بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

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

الرحيم - AR-RAHÎM  part-1

He is Rahîm, His Rahîmiyyah is superabundant.  There is a form of grace and favour contained in everything He does.

“Then there is the Exalted Stamp of Rahîmiyyah, which is manifest through the subtleties of Ilahî beneficence, fine points of Ilahî clemency, and rays of Ilahî compassion on the face of man's comprehensive reality. This looks to Ar-Rahîm in Bismillâhirrahmânirrahîm.” The Flashes ( 134 )

 

“through some insignificant matter pertaining to non-existence, shaytan throws man into serious peril. Moreover, man's nafs always listens to shaytan. And his quwwa ash-shahawiyyah and quwwa al-ghadhabiyyah are like both receivers and transmitters of shaytan's wiles.

It is because of this that Janâb-i Haqq's two Names like Ghafûr and Rahîm are turned to the people of îmân with a maximum manifestation. And He shows in Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm that His greatest bounty to the prophets is maghfirah and calls on them to istighfâr.1 Through repeating the blessed word, بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ at the start of every Surah and ordering it to dhikr at the commencement of all blessed works, He shows that His all-encompassing rahmah embraces the universe and is a stronghold and place of refuge. And through the command, فَاسْتَعِذْ 2 , He makes a shield of the phrase, "A‘ûzu billahi minashshaytanirrajîm".” The Flashes ( 108 )

 

An important wile of shaytan is to prevent man from admitting his faults so that he can close the way of istighfâr and isti’âdha. He also incites the ananiyyah of the human nafs so that the nafs defends itself like a lawyer as though offers taqdîs3 to itself.

Yes, a nafs that heeds shaytan does not want to see its faults. Even if it sees them, it explains them away in a hundred ways. Through the mystery of وَ عَيْنُ الرِّضَا عَنْ كُلِّ عَيْبٍ كَلِيلَةٌ4 , since he looks to his nafs with the eye of contentment, he does not see its faults. And since he does not see its faults, he does not admit them; he does not offer istighfâr; he does not offer isti’âdha; he becomes the laughingstock of shaytan. Although an illustrious noble prophet like Hazrat Yûsuf ‘Alayhissalâm said: 5 وَمَا اُبَرِّئُ نَفْسِى اِنَّ النَّفْسَ َلاَمَّارَةٌ بِالسُّوءِ اِلاَّ مَا رَحِمَ رَبِّى how can the nafs be trusted? One who accuses his nafs sees his faults. One who admits his faults offers istighfâr. One who offers istighfâr offers isti’âdha. One who offers isti’âdha is saved from shaytan's sharr. Not to see his faults is a greater fault than the fault itself. And not to admit his faults is a great defect. And if he sees his fault, that fault will not be a fault anymore. If he admits it, he becomes worthy of forgiveness.

The 13th Flash-13th Indication-Second Point

 

“First disease: Despair

KNOW, O FRIEND, that those who fear the punishment and cannot fulfil to ‘amal, desire the non-existence of punishment and an argument against it. When they see signs that seem to confirm such an argument, they begin to be recruited by shaytans into their legions. [If you are in such a state,] give a sincere and attentive ear to the promise of Taâ’lâ:

6 قُلْ يَا عِبَادِىَ الَّذِينَ اَسْرَفُوا عَلَى اَنْفُسِهِمْ لاَ تَقْنَطُوا مِنْ رَحْمَةِ اللّٰهِ اِنَّ اللّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا اِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Al-Mathnawi al-Nuri (85-86)

 

“Indeed, the existence and reality of Rahmah are as clear as the sun. For just as an embroidery centred on one point is formed by the order and situation of the threads of its warp and weft coming from all directions, so too the luminous threads extending from the manifestation of a thousand and one Ilahî Names in the vast sphere of the universe weave such a seal of Rahîmiyyah, embroidery of clemency, and seal of ‘inâyah within a Stamp of rahmah that it demonstrates itself to minds more brilliantly than the sun.

Ar-Rahmân Zuljamâl, Who orders the sun and moon, the elements and minerals, plants and animals like the warp and weft of a vast embroidery through the rays of His thousand and one Names, and causes them to serve life; and demonstrates His compassion through the exceedingly sweet and self-sacrificing compassion of all mothers, plant and animal; and subjugates animate creatures to human life, and from this demonstrates man's importance and a most fine and lovely large embroidery of Ilahî Rubûbiyyah, and manifests His most brilliant rahmah, has, in the face of His own absolute istghnâ made His rahmah an acceptable shafî’ for animate creatures and man.

Oh man! If you are truly a human being, say بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ  “Bismillahirrahmânirrahîm”. Find that shafî’. For sure, it is clearly, self-evidently, Ilahî rahmah which, without forgetting or confusing any of them does tarbiyyah and administers the four hundred thousand different plant and animal species on the earth at precisely the right time, and with perfect order, hikmah, and ‘inâyah, and stamps the Seal of Ahadiyyah on the face of the globe of the earth. And just as the existence of  Rahmah is as certain as the existence of the beings on the face of the earth, so too do the beings form as many evidences to its reality as their own number.

Like on the face of the earth there is such a Seal of Rahmah and Stamp of Ahadiyyah, so also on the face of man's ma’nawî reality is a Stamp of Rahmah which is not inferior to the Stamp of Compassion on the face of the earth and vast Stamp of Rahmah on the face of the universe. Simply, man possesses a comprehensiveness like being a point of focus of a thousand and one Ilahî Names.” The Flashes ( 136 )

 

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. But just as you cannot reach the sun, are far from it and can in no way draw close to it, although the sun's light gives you its reflection and manifestation by means of your mirror, in the same way, you are infinitely distant from the Most Pure and Holy One (Zhât Al-Aqdas), the Sun of Pre-Eternity and Post-Eternity, and cannot draw close to Him, but the light of His Rahmah makes Him closer to us.

And so, O man! He who finds this Rahmah finds an eternal unfailing treasury of nûr. And the way to find this treasury is the Sunnah of Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm; who was the most brilliant exemplary and representative of Rahmah, its most eloquent tongue and herald of that Rahmah, and was described in the Qur'an as Rahmah li’l ‘Âlamîn7 and following it.

And the means to this embodiment of Rahmah who is Rahmah li’l ‘Âlamîn is salawât. Indeed, the meaning of salawât is Rahmah. And salawât which is the du'â of Rahmah for that  embodiment of Rahmah is the means of reaching that Rahmah li’l ‘Âlamîn. So, make salawât the means to the Rahmah li’l ‘Âlamîn for yourself, and at the same time make Him the means to the Rahmah of Ar-Rahmân.

The whole Ummah in all their great numbers uttering salawât with the meaning of Rahmah for the One who is Rahmah li’l ‘Âlamîn ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm proves brilliantly what a valuable Ilahî gift is Rahmah, and how broad is its sphere.

To Conclude: Just as the most precious jewel in the treasury of Rahmah and its doorkeeper is Ahmad ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm, so too is its first key “Bismillahirrahmanirrahîm”. And its most easy key is salawât..” The Fourteenth Flash Second Station

 

“اَلرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيمِ Their positioning: they point to the two fundamentals in tarbiyyah. For in its meaning of Ar-Razzâq, Ar-Rahmân infers the attraction of benefits, while in its meaning of Al-Ghaffâr, Ar-Rahîm is conformable with the repulsion of harm, and these are the two basic principles of tarbiyyah.” Signs of Miraculousness ( 25 )

 

The Gate of Karam 8 and Rahmah,  the Manifestation of the Names of Karîm and Rahîm

Is it at all possible that the Rabb of this ‘âlam, Who in His works demonstrates infinite generosity, infinite rahmah, infinite splendour and infinite glory, should not give a reward in a manner befitting His generosity and rahmah, and not punish in a manner befitting His splendour and glory? If one looks at the disposition of affairs in this world, one sees that all animate beings -from the most impotent and weakest to the most powerful- are given some fitting form of rizq. {Halal rizq is obtained not through the strength, but the existence of need. The decisive proof of this is that powerless infants enjoy the finest of livelihoods, while strong wild beasts suffer from all kinds of deficiency, and that fish, for all their lack of intelligence, wax fat, while the cunning fox and monkey remain thin in their quest for livelihood. There is, therefore, an inverse relationship between rizq on the one hand and strength and will power on the other. The more one relies on strength and will power the more difficult it will be to sustain one's livelihood.} Indeed, the weakest and most powerless are given the best form of rizq. This banquet and largesse are distributed with such lofty generosity that a hand of infinite generosity is manifestly at work.

For example, in the spring, all the trees are garbed in clothes as fine as silk, just like the houris in Jannah; they are encrusted with flowers and fruits, as if with jewels, and caused to offer us numerous varieties of the choicest fruits, on branches delicately outstretched like the hands of a servant. Similarly, we are given wholesome and sweet honey to eat, from the hand of the bee with its sting; we are clothed in the finest and softest of clothes by means of an insect that has no hands, and within a small seed, a great treasure of rahmah is preserved for us. It is self-evident that all of this is the effect of a most beauteous generosity, a most delicate sense of rahmah.

