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From the Risale-i Nur Collection
AL MATHNAWI AL-NURI (Seedbed of the Light)
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi The First Treatise <Rays
from Clod's Unity as Bright as the sun In
the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. God
is the Creator of all things, and He is guardian and
watcher over everything. To Him belong the keys of the
heavens and Earth. (39:62-63) Glory
be to Him in Whose Hand is the kingdom and inner
dimensions of all things. (36:83) There
is nothing but with Us are the stores thereof. ( There
is not a moving creature but He has grasp of it by the
forelock. ( KNOW. O HEEDLESS ONE WHO ATTRIBUTES ALL THINGS AND EVENTS IN this world to the law
of causality. The causes to which you ascribe an?4
creativity are only veils covering the Divine Power's
operation, for God's Dignity and Grandeur require such
veils. But the Eternal Divine Power, absolutely
independent of everything, is ever-active and creates,
for Divine Unity and Glory require that it be so. The
Eternal Monarc has officers, but they have no authority
to execute His orders independently. They are not
partners in His Sovereignty; rather, their only functions
are to serve as media through which His Lordship's acts
and executions are watched and known. They also function
as observers and witnesses. By doing so, they obey His
laws and commands of creation and thereby perform their
duty of worship, which is required by their nature and
disposition. They exist because they must manifest the
dignity of Divine Power and majesty of Divine Lordship
and Sovereignty. Human monarchs, on the other hand, need
officers and other means to help them to enforce their
rule. There is no resemblance or relation between these
two kinds of officers. Since
most people cannot discern the beauty and wisdom behind
every event, they complain and object. To divert such
complaints from God, causes are placed as an intervening
veil between people and God's acts. However, those who
see the real beauty and wisdom in events know the truth
of what is going on. A parable clarifies this point: The
Angel of Death complained to God that His servants would
complain of his role as the taker of souls. God
answered him: "I will put illness and misfortune
between you and them so that they will complain of them,
not of you." In
sum, God's Dignity and Grandeur require apparent causes
to prevent complaints and to hide, from those who reason
superficially, the hand of Power's involvement in certain
seemingly insignificant or vile things and affairs. At
the same time, God's Unity and Glory require that these
apparent causes have no part in either the creation or
disposition of things. fl.
note Belief
in God's Unity has two degrees: believing superficially
that God has no partners, and that the universe belongs
only to Him—such believers may be susceptible to
deviation and confusion; and firm conviction that God is
One, that everything belongs to Him exclusively, and that
only He creates. Such believers see His seal and observe
His stamp on all things. Free from doubt, they feel
themselves always and everywhere in His Presence. Their
conviction cannot be diluted by deviation or doubt. For
you to acquire such conviction in God's Unity, I will
point out some of its rays that I have obtained from the
Qur'an. First
ray God
Almighty sets a special seal on each thing He makes,
showing that He is the Creator of all things. He sets a
special stamp on each creature, demonstrating that He is
the Maker of all things. Each "letter" that
Power "writes" bears an inimitable signature
specific to the Eternal Sovereign. For
example, look at the seal He has put on life, through
which one thing is made into many and many things are
made into one. He transforms the water we drink into a
means for forming innumerable animal organs and systems.
Through His command, a single entity becomes
"many." Conversely, He changes varieties of
foods into a particular body or skin, a whole system or
subsystem^ Thus "many" things become, by God's
command, a single entity. Whoever has an intellect,
consciousness, and a heart must conclude that making a
single, simple entity from many things and using a single
entity to make many things is a seal special to the
Creator of all things. Second
ray Among
His innumerable stamps, look at the one He has put on
living things. Being complex and inclusive in character,
a living thing is a miniature universe, a shining fruit
of the Tree of Creation, a nucleus of creation made by
the Creator as a sample or pattern for most species. It
is as if that living thing were a drop filtered through
wisdom from creation with absolutely exact measures, an
all-inclusive point extracted from existence via
knowledge with absolutely precise calculations. As one
without the supreme disposition of creation cannot
create anything, the one who made the honeybee an index
of most things, and who inserted most parts of the Book
of Creation in human nature, must be the Creator. He has
encoded a fig tree's future life in its tiny seed, and
made the human heart a small-scale copy of thousands of
worlds as well as a window opening onto them. He has
recorded our past life and everything related to it in
our memories. The One Who has done these and many similar
things can only be the Creator of all things, and His
doing so is a stamp specific to the Lord of the worlds. Third
ray Look
at the signature put on the acts of bringing to life and
reviving. Out of innumerable possible examples, we
mention only one: In each transparent (mirror) or
apparently transparent (glass) thing, from planets to
drops and glass, there is a stamp—an image or
reflection—specific to the sun. The Unique, Eternal Sun
also sets on each living thing a seal, a stamp, of
reviving and bringing to life, which reveals itself by
showing all of His
Names
on that thing.1 If all material causes—supposing
they had power and will—came together to produce the
like of that stamp, they could not do so, even if they
helped each other (17:88). Assume
that the sun's images reflected in a drop, glass, or any
transparent thing are not attributed to the sun. Given
this, one would have to accept that there is a real, tiny
sun in each drop facing the sun, in each piece of glass
reflecting the sun's light, and that every transparent
thing has become a sun.
