All of us want to be perfect. But how healthy is it to be a perfectionist? Reviewing Thomas Curran’s The Perfection Trap, Adam Sahin says we need a more balanced approach when we set goals for our lives. The pressure to appear flawless, Sahin reports from Flett and Hewitt, “especially when it comes from society at large – often goes hand in hand with anxiety and depression.” Social media comparisons make the situation more challenging with the constant flow of endless, amplified humbling options that inadvertently appear before our eyes. Sahin explains how widespread this vulnerability is, giving examples from some celebrities who had to pay a high price for their perfectionism. Also found in Sahin’s piece is important recommendations from Prophetic wisdom that emphasize humility, moderation, embracing fallibility, and compassion.

As a follow-up to the perfectionist trap mentioned above, when we look at certain events in the cosmos, we tend to think the universe is not so perfect at all. In the words of Fehmi Akbaba in this issue, “in everyday life, we observe this principle in the tendency of things to break down or decay: metal rusts, organisms age…” “machines wear out, and living things eventually die.” According to physicist and theologian Sir John Polkinghorne, “There are just so many more ways to be disordered than ordered.” Reflecting on the “eventual death of the solar system” and the extinction of the cosmos into “a dark, cold, and lifeless expanse,” one hardly finds any consolation. Akbaba offers in his “Traces of Divine Order in Cosmic Disorder” many convincing points to reason that “the cosmos has not been left to itself” and that the creation is “intentional and meaningful.”

Now a matter of political polarization, “diversity” is a phenomenon ingrained in nature and human life. Humans share about 99% of the same DNA, writes Kerem Yalcin, but “the remaining 1% accounts for a remarkable diversity in our traits and characteristics” and “how susceptible people are to different diseases.” Of course, lifestyle, nutrition, geographical location, and environmental influences are also important factors. In this issue, Yalcin explains the “All of Us” research program initiated to reduce a longstanding challenge in medicine: “the inequities in health outcomes and disease risk among different racial and social groups – commonly referred to as health disparities.” Yalcin hopes that the outcomes of this program “have the potential to improve healthcare accessibility and quality for individuals from all walks of life, reduce healthcare costs, and prevent disease before their onset.”

Reinforcing the idea of “All of Us,” Suleyman Tek writes on how teamwork can help us rise together. “When we work together with a shared purpose – whether in families, workplaces, or communities – not only do we achieve more, but we help lift one another up along the way.”

Seeing the order in the universe, rising together collectively, or being on the path of perfection without being a perfectionist – all of it rests firmly on the foundation of listening to one another, a topic extensively covered in the Lead Article.

Also, there is an infinite degree of differentiation and compounding within infinite profusion. For example, while seeds and roots exist under earth in extremely confused position, they are amazingly distinguished in growth, and like the particles of food entering the body in confusion being separated and shared out among organs and tissues with perfect measure and wisdom, the particles going into trees in confusion are distinguished and distributed among leaves, flowers and fruits. This shows the necessity of the existence of that absolutely Wise, Knowing and Powerful One and His Unity and the perfection of His Power. Also, it demonstrates the grandeur and perfection of His Lordship that, making the world of particles into a boundless, vast field, He sows and harvests it every moment with perfect wisdom and obtains fresh crops of different worlds from it, and causes those unconscious, powerless and ignorant particles to perform innumerable, systematic functions just as if they were extremely learned, conscious and capable.

Thus a large window is opened onto knowledge of God through these four ways, and they display the All-Wise Maker to the mind on a large scale.

Now you unhappy, heedless one! If you do not want to see Him in this way and recognize Him, free yourself of your reason so as to become like an animal and be saved!

The testimony of all the Prophets, upon them be peace, who are those with luminous spirits among mankind, based on their manifest and evident miracles, the testimony of all the saints, who are those distinguished with their illumined hearts, relying on their wonder-making and spiritual discoveries, and the testimony of all the purified scholars, who with their enlightened minds rely on their researches and quests for truth, to tie necessary existence and Unity of One, the Creator of all things, and the perfection of His Power, form a truly vast and enlightening window, through which the position of His Lordship shows itself continually.

O you helpless denier! Who do you rely on so that you do not heed those people? Or, by closing your eyes in the daytime, do you imagine the world to be in darkness?

The worship performed by all beings in the universe evidently demonstrates an Absolutely- Worshipped One. Those who penetrate the world of spirits and the inner dimension of things and meet with the angels and spirit beings, testify that all spirit beings and angels worship an Eternally- Worshipped One in perfect obedience, and all living beings are observed to be performing duties in perfect order in a manner resembling worship, and all inanimate things evidently render services with perfect submission in a like manner. As all this shows the necessary existence and Unity of a True Object of Worship, so too the true knowledge of all gnostics, which bears the weight of consensus, and the fruitful thanks of all the thankful, and the blessed recitations of all those who recite God’s Names, and the praises, which cause the increase of Divine bounties, of all those who praise God, and the pronouncements and descriptions of Divine Unity, based on decisive proofs, of all those who believe in it, and the true love of all lovers of God, and the true will and desires of all those who seek Him, and the earnest searching and inclinations of all those who turn to Him, all demonstrate the necessary existence and Unity of that Eternally-Worshipped One, the One Who is Recognized, Mentioned, Praised, One Beloved, Desired and Sought, and the perfection of His Lordship.

Also, the acceptable worship and supplications of perfected people, and the spiritual radiance, visions and illuminations resulting from them, again demonstrate the necessary existence and Unity of that Everlasting and Eternally-Worshipped One and the perfection of His Lordship.

Thus these three aspects open up a broad, light-giving window onto Divine Unity.

And He sends down water from the heaven and brings forth with it crops and fruits as provision for you, and He has made subject to you the ships so that they sail through the sea by His command, and He has made the rivers subject to you; and He has made subject to you the sun and the moon, both pursuing their courses, and He has made subject to you the night and the day; and He gives you of all that you ask Him. If you were to count God’s bounties, you could not enumerate them.

The mutual helping and solidarity of beings in the universe and the fact that they respond to one another’s call for assistance show that all creatures are trained by a single Instructor, are administered by a single Director, are at the disposal of a single Disposer, and are the servants of a single Master. For through a universal law of mutual helping, the sun cooks the things necessary for the lives of living beings on the earth by the command of the Lord, and the moon acts as a calendar, and light, air, water and sustenance hasten to the assistance of animate beings, and plants hasten to the assistance of animals, and animals and plants together hasten to the assistance of human beings, and even the members of the body hasten to the assistance of one another, and the particles of provision hasten to the assistance of the cells of the body. This most wise and generous mutual assistance among those unconscious beings, and their responding to one another’s needs and their supporting one another under a law of munificence and grace, a law of compassion and care and a principle of mercy, demonstrate, clearly and evidently, that they are the servants, officers, and creatures of a unique One of Unity, a peerless, Eternally- Besought-of-All, an Absolutely Powerful, Absolutely Knowledgeable, Absolutely Merciful and Compassionate, Absolutely Generous and Munificent, Necessarly-Existent One. So, 0 you who are bankrupt of good reasoning and sound judgement because of materialistic philosophy and scientism! How do you respond in the face of this mighty window? Can chance have a hand in this?

Also, there is an infinite degree of differentiation and compounding within infinite profusion. For example, while seeds and roots exist under earth in extremely confused position, they are amazingly distinguished in growth, and like the particles of food entering the body in confusion being separated and shared out among organs and tissues with perfect measure and wisdom, the particles going into trees in confusion are distinguished and distributed among leaves, flowers and fruits. This shows the necessity of the existence of that absolutely Wise, Knowing and Powerful One and His Unity and the perfection of His Power. Also, it demonstrates the grandeur and perfection of His Lordship that, making the world of particles into a boundless, vast field, He sows and harvests it every moment with perfect wisdom and obtains fresh crops of different worlds from it, and causes those unconscious, powerless and ignorant particles to perform innumerable, systematic functions just as if they were extremely learned, conscious and capable.

Thus a large window is opened onto knowledge of God through these four ways, and they display the All-Wise Maker to the mind on a large scale.

Now you unhappy, heedless one! If you do not want to see Him in this way and recognize Him, free yourself of your reason so as to become like an animal and be saved!

The testimony of all the Prophets, upon them be peace, who are those with luminous spirits among mankind, based on their manifest and evident miracles, the testimony of all the saints, who are those distinguished with their illumined hearts, relying on their wonder-making and spiritual discoveries, and the testimony of all the purified scholars, who with their enlightened minds rely on their researches and quests for truth, to the necessary existence and Unity of One, the Creator of all things, and the perfection of His Power, form a truly vast and enlightening window, through which the position of His Lordship shows itself continually.

