Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, the great sage of the twentieth century, divides his life into three distinct phases: Old Said, New Said, and Third Said. In his 40s, Old Said undergoes a profound spiritual transformation while actively seeking solutions to the challenges faced by believers in society, thus becoming New Said. New Said, deeply influenced by the truths of faith, becomes primarily focused on matters of faith. In his final decade, Third Said dedicates himself to preparing for the journey beyond this life [1].

Bediuzzaman shares an imaginary event that played a pivotal role in his transformation into New Said. Although not a dream in the traditional sense, the images he witnessed in this dream-like state, or vision, held significant spiritual insights. However, he describes this experience as an “imaginary event” to avoid stirring jealousy in others.

Bediuzzaman states, “O world-adoring one charmed by the worldly life and ignorant of the meaning of your nature as the perfect pattern of creation!” [2].

Humanity’s failure to recognize that they are intricately woven with Divine Names, Attributes, and Qualities often leads them to become infatuated with the material world, essentially worshipping it. The absence of this sensation results in heedlessness. With the light of faith, individuals can recognize the presence of the Creator, Owner, and Lord of everything, including themselves. When they search, they discover what they are seeking.

He initiates the description of his transformation with the following words:

“I found myself a traveler going on a long journey. My lord who set me making this journey gradually gave me some of the sixty gold coins He had allotted to me. This went on for some time, and after a while I arrived at an inn that provided some entertainment. In one night I spent ten gold coins on gambling and entertainment, and in pursuit of fame. The next morning, I had no money left. Nor could I do trade and buy provisions I would need at my destination. All I had left was pain, sorrow, and regret left by sins and illicit pleasures. While I was in this wretched state, a man suddenly appeared and said to me: ‘You have lost all you had and deserve to be punished. Moreover, you will go on to your destination with no money’” [3].

The events narrated by Bediuzzaman are symbolic, reflecting his self-examination and the lessons learned from the imaginary sins he distanced himself from in real life.

Recognizing the squandering of one’s resources is painful, and facing bankruptcy is sorrowful. Being unprepared for the journey and failing to see oneself as a traveler are also distressing aspects of this realization.

The word “suddenly,” emphasized in the text, highlights the necessity of experiencing unexpected events to prompt awakening and change.

The Greek term “metanoia” signifies a shift in mindset or paradigm, a transformation of the heart, and a spiritual change into a new state [4]. During such a spiritual transformation, the methods used to shed light on one’s blind spots, refine one’s perception, and guide one’s reasoning heart frequently involve startling and bewildering changes or hardships.

Bediuzzaman continues, “‘But if you use your mind, the door of repentance is not closed. When you gradually receive the remaining fifteen gold coins, keep half in reserve and use it to buy what you will need at your destination.’ My soul did not agree, so the man said: ‘Save a third of them then.’ Still my soul balked. The man insisted: ‘Then a quarter.’ I saw that my soul could not abandon its addictions, so the man turned away indignantly and disappeared” [5].

Someone with sound judgment experiences remorse, recognizing their mistakes as a sign of wisdom. The greatest fault lies in not acknowledging one’s own faults. Failing to rectify mistakes when the opportunity arises only results in self-inflicted damage. The ego that indulges in its desires disregards well-intentioned advice and forfeits the chance for mercy.

With a sound heart, one can acknowledge their errors and learn from them. Those who refuse to learn from their mistakes are destined to repeat them. Understanding that the past cannot be changed does not negate the importance of regret; it signifies the humility of a healthy heart.

In Christopher Nolan’s film Inception, the protagonist, Cobb [6], grapples with painful memories of his wife and seeks to alter them. The song Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien by Édith Piaf, featured in the film, hints that Cobb cannot confront the truth, and returns home without sincere regret [7].

“At once, I found myself on a high-speed train travelling through a tunnel. I was alarmed, but there was no escape. To my surprise, I saw very attractive flowers and tasty-looking fruits alongside the track, hanging out from the sides of the tunnel. I foolishly tried to pick some of them. But all around them were thorns that, due to the train’s speed, tore at my hands and made them bleed. They cost me very much” [8].

Indulging in unlawful and transient pleasures while realizing their fleeting nature brings both pain and parting. What is consumed fails to satisfy, what is abandoned holds no value, and what extinguishes does not bring gratification. Encountering endings and separations wounds the heart.

Things perceived by the eye but difficult for the mind to comprehend are often tests. Wisdom, fortified by reason and experience, considers the consequences of choices and the fate of desires. It guides one towards making sensible decisions, avoiding risks where the potential loss outweighs any gain. A sound conscience gently whispers, “Is it worth it?”

“Suddenly an attendant came and said: ‘Give me five cents and I’ll give you as many flowers and fruits as you want. With your hands all cut up, you are losing a hundred instead of five cents. Besides, there is a punishment for picking them without permission’” [9].

The price of lawful pleasures is light and sufficient for enjoyment. Staying within limits brings contentment. True satisfaction arises from recognizing the blessings and the benevolence of The All-Generous. The All-Merciful satisfies our souls, The All-Wise our intellects, and The All-Compassionate our hearts.

“Depressed by this condition, I looked out the window to see when the tunnel would end. But there was no end in sight. The tunnel’s walls had many openings into which passengers were being thrown. Suddenly I caught sight of an opening just opposite me with a gravestone on either side. When I peered out, I made out my name, ‘Said,’ written in capital letters on a gravestone. I gave a cry of bewilderment and repentance” [10].

Life in this world resembles a tunnel, and humanity rides a speeding time train with a new carriage added each year. There is no escape, and the only exit leads to one’s own grave. Sometimes, the grave looms in the distance, while other times, it’s very close.

One who encounters the journey’s end without adequate preparation experiences profound sorrow and astonishment. “A cry of bewilderment and repentance” reflects the genuine shock of a person who has awakened.

Preparing for death stands as one of life’s most crucial objectives. Filmmaker Andrey Tarkovsky also underscores that art’s purpose is to ready individuals for death, unveiling the deepest recesses of their inner selves [11].

“Unexpectedly, I heard the voice of the man who had advised me at the inn, asking: ‘Have you come to your senses?’ I replied: ‘Yes, but I’ve been left powerless, and there is nothing I can do.’ He told me to repent and trust in God, to which I replied that I did” [12].

When faced with the consequences, reason regains its foothold. Individuals inevitably confront the severe repercussions of their desires and choices, at times testing the limits of their endurance. Even if the conscience has not transgressed beyond redemption, there is still hope.

Helplessness invokes Divine mercy. The advisor, the person who provides guidance with wisdom, compassion, and sincerity for the individual’s well-being, may not reappear but calls from a distance. Offering a second chance, he proposes two actions in two words: repentance and trust. The fortunate interlocutor, making a wise choice and sparing himself the murmurs of his ego, declares, “I did,” meaning both actions. Death becomes the catalyst for awakening.

“Then I woke up and I found myself transformed into the New Said; the Old Said had gone away” [13].

Repentance from the depths of the heart cleanses one’s past, while trust purifies one’s future. The mind, with its ability to traverse time, often preoccupies individuals with past regrets and future anxieties, disconnecting them from the present moment. A person with sound judgment, realizing the extended journey and the opportunity at hand, embraces repentance and trust, concentrating on the central point that intersects with eternity and conceals profound secrets, constantly renewing themselves. One who glimpses the journey’s end is no longer the same as before.

Knowledge alone cannot renew a person; true transformation requires confronting reality. Just as angels thrive on light, knowledge finds its manifestation in actions as meanings are assimilated. Satisfying one’s soul requires grasping the significance of life’s experiences, not merely the words themselves.

Viewing oneself as a traveler fosters awareness and preparation. Our journey, originating in the Realm of Spirits and continuing through the mother’s womb, persists in this world. It encompasses childhood, youth, old age, the transition from the confines of the body to the Intermediate Realm, and the return to a new body through resurrection. The journey toward a life where death is conquered endures, marked by the relinquishment of everything, including life itself. When the time comes, individuals realize that what must be returned is an entrusted gift.

Now is the time to invest in “moments” without sudden departures. As Bediuzzaman expresses, “A guest has to consider the journey” [14].

Notes

1. Bediüzzaman Said Nursî, Sözler, İstanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, s. 346; Bediüzzaman Said Nursî, Şuâlar, İstanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, s. 518.
2. Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, The Words, New Jersey: The Light, 2013, p. 341.
3. Ibid.
4. Peter M. Senge, The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization, New York: Currency Doubleday, 1990, p. 13.
5. Nursi, Ibid, p. 341.
6. “Cobb” phonetically resembles words in languages like Sanskrit, Hindi, and Urdu that mean “sleep.” For instance, the Persian word “hab” means sleep.
7. Jason T. Eberl ve George A. Dunn (ed.), The Philosophy of Christopher Nolan, London: Lexington Books, 2017, p. 134.
8. Nursi, Ibid, p. 342.
9. Ibid.
10. Ibid.
11. Andrey Tarkovski, Mühürlenmiş Zaman, Ter. Füsun Ant, İstanbul: Agora Kitaplığı, 2008, p. 32.
12. Nursi, Ibid, p. 342.
13. Ibid.
14. Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, The Gleams, New Jersey: Tughra Books, 2013, p. 331.

