MAHDÎ –ـمَـهْـدِي

 

Literally: Rightly guided. Especially one who is guided by Allah in matters of religion.

The one who demonstrates the haqq way and is a means to hidâyah. The owner of his time.

The one who is granted hidâyah in a special and personal way. He is protected in his duty of religion since Allah guides him. (This word is also used for the reverted Muslims to whom Allah granted hidâyah.)

The person of the âkhirzaman who is entrusted by Allah and who strengthens and reinforces the ummah’s îmân that has been shaken and Islamic life that is corrupted, through unshakable powerful proofs, in a way perfectly conforming to Islam and builds a barrier before all kinds of denial and anarchism.

Besides the necessity of possessing profound ‘ilm, fadhîlah and attainments arising from following the Sunnah to the letter, Mahdî should fearlessly display the reality of the nifâq current that emerged in his time and the haqiqahs of Islam under the most dangerous conditions, even amid the danger of execution; he should work for the repair of ma’nawî destruction of that sharr current through complete bravery and devotion so that a person can be attributed with the title of Mahdî, or Mujaddid. Indeed, if there is a Dajjâl, there must be a Mahdî, who strives against that current of sharr. In the riwâyat, it was narrated that Mahdî will emerge when the face of the earth is overwhelmed with dhulm and sharr and when conflicts and social corruption are severed.

It means that Mahdî emerges in times of severe fitnah and corruption. Many murshids and ‘ulamâ, who possessed high and profound ‘ilm and attainments, emerged in Islamic communities of the former times that were not corrupted. Since they were not faced with a serious fitnah like the one that occurs at the âkhirzaman, they were attributed with the titles of Great Murshid (Murshid al-â’dham) and Great Qutb (Qutb al-â’dham) instead of the title of Great Mahdî (Mahdî al-â’dham). The greatest Mujaddid and his current are charged against the last and greatest fitnah of Sufyan, the Dajjal of Islam. (Please refer to the Fifth Ray.)

Since the most fearsome aspect of the Dajjâl is his current of fitnah, the mystery and law of struggle among opposites, which rule over the world as a requirement of the mystery of man’s accountability and the mystery of progress, perfection and decline of man, necessitate that Mahdî also must have a current struggling against the current of Dajjâl. (Please refer to the compilation of The Opposites.)

Those two opposing currents emerged in the Islamic communities at different times and places. The severest of them is the one that has emerged at the âkhirzaman. (Please refer to the Mujaddid article in The Dictionary.)

 

“Your Third Question: Which are superior in fadhîlah, the imams of the great mujtahids, or the shâh1 and aqtâb of the haqq tarîqah?

The Answer: Not all the mujtahids, but Abu Hanifa, Mâlik, Shâfi'i, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal are superior to the shâhs and aqtâb. But in some respects, some wondrous aqtâb like Shâh Jîlânî have more brilliant stations, in particular fadhîlah. However, general fadhîlah is the Imams'. Furthermore, some of the shâhs of the tarîqah were also mujtahids; it cannot, therefore, be said that all mujtahids are superior to the aqtâb in fadhîlah. But it is said that after the Sahâbah and the Mahdî, the Four Imams are most superior in fadhîlah.” The Twenty-Third Letter

 

THIRD BRANCH

Since the Noble Hadiths that speak of the signs of the qiyâmah, the events of the âkhirzaman, and the fadhîlah and merits of certain actions (‘amal) have not been well understood, some people of ‘ilm who rely on their mind have pronounced some of them to be either weak or false (mawdhû). While some of them whose îmân was weak and ananiyyah was strong have gone as far as denying them. For now, we shall not attempt any detailed discussion but shall only explain the twelve 'Principles'.

First Principle: This is the matter which we have explained in the question and answer at the end of the Twentieth Word. Its summary is this:Religion is a test, an examination. It distinguishes elevated rûhs from low ones. Therefore, it speaks of the events everyone will see with their eyes in the future in such a way that they remain neither altogether unknown nor self-evident lest everyone would be compelled to confirm them. It will open the door to the mind but will not take the will from the hand. Because if a sign of the qiyâmah was seen exactly and evidently and everyone was compelled to affirm it, then a disposition like coal remains equal to a disposition like a diamond. The mystery of man's accountability and the results of the test would be destroyed. Therefore, many matters like that of the Mahdî and Sufyan have much differed. Also, the riwâyât are various; opposing expressions occurred.

Second Principle: There are levels in the matters of Islam. If one requires a certain proof, for another a strong opinion is sufficient. Others require merely acceptance and submission and not to be rejected. In which case, secondary matters or events of time which are not among the fundamentals of îmân do not require a definite proof through certain idh‘ân. They require just not to be rejected and not to be doubted through submission.

Third Principle: In the time of the Sahâbah most of the sons of Isrâel and Christian ‘ulamâ entered Islam, and their former knowledge became Muslim along with them. Some of their former knowledge which was contrary to the truth was imagined to be a part of Islam.

Fourth Principle: Some of the words of the narrators of the Noble Hadith or the meanings they deduced were considered to be part of the texts of the Hadiths themselves. However, since man cannot be free of fault, some of their deductions or words which were contrary to the occurrence were supposed to be Hadiths and were pronounced to be weak.

