is pure right and justice. For an infinite crime demands infinite punishment.

SECOND QUESTION

Why are devils created? Almighty God created Satan and evils; what is the wisdom in it? Isn't the creation of evil, evil, and the creation of bad, bad?

God forbid, the creation of evil is not evil, the 'acquisition' of or desire for evil, rather, is evil. For creation and bringing into existence look to all the consequences, whereas such desire looks to a particular result, since it is a particular relation. For example, there are thousands of consequences of rain falling, and all of them are good. If through mischoice, some people receive harm from the rain, they cannot say that the creation of rain is not mercy, they cannot state that the creation of rain is evil. For it is due to their mischoice and inclination that it is evil for them. Also, there are numerous benefits in the creation of fire, and all of them are good. But if some people receive harm from fire through their misuse of it and their wrong choice, they cannot say that the creation of fire is evil; because it was not only created to burn them. Rather, they thrust their hands into the fire while cooking the food through mischoice, and made that servant inimical to themselves.

The lesser evil is acceptable for the greater good. If an evil which will lead to a greater good is abandoned so that a lesser evil should not be, a greater evil will then have been perpetrated. For example, there

are certainly some minor material and physical harms and evils in sending soldiers to fight a jihad, but in the jihad is a greater good whereby Islam is saved from being conquered by infidels. If the jihad is abandoned due to those lesser evils, then the greater evil will come after the greater good has gone. And that is absolute wrong. Also, for example, to amputate a finger which is infected with gangrene and has to be amputated is good and right, although it is apparently an evil. For if it is not amputated, the hand will be amputated, and that would be a greater evil.

Thus, the creation and bringing into existence of evils, harms, tribulations, satans, and harmful things, is not evil and bad, for they are created for the many important results they yield. For example, satans have not been set to pester the angels, and the angels cannot progress; their degrees are fixed and deficient. However, in the world of humanity the degrees of progress and decline are infinite. There is an extremely long distance through which to progress, from the Nimrod's and Pharaoh's as far as the veracious saints and the prophets.

Thus, through the creation of satans and the mystery of man's accountability and the sending of prophets, an arena of trial and examination and striving and competition has been opened so that coal-like base spirits may be differentiated and separated out from diamond-like elevated spirits. If there had been no striving and competition, the potentialities in the mine of humanity which are like diamonds and coal would have remained equal. The spirit of Abu Bakr the Veracious at the highest of the high would have remained on the same level as that of Abu Jahl at the lowest of the low. This means that since the creation of satans and evils looks to great and universal results, their being brought into existence is not evil or bad. The evils and instances of bad that arise from abuses and the particular causes known as inclination or choice pertain to man's 'acquisition' and choice, not to Divine creation.

If you ask?

The majority of humanity become unbelievers due to the existence of Satan and embrace unbelief and suffer harm, despite the sending of prophets. If, according to the rule "the majority has the word," the majority suffers evil as a result, then the creation of evil is evil, and it may even be said that the sending of prophets is not a mercy. Is that not so?

Quantity has no importance in relation to quality. The true majority looks to quality. For example, if there are a hundred seeds of the date-palm and they are not put beneath the earth and watered and so do not undergo a chemical reaction and manifest a struggle for life, they are only a hundred seeds worth virtually nothing. But if they are

watered and are subject to the struggle for life, and then eighty out of the hundred rot due to their faulty make-up, but twenty become fruit-bearing trees, can you say, "watering them was evil because most of them rotted?" Of course, you cannot say that, for that twenty have become like twenty thousand. One who loses eighty and gains twenty thousand suffers no harm, and it cannot be evil.

And for example, a peahen lays one hundred eggs, and they are worth five hundred kurush. If the hen sits on the hundred eggs and eighty are spoilt and twenty hatch into peacocks, can it be said that there was a high loss and the affair was evil; that it was bad to put the broody hen on the eggs and an evil occurred? No, it is not thus, it is rather a good. For the peacock species and egg family lost eighty eggs worth four hundred kurush, but gained twenty peacocks worth eighty liras.

Thus, through the sending of prophets and the mystery of man's accountability, and through striving, and fighting with satans, in return for the hundreds of thousands of prophets and millions of saints and thousands of millions of purified scholars they have gained, who are like the suns, moons, and stars of the world of humanity, mankind has lost the unbelievers and dissemblers, who are numerous in regard to quantity, insignificant in regard to quality, and like harmful beasts.

THIRD QUESTION

Almighty God sends calamities and inflicts tribulations; is this not tyrannical towards the innocent in particular, and animals even?

God forbid, the sovereignty is His. He holds sway over His possessions as He wishes. Moreover, a skilful craftsman makes you a model in return for a wage and dresses you in a bejewelled garment that he has most artistically fashioned. Then in order to display his art and skill, he shortens it and lengthens it, measures it and trims it, and he makes you sit down and stand up. Are you able to say to him: "You have made the garment which made me beautiful ugly. You have caused me trouble, making me sit down and stand up." Of course, you cannot say that. If you did say it, you would be crazy.

In just the same way, the All-Glorious Maker has clothed you in a most artistically wrought being bejewelled with faculties like the eye, the ear, and the tongue. In order to display the embroideries of various of His Names, He makes you ill, He afflicts you with tribulations, He makes you hungry, He fills you, He makes you thirsty; He makes you revolve in states like these. In order to strengthen the essence of life and display the manifestation of His Names, He makes you journey in numerous such

conditions. If you say: "Why do you inflict these calamities on me?", as is indicated in the comparison, a hundred instances of wisdom will silence you. In any event, calm, repose, idleness, monotony, and arrest from action are forms of non-existence, and harm. Action and change are existence and good. Life finds its perfection through action, it progresses by means of tribulations. Life manifests various actions through the manifestation of the Divine Names, it is purified, finds strength, it unfolds and expands, it becomes a mobile pen to write its own appointed course; it performs its duty, and acquires the right to receive reward in the hereafter.

Thus, the answers to the three questions in your dispute are briefly these. Explanations of them are to be found in the thirty-three Words.

My Dear Brother!

Read this letter to the chemist and to those who heard the argument whom you think suitable. And convey my greetings to my new student, the chemist, and tell him the following:

"It is not permissible to discuss subtle matters of belief like those above in a social gathering in the form of an unbalanced dispute. As an uncontrolled contest, while being a panacea it becomes a poison. It is harmful for both those who speak and those who listen. It is permissible to discuss such matters moderately and fairly as a exchange of ideas." And tell him: "If doubts occur to you about matters of this sort and you cannot find the answer in the Words, then write to me privately..." And tell the chemist: "The following meaning occurred to me concerning the dream he had about his late father: since his late father was a doctor perhaps he had been of benefit to some of those close to God, and at the time of his death the spirits of those blessed people who had been gratified by him were seen by the one closest to him, his son, in the form of birds; it occurred to me that they came to meet him with a sort of welcoming that would be intercession for his spirit." I send greetings to all the friends who were together here that night, and I pray for them.

The Thirteenth Letter

Peace on those who follow Guidance, and may those who follow their own desires be censured!

My Dear Brothers!

You frequently ask about my situation and how I am, and why I have not applied for my release papers, and concerning my indifference towards politics and the state of the world. Since you have repeated these questions on numerous occasions, and also ask me them in meaning if not in fact, I am compelled to reply to them not as the New Said, but in the language of the Old Said.

YOUR FIRST QUESTION

Are you comfortable? How are you?

I offer a hundred thousand thanks to the Most Merciful of the Merciful that He has transformed the various wrongs 'the worldly' {[*]:} perpetrate against me into various forms of mercy. It is like this:

Having given up politics and withdrawn from the world, I was living in a mountain cave and thinking of the hereafter when 'the worldly' wrongfully plucked me from it and sent me into exile. The All-Compassionate and Wise Creator turned the exile into mercy; He transformed the solitude on the mountain, which was unsafe and exposed to factors that would harm sincerity, into a retreat in the safe and sincer

mountains of Barla. While a prisoner-of-war in Russia I formed the intention to withdraw into a cave towards the end of my life and offered supplications for that purpose. The Most Merciful of the Merciful made Barla the cave and bestowed the benefits of a cave, but He did not burden the difficulties and troubles of a cave on my weak being. Only, in Barla there were two or three people who were suspicious, and due to their groundless fears I suffered torments. It was as though those friends were thinking of my comfort, but due to their suspicions, they caused harm both to my heart and to the service of the Qur'an.

Moreover, although 'the worldly' gave the document in question to all the exiles, and released the criminals from prison and offered them an amnesty, they wrongfully did not give it to me. In order to further employ me in the service of the Qur'an and make me write to a greater extent the lights of the Qur'an called the Words, my Compassionate Sustainer left me in untroubled manner in this exile and transformed it into a great instance of compassion.

In addition, although 'the worldly' left all the influential and powerful leaders and shaykhs who could interfere in their world in the towns and cities and permitted them to meet with their relatives and everyone, they wrongfully isolated me and sent me to a village. With one or two exceptions they gave permission to none of my relatives and fellow-countrymen to visit me. My All-Compassionate Creator transformed that isolation into a vast mercy for me. It left my mind clear and was the means of my receiving the effulgence of the All-Wise Qur'an as it is, free of all malice and ill-will.

Also, 'the worldly' considered the two commonplace letters I wrote in two years at the beginning of my exile to be excessive. And now even, they do not look favourably on one or two visitors coming to me purely for the sake of the hereafter once every ten or twenty days or once a month; and they have harassed me because of this. My All-Compassionate Sustainer and All-Wise Creator transformed that tyranny into mercy, for He transformed it into a desirable solitude and acceptable retreat for me during these Three Months, which will gain a spiritual life of ninety years. All thanks be to God for all conditions, my condition and comfort is thus.....

YOUR SECOND QUESTION

Why don't you apply for your release papers?

I have been sentenced by Divine Determining in this matter, not by 'the worldly.' My application is to Divine Determining.

Whenever it gives permission, whenever it halts my sustenance here, then I shall go. The reality of this is as follows: there are two causes of everything that befalls one, one apparent and the other, real. 'The worldly' are the apparent cause; they brought me here. As for Divine Determining, that was the true cause; it sentenced me to this isolation. The apparent cause acted wrongfully, whereas the true cause acted with justice. The apparent one thought like this: "This man serves learning and religion excessively, he may interfere in our world." Because of this possibility, they exiled me and perpetrated a threefold wrong. Divine Determining saw that I could not truly serve religion and learning with sincerity, so it sentenced me to this exile. It transformed their compounded tyranny into a multiple mercy. Since in my exile Divine Determining is dominant and it is just, I have recourse to it. For sure, the apparent cause has certain pretexts and things; that means it is meaningless to make application to them. If they possessed some right or some powerful cause, then application could have been made to them also.

Although I have completely given up their world -may it be the end of them- and their politics -may it rebound on them- since the pretexts and suspicions they think up are of course baseless, I do not want to imbue their suspicions with reality by applying to them. If I had an appetite to meddle in world politics, the reins of which are in the hands of Westerners, it would not have remained thus secret for eight hours let alone eight years; it would have leaked out and shown itself. Whereas for eight years I have felt no desire to read a single newspaper, and I have not read one. For four years I have been here under surveillance, and there has not been the slightest sign of my meddling in politics. That is to say, service of the All-Wise Qur'an is superior to all politics so that it does not allow one to lower oneself to world politics, which consists mostly of falsehood.

The second reason for my not applying is this: to claim a right before those who suppose wrong to be right, is a sort of wrong. I do not want to perpetrate such a wrong.

YOUR THIRD QUESTION

Why are you so indifferent towards world politics? You don't change your attitude at all, even in the face of so many events occurring in the world; does this mean you consider them to be good, or are you frightened so that you are silent?

Service of the All-Wise Qur'an severely prohibited me from the world of politics. It even made me forget about it. For the whole story of my life testifies that fear has never taken me by the

hand and prevented me taking the way I considered to be right, nor can it. And why should I be frightened? I have no connection with the world apart from the appointed hour. I have no family and children to think of. It is not wanting to preserve worldly glory and renown which consists of hypocritical, undeserved fame, may God bless those who help in destroying it. There only remains the appointed hour and that is in the hands of the All-Glorious Creator. Who has the power to interfere with it before the time of its coming? Anyway we are among those who prefer honourable death to degradation in life. Someone resembling the Old Said spoke the following lines: We are those for whom there is no middle way; For us is either the place of honour among the people, or the grave. {[*]:}

Indeed, service of the Qur'an prevents me from thinking of socio-political life. It is like this: human life is a journey. I saw at this time through the light of the Qur'an that the way has entered a swamp. The caravan of mankind is stumbling forward in stinking and filthy mud. Part of it is travelling a s afe way. Part of it has found certain means to save itself as far as is possible from the muddy swamp. The great majority are travelling in darkness in the stinking, filthy, muddy swamp. Twenty per cent suppose the filthy mud to be musk and ambergris because they are drunk, and are smearing it over their faces and eyes... they stumble on till they drown in it. However, eighty per cent understand it is a swamp and realize it is stinking and filthy, but they are bewildered and cannot see the safe way... Thus there are two solutions for these:

to bring the drunken twenty per cent to their senses with a club.

The Second

to point out the safe way to the bewildered by showing them a light.

I look and see that eighty people are brandishing clubs at the twenty, while the light is not shown truly to the unhappy and bewildered eighty. And even if it is shown, since those showing it have both the club and the light in one hand, it does not inspire confidence. The bewildered man anxiously wonders: "Does he want to attract me with the light then hit me with the club?" And sometimes when, due to some defect, the club is broken, the light flies away too or else is extinguished.

And so, the swamp is the dissolute social life of mankind, which breeds heedlessness and misguidance. The drunkards are those obdurate people who take delight in misguidance, and the bewildered, those who detest misguidance, but cannot extract themselves from it. They want to

be saved, but cannot find the way: they are confused. As for the clubs, they are the political currents. And the light, the truths of the Qur'an. Light cannot be disputed, nor can enmity be held towards it. No one can detest it apart from Satan the Accursed. And so, in order to hold in my hand the light of the Qur'an, I said, "I seek refuge with God from Satan and from politics," and throwing away the club of politics, embraced the light with both hands. I saw that in the political currents, there are lovers of those lights in both the opposition and the supporters. It is necessary that no side and no group casts aspersions on or holds back from the lights of the Qur'an which are shown, or from the teachings of the Qur'an, which are far superior to all political currents and partisanship and are exempt from and free of all their biased considerations. Unless they be the satans in human form or animals in human dress, who imagine irreligion and atheism to be politics and support them...

All praise be to God, because I withdrew from politics, I did not reduce the daimond-like truths of the Qur'an to the value of fragments of glass amid accusations of political propaganda. Indeed, the diamonds increase their value in the view of every group in brilliant fashion.

And they shall say: "All praise be to God, Who has guided us to 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!" {[*]:}

The Fourteenth Letter

The Fifteenth Letter

My Dear Brother!

YOUR FIRST QUESTION

Why didn't the Companions discover the troublemakers with the eye of sainthood, so that it resulted in three of the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs being martyred? For it is said that the lesser Companions are greater than the greatest saints?

There are two Stations in this matter.

FIRST STATION

This question is solved by explaining as follows a subtle mystery of sainthood:

The Companions' sainthood, known as the 'greater sainthood,' is a sainthood which arose from the legacy of prophethood, and, passing directly from the apparent to reality without travelling the intermediate path, looks to the unfolding of Divine immediacy. Although this way of sainthood is very short, it is extremely elevated. Its wonders are few, but its virtues many. Illuminations and wonder-workings are to be encountered infrequently on it. Moreover, the wonder-working of the saints is mostly involuntary; wonders appear from them unexpectedly as a Divine bestowal. And the majority of these illuminations and wonder-workings occur during their spiritual journeying, when they traverse the intermediate realm of the Sufi path; they manifest these extra-ordinary states because they have withdrawn to a degree from ordinary humanity. As for the Companions, due to the reflection, attraction, and elixir of the

company of prophethood, they were not compelled to traverse the vast sphere of spiritual journeying present on the Sufi way. They were able to pass from the apparent to reality in one step, through one conversation with the Prophet (Blessings and peace be upon him). For example, there are two ways of reaching the Night of Power, if it was last night:

One is to travel and wander for a year and so come to that night. One has to traverse the distance of a year in order to gain this proximity. This is the way of those who take the way of spiritual journeying, which most of those who follow the Sufi path take.

The second is to slip free of and be divested of the sheath of corporeality, which is restricted by time, to rise in the spirit, and to see the Night of Power, which was last night, together with the night of the 'Id, which is the day after tomorrow, as being present like today. For the spirit is not restricted by time. When the human emotions rise to the level of the spirit, present time expands. Time which is the past and the future for others is as though the present for such a person.

And so, according to this comparison, in order to reach the Night of Power, one has to rise to the level of the spirit and see the past as though it was the present. The basis of this obscure mystery is the unfolding of Divine immediacy. For example, the sun is close to us, for its light and heat are present in our mirror and in our hand. But we are far from it. If we perceive its immediacy from the point of view of luminosity, and understand our relation to its image in our mirror, which is a similitude; if we come to know it by that means, and know what its light, heat, and totality are, its immediacy is unfolded to us and we recognize it as close to us and we become connected to it. If we want to draw close to it and get to know it from the point of view of our distance from it, we are compelled to embark on an extensive journeying of the mind, so that by means of thought and the laws of science, we may rise to the skies in the mind and conceive of the sun there, and through lengthy scientific investigation understand its light and heat and the seven colours in its light. Only after this may we attain to the non-physical proximity the first man attained with little thought through his mirror.

Thus, like this comparison, the sainthood of prophethood and of the legacy of prophethood looks to the mystery of the unfolding of Divine immediacy. The other sainthood proceeds mostly on the basis of proximity, and is compelled to traverse numerous degrees in spiritual journeying.

SECOND STATION

Those who were the cause of those events and instigated the trouble did not consist of a few Jews so that having discovered them the trouble could have been prevented. For with numerous different peoples entering Islam, many currents and ideas which were opposed to and contrary to one another had confused the situation. Particularly since the national pride of some of them had received awesome wounds at the blows of 'Umar (May God be pleased with him); they were waiting to take their revenge. For both their old religion had been rendered null and void and their old rule and sovereignty, the source of their pride, been swept away. Knowingly or unknowingly, they were emotionally in favour of taking their revenge on Islamic rule. It was therefore said that certain clever and scheming dissemblers like the Jews took advantage of that state of society. That is to say, it would have been possible to prevent those events through reforming the social life and various ideas of that time. They could not have been prevented by discovering one or two troublemakers.

Why did 'Umar (May God be pleased with him) not see his murderer, Firuz, who was at his side with that piercing eye of sainthood of his, although while in the pulpit he said to one of his commanders called Sariya who was a month's distance away, "Sariya! The mountain, the mountain!", {[*]:} making Sariya hear it and in wondrous fashion causing a strategic victory-showing how piercing his view was?

We answer with the answer that the Prophet Jacob (Upon whom be peace) gave. That is, it was asked of Jacob, "How did you perceive the odour of Joseph's shirt from Egypt when you did not see him in the well at Cana'an close by?" He replied: "Our state is like lightening; sometimes it appears and sometimes it is hidden. Sometimes it is as though we are seated on the highest spot and can see everwhere. And sometimes we cannot even see the arch of our foot."

However much man acts with choice, still, in accordance with the verse,

You do not will it except as God wills, {[*]:}

Divine will is fundamental, Divine Determining is dominant. Divine will

gives back human will. It confirms the statement, "If Divine Determining speaks, human power cannot speak, man's will falls silent."

THE MEANING OF YOUR SECOND QUESTION

What was the nature of the wars that started in the time of 'Ali (May God be pleased with him)? In what way should we describe those who took part in them, and those who died and those who killed?

The war called the Event of the Camel between 'Ali and Talha, and Zubayr and 'A'isha the Veracious (May God be pleased with all of them) was the struggle between pure justice and relative justice. It was as follows:

'Ali took pure justice as fundamental and in accordance with his judgement of the Law, proceeded on that basis, as was the case in the time of the Caliphs Abu Bakr and 'Umar. Those who opposed him said that at that time the purity of Islam permitted pure justice, but since with the passage of time various peoples whose Islam was weak had entered Islamic social life, to apply pure justice was extremely difficult. For this reason, their judgement of the Law was to proceed on the basis of relative justice, known as the lesser of two evils. Dispute over interpretation of the Law led to war. Since the interpretations had been purely for God's sake and for the benefit of Islam, and war was born of interpretation of the Law, we may surely say that both those who killed and those who were killed gained Paradise, and both acted rightfully. However accurate was 'Ali's interpretation, and however much in error those who opposed him, they still did not deserve punishment. For if one who interprets the Law extracts the truth, he gains two rewards, but if he does not extract it, he still earns one reward, the reward for interpreting which is a form of worship; he is forgiven his error. A learned person who is widely known amongst us, and who speaks the truth, wrote in Kurdish: "Don't gossip about the war between the Companions, for both killer and killed were destined for Paradise."

Pure justice and relative justice may be explained like this: according to the allusive meaning of the verse,

If any one slew a person -unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land- it would be as if he slew the whole people, {[*]:}

the rights of an innocent man cannot be cancelled for the sake of all the people. A single individual may not be sacrificed for the good of all. In the view of Almighty God's compassion, right is right, there is no difference between great and small. The small may not be annulled for the

great. Without his consent, the life and rights of an individual may not be sacrificed for the good of the community. If he consents to sacrifice them in the name of patriotism, that is a different matter.

As for relative justice, a particular is sacrificed for the good of the universal; the rights of an individual are not considered in the face of the community. A sort of relative justice is attempted to be applied as the lesser of two evils. But if it is possible to apply pure justice, to attempt to apply relative justice is wrong. It may not be attempted.

Thus, saying it was possible to apply pure justice in the time of the Caliphs Abu Bakr and 'Umar, Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) constructed the Islamic Caliphate on the same basis. Those who opposed him and objected to him said that it was not possible to apply it because of the great difficulties, and judged according to the Law that they should proceed with relative justice. The other reasons related by history are not true reasons, they are pretexts.

What was the reason for Imam 'Ali's lack of success relative to his predecessors in regard to the Islamic Caliphate, despite his extraordinary capabilities, unusual intelligence, and great deservedness?

That blessed person was worthier of important duties other than politics and rule. If he had been completely successful in politics and government, he would have been unable to truly gain the meaningful title of 'King of Sainthood.' Whereas he gained a spiritual rule far surpassing the external and political Caliphate, and became like a Universal Master; in fact, his spiritual rule will continue even until the end of the world.

When it comes to Imam 'Ali's war with Mu'awiya at Siffin, that was a war over the Caliphate and rule. That is to say, taking the injunctions of religion, the truths of Islam, and the hereafter as the basis, Imam 'Ali sacrificed some of the laws of government and pitiless demands of politics to them. Whereas Mu'awiya and his supporters left aside resoluteness and favoured permissiveness in order to strengthen Islamic social life with their politics of government; they supposed themselves to be compelled to do so due to the demands of politics, and choosing permissiveness, fell into error.

As for Hasan and Husayn's struggle against the Umayyads, that was a war between religion and nationalism. That is, the Umayyads planted the Islamic state on Arab nationalism and put the bonds of nationalism before those of Islam, therefore causing harm in two respects:

They offended the other nations and frightened them of.

Since the principles of racialism and nationalism do not follow justice and right, they are tyranny. They do not proceed on justice. For a ruler of racialist leanings prefers those of the same race, and cannot act justly. According to the clear decree of, Islam has abrogated what preceded it. There is no difference between an Abyssinian slave and a leader of the Quraish, once they have accepted Islam, {[*]:} Islam has abrogated the tribalism of Ignorance; the bonds of nationalism may not be set up in place of the bonds of religion; if they are, there will be no justice; right will disappear.

Thus, Husayn took the bonds of religion as the basis, and struggled against them as someone who executes justice, until he attained the rank of martyrdom.

If he was so right and just, why was he not successful? Also, why did Divine Determining and Divine Mercy permit them to meet with the tragic end they did?

It was not Husayn's close supporters, but those of other nations who had joined his community, and due to their wounded national pride, harboured feelings of revenge towards the Arab nation; they caused harm to the pure, shining ways of Husayn and his supporters, and were the cause of their defeat.

The wisdom in their tragic end from the point of view of Divine Determining is this: Hasan and Husayn and their family and descendants were destined for a spiritual rule. It is extremely difficult to bring together worldly rule and spiritual rule. Therefore, Divine Determining made them feel disgust with the world; it showed them the ugly face of the world, so that they should cease to feel any attachment to the world with the heart. They lost a temporary and superficial rule, but were appointed to a splendid and permanent spiritual rule. They became the authorities of the spiritual poles among the saints instead of commonplace governors.

YOUR THIRD QUESTION

What was the wisdom in the tragic and cruel treatment those blessed persons received?

As explained above, there were three basic reasons for the pitiless cruelty of Husayn's opponents during Umayyad rule:

One was the pitiless principle of politics: "Individuals may be sacri-

ficed for the welfare of the government and preservation of public order."

The Second

was the cruel rule of nationalism, "Everything may be sacrificed for the well-being of the nation," since their rule was based on racialism and nationalism.

The traditional vein of rivalry of the Umayyads towards the Hashimites was found in some people like Yazid, and he displayed a merciless ability to be cruel.

The Umayyads, taking Arab nationalism as the basis of their rule, looked on the members of other nations -who were found among Husayn's supporters- as slaves, and had wounded their national pride. So, since the other nations had joined Husayn's community with mixed intentions and to take revenge, they excessively affronted the Umayyad's fanatic nationalism and were the cause of the extremely cruel and pitiless well-known tragedy.

The four reasons mentioned above are outward and apparent. When it is considered from the point of view of Divine Determining, the results pertaining to the hereafter and the spiritual rule and spiritual progress that the tradegy gained for Hadhrat Husayn and his relatives were of such high worth that the distress they suffered due to it became extremely easy and cheap. Like if a soldier dies after an hour's torture and becomes a martyr, he attains such a rank that another could reach it only if he strove for ten years. If the soldier was to be asked after he had died, he would reply that he had gained much for very little.

THE MEANING OF YOUR FOURTH QUESTION

After Jesus (Upon whom be peace) kills the Dajjal (Antichrist) at the end of time, most people will enter the true religion. But it says in some narrations: "The end of the world will not occur so long as there remain on the earth those who say, Allah! Allah!" {[*]:} So how after most people have come to believe, will most people become unbelievers?

Those whose belief is weak deem it unlikely that what is narrated in a sound Hadith, "Jesus (Upon whom be peace) will come, he will act in accordance with the Shari'a of Islam, and he will kill the Dajjal," will come about. But if the reality of this is explained, no reason remains to deem it unlikely. It is as follows:

The meaning expressed by this Hadith and those about the Sufyan and

the Mahdi, {[*]:} is this: at the end of time two currents of irreligion will gain strength.

Under the veil of duplicity, a fearsome individual named the Sufyan will deny the messengership of Muhammad (PBUH), and coming to lead the dissemblers, will try to destroy the Islamic Shari'a. To oppose him, a luminous individual called Muhammad Mahdi of the Family of the Prophet will come to lead the people of sainthood and perfection, who are bound to the luminous chain of the Family of the Prophet, and he will kill the current of dissemblers, which will be the collective personality of the Sufyan, and scatter it.

A tyrannical current born of Naturalist and Materialist philosophy will gradually become strong and spread at the end of time by means of materialist philosophy, reaching such a degree that it denies God. A savage who does not recognize the king or accept that the officers and soldiers in the army are his soldiers ascribes a sort of kingship and rulership to everyone and to all the soldiers. In just the same way, the members of that current, who deny God, each ascribes dominicality to his soul like a little Nimrod. And the greatest of them, the Dajjal, who will come to lead them, will manifest awesome wonders, a sort of spiritualism and hypnosis; he will go even further, and imagining his tyrannical, superficial rule to be a sort of dominicality, he will proclaim his godhead. It is clear just what foolish buffoonery it is for impotent man, who may be defeated by a fly and cannot create even a fly's wing, to claim godhead.

At that point when the current appears to be very strong, the religion of true Christianity, which comprises the collective personality of Jesus (Upon whom be peace), will emerge. That is, it will descend from the skies of Divine Mercy. Present Christianity will be purified in the face of that reality; it will cast off superstition and distortion, and unite with the truths of Islam. Christianity will in effect be transformed into a sort of Islam. Following the Qur'an, the collective personality of Christianity will be in the rank of follower, and Islam, in that of leader. True religion will become a mighty force as a result of its joining it. Although defeated before the atheistic current while separate, Christianity and Islam will have the capability to defeat and rout it as a result of their union. Then the person of Jesus (Upon whom be peace), who is present with his human body in the world of the heavens, will come to lead the current of true religion, as, relying on the promise of One Powerful Over All

Things, the Bringer of Sure News has said. Since he has told of it, it is true, and since the One Powerful Over All Things has promised it, He will certainly bring it about.

Indeed, it is not far from the wisdom of an All-Wise One of Glory Who all the time sends the angels to the earth from the heavens, sometimes in human form (like Gabriel appearing in the form of Dihya), and sends spirit beings from the Spirit World making them appear in human form, and even sends the spirits of most of the dead saints to the world with similitudes of their bodies, it would not be far from His Wisdom -even if he was not alive and present with his body in the skies of the world, and had truly died and departed for the furthest corner of the hereafter- to clothe Jesus (Upon whom be peace) in his body and send him to the world, so to bring the religion of Jesus to a good conclusion; for such a momentous result. Indeed He promised it because His wisdom required it to be thus, and since He promised it, He will most certainly send him.

When Jesus (Upon whom be peace) comes, it is not necessary that everyone should know him to be the true Jesus. His elect and those close to him will recognize him through the light of belief. It will not be self-evident so that everyone will recognize him.

There are narrations which say: "The Dajjal has a false paradise into which he puts those that follow him, and he also has a false hell into which he casts those who do not follow him. He even has made one of his mount's ears into a paradise and the other into a hell... his body is of such-and-such vast dimensions..."; {[*]:} they describe him like this?

The Dajjal is superficially like a human being. But he is arrogant and pharaoh-like and has forgotten God, so is a foolish satan and intriguing man who calls his superficial, tyrannical rule godhead. But his huge current of atheism, his collective personality, is truly vast. The awesome descriptions of the Dajjal in the narrations allude to that. At one time, the commander-in-chief ofدأe Japanese army was depicted with one foot in the Pacific Ocean and the other ten days' distance away in Port Arthur. The collective personality of the commander-in-chief's army was shown by depicting him in that way.

The Dajjal's false paradise are the alluring amusements and enticements of civilization. His mount is means of transport like the railway; at one end of the train is the fire-box which sometimes sprays fire on those

who do not follow him. The other of the mount's ears, that is, the other end of it, has been furnished like Paradise, and he seats his followers in it. Anyway, the railway, an important mount of dissolute and cruel civilization, brings a false paradise for the dissolute and the worldly, while for the people of religion and Islam like the angels of Hell it brings dangers in the hand of civilization, and casts them into captivity and indigence.

For sure, with the emergence of the true religion of Christianity and its being transformed into Islam, it will spread its light to the great majority of people in the world, but when the end of the world is close an atheistic current will again appear and become dominant. According to the rule, "The word is with the majority," no one will remain on earth who says, "Allah! Allah!;" that is, "Allah! Allah!" will not be uttered by a significant group which holds an important position on the earth. The people of truth will form a minority or will be defeated, but they will remain permanently till the end of the world. Only, the moment Doomsday occurs, as a sign of Divine mercy, the spirits of the believers will be seized first so that they do not see the terrors of the Last Day, and it will break forth over the unbelievers.

THE MEANING OF YOUR FIFTH QUESTION

Will the immortal spirits be grieved at the events of the Last Day?

The Answer: They will be grieved according to their degrees. They will be grieved in the same way that they are grieved at the overwhelming, wrathful manifestations of the angels towards themselves. In respect of his mind and conscience a person is affected by those trembling in the snow and cold outside while he himself is inside in the warm. Similarly, since they are connected to the universe, according to their degree, immortal spirits are affected by the awesome events of the universe. The Qur'an indicates and alludes to this and to the tormented being afflicted in a grievous manner, and those destined for happiness being struck by wonder and amazement, and even rejoicing. For the All-Wise Qur'an always mentions the extraordinary events of the resurrection in the form of threats; it says: "You will see it!" Whereas those who will witness it physically are those living at the Last Day. That is to say, the spirits whose bodies have rotted in their graves also have a share of those Qur'anic threats.

THE MEANING OF YOUR SIXTH QUESTION

Does the verse,

Everything will perish save His countenance {[*]:}

include the hereafter, Paradise, and Hell, and their inhabitants, or does it not include them?

This question has been much discussed by the scholars, the saints, and those who uncover the realities of creation. The word is theirs in this matter. Moreover, the verse is very broad and contains many levels. The majority of scholars said that it does not include the everlasting realm, while others said that those realms too will perish for just an instant, a brief interval of time, but so brief a time that it will not be perceived that they have been annihilated and returned. But the absolute annihilation stated by some of those who uncover the realities whose ideas are extreme, is not right. For since the Most Pure and Holy Divine Essence is eternal and everlasting, His attributes and Names are also surely eternal and everlasting. And since His attributes and Names are everlasting and eternal, the everlasting beings and immortal ones in the realm of eternity which are the mirrors, manifestations, impresses, and places of reflection of His attributes and Names of necessity will not go to absolute non-existence.

I shall now write one or two points that occur to me from the effulgence of the Qur'an:

The First: Almighty God is the possessor of such Absolute Power that He can despatch and bring into being existence and non-existence most easily, as though they were two houses in relation to His power and will. If He wishes He can do this in a day or in an instant. Anyway there is no absolute non-existence, for His knowledge is all-embracing. And there is nothing outside the sphere of Divine knowledge so that something can be cast there. The non-existence within the sphere of His knowledge is external non-existence and a title for something concealed but existent in Divine knowledge. Some scholars have called these beings existent in Divine knowledge "latent realities." In which case, to go to extinction is to be temporarily divested of external dress and to enter upon existence in Divine knowledge, existence in meaning. That is to say, transitory, ephemeral beings leave external existence and their essences are clothed in what has the meaning of existence; they pass from the sphere of Divine power to that of Divine knowledge.

As we have explained in many of the Words, in regard to their faces which look to themselves, all things are nothing. They do not possess existences which are of themselves independent or constant. And they do not possess realities which subsist of themselves. But in regard to their aspects that look to Almighty God, that is, that signify a meaning other than themselves, they are not nothing. For in that aspect are to be seen the manifestations of eternal Names. That aspect is not doomed for non-existence, for it bears the shadow of an eternal existent. It has a reality, it is constant, and it is elevated. For it is a sort of constant shadow of the eternal Name which it manifests.

Furthermore, Everything will perish save His countenance is a sword to cut man's attachment to things other than God. It looks to the transitory things of this world in order to sever attachment to ephemeral things in this fleeting world, which is not for Almighty God's sake. That is to say, if his attachment is for God's sake, on account of the face which looks to Him, for Him, man cannot embrace what is other than Him so that his head should be cut off with the sword of Everything will perish save His countenance.

In Short: If it is for God, if a person finds God, it cannot remain other than Him so that his head should be severed. If he does not find God and does not look on his account, everything is other than Him. A person has to use the sword of Everything will perish save His countenance, he has to rend the veil so that he can find Him.....

The Sixteenth Letter

Men said to them: "A great army is gathering against you," and frightened them. But it [only] increased their belief; they said: "For us God suffices, and He is the best Disposer of Affairs." {[*]:}

This letter manifested the meaning of the verse, But speak to him mildly, {[*]:} and was not written vehemently. It is the answer to a question asked me explicitly and implicitly by many people.

[To reply is not agreeable to me and I do not want to, for I have bound everything to reliance on God. But since I have not been left in peace to myself in my own world and since they have directed my attention towards the world, I am compelled to propound five Points in the language of the Old Said in order to explain the reality of the situation both to my friends, and to 'the worldly,' and to those in authority, so as to save not myself, but my friends and my Words, from the suspicions and ill-treatment of 'the worldly.']

FIRST POINT

It is asked: "Why have you withdrawn from politics and now have nothing to do with it?"

The Old Said of nine or ten years ago was involved in politics a certain amount; indeed, thinking he would serve religion and learning by means of politics, he was wearied for nothing. And he saw that it is a dangerous way which is doubtful and full of difficulties and for me superfluous, as well as forming an obstacle to the

most necessary duties. It is mostly lies and there is the possibility of unknowingly being a tool in the hand of Europe. Furthermore, one who enters politics is either successful or is in opposition. As for being successful, since I am neither an official nor a deputy, to work in politics is unnecessary and nonsense for me. Politics has no need for me so that I should interfere for nothing. If I join the opposition, I would do so either with ideas or with force. If it was with ideas there is no need for me, for the questions are all clear, and everyone knows them as I do. To wag one's chin pointlessly is meaningless. If I join the opposition for the purpose of force and to provoke an incident, there would be the possibility of committing thousands of sins in order to obtain a doubtful goal. Many people would be afflicted by disaster on account of one. So saying that in conscience he could not accept committing sins and causing the innocent to commit sins due to a one or two in ten possibility, the Old Said gave up cigarettes together with the newspapers, politics, and worldly conversation about politics. Decisive evidence for this is the fact that for the past eight years I have not read a single newspaper nor listened to one being read. Let someone come forward and say that I have read one or listened to one. Whereas eight years ago the Old Said used to read perhaps eight newspapers every day. Furthermore, for the past five years I have been under the closest scrutiny and surveillance. Anyone who has observed the slightest hint of political activity should say so. But for someone like me who is nervous, fearless, and without attachment, who considers the best stratagem to be without stratagem, his ideas will not remain secret for eight days, let alone eight years. If he had had the appetite and desire for politics, he would not have left any necessity for investigation and scrutiny, he would have given voice like the firing of a cannon.

SECOND POINT

Why does the New Said avoid politics with such vehemence?

He avoids it so vehemently in order to serve belief and the Qur'an, which is of the greatest importance, the greatest necessity and is the most pure and most right, in order not to sacrifice unnecessarily and officiously for one or two doubtful years of worldly life the working for and gaining of more than millions of years of eternal life. For he says: I am getting old and I do not know how many more years I shall live, so the most important question for me must be to work for eternal life. The prime means of gaining eternal life and the key to everlasting happiness is belief, so one has to work for that. But since I am obliged by the Shari'a to serve people in respect of learning so that they

may profit also, I want to perform such a duty. However, such service will either concern social and worldly life, which I cannot do, and also in stormy times it is not possible to perform such service soundly. Therefore, I left aside that aspect and chose the aspect of service to belief, which is the most important, the most necessary, and the soundest. I leave that door open so that the truths of belief I have gained for myself and the spiritual remedies I have myself experienced may be acquired by others. Perhaps Almighty God will accept this service and make it atonement for my former sins. Apart from Satan the Accursed, no one, be it a believer or an unbeliever, one of the veracious or an atheist, has the right to oppose this work. For unbelief resembles nothing else. In tyrannizing, vice, and grievous sins there may be an inauspicious satanic pleasure, but in unbelief there is no sort of pleasure at all. It is pain upon pain, darkness upon darkness, torment upon torment.

Just how contrary to reason it would be for someone like me who is unattached, alone, and compelled to atone for his former sins to leave aside working for an endless eternal life and serving a sacred light like belief, and to cast himself in old age into the unnecessary, perilous games of politics-just how contrary to wisdom, just what a lunacy it would be even lunatics would understand!

But if you ask why service to the Qur'an and belief prohibit me, I would say: Since the truths of belief and the Qur'an are each like diamonds, if I was polluted by politics, the ordinary people who are easily deceived, would wonder about those diamonds I was holding, "Aren't they for political propaganda to attract more supporters?" They might regard the diamonds as bits of common glass. Then by being involved with politics, I would be wronging the diamonds and as though reducing their value. And so, O you whose view is restricted to this world! Why do you struggle against me? Why do you not leave me to myself?

The shaykhs sometimes interfere in our business, and they sometimes call you a shaykh.

Good sirs! I am not a shaykh, I am a hoja [teacher]. The evidence is this: I have been here four years and if I had taught a single person the Sufi way, you would have had the right to be suspicious. But I have told everyone who has come to me: Belief is necessary, Islam is necessary; this is not the age of Sufism.

They call you Said-i Kurdi; perhaps you have some nationalist ideas, and that doesn't suit our interests.

Sirs! The things the Old Said and the New Said have written are clear. I cite as testimony the certain statement, "Islam has

abrogated the tribalism of Ignorance." For years I have considered negative nationalism and racialism to be a fatal poison, since it is a variety of European disease. And Europe has infected Islam with that disease thinking it would cause division, and Islam would break up and be easily swallowed. My students and those who have had anything to do with me know that for years I have tried to treat that disease. Since it is thus, good sirs, I wonder why you make every incident a pretext to harass me? According to what principle do you cause me distress at every worldly incident, like punishing and inflicting trouble on a soldier in the West because of a mistake made by a soldier in the East due to the connection of the army, or convicting a shopkeeper in Baghdad because of a crime committed by a tradesman in Istanbul due to their being in the same line of business? How can the conscience demand this? What benefit can require it?

THIRD POINT

My friends who wonder how I am and are astonished at my meeting every calamity silently with patience ask the following question: "How can you endure the difficulties and troubles with which you are faced, whereas formerly you were very proud and angry and could not endure even the least insult?"

Listen to two short incidents and stories and you shall receive your answer:

Two years ago an official spoke insultingly and contemptuously about me behind my back. They later told me about it. For about an hour I was affected due to the Old Said's vein of temperament. Then through Almighty God's mercy the following fact occurred to me; it dispelled the distress and made me forgive the man. The fact is this:

I addressed my soul saying: if his insults and the faults he described concern my person and my soul, may God be pleased with him, because he recounted the faults of my soul. If he spoke the truth, he drove me to train my soul and he helped in saving me from arrogance. If he spoke falsely, he has helped to save me from hypocrisy and undeserved fame, the source of hypocrisy. No, I have not been reconciled with my soul, for I have not trained it. If someone tells me there is a scorpion on my neck or breast or else points it out to me, I should be grateful to him, not offended. But if the man's insults were directed towards my belief and my attribute of being servant of the Qur'an, it does not concern me. I refer him to the Qur'an's Owner, Who employs me. He is Mighty, He is Wise. And if it was merely to curse at me, insult me, and destroy my character, that does not concern me either. For I am an exile, a prisoner, a

stranger, and my hands are tied, and it does not fall to me to try to restore my honour myself. It rather concerns the authorities of this village where I am a guest and under surveillance, then of the district, then of the province. Insulting the prisoner of a person, concerns the person; he defends the prisoner. Since the reality of the matter is this, my heart became easy. I said,

My [own] affair I commit to God; for God [ever] watches over His servants. {[*]:}

I thought of the incident as not having happened. But unfortunately it was later understood that the Qur'an had not forgiven him...

This year I heard that an incident had occurred. Although I only heard a brief account of it after it had happened, I was treated as though I had been closely connected with it. Anyway I do not correspond with anyone, and if I do, I only write extremely rarely concerning some question of belief to a friend. In fact I have written only one letter to my brother in four years. Both I prevent myself from mixing with others, and 'the worldly' prevent me. I have only been able to meet with one or two close friends once or twice a week. As for visitors to the village, once or twice a month perhaps one or two used to meet with me for one or two minutes concerning some matter to do with the hereafter. In exile, a stranger, alone, with no one, I was barred from everything, from everyone, in a village which was unsuitable for someone like me to work for a livelihood. Even, four years ago I repaired a tumble-down mosque. Although with the certificate I had from my own region to act an imam and preacher I acted as imam in the mosque for four years (May God accept it), this past Ramadan I could not go to the mosque. Sometimes I performed the five daily prayers alone. I was deprived of the twenty-fivefold merit and good of performing the prayers in congregation.

And so, I showed the same patience and forbearance in the face of these two incidents that befell me as I did towards the treatment of that official two years ago. God willing I shall continue to do so. I think like this and say: if this ill-treatment, distress, and oppression inflicted on me by 'the worldly' is for my faulty soul, I forgive it. Perhaps my soul will be reformed by means of it, and perhaps it will be atonement for its sins. I have experienced many of the good things in this guest-house of the world; if I experience a little of its trials, I shall still offer thanks. If 'the worldly' oppress me because of my service to belief and the Qur'an, it is

not up to me to defend it. I refer it to the Mighty and Compelling One. If the intention is to destroy the regard in which I am held generally, to expunge undeserved fame, which is baseless and causes hypocrisy and destroys sincerity, then may God bless them! For I consider being held in regard by people generally and gaining a name among them to be harmful for people like me. Those who have dealings with me know that I do not want respect to be shown to me, indeed, I can't abide it. I have even scolded a valuable friend of mine perhaps fifty times for showing me excessive respect. If their intention in slandering me, belittling me in the eyes of the people, and defaming me is directed towards the truths of belief and the Qur'an of which I am the interpreter, it is pointless. For a veil cannot be drawn over the stars of the Qur'an. "One who closes his eyes only himself does not see; he does not make it night for anyone else."

FOURTH POINT

The answer to a number of suspicious questions:

'The worldly' say to me: "How do you live? What do you live on since you do not work? We don't want people in our country who sit around idly and live off the labour of others."

I live through frugality and the resulting plenty. I am not obliged to anyone other the One Who Provides for me and I have taken the decision not to become obliged to anyone else. Yes, someone who lives on a hundred para, or even forty para, does not become obliged to anyone. I do not want to explain this matter. To do so is most disagreeable to me, as it may make me feel a sort of pride or egotism. But since 'the worldly' ask about it suspiciously, I reply as follows: since my childhood, throughout my life, it has been a principle of my life not to accept anything from the people, even zakat, not to accept a salary -only I was compelled to accept one for one or two years in the Darü'l-Hikmeti'l-Islamiye on the insistence of my friends- and not to become obliged to people for a worldly livelihood. The people of my native region and those who have known me in other places know this. During these five years of exile, many friends have tried earnestly to make me accept their gifts, but I have accepted none of them. And so, if it is asked me, "So how do you manage to live?", I reply: I live through Divine bestowal and blessings. For sure, my soul deserves all insults and contempt, but as a wonder resulting from service of the Qur'an, I receive plenty and blessings which are a Divine bestowal in the matter of sustenance. In accordance with the verse,

But the bounty of your Sustainer rehearse and proclaim, {[*]:}

I shall recall the bounties Almighty God has bestowed on me, and mention a few examples by way of thanks. But together with being thanks, I am frightened that it will induce hypocrisy and pride so that blessed plenty will be cut. For to make known a secret Divine gift of plenty causes it to cease. But what can I do, I am compelled to tell them.

And so, The First: This six months one bushel (kile) {[*]:} of wheat, consisting of thirty-six loaves of bread, has sufficed me. There is still some left, it is not finished. How much longer {[*]:} it will last, I do not know.

This blessed month of Ramadan I received food from only two houses, and both of them made me ill. I understood that I am prohibited from eating the food of others. The rest of the time, in the whole of Ramadan, three loaves of bread and one okka {[*]:} of rice sufficed me, as was witnessed and told by Abdullah ?avus, the owner of a blessed house and a loyal friend who saw my economizing. The rice even was finished two weeks after the end of Ramadan.

For three months on the mountain one kiyye {[*]:} of butter was enough for me and my guests, eating it every day together with bread. On one occasion even I had a blessed visitor called Süleyman. Both his bread and my bread were about to be finished. It was Wednesday. I told him to go and get some bread. For two hours' distance to every side of us there was no one from whom he could have got any bread. He said that he wanted to stay with me on the mountain on Thursday night so that we could pray together. Saying, Our reliance i s on God, I told him to stay. Later, although it had no connection with this and there was no reason for it, we both began walking till we reached the top of mountain. There was a little water in the ewer, and we had a small piece of sugar and some tea. I said to him: "Brother! Make some tea!" He set about making it and I sat down under a cedar-tree overlooking a deep ravine. I thought regretfully to myself: we have a bit of mouldy bread which will only just be enough for us this evening. What shall we do for two days and what shall I say to this ingenuous man? While thinking this, I suddenly turned my head involuntarily and I saw a huge loaf of bread on the cedar-tree in among the branches; it was facing us. I exclaimed: "Süleyman! Good news! Almighty God has sent us food." We took the bread, and looking at it saw that no bird or wild animal had

touched it. And for twenty or thirty days no one at all had climbed to the top of that mountain. The bread was sufficient for us for the two days. While we were eating and it was about to be finished, righteous Süleyman who had been the most loyal of loyal friends for four years, suddenly appeared from below with more bread.

I bought this sack coat that I'm wearing seven years ago second-hand. In five years I have spent only four and a half liras on clothes, underwear, slippers, and stockings. Frugality and Divine mercy and the resulting plenty have sufficed me.

Thus, there are numerous things like these examples and numerous sorts of Divine blessings. The people of this village know most of them. But do not suppose I am mentioning them out of pride, I have been forced to, rather. But do not think they were due to my goodness. These instances of plenty were either bestowal to the sincere friends who have visited me, or a bestowal on account of service to the Qur'an, or an abundance and benefit resulting from frugality, or they have been sustenance for the four cats I have which recite the Divine Names "O Most Compassionate One! O Most Compassionate One!", which comes in the form of plenty and from which I benefit too.

Yes, if you listen carefully to their mournful miaowings, you will understand that they are saying, "O Most Compassionate One! O Most Compassionate One!" We have arrived at the subject of cats and it has recalled the hen. I have a hen. This winter every day almost without exception she brought me an egg from the treasury of Mercy. Then one day she brought me two eggs and I was astonished. I asked my friends "How can this be?" They replied: "Perhaps it is a Divine gift." The hen also has a young chick she hatched in the summer. It started to lay at the beginning of Ramadan and continued for forty days. Neither I nor those who assist me have any doubt that, being both young, and in winter, and in Ramadan, this blessed situation was a Divine gift and bestowal. And whenever the mother stopped laying, it immediately started, not leaving me without eggs.

'The worldly' ask: How can we be confident that you will not interfere in our world? If we leave you free, perhaps you may interfere in it. Also, how do we know that you are not being cunning? How do we know that it is not a stratagem, showing yourself to have abandoned the world and not taking things from the people openly, but secretly?

My attitude and situation in the Court Martial and in the period before the proclamation of the Constitution, which are

known by many, and my defence in the Court Martial at that time called The Testimony of Two Schools of Misfortune, show decisively that the life I lived was such that I would not resort to the tiniest wiles, let alone cunning and subterfuge. If trickery had been resorted to in this last five years, application would have been made to you in sycophantic manner. A wilely man tries to ingratiate himself. He does not hold back; he always tries to deceive and hoodwink. Whereas I have not condescended to lower myself by responding to the severest attacks and criticisms levelled at me. Saying, I place my trust in God, I turned my back on 'the worldly.' Moreover, one who discovers the reality of this world and knows the hereafter, is not sorry if he is sensible; he does not turn back to the world and struggle with it again. Someone after the age of fifty who has no connection with anything and is alone, will not sacrifice eternal life for one or two years of the chatter and deception of this world. If he does so, he is not cunning, but foolish and crazy. What can a crazy lunatic do so that anyone should bother with him? As for the suspicion of outwardly abandoning the world while inwardly seeking it, in accordance with the verse,

Nor do I absolve my own self [of blame]; the [human] soul is certainly prone to evil, {[*]:}

I do not exonerate my soul, for it wants everything bad. But in this fleeting world, this temporary guest-house, during old age, in a brief life, it is not reasonable to destroy eternal, everlasting life and eternal happiness for a little bit of pleasure. Since it is not profitable for the reasonable and the aware, my soul has willy-nilly had to follow my reason.

'The worldly' say: Do you like us? Do you approve of us? If you do like us, why are you stand-offish and have nothing to do with us? If you do not like us, that means you object to us, and we crush those who object to us.

Not you, if I had loved your world, I would not have withdrawn from it. I don't like either you or your world. But I do not interfere with them. For I have different goals, different points have filled my heart; they have left no place in my heart to think of other things. Your duty is to look to the hand, not to the heart. For you seek your government and your public order. So long as the hand does not interfere, what right do you have to interfere in the heart and say, "the heart should love us too," although you are in no way worthy of it? Yes, just as I desire and long for the spring during this winter, but I cannot

will it nor attempt to bring it, so too, I long for the world to be righted and I pray for it and I want the worldly to be reformed, but I cannot will these things, because I do not have the power. I cannot attempt them in fact, because it is neither my duty, nor do I have the capacity.

'The worldly' say: we have experienced so many calamities, we no longer have confidence in anyone. How can we be certain that given the opportunity you won't interfere like you want to?

The previous points should give you confidence. In addition, since I did not interfere in your world while in my native region among my students and relatives, in the midst of those who heeded me and of exciting events, for someone who is alone in exile, with no one, a stranger, weak, powerless, turned with all his strength towards the hereafter, cut off from all social intercourse and correspondence, who has only found a few friends from far afield who are also turned to the hereafter, and who is a stranger to everyone else and whom everyone else regards as a stranger-for such a person to interfere in your fruitless and dangerous world would surely be a compounded lunacy.

FIFTH POINT

This concerns five small matters.

'The worldly' ask me: Why do you yourself not practise the principles of our civilization, our style of life, and our manner of dressing? Does this mean you oppose us?

