Why are the people of guidance sometimes defeated by the people of misguidance?

 

Ninth indication

 

QUESTION: The people of guidance, among whom are the Prophets, particularly the Pride of Creation, as the greatest of them, upon him and other Prophets be peace and blessings, are the party of God. Although they are usually favored with Divine help and mercy, why are they sometimes defeated by the people of misguidance, who are Satan’s party? Also, what was the reason for and the wisdom in the hypocrites of Medina’s insistence on misguidance without accepting the Straight Path despite the Prophethood and Messengership of the Seal of the Prophets  as bright as the sun, and his efforts of guidance based on and supported by the miraculousness of the Qur’an so effective as if it was the greatest elixir, and the Qur’anic truths more captivating than the universal law of gravitation?

THE ANSWER: In order to solve these awesome questions, a profound principle should be expounded. It is as follows:

The All-Majestic Creator of the universe has two types of Names, those issuing from or related to His Majesty and those issuing from or related to His Grace and Beauty. Each of the Names belonging to either sort demonstrates Itself in manifestations particular to Itself. This causes the existence of opposites in creation to combine with one another. However, since opposites exist to complement and help each other, they are usually in defensive or offensive positions. This is the origin of clashes, changes, and transformations, but serves progress and development. Conflict is especially and more effectively in force in the life of humankind, which is the most comprehensive fruit of the tree of creation. Humankind has always existed with a division into conflicting parties. Although conflict in the life of humankind has caused calamities, it is also the mechanism of human progress. The occasional defeat of the people of guidance has always served to make them wake up from the sleep of heedlessness into which they have frequently fallen and rediscover the essentials of guidance, clinging to them more powerfully than ever before.

A significant reason for the occasional victory of the people of misguidance is as follows:

There is negligence and omission in all kinds of misguidance, including especially unbelief. Negligence and omission are quite easy and do not require any positive, constructive action. Misguidance means destruction, which is extremely easy and possible through minimum action. It also tends to aggression, and, therefore, can cause others much harm. Because of these and because of a tendency to tyranny and the fear this engenders in hearts, the leaders of misguidance in particular hold a position of power in the eyes of the people. In addition to all this, humanity, which by nature is blind to consequences and addicted to readily available pleasures, has certain vegetable and animal powers that pursue pleasures, demand satisfaction, and are difficult to control. They cause human faculties such as the heart and reason to abandon their duties which are required by true humanity and which are related to the final end of humanity.

In contrast, the sacred way of the people of guidance, particularly that of the Beloved of the Lord of the Worlds and all other Prophets, pursues existence, construction, and repair, and requires positive action, the observation of certain bounds, the consideration of consequences, worship and servanthood, and keeping the carnal, evil-commanding soul under strict control, putting an end to its tendency to freely dominate over human beings. It is for this reason that the hypocrites in Medina closed their eyes to that Brightest Sun like bats and, captivated by a satanic force of resistance against that Greatest Power of Attraction, remained in misguidance.

QUESTION: The noblest Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, is the Beloved of the Lord of the Worlds. What he holds in his hand—the Qur’an—is absolute truth, and whatever he speaks is true. Some of the soldiers in his army are angels. He quenches the thirst of a whole army with one handful of water, and gives a banquet to a thousand people with four handfuls of wheat and the meat of one goat. He throws a handful of dust at the army of unbelievers, and when that dust enters their eyes, they all flee. How is that this most virtuous and godly Commander who worked almost a thousand miracles, like those mentioned, suffered a setback in the second stage of the Battle of Uhud and at the beginning of the Battle of Hunayn?

THE ANSWER: The noblest Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, was sent to humankind as a guide and leader to be followed so that humankind would learn the rules of social and personal life from him, become accustomed to obeying the laws (of the operation of the universe and life) that issued from the Will of the All-Wise One of Perfection, and act in conformity with the principles of His Wisdom. If the noblest Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, had always acted in reliance on and been supported by wonders and miracles in his social and personal life, he could not have been a perfect guide or leader.

It is for this reason that he worked miracles only when needed and in order to invalidate the unbelievers’ denials and to confirm the truth of his Message. In the course of his everyday life, he was the first to obey the Divine commands and observe the Divine laws of the operation of the universe and life that issue from or are based on the wisdom of God as the Lord (Creator, Sustainer, and Administrator of the universe) and His Will as the All-Glorified. He sought protection by wearing armor when facing the enemy and ordering his troops to enter their trenches. He received wounds and suffered hardship. Thus, he led his community in obeying and observing God’s laws of wisdom and the operation of the universe and life.

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi