Second Chapter
INCLUDING FIVE REMARKS WITH RESPECT TO MAN'S HAPPINESS AND MISERY
[Since Man has
been created on the most excellent of patterns and has been
given most comprehensive abilities, he has been cast into an
arena of trial and examination in which he may rise or fall
to stations, ranks, and degrees from the lowest of the low to
the highest of the high, from the Earth to the Divine Throne,
and from minute particles to the sun. He has been sent to this
World as a miracle of Divine Power, the result of creation,
and a wonder of Divine art before whom have been opened two
roads leading either to infinite ascent or infinite descent.
We shall explain the mystery of this awesome progress and decline
of man's in Five Remarks.]
FIRST REMARK
Man stands in need of
most of the varieties of beings in the universe and is connected
to them. His needs spread through every part of the World, and
his desires extend to eternity. Just as he wants a flower,
so too he wants the spring. Just as he desires a garden, so
does he also desire everlasting Paradise. Just as he longs to
see a friend, so does he long to see the All-Beauteous One of
Glory. Just as in order to visit one he loves who lives in another
place, he is in need for his beloved's door to be opened to
him, so too in order to visit the ninety-nine per cent of his
friends who have travelled to the intermediate realm and so
be saved from eternal separation, he needs to seek refuge at
the court of an Absolutely Powerful One Who will close the door
of this huge World and open the door of the hereafter, which
is an exhibition of wonders, and remove this World and establish
the hereafter in its place.
Thus for Man in this position
the only True Object of Worship will be One in Whose
hand are the reins of all things, with Whom are the treasuries
of all things, Who sees all things, and is present everywhere,
who is beyond space, exempt from impotence, free of fault, and
far above all defect; an All-Powerful One of Glory, an All-Compassionate
One of Beauty, an All-Wise One of Perfection.
And so, O Man, if you
are the slave of Him alone, you will earn a place superior to
all creatures. But if you hold back from this servitude to Him,
you will become an abased slave to impotent creatures. If
you rely on your ego and own power and abandoning reliance on
Allah and supplication, deviate into pride and boasting, then
you will fall lower than an ant or bee in regard to goodness
and creation, and become weaker than a spider or a fly. You
will become heavier than a mountain in regard to evil and destruction,
and more harmful than a pestilence.
Yes, O Man! You have
two aspects: one is that of creation, good, acts, and positivity.
The other is the aspect of destruction, non-existence, evil,
negativity, and passivity. In regard to the first aspect, you
are lower than a bee or sparrow, and weaker than a spider or
fly. Whereas in regard to the second aspect, you surpass the
mountains, Earth, and skies; you take on a burden before which
they expressed their impotence and from which they shrank, and
you assume a sphere more extensive and vaster than them. For
when you create and do good, you are able to do so only to the
extent of your own power and strength and to the degree your
hand can reach. But when you commit evil and destruction, then
your evil overwhelms and your destruction spreads.
For example, unbelief
is an evil, a destruction, an absence of affirmation. But
that single evil comprises insulting the whole universe, belittling
all the Divine Names, and abusing all humanity. For these beings
have elevated positions and important duties; they are Dominical
missives, Divine mirrors, and Divine officials. But unbelief
dismisses them from their rank of being mirrors, officials changed
with duties, and bearing meanings, and reduces them to the level
of futility and being the playthings of chance. And through
the destruction of death and separation, it lowers them to the
degree of being swiftly decaying ephemeral matter lacking all
importance and value, to being nothing. And so too through denial
it insults the Divine Names, the inscriptions, manifestations,
and beauties of which are to be seen throughout the universe
and in the mirrors of beings. And it casts down to a position
more abased and weaker, more powerless and needy than the lowliest
transient animal the one who holds the rank of Allah's vicegerent
on Earth, known as Man, who is a well-composed ode of wisdom
proclaiming the manifestations of the Sacred Divine Names, and
a seed-like self-evident miracle of Divine Power containing
all the members of an eternal tree, and who, with assuming the
'Greatest Trust', became higher than the Earth, Sky and
mountains and gained superiority over the angels. It reduces
him to the level of being a common sign-board lacking all meaning,
confused, and swiftly decaying.