O you helpless denier! Who do you rely on so that you do not heed those people? Or, by closing your eyes in the daytime, do you imagine the world to be in darkness?

The worship performed by all beings in the universe evidently demonstrates an Absolutely- Worshipped One. Those who penetrate the world of spirits and the inner dimension of things and meet with the angels and spirit beings, testify that all spirit beings and angels worship an Eternally- Worshipped One in perfect obedience, and all living beings are observed to be performing duties in perfect order in a manner resembling worship, and all inanimate things evidently render services with perfect submission in a like manner. As all this shows the necessary existence and Unity of a True Object of Worship, so too the true knowledge of all gnostics, which bears the weight of consensus, and the fruitful thanks of all the thankful, and the blessed recitations of all those who recite God’s Names, and the praises, which cause the increase of Divine bounties, of all those who praise God, and the pronouncements and descriptions of Divine Unity, based on decisive proofs, of all those who believe in it, and the true love of all lovers of God, and the true will and desires of all those who seek Him, and the earnest searching and inclinations of all those who turn to Him, all demonstrate the necessary existence and Unity of that Eternally-Worshipped One, the One Who is Recognized, Mentioned, Praised, One Beloved, Desired and Sought, and the perfection of His Lordship.

Also, the acceptable worship and supplications of perfected people, and the spiritual radiance, visions and illuminations resulting from them, again demonstrate the necessary existence and Unity of that Everlasting and Eternally-Worshipped One and the perfection of His Lordship.

Thus these three aspects open up a broad, light-giving window onto Divine Unity.

And He sends down water from the heaven and brings forth with it crops and fruits as provision for you, and He has made subject to you the ships so that they sail through the sea by His command, and He has made the rivers subject to you; and He has made subject to you the sun and the moon, both pursuing their courses, and He has made subject to you the night and the day; and He gives you of all that you ask Him. If you were to count God’s bounties, you could not enumerate them.

The mutual helping and solidarity of beings in the universe and the fact that they respond to one another’s call for assistance show that all creatures are trained by a single Instructor, are administered by a single Director, are at the disposal of a single Disposer, and are the servants of a single Master. For through a universal law of mutual helping, the sun cooks the things necessary for the lives of living beings on the earth by the command of the Lord, and the moon acts as a calendar, and light, air, water and sustenance hasten to the assistance of animate beings, and plants hasten to the assistance of animals, and animals and plants together hasten to the assistance of human beings, and even the members of the body hasten to the assistance of one another, and the particles of provision hasten to the assistance of the cells of the body. This most wise and generous mutual assistance among those unconscious beings, and their responding to one another’s needs and their supporting one another under a law of munificence and grace, a law of compassion and care and a principle of mercy, demonstrate, clearly and evidently, that they are the servants, officers, and creatures of a unique One of Unity, a peerless, Eternally- Besought-of-All, an Absolutely Powerful, Absolutely Knowledgeable, Absolutely Merciful and Compassionate, Absolutely Generous and Munificent, Necessarly-Existent One. So, 0 you who are bankrupt of good reasoning and sound judgement because of materialistic philosophy and scientism! How do you respond in the face of this mighty window? Can chance have a hand in this?

Biological systematics classifies animals according to its own standards. So far about two million animal species have been distinguished. Each species has distinguishing characteristics and study of a few members of a species gives us general information about the whole of that species. For example, study of a pigeon gives us general information about all birds from nightingales to eagles, from grebes to albatrosses.

Systematic study of a species reveals that the assertions of being more or less developed are of relative nature. Also, study of the general control mechanisms in animal bodies shows a relative complexity in their metabolic and, especially, hormonal and nervous systems from one-celled organisms to mammals. It is difficult to attribute this complexity to chance or coincidences. Determining an entity of such complexity and adaptive effectiveness requires an absolute knowledge, will and power.

The standards by which to determine the degrees of development for animals vary from species to species. For example, with respect to the sense of smelling, sharks, according to our present knowledge, are relatively the most developed among vertebrates. Compared with a shark which can smell a drop of blood in the sea from a distance of about 25,000 feet, man is very much less developed. If we judge the degree of development according to the sense of smell, in place of men or monkeys, sharks will be the first. Whereas, with respect to the sense of seeing, eagles are much more developed than sharks, as well as than men and monkeys. An eagle can see a rabbit on the ground from a height of about 6.000 feet. Also, a bat which catches its prey in the dark with its ultrasonic equipment and a rattlesnake which catches rats with its infra-red eyes are far more developed than human beings in their respective areas of specialization.

Supposing a man was to enter the world of flies, what would flies say about him? ‘How simple and undeveloped that being is! He does not know how to fly. Even with the planes he made, he cannot fly as perfectly as we do. We turn somersaults, alight wherever we wish and take off very easily. Even one-tenth of the subtleties of art in our wings is not to be found in his most elaborate devices. Despite his abilities, skills and knowledge, he is completely unable to make one wing such as ours!

Would it not be true for a honey-bee to say of us:

‘Those clumsy ones can draw with tools and only after calculations the hexagons that I can make so easily and exactly identical to one another. They cannot make so sweet and healing a substance as honey that I produce in great amounts.’ Again, should a microbe or virus not consider itself as more powerful or developed that man seeing that it can cause him to die? With respect to their ability to swim and live in water, are not fish more perfect or developed than us? But then animals living on land are surely more developed than fish in respect of the mechanisms enabling them to live on land.

When we consider the world of insects, we are amazed at the degree of social organization they have achieved: the solidarity in the social life of bees, ants and termites, the communication among them, the absolute obedience of the individual to the commands of the collectivity, and the fulfilment by each individual of its duties to the community- compels us to wonder whether insects or human beings are more developed in this respect. It is for this reason that some socio-biologists tend to think of a society of insects as if it were an individual organism, operated by a single brain, the individuals in the community functioning like separate cells within the larger single organism.

Those who classify creatures according to the complexity of their brain structure and faculties assert that the more complex a brain is, the more developed the animal. However, even though the weight of the brain or the ratio of brain weight to general body weight sometimes appears to confirm this assertion, it usually leads on to wrong conclusions. Those who argue that the mammals whose brains are smaller than the human brain are simpler than human beings, forget that the main difference between human beings and mammals lies in man’s memory and capacity of thinking and speaking, and that there are great differences among the intellectual capacities of human beings. Also, every human being is different from others in many ways-in character, ambitions, attitudes, etc. 

It is function which determines the form and type. That is, an architect does not determine the function of a building after he has built it. On the contrary, he builds the building according to the function it will serve. In the same way, the structural perfection of the human brain corresponds to its functional perfection. That is, man did not become man after he had acquired his brain capacity or complexity. Rather, he was given a brain according to his functions with respect to other creatures and to the duties he was expected to perform. Thinking, as evolutionists do, that brains in animals grew more complex and their ‘intellectual capacity’ increased in parallel with the line of evolution, means attributing all the intellectual faculties and activities like thinking, reasoning, imagination, speaking and so on, to the brain as a physical entity. This is the crudest sort of materialism and reduces man’s existence entirely to matter, rejecting the existence of the spirit and spiritual dimension of man. Also, it is not possible by this hypothesis to explain the differences among human beings in their intellectual capacities, desires, ambitions, and character. If it were possible to increase or strengthen man’s intellectual capacities by making him a bigger and heavier brain, rather than educating him, would it not be more reasonable to try to find ways of enlarging his brain or, as some assert, enabling him to use a greater part of his brain?

