The fifth branch is that of love and fear, worship and imitation of the Prophet. The addressee is first Nursi’s own soul, and secondly “his friend who loves the worldly life.” In the first statement, Nursi wants to direct the love of humans to Almighty God, who deserves the utmost love.

“Love is the universe’s raison d’tre, the bond between all things, the light and life of existence. Since we are the most comprehensive fruit of existence, a love so overflowing that it can invade the universe has been included in that fruit’s heart (its seed or core). One who deserves such an infinite love can only be one with infinite perfection”;¹ this is God.

According to Nursi, human nature has been endowed with two tools: love and fear. Both of these senses inevitably will be directed to the Creator or the created. Fear of the created or blind love of the created are both dreadful calamities according to Nursi; because people become afraid of people and created things that do not show mercy toward them. As for a love of creatures, Nursi explains that many of them do not understand love and do not acknowledge us. One may love a beautiful panorama, but the panorama does not acknowledge a person; one may love the stars of night, but the stars do not acknowledge a person. Many of these beloveds leave us without ever saying goodbye, like our youth or wealth-either they leave us, or we leave them.

According to Nursi, ninety-nine percent of lovers complain about their beloved. The reason for this is that the inner heart is a mirror of God, the Self-Sufficient Who needs no one and Whom everyone else needs. And the heart can only be satisfied with His love. After mentioning this, he makes his point as follows: “So turn your fear and love toward such a One so that your fear will be a pleasant humility and your love a happiness free of humiliation.”

For Nursi, to fear God means to take refuge in his mercy. Fear is a motivator that throws a person on God’s mercy just as a child, when threatened, takes refuge in the arms of their mother. “. . . maternal care and compassion for all living beings is only a ray from His Compassion.” If fear of God is so joyful, then how does the love of God compare? There is great joyfulness in the love of God. For Nursi, even the love of creatures is joyful since it is for His sake. “Only when you can assign that love to its rightful owner can you love, for His sake and as mirrors to Him, all things without pain or trouble. Such love must not be assigned directly to existence for the sake of existence itself. Otherwise, while being a most pleasurable Divine grace, this love will become a most painful ailment.”

According to Nursi, the human soul is prone to love itself above everyone and everything else. In fact, it should not do so; the soul does not deserve such a love, as it is not the source of the beauty of the universe. “Your intense self-love is nothing but your innate love for His ‘Essence’, which you unconsciously carry in yourself and wrongly appropriate for your self. Tear apart the ‘I’ in yourself and show the ‘He’.” Underneath your ego you will find God. “All the love you divide among other beings is nothing but the love implanted in your being for Him.”

For Nursi, the whole beauty of paradise, with all varieties of beauty, is the result of such a love from Him. “However, the universe cannot compensate for even one particular manifestation of His love. Given this, listen and obey the following eternal decree, which the Eternal, Beloved One made His beloved (Prophet Muhammad) declare: If you really love God, follow me [so] that God may love you (3:31).”

Although early Islamic mystics totally rejected love for the world, Nursi found a new way of interpreting the concept of love toward the world. He says, “The world has three faces.” The first two faces of the world are admirable and desirable. The first states that the world is a place where God’s names are reflected. The world is a place where a believer can contemplate them. The world is a fair for the exhibition of God’s names. From this perspective, the world is desirable. One has to think in order to understand God in this world.

The second state of the world, according to Nursi, can be understood by the analogy that the world is a field for the afterlife. This face is also desirable, since individuals must sow in order to reap for the afterlife. Without this world, there would be no results for actions in the afterlife. There would be no place to sow, and thus no fruit. By making such distinctions, Nursi gave a new interpretation of love toward the worldly life.

The third face of the world is the one that the Sufism avoids. This face, Nursi said, is the world as a place of entertainment for those who indulge in worldly desires. This is the face which all Sufis reject. By generalization, it is understood that all parts of the world were not desirable, and thus people generally chose to leave the world. People should not connect their hearts to this world. “It is necessary to abandon the world heartily, not physically.” People have to abandon the world from the heart, not the limbs. Individuals should not abandon their studies or other aspects that are necessary in this world for this life.