In Short: In regard to
destruction and evil, the evil-commanding soul may commit infinite
crimes, but concerning creativity and good, its power is extremely
little and partial. Yes, a house may be destroyed in one
day, while it cannot be built in a hundred. However, if the
soul gives up egoism and seeks good and existence from Divine
assistance, and if it foregoes evil and destruction and relying
on the soul, and seeking forgiveness becomes a true slave of
Allah's, then it will manifest the meaning of the verse,
Allah will
change their evil into good.
Its infinite capacity
for evil will be transformed into an infinite capacity for good.
It will acquire the value of the Most Excellent of Patterns
(Ahsane Taqweem) and ascend to the highest of the high.
And so, O heedless Man!
Look at Almighty Allah's munificence and generosity! Although
it would be justice to record one evil as a thousand and a single
good deed as one or not at all, He records a single evil as
one, and a single good deed as ten, and sometimes as seventy
or seven hundred, or even sometimes as seven thousand. You will
also understand from this Remark that to be sent to Hell,
which is so dreadful, is retribution for the deed and pure justice,
while to be sent to Paradise is pure generosity.
SECOND REMARK Man
has two faces: one, concerning his ego, looks to the life of
this World. The other, concerning worship and servitude to Allah,
looks to eternal life.
In respect to the first
face he is a wretched creature whose capital consists only of
the following:
Of will he has only a partial
power of choice like a hair; of power, a weak ability to acquire;
of life, a fast dying flame; of a life-span, a fleeting brief
spell; and of being, a swiftly decaying small body. Together
with this, he is one delicate, weak individual out of the innumerable
individuals of the numberless varieties of beings dispersed
through the levels of the universe.
In respect to the second
face and especially his impotence and poverty, which are turned
towards worship, Man has truly great breadth and vast importance.
For the All-Wise Creator has included in man's nature an
infinitely vast impotence and boundlessly huge poverty, so that
he can be an extensive mirror containing the innumerable manifestations
of an All-Powerful and Compassionate One Whose power is
infinite, an All-Generous All-Rich One Whose wealth is boundless.
Indeed, Man resembles
a seed. This seed has been given significant immaterial
members by Divine Power and a subtle, valuable programme by
Divine Determining, so that it may work beneath the ground,
and emerging from that narrow World, enter the broad World of
the air, and asking its Creator with the tongue of its disposition
to be a tree, find a perfection worthy of it. If, due to bad
temperament, the seed uses the immaterial members given it in
attracting certain harmful substances under the ground, in a
short time it will rot and decay in that narrow place without
benefit. But if the seed conforms to the creational command
of, 
Allah is the Splitter
of the seed-grain and date-stone and employs well those
immaterial members, it will emerge from that narrow World, and
through becoming a large fruit-bearing tree, its tiny particular
reality and its spirit will take on the form of an extensive
universal reality.
In just the same way, significant
members and valuable programmes have been deposited in man's
nature by Divine Power and Determining. If Man uses those
immaterial members on the desires of his soul and on minor pleasures
under the soil of worldly life in the narrow confin of this
earthly World, he will decay and decompose in the midst of difficulties
in a brief life in a constricted place like the rotted seed,
and load the responsibility on his unfortunate spirit, then
depart from this World.If, however, he nurtures the seed
of his abilities with the water of Islam and light of belief
under the soil of worship and servitude to Allah, conforms to
the commands of the Qur'an, and turns his faculties towards
their true aims, they will produce branches and buds in
the World of Similitudes and the intermediate realm; he will
be a seed of great value and a shining machine containing the
members of an everlasting tree and permanent truth which will
be the means to innumerable perfections and bounties in Paradise.
And he will be a blessed and luminous fruit of the tree of
the universe.
Yes, true progress is
to turn the faces of the heart, spirit, intellect, and even
the imagination and other subtle faculties given to Man towards
eternal life and for each to be occupied with the particular
duty of worship worthy of it. Progress is not as the people
of misguidance imagine, to plunge into the life of this World
in all its minute details and in order to taste every sort of
pleasure, even the basest, make subject to the evil-commanding
soul all the subtle faculties and the heart and intellect, and
make them assist it; to do this is not progress, it is decline.
