| gencnurCom | From the Risale-i Nur Collection Humanity's Encounter with the Divine Series The Miraculous Qur'an and Some of Its Mysteries The Twelfth Word The Twentieth Word The Twenty-fifth Word The Twenty-ninth Letter Bediuzzaman SAID NURSI Table
of Contents Bediuzzaman
and the Risale-i Nur........ iii The
Twelfth Word Revealed
Wisdom and Human Thought Four
fundamentals................................... 1 [Differences
between the Qur'anic wisdom and human philosophy •
Moral training in one's personal life • Moral training
in human social life • The Qur'an is superior to all
other Divine Scriptures, speech, and writings] The
Twentieth Word The
Qur'an: Eloquence and Science Two
stations............................................ 15 [Apparently
insignificant events hide a universal principle and
present the tip of a general law • The Prophets'
miracles show what humanity can attain through
observation, experimentation, and concerted effort] The
Twenty-fifth Word The Miraculous Qur'an Three
parts.............................................. 59 [Said
Nursi's definition of thè Qur'an ] First
light................................................. 62 [An
analysis of verses exhibiting the Qur'an's miraculous
eloquence]
Second
light........................................... 152 [Three
rays displaying more aspects of the Qur'an's miraculous
eloquence] Third
light.............................................. 195 [Three
rays showing how the Qur'an's verses remove the
darkness of unbelief] Conclusion...................
:........................ 212 First
addendum..................................... 215 [Six
points dealing with the Qur'an's excellence] [Why
there is repetition in the Qur'an] [A
translation can never replace the original Qur'an •
Reflections on belief] The
Twenty-ninth Letter The Qur'an Nine
points....... .................................... 249 [Nine
points dealing with various subtle points related to the
Qur'an] Index......................................................
267
Bediuzzaman
and the Risale-i Nur In
the many dimensions of his lifetime of achievement, as
well as in his personality and character, Bediuzzaman
(1877-1960) was and, through his continuing influence,
still is an important thinker and writer in the Muslim
world. He represented in a most effective and profound
way the intellectual, moral and spiritual strengths of
Islam, evident in different degrees throughout its
fourteen-century history. He lived for eighty-five years.
He spent almost all of those years, overflowing with love
and ardor for the cause of Islam, in a wise and measured
activism based on sound reasoning and in the shade of the
Qur'an and the Prophetic example. Bediuzzaman
lived in an age when materialism was at its peak and many
crazed after communism, and the world was in great
crisis. In that critical period, Bediuzzaman pointed
people to the source of belief and inculcated in them a
strong hope for a collective restoration. At a time when
science and philosophy were used to mislead young
generations into atheism, and nihilistic attitudes had a
wide appeal, at a time when all this was done in the name
of civilization, modernization and contemporary thinking
and those who tried to resist them were subjected to the
cruelest of persecutions, Bediuzzaman strove for the
overall revival of a whole people, breathing into their
minds whatever and spirits whatever is taught in the
institutions of both modern and traditional education and
of spiritual training. Bediuzzaman
had seen that modern unbelief originated from science
and philosophy, not from ignorance
iv
The
Miraculous Qur'an and Some of Its Mysteries
as
previously. He wrote that nature is the collection of
Divine signs and therefore science and religion cannot be
conflicting disciplines. Rather, they are two
(apparently) different expressions of the same truth.
Minds should be enlightened with sciences, while hearts
need to be illumined by religion. Bediuzzaman
was not a writer in the usual sense of the word. He wrote
his splendid work the Risale-i Nur, a collection
exceeding 5,000 pages, because he had a mission: he
struggled against the materialistic and atheistic trends
of thought fed by science and philosophy and tried to
present the truths of Islam to modern minds and hearts of
every level of understanding. The Risale-i Nur, a modem
commentary of the Qur'an, mainly concentrates on the
existence and unity of God, the Resurrection,
Prophethood, the Divine Scriptures primarily including
the Qur'an, the invisible realms of existence, Divine
Destiny and humanity's free will, worship, justice in
human life, and humanity's place and duty among the
creation. In
order to remove from people's minds and hearts the
accumulated 'sediment' of false beliefs and conceptions
and to purify them both intellectually and spiritually,
Bediuzzaman writes forcefully and makes reiterations. He
writes in neither an academic nor a didactic way; rather
he appeals to feelings and aims to pour out his thoughts
and ideas into people's hearts and minds in order to
awaken them to belief and conviction. This
book is a selected section from the Risale-i Nur collection.
