Eleventh Word
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Mercy-Giver
وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحٰيهَا وَالْقَمَرِ اِذَا تَلٰيهَا وَالنَّهَارِ اِذَا جَلّٰيهَا وَالَّيْلِ اِذَا يَغْشٰيهَا وَالسَّمَآءِ وَمَا بَنٰيهَا وَاْلاَرْضِ وَمَاطَحٰيهَا وَنَفْسٍ وَمَاسَوّٰيهَا .. الخ
By the sun in its morning brightness // and by the moon as it follows it, // by the day as it displays the sun’s glory // and by the night as it conceals it, // by the sky and how He built it // and by the earth and how He spread it, // by the soul and how He formed it… (Qur’an, 91: 1-7)
“Oh brother! If you want to understand the secret code of the wisdom in the Realm, the enigma of the human being’s creation, and the subtle symbolism of the reality of prayer to some extent, consider this small representational story together with my lower soul…”
Click to listen to Episode 01 (Representational Story), Episode 02 (Story continued and its reality), Episode 03 (Stations of prayer), Episode 04 (Stations of prayer), Episode 05 (Group of disbelievers), Episode 06 (Purposes of Life), Episode 07 (Quiddity, form, felicity of life).
Back to The Words.
ROUGH TRANSLATION from the RISALE-I NUR
translated by Dr. Mustafa Tuna
A rough translation of the section that is being discussed is posted below. This is a work in progress and should not be considered a finalized translation. It is only meant to help with understanding the recorded discussion.
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Mercy-Giver
وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحٰيهَا وَالْقَمَرِ اِذَا تَلٰيهَا وَالنَّهَارِ اِذَا جَلّٰيهَا وَالَّيْلِ اِذَا يَغْشٰيهَا وَالسَّمَآءِ وَمَا بَنٰيهَا وَاْلاَرْضِ وَمَاطَحٰيهَا وَنَفْسٍ وَمَاسَوّٰيهَا .. الخ
By the sun in its morning brightness // and by the moon as it follows it, // by the day as it displays the sun’s glory // and by the night as it conceals it, // by the sky and how He built it // and by the earth and how He spread it, // by the soul and how He formed it… (Qur’an, 91: 1-7)
Oh brother! If you want to understand the secret code of the wisdom in the Realm, the enigma of the human being’s creation, and the subtle symbolism of the reality of prayer to some extent, consider this small representational story together with my lower soul:
Once, there was a sultan. From the point of view of wealth, he had many treasures and all sorts of jewels, diamonds, and emeralds in them. Furthermore, he had hidden, amazing treasures buried out of sight. Then, in terms of perfection, he had many skills in marvelous crafts and encompassing knowledge of uncountable amazing sciences. Moreover, he had the knowledge and erudite understanding of boundless fields of aesthetic knowledge.
According to the secret that every possessor of beauty and perfection would like to see and show his beauty and perfection, that esteemed sultan also wanted to open an exhibit and organize displays in it, so that he would expose and show the sublimity of his royal power, the splendor of his treasures, the wonders of his art, and the marvels of his capabilities. So that he would observe his metaphysical beauty and perfection in two ways:
One is that he would see it himself with his discerning sight.
And the other is that he would behold it through the sights of others
In accordance with this wisdom, he started to build a massive, large, and magnificent palace. After he divided it into quarters and rooms and decorated with the various embellishments of his treasures, ornamented it with the fine and most beautiful products of his crafts, organized it according to the most subtle details of the sciences of his wisdom, and equipped it with the miraculous products of the various branches of his knowledge, in that palace, he opened tables containing the most delicious ones of all of his various foods and blessings. He designated a table as befits the needs of each group. He prepared such a generous and artful feast open to all that he spread out boundless precious blessings as if each table had come into existence as the product of a hundred subtle crafts. Then, he invited his people and subjects from various parts of his lands for spectacle, enjoyment, and feasting.
