A complementary note for the discussion on the nightingale
The nightingale is not the only creature that sings and announces the praise and glorification of God Almighty. Rather, every species has its own “nightingale” to represent its finest feelings with the finest glorification in the finest verse. The “nightingales” of vermin and insects, who sing their glorification in fine poetry and give pleasure to those who hear them, are particularly numerous and various.
Some of these nightingales are nocturnal. As if each were the leader of a circle reciting God’s Names by heart, the poetry-reciting friends of all small animals glorify God and sing His praises in the night’s peaceful silence. Their song is like a common language understood by all who can hear and feel. Another group is diurnal. During daytime in spring and summer, as if each were the leader of a circle reciting God’s Names aloud, they proclaim the glorification in fine verse to all living beings from the “pulpits” of trees, and arouse those hearing them to ecstasy.
Prophet Muhammad is the most virtuous being and the most excellent and noble, illustrious and profound, the greatest and the most honorable nightingale. His voice is the loudest and most lyrical, his attributes the most brilliant, his recitation of God’s Names the most perfect and comprehensive, and his thanks the most universal. Prophet Muhammad is the nightingale of humanity—singing in the garden of the universe, who, through his most-pleasant tunes, has become the nightingale of all creatures in the heavens and Earth. Upon him, his Family, and his peers—the other Prophets— be the best of blessings and peace.
KNOW, O FRIEND, that the fact that animals are born with the skills and practical knowledge they need to survive shows that they are sent here only to work (or to serve the purposes of their lives), not to be perfected through learning. Human beings, however, are born ignorant and impotent, and need to learn throughout life how to survive. This shows that we are sent here to be perfected through learning and worship, not to work only for this life. We are to arrange the “actions” of plants and animals, which God has subjugated to us, and benefit from the laws of Mercy. Our real duty is to worship, pray, and supplicate to the One Who has subjugated creation to us because of our infinite weakness and impotence, poverty and need. We must acquire knowledge of Him Who made us the most honored member of creation and equipped us with what we need to worship. We must find happiness by studying creation and the wisdom in it to learn about the Creator with His Names and Attributes, Majesty and Grace, and Perfection. Any study that does not produce this knowledge is useless and causes deviation.
O God, make us Your servants who sincerely worship You wherever and in whichever rank we are. Make us supplicate to You as our God and be occupied with acquiring knowledge of You.
KNOW, O FRIEND, that since the All-Munificent Creator is free from any impotence and is perfectly munificent, He creates a particle as He creates the sun; He gives a particle the same sort of existence as He gives the sun. He creates the smallest plant as He creates the largest tree. He creates the angel who supervises and manages the sun’s movement as He creates the angel who supervises and manages a single raindrop. He creates the largest animal as He creates the smallest animal. All creatures, regardless of size and number, worship and obey Him, and have specific tasks to perform. They are appointed by the One: When He wills a thing, His command is only saying to it “Be!” and it is. Glory be to Him in Whose hand the dominion of everything is, and unto Him you are returning (36:82-83).
KNOW, O MUSLIMS, that the Islamic Shari‘a enables you to turn all of your daily acts and deeds into a treasury for your afterlife. Your most ordinary actions can become acts of worship. For example, if you say the words decreed by the relevant Shari‘a ordinance while shopping or doing some business, you will feel a sort of exhilaration because it becomes an act of worship for which you will receive a (spiritual) reward. Prosperous are those who do so, for they become more enlightened by observing even the secondary ordinances of that Shari‘a.
Happy are those whom God enables to follow the Prophet in all their acts and deeds, and thereby make their transient life yield innumerable eternal fruits. How unfortunate are those whom God debases because they follow their animal desires and fancies, and take their carnal desires and whims for their god. Their lives pass in vain.
KNOW, O FRIEND, that among people are shepherds who supervise animals’ lives and functions, and farmers who grow plants. Similarly, some angels supervise animals scattered over Earth’s face and so can be called “shepherds.” But their supervision differs from that of human shepherds, for they do it purely in God’s Name, for His sake, and by His command and Power. They observe the Divine Lordship’s manifestations on the animals, and study the acts of the Power and Mercy on them. They inspire the Divine commands into them so that they can conduct their lives.
Some angels supervise the spreading of plants by God’s permission, power and command, and in His Name. They represent and proclaim all plants’ glorification of their Creator and their obedience to Him, in addition to arranging and protecting their use of the systems granted to them.
Angels have no true control over animals and plants with a creative effect, for everything has a special stamp showing that it is the Creator of all things Who has created and controls it; the angels’ supervision is their worship of God. Archangel Michael, who is among those carrying the Throne of Divine Providence and conveying Divine bounties to creatures by His Will, Power, and permission and in His Name, does his duty of worship by supervising plants. Many other angels supervise a particular species under his command. Other angels supervise animals.
Look at Earth, how the All-Wise Creator made it a vast field and a wide pasture for plants and animals. Then look at the species of plants astonishingly distributed over Earth in an amazing order by scattering around their seeds according to the All-Wise, All-Knowing Creator’s Wisdom. Look at the animals distributed in a wonderful, astonishing way. They live on land or in water in an orderly fashion by their All-Wise, All-Munificent Creator’s Favoring. May His Majesty be exalted. There is no god but He.
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
O God. O All-Merciful and All-Compassionate, All-Independent and All-Living, Self-Subsistent and All-Wise, All-Just and All-Pure, and All-Holy. For the sake of Your Greatest Name, place the students of the Risale-i Nur who publish this al-Mathnawi al-Nuri in Janna al-Firdaws—the Highest Floor of Paradise—and grant them eternal happiness there. Make them always successful in the service of belief and the Qur’an. Record in their registers of deeds many (spiritual) rewards for each letter of this book. Amen. Amen. Amen, for the sake of Your Mercy, O Most Merciful of the Merciful.
— Said Nursi