How can we regard it as simpler or ‘less evolved’ that in the cytoplasm of one-celled organisms many vital activities like digestion and excretion are carried out? As a small watch is usually more intricate and requires more artistry in its production than a big clock, it may well be said that one-celled animals are more complex or difficult to come about than large, multi-celled ones. Again, although it seems at first sight that the more the number of cells increases, the more complex the creature grows, no one can say that an elephant is more developed than a mouse. Both being classed as mammals, with respect to their bodily activities, one cannot be considered more developed or simpler or requiring more artistry than the other. This leads us to reflect on the following Qur’anic verses:

God does not disdain to coin even a gnat as a parable, or a larger creature. As for those who believe, they know that is the truth from their Lord. But those who unbeliever say, ‘What does God wish to teach by such a parable?’ He leads astray many thereby, and guides many. He leads astray only the corrupt. (al-Baqara, 2.26)

O mankind! A parable is set forth, so listen to it: Surely, those whom you invoke, apart from God, will never create a fly even if they combine together for the purpose. And if the fly took something from them they could not rescue it from it. Hence, weak are both the seeker and the sought! (al-Hajj, 22.73)

It is foolish to regard the bony scales of fish as simple while regarding the pituitary glands on the skin of frogs as developed and the scales of lizards as more developed and the feathers of birds as much more developed and the hair of mammals as the most developed. It is no more than a speculative assertion that those protective parts of the bodies of the animals mentioned evolved each from a simpler one by chance. Is it not more reasonable to accept that each species of animals was given a particular body with its particular parts and systems according to the function it would serve among creatures and the environmental conditions to which it would be best adapted and adaptable?

Every thing, every being in existence displays God’s Unity as a most manifest truth. For example, of the innumerable arguments for His existence and Unity, consider life: He makes everything out of one thing and makes one thing out of many things. He makes the countless members and systems of the animal body out of fertilizing sperm-bearing fluid and also out of simple water which is drunk. Thus, to make out of one thing everything is surely the work of an Absolutely All-Powerful One. Also, One Who transforms with perfect orderliness numerous substances contained in innumerably diverse kinds of vegetable or animal food into particular bodies, weaving from them a unique skin for each, and various members of the body, is surely an All-Powerful and Absolutely All- Knowing One.

Second argument

If you consider air, you can also see His undeniable Unity. Air is a marvellous conductor: it conducts innumerable sounds, voices, images and other things like lightning, etc. It conducts all at the same instant without the least confusion and one without hindering the other. This explicitly shows that there is One, without any partners whatsoever, Who has created all things according to His Wisdom and controls and administers them.

Third argument

The universe resembles a tree, which has grown from a seed containing the program of the future full form of the tree. So, all things in the universe are closely interrelated with one another. Each particle in the body, for example, a particle in the pupil of the eye, has relations with the eye itself, as well as with the head, and the powers of reproduction, attraction and repulsion, with the veins and arteries, and with other veins, and motor and sensory nerves, which serve the circulation of blood and the working of the body, and with the rest of the body, and it has also duties in relation to each. This evidently shows one who is not blind that the whole of the body, including every particle, is a work of an Eternal, All-Powerful One and operates under His command.

A molecule of air may visit any flower and any fruit. It may also enter into it and work within it. If it were not subjugated to, and working under, the command of an Absolutely All-Powerful One, that wandering molecule of air would have to know all the systems and structures of all flowers and fruits and how they are formed down to their peripheric lines. So that molecule does, therefore, show the rays of a light of Divine Unity like a sun. You may compare light, earth, and water with air.

In any event, the original sources of things which, according to science, are hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen, are the components of earth, air, water, and light.

The seeds of all flowering and fruit-bearing plants are the same in composition: they are all composed of carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen. They only differ on account of and in respect of the program of their progenitor, deposited in them by Divine Destiny. If we put the seeds of various flowering and fruit-bearing plants one after another in a flower-pot filled with earth, which is composed of particular or certain elements, each plant will appear in the wonderful form and shape, the amazing members, peculiar to it. If those particles were not subjugated to, and under the command of, One Who knows each thing with all its features, structures, and life-cycles, and the conditions of its life, and is capable of endowing everything with a being suitable to it and everything necessary for it, and to Whose Power everything is subjected without the least resistance, then either there would have to be in each particle of the earth ‘immaterial factories’ determining all the future lives of the plants, and workshops to the number of all the flowering and fruit-bearing plants, so that each could be the origin for all those various beings, differing in form, taste, colour, and members, or each of those plants should have an all-encompassing knowledge and a power capable of forming themselves. That means, if the connection of beings with Almighty God is severed, then it becomes necessary to accept gods to the number of the particles in the earth. This is the most inconceivable of superstitions.

Also, in each particle are two further true witnesses to the necessary existence and Unity of the Maker: despite its absolute powerlessness, each particle is able to do a great variety of significant duties, and despite its lifelessness, by acting in conformity with the universal order, each particle displays a universal consciousness. That means, each particle testifies, through its impotence, to the necessary existence of the Absolutely All-Powerful One, and through acting in conformity with the order of the universe, to His Unity.

Fourth argument

Out of the living creatures, a human being, for instance, is plainly a miniature of the universe, and a fruit of the tree of creation or the universe and a seed of this world, such that he comprises samples of most species of beings. It is as if that living being is a drop distilled from the whole universe with the most subtle and sensitive balance. That means, to create this living being and be the Lord over him requires having a free disposal of the whole universe.

Thus, one who is not lost in fancies and delusions will understand that to make, for example, a honeybee, a sort of small index of most things, and to inscribe, for example, in man, most features of the universe, and to include in one point, for example, in a tiny fig seed, the program of the whole fig tree, and to exhibit, for example, in man’s heart, the works of all the Divine Names which are manifest throughout the universe, and to record in the human memory, which is situated in a place the size of a lentil, ‘writings’ enough to fill a library, and to include in it a detailed index of all the events in the cosmos, is most certainly a stamp unique to the Creator of all things and the All-Majestic Lord of the universe.

Fifth argument

Life in the whole of the universe displays a symphony of mutual helping. Just like the members, organs and systems, even cells, of a living animal body, all parts of the universe support and help one another. For example, for a single apple to come into existence, air, water, earth, the sun, even all the parts of the universe, give hand in hand and co-operate. Like the components of a factory or the building blocks of a palace, creatures support one another, come to one another’s aid and co-operate to meet one another’s needs. In a perfect orderliness they all work together. Joining efforts, they serve living beings. Elements in earth come to the aid of plants: they serve their coming into existence and maintaining their lives. Most animals live on plants and man lives on plants and animals. Thus, elements form the basic foundation of the physical constitution of living beings.

Acting in accordance with the rule of mutual assistance which is in force in the whole universe-from the sun and moon, night and day, winter and summer, to plants coming to the aid of needy and hungry animals, and animals hastening to the help of weak, needy men, and even nutritious substances rushing to the help of delicate, helpless infants, and fruits, and particles of food, moving to assist the cells of the body-they demonstrate to anyone who is not altogether blind that they are acting through the power of a single, Most Munificent Upbringer, and at the command of a single, Most Wise Administrator.

Sixth argument

The universal providence and favour included in the universal wisdom which is clearly apparent in the purposeful creation of things, and the comprehensive mercy evident from the providence, and the universal sustenance required by that mercy in order to provide all living beings with the food they need, form a seal of Divine Unity so brilliant that anyone who has not altogether lost his power of sight and reasoning will see and understand it.

Like an individual being in need of sustenance to maintain its life, we see that all the beings in the world, especially the living beings, whether universal or particular, wholes or parts, have many demands and needs, material and otherwise, for their existence, lives, and the maintenance of their lives. They need such things that although they are unable to obtain the least of them, we see that all their requirements, their material and immaterial sustenance, are met for them in a way and from a place unexpected, and with perfect order, at the appropriate time, in a suitable fashion, with perfect wisdom. Does this want and need of creatures and this way of help and assistance from the Unseen not show as clearly as the sun an All-Wise Nurturer of Majesty, an All-Compassionate Provider of Grace?

Seventh argument

Consider the sun: from the planets to drops of water, to fragments of glass and sparkling snow-flakes, a radiant effect particular to the sun is apparent. If you do not accept the tiny suns apparent in these innumerable things to be the manifestations of the sun’s ref lection, then you will have to countenance the absurdity of accepting the actual existence of a sun in each drop of water, and in each fragment of glass and transparent object facing the light of the sun.

If the images or reflections of the sun in drops of water and fragments of glass and various colours in flowers are not attributed to the sun, then it will be necessary to accept the existence of innumerable suns in place of the one sun, which is an utterly inconceivable superstition. In just the same way, if everything in the universe is not attributed to One God, the Absolutely All-Powerful One, it will be necessary to accept, in place of One God, as many gods as the particles in the universe. This will mean falling to the degree of accepting a hundred-fold inconceivability.

Eighth argument

God raises to life in spring and summer hundreds of thousands of species of plants and animals with complete differentiation and specification and perfect orderliness and separation amid infinite intermingling and confusion. He ‘inscribes’ on the face of the earth the individual members of hundreds of thousands of different species all together without fault, forgetting, mistake or deficiency, and in most well-balanced, well-proportioned, well-ordered and perfect fashion. This evidently points to One of Majesty, an All-Powerful One of Perfection, an All-Wise One of Grace and Beauty, One Who has an infinite Power, all-encompassing Knowledge, and a Will capable of governing the whole universe.