Sirs! What right do you have to propose to me the principles of your civilization? Yet as though casting me outside the laws of civilization, you have wrongfully forced me to reside in a village for five years prohibited from all social intercourse and correspondence. While you left all the exiles in the town with their friends and relations, then gave them the papers granting them an amnesty, without reason you isolated me and did not allow me to meet with anyone from my native region with one or two exceptions. That means you do not count me as a member of this nation and a citizen. How can you propose to me that I apply your civil code to myself? You have made the world into a prison for me. Such things cannot be proposed to someone in prison. You closed the door of the world on me, so I knocked on the door of the hereafter, and Divine mercy opened it to me. How can the confused customs and principles of the world be proposed to someone at the door of the hereafter? Whenever you set me free and return me to my native region and restore my rights, then you can require me to conform to your principles.

'The worldly' say: "We have an official department for instructing in the precepts of religion and truths of Islam. With what authority do you publish religious works? Since you are a convicted exile, you have no right to mix in these matters."

Truth and reality cannot be restricted. How can belief and the Qur'an be restricted? You can restrict the principles and laws of your world, but the truths of belief and Qur'anic principles cannot be forced into the form of worldly dealings, being given an official guise and in return for a wage. Those mysteries which are Divine gifts, those blessings, come rather through a sincere intention and giving up the world and carnal pleasures. Moreover, that official department of yours accepted me and appointed me as a preacher while I was in my home region. I accepted the position, but rejected the salary. I have the document in my possession. With the document I can act as an imam and preacher everywhere, because my being exiled was unjust. Also, since the exiles have been returned, my old documents are still valid.

I addressed the truths of belief which I have written directly to my own soul. I do not invite everyone. Rather, those whose spirits are needy and hearts wounded search out and find those Qur'anic remedies. Only, to secure my livelihood I had printed a treatise of mine about the resurrection of the dead before the new script was introduced. And the former governor, who was unfair to me, studied the treatise, but did nothing against it since he could find nothing in it to criticize.

Some of my friends remain apparently aloof from me because 'the worldly' consider me with suspicion and in order to appear favourable to 'the worldly,' indeed, they criticize me. But the cunning 'worldly' attribute their aloofness and avoiding me not to their loyalty to 'the worldly' but to a sort of hypocrisy and lack of conscience, and they look on those friends of mine unfavourably.

So I say this: O my friends of the hereafter! Don't stand aloof from my being a servant of the Qur'an and run away. Because, God willing, no harm will come to you from me. Suppose some calamity is visited on you or I am oppressed, you cannot be saved by avoiding me. By doing that you will make yourselves more deserving of calamity and a blow. And what is there, that you should have these groundless fears?

I see during this time of my exile that certain boastful people who have fallen into the swamp of politics regard me in a partisan manner, with rivalry, as though I am connected with the worldly currents like they are.

Sirs! I am in the current of belief. Before me is the current of unbelief

I have no connection with other currents. Perhaps some of those who work for a wage see themselves as excused to a degree. But to take up a position opposed to me in rivalry for no wage in the name of patriotism, and harass me, and oppress me, is a truly grievous error. For as was proved above, I have no connection at all with world politics. I have dedicated and vowed all my time and my life to the truths of belief and the Qur'an. Since it is thus, let the one who torments and harasses me in rivalry think that such treatment of his is similar to causing harm to belief in the name of atheism and unbelief.

Since this world is transitory, and since life is short, and since the truly essential duties are many, and since eternal life will be gained here, and since the world is not without an owner, and since this guest-house of the world has a most Wise and Generous director, and since neither good nor bad will remain without recompense, and since according to the verse,

On no soul does God place a burden greater than it can bear {[*]:}

there is no obligation that cannot be borne, and since a safe way is preferable to a harmful way, and since worldly friends and ranks last only till the door of the grave, then surely the most fortunate is he who does not forget the hereafter for this world, and does not sacrifice the hereafter for this world, and does not destroy the life of the hereafter for worldly life, and does not waste his life on trivial things, but considers himself to be a guest and acts in accordance with the commands of the guest-house's Owner, then opens the door of the grave in confidence and enters upon eternal happiness..

{(*):}

The Addendum to the Sixteenth Letter

Without reason 'the worldly' became suspicious of a powerless stranger like myself, and imagining me to have the power of thousands of people, put me under numerous restrictions. They did not give permission for me to stay one or two nights in Bedre, a district of Barla, or on one of the mountains of Barla. I heard that they say: "Said has power equal to that of fifty thousand soldiers, we cannot therefore set him free."

So I say: You unhappy people whose view is restricted to this world! How is it that you do not know the matters of the world, despite working for the world with all your strength, and govern it like lunatics? If it is my person you fear, it is not fifty thousand soldiers, one soldier even could do more than me. That is, he could be posted at the door of my room and tell me: "You can't go out!"

But if it is my profession and my being herald of the Qur'an and the moral strength of belief that you fear, then you are wrong, it is not fifty thousand soldiers, you should be aware that in respect of my profession I have the strength of fifty million! For through the strength of the All-Wise Qur'an, I challenge all Europe including your irreligious people. Through the lights of belief I have published I have razed the sturdy bastions they call the physical sciences and Nature. I have cast down lower than animals their greatest irreligious philosophers. If all Europe was to gather, of which your irreligious people are a part, through God's assistance, they could not make me recant a single matter of that way of mine. God willing, they could not defeat me....

Since the matter is thus, I do not interfere in your world, so don't you interfere in my hereafter! If you do, if it will be of no avail.

What is determined by God cannot be turned by force;

A flame that if lit by God, cannot be extinguished by puffing

'The worldly' are exceptionally and excessively suspicious of me; quite simply, they are frightened of me. Imagining things non-existent in me, which even if they were existent would not constitute a political crime and could not be the cause of accusation, like being a shaykh, or of significant rank or family, or being a tribal leader, and influential, and having numerous followers, or meeting with people from my native region, or being connected with the affairs of the world, or even entering politics, or even the opposition; imagining these things in me, they have been carried away by groundless fears. At a time even that they are discussing pardoning those in prison and outside, that is, those that according to them cannot be pardoned, they have quite simply barred me from everything. A bad and ephemeral person wrote the following good and enduring words:

If tyranny has cannon, shot, and forts,

Right has an untwistable arm, a constant face.

And I say:

If the worldly have rule, power, and strength,

Through the Qur'an's effulgence, its servant

Has unfaltering knowledge, an unsilenceable voice;

He has an unerring heart, an unquenchable light.

Many friends, as well as a military commander under whose surveillance I was, repeatedly asked: "Why don't you apply for the release papers and put forward a petition?"

I do not apply and I cannot apply for five or six reasons:

I did not interfere in 'the worldly's' world so that I should have been convicted and apply to them. I was convicted by Divine Determining; my faults are before it, and I apply to it.

I believe and have certain knowledge that this world is a swiftly changing guest-house. Therefore, it is not the true homeland and everywhere is the same. Since I am not going to remain permanently in my homeland, it is pointless to struggle for it; it is not worth going there. Since everywhere is a guest-house, if the mercy of the guest-house's Owner befriends one, everyone is a friend and everywhere familiar. Whereas if it does not befriend one, everywhere is a load on the heart and everyone hostile.

Application is within the framework of the law. But the way I have been treated these six years has been arbitrary and outside the law. The Exiles' Law was not applied to me. They looked on me as

though I had been stripped of all the rights of civilization and even of all worldly rights. To apply in the name of the law to those whose dealings with me have been thus outside the law is meaningless.

This year, the local official applied in my name for me to stay for a few days in the village of Bedre, which is like a district of Barla, for a change of air. How can those who reject such an unimportant need of mine be applied to? If they are applied to, it would be a futile and degrading abasement.

To claim a right before those who claim a wrong to be right, and to apply to them, is a wrong. It is disrespectful towards right. I do not want to perpetrate such a wrong and show disrespect for right. And that is that.

The distress and difficulty 'the worldly' have caused me has not been due to politics, because they know I do not meddle in politics and flee from it. Rather, knowingly or unknowingly, they torment me on account of aggressive atheism because I am bound to religion. In which case, to apply to them has the meaning of regretting religion and flattering the cause of aggressive atheism.

Moreover, Divine Determining, which is just, would punish me through their tyrannical hand on my applying to them and having recourse to them, for they oppress me because of my being bound to religion. As for Divine Determining, from time to time it represses me due to my hypocrisy before 'the worldly,' because of my deficiency in religion and in sincerity. Since this is so, for the time being I cannot be saved from this distress. If I apply to the worldly, Divine Determining would say: "Hypocrite! Pay the penalty for applying!" And if I do not apply, 'the worldly' say: "You don't recognize us, go on suffering difficulties!"

It is well-known that an official's duty is to give harmful individuals no opportunity to cause harm and to assist those who are beneficial. Whereas the official who took me into custody approached me, an elderly guest at the door of the grave, when I was expounding a subtle aspect of belief contained in There is no god but God as though I was perpetrating some misdemeanour, although he had not been to me for a long time previously. He caused the sincere unfortunate who was listening to be deprived, and me to be angry. There were certain people here, and he attached no importance to them. Then when they acted discourteously in a way that would poison the life of the village, he started to be gracious and appreciative towards them.

Furthermore, it is well-known that someone in prison who has

committed a hundred crimes can meet with the person who supervises him whether the official be of high or low rank. But in this last year, although two important people in the national government charged with supervising me have passed by my house several times, they have absolutely neither met with me nor asked after my condition. At first I supposed that they did not come near to me due to enmity, then it became clear that it was due to their fearful suspicions; they were fleeing from me as though as I was going to gobble them up. Thus, to recognize a government whose members and officials are like those men and have recourse to it and apply to it, is not sensible, but a futile abasement. If it had been the Old Said, he would have said, like 'Antara:

The very water of life becomes Hell through abasement,

Whereas Hell with dignity becomes a place of pride.

The Old Said no longer exists, and the New Said considers it meaningless to talk with 'the worldly.' Let their world be the end of them! They can do what they like. He is silent, saying, we shall be judged together with them at the Last Judgement.

The Eighth Reason for my not applying: According to the rule, "The result of illicit love is merciless torment," Divine Determining, which is just, torments me through the tyrannous hand of 'the worldly,' because I incline towards them, since they are not worthy of it. And saying, I deserve this torment, I am silent. For in the Great War I fought and strove as a Commander of a volunteer regiment. Applauded by the Commander-in-Chief of the army and Enver Pa-a, I sacrificed my valuable students and friends. I was wounded and taken prisoner. Returning from captivity, I cast myself into danger through works like The Seven Steps, aiming them at the heads of the British, who had occupied Istanbul. I assisted those who hold me without reason in this torment and captivity. As for them, they punish me in this way for that help. Those friends here cause me in three months the hardship and distress I suffered in three years as a prisoner-of-war in Russia. And the Russians did not prevent me from giving religious instruction, although they regarded me as a Kurdish Militia Commander, a cruel man who had slaughtered Cossacks and prisoners. I used to instruct the great majority of my ninety fellow officer prisoners. One time, the Russian commander came and listened. Because he did not know Turkish, he thought it was political instruction, and put a stop to it. Then later he gave permission. Also, in the same barracks, we made a room into a mosque, and I used to lead the prayers. They did not interfere at all. They did not prevent me from mixing, or from communicating, with the others. Whereas my friends here, my

fellow citizens and co-religionists and those for whose benefits in the form of religious belief I have struggled, have held me in a tortuous captivity not for three years, but for six, for absolutely no reason and although they know I have severed all my relations with the world. They have prevented me mixing with others. They have prevented me from giving religious instruction, despite my having a certificate, and even from giving private instruction in my room. They have prevented me from communicating with others. They have even barred me from the mosque which I repaired and where I acted as prayer-leader for four years, although I had the necessary certificate. And now, to deprive me of the merit of performing the prayers in congregation, they do not accept me as prayer-leader even for three private individuals, my permanent congregation and brothers of the hereafter.

Furthermore, if, although I do not want it, someone is to call me good, the official who holds me in surveillance is jealous and angry. Thinking he will destroy my influence, he entirely unscrupulously takes precautions, and pesters me in order to curry favour with his superiors.

To whom can someone in such a position have recourse other than God Almighty? If the judge is also the claimant, of course he cannot complain to him. Come on, you say! What can we say to this? You say what you like, I say this: there are many dissemblers among these friends of mine. A dissembler is worse than an unbeliever. For that reason they make me suffer what the infidel Russian did not make me suffer.

And so, you unfortunates, what have I done to you and what I am doing? I am trying to save your belief and am serving your eternal happiness! It means that my service is not sincere and purely for God's sake so that it has the reverse effect. In return, you torment me at every opportunity. For sure, we shall meet at the Last Judgement. I say:

God is enough for us and the best of protectors. {[*]:} * The best of lords and the best of helpers. {[*]:}

The Seventeenth Letter

My Dear Brother of the Hereafter, Hafiz Halid Efendi!

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

And give good news to the patient, * Those who when afflicted with calamity say: To God do we belong and to Him is our return. {[*]:}

My brother, your child's death saddened me. But, "the command is God's," contentment with the Divine decree and submission to Divine Determining is a mark of Islam. May Almighty God grant you all patience. And may He make the deceased a supporter and intercessor for you in the hereafter. I shall explain Five Points which are truly good news and offer real consolation for you, and pious believers like you:

FIRST POINT

The meaning of the phrase, immortal youths {[*]:} in the All-Wise Qur'an is this: with this phrase, the verse indicates and gives the good news that the children of believers who die before reaching maturity will remain perpetually as eternal, lovable children in a form worthy of Paradise; that they will be an everlasting means of happiness in the embrace of their

fathers and mothers who go to Paradise; that they will be the means for ensuring for their parents the sweetest of pleasures like loving and carressing children; that all pleasurable things will be found in Paradise; that the statements of those who say that since Paradise is not the place for reproduction, there will be no loving and carressing of children are not correct; and that gaining millions of years of pure, painfree loving and caressing of eternal children in place of a short time like ten years of loving children mixed with sorrows in this world is a great source of happiness for believers.

SECOND POINT

One time, a man was in prison. They sent one of his lovable children to him. The unhappy prisoner suffered both his own sorrows, and since he could not make the child comfortable, he was grieved also at his hardship. Then the compassionate judge sent a man to him with a message which said: "For sure this child is yours, but he is my subject and of my people. I shall take him and look after him in a fine palace." The man wept in anguish. He said: "I won't give you my child who is my solace!" His friends said to him: "Your grief is meaningless. If it is the child you pity, he will go to a spacious and happy palace in place of this dirty, stinking, distressing dungeon. If you are grieved for yourself and are seeking your own benefits, if your child remains here, you will suffer much distress and pain at the child's difficulties in addition to your single dubious, temporary benefit. If he goes there, it will be of manifold advantage for you, for it will be the cause of attracting the king's mercy and will be an intercessor for you. The king will want to make you meet with him. He surely will not send him to the prison so that you can see him; he will release you from the prison, summon you to the palace, and allow you to meet with the child there. On condition that you have confidence in the king and you obey him...."

My dear brother, like this comparison, you must think as follows, like other believers when their children die: the child was innocent, and his Creator is All-Compassionate and All-Generous. He has taken him to His most perfect grace and mercy in place of my deficient up-bringing and compassion. He has released him from the grievous, calamitous, difficult prison of this world and sent him to the gardens of Paradise. How happy for the child! If he had stayed in this world, who knows what form he would have taken. Therefore, I do not pity him, I know him to be fortunate. There remains the benefits for myself, and I don't pity myself for those, and I do not grieve and be sorrowful. For if he had remained in the world, he would have secured ten years of a child's temporary love

mixed with pains. If he had been righteous and if he had been capable in the matters of the world, perhaps he would have helped me. But with his death, he has become like an intercessor who is the means to ten million years of a child's love in eternal Paradise and to everlasting happiness. Most certainly, one who loses some dubious, immediate benefit and gains a thousand certain, postponed benefits does not display grief and sorrow, he does not cry out in despair.

THIRD POINT

The child who died was the creature, possession, servant, and together with all his members, the artefact of a Most Compassionate Creator, and belonging to Him, was a friend of his parents, put temporarily under their supervision. The Creator made the father and mother servants of the child. In return for their services, He gave them pleasurable compassion as an immediate wage. Now, if as the requirement of mercy and wisdom, that All-Compassionate Creator, Who owns nine hundred and ninety-nine shares out of a thousand of the child, takes the child from you and puts an end to your service, to cry out in grief and despair due to that apparent single share in the face of the true owner of the thousand shares in a manner that recalls complaint, does not befit a believer; it befits rather the people of neglect and misguidance.

FOURTH POINT

If the world had been eternal, and man was to have remained in it eternally, and separation had been eternal; grievous sorrow and despairing woe would have had some meaning. But since this world is a guest-house, wherever the dead child has gone, you, and we too, shall go there. Moreover, this death is not particular to him, it is a general highway. And, since separation is not for ever, in the future, both in the Intermediate Realm and in the hereafter, he will be met with. One must say, the command is God's. He gave him and He took him away. One must say, "All praise be to God for every situation," and offer thanks in patience.

FIFTH POINT

Compassion, one of the most subtle, beautiful, agreeable, and sweet manifestations of Divine mercy, is a luminous elixir. It is much more direct than passionate love; it swiftly becomes a means to union with Almighty God. Metaphorical love and worldly love are transformed into true love with the greatest difficulty, and find Almighty God, but compassion binds the heart to Him in a shorter, purer fashion-and without difficulty. Both father and mother love their child more than all the

world. When their child is taken from them, if they are fortunate and if they are true believers, its turns their faces from this world and finds the True Bestower of Bounties. It says: "Since the world is transitory, it is not worthy of the heart's attachment." Wherever the child has gone, a person forms an attachment with that place, and this gains for him high spiritual rank.

The people of neglect and misguidance are deprived of the happiness and good news of these Five Points. You can see from the following how grievous their situation is: they see their only child in the throes of death and due to their imagining the world to be eternal and as a result of their heedlessness and misguidance, they think death is non-existence and eternal separation. They think of him in the earth of his grave in place of his soft bed, and due to their heedlessness or misguidance, they do not think of the Paradise of mercy and heaven of bounty of the Most Compassionate of the Compassionate; you can see by comparison what despairing sorrow and grief they suffer. Whereas belief and Islam say to the believer: his All-Compassionate Creator will take this child of yours who is in the throes of death from this base world and take him to Paradise. He will make him both an intercessor for you, and an eternal child. Separation is temporary, do not worry.

Say, the command is God's. * To God do we belong and to Him shall we return,

and bear it patiently.

The Eighteenth Letter

[This Letter consists of 'Three Important Matters.']

THE FIRST IMPORTANT MATTER

Famous saints like Muhyi'l-Din al-'Arabi (May his mystery be sanctified), the author of al-Futuhat al-Makkiya, and Sayyid 'Abd al-Karim (May his mystery be sanctified), the author of a well-known book entitled Insan-i Kamil, speak of the seven levels of the globe of the earth and the white earth beyond the 'Kaf' mountain, and strange things which in Futuhat are called 'mashmashiya.' Are these true? But these places do not exist on the earth. Furthermore, these things that they say are not accepted by geography and science. And if they are not true, how can they be saints? How can people who say things contrary to reality and the truth in this way be 'people of reality'?

They are the people of truth and reality. They are also saints and those who witness the realities. They saw correctly what they saw, but since they were not correct in declarations they made while in the state of illumination and witnessing, which is without comprehension, and in their interpretations of their visions, which were like dreams, they were partially incorrect. People of illumination and witnessing of that sort cannot interpret their own visions while in such a state, just as a person cannot interpret his own dream while dreaming it. Those who can interpret them are the exact scholars of the legacy of prophethood, called 'the purified ones.' For sure, when they rise to the rank of the 'purified ones,' the people of witnessing of that group understand their errors

through the guidance of the Qur'an and the Sunna, and they correct them; and they did correct them.

Listen to this story which is the form of a comparison and will illustrate this truth. It is like this:

One time, there were two shepherds who were from among those who approach reality with their hearts. They milked their sheep into a wooden pail and put the pail beside them. They laid their shepherd's pipe on the pail, then one of them stretched out, overcome by sleep. He slept for a while. The other shepherd was watching him carefully when he saw something like a fly emerge from the sleeping man's nose, look at the pail of milk, enter the pipe at one end, emerge from the other, then disappear into a hole under a bush. Some while later the thing emerged again, passed down the shepherd's pipe, entered the sleeping man's nose, whereupon he awoke. He exclaimed: "I had an extraordinary dream!" His friend replied: "May God make good come of it. What was it?" The other man said: "I saw a sea of milk stretching over which was a strange bridge. The upper part of the bridge was closed and contained windows. I passed through the bridge. I saw a grove of oaks, the tops of which were all pointed. Beneath them was a cave; I entered it, and I saw some treasure full of gold. How can this be interpreted, I wonder?"

His alert friend said to him: "The sea of milk you saw was this wooden pail, and the bridge, our shepherd's pipe. The pointed oak trees were this bush, while the cave was this small hole. Get the pickaxe and I'll show you the treasure." He brought the pick and they dug under the bush, and there they found gold enough to make them both prosperous in this world.

Thus, what the sleeping man dreamt was right, and what he saw, correct, but because he had no comprehension while dreaming and no right to interpret the dream, he could not distinguish between the physical world and the non-material world and his assertions were partially wrong; he said: "I saw an actual physical sea." But since the man who was awake could distinguish between the physical world and the World of Similitudes, he had the right to interpret the dream; he said: "What you saw in the dream was right, but it wasn't an actual sea; our milk pail appeared to your imagination as a sea, and our pipe as a bridge, and so on." That means the physical and spiritual worlds have to be distinguished from one another. If they are combined, the assertions appear wrong.

For example, you have a small room the four walls of which have been covered with four large mirrors. When you enter it, you see the

small room to be as broad as a large arena. If you say, "I see my room to be as large as a broad arena," what you say is correct. But if you assert, "My room is as large as a broad arena," you would be wrong, for you are confusing the World of Similitudes with the actual world.

Thus, not having weighed them on the balances of the Book and Sunna, certain of the people of illumination's descriptions of the seven levels of the globe do not comprise only its physical state from the point of view of geography. For instance, they said that one of the earth's levels is that of the jinns and demons, and that it has a breadth of thousands of years. Whereas those strange levels are not situated on our globe, which revolves every one or two years. But if we suppose the globe to be like a pine-seed in the World of Meaning, the World of Similitudes, the Intermediate Realm, and the World of Spirits, the similitude of the tree that would be formed from it would be like a huge pine-tree in relation to the seed. Thus, in their spiritual journeyings, some of the people of witnessing have seen some of the earth's levels in the World of Similitudes to be extremely extensive; they have seen them to stretch over a distance of thousands of years. What they saw was right, but because superficially the World of Similitudes resembles the physical world, they saw the two worlds blended together, and interpreted them thus. When they returned to the world of sobriety, since they lacked balance, and sid: they wrote exactly what they witnessed, it has been considered to be contrary to reality.

Like the similitudes of a large palace and large garden are situated in a small mirror, so similitudes and non-material realities of the extensiveness of thousands of years are situated in a single year's distance of the physical world.

It is understood from this matter that the degree of 'witnessing' is much inferior to that of belief in the Unseen. That is to say, the uncomprehending illuminations of some of the saints relying only on 'witnessing' do not attain to the statements about the truths of belief of the purified and exact scholars, who are the people of the legacy of prophethood and who rely on the Qur'an and Revelation, not on 'witnessing' - which are about the Unseen but are lucid, comprehensive, and right. That is to say, the balance of all illumination, mental states, visions, and witnessings are the Book and Sunna. And their touchstone are the sacred principles of the Book and Sunna, and the conjectural rules of the purified and exacting scholars.

SECOND IMPORTANT MATTER

The Unity of Existence is considered by many people to be the most elevated station. But the way of the Unity of Existence in this form was not seen explicitly in the Companions and foremost the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs, who were at the level of 'the greatest sainthood,' or in the Imams of the Prophet's Family and foremost the five 'People of the Cloak,' or the great interpreters of the Law and the generation following the Companions and foremost the founders of the four Schools of Law. So did those who emerged subsequently to them advance further than them? Did they find a better highway on which to proceed?

God forbid! Nobody at all has the ability to advance further than those purified ones who were the stars and heirs closest to the Sun of Prophethood; the highway is indeed theirs.

As for the Unity of Existence, it is a way and a state, but it is a deficient degree. However, because it is illuminating and pleasurable, most of those who have reached that degree on their spiritual journeyings have not wanted to leave it; they have remained there and supposed it to be the ultimate degree.

Thus, if one who takes this way is a spirit who is divested of materiality and intermediaries and has rent the veil of causes, and is immersed in a state of witnessing, then an experiential -not pertaining to knowledge- unity of existence which arises not from the Unity of Existence but from the Unity of Witnessing, may obtain for him a certain attainment, a spiritual station. He may even reach the degree of denying the universe for the sake of God. But if he is submerged in causes and preoccupied with materiality, the term Unity of Existence may go so far as meaning denying God on account of the universe.

Yes, the great highway is the highway of the Companions, those that followed them, and the Purified Ones. Their universal rule is, "The reality of things is constant." And in accordance with the sense of There is nothing that resembles Him, {[*]:} Almighty God has absolutely nothing that resembles Him. He is utterly beyond being comprehended in place or class and being divided into parts. His relation with beings is Creativity. Beings are not imaginings or fancies as those who follow the way of the Unity of Existence said. Visible things too are Almighty God's works. Everything is not 'Him,' everything is 'from Him.' For events cannot be pre-eternal. We shall bring this matter closer to the understanding with two comparisons:

For example, there is a king. Through his name of Just Judge he has a Ministry of Justice which shows the manifestation of that name. Another of his names is Khalifa, and the Shaykh al-Islam's Office and learned institution are the manifestations of that name. He has also the name of Commander-in-Chief, through which all the offices of the army display activity; the army is the manifestation of that name. Now, if someone was to appear and say: "The king is only the Just Judge, he has no office or ministry other than that of justice," then the attributes and states of the religious scholars in the Shaykhul-Islam's Office would have to be applied -not actually but theoretically - to the officials of the Ministry of Justice; a secondary and shadowy Shaykh al-Islam's Office would have an imaginary existence within the actual Ministry of Justice. And again in hypothetical fashion, the dealings and states of the Army Office would be supposed in the officials of the Judiciary, an unreal Army Office would be imagined there, and so on. And so, in this situation, the king's true name and true sovereignty is the name Just Judge and his sovereignty in the Ministry of Justice. His names like Khalifa, Commander-in-Chief, and Sultan are not actual, but hypothetical. However, the nature of kingship and reality of sovereignty demand all the names in actuality. And actual names require and necessitate actual offices.

Thus, the sovereignty of Divinity necessitates in actuality numerous sacred Names like All-Merciful, Provider, Bestower, Creator, Doer, Munificent, and Compassionate. And those true and actual Names require actual mirrors. Now, since the people of the Unity of Existence say: "There is no existent but He," they reduce the reality of beings to the level of imagination. Almighty God's Names of Necessary Existent, Existent, One, and Single have true manifestations and spheres of application. For sure, if their mirrors and spheres of application were not real and were imaginary and non-existent, it would not harm them. And perhaps if there was no colour of existence in the mirror of true existence, they would be purer and more brilliant, but the manifestations of Names like Merciful, Provider, Subduer, Compeller, and Creator would not be real, they would be hypothetical. However, those Names are realities like the Name of Existent, they cannot be shadows; they are essential, not secondary.

Thus, the Companions and great interpreters of the Law and Imams of the Family of the Prophet said: "The reality of things is constant;" Almighty God has a manifestation through all His Names in actuality. Through His creativity, all things have an accidental existence. For sure, in relation to the Necessarily Existent's existence their existence is an extremely weak and unstable shadow, but it is not imagination, it is not

fancy. Almighty God gives existence through His Name of Creator and He continues that existence.

For example, on the four walls of this house are four full-length mirrors. However much the house is depicted together with the other three mirrors in all the mirrors, each holds the things in itself in accordance with it own make-up and colour; it is like the similitude of the house particular to itself. Now, two men enter the house. One of them looks at one of the mirrors and says: "Everything is within it." When he hears of the other mirrors and images within them, he applies what he hears to a tiny corner of the one mirror whose contents are shadows twice over, whose reality has shrunk and has changed. He also says: "I see it thus, in which case reality is thus." The other man says to him, "Yes, you see it like that and what you see is true. But in actuality and reality the true form of reality is not like that. There are other mirrors besides the one you looked at; they are not the shadow of shadows and as tiny as you saw."

And so, each of the Divine Names requires a different mirror. And, since Merciful and Provider, for example, are real and fundamental, they require beings worthy of them who are needy for sustenance and compassion. Just as All-Merciful requires real beings with spirits needy for sustenance in a real world, so too, All-Compassionate requires a Paradise which is thus real. If only the Names of Existent, Necessarily Existent, and Single One of Unity are held to be real and the other Names considered to be shadows within them, it is a sort of injustice towards those other Names.

It is due to this mystery that the great highway is surely the highway of the Companions, the Purified Ones, the Imams of the Prophet's Family, and the great interpreters of the Law and founders of the four schools of law, who possessed 'greater sainthood', and were directly the first class of the Qur'an's students.

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise. {[*]:}

O our Sustainer! Do not cause our hearts to swerve now that You have guided us, and bestow mercy on us from You; for You are the Bestower of Gifts. {[*]:}

O God! Grant blessings to the one whom You sent as a Mercy to all the worlds, and to all his Family and Companions.

Muhyi'l-Din al-'Arabi considered the Unity of Existence to be of the highest level. Likewise, some of the great saints who took the path of love followed him. However, you say that this matter is not of the highest level, and is not real; that it is rather the way, to a degree, of those who become intoxicated and immersed in the Divine, and of the people of love and ecstasy. So what, briefly, is the high level of the affirmation of Divine Unity pointed out by the clear verses of the Qur'an, through the mystery of the legacy of prophethood? Can you explain it?

It is a hundred times beyond the ability of an utterly powerless unfortunate like myself to judge these elevated stations with his limited thought. I shall just explain one or two extremely brief points proceeding from the effulgence of the All-Wise Qur'an. Perhaps they will be useful in understanding the matter.

FIRST POINT

There are numerous reasons for the way of the Unity of Existence, and for becoming enmeshed in it; one or two of them shall be described:

Because they could not squeeze into their brains the maximum degree of the creativity of dominicality, and could not entirely establish in their hearts that everything, through the mystery of Divine Oneness, is held directly in the grasp of dominicality and that all things have existence through Divine power, choice, and will, those who took that way were obliged to say that everything is either Him, or does not have existence, or is imaginary, or is His manifestation or emanation.

The mark of passionate love is to want never to be separated from the beloved and to flee desperately from such separation; to tremble at the thought of parting, to fear distance from the beloved as though fearing Hell, and to abominate transience; to love union with the love of one's own spirit and life, and to yearn for closeness to the beloved with the longing for Paradise. Thus, through adhering to a manifestation of Divine immediacy in all things, those who took the way of the Unity of Existence disregarded separation and distance; supposing union and meeting to be permanent, they said: "There is no existent but He;" through the intoxication of love and as demanded by the ecstasy of permanence, meeting, and union, they imagined that in the Unity of Existence was a most pleasurable way of illumination whereby they could be saved from the dreadfulness of separation.

That is to say, the source of the first reason was the hand of the intellect being unable to reach up to some of the truths of belief, which were

extremely broad and elevated; its being unable to comprehend them, and not having developed completely in regard to belief. While the source of the second reason was the extraordinary unfolding of the heart from the point of view of love, and its wondrous expansion and breadth.

However, the supreme level of Divine Unity the Purified Ones-who were the people of sobriety and great saints of the legacy of prophethood -saw through the explicit expositions of the Qur'an is both extremely elevated, and shows both the maximum level of dominicality and creativity, and that all the Divine Names are real. It preserves its bases and does not spoil the balance of the decrees of dominicality. For they say that together with the Oneness of His Essence and His being free of space, with His knowledge, Almighty God encompasses and determines directly all things together with all their attributes, and through His will He chooses and specifies them, and through His power He creates them. He creates and directs the whole universe as though it were a single being.

He creates the huge spring with the same ease as creating a flower. Nothing can be an obstacle to anything else. There is no fragmentation in His regarding things; He is present everywhere at the same instant through the disposal of His knowledge and power. There is no division or distribution in His disposal. This mystery has been expounded and proved completely in the Sixteenth Word and in the Second Stopping-Place of the Thirty-Second Word. Since, according to the rule, "Comparisons are incontestible," attention is not paid to defects in comparison and allegory, I shall set forth a very faulty comparison so that the difference between the two ways may be understood to a degree.

For example, let us imagine a huge, matchless, and wondrously adorned peacock which can fly from east to west in an instant, and opens and closes its wings, which stretch from north to south, are adorned with hundreds of thousands of fine patterns, and in every single feather of which are included brilliant arts. Now, there are two men observing it; they want to fly with the wings of the intellect and heart up to the elevated qualities of this bird; to its wondrous decorations. One looks at the peacock's state and form and the marvellous inscriptions of power on all its feathers; he loves it with extreme passion and ardour; he in part abandons his attentive reflective thought, and adheres to love. But then he sees that every day those lovable decorations change and are transformed. Those objects of his love, which he worships, disappear and are lost.

While he should have said that through true Divine Unity, which he could not encompass with his mind, and absolute dominicality and the Oneness of the Divine Essence, they were the artistic decorations of an

Inscriber possessing universal creativity, he said instead -in order to console himself- that the spirit of the peacock was so sublime that its maker was within it, or that the peacock had become Him, and that since its spirit had become one with its being, and its being combined with its outward appearance, its spirit's perfection and being's exaltedness displayed those manifestations, showing a different inscription and beauty every moment; it was not a true creation through its will, but rather a manifestation, an emanation.

As for the other man, he said that those harmonious and well-ordered decorations so full of art definitely required will, choice, intention, and purpose. It was not possible for there to be a manifestation without will, an emanation without choice.

Yes, the peacock had a beautiful and elevated nature, but it could not be the doer; it was passive. It could not become one with the active agent. Its spirit was fine and exalted, but it could not be the creator and disposer, only receptive and a means. For observedly in each of its feathers was an art performed with infinite wisdom and an inscription and decoration made through an infinite power. And these could not occur without will and choice. These arts showing perfect wisdom within perfect power, and perfect dominicality and mercy within perfect wisdom were not the work of some sort of manifestation. The scribe who had written that gilded notebook could not be inside it and be united with it. The notebook rather only had contact with the nib of the scribe's pen. In which case, the wondrous decorations of the similitude of the peacock known as the universe were a gilded missive of the peacock's Creator.

Now, look at the peacock and read the missive. Say to its Scribe: "What wonders God has willed! Blessed be God! Glory be to God!" One who supposes the missive to be the scribe, or the scribe to be inside the letter, or fancies the missive to be imagination, has surely hidden his reason in the veils of love, and been unable to see the true form of reality.

Among the varieties of passionate love, the one most giving rise to the way of the Unity of Existence, is love of this world. When it turns into true love, love of this world, which is metaphorical, is transformed into the Unity of Existence. A person loves a personal beloved with metaphorical love. Then, unable to accept with his heart his beloved's transience and ephemerality, he consoles himself saying that he is a mirror to the True Object of Love and Worship, and attaches himself to a reality, so acquiring permanence for him through true love.

In the same way, when the strange love of one who takes the huge world and the universe in its totality as his beloved is transformed into

true love through the constant blows of death and separation, he seeks refuge in the way of the Unity of Existence, in order to save that great beloved of his from death and separation. If he has extremely strong and elevated belief, it becomes a pleasurable, luminous, acceptable level, like with those resembling Muhyi'l-Din al-'Arabi. However, there is the possibility of falling into abysses, embracing materiality, and becoming submerged in causes. As for the Unity of Witnessing, it is harmless; it is an exalted way of the people of sobriety.

O God, show us what is indeed the truth, and make us follow it!

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise. {[*]:}

THIRD MATTER

An important matter that has not been solved by philosophy and reason.

Every day in [new] splendour does He [shine]! {[*]:} * Indeed, your Sustainer is Doer of what He will. {[*]:}

What is the reason for and wisdom in the astonishing unceasing activity in the universe? Why do these fleeting beings not stop, but continuously change and are renewed?

To explain the wisdom in this would require a thousand pages. And so we shall leave aside a full explanation and squeeze an extremely brief summary of it into two pages.

If a person performs a natural function or social duty and works enthusiastically to do so, one who observes him carefully will certainly understand that there are two things that make him perform the duty:

The First are the benefits, fruits, and advantages which result from the duty, which are called 'the ultimate cause.'

There is a love, a desire, a pleasure, which cause the duty to be performed enthusiastically, and these are called the 'necessitating cause and reason.'

For example, eating food; the pleasure and longing arising from appetite drive a person to eat, and afterwards, the result of eating is nourishing the body and perpetuating life. In the same way, And God's is the highest similitude, {[*]:}

based on two sorts of Divine Names, the awesome and astonishing endless activity in the universe is for two vast instances of wisdom, each of which is also infinite:

Almighty God's Most Beautiful Names have incalculable sorts of manifestations. The variety in creatures arises from the variety of the manifestations. The Names require to be manifested in a permanent fashion; that is, they want to display their embroideries; that is, they want to see and display the manifestations of their beauties in the mirrors of their embroideries; that is, they want every instant to renew the Book of the Universe and missives of beings; that is, they necessitate the continuous meaningful writing, and to display each missive to the study and gaze of the the Most Pure and Holy Essence, the One signified, as well as to all conscious beings; they require to make each of the missives read.

Just as activity in creatures arises from an appetite, a desire, a pleasure, and there is a definite pleasure in all activity, rather, all activity is a sort of pleasure; so too, in a suitable way and form appropriate to His essential self-sufficiency and absolute riches and in a manner fitting for His absolute perfection, the Necessarily Existent One has boundless sacred compassion and infinite holy love. And He has a boundless sacred ardour arising from that sacred compassion and holy love, and an endless holy joy arising from that sacred ardour, and, if one may say so, an infinite sacred pleasure arising from the sacred joy. And pertaining to that Merciful and Compassionate One, is, if the term is permissible, a boundless sacred gratification and infinite holy pride arising from the boundless feeling of compassion that springs from the sacred pleasure, sacred gratification and pride which arise from the gratitude and perfections of creatures which result from their abilities emerging from the potential to the actual and their developing within the activity of power. It is these which necessitate in boundless fashion, an endless activity.

Thus, it is because philosophy, science, and natural philosophy do not know this subtle instance of wisdom that they have confused unconscious Nature, blind chance, and lifeless causes in this utterly knowing, wise, percipient activity, and falling into the darkness of misguidance, have been unable to find the light of reality.

Say, "God [sent it down];" then leave them to plunge in vain discourse and trifling. {[*]:}

O our Sustainer! Do not cause our hearts to swerve now that You have guided us, and bestow mercy upon us from Yourself; indeed, You are the Bestower of Gifts. {[*]:}

O God! Grant blessings and peace to the Solver of the talisman of Your universe to the number of atoms of beings, and to his Family and Companions, so long as the earth and the heavens persist.

The Nineteenth Letter

This treatise describes more than three hundred miracles. And as it describes the messengership of Muhammad (PBUH), itself a miracle, so is it itself a wonder in three or four respects, proceeding from the miracle of his messengership.

Although it is more than a hundred pages in length and is based on traditions and narrations, it was written in an unusual fashion-in the mountains and countryside, completely from memory, and without referring to any book. It was completed, moreover, in a few days by working two to three hours every day, for a total of twelve hours.

Despite its length, this work did not cause tedium to its writer, nor does it lack pleasantness for its reader. In fact, it aroused such ardour and enthusiasm in even my apathetic scribes that in these hard and distressing times, as many as seventy copies were handwritten in this neighbourhood within a single year. Those aware of this property of the treatise concluded

In the copies handwritten by nine different scribes who did not communicate with one another, including one very inexperienced and unaware of 'coincidence' {[*]:} -it was also before we were aware of the phenomenon- the words referring to the Noble Messenger 'coincided' to such a degree throughout the whole of the treatise, and in the fifth part for the words referring to the Qur'an, that any one who is fair to the slightest degree would not consider this to be the result of chance. In

fact, whoever observed it definitely concluded that it was a mystery of the Unseen and a marvel proceeding from the miracle of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace).

The Principles explained at the beginning of this treatise have extreme importance. As for the prophetic Hadiths related, they are accepted as authentic by the authorities on Hadith, and they report the most established phenomena concerning the messengership of Muhammad. Now, to enumerate the merits of this treatise, another treatise of the same length would be needed; we therefore invite those who wish to read it, if only once.

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A REMINDER: In this work, I have related many Hadiths, despite having no books to refer to. Should there be any errors in the wording of the Hadiths, I request that they either be corrected, or be considered as paraphrases of Hadith. For, according to the prevailing opinion, "To relate the meanings of Hadiths is permissible," in which case the narrator puts the meaning of the Hadith into his own words. This being the case, Hadiths with possible errors of wording should be regarded as paraphrases.

{[*]:}

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

He it is Who has sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth to make it supreme over all religion: and sufficient is God as a Witness. * Muhammad is the Messenger of God... [to the end of the verse] {[*]:}

[Since the Nineteenth and Thirty-First Words concerning the messengership of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) prove it with decisive evidence, we assign the verification of that side of the subject to those Words. As a supplement to them we will merely show here, in Nineteen Signs, some of the flashes of that great truth.]

FIRST SIGN

The Possessor and Master of the universe surely does everything with knowledge, disposes every affair with wisdom, directs everything all-seeingly, treats everything all-knowingly, and arranges everything willing the instances of wisdom, purposes, benefits that are apparent in them. Since, then, the One Who creates knows, surely the One Who knows will speak. Since He will speak, surely He will speak to those who possess consciousness and thought, and those who will understand His speech. Since He will speak to those who possess thought, surely he will speak to mankind, whose nature and awareness are the most comprehensive of all conscious beings. Since He will speak to mankind, surely He will speak

to the most perfect of mankind and those most worthy of address. Since He will speak to those who are most perfect, most worthy of address, highest in morality, and who will guide humanity; He will certainly speak to Muhammad, who, as friend and foe alike testify, is of the highest disposition and morality, who is obeyed by one fifth of humanity, to whose spiritual rule half of the globe has submitted, with the radiance of whose light the future of mankind has been illumined for thirteen centuries, to whom the believers, the luminous segment of humanity, renew five times daily the oath of allegiance, for whose happiness they pray, for whom they call down God's blessings and bear admiration and love in their hearts. Certainly, He will speak to Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and indeed He has done; He will make him the Prophet, and indeed He has done; He will make him the guide for the rest of humanity, and indeed He has done.

SECOND SIGN

God's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) declared his prophethood, and presented to humanity such a decree as the Qur'an of Mighty Stature and such manifest miracles as number, according to the scholars, one thousand. {[*]:} The occurrence of those miracles in their entirety is as certain as the fact that he declared himself prophet. In fact, as is shown by the words of the most obstinate unbelievers quoted in various places of the Wise Qur'an, even they could not deny the occurrence of his miracles, but only called them -God forbid!- sorcery, in order to satisfy themselves, or to deceive their followers.

The miracles of Muhammad (PBUH) have the certainty of confirmation by consensus to the hundredth degree. The miracle is the confirmation by the Creator of the cosmos of his declaration of prophethood; it has the effect of the words, "You have spoken truly!" Suppose that you said in the assembly of a ruler, while being observed by him, "The ruler has appointed me to such-and-such a position." At a time when you were asked for a proof of your claim, the word "Yes" uttered by the ruler would sufficiently support you. Or, if the ruler changed his usual practice and attitude at your request, this would confirm your claim even more soundly and more definitely than would the word "Yes."

In the same way, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) claimed: "I am the envoy of the Creator of the universe. My proof is that He will change His unbroken order at my request and my prayer. Now look at my fingers: He causes them to run like a fountain with five

spigots. Look at the moon: by a gesture of my finger, He splits it in two. Look at that tree: to affirm me and to bear witness to me, it moves and comes near to me. Look at this food: although it is barely enough for two or three men, it satisfies two or three hundred." He demonstrated too hundreds of similar miracles.

However, the evidences of the veracity of this being and the proofs of his prophethood are not restricted to his miracles. All his deeds and acts, his words and behaviour, his moral conduct and manners, his character and appearance prove to the attentive his truthfulness and seriousness. Indeed, many people such as 'Abd Allah b. Salam, the famous scholar of the Children of Israel, came to believe merely by seeing him, and said, "No lie can hide in this face, nor fraud be found in it!" {[*]:}

Although many scholars who have researched the matter have concluded that the proofs of the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH) and his miracles number about one thousand, there are thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of proofs of his prophethood. And hundreds of thousands of men with varying opinions have affirmed his prophethood in an equal number of ways. The Wise Qur'an alone demonstrates a thousand of the proofs of his prophethood, in addition to its own forty aspects of miraculousness.

Since prophethood is a phenomenon of humanity, and hundreds of thousands of individuals who claimed prophethood and performed miracles have lived and passed away, {[*]:} of a certainty the prophethood of Muhammad is superior to all the others. For whatever evidences, qualities, and attributes made prophets such as Jesus and Moses (Upon whom be peace) be known as prophets and were the means of their messengership, they were all possessed in a more perfect and comprehensive fashion by Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace). And since the causes and means of prophetic authority were more perfectly present in the person of Muhammad, this authority was to be found in him with more certainty than in all the others.

THIRD SIGN

The miracles of the Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) were extremely varied. Since his messengership was universal, he was distinguished by miracles that related to almost all species of creation. Just as the supreme lieutenant of a renowned ruler, arriving with

many gifts in a city where various peoples live, will be welcomed by a representative of each people, who acclaims him and bids him welcome in his own language; so too when the supreme Lieutenant of the Monarch of Pre-Eternity and Post-Eternity honoured the universe by coming as an envoy to the inhabitants of the earth, and brought with him the light of truth and spiritual gifts sent by the Creator of the universe, which were connected to the truths of the whole universe, each species of creation - from water, rocks, trees, animals and human beings to the moon, the sun and the stars- each welcomed him and acclaimed his prophethood, each in its own language, and each bearing one of his miracles.

Now it would require a voluminous work to mention all his miracles. As punctilious, investigating scholars have written many volumes concerning the proofs of his prophethood, here we will briefly point out only the general categories into which fall the miracles that are definite and accepted as accurate reports.

The evidences of the prophethood of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) fall into two main categories:

The First is called irhasat and includes the paranormal events that happened at the time of his birth, or before his prophetic mission.

The Second group pertains to all the remaining evidences of his prophethood, and contains two subdivisions:

The first are those wonders that were manifested after his departure from this world in order to confirm his prophethood, and the second, those that he exhibited during the era of his prophethood. The latter has also two parts:

The first, the evidences of his prophethood that became manifest in his own personality, his inner and outer being, his moral conduct and perfections, and the second, the miracles manifested in the outer world. The last part again has two branches:

One, those concerning the Qur'an and spirituality, and the other, those relating to materiality and the universe. This last branch is again divided into two categories:

The first involves the paranormal happenings that occurred during his mission either to break the stubbornness of the unbelievers, or to augment the faith of the believers. This category has twenty different sorts, such as the splitting of the moon, the flowing of water from his fingers, the satisfying of large numbers with a little food, and the speaking of trees, rocks and animals. Each of these sorts has also many instances, and thus has, in meaning, the strength of confirmation by consensus. As for the second

the second category, this includes events lying in the future that occurred as he had predicted upon God's instructions. Now, starting from the last category, we will summarize a list of them.

{(*):}

FOURTH SIGN

There is no limit to the reports God's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) gave concerning the Unseen through the instruction of the One All-Knowing of the Unseen. As we have mentioned the types of these reports in the Twenty-Fifth Word, which is about the miraculousness of the Qur'an, and to a degree explained and proved them, we now refer to that Word the explanation of the information he gave concerning the Unseen about past times and prophets, as well as truths concerning Divinity, the universe, and the hereafter, and will point out a few of his many correct predictions concerning his Companions, his Family and his community. But first, for a complete understanding of the subject, we will state Six Principles by way of an introduction.

FIRST PRINCIPLE

All the states and acts of the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) testified to his veracity and prophethood, but not all of them had to be miraculous. For God Almighty sent him in the form of a human being so that he might be a guide and leader to human beings in their social affairs, and in the acts and deeds by means of which they attain happiness in both worlds; and so that he might disclose to human beings the wonders of Divine art and His disposive power that underlie all occurrences and are in appearance customary, but in reality are miracles of Divine power. If, then, he had abandoned the human state in his acts and become extra-ordinary in all aspects, he could not have been a leader, or have instructed human beings with his acts, states, and conduct. He was, indeed, honoured with paranormal phenomena in order to prove his prophethood to obstinate unbelievers, and from time to time performed miracles as the need arose. But his miracles never occurred in such an obvious fashion as would have compelled everyone to believe, whether willingly or unwillingly. For, in accordance with the purpose of the examinations and trials that man is to undergo, the way must be shown to him without depriving him of his free will: the door of the intelligence must remain open, and its freedom must not be snatched from its hand. But if miracles had occurred in so apparent a way, intelligence would have had no choice; Abu Jahl would have believed as did Abu

Bakr, coal would have had the value of diamonds, and no purpose would have remained for testing and accountability.

It is a source of amazement that while thousands of men of different character came to believe through observing a single of his miracles, a single proof of his prophethood, or a word of his, or through merely seeing his face, some wretches are nowadays going astray, as if those thousands of proofs of his prophethood were not sufficient evidence, although they all have come down to us through authentic transmission and with certain proofs, and have caused many thousands of exacting scholars and thinkers and different men to accept faith.

SECOND PRINCIPLE

God's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was a human being; hence he acted like a human being. He was also a messenger and prophet, and with regard to his messengership, he was an interpreter and an envoy of Almighty God. His messengership was based upon Revelation, which is of two kinds:

The First is explicit Revelation. In this case, the Noble Messenger is merely an interpreter and announcer, with no share in the content. The Qur'an and some Sacred Hadith are included in this kind of Revelation.

The Second is implicit Revelation. The essence and summary of this is also based on Revelation or inspiration, but its explanation and description were left to the Messenger. When he explained and described such Revelation, sometimes he again relied on Revelation, or on inspiration, or sometimes he spoke in terms of his own insight. And, when he resorted to his own interpretation, he either relied on the perceptive power given him on account of his prophetic mission, or he spoke as a human being and conformably to usage, custom and the level of common comprehension.

Thus, all the details of every Hadith are not necessarily derived from pure revelation, nor should the lofty marks of messengership be sought in such thoughts and transactions of his as are required by his participation in the human state. Since some truths were revealed to him in a brief and abstract form, and he himself described them in the light of his insight and according to common comprehension, the metaphors and allusions in his descriptions sometimes may need explanation, or even interpretation. There are, indeed, some truths that the human mind can grasp only by way of comparison. For example, once in the presence of the Prophet, a loud noise was heard. The Prophet said, "This is the noise of a rock that has been rolling down for seventy years and has now reached the lowest depths of Hell." {[*]:}

An hour later the news came that a famous dissembler who had recently turned seventy years old had died and gone to Hell, thus explaining the event the Prophet had described by means of an eloquent comparison.

THIRD PRINCIPLE

If any related tradition is in the form of tawatur, {(*):} it is indisputable. There are two kinds of this sort of report: one is those reports about which there is 'explicit consensus,' the other is 'consensus in meaning.' The latter is also of two kinds: the first includes those concerning which the consensus is implied 'by silence.' For example, if a man in a community relates an incident in front of his people and the listeners do not contradict him, that is, they respond to him by keeping silent, this implies their acceptance of the report. In particular, if that community is such as will not acccept any error, as will consider any lie reprehensible, as is ready to criticize and, in addition, shows an interest in the reported incident, the silence of that community testifies strongly to the incident having occurred.

The second kind of 'consensus in meaning' is that which occurs when different people relate a particular incident, for example, one okka {[*]:} of food fed two hundred people, in different versions-one person describes in one way, another in another way, and another in yet another way, but all are unanimously agreed on the occurrence of the incident. Thus, the occurrence of this certain incident is supported by 'consensus in meaning,' and is definite; its actual occurrence is not harmed by differences in detail. But apart from this, there are times when a report supplied by a single person expresses the certainty of consensus, under certain conditions. It also sometimes happens that single report expresses certainity when supported by other, outside evidences.

Most of the reports concerning the miracles and the evidences of the prophethood of the Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) that have come down to us are either of the category of 'explicit consensus,' or 'consensus in meaning,' or 'consensus implied by silence.' As for the others, although they are the report of a single person, they also have the certainty of 'consensus' as they have received the acceptance of the meticulous authorities on Hadith. Of such meticulous

authorities were those geniuses who were called al-Hafiz, who had committed to memory at least 100,000 Hadiths, who offered for fifty years their morning prayer with the ablution of the night prayer, and who produced the six accurate books of Hadith headed by those of Bukhari and Muslim. Without doubt, any report scrutinized and accepted by them cannot fall short of the certainty of 'consensus.' For they acquired such intimacy with the Hadiths of the Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and became so familiar with his exalted style and manner that they could spot at first sight a single false Hadith among a hundred reports, and would reject it, saying, "This cannot be a prophetic tradition; it does not have his wording." Since they were able to recognize the precious quality of the Hadith, like an expert jeweller, there was no possibility of their confusing any other word with that of the Prophet. Some researchers, however, such as Ibn al-Jawzi, went to such excesses in their criticism as to regard many accurate traditions as false. {[*]:} Nevertheless, this does not mean that the meaning of every false wording is wrong; rather it means that the wording itself is not that of the Prophet.

What is the benefit of citing the chain of transmission of a tradition so that even if it is not called for in the case of a well-known incident they say: "So-and-so informed so-and-so, etc."?

Its benefits are many, and one is that the citing of the chain shows the concurrence of the truthful, reliable and exacting scholars of Hadith and the unanimity of the discerning authorities whose names are included; each of the scholars and authorities signs, as it were, for the accuracy of the tradition, and places his seal on it.

