بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ وَ الصَّلاَةُ وَ السَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ وَ عَلَى آلِهِ وَ صَحْبِهِ اَجْمَعِينَ

‘ABD-SERVANT - 1

1. The definition of an ‘abd who firmly adheres to the orders of Allah and his strength arising from tawakkul:

For in the salâh, the ‘abd says:1 اَشْهَدُ اَنْ لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ اللّٰهُ2 . That is, “There is no Khâliq and Razzâq other than Him. Harm and benefit are in His hand. He is also Hakîm; He does nothing in vain, and He is Rahîm; His bestowal and mercy are abundant.” Since he believes so, he finds a door of the treasury of Rahmah in everything and knocks on it with du‘â. Also, he sees that everything is subjugated to the command of his Rabb and takes refuge in his Rabb. He shelters from every calamity by relying on Him with tawakkul. His îmân gives him complete trust.

Yes, like every true goodness, the source of courage, too, is îmân and ‘ubûdiyyah; like every evil, the source of cowardice, too, is dhalâlah.

Yes, if the globe of the earth were to become a bomb and explode, it is possible that it would not frighten an ‘abd with a completely illuminated heart. Rather, he will watch a wonderful qoudrah of As-Samad with pleasurable astonishment. But if a famous, heartless, fâsiq philosopher called an enlightened mind sees a comet in the sky, he trembles on the ground. He says, “Isn’t that stray comet going to hit the Earth?” He falls into wahm. {One time, America trembled due to such a comet. Many of them left their homes at night.}3

The Third Word

2. The various attributes of man who is a significant ‘abd before the universal rubûbiyyah of Allah:

Is it at all possible that Janâb-i Haqq and Al-Ma’bûd by right, after creating man within the universe as the most significant ‘abdbefore His absolute and universal rubûbiyyah in all ‘âlams, a recipient of His glorious address, who performs tafakkur most, the most comprehensive mirror to the manifestation of His Names, the most beautiful miracle of Qoudrah in Ahsan Taqwîm, which is the place of manifestation for al-ism al-â’dham and the manifestation of the degree of being al-ism al-â’dham in each Name, an investigator possessing measures and equipment more than any other creature in order to weigh and perceive the contents of His rahmah treasuries, the one who needs His infinite ni’mahs most, suffers the pain of death most and desires eternity most, and who is the most delicate and indulged, the poorest and neediest among the animals, the most helpless and subject to pain in terms of his worldly life but most sublime concerning his disposition and with the highest essence, in a manner totally contrary to His own veracity, He would negate the haqiqah of humanity and perform an ugly act of injustice in the eye of haqiqah by not sending him to an eternal realm for which he is suited and fitted and for which he is longing.

The Tenth Word

 

اِبْدَاعُهُ لِذَاكَ...الخ Its meaning is this: As-Sâni’, Who is Hakîm, created the great ‘âlam in such a wonderful form and embroidered the âyahs of His grandeur on it that He transformed the universe into a mighty masjîd. And He created man in such a way that He gave him mind (aql), caused him to perform sajda in wonderment with it before those miracles of His art and His wondrous Qoudrah, and made him recite the âyahs of His grandeur; He created him with the fitrah of a sâjid ‘abd in this mighty masjîd by girding him ready for ‘ubûdiyyah in that mighty masjîd. Is it at all possible that the true Ma’bûd of those sâjids and ‘abds in this mighty masjîd could be other than As-Sâni’, Who is Wâhid Al-Ahad?

 The Twentieth-Letter/Second Station/Fourth Phrase

3. The characteristics of an esteemed (‘azîz) ‘abd:

The comparison between the hikmah of Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm, the tarbiyyah of morality it gives to the personal life and the lesson that the hikmah of philosophy gives:

A sincere student of philosophy is a pharaoh. But he is a despicable pharaoh who performs ‘ibâdah to the most vile things for his benefit. He considers every profitable thing to be a “Rabb” for himself. Also, that irreligious student is rebellious and obstinate. But he is an abject rebel who accepts infinite abasement for a single pleasure. He is a vile obstinate who displays abasement by kissing the feet of individuals like shaytan for a contemptible benefit. Also, that irreligious student is a cruel, proud man. But since he cannot find any point of support in his heart, in essence, he is a cruel, boastful man who is impotent with utter impotence. Also, that student only worries about himself and worships to benefit; the aim of his endeavour is to gratify the desires of the nafs, abdomen and perineum; he is a devious, self-conceited man, who seeks his personal benefits within certain benefits of the nation.

