The Seventeenth Step

Details: Published: Monday, 30 November -0001 00:00

THE SEVENTEENTH STEP: The Qur’an of miraculous exposition

The tireless and insatiable traveler, who realizes the aim and essence of life in this world to be belief, addresses their own heart and says: “Let us have recourse to the book known as the Qur’an of miraculous exposition, which is said to be the Word of the Being Whom we are seeking: let us examine ‘the most famous, most brilliant and wisest book’ in the world, one which issues a challenge in every age to whoever refuses to submit to it. Let us see what it says. But first, we must establish that this book is from our Creator.” Saying this, they begin to investigate.

Since the traveler lives in the present age, they first look at the Risale-i Nur, which comprises gleams from the miraculousness of the Qur’an, and they see that its one hundred and thirty parts consist of the subtle meanings, lights and well-founded explanations of certain verses from that Criterion between truth and falsehood—the Qur’an. They understand from its content and forceful diffusion and defense of the Qur’anic truths in this age of obstinacy and unbelief that the Qur’an, its master, source, authority, and sun, is a revealed book. Among the hundreds of proofs for the Divine authorship of the Qur’an in the different parts of the Risale-i Nur, The Twenty-fifth Word, which is a single proof of the Qur’an, and the end of The Nineteenth Letter establish forty aspects of the Qur’an’s miraculousness in such a way that whoever sees them will not only raise any criticism or objection but will also have to appreciate their arguments highly. Therefore, leaving the establishment of the Qur’an as God’s Word and the explanation of its various aspects of miraculousness to the Risale-i Nur, the traveler notices a few points that briefly demonstrate the Qur’an’s greatness.

FIRST POINT: Just as the Qur’an, with all its aspects of miraculousness and truths that show its veracity is a miracle of Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, Prophet Muhammad himself, with all his miracles, proofs of Prophethood and perfections of knowledge is a miracle of the Qur’an and a decisive proof that it is the Word of God.

SECOND POINT: As well as bringing about a substantial, happy, and enlightening transformation in human social life, the Qur’an has brought about a revolution in the souls, hearts, spirits, and intellects of people, and in their individual, social, and political lives. Furthermore, it has perpetuated this revolution in such a way that at every moment over the past fourteen centuries it has been read with the utmost respect by more than a hundred million people, training and refining their souls and purifying their hearts. For spirits it has been a means of development and advancement; for intellects, a guidance and light; and for life, it has been life itself and felicity. Such a book is without doubt unparalleled in every respect: it is a wonder, a marvel and a miracle.

THIRD POINT: From the age of its revelation down to the present day, the Qur’an has demonstrated such eloquence that it caused the value attached to the “Seven Hanging Poems”—poems which were recognized as the best, written in gold and hung on the walls of the Ka‘ba during the Age of Ignorance—to decrease to such a low level that when taking down her father’s ode from the Ka‘ba, the daughter of (the famous poet) Labid said: “Compared with the verses of the Qur’an, this no longer has any worth.”

A Bedouin poet once heard the recitation of the verse which means: Proclaim what you are commanded to convey openly and in an emphatic manner (15:94) and immediately prostrated. When they asked him: “Have you become a Muslim?” he replied: “No! I was merely prostrating before the eloquence of this verse!”

Also, thousands of scholars, authors and geniuses of the science of eloquence and rhetoric, such as ‘Abdu’l-Qahir al-Jurjani, Sakkaki and Zamakhshari, have unanimously concluded that the eloquence of the Qur’an is beyond human capacity and cannot be replicated by any created being.

Moreover, from the outset, the Qur’an has also challenged all arrogant and egoistic poets and rhetoricians by saying, in a manner that will bring down their arrogance: “(If you do not believe that I am the Word of God, then) either produce a single sura like mine or accept perdition and humiliation in this world and the Hereafter.” Despite this challenge, the obstinate rhetoricians of that age abandoned the shorter route of attempting to produce a single sura like the Qur’an and instead chose the longer route of (fighting against it and) casting their persons and property into danger. This proves that the shorter route cannot be taken.

Millions of Arabic books are in circulation, written since that time either by friends of the Qur’an in order to imitate it or by its enemies in order to confront and criticize it; such books have been improved over time with developments in science and thought. However, to this day not one of them has been able to attain the level of the Qur’an. Should even a common human being listen to them, he would be sure to say: “The Qur’an does not resemble these other books and is in a different class entirely. It must be either below them or above them.” And since no-one in the world—not even an unbeliever or a fool—can say that it is below them, one must therefore conclude that in eloquence it is higher than all of them.