Why were the miraculous events not transmitted through numerous chains in the form of 'consensus' and with as great emphasis as the basic injunctions of the Sacred Law, the Shari'a?

Because the majority of the injunctions of the Shari'a are needed by most people at most times, for they all are applicable to each individual, like an obligation incumbent on all. But not everyone needs to know of every miracle; even if he does, it suffices him to hear it only once. It is, in fact, like the kind of obligation the observance of which by some will absolve the rest; it is quite enough for miracles to be known only to some. For this reason, even if the occurrence and reality of a miracle ten times more certain than that of an injunction of the Shari'a, it will still come to us through one or two narrators, whereas the injunction is narrated by ten or twenty persons.

FOURTH PRINCIPLE

The future events that the Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) predicted were not isolated incidents; he rather predicted general and recurring events in a particular way. That is, in each such report, he displayed a different aspect of one phenomenon out of several. This is why when the narrator combines these different aspects, they may seem at variance with reality. There are, for example, varying narrations concerning the Mahdi, each with different details and descriptions. However, as was explained in a section of the Twenty-Fourth Word, the Noble Messenger gave the tidings, relying on Revelation, of a Mahdi who would come in every century to preserve the morale of the believers, help them not to fall into despair in the face of disasters, and link the hearts of the believers with the people of the Prophet's Family, who constitute a luminous chain in the world of Islam. Similar to the Great Mahdi who is promised to come at the end of time, one Mahdi from the Prophet's Family, or more, has been found in every century. Indeed, one of them, found among the 'Abbasid Caliphs who were descendants of the Prophet's Family, was found to have many of the characteristics of the Great Mahdi. In this way the attributes of the Mahdi's deputies and of the spiritual poles who were Mahdis who were to precede the Great Mahdi and were samples and forerunners of him, were confused with the attributes of the Great Mahdi himself, and the narrations concerning him were seen to conflict with one another.

FIFTH PRINCIPLE

Since none other than God knows the Unseen, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) could not know it himself. Instead, God Almighty communicated to him the tidings of the Unseen, and he made them known. And since God Almighty is All-Wise and Compassionate, His wisdom and mercy require that most of the matters of the Unseen be veiled or obscure. For in this world events disagreeable to human beings are numerous; prior knowledge of their happening would be painful. It is for this reason that death and the appointed hour of death are left obscure, and the calamities that are to befall human beings remain behind the veil of the Unseen. Again, as a result of His wisdom and mercy, God Almighty did not entirely or in detail inform His Messenger about the dreadful events that would befall his Family and Companions after his demise, in order not to hurt his extremely tender compassion for his community and his firm affection for his Family.

{(*):}

{[*]:}

For certain Divine purposes, He made some of

these significant events known to him, but not in all their awesomeness. As for pleasant events, He communicated them to the Messenger sometimes in outline and sometimes in detail, and the Messenger in turn made them known to his Companions. Thus those tidings were accurately transmitted to us by the scholars of Hadith who were at the height of piety, justice, and truthfulness, and who feared very much the warning of the Hadith, Whoever knowingly tells a lie concerning me should prepare for a seat in Hell, {[*]:} and that of the Qur'anic verse,

Who, then does more wrong than the one who utters lie concerning God? {[*]:}

SIXTH PRINCIPLE

Although some qualities and aspects of the Most Noble Messenger(Upon whom be blessings and peace) have been described in books of history and biography, most of those qualities relate to his humanness. But in reality, the spiritual personality and the sacred nature of this blessed being are so exalted and luminous that the qualities described in books fall short of his high stature. For according to the rule, "The cause is like the doer," everyday, even at this moment, the amount of the worship performed by all his community is being added to the record of his perfections. He is also everyday the object of the countless supplications of his vast community, in addition to being the object of infinite Divine mercy in an infinite fashion and with an infinite capacity to receive. He is, indeed, the result and the most perfect fruit of the universe, the interpreter and the beloved of the Creator of the cosmos. Hence his true nature in its entirety, and the truth of all his perfections, cannot be contained in the human qualities recorded in books of history and biography. Certainly, the stature of a blessed being with the Archangels Gabriel and Michael as two aides-de-camp at his side in the Battle of Badr, {[*]:} is not to be found in the form of a person bargaining with a beduin in the marketplace over the price of a horse, bringing forth Khuzayma as his sole witness. {[*]:}

In order not to proceed in error, one should raise his head beyond the ordinary qualities of the Prophet (PBUH) that pertain to his participation in the human state, and behold instead his true nature and luminous stature that pertain to the rank of messengership. Otherwise, one will either show him irreverence, or instil doubts in oneself. Heed the following comparison for an understanding of this mystery.

Suppose that a seed of the date-tree was planted under the earth, has sprouted and become a large, fertile tree, and is still continuing to grow taller and broader. Or that the egg of a peacock was incubated, a chick was hatched from it and became a beautifully adorned peacock gilded all over with the imprint of Power, and is still growing bigger and more beautiful. Now, there exist qualities, properties and precisely balanced elements that belong to the seed and the egg, but are not as great and significant as those of the tree and the bird that emerge from them. So, while describing the qualities of the tree and the bird together with those of the seed and the egg, one should turn one's attention from the seed to the tree, and from the egg to the bird, so that one's reason may find the description acceptable. Otherwise, if you claim: "I have obtained thousands of dates from a seed," or, "This egg is the king of all birds," you will invite others to contradict and deny your words.

The humanness of God's Messenger may be likened to the seed or egg, and his essential nature, illumined with the function of messengership, to the Tuba-tree of Paradise, or to the birds of Paradise. His essential nature is, moreover, continually moving to greater perfection. That is why, when you think of the man who disputed in the market with a beduin, you should also turn the eye of imagination to that luminous being who, riding the Rafraf, leaving Gabriel behind, reached the Distance of Two Bowstrings. {[*]:} Otherwise you will either be disrespectful toward him, or fail to convince the evil-commanding soul.

FIFTH SIGN

We will cite in this Sign a few examples of Hadiths concerning the matters of the Unseen.

It has come down to us through an authentic chain of transmission at the degree of 'consensus,' that the Noble Prophet declared from the pulpit in the presence of his Companions: «This my grandson Hasan is a master of men by means of whom God will reconcile two great groups.» {[*]:}

Forty years later, when the two largest armies of Islam met each other, Hasan made peace with Mu'awiya, and thus proved the prophecy of his noble grandfather (Upon whom be blessings and peace).According to another authentic narration, the Prophet said to 'Ali: «You will fight the perfidious, the just, and the deviator,» {[*]:} thus predicting the battles of the Camel and Siffin, and that fought against the Kharijites.

He again said to 'Ali, when he was displaying love for Zubayr: «He will fight against you, but will be in the wrong.» {[*]:}

He also said to his wives: «One among you will take charge of a rebellion; many around her will be killed;» {[*]:} «and the dogs will bark all around her.» {[*]:} All these certain and authentic traditions are the proven predictions of the struggles of 'Ali against 'A'isha, Zubayr and Talha during the Battle of the Camel, against Mu'awiya at Siffin, and against the Kharijites at Harawra' and Nahrawan.

The Prophet (PBUH) also informed 'Ali about a man who would stain 'Ali's beard with the blood of his own head. {[*]:} 'Ali knew the man; it was 'Abd al-Rahman b. Muljam the Kharijite.

He also mentioned a man marked with a peculiar sign, Dhu'l-Thudia. When the man was found among the dead of the Kharijites, 'Ali showed him as a proof of the rightness of his cause, declaring at the same time the miracle of the Prophet. {[*]:}

According to another authentic tradition related by Umm Salama and others, the Noble Prophet also predicted that Husayn would be killed at Taff (Karbala). {[*]:} Fifty years later the painful event took place as predicted.

He also repeatedly predicted that after his demise, his Family would face death, calamities, and exile, and gave some details. {[*]:} What he had predicted later came true exactly.

In this connection, a question may be asked: although 'Ali, with his extraordinary bravery and profound knowledge in addition to his kinship to God's Messenger, greatly deserved to be Caliph, why did he not precede others in holding the Caliphate, and why did Islam experience such disorder during his Caliphate?

A great spiritual pole from the Prophet's Family is reported as saying: "The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) had desired that 'Ali be Caliph, but it was made known to him from the Unseen that the will of God Almighty was different. He then abandoned his desire, submitting himself to God's will."

One of the reasons why God's will was different could have been that after the demise of the Prophet (PBUH), when the Companions were more than ever in need of alliance and unity, if 'Ali had taken the leadership, this would most probably have aroused in many persons and tribes a tendency to compete, because of his uncompromising nature, and fearless, ascetic, heroic, and independent character, and widely known courage -as was the case during his Caliphate- and divisions among the believers would have resulted.

Another reason for the delay of 'Ali's Caliphate is the following: at the time of his Caliphate, the Muslim community, which had rapidly developed through the intermingling of many tribes and peoples, possessed such traits as reflected the opinions of the seventy-three sects that the Noble Prophet (PBUH) had predicted would evolve in due time. {[*]:} Therefore, in the face of such disturbances, someone was then needed with the wondrous strength, courage, respectability and sagacity of 'Ali, someone having the force of the respected Hashimites and the Prophet's Family, so that he could resist the sedition. And indeed he did so, in a fashion conformable to the prediction of the Prophet, who had said to him: «I have fought for the revelation of the Qur'an; you will fight for its explanation.» {[*]:} A further reason for this delay is that without 'Ali, worldly rule would most probably have caused the Umayyad kings to go completely astray. However, being confronted with 'Ali and the Prophet's Family, and having to appear equal to them and to preserve their prestige before the Muslim s, all the leaders of the Umayyad dynasty, even if not they themselves, in any event due to their encouragement and recommendations,

their followers and supporters, worked with all their strength to preserve and disseminate the truths of Islam and belief and the Qur'anic decrees. Thus, they produced thousands of punctilious interpreters of the Law, and authorities on Hadith, and saints and purified scholars. Had they not been faced by the strong religiosity, sainthood, and virtuousness of 'Ali and of the Prophet's Family, it is possible that the Umayyads would from the very beginning have gone completely astray, as happened at the end of their rule, and as did the 'Abbasids.

"Why did the Islamic Caliphate not remain in the Prophet's Family, since they were the most deserving and fitted for it?"

Worldly rule is deceptive, and the Prophet's Family had been appointed to preserve the decrees of the Qur'an and the truths of Islam. Not to be deceived by power, the one who was to hold it and the Caliphate had to be as sinless as a prophet, or as purehearted and unworldly as the Four-Rightly Guided Caliphs, 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz and the Mahdi of the 'Abbasids. In fact, the Caliphate of the Fatimid dynasty which was founded in the name of the Prophet's Family in Egypt, and the rule of the Almohads in Africa, and the Safavid dynasty in Iran showed that worldly rule was not suitable for the Prophet's Family, for it caused them to neglect their primary duty, the protection of religion and the service of Islam. When, on the other hand, they gave up worldly rule, they brilliantly and most successfully served Islam and the Qur'an.

Now see: of the poles of sainthood descended from Hasan, especially the Four Poles {[*]:} and above all 'Abd al-Qadir Gilani, and the Imams of Husayn's line, especially Zayn al-'Abidin and Ja'far al-Sadiq, each became like a spiritual Mahdi, dispelled wrongdoing and spiritual darkness, and spread the light of the Qur'an and the truths of belief. And in so doing each showed he was a true heir of his noble forefather.

"What was the wisdom in the awesome and bloody dissension that was visited on blessed Islam and the luminous Age of Bliss, and what aspect of mercy was there in it, for they did not deserve such distress?

Just as a heavy spring rainstorm stirs into action the potentialities of all the varieties of plants, seeds, and trees, and causes them to develop, so each blossoms in its particular way and performs the duties inherent in its nature, so too, the dissension visited on the Companions and their successors stirred their potentialities into action, which

were all different and like seeds; it spurred them on. Exclaiming, "Islam is in danger! Fire! Fire!", it put fear into all the groups and made them hasten to protect Islam. According to its abilities, each of the groups shouldered one of the numerous different duties of the Islamic community and strove in utmost earnestness. Some working for the preservation of the prophetic Hadiths, some for the preservation of the Shari'a, some for the preservation of the truths of belief, some for the preservation of the Qur'an, and so on; each group undertook a particular duty. They strove in performing the duties of Islam. Numerous multicoloured flowers opened. And through the storm, seeds were cast to all the corners of the most extensive world of Islam; half the earth was transformed into a rose-garden. But sadly, together with the roses, the thorns of the deviant sects appeared in the garden.

It was as if the Hand of Power had shaken that era in wrath, rotated it with intense vigour, and electrified the men of zeal. Through the centrifugal force of that movement, a great many enlightened interpreters of the Law, luminous scholars of Hadith, holy memorizers of the Qur'an, gifted scholars, men of purity, and poles of sainthood were flung off and caused to thgrate to the remote corners of the world of Islam. It fired with enthusiasm all the people of Islam from East to West and awakened them to the treasures of the Qur'an. Now we return to our subject.

There are thousands of events that God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) predicted and that happened as he foretold. Here we shall mention a few of them. The majority of those we will cite are agreed upon by the six well-known and most authentic books of Hadith, particularly by Bukhari and Muslim. There is 'consensus in meaning' concerning the reports, while others, on account of being verified by meticulous researchers, may also be considered to have this certainty.

According to an authentic and certain narration, the Noble Messenger(Upon whom be blessings and peace) said to his Companions: «You will be victorious over all your enemies, will succeed in the conquest of Makkah, {[*]:} Khaybar, {[*]:} Damascus and Iraq, {[*]:} Persia, and Jerusalem, {[*]:}and will share among yourselves the treasures of the rulers of the greatest empires, the Byzantines and the Persians.» {[*]:} He did not say this as a matter of conjecture or personal opinion; he said it as if he had seen it, and what he said came true as predicted. This was despite the fact that at the

time he foretold this he had to migrate to Madinah with a handful of followers, with the rest of the world, including the environs of Madinah, hostile to him!

He also repeatedly declared, according to authentic and certain narrations, that Abu Bakr and 'Umar would outlive him and be his Caliphs, that they would act for God's sake and within the bounds of the pleasure of God and that of the Prophet, that Abu Bakr's rule would be short, and that 'Umar would remain a long time to succeed in many conquests. Thus he said: «Incumbent upon you is following the path of those who come after me, Abu Bakr and 'Umar.» {[*]:}

He also declared: «The earth was laid out before me, and its eastern and western extremities were displayed to me; the realm of my community shall extend over whatever was laid out before me.» {[*]:} And his words proved to be true.

According to an authentic and certain narration, before the Battle of Badr, he pointed out one by one the places where the leaders of the Quraysh would be killed, saying: «Abu Jahl will be killed here, 'Utba here, Umayya here, etc., » {[*]:} and added, «I shall kill 'Ubayy b. Khalaf with my own hands.» {[*]:} His predictions all proved to be true.

Again, according to an authentic and certain narration, he informed his Companions about what was happening in the celebrated Battle of Mu'ta, near Damascus -at a distance of one month's journey from where he was- as if he were seeing his Companions fighting in the battle, and said: «Zayd has taken the banner and been struck; now Ibn Rawaha has taken the banner and been struck; now Ja'far has taken the banner a٧ۨۙbeen struck; now one of God's swords [i.e. Khalid] has taken it.» {[*]:} Two to three weeks later Ya'la b. Munabbih returned from the battlefront. In his presence, the Noble Prophet described the details of the battle, and Ya'la swore by God that what had taken place at the battle was exactly the same as the Prophet had described. {[*]:}

According to an authentic and certain narration, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) said:

«After me, the Caliphate will last thirty years; then it will be rapacious monarchy.» {[*]:} «The beginning of this affair is prophethood and mercy; then it will be mercy and Caliphate; then it will be rapacious monarchy; then it will be arrogance and tyranny.» {[*]:} He thus predicted the six-month-long caliphate of Hasan and the period of the Four Rightly-Guided Caliphs, and, following that, the transition of Caliphate to monarchy and monarchy's being beset by intrigues and tyranny. This is exactly what later occurred.

Again, according to an authentic narration, he declared: «'Uthman will be killed while reading the Qur'an.» {[*]:} «And it may be that God will cause him to be dressed in a shirt at that time. His deposal may also be sought.» {[*]:} These events, too, all took place exactly as predicted.

Also according to an authentic narration, while cupping the Prophet (PBUH), 'Abd Allah b. Zubayr tasted his blessed blood. And then the Prophet said: «Woe unto the people for what shall befall them at your hands, and woe unto you for what shall befall you at their hands,» {[*]:} predicting that 'Abd Allah would lead the Muslim s with extraordinary bravery, would face terrible attacks, and that because of him fearsome events would befall people. What he foretold came about exactly: during Umayyad rule, 'Abd Allah b. Zubayr declared his Caliphate in Makkah, heroically fought in many battles, until finally Hajjaj the Tyrant attacked him with a large force, and following a fierce battle the illustrious hero was martyred.

Again, according to an authentic narration, he foretold the characteristics of the Umayyad dynasty {[*]:} and the tyrannical rule of many of its monarchs, including Yazid and Walid, {[*]:} and Mu'awiya's taking the leadership of the Muslim s. He advised justice and gentleness, and said: «When ruling, act with forebearance.» {[*]:} He predicted that the 'Abbasid dynasty would emerge after the Umayyads to remain in power for a long time, and said: "The 'Abbasids will come forth with black banners and rule for much longer than they [the Umayyads] rule." {[*]:} All these predictions proved to be true.

According to an authentic narration, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) also said: "Woe to the Arabs for the evil that has drawn near," {[*]:} suggesting the dreadful disorders to be caused by Jenghiz and Hulagu, and their destruction of the 'Abbasid state. All this proved to be true.

According to an authentic narration, when Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas was gravely ill, the Prophet said to him: «It may be that you will be spared so that some may benefit by you, and others harmed by you,» {[*]:} thus predicting that he would be a great commander winning many victories, and many peoples would benefit from him entering the fold of Islam, while others would be destroyed by him. His words proved to be true; Sa'd led the Muslim armies, wiped out the Persian Empire, and caused many peoples to reach guidance, the path of Islam.

Also according to an authentic narration, when the Negus, the Abyssinian ruler, who had accepted faith earlier, died in the seventh year of the Hijra, God's Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace) informed his Companions about it; he even performed funeral prayers for him. {[*]:} One week later came the news confirming the death of the Negus on the very same day as the Prophet had said.

According to an authentic narration, when the Noble Prophet was with his closest four Companions on the top of Mount Uhud (or Hira), the mountain began to tremble. He said, "Steady! For on you are a prophet, a veracious one [siddiq], and a martyr," {[*]:} and foretold the martyrdom of 'Umar, 'Uthman, and 'Ali. It too proved true.

Now, O unfortunate, wretched man without heart who says that Muhammad (PBUH) was only a clever person and then closes his eyes to that Sun of Truth! Of all his fifteen different kinds of miracle, you have thus far heard only the hundredth part of one kind, that relating to his predictions which have the certainty of 'consensus in meaning.' To discover future events through one's own sagacity and thus succeed even in one hundredth part of the Prophet's predictions, one would have to be of the highest genius. Even if we merely called him a genius as you call him, could such a man with the sagacity of a hundred geniuses have ever seen anything wrongly? Or could he have ever stooped to reporting it

wrongly? Not to heed the word of such a hundredfold genius concerning happiness in both worlds is therefore the sign of a hundredfold madness!

SIXTH SIGN

According to an authentic narration, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) said to Fatima: "You will be the first of my Family to join me [after my death]." {[*]:} Six months later, what he said took place.

He also told Abu Dharr: «You will be expelled from here [Madinah], will live alone, and will die alone.» {[*]:} All this came true twenty years later.

Once, as he awakened in the house of Anas b. Malik's aunt, Umm Haram, he smilingly said: "I saw my community waging war on the seas like kings sitting on thrones." {[*]:} Umm Haram requested: "Pray that I too will be with them." He said: «You shall be.» Forty years later she accompanied her husband, 'Ubada b. Samit, on the conquest of Cyprus. She died there, and her grave has ever since been visited by the believers. Thus, what the Prophet foretold proved to be true.

Also according to an authentic narration, he declared: «From the tribe of Thaqif, a liar will claim prophethood, and a bloodthirsty tyrant will appear.» {[*]:} With this, he gave tidings of the infamous Mukhtar, who claimed prophethood, and of the barbarous Hajjaj, who killed a hundred thousand people.

According to an authentic narration, he said: «Istanbul will be conquered, and blessed are the ruler and the toops that will conquer it.» {[*]:} He thus gave tidings that Istanbul would be conquered by Muslim hands, and that Mehmed the Conqueror would attain a high spiritual rank. His prediction again proved to be true.

He also said, according to an authentic narration:

«Were religion to be hung on the Pleiades, men from Persia would reach up and lay hold of it,» {[*]:} indicating that matchless scholars and saints like Abu Hanifa would emerge from Iran. In addition, he foretold Imam Shafi'i, saying: «A scholar from Quraysh who will fill all regions of the earth with learning.» {[*]:}

According to an authentic narration, he said: «My community will be divided into seventy-three sects, and only one among them will attain salvation.» He was asked: "Who are they?" He replied: "Those who follow me and my Companions," {[*]:} meaning the Sunnis or Ahl al-Sunna wa'l-Jama'a.

He also declared: «The Qadariyya are the Magians of this community,» {[*]:} foretelling the emergence of the Qadariyya sect, which would be divided into different branches and reject Divine Determining or Destiny. He also foretold the Rafida, who would produce various offshoots.

Again according to an authentic narration, he said to 'Ali: «As was true of Jesus, two groups of people will perish on your account: one because of excessive love, the other because of excessive enmity. {[*]:}Christians, on account of the deep love for Jesus, transgressed the limits and called him-God forbid!-'the son of God,' while the Jews, because of their hostility, went to another extreme by denying his message and virtue. Similarly, some will also incur loss through their exaggerated affection toward you. For them is the insulting name of Rafida. {[*]:}And certain others will be excessively hostile to you. They are the Kharijites and the extremist partisans of the Umayyads, who will be called Nasiba.»

Love for the Prophet's Family is a command of the Qur'an and was greatly encouraged by the Prophet. The affection of the Shi'a may therefore serve as an excuse for them, since deep affection may be likened to intoxication. Why, then, can the Shi'a, especially the Rafida not benefit from their love, and why is their love described by the Prophet (PBUH) as transgression?

The Answer: Love is of two kinds:

The First is to love something or someone for the meaning it or he

signifies. This means to love 'Ali, Hasan, Husayn, and the Prophet's Family in the name of God and of His Messenger. This kind of love augments the love of the Prophet, and becomes a means to love God Almighty. Thus, it is permissible, and its excess is not harmful or aggressive, nor does it call for reproach and hostility towards others.

The Second Kind of love takes the means as the object, it is to love something or someone for itself or himself. In it, one does not think of the Prophet, (PBUH) but devotes one's love to 'Ali on account of his bravery, and to Hasan and Husayn on account of their greatness and lofty qualities, no matter if one knows the Prophet or recognizes God. This love is not a means of love for God and His Prophet; besides, when excessive, it results in censure and enmity for others. It is on account of this kind of love that such people held themselves at a distance from Abu Bakr and 'Umar, and fell into loss. Their negative love, indeed, is the source of misfortune.

According to an authentic narration, God's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) declared: «When Persian and Roman girls serve you, then calamity and misfortune will be with you, and your struggles will be between yourselves, with the wicked preying on the virtuous.» {[*]:} After thirty years, his predictions came true.

Again, according to an authentic narration, he declared: "The fortress of Khaybar will be conquered at 'Ali's hand." {[*]:} As a miracle of his prophethood and beyond all expectation, the following day 'Ali ripped off the gate of the fortress of Khaybar, used it as a shield, and seized the fortress. When he threw it aside after the conquest, eight strong men -or according to another version, forty- tried to lift it, but could not do so. {[*]:}

The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) also predicted the Battle of Siffin between 'Ali and Mu'awiya, saying: «The hour shall not come until two parties with a single claim fight each other.» {[*]:}

He also declared that a group of rebels would kill 'Ammar. {[*]:} When

'Ammar was killed at the Battle of Siffin, 'Ali cited this as a proof that Mu'awiya's followers were rebellious; but Mu'awiya interpreted it differently, and also 'Amr b. al-'As said: "The rebels are murderers, not all of us."

The Noble Prophet (PBUH) also said: "As long as 'Umar is alive, no sedition will erupt among you." {[*]:} And so it happened.

Before accepting faith, Sahl b. 'Amr was once captured in a battle. 'Umar said to the God's Messenger: "Allow me to pull out his teeth, for he, with his eloquent speech, incited the idolatrous Quraysh to wage war against us." God's Messenger replied: «It may be that he will assume a stance pleasing to you, O 'Umar.» {[*]:} In fact, at the time of the Prophet's demise, which caused panic and agitation, Sahl, with his well-known eloquence, calmed and comforted the Companions in Makkah with an address; while in Madinah Abu Bakr, with his great firmness, was also giving a very important address to comfort the Companions. Surprisingly, the two addresses resemble each other in regard to their wording.

To Suraqa, the Prophet once said: "You will wear the two bracelets of Chosroes." {[*]:} Chosroes was wiped out during the Caliphate of 'Umar. When Chosroes' jewelry arrived, 'Umar put the bracelets on Suraqa, saying, "Praise be to God Who took these off Chosroes and put them on Suraqa." {[*]:} This confirmed the report of the Prophet.

The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) also declared: «Once Chosroes the Persian has gone, there will be no other.» {[*]:} So it turned out.

He once said to Chosroes' envoy: «Chosroes has now been killed by his son Shirviya Parviz.» {[*]:} Upon investigating and finding out that he had indeed been murdered at that very time, the envoy accepted Islam. The name of the envoy occurs in some narrations as Firuz.

According to an authentic narration, the Noble Prophet (PBUH) once mentioned a secret letter that Khatib b. Balta'a had sent to the Quraysh.

He sent 'Ali and Miqdad to fetch it, saying, "There is a person at such-and-such a location bearing such-and-such a letter. Take it and bring it here." They went and brought exactly the letter he had described from exactly the place. The Prophet (PBUH) summoned Khatib and asked him why he had done it. Khatib apologized, and the Prophet pardoned him. {[*]:}

Again, according to an authentic narration concerning 'Utba b. Abi Lahab, God's Messenger prayed: «May he be eaten by one of the dogs of God!», {[*]:} predicting the terrible fate of 'Utba. For while on his way to the Yemen, 'Utba was devoured by a lion. Both the malediction and the prediction of the Prophet were thus confirmed.

At the conquest of Makkah, as is also related in an authentic narration, Bilal al-Habashi went up onto the roof of the Ka'ba and made the call to prayer, while Abu Sufyan, 'Attab b. Asid, and Harith b. Hisham, from among the leaders of the Quraysh, were sitting together nearby. 'Attab said: "My father was fortunate enough not to witness this moment." Harith said contemptuously about Bilal: "Could Muhammad have not found someone other than this black crow to make the mu'ezzin?" Abu Sufyan said: "I am afraid to say anything, for he will come to know of whatever I say. Even if nothing else informs him, the rocks of this Batha [Makkah] will do so." Indeed, a little later the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) encountered them and repeated to them their conversation word for word. {[*]:} That very moment 'Attab and Harith became Muslim s.

See, wretched denier who does not recognize the Prophet! Two stubborn leaders of the Quraysh came to believe on hearing this single report of his from the Unseen. How corrupted your heart must be, for you hear about thousands of miracles having the certainty of 'consensus in meaning' like this one, and still you are not completely satisfied! However, to return to our subject.

According to an authentic narration, 'Abbas was captured by the Companions in the Battle of Badr. When he was asked for ransom, he said he did not have money. God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) said to him:

«You and your wife Umm Fadl hid that much money [he gave the exact amount] in such-and-such a place.» {[*]:} 'Abbas confirmed this, saying: "This was a secret known by only the two of us," and became a Muslim.

Also according to an authentic narration, a dangerous Jewish sorcerer named Labid once concocted a strong and effective spell to harass the God's Messenger (PBUH). He wrapped hair and thread around a comb, bewitched it, and threw it into a well. The Noble Messenger told his Companions including 'Ali to go and bring the spell in the well, which they did, finding it exactly as described. As they unwrapped the hair, the Messenger's discomfort lessened. {[*]:}

Again, according to an authentic narration, the Noble Messenger once gave the news of the awesome fate of an apostate to a group that included such important persons as Abu Hurayra and Hudhayfa, saying: «One of you will enter the Fire with a tooth bigger than Mount Uhud.» {[*]:} Abu Hurayra related: "I was afraid, as later only two remained from that group, one of which was me. Finally, the other man was killed in the Battle of Yamama as one of the followers of Musaylima." {[*]:} The truth of the Prophet's (PBUH) prediction was thus confirmed.

It is related through an authentic chain of reports that 'Umayr and Safwan, before they became Muslims, once decided to kill the Prophet for a handsome reward that had been offered them. When 'Umayr arrived in Madinah with this intention, the Noble Messenger summoned him, and, putting his hand on 'Umayr's chest, told him about what he had planned with Safwan. 'Umayr answered, "Yes," and became a Muslim. {[*]:}

Like those mentioned above, many predictions which the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) gave concerning the Unseen have been recorded in the six best-known, authentic books of Hadith, together with the chains of the narrators. As for the occurrences related in this work, they are definite to the degree of 'consensus in meaning,' being related in Bukhari and Muslim -which are accepted by the scholars as the most authentic sources after the Qur'an, and in the other collections like Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Abu Da'ud, Mustadrak al-Hakim, Musnad a l-Ahmad b. Hanbal, and Dala'il al-Bayhaqi.

Now, unthinking denier! Do not shrug these off, saying, "Muhammad the Arabian was clever!" Because the accurate predictions of Muhammad (PBUH) concerning the Unseen cannot be explained except in either of the following two ways: you will either suppose that this blessed person had such piercing vision and expansive genius that he saw and knew the past and the future and all the world; beheld the East, the West, and the whole universe; and discovered what happened in the past and what will happen in the future. Such a quality is not to be found in a human being, but if it was to be, it would certainly be a wonder, a gift, bestowed on him by the Creator of the world, which would itself be the greatest of miracles. Or you will believe this blessed person to be an official and a student of One under Whose disposal and observation everything stands, under Whose command are all ages and all the species and realms of beings in the cosmos, in Whose great ledger is recorded everything, so that He may show and communicate them to his student whenever He wishes. Thus, Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) instructs others as he himself is instructed by the Lord of Pre-Eternity.

It is related in an authentic narration that when the Prophet appointed Khalid b. al-Walid to fight against Ukaydir, the head of the Dumat al-Jandal, he informed Khalid that he would find Ukaydir on a wild ox hunt, and that he would be captured without resistance. Khalid captured Ukaydir in exactly this way. {[*]:}

According to an authentic narration, when the Quraysh hung up on the wall of the Ka'ba a leaf on which were written words against the Bani Hashim, the Prophet said to them: «Worms have eaten the leaf, except the parts bearing the Names of God.» {[*]:} They examined the leaf to find it in the same condition as had been described.

According to an authentic narration, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blesssings and peace) said: "There will be a big epidemic during the conquest of Jerusalem." {[*]:} When Jerusalem was conquered during the Caliphate of 'Umar, a widespread epidemic caused in three days the death of about seventy thousand people.

Again, according to an authentic narration, the Prophet (PBUH) predicted that Basra {[*]:} and Baghdad {[*]:} would come into existence, which at that time had not been founded, that the treasure of the world would enter Baghdad, and that the Turks and the people living on the shores of the Caspian Sea would do battle with the Arabs and that the majority of them would later enter the fold of Islam, {[*]:} and that among the Arabs they would come to dominate them. He said: «The Persians [non-Arabs] will almost predominate among you, consuming your booty and smiting you.» {[*]:}

He also said: «The ruin of my community will be at the hands of the wicked ones from Quraysh,» {[*]:} suggesting the disorder caused by the wicked leaders of the Umayyads, such as Walid and Yazid.

He furthermore predicted that apostasy would take place in such areas as Yamama. {[*]:}

During the famous Battle of Khandaq, he declared: «From now on, I will make assaults on the Quraysh and their confederates, not they on me.» {[*]:} This was also verified.

According to an authentic narration, he said a few months prior to his death: «One of God's bondsmen has been given a choice, and he chose that which is with God.» {[*]:}

About Zayd b. Suwahan, he said: «One of his limbs will precede him to Paradise.» {[*]:} In the Battle of Nihawand, one of his hands was martyred and in effect reached heaven first.

The incidents we have so far mentioned concerning predictions

relating to the Unseen comprise only one out of his ten different kinds of miracle. Yet of this kind alone, we have not even mentioned one tenth. In addition to what is mentioned here, four general kinds of miracle concerning predictions of the Unseen have been described briefly in the Twenty-Fifth Word, which is about the miraculousness of the Qur'an. Now consider the kinds mentioned here together with the four extensive sorts communicated from the Unseen by the tongue of the Qur'an, you will see what conclusive, indisputable, sound, brilliant, and firm proof of his messengership they form. Indeed, anyone whose heart and mind are not corrupted will of a surety believe that Muhammad is the Messenger of, and receives knowledge from, a Glorious One Who is the Creator of all things, the One All-Knowing of the Unseen.

SEVENTH SIGN

We will give in this Sign a few examples from among the Prophet's (PBUH) miracles that relate to his effecting increase in food and that are definite to the degree of 'consensus in meaning.' But before going into the subject, some introductory comments will be appropriate.

Introduction

Each of the following examples of miracles is narrated, as authentic, through various -sometimes as many as sixteen- chains of transmission. Most of them occurred in the presence of large assemblies, and were narrated by many truthful persons of good repute from among those present. For example, from among seventy men who partook of four handfuls of food and were filled, one relates the incident, and the others do not contradict him. Their silence thus indicates their confirmation. For if in that era of truth and truthfulness the Companions, who were lovers of the truth and earnest and honest, had witnessed even the tiniest lie, they would have rejected and denied it. But the incidents we will be citing were narrated by many, and the others who witnessed them remained silent. Thus, each of these incidents has the certainty of 'consensus in meaning.'

Furthermore, books of both history and the Prophet's biography testify that, next to the preservation of the Qur'an and its verses, the Companions worked with all their strength to preserve the deeds and words of God's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and especially those relating to the injunctions of the Shari'a and to miracles, paying extreme attention to their accuracy. They never neglected even the tiniest aspect of his conduct, actions, and states. This and the fact that they recorded them is testified to by books of Hadith.

In addition, in the Era of Bliss, they wrote down and recorded very many of the Hadiths concerning the injunctions of the Law and his miracles. The 'Seven 'Abd Allah's' in particular recorded them in writing. And especially 'Abd Allah b. al-'Abbas, known as 'the Interpreter of the Qur'an,' and 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. al-'As some thirty to forty years later, and the thousands of exacting scholars of the generation that followed the Companions recorded the Hadiths and miracles in writing. And still later, chiefly the four great interpreters of the Law and thousands of exacting scholars of Hadith related them and preserved them in writing. Then two hundred years after the Hijra, foremost Bukhari and Muslim and the six accepted books of tradition, undertook the duty of their preservation. Many severe critics such as Ibn al-Jawzi emerged who identified false reports which had been produced by deniers, the unthinking, the ignorant, or those who had recalled them wrongly. Later, learned and exacting scholars like Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, who seventy times was honoured in a waking state by the presence and conversation of God's Noble Messenger (PBUH), differentiated the diamonds of authentic traditions from other sayings and fabrications.

Thus, the incidents and miracles we shall speak of, have come down to us through numerous, perhaps uncountable, strong and trustworthy hands, and have reached us in sound condition.

All praise be to God, this is from the bounty of my Lord.

It is for this reason that one's mind should be freed from the notion that these incidents have been distorted or confused in any way in being passed down all the way from that time to the present.

The First Example of definite miracles concerning the Prophet's increase of food through his blessing. The six accurate books of tradition, Bukhari and Muslim included, unanimously relate that during the feast on the occasion of the Prophet's (PBUH) marriage to Zaynab, Anas's mother, Umm Sulaym, prepared a dish by frying two handfuls of dates in oil and sent it with Anas to the Prophet. The Noble Prophet told him: «Go and invite so-and-so [naming some persons],and also invite whomever you encounter on your way.» Anas invited those named and those he met. About three hundred Companions came and filled the Prophet's room and anteroom. Then the Prophet said: «Make circles of ten.» He placed his blessed hand on that little amount of food, uttered supplications, and told them to help themselves. All of them ate and was fully satisfied. Afterwards the Prophet asked Anas to remove the food. Anas later related: "I could not tell if there was more of it when I set it down, or when I removed it." {[*]:}

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, the Prophet's host,

relates that when the Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace) honoured his house, he had prepared a meal for two, which would suffice the Prophet and Abu Bakr. But the Prophet told him: "Invite thirty men from among the distinguished Ansar!" {[*]:} Abu Ayyub said: "Thirty men came and ate. He then said: 'Invite sixty men,' which I did, and they also came and ate. The Prophet said again: 'Invite seventy more.' I invited them; they came, and when they finished eating, there was still food left in the bowls. All who came embraced Islam and took the oath of allegiance after witnessing this miracle. One hundred and eighty men ate the food of two men." {[*]:}

It is reported through many chains of transmission from 'Umar b. al-Khattab, Abu Hurayra, Salama b. Akwa', Abu 'Amrat al-Ansari and others that on one expedition, the army went hungry. They referred themselves to the Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and he told them: «Gather whatever food is left in your saddle-bags.» Everyone brought a few pieces of dates and put them on a mat. The most they could put together was four handfuls. Salama related: "I estimated it amounted to the size of a sitting goat." Then the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) announced: «Everyone bring his dish!» They pressed forward, and no one in the whole army remained with an empty dish, all the dishes were filled. There was even some left over. One of the Companions later said: "I realized from the way that increase was obtained that if the whole world had come, the food still would have been sufficient." {[*]:}

As recorded in all of the Six Books including Bukhari and Muslim,' Abd al-Rahman b. Abu Bakr al-Siddiq relates: "We, one hundred and thirty Companions, were with the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) on an expedition. Dough was prepared to the amount of about four handfuls, a goat was slaughtered and cooked, and its liver and kidneys were roasted. I swear by God that from that roasted meat [liver and kidneys] God's Messenger gave a small piece to each and put the cooked meat into two large bowls. After we had all eaten until we were filled there was still some left over, which I loaded onto a camel." {[*]:}

As is recorded in the Six Books, Jabir al-Ansari related under oath: "During the Ahzab expedition on the celebrated day of Khandaq, about a thousand people ate from four handfuls of rye bread and a young cooked goat; yet food was still left over. That day the food had been cooked in my house, and after the one thousand people had left, the pot was still boiling with meat in it, and bread was being made from the dough; for the Prophet had wetted the dough and the pot with his blessed mouth, beseeching God for plenty." {[*]:}

According to an authentic narration from Abu Talha, the uncle of Anas who served God's Messenger, the Messenger fed seventy to eighty men with a small amount of rye bread that Anas had brought under his arm. The Messenger ordered: «Break the bread into small pieces !», and prayed for increase. Because the house was small, they came ten at a time, and left having filled themselves. {[*]:}

It is related as authentic in accurate books such as Shifa' al-Sharif and Muslim that Jabir al-Ansari narrated: "Once a man asked the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) for food for his household. The Messenger gave him a half load of barley. For a long time he ate of the barley together with his family and guests. They would look and see that it did not finish. So they measured it to see by how much it decreased. After that the blessing of abundance was gone and the barley began to dwindle rapidly. The man went to the Messenger and related what had happened. God's Messenger replied: «If you had not put it to the test by measuring it, it would have lasted you a life-time.» {[*]:}

According to accurate books such as Tirmidhi, Nasa'i, Bayhaqi, and Shifa' al-Sharif, Samura b. Jundub related that a bowl of meat was brought to the Prophet (PBUH). From morning to evening, many groups of men came and ate from it. {[*]:}

In accordance with the explanation we gave in the introduction to this section, this is not the narration of Samura alone, since Samura narrated this incident on behalf of, and with the approval of, all those present.

It is also narrated by reliable and trusted

scholars such as the well-known author of Shifa' al-Sharif, Ibn Abi Shayba, and Tabarani, that Abu Hurayra related: "The Noble Messenger commanded me, 'Invite the poor Makkan migrants who have made the Bench [suffa] {[*]:} of the Mosque their home and who number more than a hundred.' So I went and searched for them and gathered them together. A tray of food was set before us, and we ate as much as we wanted, then we arose. The dish remained full as it was when set down, only, the traces of fingers on the food were visible. {[*]:}

Thus, this incident is related by Abu Hurayra in the name of all the People of the Bench, supported by their confirmation. Hence, the incident is as definite as if all the People of the Bench had related it. Is it at all possible that if it had not been true those men of truth and perfection would have remained silent and not denied it?

According to an authentic narration from 'Ali, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) once gathered the Bani 'Abd al-Muttalib. They were about forty, including some who would eat a young camel and drink a gallon of milk in one meal. Yet for them he had prepared only a handful of food. All ate and were satisfied, and the food remained just as it had been before. Later he brought milk in a wooden bowl that would have been sufficent for only three or four persons. They all drank their fill. {[*]:}

Thus, a miracle of plenty as definite as 'Ali's courage and loyalty!

According to an authentic narration, on the occasion of 'Ali's marriage to Fatima al-Zahra, The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) ordered Bilal al-Habashi: «Have bread made from a few handfuls of flour; also slaughter a young camel!» Bilal relates: "I brought the food and he put his hand on it to bless it. Later, the Companions arrived in groups, ate, and left. From the remaining food, he sent a full bowl to each of his wives, saying that they should eat and feed anyone who visited them." {[*]:}

Such blessed plenty was indeed necessary for such a blessed marriage!

Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq related from his father Muhammad al-Baqir, and he from his father, Zayn al-'Abidin, and he from 'Ali, that Fatima al-Zahra had prepared enough food for herself and 'Ali. She then sent 'Ali to invite the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) to come and eat with them. God's Messenger came and told them to send a dish of food to each of his wives. Fatima said that after a dish of food had been set aside for himself, 'Ali, Fatima, and their children, they lifted up the saucepan and it was full to overflowing. Through God's will, they ate of the food for a long time afterwards. {[*]:}

Why do you not believe this miracle of increase just as if you had witnessed it with your own eyes, since it comes from this luminous, elevated chain of transmission? Satan himself could find no excuse in this face of this one.

Veracious authorities such as Abu Da'ud, Ahmad b. Hanbal, and Bayhaqi, narrate from Dukayn al-Ahmasi b. Sa'id al-Muzayn, and from Nu'man b. Muqarrin al-Ahmasi al-Muzayn, who with his six brothers was honoured with the Prophet's conversation and was a Companion, and by way of Jarir through numerous chains of transmission from 'Umar b. al-Khattab, that God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) ordered 'Umar b. al-Khattab: «Equip with provisions for a journey four hundred horsemen from the Ahmasi tribe!» ' Umar replied: "O Messenger of God! What we have in hand is the equivalent of a seated young camel." The Messenger said: «Go and give it to them!» So he went, and out of that half load of dates, gave the four hundred horsemen sufficient provisions. And he stated that it remained as before, without diminishing. {[*]:}

Thus, this miracle of plenty occurred in connection with four hundred men and 'Umar in particular. They are behind the narrations, supporting them, and their silence confirms them. Do not ignore these narrations because they are related by a few individuals only, for if the incident had only been reported by a single individual, it still would have the certainty of 'consensus in meaning.'

All the accurate books of tradition, and foremost Bukhari and Muslim, narrate that when Jabir's father died,

he was heavily in debt. His creditors were Jews. Jabir offered the creditors all his father's possessions but they did not accept them. The fruit produced by his orchard over many years would have been insufficient to defray the debt. The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) said: «Pick and gather in all the fruit in the orchard!» They did so, then the Noble Messenger walked around the crop and prayed. Then Jabir gave from the amount corresponding to his father's debt. What was left was as much as the annual produce of the orchard. And according to another narration, it was equal to the amount he gave the creditors. The Jews were amazed and astounded at this. {[*]:}

See, this clear miracle of plenty was not only reported by a few narrators like Jabir; many people connected with it described and narrated it, thus giving it the degree of 'consensus in meaning.'

Exact scholars, and foremost Tirmidhi and Imam Bayhaqi, related through a sound chain of authorities from Abu Hurayra that Abu Hurayra said: "During one expedition -that of Tabuk according to another narration- the army went hungry. God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) asked: 'Is there nothing?' I said: 'I have one or two dates in my saddle-bag.'-According to another narration, it was fifteen.- He said: 'Bring them here!' I took them to him, and he plunged his hand into them and took a handful. He put them into a dish, and offered a supplication for their increase. Then he called the men in groups of ten and they all ate of them. Then he said: 'Take what you brought, hold it, and do not turn it upside down.' I put my hand in the bag; there were in my hands as many dates as I had brought. Later, during the lifetime of the Prophet (PBUH), and those of Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and 'Uthman, I ate of those dates." -It is narrated through another chain of transmission: "I gave several loads of those dates to be used 'in God's way.' Later the bag containing the dates was plundered when 'Uthman was assassinated." {[*]:}

Abu Hurayra was a constant and important student and disciple among the People of the Bench, the sacred school and tekke of the Teacher of the Universe, the Pride of the World (PBUH). In addition, the Prophet had prayed for his strength of memory. The miracle of plenty he reported which occurred in a large gathering like the expedition of

Tabuk, should therefore be as sound and certain as the word of a whole army.

Foremost Bukhari, and the accurate books relate, through an authentic narration, that once Abu Hurayra was hungry, so he followed the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) into his house. There they saw that a cup of milk had been brought as a gift. God's Messenger said to him: «Call all the People of the Bench!» Abu Hurayra relates: "I said to myself, I could drink all the milk myself, as I was most in need of it. But since it was God's Messenger's order, I fetched the People of the Bench, who numbered more than a hundred. God's Messenger told me to offer milk to them. I gave the cup to each one by one, and each drank until satisfied. At the end, the Messenger told me, 'The rest is for me and you.' As I drank, God's Messenger kept telling me to drink more, until I said, 'I swear by the Glorious One who sent you with the truth that I am too full to drink any more.' Then God's Messenger drank the rest, invoking the name of God and offering Him thanks." {[*]:} May it be a blessing for him a hundred thousand times!

This indubitable, manifest miracle, as pure and sweet as milk itself, is related by all Six Books with their sound narrations, and foremost Bukhari, who committed to memory five hundred thousand Hadiths. Moreover, it is narrated by a celebrated, loyal, and brilliant student of the Prophet's blessed school of the Bench, Abu Hurayra, who also cited as witness -rather, represented- all the other students of the Bench. Therefore, not to regard such a report as having the certainty of 'consensus,' either one's heart should be corrupted, or one's brain, destroyed! Is it ever possible that such a truthful person as Abu Hurayra, who devoted all his life to the Prophet's Hadiths and to religion, and who heard and himself transmitted the Hadith, «Whoever knowingly tells a lie concerning me should prepare for a seat in Hell-fire,» {[*]:} should have related an unfounded incident or saying that would have made him the target of the contradiction of the People of the Bench, and that would have caused doubt concerning the value and soundness of all the other Hadiths he had memorized? God forbid!

O our Sustainer! For the sake of the blessings You bestowed on Your Most Noble Messenger, bestow the blessings of abundance on the favours with which You have provided us!

It is well-known that when assembled together, weak things become strong. Fine threads are twisted, and they become a strong rope; strong ropes are wound together, and no one can break them. In this Sign, we have shown from among fifteen different kinds of miracles only one, that related to the blessings of increase and plenty, and the sixteen examples we have given constitute barely a fifteenth of this one kind. However, each of the examples mentioned is a proof on its own, with enough strength to prove prophethood. Even if some of them -supposing the impossible- were to be regarded as weak, they could still not properly be called such, since whatever is united with the strong also becomes strong.

When considered together, the sixteen examples given above constitute a great and strong miracle through the strength of definite, indisputable 'consensus in meaning.' And, when this miracle is joined by fourteen other miracles of plenty that have not been mentioned, it manifests a supreme miracle which is as unbreakable as a collection of strong ropes. Now add this supreme miracle to the fourteen other kinds of miracle, and see what a definite, decisive and irrefutable proof they provide for the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH)! Thus, the pillar of Muhammad's prophethood, formed by such a collection, has the strength of a mountain. Now you have understood how unreasonable it is to regard as unstable and liable to fall that lofty, firm heaven, due to doubts arising from lack of understanding in particular matters and examples. Certainly those miracles concerning increase and plenty show that Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was the beloved official and honoured servant of One All-Compassionate and Munificent Who creates all sustenance and provides all beings with it, for contrary to His practice, He sent him banquets of different varieties of food out of nothing, from the pure Unseen.

It is well-known that the Arabian Peninsula is a place where water and agriculture are scarce. For this reason, its people, and particularly the Companions in the early days of Islam, suffered want and scarcity. They were also frequently afflicted with thirst. Due to this, the important of the manifest miracles of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) concerned food and water. Rather than being miracles proving his claim to prophethood, these wonders were on account of need and like Divine gifts, dominical bounty, and banquets of the Most Merciful One for His Most Noble Messenger. For those who saw the miracles had already assented to his prophethood. However, as the miracles took place, their belief increased and became more luminous.

EIGHTH SIGN

This section relates miracles which were manifested in connection with water.

Introduction

It is known that when such events as take place among groups of people are related individually and not contradicted by others, this indicates the veracity of the reports. For by virtue of his very nature, man is inclined to call a lie a lie. In particular if the people in question were the Companions who were more intolerant of lies than anyone else, if the incidents concerned God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and if the narrator was a renowned Companion, then certainly the narrator gives his report on behalf of all who witnessed the incident. However, each of the miracles involving water that we will cite below was transmitted through many channels, entrusted by many Companions to thousands of precise scholars of the following generation, who in turn passed them down, authentically, to the great interpreters of the Law of the second century. They too received them with complete seriousness and reverence, accepted them, then handed them down to the exacting scholars of succeeding centuries. Thus the traditions have reached our times, passing through thousands of strong, reliable hands. Moreover, the texts of Hadiths written down in the Era of Bliss, the era of the Prophet, were handed down in accurate form till they reached the brilliant scholars of the science of Hadith like Bukhari and Muslim. And they, through punctilious examination and classification, collected together those of the Hadiths that were undoubtedly authentic, and presented and taught them to us. May God reward them abundantly!

Thus, the flowing of water from the fingers of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and many men drinking from it has the certainty of consensus. It is impossible that the gathering who narrated it would have agreed on a lie. The miracle is most definite. Moreover, it was repeated three times in the presence of three vast assemblies. A great many accurate scholars, primarily, Bukhari, Muslim, Imam Malik, Imam Shu'ayb, and Imam Qatada, recorded from definitely authenticated narrations from a great many of the well-known Companions, primarily, the Prophet's servants, Anas, Jabir, and Ibn Mas'ud how abundant water had flowed from his fingers and the army drunk from it. From numerous narrations of this kind of miracle, we will cite here only nine examples.

Accurate books of tradition, in particular Bukhari and Muslim, report from an authentic narration from Anas: "About three hundred of us were together with God's Noble Messenger

(Upon whom be blessings and peace) in the place named Zawra'. He ordered us to perform the ablution for the afternoon prayer, but we could find no water. He then told us to bring a little water, which we did, and he dipped his auspicious hands into it. I saw water flow from his fingers like a fountain. His three hundred men performed the ablution with the water and drank from it." {[*]:}

Anas relates this incident in the name of three hundred men. Is it possible that those three hundred people did not in effect assent to it, or in the event of their not assenting to it, not deny it?

As narrated in accurate books, and foremost Bukhari and Muslim, Jabir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansari said: "We fifteen hundred people were thirsty during the Hudaybiyya expedition. The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) performed the ablutions from a leather water-bag called a qirba, then he dipped his hand into it. Then I saw that water was flowing from his fingers like a spring. Fifteen hundred men drank from it and filled their water-bags." Once, Salim b. Abi'l-Ja'd asked Jabir: "How many of you were there?" He replied: "The water would have been enough even if there had been a hundred thousand people, but we were fifteen hundred." {[*]:}

Thus, the narrators of this clear miracle in effect number fifteen hundred, for it is man's nature to reject lies. As for the Companions of the Prophet, who sacrificed their tribes and peoples, their fathers and mothers, their lives and all they possessed for the sake of truth and veracity, they could not have remained silent in the face of a lie, especially in the light of the warning given by the tradition, «Whoever knowingly tells a lie concerning me should prepare for a seat in Hell-fire.» Since they remained silent concerning this report, they accepted it, in effect joined Jabir, and confirmed him.

Again as related in the accurate books of Hadith and foremost Bukhari and Muslim, Jabir reported: "During the Buwat expedition, the Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace) commanded: 'Call for the ablutions!' They said there was no water. He said, 'Find a small amount!' We brought a very small amount. He held his hand over the water while reciting something I could not hear, and then commanded: 'Bring the caravan's big trough!' They

brought it to me and I placed it before God's Messenger. He put his hands in the trough and spread his fingers. I poured that very small amount of water onto his blessed hands, and I saw that abundant water was flowing from his blessed fingers and filling the trough. Then I summoned those who needed water. When they had all performed the ablutions with the water and drunk from it, I told the Noble Messenger that there was no one else. He lifted his hands, leaving the trough full to the brim." {[*]:}

Thus, this clear miracle of Muhammad (PBUH) has the certainty of 'consensus in meaning,' for since Jabir was most prominent in the matter, he had the right to recount it and proclaim it in everybody else's name. Ibn Mas'ud relates exactly the same thing in his narration: "I saw water flowing from the fingers of God's Messenger as from a spring." {[*]:} If a truthful, well-known group of Companions composed of Anas, Jabir, and Ibn Mas'ud said: "We have seen it," is it possible that they should not have seen it? Now combine these three examples and see how powerful and manifest a miracle it was, and how, if the three chains of transmission are combined, it proves the flowing of water from his fingers like 'true consensus.' Indeed, even Moses' making water flow from twelve different places in a rock cannot be equated with the water flowing from Muhammad's ten fingers, for water may gush out of rock -examples are to be found among ordinary events- but there is no equivalent of, no parallel for, water flowing in abundance, like from the Spring of Kawthar, from flesh and bone.