And then, he informed one of his noble aides-de-camp about the wisdoms associated with the palace and the meanings of its furnishings, and he appointed him as a teaching master and guide so that he would describe the maker of the palace to the people using its furnishings, make known the subtle symbolisms of the palace’s engravings, teach the allusions associated with the arts in it, describe what the well-ordered embellishments and proportionate engravings are and from what point of view they indicate the perfections and skills of the owner of the palace to those who enter the palace, make known the etiquette of entrance and the procedures of spectacle, and describe the procedures of the protocol of being in that unseen sultan’s presence as it pleases him.
Now, that teaching master has an assistant in each quarter of the palace. He takes residence in the largest quarter among his disciples, and he is making this promulgation to the spectators. He is saying:
“Oh people! By making this palace and exposing these things, our master who is the king of this palace wants to introduce himself to you. You too recognize him and try to get to know him well. He wants to endear himself to you with these ornaments. You too endear yourselves to him by appreciating his art and admiring his works. He is showing his love for you with these bestowals that you see. You too love him in a state of obedience. He is showing his compassion and mercy to you with these visible blessings and favors. You too show respect to him with gratitude. He wants to show his metaphysical beauty to you with these products of his perfections. You too show your yearning to see him and earn his regard. By putting a peculiar stamp, a special seal, and an inimitable monogram on all of these artefacts and ornaments that you see, he wants to show that everything belongs exclusively to him, that everything is the product of his own hand, that he is one and single, and that he possesses independence and individuality. You too recognize and accept him to be one, single, and unique, without likeness and peerless.
He said many other things like this that become him and his stations to the spectators. And then, the people who entered the palace separated into two groups:
The first group: Because these had recognized their selves, they were in possession of their intellects, and their hearts were in the right place, as they beheld the amazing things in the palace, they said: “There is a great matter in this.” They also understood that it is not futile, it is not an ordinary play thing. They became curious as a result. As they were saying, “Wonder what code opens this up? What is in it,” and contemplating over it, suddenly they heard the speech that that teaching master was giving. They understood that the keys to all secrets are with him. They went toward him and said:
“Greetings of peace be upon you oh the teaching master! By rights, such a magnificent palace requires a truthful and discerning teaching guide like you. Please let us know what our master has informed you of.”
So the teaching master conveyed them the speeches that were mentioned before. They listened beautifully, accepted well, and received complete benefit. They acted within the circle of what pleases the king.
Because the king liked their well-mannered behaviors and states, he invited them to a special, lofty, and indescribable palace and showed them his bestowals there. He showered them with his favors in a way that becomes such a generous monarch, that worthy of such obedient people, that is suitable for such well-mannered guests, and that befits such a lofty palace. He made them continually felicitous.
As for the second group, because their intellects had corrupted and hearts had extinguished, upon entering the palace, they were overcome by their lower souls and did not pay attention to anything other than the delicious foods. They closed their eyes to all beautiful things and plugged their ears to the rightful guidance of the teaching master and the warnings of his disciples. They ate like animals and went to sleep. They drank from some undrinkable potions that were prepared for some specific purposes. Becoming drunk, they screamed, acted up, and disturbed the guest spectators exceedingly. They showed ill-mannered disrespect to the rules of the Esteemed Artful Maker. Thus, the soldiers of the owner of the palace arrested them and threw them in a jail that becomes such ill-mannered people.
Oh my friend who has been listening to this story with me! Of course, you have understood that that esteemed ruler has built this palace for these purposes that are mentioned. And the realization of those purposes depend on two things:
One is the existence of this teaching master whom we see and whose speech we hear. Because, in his absence, all purposes would become useless. And this is because, if an unintelligible book is left without a teacher, it would be reduced to meaningless paper.
The second is that the people accept and listen to that teacher’s words.
That is to say, the teaching master’s existence invites the existence of the palace. And that the people listen is the cause for the palace to last. In that case, it can be said that if it were not for that teaching master, that esteemed king would not have built this palace. And it can also be said that when the people do not listen to that teaching master’s instructions, of course, that palace will be replaced and transformed.
Oh friend, the story ended here. If you understood the secret of this allegory, look, see the face of reality too.