In his Twentieth Word, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, a 20^th century Islamic scholar and teacher, uses an interesting phrase, where he argues that the miracles of the prophets represent the highest points that scientific developments would ever attain and as such, they are set as goals which humanity should seek to accomplish. In interpreting the verse about the miracles of Jesus, upon whom be peace, in which it is said that Jesus would raise people from the dead by God’s leave, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi indicates that there is a cure to every disease which can be found through research. He also employs an interesting phrase in this section: “It is even possible to give a temporary tinge of life to death” [1]. While some suggest that with this intriguing sentence Nursi points to recent developments in medicine such as those involving organ transplantation or the use of ventilators, it appears that this phrase implies going one stage further.

The Holy Qur’an relates several miraculous events regarding raising the dead in the present, worldly life. In Chapter Baqara (2:67-73), the Holy Qur’an tells us of the incident upon which the chapter was named: Prophet Moses, upon whom be peace, and his people were told by God to slaughter a cow and strike a dead person with part of the slaughtered cow, afterwards the dead man was resurrected and told them who had killed him. Thus, the Qur’an reasserts that God Almighty has the power to resurrect people. Reflecting on this verse, Fethullah Gülen maintains that in addition to the miraculous nature of striking the dead body with a piece of the cow, the mention of this incident may imply that humanity is guided toward a scientific or technological goal [2]. In medicine, biological drugs used to treat certain diseases are produced from certain animals. Also, certain medications, such as insulin, can be produced making use of the ability of bacteria to produce genetically coded proteins. Perhaps, biological drugs to be obtained with the help of other living organisms may contribute to being able to give a temporary tinge of life to death. In this regard, researchers are particularly interested in stem cells and their potentials. In this method, it may be possible to use a person’s stem cells to produce organs, tissues, and replace malfunctioning organs with new ones without the risk of rejection. We have so far heard no positive results in these directions, but it was demonstrated that stem cells taken from a person and transplanted into an embryo of another living being started to grow [3]. God knows best, but this method may be part of the truth behind the act of striking the man’s corpse with a part of a cow in reference to the verse in question.

Chapter Baqarah gives two more examples concerning resurrection in worldly life. A man passed by a town that had fallen into utter ruin and asked himself in bewilderment, “How will God restore life to this town that is now dead?” God made him remain dead for a hundred years and then raised him to life, and asked him, “How long did you remain in this state?” He said: “I remained so for a day or part of a day.” God said, “No, you have rather remained thus for a hundred years. But look at your food and drink: it has not spoiled; and look at your donkey!” The verse tells us that only bones were left of the donkey (2:259).

The next verse is about Prophet Abraham, upon whom be peace, who prayed God to give him certainty in the heart about resurrection. He had to kill four birds and then put them on different hills which resulted in them being restored to life and flying back to him (2:260). While it may not be related to resurrection fully, the story of Ashab al-Kahf (“People of the Cave” or “Seven Sleepers”) is certainly intriguing and carries a similar theme. God made seven men fall sleep in a cave for roughly 300 years and then restored them to life temporarily, however they had believed that they had fallen asleep for only a very brief period. They were probably considerably skilled and well-educated young people with high positions in society, however falling asleep for three centuries caused them to lose their positions and possibly disappoint those who had invested in them at that time. Yet God Almighty’s wise purpose requires otherwise by making those people send a message to future generations, i.e., us, and giving them praiseworthy remembrance after their death. The same sura also describes the travels of Prophet Moses, upon whom be peace, accompanied by Yusha’ ibn Nun, during which the cooked fish they were carrying with them for supper was resurrected and swam into the sea (18:61-64). In a tradition of Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, it is recorded that he talked to a dead girl by God’s leave upon her parent’s request, but the girl refused to come back to this world as she had found something better there [the Hereafter] [4]. 

The prevention of aging, alongside the wish to attain immortality, has long been one of the greatest aspirations of human beings. Several scientists and philosophers of the previous century argued that this might become possible in the 21st century. Chapter Baqarah refers to a prototypical society with greed for life, noting that people of that society wish “if only [they] might be spared for a thousand years” (2:96). Perhaps, the ultimate goal of today’s medical research is to try to ensure human beings live forever in this world. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, warns that this is a vain thought, although we should seek healing by all possible means: “O servants of God, search for remedy for your diseases. Indeed, God has created no incurable disease except one: old age (or, death, in another narration)” [5]. Nobel laureate Alexis Carrel maintained that human cells are immortal under favorable conditions but Leonard Hayflick, later, demonstrated that cell divisions are limited due to DNA damage and shortening of telomeres [6, 7]. According to the Hayflick limit, the maximum lifetime a person can get even if he or she lives under the best conditions is 125 years. Telomeres are the structures located at the end of the chromosomes that protect DNA, and during cell regeneration, the length of telomeres decreases with each cell division and the number of divisions declines after a critical limit. Scientists dream of slowing down the aging process by reactivating these telomeres, but they have not made much progress despite some positive results in experiments with rats.

Big technological corporations have recently been making considerable investments in order to find ways to further increase human lifespan. Venkatraman Ramakrishan, who won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 2009, said, “Californian billionaires are having such a good time at the party of life that they don’t want it to stop” [8]. The investments and efforts in this field do not seem very promising because the human body is not suitable for immortality. Instead, scientists are pursuing the idea of merging human brains with machines, which would require uploading a human brain to a computer. In today’s world where research on artificial intelligence is rapidly advancing, a human being’s habits and memory are supposed to be transferred to a computer. Elon Musk, the founder of Neurolink, a company that seeks to restore memory using gadgets planted into the human brain, once said that digital intelligence and biological intelligence would converge over time with increased interaction between the two. This sounds promising for the treatment of certain diseases such as Alzheimer’s. There is, however, another lead in this research according to Josh Bocanegra: “When the time comes and all the necessary advancements are in place, we’ll be able to freeze your brain, create a new artificial body, repair any damage to your brain, and transfer it into your new body” [9]. This may be an artificial body developed using stem cells with possible aid from diverse robotic devices. Ray Kurzweil, who works on Google’s machine learning project, argues that the use of tiny robotics that connect a human brain to computers may be possible by 2029, which will in turn extend human lives considerably. Another futurist, Ian Pearson predicts that in 2050, humans will achieve virtual immortality and a person’s personality transferred to a computer will be able to communicate with people in the future [9]. A recent New York Times article suggests that brain implants could change humanity [10].

Ultimately, it is hard to predict the extent of scientific and technological developments. The idea of eliminating death reminds us of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s saying that it is impossible for the lake of Barla (the town he lived in at the time) to be destroyed for the time being, but people can imagine such destruction and this imagination does not change the reality. Yet even the very imagination of eliminating death may serve as a false hope for people who rationalize everything and try to forget about the idea of death, and in this way, they stick to worldly pleasures more fervently. At this point, Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, shows us the correct manner of thinking: “Remember death frequently as it dulls out pleasures” [11].

In the Qur’an, the most important verses concerning raising the dead are about the miracles of Jesus, upon whom be peace. It is emphasized that he would breathe into something fashioned out of clay in the shape of a bird, and it would become a bird by God’s leave, and that he would revive the dead and heal ill people (3:49). As a matter of fact, Mary becoming pregnant with Jesus and Jesus speaking when he was a baby are also medical miracles. It is interesting to note that today, just as in the time Jesus, materialistic thought dominates the scientific and medical research, which are mostly construed solely with a materialist perspective. Almost all discoveries are used as evidence for disbelief, and they reinforce the self-conceit of those who make them. Bediuzzaman predicts that as Christianity will be purified from superstitions in the End Times, and that science will have the upper hand in rule and power. If such a purification will occur, then one tends to think it is not going to be only in political and administrative fields. Possibly, the change of scientific, or more specifically, medical perspective may constitute a major stage in the purification process that could save modern medicine and science from materialism and become instruments of discovering the truth. Who knows? God Almighty may make a vulnerable and weak baby speak to send a message to a purely materialistic community as a manifestation of His divine power.

References

1. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, 20th Word, First Station, Words.
2. Fethullah Gülen, Kurandan İdrake Yansıyanlar.
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/science/chimera-stemcells-organs.html
4. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, 19th Letter, Letters.
5. Bukhari, Tib 1; Abu Dawud, Tib 1; Tirmidhi, Tib 2.
6. Carrel A, Ebeling AH. Age and multiplication of fibroblasts. J Exp Med 1921.
7. Hayflick L. The limited in vitro lifetime of human diploid cell strains. Exp Cell Res 1965.
8. https://www.livemint.com
9. https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/307675
10. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/opinion/sunday/brain-machine-artificial-intelligence.html
11. Tirmidhi Hadith No. 2307.

Question: Bediuzzaman says that the stronghold of faith has been damaged for years. What needs to be done to restore this stronghold?

Answer: Restoring is thousand times harder to achieve than destroying. To achieve a restoration, all inner and outer factors must be present. However, the absence of only one factor will result in destruction.

From the same perspective, you can also consider the construction or restoration of a building. Remember that such a genius as the architect, Sinan built his masterpiece Selimiye in six years. However, the work to repair damage caused by cannons and to restore it to its original form lasted for about 8 years. While the construction and restoration of the Selimiye Mosque was such a difficult and time-consuming task, a mere bomb or earthquake could cause serious damage to this magnificent work in just minutes or even seconds.

You can also think about the situation of repair and destruction in the human body. Sometimes, a poisonous substance in your food influences your body right to the neurons of your brain. It might confuse your sleeping and waking habits and you may need to receive treatment over a long period of time to be saved from its harmful effects and regain your health.