Then, too, the fact that, except man and some beasts, all things, from the sun, the moon and earth to the smallest of creatures, perform their functions with the utmost exactitude, do not overstep their bounds by an inch, and observe a universal obedience under a great majesty- this shows that they act by the command of a Possessor of great glory and dignity. It is also apparent that the working of the manifestation of all-embracing rahmah in the fashion of all mothers, in the vegetable, animal and human realms, with their rahîm compassion and tarbiyyah of the weak and powerless infants with the delicate nurture of milk. {The fact that a hungry lion will prefer its offspring to its nafs, and give to it a piece of meat it would otherwise have eaten; that the cowardly hen will attack to a lion or a dog in order to protect its young; that the fig-tree contents itself with mud while giving pure milk to its offspring, the fruit - this shows to anyone not blind that they act in accordance with the commands of a Being infinitely Rahîm, Karîm and solicitous. Again, the fact that even unconscious plants and beasts function in the wisest and most conscious of fashions demonstrates irrefutably that One Utterly ‘Alîm and Hakîm has set them to work, and that they are acting in His name.}

Since the master of this ‘âlam has, then, such infinite generosity, rahmah, glory and dignity, it follows that His infinite glory and dignity require the chastisement of the discourteous; that His infinite karam requires infinite bounty, and His infinite rahmah requires a bestowal of favour worthy of itself. Now in this transitory world and brief life, only a millionth part of all this, like one drop from the ocean, establishes and manifests itself. There must, therefore, be a realm of blessedness appropriate to that karam and worthy of that rahmah. One would otherwise have to deny the existence of the rahmah that is visible to us, and this would be like denying the existence of the sun that fills every day with its light. For irrevocable death would transform compassion into disaster, love into affliction, ni’mah into vengeance, mind into a tool of misery, and pleasure into pain, so that the haqiqah of Rahmah would vanish.

There must, in addition, be a realm of punishment appropriate to Allah's glory and dignity. For generally the dhâlim leaves this world while still in possession of his might, and the oppressed whilst still subjected to humiliation. These matters are therefore deferred for the attention of a supreme tribunal; it is not that they are neglected. It sometimes happens too that punishment is enacted in this world. The torments suffered by disobedient and rebellious people in previous centuries show that man is not left to his own devices, and that he is always subject to the blows that Allah's glory and splendour may choose to inflict on him.

Is it at all possible that man should have the most important duty in all of creation and be endowed with the most important capacities; that man's Rabb should make Himself known to him with all His well-ordered works, and man should then fail to recognize Him in return, through îmân- or that Allah should make Himself beloved of men through the numerous adorned fruits of His rahmah, and man should then fail to make himself beloved of Allah through ‘ibâdah - or that Allah should demonstrate His love and rahmah to man through His variegated ni’mahs and man should then fail to respect Him with shukr and hamd - is it at all possible that man should remain unpunished, left to his own devices, or that Zuljalâl One, Possessor of honour and glory should not make ready for him a realm of requital?

Is it at all possible, on the other hand, that He should not prepare a realm of reward and eternal bliss for those mu’mins who respond to Ar-Rahmân Ar-Rahîm's making Himself known by recognizing Him with îmân; to His making Himself beloved by loving Him with ‘ibâdah; and to His rahmah by offering shukr and veneration? ” The Tenth Word- Second Haqiqah

 

The Fourth haqiqah which is the Thirty-Third degree:

The Haqiqah of Rahîmiyyah and Razzâqiyyah

That is, the haqiqah of giving rizq, which is material and ma’nawî and pertains to the stomach, of all animate beings, especially those who possess rûh, especially the impotent, the weak and the young, over the whole face of the earth, in it and in its air and in its seas, compassionately, which is made from dry and simple soil, from solid, bone-like dry pieces of wood, and especially the most delicate form of rizq that appears between blood and urine, and thousands of kilos of foods which are made from a single seed like a bone, on time, in an orderly form, neither forgetting nor confusing any of them, in front of our eyes by a ghayb hand.