So, that palace is this realm whose ceiling is the sky illuminated by smiling stars. Its floor is the face of the earth that is adorned by all sorts of flowers from east to west. As for that king, He is a Sanctified Entity Who is the Sultan of pre-eternity and post-eternity that seven layers of the heavens, the earth, and everything in them sanctify and glorify that Entity with their peculiar tongues. Such an All-powerful King that having created the heavens and the earth in six days, then stood on the Throne of His Lordship and by alternating night and day one after the other like two threads, one black and one white, He writes his signs on the page of the cosmos; the sun, the moon, and the stars are subjugated to His command; and He has the possession of sublimity and power.
As for the rooms of that palace, they are these eighteen thousand realms that are each decorated and put in order as befits it. See, the marvelous arts you see in that palace are the miracles of divine power that are visible in this realm. As for the foods you saw in that palace, they point to the wondrous fruits of divine mercy in this realm, especially in the season of summer, and especially in the orchards of Barla. As for the hearth and kitchen over there, here it is the earth with fire in its heart and the surface of the earth. As for the jewels of the hidden buried treasures you saw in the allegory, they are examples of the reflections of holy divine names in this reality. As for the engravings we saw in the allegory and the allusions associated with them, they are the orderly artefacts and proportionate engravings of the pen of power that indicate the names of the Majestic All-powerful One. As for that teaching master, he is Our Master Muhammad, blessings and greetings of peace be upon him. As for his assistants, they are the prophets greetings of peace be upon them. As for his disciples, they are the saints and purified ones.
As for the ruler’s servants in that palace, they point to the angels, greetings of peace be upon them, in this realm. As for the guests in the allegory, who are invited for spectacle and feasting, they point to the people, the Jinn, and the animals who are man’s servants in this guesthouse of the earth. As for those two groups: here, one of them are the people of faith, and they are the disciples of the Wisdomful Qur’an, which is the interpreter of the signs of the book of the cosmos. As for the other group, they are the people of disbelief and transgression; it is the mob of the deaf and dumb misguided who, by following the compulsive soul and Satan, recognize only the worldly life like animals, or in fact even lower.
The felicitous and the virtuous who are in the first group listened to the two-winged teaching master. That teaching master is a slave of God; from the point of view of worshipful slavehood, he describes and makes his Lord known, and therefore, He is like the envoy of his community of believers in the court of the Sublime Real. And he is a messenger; from the point of view of messengership, he promulgates the rulings of His Lord to the Jinn and to the people through the Qur’an.
This fortunate community listened to that messenger and paid attention to the Qur’an. They saw themselves invested in many subtle duties within many elevated stations through prayer, which is an index of a variety of forms of worship. Yes, they saw in detail the duties and stations that prayer points to through the various words of remembrance and movements it contains. This is how:
First: Beholding the imprints of creation and seeing themselves in the station of the spectators of the excellent beauties of the royal power of lordship, in the form of a transaction in the presence of the unseen, they performed the duty of exaltation (takbīr) and glorification (tasbīḥ) and said “God is the greatest.”
Second: Appearing in the station of the promulgating criers of the brilliant imprints and masterworks that reflect the sacred divine names, they fulfilled the duty of sanctifying (taqdīs) and praising (taḥmīd) by saying “Glory be to God!” and “All Praise and Gratitude be to God!”
Third: At the station of tasting and understanding the apparent and hidden blessings stored in the treasuries of divine mercy, they began performing the duty of gratitude and laudation.
Fourth: At the station of weighing and knowing the jewels in the treasuries of the divine names with the scales of metaphysical equipment, they began the duty of declaring transcendence (tanzīh) and of eulogy (madḥ).
Fifth: At the station of perusing the lordly letters written on the lines of divine determination by the pen of power, they began the duty of contemplation (tafakkur) and admiration (istiḥsān).
Sixth: At the station of declaring transcendence by spectating the subtle elegance and delicate beauties in the creation of things and the artfulness of artefacts, they took up the duty of loving and yearning for their Majestic Creator Who creates from nothing and their Beautiful Artful Maker.
