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("'''The Fourth:'''That night the small lake of Saveh, which was considered to be holy, sank into the ground,(*<ref>*Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’ i, 366; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’ i, 751; Bayhaqi, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa i, 127; Suyuti, al-Khasa’is al-Kubra i, 128.</ref>)and at Istakhrabad the fire which, burning continuously for a thousand years, the Zoroastrians had worshipped, was extinguished.(*<ref>*Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’ i, 367; ‘Ali al-Qari, Shar..." içeriğiyle yeni sayfa oluşturdu) |
("------ <center> The Eighteenth Letter ⇐ | The Letters | ⇒ The Twentieth Letter </center> ------" içeriğiyle yeni sayfa oluşturdu) |
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| (Aynı kullanıcının aradaki diğer 213 değişikliği gösterilmiyor) | |||
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127; Suyuti, al-Khasa’is al-Kubra i, 128.</ref>)and at Istakhrabad the fire which, burning continuously for a thousand years, the Zoroastrians had worshipped, was extinguished.(*<ref>*Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’ i, 367; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’ i, 751; ‘Ali al-Qari al-Makki, al-Masnu’ fi Ma’rifat al-Hadith al-Mawdu’ al-Mawdu’at al-Sughra’ (Tahqiq: Abu Ghudda), 18.</ref>) | 127; Suyuti, al-Khasa’is al-Kubra i, 128.</ref>)and at Istakhrabad the fire which, burning continuously for a thousand years, the Zoroastrians had worshipped, was extinguished.(*<ref>*Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’ i, 367; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’ i, 751; ‘Ali al-Qari al-Makki, al-Masnu’ fi Ma’rifat al-Hadith al-Mawdu’ al-Mawdu’at al-Sughra’ (Tahqiq: Abu Ghudda), 18.</ref>) | ||
These four events indicated that the person who had just been born would abolish fire-worship, destroy the palace of the Persian kings, and prevent those things being sanctified that God did not permit. | |||
'''The Fifth:'''Although they did not coincide with the night of Muhammad’s (UWBP) birth, certain events that took place not long before it are also included in the irhasat. One is the War of the Elephant, which is mentioned in the Qur’an in Sura al- Fil. Abraha, the king of Abyssinia, came to destroy the Ka‘ba, driving a huge elephant called Mahmudi before his forces. When they came close to Mecca, the elephant was unable to move. They could not make it move forward, and had to retreat. While retreating, a flock of birds attacked and routed them, and they fled. This extraordinary story is recorded in detail in the history books. | |||
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< | The event was one of the proofs of Muhammad’s (UWBP) prophethood, for it occurred close in time to his birth and saved the Holy Ka‘ba, his qibla, birthplace, and native land, from Abraha’s | ||
destruction.(*<ref>*Ibn Hisham, al-Sirat al-Nabawiyya, i, 44-54; Ibn Sa’d, al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, i, 90-2; Abu Nu’aym,Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, i, 144-51; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, ii, 157-60.</ref>) | |||
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'''The Sixth:'''According to the testimony of Halima al-Sa‘diya and her husband, when God’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was with them in his childhood, they frequently saw a cloud above him shield ing him from the sun. They told everyone this, and it was well-known and authenticated.(*<ref>*Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 368; al-Khafaji, Sharh al-Shifa’, iii, 318; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 753.</ref>) | |||
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< | Also, as testified to by the monk Bahira, when the Noble Messenger (UWBP) went to Damascus at the age of twelve, he saw a cloud casting a shadow over his head, and he pointed this out.(*<ref>*Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 308; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 631; Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 3 (Bab: Maja’ fi Badi’ al-Nubuwwa); al-Mubarakfuri, Tuhfat al-Ahwazi, no: 3699; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, ii, 615; Ibn Hisham, Sirat al-Nabi, 115.</ref>) | ||
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< | Again before his prophetic mission, one time God’s Messenger (UWBP) returned from a trading journey he made together with Khadija’s servant, Maysara, when Khadija saw two angels shading him like clouds. She mentioned this to her servant Maysara, and he replied: “I observed the same thing throughout our journey.”(*<ref>*Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 368; al-Khafaji, Sharh al-Shifa’, iii, 318; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 753; Bayhaqi, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, ii, 65.</ref>) | ||
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'''The Seventh:'''It is established in a sound narration that before his prophetic mission, God’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) sat down under a tree. Although the place was dried up, it suddenly grew green. The tree’s branches | |||
''' | inclined over his head, twisting back and shading him.(*<ref>*Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 368; al-Khafaji, Sharh al-Shifa’, iii, 318; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 753.</ref>) | ||
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'''The Eighth:'''When the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was small, he stayed in Abu Talib’s house. Whenever he ate together with Abu Talib and his household, they would eat to repletion; whereas when he was not present, they were not satisfied.(*<ref>*Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 367; al-Khafaji, Sharh al-Shifa’, iii, 315; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 751; Abu Nu’aym, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, i, 166.</ref>) | |||
''' | This is both well-known and definite.(*<ref>*Ibn Sa’d, al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, i, 119-20; Abu Nu^aym, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, i, 166; Suyuti, al- Khasa’is al-Kubra, i, 205.</ref>) | ||
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< | Also, Umm Ayman, who looked after and served the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) when he was small, said: “God’s Messenger (UWBP) never complained about being hungry or thirsty, neither when small nor when he was older.”(*<ref>*Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 368; al-Khafaji, Sharh al-Shifa’, iii, 325; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 752; Bayhaqi, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, vi, 125.</ref>) | ||
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'''The Ninth:'''It is both well-known and definite that unlike other members of her tribe, his wet-nurse Halima al-Sa‘diya’s goats and posses sions were very productive and abundant.(*<ref>*al-Sa’ati, al-Fath al-Rabbani, xx, 192-3; al-Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawa’id, viii, 220-1; Abu Nu^aym, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, i, 111-3; Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya, ii, 273; Qadi Iyad, al- Shifa’, i, 366; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 750; al-Khafaji, Sharh al-Shifa’, iii, 313.</ref>) | |||
''' | |||
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< | Also, flies did not bother him; they never alighted on his clothes or blessed body(*<ref>*Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 368; al-Khafaji, Sharh al-Shifa’, iii, 319; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 753; Sha’rani, al-Tabaqat al-Kubra, i, 109.</ref>)– just as one of his progeny, Sayyid ‘Abd al-Qadir Gilani, received this legacy from his forefather, for flies never alighted on him either.(*<ref>*Nabhani, Jami’ Karamat al-Awliya’, ii, 203.</ref>) | ||
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'''The Tenth:''' After God’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was born, and especially on the night of his birth, there was a great increase in falling stars.(*<ref>*al-Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawa’id, viii, 220; Bayhaqi, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, i, 111; Qadi Iyad, al- Shifa’, i, 366; Halabi, al-Sirat al-Halabiya, i, 207-8.</ref>)As shown with decisive proofs in the Fifteenth Word, falling stars are a sign of jinns and devils being barred from receiving news of the Unseen. | |||
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Thus, since God’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) had appeared in the world together with revelation, it was necessary to prevent the knowledge about the Unseen being transmitted by soothsayers, diviners, and jinn, which was inaccurate and mixed with lies, so that their knowledge should not cause any doubts about revelation, and should not resemble it. | |||
Before the prophetic mission, soothsaying was widespread. Then with its revelation, the Qur’an brought it to an end. Indeed, many soothsayers accepted Islam, for they could no longer find their informers, who were jinns. That is, the Qur’an had put an end to it. | |||
And these days a new type of soothsaying has appeared in the form of mediums among the spiritualists of the West. But we shall not go into that now. | |||
'''In Short:'''Very many events occurred and persons appeared confirming and causing others to confirm the prophethood of the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) before the commencement of his mission. | |||
''' | |||
For sure, before the appearance of the one who was going to be the ruler of the world(*<ref>*Yes, the Sultan of Lawlak* was such a leader that his rule has been continuing for one thousand three hundred and fifty years. Every century after the first, he has had at least 350 million followers and subjects. With half the globe under his banner, every day his followers renew their allegiance to him in perfect submission by calling down on him peace and blessings, and obey his commands.•’Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 6. [See also, fn. 298].</ref>)and would change the world’s spiritual shape, and would make this world into the tillage for the next, and proclaim the high value of the creatures of the world, and show to man and jinn the way to eternal happiness and save them from everlasting extinction, and solve the obscure talisman of the world and riddle of the wisdom in its creation, and would know and make known the purposes of the universe’s Creator, and recognize the Creator and acquaint Him to all men – before such a one appeared, surely everything, all species and realms of beings would be happy at his coming, would await him and welcome and applaud him, and if his coming was made known to them by their Creator, they in turn would announce it. Indeed, we saw in the above Signs and examples how each realm of creature displayed his miracles as if welcoming him, and confirmed his prophethood through the tongue of miracles. | |||
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== | ==SEVENTEENTH SIGN== | ||
After the Qur’an, the greatest miracle of God’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was his own self. That is, the elevated moral virtues brought together in his person, which as friend and foe agreed was in all respects of the ver y highest degree. A hero of the greatest bravery, ‘Ali, said again and again: “Whenever the fighting grew fierce, we would take refuge behind God’s Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace).”(*<ref>*Musnad, i, 86; al-Hakim, al-Mustadrak, ii, 143; Kanz al-‘Ummal, xii, 419.</ref>)Like this, his was the highest and unattainable degree of all praiseworthy qualities. For this greatest miracle, we refer readers to the al-Shifa’ al-Sharif of Qadi Iyad, the learned scholar of the Maghrib, for he described and proved beautifully this miracle of praiseworthy moral qualities. | |||
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A further great miracle of Muhammad (UWBP) which is verified by friend and foe alike is his illustrious Shari‘a, the like of which neither came before it nor will come after it. For a partial explanation of it, we refer readers to the thirty-three Words, thirty-three Letters, thirty-one Flashes, and thirteen Rays which we have written. | |||
Among his greatest miracles, a certain one, the many reports of which are unanimous, is the Splitting of the Moon. This miracle is related through many chains of transmission from many of the leading Companions like Ibn Mas‘ud, Ibn ‘Abbas, Ibn ‘Umar, ‘Ali, Anas, and Hudhayfa. In addition, the Qur’an announced this supreme miracle to the whole world with the verse:The Hour is nigh, and the moon split.(54:1) The obdurate idolators of the Quraysh at that time could not deny what this verse states; they could only declare that it was “magic.”(*<ref>*Tirmidhi, Tafsir al-Qur’an, 54:5; Musnad, iv, 82.</ref>)That is to say, the unbelievers also confirmed the splitting of the moon as certain. For this supreme miracle, we refer readers to the Addendum of the Thirty-First Word. | |||
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Furthermore, just as the Noble Messenger (UWBP) showed the inhabitants of the earth the miracle of the Splitting of the Moon, so too he showed the inhabitants of the heavens his supreme miracle of the Ascension. Referring that greatest miracle to the Treatise on the Ascension, the Thirty-First Word, which demonstrates with decisive proofs – even to deniers – how luminous, exalted, and true a miracle it was, we shall mention here only his journey to Jerusalem, the preliminary part of the miracle of the Ascension. | |||
For it was a miracle too that when asked by the Quraysh the following morning, he provided them with a description of the Masjid al-Aqsa. It was as follows: | |||
The morning after the night of the Ascension, he informed the Quraysh about the Ascension. They dismissed it as false, and said: “If you really went to the Masjid al- Aqsa in Jerusalem, then describe to us its doors, walls, and condition.” The Noble Messenger (UWBP) later said: | |||
فَكَرَب۟تُ كَر۟بًا لَم۟ اَك۟رُب۟ مِث۟لَهُ قَطُّ فَجَلَّى اللّٰهُ لٖى بَي۟تَ ال۟مَق۟دِسِ وَكَشَفَ ال۟حُجُبَ بَي۟نٖى وَبَي۟نَهُ حَتّٰى رَاَي۟تُهُ فَنَعَتُّهُ وَ اَنَا اَن۟ظُرُ اِلَي۟هِ | فَكَرَب۟تُ كَر۟بًا لَم۟ اَك۟رُب۟ مِث۟لَهُ قَطُّ فَجَلَّى اللّٰهُ لٖى بَي۟تَ ال۟مَق۟دِسِ وَكَشَفَ ال۟حُجُبَ بَي۟نٖى وَبَي۟نَهُ حَتّٰى رَاَي۟تُهُ فَنَعَتُّهُ وَ اَنَا اَن۟ظُرُ اِلَي۟هِ | ||
“I was annoyed by their question and denial in a way that I had never been annoyed before. Suddenly, God Almighty lifted the veil between me and the Masjid al-Aqsa and showed it to me; I looked at it, and saw and described it.”(*<ref>*Bukhari, Manaqib al-Ansar, 41; Tafsir Sura, 17:3; Muslim, Iman, 276, 278; Tafsir Sura, 17:3;Musnad, i, 309; iii, 377; Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 191.</ref>)Then the Quraysh understood that he was giving the correct and complete description. | |||
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God’s Noble Messenger (UWBP) also told them: “During the journey, I saw one of your caravans. It will arrive here tomorrow at such-and-such a time.” They waited for the caravan. It was delayed for an hour, so in order that the Messenger’s (UWBP) prediction should be right, the sun was arrested for an hour, as is confirmed by those who investigated the event. That is to say, in order to prove what he said was right, the earth stopped its journeying, its duty, for an hour, and its immobility was shown as the sun being arrested in its motion.(*<ref>*Qadi Iyad, al-Shifa’, i, 284; ‘Ali al-Qari, Sharh al-Shifa’, i, 591-2; Suyuti, al-Durar al-Muntathira,193; al-Haythami, Majma’ al-Zawa’id, viii, 296; al-Sa’ati, al-Fath al-Rabbani, vi, 155; al-Albani, | |||
Silsilat al-Ahadith al-Da’ifa, 972.</ref>) | |||
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Thus, the mighty earth abandoned its duty in order to confirm a single statement of Muhammad the Arabian (UWBP), and the mighty sun witnessed it. So you may understand how unfortunate are those who do not affirm him nor obey his commands, and how fortunate are those who affirm him and say: “We have heard and we obey!” Now offer praise and thanks to God for Islam and belief! | |||
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== | ==EIGHTEENTH SIGN== | ||
