The sixth luminous aspect of God’s Sufficiency

 

Beauties in creation are indications of the Eternal, Sacred Beauty

 

At a time when old age was reminding me of my own departure from the world amidst the events of the end of time—a reality which suggests the overall destruction of the world and the departure of all beings in general— my innate love of beauty and fondness for perfection were being developed in an amazingly sensitive manner. With extraordinary awareness and sorrow, I saw that transience and decline, which are always destructive, and death, which is a continuous cause of separation, were pounding this beautiful world and these lovely creatures in a terrible manner and destroying their beauty. As my innate love for creation welled up intensely and rebelled against this situation, once again I had recourse to the verse God is sufficient for us; how excellent a Guardian He is! to find consolation. It said to me, “Recite me and consider My meaning carefully!”

So I entered the observatory of verse thirty-five of Suratu’n-Nur (The Quranic Chapter of Light), which is known as the Verse of Light and begins with God is the Light of the heavens and the earth, and looked through the telescope of belief to the most distant levels of the verse, God is sufficient for us; how excellent a Guardian He is!, using the microscope of the consciousness of belief to study its most subtle meanings. I saw the following:

Mirrors, pieces of glass, transparent things, and even bubbles, manifest the various hidden beauties of the light of the sun and the seven colors it contains, and through their disappearance, renewal and reappearance, and with different capacities and refractions, they cause the renewal and re-manifestations of these beauties. In the same way, in order to act as mirrors to the sacred Beauty of the All-Gracious, Beautiful One of Majesty, the Eternal Sun, and to the permanent beauties of His All-Beautiful Names, and to cause the constant renewal of their manifestations, these beautiful creatures and most lovely beings arrive and depart in a constant flux. As has been explained in detail in the Risale-i Nur with powerful proofs, they demonstrate that the beauties manifested by them are not their own property; rather, they are nothing but signs, indications, gleams and manifestations of an eternal, transcendent, sacred Beauty, Which desires to make Itself manifest. Here, three of these proofs will be summarized.

THE FIRST PROOF: The beauty of a fine piece of embroidery points to the beauty of the act of embroidering; this in turn indicates the beauty of the title of the one who embroiders. The beauty of the title points to the beauty of the attribute of the artist manifested in their art of embroidering. The beauty of that attribute indicates the beauty of the capacity or talent of the artist to embroider. Finally, the beauty of the capacity for embroidery self-evidently points to the artist’s own beauty as an embroiderer.

Similarly, the grace and beauty shared by all fine, exquisitely made creatures throughout the universe bears clear testimony to the grace and beauty of the Acts of the All-Majestic Artist. The grace and beauty of these Acts undoubtedly indicate the grace and beauty of the Titles or, more appropriately, the Names Which relate to these Acts. The grace and beauty of these Names indubitably testify to the grace and beauty of the sacred Attributes that are the sources of the Names. The grace and beauty of these Attributes decisively testify to the grace and beauty of the Essential Characteristics or “Capacities” in which these Attributes have originated. And finally, the grace and beauty of the Essential Characteristics or “Capacities” self-evidently testify to the Grace, Beauty and the sacred Perfection of His Essence or Being—the Essence of the One Who is the Author of the Acts, Who is called by the Names, and Who is qualified by the Attributes—and to the holy Beauty of His genuine Truth. This means that the Maker of absolute Grace and Beauty has infinite Grace and Beauty that is befitting His All-Pure and Holy Essence to the degree that one shadow of It has beautified all beings from one end to the other; His transcendent, sacred Beauty is such that a single manifestation of It has made the entire universe beautiful and adorned and has illuminated the entire sphere of contingency with Its rays of grace and beauty.

Just as an embroidered object cannot come into existence without an act, no act can take place without the author of the act. Just as it is impossible for names to exist without the one that is called by them, attributes cannot exist without the one they qualify. Since the existence of a work of art self-evidently indicates the act of making or producing it, and the existence of the act indicates the existence of its author’s title or name and attribute that gave rise to the work, it is self-evident that the perfection and beauty of a work indicate the beauty and perfection that are particular to the act which has engendered them. And they, in turn, indicate the beauty that is particular to and fitting for the name of the author of the act; these, in turn, indicate with a certainty of knowledge the beauty and perfection of the essence of the author, which are fitting and appropriate for this essence.