One said, “I love my life, I love my youth, I love spring, I love this world, I love all beautiful things. How can I leave all of these things for God?” Nursi says, in answer to this question, “However involuntary loving is, you can direct it to a certain object. For example, by convincing yourself that something beloved is ugly, or an obstacle to or only a mirror for an object worthy of true love, this feeling of love can be diverted to the true object of love.” Nursi thus says, “I do not tell you not to love what you have enumerated, but I tell you to love them in the name of God, and in the name of the love of God. Love the beautiful fruit as a bounty from God, the Merciful and Compassionate One. When you love this, you love the Merciful and the Giver of the Bounties, al-Mun’im. This love is a collective thankfulness. To love these things is good. Love your mother and father, because they helped you when you were young. When you love them in the name of God, your love for them, in fact, is love for God. When your parents are old, you love them more; thus one loves for the sake of God. Love your children in the name of God, as they are gifts from God. Be patient if they die, and do not be without hope; you should say that they were a gift from my Lord to me, and they were His creatures. . . He took them to a better place. If I had one share in them, He had a thousand shares.” It is thus important to submit to the will of God. Nursi says, “Life is the most beautiful bounty that God has given you. When you love your life, you should know that this life is a gift from God, and you love it in the name of God. Loving your spouse is a gift, and your love should not be based on apparent beauty, because when they are old, that beauty will not last. Love should not be based on physical beauty, but on spiritual beauty, or ethical beauty. This beauty continues to the end of life. The criterion of your love for them for the sake of God is that when they lose their physical beauty, they will need you more, and you will continue in your love for them.”

In this way, the world is a reflection of God, and by loving the world, one will be led to loving God. Nursi concludes this concept with the following statement, “Love the world and what is in it, with mana-i harfi;² that is to love it not for itself, but for God, and to say how beautifully it has been created, not how beautiful it is. Do not put the love of anything in the depths of your heart, because the innermost heart is the mirror of God, and it belongs to Him.” Nursi ends with this prayer, “O Lord, bestow upon us your love, and the love of things that make us close to you.”

Nursi also speaks of ubudiyya, or worship of God. According to him, when people pray they do not pray for future rewards, because as humans we have been given our reward. “Oh my soul, worship is not the beginning of future bounties; it is the result of previous ones. Yes, we have already received our wages. Accordingly, we are asked to worship and serve.”

Nursi says that our individual existence is a bounty, and being a human is another bounty-existence is pure goodness compared to non-existence. Food is also a bounty from God prepared for the needs of our stomach. The created world is another bounty which is adored through our eyes and ears. After mentioning this, Nursi says, “Oh my soul, you have already received this wage. You are asked to fulfill worship, which is joyful and easy for the body. Despite that, you are lazy. Even if you perform some kind of worship, you ask for something more, as if the previous bounties were not enough. And you even complain, asking why your prayer has not been accepted. Yes, your duty is not to complain, but to continue praying. Almighty God gives you Paradise and eternal bliss merely as a result of His Grace and Mercy. You constantly take refuge in His Mercy and Grace. Trust in Him and listen to His divine command. ‘Say, Oh Muhammad, let them be happy for what God has given them through His Grace and Mercy. That is better than what they have collected’” (10:58).

Nursi goes on to say that the one person’s worship is not enough to repay the bounties of God. Nursi quotes a saying of the Prophet, “the intention of a believer is higher than their action,” which means that, by performing an action, an individual may have a limited amount of worship, but by making an intention one can have a limitless amount of worship. When a person says in their daily prayers “O Lord, to you alone we worship and to you alone we ask for help,” they introduce the worship of all creatures to God. This makes the amount of worship limitless and makes them the representative of all creatures speaking and presenting their worship to God. Nursi refers to this statement, saying “O Lord, we glorify you with the glorification of all your creatures.”

Nursi finishes this section by restating the importance of love for God and not for the universe. He says, “If a human is deceived by indulging in the world of multiplicity through the love of the world and is drowned, they will most certainly suffer unlimited loss. They will execute themselves collectively. If humans raise their heads and listen to the language of the Qur’an through the ears of the heart and direct themselves to unity, they then can ascend the ladder of worship, approaching the throne of perfection and then can become an eternal human.”

Nursi believes that there are two paths in front of all individuals. On one path they can use this capacity of love for transient things and, in the end, will certainly lose. On the other path, they will be aware of their importance and their unlimited capacity of love and goodness and, being a candidate of eternal bliss, they will successfully, through their trust in God, gain it.