Also, consider amazing Divine operations on the face of the earth in spring and summer. For that activity is absolutely extensive, and alongside its extensiveness absolutely speedy, and alongside its speed, absolutely liberal or generous, and alongside its liberality, done in absolute orderliness, a most perfect beauty of art and in a most perfect form of creation. Therefore, it is such a seal that only One with an infinite knowledge and boundless power can own it. That seal certainly belongs to One Who, although He is nowhere, is all-present and all-seeing, everywhere. Nothing is hidden from Him, nor difficult for him. With respect to His Power, particles and stars are equal.

Ninth Argument

Seeds sown in a field show that both the field and the seeds are under the disposal of one who owns both. Likewise, the fundamental elements of life-like air, water and earth-being universal and present everywhere despite their simplicity, and each being of the same nature everywhere, and the plants and animals being found everywhere despite their essentially similar nature vis vis the diverse conditions of life, show that they are under the disposal of a single miracle-displaying Maker in such a fashion that every flower, every fruit, and every animal is a stamp, a seal, a signature of that Maker. Wherever they are found, each proclaims in the tongue of its being: Whoever’s stamp I bear, this location is also of His making. Whoever’s seal I carry, this place is a missive of His also. Whoever’s signature I indicate, this land is also of His weaving.’ That means, only the one who holds all the elements in the grasp of his power can own and sustain the least of creatures, and anyone who is not blind can see that only one who exercises lordship over all plants and animals can own, sustain, and govern the simplest one of them.

Truly, in the tongue of similarity to other individuals, each individual being says: ‘Only one who owns my species can be the owner of me, otherwise not.’ In the tongue of spreading over the face of the earth together with other species, each species says: ‘Only one who owns the whole face of the earth can be our owner, otherwise not.’ In the tongue of being bound to the sun, together with other planets, and of its mutual relations with the heavens, the earth says: ‘Only one who owns all these can be my owner, otherwise not.’ Supposing apples were conscious and someone were to say to one among them, ‘You are my work of art’, that apple would scold him, saying: ‘Be silent! If you are capable of forming all the apples on the earth, rather if you have a free disposal over all the fruit-bearing trees spread over the earth, and all the gifts of the All-Merciful One proceeding from the treasury of Mercy in shiploads, only then can you claim Lordship over me.’

Tenth argument

As explained above, since the countless fruits of a tree depend on one law of growth from one centre, they are as easy and cheap to raise as one single fruit. In other words, the multiplicity of centres requires for a single fruit as much hardship, expenditure, and equipment as for the whole of the tree, as to manufacture the military equipment necessary for a single soldier all the factories required for the whole army are necessary. That means, when a single result related to numerous individuals is dependent on a multiplicity of centres, as many difficulties as the number of the individuals involved arise. Thus, the extraordinary ease clearly seen in all species arises from unity.

The correspondence and similarity in basic members between all the individuals of a species, and all the divisions of a genus, proves that they are the works of a single Maker, as they are ‘inscribed’ with the same Pen and the seal on them is also one and the same. Also, the absolute facility observed in their coming into existence, the lack of difficulty, requires, to the degree of being necessary and inevitable, that they are the works of One Maker. Otherwise difficulties to the degree of making their existence impossible would doom that genus and that species to non-existence.

To conclude: When attributed to Almighty God, all things become as easy as a single thing, while if they are ascribed to causes, a single thing becomes as difficult as everything. Since this is so, the extraordinary cheapness and facility observed in the universe and endless abundance before our eyes display the stamp of Unity like the sun. If these fruits which we obtain in such plenty and for so little cost were not the property of the One of Unity, even if we gave the whole world in payment, we would not have a single pomegranate to eat, since it requires the purposeful and conscious cooperation of as many and universal elements as earth, air, water, and the light and heat of the sun, an the seed, which are all unconscious and act at the disposal of a Single Maker, Who is Almighty God. The cost of a single pomegranate or any other fruit is the whole universe.

Eleventh argument

Just as life, which manifests the Divine Grace, is an argument and proof for Divine Unity, indeed even a sort of manifestation of Divine Unity, so too, death, which manifests the Divine Majesty, is an argument and proof for Divine Oneness.

For example-God’s is the highest comparison-by showing the sun’s image and light, and its reflection, the bubbles on a mighty river sparkling in the sun, and transparent objects glistening on the face of the earth, testify to the existence of the sun. Despite the occasional disappearance of the sparkling bubbles on the flowing river (for example when it passes under a bridge), the splendid continuation of the sun’s manifestations and the uninterrupted display of its light on the successive troops of bubbles bears decisive witness that the little images of the sun, the lights that appear and then disappear, sparkle and die away, and then are renewed, are evidence of an enduring, perpetual, single sun, which continues to manifest itself from on high. Therefore, those sparkling bubbles which through their appearance demonstrate the existence of the sun, display its continuation and unity through their disappearance and extinction.

In just the same way, these beings that are in a continuous flux testify through their existence and life to the necessary existence and Oneness of the Necessarily Existent Being. They testify to His Unity, eternity and permanence through their decay and death. Truly, just as the beautiful, delicate creatures that are renewed and recruited along with the alternation of day and night, and summer and winter, and the passage of centuries and ages, certainly show the existence, Unity and permanence of an elevated, everlasting One with a continuous display of beauty, so too, the decay and death of those creatures together with the apparent causes for their lives. demonstrates that the (material or natural) causes are nothing other than a mere veil. This is a fact which decisively proves that these arts, these inscriptions, these manifestations, are the constantly renewed arts, the changing inscriptions, the moving mirrors of an All-Beautiful One of Majesty.

Twelfth argument

For example, the perfect design and adornments of a perfect palace show behind them the perfection of a master-builder’s acts. The perfection of the acts shows the perfection of that eminent builder’s titles, which specify his rank. The perfection of the titles show the perfection of the builder’s attributes which are the origin of his art. The perfection of the art and attributes show the perfection of the abilities and essential capacity of that master. The perfection of those essential abilities and capacity show the perfection of the essential nature of the master.

In just the same way, these faultless works observed in the universe, this art in the well-ordered beings of the universe, point evidently to the perfection of the acts of an Effective, Powerful Agent. The perfection of those acts clearly point to the perfection of that Majestic Agent’s Names. That perfection necessarily points and testifies to the perfection of the Attributes of the Majestic One known by the Names. The perfection of the Attributes certainly points and testifies to the perfection of the essential capacity and qualities of the Perfect One qualified by those attributes. The perfection of the essential capacity and qualities point with such absolute certainty to the perfection of the One having such capacity and qualities that all the types of perfections observed throughout the universe are but the signs of His Perfection, hints of His Majesty, and allusions to His Beauty, in the forms of pale, weak shadows in comparison with His Perfect Reality.

From The 22nd Word by Said Nursi 

All praise be to the Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings be upon the master of the Messengers, and upon all his family arid Companions. Let all witnesses and all the witnessed witness that I bear witness that there is no god but God, Whose necessary existence and perfect attributes, and also Whose Oneness, Unity, Singularity and being the Eternally Besought-of-All, are decisively established by the following arguments:

Now give ear to the explanation of these languages:

1. As a whole and with all its parts, the universe displays an evident order and an extraordinary solidarity among all its individual parts. This order and solidarity point to the necessary existence of Him in Whose hand of power the universe is and bears witness in the tongue of this universal order to the fact that God, there is no god but He.

2. In the universe everything is so exactly measured and proportioned that it announces that God, there is no god but He Who has set this measure and made all things in admirable proportions and exactly commensurate with one another.

3. The harmony and precise arrangement in the ‘house’ of the universe, and the regularity of its working show that it is impossible for numerous different hands to interfere in it, and announces in the language of this harmony, arrangement and regularity that God, there is no god but He.

4. The art and design exhibited in this ‘house’ of the universe point to the fact that the one who has designed and decorated the house is also its owner, and testifies in the language of this art and design that God, there is no god but He.

5. The perfection of the art which the Pen of Destiny displays in everything according to the capacity of each shows that the Pen is one and announces that God, there is no god but He.

6. The mutual relationship between all things in the universe and faultless artistry displayed in each demonstrate that the one who has inscribed the page of the sky with stars and suns is he who inscribes the pages of the honeybee and ant with their cells. In the language of all creatures in it the universe bears witness that God, there is no god but He.

7. We observe in the universe that even the inanimate objects, no matter how distant they are from one another, come to the aid of one another for wise purposes. For example, [vaporizing waters come down onto the earth to ‘revive’ it, and] corn and fruits become the sustenance of human cells. In the language of this mutual assistance the universe bears witness that God, there is no god but He.

8. As between the sun arid the planets, which are its ‘fruits’, there is a solidarity among different, distant objects in the universe. This solidarity shows that whatever is in the universe is under the command and disposition of only one being and in the language of this solidarity, the universe testifies that God, there is no god but He.

9. The resemblance among certain things, among the stars of the heavens, for example, is another language in which the universe proclaims that God, there is no god but He.

10. The proportion among certain other things, as, for example, among the flowers of the earth, demonstrates that whatever is in the universe belongs to the same Owner and is under the disposition of the same power. In the language of this proportion, the universe testifies that God, there is no god but He.

11. Every living thing in the universe receives the manifestations of numerous Names. [For example, the Names the Creator, the Shaper, the All-Seeing, the All-Hearing, the Arranger, the Provider, the Sustainer, the All-Healing and many other Names manifest on the same being.] Like the seven colours in the light of the sun, these Names have each its own beauty and imprints but they work to the same effect in each individual thing, including even cells. This shows that the One Who has these Names is the one and same being. That is, the All-Living Creator of something is also its Shaper, Provider and Sustainer, and the One Who provides something is the creator of the sources of provision, and its Creator is He Who has dominion over every thing. This reality opens a window on the necessary existence and Unity of the One called by the Names mentioned, and in the language of every living thing the universe testifies that God, there is no god but He.

12. The connection among all things, the connection between, for example, the eyes of the honeybee and ant and the sun and the solar system, shows that both are the designs of a single designer and in the language of this connection the universe bears witness that God, there is no god but He.

13. The indispensable relation among the parts of each thing and things themselves, down to that between the least and the largest, like that between the eyes of an ant or honeybee and the sun, demonstrates that everything is the work of a single maker. In the language of this relation the universe testifies that God, there is no god but He.

14. The ‘brotherhood’ between the gravitation among the minutest particles and atoms of an individual thing and the general gravitation between stars and suns is indicative of the fact that both are the ‘inscriptions’ of a single pen, the texture of a single weaver, the rays from a single ‘sun’. This shows the necessity of Divine existence and Unity and in this language the universe bears witness that God, there is no god but He.

15. All the minutest particles or atoms in compounds and then compounds within one another are placed each in its exact position and according to such delicate calculations that, for example, any atom or particle in an eye is interrelated with the other atoms in the eye and all the systems and cells of the body. This necessarily demonstrates that the creator of the eye with all its atoms and the body and the eye of the world-the sun- and their positioner is the creator of all compounds in the universe. Thus, in the language of all the minutest particles and their positions and tasks, the universe bears witness that God, there is no god but He.

16. The comprehensive disposition of the power of a species and the wide distribution of certain species like angels and fish indicate that the creator of a single individual being is also the creator of the species. The pen which draws the lines of, say, Jack’s face and thus identifies or individualizes him, has to be able to see all the faces together at the same time before it so that it could determine the distinguishing features of each. Otherwise individualization would be impossible and confusions would appear. This requires that the creator of an individual should be the creator of the family and species. The universe testifies in this language that God, there is no god but He.

17. Those with defective view and reasoning may regard it as impossible for a single being to have created all things and therefore are misguided into denying the existence and Oneness of the Creator. Whereas the attribution of things to nature or to themselves or to material causes or to such notions as chance and necessity makes the existence of things infinitely improbable or impossible.

The creation of many things by a single one is much easier than the creation of a single thing by many ‘creators’. The interference of many ‘blind’ hands in the production of a thing is of no more use than increasing ‘blindness’. If, for example, a honeybee is not attributed to the power of a necessarily existent being, then whatever is in the heavens and on the earth should have participated in its existence. If the existence of a minute particle or a single hair is attributed to other than a necessarily existent being, to material causes, for example, it would be as difficult as the existence of mountains. The organization and direction of a company by a single commander is much easier than its direction by the soldiers themselves or many commanders. Also, everyone judges the shower of water sprinkled [on the flowers in a garden] to be shooting from a sprinkler. All the lines ending on the circumference of a circle originates from a single centre. Each of such results can easily be obtained with a few acts of a single being.

18. The apparent material causes, like bread and milk for satisfaction of hunger, are simple, limited in time and place and quantity subject to disappearance or death, changeable, have no consciousness and will, and most of them are subject to ‘laws’ which have only nominal, not material, existence and which are perceived only after the effects are brought about. When compared to their causes, the effects are extremely extraordinary and display splendid artistry For example, the formation of cells and their relations with one another and the whole of the body are so complex and extraordinary that they require much more knowledge, much greater skills, much more comprehensive will and much vaster power than are disposed by the whole population of the world. Therefore, they can be explained with neither the food given nor the working of the unconscious and ignorant body.

Also, with what can the human memory be explained? It is like a copy of a person’s life which the Hand of Power reproduces and gives to his hand so that he may remember all his deeds at the time of reckoning and be convinced that there is a permanent life behind the disturbances of this life. The All-Knowing One arranges things and events in it without any confusion despite their utmost intricacy and confusion. Again, human faculties like reflection, reasoning, thinking and speech and their operation can never be attributed to or explained by some systems and organs and their movements. [As is known, although created from and nourished by the same elements and formed of the same constituents, human beings are infinitely different in features, characters, desires, capacities, likes and dislikes, speech, etc.] Therefore, both these faculties or powers and the systems and organs can only be the work of one with an infinite power, knowledge and will and the real agent in the universe can only be a creator with a boundless power.

19. The wonderful works of a universal, perfect art and the utmost care shown in these works require a limitless power; not only these works but also each part of them demands this power.

This points to the fact that this universe has an All Powerful Creator, there are no limits to the manifestations to His Power. Since It is infinite, It is absolutely independent of having partners and It does not need them at all.Partnership with something infinite is inconceivable, as it means limiting It. Divinity does not accept limitation and, since being limited means being contained in time and space and defective in the capacities and qualities which divine being must necessarily have, any limited being cannot, obviously, be God. Also, absolute independence and freedom are essential to divinity. Besides, there is no room, no space and no need for partnership, and there are neither evidences nor signs for the existence of a partner. By contrast, through its parts and as a whole and in the language of all the events in it, the universe displays the stamp of Unity and shows that the agent ruling over it is One.

20. Although some of the Divine Names like the All- Knowing encompass all things, the Divine Names manifested in the universe co-ordinate in the creation, life and working of all its parts down to the minutest particles, and, like the seven colours in the light of the sun, work to the same effect. [For example, although the Names and attributes manifested on a man, like Knowledge, Will and Power and the All-Seeing, the All-Hearing, the All- Shaping, the Provider, the Sustainer, etc. have their own manifestations and produce effects particular to themselves, the result they ultimately produce is an integral entity.] This evidently demonstrates that the Being called by these Names is one, and in the language of the co-ordination and solidarity among the Names manifested in it, the universe testifies that God, there is no god but He.

21. A universal wisdom is apparent in the whole of the universe, both as a whole and in parts. This wisdom, which includes a purpose, consciousness, will and preference, points to the necessary existence of an All-Wise One, as it is impossible for an act to be without a doer and thing done or a part of it cannot be the doer.

22. The purposeful and gracious, all-encompassing favouring apparent throughout the universe necessarily testifies to the necessary existence of an All-Munificent Creator, as any favouring cannot be without a favourer.

23. The extensive mercy encompassing the whole of the universe, which contains wisdom, favouring, benevolence, munificence, kindness, gratifying, love and recognition, indicates the necessary existence of an All-Merciful, All-Compassionate One, as any quality cannot be the one qualified by it and the earth and heavens can have been ‘clothed’ by none other than that All-Merciful One.

24. The satisfaction of infinitely diverse needs of living creatures from the universal provision, which contains wisdom, favouring, mercy, protection, engagement [to provide them], intention, love and recognition, evidently points to the necessary existence of a Compassionate Provider.

25. The life and vigour widespread throughout the universe, which contain wisdom, favouring, mercy provision, delicate artistry, elegant design, firmness, and care, and which are brought about by the manifestations of a purpose, consciousness, knowledge and will, indicate the necessary existence of an All-Powerful, Self-Subsistent, All-Sustaining One, Who gives life and takes it.