The greatest miracle of God’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), an eternal one, is the All-Wise Qur’an, which comprises hundreds of evidences of his prophethood, and forty aspects of whose own miraculousness have been proven. | |||
The Twenty-Fifth Word has explained concisely and proved those forty aspects in its approximately one hundred and fifty pages. Therefore, referring that supreme miracle, a treasury of miracles, to that Word, here we shall explain only one or two points. | |||
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=== | ===First Point=== | ||
'''If it is asked:'''The miraculousness of the Qur’an lies in its eloquence. But all classes of men have the right to a share of its understanding, and only one learned scholar out of a thousand can understand the miraculousness in its eloquence? | |||
''' | |||
'''The Answer:'''The All-Wise Qur’an has a different kind of miraculousness corresponding to the understanding of each class; it indicates the existence of its miraculousness to each in a different way. | |||
''' | |||
For example, to the scholars of rhetoric and eloquence, it exhibits the miraculousness of its extraordinary eloquence. | |||
To the poets and orators, it shows its exalted, beautiful, and original style, which no one can imitate although it pleases everyone. The passage of time does not cause its style to age; it always remains fresh and new. Its prose and word-order are so well-ordered that it is both elevated and pleasant. | |||
To soothsayers and other diviners of the Unseen, it displays its miraculousness in its extraordinary reports concerning the Unseen. | |||
To historians, it demonstrates its miraculousness by giving information concerning events of past ages, as well as those of the future, and of the Intermediate Realm and the hereafter. | |||
To social and political scientists, it shows the miraculousness in its sacred principles. Yes, the Supreme Shari‘a, which proceeds from the Qur’an, indicates that mystery of miraculousness. | |||
To those occupied with knowledge of God and cosmic truths, it shows the miraculousness of the sacred divine truths in the Qur’an, or else it indicates the existence of that miraculousness. | |||
To the Sufis and saints, it shows the miraculousness in the hidden mysteries of its verses, which constantly rise and fall like waves in the sea of the Qur’an. And so on. To each of forty classes of men, it opens up a window and shows its miraculousness. | |||
The ordinary people even, who only listen to the Qur’an understanding a little of its meaning, confirm that it does not resemble any other book. They say: “The Qur’an is either inferior to all the other books we have heard read, which not even an enemy could claim – just as it is impossible – or it is superior to all of them and is thus a miracle.” Now, in order to help him, we shall explain further the miraculousness which the ordinary man understood by just listening. It is as follows: | |||
When the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition appeared challenging the whole world, it aroused passionate feelings of two kinds in people: | |||
'''The First:'''In friends, the desire to imitate it; that is, the desire to resemble the style of their beloved Qur’an, and a wish to speak like it. | |||
''' | |||
'''The Second:'''In enemies, the desire to criticize and dispute it; that is, the wish to invalidate its claim of miraculousness by competing with its style. | |||
''' | |||
Thus, because of these two intense emotions, millions of books were written in Arabic, and are to be seen. Now, whoever listens to the most eloquent, the most brilliant, of these books being read together with the Qur’an is bound to say that it does not resemble any of them. That means that the Qur’an is not of the same level as them. In which case, it must either be inferior to all of them, which together with being impossible a hundred times over, no one, not even Satan, could claim, or the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition is superior to all of them. | |||
Furthermore, the All-Wise Qur’an demonstrates its miraculousness before the uneducated mass of people, who do not understand its meaning, by not wearying them. Indeed, they say: “If I hear the finest and best known poems two or three times, I become bored of them. But the Qur’an never wearies me; the more I listen to it, even, the more it pleases me. It cannot therefore be written by man.” | |||
To children who try to memorize it, the All-Wise Qur’an shows its miraculousness by settling in their memories with the greatest of ease, despite their small, delicate, weak and simple heads being unable to retain for long a single page of other books, and many of the verses and phrases of that large Qur’an resembling one another, which should cause muddle and confusion. | |||
Even to the sick and the dying, who are disturbed by the slightest sound and noise, the murmuring sound of the Qur’an makes felt a sort of its miraculousness, by being as sweet and agreeable for them as Zamzam water. | |||
'''In Short:'''The All-Wise Qur’an demonstrates its miraculousness to forty different classes and groups of people, or it indicates the existence of its miraculousness. It neglects no one. | |||
''' | |||
Even for those who can comprehend only what their eyes see and who have no ear to hear with, no heart to feel with, and no knowledge to judge with, the Qur’an alludes to its miraculousness in a fashion.(*<ref>*Here the mention of the aspect of its miraculousness directed to those without ear, heart and knowledge, and who see only with their eyes, is extremely concise, abbreviated, and even deficient.But it has been demonstrated most clearly and brilliantly in the Twenty-Ninth and Thirtieth Letters,• so that even the blind can see it. We have had a copy of the Qur’an written that shows this aspect of miraculousness. God willing, it will be published, then everyone will be able to see it.*The Thirtieth Letter had been planned and intended, but it gave up its place to Isharat al-I‘jaz (Signs of Miraculousness), while itself never materialized. (Author)</ref>)It is like this: | |||
In the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition handwritten by the calligrapher Hafiz Osman and later printed, many of the words look to one another. | |||
For example, if a needle is passed through the word “dog” in the phrase “they were seven, the dog being the eighth” in Sura al-Kahf (18:22)and through the underlying pages, with a slight deviation it will go through the word “Qitmir” in Sura al-Fatir (35:13), thus establishing the dog’s name. | |||
In a similar way, the words “they will be all brought before us” (muhdarun-in) occur twice in Sura Ya. Sin. (36:32, 53, 75), the first overlying the second. The same words are again repeated twice in Sura al-Saffat (37:57, 127), and these look both to each other and to those in Sura Ya. Sin. | |||
< | Also, the phrase “in pairs” (mathnà) occurs only three times in the Qur’an, and two of these corresponding cannot be mere coincidence.(*<ref>*The phrase occuring towards the end of Sura al-Saba’ (34:46) corresponds to the same phrase as the beginning of Sura al-Fatir (35:1).</ref>) | ||
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There are numerous similar examples.One word even coincides with slight deviation on five or six underlying pages. | |||
I have seen a copy of the Qur’an in which passages looking to one another on facing pages were written in red ink. At that time I said that that too indicated another sort of miracle. Some time later I saw that many phrases looked to others on the reverse of pages, corresponding to one another in a meaningful way. | |||
Thus, since the arrangement of the Qur’an in the writing and script of printed copies of the Qur’an also is through the guidance of the Prophet (UWBP) and divine inspiration, it is a sort of sign of its miraculousness. For it is neither the work of chance, nor of the human mind. Sometimes there are deviations, but that is generally the fault of the printing and if it had been absolutely in order, the words would have corresponded to one another exactly. | |||
Furthermore, on every page of the Qur’an’s Suras of long and medium length which were revealed in Medina, the word “Allah” has been repeated in the most wondrous manner. In addition to being repeated mostly five, six, seven, eight, nine or eleven times on the same page, the repetitions of the two sides of the same page or on facing pages display beautiful and significant numerical relationships.(*<ref>*Also, for those who practise the recitation of the divine names and praises and supplicate God, the Qur’an&s adorned and rhymed words, and eloquent and artistic style, and the many virtues of its eloquence, which draw attention to itself, afford an elevated seriousness and sense of the divine presence, and a collectedness of mind; they do not mar or spoil these. Whereas, rhetoric, artistic wording, rhyme and poetic composition of that sort usually weaken seriousness, make their elegance felt, disturb the sense of God’s presence, and distract attention. In fact, I used to recite Imam al- Shafi’i’s famous supplication frequently, for it is a most subtle and serious supplication, is composed in an elevated versified form, and once caused the end of dearth and famine in Egypt. On reading it, I observed that it was in verse and rhymed, and that this spoilt its lofty seriousness. I recited it constantly for eight or nine years, and I was unable to reconcile the verse and rhyme with its serious nature. I understood from this that there is a sort of miraculousness in the rhyming and ordering and qualities of the Qur’an’s words, which are particular and natural and original to it, that preserves completely the seriousness and sense of the divine presence, not spoiling them. Thus, even if those who recite supplications and the divine names and praises do not understand this sort of miraculousness with the mind, they perceive it with the heart.</ref>) | |||
, (*<ref>*Another aspect of the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition’s miraculousness is that it expresses the most elevated and brilliant degree of the Noble Messenger’s (UWBP) belief, who manifested the | |||
Greatest Name. It also expresses and instructs in a natural manner the religion of truth, which, being | |||
most vast, extensive, and lofty, sets forth the lofty truths of the worlds of the hereafter and of dominicality like a sacred map. It conveys too in all its infinite glory and majesty, the address of the Creator of the universe, in respect of His being the Sustainer of all beings. Certainly, in the face of its exposition being thus, if, in accordance with the verse,“Say: If the whole of mankind and the jinn were to gather together to pro-duce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce its like,”(17:88)all the minds of mankind were to unite and become a single mind, they could not contest it or oppose it. How could they? They are as distant from the Qur’an as the earth is from the Pleiades. For in view of the three above principles, it is certainly not possible to imitate the Qur’an, nor to compose its like.</ref>), (*<ref>*At the bottom of every page of the Qur’an, the verses are complete and they end rhyming in a fine way. The reason is this: when the verse called Mudayana (2:292) provides the standard for the pages, and the Suras Ikhlas and Kawthar, the standard for the lines, this fine quality of the All-Wise Qur’an and sign of its miraculousness become apparent.</ref>), (*<ref>*Because of unfortunate haste, we had to content ourselves in this section with some slight indications and brief instances and small signs of a highly important and magnificent wonder, one which from the point of view of the Risale-i Nur’s success is beautiful, illuminating, and encouraging. Now, that important truth and encouraging wonder – under the name of ‘coincidence’ (tevâfuk), and five or six sorts at that – forms a chain of wonders of the Risale-i Nur, and flashes of a visible sort of the Qur’an’s miraculousness, and a source of signs of the ciphers of the Unseen. Later, we had a copy of the Qur’an written that showed in gilded letters a flash of its miraculousness which appeared from the coinciding of the word Alla\h. And I wrote eight short pieces, called The Eight Symbols (Rumûzat-ı Semaniye), which explain the subtle relationships evident in the coinciding of the Qur’an’s letters, and their allusions concerning the Unseen. I also wrote five treatises, one about the wonders of Ghauth al- Gilani, three about those of ‘Ali, and one called Indications of the Qur’an (İşârât-ı Kur’aniye), which by means of tevâfuk or coincidences, confirm, commend, and applaud the Risale-i Nur. That is to say, that important truth was perceived and written in summary fashion in the writing of The Miracles of Muhammad, but unfortunately the author saw and described only a tiny part of it; he continued without further pursuing it.</ref>) | |||
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=== | ===Second Point=== | ||
At the time of Moses (Upon whom be peace), it was magic that was prevalent, so his most important miracles resembled it. And at Jesus (Upon whom be peace)’s time, it was medicine that was prevalent and his miracles were mostly of that kind. Similarly, at the time of the Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), in the Arabian Peninsula four things were prevalent: | |||
The First: Eloquence and rhetoric. | |||
The Second: Poetry and oratory. | |||
The Third: Soothsaying and divining matters of the Unseen. | |||
The Fourth: Knowledge of past events and cosmology. | |||
Thus, when the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition appeared, it challenged those with knowledge of these four fields. | |||
'''Firstly,''' it made the men of rhetoric and eloquence bow before it; they all listened to it in astonishment. | |||
'''Secondly,''' it filled the poets and orators with amazement, that is, those who spoke well and declaimed fine poetry, so that they bit their fingers in astonishment. It nullified the value of their finest poems inscribed in gold, causing them to remove the famous Seven Hanging Poems, their pride and glory, from the walls of the Ka‘ba. | |||
It silenced the soothsayers and sorcerers, who gave news of the Unseen, and made them forget the knowledge they had received. It drove away the jinns, and put an end to soothsaying. | |||
It saved those with knowledge of the past and cosmology from superstition and falsehood, and instructed them in true facts and luminous knowledge. | |||
Thus, these four groups bowed before the Qur’an in perfect wonder and veneration, becoming its students. At no time could any of them attempt to contest it. | |||
'''If it is asked:'''How do we know that no one could dispute or contest it? | |||
''' | |||
'''The Answer:''' If it had been possible to dispute it, for sure someone would have attempted it. For their religion, their possessions, their lives, and their families had been put into peril. If they had disputed it, they would have been saved. If it had been possible, they were bound to contest it. And if they had done so, since those who wished to do this, the unbelievers and dissemblers were many, and truly many, they were sure to have supported such a contest and would have advertised it widely. Just as they spread everything that was against Islam. And if someone had disputed the Qur’an and they had made it known to everyone, it would certainly have been recorded in the books of history in glittering terms. | |||
''' | |||
But all the histories and books are in evidence; apart from a few passages about Musaylima the Liar, there is nothing in any of them. Whereas for twenty-three years the All-Wise Qur’an continuously taunted and challenged them in a way that would increase their obduracy. It in effect said: | |||
“Let someone unlettered like Muhammad the Trustworthy compose the like of the Qur’an. | |||
You won’t be able to, so come on, not an unlettered person, let someone very learned and literary do it. | |||
You won’t be able to do that either, so rather than a single person, gather together all your scholars and men of eloquence, and let them assist one another, and the false gods on which you rely can also lend a hand. | |||
You won’t be able to do this either, so use the literary works of the past, and even call on those of the future to help you, and then compose the like of the Qur’an. | |||
And if you can’t do this, don’t compose all the Qur’an, but only ten Suras. | |||
You won’t be able to manage ten which are truly like the Qur’an’s Suras, so put it together out of stories and fictitious tales; just produce something similar to the word-order and eloquence. | |||