Assume
that every living thing and life, every act of bringing
to life, is not attributed to the Divine Names'
manifestations. Assume that the belief that life is the
focus of the Divine Names' manifestations, which could be
regarded as the Eternal Sun's rays, is not acceptable. If
this were so, each living thing would have to possess
an infinite power of creation, all-encompassing
knowledge, absolute will, and attributes found only in
the Necessarily Existent Being. Also, each atom would
have to have divinity, for the existence of everything
would have to be ascribed to itself. Likewise, if the
existence of everything were ascribed to causes,
absolute divinity would have to be attributed to each
cause. Thus there would be countless partners in
Divinity, which necessarily requires absolute
independence and rejection of any partnership. Consider
an atom or a seed. See how astonishing are its
well-arranged composition and relationships. It has
relationships with all parts of the living thing of
which it is a part, as well as relationships with all
members of its species and all other creatures. Its
relationships and duties resemble those of a private with
respect to military officers. If the atom's or seed's
connection to the Absolute Power were severed, we would
have to admit that it has eyes to see all things and an
all-comprehensive consciousness. In
summary: If the sun's reflection in a drop is attributed
to the actual sun, many suns would have to exist in the
smallest things. It is the same with the Absolutely
Powerful One, in relation to Whose Power whatever exists,
without exception, is the same. Accepting the above
assertion means accepting countless divinities. Fourth
ray Writing
a book requires only a writer and a pen. However, if it
is printed on a printing press, there would have to be as
many iron letters as the actual letters in the book,
and many people would be needed to make and arrange them.
Sura Ya Sin is written in very small letters inside the
two Arabic letters Ya and Sin. If a book is written in
small, fine letters within one word, as many iron letters
as actual letters in the book would be needed to print
that one word. If
you say that the universe is a book written with the Pen
of a Single One, then you are following the easiest and
most reasonable path. If you attribute the universe's
existence to nature or material causes, you are
following the most unreasonable and difficult way. In
such a case, "printing" one living thing would
require as many instruments as necessary for printing
most of the universe. So this is a supposition having
nothing with the truth. Suppose
a flower's or a fruit's existence is attributed to nature
or material causes. Given this, each soil, water, and
air particle would have to have
as
many "programs" and hidden factories [to
produce it] as all flowers and fruits in all of their
colors, tastes, and shapes. Or, each particle should have
as much power as to make all plants, and as much
knowledge as to know in exact detail all flowering and
fruit-bearing plants and trees. Then, each air, water and
soil particle or atom could be a means for the formation
of all (or most) plants. Suppose
different seeds have been buried in a soil-filled pot.
Empty the pot and fill it with soil taken from Earth's
surface. In both cases, the result will be almost the
same, as can be seen world-wide. Despite the variety in
shape, color, taste, and appearance, any soil can be used
to produce all flowers and fruit-bearing trees. Thus, if
you attribute their existence to nature or material
causes, each seed, despite its physical simplicity and
similarity, would have to have special machines or
workshops to form the entire plant or tree. (Fifth
ray LOOK,
O FRIEND! While each letter in a book points to itself as
a letter and in one respect only, it points to its writer
in many respects. Similarly, every "created"
letter of the Book of the Universe points to itself only
as a letter, while pointing to its Maker in many
respects. It does so individually and in the words and
sentences in which it is included, and manifests its
Maker's Titles, describing them as if it were a fine
poem. Sixth
ray LOOK,
O FRIEND, how the Glorious Maker puts His special stamp
on each particular thing, and His specific seal on each
part of a whole. Likewise, He puts His special stamp on
each species and each whole. He puts the stamp of His
Unity on the universe, as well as on any part of it,
thereby demonstrating His Unity. By concentrating the
manifestations of all or some of His Names on a single
entity, He displays His Oneness.14
Look
at the stamp pointed out in: Look at the prints of God's
Mercy, how He revives Earth after its death. He is the
Reviver of the dead in the same way, and He is powerful
over all things (30:50). Earth's revival is an
astonishing "resurrection"
or coming to life again. Countless animal and plant
species are raised to life. There are far more members of
many non-human species than there are of humanity.
