Doing or producing something good and beautiful and ensuring that others perceive these beauties as “beautiful,” and then sustaining these beauties, are two different things. Indeed, working on diligently like a laborer, opening educational institutions, shedding light on the paths people walk, and reaching out to all corners of the world despite limited material resources and means are beautiful services that deserve recognition and applause. However, maintaining this work flawlessly and without imperfections is just as important as starting it and bringing it to a certain level. For this purpose, serious intellectual effort, reasonable and strategic action, of course, are necessary. Regardless of the location of the service, it can be considered as the initial steps of this strategy to analyze it very well, to read the feelings of the individuals involved very well, to take into account the current conjuncture, and to preemptively address the problems that may arise in the short and long term.

If we delve a bit deeper, you may have initiated a task with very sincere feelings. Your emotions, thoughts, and attitudes are very humane. At the core of all your activities lies the pleasure of God and the benefit of humanity. You are progressing by building your plans on both the firm principles of religion and universal values. You have no issues with anyone. However, after a certain stage, you should not forget that there may be individuals with very different thoughts, intentions, and understandings who could have problems with you. Here, relying solely on your sincerity, good intention and authenticity would be incomplete. If you have not been able to read the feelings of others correctly and cannot foresee certain events that may occur in the future, despite showering some people with kindness and favors, your acts of goodwill may not yield the expected results and could lead to antipathy towards you.

That’s why it is necessary to step back appropriately and consider various approaches for those you interact with. This could involve saying, “You know this job better and can do it better,” engaging in collective work with them, presenting the matter with different perspectives, colors and patterns to broaden their horizons, and assuming a role as an enlightening and stimulating guide through the support you provide. These are different ways of action that today’s dedicated individuals should contemplate.

By acting with humane feelings, you can rush to the aid of people affected by disasters such as earthquakes, floods, and storms in different parts of the world. However, if you do not consider the different dynamics in those places, even in such a well-intentioned endeavor, you may eventually draw the hostile feelings of certain local or foreign groups. For instance, the continuous applause for some of the commendable work you do, the attention directed towards you, can breed envy in some individuals.

To provide a concrete example; let’s say you’ve opened schools in a country, and these schools have been remarkably successful. Students from your schools consistently win medals in various competitions and science Olympiads. As other schools fail to achieve the same level of success, envy might develop towards you. Some may view you as a competitor and engage in a rivalry, or even go to great lengths to try and shut down your schools. It’s essential to foresee all of these possibilities in advance, take necessary precautions, and develop the right approaches accordingly.

Wherever we serve, we must thoroughly understand the conditions of that place and act accordingly. There is no need to suspect secrecy or ill intent in this; it’s simply about ensuring the continuity of the good deeds and acts of kindness. As mentioned earlier, not everyone can interpret everything correctly and appropriately. That’s why we must proceed not only with good intentions but also with knowledge and research. Some societies may not want individuals educated in your institutions to have a say in the future of their own countries as intellectuals, fearing that a foreign culture might erase their values and replace them with its own. We shouldn’t cause a situation where they will say, “A culture came and wiped out all our values, replacing them with their own, and they did this with our generation.” Therefore, flexibility and assurance should be prominent in the education of individuals in these places, not causing them concern. Our fundamental principle was, after all: When we go somewhere, while sharing our own beauties with people by explaining and endearing them, we should also learn and appreciate the beauties of that place, enriching our own values. In this way, by melting all of humanity’s values into one pot, we can generate a universal collection of human values where everyone can find something of themselves within it.

However, in your determination to act wisely and strategically, you should not compromise your character and your own values. You have to stand yourself, maintain your own position, where you want to hold someone else and lift them up. A person who rashly and unpreparedly jumps into a swamp to save someone who is drowning, perhaps admired for their courage, but in such a situation, neither of them can be saved.

A good example of acting wisely is found in the 65th verse of the Surah Al-Anfal in the Qur’an. In that verse, God states that one person in an ideal community of believers equipped with the power of patience is worth ten individuals. Yet, in the 66th verse, our attentions are drawn to realities of the human condition, and the ratio is revised to one to two, upon which it is stated to establish the strategy. This means that it is not right to engage in a struggle in the name of heroism where such a balance of power does not exist. If you march against a powerful army with only a handful of people, the result will not be good neither for you nor for those you are setting out to save. Your sacrifices should have a goal to achieve. This requires them to be done consciously, thoughtfully, and well calculated.

Reason is a significant gift from God to humanity. Thought is its product. Humans should not live disconnected from reason and thought; they should make their conscience a companion to these faculties and, as believers, test their approach against the Prophetic tradition. This means, for Muslims for instance, evaluating the blessed life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his expressions, actions, and judgments, taking into account the conditions and circumstances of today, and trying to solve our problems on this solid foundation.

“The architects of the heart” should act in accordance with the fundamental disciplines found in the sources of faith, and they should prioritize taking action. This means that they should start their journey – i.e., take action – as soon as they can, with a firm adherence to fundamental disciplines and an overarching plan. Subtle details for thought and theoretical aspects will emerge later based on the circumstances they will come across during the journey. Then, while progressing on the path, intellect and thought should be employed to solve encountered problems, and more detailed plans should emerge regarding how and where to act. During the implementation of these plans, reasoning and collective consciousness should continue to be applied. As a result, this process will become a virtuous cycle where thought fuels action, and action, in turn, enriches thought, leading to the desired goal. If you claim to plan and project every detail from start to finish and then implement it right away, your plan may not align with the conditions you will face later. This can cause those in the leading positions to take on oppressive and totalitarian methods, and impose their views on others. This may eventually result in the formation of oligarchic structures, and the emergence of irresponsible, unaccountable charismatic leaders.