26. The grace observed throughout the universe making everything graceful indicates the necessary existence of the One to Whom grace is essential.

27. The innocent beauty on the cheeks of the universe signifies the necessary existence of the One with an absolute beauty.

28. The true love felt by the universe deeply in the heart is a sign of the True Beloved One.

29. The attraction and ecstasy felt by the universe demonstrate most profoundly the centre of attraction towards which everything is attracted.

30. What we hear from all perfected people who describe their observations to us is that the whole of the creation is but a shadow of the light of the Single Being of Unity.

The five truths mentioned so far from the article 26, necessarily point to the fact that the universe has a Lord, necessarily existent and qualified by the attributes of majesty, beauty and perfection. In the language of these five truths, the universe testifies that God, there is no god but He.

31. Besides the species as a whole, we see each member of the species specifically disposed for certain benefits and purposes. This evidently points to the necessary existence of an all-wise disposer or agent, as an act cannot be without its doer nor can the thing done or a part of it be the doer of it.

32. Continuous changes are observed in the lives of plants and animals for certain benefits, which indicates the necessary existence of a master who directs them.

33. Again, continuous purposeful transformations are observed in the lives of plants and animals, either of each member of them or their species as a whole. This also points to the necessary existence of a wise master.

34. The alternation of day and night in the sphere of the earth for many purposes and benefits is another sign of the necessary existence of an agent who does whatever he wills.

35. Since an act of ordering cannot be without an orderer and the thing ordered and he order itself cannot be the doer of this act which requires consciousness, the order and arrangement made throughout the universe to make each thing attain its particular level of perfection, and to make the creation as a whole attain to its final point of perfection, testify to the necessary existence of an all-powerful one, self-subsistent and sustaining. Is it possible that a nightingale has clothed itself in its elegant, ornamented body? Is it conceivable that the earth itself has woven its so richly decorated dress?

Like the colours in the light of the sun or concentric circles, these five acts of disposing, changing, transforming, alternating, and ordering obviously show that this urn- verse has a master who disposes it, who is wise, efficient, powerful, self-subsistent and sustaining, one who does whatever he wills and is possessed of attributes of perfection. In the language of these acts, as if by five mouths, the universe announces that God, there is no god but He.

36. The universe has a beginning; whether as a whole or in parts, it came into existence within time. While there were probabilities of infinite number as to how and of what properties it might be, it took its present form, which is one of perfect order, harmony and balance. This obviously demonstrates the necessary existence of one with free choice, one who is all-knowing, all-wise and all-powerful.

37. Everything in the universe, whether big or small or a whole or a part, is in endless needs with respect to sustenance and survival, and if it is a conscious living being, it has also spiritual and intellectual needs. Despite the inability of each to satisfy even the most insignificant of its needs, the needs of everything are gratified just on time and from whence it did not reckon. This necessarily points to the existence of a lord, sustaining, providing, munificent, merciful and compassionate.

38. Everything in the universe, big or small, a whole or a part, is in infinite destitution and unable to procure the necessities of its life. However, everything is provided in exact measures with whatever it needs to survive. This necessarily indicates the existence of one compassionate, munificent, giving freely, all-loving and all-aware [of even the least needs of the least creature].

39. Despite their essential and extreme poverty and helplessness, things like trees and the earth, while appearing utterly dead and dried up in winter, display signs of absolute riches and power in spring. This indicates the necessary existence of one absolutely powerful, in relation to whose power the minutest particles and the largest suns are equal.

40. The dried, unconscious earth becomes the source of infinite provision for living creatures all of a sudden, at just the time when they need provision. This points to the necessary existence of one absolutely rich. The sun and trees are only some ‘cells’ of His treasures of mercy and water and light are only two ‘streams’ originating in His ocean of compassion.

41. Everything in the universe is essentially dead. The ‘lights’ of life which all living creatures disseminate demonstrate the necessary existence of one all-living and self-subsistent, one who gives life and takes it.

42. Nothing in the universe has consciousness of its own. [Consider a human embryo, while a lump of flesh and bones, how it enters a stage of development in which it will acquire life and consciousness. It would be ridiculous to claim that it is the embryo itself or nature or certain biological laws with nominal existence only, which are all ignorant, unconscious and powerless, that equip the embryo with life and consciousness.] Together with the powers of seeing and hearing, the encompassing consciousness which conscious living beings display shows the necessary existence of one all-knowing and all-aware of everything.

43. The continuous, orderly changes and decay which everything, especially every living thing suffers, point to the necessary existence of one making changes but himself permanent and not changing.

44. We observe that those living, conscious beings who perform their duties of worship get the precisely weighed reward of worship and, attaining higher spiritual ranks, can get in some sort of touch with the inhabitants of invisible realms. The imprints of their worship are to be discerned in their lives, their manners and even on their faces. This indicates the necessary existence of one who alone deserves worship.

45. The glorifications of the universe, whether in words or in acts, point to the necessary existence of one whom whatever is in the heavens and on earth glorifies. The testimony of ‘natural disposition’ or actions is irrefutable. Therefore, how can the testimony of all beings through their dispositions, functions, lives and physical compositions to the necessary existence of him whom whatever is in the heavens and on earth glorifies, be refuted?

46. The prayers and supplications that living creatures do [verbally or actually or in the language of neediness and helplessness] are answered or accepted and usually yield desired results. This indicates the necessary existence of one who answers the supplication of the helpless when they supplicate to him.

47. The afflicted seek refuge consciously or unconsciously in their ‘unknown’ protector or their Creator. This testifies to the necessary existence of the refuge of the afflicted and fearful, the helper of those who seek help.

48. Perfected people who penetrate the inner reality of existence and are based on their intuitions, spiritual experiences and observations, are all agreed that whatever exists contained in time and space is but a shadow of the lights of the ‘eternal sun’ and testifies to its necessary existence.

49. [Despite their lifelessness, ignorance and unconsciousness, inanimate objects, especially atoms and particles smaller than atoms serve such comprehensive, conscious and universal purposes that] it is as obvious as if seen with the naked eye that the comprehensive movements or acts exhibited by them as the result of the manifestations of the Names on them originate from the rank of the necessary existence and unity not from the rank of contingency. This bears witness to the necessary existence of a holy one who employs all things and is called by the Names manifested on them.

50. [Those who refuse to admit the existence of a Divine Being as the sole creator of all things, have all differed in explaining the origin of existence and life.] Only those who have acknowledged the truth of the Divine proclamations such as Flee to God and Assuredly in the remembrance of God do hearts find peace and tranquility, and Unto God all things are brought back, have been able to find relief from the difficulties, bewilderment and insoluble problems arising from attributing existence to itself or to nature or to material causes. It is only by attributing existence to His Power that all difficulties and problems are easily solved, and that minds and hearts find peace. There is no creative agent other than God.

51. In the universe everything is measured in exact proportions. [Also, most simply, as almost everyone has had some glimpses or clues of the future in dreams, a universal Destiny, which pre-determined everything, prevails in the whole of the universe, a fact which negates chance completely. Again, all seeds or fruit stones including the fully-grown state of plants or trees also point to that universal Destiny.] Because of the all-inclusive Destiny, every thing is perfectly ordered and serves pre-determined and evident purposes in accordance with which it has been given form and characteristics and endowed with necessary capacities. If you need an example, look at your body with all its lines and your hands with all their fingers. They tell you that they have been built and shaped according to the purposes they must serve and therefore signify the Destiny which has determined those purposes and their structure. According to the plan of Destiny, the Power puts into ‘writing’ the meanings established and kept by Divine Knowledge. The Destiny which has preplanned all things and the Destiny which records the life- histories of all things indicate the necessary existence of him the pen of whose destiny and decree have drawn the outlines of all things.

52. The comprehensive capacities with which man is endowed suggest that man is the fruit of the tree of creation and therefore the most perfect of creation. On account of one aspect of his nature, he is inclined or turned to non-existence, which is the dark face of the world. However, man’s comprehensive capacity to offer worship implies that he has not been created to go into eternal non-existence. Rather, he must turn himself from darkness to light, from non-existence or eternal extinction to existence, from ephemerality to permanence, from the created to the Creator. Worship is like a chain connecting the beginning to the end in creation. The ‘natural’ disposition of man thus bears witness to the necessary existence of him who has created the universe with whatever is in it to make himself known, who has created men and jinn so that they should worship him.