Nevertheless, to fulfill certain subtle purposes, most
plants are not raised in their exact former identities,
but in forms bearing a substantial and close resemblance.
However they are revived, their revival indicates the
ease of the Resurrection [that will occur at the end of
time after the universe's destruction]. Despite
their being infinitely mixed with each other, reviving
these innumerable species without confusion and with
exact differentiation is a special stamp of the One of
infinite Power and all-encompassing Knowledge. Species
are infinitely mixed and intermingled, and there is great
similarity among them. On the "page" of Earth,
countless "books" are written without
confusion or mistake, with infinite order, and with
absolute accuracy in distinguishing among them. This is
also a special seal of the One in Whose Hand are the
dominion and keys of all things. He can do one thing
while simultaneously doing something else.
Those
who deny the Resurrection should observe its countless
examples in Earth's quickening. Your denial of it is
like this: A man saw another man rewriting innumerable
lost books from memory, or composing new ones like the
lost ones, all at once. He is told that the
miracle-working author can rewrite his book, composed in
an instant, after he had dissolved it in water. The man
replies: "Impossible! How can a destroyed book be
rewritten in a moment?" for he compares his own
ignorant and impotent self to that miracle-working
author who never forgets anything and can do all things.15
If someone says to a man, who shows his strength by
lifting a mountain, that he cannot remove a rock blocking
the guests' way to the garden in which he will offer them
the most delicious foods and beverages, would you not
call him a fool? During
spring there is an exalted, subtly embroidered seal
belonging to the Lord, one showing itself in absolute
accuracy and orderliness, abundance and extensiveness,
and with absolute speed and ease. You see that
completely mixed things are perfectly distinguished and
separated. This seal is particular to the One Who can
do many things at once, from Whom nothing is hidden, and
for Whom nothing is difficult. In
this same season, we see extraordinary art and activity
on Earth based on purposefulness, insight, wisdom, and
munificence. This occurs everywhere, in exactly the same
way, orderliness, and abundance. This art and activity
are seals of the One Who, despite being nowhere, is
present everywhere through His Power and Knowledge, Whom
nothing wearies, and Who never needs help. Seventh
ray LOOK,
O FRIEND! Just as the stamp of the Oneness of Him Who is
the Eternally Besought-of-All is observed on the
"page" of Earth and throughout the heavens and
Earth, so is the stamp of His Unity observed on the
universe as a whole. The universe is like a magnificent
palace, a well-ordered factory, a well-planned city, all
of whose elements or parts work together for great
purposes. Elements hasten to help each other, even over
long distances, when they are needed and do not get lost.
Those who discern this truth see how some parts help
other parts to meet their needs. It is as if they respond
to each other's requests for help and, in close
cooperation and obedience to a single manager, work in
orderliness and serve living beings for specific
purposes. Look
at this principle of mutual helping and cooperation. The
sun and the moon, day and night, and summer and winter
work with plants to help animals and to convey their food
to them, which they take from the treasury of Mercy.
Animals hasten to help human beings. For example,
honeybees and silkworms take honey and silk from the
treasury of the All-Merciful and carry them to humanity.
Soil, air, and water particles help fruits and
vegetables, each of which differ in taste and quality
of nourishment. In turn, they help the body's cells in
perfect orderliness and for great purposes. This
perfect, purposeful, and well-arranged mutual helping is
manifested by all of these things, especially inanimate
objects. It is an evident proof and clear argument that
they are servants of an All-Wise Sustainer, workers of
a Munificent Manager who work by His command and leave,
and by His Power and Wisdom. (Eighth
ray LOOK,
O FRIEND! The food needed by living things is distributed
on time and according to their need. This well-arranged
universal providence, contained in an all-encompassing
mercy, implies love for and knowledge of those beings
supplied. Such all-encompassing mercy combined with
perfect gra-ciousness implies favoring and gratifying.