As for the sincere student of the hikmah of the Qur’an, he is an ‘abd. But he does not stoop to performing ‘ibâdah, even to the greatest of creatures. He is also an esteemed (‘azîz) ‘abd who does not consider an immense benefit like Jannah the aim of his ‘ibâdah. Its true student is also humble; he is virtuous and mild. But he does not willingly stoop to abasing himself before anything other than his Fâtir outside the sphere of His permission. He is also poor and weak; he knows his poverty and weakness. But, through the wealth belonging to the âkhirah, which his Mâlik, Who is Karîm, has treasured for him, he has no need, and since he relies on the infinite Qoudrah of his Sayyîd, he is strong. He also acts and strives only for the sake of Allah, for gaining the pleasure and acceptance of Allah and fadhîlah.

Thus, the tarbiyyah the two hikmahs give can be understood through the comparison of the two students.

The Twelfth Word-The Second Principle

 

Regarding destruction and sharr, nafs al-ammarah can commit infinite crimes, but regarding creativity and khayr, its power is extremely little and partial. Yes, one can destroy a house in one day but cannot build it in a hundred. However, if he abandons ananiyyah, seeks khayr and existence from the assistance of Allah, gives up sharr, destruction and relying on the nafs and becomes a true ‘abd through offering istighfâr, then he will be honoured with the mystery of يُبَدِّلُ اللّٰهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍۜ4 . His infinite capacity for sharr transforms into an infinite capacity for khayr. He acquires the value of Ahsan Taqwîm and rises to the a’lâ ‘illiyyin.

The Twenty-Third Word/Second Discussion/1st Subtle Point

 

O, man! Since the haqiqah is thus, give up pride and ananiyyah. At the Court of Ulûhiyyah, proclaim your impotence and weakness with the language of seeking help and your poverty and need with the language of entreaty and du'â, and show that you are an ‘abd. And say 5 حَسْبُنَا اللهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ and rise.

Also, do not say, "I am nothing. What importance do I have that the universe should purposefully be subjected to me by an Absolute Hakîm, and a universal shukr would be required of me?"

Because, for sure, you are nothing regarding your nafs and form, but regarding duty and rank, you are an attentive spectator of this majestic universe, a speaking tongue possessing balâghat of these beings full of hikmah, an intelligent reader of this book of ‘âlam, an astonished supervisor of these creatures offering tasbîh and a respectful foreman of these artful creatures performing ‘ibâdah.

Yes, O man! Regarding your vegetable physical being and your animal nafs, you are a minor particle, a despicable particular, a poor creature and a weak animal that you are shaken amidst the terrifying waves of the flowing beings. But by being perfected through the tarbiyyah of Islam illuminated with the nûr of îmân comprising the light of the love for Allah, regarding humanity and in your being an ‘abd, you are a sultân; within your particularity, you are a universal; within your smallness, you are an ‘âlam and within your despicableness, you are a supervisor of such great rank, who supervises an extensive sphere, that you can say: "My Rabb, Who is Rahîm, has made the world a house for me. He made the sun and moon lamps for my house, and the spring, a bunch of flowers, and summer, a table of ni’mah and the animals, my servants. And He has made plants the ornamented provisions of my house.

In Short: If you heed nafs and shaytan, you fall into the asfal sâfilîn. But if you heed Al-Haqq and the Qur'an, you rise to the a’lâ ‘illiyyin and become a beautiful form (Ahsan Taqwîm) of the universe.