Likewise, if a society has lost its faith and its values have been torn down one by one, it takes a serious endeavor to restore and help that society back up onto its feet.

Reconstructing this monument, which has cracked, shattered and whose blessed pieces have been scattered here and there, and restoring it to a condition in compliance with its original identity depends on the strivings of idealistic souls who will sacrifice their enjoyment of life and personal happiness. As the saying goes, “No pain, no gain,” an Arabic poem expresses it as, “Scope of the gains made, depends on the pains taken.” To elucidate further, making material and spiritual accomplishments, ascending to great heights and crowning victories with other victories depend on striving and effort as well as using these efforts for the right purpose and in the right direction.

It should not be forgotten that no movement that aims to restore and resurrect a society can be promising and lasting unless it permeates from the bottom up. There are so many endeavors launched with pompous shows that stop a mere few steps away, remain stuck and paralyzed on the way and then disappear from the stage like a broken dream. When addressing the issue of restoring a society, a certain degree of initiative and support from administrators and politicians could perhaps help to remove some obstacles and progress faster. However, what really needs to be done is initiating the issue from the bottom up and making it widespread at the grass roots level. For this reason, it is necessary to begin with the ABC of the matter, knowing that setting a society right depends on setting individuals right, and never forgetting that it is impossible to set a society right without setting right all of its components.

The ideal of serving humanity and setting things right

People fixed on restoration and setting things right must act with a spirit of devotedness for their whole lifetime so that they can fulfill the aim of their life’s journey. Great projects sometimes failed for they were based on personal or familial benefits. Let alone succeeding, they adulterated that great ideal, and many opportunities of victory ended up with great loss. With the approach of Bediuzzaman, if politics, administration, or any establishment or organization is working on the axis of personal interests, then there is monstrosity in the issue. In this case, people begin to besmirch one another. When the issue is adulterated with personal interests, the masses come to loggerheads with one another and no progress can be made by the society. Being saved from domination of others depends on working ceaselessly for a lifetime solely for the good of the people and for God’s good pleasure.

People who have devoted themselves to the ideal of making others live in the true sense must pursue great projects and plans. They must have plans and projects even for the generations to come some fifty or sixty years later. Given that God has endowed humans with abilities that go beyond the narrowness of physical dimensions, individuals must know how to use these very well and not debilitate their abilities and capacities by condemning themselves to a narrow cage. In addition, they must never be abstemious about the work and activities they carry out on the righteous path or be satisfied with what they have done, but should seek different ways of opening up to the four corners of the world at every phase.

Let it not be misunderstood, such a thought of opening up to the world has nothing to do with invading the world or establishing new empires on the ruins of others. On the contrary, the real intention that underlies this thought of opening up is establishing sound, firm and warm neighborly relations with the different nations of the world. This will enable us to learn what we can from them and also let others’ hearts discern the human values, lofty feelings and thoughts that we try to represent, which are far beyond humanism. We already know that in the shrinking and globalizing world of our time, if such an understanding of neighborhood at the world level is not formed, contact with the entire world is not maintained, and close relations are not developed, the world will turn into an uninhabitable hell. Those fixed on brutality, who formulate plans to kill people and take the place of the people they killed, and who wish to make people clash with one another in order to continue their own tyranny, will continue their hegemony. However, it should not be forgotten that this old world has no tolerance anymore for such animosity based on grudge and hatred, or for the weapons of extermination, which are natural consequences of this animosity. If these waves of hatred are not stopped with bridges of love, tolerance and dialogue, then facing horrible events and an apocalypse that affects the entirety of humanity will be inevitable. For the sake of restoration, we must rely on God and, if necessary, be ready to face obstacles at the expense of the pleasures of this life. We must never harbor any worldly expectations about the different means God Almighty bestows for the sake of serving Him. If people who have volunteered for the revival of the entire world actually acted in favor of their personal interests, this would be an attitude of gross ugliness that cannot be reconciled with true humanity. We can even say that busying oneself with thoughts of earning Paradise through our efforts is disrespectful to our ideal. Using all our efforts, it is necessary to evoke this feeling in today’s generations. For the ones to change the face of the world will be the precious and distinguished ones who represent this feeling and thought.

The mysterious key to hearts

Being deeply concerned and feeling suffering for a cause is a very important dynamic to realize projects for the sake of setting things right and repair. A person in such a state, with God’s permission and grace, will not be deprived in terms of obtaining the things sought for the sake of repair. In this regard, come, let’s all of us beg some suffering from God.

Although religion is based on the principle of ease, the duty of the architects of thought in this respect is a very heavy one. As the master poet, Necip Fazıl, put it, they are supposed to give an extraordinary performance by racking their brains to the degree of squeezing their brains out of their nose. There are so many people who watch them expectantly, listen to their words, and who in a way act with mass psychology. Therefore, they need to care about making others live in the true sense rather than living for their own sake and should weave their lives around this very ideal. The standard must be kept very high in this regard, and the issue must be taken as an issue that concerns the entire humanity. In a globalizing world, if you don’t have a heart that represents your ideals in every place, you cannot be where you want to be and cannot realize the repair you desire.

While doing this, they must never give up their mildness and tenderness; they must reach into hearts using the language of love, for it is such a mysterious key that there is no rusty lock that will not be opened with it. If you use this language correctly, you can open all doors and reach into all obstinate hearts. As it is stated in a Turkish proverb, kindness even makes a snake come out of its hole. Given that the gentle finger movements of a flute player, or the sound, makes even cobras dance, I think a genuinely spiritual attitude and behavior will melt away certain feelings of animosity. As the Qur’an points out about repelling evil with goodness,[1] even some people that you see as enemies will begin to open their bosoms to you and say: “We have been waiting for you.”

Note

[1] “Goodness and evil can never be equal. Repel evil with what is better (or best). Then see: the one between whom and you there was enmity has become a bosom friend” (Fussilat 41:34)

The city of Kaolack in Senegal is a major destination in Africa for those seeking a spiritual path. Inspired by the mystical teachings of the Tijani order, hundreds of thousands of followers come to Kaolack to learn lessons (wird), and especially to join the annual Mawlid celebrations to honor the Prophet Muhammad’s birth, peace be upon him. I cannot forget the day when I visited this city with a group of friends in February 2013. As we were getting out of our van we were welcomed by a group of young men singing for us what is famously known as “The Poem of the Cloak” (Qasida al-Burda), an exceptionally beautiful poem written by Imam al-Busiri, a 13th century North African scholar and poet. This qasida, or hymn, is one of the rare examples of poetry that has been globally adopted, translated, and memorized by Muslims from the far east to the West Africa to honor the Prophet’s memory.

Five years later, in February 2018, when I heard the same hymn being sung live to welcome guests, I was in Washington, D.C., at the nation’s one and only synagogue established by a special act from the Congress: Washington Hebrew Congregation (WHC). Muslim boys and girls of the ADAMS Center youth choir, who were singing the hymn, were welcoming Shaykh Abdallah bin Bayyah, the respected Mauritanian scholar (dob 1935) from Abu Dhabi. Indeed, it was a rare scene of a turban-wearing imam entering a Jewish temple to address a Jewish audience.

Shaykh bin Bayyah was hosted by Rabbi M. Bruce Lustig, who led the service, “A Sabbath of Peace.” It proved to be a remarkable interfaith event among members of different faith communities who prayed together and sang songs of peace.

In his introduction, Rabbi Lustig told about their visit to the Shaykh in his home in Abu Dhabi where the Shaykh spoke about the story of Joseph and his reconciliation with his brothers. Rabbi remembered he said to the Shaykh, “I am Joseph, your brother.” Rabbi Lustig invited the Shaykh to the podium with the following words: “We are the only congregation created by an Act of Congress so that all the children of Abraham would be able to have their appropriate voice in this nation’s capital.”

Over 25 religious leaders from around the Washington area, including Cardinal McCarrick, Pastor Bob Roberts, Professor Akbar Ahmed, and Imam Magid were present during the service. Shaykh Hamza Yusuf, the President of Zaytuna Institute, was also a part of the event to translate the words of his teacher bin Bayyah. Shaykh Yusuf, himself a scholar, eloquent speaker, and, as Rabbi Lustig described him, “the west-most, influential, promising, and powerful scholar of Islam, great friend, great teacher,” respectfully stood at the podium throughout the address, and did not say anything other than translating the words of the honorable teacher. What we saw in the way Shaykh Yusuf treated his teacher was a live reenactment of what used to be a teacher-pupil relationship in premodern times, one that acknowledged the true value of knowledge and their respective personal value vis-à-vis the infinite scale of our spiritual journey to the divine; a relationship marked by an appreciation of true knowledge, and in which teachers were not only the vessels of conveying theory, but also the role models of good character traits and virtues. One can manifest this behavior only when he or she has duly digested divine knowledge and made it a part of their nature.

After offering his greetings to Prophet Muhammad, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them), Shaykh bin Bayyah said he had not been able to visit a mosque yet during this trip, meaning that he had been to other places of worship to foster what he called the Alliance of Virtue amongst the Abrahamic peoples. Here are some of the highlights from his short speech:

“Despite all the things we are witnessing in our world, animosities and wars, there should always be a voice that calls to peace, even if in times it might sound like a weak voice. We believe that the power of peace is actually stronger than the power of war. A lot of people feel exhausted [by] these conflicts. Can the Abrahamic family once again bring the hope of peace in a conflicted world? The first thing that we are attempting to do is to remove the legitimacy of religion from the advocates of hatred and war. It is not just with our words, but also with our relationships with others, with the love that we show one another, also with sincere friendship and integrity….