This work by M. Fethullah Gulen is a continuation of a long tradition of books and articles promoting the cause of serving society through the advancement of universal education. Fethullah Gulen is a widely known and respected Turkish scholar, religious leader, educator, and social reformer, whose values stem from his Islamic faith, and whose overriding interest is in the well-being of Muslims as well as all of mankind. Fethullah Gulen’s many life experiences including a teaching post in Edirne Turkey, and those acquired throughout his life within his faith, have contributed to his understanding of the role of education in shaping the world we live in. His corresponding beliefs that tyranny can be eliminated and justice achieved through education for all mankind are copiously illustrated in this and all of his former works.

Readers in the United States and other western countries will discover many comments, shaped by Fethullah Gulen’s wealth of knowledge and experience that are colored by the filter of his own education, culture, religious beliefs, and national origin. These readers can best benefit from his breathtaking perspective, and depth of understanding, by exercising tolerance and acceptance of his background and life experiences. Indeed, Fethullah Gulen has much wisdom to offer those who are truly willing to contemplate his message.

Obvious to any reader familiar with the works of Fethullah Gulen, the overall intent of this book is to both inform and guide readers in their daily lives Some chapters of this book are titled; The Spiritual Life; The Personal Life; Family; Society; Social Interaction. Fethullah Gulen divides each chapter into several subject areas, and in each subject area he provides several short and to-the-point comments (pearls) designed to provoke thought and shape the understanding, and resultant actions, of his readers.

For an example related to politics; in chapter seven, “Government”, in the subject area of “Republic”, Fethullah Gulen writes: “The Prophet, upon him be peace and blessings, did not claim kingship, and his four immediate political successors followed his example. Kingship appeared when people grew remote from the Islamic spirit, and eventually this digression became a vehicle for oppression and despotism.” This is indeed an interesting pearl, for it contains wise commentary regarding the his- torical development of politics in the Islamic world, and helps us understand the root cause of many of the problems faced by modern day Muslims. It may also help guide some modern day Islamic countries in developing policies and practices that will lead them out of the political, economic, and cultural quagmires they may be experiencing at this time.

Another example, this time related to the science of metaphysics, can be found in chapter nine, “Ideal People”, in the subject area of “Pearls of Wisdom”: “Matter has no comprehension, consciousness, feeling, or will. It is comprised only of some laws and particles (used to form things). What an embarrassing mistake it is to count it as the essence of existence.” Fascinating insight that encourages us to critically examine the values we and our cultures have adopted regarding the worth and value of property and objects.

In Pearls of Wisdom Fethullah Gulen has assembled an awesome collection of wise thoughts and arranged them in logical subject areas in order that we can use them to examine our lives and benefit from his wisdom. There are literally hundreds of pearls in this book, and every one of them requires our immediate attention.

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?

A real figure or a product of the popular imagination?

As with almost every other folk hero, the life of Nasr al-Din Khodja is clouded in diversely remembered legends. However, researches done about him since the middle of the previous century are almost all agreed that he was born in Sivrihisar, a district of the province Eskisehir in central Turkey. According to the information O. Gokyay gives in the article he wrote in Islam Ansiklopedisi (An Encyclopedia of Islam) Istanbul, 1986), Fuat Koprulu (Nasreddin Hoca, Istanbul, 1918) writes that one of the late muftis of Sivrihisar called Hasan Effendi notes in his incomplete book entitled Majmu’a-i Ma’arif (The Encyclopaedia of Education) that Nasr al-Din Khodja was born in a village near Sivrihisar called Horto and served as imam (prayer-leader) for some time following the death of his father who had been an imam, migrated to Aksehir, a district of the province Konya in central Turkey, and completed his life there.

However, there are some assertions that Nasr al-Din Khodja is a later product of popular invention. According to such assertions, there was a man named Nasr al-Mahmud who acquired the confidence of Geyhatu, the then commander of the Mongol armies in Turkey, and prevented him from doing much wrong and bloodshed. Since that man was wise and loved by the people, his wise sayings led the people to create a Nasr al-Din Khodja. However, such assertions were refuted by serious researchers. Among them, Ismail Haqqi Konyali, who wrote a voluminuous book about Nasr al-Din Khodja and Aksehir called Nasreddin Hoca’nin Þehri Aksehir: Tarihi, Turistik Kilavuz (A Historical and Touristic Guide to Aksehir, the Town of Nasr al-Din Khodja), Istanbul, 1945, notes that there were four Nasr al-Dins who lived in the same period who did the same job as Nasr al-Din Mahmud, and the same claims could be made about them. Nasr al-Din Khodja can be none of them. He is one who really lived in Aksehir.