The
Twelfth Word Revealed
Wisdom and Human Thought In
the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Whoever
has been given the Wisdom, certainly has been given much
good. (2:269) [Note:
This Word presents a brief comparison between the
Qur'an's sacred wisdom and human philosophy, a concise
summary of the Qur'anic instruction and training for
humanity's personal and social life, and an indication of
the Qur'an's superiority to all other Divine Words and
speech.] Four
fundamentals First
fundamental: Differences between the Qur'anic wisdom and
human philosophy: A religious, skillful, and renowned
ruler wanted to make a copy of the Qur'an as beautifully
as required by its sacred meanings and miraculous wording
in order to adorn its wonderful words in a worthy
fashion. So, he wrote it in a truly wonderful fashion
with all kinds of precious jewels. To point out the
variety of its truths, he wrote some of its letters in
diamonds and emeralds, others in pearls and agate,
brilliants and coral, and gold and silver. He adorned and
decorated in such a way that everyone was full of
admiration and astonishment. That Qur'an became a most
precious artwork for the people of truth, for its outer
beauty indicated its brilliant inner beauty and striking
adornment. The
ruler showed this Qur'an to a foreign [non-Muslim]
philosopher and a Muslim scholar. Seeking to test and
reward them, he told each one to write about it. The two
men complied. The philosopher discussed the letters'
shapes, decorations, and interrelationships, and the
jewels' properties and methods of use. He said nothing
of its meaning, for he saw only an ornamented object and
was unaware that it was an invaluable book with depths of
meaning. As he was well-informed about engineering and
chemistry, could describe things, and knew a great deal
about jewelry but nothing about Arabic, he wrote his book
accordingly. But the truth-loving Muslim scholar,
understanding that it was the Clear Book (the Wise
Qur'an), ignored its outward ornamentation and the
letters' decorations and described the sacred truths and
secret lights behind the veil of decorations, for they
are far more valuable and worthy of respect, more useful
and comprehensive. Both
men presented their books to the ruler, who began with
the philosopher's book. Seeing that he had worked very
hard, the ruler nevertheless refused his book and
expelled him from his presence. Why? Because he had
written nothing of the bejeweled Qur'an's true wisdom,
understood none of its meanings, and showed his
disrespect for it by thinking that this source of truths
consists of meaningless decoration. Looking through
second book, and seeing that the truth-loving scholar
had written a very beautiful and useful interpretation,
a wise and illuminating composition, he congratulated
him. It was pure wisdom, and its author was a true
scholar, a genuine sage. As a reward, the scholar was
given 10 gold coins from the ruler's inexhaustible
treasury for each letter of his book. The
meaning is as follows: The embellished Qur'an is this
artistically fashioned universe; the ruler is the Eternal
Sovereign. The first man represents the line of
philosophy and philosophers: the second man represents
the way of the Qur'an and its students. Indeed, the wise
Qur'an is the most exalted expounder and a most eloquent
translator of this universe (a macro-Qur'an). It is the
Criterion that instructs jinn and humanity in the signs
of creation—Divine laws regarding creation and the
universe's operation—inscribed by the Pen of Power on
the sheets of the universe and pages of time. It looks
upon creatures, each a meaningful letter, as bearing the
meaning of another (on account of their Maker) and says:
"How beautifully they have been made, how
meaningfully they point to the Maker's beauty and
grace." Thus it shows the universe's real beauty. Philosophy,
focused on the design and decorations of creation's
"letters," has lost its way. While it ought to
look upon this macro-book's letters as bearing the
meaning of another (on account of God), it looks upon
them as signifying themselves (on account of themselves)
and says: "How beautiful they are," not
"How beautifully they have been made." Thus
philosophers insult creation and cause it to complain. In
truth, materialistic philosophy is a falsehood having no
truth, an insult to creation. Second
fundamental: Moral training in one's personal life:
Sincere students of philosophy are Pharaoh-like tyrants.1
They abuse themselves by bowing in worship before the
meanest thing, if they perceive it to be in their
interest to do so. These materialist students are
stubborn, misleading, and unyielding, but so wretched
that they accept endless degradation for one pleasure;
unbending but so mean as to kiss the feet of devilish
people for a base advantage. They are conceited and
domineering, but, unable to find any point of support
in their hearts, are utterly impotent and vainglorious
tyrants. Such people are no more than self-centered
egoists striving to gratify their material and carnal
desires, pursuers of personal interests and certain
national interests.