53. In creation there are the stations of contingency, multiplication and being effected. [That is, whatever is created is contingent, its existence is not necessary and absolute; it is not unique or peerless, and it is something acted upon.] This certainly requires that there must be one whose existence is absolutely necessary, who is himself unique, peerless and unitary, and who is active.

54. We observe in the universe that all things are in continuous movement each toward its particular point of perfection, and when they reach perfection, they stop moving and acquire stability and steadiness. Perfection requires stability and constancy. The existence of existence is by perfection and the perfection of perfection is by constancy. [That is, a thing exists truly only after attaining perfection and the true perfection of a thing lies in its continuing to be perfect.] So, the One Who is necessarily existent is absolutely perfect and all the perfections shared by contingent beings are but a shadow of the manifestations of the lights of His perfection. This testifies that surely God is the Absolutely Perfect One both in His Divine Essence and His attributes and acts.

55. The interior of something is much more subtle and displays much greater artistry than its exterior. This points to the fact that its Maker is not distant from it. Also, the maintenance of the exact balance and proportions between it and other things indicates that its Maker is not contained in it. When we view a thing in respect of itself, its very being, we conclude that its Maker is all-knowing and all-wise. When we view it with respect to its relations with other things, we judge that its Maker is all-hearing and all-seeing, One Who sees all things from above and fashions them and regulates their relationships for certain purposes. This truth indicates the necessary existence of the Maker Who is not contained in the universe, nor distant or excluded from it. [By His Essence or Divine Being, He is not contained either in time or space, but through the manifestations of His Names and attributes, He is everywhere, nearer to everything than itself, as the sun places itself in the pupils of your eyes and penetrates your body through its light and heat.] He is the Most Inward of the inward, as He is the Most Above of the above. He sees one thing at the same time as He sees all things.

From Mathnawi al-Nuriya by Said Nursi

The first phrase: There is no god but God

This phrase provides for the human spirit, which is subject to innumerable needs and vulnerable to the attacks of countless enemies, an inexhaustible source of help. It opens for it the door to a treasury of mercy that can secure all its needs. In the phrase is a point of support that shows and makes known to the spirit its Master and Owner; its Creator; its true Object of worship, who possesses an absolute power that will secure it against the evil of all its enemies. In this way, this mighty phrase saves the heart from utter desolation and the spirit from grievous suffering, it is forever uplifting and the means of a continual felicity.

The second phrase: (He is) One

This phrase implies the following happy news, both healing and auspicious: the human spirit, which is connected to most species in the universe, and is overwhelmed in misery and confusion because of that connection, finds in the phrase ‘(He is) One’ a refuge and saviour that will deliver it from all that confusion and misery.

This phrase means to man

‘God is One. So do not tire yourself out seeking recourse to other things; do not demean yourself and feel obliged before them; do not humiliate yourself for security before them; do not give yourself trouble by following them, and do not tremble before them in fear. For, the King of the universe is One; He holds the key to all things, and the reins of all things. Everything is resolved by His command. If you have found Him, it means that you have obtained whatever you wish for; you have been liberated from an (otherwise) interminable indebtedness and innumerable fears.’

The third phrase: He has no partner

God is One in that He has no partner in His Lordship, in His acts and in His creating, nor in His Divinity or Sovereignty.

A worldly monarch may in theory have no partner in his sovereignty but, in the practical execution thereof, his officials act as his partners and/or as intermediaries between him and his people. Whereas, God, the Monarch of all times, has no need for partners or helpers in the execution of His Sovereignty, just as He has, in principle, no partner in His Sovereignty. Without His command and will, without His leave and power; not a single thing can interfere with another. Also, since He has no partner or helper, and there are no intermediaries between Him and His creatures, everyone can have recourse to Him directly at any time or place

This phrase, therefore, provides for the human spirit this glad tiding a man who has attained belief may, without hindrance, opposition or interference, in any state, for any desire, at any time and in any place, enter the presence of the Majestic, the All- Gracious, the All-Powerful One of perfection, who is the eternal Owner of the treasuries of mercy and bliss, and may present before Him his needs By seeking His Mercy and relying upon His Power, he can attain perfect ease and happiness.

The fourth phrase: His is the Kingdom

His is the Kingdom of all the heavens and the earth. So you are owned by Him and working in His Kingdom. This phrase implies the following joyful and healing news:

‘O man! Do not imagine that you own yourself for you are unable to administer even your own affairs You can neither maintain your spirit and body by providing for their needs and securing them against calamities, nor can you avoid exhaustion and ageing since you have no dominion over time or other agencies of decline. Therefore, do not suffer pain and torment without reason. Somebody else, not you, owns everything. That Owner is both All-Powerful and All-Compassionate; rely on His Power and do not accuse His Compassion. Renounce grief and anxiety, and accept relief. Be rid of your troubles and find serenity.’

The phrase also means: ‘This world that you love, to which you are connected, and which you see in disorder and are unable to put right, is the property of an All-Powerful and Compassionate One. So hand over the property to its Owner, leave it to Him, mind your own duty and do not interfere with His acts. Do not be troubled by what you are unable to overcome, and be at ease. The Owner of this property has free disposal of it and administers it as He wishes. But He is All-Wise, always acts for a wise purpose, and also He is All-Compassionate. So, whenever you take fright, say like Ibrahim Haqqi, “Let’s, see what the Master does; Whatever He does is always best,” and observe His acts with complete trust in Him.’

The fifth phrase: To Him belongs all the praise

Only God absolutely deserves praise and acclaim and only to Him is all indebtedness. His are all bounties and they come from His treasury. As for the treasury, it is infinite and inexhaustible. This phrase, therefore, implies this happy news:

‘O man! Do not be anxious that, one day, the bounties (you presently enjoy) will cease.

‘Know that the treasury of Mercy is inexhaustible. Nor cry out in anxiety over the possible cessation of enjoyment; every enjoyment you are granted is the fruit of an infinite Mercy Now the tree of that Mercy is undying, for each exhausted fruit is replaced with a new one. Furthermore, by reflecting on what you enjoy in an attitude of thanks and praise, since every enjoyment is in essence a favour from the Divine Mercy and, in so being a hundred times more enjoyable than the enjoyment by itself you will be able to increase it a hundredfold. If a glorious king presents you with an apple, the pleasure you take in being honoured by a royal favour will be superior to the material pleasure of a hundred, even a thousand, apples. Similarly, through the phrase ‘To Him belongs all praise’ will be opened to you the door of a spiritual enjoyment a thousand times sweeter than that you enjoy by itself, since this phrase makes you consider the bestowal of bounty, which in turn leads you to recognize the Bestower and to reflect on His merciful favours which are pouring out continually.’

The sixth phrase: He alone gives life

The One who gives life and sustains it through provision is He. Likewise, the Provider of life’s necessities is He, and the sublime aims of life and its important results are related to Him. This phrase therefore calls out to mortal and helpless man and gives him this joyful tiding:

‘O man! Do not bother to shoulder the heavy responsibilities of life; do not feel unease because the world is transient. Do not let the insignificant worldly fruits of life drive you to regret that you came to this world. Rather the ‘life mechanism’ in ‘the ship of your being’ belongs to the One Ever-Living and Ever-Self-Subsisting, so it is He who provides for all of life’s needs and expenditures. Further, there are innumerable aims in life directing it to many important results, nearly all of which are related to Him. You are just a ‘helmsman’ on that ‘ship’ of your being, so perform your duty properly. Obtain your wage and take the enjoyment that comes with doing so. Ponder how precious that ‘ship’ is and how valuable its benefits; and consider how generous and compassionate is the Owner of that ‘ship’. So, rejoice and give thanks, and grasp that, if you perform your duly righteously, all the results that life yields will, in one respect, be recorded as your good deeds to secure an immortal life for you in eternity.’