Such graciousness combined with universal wisdom implies
a certain purpose and consciousness. Such universal
wisdom combined with a perfect arrangement makes all
things interdependent. Such interdependence requires
mutual helping and solidarity among all parts of
existence. All
of this is a special stamp of the One Who is the Lord,
Sustainer, Provider, and Director of all things; a seal
unique to the One to Whose Command the sun, the moon, and
the stars are subjugated. He is the One Who has made all
things good which He has created (32:7) and When He wills
a thing, He only says: "Be," and it is (36:82). Ninth
ray The
stamp of Oneness is seen on all individual things and
species, on Earth and the universe, and is distributed
throughout the world on such universal elements as air,
water, and soil. Planting
seeds in an arable land indicates that the land is
controlled by the owner of the seeds, and that the seeds
belong to the one who controls the land. All universal
elements [like water, air, and soil, which imply an
all-encompassing knowledge and wisdom] are at the
disposal of a single Maker. Their simplicity, uniformity,
and comprehensiveness, and all the things
"planted" in them (i.e., fruits of Mercy,
miracles of Power, and words of Wisdom), as well as their
world-wide distribution for certain purposes, are
evidence that the comprehensive and comprehended, as well
as the "land" and the "seeds" planted
in it, are controlled by God. Each species and element
testifies that it belongs to the One Who owns everything.
Each flower or fruit, animal or micro-organism, is a seal
proclaiming, a stamp pronouncing, a signature declaring
in the tongue of perfect harmony, orderliness, and
purpose: "The One Who owns me owns this space.
Whoever created me created it. Whoever uses me as a
letter wrote it. Whoever made me a stitch wove it." The
One Who controls the smallest creatures and manages the
life of the weakest beings has supreme power over all
elements. The One Who employs all elements manages the
lives of all animals and plants, and holds them in His
Hand of Lordship. This stamp of Unity is clear to those
whose eyes are not blind and hearts are not sealed. Can
you claim absolute ownership of and control over
anything? Ask an individual being, and it will reply:
"Only the absolute owner of my species can claim to
own me." Ask the species, and they will reply:
"Only the absolute owner of Earth, both its exterior
and interior, can claim to own me." Ask Earth, and
it will reply: "Only the absolute owner of the whole
universe can claim to own me." Tenth
ray We
have pointed out some stamps of Unity put on parts,
individual beings, and wholes; on the universe; and on
life, living beings, and bringing to life. Let's look at
another of these innumerable seals of Oneness on species
and wholes. The
difficulty or ease of creating a tree and a fruit is the
same, as both depend on the same law of growth and issue
from the same center. Depending on the same law of
raising and upkeep lessens difficulty and expenditure to
such an extent that there is no difference between one
person growing a tree with abundant fruit and many people
raising one fruit tree. A single fruit grown by many
people requires as many tools as does growing a tree with
abundant fruit. Similarly, the instruments, machines, and
factories needed to equip an army would be the same if
only a single soldier were to be equipped. The difference
is only qualitative. Also, printing thousands of copies
of a book is not much more expensive than printing one
copy. If each copy were printed on a different printing
press, the amount paid would be thousands of times
greater than that paid for thousands of copies from the
same press. In
sum: If innumerably multiple things are not attributed to
one source, then, in addition to having to attribute one
thing to innumerably multiple things, there would be as
many difficulties as those things. So, the
extraordinary ease of creating so many species
distributed world-wide comes from the Oneness of their
Creator. ECeventR
ray The
essential similarities among members of a species and
species of a class show the stamp's oneness and the
"pen"'s singleness, and testify that such
similarities are a Single One's work. Also, the absolute
ease [of their creation in such abundance] and the
small expenditure spent on them show that they are a
Single Being's work. If this were not so, their creation
would be impossibly difficult. This observed ease and
economy of means also shows that God has no partners in
His Essence and acts, for such a condition would destroy
the order, which, in turn, would ruin the universe. TweCfth
ray LOOK,
O FRIEND! Life proves Divine Oneness and the necessity of
His Existence, and death proves His Permanence and
Eternity. The
sun's images reflected in bubbles floating on a river and
the sea, as well as in transparent things on Earth, bear
witness to the sun. These images disappear when the sun
sets or the river enters a tunnel, and new ones appear
when the sun rises or the river comes out of the tunnel.