Foremost Imam Malik in his esteemed book, Muwatta', relates from the renowned Companion Mu'adh b. Jabal: "During the Tabuk expedition we came across a spring flowing as meagrely as a piece of fine string. The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) ordered: 'Collect a little of the water!' They collected some in the palms of their hands. God's Messenger washed his hands and face in it, and we returned it to the spring. Suddenly the outlet of the spring opened up and water gushed forth; it was sufficient for the whole army." {[*]:}

Another narrator, even, Imam Ibn Ishaq, stated: "The water gushed forth from the spring under the earth making a roar like thunder. God's Noble Messenger told Mu'adh: 'If you live long enough, you will see that this miraculous water will transform this place into gardens.' And so it did."

Foremost Bukhari relates from al-Bara', and Muslim from Salama b. Akwa' and other authentic books of Hadith, unanimously relate: "During the Hudaybiyya expedition we came across a well. We numbered four hundred while the water in the well was barely sufficient for fifty. We drew the water and left nothing. Then God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) came and sat at the head of the well. He asked for a bucket of water and we fetched one. He put some of his blessed spittle into the bucket and prayed, then poured the water into the well. Suddenly the well filled and frothed with water, filling to the top. The whole army drank their fill and watered their animals. They also replenished their water-bags. {[*]:}

Again, foremost brilliant authorities of the science of Hadith like Muslim and Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, and the authentic books of Hadith, relate from a sound narration from the famous Abu Qatada: "We were going for help on the leaders being martyred in the celebrated Battle of Mu'ta. I had a water-bag with me. The Noble Prophet commanded: 'Keep your water-bag carefully; there will be great need for it.' Soon after, we began to suffer from thirst. We were seventy-two people. [According to Tabari, three hundred.] The Prophet said: 'Bring me your water-bag!' I did so, he took the bag and placed his lips on its mouth. I do not know whether or not he blew into it. Then seventy-two men came and drank from the bag and filled their bags. When I took it back, it was just as I had given it. {[*]:}

See this decisive miracle of Muhammad (PBUH) and say: "O God! Grant him blessings and peace to the number of drops of water, and to his Family!"

The authentic books and foremost Bukhari and Muslim narrate from 'Imran b. Husayn: "On one journey we and God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) were without water. He said to me and 'Ali: 'There is a woman in such-and-such a place together with her beast which is laden with two full water-bags. Go and fetch her! ' 'Ali and I went and found the woman and the water in exactly the place described, and brought her to God's Messenger. He ordered: 'Pour a little of the water into a vessel.' We did so and he prayed for the blessing of increase. He then commanded everyone to come to fill his water-bag. All the people came, drank, and filled their water-bags. Afterwards he gave an order to collect something for the

woman, and they filled her skirt." 'Imran said: "I imagined the two water-bags were constantly filling. The Noble Messenger told the woman: 'You can go now. We did not take water from you; rather God gave us water from His treasury.'" {[*]:}

Scholars of Hadith, primarily Ibn Khuzayma in his Sahih, narrate from 'Umar: "We ran out of water during the Tabuk expedition. Some people even slaughtered their camels, wrung out the innards and drank the liquid. Abu Bakr the Veracious requested the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) to pray. The Messenger raised his hands, and before he had lowered them clouds gathered, and such rain fell that we filled our containers. Then the rain stopped, and it had not fallen beyond the limits of the army." {[*]:} That is to say, no chance was involved in the incident; it was purely a miracle of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace).

Relating from 'Amr b. Shu'ayb, the grandson of 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. al-'As, on whom they relied for explanations of Hadiths, the Four Imams narrated-from a sound narration: "Before his prophetic mission, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) once came by camel to the place called Dhu'l-Hijaz near 'Arafat with his uncle Abu Talib. Abu Talib said he was thirsty. The Prophet dismounted from the camel and struck the ground with his foot. Water gushed out and Abu Talib drank from it." {[*]:}

One of the researchers, however, stated that this incident should be considered to be of the category of irhasat, {[*]:} because it occurred before his prophethood; however, since that time the spring of 'Arafat has flowed from the spot, and may therefore be considered a wonder of Muhammad (PBUH).

Similar to these nine examples, ninety different narrations -if not ninety instances- have reported miracles concerning water. The first seven examples are as sound and definite as 'consensus in meaning.' For sure the last two are not supported by the narrations of numerous narrators or a strong chain of transmitters, but supporting and confirming the incident mentioned in the eighth example as narrated by 'Umar, is

another miracle reported by the authentic books of Hadith, including Bayhaqi and al-Hakim; it is as follows:

"'Umar requested of God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) that he should pray for rain, because the army was in need of water. The Messenger raised his hands, and at once clouds gathered and rain fell, enough for the army's needs, then they dispersed." {[*]:} It was quite simply as though they were officials charged with watering the army; they came, poured down sufficient for its needs, then went.

Just as this narration corroborates and proves decisively the eighth example, so too the famous learned scholar, Ibn al-Jawzi, who was extremely fastidious in verifying Hadiths even rejecting as spurious many authentic ones, said that this event took place, but at the famous Battle of Badr. He stated that the verse,

And He caused rain to descend on you from heaven to clean you therewith {[*]:}

refers to the incident. Since that is the case, certainly no room for doubt can remain. Furthermore, rain falling on the Prophet praying for it, suddenly, swiftly, before he lowered his hands, occurred on many occasions, and was on its own a miracle, concerning the reports for which there is consensus. It is also narrated with 'consensus,' that several times he raised his hands while in the pulpit and that rain fell before he lowered them.

NINTH SIGN

One of the various kinds of miracles of God's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) is that like human beings, trees obeyed his orders, and moving from their places, came to him. There is also 'consensus in meaning' in the reports of these miracles, like those of water flowing from his fingers. They have been narrated in numerous forms and through numerous channels. Indeed, the consensus concerning trees leaving their places and coming to him may be considered as 'explicit,' {[*]:} because the best-known of the Companions such as 'Ali, Ibn 'Abbas, Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn 'Umar, Ya'la b. Murra, Jabir, Anas b. Malik, Burayda, Usama b. Zayd, and Ghaylan b. Salama, each reported the same miracle with certainty. Hundreds of scholars of the succeeding generation narrated the miracle from one of the above-mentioned Companions

through a different line of transmission, as though transmitting it to us in the form of multiple 'consensus.' Thus, this miracle of the trees has decisively and indisputably the certainty of 'consensus in meaning.' We will now cite only a few examples of this great miracle, although it was repeated many times.

Foremost, Imam Maja, and al-Darimi narrate from Anas b. Malik and 'Ali, and Imam Bayhaqi from 'Umar, that the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was saddened at the denial of the unbelievers. He prayed: «O my Sustainer! Give me a sign that I shall no longer see anyone who contradicts me!» {[*]:} According to Anas, Gabriel was also present, upon whose instruction God's Messenger called to a tree at the side of the valley. It came near him. He then told the tree to go back; it returned and settled itself in its place.

In Shifa' al-Sharif, Qadi Iyad, the leading scholar of the Maghrib, relates from 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar through an exalted and sound chain of narrators: "On one expedition, a beduin approached the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). God's Messenger asked him: 'Where are you going?' He replied: 'To my family.' God's Messenger asked him: 'Don't you want something better than that?' The beduin asked: 'What is that?' The Messenger said: 'That you bear witness that there is no god but God, He is One, He has no partner, and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger.' The beduin asked: 'What is witness to this testimony?' God's Messenger said: 'The tree beside the valley shall bear witness.'" Ibn 'Umar said: "Shaking, the tree cleft the earth and came to God's Messenger. He asked the tree three times to testify; each time it testified to his truthfulness. When he ordered, it went back and settled in its place." {[*]:}

According to the authentic narration of Ibn Sahib al-Aslami, Burayda reports: "When we were with the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) on an expedition, a beduin came and asked for a sign, that is, a miracle. The Messenger said: 'Tell that tree that God's Messenger summons it!' Then he pointed to a tree; it swayed to right and left, brought itself out of the ground with its roots, and came to the presence of the Messenger, saying: 'Peace be upon you, O Messenger of

God!' The beduin said: 'Now let it go to its place again!' He commanded, and it went. Then the beduin said: 'Allow me to prostrate before you.' The Messenger replied: 'No one is permitted to do that.' The beduin said: 'Then I will kiss your hands and feet,' and he permitted him." {[*]:}

Foremost the Sahih of Muslim, and the authentic books of Hadith relate that Jabir said: "We were together with God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) on an expedition when he searched for a place to answer the call of nature. There was no secluded place. So he went towards two trees, caught hold of the branches of one of them, and pulled. Obeying him, the tree went together with him to the second tree. It was like an obedient camel being led by its reins. Having in this way brought the two trees together, he said: 'Join together over me, with God's permission!' The two trees joined together and formed a screen. After relieving himself behind them, he ordered them to go back, and they returned to their places." {[*]:}

According to another narration, Jabir said: "God's Messenger commanded me: 'Tell those trees to join together for the relief of God's Messenger!' I told them to do so, and they joined together. Then, while I was waiting, God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) emerged, and indicated to left and right with his head. The two trees returned to their places." {[*]:}

Usama b. Zayd, one the brave commanders and servants of the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), reports in an authentic narration: "We were together with God's Messenger on an expedition. There was no secluded, private place in which to answer the call of nature. He asked: 'Can you see any trees or rocks?' I replied: 'Yes, I can.' He ordered: 'Speak to them and tell them to join together for the relief of God's Messenger; also tell the rocks to gather together as a wall.' I went and said as he commanded. I swear that the trees joined together and the rocks formed a wall. God's Messenger after relieving himself, again commanded: 'Tell them to separate!' I swear by the Glorious One in the grasp of Whose power I am that the trees and rocks separated, and returned to their places." {[*]:}

These two incidents which were reported by Jabir b. Usama were also

reported by Ya'la b. Murra, Ghaylan b. Salama al-Thaqafi, and Ibn Mas'ud, referring to the Battle of Hunayn. {[*]:}

Reported by Imam b. Fawrak, known as 'the foremost scholar of his time' and 'Shafi'i the Second' for his excellence in interpretation: "While travelling on horseback one night during the Ta'if expedition, sleep overcame God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). While in that state a lote-tree loomed up before him. To make way for him and not to hurt his horse, the tree split in two, and the Noble Messenger, on the horse, passed between the two parts of the tree." The tree has remained as two trunks, in that honoured position, up to our time. {[*]:}

Ya'la b. Murra relates in an authentic narration: "During an expedition, a tree -called either talha or samura - came, passed around God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) as if circumambulating, and went back to its place. God's Messenger said: 'The tree requested of God that it should salute me.'" {[*]:}

Scholars of Hadith relate from Ibn Mas'ud with an authentic narration: "When the jinn of Nusaybin came to the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) in the place called Batn al-Nakhl in order to find guidance, a tree informed him of their coming." Also, Imam Mujahid relates from Ibn Mas'ud in the Hadith: "The jinn asked for a proof of his prophethood, so the Noble Prophet commanded the tree, and it left its place, came to him, then returned to its place."137 That single miracle was sufficient for the race of jinns. So if a human being does not come to believe having heard of a thousand miracles like this one, is he not more of a devil than those described by the jinn as, «Some foolish ones among us»? {[*]:}

Tirmidhi reports in his Sahih from Ibn 'Abbas through a sound narration: "God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) asked a beduin: 'Will you testify that I am the Messenger of God if a branch of that tree comes to me when I call to it?' He replied: 'Yes.' The Messenger called to the branch. It broke off and jumped over near him, then jumped back when he told it to do so." {[*]:}

Like these eight examples, there are many others related through many chains of transmission. Seven or eight strands of rope form a strong cable when they come together. Similarly, these miracles concerning trees, which were reported on the authority of the best-known and most veracious Companions in thus numerous chains of transmission, certainly have the strength of 'consensus in meaning,' indeed, 'true consensus.' In fact, they take on the form of 'consensus' when passed down by the Companions to the following generation. In particular, the accurate books of Hadith such as Bukhari, Muslim, Ibn Hibban, and Tirmidhi, made the chains leading back to the time of the Companions so sound, and they kept them thus, that reading a Hadith, say in Bukhari, is like hearing it directly from the Companions.

If, as seen in the above examples, trees recognize God's Messenger(Upon whom be blessings and peace) testify to his prophethood, visit and salute him, and obey his orders, and those lifeless, unreasoning creatures who call themselves human beings do not recognize him or believe in him, will they not be more worthless than a dead tree, and like a piece of wood, fit for the fire?

TENTH SIGN

Corroborating the miracles concerning trees and reported in the form of 'consensus,' is the miracle of the moaning of the pole. Yes, the pole's moaning in the Prophet's mosque before a vast crowd because of its temporary separation from the Prophet (PBUH) both confirms and strengthens the instances of miracles related to trees. For the pole also was of wood; their substance was the same. However, the reports of this miracle itself form a consensus, whereas the others are thus as a group in one class, most of them individually or separately not attaining the degree of 'explicit consensus.'

When delivering the sermon in the mosque, God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) used to lean against a pole consisting of a date-palm. But when the pulpit was made, he began to give the sermon from there. Whereupon the pole moaned and wailed like a camel; the whole congregation heard it. Only when the Prophet came down from the pulpit to it, and placed his hand on it, speaking to it and consoling it, did the pole stop moaning. This miracle of Muhammad (PBUH) was narrated through numerous chains of transmission, at the degree of 'consensus.'

Indeed, the miracle of the moaning of the pole is very widely known and there is 'true consensus' concerning it. {[*]:} Hundreds of authorities on

Hadith of the subsequent generation narrated the miracle through fifteen chains of transmission from an illustrious group of Companions, and passed it down to succeeding centuries. {[*]:} From that group, eminent scholars among the Companions and leading experts on Hadith such as Anas b. Malik {[*]:} and Jabir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansari {[*]:} -both servants of the Prophet, 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar, {[*]:} 'Abd Allah b. 'Abbas, {[*]:} Sahl b. Sa'd, {[*]:} Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, {[*]:} Ubayy b. Ka'b, {[*]:} Burayda, {[*]:} and Umm Salama, the Mother of Believers, {[*]:} each at the head of a chain of transmission, reported this same miracle to the Prophet's community. Foremost Bukhari, Muslim, and the authentic books of Hadith gave accounts of this great miracle, concerning which there is consensus of reports, together with its lines of transmission for succeeding generations.

Jabir, in his chain of transmission, says: "God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) used to lean against a wooden pole called 'the palm trunk' while delivering the sermon in the mosque. The pole could not endure it when the pulpit was made and the Messenger used that for the sermon, and began to moan and wail like a pregnant camel." {[*]:} In his narration, Anas says: "It moaned like a water-buffalo causing the mosque to tremble." {[*]:} In his narration, Sahl b. Sa'd says: "And weeping increased among the people, on the pole's moaning." In his narration, Ubayy b. Ka'b says: "It wept so much it split." While in another narration, the Noble Messenger said: «It is weeping at being separated from the recitation of God's Names and the mentioning of God during the sermon.»

Still another narration reports that God's Messenger said: «If I had not embraced and consoled it, it would have wept at being separated from God's Messenger until Doomsday.» In his narration, Burayda reports: "When the pole began to moan, God's Messenger put his hand on it and said, 'If you wish, I will return you to the grove you came from; your roots will grow and you will flourish; you will produce new fruits. Or if you wish, I will plant you in Paradise, and God's friends, the saints, will eat of your fruit.' He then listened to the pole. The people behind God's Messenger could hear it as it spoke, saying: 'Plant me in Paradise, where there is no decay, so that Almighty God's beloved servants will eat of my fruit.' The Messenger said: 'I will,' and added: 'It has preferred the eternal realm to that of transitoriness.'" Abu Ishaq Isfarani, one of the great authorities on theology, narrated: "God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) did not go to the pole, but it came to him, at his command. Then, at his command, it returned to its place." {[*]:} Ubayy b. Ka'b says: "After this extraordinary event, God's Messenger ordered that the pole be put under the pulpit. It was put there and remained there until the mosque was pulled down before being rebuilt. Then Ubayy b. Ka'b took it and kept it until it decayed. {[*]:}

The famous scholar Hasan al-Basri would weep while teaching this miraculous event to his students, and say to them: "A piece of wood demonstrated love and longing for God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), so you should feel more love than that." {[*]:} As for us, we say, Yes, and love and longing for him is shown through following his illustrious Practices and sacred Shari'a.

An Important Point

Why were the other miracles which were demonstrated in relation to food -to satisfy fully a thousand men with four handfuls of food in the Battle of Khandaq, and another thousand men with water flowing from the Messenger's blessed fingers- not narrated through numerous chains of transmission as the miracle of the moaning of the pole, although the former two miracles occurred in the presence of larger crowds?

The miracles that were manifested were of two kinds: one were manifested at the hands of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), in order to make people assent to his prophethood. The moaning of the pole was of that kind. It occurred solely as a proof, an affirmation, of prophethood, to increase the believers' faith, to urge

the dissemblers to sincerity and belief, and to bring to belief the unbelievers. That is why everyone, the low and the high, saw it, and great attention was paid to broadcasting it. However, the miracles concerning food and water were wonders rather than miracles, or Divine favours rather than wonders, or, more than favour, they were banquets bestowed by the All-Merciful One because of need. For sure, they were proofs of his claim to prophethood and miracles, but their basic aim was this: the army was hungry so Almighty God provided a feast for a thousand men out of a handful of food from His treasury in the Unseen, just as He creates a thousand pounds of dates from a single seed. And for a thirsty army fighting in His way, He caused water to flow like the water of Kawthar from the fingers of the Commander-in-Chief, and gave them to drink.

It is for this reason that all the examples of the miracles concerning food and water do not attain the degree of the miracle of the moaning of the pole. However, in their entirety, the various kinds of these two miracles are as numerous and unanimously reported as the moaning of the pole. Moreover, not everyone could see the increase of food and water flowing from his fingers; they could only see the results. Whereas everyone heard the pole moaning, so it was more widely broadcast.

All the actions and conduct of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) were recorded and transmitted by his Companions with extreme care. Why then are such great miracles only narrated through ten or twenty chains of transmission, when they should have been narrated through a hundred? Also, why are many narrated from Anas, Jabir, and Abu Hurayra, and few related from Abu Bakr and 'Umar?

The answer to the first part of the question has been given in the Third Principle in the Fourth Sign. Regarding the second part: just as someone in need of medicine goes to a doctor, mathematicians are consulted on mathematical problems, and questions to do with the Shari'a are asked of the Mufti, and so on; so too, some of the scholars among the Companions were charged with the duty of instructing succeeding centuries in the Hadiths of the Prophet, working with all their strength for this end. Yes, Abu Hurayra devoted his entire life to memorizing Hadiths, while 'Umar was occupied with the world of politics and the Caliphate. 'Umar therefore narrated very few traditions, relying on persons like Abu Hurayra, Anas, and Jabir, to teach the Hadiths to the Muslim community. Furthermore, on a well-known, truthful, sincere, honest, and trusted Companion reporting an incident through one chain, it was regarded as sufficient, and no need remained for another to narrate

it. This is why some significant events were narrated through only two or three chains of transmission.

ELEVENTH SIGN

As the Tenth Sign explained miracles of the Prophet related to trees, the Eleventh Sign will describe how rocks and mountains among lifeless creatures also demonstrated prophetic miracles. Here we cite a few out of numerous instances.

The great scholar of the Maghrib, Qadi Iyad, in his Shifa' al-Sharif, with a celebrated chain of authorities, and great imams like Bukhari, report through an authentic narration, from Ibn Mas'ud, the Prophet's servant: "While eating together with God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), we used to hear the food glorifying God." {[*]:}

Accurate books of Hadith report from Anas and Abu Dharr through an authentic narration: "Anas, the Prophet's servant, said: 'We were together with God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) when he took up a handful of small stones and they began to praise God in his blessed palm. Then he put them in Abu Bakr the Veracious's hand and again they glorified God.'" {[*]:} In his line of transmission, Abu Dharr al-Ghifari says: "Then he put them into 'Umar's hand, and again they glorified God. Then he took them and put them on the ground, and they were silent. Then he again took them, and put them in 'Uthman's hand, where again they began to glorify God." Abu Dharr and Anas relate: "He put them in our hands and they were silent." {[*]:}

It is established through a sound narration from 'Ali, Jabir, and 'A'isha al-Siddiqa: "Rocks and mountains would say to God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), 'Peace be upon you, O Messenger of God!'" In 'Ali's chain of narration, it says: "Whenever we went around in the environs of Makkah in the early of days of his prophethood, the trees and rocks we encountered would declare: 'Peace be upon you, O Messenger of God!'" {[*]:} While in his chain of transmission, Jabir says:

«Whenever the Noble Messenger came across rocks and trees, they would prostrate before him, that is, demonstrating obedience to him, they would declare: 'Peace be upon you, O Messenger of God!'» {[*]:} In one of Jabir's narrations, the Messenger said: "I know a rock that salutes me." {[*]:} Some said that he intended the Black Stone of the Ka'ba. In her line of transmission, 'A'isha said: "God's Messenger said: 'When Gabriel brought me the message, I would never pass by a rock or a tree without it saying, 'Peace be upon you, O Messenger of God!'" {[*]:}

Reported through an authentic narration from 'Abbas: "God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) covered 'Abbas and his four sons ('Abd Allah, 'Ubayd Allah, Fadl, and Qusam) with a piece of cloth called mula'at, praying: 'O my Sustainer! This is my uncle; protect through me these his sons and veil them from the Fire, as I veil them with this cloth!' The roof, door, and the walls of the house joined in the prayer at once, saying, Amen! Amen!" {[*]:}

Accurate books, notably Bukhari, Ibn Hibban, Da'ud, and Tirmidhi, unanimously report from Anas, {[*]:} Abu Hurayra, {[*]:} 'Uthman Dhi'n-Nurayn, {[*]:} and Sa'd b. Zayd, {[*]:} from among the ten promised Paradise: "God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) climbed Mount Uhud together with Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, 'Umar al-Faruq, and 'Uthman Dhi'n-Nurayn. Either due to their awesomeness, or out of its own joy and happiness, the mountain began to tremble and stir. God's Messenger said: 'Steady! For upon you are a prophet, a veracious one (siddiq), and two martyrs!'

This tradition is giving news from the Unseen that 'Umar and 'Uthman were going to be martyred. As a supplement to this tradition, it is narrated that when God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) migrated from Makkah pursued by the unbelievers, they climbed the mountain called Thubir. The mountain said: "Leave me, O Messenger of God! I am afraid that God will punish me if they strike you on me." Then Mount Hira called to him: "Come to me, O Messenger of

God!" For this reason, men of intuition feel fear on Mount Thubir and a sense of safety on Mount Hira.

As can be understood from this example, these vast mountains are each an individual servant of God; each glorifies and praises Him; each is charged with duties. They recognized and loved God's Messenger; they are not without purpose or owner.

Reported through an authentic narration from 'Abd Allah b. 'Umar: {[*]:} "While delivering the sermon from the pulpit, God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) recited the verse:

No just estimate have they made of God, such as is due to Him: on the Day of Judgement the whole earth will be but His handful, and the heavens will be rolled up in His right hand, {[*]:}

and said: 'God the Compeller is exalting Himself and saying: I am the Compeller! I am the Compeller! I am the Mighty! I am the Most High!' As he said this, the pulpit so trembled and shook that we were frightened it would cause God's Messenger to fall." {[*]:}

It is reported through an authentic narration from Ibn 'Abbas, {[*]:} known as 'the Scholar of the Muslim Community' and 'Interpreter of the Qur'an,' and Ibn Mas'ud, the servant of the Prophet and one of the great scholars of the Companions, {[*]:} that they said: "On the conquest of Makkah, there were three hundred and sixty idols around the Ka'ba, fixed with lead to the stone. That day, the Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace) pointed to each of the idols in turn with a stick he was holding curved like a bow, saying,

The Truth has arrived and falsehood has perished; indeed, falsehood is ever bound to perish. {[*]:}

Whichever one he pointed to, it fell down. {[*]:} If he pointed to the face of the idol, it fell backwards; otherwise it fell on its face. Thus they all toppled over and fell to the ground. {[*]:}

This is the famous story of the well-known monk Bahira. Before the beginning of his prophethood, God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was travelling towards Damascus to trade together with his uncle Abu Talib and some of the Quraysh. They rested when they came near the church of Bahira the monk. Bahira, who was a hermit and did not mix with people, suddenly came out. He saw Muhammad the Trustworthy (PBUH) among the caravan, and said: "He is the Lord of the World; he will be a prophet." The Quraysh asked: "How do you know?" The holy monk replied: "I saw a small cloud over the caravan as you were coming. When you sat down, the cloud moved toward him and cast its shadow over him. I also saw trees and rocks prostrate themselves before him, which they do only before prophets." {[*]:}

There are at least eighty examples of the same kind as these eight instances. When they come together, these eight instances form a chain so strong that no doubt can break it or shake it. Taken as a whole, this sort of miracle, that is, the speaking of inanimate beings in order to testify to his prophethood, expresses the same certainty as 'consensus in meaning.' Each example receives strength greater than its own from the strength of the whole. Yes, a slender pole becomes strong on coming together with stout poles. On becoming a soldier and joining the army, a weak, powerless man becomes so strong he may challenge a thousand men.

TWELFTH SIGN

This consists of three examples related to the Eleventh Sign, but which are examples of the greatest importance.

And when you threw, it was not you who threw; it was rather God that threw. {[*]:}

As established by the researches of all Qur'anic commentators, and by the reports of the scholars of Hadith, this verse refers to the following incident during the Battle of Badr:

God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) took up a handful of earth and small stones and threw them at the army of the unbelievers, saying: «May your faces be deformed!» Just as these words

entered the ears of all of them despite being a single phrase, so too the handful of earth entered the eyes of each one of the unbelievers. Each became preoccupied with his eyes, and although on the attack, the army suddenly turned tail and fled. {[*]:}

Also during the Battle of Hunayn, the authorities on Hadith and foremost Imam Muslim report that like at the Battle of Badr, he again threw a handful of earth while the unbelievers were staging a fierce attack. Saying: "May your faces be deformed!", the handful of earth struck the faces of each of them, with God's leave, the same as words of the phrase entered the ears of each. Busy with their eyes, they retreated and fled. {[*]:} Since this extraordinary event at Badr and Hunayn is not within man's power and ordinary causes, the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition states,

When you threw, it was not you who threw; it was rather God that threw.

That is, "The event was outside human power. It occurred, not through human ability, but in an extraordinary manner, through Divine power."

The accurate books and foremost Bukhari and Muslim narrate that during the Khaybar expedition, a Jewess roasted a goat, filling it with a very strong poison. She then sent it to God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). The Companions had begun to eat it, when the Prophet suddenly said: «Withdraw you hands! It tells me it is poisoned!» Everyone pulled back his hand. But Bishr b. al-Bara' had eaten a single morsel and died from the effects of the severe poison. The Noble Messenger sent for the Jewess called Zaynab and asked her why she had done it. The inauspicious woman said: "I considered that if you were a prophet, it would not harm you; and if you were a king, I would save the people from you." {[*]:} According to some narrations, the Prophet did not have her put to death, but left her to Bishr's family to be killed. {[*]:} Now listen to a few points demonstrating aspects of the miraculousness in this extraordinary incident:

According to one narration, some of the Companions also heard the goat speaking. {[*]:}

According to another narration, God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) said : "Say, Bismillah, then eat; the poison will not affect you." {[*]:} Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani does not accept this narration, but others do.

The Third: The treacherous Jews wanted to deal a sudden blow at God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and his close Companions, but being informed about this from the Unseen, the Prophet's warning proved true, and their plot was uncovered and brought to naught. And when Muhammad (PBUH), from whom the Companions never heard an untrue statement, said: "This goat tells me that..., " everyone believed him with conviction as sure as if they themselves had heard the goat.

This consists of three instances of another miracle which resembles 'the Shining Hand' and 'Staff' of Moses:

Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal, explaining and authenticating a narration from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, reports: "One dark and stormy night, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) gave Qatada b. al-Nu'man a staff, saying: 'This staff will light up ten yards all around you. You will see a dark shadow when you arrive at your house; it is Satan. Throw him out of the house and drive him away!' Qatada took the staff and set off. It cast a light like Moses' shining hand. He came to his house, where he saw the shadowy figure, and he drove it away." {[*]:}

While fighting the idolators during the great Battle of Badr, itself a source of wonders, 'Ukkasha b. Muhassin al-Asadi had his sword broken. God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) gave him a stout staff in place of it, saying: "Fight with this!" Suddenly, with God's leave, the staff became a long white sword, and he fought with it. He carried the sword on his person for the rest of his life until he fell as a martyr during the Battle of al-Yamama. {[*]:} This incident is certain, because throughout his life he carried the sword with pride and it became famous with the name of 'Succour.' Thus, two proofs of this incident are 'Ukkasha's pride, and the sword's name, 'Succour' and its widespread fame.

It is narrated by authorities on Hadith like Ibn 'Abd al-

Barr, {[*]:} a celebrated scholar known as 'the Scholar of the Age,' that at the Battle of Uhud a cousin of the God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), 'Abd Allah b. Jahsh's sword was broken. God's Prophet gave him a staff which became a sword in his hand. He fought with it, and after the battle that product of a miracle remained a sword.

In his Siyar, the well-known Ibn Sayyid al-Nas reports that some time later 'Abd Allah sold the sword to a man called Bugha' al-Turki for two hundred liras. Thus these two swords were each miracles like the Staff of Moses. But while no aspect of miraculousness remained in his staff after Moses' death, these swords remained unchanged.

THIRTEENTH SIGN

Another of the miracles of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) of which there are numerous instances, which are reported unanimously, is the sick and the wounded being healed through his blessed breath. The reports of this kind of miracle are, as a whole, 'unanimous in meaning.' Some of the instances of these miracles also are considered to be 'unanimous in meaning.' And if the others are single reports, since they have been rendered and confirmed as authentic by the exacting authorities of the science of Hadith, they afford the certainty of science. We shall mention a few instances of the miracles out of many.

The learned scholar of the Maghrib, Qadi Iyad, in his Shifa' al-Sharif, {[*]:} narrates through an elevated chain of authorities and numerous lines of transmission that Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas, the Prophet's servant and commander, and commander-in-chief of the army of Islam in the time of 'Umar, the conqueror of Iran, and one of the ten promised Paradise, said: "I was at the Noble Prophet's side during the Battle of Uhud. He shot arrows at the unbelievers until his bow broke. Then he gave arrows to me, telling me to shoot them. The arrows he gave me were without flights, that is, without the feathers which help them fly. He was ordering me to shoot them, which I did, and they flew like flighted arrows, hitting the unbelievers' bodies and piercing them. At that point, Qatada b. Nu'man was hit in the eye by an arrow; it was struck out of his head, so that it was sitting on the side of his face. God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) took the eye in his blessed, healing hand and placed it in its socket; it was healed as though nothing had happened to it and became the better of his two eyes. This event became

very widely known. A grandson of Qatada, even, once described himself to 'Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz as, "I am the grandson of one who, when God's Most Noble Messenger placed his eye back in its socket after it had been struck out, it was suddenly healed and became his best eye." {[*]:} He said this in verse, introducing himself to 'Umar in that way.

It is also related through an authentic narration that during the battle known as the Yawm Dhi-Qarad, Abu Qatada was hit in the face by an arrow. God's Prophet touched his face with his blessed hand. Abu Qatada said: "I felt no pain at all, nor did the wound fester." {[*]:}

The authentic books of Hadith, and foremost Bukhari and Muslim, report that the Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace) had appointed 'Ali al-Haydari as standard-bearer during the Battle of Khaybar, but his eyes were aching severly due to illness. The moment the Noble Messenger applied his healing spittle to his eyes, they were cured, with no trace of the discomfort remaining. {[*]:} The following morning, 'Ali conquered the citadel of Khaybar by removing its extremely heavy gate and using it in his hand as a shield. During the same battle, Salama b. al-Akwa''s leg was struck and split open by a sword; God's Messenger breathed onto it, and the leg was at once healed. {[*]:}

Authorities on the Prophet's life, and foremost Nasa'i, report from 'Uthman b. Hunayf, who said: "A blind man came to God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and said: 'Pray so that my eyes may be healed and I may see!' The Prophet said: 'Go and take the ablutions, then pray two rak'ats, and say: O God! I beseech you and I turn to you, for the sake of the Prophet Muhammad, the Prophet of Mercy. O Muhammad! I turn to your Sustainer, for your sake and through you, asking that He uncover my sight. O God, make him my intercessor!' He went and did this, and when he returned, we saw that his eyes had opened and he could see very well." {[*]:}

A great authority, Ibn Wahab, reports: "The hero Mu'awwidh b. 'Afra', one of the fourteen martyrs of the

Battle of Badr, had his hand cut off by Abu Jahl the Accursed while fighting with him. He took the hand with his other hand and went to the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). God's Messenger stuck the hand in its place and spread his spittle over it. It was at once healed. Mu'awwidh went again to fight and continued to do so until he was martyred." {[*]:}

Imam Jalil b. Wahab also reports: "During that same battle, Hubayb b. Yasaf was struck on the shoulder by a sword so that he received a grievous wound with part of it almost severed. The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) joined the arm and shoulder back together again and breathed on it, and it was healed. {[*]:}

Thus, for sure these two incidents are separate, single reports, but if an authority like Ibn Wahab considered them to be sound, and if they occurred during a battle like that of Badr, which was a spring of miracles, and if there are many other examples which resemble these two incidents, for sure it may be said that they definitely occurred. Indeed, there are perhaps a thousand examples established in authentic traditions for which the blessed hand of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was healing.

You describe many things as being reported unanimously through many channels, but we are hearing most of them for the first time. Surely something the various reports of which are numerous and unanimous cannot remain thus secret?

There are numerous things concerning which there is consensus in their various reports and which are self-evident to the learned scholars of the Shari'a, but are unknown to those who are not one of them. For the scholars of Hadith there are many such things, which for poets have not even the status of isolated reports, and so on. The specialists of all the sciences explain the theories and axioms of their science, and the ordinary people rely on them, and either submit to them, or become one of them and see for themselves. Now, the events the reports of which we describe as forming 'true consensus,' 'consensus in meaning,' or which express certainty like 'consensus,' have been shown to be thus by both the scholars of Hadith, and the scholars of the Shari'a, and the scholars of the principles of religion, and by most of the other levels of the 'ulama. If ordinary people in their heedlessness or the ignorant who close their eyes to the truth do not know this, the fault is theirs.

A Passage Worthy of Being Written In Gold and Diamonds

Yes, it was mentioned above: small stones glorifying praising God in his hand:; in accordance the verse, "When you threw, it was not you who threw," earth and small stones in the same hand becoming missiles and projectiles against the enemy, routing them; and according to the verse, "And the moon split," the moon splittinng at a sign of the fingers of the same hand; and water flowinglike a spring ftom the ten fingers of the same hand, and their providing a whole army with water; and the same hand being healing to the sick and wounded-all this shows what a wondrous miracle of Divine Power that blessed hand was. It was as if for friends its palm was a small place for the remembrance of God, for as soon as small stones entered it, they glorified God and recited His Names; while in the face of enemies, it was a small dominical ammunitions store which when pebbles and earth entered it, they were transformed into missiles and projectiles. And for the sick and the wounded it was a small pharmacy of the most Merciful One which was a cure for whatever ills it touched. When it rose with Glory, it split the moon, givng it the shape of two bows, while when it was lowered with Beauty, it became like a spring of mercy with ten spigots pouring forth the water of Kawthar. İf the single hand pf such one is the means of those wondrous miracles, is not then to be understood clearly how acceptable he is before the Creator of the Univers, and how loyal he is to his cause, and how fortunate are those who declare their allegiance to him?

Having explained and authenticated it, Imam Baghawi relates: "At the Battle of Khandaq, 'Ali b. al-Hakam's leg was broken by the blow of an unbeliever. The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) rubbed it. At the moment he did so, it was healed so that 'Ali b. al-Hakam did not even dismount from his horse." {[*]:}

The scholars of Hadith, and foremost Imam Bayhaqi, relate: "'Ali was very ill. In his distress, he was moaning and praying for himself. The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) came and said: 'O God! Grant him healing,' and touched 'Ali with his foot. He told him to stand, and 'Ali was at once cured. He stated: 'I never again suffered from that illness.'" {[*]:}

This is the well-known story of Shurahbil al-Ju'fi. He had a morbid growth in the palm of his hand so that he could hold neither his sword nor the reins of his horse. God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) rubbed the growth with his blessed hand and massaged it; not a trace of it remained. {[*]:}

Six children each the object of a different miracle of Muhammad (PBUH).

Ibn Abi Shayba, a meticulous researcher and well-known scholar of Hadith, relates that a woman brought her child to God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). The child had an affliction; he could not speak and was an idiot. God's Messenger rinsed his mouth with water and washed his hands, then gave the water to the woman, telling her to give it to the child to drink. After the child had drunk it, nothing remained of his illness and affliction, and he became so intelligent, he surpassed even the brightest of the rest. {[*]:}

According to an authentic narration, Ibn 'Abbas said: "An insane child was brought to the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). He placed his blessed hand on the child's chest and the child suddenly vomited a small black object like a cucumber. The child was healed and went home." {[*]:}

Imam Bayhaqi and Nasa'i relate through an authentic chain of transmission that a child called Muhammad b. al-Hatib had been scalded by a pan of boiling water and his whole arm burnt. God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) touched the arm, spreading his spittle over it; the same instant it was healed. {[*]:}

A child who was not young but was mute came to the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). He asked the child: "Who am I?" The child, who had been mute from birth, replied: "You are the Messenger of God," and started to speak. {[*]:}

Jalal al-Din Suyuti, who was honoured with conversing with God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) on many occasions while awake and was the leading scholar of his age, explaining and authenticating a narration, reports: Soon after being born, a famous person called Mubarak al-Yamama was taken to the Prophet. On his turning to the baby, it started to speak, saying: "I testify that you are the Messenger of God." The Prophet exclaimed: «May God bless you!» The child never spoke again in his infancy, and later became famous as Mubarak al-Yamama (the blessed one, Yamama), since he had been the object of this miracle of the Prophet and his prayer. {[*]:}

One time, an ill-mannered youth interrupted the prayer of the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), by passing in front of him while he was performing it. God's Messenger said: «O God, cut short his paces!» After this the child was unable to walk as a punishment for his bad behaviour. {[*]:}

A shameless woman, who was like a child, asked for a piece of the food God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was eating. He gave her some, but she said: "No, I want a piece from your mouth." So he gave her a piece, and, after eating the morsel, she became the most modest and bashful woman in Madinah. {[*]:}

There are not eighty but perhaps eight hundred further examples of this miracle similar to the eight mentioned above, most of which are

related in the Hadith books and books of the Prophet's biography. For sure, since the blessed hand of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was like a pharmacy of Luqman the Wise, and his spittle was like a spring of Khidr's water of life, and his breath soothing and healing like that of Jesus (Upon whom be peace), certainly many people would have recourse to him; and the sick, children, and the insane did flock to him in great numbers, and they were all healed. Abu 'Abd al-Rahman al-Yamani, known as 'Tavus', even, who made the Hajj forty times and for forty years performed the morning prayer with the ablution of the preceeding night prayers, and who met with many of the Companions and was one of the greatest scholars of the generation following them, stated and made the certain report that however many lunatics came to God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), placing his hand on their chests, they were all healed; not one was not cured. {[*]:}

Thus, since a great scholar such as that who had direct connections with the era of the Prophet, made such definite and general statements, for sure, none of the sick who came to God's Prophet were not healed; they were all healed. Since this was the case, certainly thousands would have had recourse to him.

FOURTEENTH SIGN

Another numerous sort of the various kinds of miracle of God's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) were the wonders manifested as a result of his prayers. This kind is definite and there is 'true consensus' in their many reports. The instances and examples of it are so numerous as to be incalculable, and many of these have reached the degree of 'consensus,' or have become famous as such. Others have been related by such authorities that they bear the same certainty as well-known 'consensus.' As examples, we shall quote only some of the numerous instances of this kind of miracle that are very well-known and nearest in degree to 'consensus,' giving some particulars of each instance.

First Example:

The fact that prayers of the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) for rain were always accepted has been transmitted by authorities of Hadith, primarily Bukhari and Muslim. There were times when in the pulpit he raised his hands to pray for rain, and before he had lowered them even, rain began to fall. As mentioned above, once or twice when the army had run out of water, the clouds came and poured forth rain. Before his prophetic mission, even, during

his childhood, the Prophet's grandfather 'Abd al-Muttalib would go to pray for rain with him, and the rain came out of respect for Muhammad (PBUH). The fact became celebrated through a poem of 'Abd al-Muttalib. And after the Prophet's death, 'Umar prayed making 'Abbas the means, saying: "O our Sustainer! This is the uncle of your Beloved. Send us rain for his sake!" And it rained. {[*]:}

Bukhari and Muslim also relate that God's Messenger was asked to pray for rain. He did so and such rain fell that they were compelled to ask him to pray for it to stop. He did so, and it stopped at once. {[*]:}

Second Example:

It is almost as well-known as those incidents about which there are many unanimous reports that when the number of Companions and believers had still not reached forty, God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) prayed secretly while performing his worship: «O God! Strengthen Islam by means of either 'Umar b. al-Khattab or 'Umar b. Hisham.» A few days later, 'Umar b. al-Khattab came to believe and was the means to proclaiming and upholding Islam, so that he acquired the title of Faruq [Discerner between truth and falsehood]. {[*]:}

Third Example:

God's Messenger prayed for various distinguished Companions for different purposes. His prayers were all accepted in so brilliant a fashion that the wonders of these prayers reached the degree of a miracle. For instance, foremost Bukhari and Muslim relate that he prayed for Ibn 'Abbas as follows: «O God! Give him knowledge of religion and teach him interpretation.» {[*]:} This supplication was accepted in such a way that Ibn 'Abbas gained the glorious title of 'Interpreter of the Qur'an' and reached the elevated degree of 'learned scholar of the Muslim community.' When still very young even, 'Umar used to include him in the gatherings of the religious scholars and leading Companions. {[*]:}

Also, foremost Bukhari and the writers of books of authentic Hadith relate that the mother of Anas entreatied God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace): "Pray that your servant Anas will be blessed with abundant wealth and offspring." The Prophet prayed, saying: «O God! Grant increase to his wealth and offspring and bless what you bestow on him.» Towards the end of his life, Anas said swearing by God: "I have buried a hundred of my progeny with my own hand. No one has been as fortunate as myself in regard to wealth and possessions. You can see that my wealth is truly abundant. All these are the result of Prophet's prayer for the blessing of plenty." {[*]:}

Also, foremost Imam Bayhaqi, and the scholars of Hadith relate that God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) prayed that one of the ten promised Paradise, 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Awf, be blessed with abundance of wealth. Through the blessing of that prayer, he acquired such wealth that on one occasion he donated seven hundred camels together with their loads to God's cause. {[*]:} See the blessings of plenty resulting from the Prophet's prayer, and say: "How great are God's blessings!"

Also, narrators of Hadiths, and foremost Bukhari, relate: "God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) prayed that 'Urwa b. Abi al-Ja'da might do profitably at trade. 'Urwa said: 'Sometimes I would go to the marketplace in Kufa and come home in the evening having made a forty thousandfold profit.'" Imam Bukhari says: "If he took earth in his hand, he still would make a profit from it!" {[*]:}

Also, he prayed that 'Abd Allah b. Ja'far would acquire an abundance of wealth, and he became so rich he was famous for it. He also became as famous for his generosity as he was for the wealth he obtained through the Prophet's prayer for the blessing of plenty. {[*]:}

There are numerous instances of this sort of miracle, but we consider the four described above to be sufficient as examples.

Also, foremost Imam Tirmidhi relates: "The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) prayed for Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas: 'O God, answer his prayer!' {[*]:} After that everyone feared his malediction, and the answering of his prayers also became famous.

On another occasion, God's Messenger prayed for the famous Abu Qatada that he might remain young: "May God prosper your face! O God, bless his hair and his skin!" When he died at the age of seventy, he was like a youth of fifteen. {[*]:} This is related through a sound narration.

Also, the famous story of the poet Nabigha. He recited one of his poems before God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), which ran: "Our glory and praise have reached to the skies; we want to ascend even higher." God's Messenger asked jokingly: «Where, beyond the skies ?» Nabigha replie ۙ"To Paradise." He then recited another of his meaningful poems, and the Prophet prayed: «May God not spoil your mouth!» It was through the blessing of this prayer of the Prophet that he did not have a single tooth missing when he was one hundred and twenty years old. Whenever he lost a tooth, another would appear in its place. {[*]:}

Also, it is related through an authentic narration that he prayed for Imam 'Ali: "O God, protect him from heat and cold!" Through the blessing of this prayer, Imam 'Ali used to wear summer clothes in winter, and winter clothes in summer. He used to say: "I never suffer from heat or cold, thanks to that prayer." {[*]:}

Also, he prayed for Fatima: «O God, do not give her the pains of hunger!» And Fatima used to say: "I never suffered from hunger after that prayer." {[*]:}

Also, Tufayl b. 'Amr asked God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) for a miracle to show to his tribe. The Prophet prayed: «O God, illuminate him!», and a light appeared between his eyes. Later it was transferred to the end of his staff, and he became famous as Dhi'l-Nur, the Possessor of Light. {[*]:} These incidents are all from well-known Hadiths that are certain.

Also, Abu Hurayra once complained to the Noble Messenger (Upon

whom be blessings and peace) that he sometimes suffered from forgetfulness. God's Messenger told him to spread out a piece of cloth. He then made some movements with his blessed hand as though taking some invisible objects and putting them on the cloth. He repeated this two or three times, then told him to gather up the cloth. Abu Hurayra later swore that through the mystery of this prayer of the Prophet's, he never again forgot anything. {[*]:} This event is also among well-known Hadiths.

Fourth Example:

We shall describe here a few events regarding maledictions of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace).

The Persian Shah Parviz tore up the letter sent to him by the Prophet. When God's Prophet received news of this, he prayed: "O God, rend him as he rent my letter!" {[*]:} It was as a result of this malediction that Chosroes Parviz's son Shirviya cut him to pieces with a dagger. And Sa'd b. al-Waqqas broke his kingdom apart, so that in no part of the Sasanid empire did his sovereignty remain. However, the Emperor of Byzantium and other kings did not perish since they respected the Prophet's letters.

An event almost as well-known as those reported unanimously, which some verses of the Qur'an allude to, is this: in the early days of Islam, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was performing the prayers in the Masjid al-Haram, when the chiefs of the Quraysh gathered and maltreated him. At the time, God's Prophet called down curses on them. Ibn Mas'ud stated: "I swear that at the Battle of Badr I saw the corpses of all those who had ill-treated him and received his curse." {[*]:}

On their denying him, God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) prayed that a large Arab tribe called the Mudariyya would be afflicted with drought and famine. All rain ceased and drought and famine occurred. Then the Quraysh, a branch of the Mudariyya, pleaded with the Prophet, and he prayed. Whereupon the rains came and put an end to the drought. {[*]:} Having been reported unanimously, this incident is also well-known

Fifth Example:

The fact that the Prophet's (PBUH) maledictions against particular persons were accepted and realized in a dreadful way is illustrated by numerous instances. We shall recount three of these by way of example.

He uttered the following curse against 'Utba b. Abi Lahab: «O God, beset a dog on him from among your dogs!» Some time later 'Utba went on a journey during which a lion sought him out from among the caravan, and tore him to pieces. {[*]:} This incident was famous and is narrated as authentic by the authorities on Hadith.

This is Muhallim b. Jaththama: he unjustly killed 'Amir b. Adbat, but God's Messenger had sent him as the commander of a force to fight in God's way. When the news of this reached the Messenger, he was angry and cursed him, saying: «O God, do not grant forgiveness to Muhallim!» Muhallim died a week later. They put him in his grave, but the grave cast him out. They buried him in several different places, but each time the grave rejected him. Finally they built a strong wall between two rocks, and in this way the corpse was housed. {[*]:}

Once God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) saw a man eating with his left hand. He ordered him to eat with his right hand. The man replied: "I can't." The Messenger said as a malediction: «Henceforth you will be unable to raise it.» And after that he was unable to use it. {[*]:}

Sixth Example:

Here we shall mention several events which are certain, from among the numerous wonders resulting from prayers of the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and from his touch.

God's Messenger gave Khalid b. al-Walid, known as God's Sword, several of his hairs and prayed for his victory in battle. Khalid put them in his cap. As the result of the hairs and the blessings of the prayer, there was never a battle in which he then fought, but he was victorious. {[*]:}

Salman al-Farsi had formerly been a slave of the Jews. His masters had asked for a very high ransom, saying: "In order to gain your freedom, you must plant three hundred date-palms, and after they bear fruit, give us forty okkas {[*]:} of gold in addition to the fruit." He went to the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and explained his situation. God's Messenger then planted the three hundred palms in the region of Madinah; only one of them was planted by someone else. That year, all three hundred trees bore fruit, with the exception of the one planted by the other person. The Messenger uprooted it and planted another, and it too bore fruit. He then rubbed some of his spittle on a piece of gold the size of a hen's egg, and offered a prayer. He gave it to Salman, telling him to go and give it to the Jews. Salman al-Farsi went and gave them forty okkas of gold out of that piece, while it remained in its original state. {[*]:} This miraculous incident, which was narrated by the most trustworthy and respected authorities, was the most significant event in Salman's entire life.

A woman Companion called Umm Malik used to give the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) butter from a leathern bag called an 'ukka, as a gift. On one occasion God's Messenger uttered a prayer over it while returning it to her, and told her not to empty it and squeeze it. Umm Malik took the 'ukka, and thereafter as a result of the blessing of the Prophet's prayer, butter was found in it whenever her children asked for it. This continued for a long time, until they squeezed it, and the blessing disappeared. {[*]:}

Seventh Example:

There are also many examples of water becoming sweet and emitting a pleasant smell as the result of the Prophet's prayer and his touching it; we shall mention several by way of example:

Scholars of Hadith, and foremost Imam Bayhaqi, report that the well known as Bi'r al-Quba would sometimes dry up. On God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) pouring the water with which he had taken ablutions into the well and offering a prayer, its water became abundant and it never again dried up. {[*]:}

Scholars of Hadith, including Abu Na'im in his Dala'il al-Nubuwwa (Evidences of Prophethood),

report that when God's Messenger spat into the well in Anas' house and prayed, it became the sweetest water in Madinah. {[*]:}

Ibn Maja reports that a bucketful of water from the spring of Zamzam was brought to the Messenger. He took a little of it into his mouth then emptied it into the bucket. The bucket then emitted a sweet scent like musk. {[*]:}

Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal reports that a bucketful of water was drawn from a well. After God's Messenger (PBUH) had put some of his spittle in the bucket and poured it into the well, it began to emit a sweet scent like musk. {[*]:}

Hammad b. Salama, who was a man of God and was trusted and accepted by Imam Muslim and the scholars of the Maghrib, reports that the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) filled a leather bag with water, and breathed into it while praying. He then tied it up and gave it to some of the Companions, saying: "Do not open it except when you perform the ablutions!" When they opened the bag to take ablutions, they saw pure milk with cream at its opening. {[*]:}

Thus, these five instances have been narrated by well-known and important authorities. Together with those that are not mentioned here, they prove the occurrence of this kind of miracle as definitely as those about the various reports of which there is 'consensus in meaning.'

Eighth Example:

There were numerous instances of barren and dry goats producing milk, and abundantly at that, through the touch and prayers of God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). We shall mention only two or three which are well-known and certain, as examples:

All the reliable books of the Prophet's biography relate that when God's Prophet and Abu Bakr the Veracious were migrating to Madinah, they came to the house of Umm Ma'bad, called Atika Bint Khalid al-Khuza'i. There was an extremely thin, barren, and dry goat there. God's Messenger asked Umm Ma'bad: «Has this no milk ?» She replied: "It has no blood in its body, how should it produce milk?" The Prophet stroked its loins and teets, and prayed. Then he said: «Bring a vessel, and milk it.»

They milked it, and after the Messenger and Abu Bakr had drunk, all the people of the house drank to repletion. The goat grew strong, and remained thus blessed. {[*]:}

This is the famous story of Shat b. Mas'ud: before becoming a Muslim, Ibn Mas'ud used to act as a shepherd for certain people. God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) went together with Abu Bakr the Veracious to the place where Ibn Mas'ud and his goats were. God's Messenger asked Ibn Mas'ud for some milk. On replying that they were not his but the property of someone else, God's Messenger told him to bring him a barren, dry goat. So he brought a nanny-goat who had not been mated for two years. God's Messenger stroked its teets with his hand and prayed. Then they milked it, and obtained sweet milk which they drank. Ibn Mas'ud came to believe after witnessing this miracle. {[*]:}

This is the well-known story of Halima Sa'diya, the foster mother, that is, wet-nurse, of the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). There was drought where the tribe was found, and all the animals were thin and without milk. They could not find sufficient to eat. But when the Messenger was sent to his foster mother there, through the blessing he brought, Halima Sa'diya's goats would return in the evening with both their stomachs and their teets full, contrary to everyone else's. {[*]:}

There are further instances in the books of biography similar to these, but these examples are sufficient for our purpose.