I saw this fact in a vision
which is described in the following comparison:
I was entering a large town
when I looked and saw it was full of large palaces. At the doors
of some of these palaces was merrymaking like a brilliant theatre;
it captured and held everyone's attention and was entertaining
them. I looked carefully and saw that the lord of such a palace
had come to the door; he was playing with a dog and assisting
the merrymaking. The ladies were indulging in sweet conversation
with ill-mannered youths. Grown-up girls were organizing the
children's games. And the doorkeeper had taken the role of directing
the others. I then realized that the inside of the huge palace
was completely empty. Its refined duties all remained undone.
The morals of its inhabitants had declined so that they had
taken on these roles at the door.
I passed on until I came
to another large palace. I saw that there was a faithful dog
stretched out at the door and a stern and taciturn doorkeeper;
it had an undistinguished appearance. I was curious: why was
the other the way it was and this palace like this? I went inside.
Then I saw that the inside was very merry. Apartment over apartment,
the people of the palace were busy with their different refined
duties. The Men in the first apartment were overseeing the administration
and running of the palace. In the apartment over that, girls
were teaching the children. Above that the ladies were occupied
with fine arts and beautiful embroideries.
And on the top floor, the
lord was exchanging news with the king, and was busy with his
own elevated duties in order to maintain the people' tranquillity
and his own attainments and progress. They did not stop me since
I was not visible to them, and I was able to wander around.
Then I came out and looked around: everywhere in the town were
these two sorts of palaces. I asked about this and they told
me: "The palaces where there is merrymaking at the door and
whose insides are empty belong to the foremost of the unbelievers
and people of misguidance. The others belong to honourable Muslim
notables." Then in one corner I came across a palace on which
was written my name, SAID. I was curious. I looked more closely
and I as though saw my image on it. Calling out in utter bewilderment,
I came to my senses and awoke.
And now I shall interpret
this vision for you. May Allah cause good to come of it.
The town was human social
life and the city of man's civilization. Each of the
palaces was a human being. The people of the palaces were
the subtle faculties in Man like the eyes, ears, heart, inner
heart, spirit, intellect, and things like the soul and caprice,
and powers of lust and anger. Each of man's faculties has a
different duty of worship, and different pleasures and pains.
The soul and caprice and powers of lust and anger are like the
doorkeeper and the dog. Thus, to make the elevated subtle
faculties subject to the soul and caprice and make them forget
their fundamental duties is certainly decline and not progress.
You can interpret the rest for yourself.
THIRD REMARK In regard
to his acts and deeds and his labour Man is a weak animal, an
impotent creature. The extent of his power of disposal and
ownership in this respect is so narrow that it is no greater
than as far as his hand can reach. Domestic animals, even, the
reins of which have been given to Man, have each taken a share
of his weakness, impotence, and laziness, so that if they are
compared with their wild counterparts, a great difference is
apparent. (Like domestic goats and cattle, and wild goats and
cattle).
But in regard to passivity,
acceptance, supplication, and entreaty, Man is an honoured traveller
in this hostel of the World. He is the guest of One so generous
that infinite treasuries of mercy have been opened to him and
innumerable unique beings and servants subjugated to him.
And a sphere so large has been prepared for this guest's recreation,
amusement, and benefit that half its diameter is as long and
broad as the imagination can stretch.
And so if Man relies on his ego, and making worldly life
his goal, works for certain temporary pleasures within the
struggle for livelihood, he becomes submerged within an extremely
constricted sphere, then departs. All the members, systems,
and faculties given him will testify against him at the resurrection
and will bring a suit against him.
Whereas if he knows himself
to be a guest and spends the capital of his life within
the sphere of permission of the Generous One of Whom he is the
guest, he will strive for a long, eternal life within a broad
sphere, then take his rest and ease. And later, he may rise
to the highest of the high.
Moreover, all the members
and systems given to Man will be happy with him and testify
in favour of him in the hereafter. For sure, all the wonderful
faculties given to Men were not for this insignificant worldly
life, but for an everlasting life of great significance.