And don’t write a long Sura, just a short one. | |||
But if you can’t do this, your religion, lives, property, and families will all be in danger, both in this world and in the next!” | |||
With these eight alternatives, the Wise Qur’an has challenged and silenced men and jinn, not for twenty-three years, but for one thousand three hundred. Nonetheless, in those early times, those unbelievers did not have recourse to the easiest way, dispute or contest, but chose the most difficult way, that of war, putting their lives, possessions, and families into danger. That means, it was not possible to dispute it. | |||
Wouldn’t any intelligent person, particularly the people of Arabia at that time – and the Quraysh, who were very clever – have ensured that one of their literary men composed a Sura similar to one of the Qur’an’s and so be saved from its attacks; would they have abandoned the short and easy way, cast all they possessed into peril, and travelled the way most fraught with difficulties? | |||
'''In Short:'''As the famous Jahiz put it: “Dispute with words was not possible, so they were compelled to fight with the sword.” | |||
'''If it is asked:'''Some learned scholars have said that not one of the Qur’an’s Suras, but not a single of its verses can be disputed, nor even a single sentence or a word, nor have they been disputed. But this appears to be exaggerated and unacceptable to reason, for many human words resemble those of the Qur’an. Why do they say this? | |||
''' | |||
'''The Answer:'''There are two schools of thought concerning the Qur’an’s miraculousness and inimitability. | |||
''' | |||
The prevailing and preferred school states that the subtle qualities of eloquence and meaning in the Qur’an are beyond human power. | |||
The second and less preferred school states that it is within human ability to dispute one of the Qur’an’s Suras, but Almighty God has prevented this as a miracle of Muhammad (UWBP). Like a man may rise to his feet, but if a prophet tells him that he cannot and he is unable to, then it is a miracle. This opinion is called the Sarfa School. That is, Almighty God prevented men and jinn from successfully disputing a single of the Qur’an’s Suras. | |||
According to this school, scholars who state that a single of its words cannot be disputed, are correct. Because since on account of its miraculousness Almighty God prevented them, they could not so much as open their mouths to dispute it. And even if they had done so, they could not have uttered a word. | |||
However, according to the first-mentioned prevalent and preferred school of thought, that statement of scholars includes the following subtlety: the All-Wise Qur’an’s phrases and words look to one another. | |||
It sometimes happens that a single word looks to ten places; in it are ten relationships and ten fine points of eloquence. We have pointed out examples of some of these in the commentary called Isharat al- I‘jaz (Signs of Miraculousness), in the phrases of Sura al-Fatiha and those of, “Alif. Lam. Mim. * This is the Book; in it is guidance sure, without doubt.”(2:1-2) | |||
For example, take a highly decorated palace; to situate in relation to all the decorations a stone which is like the central point of many varied decorations, is dependent on knowing the entire wall together with all its decorations. And to situate the pupil of the eye in a human head is dependent on knowing its relations with the whole body and all the body’s wondrous functions, together with the eye’s position in the face of those duties. | |||
In just the same way, the most advanced of the people of reality have demonstrated numerous relationships between the Qur’an’s words and their aspects and connections, and other verses and phrases. Scholars of the Hurufi School in particular have gone further, explaining and demonstrating to their followers a page of hidden meanings in a single of the Qur’an’s letters. | |||
Furthermore, since it is the speech of the Creator of all things, each of its words may be like a heart or seed; that is, a heart contained in an immaterial body formed of mysteries, or the seed of an immaterial tree. | |||
Thus, words like those of the Qur’an, and even phrases or verses, may occur in man’s speech, but an all-encompassing knowledge is necessary to situate them exactly as they are in the Qur’an, taking into account the many relationships. | |||
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=== | ===Third Point=== | ||
A brief but true reflection on the essential nature of the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition was once inspired in my heart as a divine bounty. | |||
سُب۟حَانَ مَن۟ شَهِدَ عَلٰى وَح۟دَانِيَّتِهٖ وَصَرَّحَ بِاَو۟صَافِ جَمَالِهٖ وَجَلَالِهٖ وَكَمَالِهٖ اَل۟قُر۟اٰنُ ال۟حَكٖيمُ ال۟مُنَوَّرُ جِهَاتُهُ السِّتُّ اَل۟حَاوٖى لِسِرِّ اِج۟مَاعِ كُلِّ كُتُبِ ال۟اَن۟بِيَاءِ وَال۟اَو۟لِيَاءِ وَال۟مُوَحِّدٖينَ ال۟مُخ۟تَلِفٖينَ فِى ال۟اَع۟صَارِ وَال۟مَشَارِبِ وَال۟مَسَالِكِ ال۟مُتَّفِقٖينَ بِقُلُوبِهِم۟ وَعُقُولِهِم۟ عَلٰى تَص۟دٖيقِ اَسَاسَاتِ ال۟قُر۟اٰنِ وَكُلِّيَّاتِ اَح۟كَامِهٖ عَلٰى وَج۟هِ ال۟اِج۟مَالِ وَهُوَ مَح۟ضُ ال۟وَح۟ىِ بِاِج۟مَاعِ ال۟مُن۟زِلِ وَال۟مُن۟زَلِ وَال۟مُن۟زَلِ عَلَي۟هِ وَعَي۟نُ ال۟هِدَايَةِ بِال۟بَدَاهَةِ وَمَع۟دَنُ اَن۟وَارِ ال۟اٖيمَانِ بِالضَّرُورَةِ وَمَج۟مَعُ ال۟حَقَائِقِ بِال۟يَقٖينِ وَمُوصِلٌ اِلَى السَّعَادَةِ بِال۟عِيَانِ وَذُو ال۟اَث۟مَارِ ال۟كَامِلٖينَ بِال۟مُشَاهَدَةِ وَمَق۟بُولُ ال۟مَلَكِ وَال۟اِن۟سِ وَال۟جَانِّ بِال۟حَد۟سِ الصَّادِقِ مِن۟ تَفَارٖيقِ ال۟اَمَارَاتِ وَال۟مُؤَيَّدُ بِالدَّلَائِلِ ال۟عَق۟لِيَّةِ بِاِتِّفَاقِ ال۟عُقَلَاءِ ال۟كَامِلٖينَ وَال۟مُصَدَّقُ مِن۟ جِهَةِ ال۟فِط۟رَةِ السَّلٖيمَةِ بِشَهَادَةِ اِط۟مِئ۟نَانِ ال۟وِج۟دَانِ وَال۟مُع۟جِزَةُ ال۟اَبَدِيَّةُ ال۟بَاقٖى وَج۟هُ اِع۟جَازِهٖ عَلٰى مَرِّ الزَّمَانِ بِال۟مُشَاهَدَةِ وَال۟مُن۟بَسِطُ دَائِرَةُ اِر۟شَادِهٖ مِنَ ال۟مَلَأِ ال۟اَع۟لٰى اِلٰى مَك۟تَبِ الصِّب۟يَانِ يَس۟تَفٖيدُ مِن۟ عَي۟نِ دَر۟سٍ اَل۟مَلٰئِكَةُ مَعَ الصَّبِيّٖينَ وَ كَذَا هُوَ ذُو ال۟بَصَرِ ال۟مُط۟لَقِ يَرَى ال۟اَش۟يَاءَ بِكَمَالِ ال۟وُضُوحِ وَالظُّهُورِ وَيُحٖيطُ بِهَا وَيُقَلِّبُ ال۟عَالَمَ فٖى يَدِهٖ وَيُعَرِّفُهُ لَنَا كَمَا يُقَلِّبُ صَانِعُ السَّاعَةِ السَّاعَةَ فٖى كَفِّهٖ وَيُعَرِّفُهَا لِلنَّاسِ فَهٰذَا ال۟قُر۟اٰنُ ال۟عَظٖيمُ الشَّانِ هُوَ الَّذٖى يَقُولُ مُكَرَّرًا اَللّٰهُ لَٓا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَ فَاع۟لَم۟ اَنَّهُ لَٓا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ | سُب۟حَانَ مَن۟ شَهِدَ عَلٰى وَح۟دَانِيَّتِهٖ وَصَرَّحَ بِاَو۟صَافِ جَمَالِهٖ وَجَلَالِهٖ وَكَمَالِهٖ اَل۟قُر۟اٰنُ ال۟حَكٖيمُ ال۟مُنَوَّرُ جِهَاتُهُ السِّتُّ اَل۟حَاوٖى لِسِرِّ اِج۟مَاعِ كُلِّ كُتُبِ ال۟اَن۟بِيَاءِ وَال۟اَو۟لِيَاءِ وَال۟مُوَحِّدٖينَ ال۟مُخ۟تَلِفٖينَ فِى ال۟اَع۟صَارِ وَال۟مَشَارِبِ وَال۟مَسَالِكِ ال۟مُتَّفِقٖينَ بِقُلُوبِهِم۟ وَعُقُولِهِم۟ عَلٰى تَص۟دٖيقِ اَسَاسَاتِ ال۟قُر۟اٰنِ وَكُلِّيَّاتِ اَح۟كَامِهٖ عَلٰى وَج۟هِ ال۟اِج۟مَالِ وَهُوَ مَح۟ضُ ال۟وَح۟ىِ بِاِج۟مَاعِ ال۟مُن۟زِلِ وَال۟مُن۟زَلِ وَال۟مُن۟زَلِ عَلَي۟هِ وَعَي۟نُ ال۟هِدَايَةِ بِال۟بَدَاهَةِ وَمَع۟دَنُ اَن۟وَارِ ال۟اٖيمَانِ بِالضَّرُورَةِ وَمَج۟مَعُ ال۟حَقَائِقِ بِال۟يَقٖينِ وَمُوصِلٌ اِلَى السَّعَادَةِ بِال۟عِيَانِ وَذُو ال۟اَث۟مَارِ ال۟كَامِلٖينَ بِال۟مُشَاهَدَةِ وَمَق۟بُولُ ال۟مَلَكِ وَال۟اِن۟سِ وَال۟جَانِّ بِال۟حَد۟سِ الصَّادِقِ مِن۟ تَفَارٖيقِ ال۟اَمَارَاتِ وَال۟مُؤَيَّدُ بِالدَّلَائِلِ ال۟عَق۟لِيَّةِ بِاِتِّفَاقِ ال۟عُقَلَاءِ ال۟كَامِلٖينَ وَال۟مُصَدَّقُ مِن۟ جِهَةِ ال۟فِط۟رَةِ السَّلٖيمَةِ بِشَهَادَةِ اِط۟مِئ۟نَانِ ال۟وِج۟دَانِ وَال۟مُع۟جِزَةُ ال۟اَبَدِيَّةُ ال۟بَاقٖى وَج۟هُ اِع۟جَازِهٖ عَلٰى مَرِّ الزَّمَانِ بِال۟مُشَاهَدَةِ وَال۟مُن۟بَسِطُ دَائِرَةُ اِر۟شَادِهٖ مِنَ ال۟مَلَأِ ال۟اَع۟لٰى اِلٰى مَك۟تَبِ الصِّب۟يَانِ يَس۟تَفٖيدُ مِن۟ عَي۟نِ دَر۟سٍ اَل۟مَلٰئِكَةُ مَعَ الصَّبِيّٖينَ وَ كَذَا هُوَ ذُو ال۟بَصَرِ ال۟مُط۟لَقِ يَرَى ال۟اَش۟يَاءَ بِكَمَالِ ال۟وُضُوحِ وَالظُّهُورِ وَيُحٖيطُ بِهَا وَيُقَلِّبُ ال۟عَالَمَ فٖى يَدِهٖ وَيُعَرِّفُهُ لَنَا كَمَا يُقَلِّبُ صَانِعُ السَّاعَةِ السَّاعَةَ فٖى كَفِّهٖ وَيُعَرِّفُهَا لِلنَّاسِ فَهٰذَا ال۟قُر۟اٰنُ ال۟عَظٖيمُ الشَّانِ هُوَ الَّذٖى يَقُولُ مُكَرَّرًا اَللّٰهُ لَٓا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَ فَاع۟لَم۟ اَنَّهُ لَٓا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ | ||
Now I will give below a translation of that Arabic piece. | |||
The six aspects of the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition are brilliant and luminous; neither doubt nor misgiving can penetrate it. For its back leans on God’s Throne; there is the light of revelation in that aspect. Before it and its goal is the happiness of this world and the next; it has laid its hand on post-eternity and the hereafter, and contains the light of happiness and Paradise. Above it shines the seal of miraculousness. Beneath it lie the pillars of proof and evidence. Its inner face is pure guidance, while its right causes the mind to affirm it with phrases like “Will they not think?” Providing spiritual sustenance to hearts, its left causes the conscience to testify to God’s blessings. So from what side, what corner, can the thieves of doubt and misgiving enter the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition? | |||
Yes, the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition encompasses all the points of agreement found in the books of the prophets, the saints, and those who affirm divine unity, whose centuries, ways, and temperaments were all different; that is, those who sought the truth through either the intellect or the heart mentioned in their books the All-Wise Qur’an’s concise decrees and principles, in such a way as to confirm them. Thus, they are like the roots of the heavenly tree of the Qur’an. | |||
The All-Wise Qur’an is also founded on revelation and is revelation. For the Glorious One who revealed it, demonstrated and proved it was revelation through the miracles of Muhammad (UWBP). And the Qur’an too, which reveals, shows through the miraculousness upon it that it comes from the Divine Throne. Then the alarm of the Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) to whom it was revealed, when it was first revealed and his unconscious state during its revelation and his sincerity and veneration towards the Qur’an, which were greater than everyone’s, all demonstrate that it was revelation coming from pre-eternity; it was his guest. | |||
Moreover, the Qur’an is self-evidently pure guidance, for its opposite is the misguidance of unbelief. It is also of necessity the source of the lights of belief, and the reverse of this is of course, darkness. We have proved this decisively in many of the Words. | |||
Furthermore, the Qur’an is of a certaint y the assembly of truths; illusion and superstition cannot intrude on it. The elevated perfections which the world of Islam, to which it gave form, and the Shari‘a, which it put forward, display testify and prove that it is pure truth and contains no contradictions. Its discussions concerning the world of the Unseen testify to this too, like those concerning the Manifest World. | |||
Without doubt, the Qur’an also leads to the happiness of this world and the next, and urges man to it. If anyone doubts this, let him read the Qur’an once and heed what it says. Moreover, the fruits the Qur’an produces are both perfect and living. In which case, the roots of the tree of the Qur’an are founded on reality and are living. For the life of the fruit points to the life of the tree. See, how many perfect, living, luminous fruits it has produced each century, such as the saints and purified scholars! | |||
Also, with a conviction arising from innumerable various signs, it may be said the Qur’an is accepted and sought after by both men, and jinn, and angels, for when it is recited, they gather around, drawn to it like moths. | |||
And together with being revelation, the Qur’an has been strengthened and fortified with rational proofs; the unanimity of the wise and intelligent testifies to this. The great scholars of theology, and the geniuses of philosophy like Ibn Sina and Ibn Rushd unanimously demonstrated the Qur’anic principles, in accordance with their own methods and proofs. | |||
The Qur’an is also affirmed by all sound natures. So long as it is not corrupted in any way, human nature confirms it. For an easy conscience and peace of mind are to be found through its lights. That is to say, unspoilt human nature affirms it through the testimony of a tranquil conscience, and says to the Qur’an through the tongue of disposition: “Our natures cannot be perfected without you!” We have proved this truth in many places. | |||
The Qur’an is also observedly and self-evidently an eternal and perpetual miracle; it always displays its miraculousness. It never dies away like other miracles; its time never comes to an end; it is everlasting. | |||
Furthermore, there is such breadth in the Qur’an’s guidance that the Angel Gabriel and a young child may listen to its same lesson side by side, and both receive their share. And a brilliant philosopher like Ibn Sina may study the same of its lessons side by side with an ordinary reciter, and they both will receive their instruction. It may even happen that due to the strength and purity of his belief, the common man may benefit more than Ibn Sina. | |||
Also, there is in the Qur’an an eye that sees and encompasses the whole universe, and holds it before it like the pages of a book, describing its levels and worlds. Like a watchmaker turns, opens, shows, and describes his clock, the Qur’an does the same with the universe, as though it were holding it in its hand. The Qur’an of Might y Stature is thus; it declares: “Know that there is no god but God,” and proclaims the divine unity. | |||
O God! Make the Qur’an our companion in this world, and a friend for us in the grave, and at the resurrection an intercessor, and on the Bridge a light, and from the Fire a shield and screen, and in Paradise a companion, and in all good works, a guide and leader. O God! Illuminate our hearts and graves with the light of belief and the Qur’an; and illumine the proof of the Qur’an for the sake of and in veneration of the one to whom the Qur’an was revealed, and grant blessings and peace to him and his Family from the Most Merciful One, the Gentle One. Amen. | |||
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== | ==NINETEENTH SIGN== | ||
It has been proved in the previous Signs most decisively and indubitably that the Most Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was God Almighty’s Messenger. His messengership being thus established through thousands of certain evidences, Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was the most brilliant and conclusive proof of divine unity and eternal happiness. | |||
In this Sign, we shall offer a concise and summary definition of that shining evidence, that articulate proof. For since he is the proof and his conclusion is knowledge of God, we must surely recognize the proof and learn the manner of his evidence. With an extremely brief summary, therefore, we shall describe in what ways he is a proof of it and its correctness. It is as follows: | |||
Like all the beings in the universe, God’s Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) pointed through his own self to the Creator of the universe’s existence and unity; and he proclaimed with his tongue that evidence of his self, together with the evidence offered by all beings. Since he himself was the evidence, we shall point in fifteen Principles to his proof and integrity, his truthfulness and veracity. | |||
< | <span id="Birinci_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===First Principle:=== | ||
This proof, who indicated the universe’s Maker with both his self, and his tongue, and his conduct, and his speech, was both verified by the reality of the universe, and was veracious. For the evidence to divine unity made by all beings is surely confirmation of the one who proclaimed that unity. | |||
That is to say, the cause he proclaimed is verified by the whole universe. Also, since the perfection of divine unity and absolute good of eternal happiness he expounded are in agreement and conformity with the beauty and perfection of all the truths of the world, he was certainly veracious in his cause. | |||
That is to say, the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) was an articulate proof of divine unity and eternal happiness who was both veracious and verified. | |||
< | <span id="İkinci_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Second Principle:=== | ||
Also, since that veracious and verified proof performed thousands of miracles greater than all the previous prophets, came with a Shari‘a that will never be abrogated, and his call was to all men and jinn, he was surely the chief of the prophets, and therefore gathered together in himself the essence and unanimity of all their miracles. That means the strength of the prophet’s consensus and the testimony of their miracles forms a support for his truthfulness and veracity. | |||