Ninth Example:

We shall recount here a few out of many instances of wonders which were manifested after God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) had touched the faces and heads of certain people, and prayed.

He passed his hand over the head of 'Umar b. Sa'd, and prayed. When the man died at the age of eighty, through the blessing of that prayer, there was not a single grey hair on his head. {[*]:}

He placed his hand on Qays b. Zayd's head, and prayed. Through the blessing of the prayer and effect of his touch, when Qays reached a hundred years of age, his head was white except for where God's Messenger had placed his hand; that had remained totally black. {[*]:}

'Abd al-Rahman b. Zayd b. al-Khattab was both small and ugly. God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) touched his head with his hand and prayed. Through the blessing of his prayer, 'Abdurrahman acquired the loftiest stature and most beautiful form. {[*]:}

'A'idh b. 'Amr received a wound on the face during the Battle of Hunayn. God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) wiped away the blood on his face with his hand. The part of his face that the Messenger had touched acquired a shining brilliance, which the scholars of Hadith described as resembling a white blaze on a chestnut horse. {[*]:}

He passed his hand over Qatada b. Malhan's face and prayed, and Qatada's face began to shine like a mirror. {[*]:}

When Zaynab, the daughter of the Mother of Believers Umm Salama and the stepdaughter of God's Messenger was a child, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) sprinkled some of his ablution water on her face. With the touch of the water, her face acquired an extraordinary beauty. {[*]:}

There are numerous further examples similar to these, most of which have been narrated by the leading scholars of Hadith. Even if we suppose each of these instances to be a single report and weak, as a whole they still demonstrate an absolute miracle of Muhammad (PBUH) which has the certainty of 'consensus in meaning.' For if an event is narrated in numerous different forms, the occurrence of the basic event becomes definite. Even if each form is itself weak, it still proves the basic event.

For example, a noise was heard; some people said that a house had collapsed. Others said it was a different house, and so on. Each narration may be a single report, and weak, and untrue, but the basic event was that a house had collapsed; that was certain and they were unanimous

unanimous concerning it. However, the six instances we enumerated above were both authentic, and some of them became famous. Suppose we consider each of these to be weak, all together they still demonstrate the certain existence of an absolute miracle of Muhammad (PBUH), like the absolute collapse of the house in the comparison.

Thus, God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) performed definite and clear miracles from every category. The instances of them are the forms or examples of those universal and absolute miracles. Just as the Messenger's hand, fingers, spittle, breath, and speech, that is, his prayer, were the means of numerous miracles, so too, his other subtle faculties and emotions and senses were the means of many wonders. The books of biography and history have described them and demonstrated that in his conduct, physical being, and senses were many evidences of his prophethood.

FIFTEENTH SIGN

Just as rocks, trees, the moon and the sun recognized him and affirmed his prophethood by each demonstrating a miracle, so too, animals, the dead, the jinn, and the angels recognized that blessed being and affirmed his prophethood. For by each of those species of beings displaying a number of miracles, they demonstrated that they recognized him and proclaimed their affirmation of his prophethood. This Fifteenth Sign contains three Branches.

First Branch

The animal realm recognized God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and displayed his miracles. There are numerous examples of this Branch. Here as examples, we shall mention only those which are well-known and definite to the degree of 'consensus in meaning,' or have been accepted by authoritative scholars, or have been deemed acceptable by the Muslim community.

The First Incident: This is well-known to the degree of 'consensus in meaning,' and concerns the two pigeons coming and waiting at the entrance to the cave of Hira, where God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and Abu Bakr the Veracious hid from the pursuing unbelievers, and the spider veiling the entrance with a thick web, like a curtain holder. Ubayy b. Khalaf, one of the leaders of the Quraysh whom God's Messenger killed with his own hand at the Battle of Badr, looked at the cave. When his companions suggested that they enter, he replied: "Why should we? I see a large spider's web which appears to have been there since before Muhammad was born. And look, those two pigeons

are there. Would they remain there if there was someone in the cave?" {[*]:}

In an instance similar to this, a blessed pigeon cast a shadow over the head of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) during the conquest of Makkah, which was related by Imam Jalil b. Wahab. {[*]:}

Also according to a sound narration, 'A'isha al-Siddiqa relates: "We had a bird in our house called a dajin, similar to a pigeon. When God's Messenger was present it would stay quiet, but as soon as he left the house, the bird would start hopping to and fro without stopping." {[*]:} Thus, the bird was obedient to the Messenger, remaining quiet in his presence.

This is the extraordinary story of the wolf, which has been narrated through a number of chains of transmission from some well-known Companions and about which is 'consensus in meaning.' In short, Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, Salama b. al-Akwa', Ibn Abi Wahab, and Abu Hurayra, and Uhban, a shepherd who was involved in another event, relate through numerous chains of transmission: "A wolf seized a goat and the shepherd saved it from the wolf. The wolf exclaimed: 'Don't you fear God? You have deprived me of my sustenance!' The shepherd muttered to himself: 'How strange! Can wolves speak?' The wolf said to him: 'You're the strange one, for beyond the hill is someone calling you to Paradise. He is a Messenger of God, yet you do not recognize him!'" Although all the lines of transmission agree on the wolf's speech, in his report, which has a strong line, Abu Hurayra says: "The shepherd said to the wolf: 'I am going to see him, but who will look after my goats?' The wolf replied: 'I'll look after them.' So the shepherd handed over the herd to the wolf and went to see the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), believed in him, and returned to his herd. The shepherd found the wolf; not a goat had been lost. So he slaughtered one for the wolf, for it had become his teacher." {[*]:}

According to one chain of transmission, one of the chiefs of Quraysh, Abu Sufyan, and Safwan saw a wolf pursuing a gazelle into the enclosure

of the Ka'ba. As it returned, the wolf spoke, telling of the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH). They were astonished. Abu Sufyan said to Safwan: 'Don't let's tell anyone of this; I'm frightened everyone will join him and Makkah will be emptied.' {[*]:}

The story of the wolf gives one complete conviction, and is as certain as those unanimous reports about which there is 'consensus in meaning.'

This is the narrative of the camel, which was unanimously related through some five or six chains of transmission by famous Companions such as Abu Hurayra, Tha'laba b. Malik, Jabir b. 'Abd Allah, 'Abd Allah b. Ja'far, and 'Abd Allah b. Abi Awfa, who are at the start of the chains. A camel approached God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), prostrated itself before him as if saluting him, and spoke. According to a number of lines of transmission, the camel had been angered in a garden, and become wild, attacking anyone who approached it. When God's Messenger appeared, it came to him, prostrated as a sign of respect, and knelt down. The Messenger put a bridle on it, and the camel said to him: "They made me do the heaviest work and now they want to slaughter me. That's why I went wild." The Messenger asked its owner if this was true. "Yes," he replied. {[*]:}

Also, God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) had a camel called 'Adba'. After he died, out of its grief, the camel neither ate nor drank, till it died. {[*]:} A number of important authorities including Abu Ishaq Isfara'ini related that it spoke with the Prophet about a certain story. {[*]:} In another instance, in an authentic narration, Jabir b. 'Abd Allah's camel became exhausted on a journey and could no longer continue. God's Messenger gave it a slight prod. Such joy and nimbleness did the camel receive from that prod of the Prophet that due to its speed it could not be caught up with, nor could its reins be seized. {[*]:}

The authorities on Hadith and foremost Bukhari report that it was rumoured one night that the enemy was attacking outside Madinah. Brave horsemen went out to investigate. On the way they saw someone coming. They looked and saw that it was the Noble

Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). He told them there was nothing. He had mounted Abu Talha's famous horse, as his sacred courage impelled him to, and had gone before everyone else to investigate, then returned. He told Abu Talha: «Your horse is extremely swift and unfaltering.» Whereas previously it had been extremely slow. After that night, there was no horse to compete with it. {[*]:} On another occasion, as related in an authentic narration, while on a journey at the time for prayer, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) told his horse to stop. It stopped, and until he had finished praying the horse did not make the slightest movement. {[*]:}

Safina, the servant of the Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace), was commanded by him to go to the Governor of Yemen, Mu'adh b. Jabal. He set off and on the way encountered a lion. Safina said to it: "I am the servant of God's Messenger!" Upon which the lion made a sound as if saying something, and left without molesting him. {[*]:} According to another narration, Safina lost his way when returning, and met with a lion. Not only did the lion not molest him, it showed him the way.

Also, it is narrated from 'Umar that he said: "A beduin came to the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). He was holding a lizard. He said: 'If this reptile testifies to you, I shall believe in you; otherwise I will not.' God's Messenger asked the lizard, and it testified to his messengership most eloquently." {[*]:}

Also, the Mother of Believers, Umm Salama relates: "A gazelle spoke with the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and testified to his messengership." {[*]:}

Thus, there are numerous examples similar to these. We described a few that are famous and certain. And to those who do not recognize and obey the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), we say this: O man! Take a lesson from these! The lion and the wolf recognized and obeyed him; you, then, should try not to fall lower than an animal!

Second Branch

This concerns corpses, jinns, and angels recognizing God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). There were very many instances of this. We shall describe a few examples which are famous and have been related by reliable scholars, firstly about corpses. As for jinns and angels, the many reports concerning them are unanimous, and examples of them number not one but a thousand. And so, examples of the dead speaking:

Hasan al-Basri, an important and loyal student of Imam 'Ali and the greatest authority among the scholars of the external and esoteric sciences in the time of the generation subsequent to the Companions, related: "A man came weeping to God's Messenger. He said: 'I had a little girl; she drowned in such-and-such stream nearby. I left her there.' God's Messenger pitied the man and said they would go there together. They went, and the Messenger called to the dead girl, saying her name. At once the dead girl replied: 'I am present and answer your call gladly.' God's Messenger asked her: 'Do you want to return to your father and mother?' She replied: 'No, I have found something better here!'" {[*]:}

Important authorities like Imam Bayhaqi and Imam b. 'Adiyy relate from Anas b. Malik: Anas said: "An elderly woman had a single son who suddenly died. The righteous woman was very grieved and prayed: 'O God, I left my home and migrated here only to obtain Your pleasure and to pay allegiance to God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and to serve him. For the sake of Your Messenger, return my son to me, who was the only person to look after me.'" Anas said: "The dead man rose up and came and ate with us." {[*]:}

In the following lines from the celebrated poem Qasida al-Burda, Imam Busiri refers to this extraordinary event: Were his wonders to correspond to his virtue in greatness / Mere mention of his name would have animated decayed bones.

Scholars like Imam Bayhaqi relate from 'Abd Allah b. 'Ubayd Allah al-Ansari: 'Abd Allah said: "I was present when Thabit b. Qays b. Shammas fell as a martyr in the Battle of Yamama and was buried. As he was being put in his grave, a voice suddenly came from him, saying: 'Muhammad is the Messenger of God, Abu Bakr is the Veracious [Siddiq], 'Umar, the martyr, and 'Uthman, pious and merciful.' We

uncovered him and looked: he was dead and lifeless, yet he was foretelling 'Umar's martyrdom even before he had succeeded to the Caliphate. {[*]:}

Imam Tabarani, and Abu Na'im in his Dala'il al-Nubuwwa, relate from Nu'man b. Bashir: "Zayd b. Kharija suddenly dropped down dead in the marketplace. We took his body to his house. That evening between sunset and the night prayer, while the women were weeping all around him, he exclaimed: 'Silence! Silence!' Then, saying: 'Muhammad is God's Messenger! Peace be upon you, O Messenger of God!', he spoke most eloquently for a while. We looked: he was dead, without life." {[*]:}

Thus, if lifeless corpses affirm his prophethood and the living do not, for sure they are more dead than the dead and more lifeless than corpses!

As regards angels appearing and serving God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and jinns believing in him and obeying him, these facts have been reported numerously and unanimously. They have been stated explicitly in many verses of the Qur'an. At the Battle of Badr, according to the Qur'an, five thousand angels served him as soldiers in the front line, like the Companions. Indeed, those angels acquired distinction among the angels, like the men who fought in that battle. {[*]:} There are two aspects to be considered in this matter:

The First is the fact that the existence of the different sorts of jinn and angels is as definite as that of the varieties and species of animals and human beings, and that they have relations with us. We have proved this decisively in the Twenty-Ninth Word as certainly as two plus two equals four, and we refer their proof to that Word.

The Second Aspect is members of the community of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) seeing them and speaking with them, as a miracle of his.

Thus, the leading scholars of Hadith, and foremost Bukhari and Muslim, unanimously relate: "One time, an angel, that is, Gabriel, appeared in the form of a man dressed in white. He approached God's Messenger(Upon whom be blessings and peace), who was sitting among his Companions, and asked: 'What is Islam, what is belief, and what is goodness? Explain them.' The Messenger explained them, and the Companions gathered there both received valuable instruction, and saw the person

clearly. Although he seemed like a traveller, he displayed no sign of a journey. He suddenly rose and disappeared. God's Messenger then said: 'Gabriel did that in order to teach you!'" {[*]:}

Also, the authorities on Hadith relate through certain and authentic narrations of the degree of 'consensus in meaning': "The Companions saw Gabriel with God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) many times in the form of Dihya, who was very handsome." For instance, 'Umar, Ibn 'Abbas, Usama b. Zayd, Harith, 'A'isha al-Siddiqa, and Umm Salama established and related certainly: "We frequently saw Gabriel with the God's Messenger in the form of Dihya." {[*]:} Is it at all possible that such people would say that they had seen him if they had not?

Also, the conqueror of Persia, Sa'd b. Abi Waqqas, who was one of the ten promised Paradise, relates in an authentic narration: "At the Battle of Uhud we saw two white-dressed persons either side of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), guarding him like sentries. We understood that they were the angels, Gabriel and Michael." {[*]:} Is it possible that if such a hero of Islam says he saw them, he had not seen them?

Also, Abu Sufyan b. Harith b. 'Abd al-Muttalib, the Prophet's cousin, relates in an authentic narration: "At the Battle of Badr, we saw horsemen dressed in white between the sky and the earth." {[*]:}

Also, Hamza pleaded with the Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace) to see Gabriel. So he showed him to Hamza in the Ka'ba, but he could not endure it and fell to the ground unconscious. {[*]:}

There were numerous occurrences like these of angels being seen. They all demonstrated one sort of the Miracles of Muhammad (PBUH), and show that the angels too were like moths drawn to the lamp of his prophethood.

When it comes to jinns, it was not only the Companions, it frequently occurs that ordinary members of the Muslim community meet with them and see them. But the most certain and authentic reports are given us by the

leading scholars of Hadith, who say: Ibn Mas'ud related: "I saw the jinn on the night they accepted Islam at Batn al-Nakhl. I likened them to the Zut, a tall-statured Sudanese tribe; they resembled them." {[*]:}

There is also the incident concerning Khalid b. al-Walid, which is famous and has been authenticated and accepted by the leading scholars of Hadith: when the idol called 'Uzza was destroyed, a jinn came out of it in the form of a black woman. Khalid cut it into two with his sword. The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) said in connection with this: "They used to worship it inside the idol 'Uzza; it can no longer be worshipped." {[*]:}

Also, is a narration from 'Umar: he said: "While we were with God's Messenger, a jinn called Hama came in the form of an old man carrying a staff; he accepted Islam. The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) instructed him in some of the short Suras of the Qur'an, which he listened to and then departed." {[*]:} Some scholars of Hadith have questioned this last incident, but the most important of them declared it to be authentic. In any event, it is unnecessary to describe this sort at length, for the examples of it are many. We would only add this:

Through the light of God's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), through his training, and through following him, thousands of spiritual poles and purified scholars like Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir Gilani have met and spoken with angels and jinn. This fact has reached the degree of 'consensus' a hundred times over through innumerable instances. {[*]:} Yes, members of the community of Muhammad (PBUH) being in contact with angels and jinn, and speaking with them, occurs through the miraculous guidance and instruction of the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace).

Third Branch

The protection and preservation of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was a clear miracle, and many instances of it are indicated by the clear truth of the verse, And God will defend you from men. {[*]:} For sure, when God's Messenger appeared, he was not only

challenging one group, or one people, or a few rulers, or one religion; he was rather challenging single-handed all kings and the people of all religions. And yet until he died in perfect ease and happiness and rose to the heavenly court, for twenty-three years he was without guard or protector and was exposed to numerous plots, with his own uncle his greatest enemy and his own tribe and people hostile to him. This shows what a powerful truth the above-mentioned verse expresses and what a firm point of support it was. We shall mention only a few events classed as definite as examples.

Scholars of Hadith and the Prophet's biography report unanimously that the Quraysh had made a certain agreement to kill God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). Upon the suggestion of a demon in human form, so as to prevent discord within the Quraysh, at least one member of every branch of the tribe formed a group of nearly two hundred men under the leadership of Abu Jahl and Abu Lahab, and they staged a surprise attack on the Prophet's house. 'Ali was together with God's Messenger. He had told him to sleep that night in his bed. The Messenger waited till the Quraysh came and completely surrounded the house, then he went out and threw a handful of earth at their heads, and not one of them saw him. He passed through them and disappeared. {[*]:} When he reached the cave of Hira, two pigeons and a spider became his guards, and protected him against all the Quraysh. {[*]:}

It certainly occurred that when they emerged from the cave and set off towards Madinah, they were followed by a very brave man called Suraqa, who, for a large reward, had been sent by the leaders of the Quraysh to kill them. God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and Abu Bakr the Veracious had seen Suraqa coming when they came out of the cave. Abu Bakr had been anxious, but God's Messenger said: «Do not be anxious, God is with us!», {[*]:} as he had in the cave. Abu Bakr looked at Suraqa: his horse's hooves were stuck in the sand. He was freed and started following them again. Then again the horse became transfixed, and something like smoke was rising from where its hooves were stuck. At that point he understood that it was beyond his power and anyone else's power, to harm God's Messenger. He cried for mercy. The Messenger freed him, but said: «Go back, but make sure no one else comes after us.» {[*]:}

In connection with this incident, we should also mention that a shepherd spotted them and immediately set off for Makkah to inform the Quraysh. But on arriving at the city, he forgot why he had come. No matter how much he tried, he could not remember. He was obliged to return. Then later he understood that he had been made to forget it. {[*]:}

The leading scholars of Hadith relate through many chains of transmission that at the Battle of Ghatafan and Anmar, a bold tribal chief called Ghurath got close to the Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace) without anyone seeing him, his sword ready in his hand. He said to God's Messenger: "Who will save you from me?" God's Messenger replied: «God!» Then he prayed: «O God, save me from him, if You thus will!» Suddenly, Ghurath received a blow from the Unseen between the shoulders and his sword fell to the ground. The Noble Messenger picked up the sword and said: «Now who will save you from me?» Then he forgave him. The man returned to his tribe. Everyone was astonished at the bold, valiant fighter, and asked him what had happened to him and why he had done nothing. He replied to them: "That's the way it happened. I have come now from the best of men." {[*]:}

In an incident similar to this at the Battle of Badr, a dissembler approached the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) from behind when no one was aware of it. Just as he was raising his sword to strike, God's Messenger turned and looked at him; the man trembled and his sword slipped to the ground. {[*]:}

This is well-known almost to the degree of 'consensus in meaning,' and is given by most Qur'anic commentators as the immediate reason for the revelation of the verse,

Indeed We have put yokes round their necks right up their chins, so that their heads are forced up [and they cannot see]. And We have put a bar in front of them and a bar behind them, and further, We have covered them up, so that they cannot see. {[*]:}

It is also related by the most learned commentators and scholars of Hadith. They relate that Abu Jahl took an oath, saying: "I shall strike Muhammad with a stone if I see him prostrating." He took a large stone and went to find God's Messenger. He lifted his hands to cast the stone,

when he saw him prostrating, and they remained raised. God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) stood up on completing the prayers, and Abu Jahl's hand was released. He could move it either because the Prophet permitted, or because there was no longer any need for it to remain thus. {[*]:}

In another similar incident, a man from the same tribe as Abu Jahl, al-Walid b. Mughira according to one narration, went to the Ka'ba with a large stone in his hand, to strike the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) while he was prostrating, but the man's eyes were sealed and he could not see the Messenger entering, nor was he able to see the people who had sent him; he could only hear their voices. When God's Messenger finished praying, his eyes were opened, for no need remained for them to be sealed. {[*]:}

Also, it is related through an authentic narration from Abu Bakr the Veracious that after the Sura about Abu Lahab had been revealed, his wife, Hammalat al-Hatab (the wood carrier) Umm Jamil, came to the Ka'ba with a stone in her hand. She saw Abu Bakr, who was sitting beside the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and asked him, "Where's your friend? I hear that he mocked me. If I see him, I will hit him in the mouth with this rock." She could not see God's Messenger, although he was sitting beside him. {[*]:} Of course, a wood-carrier of Hell like that could not enter the presence of the 'Sultan of Lawlak,' {[*]:} who was under Divine protection, and see him. How could she?

It is related through a sound narration that 'Amir b. Tufayl and Arbad b. Qays conspired to assassinate God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). 'Amir said: "I'll keep him busy, and you strike him." They went, but Arbad did not do anything. Amir asked him later why he did not strike him. Arbad answered: "How could I? Every time I intended to hit him, I saw you between us. How could I have struck you?" {[*]:}

It is related through an authentic narration that at the battle either of Uhud or Hunayn, Shayba b. 'Uthman al-Hajabayya,

whose uncle and father Hamza had killed, crept up stealthily on the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) in order to avenge them. On his raising his drawn sword, it suddenly slipped from his hand. God's Messenger turned and looked at him, putting his hand on his chest. Shayba later said: "At that moment there was no one in the world I loved more." He believed in him. The Messenger told him to go and fight. Shayba said: "I went and fought in front of God's Messenger. If I had come across my own father at that time, I would have struck him!" {[*]:}

Also, on the day of the conquest of Makkah, a man called Fadala approached God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) with the intention of striking him. The Messenger looked at him, and said, smiling: «What have you told yourself?», praying that he might be forgiven. Fadala became a believer, and said: "At that moment there was no one in the world I loved more." {[*]:}

According to a sound narration, at the very moment some Jews, with the intention of assassinating him, were going to drop down a large rock on God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), while he was sitting, he rose through Divine protection; so the plot came to nothing. {[*]:}

There were many events similar to these seven. The scholars of Hadith, and foremost Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim, relate from 'A'isha that after the verse, And God will defend you from men was revealed, God's Messenger told those who guarded him from time to time: «O men, leave me, for God, the Great and Mighty, protects me!» {[*]:}

Thus, from the beginning up to here, this treatise shows that every species of being, every realm of creation in the universe, recognized the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and was connected with him. His miracles were manifested in every one of them. This means that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was the official and Messenger of God Almighty, but in regard to His titles of Creator of the Universe and Sustainer of all Creatures. For example, every office or department of government knows and recognizes a high-ranking official,

an inspector, of the king, and whichever of them he enters, those in it show an interest in him, for he acts in the name of the king of all of them. If he is only an inspector in the judiciary, then only that department of government recognizes him; the other offices do not. And if he is an inspector in the army, the civil service does not recognize him. It is understood, then, that all the realms and spheres of Divine rule, every species and group from the angels to the flies and spiders, knew and recognized God's Messenger, or had been informed about him. That is to say, he was the Seal of the Prophets and the Messenger of the Sustainer of All the Worlds. And his prophethood was more comprehensive and all-embracing than those of all the preceding prophets.

SIXTEENTH SIGN

The wonders that took place before his prophetic mission, but which were related to it, are called irhasat, and these too were indications and proofs of his prophethood. They were of three kinds:

THE FIRST KIND

This kind of irhasat comprises the tidings of Muhammad's (PBUH) prophethood given by the Torah, the Bible, the Psalms of David, and the scriptures revealed to other prophets, as stated by the Qur'an. Indeed, since those Books are revealed scriptures and those who brought them were prophets, it is necessary and certain that they should have mentioned the one who would supersede their religions, change the shape of the universe, and illuminate half the earth with the light he brought. Is it possible that those scriptures, which foretold insignificant events, would not speak of the most important phenomenon of humanity, the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH)? Yes, since they would certainly speak of it, they would either denounce it as a falsehood and so save their religions from destruction and their books from abrogation, or they would affirm it, and through that man of truth, save their religions from superstition and corruption. Now, both friend and foe agree that there is no sign of any such denouncement in the scriptures, in which case there must be affirmation. And since there is certain affirmation, and since there is a definite reason and fundamental cause for such affirmation, we too shall demonstrate through three categorical proofs the existence of this affirmation:

First Proof:

God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) says to them through the tongue of the Qur'an: "Your scriptures describe and confirm me; they confirm me in the things I say." He challenges them with verses such as,

Say, "Bring the Torah and read it, if you are men of truth!" {[*]:}

Say, "Come, let us gather together, our sons and your sons, our women and your women, ourselves and yourselves; then let us earnestly pray and invoke the curse of God on those who lie!" {[*]:}

Despite his continuously taunting them with verses such as these, no Jewish scholar or Christian priest was able to show he had made any error. If they had been able to, those very numerous and very obdurate and jealous unbelievers and dissembling Jews and the whole world of unbelief would have proclaimed it everywhere. The Prophet also said:

"Either you find any error of mine, or I shall fight you until I destroy you!" And they chose war and wretchedness. That means they could not find any error. For if they had, they would have been saved from all that.

Second Proof:

The words of the Torah, the Bible, and the Psalms do not have the miraculousness of those of the Qur'an. They have also been translated again and again, and a great many alien words have become intermingled with them. Also, the words of commentators and their false interpretations have been confused with their verses. In addition, the distortions of the ignorant and the hostile have been incorporated into them. In these ways, the corruptions and alterations have multiplied in those Books. In fact, Shaykh Rahmat Allah al-Hindi, the well-known scholar, proved to Jewish and Christian scholars and priests thousands of corruptions in them, and silenced them. Nevertheless, despite these corruptions, in our times the celebrated Husayn Jisri (May God have mercy on him) extracted one hundred and ten indications to the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH), and included them in his Risalat al-Hamidiya. This was translated into Turkish by the late Ismail Hakki of Manastir; whoever wishes may refer to it.

Also, many Jewish and Christian scholars acknowledged and admitted that the attributes of Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) were written in their Books. The famous Roman Emperor Heraclius, who was a non- Muslim himself, said: "Jesus foretold Muham-mad's coming." {[*]:}

Also, another Roman ruler called Muqawqis, the Governor of Egypt, and celebrated Jewish scholars and leaders such as Ibn Suriya, Zubayr b. Batiya, Ibn Akhtab and his brother Ka'b b. Asad, although remaining non- Muslim, admitted: "He is described in our Books." {[*]:}

Also, some of the well-known Jewish scholars and Christian priests gave up their obduracy on seeing Muhammad's (PBUH) attributes as described in the above-mentioned books, and believed in him. They then pointed out these references to other Jewish and Christian scholars, and convinced them. Among them were the famous 'Abd Allah b. Salam, Wahb b. Munabbih, Abu Yasir, the two sons of Sa'ya, Asid and Tha'laba, and Shamul. {[*]:} The latter lived at the time of Tubba', the ruler of Yemen. Shamul became a believer before Muhammad's prophetic mission and without ever seeing him, just as Tubba' did. {[*]:} While the guest of the Bani Nadir before the prophetic mission, a gnostic called Ibn al-Hayyaban declared: "A prophet will soon appear, and this is the place to which he will emigrate." He died there. Later, when that tribe was at war with God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), Asid and Tha'laba came forward and cried out to the tribe: "By God, he is the one Ibn al-Hayyaban promised would come." {[*]:} But they did not heed him, and paid the penalty.

Also, many of the Jewish scholars like, Ibn Yasin, Mikhayriq, and Ka'b al-Ahbar, became believers on seeing the prophetic attributes in their Books, and silenced those who did not accept faith. {[*]:}

Also, the famous Christian scholar and monk, Bahira, who was mentioned above: {[*]:} God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was twelve years old when he went to Damascus with his uncle, and it was for his sake that Bahira invited the Quraysh. For he had seen a cloud casting its shadow on the travelling caravan. When it continued to do so, he realized that the one he was seeking had remained with the caravan, and had sent someone to fetch him. He told Abu Talib: "Return to Makkah! The Jews are exceedingly jealous and will resort to treachery, for his attributes are described in the Torah."

Also, Nestor the Abyssinian, and the ruler of that country, the Negus, came to believe on seeing Muhammad's attributes written in their Books. {[*]:}

Also, a well-known Christian scholar called Daghatr became a believer on seeing the description of the Prophet, and was martyred when he proclaimed this among the Byzantines. {[*]:}

Also, from the Christian leaders, Harith b. Abi Shumar al-Ghasani and the prominent rulers and religious leaders of Damascus such as Sahib al-Ilya, Heraclius, Ibn Natur and al-Jarud, entered the fold of Islam, after seeing the Prophet's description in their Books. Of them, only Heraclius concealed his belief for the sake of worldly rule. {[*]:}

Also, like these, Salman al-Farsi had also formerly been a Christian. He searched for the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) after seeing his description. {[*]:}

Also, a famous scholar called Tamim, and the well-known Abyssinian ruler, the Negus, and the Abyssinian Christians, and the priests of Najran, all unanimously declared that they had seen the Prophet's description in their Books, and had come to believe in him. {[*]:}

The Third Proof:

Here, as examples, we shall point out from the Gospel, the Torah, and the Psalms, a few instances of verses concerning our Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace).

First: In the Psalms, there is the following verse:

O God, send to us after the period between prophets one who will establish an exemplary model. {[*]:}

Here, "One who will establish an exemplary model" refers to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

A verse from the Gospels says:

The Messiah said: "I am leaving for my father and your father, so that He may send you the Paraclete," {[*]:}

that is, Ahmad Muhammad.

A second verse from the Gospels:

I ask from my Lord for the Paraclete that he may abide with you forever. {[*]:}

Paraclete, meaning 'the distinguisher of good from evil,' is the name of our Prophet in those Books.

A verse from the Torah says:

Verily God told Abraham that Hagar -the mother of Isma'il- will bear children. There will emerge from her sons one whose hand will be above all, and the hands of all will be opened to him in reverence. {[*]:}

Another verse from the Torah:

And He said to Moses: "O Moses, verily I shall send them a prophet like you, from the sons of their brothers [the children of Isma'il]; I shall place My word in his mouth, and shall punish whoever does not accept the words of the one who will speak in My name." {[*]:}

A third verse from the Torah:

Moses said: "O Lord! Verily I have found in the Torah the best of Communities that will emerge for the benefit of humanity, that will enjoin good and forbid wrong, and that will believe in God. Let it be my Community!" God said: "That is the Community of Muhammad." {[*]:}

A REMINDER: In those books, the name of Muhammad is given in Syriac form, such as Mushaffah, Munhamanna, Himyata, and names meaning Muhammad in Hebrew. Otherwise the name of Muhammad is

explicitly mentioned only in a few places, which were also altered by the jealous Jews. {[*]:}

A verse from the Psalms of David states:

O David! A prophet will appear after you, named Ahmad Muhammad; he will be truthful, and he will be a chief, and his Community will be forgiven. {[*]:}

One of the Seven 'Abd Allah's, 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. al-'As, who made extensive studies of the earlier scriptures, and 'Abd Allah b. Salam, who was the earliest to accept Islam from among the famous Jewish scholars, and the famous scholar Ka'b al-Ahbar from among the Children of Israel, all pointed out in the Torah, which was not then corrupted to its present extent, the following verse, which after addressing Moses, then addresses the Prophet-yet-to-come:

O Prophet, verily We have sent you as a witness, a bearer of glad tidings, a warner and a protection for the unlettered. You are My bondsman, and I have named you 'the Reliant on God.' You shall not be harsh, stern, and clamorous in the market places, nor shall you requite evil with evil, but instead pardon and forgive. God shall not take you unto Himself until you straighten a crooked people by causing them to say, "No god but God." {[*]:}

Another verse from the Torah:

Muhammad is God's Messenger, his birthplace is Makkah, he will emigrate to Tayba, his rule will be in Damascus, and his Community will constantly praise God. {[*]:}

In this verse, a Syriac word meaning Muhammad is mentioned for the word Muhammad.

Here is another verse from the Torah:

You are My bondsman and messenger, and I have named you 'Reliant on God,' {[*]:}

which is addressed to a prophet who is to come after Moses, and is from the progeny of Isma'il, the brother of Isaac.

In the following verse from the Torah,

My chosen bondsman is not harsh or stern, {[*]:}

the meaning of Mukhtar (chosen) is the same as 'Mustafa,' a name of Muhammad.

In several places in the Gospels, a prophet who will come after Jesus is referred to as "the Master of the World." He is described as:

He will have with him a staff of iron with which he will fight, as will his people. {[*]:}

This verse indicates that a prophet will come with a sword, charged with waging jihad. Qadib min hadid (literally, staff of iron) means sword. And so will be his community. In agreement with the Biblical verse mentioned above, and referring to it as well as some other verses, the following Qur'anic verse at the end of Sura al-Fath also states that his community, like him, will be commanded to wage jihad:

And their similitude in the Gospel is like a seed that sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, filling the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the unbelievers with rage at them. {[*]:}

In the Thirty-Third Chapter {[*]:} of the Fifth Book of the Torah, there is the following verse:

The Lord came from Sinai, rose up unto us from Sa'ir, and shined forth from Mount Paran. {[*]:}

In this verse, with the phrase "the Lord came from Sinai," the prophethood of Moses is mentioned; with the phrase "rose up unto us from Sa'ir" (Sa'ir being a mountain near Damascus), the prophethood of Jesus is indicated. And the phrase "He shined forth from Mount Paran (the Paran Mountains being the mountains of Hijaz), gives tidings of the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH), all will agree. Moreover, confirming the sentence, «This is their similitude in the Torah,» {[*]:} is the following verse of the Torah concerning the Companions of the Prophet who would shine forth from the Paran Mountains:

The flags of the blessed ones will be with him, and they will be on his right. {[*]:}

In this verse, the Companions are described as "the blessed ones," that is, his Companions are blessed, righteous men, the beloved ones of God.

In the Forty-Second Chapter of the Book of Isaiah, there are the following verses:

See My servant, whom I uphold; My Chosen One, in whom I delight. He will reveal justice to the nations of the world.... He will encourage the fainthearted, those tempted to despair. He will see full justice given to all who have been wronged. He will not be satisfied until truth and righteousness prevail throughout the earth, nor until even distant lands beyond the seas have put their trust in him. {[*]:}

Here, the verses explicitly describe Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace), the prophet at the end of time.

In the Fourth Chapter of the Book of Micah, are the following verses:

But in the last days it shall come to pass that the mountain of the House of God will be the most renowned one of all the mountains of the world, praised by all nations; people from all over the world will make pilgrimage there. "Come," they will say to one another, "let us go up to the mountain of God and the House of God." {[*]:}

These verses obviously describe the most blessed mountain in the world, Mount 'Arafat, and the worship and proclamations of "God is Most Great!" of those making the Hajj, who will flock there from all climes, and the Community of Muhammad, famous for the Divine Mercy it will receive.

In the Seventy-Second Chapter of the Psalms, there are the following verses:

And he will reign from sea to sea,

And from the River to the ends of the earth.

The kings of Yemen and the Islands

All will bring their gifts.

And to him all the kings will prostrate themselves,

All the nations will serve him.

. ..............................

And he will live,

And on his behalf prayer will be made constantly,

All day long he will be praised.

. ..............................

His name will prove to be to time indefinite,

It will continue as long as the sun.

All will be blessed in him,

All nations will praise him. {[*]:}

These verses describe the Glory of the World, the Prophet Muhammad (Upon be blessings and peace) in most clear fashion. Apart from Muhammad the Arabian, what prophet has come since David (Upon whom be peace) who has spread his religion from East to West, made kings pay tribute, and brought rulers to submission as though prostrating; to whom every day one fifth of mankind offer benedictions and prayers, and whose lights have irradiated from Madinah? Has there been any other?

Again, the Turkish translation of John's Gospel, Chapter Fourteen verse twenty, {[*]:} says:

I shall not speak with you for much longer, for the ruler of the world is coming, and I am nothing compared with him.

Thus, the title Ruler of the World means Glory of the World. And the title of Glory of the World is one of the most famous of Muhammad the Arabian's (Upon whom be blessings and peace) titles.

Again in John's Gospel, Chapter Sixteen verse seven, it says:

But I am telling you the truth. My departure is but for your benefit. For, unless I depart, the Comforter will not come. {[*]:}

Now see, who other than Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) is the Ruler of the World and true consoler of men? Yes, the Glory of the World is he, and he is the one who will save transitory man from eternal extinction and thus comforts him.

Again, the eighth verse of Chapter Sixteen in John's Gospel:

When he comes, he will give the world convincing evidence concerning its sin, its righteousness, and its judgement. {[*]:}

Who other than Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) has turned the world's wrongdoing into righteousness, saved men from sin and associating partners with God, and transformed politics and world rule?

Also from the Gospel of John, the eleventh verse of Chapter Sixteen:

There is deliverance from judgement, for the Ruler of this World has already been judged. {[*]:}

Here "the Ruler of the World" is certainly Ahmad Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace), for he is known as the Master of Humanity.

{(*):}

Also, in John's Gospel, the thirteenth verse of Chapter Twelve: {[*]:}

But when he, the Spirit of Truth, comes, he will guide you all to the truth, for he will not be presenting his own ideas, but will be passing onto you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. {[*]:}

This verse is explicit. Who apart from Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) has called all men to the truth, whose every statement was based on Revelation, has spoken what he had heard from Gabriel, and informed man in detail about the resurrection of the dead and the Hereafter? Who other than he could do this?

Also, the Books of other prophets include names in Syriac and Hebrew that correspond to the various names of the Prophet (PBUH), such as Muhammad, Ahmad, Mukhtar. For example, in the scriptures of the Prophet Shu'ayb, his name is Mushaffah, {[*]:} and means 'Muhammad.' In the Torah, he is mentioned as Munhamanna, which again means 'Muhammad,' and as Himyata, {[*]:} which means 'the Prophet of al-Haram.' In the Psalms, he is called al-Mukhtar. {[*]:} Again in the Torah, the name is al-Hatam al-Khatam. {[*]:} Both in the Torah and in the Psalms,

it is Muqim al-Sunna, {[*]:} in the scriptures of Abraham and in the Torah, he is mentioned as Mazmaz, {[*]:} and again in the Torah, as Ahyad.

God's Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) himself said: «In the Qur'an, my name is Muhammad, in the Bible, Ahmad, and in the Torah, Ahyad.» {[*]:} In fact, the Bible refers to him as "The one with the sword and the staff." {[*]:} Indeed, the greatest of the prophets who wielded the sword, and was charged with fighting in God's way together with his community, was God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). The Gospels also describe him as "wearing a crown." {[*]:} Yes, this title is particular to God's Messenger, for "crown" means turban, for in former days, it was the Arabs who as a people, all wore the turban and headband. This definitely therefore refers to God's Messenger.

The term Paraclete in the Gospel, or Faraqlit, is defined in Biblical interpretation as "the one who distinguishes truth from falsehood." {[*]:} It is therefore the name of one who in the future will lead people to the truth.

In one place in the Gospels, Jesus (Upon whom be peace) says: "I am going so that the Lord of the World may come." {[*]:} Who other than the Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace) has come after Jesus who will be the Ruler of the World, distinguish and separate truth from falsehood, and guide mankind in place of Jesus? That is to say, Jesus (Upon whom be peace) was constantly giving his community the good news: Another will come; no need will remain for me. I am his forerunner and herald. Confirming this is the following verse of the Qur'an:

And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the Messenger of God unto you, confirming that which was revealed before me in the Torah and bringing the good tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name is Ahmad [the Praised One]." {[*]:}

Yes, in the Gospels, Jesus gave the glad tidings many times, that the greatest leader of mankind would come. He is mentioned with various names, in, of course, Syriac and Hebrew-which scholars have seen, which bear the meaning of Ahmad, Muhammad, and the Distinguisher

between Truth and Falsehood. That is to say, on many occasions Jesus (Upon whom be peace) told of the coming of Ahmad (Upon whom be blessings and peace).

At the site of the tomb of Sham'un al-Safa, the famous traveller Evliya Chelebi came across the following verses from the Gospels, written on gazelle hide: "A youth from the progeny of Abraham is to be a prophet. He will not be a liar; his birthplace will be Makkah; he will come with piety; his blessed name is Ahmad Muhammad; those who obey him will prosper in this world and the next."

The word, written as 'Mawamit,' was corrupted from 'Mamad,' itself a corruption of Muhammad.

Why is it that while the other prophets foretell the coming of Muhammad (PBUH), Jesus (PUH) does so more fully and in the form of good news?

Because Ahmad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) defended Jesus (Upon whom be peace) against the fearsome denials and slander of the Jews, and saved his religion from corruption. Furthermore, in the face of the burdensome Shari'a of the Children of Israel, who did not recognize Jesus, he came with an elevated Shari'a which was easy, all-encompassing, and completed the deficiencies of Jesus' Shari'a. For these reasons, Jesus often gave the good news, the Ruler of the World will come!

Now it is clear that in the Torah, the Gospels, the Psalms of David, and in the scriptures of other prophets, there are numerous discussions of a prophet who is to come at a later time, many verses mentioning him. Just as we pointed out examples of these, showing that he is mentioned in these Books under various names. Who, other than Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace), the Prophet of the end of time, could it be that these scriptures of the prophets speak of so repeatedly in their verses, and with such importance?

THE SECOND KIND

The signs of prophethood that were manifested by way of irhasat also include those tidings of his coming given before his prophetic mission in that time between prophets by the soothsayers and certain people known as saints and gnostics at that time; they published their claims and passed them down to subsequent generations in their poetry. These are numerous, and we shall mention some that are well-known, and have been accepted and narrated by the scholars of history and the Prophet's life.

One of the rulers of Yemen, called Tubba', saw descriptions of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) in former scriptures, and believed in him. He announced this by means of a poem,

which went like this:

I bear witness to Ahmad, for he is a Messenger from God, the Creator of man;

Were I to live long enough to see him, I would be a minister and a cousin to him.. {[*]:}

That is, I would have been like 'Ali.

Quss b. Sa'ida was the most renowned and most significant orator of the Arabs, a monotheist, and man of enlightened mind. Before Muhammad's prophetic mission, he announced his messengership with these lines:

Ahmad shall be sent forth amongst us, the best prophet ever sent;

God's blessings be upon him, whenever a riding party sets out amidst cries! {[*]:}

Ka'b b. Lu'ayy, one of the forefathers of the Prophet, announced Muhammad's prophethood by way of inspiration as follows:

Suddenly, Muhammad the Prophet will appear,

Giving tidings most true. {[*]:}

Sayf b. Dhi-Yazan, one of the rulers of Yemen, read descriptions of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) in the old scriptures, and believing in him, longed to see him. When 'Abd al-Muttalib, Muhammad's grandfather, went to Yemen with some of the Quraysh, Sayf summoned them and said: "A child will be born in Hijaz, with a mark between his shoulders resembling a seal. He will be the leader of all humanity." Then, in private he told 'Abd al-Muttalib: "You are his grandfather," {[*]:} foretelling his prophethood in a wondrous way.

Waraqa b. Nawfal was a cousin of Khadija. When the first Revelation came, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was deeply shaken. Khadija described the event to the well-known Waraqa b. Nawfal, who told her to send him to him. God's Messenger went to Waraqa and told him how the Revelation had come. Waraqa

Said: "Good news, O Muhammad! I testify that you are the awaited prophet who was foretold by Jesus." {[*]:} That is, Do not worry! It was truly the coming of Revelation.

Before the prophetic mission, a gnostic called Athkalan al-Himyari asked the Quraysh when he saw them: "Is there anyone among you who claims prophethood?" They replied in the negative. He again asked them at the start of his mission, and this time their reply was affirmative. Athkalan said: "The world is awaiting him!" {[*]:}

Ibn al-'Ala, a famous Christian scholar, told of God's Messenger (PBUH) before his mission, never having seen him. He later came, saw the Messenger, and said: "By the One Who sent you in truth, I found your description in the Gospels, and the Son of Mary gave glad tidings of your coming." {[*]:}

Mentioned above was the Negus of Abyssinia, who declared: "Would that I had been the servant of Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace), rather than a king. To serve him would have been far superior to this sovereignty." {[*]:}

In addition to these tidings given by these learned men through Divine inspiration from the Unseen, soothsayers too gave news from the Unseen of the coming of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and of his prophethood, by means of jinn and spirit beings. These are numerous also, and we shall mention a few which are well-known, have reached the degree of 'consensus in meaning,' and are related in most of the books of history and the Prophet's biography. Referring the lengthy accounts of them to those books, we shall give only a summary of them.

The First is the famous soothsayer, Shiqq, who had only one eye, one arm, and one leg; he was quite simply half a man. His repeated predictions concerning the messengership of Muhammad (PBUH) have passed into the history books, with the certainty of 'consensus in meaning.' {[*]:}

The Second is the famous soothsayer of Damascus, Satih, who was a monstrosity lacking bones, and even limbs, whose face was in his chest

and who lived a very long time. He was highly reputed at that time for the correct information he gave concerning the Unseen. The Persian king, Chosroes, even, sent a learned envoy called Mubezan to ask Satih to interpret a strange dream he had at the time of Muhammad's birth, in which the fourteen pinnacles of his palace collapsed. Satih said: "Fourteen men will rule over you, then your empire will be destroyed. Also someone will come who will announce a religion; he will abolish both your religion and your empire," sending news of this to Chosroes. {[*]:} In this way, Satih explicitly foretold the coming of the Prophet of the end of time.

As written in detail in the books of history and the Prophet's biography, soothsayers like Sawad b. Qarib al-Dawsi, Khunafir, Af'a Najran, Jidhl b. Jidhl al-Kindi, Ibn Khalasat al-Dawsi, and Fatima bint al-Nu'man al-Najariyya, foretold the coming of the Prophet of the end of time, stating that that Prophet was Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace). {[*]:}

Also, one of 'Uthman's relations, Sa'd b. bint al-Kurayz, received knowledge from the Unseen by means of soothsaying about the prophethood of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace). In the early days of Islam, he told 'Uthman Dhi'l-Nurayn to go and accept faith. 'Uthman did so and entered the fold of Islam at the beginning. Sa'd expressed the event with a poem, which went like this:

Through my words, God has guided 'Uthman to the source

That yields righteousness; truly God guides to the truth. {[*]:}

Like soothsayers, jinns who were invisible but whose voices were heard, called hatif, repeatedly foretold the coming of God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). For example:

An invisible jinn shouted out the following to Dhayab b. al-Harith, and was the reason of he and others accepting Islam: "O Dhayab! O Dhayab! Listen to the oddest thing: Muhammad has appeared with the Book. He is calling on Makkah, yet they do not respond to him!" {[*]:}

Another unseen jinn called out to Sama' b. Qarrat al-Ghatafani, "The truth has come in manifest radiance, the false is destroyed and uprooted," and caused him and some others to believe. {[*]:}

Such messages and good tidings of unseen jinns are extremely well-known and numerous.

Just as the voices of jinns and the soothsayers foretold him, so too idols and sacrifices slaughtered for the idols gave news of the prophethood of God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). For example:

One is the famous story of the idol of the Mazan tribe, who shouted out: "This is the Prophet who has been sent; he comes with the revealed truth," {[*]:} telling of Muhammad's (PBUH) prophethood.

Another is the well-known incident which caused 'Abbas b. Mardas to accept Islam: there was an idol called Dimar, which one day called out: "Dimar was worshipped before the declaration of Muhammad; that misguidance can no longer continue." {[*]:}

Before he accepted Islam, 'Umar heard an animal sacrificed to an idol exclaim: "O sacrificer, the means of success are at hand: an eloquent man proclaiming, No god but God!" {[*]:}

There are very many more examples like these, which have been accepted as authentic and narrated in reliable books.

And just as soothsayers, gnostics, invisible jinns, and even idols and sacrifices told of Muhammad's (PBUH) messengership, and each instance was the cause of people coming to believe in him, so too inscriptions on stones over and in graves, and on gravestones, like "Muhammad, a worker of righteousness, the trustworthy," were the means of some people coming to believe. {[*]:} Because, in the time shortly before Muhammad lived, there were only seven men bearing that name, and not one of them deserved the epithet of righteous and trustworthy. {[*]:}

THE THIRD KIND

These are irhasat including the wondrous events which occurred at the time of, and in conjunction with, the birth of God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace). There were also events that occurred before his prophetic mission which were miracles. They were many, and we shall mention a few examples which became famous, have been accepted by the authorities on Hadiths, and whose authenticity have been established.

On the night of the Prophet's birth, both his mother, and the mothers of 'Uthman b. al-'As and 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Awf, who were with her, saw a brilliant, widely scattered light, about which they said: "At the time of his birth we saw such a light that it lit up the east and the west for us." {[*]:}

That night most of the idols in the Ka'ba toppled over and fell to the ground. {[*]:}

That night the famous aywan of Chosroes' palace shook and cracked apart, and its fourteen pinnacles collapsed. {[*]:}

That night the small lake of Saveh which was considered to be holy, sank into the ground, {[*]:} and at Istakhrabad the fire which, burning continuously for a thousand years, the Zoroastrians had worshipped, was extinguished. {[*]:}

Thus, these four events indicated that the one had just been born would abolish fire-worship, destroy the palace of the Persian kings, and prevent those things being sanctified which God did not permit.

Although they did not coincide with the night of his birth, certain events that took place not long before it are also included in the irhasat of Muhammad (PBUH). One is the War of the Elephant, which is mentioned in the Qur'an in Sura al-Fil. Abraha, the king of Abyssinia came to destroy the Ka'ba, driving a huge elephant called Mahmudi before his forces. When they came close to Makkah, the elephant was unable to move. They could not make it move forward, and had to retreat. While retreating, a flock of birds attacked and routed them, and

they fled. This extraordinary story is recorded in detail in the history books. The event was one of the proofs of the prophethood of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace), for it occurred close in time to his birth and saved the Holy Ka'ba, his qibla, birthplace, and native land from Abraha's destruction.

According to the testimony of Halima al-Sa'diya and her husband, when God's Messenger was with them in his childhood, they frequently saw a cloud above him shielding him from the sun. They told everyone this, and it was well-known and authenticated. {[*]:}

Also, as testified to by the monk Bahira, when the Noble Messenger went to Damascus at the age of twelve, he saw a cloud casting a shadow over his head, and he pointed this out. {[*]:}

Again before his prophetic mission, one time God's Messenger returned from a trading journey he made together with Khadija's servant, Maysara, when Khadija saw two angels shading him like clouds. She mentioned this to her servant Maysara, and he replied: "I observed the same thing throughout our journey." {[*]:}

It is established in a sound narration that before his prophetic mission, God's Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) sat down beneath a tree. Although the place was dried up, it suddenly grew green. The tree's branches inclined over his head, twisting back and shading him. {[*]:}

When the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was small, he stayed in Abu Talib's house. Whenever he ate together with Abu Talib and his household, they would eat to repletion; whereas when he was not present, they were not satisfied. {[*]:} This is both well-known and definite.

Also, Umm Ayman, who looked after and served the Prophet when he was small, said: "God's Messenger never complained about being hungry or thirsty, neither when small nor when he was older." {[*]:}

It is both well-known and definite that unlike other members of her tribe, his wet-nurse Halima al-Sa'diya's goats and possessions were very productive and abundant. {[*]:}

Also, flies did not bother him; they never alighted on his clothes or blessed body {[*]:} -just as one of his progeny, Sayyid 'Abd al-Qadir Gilani, received this legacy from his forefather, for flies never alighted on him either.

After God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was born, and especially on the night of his birth, there was a great increase in falling stars. As shown with decisive proofs in the Fifteenth Word, falling stars are a sign and indication of jinns and devils being barred from receiving news of the Unseen. Thus, since God's Messenger had appeared in the world together with Revelation, it was necessary to prevent the knowledge about the Unseen being transmitted by soothsayers, diviners, and jinn, which was inaccurate and mixed with lies, so that their knowledge should not cause any doubts about Revelation, and should not resemble it. Before the prophetic mission, soothsaying was widespread. Then the Qur'an brought it to an end after it was revealed. Indeed, many soothsayers accepted Islam, for they could no longer find their informers, who were jinns. That is, the Qur'an had put an end to it. And these days a new type of soothsaying has appeared in the form of mediums among the spiritualists of the West. However, we shall not go into that now.

Very many events occurred and individuals appeared confirming and causing others to confirm the prophethood of the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) before the commencement of his mission. For sure, before the appearance of the one who was going to be the ruler of the world

Yes, the Sultan of Lawlak* was such a leader that his rule has been continuing for one thousand three hundred and fifty years. Every century after the first, he has had at least 350 million followers and subjects. With half the globe under his banner, every day his followers renew their allegiance to him in perfect submission by calling down on him peace and blessings, and obey his commands.

(*): 'Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa' i, 6. [See also, page198, fn. 286 ].

and would change the world's spiritual shape, and would make this world into the tillage for the next, and proclaim the high value of the creatures of the world, and show to man and jinn the way to eternal happiness and save them from everlasting extinction, and solve the obscure talisman of the world and riddle of the wisdom in its creation, and would know and make known the purposes of

the universe's Creator, and recognize the Creator and acquaint Him to all men-before such a one appeared, surely everything, all species and realms of beings would be happy at his coming, would await him and welcome and applaud him, and if his coming was made known to them by their Creator, they in turn would announce it. Just as we saw in the above Signs and examples how each realm of creature displayed his miracles as if welcoming him, and confirmed his prophethood through the tongue of miracles.