For if we compare Man with the animals, we see that Man is very
rich in regard to faculties and members, a hundred times more
so than the animals. But in the pleasures of worldly life and
in animal life he falls a hundred times lower. For in each pleasure
he receives is the trace of thousands of pains. The pains of
the past and fears of the future and the pain at each pleasure's
passing spoil the enjoyment to had from them, and leave a trace
in the pleasure. But animals are not like that. They receive
pleasure with no pains. They take enjoyment with no sorrow.
Neither the sorrows of the past cause them suffering, nor the
fears of the future distress them. They live peacefully, and
offer thanks to their Creator.
This means that if Man,
who is created on the most excellent of patterns, restricts
his thought to the life of this World, he falls a hundred times
lower than a creature like a sparrow, although he is higher
than the animals a hundred times in capital.
I explained this fact in
another place by means of a comparison. It is related to this,
so I shall repeat it here. It was like this:
A Man gave one of his servants
ten pieces of gold and told him to have a suit of clothes made
in a particular cloth. Then to a second one, he gave a thousand
pieces of gold, and putting in the servant's pocket a note on
which certain things were written, sent him to a market. The
first servant bought an excellent suit of the finest cloth with
the ten pieces of gold. While the second servant did not use
his head, and looking at the first servant and not reading the
account note in his pocket, he gave the thousand pieces of gold
to a shopkeeper and asked for a suit of clothes. The dishonest
shopkeeper gave him a suit of the very worst quality cloth.
Then the wretched servant returned to his lord and received
a severe reprimand and a terrible punishment.
Thus, even the most unintelligent
will understand that the thousand pieces of gold given the second
servant were not to buy a suit of clothes, but for some important
trade.
In just the same way, each
of the immaterial members and subtle faculties in Man have
expanded to a degree a hundred times greater than that of the
animals. For example, consider faculties and members like man's
eyes, which can discern all the degrees of beauty, and his sense
of taste, which can distinguish all the varieties of the particular
tastes of foods, and his mind, which can penetrate to all the
subtlest points of reality, and his heart, which yearns for
every sort of perfection, and then consider the extremely simple
members of the animals which have developed only one or two
degrees. There is just this difference, that in animals a member
particular to some function and special to a particular species
develops more. But this development is particular.
The reason for man's
wealth in regard to faculties is this: by reason of the
mind and thought, man's senses and feelings have greatly developed
and expanded. And numerous emotions have come into being because
of the multiplicity of his needs. And his senses have become
extremely diverse. And because of the comprehensiveness of his
nature, desires have appeared turned towards numerous aims.
And because he has numerous duties due to his nature, his members
and faculties have expanded greatly. And since he has been created
with a nature capable of performing every sort of worship, he
has been given abilities which embrace the seeds of all perfections.Thus,
this great wealth in faculties and abundant capital was certainly
not given for procuring this temporary worldly life.
Rather, man's fundamental
duty is to perform his duties, which look to innumerable aims;
and proclaim his impotence, poverty, and faults in the form
of worship; and observing the glorifications of beings with
a universal eye, to bear witness to them; and seeing the instances
of the assistance of the Most Merciful One, to offer thanks;
and gazing on the miracles of Dominical power in beings, to
contemplate on them as objects from which lessons may be drawn.
O Man who worships this
World, is the lover of worldly life, and is heedless of the
meaning of 'the most excellent of patterns'!
The Old Said saw the
reality of worldly life in a vision. It transformed him into
the New Said. You too listen to it in the form of a comparison:
I saw that I was a traveller
and was going on a long journey; that is to say, I was being
sent. The one who was my lord gradually gave me some of the
money from the sixty pieces of gold he had allotted me. I spent
them, and came to a hostel where there were amusements of all
kinds. In one night in that hostel I spent ten pieces of gold
on gambling, amusements, and the enjoyment of fame. In the morning
I had no money left. Moreover I had done no trade nor bought
any goods for the place I was going. All that remained to me
from the money were sins and pains, and from the amusements,
wounds and sorrow. While in that sorry state, a Man suddenly
appeared. He said to me:"You have wasted all your capital and
deserve punishment. You are going to your destination bankrupt
and with your hands empty. But if you have any sense, the door
of repentance is open. When you receive the fifteen pieces of
gold that remain to you, keep half of them in reserve. That
is, obtain the things necessary for you in the place where you
are going."I looked, my soul did not agree to this.So he said:
"A third, then."My soul still did not obey him.Then he said:
"A quarter."My soul could not give up the habits to which it
was addicted, so the Man angrily turned his back on me and left.