He was also the master and leader of all the saints and purified scholars, who attained to perfection through his training and guidance and the light of his Shari‘a. In which case, gathered together in him were the mystery of their wonders, their unanimous affirmation, and the strength of their verifications. For they travelled the way their master opened up and left open, and they found the truth. In which case, all their wonder-working and verifications and consensus forms a support for their sacred master’s truthfulness and veracity. | |||
Also, as was seen in the previous Signs, this proof of divine unity was equipped with such certain, evident, and definite miracles and wondrous irhasat, and his prophethood was proved by such irrefutable evidences that their affirmation could not be disputed, even if the whole universe were to unite against him. | |||
< | <span id="Üçüncü_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Third Principle:=== | ||
And in that herald of divine unity and giver of the tidings of eternal happiness, who was himself a clear miracle, were such elevated moral qualities, and in the duties of his messengership such sublime attributes, and in the Shari‘a he propagated such high virtues, that even his most bitter enemy had to confirm them, being unable to deny them. Since the highest and best moral qualities, the most elevated and perfect attributes, and the most precious and acceptable virtues were present in his self, his duties, and his religion, for sure, that person was the exemplar, model, personification, and master of the perfections and elevated moral qualities in beings. | |||
In which case, those perfections in his self, his duty, and his religion form a support for his veracity and truthfulness so powerful that it can in no way be shaken. | |||
< | <span id="Dördüncü_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Fourth Principle:=== | ||
And that herald of divine unity and happiness, who was the source of perfections and teacher of elevated virtues, did not speak of himself; he was made to speak. Yes, he was made to speak by the Creator of the universe. He received instruction from his Pre-Eternal Master, then he taught. For the universe’s Creator showed through the thousands of proofs of his prophethood, in part described in the above Signs, through all those miracles He created through his hand, that he was not speaking on his own account, but conveying His speech. | |||
Furthermore, the Qur’an that came to him shows through its forty aspects of miraculousness, outer and inner, that he was Almighty God’s interpreter. | |||
Also, through all his sincerity, fear of God, seriousness, reliability, and all his other qualities and conduct, he showed that he was not speaking his own ideas in his own name, but was speaking in the name of his Creator. | |||
In addition, all those who penetrate to realit y who heed him have affirmed him with the truths they have investigated and laid open; they have believed with knowledge of certainty (ilmelyakîn) that he was not speaking on his own behalf, but that the Creator of the universe was causing him to speak and teaching, teaching by means of him. | |||
In which case, his veracity and truthfulness are supported by the consensus of these four powerful principles. | |||
< | <span id="Beşinci_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Fifth Principle:=== | ||
And that Interpreter of Pre-Eternal Speech saw spirit beings, conversed with angels, and offered guidance to men and jinn. He received knowledge surpassing the world of men and jinn, and even the worlds of spirits and the angels; he had access to, and relationships with, the realms that lie beyond theirs. The miracles mentioned previously and the story of his life, which have the authenticity of consensus, all prove this fact. | |||
In which case, unlike soothsayers and others who give news of the Unseen, no jinn, no spirit being, no angel, and apart from Gabriel, not even the highest angels in attendance on God Almighty, could interfere in the tidings he gave. And on some occasions, he even left Gabriel, his companion, behind. | |||
< | <span id="Altıncı_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Sixth Principle:=== | ||
And that person, the lord of the angels, jinn, and men, was the most illumined and perfect fruit of the tree of the universe, and the personification of divine mercy, and the exemplar of dominical love, and the most luminous proof of the Truth, and the most radiant lamp of reality, and the key to the talisman of the universe, and the solver of the riddle of creation, and the expounder of the wisdom of the world, and the herald of divine sovereignty, and the describer of the beauties of dominical art, and in regard to the comprehensiveness of his disposition, he was the most complete example of the perfections of beings. | |||
In which case, these attributes of his and his spiritual personality indicate, indeed, show that this being was the ultimate cause of the universe’s existence; that is to say, the universe’s Creator looked to this being and created the universe. It may be said that if He had not created him, He would not have created the universe. Yes, the truths of the Qur’an and lights of belief he brought to men and jinn, and the elevated virtues and exalted perfections apparent in his being are a decisive witness to this fact. | |||
< | <span id="Yedinci_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Seventh Principle:=== | ||
And that proof of the Truth and lamp of reality demonstrated a religion and Shari‘a that comprise principles ensuring the happiness of this world and the next. Moreover, besides being comprehensive, they explain with complete correctness the universe’s truths and functions,and the Creator of the universe’s names and attributes. | |||
Thus, Islam and the Shari‘a are so comprehensive and perfect, and describe the universe and Himself in such a way, that anyone who studies them carefully is bound to understand that his religion is a declaration, a manifesto, describing both the One who made this beautiful universe, and the universe itself. | |||
In the same way that a palace’s builder writes an instruction sheet suitable to the palace so that he may describe himself through its features, the religion and Shari‘a of Muhammad (UWBP) demonstrate through their clear elevatedness, comprehensiveness, and truth that his religion proceeded from the pen of the One who creates and regulates the universe. Whoever ordered the universe so well is the One who ordered this religion equally well. Yes, the perfect order of the one requires the perfect order of the other. | |||
< | <span id="Sekizinci_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Eighth Principle:=== | ||
Thus qualified by the above-mentioned attributes and sustained by totally unshakeable, powerful supports, Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace) proclaimed his message over the heads of men and jinn in the name of the World of the Unseen, turned to the Manifest World; he addressed the peoples and nations waiting beyond the centuries of the future; he called out to all jinn and men; he made all places and all times hear. Yes, we too hear! | |||
< | <span id="Dokuzuncu_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Ninth Principle:=== | ||
His address is so elevated and powerful that all the centuries heed it. Yes, all the centuries hear the echo of his voice. | |||
< | <span id="Onuncu_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Tenth Principle:=== | ||
It is apparent from that person’s (UWBP) manner that he saw, and spoke accordingly. For at times of greatest peril, he spoke unhesitatingly, fearlessly, with utter steadfastness. On occasion he challenged the whole world on his own. | |||
< | <span id="On_Birinci_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Eleventh Principle:=== | ||
With all his strength he made so powerful a call and summons that he caused half the earth and a fifth of mankind to respond to his voice, declaring: “Yes, we have heard and we obey!” | |||
< | <span id="On_İkinci_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Twelfth Principle:=== | ||
He called with such seriousness and instructed so fundamentally that he inscribed his principles on the face of the centuries and on the very stones of all corners of the world; he engraved them on the face of time. | |||
< | <span id="On_Üçüncü_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Thirteenth Principle:=== | ||
He proclaimed the soundness of the injunctions he conveyed with such confidence and sureness, that should the whole world have gathered, they could not have made him revoke or abjure a single of those precepts. Witness to this are all his life and his illustrious biography. | |||
< | <span id="On_Dördüncü_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Fourteenth Principle:=== | ||
He called and summoned with such confidence and trust | |||
that he became obliged to no one and no difficulty upset him; with complete sincerit y and honesty, he accepted before anyone the precepts he had brought, and acted accordingly, and proclaimed them. Witness to this were his famous asceticism and independence and his never stooping to the ephemeral glitter of this world, which were well-known by everyone, friend and foe. | |||
< | <span id="On_Beşinci_Esas:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Fifteenth Principle:=== | ||
His obedience to the religion he brought, and his worship of his Maker, and his abstaining from whatever was forbidden, all of which he performed to a greater degree than everyone else, demonstrate conclusively that he was the envoy and herald of the Monarch of Pre-Eternity and Post-Eternity; he was the most sincere servant of the One who is worshipped by right, and the interpreter of His pre-eternal word. | |||
The conclusion of these fifteen Principles is this: the one qualified by the above-mentioned attributes proclaimed divine unity with all his strength repeatedly and constantly throughout his life, saying: “So know that there is no god but God.” | |||
O God, grant him blessings and peace to the number of good deeds of his community, and to his Family. | |||
Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed You are All-Knowing, All-Wise!(2:32) | |||
< | <span id="BİR_İKRAM-I_İLAHÎ_VE_BİR_ESER-İ_İNAYET-İ_RABBANİYE"></span> | ||
== | ==A Divine Gift And a Mark of Dominical Favour== | ||
In the hope of complying with the meaning of the verse, “But the favour of your Sustainer, rehearse and proclaim,”(93:11) I shall mention a mark of Almighty God’s favour and mercy that was apparent in the writing of this treatise, so that those who read it may understand its importance. | |||
I had no intention of writing this treatise, for the Nineteenth and Thirty-First Words about the messengership of Muhammad (UWBP) had been written. Then suddenly I felt a compelling impulse to write it. Also my power of memory had been extinguished due to the calamities I had suffered. Moreover, in accordance with my way, I had not taken the path of narrative, that is, “he said that,” “it was said that,” in the works I had written. Furthermore, I had no books of Hadith or the Prophet’s (UWBP) biography available to me. Nevertheless, saying: “I place my trust in God,” I began. | |||
It was extremely successful and my memory assisted me in a way that surpassed even that of the Old Said. Thirty to forty pages were written at speed every two or three hours. Once fifteen pages were written in a single hour. It was mostly narrated from such books as Bukhari, Muslim, Bayhaqi, Tirmidhi, al-Shifa’ al-Sharif, Abu Nu‘aym, and Tabari. My heart was trembling, because if there had been any error in relating them – since they are Hadiths – it would have been a sin. But it was clear that divine favour was with us and there was need for the treatise. God willing, what has been written is sound. If perhaps there are any errors in the wording of some of the Hadiths or in the names of the narrators, I request that my brothers will look on them tolerantly and correct them. | |||
'''Said Nursî''' | '''Said Nursî''' | ||
Ustad Said Nursi, our master, dictated and we wrote the first draft. He had no books with him, nor did he refer to any. He would suddenly dictate at great speed, and we wrote. We would write thirty, forty, and sometimes more, pages in two or three hours. We formed the conviction that this ease was itself a wonder proceeding from the miracles of the Prophet Muhammad (UWBP). | |||
'''Abdullah Çavuş''' | |||
'''Süleyman Sami''' | |||
'''Hâfız Hâlid''' | |||
'''Hâfız Tevfik''' | |||
< | <span id="MU’CİZAT-I_AHMEDİYE’NİN_BİRİNCİ_ZEYLİ"></span> | ||
== | ==The First Addendum to The Miracles of Muhammad (UWBP)== | ||
[The Nineteenth Word about the Messengership of Muhammad (UWBP) and the Miracle of the Splitting of the Moon have been included here because of their relevance] | |||
This Word consists of fourteen “Droplets,” and is also the Fourteenth Flash | |||
< | <span id="BİRİNCİ_REŞHASI"></span> | ||
=== | ===First Droplet=== | ||
There are three great and universal things which make known to us our Sustainer. | |||
One is the Book of the Universe, a jot of whose testimony we have heard from the thirteen Flashes together with the Thirteenth Lesson of the Arabic Risale-i Nur. | |||
Another is the Seal of the Prophets (Upon whom be blessings and peace), the supreme sign of the book of the universe. | |||
And the other is the Qur’an of Mighty Stature. | |||
Now, we must become acquainted with the Seal of the Prophets (Upon whom be blessings and peace), who is the second, articulate, proof, and must listen to him. | |||
Yes, behold the collective personality of this proof! The face of the earth is his mosque, Mecca, his mihrab, and Medina, his pulpit. Our Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace), this clear proof, is the leader of all believers, preacher to all mankind, the chief of all the prophets, the lord of all the saints, and the leader of a circle for the remembrance of God comprising the prophets and saints. He is a luminous tree whose living roots are all the prophets, and fresh fruits are all the saints; whose claims all the prophets relying on their miracles and all the saints relying on their wonder-working confirm and corroborate. | |||
For he declares and claims: “There is no god but God!” All on left and right, that is, those luminous reciters of God’s names lined up in the past and the future, repeat the same words, and through their consensus as though declare: “You speak the truth and what you say is right!” What false idea has the power to intrude on a claim that is thus affirmed and corroborated by thousands? | |||
< | <span id="İKİNCİ_REŞHA"></span> | ||
=== | ===Second Droplet=== | ||
Just as that luminous proof of divine unity is affirmed by the unanimity and consensus of those two wings, so was he confirmed and corroborated by hundreds of allusions in such revealed scriptures as the Torah and Bible.(*<ref>*In his Risale-i Hamidiye, Husain Jisri found one hundred and fourteen indications in those scriptures. If this many remained after the texts had been corrupted, there must surely have been many explicit mentions previously.</ref>)So too, the thousands of signs that appeared before the beginning of his mission, and the well-known tidings of the voices from the Unseen and the unanimous testimony of the soothsayers, the indications of the thousands of his miracles such as the Splitting of the Moon, and the justice of Shari‘a, all confirmed and corroborated him. Similarly, in his person, his laudable morals, which were at the peak of perfection; and in his duties, his complete confidence and elevated qualities, which were of the highest excellence; and his extraordinary fear of God, worship, seriousness, and fortitude, which demonstrated the strength of his belief, and his total certainty and his complete steadfastness – these all showed as clearly as the sun how utterly faithful he was to his cause. | |||
< | <span id="ÜÇÜNCÜ_REŞHA"></span> | ||
=== | ===Third Droplet=== | ||
If you wish, come! Let us go to Arabian Peninsula, to the Era of Bliss! In our imaginations, we shall see him at his duties and visit him. Look! We see a person distinguished by his fine character and beautiful form. In his hand is a miraculous book and on his tongue, a truthful address; he is delivering a pre-eternal sermon to all mankind, indeed, to man, jinn, and the angels, and to all beings. He solves and expounds the obscure riddle of the world’s creation; he discovers and solves the abstruse talisman which is the mystery of the universe; and he provides convincing and satisfying answers to the three awesomely difficult questions that are asked of all beings and have always bewildered and occupied minds: “Where do you come from? What are you doing here? Where are you going?” | |||