Yes, as the âyah اِنَّ اللّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ 9   especially appropriates and confines the sustenance and provision to Janâb-i Haqq, and the âyah وَمَا مِنْ دَابَّةٍ فِى اْلاَرْضِ اِلاَّ عَلَى اللّٰهِ رِزْقُهَا وَيَعْلَمُ مُسْتَقَرَّهَا وَمُسْتَوْدَعَهَا كُلٌّ فِى كِتَابٍ مُبِينٍ 10 undertakes the rizq of every men and animal and includes it under the Rabbânî guarantee; and through observably giving sustenance by guaranteed action to the weak, impotent, powerless and unfortunate creatures those unable to provide rizq, from unexpected places, indeed from the ghayb or even out of nothing, for example to the insects in the ocean bed from nothing, and to the all young from unexpected places, and to all animals every spring, in fact, merely from the ghayb, the âyah وَكَاَيِّنْ مِنْ دَابَّةٍ لاَ تَحْمِلُ رِزْقَهَا اَللّٰهُ يَرْزُقُهَا وَاِيَّاكُمْ وَ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْعَلِيمُ11   proves and proclaims even to the people who perform ‘ibâdah to causes that, it is He Who gives under the veil of causes. So many âyahs of the Qur'an and infinite pieces of the evidence of creation unanimously demonstrate that each animate being is sustained by the Rahîmiyyah of the single Razzâq Zuljalâl.

Since they are powerless and have no will, and while they remain in their place through tawakkul, a sort of rizq of the trees, which they requested, running to them and the flowing of sustenance for infant to their mouths from wondrous small pumps and its ceasing due to the bestowing of a little power and will to the infant; the giving to the especially human infant the compassion of their mothers as a helper clearly prove that halal rizq is not mutually proportional to will and power, rather, it comes in relation to weakness and impotence, which result in tawakkul.

As the power, will and sharpness of intelligence, which incite greed that is mostly the cause of lost, drive certain great learned men to a sort of beggary; the weakness of the unintelligent, crude and common man in a manner of tawakkul making them reach richness; and كَمْ عَالِمٍ عَالِمٍ اَعْيَتْ مَذَاهِبُهُ وَ جَاهِلٍ جَاهِلٍ تَلْقَاهُ مَرْزُوقًا 12 becoming a proverb, establish that halal rizq is not won and not made found by one’s power and will, but rather is given by a mercy that finds one’s working and striving acceptable and is bestowed from a compassion that pities one’s need. But, rizq is of two kinds:

The First is haqîqî and fitrî rizq for life and living which is under the guarantee of Ar-Rabb. It is indeed so arranged that this fitrî rizq, is stored in the body in the form of fat and remainder and ensures life for at least twenty days without eating anything. That is to say, those who apparently die of hunger before the twenty-thirty days and before concluding the fitrî rizq stored up in their body, die not from a lack of rizq, but a disease arising from a bad habit and the abandonment of custom.

The Second sort of rizq: The metaphorical and artificial rizq, which becomes dharûrah due to addiction through habit, wastefulness and misuse. This sort is not under the guarantee of Ar-Rabb, but dependant on His bestowal. Sometimes He gives, sometimes He does not give.

With respect to this second rizq, happy is he who knows that halal endeavour with frugality and contentment, which are the source of happiness and pleasure, is a sort of ‘ibâdah and a du'â by action for rizq and he accepts the bestowal gratefully and thankfully, and happily passes his life.

Wretched is he who abandons halal endeavour through prodigality and greed, which are the source of wretchedness, loss and sorrow, knocks on every door, passes his life lazily, oppressively and in a manner of complaining, and indeed he kills it.

Just as the stomach demands rizq, so too the subtle faculties and feelings of man like heart, rûh, mind (aql), eye, ear and mouth, also demand their rizq from Ar-Razzâq Who is Rahîm and gratefully receive it. The rizq of those, which are appropriated to them and make them glad and pleased, are bestowed from the treasury of rahmah to each separately. Indeed, Ar-Razzâq Who is Rahîm, in order to give to those a more extensive rizq, has created each of those subtle faculties like the eye and ear, heart, imagination and mind as a key to His treasury of rahmah. For example, like the eye is a key to the treasury containing precious jewels such as the beauty and jamâl on the face of the universe, so too the others (each of them) become the key of an ‘âlam and benefit through îmân. To resume after our digression:

Al-Qadîr and Hakîm One Who created this universe created also life as a comprehensive summary of the universe and concentrated all of His purposes and the manifestations of His Names therein. So too, within the ‘âlam of life, he made of rizq a comprehensive centre of shuûn and created within animate beings the taste for rizq, thus causing animate beings to respond to His Rubûbiyyah and love with a permanent and universal gratitude, thankfulness, and ‘ibâdah that is one of the significant purposes and instances of hikmah inherent in the creation of the universe.