Fifth Principle: According to the mystery of اِنَّ فِى اُمَّتِى مُحَدَّثُونَ2 that is, مُلْهَمُونَ3 some of the meanings which came through the ilham of muhaddisîn4 who received ilham from Allah and who were ahl al-kashf and ahl al-walâyah, were accepted as Hadiths. Whereas, due to certain obstructions, the ilham of awliyâ may be in error. Thus, a part of them from this sort may be contrary to the haqiqah.

Sixth Principle: There are certain stories which, have become well-known among people and have become like proverbs. True meanings of them may not be considered. For whatever purpose they were spread, that is what is considered. Thus, some stories and parables which have become well-known among people in this way, Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm told in the form of comparisons and metaphors for the purpose of guidance. If there is any defect in the true meanings of this sort of matters, it pertains to the customs and traditions of the people, and the way they have been passed among them.

Seventh Principle: There are many similes and comparisons that with the passage of time or with passing from the hand of ‘ilm to the hand of ignorance have been accepted as a material haqiqah, and have become mistaken. For example, two malâikah of Allah called 'Sawr'5 and 'Hût',6 who are among the supervisors of the animals of the land and the sea and in al-‘âlam al-misâl are represented as an ox and fish, were supposed to be a huge ox and a material fish, and created doubt in the Hadith. And for example, one time in the presence of the Prophet a deep sound was heard. Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm decreed: "This is the sound of a rock that has been rolling downhill for seventy years and only now has hit the bottom of Jahannam." Thus, someone hearing this Hadith who does not know the haqiqah may deviate into denial. But then, twenty minutes after the Hadith was spoken it was definitely established, for someone came and told Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm: "The famous munâfiq died twenty minutes ago." Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm had described in a most eloquent form that the lifetime of that seventy-year-old munâfiq as a stone of Jahannam was had consisted of falling into asfal sâfilîn and kufr approaching it by degrees. Janâb-i Haqq had made that sound heard at the moment of his death and made it a sign for that.

Eighth Principle: The Absolute Janâb-i Hakîm, conceals the most important things amid numerous others in this arena of trial and realm of examination. This concealing is tied to many hikmahs and benefits. For example, He has hidden the Night of Qadr in the whole of Ramadhan, and the hour when prayers are answered in the whole of Friday, and well-accepted walî among the people, and the appointed hour in a person's lifetime, and the time of qiyâmah in the life-time of the world. For if the appointed hour of man's death had been specified, it will give absolute ghaflah to the first half of his life and a terror like going step by step to the gallows to the second. Whereas the benefit of preserving the balance between the world and the âkhirah, and remaining perpetually between hope and fear requires living and dying to be possible every moment. In which case, a twenty-year lifetime in an indefinite manner is preferable to a thousand years of a lifetime that is specified.

Thus, the qiyâmah is the appointed hour of death of the world which is the great human being. If the time had been specified, all the early and middle ages would have been plunged into absolute ghaflah, and the latter centuries, into terror. Just as in his personal life, man is concerned with the continued existence of his home and village, so he is concerned with the continued existence of his social life, the life of mankind, the globe of the earth and the world. The Qur'an says,اِقْتَرَبَتِ السَّاعَةُ . It decrees “The qiyâmah is near.” Not having come after a thousand or this many years does not negate its closeness. Because qiyâmah is the appointed hour of death of the world. In relation to the life of the world, one or two thousand years are like one or two minutes in relation to a year. The hour of qiyâmah is not only mankind’s appointed hour of death that it should be related to it and seen as distant. It is because of this that the Absolutely Hakîm conceals qiyâmah in His ‘ilm among the 'Five Hidden Things.'7 It is due to this mystery of being indefinite that every age including the Age of the Bliss which was the age that sees the haqiqah, people have been afraid of the qiyâmah. Some of them said that the conditions of it had all but appeared.

Thus, unfair people who do not know this haqiqah say: "Why did the thoughts of Sahâbah whose sight was keen and hearts were awake who had been taught the lesson of the âkhirah with all its details, supposed to be close to their century, supposed a haqiqah that will come one thousand four hundred years later in the future of the world to be close to their century, as though their thoughts had deviated a thousand years from the haqiqah?

The Answer: Because, through the faydh of the Prophet's conversation, the Sahâbah thought of the realm of the âkhirah more than anyone, and knowing the perishment of the world and understanding the Ilahî hikmah of qiyâmah’s time being indefinite, they assumed a position of always awaiting the world's appointed hour of death and worked seriously for their âkhirah. Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm repeating: "Expect qiyâmah. Wait for it" was prophetic guidance (Irshad) arising from this hikmah. Otherwise, it was not through the judgement of a wahy concerning the specific time of its occurrence so that would be far from the haqiqah. The real cause (‘illah) is one thing and the hikmah is another. Thus, the words of the Prophet ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm of this sort arise from the hikmah of being indefinite.

It is also due to this mystery that they expected the individuals who will come in the âkhirzaman like the Mahdî and Sufyan long beforehand, and even in the time of the tâbi’în, and hoped to live long enough to see them. Some of the people of walâyah, even, said that they had passed. Like the qiyâmah, Ilahî hikmah requires that the times of these individuals are not specified either. Because every time and every age is in need of the Mahdî's meaning, for strengthening ma’mawî power and saving the people from despair. Every age has to have a share of this meaning. In order that people should not follow evil ones in ghaflah and the reins of the nafs should not be left free in negligence, every age must beware and fear the fearsome individuals who come to lead nifâq. If they had been specified, the benefits of general guidance would have been lost.