“I am not going to conceal from you the fact that there are people out there that don’t want to see people come together, especially the religious leadership coming together for this cause. In many parts of the world, the masses can be divided into two types: the group that is victorious in war, and the other group that feels like they have failed. Neither of them, the victorious and the defeated, like the people that are calling to peace. The defeated group like those who are calling to war, because they are seeking revenge. We are firefighters. We are not asking who started the fire, people can ask that after. But now we are just saying, ‘let’s put out the fire.’…

“It is undeniable there is a lot of oppression in the world. We can’t set that aside. There is no doubt that justice is the foundation of perpetual peace. Despite that we are seeking peace even if it is a temporary peace. We want people just to set their weapons aside. God gave us ability to speak in order to communicate. God spoke to messengers. Our Qur’an says, God spoke to Moses. Speech is actually an instrument for seeking peace. This is the why Plato said the purpose of speech is persuasion, and the purpose of persuasion is to find an alternative to fighting. Our religions, we want them for development, human flourishing, human wellbeing. We don’t want them for destructive devices… Religion is a power, and like all power, it can be used for good or for evil. These people are going to be the peacemakers. They will restore our religious traditions to their first priority, which is the spreading of peace…”

The Shaykh’s words are reminiscent of what Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (d. 1960) said in 1952 to Eşref Edip: “There is a massive fire in front me and its flames are rising high up to the sky. My child is burning inside; my faith is in flames. I am rushing to put out that fire and to save my faith. Who cares if someone wants to intercept me and I trip over? Does this little thing really matter when there is such a wild fire?”

The Shaykh’s trip to Washington was not only to attend this service. During the week he joined a conference with 400 faith leaders to foster ties of interfaith dialogue. Called the “Alliance of Virtue,” the conference “was viewed as a follow-up. In 2016, Muslim scholars and leaders from dozens of Muslim-majority countries met in Morocco to sign the Marrakesh Declaration, which called the oppression of religious minorities contrary to Islam.” Religious leaders signed a broader document, the Washington Declaration, which is an overall call to freedom of speech, religious liberty and tolerance. ^[1] A dear friend, Rabbi Paul Jacobson from Temple Avodat Shalom in New Jersey participated in the conference and he shares his observations below.

The gathering at the Washington Hebrew Congregation was surely a touching one, filled with prayers and music by Dan Nichols who was accompanied by Jewish and Muslim youth choirs. My friend Sadiq Ansari, a PhD candidate in Islamic studies, was also present during the event, and he explains below what has remained in his heart after the event.

Conclusion: to be healed from our paralysis

Imam al-Busiri wrote Burda when one morning he woke up but could not rise; he was paralyzed and could not move one half of his body. The story goes that Busiri wrote this poem when he was bedridden with pain, and he hoped his praises for the Prophet would please God and he could perhaps be healed. Then one day, he saw the Prophet in his dream. The Prophet covered him with his cloak, and when he woke up he could move. My encounter with this poem was in Senegal in 2013 where I was a participant to an international conference titled “Diversity and Cohesion in a Globalized World: Contributions of the Gülen Movement.” A number of international scholars and leaders had delivered messages of dialogue to over eight hundred participants from thirty different countries in that beautiful country which was once a major port of slave trade, “the door with no return,” as written over the door of slave houses in the Gorée island off the Dakar. Just as I was filled in that conference with hopes that our world could really be saved from its sufferings, I believe efforts like the American Peace Caravan, Sabbath of Peace, Alliance of Virtue, and welcoming each other in each other’s temples should inspire in us hopes for a healing from our current paralysis.

[1] Michelle Boorstein, “How the National Prayer Breakfast sparked an unusual meeting between Muslims and evangelicals,” in The Washington Post, February 8, 2018.

Today events are being evaluated only in respect to their appearances; there is constant fear, worry, anxiety, and a chilling uncertainty about everything that happens. Intentions are extremely dark, words and behaviors are deceiving, deeds are guided by ambitions, and our globe’s extremely sensitive balance is entrusted to a few adventurers with makeshift attitudes. It is uncertain to discern who is busy with what or what they will do. Desires are one thing, words and promises another. People compete in deception.  Excuses are made for killing and destroying, even if no one believes them; the oppressed and the victims have no idea what is going on. The dead are called martyrs, the survivors veterans. Actually, there is no need for faith to be consoled by these. Those without such support are comforted with awards and medals.

Hearts from all sides are scratched as if with reed pens, writing embarrassing notes on one of history’s dirtiest pages, the ink blood red. There is dust and smoke everywhere, and blood, pus, and tears in every district. Bodies are shields to souls; souls are trembling with the excitement of life and the anxiety of death. Those destroyed are on the hunt like sharks that have gotten the smell of blood; they attack everything they see and show their teeth to everyone. The oppressed victims are in a constant state of confusion and are tired from vain efforts. Everywhere there is the howling of wolves and the sounds of hyenas; in response to these sounds there are whimpers of helplessness from vulnerable bosoms. Forget about enjoying the world to its fullest; the masses are constantly on edge with the painful news that comes and strikes spirits from all sides. The general atmosphere is pitch-black, like the faces of today’s people; events are always foggy and smoky, just like their thoughts. Neither can they make the best of life nor can they sense it fully. There is a constant ebb and flow between aspirations and longings, and people die and are reborn every moment through pain and suffering.

From time to time they complain about their situations, but it does not accomplish anything except doubling misfortune. Their perspective is deviant, thoughts are in constant shift, and they live in such deep heedlessness that they will not wake up, even with the sound of the Trumpet that will make the dead rise.

In contrast, there is no small number of those whose eyes are open to metaphysical realms, whose thoughts are in front of them like candles, and who petition God with cries from their hearts. These people—whose faith is sound, whose hopes are solid, who are accountable for their deeds, and whose accounts are full—read existence not just by looking at the superficial appearance of events and trying to squeeze everything into it, but also by seeing themselves correctly in existence and interpreting themselves correctly with all material-spiritual depth and by making universal observations. They sense beautiful things behind things that appear to be ugly; they feel otherworldly pleasures that make pain incumbent and constantly sip heavenly water from bowls of disaster.

Actually, there are some beautiful hidden aspects of every divine creation that appear unpleasant on the surface. Yes, sometimes there are divine works and activities whose beauties are hidden to our eyes, but their inner facets are so exquisite that those who can see and sense this beauty do not complain, but show their amazement by saying, “It could not have been better.”

Yes, winter nurtures spring in its bosom. The wind blows over wide terrains to fulfill its duty to fertilize crops. Brand new spectacular scenery forms with different changes, and the events that appear savage to many are so beautiful from the perspective of the ecosystem that it is impossible for those who feel and sense them not to be amazed by them. Almost all of these things are perfect, appropriate, and extremely beautiful, but it is difficult to explain them to those who want everything to occur according to their own wishes and desires.

Those who sense and understand that everything in the heavens and on earth occurs according to a knowledge-based program tied to the divine will of the Creator see and evaluate all things differently. On their horizon, sceneries have hues of rising, disasters have the color of happiness, pain contains a sense of success, and unavoidable oppression and suffering are vehicles for future happiness. They look more at the smiling faces of events than at their sour faces; they do not only deal with the painful side of things, but also try to see their sweet sides.

Consequently, in their illuminated minds, the dust turns into gold; poison becomes sugar and sherbet; storms and hurricanes become enveloped in the color of mercy; pain transforms into the paths of deeds; and each suffering turns into a birth pang. In fact, general deaths and widespread catastrophes are like messages of spring in their eyes. They look at these as a process of pruning dry branches from trees and opening the way for fresh shoots, and they respectfully welcome destiny’s way of pruning. Moreover, they consider things that happen as correction for their wrongdoings. They accept fate and see it as redemption for their sins, and consider it as a season for calling for new favors from God and as a vehicle for His attention. They are always humble before God, but they always know how to stand tall when they are confronted with difficulties and disasters. At any rate, they have the awareness that they were not dragged here by just any wind. They do everything their positions require them to do, and they stand fast enough not to be blown about by the most violent storms. They have such a stance that, with God’s protection, events tantamount to wars or even as alarming as the doomsday cannot budge them from their places.

Evil takes on the colors of good in the atmosphere of such people. For them, pain and suffering are purifying tools to attain their true nature. When the weather grows dark and the environment becomes unlivable, their tension increases and makes them more alert. The oppression of tyrants, the constant impositions of despots, facing one conspiracy after another with no solutions within the domain of causality, only lead them to turn more sincerely to the One Who is the helper of the helpless. They say to themselves: “When you are helpless/ the veil suddenly opens/ solving all problems” (I. Hakki). They read everything better, evaluate it better, and win many victories even during a streak of apparent losses.

For years we always tried to remain true to this understanding. Opposing dissent and disorder became our motto. For the sake of the society’s well-being, we strove to get rid of evil with goodness without saying anything about attacks and assaults. We did not utter a word in response to those who oppressed us and set up unimaginable conspiracies. We did not wish the destruction of those fixated on slander and lying.