Sincere
students of the Qur'an are worshipping servants of God.
They do not degrade themselves by bowing in worship
before, even the greatest of the created. They are
dignified servants who do not worship in order to obtain
a benefit, even Paradise. They are modest students, mild
and gentle, who only lower themselves voluntarily to
their Creator, never exceeding what He has permitted.
They are aware of their weakness and need, but are
independent because the Munificent Owner provides them
with spiritual wealth. Relying on their Master's infinite
Power, they are powerful. They act and strive purely
for God's sake and pleasure, and to be equipped with
virtue. The training given by philosophy and the Qur'an
may be understood through the above comparison. Third
fundamental: Moral training in human social life:
Philosophy considers force to be the point of support in
social life, and life as the realization of
self-interest (its goal) and conflict (its principle). A
community's unifying bonds are race and aggressive
nationalism, and its fruits are the gratification of
carnal desires and increased need. Force calls for
aggression, seeking self-interest causes battles over
material resources, and conflict brings strife. Racism
feeds by swallowing others, thereby paving the way for
aggression. This is why humanity is not happy. The
Qur'an accepts right as the point of support in social
life. The aim is virtue and God's approval, and its
principle is mutual assistance. The only community
bonds it accepts are those of religion, profession, and
country. Its aim is to control and thus weaken carnal
desires by urging the soul to sublime matters, satisfying
our exalted feelings so that we will strive for human
perfection and true humanity. Right calls for unity,
virtues bring solidarity, and mutual assistance means
helping each other. Religion secures brotherhood,
sisterhood, and cohesion. Restraining our desires and
urging the soul to perfection brings happiness in both
worlds. •
Fourth fundamental: The Qur'an is superior to all other
Divine Scriptures, speech, and writings: This truth is
explained in the following two parables: First, a king
has two forms of speech and address. He uses the first
one while speaking on his phone to a common subject
regarding a minor matter or private need. He uses the
second one in his capacity as the supreme sovereign,
supreme head of the religious office, and supreme ruler.
He directs his words toward an envoys or high official so
that his commands will be promulgated through an exalted
decree that manifests his majesty. Second,
a person holds a mirror toward the sun. According to the
mirror's capacity, he receives the sun's seven-colored
light and thereby establishes a connection with it. When
he directs this light-filled mirror toward his dark house
and roof-covered garden, he benefits from the sun only
according to the mirror's ability to reflect it.
Another person opens broad windows in his house or
roof-covered garden, thus exposing them to the benefits
of direct and continuous sunlight. In gratitude, he says:
"O fine sun, beauty of the world and skies, who
gilds Earth with your light and makes flowers smile.
You have furnished my house and garden with your heat and
light, just as you have done for the skies, Earth, and
flowers." The first person cannot say such things,
for he has to be content with his mirror's reflections of
the sun's light and heat. Consider
the Qur'an in the light of these two parables. See its
miraculousness and understand its holiness. The Qur'an
declares: If all the trees on Earth were to become pens
and all the seas ink, and if they were to write the words
of Almighty God, they would never finish them. The
Qur'an holds the greatest rank among God's infinite words
because it originated in His Greatest Name and in the
greatest level of every Name, each of which has
infinitely different levels of manifestation.2
It is the Word of God because He is the Lord of the
Worlds; His decree because He is the Deity of all
creatures; and a Divine address because He is the Creator
of the Heavens and Earth. It is a speech of God in regard
to His absolute Lordship, an eternal address in regard to
His universal Divine Sovereignty; a ledger of the
All-Merciful One's favors from the point of view of His
all-embracing, comprehensive Mercy; a collection of
communications that sometimes begin with ciphers in
respect of His Divinity's sublime majesty; and a
wisdom-infusing Holy Scripture that, having originated
from the Divine Greatest Name's all-comprehensive
realm, looks to and examines the all-embracing domain of
the Supreme Throne of God. This is why the Qur'an
deserves to be called— and is called—the Word of God.