Thus, having beheld the cosmos and the imprints of creation and performed the above-mentioned duties in the form of transactions of worship in the presence of the unseen, they rose to the degree of beholding the All-Wise Artful Maker’s transactions and acts, first, in return for the Majestic Creator’s introduction of Himself to conscious beings through the miracles of His art, they responded in the form of a transaction in His presence with wonder-inspiring intimate knowledge saying, “سُبْحَانَكَ مَا عَرَفْنَاكَ حَقَّ مَعْرِفَتِكَ” (Glory be to You, we have not known You as You deserve to be known); what makes You known are the miracles in all of Your artefacts.” Then, in return for that Merciful One’s endearment of Himself with the beautiful fruits of His mercy, they responded with love and passion and said “اِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَاِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ”(You alone we worship and from You alone we ask for help.” Then, in return for the demonstration of that True Blessor’s mercifulness and compassion through His sweet blessings, they responded with gratitude and praise and said “سُبْحَانَكَ وَبِحَمْدِكَ” (Glory be to You and praise and gratitude be to You!), “How can we fulfill the gratitude that is rightfully due to you!? You are a Deserving Recipient of gratitude Who deserves such gratitude that the clear tongues of all of Your bestowals that are spread out everywhere in the cosmos are reciting gratitude and laudation for you. And, through the promulgation of all the blessings lined up in the marketplace of the realm and dispersed through the face of the earth, they are proclaiming Your praise and eulogy. And, by testifying to Your generosity and munificence, the orderly fruits and well-proportioned berries of mercy and blessing are performing the duty of gratitude to You before the gazes of creatures.”
And then, in return for the exposure of His beauty, majesty, perfection, and grandeur on the mirrors of existent beings that are ever-changing on the faces of the cosmos, they responded saying “God is the greatest,” bowing down in a state of impotence within exaltation, and prostrating in a state of humility within love and awe.
And then, in return for the Absolute Rich One’s demonstration of the abundance of His treasures and the vastness of His mercy, they responded exposing their poverty and needs, supplicating, and asking, and they said “اِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ”(From You alone we ask for help).
And then, in return for the dissemination of the subtleties, wonders, and masterpieces of the Majestic Artful Maker’s art, they responded saying “mā shaʾ Allah” with appreciation, “How beautifully it is made!” with admiration, “baraka Allah” with observation, “We believed!” with testimony, “Come, look!” in a state of amazement, and “حَىَّ عَلَى الْفَلاَحْ ” (Hasten to salvation) while holding everybody a witness.
Furthermore, in return for the promulgation of His lordship by that Sultan of pre-eternity and post-eternity in the regions of the cosmos and the exposure of His entitative oneness, they responded with monotheism and affirmation and saying “سَمِعْنَا وَ اَطَعْنَا” (We heard and we obeyed!) in a state of obedience and acquiescence.
And then, in return for the Lord of the Realms’ exposure of His divinity, they responded with worshipful slavehood that comprises the announcement of their impotence within weakness and poverty within neediness and with prayer, which is the essence of worshipful slavehood.
And with various other duties of worshipful slavehood like these they performed the obligations of their span of life and the duty of living in this great mosque called the abode of the world and acquired the best of forms in creation. They rose to a rank above all creatures and became a trustworthy vicegerent on earth equipped with the vigor of faith and of safety and trust. After that arena of trial and workbench of examination, their munificent Lord invited them to eternal felicity as a reward for their faith and to the abode of peace as the price of their submission; He bestowed and bestows them there by blessing them with His mercy at such a brilliant degree that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and nor has it appeared to any human heart and by giving them eternity and everlasting existence.
This is because, the yearning spectator of an eternal and perpetual beauty and its mirror-bearing lover will of course last forever and move to eternity. So, this is the destiny of the Qur’an’s disciples. May the Sublime Real include us among them. Amin!
However, as for the other group who are open sinners and wicked: When they entered the palace of this realm upon reaching the age of accountability, because they responded to all the evidences of essential oneness with disbelief, showed ingratitude in return for all the blessings, insulted existent beings by accusing them of worthlessness in a way that suggests disbelief, and responded to all the manifestations of divine names with rejection and denial, they committed an endless crime in a brief period of time and deserved an endless torment. Yes, the capital of life and the equipment pertaining to humanity are given to man for the abovementioned duties.