Suddenly, the scene changed.
I was in a train in a tunnel, which was travelling fast as though
downwards vertically. I took fright. But what could I do, there
was no escape anywhere. Strangely, attractive flowers and enticing
fruits appeared on both sides of the train. And I, like the
foolish and inexperienced, looked at them and stretching out
my hand, tried to pick them. But they were covered in thorns
and tore at my hands when I touched them making them bleed.
With the movement of the train, my hands were lacerated at being
parted from them. They cost me much. Suddenly a porter on the
train said:"Give me five cents and I shall give you as much
of the flowers and fruits as you want. You are caused the loss
of a hundred cents with your hands being torn, rather than five
cents. Also there is a penalty; you cannot pick them without
permission."In distress I put my head out of the window and
looked ahead to see when the tunnel would end. I saw that in
place of the tunnel's entrance were numerous holes. People were
being thrown into them from the long train. I saw a hole opposite
me. On either side of it was a gravestone. I looked in amazement.
I saw that written on one of the gravestones was the name SAID.
In my bewilderment and anxiety I exclaimed: "Alas!"
Then suddenly I heard the
voice of the Man who had given me advice at the door of the
hostel.
He said:"Have you come
to your senses?"I replied: "Yes, but it is too late now."So
he said: "Repent and place your trust in Allah."I replied that
I would.
Then I awoke and saw myself
as the New Said; the Old Said had disappeared.
So, that was the vision.
May Allah cause good to come of it! I shall interpret one or
two parts of it, then you can interpret the rest for yourself.
The journey was the
journey which passes from the World of Spirits, through the
mother's womb, youth, old age, the grave, the Intermediate Realm,
the resurrection, and the Bridge of Sirat towards eternity.
The sixty pieces of gold were the sixty years of life. I reckoned
I saw the vision when I was forty-five years old. I had nothing
to guarantee it, but a sincere student of the All-Wise Qur'an
advised me to spend half of the fifteen that remained to me
on the hereafter. The hostel for me was Istanbul. The train
was time, and each year a carriage. As for the tunnel, it was
the life of this World. The thorny flowers and fruits were
illicit pleasures and forbidden amusements which cause pain
while indulging in them on thinking of their passing, and on
separation lacerate the heart, making it bleed. And they
also cause a punishment to be inflicted. The porter on the train
told me to give him five cents so that he would give me as many
as I wanted.The meaning of this is as follows: The pleasures
and enjoyment Man receives through licit striving within the
sphere of what is lawful are sufficient for him. No need remains
to enter the unlawful. You may interpret the rest for yourself.
FOURTH REMARK Man resembles
a delicate and petted child in the universe. There is a
great strength in his weakness and great power in his impotence.
For it is through the strength of his weakness and power of
his impotence that beings have been subjected to him. If Man
understands his weakness and offers supplications verbally and
by state and conduct, and recognizes his impotence and seeks
help, since he has offered thanks by exhibiting them, he achieves
his aims and his desires are subjugated to him in a way far
exceeding what he could achieve with his own power. Only he
sometimes wrongly attributes to his own power the attainment
of a wish, that has been obtained for him through the supplications
offered by the tongue of his disposition. For example, the strength
in the weakness of a chick causes the mother hen to attack a
lion. And its newly-born lion cub subjugates to itself that
savage and hungry lioness, leaving the mother hungry and the
cub full. See this strength in weakness and manifestation of
Divine Mercy which are worthy of notice!
Just as through crying
or asking or looking unhappy, a child subjugates the strong
to himself, and is so successful in getting what he wants that
he could not obtain one thousandth of it with a thousand times
his own strength. That is to say, since weakness and impotence
excite compassion and a sense of protection towards him, the
child can subjugate heroes to himself with his tiny finger.
Now, should such a child with foolish conceit deny the compassion
and accuse the protection saying: "I subjugate these with
my own strength", of course he will receive a slap.