Some
other Divine Words are Divine speech manifested for a
specific reason, under a minor title, and through the
particular manifestation of a particular Name. This
results from a particular manifestation of Divine
Hardship, Sovereignty, or Mercy. Divine Words vary in
degree with respect to particularity and universaUty.
Most inspiration is of this kind. For example, in
ascending order, God sends the most particular and simple
inspiration to animals. It increases in importance as
it is sent to ordinary people, ordinary angels, saints,
and greater angels, respectively. This
is why saints who supplicate without mediation directly
through the telephone of the heart "connected to
God" say: "My heart reports to me from my
Lord." They do not say: "It reports to me from
the Lord of the Worlds." They can say: "My
heart is a mirror, a Throne, of my Lord," but not:
"My heart is the Throne of the Lord of the
Worlds," for saints receive the Divine address only
according to their capacity and to how many of the
70,000 veils separating humanity and God they have
removed. A
king's decree issued in his capacity as the supreme
sovereign is higher and more exalted than his
conversation with a commoner. We receive far more benefit
from direct exposure to the sun than we do from its
reflection. The Qur'an is superior to all speech and
books in the same way. Next come the other Divine
Scriptures,3 which are superior to all other
speech and books, for they are based on Revelation. If
all non-Qur'anic but nevertheless fine words, epigrams,
and wise sayings known to humanity and jinn were
collected, they could not equal the Qur'an. If
you want to have some understanding of how the Qur'an has
originated in God's Greatest Name and in the greatest
level of every Name, consider the universal, sublime
statements of Ay at al-Kursi (2:255) and the following
verses: God,
there is no god but He; the Ever-Living, the
Self-Subsisting (by Whom all subsist.) Slumber seizes Him
not, nor sleep. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens
and all that is in the earth. Who is there that shall
intercede with Him save by His leave? He knows what lies
before them and what lies after them, (what lies in their
future and in their past, what is known to them and what
is hidden from them;) and they comprehend not
anything of His Knowledge save, what He wills. His Seat
(of dominion) embraces the heavens and Earth, and their
preservation wearies Him not; He is the All-High, the
Tremendous. (2:255)
With
Him are the keys of the Unseen. (6:59) O
God, Owner of sovereignty. (3:26) He
covers the day with the night, each pursuing the other
urgently. (7:54) O
Earth, swallow your water, and O sky, cease your rain!
(11:44) The
seven heavens and Earth, and all within them extol Him.
(17:44) Your
creation and your upraising are as but as a single
soul. (31:28) We
offered the Trust to the heavens and Earth and the
mountains. (33:72) On
the day when We shall roll up heaven as a scroll is
rolled for books. (21:104) They
measure not God as is due to Him. Earth altogether
shall be His handful on the Day of Resurrection. (39:67) If
We had sent down this Qur'an upon a mountain, you would
have seen it humbled, split asunder out of the fear of
God. (59:21) Meditate
upon the initial verses of those suras beginning with al-hamdu
li-llah (All praise be to God) or tusabbihu (glorifies
Him), and try to understand this significant fact. Look
at the openings of those suras beginning with Alif Lam
Mim, AlifLam Ra, and Ha Mim, and try to understand the
Qur 'an's importance in God Almighty's sight. If
you understand the significant kernel of this fourth
fundamental, you understand the following facts:
•
Revelation mostly came to Prophets via an angel;
inspiration is mostly without mediation. •
The greatest saint cannot attain the level of any
Prophet. •
The-Qur'an possesses its own grandeur, sacred glory and
honor, which are the sources of its sublime
miraculousness. •
Prophet Muhammad was honored with Ascension, ascended
to the Heavens, reached the furthest lote-tree and to thé
distance of only two bows ' length,4 and there
supplicated the All-Majestic One, Who is closer to us
than our jugular veins, and returned in the Iwinkling
of an eye for specific reasons. Just as spUtting the moon
was a miracle of Messengership demonstrating his
Prophethood to the jinn and humanity, the Ascension was a
miracle of his worship and servanthood to God
demonstrating to spirits and angels that he is the
Beloved of God.