In his article ‘A propos de quelques tentatives d’identification de Nasreddin Hodja’ Internationaler Kongress der Volkszerzahlungsfarcher, Kiev and Kopenhagen, 1959). Pertev Naili Boratav writes that in some genealogies prepared in later times, Khidr Celebi, the famous qadi (judge) of Istanbul during the reign of Mehmed II and the father of Sinan Pasha, the author of Tadarru’name (A Supplication to God), is recorded to have been from Sivrihisar and descended from the family of Nasr al-Din Khodja. Boratav also notes that in a manuscript he found in Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris, some of the anecdotes attributed to Nasr al-Din Khodja are also attributed to the people of Sivrihisar and a man called Khadji. Some Western researchers such as H. Ethe, M. Hartmann and A. Wesselski claim that the anecdotes attributed to Nasr al-Din Khodja are anonymous anecdotes told in almost every part of the world and that therefore Nasr al-Din Khodja is an invention. Some others like R. Basset and Christensen are of the opinion that the anecdotes attributed to Nasr al-Din Khodja are adaptations of the wise sayings and anecdotes ascribed to Juha, who lived in Iraq in the 10th century and became very famous. However, such claims arise from a defective generalization. As sages or wise men like Nasr al-Din Khodja may have lived in almost every country, the anecdotes of Nasr al-Din Khodja may have been transmitted to other countries through different ways of communication. It is certain that a man called Nasr al-Din Khodja, a very perceptive and wise man able to discern the weak spots and defects in human character who tried to cure them through humour and wit, really did exist.

Nasr al-Din Khodja’s tomb is in Aksehir. Ismail Haqqi Konyali notes that he saw in person an inscription on one of the six columns supporting the inner dome. According to that inscription one of the soldiers of Bayezid I, the Ottoman ruler who died in 1403, called Mehmed, visited that tomb in 1393. And in a register of foundations and state lands ordered to be prepared by Gedik Ahmed Pasha, who conquered Aksehir in 1476 in the name of the Ottomans, there is the tomb of Nasr al-Din Khodja and a madrassa donated by him for public benefit.

Historical background and anecdotes

Most of the researches done on Nasr al-Din Khodja are agreed that he lived in the thirteenth century. In the epitaph inscribed on a grave stone belonging to the Khodja’s daughter Fatima found in Sivrihisar, it is written that Fatima died in 1327. Lamii (d. 1533) writes in his Lata’if that Nasr al-Din Khodja was a contemporary of Shayyad Hamza, a folk poet who lived in the 13th century. Ismail Haqqi Konyali records that the Khodja was a contemporary of Pir Abi and Khadja Jihan and together with them was taught by Khadaja Fakih who died in 1221. According to these and other similar records, Nasr al-Din Khodja lived in the 13th century.

The thirteenth century is a very critical one in the medieval history of Turkey. The Mongol invasion after the Crusades put an end to the great state of the Seljuks, and caused Turkey to be torn into many parts. In addition, internal rebellions and conflicts made life very difficult for the people. So, in that critical period, we encounter three important, contemporary figures. Among them, Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi was a Sufi master very influential in city centres among the lettered and ruling classes. As a champion of Islamic love and tolerance, he left indelible marks in not only Muslim but also world history. Yunus Emre is the counterpart of Mawlana among the common people. He expressed in plain Turkish what Mawlana did in a very lofty style in Persian and served for the lessening of the pains of people and removing of internal rifts and enmities among them. Nasr al-Din Khodja, the third figure among those three, was a sage, a philosopher of the people, and a moralist. However, endowed with a very good sense of humour, he pointed out the moral deformation among people and, without hurting the feelings of anyone, he criticized people for their defects in a gentle and clever way. He retorts or anecdotes are full of witty remarks and moral wisdom.

It is impossible to accept that all the anecdotes attributed to the Khodja as belonging to him. It is a fact that fame usually appropriates what does not belong to it. That is, it is common tendency to attribute to a famous individual even what does not really belong to him. That is why a considerable percentage of anecdotes attributed to the Khodja cannot belong to him. For example, among those anecdotes there are some said to have taken place between the Khodja and Amir Timur, who defeated the Ottoman ruler Bayazid I in 1402 and invaded Turkey. However, it is impossible for the Khodja to have met Timur. Public imagination, over time, has attributed to the Khodja some anecdotes resembling those of the Khodja.

The anecdotes attributed to the Khodja have appeared in written form from the 16th century onwards. However, the first books to be compiled about the Khodja and his anecdotes were published in the second quarter of the last century. The first translations into European languages appeared almost a quarter century after their publication in Turkey. Of the most famous, La Literature Populaire Turque by Edmond Saussey (Paris, 1936} and Nasreddin Hoca et ses histoires Turques by Jean-Paul Gamier (Paris 1958) are particularly worth mentioning.

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?

What should I ask of God so that I shall have asked for all things?

Three things: health and prosperity with contentment.

To whom should I entrust a task?

To those who deserve that task.

In whom can I place my trust?

An intimate friend who is not jealous.

What is the most fitting thing in every area of my life?

Study and prayer when you are young and prayer to God when you get old so that you become a good example to the young.

What speech diminishes one’s value in the eyes of others?

Speaking of one’s own excellence.

How can I remove myself from relationships with those who don’t conduct themselves properly?

Three ways: visit them at infrequent intervals; ask less after their well-being; do not expect any favour from them.

Does the outcome of something depend on deeds done or destiny?

Destiny depends on deeds done. (Knowledge depends on the thing studied.)

What is fitting for the young and what for the old?

For the young courage and a sense of shame; for the old knowledge and a sense of dignity.

To whom is greatness suited and who can be called great?

One who differentiates between good and evil, and delegates work to the most appropriate person.

Whom should we avoid in order to achieve peace of mind?