< | <span id="DÖRDÜNCÜ_REŞHA"></span> | ||
=== | ===Fourth Droplet=== | ||
See! He spreads such a light of truth that if you look at the universe as being outside the luminous sphere of his truth and guidance, you see it to be a place of general mourning, and beings strangers to one another and hostile, and inanimate beings to be like ghastly corpses and living creatures like orphans weeping at the blows of death and separation. | |||
Now look! Through the light he spreads, that place of universal mourning has been transformed into a place where God’s names and praises are recited in joy and ecstasy. The foreign, hostile beings have become friends and brothers. While the dumb, dead inanimate creatures all become familiar officials and docile servants. And the weeping, complaining orphans are seen to be either reciting God’s names and praises or offering thanks at being released from their duties. | |||
< | <span id="BEŞİNCİ_REŞHA"></span> | ||
=== | ===Fifth Droplet=== | ||
Also, through his light, the motion and movement of the universe, and its variations, changes and transformations, cease being meaningless, futile, and the playthings of chance and rise to the level of being dominical missives, pages inscribed with the signs of creation, and mirrors to the divine names, while the world itself becomes a book of the Eternally Besought One’s wisdom. | |||
Man’s boundless weakness and impotence make him inferior to all other animals and his intelligence, an instrument of grief, sorrow, and sadness, makes him more wretched, yet when he is illumined with that light, he rises above all animals and all creatures. Through entreaty, his illuminated impotence, poverty, and intelligence make him a petted monarch; due to his complaints, he becomes a spoiled vicegerent of the earth. | |||
That is to say, if it were not for his light, the universe and man, and all things, would be nothing. Yes, certainly such a person is necessary in such a wondrous universe; otherwise it and the firmament would not be in existence. | |||
< | <span id="ALTINCI_REŞHA"></span> | ||
=== | ===Sixth Droplet=== | ||
That person (UWBP) announces and brings the good news of eternal happiness; he is the discoverer and proclaimer of an infinite mercy, the herald and observer of the beauties of the sovereignty of dominicality, and the discloser and displayer of the treasures of the divine names. If you regard him in that way, that is in regard to his being a worshipful servant of God, you will see him to be the model of love, the exemplar of mercy, the glory of mankind, and the most luminous fruit of the tree of creation. While if you look in this way, that is, in regard to his messengership, you see him to be the proof of God, the lamp of truth, the sun of guidance, and the means to happiness. | |||
And look! His light has lit up east and west like dazzling lightning! Half the earth and a fifth of mankind have accepted the gift of his guidance and preserved it like life itself. So how is it that our evil- commanding souls and satans do not accept with all its degrees, the basis of all such a person (UWBP) claimed, that is, “There is no god but God?” | |||
< | <span id="YEDİNCİ_REŞHA"></span> | ||
=== | ===Seventh Droplet=== | ||
Now, consider how, eradicating in no time at all their evil, savage customs and habits to which they were fanatically attached, he decked out the various wild, unyielding peoples of that broad peninsula with the finest virtues, and made them teachers of all the world and masters to the civilized nations. See, it was not just an outward domination; he conquered and subjugated their minds, spirits, hearts, and souls. He became the beloved of hearts, the teacher of minds, the trainer of souls, the ruler of spirits. | |||
< | <span id="SEKİZİNCİ_REŞHA"></span> | ||
=== | ===Eighth Droplet=== | ||
You know that a small habit like cigarette smoking among a small nation can be eradicated permanently only by a powerful ruler with great effort. But look! This person (UWBP) eliminated numerous ingrained habits from intractable, fanatical large nations with slight outward power and little effort in a short period of time, and in their place he so established exalted qualities that they became as firm as if they had mingled with their very blood. He achieved very many extraordinary feats like this. | |||
Thus, we present the Arabian Peninsula as a challenge to those who refuse to see the testimony of the blessed age of the Prophet (UWBP). Let them each take a hundred philosophers, go there, and strive for a hundred years: would they be able to carry out in that time one hundredth of what he achieved in a year? | |||
< | <span id="DOKUZUNCU_REŞHA"></span> | ||
=== | ===Ninth Droplet=== | ||
Also, you know that an insignificant man of small standing among a small community in a disputed matter of small importance cannot tell a small but shameful lie brazenfaced and fearlessly without displaying anxiety or disquiet enough to inform the enemies at his side of his deception. Now look at that person (UWBP); although he undertook a tremendous task which required an official of great authority and great standing and a situation of great security, can any contradiction at all be found in the words he uttered among a community of great size in the face of great hostility concerning a great cause and matters of great significance, with great ease and freedom, without fear, hesitation, diffidence, or anxiety, with pure sincerity, great seriousness, and in an intense, elevated manner that angered his enemies? Is it at all possible that any trickery should have been involved? God forbid! | |||
“It is naught but Revelation inspired.”(53:4) The truth does not deceive, and one who perceives the truth is not deceived. His way which is truth is free of deception. How could a fancy appear to be truth to one who sees the truth, and deceive him? | |||
< | <span id="ONUNCU_REŞHA"></span> | ||
=== | ===Tenth Droplet=== | ||
Now, look! What curiosity-arousing, attractive, necessary, and awesome truths he shows and matters he proves. | |||
You know that what impels man most is curiosity. Even, if it were to be said to you: “Hand over half of your life and property, and someone will come from the moon and Jupiter and tell you all about them. He will also tell you the truth about your future and what will happen to you.” You would be sure to give them if you have any curiosity at all. | |||
Whereas that person (UWBP) tells of a Monarch in whose realm, the moon flies round a moth like a fly, and the moth, the earth, flutters round a lamp, and the lamp, the sun, is merely one lamp among thousands in one of his guest- houses out of thousands. | |||
Also, he speaks truly of a world so wondrous and a revolution so tremendous that if the earth were a bomb and exploded it would not be all that strange. Look! Listen to some of the Suras he is reciting: “When the sun is folded up.”(81:1) * “When the sky is cleft asunder.”(81:2) * “[The Day] of Noise and Clamour.”(101:1) | |||
Also, he speaks truly of a future in comparison with which the future in this world is a tiny mirage. And he describes most earnestly such happiness that it resembles an eternal sun in comparison with the fleeting lightning-flash of happiness in this world. | |||
< | <span id="ON_BİRİNCİ_REŞHA"></span> | ||
=== | ===Eleventh Droplet=== | ||
Surely wonders await us beneath the outer veil of the universe, which is thus strange and perplexing. So one thus wonderful and extraordinary, a displayer of marvels, is necessary to tell of its wonders. It is apparent from that person’s conduct that he has seen them, and sees them, and says that he has seen them. | |||
He instructs us most soundly concerning what the God of the heavens and the earth, who nurtures us with His bounties, wants and desires of us. Everyone, therefore, should leave everything and hasten to this person and heed the numerous other necessary and curiosity-arousing truths like these that he teaches. So how is it that most people are deaf and blind, and mad even, that they do not see this truth, and not listen to it and understand it? | |||
< | <span id="ON_İKİNCİ_REŞHA"></span> | ||
=== | ===Twelfth Droplet=== | ||
Just as this person (UWBP) is an articulate proof and evidence as true as the unity of the Creator of beings; so he is a decisive proof and clear evidence for the resurrection of the dead and eternal happiness. Indeed, with his guidance he is the reason for eternal happiness coming about and is the means of attaining it; so too, through his prayers and supplications, he is the cause of its existence and reason for its creation. We repeat here this mystery, which is mentioned in the Tenth Word, because of its relevance (lit. station.) | |||
See! This Person (UWBP) prays with a prayer so supreme it is as if the Arabian Peninsula and the earth too perform the prayers through his majestic prayer, and offer entreaties. See, he entreats in a congregation so vast it is as if all the luminous, perfected members of mankind from the time of Adam till our age and until the end of time, are following him and saying “Amen” to his supplications. | |||
And see! He is beseeching for a need so universal that not only the dwellers of the earth, but those of the heavens, and all beings, join in his prayer, declaring: “Yes! O our Sustainer! Grant it to us! We too want it!” He supplicates with such want, so sorrowfully, in such a loving, yearning, and beseeching fashion(*<ref>*Tirmidhi, Da’awat, 30.</ref>)that he brings the whole cosmos to tears, making them join in his prayer. | |||
</ | |||
See! The purpose and aim of his prayer is such that it raises man and the world, and all creatures, from the lowest of the low, from inferiority, worthlessness, and uselessness to the highest of the high; that is, to having value, permanence, and exalted duties. | |||
See! He seeks and pleads for help and mercy in a manner so elevated and sweet, it is as if he makes all beings and the heavens and the earth hear, and bringing them to ecstasy, to exclaim: “Amen, O our God! Amen!” | |||
And see! He seeks his needs from One so Powerful, Hearing, and Munificent, One so Knowing, Seeing, and Compassionate, that He sees and hears the most secret need of the most obscure living being and its entreaties, accepts them, and has mercy on it. For He gives what is asked for, if only through the tongue of disposition. And He gives it in so Wise, Seeing, and Compassionate a form that it leaves no doubt that His nurturing and regulation is particular to Him, the All-Hearing and All-Seeing One, the Most Generous and Most Compassionate One. | |||
< | <span id="ON_ÜÇÜNCÜ_REŞHA"></span> | ||
=== | ===Thirteenth Droplet=== | ||
What does he want, this pride of the human race, who taking behind him all the eminent of mankind, stands on top of the world, and raising up his hands, is praying? What is this unique being, who is truly the glory of the cosmos, seeking? Listen! | |||
He is seeking eternal happiness. He is asking for eternal life, and to meet with God. He wants Paradise. And he wants all the sacred divine names, which display their beauty and decrees in the mirrors of beings. | |||
Even if it were not for reasons for the fulfilment of those countless requests, like mercy, grace, wisdom, and justice, a single of that Person’s (UWBP) prayers would have been sufficient for the construction of Paradise, the creation of which is as easy for divine power as the creation of the spring. Yes, just as his messengership was the reason for the opening of this place of examination and trial, so his worship and servitude of God were the reason of the opening of the next world. | |||
< | Would the perfect order observed in the universe, which has caused scholars and the intelligent to pronounce: “It is not possible for there to be anything better than what exists,”(*<ref>*Imam Gazâlî, Ihyâu Ulûmi’d-Din (Turk. trans.), iv, 258; Ibn ‘Arabi, al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya, i, 53; iv,154.</ref>)and the faultless beauty of art within mercy, the incomparable beauty of | ||
dominicality, permit the ugliness, the cruelty, the lack of order of its hearing and responding to the least significant, the least important desires and voices, and its considering unimportant the most important, the most necessary wishes, and its not hearing or understanding them, and not carrying them out? God forbid! A hundred thousand times, God forbid! Such a beauty would not permit such ugliness; it would not become ugly! | |||
My imaginary friend! That is enough for now, we must return. For if we remain a hundred years in this age in the Arabian Peninsula, we still would comprehend completely only one hundredth of the marvels of that Person’s (UWBP) duties and the wonders he carried out, and we would never tire of watching him. | |||
Now, come! We shall look at the centuries, which will turn above us. See how each has opened like a flower through the effulgence it has received from that Sun of Guidance! They have produced millions of enlightened fruits like Abu Hanifa, Shafi‘i, Abu Bayazid Bistami, Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir Gilani, Shah Naqshband, Imam Ghazali and Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi. | |||
But postponing the details of our observations to another time, we must recite some benedictions for that displayer of miracles and bringer of guidance, which mention a number of his certain miracles: | |||
Endless peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad, to the number of the good deeds of his community, to whom was revealed the All-Wise Criterion of Truth and Falsehood, from One Most Merciful, Most Compassionate, from the Sublime Throne; whose messengerhood was foretold by the Torah and Bible, and told of by wondrous signs, the voices of jinn, saints of man, and soothsayers; at whose indication the moon split; our master Muhammad! Peace and blessings be upon him thousands and thousands of times, to the number of the breaths of his community; at whose beckoning came the tree, on whose prayer rain swiftly fell, and whom the cloud shaded from the heat; who satisfied a hundred men with his food; from between whose fingers three times flowed water like the Spring of Kawthar; and to whom God made speak the lizard, the gazelle, the wolf, the torso, the arm, the camel, the mountain, the rock, and the clod; the one who made the Ascension and whose eye did not waver; our master and intercessor, Muhammad! Peace and blessings be upon him thousands and thousands of times, to the number of the letters of the Qur’an formed in the words represented with the permission of the Most Merciful in the mirrors of the airwaves at the reciting of all the words of the Qur’an by all reciters from when it was first revealed to the end of time. And grant us forgiveness and have mercy on us, O God, for each of those blessings. Amen. | |||
[I have described the Evidences for Muhammad’s (UWBP) prophethood which I have here indicated briefly, in a Turkish treatise called Şuaât-ı Mârifeti’n-Nebî and in the Nineteenth Letter (The Miracles of Muhammad). There too aspects of the All-Wise Qur’an’s miraculousness have been mentioned briefly. Again, in a Turkish treatise called Lemeât and in the Twenty-Fifth Word (The Miraculousness of the Qur’an) I have explained concisely forty ways in which the Qur’an is a miracle and indicated forty aspects of its miraculousness. Of those forty aspects, only the eloquence in the word-order I have written in forty pages in an Arabic commentary called Signs of Miraculousness (Isharat al-I‘jaz). If you have the need, you ma y refer to those three works.] | |||
< | <span id="ON_DÖRDÜNCÜ_REŞHA"></span> | ||
=== | ===Fourteenth Droplet=== | ||
The All-Wise Qur’an, the treasury of miracles and supreme miracle, proves the prophethood of Muhammad (UWBP) together with divine unity so decisively that it leaves no need for further proof. We shall therefore give its definition and indicate one or two flashes of its miraculousness which have been the cause of criticism. | |||
The All-Wise Qur’an, which makes known to us our Sustainer, is as follows: it is the pre-eternal translator of the great book of the universe; | |||
the discloser of the treasures of the divine names concealed in the pages of the earth and the heavens; | |||