SEVENTEENTH SIGN

After the Qur'an, the greatest miracle of God's Noble Messenger(Upon whom be blessings and peace) was his own self. That is, the elevated moral virtues brought together in his person which as friend and foe agreed, every aspect of which were of the very highest level. A hero of the greatest bravery, 'Ali, said again and again: "Whenever the fighting grew fierce, we would take refuge behind God's Messenger." Like this, his was the highest and unattainable degree in all praiseworthy qualities. For this greatest miracle, we refer readers to the Shifa' al-Sharif of Qadi Iyad, the learned scholar of the Maghrib, for he described and proved beautifully this miracle of praiseworthy moral qualities.

A further great miracle of Muhammad (PBUH) which is verified by friend and foe alike is his illustrious Shari'a, the like of which neither came before it nor will come after it. For a partial explanation of it, we refer readers to all the thirty-three Words, thirty-three Letters, thirty-one Flashes, and thirteen Rays which we have written.

Among his greatest miracles, a certain one, the many reports of which are unanimous, is the Splitting of the Moon. This miracle is related through many chains of transmission from many of the leading Companions like Ibn Mas'ud, Ibn 'Abbas, Ibn 'Umar, 'Ali, Anas, and Hudhayfa. In addition, the Qur'an announced this supreme miracle to the whole world with the verse:

The Hour is nigh, and the moon split. {[*]:}

The obdurate idolators of the Quraysh at that time could not deny what this verse states; they could only declare that it was "magic." That is to say, the unbelievers also confirmed the splitting of the moon as certain. For this supreme miracle, we refer readers to the Addendum of the Thirty-First Word.

Furthermore, just as the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) showed the inhabitants of the earth the miracle of the Splitting

of the Moon, so too he showed the inhabitants of the heavens his supreme miracle of the Ascension. Referring that greatest miracle to the Treatise on the Ascension, the Thirty-First Word, which demonstrates with decisive proofs -even to deniers- how luminous, exalted, and true a miracle it was, we shall mention here only his journey to Jerusalem, the preliminary part of the miracle of the Ascension. For it was a miracle too that when asked by the Quraysh the following morning, he provided them with a description of the Masjid al-Aqsa. It was as follows:

The morning after the night of the Ascension, he informed the Quraysh about the Ascension. They dismissed it as false, and said: "If you really went to the Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem, then describe to us its doors, walls, and condition."

God's Noble Messenger later said: "I was annoyed by their question and denial in a way that I had never been annoyed before. Suddenly, God Almighty lifted the veil between me and the Masjid al-Aqsa and showed it to me; I looked at it, and saw and described it." {[*]:} Then the Quraysh understood that he was giving the correct and complete description.

The Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) also told them: "During the journey, I saw one of your caravans. It will arrive here tomorrow at such-and-such a time." They waited for the caravan. It was delayed for an hour, so in order that the Messenger's prediction should be right, the sun was arrested for an hour, as is confirmed by those who investigated the event. That is to say, in order to prove what he said to be right, the earth stopped its journeying, its duty, for an hour, and that immobility was shown as the sun being arrested in its motion. {[*]:}

Thus, the mighty earth abandoned its duty in order to confirm a single statement of Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and the mighty sun witnessed it. And so you may understand how unfortunate are those who do not affirm him nor obey his commands, and how fortunate are those who affirm him and say: "We have heard and we obey!"; so offer praise and thanks to God for Islam and belief!

EIGHTEENTH SIGN

The greatest miracle of God's Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), an eternal one, is the All-Wise Qur'an, which comprises hundreds of evidences of his prophethood, and forty aspects of

whose own miraculousness have been proven. The Twenty-Fifth Word has explained concisely and proved these forty aspects in its approximately one hundred and fifty pages. Therefore, referring that supreme miracle, a treasury of miracles, to that Word, here we shall explain only one or two points.

FIRST POINT

The miraculousness of the Qur'an lies in its eloquence. But all classes of men have the right to have a share of its understanding, and only one learned scholar out of a thousand can understand the miraculousness in its eloquence?

The All-Wise Qur'an has a different kind of miraculousness corresponding to the understanding of each class; it indicates the existence of its miraculousness to each in a different way. For example, to the scholars of rhetoric and eloquence, it exhibits the miraculousness of its extraordinary eloquence. To the poets and orators, it shows its exalted, beautiful, and original style, which no one can imitate although it pleases everyone. The passage of time does not cause its style to age, it always remains fresh and new. Its prose and word-order are so well-ordered that it is both elevated and pleasant. To soothsayers and other diviners of the Unseen, it displays its miraculousness in its extraordinary reports concerning the Unseen. To historians, it demonstrates its miraculousness by giving information concerning events of past ages, as well as those of the future, and of the Intermediate Realm, and of the hereafter. To social and political scientists, it shows the miraculousness in its sacred principles. Yes, the Great Shari'a, which proceeds from the Qur'an, indicates that mystery of miraculousness. To those occupied with knowledge of God and cosmic truths, it shows the miraculousness of the sacred Divine truths in the Qur'an, or else it indicates the existence of that miraculousness. To the Sufis and saints, it shows the miraculousness in the hidden mysteries of its verses, which constantly rise and fall like waves in the sea of the Qur'an. And so on. To each of forty classes of men, it opens up a window and shows its miraculousness. The ordinary people even, who only listen to the Qur'an understanding a little of its meaning, confirm that it does not resemble any other book. They say: "The Qur'an is either below all the other books we have heard read, which not even an enemy could claim -just as it is impossible- or it is superior to all of them and is thus a miracle." Now, in order to help him, we shall explain further the miraculousness which the ordinary man understood by just listening. It is as follows:

When the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition appeared challenging the

whole world, it aroused passionate feelings of two kinds in people:

In friends, the desire to imitate it; that is, the desire to resemble the style of their beloved Qur'an, and a wish to speak like it.

In enemies, the desire to criticize and dispute it; that is, the wish to invalidate its claim of miraculousness by competing with its style.

Thus, because of these two intense emotions, millions of books were written in Arabic, and are to be seen. Now, whoever listens to the most eloquent, the most brilliant, of these books being read together with the Qur'an is bound to say that the Qur'an does not resemble any of them. That means that the Qur'an is not of the same level as them. In which case, it must either be inferior to all of them, which together with being impossible a hundred times over, no one, not even Satan, could claim, {(*):} or the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition is superior to all of them.

Furthermore, the All-Wise Qur'an demonstrates its miraculousness before the uneducated mass of people, who do not understand its meaning, by not wearying them. Indeed, they say: "If I hear the finest and best known poems two or three times, I become bored of them. But the Qur'an never wearies me; even, the more I listen to it, the more it pleases me. It cannot therefore be written by man."

And to children who try to memorize it, the All-Wise Qur'an shows its miraculousness by settling in their memories with the greatest of ease, despite their small, delicate, weak and simple heads being unable to retain for long a single page of other books, and many of the verses and phrases of that large Qur'an resembling one another, which should cause muddle and confusion.

And even to the sick and the dying, who are disturbed by the slightest sound and noise, the murmuring and sound of the Qur'an makes felt a sort of its miraculousness, by being as sweet and agreeable for them as Zamzam water.

The All-Wise Qur'an demonstrates its miraculousness to forty different classes and groups of people, or it indicates to the existence of its miraculousness. It neglects no one. Even for those who can comprehend only what their eyes see and who have no ear to hear with, no heart to feel with, and no knowledge to judge with, the Qur'an alludes to its miraculousness in a fashion.

Here the mention of the aspect of its miraculousness directed to those without ear, heart and knowledge, and who see only with their eyes, is extremely concise, abbreviated, and even deficient. But it has been demonstrated most clearly and brilliantly in the Twenty-Ninth and Thirtieth Letters, so that even the blind can see it. We have had written a copy of the Qur'an which shows this aspect of miraculousness, which, God willing, will be published, then everyone will be able to see it.

(*): The Thirtieth Letter had been planned and intended, but it gave up its place to Isharat al-I'jaz (Signs of Miraculousness), while itself never materialized.

It is like this:

In the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition handwritten by the calligrapher Hafiz Osman and later printed, many of the words look to one another. For example, if a needle is passed through the word "dog" in the phrase "they were seven, the dog being the eighth" in Sura al-Kahf (18:22) and through the underlying pages, with a slight deviation it will go through the word "Qitmir" in Sura al-Fatir (35:13), thus establishing the dog's name. In a similar way, the words "they will be all brought before us" (muhdarun-in) occur twice in Sura Ya. Sin. (36:53 and 75), the first overlying the second. The same words are again repeated twice in Sura al-Saffat (37:57 and 127), and these look both to each other and to those in Sura Ya. Sin. Also, the phrase "in pairs" (mathna) occurs only three times in the Qur'an, and two of these corresponding cannot be mere coincidence. {[*]:} There are numerous similar examples. One word even coincides with slight deviation on five or six underlying pages. And I have seen a copy of the Qur'an in which passages looking to one another on facing pages were written in red ink. At that time I said that that too indicated another sort of miracle. Some time later I saw that many phrases looked to others on the reverse of pages, corresponding to one another in a meaningful way. Thus, since the arrangement of the Qur'an in the writing and script of printed copies of the Qur'an also is through the guidance of the Prophet and Divine inspiration, it contains the sign of a sort of miraculousness. For it is neither the work of chance, nor of the human mind. Sometimes there are deviations, but that is generally the fault of the printing, and if it had been absolutely in order, the words would have corresponded to one another exactly.

Furthermore, on every page of the Qur'an's Suras of long and medium length which were revealed in Madinah, the word "Allah" has been repeated in the most wondrous manner. In addition to being repeated mostly five, six, seven, eight, nine or eleven times on the same page, the repetitions of the two sides of the same page or on facing pages display beautiful and significant numerical relationships.

Also, for those who practise the recitation of the Divine Names and praises and supplicate God, the Qur'an's adorned and rhymed words, and eloquent and artistic style, and the many virtues of its eloquence, which draw attention to itself, afford an elevated seriousness and sense of the Divine presence, and a collectedness of mind; they do not mar or spoil these. Whereas, rhetoric, artistic wording, rhyme and poetic composition of that sort usually weaken seriousness, make their elegance felt, disturb the sense of God's presence, and distract attention. In fact, I frequently used to recite Imam al-Shafi'i's famous supplication, which is the most subtle and serious of supplications, is composed in the most elevated versified form, and once caused the end of dearth and famine in Egypt. On reading it, I observed that since it was in verse and rhymed, it spoilt the elevated seriousness of the supplication. I recited it constantly for eight or nine years, and I was unable to reconcile the verse and rhyme with its serious nature. I understood from this that there is a sort of miraculousness in the rhyming and ordering and qualities of the Qur'an's words, which are particular and natural and original to it, that preserves completely the seriousness and sense of the Divine presence, not spoiling them. Thus, even if those who recite supplications and the Divine Names and praises do not understand this sort of miraculousness with the mind, they perceive it with the heart.

(*): Another aspect of the miraculousness of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition is that it expresses the most elevated and brilliant degree of the Prophet's (PBUH) belief, who manifested the Greatest Name.

It also expresses and instructs in a natural manner the religion of truth, which, being most vast, extensive, and lofty, sets forth the elevated truths of the worlds of the hereafter and of dominicality like a sacred map.

And it conveys in all His infinite glory and majesty, the address of the Creator of the Universe, in respect of His being the Sustainer of all beings. Certainly, in the face of the Qur'an's exposition which is thus, if, in accordance with the verse,

Say: If the whole of mankind and the jinn were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce its like (17:88), all the minds of mankind were to unite and become a single mind, they could not contest it or oppose it. How could they? They are as distant from the Qur'an as the earth is from the Pleiades. For in view of the three above principles, it is certainly not possible to imitate the Qur'an, nor to compose its like.

(*): At the bottom of every page of the Qur'an, the verses are complete, and they end rhyming in a fine way. The reason is this: when the verse called Mudayana (2:292) provides the standard for the pages, and the Suras Ikhlas and Kawthar, the standard for the lines, this fine quality of the All-Wise Qur'an and sign of its miraculousness become apparent.

(*): Because of unfortunate haste, we had to content ourselves in this section with some slight indications and brief instances and small signs of a highly important and magnificent wonder, one which from the point of view of the Risale-i Nur's success is beautiful, illuminating, and encouraging. Now, that important truth and encouraging wonder -under the name of coincidence' (tawafuq), and five or six sorts at that- forms a chain of wonders of the Risale-i Nur, and flashes of a visible sort of the Qur'an's miraculousness, and a source of signs to the ciphers of the Unseen. Later, we had a copy of the Qur'an written which showed in gilded letters a flash of its miraculousness which appeared from the 'coinciding' of the word 'Allah.' And I wrote eight short pieces, called the Eight Symbols (Rumûzat-i Semaniye), which explain the subtle relationships evident in the coinciding of the Qur'an's letters, and their allusions concerning the Unseen. I also wrote five treatises, one about the wonders of 'Ghauth al-Gilani,' three about those of 'Ali, and one called Indications of the Qur'an (Ishârât-i Kur'aniye), which by means of tawafuq or 'coincidences', confirm, commend, and applaud the Risale-i Nur. That is to say, that important truth was perceived and written in summary fashion in the writing of the Miracles of Muhammad, but unfortunately the author saw and described only a tiny part of it; he continued without further pursuing it.

SECOND POINT

At the time of Moses (Upon whom be peace), it was magic that was prevalent, so his most important miracles resembled it. And at Jesus (Upon whom be peace)'s time, it was medicine that was prevalent and his miracles were mostly of that kind. Similarly, at the time of the Most Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace), in the Arabian Peninsula four things were prevalent:

Eloquence and rhetoric.

Poetry and oratory.

Soothsaying and divining matters of the Unseen.

Knowledge of past events and cosmology.

Thus, when the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition appeared, it challenged those with knowledge of these four fields.

Firstly, it made the men of rhetoric and eloquence bow before it; they all listened to it in astonishment.

Secondly, it filled the poets and orators with amazement, that is, those who spoke well and declaimed fine poetry, so that they bit their fingers in astonishment. It reduced to nothing the value of their finest poems

written in gold, causing them to remove the famous 'Seven Hanging Poems', their pride and glory, from the walls of the Ka'ba.

And it silenced the soothsayers and sorcerers, who gave news of the Unseen, and made them forget the knowledge they had received. It drove away the jinns, and put an end to soothsaying.

And it saved those with knowledge of the past and cosmology from superstition and falsehood, and instructed them in true facts and luminous knowledge.

Thus, these four groups bowed before the Qur'an in perfect wonder and veneration, becoming its students. At no time could any of them attempt to contest it.

How do we know that no one could dispute or contest it?

If it had been possible to dispute it, for sure someone would have attempted it. For their religion, their possessions, their lives, and their families had been put into peril. If they had disputed it, they would have been saved. If it had been possible, they were bound to contest it. And if they had done so, since the supporters, unbelievers, and dissemblers were many, and truly many, they were sure to have supported such a contest, and would have advertised it widely. Just as they spread everything that was against Islam. And if someone had

disputed the Qur'an and they had made it known to everyone, it would certainly have been recorded in the books of history in glittering terms. But all the histories and books are in evidence; apart from a few passages about Musaylima the Liar, there is nothing in any of them. Whereas for twenty-three years the All-Wise Qur'an continuously taunted and challenged them in a way that would increase their obduracy. It in effect said:

"Let someone unlettered like Muhammad the Trustworthy compose the like of the Qur'an. You can't do it, so, come on, not an unlettered person, but someone very learned and literary. You can't do that either. Rather than a single person, gather together all your scholars and men of eloquence, and let them assist one another, and the false gods on which you rely can also lend a hand. You won't be able to do this either, so use the literary works of the past, and even call on those of the future to help you, and then compose the like of the Qur'an. And if you can't do this, then do not compose all the Qur'an, but only ten Suras. Come on, you can't manage ten which are truly like the Qur'an's Suras, so put it together out of stories and fictitious tales; just produce the like of the word-order and eloquence. Don't write a long Sura, just a short one. But if you can't do this, your religion, lives, property, and families will all be in danger, both in this world and in the next!"

Thus, with these eight alternatives, the Wise Qur'an has challenged and silenced men and jinn, not for twenty-three years, but for one thousand three hundred. Nonetheless, in those early times, those unbelievers did not have recourse to the easiest way, dispute or contest, but chose the most fearsome way, that of war, putting their lives, possessions, and families into danger. That means, to dispute it was not possible.

And so, would not any intelligent person, particularly the people of Arabia at that time -and the Quraysh, who were very clever- have ensured that one of their literary men composed a Sura similar to one of the Qur'an's and so be saved from the Qur'an's attacks; would they have abandoned the short and easy way, cast all they possessed into peril, and travelled the way most fraught with difficulties?

As the famous Jahiz put it: "Dispute with words was not possible, so they were compelled to fight with the sword."

Some learned scholars have said that not one of the Qur'an's Suras, but not a single of its verses can be disputed, nor even a single sentence, nor a word, nor have they been disputed. But this appears to be exaggerated and the reason cannot accept it, for many of

men's words resemble those of the Qur'an. What is the reason for their saying this?

There are two schools of thought concerning the miraculousness of the Qur'an.

The prevailing and preferred school states that the subtle qualities of eloquence and meaning in the Qur'an are beyond human power.

The second, and less preferred, school states that it is within human ability to dispute one of the Qur'an's Suras, but Almighty God has prevented this as a miracle of Muhammad (PBUH). Like a man may rise to his feet, but if a prophet tells him that he cannot and he is unable to, then it is a miracle. This opinion is called the Sarfa School. That is, Almighty God prevented men and jinn from successfully disputing a single of the Qur'an's Suras. According to this school, scholars who state that a single of its words cannot be disputed, are correct. Because since on account of its miraculousness Almighty God prevented them, they could not so much as open their mouths to dispute it. And even if they had done so, they could not have uttered a word.

However, according to the first-mentioned prevalent and preferred school of thought, that statement of scholars has the following subtle aspect: the All-Wise Qur'an's phrases and words look to one another. It sometimes happens that a single word looks to ten places; in it are ten relationships and ten fine points of eloquence. We have pointed out examples of some of these in the commentary called Isharat al-I'jaz (Signs of Miraculousness,) in the phrases of Sura al-Fatiha and those of,

Alif. Lam. Mim. * This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt. {[*]:}

For example, take a highly decorated palace; to situate in relation to all the decorations a stone which is like the central point of numerous, various decorations, is dependent on knowing the entire wall together with all its decorations. And to situate the pupil of the eye in a human head is dependent on knowing its relations with the whole body and all the body's wondrous functions, together with the eye's position in the face of those duties. In just the same way, the most advanced of the people of truth, have demonstrated numerous relationships in the Qur'an's words and their aspects and connections with other verses and phrases. Scholars of the Hurufi School in particular, have gone further, explaining and demonstrating to their followers a page of hidden meanings in a single of the Qur'an's letters.

Furthermore, since it is the speech of the Creator of all things, each of its words may be like a heart or seed. That is, a heart contained in an immaterial body formed of mysteries, or the seed of an immaterial tree.

Thus, words like those of the Qur'an, and even phrases or verses, may occur in man's speech, but an all-encompassing knowledge is necessary to situate them exactly as they are in the Qur'an, taking into account the many relationships.

THIRD POINT

A brief but true reflection on the essential nature of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition was once inspired in my heart as a Divine bounty. Now I will give below a translation of that Arabic piece.

The six aspects of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition are brilliant and luminous; neither doubt nor misgiving can penetrate it. For its back leans on God's Throne; there is the light of Revelation in that aspect. Before it and its goal is the happiness of both worlds; it has laid its hand on post-eternity and the hereafter, and contains the light of happiness and Paradise. Above it shines the seal of miraculousness. Beneath it lie the pillars of proof and evidence. Its inner face is pure guidance, while its right causes the mind to affirm it with phrases like "Will they not think?" Providing spiritual sustenance to hearts, its left causes the conscience to testify to God's blessings. So from what side, what corner, can the thieves of doubt and misgiving enter the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition?

Yes, the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition contains the meaning of the consensus of the books of the prophets, the saints, and those who affirm Divine Unity, whose centuries, ways, and temperaments were all different. That is, those who sought the truth through either the intellect or heart mentioned in their books the All-Wise Qur'an's concise decrees and principles, in such a way as to confirm them. Thus, they are like the roots of the heavenly tree of the Qur'an.

The All-Wise Qur'an is also based on Revelation and is Revelation. For the Glorious One Who revealed it, demonstrated and proved it was Revelation through the miracles of Muhammad (PBUH). And the Qur'an too, which reveals, shows through the miraculousness on it that it comes from the Divine Throne. Then the alarm of the Most Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace) to whom it was revealed, when it was first revealed and his unconscious state during its revelation and his sincerity and veneration towards the Qur'an, which were greater than everyone's, all demonstrate that it was Revelation coming from pre-eternity; it was his guest.

Moreover, the Qur'an is self-evidently pure guidance, for observedly its opposite is the misguidance of unbelief. It is also of necessity the source of the lights of belief, and the reverse of this is of course, darkness. We have proved this decisively in many of the Words.

Furthermore, the Qur'an is of a certainty the assembly of truths; illusion and superstition cannot intrude on it. The elevated perfections which the World of Islam, to which it gave form, and the Shari'a, which it manifested, display testify and prove that it is pure truth and contains no contradictions. Its discussions concerning the World of the Unseen testify to this too, like those concerning the Manifest World.

Without doubt, the Qur'an also leads to the happiness of both worlds, and urges man to it. If anyone doubts this, let him read the Qur'an once and heed what it says. Moreover, the fruits the Qur'an produces are both perfect and living. In which case, the roots of the tree of the Qur'an are founded in reality and are living. For the life of the fruit points to the life of the tree. See, how many perfect, living, luminous fruits it has produced each century, like the saints and purified scholars!

Also, with a conviction arising from innumerable various signs, it may be said the Qur'an is accepted and sought after by both men, and jinn, and angels, for when it is recited, they gather round it, drawn like moths.

And together with being Revelation, the Qur'an has been strengthened and fortified with rational proofs; the unanimity of the wise and intelligent testifies to this. The great scholars of theology, and the geniuses of philosophy like Ibn Sina and Ibn Rushd unanimously demonstrated the Qur'anic principles, in accordance with their own methods and proofs.

The Qur'an is also affirmed by all sound natures. So long as it is not corrupted in any way, human nature confirms it. For an easy conscience and peace of mind are to be found through its lights. That is to say, unٍ ءilt human nature affirms it through the testimony of a tranquil conscience, and says to the Qur'an through the tongue of disposition: "Our natures cannot be perfected without you!" We have proved this truth in many places.

The Qur'an is also observedly and self-evidently an eternal and perpetual miracle; it always displays its miraculousness. It never dies away like other miracles, its time never comes to an end; it is everlasting.

Furthermore, there is such breadth in the Qur'an's guidance that the Angel Gabriel and a young child may listen to its same lesson side by side, and both receive their share. And a brilliant philosopher like Ibn

Sina may study the same of its lessons side by side with an ordinary reciter, and they both receive their instruction. It may even happen that due to the strength and purity of his belief, the common man may benefit more than Ibn Sina.

Also, there is in the Qur'an such an eye that it sees and encompasses the whole universe, and holds it before it like the pages of a book, describing its levels and worlds. Like a watchmaker turns, opens, shows, and describes his clock, the Qur'an does the same with the universe, as though it was holding it in its hand. The Qur'an of Mighty Stature is thus; it declares: "Know that there is no god but God," and proclaims the Divine Unity.

O God! Make the Qur'an our companion in this world, and a friend for us in the grave, and at the resurrection an intercessor, and on the Bridge a light, and from the Fire a shield and screen, and in Paradise a companion, and in all good works, a guide and leader. O God! Illuminate our hearts and graves with the light of belief and the Qur'an; and illumine the proof of the Qur'an for the sake of and in veneration of the one to whom the Qur'an was revealed, and grant blessings and peace to him and his Family from the Most Merciful One, the Gentle One. Amen.

NINETEENTH SIGN

It has been proved in the previous Signs most decisively and indubitably that the Most Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was God Almighty's Messenger. His messengership being thus established through thousands of certain evidences, Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was the most brilliant and conclusive proof of Divine Unity and eternal happiness. In this Sign, we shall offer a concise and summary definition of that shining evidence, that articulate proof. For since he is the proof and his conclusion is knowledge of God, we must surely recognize the proof and learn the manner of his evidence. With an extremely brief summary, therefore, we shall describe in what ways he is a proof of it, and its correctness. It is as follows:

Like all the beings in the universe, God's Noble Messenger(Upon whom be blessings and peace) pointed through his own self to the Creator of the Universe's existence and Unity; and he proclaimed with his tongue that evidence of his self, together with the evidence offered by all beings. Since he himself was the evidence, we shall point in fifteen Principles to its proof and integrity, its truthfulness and veracity.

This proof, who indicated to the universe's Maker with both his self, and his tongue, and his conduct, and his speech,

was both verified by the reality of the universe, and was veracious. For the evidence to Divine Unity made by all beings is surely confirmation of the one who proclaims that Unity. That is to say, the cause he proclaims is verified by the whole universe. Also, since the perfection of Divine Unity and absolute good of eternal happiness he expounded are in agreement and conformity with the beauty and perfection of all the truths of the world, he is certainly veracious in his cause. That is to say, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was an articulate proof of Divine Unity and eternal happiness who was both veracious and verified.

Also, since that veracious and verified proof performed thousands of miracles greater than all the previous prophets, came with a Shari'a that will never be abrogated, and his call was to all men and jinn, he was surely the chief of all the prophets, and therefore gathered together in himself the essence and unanimity of all their miracles. That means the strength of the consensus of the prophets and the testimony of their miracles forms a support for his truthfulness and veracity. He is also the master and leader of all the saints and purified scholars who attain to perfection through his training and guidance and the light of his Shari'a. In which case, gathered together in him were the mystery of their wonders, their unanimous affirmation, and the strength of their verifications. For they travelled the way their master opened up and left open, and they found the truth. In which case, all their wonder-working and verifications and consensus forms a support for their sacred master's truthfulness and veracity. Also, as was seen in the previous Signs, this proof of Divine Unity was equipped with such certain, evident, and definite miracles and wondrous irhasat, and his prophethood was proved by such irrefutable evidences that their affirmation could not be disputed, even if the whole universe were to unite against him.

And in that herald of Divine Unity and giver of the tidings of eternal happiness who was himself a clear miracle were such elevated moral qualities, and in the duties of his messengership such sublime attributes, and in the Shari'a he propagated such high virtues, that even his most bitter enemy had to confirm them, being unable to deny them. Since the highest and best moral qualities, the most elevated and perfect attributes, and the most precious and acceptable virtues were present in his self, his duties, and his religion, for sure, that being was the exemplar, model, personification, and master of the perfections and elevated moral qualities in beings. In which case, these perfections in his self, his duty, and his religion form a support for his veracity and truthfulness so powerful that it can in no way be shaken.

And this herald of Divine Unity and happiness, who was the source of perfections and teacher of elevated virtues, did not speak of himself; he was made to speak. Yes, he was made to speak by the Creator of the Universe. He received instruction from his Pre-Eternal Master, then he taught. For the Creator of the Universe showed through the thousands of proofs of his prophethood, in part described in the above Signs, through all those miracles He created through his hand, that he was not speaking on his own account, but conveying His speech. Furthermore, the Qur'an that came to him shows through its forty aspects of miraculousness, outer and inner, that he was Almighty God's interpreter. Also, through all his sincerity, fear of God, seriousness, reliability, and all his other qualities and conduct, he showed that he was not speaking his own ideas in his own name, but was speaking in the name of his Creator. In addition, all those who penetrate to reality who heed him have affirmed him with the truths they have investigated and laid open; they have believed with 'knowledge of certainty' that he was not speaking on his own behalf, but that the Creator of the Universe was causing him to speak and teaching, teaching by means of him. In which case, his veracity and truthfulness are supported by the consensus of these four powerful principles.

And this Interpreter of Pre-Eternal Speech saw spirit beings, conversed with angels, and offered guidance to men and jinn. He received knowledge surpassing the world of men and jinn, and even the worlds of spirits and the angels; he had access to, and relationships with, the realms that lie beyond theirs. The miracles mentioned previously and the story of his life, which have the authenticity of 'consensus,' all prove this fact. In which case, unlike soothsayers and others who give news of the Unseen, no jinn, no spirit being, no angel, and apart from Gabriel, not even the highest angels in attendance on God Almighty, could interfere in the tidings he gave. And on some occasions, he even left Gabriel, his companion, behind.

And this being, the lord of the angels, jinn, and men, was the most illumined and perfect fruit of the tree of the universe, and the personification of Divine Mercy, and the exemplar of dominical love, and the most luminous proof of the Truth, and the most radiant lamp of reality, and the key to the talisman of the universe, and the solver of the riddle of creation, and the expounder of the wisdom of the world, and the herald of Divine sovereignty, and the describer of the beauties of dominical art, and in regard to the comprehensiveness of his disposition, he was the most complete example of the perfections of

beings. In which case, these attributes of his and his spiritual personality indicate, indeed, show that this being was the ultimate cause of the universe's existence; that is to say, the universe's Creator looked to this being and created the universe. It may be said that if He had not created him, He would not have created the universe. Yes, the truths of the Qur'an and lights of belief he brought to men and jinn, and the elevated virtues and exalted perfections apparent in his being are a decisive witness to this fact.

And this proof of the Truth and lamp of reality demonstrated a religion and Shari'a that comprises principles ensuring the happiness of both worlds. Moreover, besides being comprehensive, it explains with complete correctness the universe's truths and functions, and the Creator of the Universe's Names and attributes. Thus, Islam and the Shari'a are so comprehensive and perfect, and describe the universe and Himself in such a way, that anyone who studies it carefully is bound to understand that his religion is a declaration, a manifesto, describing both the One Who made this beautiful universe, and the universe itself. In the same way that a palace's builder writes an instruction sheet suitable to the palace so that he may describe himself through its features, the religion and Shari'a of Muhammad (PBUH) demonstrate through their clear elevatedness, comprehensiveness, and truth that his religion proceeded from the pen of the One Who creates and regulates the universe. Whoever ordered the universe so well is the One Who ordered this religion equally well. Yes, the perfect order of the one requires the perfect order of the other.

Thus qualified by the above-mentioned attributes and sustained by totally unshakeable, powerful supports, Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) proclaimed his message over the heads of men and jinn in the name of the World of the Unseen, turned to the Manifest World; he addressed the peoples and nations waiting beyond the centuries of the future; he called out to all jinn and men; he made all places and all times hear. Yes, we too hear!

And his address is so elevated and powerful that all the centuries heed it. Yes, all the centuries hear the echo of his voice.

And it is apparent from that being's manner that he saw, and spoke accordingly. For at times of greatest peril, he spoke unhesitatingly, fearlessly, with utter steadfastness. On occasion he challenged the whole world on his own.

And with all his strength he made so powerful a call and summons that he caused half the earth and a fifth of mankind to respond to his voice, declaring: "Yes, we have heard and we obey!"

And he called with such seriousness and instructed so fundamentally that he inscribed his principles on the face of the centuries and on the very stones of all corners of the world; he engraved them on the face of time.

And he proclaimed the soundness of the injunctions he conveyed with such confidence and sureness, that should the whole world have gathered, they could not have made him revoke or abjure a single of those precepts. Witness to this are all his life and his illustrious biography.

And he called and summoned with such confidence and trust that he became obliged to no one and no difficulty upset him; with complete sincerity and honesty, he accepted before anyone the precepts he had brought, and acted accordingly, and proclaimed them. And witness to this was his famous asceticism and independence, and his never stooping to the ephemeral glitter of this world, which were well-known by everyone, friend and foe.

And his obedience to the religion he brought, and his worship of his Maker, and his abstaining from whatever was forbidden, all of which he performed to a greater degree than everyone else, demonstrate conclusively that he was the envoy and herald of the Monarch of Pre-Eternity and Post-Eternity; he was the most sincere servant of the One Who is worshipped by right, and the interpreter of His pre-eternal word.

The conclusion of these Fifteen Principles is this: the one qualified by the above-mentioned attributes proclaimed Divine Unity with all his strength repeatedly and constantly throughout his life, saying: "So know that there is no god but God."

O God, grant him blessings and peace to the number of good deeds of his community, and to his Family.

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed You are All-Knowing, All-Wise!

In the hope of complying with the meaning of the verse,

I shall mention a mark of Almighty God's favour and mercy which was apparent in the writing of this treatise, so that those who read it may understand its importance.

I had no intention of writing this treatise, for the Nineteenth and Thirty-First Words about the messengership of Muhammad (PBUH) had been written. Then suddenly I felt a compelling impulse to write it. Also my power of memory had been extinguished due to the calamities I had suffered. Moreover, in accordance with my way, I had not taken the path of narrative, that is, "he said that," "it was said that," in the works I had written. Furthermore, I had no books of Hadith or the Prophet's biography available to me. Nevertheless, saying: "I place my trust in God," I began. It was extremely successful, and my memory assisted me in a way that surpassed even that of the Old Said. Thirty to forty pages were written at speed every two or three hours. Once fifteen pages were written in a single hour. It was mostly narrated from such books as Bukhari, Muslim, Bayhaqi, Tirmidhi, Shifa' al-Sharif, Abu Na'im, and Tabari. My heart was trembling, because if there had been any error in relating them -since they are Hadiths- it would have been a sin. But it was clear that Divine favour was with us and there was need for the treatise. God willing, what has been written is sound. If perhaps there are any errors in the wording of some of the Hadiths or in the names of the narrators, I request that my brothers will look on them tolerantly and correct them.

Ustad Said Nursi, our master, dictated and we wrote the first draft. He had no books with him, nor did he refer to any. He would suddenly dictate at great speed, and we wrote. We would write thirty, forty, and sometimes more, pages in two or three hours. We formed the conviction that this success was itself a wonder proceeding from the miracles of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Abdullah Çavus

His student in permanent attendance on him.

Süleyman Sami

His scribe of rough drafts in permanent attendance on him.

Hâfiz Halid

His scribe of rough drafts in permanent attendance on him.

Hâfiz Tevfik

His scribe of rough and final drafts.

The First Addendum to the Miracles of Muhammad (PBUH)

[The Nineteenth Word about the Messengership of Muhammad (PBUH) and the Miracle of the Splitting of the Moon have been included here due to their 'station.']

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

Also being the Fourteenth Flash, this Word consists of fourteen 'Droplets.'

FIRST DROPLET

There are three great and universal things which make known to us our Sustainer. One is the Book of the Universe, a jot of whose testimony we have heard from the thirteen Flashes together with the Thirteenth Word of the Risale-i Nur. Another is the Seal of the Prophets (Upon whom be blessings and peace), the supreme sign of the Book of the Universe. Now, we must become acquainted with the Seal of the Prophets (Upon whom be blessings and peace), who is the second and Articulate Proof, and must listen to him.

Indeed, look at the collective personality of this proof: the face of the earth has become his mosque, Makkah, his mihrab, and Madinah, his pulpit. Our Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him), this clear proof, is leader to all the believers, preacher to all mankind, the chief of all the prophets, lord of all the saints, the leader of a circle for the remembrance of God comprising all the prophets and saints. He is a luminous tree whose living roots are all the prophets, and fresh fruits are all the saints; whose claims all the prophets relying on their miracles and all the saints relying on their wonder-working confirm and corroborate. For he declares and claims: "There is no god but God!" And all on left and right,

that is, those luminous reciters of God's Names lined up in the past and the future, repeat the same words, and through their consensus in effect declare: "You speak the truth and what you say is right!" What false idea has the power to meddle in a claim which is thus affirmed and corroborated by thousands?

SECOND DROPLET

Just as that luminous Proof of Divine Unity is affirmed by the unanimity and consensus of those two wings, so do hundreds of indications in the revealed scriptures, like the Torah and Bible, {(*):} and the thousands of signs that appeared before the beginning of his mission, and the well-known news of the voices from the Unseen and the unanimous testimony of the soothsayers, the indications of the thousands of his miracles, like the Splitting of the Moon, and the justice of Shari'a, all confirm and corroborate him. So too, in his person, his laudable morals, which were at the summit of perfection; and in his duties, his complete confidence and elevated qualities, which were of the highest excellence; and his extraordinary fear of God, worship, seriousness, and fortitude, which demonstrated the strength of his belief, and his total certainty and his complete steadfastness, all show as clearly as the sun how utterly faithful he was to his cause.

THIRD DROPLET

If you wish, come! Let us go to Arabian Peninsula, to the Era of Bliss! In our imaginations, we shall see him at his duties and visit him. Look! We see a person distinguished by his fine character and beautiful form. In his hand is a miraculous Book and on his tongue, a truthful address; he is delivering a pre-eternal sermon to all mankind, indeed, to man, jinn, and the angels, and to all beings. He solves and expounds the obscure riddle of the mystery of the world's creation; he discovers and solves the abstruse talisman which is the mystery of the universe; and he provides convincing and satisfying answers to the three awesome and difficult questions that are asked of all beings and have always bewildered and occupied minds: "Where do you come from? What are you doing here? Where are you going?"

FOURTH DROPLET

See! He spreads such a Light of truth that if you look at the universe as being outside the luminous sphere of his truth and guidance, you see it

to be like a place of general mourning, and beings strangers to one another and hostile, and inanimate beings to be like ghastly corpses and living creatures like orphans weeping at the blows of death and separation. Now look! Through the Light he spreads, that place of universal mourning has been transformed into a place where God's Names and praises are recited in joy and ecstasy. The foreign, hostile beings have become friends and brothers. While the dumb, dead inanimate creatures have each taken on the form of familiar officials and docile servants. And the weeping, complaining orphans are seen to be either reciting God's Names and praises or offering thanks at being released from their duties.

FIFTH DROPLET

Also, through his Light, the motion and movement of the universe, and its variations, changes and transformations, cease being meaningless, futile, and the playthings of chance and rise to the level of being dominical missives, pages inscribed with the signs of creation, and mirrors to the Divine Names, and the world itself, a book of the Eternally Besought One's wisdom. And while man's boundless weakness and impotence make him inferior to all other animals and his reason, the means of transmitting grief, sorrow, and sadness, makes him more wretched, when he is illumined with that Light, he rises above all animals and all creatures. Through his illuminated impotence, want, and reason, through entreaty he becomes a petted monarch and through lamenting, a spoiled vicegerent of the earth. That is to say, if it was not for his Light, the universe and man, and all things, would be nothing. Yes, certainly such a person is necessary in such a wondrous universe; otherwise the universe and firmaments should not be in existence.

SIXTH DROPLET

Thus, that being announces and brings the good news of eternal happiness; he is the discoverer and proclaimer of an infinite mercy, the herald and observer of the beauties of the sovereignty of dominicality, and the discloser and displayer of the treasures of the Divine Names. If you regard him in that way, that is in regard to his being a worshipful servant of God, you will see him to be the model of love, the exemplar of mercy, the glory of mankind, and the most luminous fruit of the tree of creation. While if you look in this way, that is, in regard to his prophethood, you see him to be the proof of God, the lamp of truth, the sun of guidance, and the means to happiness. And look! His Light has lighted up from east to west like dazzling lightening, and half the earth and a fifth of mankind has accepted the gift of his guidance and preserved it like life itself. So how is it that our evil-commanding souls and satans do not accept with

all its degrees the basis of all one such as that claimed, that is, "There is no god but God?"

SEVENTH DROPLET

Now, consider how, eradicating in no time at all their evil and savage customs and habits to which they were fanatically attached, he decked out the various wild, unyielding peoples of that broad peninsula with all the finest virtues, and made them teachers of all the world and masters to the civilized nations. See, it was not an outward domination, he conquered and subjugated their minds, spirits, hearts, and souls. He became the beloved of hearts, the teacher of minds, the trainer of souls, the ruler of spirits.

EIGHTH DROPLET

You know that a small habit like cigarette smoking among a small nation can be removed permanently only by a powerful ruler with great effort. But look! This being removed numerous ingrained habits from intractable, fanatical large nations with slight outward power and little effort in a short period of time, and in their place he so established exalted qualities that they became as firm as if they had mingled with their very blood. He achieved very many extraordinary feats like this. Thus, we present the Arabian Peninsula as a challenge to those who refuse to see the testimony of the blessed age of the Prophet. Let them each take a hundred philosophers, go there, and strive for a hundred years, I wonder if they would be able to carry out in that time one hundredth of what he achieved in a year?

NINTH DROPLET

Also, you know that an insignificant man of small standing among a small community in a disputed matter of small importance cannot tell a small but shameful lie brazenfaced and without fear without displaying anxiety or disquiet enough to inform the enemies at his side of his deception. Now look at that being; although he undertook a tremendous task which required an official of great authority and great standing and a situation of great security, can any contradiction at all be found in the words he uttered among a community of great size in the face of great hostility concerning a great cause and matters of great significance, with great ease and freedom, without fear, hesitation, diffidence, or anxiety, with pure sincerity, great seriousness, and in an intense, elevated manner that angered his enemies? Is it at all possible that any trickery should have been involved? God forbid! It is naught but Revelation inspired. {[*]:}

The truth does not deceive, and one who perceives the truth is not deceived. His way which is truth is free of deception. How could a fancy appear to one who sees the truth to be the truth, and deceive him?

TENTH DROPLET

Now, look! What curiosity-arousing, attractive, necessary, and awesome truths he shows and matters he proves.

You know that what impels man most is curiosity. Even, should it be said to you: "If you give half of your life and property, someone will come from the Moon and Jupiter and tell you all about them. And will also tell you correctly about your future and what will happen to you," if you have any curiosity at all, you would give them. Whereas that being tells of a Monarch Who is such that in His realm, the Moon flies round a moth like a fly, and the moth, the earth, flutters round a lamp, and the lamp, the sun, is merely one lamp among thousands in one guest-house out of thousands of that Monarch.

Also, he speaks truly of a world so wondrous and a revolution so tremendous that if the earth was a bomb and exploded it would not be all that strange. Look! Listen to Suras like, When the sun is folded up. {[*]:} * When the sky is cleft asunder. {[*]:} * [The Day] of Noise and Clamour, {[*]:} which he recites.

Also, he speaks truly of such a future that the future in this world is like a tiny mirage in comparison. He tells too most seriously of such happiness that the comparison between it and all worldly happiness is that between a fleeting flash of lightening and an eternal sun.

ELEVENTH DROPLET

Such wonders certainly await us under the outer veil of the universe which is thus strange and perplexing. One thus wonderful and extraordinary, a displayer of marvels, is necessary to tell of its wonders. It is apparent from that being's conduct that he has seen them, and sees them, and says that he has seen them. He instructs us most soundly concerning what the God of the heavens and the earth, Who nurtures us with His bounties, wants and desires of us. While everyone should leave everything, therefore, and run to and heed this being who teaches numerous necessary and curiosity-arousing truths like these, how is it that most people are deaf and blind, and mad even, so that they do not see this truth, and they do not listen to it and understand it?

TWELFTH DROPLET

This Being is both an articulate proof and true evidence at the degree of the truth of the Unity of the Creator of beings, and a decisive proof and clear evidence for the resurrection of the dead and eternal happiness. Indeed, with his guidance he is the reason for eternal happiness coming about and is the means of attaining it; so too, through his prayers and supplications, he is the cause of its existence and means of its creation. We repeat here this mystery, which is mentioned in the Tenth Word, due to its 'station.'

See! This being prays with a prayer so supreme it is as if the Arabian Peninsula and the earth too performs the prayers through his majestic prayer, and offers entreaties. See, he entreats in a congregation so vast it is as if all the luminous and perfected members of mankind from the time of Adam till our age and until the end of time, are following him and saying "Amen" to his supplications. And see! He is beseeching for a need so universal that not only the dwellers of the earth, but those of the heavens, and all beings, join in his prayer, declaring: "Yes! O our Sustainer! Grant it to us! We too want it!" He supplicates with such want, so sorrowfully, in such a loving, yearning, and beseeching fashion that he brings the whole cosmos to tears, making them join in his prayer.

And see! He prays for such a purpose and aim that it raises man and the world, and all creatures, from the lowest of the low, from inferiority, worthlessness, and uselessness to the highest of the high; that is, to having value, permanence, and exalted duties. And see! He seeks and pleads for help and mercy in a manner so elevated and sweet that it is as if he makes all beings and the heavens and the earth hear, and bringing them to ecstasy, to exclaim: "Amen, O our God! Amen!" And see! He seeks his needs from One so Powerful, Hearing, and Munificent, One so Knowing, Seeing, and Compassionate, that He sees and hears the most secret need of the most hidden living being and its entreaties, accepts them, and has mercy on it. For He gives what is asked for, even if through the tongue of disposition. And He gives it in so Wise, Seeing, and Compassionate a form that it leaves no doubt that that nurturing and regulation is particular to the All-Hearing and All-Seeing One, the Most Generous and Most Compassionate One.

THIRTEENTH DROPLET

What does he want, this pride of the human race, who taking behind him all the eminent of mankind, stands on top of the world, and raising up his hands, is praying? What is this unique being, who is truly the

glory of the cosmos, seeking? Listen! He is seeking eternal happiness. He is asking for eternal life, and to meet with God. He wants Paradise. And he wants all the Sacred Divine Names, which display their beauty and decrees in the mirrors of beings. Even, if it were not for reasons for the fulfilment of those countless requests, like Mercy, Grace, Wisdom, and Justice, a single of that being's prayers would have been sufficient for the construction of Paradise, the creation of which is as easy for Divine Power as the creation of the spring. Yes, just as his messengership was the reason for the opening of this place of examination and trial, so his worship and servitude to God was the reason of the opening of the next world.

Would the perfect order observed in the universe, which has caused scholars and the intelligent to pronounce: "It is not possible for there to exist anything better than what is in existence," and would the faultless beauty of art within mercy, the incomparable beauty of dominicality, permit the ugliness, the cruelty, the lack of order of its hearing and responding to the least significant, the least important desires and voices, and its considering unimportant the most important, the most necessary wishes, and its not hearing, understanding, and carrying them out? God forbid! A hundred thousand times, God forbid! Such a beauty would not permit such an ugliness; it would not become ugly!

And so, my imaginary friend! That is enough for now, we must return. For if we remain a hundred years in this age in the Arabian Peninsula, we still would only completely comprehend one hundredth of the marvels of that being's duties and the wonders he carried out, and we would never tire of watching him.

Now, come! We shall look at the centuries, which will turn above us. See how each has opened like a flower through the effulgence it has received from that Sun of Guidance! They have produced millions of enlightened fruits like Abu Hanifa, Shafi'i, Abu Bayazid Bistami, Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir Gilani, Shah Naqshband, Imam Ghazali and Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi. And postponing the details of our observations to another time, we must recite some benedictions for that displayer of miracles and bringer of guidance, which indicate a number of his certain miracles:

Innumerable peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad, to the number of the good deeds of his community, to whom was revealed the All-Wise Criterion of Truth and Falsehood, from One Most Merciful, Most Compassionate, from the Sublime Throne; whose Prophethood was foretold by the Torah and Bible, and told of by wondrous signs, the voices of jinn, saints of man, and sooth

sayers; at whose indication the moon split; our master Muhammad! Peace and blessings be upon him thousands and thousands of times, to the number of the breaths of his community; at whose beckoning came the tree, on whose prayer rain swiftly fell, and whom the cloud shaded from the heat; who satisfied a hundred men with his food; from between whose fingers three times flowed water like the Spring of Kawthar; and to whom God made speak the lizard, the gazelle, the wolf, the torso, the arm, the camel, the mountain, the rock, and the clod; the one who made the Ascension and whose eye did not waver; our master and intercessor, Muhammad! Peace and blessings be upon him thousands and thousands of times, to the number of the letters of the Qur'an formed in the words represented with the permission of the Most Merciful in the mirrors of the airwaves at the reciting of all the words of the Qur'an by all reciters from when it was first revealed to the end of time. And grant us forgiveness and have mercy on us, O God, for each of those blessings. Amen.

[I have described the Evidences for the Prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH) which I have here indicated briefly in a Turkish treatise called Suaât-i Mârifeti'n-Nebî and in the Nineteenth Letter (The Miracles of Muhammad). There too aspects of the All-Wise Qur'an's miraculousness have been mentioned briefly. Again, in a Turkish treatise called Lemeât and in the Twenty-Fifth Word (The Miraculousness of the Qur'an) I have explained concisely forty ways in which the Qur'an is a miracle, and indicated forty aspects of its miraculousness. And of those forty aspects, only the eloquence in the word order I have written in forty pages in an Arabic commentary called, Isharat al-I'jaz. If you have the need, you may refer to those three works.]

FOURTEENTH DROPLET

The All-Wise Qur'an, the treasury of miracles and supreme miracle, proves the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH) together with Divine Unity so decisively that it leaves no need for further proof. We shall therefore give its definition and indicate one or two flashes of its miraculousness which have been the cause of criticism.

The All-Wise Qur'an, which makes known to us our Sustainer, is as follows: it is the pre-eternal translator of the great Book of the Universe; the discloser of the treasures of the Divine Names concealed in the pages of the earth and the heavens; the key to the truths hidden beneath these lines of events; the treasury of the favours of the Most Merciful and of the pre-eternal addresses, which come forth from the World of the

Unseen beyond the veil of this Manifest World; the sun, foundation, and plan of the spiritual world of Islam, and the map of the worlds of the hereafter; the distinct expounder, lucid exposition, articulate proof, and clear translator of the Divine Essence, attributes, and deeds; the instructor, true wisdom, guide, and leader of the world of humanity; it is both a book of wisdom and law, and a book of prayer and worship, and a book of command and summons, and a book of invocation and Divine knowledge-it is book for all spiritual needs; and it is a sacred library offering books appropriate to the ways of all the saints and veracious, the purified and the scholars, whose ways and paths are all different.

Consider the flashes of miraculousness in its repetitions, which are imagined to be a fault: since the Qur'an is both a book of invocation, and of prayer, and of summons, the repetition in it is desirable, indeed, it is essential and most eloquent. It is not as the faulty imagine. For the mark of invocation is illumination through repetition. The mark of prayer is strengthening through repetition. The mark of command and summons is confirmation through repetition. Moreover, everyone is not capable of always reading the whole Qur'an, but mostly is able to read one Sura. Therefore, since the most important purposes of the Qur'an are included in most of the longer Suras, each is like a small Qur'an. That is to say, so that no one should be deprived, certain of its purposes like Divine Unity, the resurrection of the dead, and the story of Moses, have been repeated. Also, like bodily needs, spiritual needs are various. Man is in need of some of them each breath; like the body needs air, the spirit needs the word Hu (He). Some he is in need of each hour, like "In the Name of God." And so on. That means the repetition of verses arises from the repetition of need. And it makes the repetition in order to point out the need and awaken and incite it, and to arouse desire and appetite.

Also, the Qur'an is a founder. It is the basis of the Clear Religion, and the foundation of the world of Islam. It changed human social life, and is the answer to the repeated questions of its various classes. Repetition is necessary for a founder in order to establish things. Repetition is necessary to corroborate them. Confirmation and repetition are necessary to strengthen them.

Also, it speaks of such mighty matters and minute truths that numerous repetitions are necessary in different forms in order to establish them in the hearts of everyone. Nevertheless, they are apparently repetitions, but in meaning each verse has numerous meanings, numerous benefits, and many aspects and levels. In each place they are mentioned for a different meaning, benefit, and purpose.

Also, the Qur'an's being unspecific and concise in certain matters to do with the cosmos is a flash of miraculousness, and is for the purpose of guidance. It cannot be the cause of criticism and is not a fault, like some atheists imagine.

"Why does the All-Wise Qur'an not speak of beings in the same way as philosophy and science? It leaves some matters in brief form, and some it speaks of in a simple and superficial way that is easy for the general view, does not wound people's feelings, and does not weary or tax the minds of ordinary people. Why is this?"

Philosophy has strayed from the path of truth, that's why. Also, of course you have understood from previous Words and what they teach that the All-Wise Qur'an speaks of the universe in order to make known the Divine Essence, attributes, and Names. That is, it explains the meanings of the Book of the Universe to make known its Creator. That means it looks at beings, not for themselves, but for their Creator. Also, it addresses everyone, while philosophy and science look at beings for themselves, and address scientists in particular. In which case, since the All-Wise Qur'an makes beings evidences and proofs, the evidence has to be superficial so that it will be quickly understood in the general view. And since the Qur'an of Guidance addresses all classes of men, the ordinary people, which form the most numerous class, want guidance which is concise with unnecessary things beings vague; in a way that brings subtle things close with comparisons, and does not change things which in their superficial view are obvious into an unnecessary or even harmful form, lest it causes them to fall into error.

For example, it says about the sun: "The sun is a revolving lamp or lantern." This is because it does not speak of the sun for itself and its nature, but because it is a sort of mainspring of an order and centre of a system, and order and systems are mirrors of the Maker's skill. It says:

The sun runs its course. {[*]:}

that is, the sun revolves. Through calling to mind the orderly disposals of Divine power in the revolutions of winter and summer, and day and night with the phrase, The sun revolves, it makes known the Maker's tremendousness. Thus, whatever the reality of this revolving, it does not affect the order, which is woven and obsspoed, and which is the purpose. It also says,

And set the sun as a lamp. {[*]:}

Here, by depicting with the word 'lamp' the world in the form of a palace, and the things within it as decorations, necessities, and provisions prepared for man and living beings, and the sun as a subjugated candleholder, it makes known the Creator's mercy and bestowal. Now look and see what this foolish and prattling philosophy says:

"The sun is a vast burning liquid mass. It causes the planets which have been flung off from it to revolve around it. Its mass is such-and-such. It is this, it is that." Apart from a terrible dread and fearful wonder, philosophy gives to the spirit no knowledge that will perfect it. It does not speak of it as the Qur'an does. You may understand from this the value of the matters of philosophy, whose inside is hollow and outside, ostentatious. So do not be deceived by its glittering exterior and be disrespectful towards the miraculous expositions of the Qur'an!