Finally, Nursi refers to Prophet Abraham’s story, as narrated in the Qur’an. In order to make his people see the truth, when he sees a star he says: “This is my lord (according to your claims).” When the star sets (fades), he says “I do not love those that set.” When he sees the Moon, he says “This is my lord (according to your claims).” When he finds it fading, it becomes obvious that it cannot be his lord. When he sees the Sun, he says “This is my lord; this is larger.” When it sets, he says “O, my people, I am innocent of what you associate (with God).” The Qur’an speaks of his famous statement, “I do not love those that set” (6:76). Nursi says, referring to this story, “O my soul, since the truth is this, and since you are from the nation of Abraham, peace be upon him, be like Abraham and say that I do not love those that set and turn your face to the eternal Beloved.”

Footnotes 

1. The quotes in this article are taken from the Turkish Sozler by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (Nesil Yayinlari, Istanbul: 1996) v. I, pp. 156-60; 292-93. For the English translation of the book see The Words, Nursi, S., Kaynak, Izmir:1997
2. Nursi refers to a grammatical rule in the Arabic lan- guage which indicates that a letter by itself has no meaning. In order to have a meaning it has to rely on something else. 

There are several verses in the Quran that outline very clearly why God created the universe and humankind. God was the only existence, and He wanted to be known, loved, and obeyed by intelligent beings that, unlike the angels, would have the free will to choose to worship God. Thus, God created the universe in which the human beings would dwell, multiply, and be subject to a life-long trial, lasting until Judgment Day when the universe would be destroyed, only to turn into a different realm for the Hereafter.

The human mind has the intellectual capacity to contemplate nature and to reach the conclusion that there has to be a Creator for this complexity to exist in such an orderly manner. Yet, how could we know the reason why God created the universe and humankind in particular? Islam recognizes three sources for the answers: the messengers, the scriptures (the Quran in particular), and the universe as ˜the book of signs. These sources explain that creation is a necessary manifestation and the purpose of this manifestation is for the creatures to know God, to love God, and to worship and obey God.

The Word Khalq (creation) and the Creator Al-Khaliq

The Arabic word khalq comes from the root kh-l-q and refers to the act of creation. Creation in Islamic terminology primarily signifies creating something from nothingness in accordance with the creatio ex nihilo (the doctrine of the theory of creation from nothingness). The ability to create belongs only and only to God, who is the al-Khaliq. He is the One Who creates from nothing, establishing at the same time the states, conditions, and the sustenance of all that He has created.1

Islam is built on the principal of the unity (tawhid) of God, which is prevalent in every aspect and practice of the religion. Since He is the only creator, the entire universe owes its existence to God; therefore He is the only one worthy of worship. Likewise, all Islamic principles are deduced by reason, are built on each other, and can be traced back to the fact that God is the Sole Creator.

Sustaining the Creation

The Creator not only has created, but also governs the world according to an order that issues from His Wisdom as well as His Will.2 Thus, Gods Hand is present in all things at all times, as is evident in the harmony and order of nature. The Quranic verse In Whose Hand is the dominion (malakut) of all things(23:88) explains this phenomenon clearly. Everything in the cosmos has a divine aspect to it, since everything was created and is sustained by the Divine One, and more particularly, because God breathed into everything His Divine Breath. Ibn ˜Arabi states that there is no property in the cosmos without a divine support and a lordly attribute.3

The very essence of the cosmos is the ˜Breath of the Compassionate (nafas al-Rahman) while cosmic forms and all that constitutes the order of nature emanate from the archetype realities and ultimately the Divine Essence Itself.4

Thus, Islam views each animate and inanimate being as sacred, as reflecting some aspect of God. Environmen-talism and humanism (in the sense of loving human beings because of the Creator) are innate to Islam due to this principle, and are manifest in Islamic literature and the practices of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

The Purpose of the Creation of the Universe

Islamic theology holds that creation is not without a purpose, rather it has a divine purpose. Numerous verses in the Quran urge humans to question and to observe the creation so that they can understand that it has not been and cannot be created in vain.

