The first luminous aspect of God’s Sufficiency

 

 

The human being’s innate love of permanence and their desire for immortality essentially stem from a manifestation in their being of a Name belonging to the One of Perfection and Majesty, Who is loved naturally because of His absolute Perfection. This manifestation, which is like a reflection or shadow of that Name in human beings, should lead people to direct their desire for immortality toward the Essence, Perfection and Permanence of that Absolutely Perfect One. In my case, however, this love of permanence has lost its way and, owing to heedlessness, has attached itself to the shadow instead. Thus, it had been seeking permanence in this worldly life, which is nothing more than an ephemeral mirror held up to the eternal. Then the Qur’anic statement, God is sufficient for us, came and removed the veil. I observed and experienced to the degree of “absolute certainty” that the true pleasure and happiness of my permanence lay precisely and in more perfect form in the Permanence of the All-Permanent One of Perfection, and in believing and confirming that He is my Lord and Deity. For it is through His Permanence that an undying truth may be realized for me. The consciousness of belief establishes that my essential being is but the shadow of an enduring, eternal Divine Name and therefore lives eternally.

It is also through the consciousness of belief that the Existence of the Absolutely Perfect and Beloved One is known, and the innate, intense love in human beings is satisfied. Also, it is through conscious belief in the Existence and Permanence of the Eternally Enduring One that the perfections of the universe and of humankind are discovered, thus saving the innate infatuation of humanity with perfection from endless pains and allowing them to find true contentment.

Moreover, through the consciousness of belief a connection is formed with the Eternally Enduring One and through belief in that connection a relationship comes into being with all His dominions. And on account of that connection and relationship, which in one sense renders humanity the metaphorical owner of all those infinite dominions, one looks on them with the eye of belief and benefits.

In addition, through the consciousness of belief and that connection and relationship, a kind of bond is formed with all beings. In this way, over and above one’s personal existence, through the consciousness of belief and the aforementioned connection, relationship and bond, a boundless existence comes into being which people feel to be their own, thus calming their innate passion for existence.

Furthermore, through that consciousness of belief and that connection and bond, a brotherhood (and sisterhood) is formed with all the people of perfection. Thus, through knowing that on account of the Existence and Permanence of the Eternally Enduring One, those innumerable people of perfection are not lost in eternal non-existence, the permanence of those innumerable loved, appreciated, and admired friends and the perpetuation of their perfections give a pure and most elevated pleasure to those having consciousness of belief.

In addition, through that consciousness of belief and that connection, bond and brotherhood (and sisterhood), I felt an infinite happiness on account of the happiness of my friends—for whose happiness I would gladly sacrifice my life. For a kind-hearted friend will always be happy at the thought of the happiness of their sincere friends. Thus, through the consciousness of belief I understood that through the eternal Existence and Permanence of the All-Permanent One of Perfection, the noblest Messenger, upon him be peace and blessings, and his Family and Companions, together with all the other Prophets, saints and purified scholars—all of whom are my most beloved masters—and all my other innumerable friends had been saved from eternal annihilation and would be favored with everlasting happiness. With great joy I saw that on account of that relationship, bond, brotherhood (and sisterhood) and friendship, their happiness was reflected in me, making me happy as well.

Moreover, through the consciousness of belief, I was saved from the endless sorrows which come from the love that one feels for one’s fellow people and the compassion one feels toward relatives, and instead began to experience a boundless spiritual pleasure. For I perceived through the consciousness of belief that my parents, my blood relatives and my spiritual brothers and sisters, for whom I would sacrifice my life with pride, were saved from eternal annihilation and endless pain through the Existence and Permanence of the Truly All-Permanent One, and would be favored with His infinite Mercy. I saw that in place of insignificant and ineffective compassion, which gave me nothing but sorrow and distress, an infinite Mercy was protecting and caring for them. And just as a mother takes pleasure at the ease, comfort and pleasure of her child, I was exhilarated and overjoyed at the salvation and ease under the protection of that Mercy of all those persons for whom I have compassion, and I became profoundly thankful.