Sycophants and people given to show.

Who is generous?

One who gives and derives contentment from giving.

What is more important to human beings than life?

Three things: educating one’s own character, having a clear belief in religion, and making oneself safe from the one’s enemies by taking positive action against cruelty of them.

What is that which people long for but cannot wholly achieve?

Three things: health, happiness and an intimate friend who would give his/her life for you.

Which is better to do a good deed or to avoid doing evil ones?

To avoid evil is the doorway to doing good.

Is there a good deed that comes to he regarded as shameful over time?

Doing someone a favour than reminding them that you have done it.

What quality best adorns knowledge?

Truthfulness.

What is the sign of daring?

To forgive when you have the power to take revenge on someone.

Who has no cause of shame?

The All-Mighty, God.

What sort of work is suited to an intelligent person?

The work that prevents him from doing wicked things.

Which is the most harmful human fault?

A cause of shame of which a person is unaware.

Which moments in life are wasted completely?

When a person can do a favour for someone but doesn’t do it.

Which commandments shouldn’t be despised?

Four commandments; firstly those of God, secondly those of parents, thirdly those of wise people, and finally those of sovereigns.

Which seed is sown in one place but harvested in two?

A service done for the wise and learned; because we can benefit from it in this world and hereafter from God.

What is the best thing in life?

Being comfortable in mind and feeling safe.

What is worse than death?

Fear of poverty and destitution.

What thing is the best and the most beautiful in its outcome?

Seeking the pleasure of the All-Mighty, God.

Which things des fray humanity?

Four things: the meanness of elders, the arrogance of wise men, the immodesty of women and the lies of men.

What causes a wise man : works to he wasted?

Praising cruel men.

What tools do we need to prosper in this world?

Knowledge, dexterity and humanity.

What precautions can we take to avoid needing a doctor’s care?

Eating little, sleeping little, speaking little and not having contact with everyone.

Who is wiser?

A person who speaks less, and listens more, and has a wide knowledge.

Why does the inferiority complex exist?

Because people are jealous of others’ possessions.

What is the reason for greed?

Indolence and sedition.

How is a good reputation acquired?

By hastening to do good works.

How can a ruler achieve greatness?

By being prompt in his works.

What is the best course of action?

To reap the rewards after death you should be modest without being under an obligation to anyone;, in this world, you should be generous without taking any profit.

What is the worst cow-se of action in this world?

Two things; the cruelty of governors and the meanness of the wealthy.

What is true modesty?

To be cheerful, to sit below one’s friends and not being hypocritical.

From whom should we take advice?

Those who treat religion with sincerity, who associate with sincere people and who are wise in judgement.

What kind of advisors does a leader need the most?

Wise ones.

Who is better in this world?

Someone who works with generosity and who speaks the truth.

What can I do to prevent loneliness whilst away from home?

Do not give cause for accusation, do not offend anybody, and keep your moral integrity.

What respect should be shown the old by the young?

The young should keep the secrets of the old, should keep company with the old, and should not favour one above another.

Which things benefit from prayer?

Three things: the body, the tongue, and the heart.

What are their benefits?

The body’s benefit is a deed, the tongue’s is recitation and mention of the attributes of God, and the heart’s is reflection.

What are the attributes of a good person?

To cover up others’ faults and forget them, mention them anywhere.

How does a favour become perfect?

Through generosity that is unconditional, done or given without approval of oneself.

What things can make life easier?

Three things: first, not pushing things to their extremes; second, being patient; third, not desiring too much (i.e. being moderate in your desires).

What are the conditions of wanting something from someone?

Find someone who has sound morals, and objects of desire should be confined to your sphere.

What are the essentials required by everyone?

Three things: a wise person’s advice for a sensible person, strategy and path for a soldier however strong, prayer for a pious man.

What qualities will help you to be liked by others?

Two things: not being cruel in human relationships and not injuring others with your words.

What should the functions of our possessions be?

To compensate others for wrongs we have done them, to support our parents, to improve our chances for the next life (to gain experience for the next life), to make the poor rich, to make friends out of enemies, and to help our friends and enemies.

What things can be helpful to the human body though not eaten?

Soft and white clothes, pleasant smells, gazing at water and greenery, seeing friends when healthy, walking about in vineyards and gardens, visiting scholars whether they are dead or alive, bathing in want water and avoiding chatter and gossip. 

This is taken from the Pendnama often attributed to Ibn Sina, and here translated from Dr Muhammad Debir Siyaki’s Numune-i Nesrha-i Dila viz-u Amuzende-i Fars Teheran, 1348 AH. (The emperor referred to is the Persian Anusherwan, his counsellor Buzurcmihr.)

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate
Whoever has been given the Wisdom, certainly he has been given much good

The following consists of a brief comparison between the sacred wisdom of the Wise Qur’an and human philosophy, and a concise summary of the instruction and training which the Qur’anic wisdom gives to man’s personal and social life, and also an indication to the superiority of the Qur’an to the other Divine Words, and to all speech.

This Word comprises Four Fundamentals.