Similarly, it is impossible for the constant activity behind the veil of the works in the universe to be without their Author, or for the names whose manifestations and inscriptions are visible on creatures to be without the One Who is called by them; nor can attributes such as power and will, which are almost observable, be without the One they qualify. Therefore, with their boundless existence, all the works, creatures, and artifacts in the universe clearly indicate the existence of the Acts of their Creator, Maker, and Author; they testify to the existence of His Names, His Attributes, His Essential Characteristics or “Capacities,” and to the absolutely necessary Existence of His All-Pure and Holy Essence. Also, all the different varieties of perfection, grace, and beauty that are observed in all these creatures testify to the infinite, unbounded, and transcending beauties and perfections of the Acts, Names, Attributes, Essential Characteristics, and Essence of the All-Majestic Maker—they testify with complete clarity and in a way that is particular to these Acts, Names, Attributes, and Essential Characteristics, and to the All-Holy Essence, and fitting for their sacredness and necessity.

THE SECOND PROOF contains five points:

THE FIRST POINT: Despite the great differences in their paths and methods, the leaders of the people of truth have, on the basis of their illuminations and spiritual unveilings, unanimously believed and concluded that the instances of beauty in all beings are the shadows and gleams of the sacred Grace and Beauty of the Necessarily Existent One, manifested as they are from behind numerous veils.

THE SECOND POINT: All beautiful creatures appear, convoy after convoy, and then disappear, dispatched to extinction. Yet since the elevated and unchanging Beauty Which displays Itself in the mirrors of these creatures continues without cessation to manifest Itself, this most certainly demonstrates that the beauties observed in these mirrors do not belong to the beautiful creatures themselves. Rather, in the same way that the beauty of the sun’s rays can be seen in the bubbles floating on a stream, they are the lights which shine from a perpetual Beauty.

THE THIRD POINT: It is clear that illumination comes from something that has light and that existence is given by someone who exists by himself; it is also clear that favor comes from riches, generosity from wealth, and instruction from knowledge. Also, beauty issues forth from one who is beautiful, while grace comes only from one who is gracious. Indeed, it is inconceivable to think it could happen in any other way. Given this reality, we believe that all of the beauties in the universe come from One Who is Beautiful, and that through the tongues of all its creatures, which act as mirrors, this constantly changing and renewed universe indicates and describes His Grace and Beauty.

THE FOURTH POINT: The body is dependent on the spirit and subsists and is animated through it; a word depends on its meaning and is illuminated by it; form is based on substance and acquires value through it. Now this visible, material world is like a body, a word and a form, and it depends on the Divine Names that are behind the veil of the Unseen; it is from the Divine Names that it receives life and beauty. All of the instances of physical beauty originate in the immaterial beauties of the meanings and truths on which they are based. Their truths are illuminated and fed by the Divine Names and are, in a sense, their shadows. This truth has been decisively proved in the Risale-i Nur.

This means that all of the different sorts of beauty in the universe are the manifestations, signs, and marks of a faultless, transcendent Beauty, Which is manifested from beyond the veil of the Unseen through the Names. However, the All-Pure and Holy Essence of the Necessarily Existent Being resembles absolutely nothing at all and His Attributes are infinitely superior to the attributes of contingent beings: consequently, His sacred Beauty does not resemble the beauty of creatures or contingent beings, but is infinitely more exalted. Certainly, an everlasting Beauty—a single manifestation of Which is a vast Paradise, together with all its exquisiteness and one hour’s vision of Which makes the people of Paradise oblivious to where they are—can neither be finite nor have any like, equal, or peer. Clearly, everything has a beauty particular to itself and in accordance with its nature, and beauty has thousands of varieties, like the differences among species of beings. For example, the beauty perceived by the eye is not the same as the beauty perceived by the ear; an abstract beauty experienced by the mind is different from the beauty of the food tasted by the tongue. Similarly, the beauties perceived and appreciated by the faculties such as the heart and the spirit and by other internal and external senses are all different. For instance, the beauties of belief, truth, light, flowers, spirit, forms, affection, justice, and compassion all differ from each other. In the same way that the beauties of the infinitely beautiful Names of the All-Gracious One of Majesty are different from one another, the beauties shared by beings also differ.

If you would like to observe one manifestation of the beauties of the All-Gracious and Beautiful One’s Names in the mirrors of beings, look with the eye of your imagination so encompassing that will enable you to see the face of the earth as though it were a small garden, and be aware that terms such as mercy, compassion, wisdom and justice refer to the Acts, the Names, the Attributes and the Essential Characteristics of God Almighty.

Look at the sustenance of all living creatures, including humanity in particular, which arrives regularly from behind the veil of the Unseen, and see the all-gracious and beautiful countenance of Divine Mercy.