the key to the truths hidden beneath the lines of events; | |||
the treasury of the Most Merciful’s favours and of the pre-eternal addresses, which issue forth from the World of the Unseen beyond the veil of this Manifest World; | |||
the sun, foundation, and plan of the spiritual world of Islam, | |||
and the map of the worlds of the hereafter; | |||
the distinct expounder, lucid exposition, articulate proof, and clear translator of the divine essence, | |||
attributes, and deeds; the instructor, true wisdom, guide, and leader of the world of humanity; | |||
it is both a book of wisdom and law, and a book of prayer and worship, and a book of command and summons, and a book of invocation and divine knowledge – it is book for all spiritual needs; and it is a sacred library offering books appropriate to the ways of all the saints and veracious, and the purified and the scholars, whose ways and paths are all different. | |||
Consider the flashes of miraculousness in its repetitions, which are imagined to be a fault: since the Qur’an is both a book of invocation, and of prayer, and of summons, the repetition in it is desirable, indeed, it is essential and most eloquent. It is not as the faulty imagine. For the mark of invocation is illumination through repetition. The mark of prayer is strengthening through repetition. The mark of command and summons is confirmation through repetition. | |||
Moreover, not everyone is capable of always reading the whole Qur’an, but mostly is able to read one Sura. Therefore, since the most important purposes of the Qur’an are included in the longer Suras, each is like a small Qur’an. That is to say, so that no one should be deprived, its purposes such as divine unity, the resurrection of the dead, and the story of Moses have been repeated. | |||
Also, like bodily needs, spiritual needs are various. Man is in need of some things each breath; like the body needs air, the spirit needs the word Hu\ (He). Some he is in need of each hour, like “In the Name of God.” And so on. This means the repetition of verses arises from the repetition of need. It makes the repetition in order to point out the need and awaken and excite it, and to arouse desire and appetite. | |||
Moreover, the Qur’an is a founder; it is the basis of the Clear Religion and the foundation of the world of Islam. It transformed human society, and is the answer to the repeated questions of its various classes. Repetition is necessary for a founder in order to establish things. It is necessary to corroborate them. Confirmation and repetition are necessary to strengthen them. | |||
Furthermore, it speaks of such mighty matters and minute truths that numerous repetitions are necessary in different forms to establish them in the hearts of everyone. However, they are only apparently repetitions, for each verse has numerous meanings, numerous benefits, and many aspects and levels. Each place a verse is found, it is mentioned for a different meaning, benefit, and purpose. | |||
Also, the Qur’an’s being unspecific and concise in certain cosmic matters is a flash of miraculousness, for the purpose of guidance. It is not a cause of criticism, nor a fault, as some atheists imagine. | |||
'''If you ask:'''“Why does the All-Wise Qur’an not speak of beings in the same way as philosophy and science? Why does it leave some matters in concise form, and speak of others simply and superficially so as to facilitate general understanding, and not wound people’s feelings or weary and tax the minds of ordinary people?” | |||
''' | |||
By way of answer we say: Philosophy has strayed from the path of truth, that’s why. Also, of course you have understood from the previous Words and what they teach that the All-Wise Qur’an speaks of the universe in order to make known the divine essence, attributes, and names. That is, it explains the meanings of the book of the universe to make known its Creator. That means it looks at beings, not for themselves but for their Creator. Also, it addresses everyone, while philosophy and science look at beings for themselves, and address scientists in particular. | |||
In which case, since the All-Wise Qur’an makes beings evidences and proofs, the evidence has to be superficial so that it will be quickly understood generally. And since the Qur’an of Guidance addresses all classes of men, the ordinary people, which form the most numerous class, want guidance which is concise with unnecessary things beings vague; in a way that brings subtle things close with comparisons, and does not change things which in their superficial view are obvious, into an unnecessary or even harmful form, lest it causes them to fall into error. | |||
For example, it says about the sun: “The sun is a revolving lamp or lantern.” This is because it does not speak of the sun for itself and its nature, but because it is a sort of mainspring of an order and centre of a system, and order and systems are mirrors of the Maker’s skill. It says:The sun runs its course.(36:38) | |||
that is, the sun revolves. Through calling to mind the orderly disposals of divine power in the revolutions of winter and summer, and day and night with the phrase, “The sun revolves,” it makes known the Maker’s tremendousness. Thus, whatever the reality of this revolving, it does not affect the order, which is woven and observed, and which is the purpose. | |||
It also says,And set the sun as a lamp.(71:16)Here, by depicting with the word “lamp” the world in the form of a palace, and the things within it as decorations, necessities, and provisions prepared for man and living beings, and the sun as a subjugated candleholder, it makes known the Creator’s mercy and bestowal. | |||
Now look and see what this foolish, prattling philosophy says: | |||
“The sun is a vast burning liquid mass. It causes the planets which have been flung off from it to revolve around it. Its mass is such-and-such. It is this, it is that.” Apart from a terrible dread and fearful wonder, philosophy imparts to the spirit no knowledge that will perfect it. It does not speak of it as the Qur’an does. You may understand from this the value of the matters of philosophy, whose inside is hollow and outside, ostentatious. So do not be deceived by its glittering exterior and be disrespectful towards the miraculous expositions of the Qur’an! | |||
< | <span id="İhtar:"></span> | ||
==== | ====NOTE:==== | ||
[The six “Drops” of the Fourteenth Droplet in the Arabic Risale-i Nur, and especially the six “Points” of the fourth “Drop,” explain fifteen of the approximately forty sorts of the All-Wise Qur’an’s miraculousness. Deeming those to be sufficient, we have limited the discussion here. If you wish, refer to them, and you will find a treasury of miracles.] | |||
O God! Make the Qur’an healing for us, the writer of this and his peers, for all our ills, and a companion to us in our lives and after our deaths, and in this world, and in the grave, and at the Last Judgement an intercessor, and on the Bridge a light, and from the Fire a screen and shield, and in Paradise a friend, and in all good deeds a guide and leader, through Your grace and munificence and beneficence and mercy, O Most Munificent of the Munificent and Most Merciful of the Merciful! Amen. | |||
O God! Grant blessings and peace to the one to whom was revealed the All- Wise Qur’an, the Distinguisher between Truth and Falsehood, | |||
and to all his Family and Companions. Amen. Amen. | |||
The Eternal One, He is the Eternal One! | |||
'''Said Nursî''' | '''Said Nursî''' | ||
< | <span id="ŞAKK-I_KAMER_MU’CİZESİNE_DAİRDİR"></span> | ||
== | ==About the Miracle of the Splitting of the Moon== | ||
[Addendum to the Nineteenth and Thirty-First Words] | |||
[Addendum to the Nineteenth and Thirty-First Words] | |||
The Hour is nigh, and the moon is split. * But if they see a sign, they turn away, and say: “This is evident magic.”(54:1-2) | |||
Philosophers and their unreasoning imitators, who want to eclipse with their vicious delusions the Splitting of the Moon, which is a miracle of Muhammad (UWBP) that shines like the moon, say: “If the Splitting of the Moon had occurred, it would have been known to the whole world and would have been related throughout the subsequent history of man.” | |||
'''The Answer:'''Since the Splitting of the Moon was demonstrated as an evidence of prophethood, and happened instantaneously at night when people were asleep, and before a gathering who, although they witnessed such an evidence, denied it; and since there were obstacles hindering the sighting of it such as mist, clouds, and time-differences between different parts of the world; and since at that time science and civilization were not widespread, and observation of the skies was very limited, and the event itself was exceptional, there was, therefore, nothing to necessitate that it should have been seen all over the world and been recorded in the general histories.(*<ref>*See, al-Nawawi, Sharh al-Sahih Muslim, xvii, 143; Ibn Qutayba, Ta’wil Mukhtalif al-Hadith, i, 21-5.</ref>) | |||
''' | |||
</ | |||
For now, listen to five points out of many that will scatter those clouds of delusion concerning the Splitting of the Moon. | |||
< | <span id="Birinci_Nokta:"></span> | ||
=== | ===First Point:=== | ||
The extreme stubbornness of the unbelievers there at that time is well-known and is recorded in history. And yet, when the All-Wise Qur’an announced this event to the whole world through saying: “And the moon is split,”(54:1) not one of those unbelievers, who denied the Qur’an, spoke up to give the lie to this verse; that is, not one of them denied the event it was announcing. If the event had not been considered a definite fact by the unbelievers, they would have made the verse a pretext, denied it strenuously, and tried to attack and nullify Muhammad’s (UWBP) claim to prophethood. | |||
However, the biographies of the Prophet (UWBP) and histories mentioning the event relate nothing to suggest that the unbelievers denied it. The only thing that history relates is, as the verse “And [they] say, ‘This is evident magic’”(54:2) points out, the unbelievers who saw the event declared it to be magic, and said that if the caravans in other places had seen it, it was true, otherwise he had bewitched them. The caravans arriving the following morning from the Yemen and other places announced that they had seen such a happening. So the unbelievers said of the Pride of All the Worlds (UWBP) that, God forbid, the magic of Abu Talib’s orphan had affected the heavens.(*<ref>*Tirmidhi, Tafsir al-Qur’an, 54; Musnad, iii, 165; al-Tabari, Jami’ al-Bayan, xxvii, 84-5; al-Qurtubi, | |||
al-Jami’ li-Ahkam al-Qur’an, xvii, 126; al-Bayhaqi, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, ii, 268.</ref>) | |||
</ | |||
< | <span id="İkinci_Nokta:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Second Point:=== | ||
< | The majority of the most illustrious scholars, like Sa‘d al- din Taftazani, declared that like the Prophet (UWBP) had satisfied the thirst of a whole army with water flowing from his fingers, and the whole congregation had heard a dry wooden post against which he had leant while delivering the sermon weep on being separated from him, the Splitting of the Moon had been transmitted by numerous authorities.(*<ref>*al-Iji, Kitab al-Mawaqif, iii, 405-6; al-Amidi, Ghayat al-Maram, i, 365; Ibn Taymiya, al-Jawab al- Sahih, i, 414; ii, 44; al-Shahristani, al-Farq bayn al-Firaq, i, 313; al-Taftazani, Sharh al-Maqasid, v, 17.</ref>)That is to say, these events had been passed down from group to group forming such a vast congregation that a conspiracy to lie would have been impossible. Like the appearance of the famous Haley’s Comet a thousand years ago had been unanimously reported, and the existence of the island of Ceylon was certain because of the unanimous reports concerning it, although we had not seen it.It is therefore unreasonable to foster baseless doubts about such certain, witnessed matters. It is enough that they are not impossible. And as for the Splitting of the Moon, it is quite as possible as a mountain’s splitting with a volcanic eruption. | ||
< | <span id="Üçüncü_Nokta:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Third Point:=== | ||
Miracles are for proving claims to prophethood and for convincing those who deny such claims, they are not for compelling people to believe. They have therefore to be shown to those who hear such claims to an extent that will persuade them. It would be contrary to the All-Wise and Glorious One’s wisdom to display them all over the world or in so self-evident a manner that everyone would be compelled to believe. It would also be contrary to the mystery of man’s accountability. For this requires “opening the door to the reason without cancelling the power of choice.” | |||
If the All- Wise Creator had left the moon split apart for a couple of hours so as to show it to the whole world as the philosophers wished, and it had been recorded in all the general histories of mankind, then it would have been like all other occurrences in the heavens and would not have been an evidence for Muhammad’s (UWBP) claim to prophethood, nor been special to it. Or else it would have been so self-evident a miracle that it would have annulled the reason’s power to choose, and compelled it to accept it; it would have had to assent to his prophethood. People with coal-like spirits like Abu Jahl would have remained on the same level as people with diamond-like spirits like Abu Bakr the Veracious; the mystery of man’s accountability would have been lost. | |||
It was due to this mystery that, being both instantaneous, and at nighttime, and at a time of sleep; and due to time differences, mist, and cloud and other factors concealing it, it was not shown to the whole world and did not pass into the histories. | |||
< | <span id="Dördüncü_Nokta:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Fourth Point:=== | ||
Since this event occurred instantaneously at night while everyone was sleeping, of course it was not seen all over the world. Even if some people had seen it, they would not have believed their eyes. And if it had made them believe, such a significant event would not have become lasting material for future histories due to isolated individual reports. | |||
< | In some books it is written that after the moon split into two halves, it fell to earth, but veracious scholars have rejected such additions, saying that they were perhaps added by dissemblers with the intention of disparaging this evident miracle, and depreciating it.(*<ref>*See, al-Wadi’i, al-Mu’alla, i, 80; Darwish al-H\t, Athna’ al-Matalib, i, 378, 1606; al-Madani, Tahdhir al-Muslimin, i, 163; ‘Ali al-Qari, al-Asrar al-Marfu’a, 398.</ref>) | ||
</ | |||
Also, in England and Spain, which were then enveloped in mists of ignorance, the time it occurred would have been just after sunset, in America it would have been daytime, and in China and Japan, morning. Elsewhere there would have been other obstacles preventing it from being seen. Now consider those unreasoning objectors who say that the histories of peoples like the English, Chinese, Japanese, and Americans do not mention it, and that therefore it did not occur. A thousand curses be on the heads of those who toady to Europe and repeat such things. | |||
< | <span id="Beşinci_Nokta:"></span> | ||
=== | ===Fifth Point:=== | ||
The Splitting of the Moon happened neither of its own accord due to certain causes, nor as a result of chance, nor was it a natural event that occurred through the ordinary laws of nature. It was rather something out of the ordinary which the All-Wise Creator of the sun and the moon caused to happen in order to confirm His Messenger’s messengership and to illuminate his claim. As required by the mysteries of guidance and human responsibility and the wisdom of prophethood, it was shown as a convincing proof to a number of people specified by dominical wisdom. | |||
The mystery of wisdom required that it was not shown to people in every region of the world, who had not yet heard of Muhammad’s (UWBP) claim to prophethood. Numerous obstacles prevented them, therefore, such as mist, cloud, and time-differences, and the fact that in some countries the moon had not risen, and in others the sun had risen, while in others it was morning, and in yet others the sun had just set. | |||
If it had been shown to all and sundry, it would have been shown as a sign of Muhammad (UWBP) and a miracle of his prophethood, in which case his messengership would have been so obvious that everyone would have been compelled to affirm it. Human reason and will would have been cancelled, and belief is attained through the faculties of reason and will. Human responsibility and accountabilit y would have been nullified. If it had been shown merely as an occurrence in the heavens, its connection with Muhammad’s (UWBP) messengership would have been cut, and there would have been nothing about it that pertained to him. | |||