[NOTE: The Six Drops of the Fourteenth Droplet in the Arabic Risale-i Nur, and especially the Six Points of the Fourth Drop, explain fifteen of the approximately forty sorts of miraculousness of the All-Wise Qur'an. Deeming those to be sufficient, we have limited the discussion here. If you wish, refer to them, and you will find a treasury of miracles...]

O God! Make the Qur'an healing for us, the writer of this and his peers, for all our ills, and a companion to us in our lives and after our deaths, and in this world, and in the grave, and at the Last Judgement an intercessor, and on the Bridge a light, and from the Fire a screen and shield, and in Paradise a friend, and in all good deeds a guide and leader, through Your grace and munificence and beneficence and mercy, O Most Munificent of the Munificent and Most Merciful of the Merciful! Amen.

O God! Grant blessings and peace to the one to whom was revealed the All-Wise Qur'an, the Distinguisher between Truth and Falsehood, and to all his Family and Companions. Amen. Amen.

About the Miracle of the Splitting of the Moon

[Addendum to the Nineteenth and Thirty-First Words]

The Hour is nigh, and the moon is split. * But if they see a sign, they turn away, and say: "This is evident magic." {[*]:}

Philosophers and their unreasoning imitators, who want to eclipse with their vicious delusions the Splitting of the Moon, which is a miracle of Muhammad (PBUH) that shines like the moon, say: "If the Splitting of the Moon had occurred, it would have been known to the whole world and would have been related throughout the subsequent history of man."

Since the Splitting of the Moon was demonstrated as an evidence of prophethood, and happened instantaneously, at night when people were asleep, and before a gathering who, although they witnessed such an evidence, denied it; and since there were obstacles hindering the sighting of it such as mist, clouds, and time-differences between different parts of the world; and since at that time science and civilization were not widespread, and observation of the skies was very limited, and the event itself was exceptional, there was, therefore, nothing to necessitate that it should have been seen all over the world and passed into the general histories. For now, listen to Five Points out of many that will scatter those clouds of delusion concerning the Splitting of the Moon.

FIRST POINT

The extreme stubbornness of the unbelievers there at that time is well-

known and is recorded in history. And yet, when the All-Wise Qur'an announced this event to the whole world through saying:

And the moon is split,

not one of those unbelievers, who denied the Qur'an, spoke up to give the lie to this verse; that is, not one of them denied the event it was announcing. If the event had not been considered as a definite fact by the unbelievers at that time, they would have taken the verse as a pretext, denied it in a most fearsome manner, and tried to attack and overthrow Muhammad's (PBUH) claim to prophethood. However, the biographies of the Prophet and histories mentioning the event relate nothing to suggest that the unbelievers denied it. The only thing that history relates is, as the verse

And [they] say, "This is evident magic"

points out, the unbelievers who saw the event declared it to be magic, and said that if the caravans in other places had seen it, it was true, otherwise he had bewitched them. The caravans arriving the following morning from the Yemen and other places announced that they had seen such a happening. So the unbelievers then said of the Pride of All the Worlds (PBUH) that, God forbid, the magic of Abu Talib's orphan had affected the heavens.

SECOND POINT

The majority of the most illustrious scholars, like Sa'd al-din Taftazani, declared that like the Prophet had satisfied the thirst of a whole army with water flowing from his fingers, and the whole congregation had heard a dry wooden post against which Muhammad (PBUH) had leant while delivering the sermon weep on being separated from him, the Splitting of the Moon had been transmitted by numerous authorities. That is to say, these events had been passed down from group to group forming such a vast congregation that a conspiracy to lie would have been impossible. Like the appearance of the famous Haley's Comet a thousand years ago had been unanimously reported, and the existence of the island of Ceylon was certain due to unanimous reports, although we had not seen it.

It is therefore unreasonable to foster baseless doubts in such certain, witnessed matters. It is enough that they are not impossible. And as for the Splitting of the Moon, it is quite as possible as a mountain's splitting with a volcanic eruption.

THIRD POINT

Miracles are for proving claims to prophethood and for convincing those who deny such claims, they are not for compelling people to believe. Therefore, miracles have to be manifested to those who hear claims to prophethood at a degree that will persuade them. Just as it would be contrary to the All-Wise and Glorious One's wisdom to display them all over the world or in so self-evident a manner that all would be compelled to believe, so would it also be contrary to the mystery of man's accountability. For this accountability requires "opening the door to the reason and not cancelling the power of choice." If the All-Wise Creator had left the moon split for one or two hours in order to show it to the whole world as the philosophers wished, and it had been recorded in all the general histories of man, then it would have been like all other occurrences in the heavens and would not have been an evidence to Muhammad's (PBUH) claim to prophethood and been special to it. Or else it would have been such a self-evident miracle that it would have annulled the reason's power to choose, and compelled the reason to accept it; willy-nilly, it would have had to assent to his prophethood. Someone with a coal-like spirit like Abu Jahl would have remained at the same level as someone with a diamond-like spirit like Abu Bakr the Veracious; the mystery of man's accountability would have been lost. It was due to this mystery that, being both instantaneous, and at nighttime, and at a time of sleep, and time differences, mist, and cloud and other factors concealing it, it was not shown to the whole world and did not pass into the histories.

FOURTH POINT

Since this event occurred instantaneously at night while everyone was sleeping, of course it was not seen all over the world. Even if some people had seen it, they would not have believed their eyes. And if it had made them believe, such a significant event would not have become a permanent source for future histories through isolated individual reports.

In some books it is written that after the moon split into two halves, it fell to earth, but veracious scholars have rejected such additions, saying that they were perhaps added by dissemblers with the intention of belittling this evident miracle, and making it valueless.

Also, that time in England and Spain, which were then enveloped in mists of ignorance, would have been just after sunset, in America it would have been daytime, and in China and Japan, morning. And in other places there would have been other obstacles preventing it from

being seen. Now consider these unreasoning objectors who say that the histories of peoples like the English, Chinese, Japanese, and Americans do not mention it, and that therefore it did not occur. A thousand curses be on the heads of those who toady to Europe and repeat such things.

FIFTH POINT

The Splitting of the Moon happened neither of its own accord in consequence of certain causes, nor as a result of chance, nor was it a natural event that occurred through the ordinary laws of nature. Rather, the All-Wise Creator of the Sun and the Moon caused it to happen as something out of the ordinary in order to confirm His Messenger's messengership and to illuminate his claim.

As the mystery of guidance, the mystery of human responsibility, and the wisdom of prophethood required, it was demonstrated as a convincing proof to a number of people specified by dominical wisdom. The mystery of wisdom required that it was not shown to people in every region of the world, who had not yet heard of Muhammad's (PBUH) claim to prophethood. Numerous obstacles prevented them, therefore, such as mist, cloud, and time-differences, and the fact that in some countries the moon had not risen, and in others the sun had risen, while in others it was morning, and in yet others the sun had just set.

If it had been shown to all and sundry, it would have been shown as a result of the Sign of Muhammad (PBUH), and a miracle of prophethood, in which case his messengership would have been so manifest that everyone would have been compelled to affirm it. No choice would have remained for man's reason. And belief is attained through the reason and the power of choice. The mystery of human responsibility would have been lost. And if it had been shown merely as an occurrence in the heavens, its connection with Muhammad's (PBUH) messengership would have been severed, and it would have retained no peculiarity to him.

To Conclude: There is no longer any doubt concerning the possibility that the Splitting of the Moon occurred; it has been proved decisively. And now we shall mention six {(*):} of the many evidences pointing to its occurrence.

The concurrence of the Companions of the Prophet, who were all men of justice, on its occurrence.

Their agreement in expounding the verse, And the moon is split of all exacting commentators on the Qur'an.

The fact that, relying on numerous different chains of authorities and lines of transmission, all the scholars of the Prophetic Traditions and transmitters of the sound narrations narrated the event. {[*]:}

The testimony of all the saints and the veracious, those who receive inspiration, and uncover the mysteries of the creation.

The confirmation of learned scholars and theologians, whose ways differ greatly from one another.

The fact that the Community of Muhammad (PBUH) accepted its occurrence, which, on an established principle, never agrees upon error.

These six evidences prove the Splitting of the Moon as clearly as the sun.

CONCLUSION

Up to here this Addendum has been in the name of establishing the truth, and for the sake of silencing those enemies who deny it. Its concluding sentences will now be in the name of the truth and for the sake of belief. Establishing the truth spoke as above, now the truth speaks:

The Seal of the Office of Prophethood, who was the luminous moon of the heavens of messengership, proved his sainthood through his Ascension. This was the greatest wonder and supreme miracle of sainthood, achieved through his worship, which was so elevated as to make him God's beloved. That is to say, by travelling with his earthly body through the heavens, his superiority and his being God's beloved were demonstrated to the dwellers of the heavens and inhabitants of the lofty worlds. So too, through the moon, which is bound to the earth and suspended in the heavens, being split into two halves at the sign of an inhabitant of the earth, it displayed a miracle to the other inhabitants of the earth which indicated the former's messengership. Thus, the person of Muhammad (PBUH) flew to the very summit of perfections on the two luminous wings of messengership and sainthood-like the two luminous unfolded wings of the moon; he ascended to the distance of two bow-lengths; he became the cause of pride of both the inhabitants of the heavens and the inhabitants of the earth....

Upon him and upon his Family be blessings and peace such as will fill the earth and the heavens.

Glory be unto You! we have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise.

The Third Addendum to the Miracles of Muhammad (PBUH)

[This concerns the Messengership of Muhammad (PBUH) and is the answer, in concise index-like form, to the first of the three questions and difficulties in the Third Principle of the Thirty-First Word, about the Ascension of Muhammad.]

Why is this mighty Ascension special to Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace)?

It has been analysed in detail in the first thirty Words. So here we shall set out a concise list briefly alluding to the perfections of Muhammad (PBUH), to the signs of his prophethood, and to the fact that he was the most worthy to make the Ascension. It is as follows.

Despite numerous corruptions in the texts of Holy Scriptures like the Torah, Gospels, and Psalms, in recent times even, an exacting scholar like Husayn Jisri extracted one hundred and fourteen indications of the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH); these good tidings he set forth in his Risale-i Hamidiye.

It has been proved historically that there were many predictions accurately forecasting the prophethood of Muhammad (PBUH), like those of the two soothsayers Shiqq and Satih, which, a while previously to his prophethood, gave news of it and the fact that he was to be the final prophet.

There were hundreds of extraordinary happenings, famous in history, called irhasat, that is, signs forewarning men of a coming prophet, like, for example, on the night of Muhammad's (PBUH) birth, the idols in the Ka'ba fell from their places and the famous palace of Chosroes the Persian was rent asunder.

History and the Prophet's biographies show that he satisfied the thirst of an army with water flowing from his fingers, that in the presence of a large congregation in the mosque, the dry wooden support against which Muhammad (PBUH) was leaning moaned like a camel and wept on being separated from him when he mounted the pulpit, and that he was distinguished by close on a thousand miracles attested to by the verses of the Qur'an, such as,

And the moon split, {[*]:}

referring to the splitting of the moon, and verified by those who investigated them.

Anyone who considers the facts and is fair and just cannot hesitate to agree that, as is unanimously agreed by friend and foe alike, good moral qualities were to be found at the highest degree in his person, and that, in accordance with the testimony of all his dealings and actions, attributes and character of the greatest excellence were apparent in the way he performed his duties and proclaimed Islam. And in accordance with the fine qualities and conduct enjoined by the religion of Islam, laudable virtues of the highest order were to be found in the law he brought.

As is alluded to in the Second Indication of the Tenth Word, it is a requirement of wisdom that Divinity be manifested. And this desire of Divinity to be manifested is met at the greatest level and in the most brilliant fashion by the comprehensive worship performed by Muhammad (PBUH) in the practice of his religion. Also, wisdom and truth require that the Creator of the world displays His beauty in its utter perfection through some means. And the one who met that wish, and displayed and described His beauty in the most perfect fashion was self-evidently the person of Muhammad (PBUH).

It was also clearly Muhammad (PBUH) who, in response to the desire of the world's Maker to exhibit and attract attentive gazes towards His perfect art within infinite beauty, heralded that art with the loudest voice.

And again it was necessarily Muhammad (PBUH) who, in response to the desire of the Sustainer of All the Worlds to proclaim His Unity in the levels of multiplicity, announced all the degrees of Unity, each at the greatest level of Unity.

And, as is indicated by the utter beauty in beings and as is required by

truth and wisdom, the world's Owner desires to see and display in mirrors, His infinite essential beauty and the subtle qualities of His exquisiteness. Again it was self-evidently Muhammad (PBUH) who, in response to that desire, acted as a mirror and displayed that beauty in the most radiant fashion, and loved it and made others love it.

And, in response to the desire of the Maker of the palace of this world to exhibit His hidden treasuries, filled as they are with the most wonderful miracles and priceless jewels, and through them to describe and make known His perfections, it was again self-evidently Muhammad (PBUH) who exhibited, described, and displayed them in the most comprehensive fashion.

And, since the Maker of the universe has made it in such a way that He adorns it with different varieties of wonders and embellishments and has included conscious creatures in it so that they might make tours and excursions and ponder over it and take lessons, wisdom requires that He should desire to make known the meanings and value of the works of art to those who observe and ponder over them. And it was again self-evidently Muhammad (PBUH) who, in response to this desire of the universe's Maker, by means of the All-Wise Qur'an, acted as a guide in the most comprehensive fashion to jinn and man, and to spirit beings and angels.

Also, the All-Wise Ruler of the universe wishes, by means of an envoy, to cause all conscious beings to unravel the obscure talisman containing the aim and purpose of the change and transformations in the universe and to solve the riddle of the three perplexing questions: "Where do beings come from?", "Where are they going?", and, "What are they?" And again it was self-evidently Muhammad (PBUH) who, in response to this wish of the All-Wise Ruler, by means of the truths of the Qur'an, unravelled the talisman and solved the riddle in the clearest and most comprehensive fashion.

Also, the All-Glorious Maker of the universe desires to make Himself known to conscious beings by means of all His fine artefacts and to make them love Him through all His precious bounties, and, most certainly, to make known to them by means of an envoy the Divine wishes and what will please Him in return for those bounties. And again it was self-evidently Muhammad (PBUH) who, in response to this desire of the All-Glorious Maker, by means of the Qur'an, expounded those wishes and things that please Him by word and deed in the most exalted and perfect fashion.

Also, since the Sustainer of All the Worlds has given to man, who is the fruit of the universe, a comprehensive disposition which encompasses the universe and has prepared him for universal worship; and since, because of his faculties and senses, multiplicity and the world afflict man; the Sustainer desires to turn man's face from multiplicity to Unity, from transience to permanence. And again it was self-evidently Muhammad (PBUH) who, in response to this desire, by means of the Qur'an, acted as a guide in the most comprehensive and complete fashion, and in the best way, and carried out the duty of prophethood in the most perfect manner.

Thus, among beings the most superior are animate beings, and among animate beings the most superior are conscious beings, and among conscious beings the most superior are true human beings, and among true human beings the one who carried out the above-mentioned duties at the most comprehensive level and in the most perfect form, would, of a certainty, rise through an all-embracing Ascension to the distance of two bow-lengths, knock at the door of eternal happiness, open the treasury of Mercy, and see the hidden truths of belief. Again it would be him.

As is plain to see, beings are made beautiful with the utmost degree of fine embellishment and adornment. Such an embellishment and adornment clearly demonstrate that their Maker possesses an extremely strong will to make beautiful and intention to adorn. The will to make beautiful and adorn demonstrates that the Maker necessarily possesses a strong desire and holy love towards His art. And among beings the one who displayed altogether in himself the most comprehensive and subtle wonders of art, and knew them and made them known and himself loved, and who appreciated the beauties to be found in other beings, declaring: "What wonders God has willed!", and was most beloved in the sight of his Maker, Who nurtures and loves His art, was again most certainly him.

Thus, the one who, declaring: "All glory be to God! What wonders God has willed! God is most Great!" in the face of the exquisite qualities that gild beings and the subtle perfections that illuminate them, causes the heavens to ring out, and who, through the strains of the Qur'an, causes the universe to reverberate, and through his admiration and appreciation, his contemplation and display, and his mentioning of the Divine Names and affirmation of Divine Unity, brings land and sea to a state of ecstasy, was again self-evidently him (PBUH).

And so, according to the meaning of 'the cause is like the doer,' it is pure truth and sheer wisdom that the one in whose scales shall be found

the equivalent of all the good deeds performed by his community, and whose spiritual perfections draw strength from the benedictions of all his community, and who, as a result of the duties he discharged in his prophethood, received immaterial recompense and boundless emanations of Divine Mercy and love, should advance by the stairway of the Ascension as far as Paradise, the Lote-tree of the farthest limit, the Divine Throne, and the distance of two bow-lengths. {[*]:}

The Fourth Addendum to the Miracles of Muhammad (PBUH)

[The Sixteenth Degree, on the Messengership of Muhammad (PBUH), from the Supreme Sign.]

Then that traveller through the world addressed his own intellect saying: "Since I am seeking my Master and Creator by means of the creatures of the cosmos, I ought before all else to visit the most celebrated of all these creatures, the greatest and most accomplished commander among them, according to the testimony even of his enemies, the most renowned ruler, the most exalted in speech and the most brilliant an intellect, who has illuminated fourteen centuries with his excellence and with his Qur'an, Muhammad the Arabian Prophet (May God's peace and blessings be upon him)." In order thus to visit him and seek from him the answer to his quest, he entered the blessed age of the Prophet in his mind, and saw that age to be one of true felicity, thanks to that being. For through the light he had brought, he had turned the most primitive and illiterate of peoples into the masters and teachers of the world.

He said too to his own intellect, "Before asking him concerning our Creator, we should first learn the value of this extraordinary being, the veracity of his words and the truthfulness of his warnings." Thus he began investigating, and of the numerous conclusive proofs that he found we will briefly indicate here only nine of the most general ones.

THE FIRST

All excellent qualities and characteristics were to be found in that extraordinary being, according to the testimony even of his enemies. Hundreds of miracles were made manifest at his hands, according to explicit Qur'anic verses or traditions enjoying the status of tawatur. {[*]:}

Examples of these miracles are his splitting of the moon - And the moon split {[*]:} - with a single indication of his finger; his casting of a handful of dust into the eyes of his enemies, causing them to flee - It was not your act when you threw, but God's {[*]:} - and his giving his thirsting army to drink from the water that flowed forth from his five fingers like the Sprinnd f Kawthar. Since some of those miracles, numbering more than three hundred, have been set forth with decisive proofs in the remarkable and wondrous work known as The Miracles of Muhammad (the Nineteenth Letter), we leave discussion of the miracles to that book, and permit the traveller to continue speaking:

"A being who in addition to noble characteristics and perfections has all these luminous miracles to demonstrate, must certainly be the most truthful in speech of all men. It is inconceivable that he would stoop to trickery, lies and error, the deeds of the vile."

THE SECOND

He holds in his hand a decree from the Lord of the universe, a decree accepted and affirmed in each century by more than three hundred million people. This decree, the Qur'an of Mighty Stature, is wondrous in seven different ways. The fact that the Qur'an has forty different aspects of miraculousnes and that it is the word of the Creator of all beings has been set forth in detail with strong proofs in the Twenty-Fifth Word, The Miraculousness of the Qur'an, a celebrated treatise that is like the sun of the Risale-i Nur. We therefore leave such matters to that work and listen to the traveller as he says, "There can never be any possibility of lying on the part of the being who is the conveyor and proclaimer of this decree, for that would be a violation of the decree and treachery toward the One Who issued it."

THE THIRD

Such a Sacred Law, an Islam, a code of worship, a cause, a summons, and a faith did that being bring forth that the like of them does not exist, nor could it exist. Nor does a more perfect form of them exist, nor could it exist. For the Law appearing with that unlettered being has no rival in its administration of one fifth of humanity for fourteen centuries, in a just and precise manner through its numerous injunctions. Moreover the Islam that emerged from the deeds, sayings, and inward states of that unlettered being has no peer, nor can it have, for in each century it has

been for three hundred million men a guide and a refuge, the teacher and educator of their intellects and the illuminator and purifier of their hearts, the cause for the refinement and training of their souls, and the source of progress and advancement of their spirits.

The Prophet is similarly unparalleled in the way in which he was the foremost in practising all the forms of worship found in his religion, and the first in piety and the fear of God; in his observing the duties of worship fully and with attention to their profoundest dimensions, even while engaged in constant struggle and activity; in his practice of worship combining in perfect fashion the beginning and end of worship and servitude to God without imitation of anyone.

With the Jawshan al-Kabir, from among his thousands of supplicatory prayers and invocations, he describes his Sustainer with such a degree of gnosis that all the gnostics and saints who have come after him have been unable, with their joint efforts, to attain a similar degree of gnosis and accurate description. This shows that in prayer too he is without peer. Whoever looks at the section at the beginning of the Treatise on Supplicatory Prayer, which sets forth some part of the meaning of one of the ninety-nine sections of the Jawshan al-Kabir, will say that the Jawshan too has no peer.

In his conveying of the message and his summoning men to the truth, he displayed such steadfastness, firmness and courage that although great states and religions, and even his own people, tribe and uncle opposed him in the most hostile fashion, he exhibited not the slightest trace of hesitation, anxiety or fear. The fact that he successfully challenged the whole world and made Islam the master of the world likewise proves that there is not and cannot be anyone like him in his conveying of the message and summons.

In his faith, he had so extraordinary a strength, so marvellous a certainty, so miraculous a breadth, and so exalted a conviction, illumining the whole world, that none of the ideas and beliefs then dominating the world, and none of the philosophies of the sages and teachings of the religious leaders, was able, despite extreme hostility and denial, to induce in his certainty, conviction, trust and assurance, the slightest doubt, hesitation, weakness or anxiety. Moreover, the saintly of all ages, headed by the Companions, the foremost in the degrees of belief, have all drawn on his fountain of belief and regarded him as representing the highest degree of faith. This proves that his faith too is matchless. Our traveller therefore concluded, and affirmed with his intellect, that lying and duplicity have no place in the one who has brought such a unique sacred law, such

an unparalleled Islam, such a wondrous devotion to worship, such an extraordinary excellence in supplicatory prayer, such a universally acclaimed summons to the truth and such a miraculous faith.

THE FOURTH

In the same way that the consensus of the prophets is a strong proof for the existence and Unity of God, so too it is a firm testimony to the truthfulness and messengerhood of this being. For all the sacred attributes, miracles and functions that indicate the truthfulness and messengerhood of the prophets (Upon whom be peace) existed in full measure in that being according to the testimony of history. The prophets have verbally predicted the coming of that being and given good tidings thereof in the Torah, the Gospels, the Psalms, and other scriptures; more than twenty of the most conclusive examples of these glad tidings, drawn from the scriptures, have been set forth and proven in the Nineteenth Letter. Similarly, through all the deeds and miracles associated with their prophethood they have affirmed and -as it were- put their signature to the mission of that being which is the foremost and most perfect in the tasks and functions of prophethood. Just as through verbal consensus they indicate the Divine Unity, through the unanimity of their deeds they bear witness to the truthfulness of that being. This too was understood by our traveller.

THE FIFTH

Similarly, the thousands of saints who have attained truth, reality, perfection, wondrous deeds, unveiling and witnessing through the instruction of this being and following him, bear unanimous witness not only to the Divine Unity but also to the truthfulness and messengerhood of this being. Again, the fact that they witness, through the light of sainthood, some of the truths he proclaimed concerning the World of the Unseen, and that they believe in and affirm all of those truths through the light of belief, either with 'knowledge of certainty,' or with the 'vision of certainty,' or with 'absolute certainty.' He saw that this too demonstates like the sun the degree of truthfulness and rectitude of that great being, their master.

THE SIXTH

The millions of purified, sincere, and punctilious scholars and faithful sages, who have reached the highest station of learning through the teaching and instruction contained in the sacred truths brought by that being, despite his unlettered nature, the exalted sciences he invented and Divine knowledge he discovered-they not only prove and affirm, unanimously and with the strongest proofs, the Divine Unity which is the

foundation of his mission, but also bear unanimous witness to the truthfulness of this supreme teacher and great master, and to the veracity of his words. This is a proof as clear as daylight. The Risale-i Nur too with its one hundred parts is but a single proof of his truthfulness.

THE SEVENTH

The Family and Companions of the Prophet -who with their insight, knowledge, and spiritual accomplishment are the most renowned, the most respected, the most celebrated, the most pious and the most keensighted of men after the prophets- examined and scrutinized, with the utmost attention, seriousness and exactitude, all the states, thoughts and conditions of this being, whether hidden or open. They came to the unanimous conclusion that he was the most truthful, exalted, and honest being in the world, and this, their unshakeable affirmation and firm belief, is a proof like the daylight attesting the reality of the sun.

THE EIGHTH

The cosmos indicates its Maker, Inscriber, and Designer, Who creates, administers, and arranges it, and through determining its measure and form and regulating it, has disposal over it as though it was a palace, a book, an exhibition, a spectacle. And so too it indicates that it requires and necessitates an elevated herald, a truthful unveiler, a learned master, and a truthful teacher who will know and make known the Divine purposes in the universe's creation, teach the dominical instances of wisdom in its changes and transformations, give instruction in the results of its dutiful motions, proclaim its essential value and the perfections of the beings within it, and express the meanings of that mighty book; it indicates that he is certain to exist. Thus, the traveller knew that it testified to the truthfulness of this being, who performed these functions better than anyone, and to his being a most elevated and loyal official of the universe's Creator.

THE NINTH

There is behind the veil One Who wishes to demonstrate with these ingenious and wise artefacts the perfection of His talent and art; to make Himself known and loved by means of these countless adorned and decorated creations; to evoke praise and thanks through the unnumbered pleasurable and valuable bounties that he bestows; to cause men to worship Him with gratitude and appreciation in the face of His dominicality, through His solicitous and protective sustenance of life, and His provision of nurture and bounty in such manner as to satisfy the most delicate of tastes and appetites; to manifest His Divinity through the change of

seasons, the alternation of night and day, and through all His magnificent and majestic deeds, all His awe-inspiring and wise acts and creativity, and thereby to cause men to believe in his Divinity, in submission, humility and obedience; and to demonstrate His justice and truthfulness by at all times protecting virtue and the virtuous and destroying evil and the evil, by annihilating with blows from heaven the oppressor and the liar. There will of a certainty be at the side of this Unseen Being His most beloved creature and most devoted bondsman, who, serving the purposes that have just been mentioned, discovers and unravels the talisman and riddle of the creation of the universe, who acts always in the name of that Creator, who seeks aid and success from Him, and who receives them from Him-Muhammad of Quraysh (Peace and blessings be upon him!)

The traveller further said, addressing his own intellect: "Since these nine truths bear witness to the truthfulness of this being, he must be the source of glory of mankind and the source of honour for the world. If we therefore call him the Pride of the World and Glory of the Sons of Adam, it will be fitting. The fact that the awesome sovereignty of that decree of the Compassionate One, the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition that he holds in his hand, has conquered half the world, together with his individual perfections and exalted virtues, shows that he is the most important personage in the world. The most important word concerning our Creator is that which he utters."

Now see: the foundation of the summons of this extraordinary being and the aim of all his life, based on the strength furnished by his hundreds of decisive and evident and manifest miracles, and the thousands of exalted, fundamental truths contained in his religion, was to prove and bear witness to the existence of the Necessary Existent, His Unity, attributes and Names, to affirm, proclaim and announce Him. He is therefore like a sun in the cosmos, the most brilliant proof of our Creator, this being whom we call the Beloved of God. There are three forms of great and infallible consensus each of which affirms, confirms, and puts its signature to the witness he bears.

The First: the unanimous affirmation made by that luminous assembly known and celebrated throughout the world as the Family of Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) including thousands of poles and supreme saints of penetrating gaze and ability to perceive the Unseen, such Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him), who said, "Were the veil to be lifted, my certainty would not increase," and 'Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani, Ghawth al-A'zam (May his mystery be sanctified), who saw the Supreme Throne and the awesome form of Israfil while yet on the earth.

The Second: the confirmation made with a strong faith that permitted men to sacrifice their lives and their property, their fathers and tribes, by the renowned assembly known as the Companions, who found themselves among a primitive people and in an unlettered environment, devoid of all social life and political thought, without any scripture and lost in the darkness of a period between prophets; and who in a very brief time came to be the masters, guides, and just rulers of the most civilized and politically and socially advanced peoples and states, and to rule the world from east to west in universally approved fashion.

The Third: the confirmation provided with unanimous and certain knowledge by that lofty group of punctilious and profound scholars of whom in each age thousands spring forth, who advance in wondrous fashion in every science and work in different fields.

Thus, the testimony brought by this being to the Divine Unity is not particular and individual, but general and universal and unshakeable. If all the demons that exist were to unite, they could not challenge it. Such was the conclusion reached by the traveller.

In reference to the lesson learned in the School of Light by that traveller from the world, that wayfarer in life, when he visited in his mind the blessed age of the Prophet, we said at the end of the Sixteenth Degree of the First Station:

There is no god but God, the Necessary Existent, the One, the Unique, the Necessity of Whose Existence in Unity is indicated by the Pride of the World and the Glory of the Sons of Adam, through the majesty of the sovereignty of his Qur'an, the splendour of the expanse of his religion, the multiplicity of his perfections, and the exaltedness of his characteristics, as confirmed even by the testimony of his enemies. He bears witness and brings proof through the strength of his hundreds of manifest and evident miracles, that both testify to truth and are themselves the object of true testimony; and through the strength of the thousands of luminous and conclusive truths contained in his religion, according to the consensus of all the possessors of light, the agreement of his illumined Companions, and the unanimity of the scholars of his community, the possessors of proofs and luminous insight.

The Twentieth Letter

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

There is no god but God, He is One, He has no partner; His is the dominion and His is the praise; He alone grants life, and deals death, and He is living and dies not; all good is in His hand, He is powerful over all things, and with Him all things have their end. {[*]:}

[This sentence expressing Divine Unity, which is recited following the morning and evening prayers, possesses numerous merits and according to an authentic narration, bears the degree of the Greatest Name. It contains eleven phrases, in each of which are both some good tidings, and a degree in the affirmation of the Unity of God's dominicality, and an aspect of the grandeur and perfection of Divine Unity from the point of view of a Greatest Name. Referring a full explanation of these great and elevated truths to other parts of the Risale-i Nur, in fulfilment of a promise we shall for now write a brief, index-like summary of them in two Stations and an Introduction.]

Introduction

Be certain of this, that the highest aim of creation and its most important result are belief in God. The most exalted rank in humanity and its highest degree are the knowledge of God contained within belief in God. The most radiant happiness and sweetest bounty for jinn and human beings are the love of God contained within the knowledge of God. And the purest joy for the human spirit and the sheerest delight for man's heart are the rapture of the spirit contained within the love of God. Indeed, all true happiness, pure joy, sweet bounties, and untroubled pleasure lie in knowledge of God and love of God; they cannot exist without them.

One who knows and loves God Almighty is potentially able to receive endless bounties, happiness, lights, and mysteries. While one who does not truly know and love him is afflicted spiritually and materially by endless misery, pain, and fears. Even if such an impotent and miserable person owned the whole world, it would be worth nothing for him, for it would seem to him that he was living a fruitless life among the vagrant human race in a wretched world without owner or protector. Everyone may understand just how wretched and bewildered is man among the vagrant human race in this bewildering fleeting world if he does not know his Owner, if he does not discover his Master. But if he does discover and know Him, he will seek refuge in His mercy and will rely on His power. The desolate world will turn into a place of recreation and pleasure, it will become a place of trade for the hereafter.

First Station

Each of the eleven phrases of the above-mentioned sentence affirming Divine Unity contains some good news. And in the good news of each lies a cure, while in each of those cures a spritual pleasure may be found.

THE FIRST PHRASE:

'There is no god but God.'

This phrase contains the following good news for the human spirit, subject as it is to countless needs and the attacks of innumerable enemies. On the one hand it finds a place of recourse, a source of help, through which is opened to it the door of a treasury of mercy that will guarantee all its needs. While on the other it finds a point of support and strength, for the phrase makes known to it its Creator and True Object of Worship, Who possesses an absolute power that will secure it from the evil of all its enemies; it shows it its master, and who it is that owns it. Through

pointing this out, the phrase saves the heart from utter desolation and the spirit from aching sorrow; it ensures an eternal joy, a perpetual happiness.

THE SECOND PHRASE: 'He is One.'

This phrase announces the following good news, which is both healing and a source of happiness:

Man's spirit and heart, which are connected to most of the creatures in the universe and reach the point of being overwhelmed in misery and confusion on account of this connection, find in the phrase 'He is One' a refuge and protector that will deliver them from all the confusion and bewilderment.

That is to say, it is as if 'He is One' is saying to man: "God is One. Do not wear yourself out having recourse to other things; do not demean yourself and feel indebted to them; do not flatter them and fawn on them and humiliate yourself; do not follow them and make things difficult for yourself; do not fear them and tremble before them; because the Monarch of the universe is One, the key to all things is with Him, the reins of all things are in His hand, everything will be resolved by His command. If you find Him, you will be saved from endless indebtedness, countless fears."

THE THIRD PHRASE: 'He has no partner.'

Just as in His Divinity and in His sovereignty He has no partner, God is One and He cannot be many, so too in His dominicality and in His actions and in His creating He has no partner. It sometimes happens that a monarch is one, having no partner in his sovereignty, but in the execution of his affairs his officials act as his partners; they prevent everyone from entering his presence, saying: "Have recourse to us."

However, God Almighty, the Monarch of Pre-Eternity and Post-Eternity, has no partner in His sovereignty, just as He has no need for partners or helpers in the execution of His dominicality. If it were not for His command and will, His strength and power, not a single thing could interfere with another. Everyone can have recourse to Him directly. Since He has no partner or helper, it may not be said to someone seeking recourse, "It is forbidden, you may not enter into His presence."

This phrase, therefore, delivers the following joyful announcement to the human spirit: the human spirit which has attained to faith may, without let or hindrance, opposition or interference, in any state, for any wish, at any time and in any place, enter the presence of the All-Beauteous and Glorious One, the One of power and perfection, Who is the Pre-Eternal and Post-Eternal Owner of the treasuries of mercy, the treasuries of bliss,

and may present its needs. Finding His mercy and relying on His power, it will attain perfect ease and happiness.

THE FOURTH PHRASE: 'His is the dominion.'

That is to say, ownership is altogether His. As for you, you are both His property, you are owned by Him, and you work in His property. This phrase announces the following joyful and healing news:

"O mankind! Do not suppose that you own yourself, for you have no control over any of the things that concern you; such a load would be heavy. Also, you are unable to protect yourself, to avoid disasters, or to do those things that you must. In which case, do not suffer pain and torment without reason, the ownership is another's. The Owner is both All-Powerful and All-Merciful; rely on His power and do not cast aspersions on His mercy! Put grief behind you, be joyful! Discard your troubles and find serenity!"

It also says: "The universe, which you love, to which you are connected and which grieves you by its confusedness and which you are unable to put right, is the property of an All-Powerful and Merciful One. So hand over the property to its Owner, leave it to Him. Attract His pleasure, not His harshness. He is both All-Wise and All-Merciful. He has free disposal over His property and administers it as He wishes. Whenever you take fright, say like Ibrahim Hakki: 'Let's see what the Master does; whatever He does, it is best;' see it well, and do not interfere!"

THE FIFTH PHRASE: 'His is the praise.'

Praise, laudation, and acclaim are proper to Him, are fitting for Him. That is to say, bounties are His; they come from His treasury. And as for the treasury, it is unending. This phrase, therefore, delivers the following good news:

"O mankind! Do not suffer and sorrow when bounties cease, for the treasury of mercy is inexhaustible. Do not dwell on the fleeting nature of pleasure and cry out with pain, because the fruit of the bounty is the fruit of a boundless mercy. Since its tree is undying, when the fruit finishes it is replaced by more. If you thankfully think that within the pleasure of the bounty itself is a merciful favour a hundred times more pleasurable, you will be able to increase the pleasure a hundredfold.

"Within an apple an august monarch presents to you is a pleasure superior to that of a hundred, rather a thousand, apples because it is he that has bestowed it on you and made you experience the pleasure of a royal favour. In the same way, through the phrase 'His is the praise' will be opened to you the door of a spiritual pleasure a thousand times

sweeter than the bounty itself. For this phrase means to offer praise and thanks; that is to say, to perceive the bestowal of bounty. This in turn means to recognize the Bestower, which is to reflect on the bestowal of bounty, and so finally to ponder over the favour of His compassion and His continuing to bestow bounties."

SIXTH PHRASE: 'He alone grants life.'

That is, the giver of life is He. The one who causes life to continue by means of sustenance is again He. The supplier of the necessities of life is also He. And the exalted aims of life pertain to Him and its important results look to Him and ninety-nine out of a hundred of its fruits are His. Thus, this phrase calls out to ephemeral and impotent man in this way, it makes this joyful announcement:

"O man! Do not trouble yourself by taking the heavy responsibilities of life onto your own shoulders. Do not think of the transience of life and start grieving. Do not see only its worldly and unimportant fruits and regret that you came to this world. Rather, the life-machine in the ship of your being belongs to the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One, and it is He Who provides for all its expenses and requirements. Also, your life has a great many aims and results and they pertain to Him, too.

"As for you, you are just a helmsman on the ship, so do your duty well and take the wage and pleasure that come with it. Think just how precious is the life-ship and how valuable its benefits; then think just how Generous and Merciful is the Owner of the ship. So, rejoice and give thanks and know that when you perform your duty with integrity, all the results the ship produces will in one respect be transferred to the register of your actions, that they will secure an immortal life for you, will endow you with eternal life."

THE SEVENTH PHRASE: 'And deals death.'

That is, the one who causes death is He. He discharges you from the duty of life, changes your abode from this transitory world, and releases you from the labour of service. That is, He takes you from a transient life to an immortal one. This phrase, then, shouts out the following to ephemeral jinn and man:

"Here is good news for you! Death is not destruction, or nothingness, or annihilation; it is not cessation, or extinction; it is not eternal separation, or non-existence, or a chance event; it is not authorless obliteration. Rather, it is being discharged by the Author Who is All-Wise and All-Compassionate; it is a change of abode. It is being despatched to eternal bliss, to your true home. It is the door of union to the Intermediate

Realm, which is where you will meet with ninety-nine per cent of your friends."

THE EIGHTH PHRASE: 'And He is living and dies not.'

That is to say, the Possessor of a beauty, perfection, and munificence that are infinitely superior to the beauty, perfection, and munificence to be seen in all the creatures of the universe, and that arouse love, and an Eternal Object of Worship, an Everlasting Beloved, one single manifestation of Whose beauty is sufficent to replace all other beloveds, has an enduring life through pre-eternity and post-eternity - a life free from any trace of cessation or ephemerality and exempt from any fault, defect, or imperfection. Thus, this phrase proclaims to jinn and man, to all conscious beings, and the people of love and ardour:

"Here is good news for you! There is an Everlasting Beloved Who will cure and bind your wounds caused by countless separations from the ones you love. Since He exists and is undying, whatever may happen do not fret over the others. Furthermore, the beauty and generosity, virtue and perfection in them, which are the cause of your love, are, passing through many veils, the shadows of the palest of shadows of the manifestation of the Ever-Enduring Beloved's ever-enduring Beauty. Do not grieve at their disappearance, for they are mirrors of a sort. The changing of the mirrors renews and embellishes the manifestation of the Beauty's radiance. Since He exists, everything exists."

THE NINTH PHRASE: 'All good is in His hand.'

Every good action you perform is transferred to His register. Every righteous deed you do is recorded with Him. Thus, this phrase calls out to jinn and mankind with the following good news:

"O you wretched ones! When you journey to the grave do not cry out in despair, 'Alas! Everything we owned is destroyed, all our efforts wasted; we have left the beautiful broad earth and entered the narrow grave,' for everything of yours is preserved, all your actions written down, every service you have rendered recorded. One of Glory in Whose hand is all good and Who is able to bring all good to fruition, will reward your service: drawing you to Himself, He will keep you only temporarily under the ground. Later, He will bring you to His presence. What happiness for those of you who have completed their service and duty; your labour is finished, you are going to ease and mercy! Service and toil are over, you are going to receive your wage!

"Indeed, the All-Powerful One of Glory preserves seeds and grains, which are the pages of the register of last spring's deeds and the deposit-

boxes of its services, and preserves and publishes them the following spring in glittering fashion, indeed, in a manner a hundred times more plentiful than the originals. He is, then, preserving the results of your life in the same way, and will reward your service in a truly abundant fashion."

THE TENTH PHRASE: 'And He is Powerful over all things.'

That is, He is One, He is Unique, He has Power over everything. Nothing at all is difficult for Him. To create the spring is as easy for Him as to create a flower, and He creates Paradise with as much ease as He creates the spring. The innumerable artefacts which He continuously creates every day, every year, every century, witness with numberless tongues to His boundless power. Thus, this phrase too delivers good news:

"O man! The service you have offered and the worship you have performed are not for nothing. A realm of reward, an abode of bliss, has been prepared for you. An unending Paradise is awaiting you in place of this fleeting world of yours. Have faith and confidence in the promise of the Glorious Creator Whom you know and Whom you worship, for it is impossible for Him to break His promise. In absolutely no respect is there any deficiency in His power; impotence cannot interfere in His works. Just as He creates your tiny garden, so too is He able to create Paradise for you, and He has created it and promised it to you. And because He has promised, He shall, of course, admit you to it.

"Since we see through observation that every year on the face of the earth He gathers together and disperses with perfect order and balance, with perfect timing and ease, more than three hundred thousand species and groups of animals and plants, most certainly such an All-Powerful One of Glory is capable of carrying out His promise. And being thus Absolutely Powerful He creates samples of the resurrection and Paradise in thousands of forms every year.

"And since, promising eternal bliss through all His revealed Books, He gives the glad tidings of Paradise; and since all His actions and deeds are carried out with truth, veracity, and seriousness; and since, through the testimony of all His works of art, all perfections point to and testify to His infinite perfection, there being in absolutely no respect any defect or fault in Him; and since the breaking of a promise, lying, falsehood, and deception are the ugliest of qualities, besides being defects and faults; then most decidedly and most certainly will that All-Powerful One of Glory, that All-Wise One of Perfection, that All-Merciful One of Beauty, carry out His promise: He will open the gate to eternal bliss; He will admit you, O people of faith, to Paradise, which was the original home of your forefather Adam."

THE ELEVENTH PHRASE: 'And with Him all things have their end.'

That is, human beings are sent to this world, which is the realm of trial and examination, with the important duties of trading and acting as officials. After they have concluded their trading, accomplished their duties, and completed their service, they will return and meet once more with their Generous Master and Glorious Creator Who sent them forth in the first place. Leaving this transient realm, they will be honoured and elevated to the presence of grandeur in the realm of permanence. That is to say, being delivered from the turbulence of causes and from the obscure veils of intermediaries, they will meet with their Merciful Sustainer without veil at the seat of His eternal majesty. Everyone will find his Creator, True Object of Worship, Sustainer, Lord, and Owner and will know Him directly. Thus, this phrase proclaims the following joyful news, which is greater than all the rest:

"O mankind! Do you know where you are going and to where you are being impelled? As is stated at the end of the Thirty-Second Word, a thousand years of happy life in this world cannot be compared to one hour of life in Paradise. And a thousand years of life in Paradise cannot be compared to one hour's vision of the sheer loveliness of the Beauteous One of Glory. You are going to the sphere of His mercy, and to His presence.

"The loveliness and beauty in all the creatures of this world and in those metaphorical beloveds by which you are so stricken and obsessed and for which you are so desirous, are but a sort of shadow of the manifestation of His beauty and of the loveliness of His Names; and all Paradise with all of its subtle wonders, a single manifestation of His mercy; and all longing and love and allurement and captivation, but a flash of the love of the Eternal Worshipful One and Everlasting Beloved. And you are going to the sphere of His presence. You are being summoned to Paradise, which is an eternal feasting place. Since this is so, it is not with weeping that you enter the grave, but smiling with expectation."

The phrase announces this good news as well: "O mankind! Do not be apprehensive imagining that you are going to extinction, non-existence, nothingness, darkness, oblivion, decay, and dissolution, and that you will drown in multiplicity. You are going not to extinction, but to permanence. You are being impelled not to non-existence, but to perpetual existence. You are going to enter not darkness, but the world of light. And you are returning to your true owner, to the seat of the Pre-Eternal Monarch. You will not drown in multiplicity, you will take your rest in the sphere of Unity. You are bound not for separation, but for union."

Second Station

[The Second Station proves Divine Unity at the level of the Greatest Name, briefly and in summary form.]

THE FIRST PHRASE:

'There is no god but God.'

In this phrase is an affirmation of the Unity of the Godhead and of the True Object of Worship. An extremely powerful proof of this degree in the affirmation of Divine Unity is as follows:

A most orderly activity is apparent on the face of the universe, especially on the page of the earth. And we observe there a most wise creativity. And we clearly see a most systematic unfolding; that is, the opening up and giving of an appropriate shape and form to everything. Furthermore, we see a most compassionate, generous, and merciful munificence and bountifulness. Since this is so, it of necessity proves, indeed provokes awareness of, the necessary existence and Unity of an Active, Creative, Opening, Munificent Possessor of Glory.

Indeed, the constant disappearance and renewal of beings demonstrate that those beings are the manifestations of the sacred Names of an All-Powerful Maker, and are shadows of the lights of His Names; that they are works of art resulting from His actions, and impressions and pages inscribed by the pen of Divine Determining and power; that they are mirrors reflecting the beauty of His perfection.

Just as the Owner of the universe proves this mighty truth and exalted degree in the affirmation of His Unity with all the scriptures and sacred books which He has revealed, so have all the people of truth and the perfected members of the human race proved this same degree through all their investigations and discoveries. The universe too points to this same degree through the unceasing witnessing of the miracles of art, wonders of power, and treasuries of wealth that it displays, despite its impotence and poverty. That is to say, the scriptures and books of the Pre-Eternal Witness, and the investigations and unveilings of the people of witnessing, and the orderly states and wise and purposeful functions of the Manifest World are united in their agreement on this degree in the affirmation of Divine Unity.

Those who do not accept the Single One of Unity, therefore, must either accept innumerable gods, or else like the foolish Sophists, deny both their own existence and that of the universe.

THE SECOND PHRASE: 'He is One.'

This phrase demonstrates an explicit degree in the affirmation of Divine Unity. A convincing and comprehensive argument proving it is as follows:

When we open our eyes, when the universe fastens our gaze on its face, the first thing to attract our attention is a universal and perfect order; we see that there is a comprehensive and sensitive equilibrium; everything exists within a precise order and delicate balance and measure.

When we look a little more carefully, a continual ordering and balancing strike our eye. That is to say, someone is changing the order with regularity and renewing the balance with measuredness. Everything is a model and is clothed in a great many well-ordered and balanced forms.

When we study it even more closely, a wisdom and justice appear behind the ordering and balancing. A purpose and benefit are considered, a truth, a usefulness are followed in the motion of everything, even the minutest particles.

When we study it with even greater attention, what strikes the gaze of our consciousness is the demonstration of a power within an extremely wise activity, and the manifestation of a most comprehensive knowledge which encompasses all things together with all their attributes.

That is to say, this order and balance which are in all beings show us plainly a universal ordering and balancing, and the ordering and balancing show us a universal wisdom and justice; and the wisdom and justice in turn show us a power and knowledge. That is, it is apparent that behind these veils is One Powerful over all things Who has Knowledge of all things.

Furthermore, we look to the beginning and end of all things, and we see, particularly in animate creatures, that their beginnings, origins, and roots are such that it is as if their seeds contain all the systems and members of those creatures, each in the form of an instruction sheet and timetable. And again, their fruits and results are such that the meanings of those animate creatures are filtered and concentrated in them; they bequeath their life histories to them. It is as if their seeds are collections of the principles according to which they are created, and their fruits and results a sort of index of the commands of their creation. Then we look to the outer and inner faces of those animate creatures: the free disposal of

an utterly wise power and the fashioning and ordering of an utterly effective will are apparent. That is, a strength and power create; a command and will clothe with form.

Thus, when we study all beings carefully, we observe that their beginnings are instruction sheets prepared by One Possessing Knowledge, and that their ends are plans and manifestos of a Maker; that their outer faces are skilful and beautifully proportioned dresses of artistry devised by One Who Chooses and Wills, and their inner faces, most well-designed machines of an All-Powerful One.

This situation, therefore, necessarily and self-evidently proclaims that no time and no place, absolutely nothing, can be outside the grip of power of one single Glorious Maker. Each thing and all things, together with all of their attributes, are organized and directed within the grip of power of an All-Powerful Possessor of Will; they are made beautiful through the ordering and graciousness of a Merciful and Compassionate One; and they are embellished with the adorning of a Loving Benefactor.

Indeed, for anyone who is intelligent and has eyes in his head, the order and equilibrium, and ordering and adorning that there are in the universe and in the beings within it demonstrate, at the degree of Unity, One Who is Single, Sole, Solitary, Unique, All-Powerful, Possessing of Will, All-Knowing, and All-Wise.

Assuredly, there is a unity in everything, and as for unity, it points to one. For example, the whole world is illuminated by one lamp, the sun; in which case, the Owner of the world is One. And, for example, all the animate creatures on the earth are served by air, fire, and water, which are the same. Since this is so, the One Who employs them and subjugates them to us is also One.

THE THIRD PHRASE: 'He has no partner.'

Since the First Station of the Thirty-Second Word has proved this phrase in a most cogent and brilliant fashion, we refer you to that. It cannot be more clearly elucidated; there is no need for further explanation.

THE FOURTH PHRASE: 'His is the dominion.'

That is, every creature from the face of the earth to the Divine Throne, from the ground to the Pleiades, from the minutest particles to the heavenly bodies, everything from pre-eternity to post-eternity, the heavens and the earth, this world and the hereafter, belongs to Him. His is the highest degree of ownership in the

form of the greatest affirmation of Divine Unity. A mighty proof of this highest degree of ownership in the form of the greatest affirmation of Divine Unity was imparted to this powerless one's mind in Arabic at a pleasant time and in pleasant circumstances. For the sake of that pleasant memory we shall note down those same phrases and then write their meanings:

His is the dominion because: the macrocosm is similar to the microcosm; what is fashioned by His power is a missive expressing His determining; His creating the macrocosm makes it as a place of prostration, while His giving of existence to the microcosm makes it as prostrating; His bringing the former into being makes it as a property, while His giving of existence to the latter makes it as owned; His art in the former displays it as a book, while His colouring in the latter shines through speech; His power in the former reveals His majesty, while His mercy in the latter arrays His bounty; His majesty in the former testifies that He is One, while His bounty in the latter proclaims that He is Single, Undivided; His stamp on the former is on all things, universal and particular, while His seal on the latter is on the body and on the limbs.

'The macrocosm is similar to the microcosm; what is fashioned by His power is a missive expressing His determining.' That is, the macrocosm, which is called the universe, and the microcosm, which is its miniature specimen and is called man, point to evidences of Divine Unity, both within man's self and without it, that are written by the pens of Divine Power and Divine Determining.

There is within man the sample, on a very small scale, of the orderly art which is in the universe. And as the art which is in the vast sphere testifies to the Single Maker, so the microscopic art which is on a tiny scale in man points to the Maker and demonstrates His Unity. Moreover, as man is a meaningful missive inscribed by his Sustainer, and a well-composed ode written by Divine Determining, so is the universe a well-composed ode of Divine Determining written by that same pen, but on a vast scale.

Is it at all possible that anything other than the Single One of Unity could have a hand in placing the stamp of uniqueness on men's faces, which, although they resemble one another, all have their distinguishing marks; and have a hand in setting the seal of Unity on the universe, all of whose creatures co-operate, helping and supporting one another? Could anything interfere in this?

'His creating the macrocosm makes it as a place of prostration, while His giving of existence to the microcosm makes it as prostrating.' It has this meaning: the All-Wise Maker created

the macrocosm in such a novel, wonderful form, inscribing on it the signs of His grandeur, that He transformed it into a mighty mosque. And He created man in this way: giving him intellect and causing him to prostrate in wonderment with it at those miracles of His art and at His wondrous power, He caused him to read the signs of His grandeur. Thus girding him ready for worship in that mighty mosque, He created him as a prostrating slave.

Is it at all possible that the true object of worship of those prostrating worshippers in this mighty mosque could be other than the Maker, the One of Unity and Oneness?

'His bringing the former into being makes it as a property, while His giving of existence to the latter makes it as owned.' It has this meaning: the Glorious Lord of All Dominion created the macrocosm, and especially the face of the earth, in such a form that it is like countless concentric circles or spheres. Every sphere is like an arable field where, minute by minute, season by season, century by century, He sows, reaps, and harvests crops. He continuously administers His property, causing it to work.

He has made the world of minute particles, the largest sphere, into a field. With His power and with His wisdom, He unceasingly sows crops in it to the extent of the universe, and reaps and harvests them. He despatches them from the Manifest World to the World of the Unseen; from the sphere of power to the sphere of knowledge.