This testifies to the permanence of the sun's light and
demonstrates that these images are the work of a single
sun. Their existence shows the sun's existence; their
disappearance shows that there is only one
"permanent" sun. Similarly,
the existence of creatures shows the necessary existence
of the Necessarily Existent Being. Their disappearance
along with the causes of their existence, and their
replacement with new creatures bear witness to His
Permanence, Eternity, and Oneness. This is because along
with the alternation of day and night, seasons and years,
beautiful beings are renewed, and fine creatures are
replaced as they "set" while their likes
"rise." All of this testifies to the existence
of an Eternally Beautiful One Who continuously
manifests Himself, and to His Permanence and Oneness. The
disappearance of causes and their effects along with the
succession of years and centuries, and their being
followed by their likes testify that causes and their
effects are created for subtle purposes. All of those
fine beings coming in successively are creatures of the
All-Majestic, All-Gracious, and Beautiful One, all of
Whose Names are beautiful and holy. Such activity
testifies that they are His changing works, moving
mirrors, and successive stamps and seals. Thirteenth
ray LOOK,
O FRIEND! Without exception, everything points in the
tongue of its essential helplessness to its Creator's
necessary Existence. In the general order of creation,
each element has a tongue to express its functions and
tasks. These tongues, despite each element's
helplessness, indicate their Creator's Oneness.
Everything testifies in two ways to the Creator's
necessary Existence and Unity. In every living being,
there are two signs of His Oneness and absolute
independence of creation. Through the Qur'an's
enlightenment, I have seen that each part of creation
testifies to the Necessarily Existent Being, the One and
Etemally-Besought-of-All, in around 55 tongues, which I
described briefly in Qatra (The Drop).16 (Fourteenth
ray KNOW,
O FRIEND, that just as creatures testify to the
All-Glorious One's necessary Existence and Oneness, so do
they testify to His Attributes of Majesty, Beauty, and
Perfection; the perfection of His Essence; and the fact
that His Being, Essential "Qualities,"
Attributes, Names, and acts have no defect or deficiency. A
work's perfection points to the act's perfection. The
act's perfection points to the title's perfection. The
title's perfection points to the attribute's perfection.
The attribute's perfection points to the being's
essential capacity or indispensable quality. The
perfection of the essential or indispensable quality
points to the perfection of the being who has them. A
palace's perfect structure and decoration manifest the
perfection of the engineer's work. The work's perfection
shows the perfection of his title as an engineer. That
is, you know him as a skillful, expert, and capable
engineer. The title's perfection displays the perfection
of the engineer's qualities, meaning that you know him by
his knowledge, intelligence, capability, and efficiency.
The perfection of the qualities displays these essential
capacities, and that the engineer has fully realized his
or her superior capacities and distinguished potential.
The capacities' perfection reveals one's perfection as an
engineer.
Similarly,
the perfection of the works we observe in the universe
bears witness to the perfection of the activity behind
them, which, in turn, bears
witness
to the perfection of the titles of the one doing the
work. The titles' perfection testifies to the qualities'
or attributes' perfection, for names or titles issue from
attributes. The attributes' perfection reveals the
perfection of the essential capacities, which are the
attributes' sources. The essential capacities'
perfection testifies to the All-Glorious Being's
perfection. Actually, compared to His glorious Perfection
and majestic Beauty, all perfection or beauty in the
universe is only a dim or vague shadow. In
conclusion: •
Causes or causality only veil the operation of Divine
Power. •
Belief in God's Unity has two degrees: superficial belief
and firm conviction. •
Life is an argument for God's Unity. •
If the One God created everything, everything becomes
easy. If nature or material causes created everything,
everything becomes extremely difficult. •
Everything points to itself only as a "letter,"
while pointing to its Maker in many respects and
manifesting its Maker's titles. •
Spring displays countless examples of the Resurrection. •
The universal interconnectedness of everything for great
purposes points to the One Creator and Director. •
The Provider's love for and knowledge of everything is
shown by how He takes care of them. •
Every species and element testify that it belongs to the
One Who owns everything. •
Attributing innumerably multiple things to many sources
results an equal number of difficulties. •
Creatures' testify to the Necessarily Existent Being's
necessary Existence via their existence. They bear
witness to His Permanence, Eternity, and Oneness via
their disappearance, along with the causes of their
existence, and via their being followed by new ones. •
Everything points, in the tongue of its essential
helplessness, to its Creator's necessary Existence. •
The perfection of what we see in the universe testifies
to the All-Glorious Being's perfection.
