Second cause

 

The misguided people agree and cooperate because of their abasement, while the rightly-guided people disagree because of their dignity. That is to say, since the worldly people of heedlessness and misguidance do not base themselves on the truth, they are weak and abased. Because of their abasement, they need to find strength and power. This need leads them to hold fast to alliance with and help from others. However erroneous their way, they can preserve agreement. It is as if they find some sort of partisanship of truth in wrongfulness, sincerity in misguidance, a religious fanaticism in irreligion, and concord in hypocrisy and dissension, which makes them successful in their cause. For sincerity is never fruitless, even if it is for the sake of evil. Whatever one seeks with sincerity, God will grant it to him or her.4

However, religious or rightly-guided people, including in particular scholarly ones and those who follow the Sufi ways, base themselves on the truth and each among them considers only their Lord on their way and relies on His assistance. Therefore, they are dignified, and when they feel they are in need, turn towards their Lord for help instead of towards people. Because of certain differences on the paths they follow, they do not feel in need of any help that comes from these other paths or alliance with their followers. If, in addition, they have a certain degree of egotism or self-centeredness, supposing themselves to be right and their opponents wrong, discord and rivalry will take the place of concord and love. This causes a loss of sincerity and utter failure in the fulfillment of duties.

The cure for blindness to the critical consequences of this dreadful state lies in following nine principles:

• We should always act positively. That is, we should act out of love for our own way, and not allow enmity towards or criticisms of other true ways to interfere in the fulfillment of our duties or to play a part in our thoughts and actions.
• We should consider that, irrespective of the particular paths within the general sphere of Islam, that there are certainly numerous points of agreement and bonds of unity in Islam that generate and require love, brotherhood, and concord.
• On the condition that they do not criticize the paths of others, everyone who follows a true path has the right to say, “My path is true and more beautiful,” but they cannot imply the falsity or ugliness of the paths of others by saying, “Only my path is true,” or “The beautiful path belongs only to me.” We should adopt this just rule of conduct.
• We should consider that agreement with the people of truth attracts Divine help and success, and is a means of dignity in religious life.
• Realizing that even the most powerful individual resistance is subject to failure, and indeed fails, in the face of the attacks of the collective force of the people of misguidance and wrong, due to their solidarity, the people of truth should form a collective force through agreement in order to preserve right and justice against that dreadful collective force of misguidance.
• We must save the truth from the assault of falsehood. Therefore,
• We should renounce and self-centeredness and egotism, and
• Abandon the mistaken concept of honor and self-esteem, and
• Give up worthless feelings of rivalry.

By following these nine principles, we can attain sincerity and fulfill our duties completely.5

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi

4 “Whoever seeks and strives earnestly shall find,” is a true principle.

5 A hadith informs us that towards the end of time, the true followers of Jesus’ religion will cooperate with the people of the Qur’an and be able to resist their common enemies, namely materialists and heretics. So, at this time, the people of truth and religion need to agree and cooperate sincerely not only with their brothers and sisters in religion, but also with the true, sincere followers of Jesus’ religion, especially with the spiritual leaders among them, temporarily refraining from disputing controversial matters among themselves to struggle against their common enemies—the aggressive enemies of religion.