'''To Conclude:'''No doubt remains concerning the possibility of the Splitting of the Moon; it has been proved decisively. Now we shall mention six(*<ref>*That is to say, there are six proofs concerning the event in the form of a sixfold consensus. Unfortunately, the explanation of them is brief and they deserve more.</ref>)of the many evidences pointing to its occurrence. | |||
''' | |||
< | The concurrence of the Prophet’s (UWBP) Companions, who were all men of justice, on its occurrence.(*<ref>*See, al-Wahidi, al-Wajiz fi Tafsir al-Kitab al-‘Aziz, i, 370; al-Tabari, Jami’ al-Bayan, 2784-7; al- Qurtubi, al-Jami’ li-Ahkam al-Qur’an, xvii, 126-7; al-Suyuti, al-Durr al-Manthur, vii, 672.</ref>) | ||
</ | |||
The agreement of all exacting commentators on the Qur’an in their explanations of the verse, “And the moon is split.” | |||
< | The fact that, relying on numerous different chains of authorities and lines of transmission, all the scholars of the prophetic traditions and transmitters of the sound narrations narrated the event.(*<ref>*Line of ‘Abdullah b. Mas’ud: Bukhari, Tafsir,(54:)1; Muslim, Sifat al-Munafiqin, 44-5; Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 54. Line of ‘Abdullah b. ‘Umar: Muslim, Sifat al-Munafiqin,45, 48; Tirmidhi, Tafsir, 54:1. Line of ‘Abdullah b. ‘Abbas: Bukhari, Manaqib, 27; Manaqib al-Ansar, 36; Tafsir (54:)1; Muslim, Sifat al- Munafiqin, 48. Line of Anas b. Malik: Bukhari, Manaqib, 27; Manaqib al-Ansar, 36; Tafsir (54:)1; Muslim, Sifat al-Munafiqin,48; Tirmidhi, Tafsir Sura 54. Line of Khuzayfa ibn al-Yaman: al-Tabari, Jami’ al-Bayan, xxvii, 51; ‘Abd al-Razzaq, al-Musannaf, iii, 193-4; Abu Nu’aym, Hilyat al-Awliya’, i, | ||
280-1. Line of Jubayr b. Mut’im: Tirmidhi, Tafsir Sura 54; Musnad, iv, 82; Ibn Hibban, al-Sahih, xiv, | |||
</ | 422.</ref>) | ||
The testimony of all the saints and the veracious, those who receive inspiration, and uncover the mysteries of the creation. | |||
The confirmation of learned scholars and theologians, whose ways differ greatly from one another. | |||
< | The fact that Muhammad’s (UWBP) Community accepted its occurrence, which, on an established principle, never agrees upon error.(*<ref>*Abu Da’ud, Fitan wa Malahim, 1; Tirmidhi, Fitan, 7; Ibn Maja, Fitan, 7.</ref>)These six evidences prove the Splitting of the Moon as clearly as the sun. | ||
</ | |||
'''Conclusion''' | |||
''' | Up to here this Addendum has aimed to establish the truth and to silence those enemies who deny it. The following sentences speak in the name of the truth and for the sake of belief. In the former, establishing the truth spoke; now the truth speaks: | ||
The Seal of the Office of Prophethood, who was the luminous moon of the heavens of messengership, proved his sainthood through his Ascension. It was his greatest wonder and the supreme miracle of sainthood, achieved through his worship, which was so elevated as to make him God’s beloved. That is to say, by travelling with his earthly body through the heavens, his superiority and his being God’s beloved were demonstrated to the dwellers of the heavens and inhabitants of the loft y worlds. | |||
So too, through the moon, which is bound to the earth and suspended in the heavens, being split into two halves at the sign of an earth dweller, it displayed a miracle to the other inhabitants of the earth, which indicated the former’s messengership. Thus, the person of Muhammad (UWBP) flew to the peak of perfections on the two luminous wings of messengership and sainthood – like the two luminous unfolded wings of the moon; he ascended to the distance of two bow- lengths; he became the cause of pride of the dwellers of both the heavens and the earth. | |||
Upon him and upon his Family be blessings and peace such as will fill the earth and the heavens. | |||
Glory be unto You! we have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise. | |||
< | <span id="MU’CİZAT-I_AHMEDİYE_(asm)_ZEYLİNİN_BİR_PARÇASIDIR"></span> | ||
== | ==The Third Addendum to The Miracles of Muhammad (UWBP)== | ||
[This is about the Messengership of Muhammad (UWBP) and is the answer, in concise index-like form, to the first of the three questions and difficulties in the Third Principle of the Thirty-First Word, about his Ascension.] | |||
'''Question:'''Why is this mighty Ascension special to Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace)? | |||
''' | |||
'''The Answer to your first difficulty:'''It has been analysed in detail in the first thirty Words, so here we shall set out a concise list briefly alluding to the perfections of Muhammad (UWBP), to the signs of his prophethood, and to the fact that he was the most worthy to make the Ascension. It is as follows. | |||
''' | |||
'''Firstly:'''Despite numerous corruptions in the texts of such Holy Scriptures as the Torah, Gospels, and Psalms, in recent times even, an exacting scholar like Husain Jisri found one hundred and fourteen allusions to Muhammad’s (UWBP) prophethood; these good tidings he set forth in his Risale-i Hamidiye.(*<ref>*Husain Jisrî, Risâle-i Hamidiye (Turk. trans.), 52-94.</ref>) | |||
''' | |||
</ | |||
'''Secondly:'''It has been proved historically that there were many predictions accurately forecasting Muhammad’s (UWBP) prophethood, like those of the two soothsayers Shiqq and Satih, which, a while previously to it, gave news of it and the | |||
''' | fact that he was to be the prophet of the end of time.(*<ref>*Ibn Hisham, al-Sirat al-Nabawiyya, i, 124-7, 158, 190, 192; al-Bayhaqi, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, i, 126- | ||
</ | 30; Abu Nu’aym, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, i, 122-8.</ref>) | ||
'''Thirdly:'''There were hundreds of extraordinary happenings, famous in history, called irhasat, that is, signs forewarning men of a coming prophet. Among them were the idols in the Ka‘ba falling from their places on the night of Muhammad’s (UWBP) birth,(*<ref>*al-Bayhaqi, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, i, 19; al-Suyuti, al-Khasa’is al-Kubra, i, 81.</ref>)and the famous palace of Chosroes the Persian being rent asunder.(*<ref>*al-Bayhaqi, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, i, 19, 126; Abu Nu’aym, Dala’il al-Nubuwwa, i, 139.</ref>) | |||
''' | |||
</ | |||
'''Fourthly:'''History and the Prophet’s (UWBP) biographies show that he satisfied the thirst of an army with water flowing from his fingers,(*<ref>*Bukhari, Wudu’, 32, 46; Manaqib, 25; Ashriba, 31; Muslim, Zuhd, 74; Fada’il, 4-6; Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 6.</ref>)that in the presence of a large congregation in the mosque, the dry wooden support against which he (UWBP) used to lean moaned like a camel and wept on being separated from him when he mounted the pulpit,(*<ref>*Bukhari, Manaqib, 25; Jum’a, 26; Tirmidhi, Manaqib, 6; Jum^a, 10; Nasa’i, 17.</ref>)and that he was distinguished by close on a thousand miracles attested to by such verses of the Qur’an as, “And the moon split,”(54:1) referring to the splitting of the moon,(*<ref>*Bukhari, Manaqib, 27; Manaqib al-Ansar, 36; Tafsir, 54:1; Muslim, Sifat al-Munafiqin, 43-8.</ref>)and verified by those who | |||
''' | investigated them. | ||
</ | |||
'''Fifthly:'''Anyone who considers the facts and is fair and just cannot hesitate to agree that, as is unanimously agreed by friend and foe alike, good moral qualities were to be found at the highest degree in his person, and that, in accordance with the testimony of all his dealings and actions, attributes and character of the loftiest excellence were apparent in the way he performed his duties and proclaimed Islam. And in accordance with the fine qualities and conduct enjoined by the religion of Islam, laudable virtues of the highest order were to be found in the law he brought. | |||
''' | |||
'''Sixthly:''' As is alluded to in the Second Indication of the Tenth Word, it is a requirement of wisdom that the Godhead be manifested. And this desire to be manifested is met at the widest level and in the most brilliant fashion by the comprehensive worship performed by Muhammad (UWBP) in the practice of his religion. | |||
''' | |||
Also, wisdom and truth require that the Creator of the world displays His beauty in its utter perfection through some means. And the one who met that wish, and displayed and described the Creator’s beauty in the most perfect fashion was self- evidently the person of Muhammad (UWBP). | |||
It was also clearly Muhammad (UWBP) who, in response to the desire of the world’s Maker to exhibit His perfect art and infinite beauty and attract attentive gazes towards them, heralded them with the loudest voice. | |||
Again it was necessarily Muhammad (UWBP) who, in response to the desire of the Sustainer of All the Worlds to proclaim His unity in the levels of multiplicity, announced all the degrees of unity, each at its highest level. | |||
And, as is indicated by the utter beauty of beings and is required by truth and wisdom, the world’s Owner desires to see His infinite essential beauty and the subtle qualities of His exquisiteness and to display them in mirrors. Again it was self- evidently Muhammad (UWBP) who in response to that desire acted as a mirror and displayed that beauty most radiantly, and loved it and made others love it. | |||
And, in response to the desire of the Maker of the palace of this world to exhibit His hidden treasuries, filled as they are with wondrous miracles and priceless jewels, and through them to describe and make known His perfections, it was again self- evidently Muhammad (UWBP) who exhibited, described, and displayed them in the most comprehensively. | |||
And, since the Maker of the universe adorns it with various wonders and embellishments and has included conscious creatures in it so that they might make tours and excursions and ponder over it and take lessons, wisdom requires that He should desire to make known the meanings and value of those works of art to those who will observe and ponder over them. And it was again self-evidently Muhammad (UWBP) who, in response to this desire of the universe’s Maker, by means of the All- Wise Qur’an, acted as guide in the most comprehensive fashion to jinn and man, and to spirit beings and angels. | |||
Also, the All-Wise Ruler of the universe wishes, by means of an envoy, to cause conscious beings to unravel the obscure talisman containing the aim and purpose of the change and transformations in the universe and to solve the riddle of the three perplexing questions: “Where do beings come from?”, “Where are they going?”, and “What are they?” And again it was self-evidently Muhammad (UWBP) who in response to this wish of the All-Wise Ruler unravelled the talisman and solved the riddle by means of the truths of the Qur’an, in the clearest and most comprehensive fashion. | |||
Also, the All-Glorious Maker of the universe desires to make Himself known to conscious beings by means of His fine artefacts and to make them love Him through all His precious bounties, and, most certainly, to make known to them by means of an envoy the divine wishes and what will please Him in return for those bounties. And again it was self-evidently Muhammad (UWBP) who, in response to this desire of the All-Glorious Maker, by means of the Qur’an, expounded those wishes and things that please Him by word and deed in the most exalted and perfect fashion. | |||
Also, since the Sustainer of All the Worlds has given to man, who is the fruit of the universe, a comprehensive disposition which encompasses the universe and has prepared him for universal worship; and since, because of man’s faculties and senses, multiplicity and the world afflict him; the Sustainer desires to turn his face from multiplicity to unity, from transience to permanence. And again it was self-evidently Muhammad (UWBP) who, in response to this desire, by means of the Qur’an, acted as guide in the most comprehensive and complete fashion, and in the best way, and carried out the duty of prophethood in the most perfect manner. | |||
Thus, among beings the most superior are animate beings, and among animate beings the most superior are conscious beings, and among conscious beings the most superior are true human beings, and among true human beings the one who carried out the above-mentioned duties at the most comprehensive level and in the most perfect form, would of a certainty rise through an all-embracing Ascension to “the distance of two bow-lengths,” knock at the door of eternal happiness, open the treasury of mercy, and see the hidden truths of belief. Again it would be him. | |||
'''Seventhly:'''As is plain to see, beings are made beautiful with the very finest embellishment. This demonstrates that their Maker possesses a powerful will to make beautiful and intention to adorn. And this shows that the Maker necessarily possesses a strong desire and holy love towards His art. And among beings it was again most certainly he who displayed altogether in himself the most comprehensive and subtle wonders of art, and knew them and made them known and himself loved, and who appreciated the beauties to be found in other beings, declaring: “What wonders God has willed!”, and was most beloved in the sight of his Maker, who nurtures and loves His art. | |||
''' | |||
Thus, it was again self-evidently he (UWBP) who, declaring: “All glory be to God! What wonders God has willed! God is most Great!” in the face of the exquisite qualities that gild beings and the subtle perfections that illuminate them, causes the heavens to ring out, and who, through the strains of the Qur’an, causes the universe to reverberate, and through his admiration and appreciation, his contemplation and display, his mentioning of the divine names and affirmation of divine unity, brings land and sea to a state of ecstasy. | |||
< | Thus, in accordance with the saying “the cause is like the doer,”(*<ref>*This resembles the Hadith “Whoever points out an instance of good [to someone] will receive the same recompense as the one who performs it.” See, Tirmidhi, ‘Ilm, 14; Musnad, v, 357; Abu Hanifa, al-Musnad, i, 151.</ref>)it is pure truth | ||
and sheer wisdom that the one on whose scales shall be found the equivalent of all the good deeds performed b y his community, and whose spiritual perfections draw strength from the benedictions of all his community,(*<ref>*See, Qur’an, 33:56; Bukhari, Adhan, 8; Tafsir (17:)11: Muslim, Salat, 14; Abu Da’ud, Salat, 37.</ref>)and who, as a result of the duties he discharged in his prophethood, received immaterial recompense and boundless emanations of divine mercy and love, should advance by the stairway of the Ascension as far as Paradise, “the Lote-tree of the farthest limit,” the divine throne, and “the distance of two bow-lengths.”(53:1-18) | |||
</ | |||
اَل۟بَاقٖى هُوَ ال۟بَاقٖى | اَل۟بَاقٖى هُوَ ال۟بَاقٖى | ||
'''Said Nursî''' | '''Said Nursî''' | ||
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< | <span id="ÂYETÜ’L-KÜBRA_RİSALESİ’NİN_RİSALET-İ_AHMEDİYEDEN_BAHSEDEN_ON_ALTINCI_MERTEBESİ"></span> | ||
== | ==[The Sixteenth Degree, on the Messengership of Muhammad | ||
(UWBP), from The Supreme Sign.]== | |||
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Then that traveller through the world addressed his own intellect saying: “Since I am seeking my Master and Creator by means of the creatures of the cosmos, I ought before all else to visit the most celebrated of all these creatures, the greatest and most accomplished commander among them, according to the testimony even of his enemies, the most renowned ruler, the most exalted in speech and the most brilliant an intellect, who has illuminated fourteen centuries with his excellence and with his Qur’an, Muhammad the Arabian Prophet (May God’s peace and blessings be upon him).” In order thus to visit him and seek from him the answer to his quest, he entered the blessed age of the Prophet (UWBP) in his mind, and saw that age to be one of true felicity, thanks to that being. | |||
For through the light he had brought, he had turned the most primitive and illiterate of peoples into the masters and teachers of the world. | |||
He said too to his own intellect, “Before asking him concerning our Creator, we should first learn the value of this extraordinary being, the veracity of his words and the truthfulness of his warnings.” Thus he began investigating, and of the numerous conclusive proofs that he found we will briefly indicate here only nine of the most general ones. | |||