The Twenty-Third Word/Second Discussion/4th Subtle Point

 

4. Superiority of the attribute of being an ‘abd: The Qur’an points to the elevated virtues of Hazrat Muhammad (asm) and encourages his ummah to follow him. Hazrat Muhammad’s (asm) attribute of being an ‘abd being mentioned in the phrase 6 أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ with his attribute of being a rasûl and the words عِبَادِنَا عَبْدِنَا being repeatedly mentioned in the Qur’an indicate the importance of the rank of being an ‘abd, which is one of the virtues of all Prophets. Bediuzzaman explains the word عَبْدِنَا that points to our Prophet’s (asm) rank of being an ‘abd as follows:

 

The preference of the word ‘abd rather than the Messenger (Nabî) or Muhammad indicates exaltation of the Messenger, alludes to the elevated attribute of ‘ibâdah, corroborates the command 7 اُعْبُدُوا and hints at the repulsion of wahm about the Messenger ‘Alayhissalâm since he performed ‘ibâdah and recited the Qur'an more than anyone. Perform tafakkur on this!

 Signs of Miraculousness-368

 

He, ‘Alayhissalâm, is a pure ‘abd and the one most advanced in performing ‘ibâdah to Allah among His creations.

Al-Mathnawi Al-Nurî-188

 

That master is both the ‘abd; in point of ‘ubûdiyyah, he describes and makes his Rabb known; he is the envoy of his ummah at the court of Janâb-i Haqq. He is also a rasûl; in point of messengership, he conveys (tablîgh) his Rabb’s decree to the jinn and mankind by means of the Qur’an.

 The Eleventh Word-First Group

 

Certainly and definitely, the one who is the most beloved creature, most righteous ‘abd of that Unseen Being, and who serves His abovementioned purposes, discovers and unravels the enigma and riddle of the creation of the universe, and who always acts in the name of that Khâliq, and who seeks aid and success from Him and is honoured with aid and success by Him will be the person called Muhammad of Quraysh (asm).

The Seventh Ray-The Sixteenth Degree

 

He whose sovereignty has lasted one thousand three hundred and fifty years, who has generally had more than three hundred and fifty million followers, to whom his followers daily renew their oath of allegiance and testify to his perfections, whose commands are obeyed in perfect submission, whose hue has coloured half of the earth and a fifth of mankind, that is, dyed with his ma’nawî colour, who is the beloved of their heart and who does tarbiyyah their rûh, is surely the greatest ‘abd of Ar-Rabb Who controls the universe. Also, he is surely the most beloved creature of Al-Khâliq of the universe since most of the species of the universe applauded his duty and mission by bearing the fruit of his miracles.

The Tenth Word-The Fifth Haqiqah

 

What is the haqiqah of the mi’râj?

The Answer: It consists of the journeying of the person of Ahmad (asm) through the degrees of perfection. That is, by showing to that special ‘abd the works of rubûbiyyah that He displays in a level of the samâ each of which is an arena for the center of disposal and an ‘arsh of rubûbiyyah within the spheres of creation, arrangement and rule that He formed in the sovereignty of His rubûbiyyah through the various names and titles He makes manifest in the arrangement of creatures, in order to make that ‘abd both embrace all human perfections, and make him a place on where all Ilahî manifestations manifest, a spectator of all the levels of the universe, the herald of the sovereignty of rubûbiyyah, the proclaimer of the things pleasing Allah and the solver of the enigma of the universe, He mounted him on Burâq, made him view the samâwât like a flash, traverse all levels and observe the rubûbiyyah of Allah from mansion to mansion like the moon, and from sphere to sphere, and showed him each of the prophets, his brothers, whose abodes are in the samâwât of those spheres, He raised him to the station of Qab Qawsayn and honoured him with His Word and Ru’yat through His Ahadiyyah.

