بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

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

اللّٰه - ALLAH  (Jalla Jalâluhu) – Part-3

1. To know Allah is different from knowing His existence:

Muhyiddîn Bin 'Arabî said in his letter to Fakhraddîn Râzî: "To know Allah is different from knowing His existence." What does this mean, and what was his aim in saying it?

Firstly: In the introduction to the Twenty-Second Word you read to him, the comparison and example that demonstrate the difference between tawhîd al-haqîqî and tawhîd adh-dhâhirî point to his aim. While the Second and Third Stopping-Places of the Thirty-Second Word and its Aims explain it.

And Secondly: Since the expositions of the Imams of Usul ad-dîn and the ‘ulamâ of ‘Ilm al-Kalâm concerning the aqâid, the existence of Al-Wâjib Al-Wujûd and tawhîd of Allah were insufficient in his view, Muhyiddîn Bin 'Arabî said that to Fakhraddîn Râzî, who was one of the Imams of ‘Ilm al-Kalâm.

Yes, the ma’rifatullah gained by means of ‘Ilm al-Kalâm does not give a perfect ma’rifat and a complete hudhur. When it is in the way of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition, it gives complete ma’rifat and also causes one to gain a complete hudhur; InshâAllah, all sections of the Risale-i Nur perform the service of an electric lamp on that luminous highway of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition.

Also, how deficient the ma’rifatullah Fakhraddîn Râzî acquired by means of ‘Ilm al-Kalâm is in Muhyiddîn Bin 'Arabî’s view, in the same way, the ma’rifat acquired by way of tasawwuf is deficient to the same degree in comparison with the ma’rifat acquired directly from Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm through the mystery of the legacy of nubuwwah. Because in order to attain a perpetual hudhur, by saying لاَ مَوْجُودَ اِلاَّ هُوَ1 , the way of Muhyiddîn Bin 'Arabî came to such a point that will deny the existence of the universe. As for the others, again, in order to gain a perpetual hudhur, by saying 2 لاَ مَشْهُودَ اِلاَّ هُوَ , they have entered a strange way such as putting the universe under absolute oblivion. As for the ma’rifat acquired from Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm, together with giving a perpetual hudhur, it neither condemns the universe to non-existence nor imprisons it in absolute oblivion. It rather saves it from disorderliness and employs it in the name of Janâb-i Haqq. Everything becomes a mirror for ma’rifat. As Sa'dî Shirazi said:دَرْ نَظَرِ هُوشِيَارْ هَرْ وَرَقِى دَفْتَرِيسْتْ اَزْ مَعْرِفَتِ كِرْدِگَارْ3 In everything, it opens a window onto the ma’rifat of Janâb-i Haqq.

In some of the Words, about the differences between the way of ‘ulamâ of ‘Ilm al-Kalâm and the true method taken from the Qur'an, we said the following comparison:

For example, in order to obtain water, some people bring it from a distant place by means of pipes by digging under mountains. While some people extract it by digging wells everywhere. The first sort is very laborious; pipes become blocked and water stops. But those who are competent to dig wells everywhere and extract water can find water everywhere with no difficulty. In exactly the same way, the ‘ulamâ of ‘Ilm al-Kalâm cut causes at the extremities of ‘âlam with the impossibility of the chain of causes and causal sequences, then they prove the existence of Al-Wâjib Al-Wujûd with that. A long road is travelled. However, the true method of Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm finds water everywhere and extracts it. Like a staff of Mûsâ, each of its âyahs makes water of life flow forth wherever it strikes and makes everything recite the rule: 4 وَ فِى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ لَهُ آيَةٌ تَدُلُّ عَلَى اَنَّهُ وَاحِدٌ

Also, îmân is not obtained only through ‘ilm; many subtle faculties have their share in îmân. Just as when food enters a stomach, it is distributed in various ways to various blood vessels and nerves. In the same way, after the matters of îmân, which come through ‘ilm, enter the stomach of the mind, the rûh, heart, sirr, nafs and other subtle faculties receive their share from it according to their degree, and absorb it. If they do not receive their share, it is deficient. Thus, Muhyiddîn Bin 'Arabî was reminding this point to Fakhraddîn Râzî.

Twenty-Sixth Letter Second Matter

2. The haqiqah of îmân in Allah requires tawhîd and submission to the commands of Allah:

My Azîz, Siddîq Brothers and the Young Heroes Among the Nur Students!

At the end of the Staff of Mûsâ — in some of its copies — there is a reply that I gave to a question asked by the hero of the blessed students, junior Ali, who has a great rûh. Read it; in order to injure the value of the Risale-i Nur to an extent, some antagonists said to him: "Everyone knows Allah. An ordinary man believes in Allah just as an awliyâ does" and have tried to present the valuable and necessary emphasises of the Nur risales as excessive.

Now, in Istanbul, in order to deceive people and reduce the need for the haqiqahs of îmân within the Risale-i Nur, which everybody desperately needs like bread and water, some munafiqs, who harbour a far more terrifying idea of anarchy and have fallen into kufr al-mutlaq, want to oppose the Risale-i Nur by saying "Every nation and everybody know Allah. We do not really need new lessons about Him".

Whereas, to know Allah is to have a firm îmân in His rubûbiyyah encompassing the whole universe, and everything, particular and universal, from the particles to the stars being in the grasp of His control and coming into existence through His qoudrah and irâdah; it is to have îmân in the sacred phrase لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ اللّٰهُ and its haqiqahs and His having no shariks in His possession; it is to confirm them by heart.