Then look and see how miraculously all infants are provided for; fed as they are by the sources of milk which hang over their heads in the breasts of their mothers, as delightful as the water of Kawthar,20 and see the captivating countenance of the Divine Lordship’s Compassion.

Then look and see the matchless, gracious countenance of Divine Wisdom, Which has made the entire universe into a mighty book of wisdom, every letter of which contains a hundred words, every word of which contains a hundred lines, every line of which contains a thousand chapters, and every chapter of which contains thousands of miniature books.

Then see the majestic beauty of a Justice Which holds the whole universe together with all its beings in exact balance, maintaining the equilibrium of all the heavenly bodies, whether large or small, providing symmetry and proportion—the most important elements of beauty. See how that Justice causes everything to be in its optimum state and gives the right to life to living beings, ensuring that their rights are preserved and their aggressors foiled and punished.

Then look at the inscription of a person’s life history in their memory, as tiny as a grain of wheat, and see how the future lives of every plant and tree are encapsulated in its seeds. Look too at the instruments and members necessary for the defense of living beings: the wings of bees, for instance, and their poisonous stings, and the tiny bayonets wielded by thorny plants, the hard shells of seeds, and so on. Look at these and see the subtle, pleasant countenance of the Preservation and Protection of Lordship.

Then look at the countless different foods prepared by Mercy for the guests at the table of the earth of the All-Merciful and All-Compassionate One, Who is absolutely Munificent; and consider their varied tempting aromas and dazzling colors, and their different delicious tastes, as well as the organs and members of all living creatures which facilitate their pleasure and enjoyment. Look at these and see the extraordinarily pleasant countenance and sweet beauty of the Bestowal and Munificence of Lordship.

Then deliberate upon the meaningful forms of all living creatures— human beings in particular—which are opened up from droplets of fluid through the manifestation of the Names the All-Opening and the All-Fashioning; look at the fascinating faces of the flowers of spring as they open up from seeds and tiny nuclei and see the miraculously gracious countenance of Divine Opening and Fashioning.

As these examples show, each of the Divine Names has such a sacred beauty particular to It that a single manifestation of It makes the vast world and the species of beings that comprise innumerable members beautiful. You see the manifestation of the beauty of a Name in a single flower; yet, spring too is a flower, and Paradise is a flower that is yet to be seen. If you can visualize the whole of spring and see Paradise through the eye of belief, then look and understand how majestic that perpetual Beauty is. If you respond to that Beauty with the beauty of belief and the graciousness of worship, you yourself will become a most beautiful creature. But if you respond to it with the infinite ugliness of misguidance and rebellion, not only will you become one of the ugliest creatures on earth, but you will in effect become the object of hatred of all beautiful creatures.

THE FIFTH POINT: It is a fact that every skill tends to display itself, every craft and art tend to be appreciated, every form of perfection tends to show itself, and every beauty tends to reveal itself. Imagine a person who possesses hundreds of extraordinary skills, arts, perfections, and beauties; imagine that that person built a wonderful palace which reveals them all. Whoever sees that miraculous palace immediately considers the skills, beauty, and perfections of its maker and owner. Believing in them and affirming them as though seeing them, observers pronounce: “One who is not beautiful and skilled in every way cannot be the originator of a work so beautiful in every respect. It is as though his beauties and perfections are embodied in this palace.”

Similarly, provided that their mind has not rotten and their heart is not corrupted, those who see the beauties of this magnificent palace and exhibition of wonders which we call the universe will certainly understand that this palace is like a mirror, decorated the way it is in order to reveal the beauty and perfection of its Maker. Since there is nothing similar to this palace of the universe, it is clear that its beauties could not have been copied from elsewhere. And so its Maker must possess beauties particular to and befitting Himself and His Names: it is from them that the universe derives its beauty, which is written like a book in order to express them.

THE THIRD PROOF consists of three points:

THE FIRST POINT: This is a truth elaborated with powerful proofs in The Third Station of The Thirty-second Word. Referring detailed discussion of it to that Word, here we will mention it only briefly.

We look at creatures, at animals and plants in particular, and we see that constant acts of decoration, arrangement and beautification, all of which indicate an underlying knowledge, wisdom, intention, and will and are impossible to attribute to mere chance, are ruling over them. We observe in everything an art so delicate, a wisdom so fine, an adornment so elevated, an organization so compassionate, and a situation so agreeable that each is quite clearly intended to focus attention on someone’s art and to make it pleasing to and appreciated by those who observe it. From this it becomes self-evident that behind the veil of the Unseen there is such an Artist—One Who wills to make Himself known, appreciated, and praised through the numerous skills and perfections that He displays in each of His works of Art. And in order to please conscious beings and make them indebted, intimate companions of Himself, He bestows on them every sort of delicious bounty from sources which they least expect in a way that is impossible to ascribe to chance.