"The Second
treatise
The
Second Treatise (Dropiets
from the ocean of hjiowkdge of the (Prophet A
NOTE: Many things make our Lord known to us. The three
greatest and most universal are: •
The universe, some signs of which [concerning our Lord's
Existence and Unity] have been discussed already. •
The Seal of the Prophets, upon him be peace and
blessings, our Lord's greatest sign and key to His hidden
treasures. •
The Qur'an, which interprets the Book of the Universe and
is God's argument against creatures. tW?MWÍ^M¡
E SHOULD RECOGNIZE THE SECOND SIGN, PROPHET
MUHAMMAD, ^•<W/X%$R-? 33 311 articulate,
indisputable "argument" [for our Lord], and ;^Wi»Wj%|
then listen to what he says.17 From the ocean
of knowledge of ""this sign, we shall mention a
few droplets. First
dropiet
KNOW,
O FRIEND, that Prophet Muhammad, this indisputable,
articulate argument for our Lord, has a universal
personality. He can be described in the following terms:
As
his person is universal in nature, Earth is his mosque,
Makka his place of worship, and Madina his pulpit. He
leads all believers, who stand behind him in rows and
follow his words on the principles of happiness [in both
worlds]. The chief of all Prophets, he removes the lies
and slurs leveled against them by their own people and
affirms them and the essentials of theit religions within
Islam. The master of all saints, he guides and educates
them via the light of his Messengetship. He is the
"pivot" around which turns a circle formed of
the Prophets, the good, the truthful, and the
righteous, who recite God's Names and agree on his
Message. Muhammad,
upon him be peace and blessings, is a luminous tree
growing on the firm, healthy, and lively roots of the
previous Prophets and the heavenly principles they
preached. This tree shoots out green, fresh branches
yielding the fine "fruit" of saints
distinguished with knowledge of God. Whatever he claimed
is confirmed by all Prophets based on their miracles, and
by all saints based on their good or marvelous works. All
his affirmations bear the seals of all perfected
people. If one hears him declaring there is no deity but
God, thereby affirming Divine Unity, one will hear the
same declaration from the past and the future, from the
illustrious shining "suns" and stars of
humanity reciting God's Names in His circle. Despite
their different approaches and temperaments, they agtee
with all of his affirmations, as if saying in unison:
"You declare and speak the truth." How
can one object to what has been affirmed by innumerable
witnesses, whose miracles and marvelous good works
display their pure characters and truthfulness? Second
droplet KNOW,
O FRIEND, that this illustrious person, who affirms
Divine Unity and guides humanity to it, is confirmed by
Prophethood and sainthood. Billions of people have agreed
upon this for 14 centuries. Earlier revealed Scriptures
(the Torah, the Gospels, the Psalms, etc.) predicted his
coming and confirm his Prophethood. He is confirmed by
marvels that, prior to his Prophethood, either he worked
or that took place in connection with him. It is also
reported through reliable channels that his coming was
predicted. He
is affirmed by the hundreds of miracles he worked:
splitting the moon; abundant water flowing from his
fingers; trees moving in answer to his call; the coming
of rain upon his prayer; satisfying many hungry people
with very little food through his blessing; understanding
the languages of rocks, trees, lizards, gazelles, camels,
and wolves, and so on. All of these were narrated by
truthful Traditionists and historians. He is also
confirmed by the Islamic law, which enables people to
find happiness in both worlds. You already have seen the
rays from its "sun" diffusing happiness. If
your eyes and heart are open, this will be enough for
you. Thirddroplet KNOW,
O FRIEND, that his very person or character proves his
Prophethood. Like the sun [showing itself through its
light, heat, and other manifestations], all of the
praiseworthy virtues concentrated in his person, as well
as the merits and excellences he displayed while
fulfilling his mission, confirm his Prophethood. Further
proofs are his firm belief demonstrated by his austere
life, great awe of God, righteousness, and matchless
servanthood to his Lord. The Prophet's complete
submission to God, to which his life testifies; the
perfection of his earnestness, firmness, and courage; and
his utmost certainty in his movements shown by his full
confidence in his cause all confirm him. Just as green
leaves, bright blossoms, and fresh fruits bear witness to
a tree's vigor, the Prophet's full adherence to his cause
and following it in total certainty and strictness
confirm him in his claim. Fourth
droplet KNOW,
O FRIEND, that time and space greatly influence human
reasoning and thought. So, let's free ourselves of these
constraints and travel back in time to the Arabian
peninsula during the Age of Happiness. Putting on the
clothes of that time, we will visit the "Axis of the
Sphere of Divine Messengership" at work. Open
your eyes and look carefully. What catches our eyes first
is an extraordinary man excelling all others in good
looks and good conduct. He has a revealed book, and
speaks in an extraordinarily concise and wise way while
addressing creation, humanity, jinn, and all other
creatures. What
strange things he speaks about: a very important affair,
a very awesome tiding. He removes the veil of mystery
from the universe's creation, explains why it was
created, and answers the questions that occupy the mind
of every conscious being: Who am I? Where do I come from?