We did not reconcile running after the world’s pleasures with sincerely being on God’s path, and instead exalting the truth tied to His approval became our mandate. We have always given priority to others; living for others has always come first before our own aspirations. Other than befriending believing hearts beating with love, we never felt or tasted worldly pleasures or delights. Just as we had no large or small worldly demands, we were extremely careful to keep a distance from everything worldly, including politics, because of their worldly aspects. With the consideration that pleasure blurs God’s pleasure and would harm our servanthood to our Lord, we counted position and fame as defiling to our spiritual life and always kept our distance from these kinds of desires and expectations.

Yes, we behaved like this from the beginning. Yet, some circles who have abused their authority to make people feel indebted to them, and wanted to use this indebtedness as a bargaining chip. In addition, they put a claim on every beautiful thing, and although they made no positive service, these sick usurpers wanted to appear at the head of every positive work. Actually, even if the conscience of the people said “yes,” they opposed some meritorious activities and they did not hesitate to resort to slander, malicious imputation, and falsehood. Maybe the number of those behaving like this was small, but the circumstances of what was done and its extent was quite chilling and extremely injurious to people who lived with honor. However, for a believer who dedicated himself to the people, these were things that absolutely had to be endured. In this respect, in my opinion, heroes of the heart should laugh at this kind of inconsideration—as they did in the past and probably will in the future. They should stand tall and say,

Things coming from You are pleasing
Either a robe of honor or a shroud
Either a fresh rose or thorn
Both Your blessing and Your anger are pleasing. (I. Hakki)

Our society and the human dignity are what matters to us. If the people are in a desperate situation and the masses are moaning from poverty, if the society is defeated by dissension and corruption is applauded, then what falls as our share is to helplessly sit down and burst into tears. Yes, a sincere soul who has dedicated himself or herself to the people is truly troubled not when he or she is personally persecuted or harassed, but when his or her faith, faithful affairs, and other values that they hold sacred are harmed. With the manner of a fireman, they will seek solutions in all directions, like lover who do not see anything else, they will give up on all their personal aspirations, but they absolutely will not allow the values they hold sacred to be harmed.

The path they trod is the path of the oppressed and injured. They have faced trials all their lives and do not enjoy anything in the name of worldly pleasure. They have been exiled, abandoned to rot in prison, and constantly squeezed by different pressures. They have been treated like a bandit, an outlaw. For all that, they do not bother at all. Not only do they not bother themselves, but they consider even sparing some thought for these is a wasteful thinking, which should have been used instead to find solutions to the problems of people.

They suffer from oppression and injustice, but they are not concerned at all with the oppressor nor do they dwell on those perpetrating injustice. They refer everything to the All-Knowing and move on, seeking only God’s approval. One calamity follows another, and disasters pour down on their heads. However, they attribute all of these to their faults and deficiencies in their relationship with God. They think that these trials they are subjected to are penitence for their sins. With the hope that they will be cleansed at least partially from their mistakes, they are pleased even while suffering pain. Moreover, with the thought that some of the things that are happening can have surprise endings, they perceive all the frames of suffering they are in and the trouble and chain of unforeseen dangers resulting from all of these as if they were the steep paths on the road to heaven. Even in horrible situations when others sigh and moan, their voices constantly resound with gratitude and they question themselves:

O helpless one, give up wailing and trust God,
for this wailing is an error that causes trouble after trouble;
If you have found the One Who tests you with suffering,
this suffering changes into a gift bringing peace and happiness.
…
When you have so great a responsibility
(as to be able to be an approved servant of God and gain eternal life),
why are you wailing over an insignificant misfortune?
Come, put your trust in God and smile at the face of misfortune
so that it may also smile, for as it smiles, it lessens and changes.
(from the Sixth Letter, by Bediuzzaman)

Whereas oppressors who darken their lives with feelings of enmity, hatred, hostility, and revenge, continue to do so, sincere souls act like themselves; they try to ward off rancor with mildness. They make even the most merciless attacks ineffective with their smiles. They always display humane attitudes without becoming daunted or weary. Should they come face to face with misfortunes despite their efforts to avoid, they accept them as their share of the destiny’s justice as much as allowed by Divine mercy. They immediately gather themselves together, try to see their mistakes, and, make plans for an orderly life to attain a positive result and the pleasure of God.

Coming to those who have not discovered the real reasons for the things that happened, they sporadically look for the guilty in their surroundings, and from time to time they throw rocks at fate. They harm their relationship with God, as if they have at all, and constantly make mistakes. Thus they send invitations to different kinds of oppression with each new mistake.

Just as all these matters are true for individuals, they are in the same way true for all societies. Today, oppression follows oppression; the strong trample on the weak; those with power in their hands mercilessly attack those who do not. During this kind of assault, many innocent people are victimized. Many people die or become captives, and all these events take place in a way that makes hearts bleed in regard to their outer appearance. However, the matter is not like this at all when looked at from the perspective of fate. Yes, we do feel hurt at times, but justice manifests itself destiny unfolds over time. Yesterday’s oppressors are being punished today, and the oppressed and their loved ones are cooled and consoled by their belief in eternal happiness.

Yes, to date those oppressors have smashed everyone that came in their path and acted ruthlessly towards the innocent who disagree with them. They do not think that one day what they have done will no more be tolerated by God. Those who have been trod upon and put down by others were trying to soothe the pounding of their hearts because they could not do anything about the situation, only by referring it to God.

Years have passed like this as in the month of Muharram. Tears have flowed like the Ravan River, and eventually they rose to a point where God does not give any more respite for the oppressors nor for those who applauded them and took delight in what they did, and those who remained silent before injustice. “Those who flourish with oppression will end up in misery,” and history is full of hundreds of examples of this. Moreover, there is a day when everything, from needles to thread, will have to be accounted for. Alas for the oppressors on that day!

Now let us once again move on by referring everything to its Owner:

“If a tyrant has his tyranny, the victim has his God on his side,
It is easy to tyrannize people today; but tomorrow there will be God’s Council.”

Since its beginning, this world has been half in light and half in darkness. Those living in darkness today will walk in light in the near future, if they use well the dynamics entrusted to their wills. Those who sinfully polluted their time in the world will fall into darkness. Just as God punishes yesterday’s oppressors today, today’s tyrants will certainly get their just desserts soon.

Now what befalls us is to plead at night like birds at dawn and to push open the doors of heaven with sighs and groans. Who knows? Maybe problems that cannot be solved with arms one day will unexpectedly be resolved with tears and pleading to God. Otherwise, if we do not immediately turn to ourselves and activate our own values and dynamics, it is inevitable that we will continue for a long time to writhe in our deprivation. Yes, the lethargic ones and those giving themselves to comfort today are condemned to be the contemptible ones of tomorrow. Those who pass their lives without feelings and action will be helpless and confused when the trumpets of death begin to blow around them. They will be helpless, but what good will it do for those who lose opportunities in spring and summer to sigh and moan and feel remorse in winter? People should evaluate today so as not to say “if only” in the future, and they should try not to darken their tomorrows.

The answer was interesting and had deep meanings, but still left questions in my mind. The creatures were told: a new species will be created and arrive soon, and each member of this species will be equivalent and worthy of a whole species.

Those who asked the question were silent, suggesting they were satisfied with the answer. But I wondered how a single member of a species can be worth an entire species – and whether destroying a whole species for a new one can really be just.

Here, it was obvious to me that the new species that would be created is humans, and those condemned were the species who went extinct in ancient times, before humanity appeared on earth. This dream vaguely reminded me something that I read in the “Risale-i Nur Collection” by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi.

Bediuzzaman remarkably states that, “A human being is equivalent to a species of other creatures” (Zuhra – 4th point, Isharat al-I’jaz, and Mathnawi al-Nuriya). This line hadn’t really struck me until I had the dream about older creatures questioning this wisdom.

In this dream, those creatures were dinosaurs. I was not scared; they weren’t threatening with their question. They were fighting for their rights and trying to understand the glorious plan, and beyond.

It seemed to me a lovely coincidence that I had a visit to Washington coming up soon and had a chance to visit the National Museum of Natural History, where you can see well preserved remnants of various dinosaurs.

All of the dinosaurs went extinct long before the first human showed up. Dinos first walked on earth over 200 million years ago and dominated the earth until 66 million years ago. Their dominion on earth ended with the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction. According to fossil records, there were more than 1000 dinosaur species. Dinosaurs had different habits of eating, as some were herbivorous (plant-eating) and others were carnivorous (meat-eating), including fish-eaters and insectivores, and omnivores (including both animals and plants in their diets). We should be thankful that we never knew many of the carnivores like T-Rex, which measured up to 12m (40ft)! It’s obvious that we could not live on earth if T-Rex were still running around. For our arrival, their departure was necessary.

There is no doubt that the human species is very valuable from various aspects, but what puts each person on the same level with another species?

One of humanity’s great merits is our collective understanding. This collective consciousness can be more fully realized through the glasses of faith in God. With the window of faith, humans not only comprehend His speech, but are better attuned to their fellow living beings – and maybe even non-living creatures. Humans are like one who is that all-inclusive and hears all other things. Hence, we can grasp proofs of the most beautiful names of the Creator from the speeches of all creatures.

The light of such understanding in humans leads to an expansion and improvement in our soul. This makes our value high, our sight universal, and our ability to achieve to perfection limitless. On the other hand, many other species are limited in many aspects by their nature, sights, and capacity of perfection. According to religious texts, though humans and other species are valued differently on earth, the divide grows larger in the hereafter. While every human being is re-created with their names, features, matter, and manner, other species return back to the soil.