O
God, bestow blessings and peace upon him and his Family5
as befits Your Mercy and his dignity.
The
Twentieth Word The
Qur'an: Eloquence and Science Two
stations In
the Name of God, the Merciful the Compassionate. First
station: Consider the following verses: When
We said unto the angels: "Prostrate before
Adam," they fell prostrate, all save Iblis. (2:34) God
commands you to sacrifice a cow. (2:67) Yet
after all this your hearts were hardened and become like
rocks or even harder. (2:74) Once,
Satan suggested three things about these verses: You
say that the Qur'an is a miracle of infinite eloquence
and guidance for everyone forever. So why does it
persistently repeat, in a sort of historical manner,
certain insignificant events like slaughtering a cow
and even naming the longest sura (al-Baqara means
"The Cow") after that event? Also, the angels'
prostrating before Adam is a matter of the Unseen and
reason cannot comprehend it. It may be accepted and
affirmed only after one has attained a strong belief, and
yet the Qur'an addresses all those who have reason or
intellect and frequently warns: 'Will they not use their
reason?' Additionally, what kind of guidance is intended
by describing so forcefully certain natural conditions
of-rocks that are only results of chance? The
following points occurred to me. First
point: The Qur'an contains many apparently
insignificant events, each of which hides a universal
principle and present the tip of a general law. For
example: (He) taught Adam the names of all of them (2:31)
states that Adam was taught "the names" as a
miracle to show his superiority over the angels in being
favored with God's vicegerency on Earth—the rale of
Earth in the name of God. Although
this seems a small and particular event, it constitutes a
tip of the following universal principle: Due to Adam's
comprehensive nature, humanity was taught (or given the
potential to obtain) a great deal of information, many
sciences concerning all aspects of the universe, and
vast knowledge about the Creator's Attributes and acts.
All of this made humanity superior to the angels, the
heavens, Earth, and the mountains, for only humanity
could bear the Supreme Trust. It also made humanity
Earth's ruler in God's name. Likewise,
the angels' prostration before Adam, in contrast with
Satan's rejection, is a small, particular event in the
Unseen. However, it is the tip of a most comprehensive
and universally observed principle and suggests a most
extensive truth: By mentioning their obedience and
submission and Satan's haughty refusal, the Qur'an shows
that most material beings in the universe and their
spiritual representatives are subjugated to us and
ever-ready to satisfy our needs and desires. In
addition, the Qur'an warns us about evil beings and their
immaterial representatives, as well as Earth's devilish
inhabitants who corrupt our potential for perfection and
seduce us into wrong paths. It reminds us of these
terrible enemies and great obstacles we will encounter
on the path of progress toward perfection. Thus, while
narrating a particular event pertaining to a single
individual (Adam) the Qur'an of Miraculous Expression
holds an elevated discourse with all creation and
humanity. Second
point: Although part of the Sahara desert, the blessed
Nile's bounteous gifts have made Egypt a fertile, arable
land. Such a blessed, paradise-like land being adjacent
to the hellish Sahara caused farming and agriculture to
be so established in the Egyptians' very nature that
agriculture became sanctified and cows and bulls became
objects of worship. In fact, the Egyptians of Moses' time
worshipped cows and bulls, as can be seen by the Jews
making a calf to worship years after the Exodus. The
Qur'an explains that Moses, by sacrificing a cow and
through his Messenger-ship, eradicated this ingrained
concept. Thus this apparently insignificant event points
to a universal principle with an elevated
miraculousness, and expounds upon it as a most essential
lesson of wisdom for everyone at all times. By
analogy, certain minor incidents mentioned in the Qur'an
as historical events are tips of universal principles.
In Lema'at, in the "Treatise of the Miraculousness
of the Qur'an," I used, as examples, the seven
sentences of Moses' story to explain how each part of
those particular sentences contains a significant
universal principle. Third
point: Consider the following verse: Yet
after all this your hearts were hardened and became like
rocks, or even harder: For there are rocks from which
rivers gush, and some from which, when they are cleft,
water issues; and some which fall down for awe of God.