For example, it is a hikmah of shuûn of Rubûbiyyah like He cause every area of the broad Rabbânî realm to rejoice - the samâwât are caused to rejoice with the malâikah and rûh beings, al-‘âlam al-ghayb with rûhs, so too, the material ‘âlam, particularly the air and the earth, with the existence of all rûh beings, particularly birds, great and small13 , at all times and places, through the hikmah of this causing to rejoice and the infusion of life and rûh, animals and men are, as it was, whipped by the need for rizq and the pleasure they take therein to pursue their rizq, thus being delivered from sloth. Were it not for such significant instances of hikmah, the provision destined for animals would be caused instinctively to hasten toward them to satisfy their fitrî needs, without any effort on their part, just as provision and sustenance are caused to hasten toward the tree.

Were there to be an eye capable of witnessing and comprehending the whole surface of the earth at one time, in order to perceive the beauties of the Names of Rahîm and Razzâq and the witness they bear to Wahdâniyyah, it would see what sweet beauty is contained in the tender and solicitous manifestation of Ar-Razzâq Ar-Rahîm Who sends to the caravans of animals at the end of winter, when their provision is about to be exhausted, extremely delicious, abundant and varied foods and ni’mahs, drawn exclusively from His ghayb treasury of rahmah, as succour from the ghayb and Rahmânî bestowal, placed in the hands of plants, the crowns of trees, and the breasts of mothers. The possessor of that all-seeing eye would realize the following:

The making of a single apple, and the generous giving of it to a man as true rizq, can be accomplished only by a Being Who causes the seasons, the nights and the days to rotate, Who causes the globe to revolve like a cargo ship, and thus brings the fruits of the seasons within reach of those needy guests of the earth who stand to wait for them. For the stamp of its fitrah, the seal of hikmah, the imprint of Samadiyyah, the signet of rahmah that is to be found on the surface of the apple, is to be found also on all apples and other fruits, plants and animals. Hence the True Mâlik and Sâni’ of the apple is bound to be Al-Mâlik Zuljalâl, Al-Khâliq Zuljamâl of all the inhabitants of the world, who are the peers, the congeners and the brothers of the apple; of the vast earth that is the garden of the apple; of the tree that is its factory; of the seasons that are its workshop; and of the spring and summer that are its place of tarbiyyah.

In other words, every fruit is a seal of wahdah that makes known the Writer and Sâni’ of the earth, its tree, and of the book of the universe, its garden; it demonstrates His wahdah and shows to the number of fruits, the seal affixed to the decree of Wahdâniyyah.

Since the Risale-i Nur is a manifestation of the Names of Rahîm and Hakîm, and numerous flashes and mysteries of the haqiqah of Rahîmiyyah have been expounded and proved in many parts of the Risale-i Nur, we leave further discussion of the matter to those parts and content ourselves with this brief indication, out of a vast treasury, on account of the unfavourable circumstances from which we are now suffering.” The Seventh Ray-2nd Chapter-3th Stopping-Place

 

“Then consider the miraculous sustenance of all young, and the two pumps of milk hanging over their heads on the breasts of their mothers, as sweet and pure as the water of Kawthar, and see the captivating beauty (jamâl) of Rabbânî rahîmiyyah.” The Rays ( 86 )

 

“There is to be seen a haqiqah of ta‘âvun14 among these beings that are attempting to maintain their existence, and if they are animate, their life, and fulfil their functions in the midst of constantly stirring changes and revolutions, a haqiqah that lies far beyond their capacities.

For example, the elements hasten to aid animate beings; the clouds, in particular, help the vegetable kingdom; the vegetable kingdom, to help the animal kingdom; the animal kingdom, to help the human kingdom. Milk gushes forth from the breast, like the Kawthar, to succour the infant; the fact that animate beings are given their needs and sustenance in a manner that transcends their capacity, from unexpected places; the replenishing of the cells of the body with particles of food, through their being subjugated by their Rabb and their employment from Ar-Rahmân - all of these and numerous other examples of the haqiqah of ta‘âvun demonstrate the universal and compassionate Rubûbiyyah of Ar-Rabb al-‘âlamîn, Who administers the universe like a palace.

Yes the objects which are solid, unconscious and void of compassion, manifest each other in a manner of helping and in conscious fashion compassion. Most undoubtedly cause to rush to each other's aid by the power, rahmah, and command of a Rahîm, Hakîm, and Rabb Zuljalâl.” The Rays (165-166)

 

هَدَينَا اللّٰهُ وَ اِيَّاكُمْ اِلَى الصِّرَاطِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ

سُبْحَانَكَ لاَ عِلْمَ لَنَا اِلاَّ مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