Now the difference in the riwâyât about individuals like the Mahdî and their mystery is this: those who expounded Hadiths applied the text of the Hadiths to their own tafsir and inferring. For example, since the centre of sovereignty at that time was Damascus or Medina, they imagined the events connected with the Mahdî and Sufyan in places like Basra, Kufa and Syria, which were in the region of those centres, and expounded them accordingly. Moreover, they had conceived the mighty works belonging to that individual’s ma’nawî collective personality or community which those individuals represent to be in their persons and expounded them in that way so that they ascribed a form to them whereby when those extraordinary individuals appear, everyone will recognize them. However, as we said, this world is the arena of trial. The door is opened to the mind, but the will is not taken from the hand. So, when those individuals and even the terrible Dajjâl appear many people and himself even will not know to start with that, he is the Dajjâl. Those individuals of the âkhirzaman will be known through the attentiveness of the nûr of îmân.

It is narrated in the Noble Hadith about the Dajjâl who is one of the signs of the qiyâmah: "His first day is like a year, his second day like a month, his third day like a week and his fourth day like other days. When he appears the world will hear. He will travel the world in forty days." Unfair people have said about this riwâyat that it is impossible. Hashâ they have gone as far as denying and nullifying this riwâyat. Whereas, 8 وَالْعِلْمُ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ , the haqiqah of it must be this: It indicates the appearance of an individual from the North who will come to lead a great current issuing forth from Naturalism’s idea of kufr, in the North where al ‘âlam of kufr is at its densest, and who will deny ulûhiyyah. There is an allusion of hikmah in this indication, for in the latitudes close to the North Pole the whole year is one day and one night; there are six months of night and six months of day. "One day of the Dajjâl is a year" is an indication of his appearance close to those latitudes. What is meant from "His second day is a month" is that passing in this direction from the North, it sometimes happens that for a month in the summer the sun does not set. This even suggests that the Dajjâl will emerge in the North and invade the civilized world. By attributing the day to the Dajjâl, it points to this indication. He comes further in this direction, and the sun does not set for a week, and so it continues until there are three hours between its rising and setting. While being held as a prisoner-of-war in Russia, I was in such a place. Close to us was a place where the sun did not set for a week. They used to go there to watch it. As for the part, "When the Dajjâl appears, all the world will hear of it," the telegraph and radio have solved this. As for his travelling the world in forty days, the train and aeroplane which are his mounts, have solved. Mulhids who formerly considered these two statements to be impossible, now see them as ordinary!

Since in a risale I have written in some detail about Ya’jûj and Majûj and the Barrier which are among the signs of qiyâmah, I refer to that, and here only say this: The tribes known as the Manchurians and Mongols, who threw human society into chaos and were the cause of the building of the Great Wall of China, will again overturn human civilization close to qiyâmah with an idea like anarchism stated in riwâyât. Some mulhids say: "Where are the tribes that perform these extraordinary acts and that will perform them?"

The Answer: A calamity like locusts appears in one season in enormous numbers. Then, on the change of the seasons, the haqiqah of those numerous tribes which disrupt the country is concealed in a few limited individuals. Then, when the time comes, with Ilahî command, the same corruption starts through great numbers which appear from those limited individuals. As though the haqiqah of their nation subtilizes, but does not rupture. When the season comes it emerges again. In just the same way, when the season returns those tribes that overturned the world at one time will overturn human civilization with Ilahî permission. But what causes them to move will appear in a different form. لاَ يَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ اِلاَّ اللّٰهُ9 .” The Twenty-Fourth Word/Third Branch

 

“Fourth Principle: Some of the future events that Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm reported were not particular events; he rather reported a universal event which reoccurs in a particular way. Whereas, that event has many aspects. He declared a different aspect of it each time. Then the narrator of the Hadith combines those different aspects. They may seem contrary to the truth. For example, There are varying narrations concerning the Mahdî. Details and descriptions vary from one another. However, as it is proved in a branch of the Twenty-Fourth Word: Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm through relying on wahy gave the tidings of the Mahdî for preserving the ma’nawî strength of the people of îmân in every century, and to not fall into despair within the dreadful events, and in a ma’nawî manner connect the hearts of the people of îmân with his âl al-bayt, who constitute a luminous chain in ‘âlam of Islam. Similar to the Great Mahdî who will come at the âkhirzaman, a sort of Mahdî from âl al-bayt, or maybe Mahdîs, have been found in every century. A Mahdî who embraced many of the attributes of the Great Mahdî even found among the 'Abbasid khalîfahs, who were considered from âl al-bayt.

Thus, in this way, the attributes of the khalîfahs and the aqtâb, who performed the duty of Mahdî  and who came before the Great Mahdî and were precedents and samples of him, were confused with the attributes of the real Mahdî himself, and the riwâyât concerning him were seen to conflict with one another.”  The Nineteenth Letter- Fourth Subtle Sign

 

“If it is said: "Why did the khilâfah of Islam not remain in âl al-bayt of the Prophet. Whereas, they were the most deserving and worthy for it?"