A man once read the verse which means, Whatever is in the heavens and on the earth glorifies God (57:1). He said: “I cannot see any miraculous eloquence in this verse.” He was told: “Go back to that age in your mind and listen to the verse as it was recited there.” Imagining himself to be there, he saw that all the beings in the world were perceived as lifeless and without either consciousness or purpose, living in an unstable, transient world, surrounded by empty, infinite and unbounded space, and floundering in confusion and darkness. Suddenly he heard the above verse proclaimed by the voice of the Qur’an. At once the verse removed the veil from the face of the universe and illuminated it. This pre-eternal Speech, this eternal Decree, gave instruction to all conscious beings, drawn up in the ranks of succeeding centuries, in such a fashion that the universe became like a vast mosque. The whole of creation, and in particular the heavens and the earth, were engaged in vital remembrance of God and proclamation of His Glory, fulfilling this function with joy and contentment. All of this the traveler has observed. Thus, by tasting one degree of the eloquence of the Qur’an and comparing the other verses to it, the traveler can understand one of the many thousands of wise reasons why the eloquence of the Qur’an has conquered half of the earth and a fifth of humanity; they see how it has increased its majestic dominion, without let or hindrance, and with utmost respect throughout the fourteen centuries since its advent.

FOURTH POINT: While repetition of even the most pleasant thing eventually leads to disgust, the sweetness of the Qur’an is such that however many times it is recited, it causes neither tiredness nor repulsion. Indeed, it has become axiomatic that for those whose hearts are not corrupted and whose taste has not been spoilt, repeated recitation of the Qur’an leads not to weariness but, rather, to an increase in its sweetness and appeal. Also, the Qur’an demonstrates such freshness, youth, and originality that even though it has lived for fourteen centuries and been available to everyone, its vitality is such that one would think it has only just been revealed. Every century has seen the Qur’an enjoy a new youth, as though it were addressing that century in particular. Similarly, even though scholars in every branch of learning keep the Qur’an at their side constantly in order to benefit from it and follow its method of exposition, they see that the Qur’an continues to maintain the originality of its style and manner of explanation.

FIFTH POINT: One wing of the Qur’an is in the past and one is in the future. Its root and one wing are the unanimously confirmed truths of the former Prophets, who affirm it with the tongue of unanimity and whom it in turn affirms and corroborates. Similarly, all saints and purified scholars— the other wing—those fruits of the Qur’an who have received life from it, have shown through their vital spiritual progress that their blessed “Tree” is the living and most radiant means to truth, and beneficial in every respect. All the true spiritual paths or ways of sainthood and Islamic sciences, which have all grown under the protection of the Qur’an’s second wing, unanimously testify that the Qur’an is truth itself and a collection of truths that is unequaled in comprehensiveness.

SIXTH POINT: The Qur’an is luminous in each of its following six aspects or sides, all of which indicate its truthfulness and veracity:

Beneath it lie the pillars of argument and proof;
above it shine the gleams of the stamp of miraculousness or inimitability;
before it stand the gifts of happiness in both worlds as its goal;
behind it are the truths of the heavenly Revelation as its point of support;
to its right is the well-documented and substantiated confirmation of innumerable sound and upright minds;
and to its left one can see the true satisfaction, sincere attraction, and submission of sound hearts and pure consciences.

These six, taken together, prove that the Qur’an is an extraordinary, firm, and unassailable heavenly citadel that stands on the earth. From these six aspects it is clear that the Qur’an is pure truth, that it is not human words, and that it contains no errors at all.

Also:

The Controller and Director of the universe, Who has made it His practice to always exhibit beauty in the universe, to protect goodness and truth, and to eliminate imposters and liars, has confirmed and set His seal on the Qur’an by giving it the most acceptable, highest, and most dominant place of respect and success in the world.
The person who represented and communicated Islam and interpreted and explained the Qur’an throughout his life, upon him be peace and blessings, believed in it much more powerfully than anybody else and held it in greater respect.
He assumed a different state when it was revealed.
His own words (hadiths) did not resemble the Qur’an and could never be on the same level.
Despite being illiterate, with the Qur’an as his basis, he was able to describe with complete confidence many past and future events and numerous cosmic phenomena from behind the veil of the Unseen.
As the supreme translator of the Qur’an, in whose behavior no trickery or shortcoming had ever been witnessed, even by the sharpest eyes, he believed in and affirmed every pronouncement of the Qur’an with all his might, allowing nothing to shake him in his conviction.

All of these six facts serve to confirm beyond doubt that the Qur’an is the Divinely-revealed Word of his All-Compassionate Creator.

Furthermore:

More than a fifth of humanity has devoted themselves to the Qur’an with piety and rapture, paying heed to it eagerly in their desire to know the truth. According to the testimony provided by many indications, events, and spiritual unveilings, the jinn, the angels, and the spirit beings gather around it in truth-adoring fashion, like moths, whenever it is recited. This too serves to confirm that the Qur’an enjoys universal acceptance and occupies the highest position.
In addition, each of the different classes of humankind, from the simplest and lowly to the cleverest and learned, is able to take its full share of the Qur’an’s instruction and understand its most profound truths (each according to their capacity).
Moreover, all of the celebrated scholars in all branches of the religious sciences, in particular the great interpreters of the Supreme Shari‘a, together with the brilliant and exacting scholars of theology and the basic principles of the Religion are able to exact all the answers needed for their various disciplines from the Qur’an. All of these facts confirm that the Qur’an is a source of truth and a mine of reality.
Also, although the disbelieving ones among the Arab authors and poets, the most advanced in literature and eloquence, felt the greatest need to dispute the Qur’an, they were never able to match it in eloquence by producing the like of even a single sura, despite the fact that eloquence is only one of the seven most prominent aspects of the Qur’an’s miraculousness. Up until today, not even renowned rhetoricians or linguistic experts who have contested the Qur’an in order to make a name for themselves have been able to oppose even a single aspect of its miraculousness, and as a result have been forced to remain in impotent silence. This is further confirmation that the Qur’an is a miracle and completely beyond human capacity.
The value, superiority, and eloquence of speech are based on the answers given to the questions posed with regard to it: “Who does it come from, for who is it intended, and what is its purpose?” In respect to these points, the Qur’an has no like, and none can approach it. For the Qur’an is a speech and address by the Lord and Creator of all the worlds; it is His conversation with us that is in no way derivative or artificial. It is addressed to the one who was sent in the name of all humanity, indeed of all beings, the most famous and renowned of humankind; it is addressed to the one whose belief had such a strength and breadth that it gave impetus to mighty Islam and raised its owner to the station of “The nearness (with God) of the distance between two bow strings, or even nearer,” returning him as the addressee of the Eternally Besought One. It describes and explains matters concerning happiness in this world and the next, the results of the creation of the universe, and the purposes of the Lord within it. It expounds also the belief of its first and primary addressee—Prophet Muhammad—which is the highest and most extensive belief, encompassing all the truths of Islam. It reveals and shows every facet of the enormous universe like a map, a clock, or a house, describing it in a manner which befits the Craftsman Who made it. To produce the like of this Qur’an of miraculous exposition is therefore not possible, nor can its degree of miraculousness be attained.
Also, thousands of meticulous, learned scholars of high intelligence have written commentaries that expound upon the Qur’an, some of which consist of as many as seventy volumes, proving with clear evidence and argument its innumerable qualities, characteristics, mysteries, subtleties, and elevated meanings, showing numerous indications concerning every sort of hidden or unseen matter. The one hundred and thirty parts of the Risale-i Nur, in particular, each proves with decisive arguments one quality or subtle point of the Qur’an. Each part of it—such as The Twenty-fifth Word on the miraculousness of the Qur’an; The Second Station of The Twentieth Word, which deduces many things from the Qur’an concerning the wonders of civilization such as the railway and the airplane; The First Ray, called Signs of the Qur’an, which explain some verses’ allusions to electricity; the eight short treatises known as The Eight Signs, which show how well-ordered, full of meaning, and mysterious the words of the Qur’an actually are; the small treatise (“The Seventh Gleam” in The Gleams) which proves five aspects of the miraculousness of the verses at the end of Suratu’l Fath (sura 48) from the perspective of their giving news of the Unseen—in short, each part of the Risale-i Nur shows one truth or one light of the Qur’an. All of this serves to confirm the fact that the Qur’an has no like: it is a miracle and a wonder; it is the tongue of the World of the Unseen in this visible earthly realm, and it is the Word of One Who is the All-Knowing of the Unseen.

It is on account of these qualities and characteristics of the Qur’an that we have indicated above, in eighteen points contained in the successive three groups, that its sublime, luminous sovereignty and its sacred, mighty rule have been able to continue with perfect splendor, illuminating the faces of the centuries and the visage of the earth for (more than) thirteen centuries. It is also on account of these qualities of the Qur’an that each of its letters has the sacred distinction of yielding at least ten rewards, ten merits, and ten eternal fruits; indeed, the letters of certain verses and suras yield a hundred or a thousand fruits, or even more, while at certain blessed times the light, reward, and value of each letter multiplies a hundredfold. Our traveler, journeying through the world, understands this and says in their heart: “The Qur’an, which is thus miraculous in every respect, through the consensus of its suras, the agreement of its verses, the accord of its lights and mysteries, and the concurrence of its fruits and works, testifies with its proofs to the Existence, Unity, Attributes, and Names of a Single Necessarily Existent One, and its testimony has caused to issue forth the permanent testimony of all believers.”

Thus, in a brief reference to the instruction in belief and Divine Unity that the traveler received from the Qur’an, it was said in The Seventeenth Step of The First Station:

There is no deity but God, the Necessarily Existent, the One and Unique, Whose necessary Existence in His Unity is demonstrated clearly by the Qur’an of miraculous exposition, the Book accepted and desired by all species of angels, humanity and jinn; the verses of which are read each minute of the year, with the utmost reverence, by hundreds of millions of people and whose sacred sovereignty is permanent over all regions of the earth and the universe and the face of time; its spiritual and luminous authority has run over half the earth and a fifth of humanity for fourteen centuries with the utmost splendor. This is also testified to and evidenced by the unanimity of its sacred and heavenly suras, the agreement of its luminous Divine verses, the congruence of its mysteries and lights, and the correspondence of its fruits and effects, by witnessing and clear vision.

Said Nursi