In the same way, if, like
Qarun, Man says:
I have been given it on account of the knowledge I have,
that is, "I gained this through my own knowledge and my own
power" in a way that demonstrates ingratitude and denies
his Creator's mercy and accuses His wisdom, he will of course
deserve a punishing blow.
This means that man's
domination and human advances and the attainments of civilization,
which are to be observed, have been made subject to him not
through his attracting them or conquering them or through combat,
but due to his weakness. He has been assisted because of his
impotence. They have been bestowed on him due to his indigence.
He has been inspired with them due to his ignorance. They have
been given him due to his need. And the reason for his domination
is not strength and the power of knowledge, but the compassion
and clemency of the Sustainer and Divine mercy and wisdom: they
have subjugated things to him.
Yes, what clothes Man,
who is defeated by vermin like eyeless scorpions and legless
snakes, in silk from a tiny worm and feeds him honey from a
poisonous insect is not his own power, but the subjugation of
the Sustainer and the bestowal of the Most Merciful, which are
the fruits of his weakness.
O Man! Since the reality
of the matter is thus, give up egotism and arrogance. With
the tongue of seeking help proclaim your impotence and weakness
at the Divine Court, and with the tongue of entreaty and supplication,
your poverty and need. Show that you are His slave. Say:
Allah is enough for us,
for He is the Best Disposer of Affairs, and rise in degree.
Also, do not say: "I am
nothing. What importance do I have that the universe should
purposefully be made subject to me by an Absolutely All-Wise
One, and universal thanks required of me?"
Because for sure you are
as though nothing with respect to your soul and form, but from
the point of view of duty and rank, you are an observant
spectator of this majestic universe, an eloquent, articulate
tongue of these beings so full of wisdom, a discerning reader
of this Book of the Universe, a supervisor of these creatures
full of wonder at their glorifications, and like a foreman of
these beings full of respect for their worship.
Yes, O Man! In regard to
your vegetable physical being and animal soul, you are a deaf
particle, a contemptible atom, a needy creature, a weak animal,
who, tossed on the awesome waves of the flood of beings, is
departing. But being perfected through the light of belief,
which comprises the radiance of Divine love, and through
the training of Islam, which is enlightened, in regard to
humanity and servitude to Allah, you are a king, and
a universal within particularity, and within your insignificance,
a World, and within your contemptibility, a supervisor of such
high rank and extensive sphere that you can say:
"My Compassionate Sustainer
has made the World a house for me, the sun and moon lamps for
it, and the spring, a bunch of flowers for me, and summer, a
table of bounties, and the animals, He has made my servants.
And He has made plants the decorated furnishings of my house."
To conclude: If you
heed Satan and your soul, you will fall to the lowest of the
low. But if you heed Truth and the Qur'an, you will rise to
the highest of the high and become the Most Excellent Pattern
of the universe.
FIFTH REMARK
Man has been sent to
this World as an official and guest, and has been given abilities
of great significance. And he has been entrusted with important
duties in accordance with those abilities. And in order
to employ Man in fulfilling those aims and duties, powerful
encouragement and severe threats have been made. We shall here
summarize the fundamentals of worship and of man's duties, which
we have explained at length elsewhere, so that the mystery of
'the Most Excellent of Patterns' (Ahsane Taqweem) may
be understood.
On coming into the universe
Man has two aspects of worship and being a slave of Allah's.
One is worship and contemplation in the absence of the Object
of Worship. The other is worship and supplication in His presence
and is addressing Him directly.
First Aspect: It is to
affirm submissively the sovereignty of Dominicality apparent
in the universe and to observe its perfections and virtues in
wonder.
Then it is to proclaim
and herald the unique arts which consist of the inscriptions
of the Sacred Divine Names and to display them to others.
Then it is to weigh on
the scales of perception the jewels of the Dominical Names,
which are each like a hidden treasure; it is to appreciatively
affirm their value with the discerning heart.
Then it is to study and
ponder over in wonder the pages of beings and leaves of the
Earth and Sky, which are like missives of the pen of power.
Then through beholding
admiringly the adornment and subtle arts in beings, it is to
feel love for knowledge of their All-Beauteous Creator, and
to yearn to ascend to the presence of their All-Perfect Maker
and to receive His favours.