When you visit nature museum next time, try to listen what the fossils of extinct species tell you about their complaint. They were created for a purpose; they have finished their job and gone. They have done a fantastic job and flourished, while leaving us many petrol reservoirs. Though countless species have gone extinct, more than 1.6 million other species are still living on earth. Death is not an end; nowadays, they are trying to reach out to us and tell us their secrets. We’re expected to become the best fruit of this universe.

This dream made me think about how the ways that Allah could teach us is not limited to what we do when we are awake. Would you ever think that ancient extinct species would also need the lights of the everlasting speech of the All-Wise and All-Powerful, as explained by why a man could be equivalent and worthy of a species of another creature by Bediuzzaman?

Another lesson is that as we live in an oil dependent-century, we are counting on reservoirs that formed millions years ago by the remnants of ancient living beings; but just as we depend on them, ancient extinct species are also counting on us and expecting us to contemplate our purpose for being here, and to show that we’re worthy of being the most glorious fruit in the universe. As the All-wise make things with infinite wisdom, he sends oil to people of this century to help in technology and he also sends further mercy in the form of knowledgeable scholars to answer our questions.

Willpower is considered as one of the four basic elements of what we call the mechanism of conscience. As expressed by Bediuzzaman in a beautiful phrase, willpower is “one’s inclination or his or her practice in the direction of that inclination.” That is, it is a person’s resolution and performance when he or she is in a situation to prefer one of the alternatives they are presented. As a matter of fact, it is nothing more than an insignificant cause that was made a condition although it is not needed in the true sense of the word. And from this premise, it is disqualified from a connection one would seek between the cause and effect according to the principle of causality. It is no different than binding the enlightenment of all the world to a single touch on the button of an electric network, or that the destruction or construction of huge systems to be dependent on a breath of yours.

As clearly observed in the examples, there exists absoutely no association between the cause and effect. Indeed, under normal circumstances, that cause is impossible to bring about that effect. Accordingly, for Bediuzzaman the nature of willpower is relative and secondary, as other scholars of Islamic theology, kalam.

Then, how are we being tested with our willpower?

1. How does it come that such huge effects are reached by such a small entity (an inclination or a practice on that inclination)? A huge pine tree originates from a little seed and a brood comes out of an egg – or, more accurately, a tiny “organism of vitality.” All these are particular manifestations of God’s power or capability. The role our willpower has in effecting the deeds we have been performing, and the results of them – no matter how huge or grand they are – are identical to the role of the seed upon that huge tree, or of the tiny organism upon the brood. All these, in fact, are the indicators of the truth of “God is great.”

2. Whatever the essence of willpower is, we have to rely on it simply because God has built some particular affairs upon it. Indeed, God Almighty has built our future upon our willpower. That is, willpower, in a way, is like a plan or project in terms of our future. Due to this fact, it is important to maintain a balance regarding the true nature of willpower, by assigning no value to it, or by binding everything to its presence. Willpower is a relative entity. As God Almighty has built many things upon will power, we should not be deceived by looking at the smallness of willpower as opposed to the greatness of all the entities that are created and our willpower serves as an instrument to them. How we define our willpower, and thus conceptualize our future and especially our actions is a great test we sit for.

3. Using willpower within the reasonable limitations in the way God points out is also of great importance. If you do not give your willpower its full due, if you do not, or cannot use it properly, or if you do not cherish it by strengthening it – although you have been striving in the name of the values you defend, the probability of your falling into some mistakes will always be in question. To give an example, if you aim to serve your faith and in that direction you want to pour out to the streets, wage armed struggle, or get into political rivalry instead of good services, and fight with all the world, you have failed the test with your willpower. You will have failed because you do not take the template of the good example of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and his Age of Happiness; you disregard the circumstances of the age, the human condition, and the effect of willpower in all this.

We should utilize our willpower in the light of rationality and not forsake it to emotional traps; in contrast, we should always seek for means to consolidate our willpower. We should, for instance, unify it with our consciousness so that our heart is employed on behalf of our willpower. Thus, the test will be passed, particularly in matters pertaining to faith, worship, and charity work, for our willpower will be guided by the illuminating lights of divine knowledge.

4. We ought to accomplish the tasks falling upon our shoulders, and in no way interfere with manifestations of God’s Lordship. Yes, this is again a matter of willpower. Indeed, the fact that we apply to perform the deeds God shall actualize, is a matter exceeding our willpower. As another matter of fact, applying for things exceeding our power and abilities may lead us to fall into despair and fail the test, as a result. Bediuzzaman quotes aides of a great king who told him, on the way to battle, “You will win the victory!” The faithful king replied: “I am responsible for fighting against the enemy. To make me win or lose is God’s duty.” Actually, I do not know so well whether calling this a “duty” is right or not. But with Ustad top amongst them, many scholars of kalam have employed this term for God. But still, I prefer to use “manifestations of God’s Lordship.”

At that moment, such a question may come to your minds: “Are we not going to pass this test with our willpower again?” Yes, that is correct. Because of this, willpower should be ceaselessly strengthened. Prayer and appealing for pardon are two factors of vital importance. According to Bediuzzaman, “Asking forgiveness cuts off the root of one’s inclination to evil; prayer enhances one’s inclination to goodness.” Man essentially has been beset by an array of thoughts and by corporeal lust – such as eating, drinking, sleeping, getting up, and all other feelings. Humans are so surrounded by lust, that even just a single step could plunge a person into incredible depths of sin. In fact, to interpret the lust stated in the hadith merely as the attraction one feels for the opposite gender, as some people do, is not true. Here, lust bears a much more general and universal reference. In accordance with such a general and universal comment, gambling, drinking alcohol, and adultery are considered as varying dimensions of lust. If one is trapped by one of these variances of lust, he or she shall probably be hunted by his or her carnal soul, and one day he or she may totally become a slave to it. You see, begging for pardon against all of these shall become a spell cutting off any kind of evil and inclination towards evil.

To clarify a little bit further, we could say that the particular apology that shall cut off the inclination to evil requires a deep repentance for the sins of the past, preservation of the present legitimate path, a particular determined attitude towards the probable sins of the future, and resolution in that determination … Plus, one has to stress this resolution all the time; in other words, one ought to feel and sense his or her orientation towards God in his or her conscience to the fullest degree.

As of the prayer enhancing one’s inclination towards goodness, we may point out some verses from the Qur’an, like: “Your Lord has said: ‘Pray to Me, (and) I will answer you'” (40:60); “And when (O Messenger) My servants ask you about Me, then surely I am near: I answer the prayer of the suppliant when he prays to Me” (2:186).

In other words, God Almighty might mean something like, “my servants shall in no way fall in despair, as I am closer to them than their own carotid is; if they are not able to practice actual prayer, they may do it verbally; if they are still unable, they shall gravitate their hearts to Me; that is, if they are not satisfied with their verbal utterances, they may sail themselves away to the vastness of their consciences and recite something like, ‘O my beloved Lord! I have asked for Your help on that issue with 30–40 sentences. In fact, I am sure that I have not asked for so many things that must actually be asked from You, and that surely Prophets, the Purified souls, saints, the close and the distinguished ones have asked from You. I may have not known them, comprehended them, and asked for them. Now, I am taking all those holy wishes and prayers into consideration, and getting oriented towards You, with all my soul, one more time, touching the handle of Your Door of Mercy, and moaning.'”

Yes, we should keep our zeal as vast as possible, and should not go the door of our Lord as if going to someone lacking wealth or power. In contrast, we should go in with an air that we apply to the Owner of Infinite Wealth whose treasure would not be lessened even though He bestowed us a Paradise every day. Besides, as stated in a verse, “my Lord would not care for you were it not for your prayer” (25:77), one of the significant aspects of man is his or her orientation towards God by means of prayer.

Other practices of worship may not be as sincere as a sincere prayer or invocation, since they are open to hidden or apparent showing-off. And still some others may be practiced in a kind of compulsion within the frame of ostensible causes. A sincere prayer, indeed, is like a weapon man falls back on when all the causes in the physical world are exhausted. Causes are never appealed along prayers. In a way, it is closed to hidden or apparent kinds of showing-off. Thanks to prayer, man gets oriented to his or her beloved Lord in a particular place where no one else is present, opens his or her hands, lays him or herself flat for prostration, and keeps begging, and washing his or her prayer rug with tears. You see, it is this prayer said on this line that shall enhance the inclination to goodness; that is, that shall empower one’s will power in terms of doing good. In fact, God’s Messenger, peace and blessings be upon Him, begged forgiveness 70 or 100 times a day, according to varying reports. In all the phases of His blessed life, in different times and places, from the moment a rooster crowed to the time of putting on something new, He always prayed for each occasion.

Let us close with a poem by Yunus Emre:

So incapable has the cruel carnal soul made me,
It is unable to be saturated with joys of that world.
Its eyes are blinded by the shirt of unawareness,
It does not notice life is passing away.
O my Lord, how do you call those wearing the shirt of unawareness,
Do you indeed call those yielding to carnal soul as “believers”?
Those keeping earning but spending in vain
Unable to donate even a penny for God’s sake.
O my Lord, alert my eyes from unawareness,
so that I shall not be ashamed in your Divine Dwelling.
Yunus says, do listen to me and do what I say:
Those loving the world cannot find the Hereafter. 