The Thirty-First Word-Second Principle

5. Some parts from the Risale-i Nur as an example of the ranks of the Prophets as an ‘abd:

Just as Al-Qur'an Al-Hakîm sent the Prophets to the communities of man as vanguards and imams of ma’nawî progress, so did it give to the hands of each of those Prophets some wonders in the form of the material progress of mankind and make them the foremen and masters of mankind. It commands absolute obedience to the Prophets. Thus, just as it encourages mankind to benefit from the ma’nawî perfections of the Prophets by speaking of them, so does it hint at encouragement to reach the similars of their miracles and make their imitations by mentioning them. It may even be said that, as well as the ma’nawî perfections, the hand of miracles gifted the material perfections and wonders first to mankind. Thus, it is the hand of miracles that gifted firstly the ship, which was a miracle of Hazrat Nûh (Alayhissalâm), and the clock, which was a miracle of Hazrat Yûsuf (Alayhissalâm), to mankind. It is a subtle indication of this haqiqah that most craftsmen adopt a Prophet as the master of their craft. For example, sailors Hazrat Nûh (Alayhissalâm), watchmakers Hazrat Yûsuf (Alayhissalâm), tailors Hazrat Idrîs (Alayhissalâm)…

وَلِسُلَيْمٰنَ الرِّيحَ غُدُوُّهَا شَهْرٌ وَرَوَاحُهَا شَهْرٌ In a ma’nawî manner, Janâb-i Haqq says through the tongue of this âyah, “O man! Since he abandoned the desires of his nafs, I mounted an ‘abd of mine on the air…”

بِعَصَاكَ الْحَجَرَ فَانْفَجَرَتْ مِنْهُ اثْنَتَا عَشْرَةَ عَيْنًا In a ma’nawî manner, Janâb-i Haqq says through the allusive tongue of the âyah, “O man! I give such a staff to the hand of an ‘abd of mine, who trusted in Me that he draws the water of life with it from wherever he wishes…”

وَ اُبْرِئُ اْلاَكْمَهَ وَاْلاَبْرَصَ وَاُحْيِى الْمَوْتٰى بِاِذْنِ اللهِ Janâb-i Haqq says in a ma’nawî manner through the indicative tongue of this âyah, “O man! I gave two gifts to an ‘abd of Mine who abandoned the world for Me. One was the cure for the ma’nawî diseases and the other was the medicine for physical diseases….”

وَاٰتَيْنَاهُ الْحِكْمَةَ وَفَصْلَ الْخِطَابِ Janâb-i Haqq says in a ma’nawî manner through the indicative tongue of this âyah, “O Sons of Âdam! I gave such hikmah to the tongue and heart of an ‘abd of Mine, who obeyed my commands and obligations, that he determines everything with the perfect distinctness and shows their haqiqah. And I gave such an art and craft to his hand that he turns iron into any shape in his hand like wax and obtains significant power for his khîlafah and rulership…”

قَالَ الَّذِى عِنْدَهُ عِلْمٌ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ اَنَا آتِيكَ بِهِ قَبْلَ اَنْ يَرْتَدَّ اِلَيْكَ طَرْفُكَ فَلَمَّا رَآهُ مُسْتَقِرًّا عِنْدَهُ  Janâb-i Haqq says in a ma’nawî manner through the allusive tongue of this âyah, “O Sons of Âdam! I bestow on one of My ‘abds an extensive possession and being informed of the states and events of the earth in order to rule with complete justice within that extensive possession of his, and since I have given each man the capacity to be khalîfah of the earth by fitrah, and since My hikmah requires to give the disposition, too, that will see, look and understand the face of the earth according to that capacity, I certainly have given it. If man does not reach that point individually, he can reach it as mankind. And if he cannot reach it physically, he can reach it in a ma’nawî manner like the people of walâyah…”

وَمِنَ الشَّيَاطِينِ مَنْ يَغُوصُونَ لَهُ وَيَعْمَلُونَ عَمَلاً دُونَ ذٰلِكَ Janâb-i Haqq says in a ma’nawî manner through the allusive tongue of this âyah, “O man! I make jin, shaytans and evil ones among them obey one of My ‘abds who obeyed Me…”

عُلِّمْنَا مَنْطِقَ الطَّيْرِ - وَالطَّيْرَ وَاَلَنَّا لَهُ الْحَدِيدَ  Janâb-i Haqq says in a ma’nawî manner through the allusive tongue of these âyahs, “O, men! In order to be the source of the purity (‘Ismat) of his nubuwwah and the complete justice of his rule, subjugating the great creatures in My dominions to one of your fellow men, who totally became an ‘abd to Me, I make them speak and give to him most of My troops and animals as servants…”

