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Second question: Previously, while you were travelling among the nomadic tribes of the east, you used to encourage them to embrace civilisation and progress. Why did you withdraw from the present civilisation for nearly forty years by saying it “Vile”, and draw near to seclusion?

The Answer: Since the present Western civilisation acts against samâwî fundamental laws, its evils outweighed its goods; its errors and harms outweighed its benefits. The general comfort and the happiness of the worldly life, which are the true aim of civilisation, are spoiled. Since wastefulness (israf) and dissipation have taken the place of frugality and contentment, and laziness and inclination for luxury have taken the place of endeavour and service, and have become prevalent, Western civilisation has made wretched mankind very poor and very lazy. The samâwî fundamental laws of the Quran 1 لَيْسَ لْلاِنْسَانِ اِلاَّ مَا سَعَى ٭ كُلُوا وَ اشْرَبُوا وَ لاَ تُسْرِفُوا decree: "The happiness of mankind is in frugality and endeavour for labour and work, and through them, the upper and lower classes can make peace with each other." Since the Risale-i Nur has explained this principle, I will briefly say one or two subtle points:

The First: In nomadic life, mankind was in need of three or four things. Only two in ten were unable to acquire these three or four needs. Through misuse and wastefulness, the stimulating of the desires of nafs, custom and addiction and by making inessential needs essential, the present cruel Western civilisation makes today's civilised man need twenty things instead of the four things he actually needs.

Only two out of twenty can obtain those twenty needs in a completely halal way. The rest of the eighteen remain in need. It means that the present civilisation makes man very poor. In respect of these needs, it has urged mankind to dhulm and gain haram earnings. It has always urged the helpless lower class and the upper class to fight. By abandoning the Quran's sacred fundamental law of "Zakat being wâjib and interest (ribâ) being haram", which establishes obedience of the lower class to the upper class and the compassion of the upper class for the lower class, it has compelled the bourgeoise to tyranny and the poor to revolt. It has destroyed the peace of mankind!

Second Subtle Point: Since the wonders of the present civilisation are ni’mah of Ar-Rabb,  they require a true shukr and to be used for the benefit of mankind. However, we now see that they shatter the enthusiasm for work since they encourage a significant number of people to laziness, dissipation and follow the desires of the nafs amid comfort by giving up labour and work. By way of lack of contentment and frugality, they urge dissipation, wastefulness, dhulm and haram.

For example, as “The Key of Nur”2 in the Risale-i Nur says: “Although the radio is a great ni’mah and requires ma’nawî shukr through using it for the benefit of mankind, but since four-fifths of it is used for the desires of the nafs and unnecessary trivialities, it encourages laziness and to follow the desires of the nafs by listening to it; it shatters the enthusiasm for work. It abandons its true duty. Even, I myself saw that although certain very beneficial and wonderful technologies should be used for labour and work and the actual benefits of the need of mankind, eight out of ten of those wonderful technologies oblige mankind to follow the pleasure, amusement, desires and laziness, while only one or two out ten being used for essential needs. Like these two minor examples, there are thousands more.

In Short: Since the present Western civilisation does not completely heed samâwî religions, it has made mankind poor by increasing their needs. By destroying the foundation of frugality and contentment, it has increased wastefulness, greed and envy and opened a way to dhulm and haram. Also, by encouraging mankind to the means of dissipation, it has completely thrown mankind into laziness. It shatters the enthusiasm for work and labour and makes people waste their lives fruitlessly on the desires of the nafs and dissipation. It also has made needy and lazy mankind sick. It has caused the spreading and transmission of hundreds of types of illnesses through misuse and wastefulness.

Also, while three intense needs, inclination towards dissipation, numerous sicknesses that bring death to mind at all times and the currents of irreligion being spread into this civilisation, it shows death as an eternal execution to the awakened mankind and threats them. It gives a kind of Jahannam torment to them.

Now, the awakened mankind awaits, pleads and seeks from the rahmah of Allah and it is understood from the signs and indications of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition that in response to this terrifying calamity of mankind, through the awakening of four hundred million students of Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm, the Qur'an will once again heal these three terrifying wounds of mankind with the samâwî and sacred fundamental laws of four hundred million people within the Qur'an as it did thirteen hundred years ago, and, if qiyâmah will not break out soon, the Qur'an will cause mankind to gain both the happiness of life in this world and the âkhirah and will demonstrate that death is a discharge paper for the ‘âlam of nûr, not an eternal execution, and show that the goodness in civilisation, which emerges from it, will completely prevail over the evil and it will make civilisation a servant and a helper to itself and the samâwî laws but not give some part of the religion as a bribe in order to gain some part of this civilisation in the way it has been for now.

اَلْبَاقِى هُوَ الْبَاقِى

Said Nursî