The sun and the moon are by an exact calculation (of the All-Merciful) (55:5).
He has made the night for repose, and the sun and the moon a means for reckoning (the divisions of time). (6:96)
He it is Who has made the sun a radiant, illuminating light, and the moon a light reflected, and has determined for it stations, that you might know (how to compute) the number of the years and to measure (time). (10:5)
The number of the months, in God’s sight, is twelve, as determined and decreed by God on the day when He created the heavens and the earth (and set them moving in the present conditions). (9:36)
They ask you (O Messenger) about the new moons (because of the month of Ramadan). Say: “They are appointed times (markers) for the people (to determine time periods) and for the Pilgrimage.” (2:189)

The concept of time is not mentioned directly in the Qur’an. But there are numerous verses reporting a time period in which many words are repeatedly used to allude to it. “Age” (karn – plural: kurun), “month” (shahr), and “year” (sana, am, hijaj, and havlayn) are mentioned 20, 21, and 30 times respectively [1]. Regarding the concept of time, al-Taftazani says in his book Aqaidu’n Nasafi, “Time is used to describe things that have a beginning. Things that have a beginning depend on certain conditions. God is beyond all measurements and limitations” [2].

Islamic scholars divide time into two, “earthly-physical” and “spiritual-metaphysical,” and they describe current time as “psychological time,” “expanding time,” or “existential time.” According to Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, time is a mysterious coordinate that is in charge of regulating the material world and events. He describes biologic time as activity, growth, development, and speed: “However unmoving, constant, and static a clock outwardly appears, it is in a state of continuous movement in essence and inwardly. Likewise the world, which is a huge clock of the Divine Power, rolls or revolves unceasingly in continuous change and upheaval. Its two ‘hands’ of night and day show the passage of its seconds, and its ‘hands’ of years and centuries show the passage of its minutes and hours respectively. Time plunges the world into waves of decay and, leaving the past and future to non-existence, allows existence for the present only” (Twenty-Fifth Word, p. 455) [3].

From this conclusion of Bediuzzaman, we understand that different times are generated through perpetual flow of the heavenly bodies in space (moon, sun, planets and stars.) Bediuzzaman, in his evaluation of the metaphysical time, also states that all the existence in the universe, with their specific and suitable outfits obtained from the spiritual world, gains an image and flow in the river of time. He points to the fact that all beings continuously come from the future, arrive at current time for a rest, and join with the past, therefore allowing the formation of the time river: “What we call time, a mighty river flowing in creation, has a reality like everything else. Its reality is like the ink and pages of the writing of Power on the Tablet of Effacement and Reaffirmation. Only God knows the Unseen” (Tenth Letter, p. 59) [4]. Every moment of the reality of time is a stage of creation under the divine command of “Be, and it is” (Qur’an 2:117).

The creation of things and events in the present cosmos is initiated in the quantum world by the union of each particle to the existence in a chain of countless contingencies. The state before a matter enters the visible, sensible form (macroscopic state) is described, by Bediuzzaman, as the “sphere of contingency,” i.e. the realm of creation, while modern science names it as the quantum world and reality which is composed by n number of micro states in which contingent realities overlap.

The tablets (phases) that host the characteristic contingencies of creation via the instant transition of phases and increasing number of microstates are described as “the Tablet of Effacement and Reaffirmation [Lawh Mahw wa Ithbat])” by Bediuzzaman:

[T]hrough the Manifest Record’s dictates (namely, Divine Destiny’s decree and instruction), Divine Power uses particles to create or write the chain of beings, each link of which is a sign in the creation of things, on the metaphorical page of time (the Tablet of Effacement and Reaffirmation). Thus particles move because of that writing’s vibration and motion, which occurs while beings pass from the Unseen world to the manifest (material) world, from Knowledge to Power. The Tablet of Effacement and Reaffirmation is a slate for writing and erasing, an ever-changing notebook of the fixed and constant Supreme Preserved Tablet, and this latter Tablet’s notebook in the sphere of contingencies, where all things are unceasing manifestations of life and death, existence and ephemerality. This is the reality of time. What we call time, a mighty river flowing in creation, has a reality like everything else. Its reality is like the ink and pages of the writing of Power on the Tablet of Effacement and Reaffirmation. (Tenth Letter, Risale-i Nur Collection, pp. 58-59) [4]

In the Islamic philosophy of existence, the universe is represented as a book; the space-time union is as the union of pen and ink. The nature of existence and phenomena are explained with these representations.

The Preserved Tablet

Mentioned several times in the Qur’an, the Preserved Tablet (Imamun Mubin) and Manifest Record (Kitabun Mubin) (these are considered by some to refer to the same thing), encompass the present world with all its details and fineness, and each particle with their original and true forms that circulate within the infinite sphere of contingency. The transmission of registered events and particles in this book of knowledge through the sphere of contingency to the world of particles takes place in the Tablet of Effacement and Reaffirmation, or the quantum world that can be likened to a scratch pad. Phase transformations – the intercrossing of possible scenarios and overlapping representative images – here are not the reality itself but a variable, transitional, possible micro state reflection of it. The transition of the originals in the Supreme Preserved Book from a state of possibility to a present form, as from the spiritual to the material world, from unknown to the known, require particles to transform from one state to another (tahawwulat-i zarrat). These transitions of phases (vibrations) on the edges of the visible, determined world (space) generate the phenomenon of time. In fact, time follows creation in space (kawn). All of the images and the formations that are called existence in the cosmos are determiners of space.

In other words, space is a cosmos which transforms continuously from non-existence to existence. This way the universe becomes like a scratch pad and always new manifestations occur in the time river that flows through it. “Now is the time, now is the moment” is a mystical expression of this truth, which, for Ibn Arabi, is composed of a constant moment (an-i daim) and the true reality of time corresponds with the moment of manifestations of Divine Names over existence [5]. According to him, with the extreme power of Divine singular oneness over multiple beings, the earth gets terminated via the hand of non-existence every moment, because the existence of a world means that the non-existence of it has become a “moment.” This way, the Manifest One (al-Zahir) imposes His manifestation first on the hidden, then the Immanent One (al-Batin) imposes His immanence on the manifest; therefore the world continuously get terminated and created. At this stage, the Almighty wraps the current moment of things and events under His names the First (al-Awwal) and the Last (al-Akhir) into the past and the future. Later, the Manifest takes the authority, followed by the Immanent, allowing creation renewed until the doomsday.

Time, within its own relative nature, is thus a complex manifestation of the Divine names the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Immanent through the vibrations and movements of particles. The measurement of time is carried out over the movement and speed of the particles and objects. According to Ibn Arabi again, the continual renewal of similarities determined over time happens in such a way that as one thing gets terminated another similar thing (fractal) begins to get created instantaneously [5]. While, for instance, the color white disappears in the form of continual phase transitions, another white that is similar but not the same gets created. If an opposite black were to be created upon termination of the white color, this would disrupt the nature of the things. Existence and creation get renewed together, within the mysterious flow of time and the formation of space, every instant: “Every (moment of every) day, He is in a new manifestation (with all His Attributes and Names as the Divine Being)” (Qur’an 55:29).

Behind the fact that images are temporary and truth is eternal, stands the question of what the mysterious works of time and the reality of the matter really are. Every particle being created in the smallest frame of time, and therefore generating time and eventually flowing in this river that it has caused bears a wisdom of a divine law intertwined with a fine secret, a purpose that reads a universal meaning, an integrity among the opposites, existence in non-existence, and purpose in what seems to be without a purpose. There is no absurdity or anything that is against wisdom emerging from these states that rise as a result of deceptive conflict and limited willpower that seem as transforming, deforming, and dispersing formations and visual images in the sphere of contingencies. The expression of Imam Ghazali; “Nothing is better than what comes out of the sphere of contingencies,” is a beautiful declaration of the perfect wisdom and integrity of continual creation of all things in the page of the time.

References

1. Canan, Ibrahim. 2009. Islam’da Zaman Tanzimi [Time Management in Islam] Izmir: Akademi Yay. Third edition. p. 38.
2. Goodman, L. A. 1997. “Time in Islam,” Asian Philosophy, 2:1, 17.
3. Nursi, Bediuzzaman Said. 2010. The Words: The Reconstruction of Islamic Belief and Thought. NJ: The Light, Inc.
4. Nursi, Bediuzzaman Said. 2007. The Letters: Epistles on Islamic Thought, Belief, and Life. NJ: The Light, Inc.
5. Ibn-i Arabi. The Universal Tree and the Four Birds – Treatise on Unification (al-Ittihad al-kawni). Translated by Angela Jaffray. Anqa Publishing in association with Muhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society.

Man and the universe was created because of love and it can only be understood through love…

Love is a part of every being and a power which can resist and overcome every force…

Love is what elevates the souls which absorb it and prepares it for the journey to eternity…

of the dramatically fuelled experiences and emotions that Shakespeare had portrayed to his readers, of two youths trying to embrace their love for each other. A love that was never fulfilled, nonetheless, the story has touched so many that it is always made reference to when two individuals hold deep admiration for each other. Similar stories can be seen in many other cultures. It is said that Majnun’s love for Layla had moved mountains. Like Romeo, he too was never able to unite with his beloved. However, Romeo ended his life because he could not bear separation, whereas Majnun was fortunate in realising the “Source” of his love.