The Answer: The sovereignty of the world is deceptive, and âl al-bayt had been appointed to execute the duty of preserving the decrees of the Qur'an and the haqiqahs of Islam. For not to be deceived One who hold the sovereignty and the khilâfah has to be as sinless as a prophet or must have a wondrous zuhd10 of the heart as the Four-Rightly Guided khalîfahs, 'Umar bin 'Abd al-'Azîz from Umayyads and the Mahdî of the 'Abbâsids. Whereas, the khilâfah of the Fâtimid state which was founded in the name of âl al-bayt in Egypt, and the rule of the Almohads in Africa, and the Safavid state in Iran shows that the sovereignty of the world is not suitable for âl al-bayt, for it causes them to neglect their fundamental duty, the protection of religion and the service of Islam. Whereas, when they gave up sovereignty, they served Islam and the Qur'an in a brilliant and exalted manner.

Now see! Aqtâb descended from Hazrat Hasan, especially the Four Aqtâb and above all Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir Jîlânî who was Ghawth al-Â'dham, and the Imams descended from Hazrat Husayn, especially Zayn al-'Âbidîn and Ja'far al-Sâdiq, each became like a ma’nawî Mahdî, dispelled ma’nawî dhulm and darkness, and spread the nûrs of the Qur'an and the haqiqahs of îmân. And in so doing each showed he was an heir of his most illustrious forefather.” The Nineteenth Letter- Fifth Subtle Sign

 

Nineteenth Matter: In the riwâyât, there are different informations about Hazrat Mahdî (Radhiyallahu ‘anh), who is from âl al-bayt of the Prophet and one of the signs of the âkhirzaman. Some people of ‘ilm and people of walâyah even judged that he had already appeared.

اللّٰه أعلم بالصواب,11 a ta’wîl of these different riwâyât is this: the Great Mahdî has numerous duties. Just as he performs many duties in the many spheres of the world of politics, the world of religion, the world of sovereignty and the world of jihâd… And, since, at a time of despair, every century is in need of a kind of Mahdî who will strengthen their ma’nawî strength, or of the possibility of a Mahdî coming to assist them at that time, at every age or perhaps every century, a kind of Mahdî has appeared from among âl al-bayt and preserved his forefather's Sharî'ah and revived his Sunnah, through the rahmah of Allah.

For example, the riwâyât differed from each other because those who performed some of the duties of the Great Mahdi, like the Mahdi of 'Abbasid in the world of politics and Ghawth al-Â'dham, Shâh Naqshband, the four Aqtâb and the twelve Imams in the world of religion, also drew the attention of Muhammad ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm in the riwâyât narrated about the Mahdi. For this reason, some of the people of haqiqah said that he had already appeared. Anyway, since this matter has been explained in the Risale-i Nur, we refer it to the Risale-i Nur and here only say this: in the world, there is no mutually supportive family, a united tribe, an enlightened community, or a jamâ’ah that can reach the family, tribe, community and jamâ’ah of âl al-bayt.

Yes, it is reasonable that âl al-bayt, who raised hundreds of sacred heroes, made thousands of ma’nawî commanders the leaders of the ummah and has been nurtured and perfected with the leaven of the haqiqah of the Qur'an, the nûr of îmân and the honour of Islam, at the âkhirzaman, will indeed demonstrate to the world the perfect justice and integrity of the Great Mahdi, their Commander-in-Chief, by reviving, proclaiming and performing the Sharî'ah of Muhammad, the haqiqah of the Furqân and the Sunnah of Ahmad (asm); it is also necessary and essential and a requirement of the principles of the social life of mankind.

The Fifth Ray

 

“The Second Question consists of Two Signs:

The First Sign is the Fifth Sign. It is a very brief answer to an important question:

Question: There are numerous riwâyât as-sahîhah about Hazrat Mahdî’s coming at the âkhirzaman and his reforming the world, which will have been corrupted. Whereas, the present time is the time of the jamâ’ah, not of the individual! However great a genius an individual is, even a hundredfold genius if he is not the representative of a jamâ’ah and if he does not represent the ma’nawî collective personality of a jamâ’ah, he will be defeated in the face of the ma’nawî collective personality of an opposing jamâ’ah. However elevated and great the power of his walâyah, how will he be able to reform the world at this time amid the widespread corruption of a human jamâ’ah such as that? If all the Mahdî's works are wondrous, it would be contrary to Ilahî hikmah and the laws of 'Âdâtullah in this world. We want to understand the mystery of this matter of the Mahdî. How should we?

The Answer: Out of His perfect rahmah, the time of each corruption of the Ummah, Janâb-i Haqq has sent a reformer, or a Mujaddid, or a khalîfah of high standing, or a great Qutb, or a perfect murshid, or blessed persons resembling a sort of Mahdî, as a mark of protection to the Sharî’ah of Islam’s being eternal; they have removed the corruption, reformed the nation, and preserved the religion of Ahmad (ASM). Since His custom has proceeded in this way, certainly, at the time of the greatest corruption at the âkhirzaman, He will send a luminous person as both the greatest mujtahid, and the greatest Mujaddid, and ruler, and the Mahdî, and the murshid, and great Qutb, and that person will be from ahl al-bayt of the Prophet. Janâb-i Haqq, Who fills and empties al-‘âlam between the samâ and earth with clouds, and in an instant stills the storms of the sea, and in an hour in spring creates samples of the summer and in an hour in summer creates a winter storm, such a Qadîr Zuljalâl can also scatter the darkness of ‘âlam of Islam by means of the Mahdî. He has promised this, and certainly, He will carry out His promise.