God is not unaware of what you do. (2:74) While
reciting this verse, Satan asked: "Why are
certain'natural conditions of rocks, known to. everyone,
mentioned as if they were among the most important
issues?" In response, the following point issued
from the Qur'an's enlightenment: It is appropriate to do
so, and there is a need for it, for only through the
Qur'an's miraculous conciseness and bounty of
enlightenment has the matter been simplified and
summarized. Conciseness
is a foundation of the Qur'an's miraculousness, and
bountiful enlightenment and beauty of explanation are
parts of its guidance. These qualities require that
universal truths and profound yet general principles be
presented in simple terms to the broad masses that make
up the majority of the Qur'an's audience. As most
peopie are not deep thinkers, it requires that only
their tips and simple forms should be shown. Also all
events, each a Divine operation whose extraordinary
character is veiled by familiarity, should be pointed out
briefly. Thus,
because of this subtle reality, this verse says:
O
Children of Israel and children of Adam, why have your
hearts become harder and more lifeless than rocks? Look
at those very hard, lifeless, large rocks formed in vast
underground strata. See how obedient and submissive they
are to Divine commands, how permeable and open they are
to His Lordship's acts. This is so clear that the ease
with which the Divine operations form trees can be seen
with the same ease, order, and perfect wisdom
underground. Water flows to them without resistance, just
like blood circulating in veins, in well-arranged water
channels and veins through hard, deaf rocks.6 Just
as tree and plant branches spread easily, the roots'
delicate veins spread underground with the same ease and
lack of resistance from rocks. The
Qur'an points to this and teaches a comprehensive truth
through that-verse, and so by allusion says to the
hard-hearted: O
Children of Israel and children of Adam. You are weak and
impotent, and yet you can make your hearts so hard that
they resist the Divine Being's commands. Huge strata of
hard rocks perform their subtle tasks perfectly in
darkness and in total submission to His commands. They
act as a source of water and other means of life for all
living creatures in such a way, and as means for their
division and distribution with such wisdom and justice,
that they are as malleable as wax or even air in the hand
of Power of the All-Wise One of Majesty. Without
resistance, they prostrate before His Power's vastness,
for almost the same well-arranged occurrences and wise
and gracious Divine operations that we see above ground
take place underground. continuation,
with well-ordered balance, of springs and rivers, sources
and streams. Rocks "write" and scatter over
Earth's face "evidences" of Divine Unity that
they cause to flow, with all their strength, in
"mouthfuls" in the form of water, which serves
life. Moreover,
Divine wisdom and favor are manifested there in a more
wonderful and more wondrous manner than they are above
ground. Consider how soft the hardest and most unfeeling
huge rocks are toward God's commands in the creation and
operation of the universe, and how unresisting and
flexible they are to the pleasant waters, delicate
roots, and silk-like veins that act according to His
command. Like a lover, the rock smashes its heart at
the touch of those delicate, beautiful things and becomes
soft soil in their path. Also,
through the sentence in the verse and there are some
which fall down for awe of God, the Qur'an displays the
tip of a tremendous truth: When Moses asked for a vision
of God while standing at the foot of a mountain, the
mountain crumbled at the Divine manifestation and its
rocks were scattered. Like this, through Divine Majesty's
awesome manifestations as earthquakes and similar
geological events, rocks fall from summits, which are
usually like huge monoliths formed of thickened fluid,
and are shattered. Some of these crumble and become
fertile soil; others remain as rocks and are scattered
down to the valleys and plains. They
serve many purposes for Earth's inhabitants, as in
their houses. In utter submission to Divine Power and
Wisdom, and for certain hidden purposes and benefits,
they stand ready to be used in accordance with the
principles of Divine Wisdom. Not in vain, or because of
accident or random chance, do they leave their positions
at the summit and choose the lower places in humility
and become the means of those significant benefits.
