A LENGTHY PARENTHETICAL NOTE: A QUESTION CONCERNING THE RESURRECTION

 

The repeated declarations of the Qur’an, It is but a single blast (36: 53) and The matter of the Hour is but the twinkling of an eye, or even quicker (16:77) show that the Supreme Resurrection will happen in an instant. Our limited understanding needs a tangible analogy to enable us to concur with and accept such a unique, miraculous event.

THE ANSWER: There are three matters concerning the Resurrection: spirits will return to their bodies, bodies will be reanimated, and bodies will be rebuilt and resurrected.

THE FIRST MATTER: An example for the spirits returning to their bodies: Imagine the soldiers of a highly disciplined army. Having dispersed in all directions in order to rest, they can be summoned back together with one loud bugle blast. The Archangel Israfil’s Trumpet is certainly no less powerful than a bugle. In addition, our spirits—each of which responded with “Yes, You are!” to the question “Am I not your Lord?”, coming from the direction of pre-eternity when they were in the world of atoms—are more obedient, disciplined and submissive than any soldiers.14 The Thirtieth Word has demonstrated convincingly that not only the spirits, but all atoms are the armies of the All-Glorified One, each being a dutiful soldier.

THE SECOND MATTER: An example for the bodies being reanimated: For a celebration in a great city, uncountable lamps may be turned on instantly by flicking a switch in the city’s power station. It also would be possible to light an infinite number of lamps throughout the world from a single power station, if such a one existed. If a creation of God, such as electricity, a servant and a candle-holder in this transient realm, can manifest this property on account of its Creator’s training and discipline, the Resurrection can surely occur in the twinkling of an eye and within the framework of Divine Wisdom’s orderly laws, which are represented and demonstrated by thousands of His light-giving servants, such as electricity.

THE THIRD MATTER: There are thousands of suitable analogies for rebuilding and resurrecting human bodies on the Day of Resurrection. Consider, for example, the way in which trees, which are far more numerous than people, are restored with all their leaves perfectly and almost identically to those of the preceding year within a few days after the beginning of each spring. Consider the way in which the leaves, blossoms and fruits of the trees are re-created, just like those of the preceding spring, with extreme rapidity. Consider the sudden awakening, unfolding and coming to life of countless seeds, kernels and roots, which are the origin of spring growth.

Consider the way in which trees, resembling standing skeletons, suddenly begin to show signs of “resurrection after death” at a single command. Consider the amazing reanimation of countless small creatures, especially the resurrection of different species of fly—particularly of those which, continuously cleaning their faces, eyes, and wings, remind us of our ritual ablution and cleanliness, and caress our faces—during a few days despite being far more numerous than all humans.

This world is the realm of Wisdom; the Hereafter is the abode of Power. Thus, in accordance with the requirements of Divine Names such as the All-Wise, the All-Arranging, the All-Disposing, and the All-Nurturing, creation in the world is gradual and extends over a certain period of time. This is required by God’s Wisdom as the Lord. But given that Power and Mercy are more evident than Wisdom in the Hereafter, creation in that realm is instantaneous and free from anything that is related to matter, space, time, or duration. In order to show that what takes a day or a year to do here will be accomplished within an instant in the Hereafter, the Qur’an decrees: The matter of the Hour is but the twinkling of an eye, even quicker (16:77). If you seek firmer confirmation that the Resurrection will come just as surely as the next spring, study The Tenth and The Twenty-ninth Words.

Another matter of the Resurrection is the destruction of this world. If a meteorite or asteroid were to collide with this planet on God’s command, our dwelling place would be destroyed instantly, in the same way that a palace which took ten years to build can be destroyed in a minute.

The concise explanation above concerning the four matters related to the Resurrection is sufficient for the time being, now we can return to our main subject.

 

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Is it at all possible that the Qur’an of miraculous exposition, the eloquent interpreter of all the elevated truths of the universe, the miraculous tongue of all the Perfections of the Creator of the universe and wonderful collection of all His purposes, should not be the Word of that Creator? God forbid, to the number of the mysteries of its verses!