FIRST FUNDAMENTAL

Look at the differences between the Qur’anic wisdom and human philosophy through the lens of the following parable:

Once, a religious and skillful, renowned ruler wanted to write the Qur’an as beautifully as required by the sacredness of its meanings and the miraculousness of its wording. He wanted to do this so that he might adorn its wonderful words in a worthy array. So, the artist-ruler wrote out the Qur’an in a truly wonderful fashion. In writing it out, he used all kinds of precious jewels. In order to point out the variety of its truths, he wrote some of its letters in diamonds and emeralds, and some in pearls and agate, and others in brilliants and coral, while others he wrote in gold and silver. Also, he adorned and decorated it in such a way that everyone, those who knew how to read and those who did not, were full of admiration and astonishment when they saw it. Especially in the judgement of the people of truth, since the outer beauty was an indication to the brilliant beauty and striking adornment within, that Qur’an became a most precious artwork.

The ruler showed the artistically wrought and bejewelled Qur’an to a foreign philosopher and a Muslim scholar In order to test them and for reward, he commanded them: ‘Each of you write a work about the wisdom of this!’ First the philosopher then the scholar, composed a book about it.

However, the philosopher’s book discussed only the shapes and decorations of the letters and the relationships between them, and the properties of the jewels and the way they were used. He did not make any observations at all about the meaning, for that foreigner had no knowledge of the Arabic script. He did not even know that the embellished Qur’an was a book having a meaning. He rather looked on it as an ornamented art-object. He did not know any Arabic, but he was well-informed about engineering and chemistry. He also had a great ability to describe things and much knowledge about jewellery. So he composed his book according to these skills.

As for the Muslim scholar, on seeing the book, he understood that it was the Clear Book the Wise Qur’an. So, he – this truth loving person – neither paid any attention to its outward ornamentation nor busied himself with the decorations of the letters. He was rather engaged in something else which was millions of times more exalted, more valuable more worthy of respect, more useful and more comprehensive than the issues with which the other man was occupied. Therefore he composed an interpretation in which he described the sacred truths and secret lights behind the veil of decorations.

Both men – the foreign philosopher and Muslim scholar – presented their works to the renowned ruler. The ruler first took the book of the philosopher, and saw that conceited man had worked very hard but not written anything about the true wisdom of his work. He had not understood its meaning at all, and holding that work, which is a source of truths, to consist in meaningless decorations, showed disrespect for it. Therefore, the wise ruler refused his book and expelled the man from his presence.

Then, the ruler looked through the book of the truth-loving, meticulous scholar, and seeing that it was a very beautiful and useful interpretation, a wise and illuminating composition, congratulated him. It was pure wisdom and the one who wrote it was a real scholar, a genuine sage. The other man was an impertinent artificer not knowing his place. Then, he willed that, as reward, for each letter of his work should be given ten pieces of gold out of his inexhaustible treasury.

Now; if you have understood the meaning of the parable, reflect upon its real meaning:

The embellished Qur’an is this artistically fashioned universe. The ruler is the Eternal Sovereign. As for the two men, one represents the line of philosophy and philosophers, the other, the way of the Qur’an and its students. Indeed, the Wise Qur’an is the most exalted expander, a most eloquent translator of this macro-Qur’an of the universe. It is the Criterion, which instructs the jinn and men in the signs of creation Divine laws of the creation and operation of the universe, inscribed by the Pen of Power on the sheets of the universe and pages of time. It looks upon creatures, each of which is a meaningful letter, as bearing the meaning of another, that is, on account of their Maker, and remarks, ‘How beautifully they have been made, and how meaningfully they point to the beauty and grace of the Maker.’ Thus, it shows the real beauty of the universe. As for philosophy, it is absorbed in the design and decorations of the ‘letters’ of creation and, in bewilderment; it has lost the way to truth. While it ought to look upon the letters of this macro-book as bearing the meaning of another, that is, on account of their relation to God, it does the reverse. It looks upon them as signifying themselves, and remaks, ‘How beautiful they are’, not ‘How beautifully they have been made! By doing so, it insults the creation and causes it to complain about itself. Truly, materialistic philosophy is a falsehood bearing no truths, and an insult to the creation.

SECOND FUNDAMENTAL

This is a comparison between the moral training which the Wise Qur’an’s wisdom affords to man’s personal life and that afforded by philosophy:

A sincere student of philosophy is a Pharaoh-like tyrant, but one who abases himself so far as to bow in worship before the meanest thing to serve his interest: That materialist student is also a stubborn, misleading one: unyielding, but so wretched as to accept endless degradation for the sake of a single pleasure; unbending, but so mean as to kiss the feet of devilish people for the sake of some base advantage. That student is conceited and domineering, but since he can find no point of support in his heart, he is an utterly impotent vainglorious tyrant. That student is also self-centred egoist, who strives to gratis’ his material, carnal desires and pursues his personal interests after certain national interests.

As for the sincere student of the Wisdom of the Qur’an, he is a worshipping servant of God, but one who does not degrade himself to bow in a worship even before the greatest of the created. He is a dignified servant who does not regard as the goal of worship a thing of even the greatest benefit like Paradise. Also, he is a modest student, one mild and gentle, but he does not lower himself voluntarily before anybody other than his Creator beyond what He has permitted. He is also weak and in want, and aware of his weakness and neediness.’ Yet he is independent of others, owing to the wealth and munificence the Infinite Power, of his Master. He acts and strives purely for God’s sake, for-God’s pleasure4 and to be equipped with virtues.

The training the Qur’an and philosophy give may be understood through this comparison of the two students.

