The Twenty-eighth Letter

Third issue

 

(This is a private answer to a question asked by my brothers, explicitly by most and tacitly by the rest.)

 

QUESTION: You advise your visitors: “Expect no miraculous help or spiritual support from me. Do not regard me as blessed, for I have no spiritual rank. Like a private delivering the marshal’s commands, I relay a spiritual marshal’s commands. Like a penniless person advertising a rich jeweler’s jewelry, I advertise the Qur’an’s jewelry.” But we visit you because we require knowledge and our hearts and souls need enlightenment and spiritual satisfaction. We do not need a religious scholar, but a saint and perfected person who can satisfy our spiritual need. If you are not such a person, are we wasting our time?

ANSWER: Heed the following five points and judge for yourselves:

FIRST POINT: If an ordinary servant or private delivers the king’s gifts to generals and commanders, or gives them their medals of honor in the king’s name, they would be foolish to object, saying: “We will not lower ourselves by receiving those gifts and medals from a private.” If that private does not stand up, when appropriate, to show the chief commander due respect, he would be displaying his own stupidity. If a general visits the private’s barracks, the king would send a table from the royal kitchen to the respected visitor of his faithful servant so that the latter would not be embarrassed by having nothing suitable to offer.

In the same way, faithful servants of the Qur’an, regardless of their ordinariness, relay its commands to people of the highest virtue without hesitation and in its name. They offer its invaluable jewelry to those of spiritual wealth with pride and with indifference to their ranks. However great the addressees or customers are, they cannot assume an air of superiority over such servants when the servants are doing their job.

And, of course, the servants cannot boast of themselves, for doing so would cause them to breach the bounds of modesty and forget their place.375 If some aspirants to the Qur’an’s sacred treasury regard such servants as saints, it befits, and is characteristic of, the Qur’an’s compassion that, to avoid embarrassing its servants, it would enlighten their hearts and satisfy their souls by giving from the Divine treasury without the servants’ knowledge or contribution.

SECOND POINT: Imam Rabbani says: “I prefer grasping one matter of belief fully and making it understood clearly to attaining thousands of spiritual pleasures and ecstasies and working wonders. The final station of all spiritual journeying is full perception of belief’s truths.” If such pure feelings drove this great saint, then The Words (that spring from reading the Qur’an), which explain belief’s truths so clearly and convincingly, provide what is expected from sainthood.

THIRD POINT: Thirty years ago, I was almost overcome by the realization that death is unavoidable. Finding myself in a “swamp,” I sought help and a way out by searching for a guide. Seeing various ways, I paused over which one to follow before finally consulting ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani’s Futuh al-Ghayb (Discovering the Unseen). There, I read: “You are in Dar al-Hikma (House of Wisdom). Seek a (spiritual) doctor to heal your heart.”

Curiously enough, I was a member of the Dar al-Hikma.376 I was regarded as a doctor and a spiritual guide, and was expected to heal the Muslims’ spiritual diseases. And yet I was spiritually sicker than others, and so had to treat myself ahead of others.

Following the Sheikh’s advice, I asked him to treat me and began to read his book. However, as it seemed too strict and wounded my pride severely, it performed a major operation on my carnal self. I could bear to read only half of it before putting it back in the bookcase. After a while, the operation’s pains were replaced by the healing’s pleasures. I then finished it and derived great benefit. By heeding his daily glorifications and supplications, I received much enlightenment and spiritual satisfaction.

After that, I consulted Imam Rabbani’s Maktubat (The Letters) with a pure intention. Curiously enough, it contained two letters addressed to Mirza Bediüzzaman, who was one of Imam’s pupils. “Glory be to God,” I said, for my father’s name was Mirza, and Bediüzzaman was one of my titles. And so I concluded that they were addressed to me as well.

Since both of us seemed to be in the same state, I found a cure in those letters. There, and in many other places, the Imam advises: “Unite the directions toward which you turn.” In other words, follow only one master or way to the truth. My disposition and temper rejected this. As each way has its own attractions, for quite a while I could not decide which one to follow. Thus bewildered, God’s Compassion revealed that the best way, the source of all channels and the “sun” around which these “planets” turn, is the Qur’an, into which all directions can be unified. And so I firmly grasped this greatest guide and most sacred master.

However imperfect and inadequate my capacity to absorb this bounteous gift, this “water of life” overflowing from that true guide, I hope that its guidance and enlightenment will enable me to relay this gift to people of purity and some spiritual state according to their receptivity. The Words and “Lights”—other parts of the Risale-i Nur—emanating from the Qur’an are not limited to scientific matters that address minds, but also include matters of belief that address hearts and souls, spiritual states, and provide knowledge of God at the highest degree.

FOURTH POINT: The greatest saints among the Companions and the two succeeding generations absorbed as much as they could from the Qur’an, and it became their true and sufficient source of guidance. This shows that it expresses the truth at all times and radiates enough effusive light for even the greatest saints.

Those who adhere sincerely to Islam’s outward practice can penetrate to its truth in two ways: By joining a spiritual order and rising through its ranks, or through Divine grace without joining a spiritual order. This latter way, a most direct and exalted way, was followed by the Companions and their successors. Thus the “Lights” radiating from the Qur’anic truths and included in the Words and other parts of the Risale-i Nur making them known can be said to— and actually do—enable reaching the truth by following the same way.