If considered from the point of view of Ilahî qoudrah, it is most easy. If it is thought of from the point of view of the sphere of causes and Rabbânî hikmah, it is again so reasonable and necessary that people of tafakkur have asserted that even if it had not been narrated from the Bringer of Sure News, it still should have been. And it will be. It is like this: Falillâhilhamd, the dû’a of اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى آلِ سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ كَمَا صَلَّيْتَ عَلَى اِبْرَاهِيمَ وَ عَلَى آلِ اِبْرَاهِيمَ فِى الْعَالَمِينَ 12 اِنَّكَ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ , which is repeated by all the ummah five times every day in all the salâts, has self-evidently been accepted. For like the Family (Âl) of Ibrâhîm ‘Alayhissalâm, the Family (Âl) of Muhammad ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm have assumed a position whereat they stand as luminous commanders at the head of all blessed chains in all the regions of the world in all centuries.{ Just one of them is Sayyid Ahmad al-Sanusi, who commands millions of followers. Another is Sayyid Idris, who commands more than one hundred thousand Muslims. Another Sayyid like Sayyid Yahya commands hundreds of thousands of men. And so on. Just as among the individuals of this tribe of Sayyids there are numerous outward heroes, so too there are the heroes of ma’nawî heroes, like Sayyid 'Abd al-Qâdir Jîlânî, Sayyid Abu'l-Hasan al-Shazali, and Sayyid Ahmad Badawî.} They are so numerous that all these commanders together form a mighty army. If they took on physical form and through their solidarity were formed into a divisional, if they make the religion of Islam the bound of unity and awakeness as sacred nationhood, the army of no other nation could withstand them. Thus, that numerous and powerful army is the Family (Âl) of the Muhammad ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm and the most select army of Hazrat Mahdî.

Yes, today in the history of the world there is no family distinguished by such high honour and elevated qualities and nobility in its descendants, in unbroken succession and well-documented genealogy, which is as powerful and important as the line of Sayyids of âl al-bayt. Since early times it is they who have been at the heads of all the groups of the people of haqiqah, and they who have been the renowned leaders of the people of perfection. Now it is a blessed line numbering millions. Vigilant and circumspect, their hearts full of îmân and love of the Prophet, they hold their head high by the world-worthy honour of the relation of his. Momentous events started to occur which will awake and set in motion that sacred force within that great jamâ’ah... Certainly, the elevated ardour in that huge force will surge and Hazrat Mahdî shall come to lead it, guiding it to the way of haqq and haqiqah. We await from the 'Âdâtullah and Ilahî rahmah that it should be such, and its being such like we await the coming of spring after winter; and we are right to await it...

The Second Sign, that is the Sixth Sign: The luminous community of Hazrat Mahdî will repair the destructive bid’ah regime of the committee of the Sufyan and will resuscitate the Sunnah as-Saniyyah; that is, the committee of the Sufyan who work to destroy the Sharî’ah of Ahmad (asm) in the Islamic world with the intention of denying the Prophethood of Ahmad (asm) will be killed and scattered by the miraculous ma’nawî sword of Hazrat Mahdî's community.

Also, in the world of mankind, a zealous and self-sacrificing community working to unite Hazrat ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm’s true religion with the haqiqah of Islam, under the name of a Christian community but worthy of being called "Muslim followers of ‘Îsâ (as)", will kill and scatter — under the leadership of Hazrat ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm — the committee of the Dajjâl, who turned civilization and sacred matters of mankind upside-down with the intention of denying the ulûhiyyah; it will save mankind from the denial of the ulûhiyyah. This important mystery is very lengthy. Since we have discussed it briefly in other places, here we make do with this short indication." The Twenty-Ninth Letter- Seventh Section/ Fifth Sign

 

“Second Subtle Point: Among the universal and general duties of nubuwwah, Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm displayed great compassion in certain special, particular matters. According to the outward state, his expending great compassion on that special, particular matters seems inappropriate to the supreme importance of the duty of nubuwwah. But in haqiqah that particular matter was the tip or representative of a chain which could be the means to the fulfilment of a universal and general duty of nubuwwah. Therefore the greatest importance was given to the representative on account of that mighty chain.

For example, the extraordinary compassion Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm shown towards Hazrat Hasan and Husain in their childhood and the great importance he gave them was not only due to love arising from innate compassion and family feeling, it was rather because they were each the tip of a luminous thread of the duty of nubuwwah, and the source, representative and index of a great important jamâ’ah of the legacy of prophethood.

Indeed, Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm used to take Hazrat Hasan (R.A.) into his arms with his perfect compassion and kiss his head on account of the luminous, blessed, Mahdî-like descendants who are the continuous successions of Hazrat Hasan (R.A.), like Shâh Jîlânî, Ghawth al-Â'dham, who are the inheritors of nubuwwah and bearers of the Sharî'ah of Ahmad (ASM). He saw with the eye of nubuwwah the sacred service they would perform in the future and approved and applauded them. He kissed Hazrat Hasan's (R.A.) head as a sign of approval and encouragement. Also, the compassion and importance that he showed to Hazrat Husain; the illustrious Imams like Zaynu'l-Âbidin and Jâ'far al-Sadiq, and the numerous Mahdî-like luminous persons, true inheritors of nubuwwah, who would spring from Hazrat Husain’s (R.A.) luminous chain and on account of the religion of Islam and duties of prophethood he kissed Hazrat Husain’s neck and showed his perfect compassion and Hazrat Husain’s importance.