THIRD FUNDAMENTAL

The training philosophy and the Qur’anic wisdom give to human social life is this:

According to philosophy, the point of support in social life is ‘force’. The aim is the realization of self- interests. Conflict is the principle of life; Philosophy holds that the bond that unifies communities is racism and negative nationalism. The fruits it gives are the gratification of carnal desires and increase of human needs. Whereas force calls for aggression; seeking self-interests causes fighting for material resources. Conflict brings strife. Racism feeds by swallowing others and therefore paves the way for aggression. Thus, it is for these reasons that mankind have been deprived of happiness.

As for the wisdom of the Qur’an, it accepts ‘right’, not ‘force’, as the point of support in social life. It holds, in place of the realization of self-interests, virtues and God’s approval as the aim. The principle of mutual assistance is the principle of life it holds to, instead of conflict. It accepts, not racism and negative nationalism, but the ties of religion, profession and country as the bonds between communities. Its aim is to put a barrier against the attacks of lusts and, by urging the soul to sublime matters and satisfying man’s exalted feelings, to encourage him towards human perfections and make him a true human being. Right calls for unity. Virtues bring solidarity. The principle of mutual assistance means coming to the aid of one another. Religion secures brotherhood and attraction. Restraining the corporeal self and urging the soul towards perfections, it brings happiness in this world and the next.

FOURTH FUNDAMENTAL

If you want to understand why the Qur’an is superior to all the other Divine Scriptures and why it is supreme over all speech and writings, then consider the following two parables:

The first: A king has two forms of speech, two forms of address. One is that he speaks on his private telephone to a common subject regarding some minor matter, some private need. The other is that he speaks, on account of being the supreme sovereign, supreme head of the religious office and the supreme ruler of people, to an envoy or high official of his with the aim of promulgating his commands; he speaks through an exalted decree manifesting his majesty.

The second: A man holds a mirror towards the sun. He receives, according to the capacity of the mirror, light containing the seven colours by which he establishes a connection with the sun. When he directs the light-filled mirror towards his dark house and his roof-covered garden, he will benefit from the sun, not in accordance with the quality of the sun’s light, but according to the capacity of the mirror to reflect it

Another man, however, opens up broad windows out of his house or out of the roof of his garden, thus securing the way for a direct benefit from the sun. He gets the light of the sun directly and continuously and speaks to it in gratitude as if to say: ‘0 fine sun, beauty of the world and beauty of the skies who gild the earth with your light and make the flowers smile! You have furnished my little house and garden with your heat and light the same as you have done for the flowers.’ Whereas the man with the mirror cannot speak to the sun like that. He has to be content with the light and heat of the sun reflected by his mirror.

So, look at the Qur’an through the lens of these two parables and see its miraculousness and understand its holiness. The Qur’an declares: ‘If all the trees on the earth were to become pens and all the seas ink, and if they were to write the words of Almighty God, they would never finish them.’ The reason why the Qur’an has been given the greatest rank among the infinite words of God is this:

The Qur’an has originated in the Greatest Name of God and in the greatest level of every Name. [That is, each Name of God has infinitely different levels of manifestation. For example, the manifestations of the All-Colouring and the All-Decorating in springtime are not the same level as in wintertime.] It is the Word of God on account of His being the Lord of the Worlds. It is God’s decree on account of His being the Deity of all creatures. It is a Divine address on account of God’s being the Creator of the heavens and the earth. It is a speech of God in regard to His absolute Lordship. It is an eternal address in regard to I-us universal Divine Sovereignty. It is book of the favours of the All-Merciful One from the point of His all-embracing comprehensive Mercy. It is a collection of communications at the beginnings of which are sometimes ciphers in respect of the sublime majesty of His Divinity. It is a wisdom-infusing Holy Scripture which, having originated from the all-comprehensive ‘field’ of the Greatest Divine Name, looks to and examines the all-embracing domain of the Supreme Throne of God. It is for these reasons that the title of Word of God has been given to the Qur’an as it deserves it perfectly.

As for the other Divine Words, some of them are of the kind of Divine Speech which is manifested for a particular regard under a minor title and through the particular manifestation of a particular Name; it results from a particular manifestation of Divine Lordship, or of Divine Sovereignty, or of Divine Mercy The Divine Words vary in degrees with respect to particularity and universality. Most inspiration is of this kind, but it varies greatly in degrees. For example, the most particular and simple is the inspiration God sends to animals. Then comes the inspiration occurring to ordinary people. Then the inspirations coming to ordinary angels, to saints and to greater angels, respectively. It is for this reason that a saint who offers supplications without mediation directly through the telephone of the heart ‘connected to God’, says: ‘My heart reports to me from my Lord’. He does not say, ‘It reports me from the Lord of the Worlds’. Also, he can say, ‘My heart is the mirror, the throne, of my Lord’. Never does he say, ‘My heart is the throne of the Lord of the Worlds’. This is because a saint can receive of the Divine address according to his capacity and to the degree of how many of the seventy thousand veils between a man and God he has been able to remove.

Thus, just as the decree of a king which he issues on account of his being the supreme sovereign is higher and more exalted than his insignificant conversation with a common man; and just as directly benefiting from the sun in the sky is very much greater than benefiting from its reflection in a mirror; so in the same degree is the Glorious Qur’an superior to all speech and all books. After the Qur’an, at the second level, other Divine Scriptures- Divine Books and Pages – are superior to all other speech and hooks, each according to its own degree. They have their share from the same point of superiority as the Qur’an has. If all the fine words – epigrams, wise sayings – of all men and jinn which do not issue from the Qur’an were to be collected, they still could not attain to the sacred rank of the Qur’an.