Otherwise, saying “There is one Allah” but dividing His possession among causes and nature and attributing it to them, and — Hâsha — accepting causes as His endless shariks and originators and not knowing His irâdah and ‘ilm, which are present with all things, and refusing His strict commands and not knowing His attributes and the messengers and prophets He has sent, surely, the haqiqah of îmân in Allah is not present in it in any way.

Rather, he says such words to provide a degree of consolation for himself against the worldly torments of the ma’nawî Jahannam in kufr al-mutlaq.

Yes, not denying is one thing, but having îmân is entirely different.

Yes, no conscious being in the universe can deny Al-Khâliq Zuljalâl to Whom every particle of the universe bears witness. If he does so, he will be silent and indifferent since all universe will refute him.

But to have îmân in Him is confirming Al-Khâliq with all His attributes and names by heart, relying on the testimony of the whole universe as the Qur’an Great in Dignity instructs; it is to accept the commands He has sent through His messengers and to offer tawbah and feel regret in the heart when he sinned and violated the commands. Otherwise, committing great sins freely but not offering istighfâr and being careless is a proof that he has no share from îmân.

Emirdağ Addendum-1 (202)

3. The Love of Allah:

The supreme âyah, قُلْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّٰهُ5 definitely declares how important and necessary following the Sunnah is. Yes, this noble âyah is the most powerful and definite analogy of the sort of hypothetical syllogism among the syllogisms of logic. It is as follows:

According to logic, as an example of a hypothetical syllogism, it is said: "If the sun comes out, it will be daytime." For the positive conclusion, it is said: "The sun has come out therefore it concludes that it is now daytime." For the negative conclusion, it is said: "It is not daytime therefore it concludes that the sun has not come out." According to logic, these two conclusions, negative and positive, are definite.

In just the same way, this noble âyah says: "If you have the love for Allah, Habibullah will be followed. If he is not followed, it concludes that you do not have love for Allah." If there is love for Allah, it results in following the Sunnah of Habibullah. Yes, one who has îmân in Janâb-i Haqq will certainly obey Him. And the most acceptable, the most mustaqîm and the shortest among the ways of obedience is indubitably the way Habibullah showed and followed. ...

...In Short: The love for Allah necessitates and results in following the Sunnah as-Saniyyah. How happy the person whose share of following the Sunnah as-Saniyyah is great! Alas for the person who does not appreciate the Sunnah as-Saniyyah and enters bid’ahs!...

...In the âyah 7 قُلْ اِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِى يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّٰهُ , there is a miraculous conciseness. Because many phrases have been included in these three phrases. It is as follows:

The âyah says: "If you have îmân in Allah (Jalla Jalâluhu), you will surely love Allah. Since you love Allah, you will act in the manner He loves. And as for the manner He loves, you must resemble the one Allah loves. As for resembling him, it is to follow him. When you follow him, Allah, too, will love you. As a matter of fact, you love Allah so that Allah should love you."

Thus, all these phrases are only a brief and concise meaning of this âyah. It means that the most important and elevated aim of man is being honoured by the love of Janâb-i Haqq. Through the nass of this âyah, He shows that the way of this elevated aim is to follow Habibullah and be guided by his Sunnah as-Saniyyah. ..

Second Point: Love for Allah necessitates following the Sunnah of Muhammad Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm. Because to love Allah is to do what pleases Him. As for the things that please Him, they manifest in the most perfect form in the person of Muhammad (asm). Resembling the person of Ahmad (asm) in behaviours and actions is through two aspects:

The First: In terms of loving Janâb-i Haqq, to obey His commands and act within the bounds of the things that please Him necessitates following Muhammad (asm). Because the most perfect Imam in this matter is the person of Muhammad (asm).

The Second: Since the person of Ahmad (asm) is one of the most important means of the infinite favours that Allah bestows on man, he is surely worthy of infinite love on account of Janâb-i Haqq. If it is possible to resemble someone he loves, man, by fitrah, wants to resemble him. Thus, it is definitely necessary for those who love Habibullah to work to resemble him by following his Sunnah as-Saniyyah.

Third Point: Just as Janâb-i Haqq has infinite mercy, so does He has endless love. Just as He makes Himself loved infinitely through all the beauties and adornment of beings full of art in the whole universe, so too, He loves His works of art, in particular, conscious beings who respond to His making Himself loved with love. It is evidently understood how important and exalted an aim it is to work to attract the look of love of the One, a single manifestation of Whose rahmah is all subtleties and beauties and pleasures and ni’mahs of Jannah. Since by His definite words, His love is attained only through following the Sunnah of Ahmad (asm). Certainly, it is a definite fact that following the Sunnah of Ahmad (asm) is the greatest aim of man and the most important duty of mankind.

The Eleventh Flash/Fifth, Tenth and Eleventh Subtle Points

4. Who is more dhâlim than one who lies about Allah…? (Qur’an-39:32):

Out of love of religion, a religious man can say, “The haqq is thus; the haqiqah is this. The commands of Allah are these.” But he cannot make Allah speak as he pleases. By transgressing his limits to an infinite degree and imitating Allah, he cannot speak in His place. He trembles from the principle فَمَنْ اَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ كَذَبَ عَلَى اللّٰهِ9 .

The Addendum to the Fifteenth Word

5. The programme of Allah, which was created for the arrangement, cannot be subject to objections:

When Allah Ta‘âla placed juz al-ikhtiyârî in man and made that juz al-ikhtiyârî the source of the ‘âlam of actions,10 He sent His word (Kalâm) in order to arrange that ‘âlam.

Signs of Miraculousness (409)