I guess it’s not the ending but the journey that one experiences with love that makes it worthwhile. There is an adage which states that “it is better to have loved and lost than to have not loved at all.” But is it really worth enduring all the challenges, despair and turmoil if at the end there is no union but only separation? Even if we don’t experience all the heartache and pain that the romantic pairs above had endured, is it not painful enough knowing that there will, one day, be an end to the union? Separated from the one for whom you have sacrificed so much for to be with, the one whom you have shared so much with. Separated from your hopes, your dreams, and the one that is your “true” love. Can a love that is finite be regarded as true?

I am finite, but I do not desire that which is finite
I am deficient, but I do not desire that which is insufficient
What I desire is an infinite Love…
(Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. The Words, 17th Word – Second Station)

For love to be regarded as true, we need to identify, acknowledge and accept the “Source” of love and direct that love back to this “Source.” For that Source is eternal, and just as important—and so is the unification. Love from the Source is planted like a seed into the heart of every human. Waiting to be watered with the drops of belief, it yearns to blossom into a flower manifesting itself through our actions and perceptions. For once the Source is known, we acknowledge that the love bestowed on us is an eternal reflection of His love for all.

I have fallen in love with all of creation, because of my love for the Creator.
(Yunus Emre)

When we have found our True Love, then no more pain or suffering is felt other than a deep desire to unite with the Source. Then the journey we experience and the affection we feel towards our loved ones (be it our partner, child, sibling, friend, etc.) becomes worthwhile and meaningful because we know that every separation is only temporary. We still feel the sorrow of separation; however, it draws us nearer to the True Source of love, which has been given to us as a blessing. The famous quote by Romeo, “Parting is such sweet sorrow, that I shall say good night till it be morrow,” transcends beyond corporal boundaries. We then come to realize and acknowledge the blessing of love as a Divine gift, thus, patiently seek and ask for reunification from the Source, to the Source.

For why would He have given us the need to want, if He did not want to give?
(Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. The Letters, 24th Letter – Fifth Point)

All lovers of the Source see the manifestations of His attributes throughout the universe and see the beauty in everything. Every petal on a flower, every drop in the ocean, every sparkle in the night sky and every tone of colour in a rainbow is contemplated and read as a letter from the Beloved. Just as the sunlight penetrates our flesh and gives warmth to our bodies, these eternal messages caress our souls and give us comfort. The unconditional love a mother has for her child; the support and console that one’s partner selflessly offers; the companionship of a dear friend or a sibling that is cherished are all Divinely instilled faculties and attributes which He has provisioned us with—and when viewed in this way, we are able to see His insignia throughout all of creation.

Those that see beauty in everything only think of beauty;
Those that only think of beauty taste the true pleasures of life.
(Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. The Letters, Seeds of Reality)

Despair transforms into hope, anguish into content, deceit into truth and honesty. We are all separated with our loved ones at one stage or another, but this is only temporary. This temporary separation awakens the senses to focus their attention on the Source and appreciate where the love originated from. Only the true Source of Love, God Almighty, Who is eternal and has bestowed the universe with dominical attraction, can answer our call for reunion. Just like the merciful drops of rain meeting with our parched lips or scorching sand, we will one day celebrate the joys of reunion.

All the roads have been barricaded; the travellers only see a mirage
Even if the travellers deny their journey, all paths lead to God.
(Anonymous)

When love is comprehended and experienced in this way, we then come to the realization that we (and everything else in the universe) have an association and connection with all of creation. We begin to recognize that this association or connection is gelled together by means of attraction; the attraction of celestial bodies within space, the attraction of rain drops to drought stricken land, the attraction of the genders—from the microcosm to the macrocosm. This perspective allows us to witness and comprehend the Creator’s Dominical Love over all things.

Now and then like the winds I blow
Now and then like the roads I go
Now and then like the floods I flow
Come, see what love has done to me.
(Yunus Emre)

Nowadays, forgetfulness has become a very common problem among both young and older people (Bambroo, 2010). There are various elements that lead to forgetfulness and poor memory; carelessness, not knowing the principles of memorization, and not using information are some of them (Tarhan, 2007). Therefore, the factors that cause weakness of memory are extremely critical. This article elucidates the causes of poor memory from emotional aspects such as depression, stress, and a confused mind as well as the behavioral aspects of alcohol and drug addiction, and alternative religious inspirations to help tackle the causes of bad memory.

Firstly, depression and a stressful lifestyle are deeply critical causes of bad memory and can lead to forgetfulness (Bambroo, 2010). Today depression has become a very common disease that can occur at any age. There are many reasons causing depression. Events like loss of a beloved person are usually accompanied by depression and result in problems with memory (MYLN, 2008). In addition, all negative emotions such as anxiety and anger can hamper the ability of our brains to remember. In particular, depression is the primary negative emotion to influence our memory because it interferes with our ability to concentrate (Edmonds, 2009). Some people might keep forgetting things, even though they need to concentrate to be able to work or study. Turning negative emotions that come from depression into a positive philosophy of life will aid the memorization ability.

Secondly, a confused mind is one of the most significant reasons for poor memory. Every day we get new information from everywhere, and we are exposed to more knowledge than we need. Even though some of them can be beneficial, most are useless to the effect that they dominate over the useful ones. Some scholars support the idea that mental pollution is one of the main reasons for poor memory nowadays (Gülen, 2007).

Next, some experts highlight that neglecting the emotional dimension is another reason for poor memory. A theater actor perfectly memorizes his role because he learns to pretend the emotions. Interest enhances emotional power, therefore it is said that interest is the teacher of learning. The left part of the brain does logical functions; however, the right part of the brain carries out emotional and artistic functions (Tarhan, 2007). In addition, Prof. Robert Ornstein, from the University of California, explains that people who use both parts of their brain in a balanced way, have five times more brain capacity than others (Tarhan, 2007). Therefore, using only the left hemisphere of the brain and neglecting emotions can result in having a weak memory, as well as forgetting information in a short time. For example, if we memorize five words without using emotional dimension, we can save them for a little time; however, if we create connections and acronyms among them or produce a story, these kinds of emotional aspects help us to save them for a long time.

Furthermore, alcohol and drug addiction can weaken the human memory. It has long been known that cannabis (an illegal drug, “marijuana,” made from the dried leaves and flowers of the hemp plant) causes memory loss by acting on the hippocampus, which is the area in the brain that rules most of our cognitive functions (Hood, 2009). Moreover, according to scientific research, heavy alcohol use clearly damages retrospective memory, namely, the learning, preservation, and recovery of previously presented materials (Buddy T., 2006). Furthermore, excessive alcohol consumption can result in blackouts-periods of temporary memory loss or amnesia. When a person consumes alcohol, the body immediately starts to break it down. The brain receives less oxygen when alcohol is present, and alcohol has a damaging effect on the central nervous system (Wellness Trader, 2010).

Religious inspirations, as well as religious life can help us cope with poor memory. According to Shatibi, an Andalusian Muslim scholar, there are five main purposes of the religions. They are protection of religion, protection of life, protection of progeny, protection of the mind, and protection of wealth. All religions and nations may observe these higher objectives (Shatibi, 1388). In this respect, all actions that might harm the mind are prohibited by Islam, and all activities that lead to the development of mind are recommended. Alcohol use and drug abuse are prohibited because they damage the mind. Moreover, the depression and stresses that often accompany modern day life can be overcome by remembering to place trust in God in every situation regardless if it is good or bad. As Bediuzzaman indicates “Those who attain true belief can challenge the universe, and in proportion to their belief’s strength, be relieved of the pressures of events. Relying on God, they travel safely through the mountainous waves of events in the ship of life. Having entrusted their burdens to the Absolutely Powerful One’s Hand of Power, they voyage through the world comfortably until their last day” (Nursi, 2010).

Hakan Coruh is a PhD student in Qur’anic exegesis at ACU National, Melbourne, Australia.

References

• Bambroo, C.J. (2010, May 10). Forgetfulness, a growing problem. Retrieved June 01, 2010, from http://www.hindustantimes.com.
• Buddy, T. (2006, July 09). Alcohol Damages Day-To-Day Memory Function. Retrieved June 01, 2010, from http://alcoholism.about.com.
• Edmonds, M. Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Memory. Retrieved June, 2009, from http://health.howstuffworks.com.
• Gülen, M. F. (2007, May 28). Mefluç Dimaglar ve Unutkanligin Reçetesi. Retrieved June 01, 2010, from http://www.herkul.org
• Hood, M. (2009, August 2). Pot shot: Scientists find cannabis trigger for forgetfulness. Retrieved June 01, 2010, from http://www.physorg.com.
• Mayda, A. (2010, January – February). Memory and Forgetfulness. The Fountain Magazine, Issue: 73, Retrieved June 01, 2010, from http://www.fountainmagazine.com.
• MYLN. (2008, December 2). 6 Ways To improve memory. Retrieved June 01, 2010, from http://www.manageyourlifenow.com.
• Nursi, Bediuzzaman Said. 2010. The Words, NJ: The Light, Inc., p. 330.
• Shatibi, E. Al Muvafakat. Al Maktaba Al Ticariyye Al Kubra, v: 2, p: 10.
• Tarhan, N. (2007, July 27). Beyin Sagligi ve Unutkanlik. Retrieved June 01, 2010, from http://www.aktuelpsikoloji.com.
• Wellness Trader Tm. (2010). Alcohol and Memory Loss. Retrieved June 01, 2010, from http://www.memory-loss.com.