If you want to have some understanding of how the Qur’an has originated in the Greatest Name of God and in the greatest level of every Name, consider the universal, sublime statements of Ayat al-Kursi and the following verses:

With Him are the keys of the Unseen… (6.59); O God, Master of the All Kingdom… (3.26);

He covers the day with the right, each pursuing the other urgently… (7.54);

Earth, swallow your water; and heaven abated!.. (11.44);

The seven heavens and the earth, and all within them extol I-Jim… (17.44);

Your creation and your upraising are as but as a single soul.. (31,28);

We offered the Trust to the heavens and the earth and the mountains… (33.72);

On the day when We shall roll up heaven as a scroll is rolled for books… (21.104);

They measure not God as is due to Him. The earth altogether shall be His handful on the Day of Resurrection… (39.67);

If We had sent down this Qur’an upon a mountain, you would indeed have seen it humbled, split asunder out of the fear of God… (59.21).

Also, meditate upon the initials of the Surahs beginning with al-hamdu li-llah (All praise be to God), or yusabbihu (glorifies Him), and obtain some grasp of this significant fact. Further, look at the openings of the Surahs beginning with Alif Lam Mim, Alif Lam Ra and Ha Mim, and understand the Qur’an’s importance in the sight of God Almighty

If you have understood the significant kernel of this Fourth Fundamental, you can understand that revelation mostly came to the prophets by mediation of an angel, and inspiration is mostly without mediation. You will also be able to understand why even the greatest of saints cannot attain to the level of any prophet. You can also understand the Qur’an’s grandeur and its sacred glory and honour and the source of its sublime miraculousness. So also you will be able to understand why Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, was honoured with Ascension, why he ascended to the heavens, to the furthest lote-tree, to the distance of only two bow- lengths, offered supplications to the All-Majestic One, Who is closer to man than his jugular vein, and in the twinkling of an eye returned whence he came. Indeed, just as the splitting of the moon was a miracle of Messengership whereby he demonstrated his Prophethood to the jinn and mankind, so too, the Ascension was a miracle of his worship and servitude to God whereby he demonstrated to the spirits and angels that he is the Beloved of God.

O God, bestow blessings and peace upon him and his family as befits Your Mercy and his deserving.

Once upon a time, there are two brothers who set off on a long journey together. One is self-indulgent and clever. The other is self-disciplined and wise. After a while they come to a fork in their road where they see a wise old man. They ask him which way to take. He tells them that the right fork requires obligatory observance of the law which governs both roads, but that this burden of observance brings with it a certain security and happiness; while the left fork promises a certain kind of freedom it represents also certain danger and distress. Now the choice is yours, says the old man.

On hearing this, the well-disciplined brother, by relying on God, takes the right fork saying that he accepts dependence on law and order. The other brother takes the left fork just for the sake of freedom. Seemingly, he is comfortable but in truth he feels no tranquillity inside. He reaches a desert. Suddenly he hears the terrible sound of a beast, about to attack him. He runs away and, happening to come across one, jumps down a dried well which is sixty metres deep. Half-way down, he tumbles upon some branches of a tree and grabs on to these to save himself from falling further. He also notices that the tree protruding from the wall of the well has two forks. He hangs down from the branches. Meanwhile, two mice, one white and the other black, are gnawing away at the two roots. The man looks up and sees that the beast is still there. He looks down and there is a horrible dragon almost at his feet, with its large mouth gaping to receive. Having time to do so, the man looks more closely at the wall of the well and notices that it is all covered with labouring insects. He looks again at the tree. It is actually a fig tree but it is a miracle of a tree in that it has a great variety of fruits growing on it, such as walnuts and pomegranates.

There, hanging in the well, he cannot understand that all that has happened to him is in any way special or meaningful, that the scene and the events upon it cannot be merely coincidental. That there should be, must be, some secret to it all, that behind the scene and the events there must stand an arranger and doer of all-none of this, alas, even occurs to him.

Now although this man is well aware of the danger all around him, he gets used to his state of suspense, more or less, and pretends to himself that he is in a garden, having a nice time, eating all kinds of fruits for free but which, it will turn out, are poisonous and harmful to him to consume in this way.

In some of the sacred sayings, God addresses mankind. The meaning of one of those sayings is: I will treat my servant in the way he thinks of Me. This wretched man in the well sees every event that befalls him as no more than itself, as having no further weight or significance and, for him, so it is. He does not die but he does not live well either. He persists merely in an agony of suspense.

Let us now recall the other brother. He is the wiser of the two and, because well-disciplined, not suffering anxieties. He always thinks of the good; affirms the law, and feels himself to be secure and free within it. Whenever, on his journey, he enters a garden and comes across ruined or ugly things in it, he is able to turn his mind to that which is good and beautiful. His brother cannot and does not do the same; he has concerned himself with evil and therefore cannot find ease in such a garden. The wise one lives according to the saying: Take the good not the evil. He is therefore generally happy with everything.