Rather, they do so out of awe of God. This
shows that such events occur by an All-Wise and
All-Powerful One's wise operation, and that there is a
wise order invisible to the superficial eye in such
seemingly chaotic events. Such are the purposes and
benefits attached to these rocks, and the perfect order
and fine artistry in the "garments" adorned and
embossed with the jewels of fruits and flowers with
which the "body" of the mountains down which
they roll are clothed. Thus,
you have seen the value of the verse's three parts from
the viewpoint of wisdom. See the Qur'an's fine manner of
expression and miraculous eloquence, how it shows
through the tips of the comprehensive and significant
truths mentioned above those three well-known and
observed events. Also, by reminding in the same three
parts of three further events, each of which is a means
of taking a lesson, it offers a fine guidance and
restrains in a way that cannot be resisted. For
example, the verse's second part says: and there are some
from which, when they are cleft, water issues. By
referring to the rock cleft with "complete
eagerness" when Moses struck it with his staff, and
the subsequent pouring forth of twelve streams from
twelve sources, it means: O
Children of Israel. Large rocks become tears out of awe
or joy, yet you are so unjust as to remain obstinate when
confronted with all of Moses' miracles. You do not
weep. Are your eyes so dried and your hearts so hard? In
the third part, it says: and there are some which fall
down for awe of God. By recalling the well-known event of
the mountain crumbling and the rocks rolling down out of
awe at the manifestation of Divine Majesty, which took
place at Mount Sinai when Moses supplicated for a vision
of God, it gives the following lesson: O
People of Moses. You do not fear God, yet mountains
crumble in awe of Him. You witness that He held Mount
Sinai above you to receive your solemn promise of loyalty
to Him, and that the mountain crumbled when Moses prayed
for the Divine vision. And
yet you are so bold that you do not tremble out of fear
of God, and you keep your hearts so hard and unfeeling! In
the first part, it says: for there are rocks from which
rivers gush. By recalling such rivers as the Nile, the
Tigris, and the Euphrates, which gush out of mountains,
it points out how wonderfully and miraculously rocks are
susceptible and subjugated to the Divine commands of
creation. To awakened, attentive hearts, this means: The
mountains cannot be the actual source of such mighty
rivers, for even if they were formed completely of
water, they could supply such a river for only a few
months. Also rain, which penetrates only about a meter
underground, cannot be sufficient income for that high
expenditure. No ordinary reason, natural cause, or
chance can explain these rivers' sources and flow. The
All-Majestic Creator makes them flow forth in truly
wonderful fashion from an unseen "treasury." One
Tradition7 refers to this: "Every minute
a drop falls from Paradise into each of those three 1
The Arabic word hadith, commonly translated into English
as Tradition, literally means news, story, communication,
or conversation, whether religious or secular, historical
or recent. In the Qur'an, this word appears in religious
(39:23,68:44), rivers. That is why they flow
abundantly." Another Tradition states: "The
source of these three rivers is in Paradise."8
As physical causes cannot produce their abundant flow,
their sources must be in an unseen world, a hidden
treasury of Mercy, so that the balance between incoming
and outgoing water is maintained. By drawing attention to
this meaning, the Qur'an gives the following
instruction:
O
Children of Israel and children of Adam, your hardness of
heart and lack of feeling cause you to disobey the
commandments of such a One of Majesty. Your heedlessness
causes you to close your eyes to the light of knowledge
of such an Everlasting Sun. He causes mighty rivers like
the Nile to gush from the mouths of ordinary, solid rocks
and turn Egypt into a paradise. For the universe's heart
and Earth's mind, He produces miracles of His Power and
witnesses to His Oneness as strong and abundant as the
gushing forth and flow of those mighty rivers, and makes
them flow to the hearts and minds of jinn and humanity.
Further, while it shows the All-Majestic Creator as the
sunlight shows the sun, that He makes some hard,
unfeeling rocks the objects of the miracles of His Power
in such wonderful fashion,9 how is it that you
are blind to the light of His knowledge and do not see
the truth?
See
how eloquently the Qur'an expresses these truths. Note
the guidance of that eloquence. I wonder what hardness
of heart and lack of feeling cannot be melted by its
"heat." If you have understood my words, see
one guiding gleam of the Qur'an's miraculousness and
thank God. Glory
be to You. We have no knowledge save what You have taught
us. Truly, you are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. O God,
enable us to understand the mysteries of the Qur'an as
You like and approve, and grant us success in the service
of it. Amen, through Your Mercy, O Merciful of the
Merciful. O God, bestow blessings and peace upon the one
to whom the wise Qur'an was sent, and upon his Family and
Companions. Second
station: (A gleam of the Qur'an's miraculousness, which
shines through the Prophets' miracles.) Notice the two
questions and their answers at the end. *** In
the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Not
a thing, fresh or withered, wet or dry, but it is in a
Manifest Book. (6:59)
Several
years ago in my Isharat al-I'jaz (Signs of
Miraculousness), I discussed in Arabic one meaning of
this verse.10 Now two of my
brothers-in-reli-gion, whose wishes are important to me,
have asked for a Turkish explanation of that discussion.