What is my purpose or final destination?
Fifth
dropkt Look
at this most illustrious being. See how he disseminates
the truth with such light that our night is changed into
daytime, our winter into spring. It is as if the universe
changed form so that its vexed, distressful face became
cheerful and smiling. If
we do not look at the universe according to the light [of
the truth] that he brought, it seems full of sorrow, its
living creatures like strangers and mutual enemies, and
its inanimate objects like frightening corpses. We see
animals and human beings as orphans weeping at the pain
of death and separation. The world's movements,
changes, alterations, decorations, and adornments seem
like meaningless playthings of chance. Our helplessness
is a continuous source of trouble, and our poverty
renders us powerless. Human reason or intellect
continually upset us with sorrows of the past and
anxieties of the future, causing us to be the lowest
and most wretched of animals. Now
look at the universe with his light and observe it
through the telescope of Islam. See how its appearance
has changed. It is no longer a house of mourning, but a
mosque in which all beings praise and thank the Creator
and reflect [on His works]. Creatures that formerly
seemed like strangers and mutual enemies have become
friends, brothers, and sisters. Inanimate objects, seen
as terrifying corpses, have become like amiable living
beings fulfilling certain important functions. In the
tongue of those functions or tasks, they articulate their
Creator's signs. Living
beings who were like orphans weeping with pain and
complaints now appear as reciting the Creator's Names
throughout their lives and thanking him for discharging
them from their duties (death). The universe's
movements, changes, and alterations are no longer subject
to chance, but messages from the Creator's rulership or
mastership, "pages" on which He writes His
signs of creation and rules of the universe, and mirrors
in which His Names are reflected. In sum, the universe is
a book of Divine Wisdom. Now
look at the past, that great tomb of darkness. See how it
has been illuminated with the suns of Prophets and stars
of saints. Look at the future, the darkest of nights. See
how it has been illuminated with the Qur'an's light and
appears as gardens of Paradise. Now
look at people and see how they progressed from being
helpless, destitute, and degraded animals to the rank of
Divine caliphate on Earth. They
have progressed through the force of their weakness, the
power of their helplessness, the motive of their poverty,
the incentive of their destitution, the strength of
their servanthood, the light of their heart, and the
splendor of their intellect. Then look how the reasons
for their descent (helplessness, poverty and weakness)
have become the reasons for their ascension due to their
being enlightened by the light brought by that luminous
person: Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and
blessings. Without
his presence, the universe and everything in it
(including humanity) would have been rendered worthless
and meaningless. Had it not been for that wonderful,
superior person who makes known the universe and its
Creator, this beautiful universe would not have existed,
for we could not have understood its meaning. How
truthful is He Whose words are true, and for Whom is the
sovereignty of creation, in His declaration: But for you,
I would not have created the worlds. Sixth
droptet Look
at and listen to him. He speaks of eternal happiness and
brings good tidings of it. He unveils infinite mercy and
calls everyone to it. He proclaims the beauties of Divine
rule and upbringing, and reveals the secrets of the
Divine Names' treasuries. Look
at him from the viewpoint of his mission: He is the proof
and lamp of the truth, the Sun of guidance, and the means
of happiness. Look at him from the viewpoint of his
person: He is the epitome of the All-Merciful's love [of
His creatures], the embodiment of the Lord's mercy upon
them, the honor of humanity, and the most radiant and
illustrious fruit of the Tree of Creation. Now look at
him and see how the light of Islam has reached the east
and the west with the speed of lightning, how one-fourth
of humanity has accepted the gift of his guidance
wholeheartedly. Given
this, can the carnal soul and Satan argue, with reason
and without sophistry, against the affirmations of one
like that man, especially against the foundation of his
affirmations: There is no deity but God? Seventh