Second Aspect: This
is the station of presence and address wherein Man passes from
the work to the producer of the work and he sees that an All-Beauteous
Maker wants to make himself known and acquainted through the
miracles of His own art, and he responds with knowledge and
belief.
Then he sees that an
All-Compassionate Sustainer wants to make himself loved through
the fine fruits of His mercy. So through confining his love
and worship to Him, he makes himself love Him.
Then he sees that an
All-Generous Bestower is nurturing him with the delights of
bounties material and immaterial, and in return he offers Him
thanks and praise with his actions, conduct, words, and as far
as he can, with all his senses and faculties.
Then he sees that an
All-Beauteous and Glorious One is announcing His tremendousness
and perfections, and glory and beauty in the mirrors of these
beings, and is drawing attentive gazes to them. So in response
he declares: "Allah is Most Great! Glory be to Allah!" (Allahu
Akbar, Subhaanallah), and in humility prostrates with love and
wonder.
Then he sees that a Possessor
of Absolute Riches is displaying His boundless wealth and treasuries
amid an absolute munificence. So in response, exalting and praising
Him, he entreats and asks for them, expressing his utter need.
Then he sees that the All-Glorious
Creator has made the face of the Earth like an exhibition and
displayed on it all His antique works of art. So in response
he exclaims in appreciation: "What wonders Allah has willed!"
(Maashaallah), and in admiration: "What blessings Allah
has bestowed!" (Baarakallah), and in wonder: "Glory be
to Allah!" (Subhaanallah), and in astonishment: "Allah
is Most Great!" (Allahu Akbar).
Then he sees that in His
palace of the universe a Single One of Unity has struck
seals of Unity on all beings with His inimitable signature,
and with His stamps, signets, and cyphers particular to Him;
that He inscribes the signs of His Unity; and planting the banner
of Unity in every region of the World, He proclaims His Dominicality.
And he responds with assent, belief, submission, worship,
and affirmation of His Unity.
Thus, through worship
and contemplation of this kind he becomes a true Man. He shows
that he is on the Most Excellent of Patterns. Through the auspiciousness
of belief he becomes a reliable vicegerent of Allah's on Earth
worthy of bearing the Trust.
O heedless Man created
on the Most Excellent of Patterns, who, through the misuse of
his will is descending to the lowest of the low! Listen
to me! In the heedlessness induced by the intoxication of youth
I, like you, thought the World was fine and lovely. Then the
moment I awoke in the morning of old age, I saw how ugly was
the world's face that was not turned towards the hereafter,
which I had previously imagined to be beautiful. To see this
and how beautiful was its true face, which looks to the hereafter,
you may refer to the two 'Signboards' in the Second Station
of the Seventeenth Word, and see for yourself.
The First Signboard depicts
the reality of the World of the people of neglect, which
long ago, like the people of misguidance, I saw through the
veil of heedlessness, but without being intoxicated.
The Second Signboard indicates
the reality of the worlds of the people of guidance.
I left it in the form it was written long ago. It resembles
poetry, but it is not truly that...
Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge
save that which You have taught us; indeed You are All-Knowing,
All-Wise.O My Sustainer! Expand for me my breast * Make easy
for me my affair * And loosen the knot on my tongue * That they
may understand my words.
O Allah! Grant blessings
to the subtle unitary Muhammedan essence, the Sun in the skies
of mysteries and manifestation of lights, the centre of the
orbit of Glory and the pole of the sphere of Beauty. O Allah!
By his mystery in Your presence and by his journeying to You,
succour my fear, and right my stumbling, and dispel my grief
and my greed, and be mine, and take me from myself to Yourself,
and bestow on me annihilation from myself, and do not make me
captivated by my soul and veiled by my senses, and reveal to
me all hidden secrets, O Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One!
O Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent One! O Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent
One! And grant mercy to me and to my companions and to the people
of belief and the Qur'an. Amen. O Most Merciful of the Merciful
and Most Generous of the Generous!
And the close of their
prayer will be: All Praise be to Allah, the Sustainer of All
the Worlds.
The following is a Lecture pepared by our brother Zübeyir Gündüzalp who stated his opinions about the Treatises
of Light (Risale-i Nur) on behalf
of the Students of Light in Konya and delivered to the young students in the University of Ankara in 1947.