Yes, with the person of Ahmad’s (ASM) heart which is an acquaintance of the ghayb, and his luminous vision and his eyes which see the future and even received the ru’yat of the Zuljalâl One, and saw events which were concealed in the dark veils of the past since the time of Âdam, and witnessed the malâikah in the sky from the earth, and saw Jannah from the earth, and observed the Assembly of the Resurrection from the Era of Bliss in this world on the side of post-eternity, surely saw the aqtâb and the Imams, who were the inheritors of prophethood, and the Mahdîs, who would follow on in the chains of Hazrat Hasan and Husain. And he kissed their heads in the name of all of them. Yes, Shâh Jîlânî has a large part in his kissing Hazrat Hasan's (RA) head.” The Fourth Flash

 

“Fourth Allusion: Together with being very easy, the way of walâyah is very difficult; together with being very short, it is very long; together with being very valuable, it is very dangerous; together with being very broad, it is very narrow.

It is because of these mysteries that some of those who journey on that path sometimes drown, sometimes become harmful, and sometimes return and lead others away from the path.

In Short: There are two methods on the tarîqah, known by the terms of anfusî13 journeying and âfâkî14 journeying.

The first method is the anfusî method which starts from the nafs, and withdraws the eyes from the outer world, looks to the heart, pierces ananiyyah, opens up a way from the heart and finds haqiqah. Then it enters âfâk15. At that time it seesâfâkas luminous. It completes the journey quickly. The haqiqah which it sees in the sphere of anfusî, it also sees on a large scale in âfâk. Most of the paths which practise silent dhikr (al-tarîq al-khafâ) take this way. The most important basis of this is to break the ananiyyah, to abandon the desires of nafs, and to kill the nafs.

The second method starts from âfâk; it gazes on the reflections of the Names and attributes in their places of manifestation in that greater sphere, then it enters the sphere of anfusî. It witnesses those nûrs on a small scale in the sphere of the heart and opens up the closest way in the heart. It sees that the heart is the mirror of As-Samad, and reaches the aim which it was seeking.

Thus, if people who follow the first method can not be successful to kill the nafs al-ammarah, and if they do not abandon the desires of nafs, and break the ananiyyah, they fall from the rank of shukr to the rank of pride, then from pride to conceit. If such a person experiences an attraction arising from love, and a sort of sakr16 arising from the attraction, he will pour forth many claims far exceeding his mark, called shatahât. This is harmful both for himself and causes others to be harmed.

For example, if a lieutenant becomes conceited out of pleasure at his position of command, he will suppose himself to be a field marshal and confuse his small sphere with that universal one. He will become the cause of a sun that appears in a small mirror being confused with the sun whose manifestation is seen in all its splendour on the surface of the sea, due to their similarity in one respect. In just the same way, as with the degree of difference between a fly and a peacock, there are many people of walâyah who see themselves greater than those who are greater in such degree than them and they witness it thus and consider themselves to be right. I myself even saw someone whose heart had just been awakened and had faintly perceived in himself the mystery of walâyah; he supposed himself to be the supreme Qutb and assumed that manner. I said to him: "My brother, just as the law of sovereignty has particular and universal manifestations from the office of Prime Minister to that of District Officer, so walâyah and the rank of Qutb have varying spheres and manifestations. Each station has many shades and shadows. You have seen the manifestation of the rank of supreme Qutb, which is equivalent to Prime Minister, in your own sphere, which is like that of a District Officer, and you have been deceived. What you saw is right, but your judgement is wrong. To a fly, a cup of water is a small sea." The person came to his senses, Inshaallah, as a result of this answer of mine, and was saved from that abyss.

I have also seen many people who thought themselves to be a sort of Mahdî, and they said that they were going to be the Mahdî. These people are not liars and deceivers, they are deceived. They suppose what they see is the haqiqah. As Ilahî Names have manifestations from the sphere of al-arsh al-â’dham down to a particle and being the places of manifestation to those Names differ in that relation, so the degrees of walâyah, which consist being the places of manifestation to the Names, differ in the same way. The most important reason for that confusion is this:

In some of the stations of the awliyâ, the specialities of the Mahdî's duty are found, and special relation with the supreme Qutb is seen, and there is a special connection of Hazrat Khidr; there are certain stations which are connected with certain famous persons. In fact, the stations are called 'the station of Khidr’, ‘the station of ‘Uvays,' or 'the station of the Mahdî.' As a consequence of this mystery, those who attain to these stations, or to minor samples or shadows of them, suppose themselves to be the famous persons related to that station. They accept themselves to be Khidr, or believe themselves to be Mahdî, or imagine themselves to be supreme Qutb. If such a person has no ananiyyah which is desirous for the love of rank, then he is not condemned to that state. His claims far exceeding his mark are considered shatahât. He is probably not responsible for them. But if his ananiyyah is favourably inclined toward the love of rank under the veil, and if he is defeated by his ananiyyah, and leaves off shukr and enters pride, from there he will gradually fall into conceit. He falls to the depths of madness or deviates from the path of haqq. For he reckons the great awliyâ to be like himself and his good opinion of them is destroyed. Because however arrogant a nafs is, it still perceives its own faults. Comparing those great ones with himself, he imagines them to be at fault. Even, his respect for the prophets decreases.