dropkt What
stimulates him? Sacred power. Consider his
accomplishments in that desert full of savage people who
adhered fanatically to their customs, tribalism, and
hostility. They were so hard-hearted that they buried
their daugh-
ters
alive without remorse or grief. How did he remove such
things from them so quickly and equip them with high,
laudable virtues? How did he make them teachers of
humanity and masters of civilized peoples? Not by power
and terror, as do most rulers, but by conquering hearts
and minds; subjugating spirits and egos; and becoming the
beloved of hearts, the teacher of reason, the educator of
selfhood, and the ruler of spirits. (Eighth
droptet It
is very difficult even for a powerful, determined ruler
or government to remove an established bad habit from a
small community. The Prophet removed many established bad
habits from vast communities of people who adhered
fanatically to their customs and traditions, with a small
force, little effort, and very quickly. Moreover, he
replaced them with praiseworthy virtues and exalted
merits. Look at 'Umar ibn al-Khattab [a leading person of
pre-Islamic Makka, and the second Caliph after the
Prophet] before and after his conversion to Islam—after
his conversion, the seed of virtue in his character
became a "tall, excellent tree" [of most
laudable merits]. Almost
all of the Prophet's accomplishments are extraordinary.
Whoever denies this should go to the Arabian peninsula
today and see what they can accomplish there. Let them
take a hundred philosophers [psychologists, sociologists,
scientists, and pedagogues], and see if they can
accomplish in 100 years even one-hundredth of what the
Prophet accomplished in a year. Ninth
droplet A
basic understanding of human nature shows that people
cannot lie easily about something that will embarrass
them if they are caught. Even if it concerns an
insignificant matter and is told to a small group, it is
still hard. If they can lie comfortably without blushing
or shame, they are compulsive liars, a trait that will be
publicized by their enemies. Given this, how can someone,
especially one famed for his trustworthiness and
truthfulness and who carries the greatest responsibility,
lie about the most important and greatest mission before
humanity until the Last Day? How could he lie before
people who hate him and are just waiting to expose him? When
the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, speaks, he
has no fear of his opponents and neither hesitates nor is
anxious. Rather, he speaks with absolute sincerity and
enthusiasm, and in a way that confounds his enemies'
reason, arguments, and attitudes. How could he have lied
and deceived people concerning his mission? No! [Whatever
he says] is but a Revelation revealed (53:4). Truth
is free and independent of deception, and the eye that
sees the truth is not deceived. Therefore the Prophet's
path is true and, therefore, he is wholly free of
deception, just as his truth-perceiving eyes could not be
deceived by illusions. Tenth
droplet Listen
to his words that inform and warn people of awesome
events. He speaks about matters that captivate hearts and
inspire minds to reflect, and brings humanity good
tidings [of a happy future in this world and the
Hereafter]. Many
people would give almost anything to know the reality of
things and events. If someone told you that a person had
come from the moon or Jupiter and was saying very
interesting things and foretelling the future, would you
not give almost anything to find out what he was saying?
It is very strange, then, that while you probably would
do so in this case, you do not care what the Prophet
says, despite the fact that the people of truth and
expert knowledge (namely, Prophets, truthful and
truth-seeking scholars, and saints) confirm him and agree
on what he has said and predicted. He speaks about the
acts of a Sovereign in Whose kingdom the moon is no more
than a fly circling a moth that, in turn, circles a lamp
He has lit in one of the thousands of mansions He has
prepared for His guests. He speaks of a world full of
wonders and marvels, about a revolution so unusual and
extraordinary that if Earth exploded and its mountains
flew like clouds, this would not be equal in strangeness
to one-thousandth of that revolution. When the sun is folded up, and when the stars fall, losing their luster, and when the mountains are moved, and when camels ten-months pregnant are abandoned, and when the wild beasts are her |