Not without purpose did We create heaven and earth and all between! That was the thought of the Unbelievers! But woe to the Unbelievers because of the Fire (of Hell)!(38:27)

“Did you, then, think that We created you in vain and that unto Us you will not be returned?” (23:115)

Gods intention in creating the universe is clearly outlined in the Quran and is centered on humanity. Numerous verses in the Quran explain how the whole universe, the heavens and the earth are arranged to provide for and to serve humanity (Quran: 2:22; 2:29). Thus the universe and everything within are subordinate to mankind, putting the responsibility on man to take care of nature, bringing us back to the environmentalism theme in Islam.

The universe has another, more essential role to play other than for serving humanity. Nature is a divine revelation reflecting and manifesting the Creator. In other words, the most important trait of the cosmos is its theophany. God has also designed it to be a book of signsfor humankind. Human beings may recognize Gods Majesty and comprehend His Divine Names by contemplating nature. As Esposito argues, nature, properly viewed, becomes a revealed book very much like the Quran is itself, composed of individual signs or miracles.5

Do they not look at the sky above them? How We have made it and adorned it, and there are no flaws in it?(50:6)

When viewed from this perspective, the universe takes on an entirely different meaning and becomes increasingly significant for man. The study of natural sciences becomes almost an act of worship, since it leads to knowledge of the Creator. God, in the above verses, urges humans to use the intelligence that He gave them. It is emphasized that we are given this intelligence (and were not created as a plant or an animal, with limited intelligence) so that we use it in the right way and recognize God. Early Muslims took up this command; both natural and social sciences flourished in the Muslim world for centuries in medieval times.

In one of the most well-known phrases on the subject of the purpose of creation, God conveyed through Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): I was a Hidden Treasure and I loved to be known, and so I created the world.6 God manifests His Treasures through His creation since He is a transcendent being that cannot be limited to time and space, and cannot be conceived directly. Also, Prophet Muhammads (pbuh) own words explain that the universe and its contents were created in order to make known the Creator, and to make known that good is to praise it.7 Both of these hadith refer to and require a being with free will and intelligence to know and praise God, which brings us to the core of the matter.

The Purpose of the Creation of Humankind

If the universe was created to serve humanity then what is the purpose of creation for humankind? There are three main reasons that are agreed upon by a wide range of scholars as to why God created humanity: to know God, to love God, and to worship God. All of the Prophets, the revealed scriptures and the universe, as the book of signs, serve as tools through which we know God. The reason for their existence is solely to guide humanity to recognize, acknowledge, and revere God as He deserves. Only after knowing God can we begin to love God in a more conscious and appreciative manner.

I have not created the jinn and mankind except to worship (ibaadah) Me(51:56).

Then the question takes on a new form; what is meant by serving God, or how does one serve God? The Arabic word used in this verse is ˜ibaadah, which translates into English as worship(origin weorthscipe, meaning honor). In this sense, all the prophets preached ˜ibaadah, conveying the message of what God wants human beings to do. In general, worship is defined as all those acts within the circle of halal8 (the acts do not have to be physical, even an intention can be counted as worship) done for the sake of God, to please Him.

Why does God want human beings to worship him by obeying Him and His Divine Laws? Without faith in ones heart, the immediate response to obedience and worship is ˜why does God need my worship? However, it is the human beings themselves who need the worship. Islam presents Divine Laws that guide all aspects of life by distinguishing right from wrong. The Creator alone knows best what is beneficial for His creation and what is not. The divine laws command and prohibit various acts and substances to protect the human spirit, human body and society from harm. In order for human beings to fulfill their potential by living righteous lives, they need to worship God through obedience to His commandments.9 Also, the underlying purpose of the regular acts of worship is to constantly remember God.

What follows is the trial, a concept common to all three monotheistic traditions, although in Islam it takes on a slightly different connotation (The Quran: 18:7; 67:2). Human beings will be held accountable for every single action they do in this life, good as well as bad. Since God provided humanity with guidelines (Divine scriptures) and Messengers and since He gave us intelligence and free will, without accountability and the Judgment Day, creation would be in vain.

He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six Days-and His Throne was over the waters – that He might try you, which of you is best in conduct(11:7)

God created the heavens and the earth in truth, so that every soul may be rewarded for what it has earned; and they shall not be wronged.(45:22).