FIFTH POINT: I give five examples to show that The Words guide as they teach the truths, as follows:

First example: The Words and the “Lights” emanating from the Qur’an nourish my mind, inspire belief in my heart, and give the pleasure of belief to my soul. Moreover, as a wonder-working spiritual guide’s disciples seek help for their needs, I often observe that my urgent needs are met through the miracle working Qur’an in an unexpected way. To cite only two of many examples:

One: I am a poor man who lives economically. During the last Ramadan, I lived on three loaves of bread and two pounds of rice. I spent last summer in the mountains of Barla, where I managed, despite visitors, with two pounds of butter and some bread.

Once I had a blessed guest, Süleyman, who wanted to accompany me to the mountain top on Friday night. While we were sitting up there, I told him to make some tea. While he was preparing it, I sat under a wild poplar tree and, looking into a deep valley, thought sadly: “Our one piece of stale, old bread will be enough only for tonight. How will we manage after tonight? How shall I explain this to that pure-hearted man?” And then, looking up at the tree, I saw a large loaf of bread! I told Süleyman: “Good tidings for us! God Almighty has sent us our food.”

We took the bread, which had not been touched by birds or wild animals. No one had climbed there for the last 20 or 30 days. The bread lasted for 2 days, at the end of which Mustakim Süleyman, my faithful companion for 4 years, turned up unexpectedly with some bread.

Two: This very interesting incident took place recently. I had told a man something that might arouse his suspicions and desired to remove them. I also wished that I had my book that I had sent to Nis. As I was sitting after the morning prayer, that man came in holding something. When I asked what it was, he said: “Someone from Nis gave me this book at your door.” “Glory be to God,” I said, thinking. “This is no coincidence. He came with this book through the Qur’an’s help. Praise be to God. The One Who is aware of my heart’s hidden, most insignificant desire, pities and protects me. Therefore, I take no account of whatever help may come from worldly people.”

Second example: My nephew ‘Abd al-Rahman, whom God took into His mercy, thought very highly of me, although he left me 8 years ago to pursue worldly affairs. He expected me to meet his spiritual needs in a way that was beyond my capacity. However, the Qur’an helped him by causing The Tenth Word (about the Resurrection) to reach him 3 months before he died. It purified him of all his spiritual dirt, doubts, and heedlessness. In addition, he displayed three wonders in his last letter, as if he had attained the rank of sainthood.

Third example: I had a brother-in-religion from Burdur, called Hasan Effendi. He was a man of God. Due to his extremely high opinion of me, he used to expect extraordinary spiritual help from me. One day I happened to give The Thirty-second Word to someone from a village in Burdur. Recalling Hasan Effendi, I asked that person to pass it to him so that he could study it for 5 or 6 days, but only if he was going to Burdur.

That man went to Hasan Effendi and gave him the treatise. Hasan Effendi read it with the excitement and eagerness of a thirsty person seeing a spring of sweet water. He found so much pleasure and enlightenment in it, particularly in its third station (love of God) that it cured his ailments. Within

40 days of reading it, he went to the mosque and, although he had no obvious illness, died there after the prayer (may God’s mercy be upon him).

Fourth example: Hulusi Bey admits that he finds more enlightenment, radiance, and spiritual pleasure in The Words, which explain the Qur’an’s mysteries, than in the Naqshbandi way, one of the most influential and widespread spiritual ways.

Fifth example: My brother ‘Abd al-Majid suffered greatly when my nephew ‘Abd al-Rahman (may God’s mercy be upon him) died and from other grievous circumstances. Although he expected me to help him in ways beyond my capacity, I had no contact with him. One day I sent him, with no particular purpose, a few significant treatises from The Words. After reading them carefully, he wrote to me: “Praise be to God, I have been relieved of my troubles. I was about to go crazy! Each treatise has become a guide for me. Although I parted with a guide, I have found several guides all at once and been relieved.” I found out that ‘Abd al-Majid had improved and attained a better state.

Many other examples show that knowledge related to belief and spiritual remedies, when taken directly from the Qur’an in case of need, meet the needs of those who apply them sincerely. Thus the identity of the herald announcing them or the druggist offering them is irrelevant. They can be ordinary or distinguished, rich or poor, or people of spiritual rank or of no rank at all.

In the presence of sunlight, there is no need for candles. If I show you the sun, why would you ask me for a candle, especially since I do not have one? Rather, help me by praying for me and with your spiritual power. I think I have a right to seek help from you. And be content with the enlightenment and spiritual satisfaction you get from the Treatises of Light, (all the books comprising the Risale-i Nur Collection).

Glory be to You, we have no knowledge save what You have taught us. You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

O God, bestow blessings upon our master Muhammad in a way that gains Your approval and gives him his due, and upon his Family and Companions, and also bestow upon them peace.

Said Nursi

375 In other words, they can only do what they do because He permits it. (Tr.)

376 The Dar al-Hikma was the leading Ottoman religious academy at that time. (Ed.)