Also, is it at all possible that the All-Wise Maker should cause His living, conscious creatures to communicate with one another in their myriad tongues, and that He should hear and know their voices and what they say, responding to them clearly with His acts and bounties, yet Himself not speak or be unable to speak? Is such a thing conceivable? Since it is clear that He speaks and that the chief addressee of His speech, and the one who comprehends it the best, is humankind, then most certainly, all the holy Scriptures, and most importantly the Qur’an, are His words.

Also, in order to make Himself known, loved, and praised, and by satisfying living beings with His multitude of favors, to make their gratitude a response to the bountiful activities and manifestations of His Lordship, the All-Wise Maker has made the universe, with all its realms and elements, a dutiful servant, a dwelling-place, a place of exhibition and a banquet for His living beings. Again, His will to multiply thousands of living creatures is such that He makes the leaves of those trees that do not bear fruit, such as the poplar and the elm, serve as the womb, cradle, and food-store for regiments of numerous kinds of living creatures, which perform their remembrance and glorifications in the air. Is it at all possible that the One Who has done all of this should leave those adorned heavens and light-diffusing stars empty, purposeless, and without an owner, life, spirit or inhabitants? In other words, is it conceivable that He would leave them without angels and spirit beings? God forbid, to the number of those angels and spirit beings!

Also, the All-Wise Maker and Director establishes and inscribes the origins and ends of the commonest plant or the smallest tree, as well as its entire life in its seeds and fruits in perfect order with the Pen of His Destiny. He also establishes and inscribes with perfect order and differentiation the origins and outcomes of the vast spring, as though it were a single tree. He shows that He never remains indifferent to even the most apparently insignificant thing. Is it then at all possible that the One Who does all this should not record the actions and deeds of humanity, which, given that humanity is the most distinguished fruit of creation and the vicegerent on the earth, are of great importance? Is it at all possible that He would not include the acts and deeds of humankind, who has the role of supervision over all kinds of other creatures, in the sphere of Destiny or His Determining? Is it at all conceivable that He would remain unconcerned with what human beings do on earth? God forbid, to the number of the deeds of all human beings, which will be weighed on the scales of the Hereafter.

In short, together with all its truths, the universe declares:

I believe in God, His angels, His Books, His Messengers, the Last Day, and in Divine Destiny—I believe that whatever there is of good or evil exists by God Almighty’s leave and creation, and that the resurrection after death is true. I bear witness that there is no deity but God, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His Messenger, may God bestow blessings on him, and on his Family and Companions, granting them peace. Amin.

Said Nursi

14 God declares in the Qur’an: And (remember, O Messenger,) when your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their loins, their offspring, and made them bear witness against themselves (asking them:) “Am I not your Lord?” They said: “Yes, we do bear witness.” (7:172) When viewed from our perspective and within the framework of time and space, creation follows a descending and ascending line that passes through many stages or realms; existence is within this same line. Just as an article, for instance, has many stages of existence, for example, existing in the mind of the writer, and then as a plan, and then in a written form, so too, every being has a primordial existence in God’s Knowledge, then as a general form determined by Destiny, and then in the stages of its material existence. Since our consciousness comes not from our corporeal being, but rather from our spiritual existence, it is completely possible that God may have spoken to us before He sent us, or may speak after He has sent us, to the world, through our spirit or our nature. He has entrusted this covenant to our consciences, which form our conscious nature.

It is also said in the Qur’an: How can you disbelieve in God, seeing that you were dead, and He gave you life? Then He causes you to die. Then He will bring you to life again; and then you will be returned to Him (2:28). The expression You were dead, implies that each member of humankind has some sort of existence in the world of atoms or particles. It has already been determined in God’s Knowledge which atoms in the worlds of elements, plants, and animals will constitute the body of which person. So there is no room for chance or coincidences in the motion of the atoms that constitute human bodies.

The expression also suggests that since death follows life, those atoms are themselves devoid of what we recognize as life, which is a direct gift from God, pointing to Him clearly. (Tr.)