The seventh phrase: …and makes to die

He discharges you from the duty of life changes your abode from this transient world and releases you from the burden of service. That is, He takes you from a transient life to an eternal one. This phrase, therefore, says explicitly to mortal jinn and man:

‘Good news for you: death is not annihilation or going to non existence, nor is it eternal separation or a chance event without an author. Rather, it is being discharged form service by the Author who is All-Wise and All-Compassionate; it is a change of abode. It is being dispatched to ever-lasting happiness, to your true home. It is the door to union with the intermediate world, which is the place where you will meet with ninety-nine percent of your friends’

The eighth phrase: He is living and dies not

He is the One, Undying Object of Worship and Everlasting Beloved, who possesses a beauty, perfection and munificence wholly and utterly superior to the beauty, perfection and munificence to be observed in all creatures; who arouses love; a single manifestation of whose Beauty is sufficient to replace all other beloveds; who has an eternal life free from any trace of cessation or ephemerality and exempt from any flaw or defect. So, this phrase makes this joyful announcement to all conscious beings, including jinn and mankind, and to people of love:

‘Here is good tidings for you! There is an Eternal Beloved who will heal the wounds caused by countless separations from the ones to whom you give your heart. Since He exists and is undying, whatever may happen, do not worry about those others. Moreover; the beauty and good in them, the grace and perfection which cause you to love them, are but a passing through many veils, a dim, shadow- like manifestation of the Eternal Beauty of the Everlasting Beloved. Do not grieve, therefore, at their disappearance, for they are a kind of mirrors:through the changing of mirrors the reflection of that Beauty is renewed and becomes more radiant. When you find Him, you have found everything.’

The ninth phrase In His hand is all good

That is, He possesses all good and only He guides you to do good. Also, He records on your behalf any good, righteous deed that you do. Thus, this phrase announces to jinn and mankind this glad tiding:

O you helpless ones! When you move to the grave do not cry out in despair. “Alas! Everything we owned is destroyed and all our efforts have come to nought. We have departed that wide, beautiful world and entered this narrow grave.” Everything of yours is preserved: all your deeds were written down and every service you rendered was recorded. The All-Majestic, in whose hand is all good and who is able to do whatever is good, has summoned you in order to reward your service: He will keep you under the ground temporarily and then will bring you to His presence. How fortunate you are that you have completed your duty and service; your labour has ended, you are on the way to ease and mercy. Having gone through your period of toil, you are going to receive your wages.’

The All-Powerful One of Majesty, who preserves seeds and grains, which are the records of the activities and the deposit-boxes the services done in the last spring, and unfolds and publishes them the following spring in the most dazzling, abundant and benevolent manner, is undoubtedly preserving the results of your deeds also, in the same way, and will likewise reward your service in the most abundant manner.

The tenth phrase He is powerful over everything

That is, He is the One, Unique and Singular and He has power over everything. Nothing is difficult for Him. To create a whole spring is as easy for Him as to create a single flower and He creates Paradise with as much ease as He creates the spring. The countless creatures that He continually brings into existence every day, every year, every century, bear witness with innumerable tongues to His limitless power. Thus, this phrase, too, implies these glad tidings

‘O man! The service you offer and the worship you perform do not go for nothing. A world of reward, an abode of bliss, has been prepared for you. In place of this transitory world of yours, an everlasting Paradise is awaiting you. Have faith and confidence in the promise of the Majestic Creator whom you know and worship. It is inconceivable that He should break His promise. In no respect is there any deficiency at all in His power. Impotence can never interfere in His works. As He creates your small garden, He can also create Paradise for you. And He has created it and has promised it to you. Since He has promised, He shall certainly admit you to it.’

We plainly observe how every year on the earth He most speedily revives, yet with perfect order and ease, more than three hundred thousand species and groups of animals and plants. Such an All- Powerful One of Majesty is most certainly able to carry out His promise. Further, since He creates every year samples of Paradise, which He has promised through all His revealed books; since all His acts and functions are performed with truth and seriousness; and, as we witness in all His works, all perfections point to and testify to His infinite perfection, with no flaw or defect at all in Him, and since the breaking of a promise, lying, falsehood and deception are the ugliest of qualities, then most decidedly will that All-Powerful One of Majesty, that All-Wise One of Perfection, that All Compassionate One of Grace fulfil His promise: He will open the gate to eternal happiness and admit you, O people of faith, into Paradise, which was the original home of your forefather, Adam.

The eleventh phrase and unto Him is the return

Human beings are sent to this world of trial and examination with important duties and business and to do some particular services. After they have completed their duties, they will return and meet once more with their All-Munificent Master, the Majestic Creator; who sent them out in the first place. That is, they will leave this realm of transience, be delivered from the turbulent cycles of cause and effect and from the obscure veils of intermediaries, and will be honoured in the eternal abode in the presence of their Compassionate Lord and meet with Him without veil before His seat of everlasting kingdom. Everyone will find out directly who His Creator is, the Worshipped One, Lord, Master and Owner. Thus, this phrase implies the following news, much happier that all the rest:

‘O man! Do you know where you are going? Do you know to where you are being impelled? You are going to the sphere of Mercy, to the serene presence of the All-Beautiful One of Majesty. A thousand years of happy life in this world cannot be compared to one hour of life in Paradise, and a thousand years of life in Paradise cannot be compared to one hour’s vision of His Countenance of utmost beauty. The loveliness and beauty in all the creatures of this world, including those worldly loved ones by which you are so fascinated and stricken are merely a sort of shadow of a single manifestation of His Beauty and of the loveliness of His Names; and the whole of Paradise, with all its charm is merely a manifestation of His Mercy, and all longing, love and attraction are merely a gleam from the light of His Love. You are going into the presence of the One Eternally worshipped and Everlastingly Beloved, and are invited to Paradise, which is His eternal feasting place. Since this is so, enter the grave not with tears but with a smile.’

The same words also give this glad news:

‘O man! Do not be apprehensive, imagining that you are going to oblivion, extinction, non-existence, nothingness, decay and dissolution. You are going not to extinction but to permanence. You are being impelled not to non-existence, but to eternal existence. You are entering not the world of darkness but the world of His Light. You are returning to your true Owner, to the seat of the Eternal King.

You will not drown in multiplicity, but you will take your rest in the sphere of unity. You are bound not for separation, but for union.’

FROM THE RISALE-I NUR COLLECTION

A soul without love is impossible to be elevated to the horizon of human perfection. Even if he lived hundreds of years, he could not make any advances on the path to perfection. Those who are deprived of love, since being entangled in the nets of selfishness, are unable to love anybody else and die unaware of love which is deeply implanted in the very essence of the existence.

A child is received with love when he is born, and grows up in a warm atmosphere composed of affectionate, loving souls. Even if he may not enjoy the same love in the same degree in later phases of his life, he always longs for it and pursues it throughout his life.

There are impressions of love on the face of the sun, water evaporates high towards those impressions, and after it has been condensed in drops high above, the drops come down joyfully onto the earth on the wings of love. Then, thousands of kinds of flowers burst through love and offer smiles to their surroundings. Dew drops on leaves glitter with love, and twinkle with amusement. Sheep and lambs bleat and skip about with love, and birds and chicks chirp with love and form choruses of love.

Each being takes part in the big love orchestra of the universe with its own particular symphony and tries to demonstrate, by free will or through its disposition, an aspect of the deep love in the existence.

Love is implanted in a man’s soul so deeply that many people leave their home for its sake, many families are ruined and, in every corner, a Majnun groans with the love and longing for a Leila. As for those who have not been able to uncover the love inherent in their being regard such kinds of manifestations of love to be madness!

Altruism is an exalted human feeling, and what generates it is love. Whoever has the greatest share in this love is the greatest hero of humanity who has been able to uproot whatever of the feelings of hatred and rancour in him. Such heroes of love continue to live even after their death. These lofty souls, who, by kindling each day a new torch of love in their inner world and making in their hearts a source of love and altruism, were welcomed and loved by people, got the right of living eternally from such an Exalted Court that, let alone death, even Doomsday will not be able to remove their traces.

A mother who can die for her child’s sake is a heroine of affection; an individual who dedicates his life to his nation and country is a self-sacrificing member of his community, and a man who lives and sacrifices himself for humanity is a monument of immortality who deserves to be enthroned in hearts. For them, love is a weapon with which to overcome every obstacle, and a key to open every door. Those who possess such a weapon and key will sooner or later open the gates to all parts of the world and spread everywhere the fragrance of peace from the ‘censers’ of love in their hands.

The most direct road leading to the hearts of people is the road of love. This road is the road of prophets. Those who follow this road are not rejected; even if they are rejected by one or two people, they are welcomed by thousands. Once they are welcomed through love, nothing could prevent them from attaining their object.

How happy and prosperous are those who follow the guidance of love. How unfortunate, on the other hand, are those who are unaware of love which exists deep in their souls, lead a ‘deaf and mute’ life!

O God, the most Exalted! Today when hatred and rancour have invaded everywhere like the layers of darkness, we take refuge in Your infinite love and entreat at Your door that you may fill up the hearts of your mischievous, pitiless slaves with love and human feelings!