The Vicegerency of Humanity

The optimal reason for the creation of humankind lies in the concept of vicegerency. What does it mean for humanity to be the vicegerent of God on earth? God called upon the whole of creation and informed them that He had a trust to offer. All of creation, including the mountains, refused to accept this challenging trust, all, that is, except humanity. Thus, humanity became Gods trustee on earth. There are varying arguments for the definition of the trust. Mawlavi claims that since the only unique trait that humans possess is free will and choice, then this must be the trust. There are several extremely clear verses in the Quran stating that God has appointed humanity as His vicegerent on earth.

It is He Who made you successors on the earth.(6:165)

Philips explains this long term cycle of the role of human beings as follows:

God created human beings with the potential to be good and evil. He implanted in man the desires that need to be controlled according to the Divine Law. God created human beings knowing that they would disobey Him. He thus taught them how to repent and purify themselves. The story of Adam and Eve is a prototype of the human beings repeated cycle. They forgot Gods commandment and were lured by Satan. They disobeyed God and afterwards repented and God forgave them.10

Conclusions to be drawn

The Quran outlines the appropriate chain of conclusions to draw after acknowledging God as the sole creator. Since God created existence and is the source of sustenance, then His creatures should live according to His Will. Thus, the Messengers and the revealed divine scriptures expound the right way of life for His creatures. God urges humans to use their intelligence and power of reasoning to contemplate the universe and the scriptures so that they can recognize and acknowledge Gods wonders. Awe for and thankfulness to God naturally follow, as existence depends only upon Him.

O people, worship your Lord Who has created you as well as those who came before you so that you may guard against evil.(2:21).

His being the creator is a central reason that he is deserving of worship for the entire universe owes its existence to him;11 therefore worship is a requirement of loving and acknowledging God. Also, Worship of him proceeds not merely from his gracious creative act in the past but from dependence upon him for existence at every instant of the present and the future.12

“And why should I not worship Him Who created me, and to Whom you shall be brought back?(36:22).

Conclusion

As is evident from the abundance of Quranic verses related to the creation process and the purpose of creation, God did not leave much room for interpretation nor did He leave this subject ambiguous. Since creation is not a divine comedy, humanity has to understand the reasons for its creation, thus enabling the purpose of creation to be fulfilled. The answer to the crucial question, ˜why have we been created? helps unfold numerous other religious and philosophical questions, thus it is an inclusive and important matter to study and comprehend in the context of Islam.

Conclusively, the purpose of creation can be summarized as follows: God was the only Being; He wanted to be known, loved, and obeyed by intelligent beings that would have the free will to choose to worship God. Creation was not a necessity, but a result of the Divine Will of God. We, as human beings, regard our lives as the most precious thing we have and we would do anything not to lose them. It is, therefore, His Mercy to have created us as human beings without even our knowledge, and also that He sustains us and makes it possible for us to enjoy this life. From this perspective, loving and worshipping God becomes more relevant and logical. 

Footnotes

1 Bayrak, Sheikh Tosun. The Name and The Named.Fons Vitae, 2000., p. 64.

2 Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Religion and The Order of Nature.Oxford University Press, 1996, p. 53.

3 Ibid, p. 61.

4 Ibid, p. 61.

5 Esposito, John. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World.Oxford University Press, 1995, p.474.

6 Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Ideals and Realities of Islam,ABC International Group, Chicago, 2000, p. 133.

7 Lings, Martin. Symbol and Archetype: A Study of the Meaning of Existence.Malta, Quinta Essentia, 1991, p. 1.

8 ˜Circle of halal is a phrase used to signify all those things, acts, and inten

tions that fall into the category of the permissible in Islam.

9 Philips, Abu Ameenah Bilal. Belief: The Purpose of Creation. www.viewislam.com/belief/purpose, p.3.

10 Ibid.

11 Esposito, John. The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Modern Islamic World.Oxford University Press, 1995, p. 472.

12 Ibid, p. 472.

References

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• Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Knowledge and the Sacred.Crossroads Publishing, New York, 1981.
• Nursi, Bediuzzaman Said. The Words: On the Nature and Purposes of Man, Life, and All Things.Sozler Publications, Turkey, 1992.
• Perry, Whithall. A Treasury of Traditional Wisdom.Quinta Essentia, United Kingdom, 1971.
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• Shariati, Ali. Man and Islam.Filinc Ltd, Texas, 1981.
• Ward, Keith. Religion and Creation.larendon Press, Oxford, 1996.