Thus, those afflicted with this state should hold the scales of the Sharî'ah in their hand, accept the principles of the ‘ulamâ of Usûl ad-dîn as a measure for themselves and take the instructions of awliyâ muhaqqiqîn like Imam Ghazâlî and Imam-i Rabbânî as their guides. They should constantly accuse their nafs and should not give anything to the hand of the nafs other than the fault, impotence and poverty. The shatahât in this method arises from the love of nafs. Because the eye of love sees no faults. For the sake of his love for his nafs, he supposes his nafs which is like a faulty, unworthy fragment of glass to be a diamond. The most dangerous error among this sort is this, that he imagines the partial meanings which occur to his heart in the form of ilham to be Kalâm of Allah, and his calling them âyah. This is disrespect towards the holiest and exalted degree of the wahy.  Yes, all the ilhams from the ilhams of bees and animals to those of the ‘awâm people and the khawass among men, and from the ilhams of ‘awâm malâikah to those of the most khawass malâikah (Al-Muqarrabîn Al-Khawass), are Rabbânî words (kalimât) of a sort. But they are Rabbânî words (kalimât) in accordance with the capacity of the places of manifestation and the stations; they are the varying manifestations of Rabbânî address shining through seventy thousand veils.

However, to signify such ilhams with the proper noun âyah which is a noun proper to the stars of the Qur'an, that is the most evident exemplification example of wahy and Kalâm of Allah is absolutely wrong. As is explained and proved in the Twelfth, Twenty-Fifth and Thirty-First Words, whatever relation the tiny, dim and veiled image of the sun which appears in the coloured mirror in your hand has with the sun in the sky, it is similar to the relation between the ilham in the hearts of those making the above claims and the âyahs of the sun of the Qur'an, which is directly Kalâm of Allah. Yes, if it is said that the sun's images appearing in all mirrors belong to the sun and are related to it, it would be haqq. But the globe of the earth cannot be attached to the mirrors of those tiny suns, and cannot be bound through their attraction!” The Twenty-Ninth Letter- Ninth Section/ Fourth Allusion

 

“Our Azîz, Loyal, Esteemed Brother, Hoja Hashmet!

We have read your letter about the mujaddid in great amazement and we have read it out to our Ustadh. Our Ustadh says the following:

Yes, in this age, for îmân and religion, for social life and the Sharî’ah, for social rights and the politics of Islam, an important mujaddid is needed. However, the greatest priority, which is the duty of revival (tajdîd) in terms of protecting the haqiqahs of îmân, is the most sacred and supreme. In comparison, the spheres of the Sharî’ah17 and social and political life are secondary or in the third or fourth degree of priority.

As for the great importance given to the revival (tajdîd) of religion in narrations of Hadith; it is with respect to the revival in the haqiqahs relating to îmân. But in the public view and in the view of those people who perform ‘ibâdah to this life, the aspects of Islamic social life and religious politics, which are apparently broad and appealing in terms of dominance, are considered as being more important. And it is with this lens and this perspective with which they view and ascribe meaning.

Moreover, it appears to be a distant possibility, unlikely even, that in this age, these three duties should be present at once in a single person or within a jamâ’ah in complete form without refuting each other. At the âkhirzaman, those three duties can only be merged by Hazrat Mahdî and the ma’nawî collective personality of his jamâ’ah who represents the luminous jamâ’ah of the âl al-bayt of the Prophet (asm). Endless shukr be to Janâb-i Haqq that in this age, it is the haqiqahs of the Risale-i Nur and the ma’nawî collective personality of its students who have been made to perform the role of revival (tajdîd) in protecting the haqiqahs of îmân. Forty-thousand people can bear witness that by completely responding against the extremely terrifying and formidable attacks of zandaqa and dhalâlah, through its effective and victorious dissemination in that sacred service for the last twenty years, it has saved the îmân of hundreds of thousands of people of îmân.

In sending his salâm, Ustadh says, however, that by placing on someone like me, who is weak and frail a load thousands of times greater than my due, you should not make my person the cause of attention. We too send our salâm to yourself and those who are connected with the Risale-i Nur in that area.

From the Risale-i Nur Students,

Emin, Feyzi, Kamil.

The Kastamonu Addendum (208-209)

 

“My Azîz, Siddiq Brothers!

Firstly: A leading, most worthy Nur student asked me in the name of many of them: “Some sincere, leading Nur students persistently suppose you to be the great murshid, who is to come at the âkhirzaman and will belong to âl al-bayt. They insist on this despite your holding back so much. Persistently, you do not accept this idea of theirs and draw yourself back. For sure, they have a haqiqah and a decisive proof in their hands, and you too do not agree with them in consequence of a hikmah and haqiqah. This is a contradiction and in any case, we want it to be solved.”

