The Second Letter 7

 

Why I refuse gifts

 

In His name, glory be to Him.

 

There is nothing that does not glorify Him with His praise.

 

THIRD: YOU SENT ME A GIFT, AND THUS WILL CAUSE ME TO BREAK A very important principle. I do not mean that I will refuse your gift, as I refused that of my brother ‘Abd al-Majid and my nephew ‘Abd al-Rahman, for you are my brother-in-religion, more advanced in religion and in serving it, and more after my own heart. Therefore I accept your gift for the first and last time and explain why, as a rule, I do not accept gifts.

Earlier in my life (when I was the Old Said8), I avoided being put under obligation because I would rather be dead than indebted. I have not renounced this principle, although I have suffered great hardship and difficulty. I do not follow it from self-denial or to show independence of others, but for the following reasons:

FIRST REASON: Misguided people accuse Muslim scholars of using knowledge to earn money and claim that they exploit religion and religious knowledge to make a living. We must refute such allegations through our deeds.

SECOND REASON: We must follow the Prophets when preaching the truth. As stated in such Qur’anic verses as: My wage falls only upon God (26:109, 127, 145, 164, 180), the Prophets did not depend upon people. This verse is particularly apt in the present context: Follow those who ask no wage, that are rightly guided (36:21).

THIRD REASON: As stated in The First Word, Muslims must give and receive in God’s name. Unfortunately, this is no longer the practice. Givers either do not care about this basic principle, and so give for their own sake and tacitly put you under obligation, or receivers become grateful to apparent means and causes and not to God, the real Benefactor.

FOURTH REASON: Contentment, thrift, and trust in God are infinite treasures that cannot be exchanged for something else. I do not want to close the door to that treasure by receiving gifts from people. I am infinitely indebted to the Majestic All-Provider, since He has not placed me under obligation to others. I desire from His Mercy that I spend the rest of my life following the same principle and depend only on His munificence.

FIFTH REASON: The last few years have convinced me that my health and disposition do not allow me to receive gifts, particularly from rich people and officials. As the food they offer has a bad effect upon me, I think God wants me to avoid it. Besides, as I usually prefer solitude, I cannot admit anyone at just any time. If I accept gifts, I have to do it out of consideration even if I do not want to. This is very disagreeable to me. In addition, I prefer a piece of dry, stale bread and a robe with many patches, which keeps me away from pretence and sycophancy, to having to please others because of the high-quality sweets and clothes they present to me.

SIXTH REASON: The main reason is that Ibn al-Hajar, the most esteemed person in my school of conduct (madhhab ‘amali) says: “Something given to you for your supposed piety is religiously forbidden to you if you are not pious.” Today, people’s cupidity and avarice make them charge a high price for their gifts. Imagining me a pious man and even a saint, they give me a loaf of bread. Considering myself godly would be self-conceit and a proof of impiety. But if I do not know myself to be pious, then people’s offerings are religiously forbidden to me.

Finally, to accept gifts means consuming in this world the permanent fruits belonging to the other world, since the alms and gifts accepted are given in return for deeds done for the Hereafter.

The Everlasting: He is the Everlasting.

Said Nursi

7 This is part of a letter written to a disciple who had sent a gift. (Tr.)

8 “Old Said” refers to the period in Said Nursi’s life from his birth until he adopted a different way of serving Islam by explaining the truths of belief and the Qur’an in the initial years of the 1920s. This latter part of his life passed in exiles and prisons, and he suffered great persecutions. In this period, he wholly devoted himself to preserving Islam through his writings and teaching. The “Third Said” emerged in 1950, after conditions had eased somewhat. From 1950-60, his works began to be printed and circulated among university students and intellectuals. (Ed.)