Also, it is possible to observe a magnanimous treatment and acts of making oneself known, which suggest a deep affection and an elevated sense of compassion; it is possible to see friendly dialogue with the tongue of disposition and a compassionate response to prayers. Clearly, the gift of bestowing bounties and giving pleasure that is observed behind the quality of making oneself known and loved, which is as clear as the sun, arises from a genuine will to be affectionate and compassionate. The existence of such a powerful will to be affectionate and compassionate in One Who is absolutely Self-Sufficient and in need of nothing demonstrates most definitely an infinitely perfect, eternal, peerless, and undying Beauty Whose very nature necessitates Its manifestation and Which therefore wills to be seen and thus displays Itself in mirrors. In order to see and display Itself in various mirrors, this Beauty has taken on the form of compassion and affection and then assumed the attitude of bestowing bounties and munificence in the mirrors of conscious beings; It has then taken the quality of making Itself known and loved and granted the light of adorning creatures and making them beautiful.

THE SECOND POINT: The intense, powerful, genuine and sacred love which exists in humanity, and most particularly, in innumerable distinguished ones among us whose paths are all different, indicates and bears witness to a peerless beauty. Indeed, such a love can only be directed toward such a beauty—rather, it demands this beauty. Moreover, all of the praise and commendations offered by beings verbally or through the tongue of disposition pertain to that eternal Beauty and flow forth toward It. In the view of lovers (of the Divine) like Shams-i Tabrizi,21 all the feelings and acts of attracting and being attracted and all the captivating truths in the universe are signs of an eternal, attractive truth. And all the ecstatic movements and revolutions which cause the heavenly bodies and all beings to dance and spin like moths and Mevlevi dervishes are loving and dutiful responses to the imperious displays of the sacred beauty of that attractive truth.

THE THIRD POINT: As agreed by all veracious scholars, existence is pure good and light, while non-existence is pure evil and darkness. Through meticulous analysis, the leading lights among the people of intellect and the people of the heart have agreed that all instances of good, beauty, and pleasure originate from existence, while all evils, calamities, suffering, and sins are attributable to non-existence.

If you ask: The source of all beauties is existence, but how do you account for the existence of things such as egotism and unbelief?

The answer: Unbelief is non-existence because it is the negation and denial of the truths of belief. As for egotism, since it arises from the wrongful claim to self-ownership and the tendency to assume the imaginary to be real, and since it stems from ignorance of the fact that the essential nature of humanity lies in its being a mirror designed to reflect the Diving Names and Attributes, it is also a form of non-existence which has donned the clothes and coloring of existence. Since the source of all beauty is existence and the source of all evil is non-existence, it is certain that an Eternal Being possessed of Necessary Existence, Which is the firmest and the most elevated and brilliant of all instances of existence, and the one most distant from non-existence, will demand a beauty that is the most powerful, the most elevated, the most radiant, and the most untainted. Indeed, not only will It express such a beauty, but It will actually be that beauty. Just as an encompassing light is necessitated by the sun, so too the Necessarily Existent Being necessitates an eternal beauty; He “radiates” through it.

 

All praise and gratitude be to God for the gift of belief!

Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make mistakes.

All-Glorified are You! We have no knowledge save what You have taught us. Surely You are the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

 

A REMINDER: Since the Risale-i Nur belongs to the Qur’an and is a commentary based on proofs proceeding from it, it contains necessary, purposeful, and beneficial repetitions, just as the Qur’an contains meaningful, wise, and necessary repetitions, which are not in the least tiresome. Also, since the Risale-i Nur comprises proofs of the truth of Divine Unity, the proclamation of which does not cause weariness, but rather is repeated with pleasure and zeal, the necessary repetitions do not constitute a shortcoming and should not cause tedium.

Said Nursi

20 Kawthar is a pool of Paradise. (Tr.)

21 Shams-i Tabrizi: In Konya, Jalalu’d-Din ar-Rumi became a religious teacher and Sufi at the age of 39, when he met Shamsu’d-Din at-Tabrizi. At-Tabrizi, who was an ecstatic lover of God from Tabriz, Iran, had a profound influence upon Rumi and vivified, like a veritable sun, the growth of his latent spiritual and literary genius. (Tr.)