The Twentieth Word – The Second Station

6. The famous du‘â of ‘Uways al-Qarâni is a perfect example for the state of an ‘abd before the rubûbiyyah of Allah since, in his du‘â, he relates his own essence with the essence of Allah by defining himself and declaring his real nature. It is as follows:

اِلٰهِى اَنْتَ رَبِّى وَاَنَا الْعَبْدُ.... وَاَنْتَ الْخَالِقُ وَاَنَا الْمَخْلُوقُ

وَاَنْتَ الرَّزَّاقُ وَاَنَا الْمَرْزُوقُ.... وَاَنْتَ الْمَالِكُ وَاَنَا الْمَمْلُوكُ

وَاَنْتَ الْعَزِيزُ وَاَنَا الذَّلِيلُ.... وَاَنْتَ الْغَنِّىُ وَاَنَا الْفَقِيرُ

وَاَنْتَ الْبَاقِى وَاَنَا الْفَانِى …وَاَنْتَ الْمُجِيبُ وَاَنَا الدَّاعِى

“Yâ Ilahanâ! You are our Rabb! Because we are ‘abds; we are unable to perform tarbiyyah8 on our nafs. It means that the One Who performs tarbiyyah on us; it is You! And it is You Who is Al-Khâliq! Because we are creatures, we are being made. And it is You Who is Ar-Razzâq! Because we are in need of rizq, we have no power to reach it! It means that the One Who creates us and bestows on us our rizq is You! And it is You Who is Al-Mâlik! Because we are a totally owned property; someone other than us has the power of disposal over us. It means that it is You Who is our Mâlik! And You are ‘Aziz! You possess dignity and grandeur! As for us, we look to our baseness and see that, on us, there are manifestations of a mightiness. It means that we are mirrors to Your mightiness. And it is You Who is Absolute Ghanî! Because we are poor. But a wealth that our poverty has no power to reach is bestowed on us. It means that it is You Who is rich, the One Who gives is You. And You are Hayy Who is Bâqî! Because we are dying, and in our dying and in our being resurrected, we see the manifestation of a perpetual giver of life! And You are Bâqî! Because we see Your continuation and perpetualness in our transience and perishment! And the One Who responds to us, answers us and gives gifts to us is You! Because all beings, we are always crying out and requesting, entreating, and imploring by tongue and with our language of being. Our desires are brought about, and our aims are given. It means that the One Who answers us is You!... And so on.

Like an ‘Uways al-Qarâni, all beings, universal and particular, each of them has a duty of being mirror in the form of a ma’nawî du‘â. All proclaim the qoudrah and perfection of Allah through their impotence, poverty and deficiency.

The Twentieth Letter-Second Station-Eighth Phrase

7. The value of the rank of being an ‘abd:

O helpless man wallowing amid boundless impotence and endless want! Understand what a valuable means and acceptable shafî’ rahmah is through this: rahmah is a means to reach such a Sultân Zuljalâl in Whose army the stars and particles serve together in perfect order and obedience. And that Zuljalâl One and Sultân of Azal and Eternity has istighnâ in His essence; He is in absolute istighnâ. He is the Absolute Ghanî, Who in no respect needs the universe and beings. The whole universe is under His command and irâdah and utterly obedient beneath His majesty and grandeur, submissive before His glory (Jalal). It is rahmah, Oh man, that raises you to the hudhur of the Absolute Mustaghnî and the Eternal Sultân; it makes you His friend and addressee and gives you the state of a beloved ‘abd.

The Second Station of The Fourteenth Flash-Sixth Mystery

 

To be the ‘abd and soldier of Allah is such a pleasurable honour that cannot be described. As for the duty, one should work and start only on behalf of Allah, like a soldier, give and take on account of Allah, and act and be still in the sphere of His permission and law. If he commits a fault, he should offer istighfâr. He should say, "O Rabb! Forgive our faults, accept us as Your servants and make us trustworthy with the amanah until the time of its being taken. Âmîn!", and He should be beseeched.

The Sixth Word

 

 

وَمِنَ اللهِ التَّوْفِيقُ

سُبْحَانَكَ لاَ عِلْمَ لَنَا اِلاَّ مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