'''The First:'''All excellent qualities and characteristics were to be found in that extraordinary being, according to the testimony even of his enemies. Hundreds of miracles were made manifest at his hands, according to explicit Qur’anic verses or | |||
''' | traditions enjoying the status of tawatur.(*<ref>*Tawatur is the kind of report that is transmitted by numerous authorities, about which there is consensus, and no room for doubt. (Tr.)</ref>)Examples of these miracles are his splitting of the moon, “And the moon split,”(54:1) with a single indication of his finger; his casting of a handful of dust into the eyes of his enemies, causing them to flee, “It was not your act when you threw, but God’s,”(8:17) and his giving his thirsting army to drink from the water that flowed forth from his five fingers like the Spring of Kawthar. Since some of those miracles, numbering more than three hundred, have been set forth with decisive proofs in the remarkable and wondrous work known as The Miracles of Muhammad (the Nineteenth Letter), we leave discussion of the miracles to that book, and permit the traveller to continue speaking: | ||
“A being who in addition to noble characteristics and perfections has all these luminous miracles to demonstrate, must certainly be the most truthful in speech of all men. It is inconceivable that he would stoop to trickery, lies and error, the deeds of the vile.” | |||
'''The Second:'''He holds in his hand a decree from the Lord of the universe, a decree accepted and affirmed in each century by more than three hundred million people. This decree, the Qur’an of Mighty Stature, is wondrous in seven different ways. The fact that the Qur’an has forty different aspects of miraculousnes and that it is the word of the Creator of all beings has been set forth in detail with strong proofs in the Twent y-Fifth Word, The Miraculousness of the Qur’an, a celebrated treatise that is like the sun of the Risale-i Nur. | |||
''' | |||
We therefore leave such matters to that work and listen to the traveller as he says, “There can never be any possibility of lying on the part of the being who is the conveyor and proclaimer of this decree, for that would be a violation of the decree and treachery toward the One who issued it.” | |||
'''The Third:'''Such a Sacred Law, an Islam, a code of worship, a cause, a summons, and a faith did that being bring forth that the like of them does not exist, nor could it exist. Nor does a more perfect form of them exist, nor could it exist. | |||
''' | |||
For the Law appearing with that unlettered being has no rival in its administration of one fifth of humanity for fourteen centuries, in a just and precise manner through its numerous injunctions. | |||
Moreover the Islam that emerged from the deeds, sayings, and inward states of that unlettered being has no peer, nor can it have, for in each century it has been for three hundred million men a guide and a refuge, the teacher and educator of their intellects and the illuminator and purifier of their hearts, the cause for the refinement and training of their souls, and the source of progress and advancement of their spirits. | |||
The Prophet (UWBP) is similarly unparalleled in the way in which he was the foremost in practising all the forms of worship found in his religion, and the first in piety and the fear of God; in his observing the duties of worship fully and with attention to their profoundest dimensions, even while engaged in constant struggle and activity; in his practice of worship combining in perfect fashion the beginning and end of worship and servitude of God without imitation of anyone. | |||
With the Jaushan al-Kabir, from among his thousands of supplicatory prayers and invocations, he describes his Sustainer with such a degree of gnosis that all the gnostics and saints who have come after him have been unable, with their joint efforts, to attain a similar degree of gnosis and accurate description. This shows that in prayer too he is without peer. Whoever looks at the section at the beginning of the Treatise on Supplicatory Prayer, which sets forth some part of the meaning of one of the ninety-nine sections of the Jaushan al-Kabir, will say that the Jaushan too has no peer. | |||
In his conveying of the message and his summoning men to the truth, he displayed such steadfastness, firmness and courage that although great states and religions, and even his own people, tribe and uncle opposed him in the most hostile fashion, he exhibited not the slightest trace of hesitation, anxiety or fear. The fact that he successfully challenged the whole world and made Islam the master of the world likewise proves that there is not and cannot be anyone like him in his conveying of the message and summons. | |||
In his faith, he had so extraordinary a strength, so marvellous a certainty, so miraculous a breadth, and so exalted a conviction, illumining the whole world, that none of the ideas and beliefs then dominating the world, and none of the philosophies of the sages and teachings of the religious leaders, was able, despite extreme hostility and denial, to induce in his certaint y, conviction, trust and assurance, the slightest doubt, hesitation, weakness or anxiety. Moreover, the saintly of all ages, headed by the Companions, the foremost in the degrees of belief, have all drawn on his fountain of belief and regarded him as representing the highest degree of faith. This proves that his faith too is matchless. | |||
Our traveller therefore concluded, and affirmed with his intellect, that lying and duplicity have no place in the one who has brought such a unique sacred law, such an unparalleled Islam, such a wondrous devotion to worship, such an extraordinary excellence in supplicatory prayer, such a universally acclaimed summons to the truth and such a miraculous faith. | |||
'''The Fourth:'''In the same way that the consensus of the prophets is a strong proof for the existence and unity of God, so too it is a firm testimony to the truthfulness and messengerhood of this being. For all the sacred attributes, miracles and functions that indicate the truthfulness and messengerhood of the prophets (Upon whom be peace) existed in full measure in that being according to the testimony of history. | |||
''' | |||
The prophets have verbally predicted the coming of that being and given good tidings thereof in the Torah, the Gospels, the Psalms, and other scriptures; more than twent y of the most conclusive examples of these glad tidings, drawn from the scriptures, have been set forth and proven in the Nineteenth Letter. Similarly, through all the deeds and miracles associated with their prophethood they have affirmed and – as it were – put their signature to the mission of that being which is the foremost and most perfect in the tasks and functions of prophethood. Just as through verbal consensus they indicate the divine unity, through the unanimity of their deeds they bear witness to the truthfulness of that being. This too was understood by our traveller. | |||
'''The Fifth:'''Similarly, the thousands of saints who have attained truth, reality, perfection, wondrous deeds, unveiling and witnessing through the instruction of this being and following him, bear unanimous witness not only to the divine unit y but also to the truthfulness and messengerhood of this being. Again, the fact that they witness, through the light of sainthood, some of the truths he proclaimed concerning the World of the Unseen, and that they believe in and affirm all of those truths through the light of belief, either with ‘knowledge of certainty,’ or with the ‘vision of certainty,’ or with ‘absolute certainty.’ He saw that this too demonstates like the sun the degree of truthfulness and rectitude of that great being, their master. | |||
''' | |||
'''The Sixth:'''The millions of purified, sincere, and punctilious scholars and faithful sages, who have reached the highest station of learning through the teaching and instruction contained in the sacred truths brought by that being, despite his unlettered nature, the exalted sciences he invented and divine knowledge he discovered – they not only prove and affirm, unanimously and with the strongest proofs, the divine unity which is the foundation of his mission, but also bear unanimous witness to the truthfulness of this supreme teacher and great master, and to the veracity of his words. This is a proof as clear as daylight. The Risale-i Nur too with its one hundred parts is but a single proof of his truthfulness. | |||
''' | |||
'''The Seventh:'''The Family and Companions of the Prophet – who with their insight, knowledge, and spiritual accomplishment are the most renowned, the most respected, the most celebrated, the most pious and the most keensighted of men after the prophets – examined and scrutinized, with the utmost attention, seriousness and exactitude, all the states, thoughts and conditions of this being, whether hidden or open. They came to the unanimous conclusion that he was the most truthful, exalted, and honest being in the world, and this, their unshakeable affirmation and firm belief, is a proof like the daylight attesting the reality of the sun. | |||
''' | |||
'''The Eighth:'''The cosmos indicates its Maker, Inscriber, and Designer, who creates, administers, and arranges it, and through determining its measure and form and regulating it, has disposal over it as though it was a palace, a book, an exhibition, a spectacle. And so too it indicates that it requires and necessitates an elevated herald, a truthful unveiler, a learned master, and a truthful teacher who will know and make known the divine purposes in the universe’s creation, teach the dominical instances of wisdom in its changes and transformations, give instruction in the results of its dutiful motions, proclaim its essential value and the perfections of the beings within it, and express the meanings of that mighty book; it indicates that he is certain to exist. Thus, the traveller knew that it testified to the truthfulness of this being, who performed these functions better than anyone, and to his being a most elevated and loyal official of the universe’s Creator. | |||
''' | |||
'''The Ninth:'''There is behind the veil One who wishes to demonstrate with these ingenious and wise artefacts the perfection of His talent and art; to make Himself known and loved by means of these countless adorned and decorated creations; to evoke praise and thanks through the unnumbered pleasurable and valuable bounties that he bestows; to cause men to worship Him with gratitude and appreciation in the face of His dominicality, through His solicitous and protective sustenance of life, and His provision of nurture and bounty in such manner as to satisfy the most delicate of tastes and appetites; to manifest His Godhead through the change of seasons, the alternation of night and day, and through all His magnificent and majestic deeds, all His awe-inspiring and wise acts and creativity, and thereby to cause men to believe in his Godhead, in submission, humility and obedience; | |||
''' | |||
and to demonstrate His justice and truthfulness by at all times protecting virtue and the virtuous and destroying evil and the evil, by annihilating with blows from heaven the oppressor and the liar. There will of a certainty be at the side of this Unseen Being His most beloved creature and most devoted bondsman, who, serving the purposes that have just been mentioned, discovers and unravels the talisman and riddle of the creation of the universe, who acts always in the name of that Creator, who seeks aid and success from Him, and who receives them from Him – Muhammad of Quraysh (Peace and blessings be upon him!) | |||
The traveller further said, addressing his own intellect: “Since these nine truths | |||
bear witness to the truthfulness of this being, he must be the source of glory of mankind and the source of honour for the world. If we therefore call him the Pride of the World and Glory of the Sons of Adam, it will be fitting. The fact that the awesome sovereignty of that decree of the Compassionate One, the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition that he holds in his hand, has conquered half the world, together with his individual perfections and exalted virtues, shows that he is the most important personage in the world. The most important word concerning our Creator is that which he utters.” | |||
Now see: the foundation of the summons of this extraordinary being and the aim of all his life, based on the strength furnished by his hundreds of decisive and evident and manifest miracles, and the thousands of exalted, fundamental truths contained in his religion, was to prove and bear witness to the existence of the Necessary Existent, His unity, attributes and names, to affirm, proclaim and announce Him. | |||
He is therefore like a sun in the cosmos, the most brilliant proof of our Creator, this being whom we call the Beloved of God. There are three forms of great and infallible consensus each of which affirms, confirms, and puts its signature to the witness he bears. | |||
'''The First:''' the unanimous affirmation made by that luminous assembly known and celebrated throughout the world as the Family of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) including thousands of poles and supreme saints of penetrating gaze and ability to perceive the Unseen, such Imam ‘Ali (May God be pleased with him), who said, “Were the veil to be lifted, my certainty would not increase,”(*<ref>*Ali al-Qari, al-Asrar al-Marfu’a, 193.</ref>)and ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani, the Ghauth al-A‘zam (May his mystery be sanctified), who saw the Supreme Throne and the awesome form of Israfil while yet on the earth.(*<ref>*Gumushkhaneli Ahmed Ziya al-Din, Majmu’at al-Ahzab, i, 561.</ref>) | |||
''' | |||
</ | |||
'''The Second:'''the confirmation made with a strong faith that permitted men to sacrifice their lives and their property, their fathers and tribes, by the renowned assembly known as the Companions, who found themselves among a primitive people and in an unlettered environment, devoid of all social life and political thought, without any scripture and lost in the darkness of a period between prophets; and who in a very brief time came to be the masters, guides, and just rulers of the most civilized and politically and socially advanced peoples and states, and to rule the world from east to west in universally approved fashion. | |||
''' | |||
'''The Third:'''the confirmation provided with unanimous and certain knowledge by that lofty group of punctilious and profound scholars of whom in each age thousands spring forth, who advance in wondrous fashion in every science and work in different fields. | |||
''' | |||
Thus, the testimony brought by this being to the divine unity is not particular and individual, but general and universal and unshakeable. If all the demons that exist were to unite, they could not challenge it. Such was the conclusion reached by the traveller. | |||
In reference to the lesson learned in the School of Light by that traveller from the world, that wayfarer in life, when he visited in his mind the blessed age of the Prophet (UWBP), we said at the end of the Sixteenth Degree of the First Station: | |||
There is no god but God, the Necessary Existent, the One, the Unique, the Necessity of Whose Existence in Unity is indicated by the Pride of the World and the Glory of the Sons of Adam, through the majesty of the sovereignty of his Qur’an, the splendour of the expanse of his religion, the multiplicity of his perfections, and the exaltedness of his characteristics, as confirmed even by the testimony of his enemies. He bears witness and brings proof through the strength of his hundreds of manifest and evident miracles, that both testify to truth and are themselves the object of true testimony; and through the strength of the thousands of luminous and conclusive truths contained in his religion, according to the consensus of all the possessors of light, the agreement of his illumined Companions, and the unanimity of the scholars of his community, the possessors of proofs and luminous insight. | |||
اَل۟بَاقٖى هُوَ ال۟بَاقٖى | اَل۟بَاقٖى هُوَ ال۟بَاقٖى | ||
'''Said Nursî''' | '''Said Nursî''' | ||
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<center> [[On Sekizinci Mektup]] ⇐ | [[Mektubat]] | ⇒ [[Yirminci Mektup]] </center> | <center> [[On Sekizinci Mektup/en|The Eighteenth Letter]] ⇐ | [[Mektubat/en|The Letters]] | ⇒ [[Yirminci Mektup/en|The Twentieth Letter]] </center> | ||
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