Next He has made the face of the earth, which is a medium sphere, a place of cultivation in exactly the same way, where, season by season, He plants worlds, species, and reaps and harvests them. His immaterial crops too He sends to the immaterial worlds, to the Worlds of the Unseen, and the hereafter, and the World of Similitudes.

A garden, too, which is a smaller sphere, He fills hundreds and thousands of times with power and empties with wisdom. And from the even smaller sphere of an animate creature, a tree or a human being, for example, He harvests crops which are a hundred times greater than the being itself. That is to say, the Glorious Lord of All Dominion creates all things, great and small, universal and particular, as a model, and clothes them in hundreds of ways in the weavings of His art, which are embroidered with continuously renewed inscriptions; He displays the manifestations of His Names, the miracles of His power. He has created everything in His property as a page; He writes meaningful letters in hundreds of ways on each page; He displays His wisdom, His signs, and He invites intelligent creatures to read them.

Together with bringing the macrocosm into being in the form of a cultivated property, He has created man and has given him such tools and abilities, senses, feelings, and especially such a soul, such desires, needs, appetities, greed and claims, that in that extensive property He made him like a creature totally owned and needy for the property.

Is it therefore at all possible that anything apart from the Glorious Lord of All Dominion Who makes everything, from the vast world of minute particles to a fly, as a field and cultivated property, and makes insignificant man a spectator, an inspector, a tiller, a merchant, a herald, a worshipper, and a slave in that vast property and takes him as an honoured guest and beloved addressee of Himself-could anything apart from Him have free disposal over the property and be lord over the totally owned slave?

'His art in the former displays it as a book, while His colouring in the latter shines through speech.' Its meaning is this: the Glorious Maker's art in the macrocosm is so meaningful that because it is manifested in the form of a book, thus making the universe like a huge volume, the human intellect has extracted the library of true natural science and philosophy from it and has written the library according to it. And that book of wisdom is bound to reality and draws assistance from reality to such a degree that it has been proclaimed in the form of the All-Wise Qur'an, which is a copy of that huge manifested book.

Moreover, just as His art in the universe is in the form of a book, describing its perfect orderedness, so His colouring and the inscription of His wisdom in man has opened the flower of speech. That is, the art is so meaningful, sensitive, and beautiful that it has caused the components of that animate machine to speak, as though they were gramophones. While the art has given man such a dominical colouring in his 'fairest of forms' that the flower of speech and expression, which is immaterial, insubstantial and living, has opened in his material, corporeal and solid head. And it has equipped the power of speech and expression, which is situated in man's head, with such exalted tools and abilities that it has caused it to develop and progress to a degree where man becomes the addressee of the Pre-Eternal Monarch. That is, the dominical colouring in man's essential nature has opened the flower of Divine address.

Is it at all possible that anything other than the Single One of Unity could interfere in the fashioning of that art in creatures, which is in the form of a book, and in that colouring in man whereby he attains to the station of speech and address? God forbid!

'His power in the former reveals His majesty, while His mercy in the latter arrays His bounty.' It has this meaning: Divine power in the macrocosm demonstrates the majesty of His dominicality, whereas dominical mercy arrays His bounties in man, who is the microcosm. That is, the Maker's power, at the degree of grandeur and Glory, creates the universe in the form of a palace so magnificent that its sun is a mighty electric light, its moon, a lamp, and its stars, candles, gilded fruits and scattered lights. While the face of the earth is a laden table, an arable field, a garden, a carpet; and its mountains, each a storehouse, a mast, a fortress; and so on.

One the one hand He demonstrates the majesty of His dominicality in brilliant fashion by, on a vast scale, making all things into the huge palace's necessities; and on the other, His mercy at the degree of Beauty bestows on all creatures with spirits, and even on the minutest animate beings, the different varieties of His bounties, ordering their beings with these. He adorns them from head to toe with these bounties, embellishing them with benevolence and generosity. He has counterpoised the Beauty of His mercy and that Glorious majesty, those microscopic tongues and that vast tongue.

That is, while the huge heavenly bodies like the suns and constellations are saying with the tongue of majesty: "O Glorious One! O Mighty One! O August One!", those tiny animate creatures, like flies and fishes, are declaring, but with the tongue of mercy: "O Beautiful One! O Compassionate One! O Generous One!"; they are adding their gentle songs to that great orchestra, sweetening it.

Is it at all possible that anything other than the All-Glorious One of Beauty and All-Beauteous One of Glory could have any part in the creation of the macrocosm and microcosm? God forbid!

'His majesty in the former testifies that He is One, while His bounty in the latter proclaims that he is Single, Undivided.' Its meaning is this: just as the majesty of dominicality, which is manifested in the totality of the universe, proves and demonstrates Divine Unity, so dominical bounty, which bestows on the members of animate creatures their regular provisions, proves and demonstrates Divine Oneness.

As for Unity, it is to say that all those creatures belong to One and they look to One and they are the creation of One. Whereas by Oneness is meant that most of the Names of the Creator of all things are manifested in all beings. For example, the light of the sun may be seen as analogous to Unity by reason of its comprehending the face of the earth

while the fact that its light and heat, the seven colours in its light and some sort of shadow of it are found in all transparent objects and drops of water makes them analogous to Oneness. And the fact that most of the Maker's Names are manifested in each single thing, especially in each animate creature, and above all in man, points to Oneness.

Thus, this section indicates that the majesty of dominicality, which has total disposal over the universe, makes the huge sun as a servant, a lamp, and a stove for animate creatures on the face of the earth; and makes the mighty earth a cradle, a hostel, and place of trade for them; and fire, a cook and friend present everywhere; and clouds, strainers and wet-nurses; and mountains, storehouses and treasuries; and the air, a fan for animate creatures, for breathing in and out; and water, a nurse who suckles new arrivals to life and a seller of sweet drinks who supplies animals with the water of life; this Divine dominicality demonstrates Divine Unity in a most lucid manner.

Indeed, who other than the One Creator could subjugate the sun so that it is a servant to the inhabitants of the earth? And who other than the Single One of Unity could take the wind in His hand entrusting it with a great many duties and employing it as a swift and agile servant on the face of the earth? And who apart from the Single One of Unity would dare to make fire a cook, and to cause a tiny flame the size of a match-head to consume thousands of tons of goods? And so on. Every single thing, every single element, every single heavenly body, points to the All-Glorious One of Unity, at the degree of the majesty of dominicality.

Thus, as Divine Unity is apparent in the degree of Glory and majesty, so bounty and munificence proclaim Divine Oneness at the degree of Beauty and mercy. This is because, within this all-embracing art, there are in animate creatures and especially in man, faculties and abilities with which to understand, accept, and desire infinite varieties of bounties, and which reflect all the Divine Names manifested in the whole universe. Simply, like a point of focus, man displays all the Beautiful Names together by means of the mirror of his essence, and through it, proclaims God's Oneness.

'His stamp on the former is on all things, universal and particular, while His seal on the latter is on the body and on the limbs.' Its meaning is this: just as the Glorious Maker has a mighty stamp on the macrocosm as a whole, so He has put a stamp of Unity on each of its parts and species. And, just as he has set the seal of Unity on the face and body of each human being, the microcosm, so on each of their limbs is a seal of His Unity.

Indeed, the All-Powerful One of Glory has placed on everything, on universals and on particulars, on stars and on particles, a stamp of Unity which bears witness to Him. On each he has set a seal of Unity which points to Him. Since this greatest of truths has been elucidated and proved in most brilliant and decisive fashion in the Twenty-Second Word, the Thirty-Second Word, and the Thirty-Three Windows of the Thirty-Third Letter, we refer you to those, and cutting short the discussion, conclude it here.

THE FIFTH PHRASE: 'His is the praise.'

Since the perfections found in all beings which are the cause of acclaim and tribute are His, praise too belongs to Him. Acclaim and laudation, from whomever to whomever it has come and will come, from pre-eternity to post-eternity, all of it belongs to Him. For bounty and munificence, which are the causes of acclaim, and all things, which are perfection and beauty and the means of praise, are His, they pertain to Him. Indeed, as the Qur'an indicates, praise is worship, glorification, prostration, supplication, and acclaim; it comes from all beings, rising continuously, unceasingly, to the Divine Court. The following is a comprehensive proof which sets forth this truth affirming Divine Unity.

When we look at the universe, it appears to us in the form of a park set with gardens, its roof gilded with lofty stars, its ground inhabited by ornamented beings. When we see it thus, we see that the orderly, luminous, lofty heavenly bodies and purposive, ornamented earthly beings in this park are all saying, each in its particular tongue: "We are the miracles of power of an All-Powerful One of Glory; we testify to the Unity of an All-Wise Creator, an All-Powerful Maker."

Then we look at the globe of the earth within the park of the universe and we see it in the form of a garden in which hundreds of thousands of varieties of multicoloured and beautifully adorned flowering plants have been laid out and through which hundreds of thousands of different species of animals have been scattered. And in this garden of the earth, all these adorned plants and decorated animals proclaim through their well-ordered forms and balanced shapes: "We are each of us a miracle, a wonder of art, created by a Single All-Wise Maker, and each of us is a herald, a witness, to his Unity."

Moreover, looking at the trees in the garden, we see fruits and flowers in various forms which have been made knowingly, wisely, generously, subtly, and beautifully to the utmost degree. And these are all proclaiming with one tongue: "We are the miraculous gifts of a Compassionate

One of Beauty, a Merciful One of Perfection; we are wondrous bounties."

And so, the heavenly bodies and beings in the park of the universe, and the plants and animals in the garden of the earth, and the blossom and fruits on its trees and plants, testify and proclaim with an infinitely resounding voice: "Our Creator and Fashioner, the All-Powerful One of Beauty, the Peerless All-Wise One, the All-Generous Granter of Favours, Who bestowed us as gifts, is powerful over all things. Nothing at all is difficult for Him. Nothing at all is outside the sphere of His power. In relation to His power minute particles and stars are equal. A universal is as simple as a particular, while a particular is as valuable as a universal. The largest is as easy as the smallest in relation to His power, and the small is as full of art as the large; indeed, as far as art is concerned, the small is greater than the large.

"All the occurrences of the past, which are wonders of His power, testify that the Absolutely Powerful One is also powerful over the wonders of the future, and its contingencies. As the one who brought about yesterday will bring about tomorrow, the All-Powerful One Who created the past will also create the future. The All-Wise Maker Who made this world, will also make the hereafter.

"Indeed, the only one truly deserving of worship is the All-Powerful One of Glory; the one deserving of praise is again Him. As worship is exclusively His, so are praise and laudation His alone."

Is it at all possible that an All-Wise Maker Who created the heavens and the earth would leave without purpose human beings, who are the most important result of the heavens and the earth and the most perfect fruit of the universe? Is it at all possible that He would hand them over to causes and chance, that He would transform His self-evident wisdom into futility? God forbid! And is it at all possible that the One Who is All-Wise and All-Knowing, having planned and then formed a tree, giving it the utmost importance, and having administered it and sustained it with the greatest wisdom, would ignore its fruits, which are its aim and purpose? Is it all possible that He would attach no importance to them; that He would leave them either to the hands of thieves or to rot scattered on the ground? Of course, it could not be that He would ignore them or attach no importance to them. It is because of the fruit that importance is given to the tree.

The intelligent being of the universe, therefore, and its most perfect fruit, result, and aim is man. Is it possible that the All-Wise Maker of the universe would give to others the praise and worship, thanks and love,

which are the fruits of those intelligent and conscious fruits, thus causing His self-evident wisdom to be nullified, His absolute power transformed into impotence, and His all-encompassing knowledge converted into ignorance? God forbid! A hundred thousand times!

Since intelligent beings are the pivot of the dominical aims of the palace of the universe, and man is the most eminent of intelligent beings, is it at all possible that the thanks and worship he offers in response to the bounties he receives should go to one other than the Maker of the palace, and that the Glorious Maker would permit the thanks and worship due to Him, which are the ultimate aim of man's creation, to go to another?

Moreover, is it at all possible that He would make Himself loved by intelligent beings through the endless varieties of His bounties, and that He would make Himself known to them through the innumerable miracles of His art, and then, attaching no importance to them, abandon to causes and Nature their thanks and worship, their praise and love, their recognition and gratitude. Is it at all possible that He would make His absolute wisdom denied and the sovereignty of His dominicality nullified? God forbid! A hundred thousand times, God forbid!

aim thanks for it, and thus share in the praise due to one absolutely deserving of praise? God forbid! For whoever creates one apple is the one who creates all the apples produced in the whole world; for their stamp is the same.

Moreover, whoever creates all the apples is again the one who creates all the seeds and fruits in the whole world, which are the means of food. That is to say, the one who gives a most insignificant bounty to a most insignificant animate creature is directly the Creator of the universe and its Glorious Provider. Since this is so, thanks and praise belong directly to Him. And since this is so, the reality of the universe says unceasingly with the tongue of truth: "His is the praise from every single being from pre-eternity to post-eternity."

THE SIXTH PHRASE: 'He grants life.'

That is, the one who gives life is He alone, in which case, it is also He alone Who creates all things. For the spirit, light, leaven, foundation, result, and summary of the universe is life, so whoever grants life must also be the Creator of the whole universe. The one who grants life, then,

is certainly He; it is the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One. We therefore point out the mighty proof of this degree in the affirmation of Divine Unity as follows.

As has been explained and proved in another part of the Risale-i Nur, we see before us the magnificent army of animate beings with their tents pitched on the plain of the face of the earth. Every spring we see a new army emerging from the World of the Unseen, freshly mobilized; one of the innumerable armies of the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One. Looking at this army, we see within it more than two hundred thousand different nations from the plant families, and again more than one hundred thousand from the animal tribes. Although the uniforms of each tribe and family, as well as their provisions, drill, discharge, arms, and period of service are all different, anyone who has eyes in his head will see, and having seen will be unable to deny, that a commander-in-chief provides all these different needs with perfect orderliness and precise balance at exactly the right time; and he does this through his infinite power and wisdom, his boundless knowledge and will, his unending mercy, his inexhaustible treasuries, without forgetting a single one of them, or confusing or mixing-up or delaying any of them.

Is it at all possible, then, that anything could meddle, interfere, and have a share in this giving of life and administering, in this nurturing and sustaining, other than one who has a comprehensive knowledge which encompasses the army together with all of its functions, and an absolute power with which to run it in addition to providing all its necessities? God forbid! A hundred thousand times!

It is obvious that if there are ten tribes in one battalion, because the difficulty in equipping them all separately would amount to the difficulty of equipping ten battalions, impotent human beings would be compelled to equip them in a single fashion. Whereas the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One provides the equipment necessary for the lives of the more than three hundred thousand different tribes within that magnificent army. Moreover, He does this with no trouble or difficulty, in a light and easy manner, most wisely and maintaining orderliness. He causes the mighty army to declare with one tongue: «It is He Who gives life,» {[*]:} and the vast congregation in the mosque of the universe to recite:

God, there is no god save Him, the Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One. Neither slumber overtakes Him nor sleep. His is all that is in the heavens and all that is on earth. Who is there that could intercede with Him, except by His leave? He knows all that lies open before men and all that is hidden from them, whereas they cannot attain to aught of His knowledge save that which He wills. His Throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and He feels no weariness in preserving them. And He alone is Truly Exalted, Tremendous. {[*]:}

THE SEVENTH PHRASE: 'And deals death.'

That is, the one who gives death is He. It is He Who grants life, so the one who takes life and grants death is also He. Indeed, death is not only destruction and extinction that it can be attributed to causes or Nature. Just as a seed superficially dies and rots while inside it a shoot is being kneaded and is coming to life, that is, it is passing from the particular life of a seed to the universal life of a shoot, so too although death is apparently disintegration and banishment, in reality, for human beings it is the title, introduction, and starting point of perpetual life. In which case, the Absolutely Powerful One Who grants and administers life must certainly be the One Who creates death. The following points to a mighty proof of this the greatest degree in the affirmation of Divine Unity, contained in this phrase.

As is explained in the Twenty-Fourth Window of the Thirty-Third Letter, through Divine will, all beings are flowing. At its Sustainer's command, the universe is in continuous motion. With Divine permission, all creatures are unceasingly flowing in the river of time; they are being sent from the World of the Unseen; they are being clothed with external existence in the Manifest world; then they are being poured in orderly fashion into the World of the Unseen, and it is there that they alight. At their Sustainer's command, they continuously come from the future, stop by in passing pausing for a breath, and are poured into the past.

This flood of creatures is being made from top to bottom with instances of wisdom, benefits, results, and aims within the sphere of the most wise mercy and munificence; as is this constant travelling, within the sphere of the most knowledgeable wisdom and orderliness; and this current, within the sphere of the most compassionate solicitude and equilibrium. That is to say, an All-Powerful One of Glory, an All-Wise One of Perfection, is continuously giving life to and employing the families of beings, and the individuals within each family, and the worlds which those families form. Then, with His wisdom He discharges them, manifests death and despatches them to the World of the Unseen. He transfers them from the sphere of power to the sphere of knowledge.

Is it then at all possible that one who does not have the ability to administer the universe in its totality, whose authority does not stretch throughout time, whose power is not sufficient to make the world manifest life and death like a single individual, who cannot bestow life on the spring as though it was a single flower, attach it to the face of the earth and then pluck it from it with death and gather it up, could such a one be the owner of death and the granter of death? Yes, the death of the most insignificant animate being, even, like its life, must necessarily occur according to the law of One of Glory in Whose hand are all the truths of life and varieties of death, and with His permission, and at His command, and through His power, and with His knowledge.

THE EIGHTH PHRASE: 'And He is living and dies not.'

That is, His life is perpetual, it is pre-eternal and post-eternal. Death and evanescence, non-existence and cessation, cannot befall Him. He Who is pre-eternal must certainly be post-eternal. He Who is sempiternal must certainly be eternally enduring. He Who is necessarily existent, must certainly be without beginning or end. How could non-existence touch a Life of which all existence, in all its varieties, is Its shadow? Non-existence and ephemerality and cessation could in no way encroach on a Life through the manifestation of which all lives continuously come into being, and on which all the stable truths of the universe are dependent, and through which they subsist.

Indeed, one flash of the manifestation of that Life accords a unity to the multiplicity of things, all of which are subject to ephemerality and decease, and makes them display permanence; it saves them from dispersal, preserves their existence, manifests in them a sort of continuance. That is, life accords a unity to mulitiplicity; it makes it permanent. If life departs, the unity disintegrates, it ceases. Most certainly, ephemerality and transience cannot approach that necessary Life, one manifestation of which are all those innumerable flashes of life.

Decisive witnesses to this truth are the transience and ephemerality of the universe. That is, through their existence and lives,

When the Prophet Abraham (Upon whom be peace) referred the subject of the rising and setting of the sun in his debate with Nimrod to life and death,* it was a transition and progress from a particular meaning of the giving of life and death to a universal meaning. It demonstrates the most illuminating and widest sphere of the proof, and does not, as some commentators on the Qur'an have asserted, abandon the hidden proof for the obvious one.

(*): See, Qur'an, 2:258.

beings bear witness to and point to the Life of the Undying Ever-Living One and to the necessary existence of His Life, and through their deaths and their ephemerality they bear witness to and point to the perpetuity of His Life

and its eternity. For the fact that after beings have perished, others follow after them, manifesting life like them and taking their places, demonstrates that there is an unceasingly living being who continuously renews the manifestation of life.

Bubbles on the surface of a flowing river sparkle in the sun and disappear. Troop after troop of bubbles appear, following on one after another. They display the same sparkle, are extinguished and disappear. Through this state of sparkling and extinction, they point to the continuance of an elevated and enduring sun. In the same way, the alternation of life and death in these constantly moving beings testifies to the continuance and perpetualness of an Ever-Living Ever-Enduring One.

These beings are mirrors. As darkness is the mirror to light, and however intense the darkness is, to that degree it will display the brilliance of the light, so these beings act as mirrors in many respects by reason of the contrast of opposites. For example, beings act as mirrors to the Maker's power through their impotence and to His riches through their poverty; similarly they act as mirrors to His everlastingness through their ephemerality. The poverty of trees and the face of the earth itself in wintertime and their glittering wealth and riches in springtime act as mirrors in most unequivocal fashion to the power and mercy of an Absolutely Powerful One, the One of Absolute Riches. It is as though all beings are making supplication with Uvays al-Qarani through their tongues of disposition, and are saying:

"O God! You are our Sustainer, 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 are being made! And it is You Who is the Provider, for we are in need of provision, we have no power! That is to say, the One Who creates us and bestows on us our provisions is You! And it is You Who is the Owner, because we are totally owned property; someone other than us has power of disposal over us. That is to say, it is You Who is our Owner! And You, You are Mighty! You possess grandeur and sublimity! As for us we look to our baseness and see that there are manifestations of a mightiness on us. That is to say, we are mirrors to Your mightiness! And it is You Who is the Possessor of Absolute Riches, because we are utterly wanting, and riches are bestowed on us that our indigent hands could not obtain. That is to say, it is You Who is rich, the One Who gives is You! And You, You are the Ever-Living, Ever-Enduring One, because we, we are dying, and in our dying and in

our being resurrected we see the manifestation of a perpetual giver of life! And You, You are Ever-Enduring, because we see Your continuation and perpetualness in our demise and transience! And the One Who responds to us and answers us, the Granter of Gifts is You. For all of us beings, we are ever crying out and requesting, entreating, imploring by tongue and by state. And our desires are brought about, our aims are achieved. In other words, the One Who answers us is You!..." And so on.

Every creature, universal and particular, is, like Uvays al-Qarani, a mirror, in a form that has the meaning of supplication. All proclaim the Divine power and perfection through their impotence and poverty and deficiency.

THE NINTH PHRASE: 'All good is in His hand.'

That is, all good things are in His hand, all good deeds are in His account book, all beneficence is in His treasury. Since this is so, those desiring good must seek it from Him, those wishing for what is best must beseech Him. In order to demonstrate the truth of this phrase in a conclusive fashionbeie shall point to the signs and flashes of one of many far-reaching evidences of Divine knowledge, as follows:

The Maker Who controls and creates with actions which are to be seen in the universe has an all-encompassing knowledge, and such knowledge is His particular, inherent and necessary quality. Its separation from Him is impossible. In the same way that it is not possible for the sun to exist but for its light not to exist, it is also not possible, though thousands of times more so, for the knowledge of the Being Who creates these well-ordered beings to be separated from Him.

Like this all-comprehending knowledge is necessary to that Being, so is it also necessary to all things from the point of view of their being connected to Him. That is to say, it is not possible for anything to be hidden from Him. Just as it is not possible for objects on the face of the earth to face the sun with no barrier and not see it, so is it a thousand times less possible, it is impossible, for things to be hidden in the face of the light of the All-Knowing One of Glory's knowledge. This is because they are in his presence. That is, everything is within the range of His sight, is facing Him, is within the compass of His witnessing; He penetrates into all things.

If possessors of light, like the inanimate sun, impotent man, and unconscious X-rays, can see and penetrate everything that faces them, although they are contingent, defective and accidental, surely nothing at

all can remain hidden from or beyond the light of the pre-eternal knowledge, which is necessary, all-encompassing, and essential. The universe has incalculable signs and marks pointing to this truth, as may be seen in the following examples:

All the instances of wisdom apparent in all beings point to such knowledge. For He Who performs His works kindly and graciously must know; He must know what He is doing. And all well-ordered beings, each within a balance, and all finely balanced and measured shapes and forms, each within an order, also indicate to such all-encompassing knowledge. For to carry out work with wisdom means to do it with knowledge. And all favour and adornment point to such knowledge. He who works skilfully and with measure and balance is surely relying on a powerful knowledge. And the well-ordered measuredness apparent in all beings, their shapes cut out in accordance with purpose and benefits, and the fruitful situations and assemblages as though arranged according the principles of Divine Decree and the compasses of Divine Determining, all demonstrate an all-embracing knowledge. Certainly, the giving of ordered and different forms to everything, as well as a particular shape that is appropriate and beneficial to the life and existence of each, occurs through an all-encompassing knowledge; it could not occur any other way.

Also, it is only through an all-embracing knowledge that the sustenance of animate creatures is provided in a suitable form, at the appropriate time, in unexpected places. Because, since the One Who sends the sustenance knows and recognizes those who are in need of it, and the appropriate time to send it, and perceives their need, He is able to provide their sustenance in a suitable form.

Also, the appointed hour of death of all animate creatures, which is tied to a law of determination, although it is not clear to the creatures themselves, demonstrates a comprehensive knowledge. Because, although the hour of death for all groups and individuals does not appear to be determined, in fact each group's death is appointed within a period of time restricted by two limits. At that appointed hour, the preservation of its seeds, fruits and results, which will continue the duty of the thing after it and are the means of its transformation into a new life, demonstrate an all-encompassing knowledge.

Also, mercy's benevolence, which encompasses all beings and is in a form appropriate to each of them, demonstrates an all-embracing knowledge within a vast mercy. Because, for example, the One Who feeds the offspring of animate creatures with milk and assists the plants of the earth needy for water with rain, most certainly knows the young and their

needs, and sees the plants, perceives how necessary rain is for them and then sends it; and so on. All the manifestations of wise kindly mercy demonstrate an all-comprehensive knowledge.

Also, the care and attention, the artistic fashioning, and the skilful decoration present in the art in all things demonstrate an all-embracing knowledge. For choosing an orderly, adorned, artistic, and purposeful state from among thousands of possible states can only occur through a profound knowledge. This choice apparent in all beings demonstrates an all-encompassing knowledge.

Also, the complete ease in the creation and origination of things points to a most perfect knowledge. For the ease and facility in achieving a certain situation is commensurate with the degree of knowledge and skill. To whatever degree a thing is known, to that degree it will be carried out with ease. Thus, in consequence of this fact, we see from beings, every one of which is a miracle of art, that they are being created with ease and facility, without trouble or confusion, in a short period of time, in a wondrous, indeed a miraculous, fashion. That is to say, there is a boundless knowledge which is expressed with boundless ease; and so on.

There are thousands of veracious signs like those mentioned in the examples above to the fact that the Being Who has free disposal over the universe has an all-encompassing knowledge; that He knows all the attributes of all beings, and then he acts. Since the universe's Owner has such a knowledge, for sure He sees human beings and their actions, and He knows what human beings deserve and what is appropriate for them. And He deals with them and will deal with them in accordance with the requirements of wisdom and mercy.

O man! Come to your senses! Think carefully of just what sort of Being it is Who knows you and watches you; think of it and pull yourself together!

Knowledge alone is not sufficient; will is also necessary. If will was not present, knowledge would not be sufficient, would it?

All beings both indicate and testify to an all-encompassing knowledge, and they point to the comprehensive will of the owner of that all-encompassing knowledge. It is as follows:

The fact that, while hesitating among great numbers of possibilities, an ordered individuality is given to all things, especially to all animate beings, through a determined probability from among a great host of muddled probabilities, and through a result-yielding way from among a great many fruitless ways, demonstrates a universal will of many facets.

Measured shapes and well-ordered identities have been given to all things in a most sensitive and delicate measure and with a most fine and subtle order. They have been given these from among the inanimate elements which flow without balance in confused and monotonous floods, and from among the barren and fruitless paths and endless possibilities that surround all beings. This necessarily and self-evidently demonstrates that they are the works of a comprehensive will. For choosing innumerable states occurs by means of a designation, a choice, a purpose, and a will. It is specified by a deliberate intention and desire. For sure, specifying requires a specifier and choice requires a chooser. And that specifier and chooser is will.

For example, the creation of a being like man, who is like a machine assembled from hundreds of different components and systems, from a drop of water; and the creation of a bird, which has hundreds of different members, out of a simple egg; and that of a tree, which is separated into hundreds of different parts, out of simple seed-the creation of these testify to power and knowledge, just as they indicate to the universal will of their Maker in a most decisive and necessary fashion. And with that will He gives a different and particular shape to every component, every member, every part. He clothes them in a chosen state.

The fact that there are between different things many resemblances and coincidences with regard to their essentials and results; for example, between the major members and organs of animals' bodies, and the fact that they display a single stamp of Unity, indicate in decisive fashion that the Maker of all animals is the same; He is One, He is Single, He possesses Unity. And the fact that these animals have different identities and distinct features, all determined by wisdom and purpose, indicates that their Single Maker is One Who acts with choice and will. He does what He wishes to do, He does not do what He does not wish to do; He acts with intention and will.

There are as many indications and attestations to Divine knowledge and dominical will as there are beings, indeed as the beings' attributes and qualities. Therefore, some philosophers denying Divine will, and some of those who favour innovation denying Divine Determining, and some of the people of misguidance claiming that God is not concerned with minor matters, and the Naturalists attributing certain beings to Nature and causes, are lies multiplied to the number of beings and a lunacy of misguidance compounded to the number of those beings' attributes. For whoever denies the innumerable instances of veracious witnessing is telling a lie of infinite proportions.

So, you can see for yourself just how mistaken and contrary to the truth it is to say of events, all of which come into existence through Divine will, "Naturally, naturally," instead of, "If God wills it so, if God wills it so."

THE TENTH PHRASE: 'And He is powerful over all things.'

That is to say, absolutely nothing at all is difficult for Him. However many things there are in the sphere of contingency, He is able to clothe all of them with existence most easily. It is so simple and easy for Him that according to the meaning of,

His command is only, when He wills a thing to be, He but says to it, "Be!" and it is, {[*]:}

it is as if He only has to command and it is done.

As soon as a skilful artist puts his hand to his work, he functions easily like a machine. In order to express his speed and skill, one could say that the work and art is under his control to such a degree that it is as if at his command, at his touch, the pieces appear, the works of art come into existence. In the same way, this verse states:

His command is only, when He wills a thing to be, He but says to it "Be!", and it is,

alluding to the absolute subjugation and obedience of all things to the power of the All-Powerful One of Glory, and the absolute ease and lack of trouble with which His power functions. We shall elucidate in Five Points five of the innumerable mysteries contained in this mighty truth.

THE FIRST

In relation to Divine power the greatest thing is as easy as the smallest. The creation of a species with all of its individuals is as easy and trouble-free as the creation of one individual. It is as easy to create Paradise as the spring and it is as easy to create the spring as a flower.

This mystery has been explained and proved through the six comparisons -the Mystery of Luminosity, the Mystery of Transparency, the Mystery of Reciprocity, the Mystery of Balance, the Mystery of Order, the Mystery of Obedience, and the Mystery of Disengagedness- at the end of the Tenth Word, which is about the resurrection of the dead, and in the discussion also about the resurrection of the dead in the Second Aim of the Twenty-Ninth Word, which is about the angels, the immortality of man's spirit, and the resurrection. It has been demonstrated in these that in relation to Divine power the stars are as easy as atoms and that

innumerable individuals are created as easily as one individual. Since these mysteries have been proved in those two Words, we refer you to them and cut short the discussion here.

THE SECOND

A decisive and self-evident proof that everything is equal in relation to Divine power is this: we see with our own eyes in the creation of animals and plants the highest degree of mastery and exquisiteness of art within an infinite multiplicity and liberality; and the greatest distinction and differentiation within the utmost confusion and intermingling; and the highest worth as regards art and the most supreme beauty as regards creation within the greatest abundance and profusion. While needing much equipment and much time, they are created with the utmost ease and speed with the greatest art. Simply, those miracles of art come into existence suddenly and out of nothing.

Thus, by observing this activity of power every season on the face of the earth, we see that it establishes irrefutably that the greatest thing is as easy as the smallest in relation to the power that is the source of those actions, and that the creation and administration of innumerable individuals is as easy as the creation and administration of a single individual.

THE THIRD

The greatest universal is as easy as the smallest particular in relation to the power of the All-Powerful Maker Who rules in the universe with actions, direction, and disposal that are clearly to be seen. The creation of a universal consisting of a multiplicity of individuals is as easy as the creation of a single particular, and in an insignificant particular art of the highest worth may be displayed. This mystery and the wisdom in it arise from three sources:

from the assistance of Unity.

from the facility of Unity.

from the manifestation of Oneness.

That is, if all things are the property of a single being, then as a result of unity, he can concentrate the power of all things behind any single thing, and all things can be administered as easily as a single thing. We shall explain this mystery with a comparison in order to make it easier to understand:

For example, if there was a single monarch of a country, by reason of the law of his unity of sovereignty, he would be able to mobilize the moral strength of a whole army behind every single soldier. And because

he would be able to do so, a single soldier would be able to capture a king and have command over him in the name of his monarch. Furthermore, just as the monarch would employ and direct a single soldier and a single official, by reason of the mystery of the unity of sovereignty, he would be able to direct the whole army and all his officials. It is as if, by reason of the mystery of the unity of sovereignty, he would be able to send everyone, everything, to the assistance of one individual.

Every single individual, therefore, would rely on a strength as great as that of all the individuals; that is, he would receive assistance from them. If the rope of the unity of sovereignty were to be unfastened and they became irregular soldiers, then each soldier, suddenly losing a boundless strength, would fall from a high position of influence to that of a common man. And to direct and employ them would beget difficulties to the number of individuals.

In exactly the same way, And God's is the highest similitude, {[*]:} since the Maker of the universe is One, He assembles His Names, which look to all things, before each single thing, and He creates with infinite art, in a valuable form. If there is need for it, He looks to a single thing by means of all things, He causes them to look to it; He gives assistance and strengthens it. Also, by reason of the mystery of Unity, He creates, disposes, and administers all things as though they were a single thing.

It is due to the mystery of this assistance of Unity that in the universe a certain quality is apparent which is exalted and sublime to the utmost degree as regards its art and value, and this within the utmost abundance and profusion.

That is, matters which occur according to the principles of Unity, in one centre, from one hand, according to one law, occur with the greatest ease. If they are scattered between numerous centres, numerous laws, and numerous hands, it engenders difficulties.

For example, if the equipment of all the soldiers of an army is manufactured in one centre, according to one law, and at the command of one commander-in-chief, it is as easy as equipping one soldier. If on the other hand, all their equipment is made in different factories, in different centres, then all the military factories necessary to equip an army are necessary to equip one soldier. That is to say, if Unity is relied upon, an army is as easy as one soldier. Whereas, if there is no unity, as many difficulties will arise in equipping one soldier as in equipping an army.

Furthermore, if with regard to Unity, the elements necessary for life are given to the fruits of a tree, relying on one centre, one law, and one root, thousands of fruits are as easy as a single fruit. If, on the other hand, each fruit is bound to a different centre, and if all their vital necessities are sent to them separately, each fruit will engender as many difficulties as the whole tree. For the elements necessary for the life of the whole tree will also be necessary for each fruit.

Thus, like these two comparisons, And God's is the highest similitude, because the Maker of the universe is the Single One of Unity, He acts with Unity, and because He acts with Unity all things are as easy as one thing. Moreover, He is able to make a single thing as valuable as all things as regards its art. And creating innumerable individuals in a most valuable form, He demonstrates absolute liberality through the tongue of the limitless abundance and endless profusion of beings, and He manifests boundless generosity and infinite creativity.

that is, since the All-Glorious Maker is not physical or corporal, time and space cannot restrict Him, creation and place cannot obtrude on His presence and witnessing, means and mass cannot veil His actions. There is no fragmentation or division in His regarding and acting towards creation. One thing cannot be an obstacle to another. He performs innumerable acts as though they were one act. It is for this reason that in the same way that, as far as its meaning is concerned, a huge tree can be encapsulated in a seed, a world also can be contained within a single individual, and the whole world may be encompassed by the Hand of Power.

We have explained this mystery in others of the Words like this: the sun is to some degree unrestricted with regard to its luminosity, so its image is reflected in every burnished and shining object. If thousands and millions of mirrors are exposed to its light, then the manifestation of its likeness will be found in each one of them without being divided, as though they were a single mirror. If the capacities of the mirrors were such, the sun would be able to demonstrate its effects in them in all their magnitude. One thing cannot be an obstacle to another. Thousands of things enter thousands of places with the ease of one thing entering one place. Each place displays the sun's manifestation as much as thousands of places display it.

Thus, And God's is the highest similitude, the manifestation of the All-Glorious Maker of the universe is such, with all His attributes which are light and with all His Names which are luminous, that through the mystery of the regard of Oneness, although He is not in any place, He is all-present and all-seeing in all places. There is no division in His regard

regarding and acting towards the creation. He performs every task at the same time, in all places, without difficulty, without hindrance.

Thus, it is through these mysteries of the assistance of Unity, facility of Unity, and manifestation of Oneness, that when all beings are attributed to a single Maker, the creation of all of them becomes as simple and easy as that of a single being. And each being can be as valuable as all beings as regard the fineness of its art. This truth is demonstrated by the fact that within the boundless plenitude of beings, there are endless subtleties of art in every individual. If the beings are not attributed directly to a single Maker, then each becomes as problematical as all beings and the value of all of them decreases, it falls to that of a single being. Should this be the case, either nothing would come into existence, or if it did, it would be without value, worthless.

This mystery led the Sophists, who were the most advanced of the people of philosophy, to realize that the path of associating partners with God was hundreds of thousands of times more difficult than the way of Truth and path of affirming Divine Unity; that it was irrational to the utmost degree. So, because they had averted their faces from the way of Truth and looked to that of unbelief and misguidance, they were compelled to renounce their reasons and deny the existence of everything.

THE FOURTH

The creation of Paradise is as easy as that of the spring in relation to the power of the All-Powerful One Who administers the universe with actions that are plain to see. The creation of spring is as easy as that of a flower. The loveliness in the art of a flower and the fineness in its creation may be as lovely and valuable as a spring. The mystery of this truth is threefold:

the necessity and total detachment of the Maker.

the complete otherness of His essence and His unrestrictedness.

His not being bound by space and His indivisibility.

The fact that necessity and total detachment cause infinite ease and facility is an extremely profound mystery. We shall facilitate understanding of it with the following comparison:

The degrees of existence are different. And the worlds of existence are all different. Because they are all different, a particle from a level of existence which is deeply rooted in existence is as great as a mountain

from a level of existence that is less substantial than its level; it contains the mountain.

For example, the faculty of memory, which is the size of a mustard-seed in a head from the Manifest World, takes on an existence the size of a library from the World of Meaning. And a mirror the size of a fingernail from the external world encompasses a mighty city from the level of the World of Similitudes. If the memory and the mirror from the external world had possessed consciousness and creative power, they would have been able to bring about endless transformations and activity in the Worlds of Meaning and Similitudes through the power of their minute existences in the external world. That is to say, when existence is firmly established, power increases; what is only a little becomes like much. Especially after existence has attained to complete stability, if it is disengaged and detached from materiality and is not restricted, then only a partial manifestation of it will be able to transform many worlds of other less substantial levels of existence.

Thus, And God's is the highest similitude, the Glorious Maker of the universe is Necessarily Existent. That is, His existence is essential, it is pre-eternal, it is post-eternal, its non-existence is impossible, its cessation is impossible; it is the most firmly rooted, the most sound, the strongest, and the most perfect of the levels of existence. In relation to His existence, the other levels of existence are like extremely pale shadows.

The degree of Necessary Existence is so stable and real, and contingent existence is so insubstantial and pale that many of those who have investigated creation, like Muhyi al-Din al-'Arabi, have reduced the other levels of existence to the level of delusion and imagination; they said: "There is no existent save Him." That is, it must not be said of other things that they have existence in relation to the Necessary Existence. They stated that they are not worthy of the title of existence.

And so, for the Necessarily Existent One's power, which is both necessary and essential, contingent beings' both created and accidental existences and both unstable and powerless realities are infinitely easy and simple. To raise all human beings to life and then judge them at the Great Gathering is as easy as the leaves, flowers and fruits which He resurrects in the spring, indeed, in a garden, or on a tree.

The reason for easiness in regard to the complete otherness of His Essence and His unrestrictedness is this: most certainly, the Maker of the universe is not of the same kind as the universe. His Essence resembles no other essence at all. Since this is so, the obstacles and restraints within the sphere of the universe cannot hinder Him, they

cannot restrict His actions. He has complete disposal over the whole universe and is able to transform all of it at the same time. If the disposal and actions that are apparent in the universe were to be attributed to it, it would cause so many difficulties and so much confusion that neither would any order remain nor would anything continue to exist; indeed, nothing would be able to come into existence.

For example, if the masterly art in vaulted domes is attributed to the stones of the domes, and if the command of a battalion, which properly belongs to its officer, is left to the soldiers, either neither of them would ever come into existence, or with great difficulty and confusion they would achieve a state completely lacking in order. Whereas, if in order for the situation of the stones in the dome to be achieved, it is accorded to a master who is not a stone himself, and if the command of the soldiers in the regiment is referred to an officer who possesses the essential quality of officership, both the art is easy and command and organization are easy. This is because, while the stones and the soldiers are obstacles to each other, the master and the officer can look from every angle, they command without obstacle.

Thus, And God's is the highest similitude, the sacred Essence of the Necessarily Existent One is not of the same kind as contingent beings' essences. Rather, all the truths of the universe are rays from the Name of Truth, which is one of the Beautiful Names of His Essence. Since His sacred Essence is Necessarily Existent and completely detached from materiality and different from all other essences, it has no like, no equivalent, no equal. So, most certainly, the administration and sustaining of the whole universe in relation to the pre-eternal power of that All-Glorious One is as easy as that of the spring, indeed, of a tree. And the creation of the resurrection of the dead, the realm of the hereafter, and Paradise and Hell, is as easy as the resurrection in spring of a tree which had died the previous autumn.

The fact that indivisibility and not being bound by space result in the utmost facility has this meaning: since the All-Powerful Maker is free of the restrictions of space, He may be thought of as present in every place through His power. And since there is no division or fragmentation in regard to His Essence, He can regard and act towards all things with all of His Names. And since He is present everywhere and acts towards everything, beings and intermediaries and mass cannot hinder and prevent His actions, indeed there is no necessity at all for them to do so.

Let us suppose there was some necessity, then things like electric

wires, the branches of trees, and veins in human beings, would be like the means for facilitation, for the arrival of life, and the cause of swiftness in actions. So, let us ignore the idea of hindering, restricting, preventing, and intervening, and say that they are means of facilitating, expediting, and uniting. That is to say, from the point of view of the obedience and submission of all things to the domination of the All-Powerful and Glorious One's power, there is no need for them. If there was some need for them, it would be as a means to facility.

The All-Powerful Maker creates everything in an appropriate form without trouble, without undergoing any process, swiftly and easily. He creates universals as easily as particulars. He creates particulars as full of art as He does universals. Indeed, whoever creates universals and the heavens and the earth must necessarily be the one who creates the particulars and animate individuals contained in the heavens and earth; it could not be anything other than him. For those tiny particulars are the fruits, seeds, and the miniature specimens of universals.

Furthermore, whoever creates the particulars must also be the one who creates the elements and heavens and earth, which encompass the particulars. For we see that particulars are each like a seed and tiny copy in relation to universals. Since this is so, the universal elements and the heavens and earth must be in the Being's hand Who creates those particulars so that, according to the principles of His wisdom and the balances of His knowledge, He might insert the gist, the meanings, the samples, of those universal and all-encompassing beings in those particulars, which are like their miniature specimens.

Indeed, from the point of view of the wonders of art and marvels of creativeness, particulars are not behind universals; neither are flowers lower than the stars, nor seeds inferior to trees. Indeed, the tree's meaning, which is the inscription of Divine Determining and is in the seed, is more wonderful than the physical tree, which is the weaving of Divine power and is in the garden. And the creation of man is more wonderful than the creation of the universe. If a Qur'an of Wisdom was written in particles of ether on an atom, it would far surpass in value a Qur'an of Grandeur written in stars on the face of the heavens. Similarly there are minute particulars which are superior to universals as regards the miraculousness of their art.

THE FIFTH

We have demonstrated to some degree in our explanations above, the infinite ease, utmost speed, extreme swiftnesss of actions, and boundless facility apparent in the creation of beings, together with the mysteries and instances of wisdom in their creation. The existence of things with this utmost speed and utter facility, therefore, has engendered in the people of guidance the following firm conviction, that in relation to the power of the One Who creates beings, Paradises are as easy as the spring, the spring as easy as gardens, and gardens as easy as flowers.

According to the meaning of,

The creation of you all and the resurrection of you all is but like that of a single soul, {[*]:}

the resurrection of all humankind is as easy as causing one person to die and raising him to life again. And according to the explicit statement of,

Nothing will there have been but one single blast, and lo! before Us will all of them be arraigned, {[*]:}

to raise to life all human beings at the resurrection is as easy as calling together with the sound of a bugle an army which has dispersed to rest.

Thus, although this infinite speed and boundless ease are decisive proofs and cogent arguments for the self-evident perfection of the Maker's power and for everything being easy in relation to Him, in the view of the people of misguidance, the formation and creation of things by the Maker's power, which is easy to the degree of necessity, gave rise to the notion that things form themselves, which is utterly impossible, and thus became the cause of confusion. That is to say, because they see that some ordinary things come into existence very easily, they imagine the formation of them to be self-formation. That is, they are not being created, but rather come into existence of their own accord.

There, look at this sheer stupidity! They make what is the proof of an absolute power, the proof of its non-existence; they open the door to innumerable impossibilities. Because if it was the case, it would be necessary for the attributes of perfection, like infinite power and all-encompassing knowledge, which are necessary to the Maker of the universe, to be attributed to every particle of every creature so that it would be able to form itself.

THE ELEVENTH PHRASE: 'And with Him all things have their end.'

That is, everything will return to the realm of permanence from the transient realm, and will go to the seat of post-eternal sovereignty of the Sempiternal Ever-Enduring One. They will go from the multiplicity of causes to the sphere of power of the All-Glorious One of Unity, and will be transferred from this world to the hereafter. Your place of recourse is His Court, therefore, and your place of refuge, His mercy. And so on.

There are a great many truths which this phrase and those like it state. The one which states that you will return to eternal bliss and Paradise has been proved so decisively by the irrefutable certainty of the twelve arguments of the Tenth Word, and by the six Principles which comprise the numerous cogent proofs of the Twenty-Ninth Word, that no need remains for further explanation. Those two Words have proved, with the certainty of the sun rising on the following morning after setting the previous day, that life too which has the meaning of the sun in this world, will rise in an enduring form in the morning of the resurrection after its setting with the destruction of the world. Since the Tenth and Twenty-Ninth Words have proved this truth to perfection, we refer you to them and here only say this:

Further to what has been proved decisively in the above explanation, the All-Wise Maker of the universe, Who possesses boundless all-embracing power, limitless universal will, and infinite all-encompassing knowlege, the all-Merciful Creator of human beings, has promised with all His heavenly Books and decrees Paradise and eternal bliss to those of mankind who believe in Him. Since He has promised, He will most certainly bring it about, because it is impossible for Him to break His promise. And because, not to carry out a promise is a most ugly fault, and the One of Absolute Perfection is totally exempt and free from all fault. Failure to perform a promise arises either from ignorance or from impotence. However, since it is impossible for there to be any ignorance or impotence pertaining to that Absolutely Powerful One, the One Knowing of All Things, His breaking of a promise is also impossible.

Moreover, first and foremost the Pride of the Worlds (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and all the prophets, saints, purified scholars, and people of belief, continuously request and implore, desire and beseech the All-Generous and Compassionate One for the eternal bliss they have been promised. They beseech it through all His Most Beautiful Names. For foremost His compassion and mercy, and justice and wisdom, His Names of All-Merciful and Compassionate, and All-Just and Wise, and His dominicality and sovereignty, and most of His Names including

Sustainer and Allah, require and necessitate the realm of the hereafter and eternal happiness, and they testify and point to its realization. Indeed, all beings with all of their truths point to the hereafter.

The All-Wise Qur'an, the greatest of the revealed Books, also demonstrates and teaches this truth with thousands of its verses; with clear evidences and conclusive, veracious proofs.

The Most Noble Beloved One, too, who is the cause of pride for the human race, relying on thousands of dazzling miracles taught this truth throughout his life, with all his strength; he proved it, proclaimed it, saw it, and demonstrated it.

O God, grant blessings and peace and benedictions to him and to his Family and Companions to the number of the breaths of the people of Paradise; and resurrect us and resurrect him and his friends and Companions to bliss, and our parents and brothers and sisters under his banner, and grant us his intercession, and enter us into Paradise with his Family and Companions, through Your mercy, O Most Merciful of the Merciful. Amen. Amen.

O our Sustainer! Do not take us to task if we forget or unwittingly do wrong. {[*]:}

O our Sustainer! Let not our hearts swerve from the truth after You have guided us; and bestow upon us the gift of Your mercy; indeed, You are the Giver of Gifts. {[*]:}

O my Sustainer! Open up my heart * And make my task easy for me * And loosen the knot from my tongue * That they might fully understand my speech. {[*]:}

O our Sustainer! Accept this from us, indeed You are All-Seeing, All-Knowing. And forgive us, indeed You are the Accepter of Repentance, the Compassionate.

All glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed You are All-Knowing, All-Wise. {[*]:}

Addendum to the Tenth Phrase of the Twentieth Letter

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

For verily, in the remembrance of God hearts do find their rest. {[*]:} * God sets forth a parable: A man belonging to many partners [all of them] at variance with one another. {[*]:}

You have said in many places that there is infinite facility in Divine Unity and endless difficulties in multiplicity and associating partners with God; that there is such ease in Divine Unity that it becomes necessary and such difficulty in associating partners with God that it becomes impossible. Whereas, the difficulties and impossibilities that you demonstrate are also present with Unity. For example, you say that if particles were not officials, it would be necessary for either an all-encompassing knowledge or an absolute power or innumerable immaterial machines or printing-presses to be present in every particle. This of course is completely impossible. Even if those particles were Divine officials, it would still be necessary for the particles to bear the same qualities so that they would be able to accomplish their endless orderly duties. Could you unravel this problem for me?

We have expounded and proved in many Words that if all beings are attributed to a single Maker, they become as easy and effortless as a single being. If they are attributed to numerous causes

and to Nature, a single fly becomes as difficult and arduous as the heavens, a flower as the spring, a fruit as a garden. Since this mattter has been explained and proved in other Words, we refer you to them and here only explain three comparisons, by means of three indications, which will reassure the soul and set the mind at rest in the face of that truth.

FIRST COMPARISON

For example, a tiny transparent glistening speck cannot of its own accord situate itself within a light even the size of a match-head, and neither can it be the source of it. It is able to have a light, in its own right, only like that of an insignificant particle, in accordance with its capacity and the size of its own mass. But if the speck is connected to the sun, if it opens its eyes and looks at it, it will be able to comprehend the immense sun together with its light, seven colours, heat, and even its distance; it will display a sort of greater manifestation. That is to say, if the particle remains on its own, it will only be able to perform a function to the extent of a particle, whereas if it is considered to be an official of the sun, and is connected to it and is a mirror to it, it will be able to demonstrate certain partial examples of the sun's functioning, like the sun.

Thus, And God's is the highest similitude, if all beings, all particles, are attributed to multiplicity, causes, Nature, themselves, or to anything other than God, then each particle, each being, must either possess an all-embracing knowledge and absolute power, or innumerable immaterial machines and printing-presses must be formed within it, so that it may carry out its wonderful duties. However, if the particles are attributed to a Single One of Unity, then each of them, each artefact, becomes connected to Him; it is as though each becomes His official. Its connection makes it display His manifestation. And through this connection and state of being a manifestation, it relies on an infinite knowledge and power. And thus, by reason of the mystery of the connection and reliance, it performs functions and duties far beyond its own power, through the power of its Creator.

SECOND COMPARISON

For example, there were two brothers, one brave and self-reliant, the other patriotic and devoted to his country. When a war broke out, the one who relied on himself did not form any connection with the state; he wanted to perform his service on his own. He was compelled therefore to carry the sources of his power around his own neck, and to transport, as far as his strength allowed, his equipment and ammunition. In accordance with his individual and petty strength, he was only able to fight with one corporal of the enemy army; to do more was beyond him.

The other brother did not rely on himself, he knew himself to be impotent and without strength, so he formed a connection with the king and was enrolled in the army. Through this connection, a huge army became a point of support for him. And because of this support, he was plunged into war with the moral strength of an army behind him under the auspices of the king. So when he encountered an eminent field marshal of the defeated enemy army's king, he declared in the name of his own king: "I take you prisoner! Quick march!", and captured him and handed him over. The meaning and wisdom of the situation is this:

Since the first man, who was independent, was compelled to carry his equipment and sources of strength himself, he was only able to perform an extremely insignificant service. Whereas the one who was an official did not have to carry his source of strength; indeed, the army and the king carried him. Just as though he was connecting his receiver to existing telegraph and telephone lines with a tiny wire, the man, through the connection he formed, connected himself to an infinite power.

Thus, And God's is the highest similitude, if all creatures, all particles, are attributed directly to the Single One of Unity and if they are connected to Him, through the power of the connection and through of its Lord, at His command, an ant can demolish the Pharaoh's palace; a fly can kill off Nimrod and consign him to Hell; a germ can despatch the most iniquitous tyrant to the grave; a seed the size of a grain of wheat becomes like the workshop and machinery for the production of a pine-tree the size of a mountain; and a particle of air is able to operate efficiently and in an orderly fashion in all the different functions and structures of all flowers and fruits. All this ease and facility self-evidently arise from the connection and state of being an official. If the being in question reverts to independence, if it is left to causes, multiplicity, and to itself, if it travels the road of associating partners with God, then it will only be able to perform a service to the extent of its own physical entity and to the measure of its consciousness.

THIRD COMPARISON

For example, there were two friends who wanted to write a geographical and statistical work on a country they had never seen. One of them formed a connection with the king and entered the telegraph and telephone office. With a piece of wire worth a few kurush, he connected his own telephone receiver to the state lines and was able to converse and communicate with everywhere and receive information. He wrote a most well-composed, well-arranged and perfect work of geography and statistics. As for the other man, either he would have had to travel continu