I say in reply to the many matters that this person represents: Those select Nurjus have a haqiqah in their hands, but it has to be expressed and interpreted in two respects:

The First: As I have indicated in many of my letters, the ma’nawî collective personality of the sacred jamâ’ah, that the Mahdî of the Rasûl’s family (Âl) represents, has three duties. We may await from the rahmah of Allah, that if qiyâmah does not happen soon and mankind does not stray from the path completely, his community and the jamâ’ah of sayyids will perform those duties. He will have three great duties.

First: Since science and philosophy are now dominant and the plague of materialism and naturalism has spread among mankind before everything îmân should be saved in such a way that it silences philosophy and the idea of materialism. Since preserving the people of îmân from dhalâlah necessitates leaving aside both the world and everything and demands preoccupation with minute investigations, neither Hazrat Mahdî’s time nor his situation would permit him to perform this duty himself. Because sovereignty from the aspect of the khilâfah of Muhammad (ASM) would not leave him the time for occupying with that. Most probably a group preceding him will perform it in a respect. He will take the work which that group wrote as a result of lengthy study as a pre-prepared programme for himself, and he would have performed fully the first duty of it. The power and ma’nawî army which this duty has relied upon consists only of some students who possess fully the attributes of ikhlas, loyalty and mutual support. However, few they are in number, they are considered as powerful and valuable as an army in ma’nawî aspect.

His Second Duty: This is to revive the shaâ’er of Islam with the title of khilâfah of Muhammad (ASM). Saving humanity from material and ma’nawî dangers and Ilahî wrath through making the unity of the Islamic world his point of support. This duty necessitates armies with millions of men to support it and serve it.

His Third Duty: Since many Qur’anic precepts have suffered harm with the vicissitudes of the time, and the laws of the Sharî’ah of Muhammad (ASM) has been suspended to an extent, that person will work to perform that mighty duty with the ma’nawî assistance of all the people of îmân, the help of Islamic unity, and with the participation of all the ‘Ulamâ and awliyâ, particularly the millions of devoted sayyîds, who are descended from âl al-bayt and every century are numerous and powerful.

Although the haqiqah of the matter is this; since the duty of saving îmân, which is his most primary duty and his highest way, and giving the lesson of îmân in a tahqîqî manner to the people generally, and even the duty of making tahqîqî the îmân of the ‘awâm, expresses the explicitness of the meaning of Mahdî as a granter of hidâyah and guidance (Irshad) both in a ma’nawî manner and in haqiqah, the Nur students have beheld this duty fully in the Risale-i Nur, they rightly consider the ma’nawî collective personality of the Risale-i Nur as a sort of Mahdî, in order to, the second and third duties to be in second and third place in proportion to it. And since they suppose one representative of that ma’nawî collective personality to be a ma’nawî collective personality arising from the mutual support of the Risale-i Nur students, and a sort of representative of that ma’nawî collective personality to be the unfortunate interpreter, they sometimes give him that name too. Although this is confusion and an error,  they are not responsible. For since early days excessively good opinions have occurred and may not be objected, so I look at those excessively good opinions of my brothers as a sort of du’â and good wish and a manifestation of the perfect belief of the Risale-i Nur students, and I do not rebuke them. In fact, the interpretation of some former awliyâ’s kashf in their karâmât of ghayb, that the Risale-i Nur is the granter of hidâyah at the âkhirzaman, is understood through this verification. This means that there are two points of confusion, which need to be explained.

The First Point: For sure in the point of haqiqah, the latter two duties are not in the degree of the first, but in the general view, particularly in the view of the ‘awâm and of politicians in particular, and especially in contemporary thought, pursuing Islamic sovereignty on the face of the earth with the armies of the khilâfah of Muhammad (ASM) and Islamic unity appear a thousand times more extensive than the first duty. And when someone is given that name, the latter two duties come to mind and it is perceived as a political meaning; indeed it may infer self-advertisement, or even it may indicate the wish for renown, glory, rank-seeking and fame-seeking. There always have been, and there still are, many ingenuous rank-seeking people claiming to be the Mahdî. It is true that a granter of hidâyah, a sort of Mahdî and Mujaddid comes every century and came, but because each has performed only one of the Mahdî’s three duties in one aspect, none has been accorded the title of the Great Mahdî of the âkhirzaman.

Also, in the Court, the Denizli committee of experts said to me in connection with this belief of some of the students: “If he claims to be the Mahdî, all his students will accept it.” So I told them: “I cannot know myself a sayyîd. People’s genealogies are not known today. But that great individual of the âkhirzaman will be from âl al-bayt. For sure, I have received the lesson of haqiqah in a ma’nawî manner from Hazrat ‘Ali (RA), as a ma’nawî son of his, and since in one meaning the family (Âl) of Muhammad ‘Alayhissalâm encompasses true Nur students, I too may be considered from âl al-bayt. But the present time is the time of ma’nawî collective personality, and in the way of the Risale-i Nur, there can be no egotism of any sort, or personalities, or the desire for personal rank or for winning renown and honour. And since it is totally opposed to the mystery of ikhlas, and since, endless shukr be to Janâb-i Haqq, He did not make me admire myself, I would not fasten my sights on personal positions and ranks infinitely higher than my due such as that. Even if I were to be given ranks in the âkhirah, I would consider myself obliged to refuse it so as not to spoil the ikhlas of the Risale-i Nur.” I said this, and the experts’ committee was silent.” Emirdağ Addendum-1 (265-266)