On his way he too reaches a desert, just as his brother did, and the same beast shows up. He too is afraid but not as much as his brother, because he is sure that the beast must be in the service of a certain master. This disciplined man also jumps down a well that happens to be there and, half-way down, catches hold of the branches of a little tree. He too notices the pair of mice gnawing at the two roots of the tree. Looking down, he sees the dragon and, up above, the beast still waiting for him. Just like his brother, he finds this suspense a strange situation to be in. But because he is wise and self-disciplined, he infers that all these strange happenings are arranged by someone, and constitute a sign. He thinks he is not alone and that he is being watched and examined by someone. He understands that he is being directed and guided in some way.

He is curious about the one who arranged all these events and asks: Who is it that desires to make me know him? Even in his curiosity he is patient and self-disciplined, and so this curiosity changes into a sort of love for Him who arranges all these events. And this love causes him a desire to open the secret sign of these events and that desire drives him to be approved by the owner of the sign.

He observes that the tree from which he is suspended is a fig tree but one that bears almost every kind of fruit. He is no longer afraid; he understands that this tree is actually a sort of catalogue of samples of the fruits the owner has. Otherwise, one tree would not bear so great a variety of fruits as this one does. He desires more earnestly and the key to the secret is inspired in him. He declares:

Oh Owner of all this scene and these events, I am your servant and I desire your approval and I desire to know you.

Following this prayer, the wall of the well changes into a door to a wonderful garden. The dragon and the beast become two servants inviting him in. The beast even changes into a horse for him to ride on.

Now, let us compare the positions of these two brothers and see how good brings with it good and evil causes evil:

The unfortunate traveller who took the left way, the way of self-trust and self-willed freedom, is about to fall into the mouth of the dragon; he is continually anxious. He suffers loneliness and considers himself a prisoner facing the attacks of wild beasts. Furthermore, he adds more to this distress, eating apparently delicious but actually poisonous fruits which are only presented as samples, not intended to be consumed for their own sake. This unfortunate one changes his day into darkness; he himself does injustice, changing his situation into a hell-like one.

In contrast, the traveller who took the right way is invited to a fruitful garden with servants all .around him. He studies every strange incident in awe, and enjoys himself. He does not eat up the fruits on the fig tree, only samples them, curious as to why they should be there at all-which is how they are intended to be used.

The other is just like a man who, by not being content with what has been served for him and intoxicating himself with alcoholic drink, denies his favoured situation in a summer garden surrounded by friends, and instead imagines himself to be among wild beasts in winter time, and complains thereof. He does himself injustice and deserves no mercy. The brother who took the right way, the way that accepts trustingly what is given and observes the law, sees and accepts the whole reality and for him it is beautiful. In doing this he respects the One who possesses reality, and that is why this brother is deserving of mercy. By this we may understand, at least in part, the meaning of the Qur’anic phrase: Know that evil is from yourself but goodness is from God.

When we reflect upon the differences between the two brothers we see that the inner-self of one prepared a kind of hell-like situation for him, corresponding to his own attitude to reality, whereas the other’s potential goodness, positive intention and good nature led him to a very favoured and happy situation.

Now, I say to my own inner-self as well as to the inner-self of anyone who has read thus far:

If you desire to be like the luckier of the two brothers, follow the guidance of the Qur’an. The details of the allegory could be explained at very great length, but the gist of it, roughly, is this:

One of the brothers is a believer who is good-hearted and the other is a blasphemous unbeliever. Of two ways the one on the right is the way of the Qur’an and faith, whereas the other is the way of unbelief and heresy. The garden on the way is human society and civilization which has in it both good and evil, cleanliness and pollution. The wise one is he who acts according to the law of this road and so travels peacefully.

The desert in the story is the earth, and the beast who turns up unawares is death. The well is life and the body of man, and sixty metres in depth because that is our average life span. The tree in the well is life itself, the two mice gnawing its roots are day and night. The dragon in the well is the opening to the hereafter and, for a believer, becomes a door to the Garden. The insects on the walls of the well are the troubles people face on this earth. However, these troubles are but little warnings for a believer, to remind him of God. And the fruits on the tree, as we have already indicated, are samples from the blessings of the hereafter.

(There is only one tree in the well but there are various fruits on it. This shows the seal of divinity whose unique virtue is to create everything out of one thing and to change everything into one thing, to make various plants and fruits from one soil only; to create all living things from one drop of water; to make a simple skin for each species from a variety of foods, to nourish and sustain all alike living things and make all parts of body from a simple food.)

To return to the allegory, the sign shows the secret will and purpose of God in creating; this sign is opened with faith and there the key is:

God, there is no god save God. God, there is no god save Him.

For one of the brothers, the mouth of the dragon changes into a door to the Garden. For the other, as for all unbelievers, the grave is the door to a place of trouble, the belly of a dragon, whereas for believers it is the door to the eternal Garden which is the blessing of God for the faithful followers of the Qur’an.

The beast changes into an obedient servant. This means that, for unbelievers, death is a painful detachment from loved ones, a kind of imprisonment after leaving (for them) the paradise-like earth. For believers on the other hand, it is just like going forward to meet friends and companions, it is like going into their eternal home. It is for them a formal invitation to pass into the eternal gardens from the prison of the earth, a kind of retirement from the burden of life.

In sum, the one who chooses the transient life as his aim puts himself into hell even though he stays in what appears to him paradise on earth. By contrast, the one who aims at the eternal life will find peace and happiness in both worlds. Despite all troubles, he still thanks God and will patiently conclude his stay on the earth which, as he properly comes to understand, is merely a waiting room opening up to heaven.

R. Nur Collection (Eight Word)