Oh my addlebrained lower soul and my friend full of desires! Do you assume that your life duty is limited to preservation of the self according to the requisites of civilization, if you will excuse the expression, to serving the stomach and the private parts? Or, do you assume that the sole purpose of these delicate subtle faculties, metaphysical components, these sensitive organs and tools, these well-proportioned limbs and equipment, and these inquisitive senses and perceptions is their employment to satisfy the vile lower soul and lowly desires? Far be it! Never! In fact, the creation of these in your body and their inclusion in your innate nature has two foundations:
One: It is causing you to sense and show gratitude for each variety of all of the Sublime True Blessor’s blessings. And you should sense them, show gratitude, and perform the worship that relates to them.
Second: To inform you by means of those equipment and to have you taste the types of all the manifestations of the divine holy names that are manifest on the realm one by one. And you should come to faith by getting to know them upon tasting.
Hence, human perfection grows from these two foundations. The human being becomes a human being with this.
Look through the secret of the following allegory that the equipment pertaining to humanity is not given to earn worldly life like animals:
For example, a person gave twenty gold pieces to one of his servants so that the servant would purchase for himself a layer of outfit made of a special fabric. The servant went and purchased a perfect outfit made from the best variety of that fabric. He put it on.
Then, he saw that that person gave a thousand gold pieces to another one of his servants, placed in the servant’s pocket a piece of paper with some notes written on it, and sent him off for business. Now, anybody with intellect knows that that capital is not to purchase one layer of outfit alone. Since the first servant purchased a layer of outfit made from the best fabric, of course these thousand gold pieces cannot be spent on one layer of outfit. If this second servant does not read the paper that is placed in his pocket, looks at the previous servant, gives all of the money to a shopkeeper for one layer of outfit, and moreover, purchases an outfit that is made of a most decayed version of that fabric and is fifty times inferior to his friend’s outfit, of course that servant will be punished with severity and disciplined with fury as a result of the utter idiocy he has committed.
Oh my lower soul and my friend! Come to your senses. Do not spend the capital of your span of life and the aptitudes of your life on this transient life and material delights like animals, or in fact, lower than animals. Otherwise, even though you are fifty times higher than the highest of animals, you will fall fifty times beneath the lowest of animals.
Oh my heedless lower soul! If you want to understand to some degree the purpose of your life, the quiddity of your life, the secret of the reality of your life, and the perfect degree of felicity you can reach in life, look:
The summary of the purposes of your life consists of nine matters:
The first is this: With the scales of the senses put in your body, weighing the blessings stored in the treasuries of divine mercy and showing universal gratitude.
Second: With the keys of the equipment placed in your innate nature, opening the hidden buried treasures of the sacred divine names and knowing the Most Sacred Entity through those names.
Third: Recognizing the marvelous arts and subtle instances of reflection that the divine names have attached to you and displaying and exposing them in this display house of the world and before the sights of creatures.
Fourth: Proclaiming your worshipful slavehood with the tongues of your states and actions to your Creator’s court of lordship.
Fifth: In the way that a soldier shows the imprints of the favors of his king by wearing the various decorations that he has received from the king and appearing before his sight on ceremonial occasions, for you, it is appearing before the witnessing sight of the Eternal Witness as He holds others witness by beautifying yourself consciously with the adornments of the human subtleties that the instances of reflection from the divine names have given to you.
Sixth: Consciously observing the living beings’ salutations, which are called the appearances of life, their glorifications of their Artful Maker, which are called the subtle indications of life, and the presentations of their worshipful slavehood to the Giver of Life, which are called the fruits and purposes of life, seeing them with contemplation and showing them by witnessing
Seventh: By considering the small samples of the properties and states that are given to your life, such as partial knowledge, power, and will, each a unit of measurement and thus, with their measures, knowing the absolute attributes and sacred conducts of the Majestic Creator. For example, since you made this house in an orderly fashion with your partial power, partial knowledge, and partial will, knowing the master maker of this realm to be All-Powerful, All-Knowing, All-Wise, and the Administrator to the extent of the greatness of this palace of the realm in comparison with your house.