Also, through the consciousness of belief, and through the connection it provides with the Almighty, I knew with conviction that the Risale-i Nur, which was the duty and product of my life, and the means of my happiness, would be saved from being lost and without benefit; I knew that it would not be annihilated or lose its meaning and that it would remain fruitful and gain permanence. This gave me a deep spiritual pleasure which far outweighed the pleasure I felt regarding my own permanence. For I believed that through the Existence and Permanence of the All-Permanent One of Perfection, the Risale-i Nur was not only being inscribed in the hearts and memories of people, but that it was being studied by innumerable sentient creatures and spiritual beings. Furthermore, if God was pleased with it, it was being engraved on the Supreme Preserved Tablet and other “preserved tablets”18 and adorned with the fruits of reward. I also knew that through its particular connection with and adherence to the Qur’an, and—God willing—its acceptance by the Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, and through its being favored with God’s approval and good pleasure, one moment of Divine appreciation for the Risale-i Nur was far more valuable than the appreciation of all the people in the world. I thus came to realize that I am always ready to sacrifice my life for the endurance, statements, and Divine acceptability of each of those treatises, which prove the truths of belief, and I knew that my happiness lies in the fact that they serve the Qur’an. Thus, through the connection with God provided by belief, I understood that through Divine Permanence they might be favored with an appreciation a hundred times greater than the appreciation of the people. From the very bottom of my heart I declared: “God is sufficient for us, and how excellent a Guardian He is!”

Moreover, through the consciousness of belief I knew that belief in the Existence and Permanence of the All-Permanent One of Majesty, Who bestows everlasting life, and the results of that belief—such as virtuous deeds—are the everlasting fruits of this fleeting, earthly existence and the means to everlasting life in the next world. Like a seed that breaks through its shell in order to be transformed into a fruit-bearing tree, I convinced my soul to break out of the shell of this apparent worldly permanence in order to yield everlasting fruits. Together with my soul I said: “God is sufficient for us, and how excellent a Guardian He is, and His eternal Permanence is sufficient for us!”

In addition, through the consciousness of belief and the relationship with the Almighty which comes from being His servant, I knew with a certainty arising from knowledge that that which lies beyond the veil of the earth is illuminated, that the heavy layer of earth is lifted from the dead, and that the realm under the ground which is entered through the door of the grave is not submerged in the darkness of eternal non-existence. With all my strength I cried: “God is sufficient for us, and how excellent a Guardian He is!”

Furthermore, I perceived with firm conviction and I knew with certainty based on experience through the consciousness of belief that while my intense, innate desire for immortality indicates the Permanence of the All-Permanent One of Perfection in two ways, as I was veiled by self-adoration, I had lost my true beloved and become so silly that I had begun adoring the shadow or reflection of the beloved. The exceedingly deep and powerful love of immortality which prevailed in my essential being came from a manifestation of one of the absolutely perfect Names of the Absolutely Perfect One, Who is loved and worshipped for Himself and for no other reason, and the Perfection of Whose Essence is absolutely sufficient as the cause of worship. Furthermore, I perceived that by bestowing the abovementioned enduring fruits—each one of which is worth sacrificing not one worldly or eternal life but thousands—He had made that innate desire even more intense. If I had been able to do so, I would have declared with all the particles of my being: “God is sufficient for us, and how excellent a Guardian He is!” I uttered it with precisely that intention.

The consciousness of belief, which seeks eternal life and finds the Permanence of God—some of the fruits of which I have indicated above in the paragraphs beginning with “Moreover... In addition... Also... ”—gave me such pleasure and zeal that I uttered with all my spirit and strength and from the depths of my heart and soul: “God is sufficient for us, and how excellent a Guardian He is!”

Said Nursi

18 The Supreme Preserved Tablet, which is in one respect identical to God’s eternal Knowledge, is the “Tablet” on which the pre-eternal, primordial existential forms of all beings that will come into existence and the events that will happen in the universe eternally exist. The deeds of all beings are also recorded on it. Other preserved tablets are the real or metaphorical “tablets” on which the deeds of all beings and all events are recorded. Human memories and seeds of trees and plants are examples of these tablets. (Tr.)