Relying on Alrnighty God's help, and based on the Qur
'an's enlightenment, I write the following section. According
to one interpretation, the Manifest Book is the Qur'an.
This verse states that everything is found in it. This is
true. However, we must realize that things are found at
different levels. They are presented as seeds, nuclei,
summaries, principles or signs, as well as explicitly
or imphcitly, allusively, vaguely or suggestively.
Depending on the occasion, one form is preferred to best
convey the Qur'an's purposes and meet the context's
requirements. For
example, progress in science and industry has resulted in
airplanes, electricity, motorized transportation, and
radio and telecommunication. Such things are prominent in
our daily lives. As the Qur'an addresses humanity [at all
times], it does not ignore these developments; rather, it
points to them through the Prophets' miracles and in
connection with certain historical events. Down
with the makers of the trench of the fuel-fed fire. When
they sat by it, and were themselves the witnesses of what
they did to the believers. They ill-treated them for no
other reason than that they believed in God, the Mighty,
the All-Praised One. (85:4-8)" ...
in the loaded fleet. And We have created for them the
like thereof, whereon they ride. (36:41-42) Such
verses point to trains, while the following verse,
besides its many other meanings and connotations,
alludes to electricity: God
is the Light of the heavens and Earth. The parable of
His Light is as a niche wherein is a lamp. The lamp is in
a glass, and the glass is, as it were, a shining star
kindled from a blessed olive tree, neither of the East or
the West, whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself)
though no fire touched it: Light upon light.12
God guides to His Light whom He wills. (24:35)
Since
many people have analyzed verses of the second type,
those alluding to modern technology in connection with
historical events, and since they require much care and
detailed explanation, as well as being very numerous, I
shall content myself with verses alluding to trains and
electricity as seen in the Qur'anic accounts of the
Prophets' miracles. Introduction God
Almighty sent the Prophets as leaders and vanguards of
spiritual and moral progress, and thus endowed them with
certain wonders and miracles and made them masters and
forerunners of humanity's material progress. He
commands people to follow them absolutely. By
relating the Prophets' spiritual and moral perfections,
the Qur'an encourages people to benefit from them. By
presenting their miracles, it urges people to achieve
something similar through science. It may even be said
that, like spiritual and moral attainments, material
attainments and wonders were first given to humanity as
gifts through Prophetic miracles. For example, Noah was
the first to build ships, and Joseph was the first to
build clocks. Thus the ship and clock were given first as
Prophetic miracles. It is a meanmgful indication of this
reality that so many craft guilds take a Prophet as the
"patron" or originator of their craft. For
exampie, seamen take Noah, watchmakers take Joseph, and
tailors take Enoch. Since
truth-seeking scholars and the science of eloquence agree
that each Qur'anic verse contains guidance and
instruction, it follows that verses relating the
Prophets' miracles, the most brilliant of all verses,
should not be considered mere historical events. Rather,
they comprise numerous indications of guidance. By
relating these miracles, the Qur'an shows the ultimate
goal of scientific and technological developments, and
specifies their final aims, toward which it urges
humanity. Just as the past is the field for the future's
seeds and the mirror to its potential picture, so is the
future the time to reap the past life's harvest and the
mirror to the actual situation. Out of many examples, I
shall point out only a few. The
verse: And to Solomon (We subjugated) the wind: its
morning stride was a month's journey and the evening
stride was a month's journey (34:12) expresses the wind's
subjugation to Solomon: Solomon covered the distance of 2
months' walk in two strides by flying through the air.
This suggests that humanity can and should strive to
travel through the air. Almighty God also is saying:
"One of My servants did not obey his carnal desires,
and I mounted him on the air. If you give up laziness
and benefit properly from certain of My laws in nature,
you too can mount it." The verse: |