Eighth: Comprehending the metaphysical words of the existent beings of this realm each according to its peculiar language about the essential oneness of its Creator and the lordship of its Artful Maker.
Ninth: Understanding the degrees of manifestation of divine power and lordly affluence with the measures of your impotence and weakness, poverty and needs. In the way that the taste, levels, and varieties of food are understood proportionately to the degrees of hunger and the quantity of the varieties of needs, likewise, you should comprehend the degrees of infinite power and divine affluence with your infinite impotence and poverty. So, in summary, the purposes of your life are matters like this.
Now, take a look at the quiddity of your life. A summary of that quiddity is this:
It is an index of the marvels of the divine names,
and a measure for the divine conducts and attributes,
and a scale for the realms of the cosmos,
and a list for this great realm,
and a map of this cosmos,
and an abstract of this greater book,
and a chain of keys to open the hidden buried treasures of power,
and the “best of creation” among the perfections that are spread through existence and attached to time frames.
So, the quiddity of your life are matters like this.
Now, the apparent form of your life and the manner of its duty is this:
Your life is a written word. It is a wisdomful utterance written by the pen of power. By being seen and heard, it indicates the divine beautiful names. So, the form of your life are matters like this.
Now, the secret of the reality of your life is this:
It is a mirror to the manifest reflection of singularity and the instance of reflection of eternal besoughtedness. That is, to be a mirror to the Single Eternally Besought Entity with a comprehensiveness that amounts to being the focal point of all the names that are manifest on the entire realm.
Now, as for the perfect degree of felicity you can reach in your life.
It is to feel and love the luminations of the Sun of Eternity the similitudes of which appear on the mirror of your life. To show them to Him as a conscious being. To lose yourself in His love. To place the reflection of His lumination in the apple of the eye of the heart. Hence, it is said due to this secret as the noble interpretation of a sacred prophetic tradition that elevates you to the highest of the high:
مَنْ نَگُنْجَمْ دَرْ سَمٰوَاتُ وَزَمِينْ اَزْ عَجَبْ گُنْجَمْ بِقَلْبِ مُؤْمِنِينْ
I am not contained in the heavens and the earth;
Yet marvelous is that I am contained in the hearts of believers.
So, oh my lower soul! While your life is directed toward such lofty purposes and it gathers such precious treasures, would it at all be rational and fair that you waste it by spending it on temporary pleasures of the compulsory soul and fleeting worldly delights? If you do not want to waste it, think about the oath and what is sworn by in the following chapter of the Qur’an and act accordingly:
وَالشَّمْسِ وَضُحٰيهَا وَالْقَمَرِ اِذَا تَلٰيهَا وَالنَّهَارِ اِذَا جَلّٰيهَا وَالَّيْلِ اِذَا يَغْشٰيهَا وَالسَّمَآءِ وَمَا بَنٰيهَا وَاْلاَرْضِ وَمَاطَحٰيهَا وَنَفْسٍ وَمَاسَوّٰيهَا فَاَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوٰيهَا قَدْ اَفْلَحَ مَنْ زَكّٰيهَا وَقَدْخَابَ مَنْ دَسّٰيهَا
By the sun in its morning brightness // and by the moon as it follows it, // by the day as it displays the sun’s glory // and by the night as it conceals it, // by the sky and how He built it // and by the earth and how He spread it, // by the soul and how He formed it // and inspired it [to know] its own rebellion and piety! // The one who purifies his soul succeeds // and the one who corrupts it fails (Qur’an, 91: 1-10).
اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَسَلِّمْ عَلٰى شَمْسِ سَمَآءِ الرِّسَالَةِ وَقَمَرِ بُـرْجِ النُّبُوَّةِ وَعَلٰى اٰلِهِ وَاَصْحَابِهِ نُجُومِ الْهِدَايَةِ وَارْحَمْنَا وَارْحَمِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ اٰمِينْ اٰمِينْ اٰمِينْ
Oh God! Send Your blessings and greetings of peace to the sun of the heaven of messengership and the moon of the constellation of prophethood and on his family and his companions, the stars of guidance. Have mercy on us and on the believing men and women. Amin. Amin. Amin.