MURSHID –مرشد

 

A guide; especially, a ma’nawî guide or teacher. The one who guides to the right path and wakes up the ghâfils from their ghaflah.

 

Shaytan turned and said: "The Qur'an resembles the word of man, it is in the form of their conversation. That means it is man's word. If it was the word of Allah, it would be in a form that is suitable to Him and wondrous in all aspects. Just as His art does not resemble man's art, so His word also should not resemble man's word."

I said as a reply: "Just as our Prophet remained in the sphere of human nature in all his actions, states and conduct apart from his miracles and special attributes, and he submitted and obedient to ‘Âdâtullah and His takwinî commands like other human beings. He too suffered from the cold and pain and so on. To not all of his states and conducts were given a wondrous state. So that he may be an Imam to his ummah through his actions, he may be a guide through his conduct and he may give lesson through all his behaviour. If he was wondrous in all his conduct, he could not himself be an Imam in every respect. He could not be the absolute murshid to everyone. He could not be the 'Rahmah to all ‘âlams' through all his states.

In just the same way, Al-Qur'an Al-Hakîm is the Imam to the conscious beings, the murshid to jinn and men, the guide to the people of perfection, and the teacher to the people of haqiqah. Therefore, being in the form of man's conversation and style is a necessity and certainty. For men and jinn take their supplication (munâjât) and learn their du'â from it, and they speak of their matters through its language and learn the adab of social behaviour from it, and so on. Everyone has recourse to it. In which case, if it was in the form of the kalâm of Allah, which Hazrat Mûsâ ‘Alayhissalâm heard on Mount Sinai, man could not endure listening and hearing it, nor had recourse to it. An ulu'l-‘azm prophet like Hazrat Mûsâ ‘Alayhissalâm could only endure hearing a few words. Mûsâ ‘Alayhissalâm said: اَهكَذَا كَلاَمُكَ قَالَ اللّٰهُ لِى قُوَّةُ جَمِيعِ اْلاَلْسِنَةِ1

The Addendum to the Fifteenth Word

 

Just as if the property of a jamâ’ah is given to one man, it is dhulm; or if one seizes charitable foundations which belong to the jamâ’ah, he does dhulm; so too to ascribe to the leader or Ustadh of a jamâ’ah the results of that jamâ’ah's labours or the honour and fadhîlah resulting from its good works, is dhulm both for the jamâ’ah and for the leader or Ustadh. Because to do so flatters his ananiyyah and encourages pride. While being the door-keeper, he supposes himself to be the sultân. He also does dhulm to his nafs. Indeed, he opens the way to a sort of hidden shirk.

Indeed, the colonel cannot claim the booty, victory and glory belonging to a regiment which conquers a citadel. The Ustadh and murshid should not be considered to be the source and origin but known to be the place of reflection and manifestation. For example, heat and light reach you by means of a mirror. If you forget the sun and considering the mirror to be the source, are grateful to it instead of being grateful to the sun, it would be crazy. The mirror should be preserved because it is the place of manifestation. Thus, the murshid's rûh and heart is a mirror; it is the place for reflecting faydh emanating from Janâb-i Haqq. He is the means of its being reflected to his followers. He should not be ascribed a higher station with regard to the faydh than that of being the means.

It sometimes even happens that an Ustadh considered to be the source is neither the place of manifestation nor the source. The follower supposes the faydh he receives due to the purity of his ikhlas, or his strength of attachment, or his concentration on his Ustadh, or in other ways, to have come from the mirror of his Ustadh's rûh. Like by means of mesmerism, some people open up a window onto al-‘âlam al-mithâl by gazing attentively at a mirror and observe strange and wonderful things in the mirror. But it is not in the mirror; rather by focussing their attention on the mirror, a window opens up in their imaginations outside the mirror and they see those things. It is for this reason that sometimes the sincere student may be more advanced than a deficient shaykh. He returns, guides his shaykh and becomes the shaykh's shaykh.

The Seventeenth Flash-13th Note-The 5th Matter

 

Islam says: لاَ خَالِقَ اِلاَّ هُوَ 2 , and does not accept causes and intermediaries as the real producer of an effect. It looks to intermediaries with ma’nâ al-harfî. Aqîdah of Tawhîd and the duty of submission (taslîm) and tafvîdh3 demand this. Due to corruption, present-day Christianity considers causes and intermediaries as the producers of an effect and looks to them with the view of ma’nâ al-ismî. The aqîdah of waladiyyah4 and the thought of priesthood demand this and urge it. They look to their saints through the view of ma’nâ al-ismî, as the source of faydh and the mine of nûr, according to one view, like a nûr of a lamp which transformed from the sunlight. Whereas, we look to the awliyâ through ma’nâ al-harfî, as a place of reflection and manifestation that is, like a mirror to the sun which spreads its light. {The Naqshbandis' method (râbita) is based on this mystery.} It is because of this mystery, with us, ma’nawî journeying begins from humility, it passes through self-annihilation, and reaches the station of annihilation in Allah (fanâ fillâh). It begins to journey through infinite ranks. The ana and nafs al-ammarah extinguish with their arrogance and pride. However, not true Christianity, but in the Christian who has been shaken by philosophy and corruption, the ana strengthens with its equipment. If a prominent person of high rank and station with a powerful ana is a Christian, he can be firm in his religion, whereas a Muslim becomes neglectful in his religion.

The Damascus Sermon (137)

 Undigested ‘Ilm Should Not Be Inculcated

The real ‘âlim guide (Murshid) is a sheep, not a bird; he gives his ‘ilm for the sake of Allah.

The sheep gives its lamb its digested, purified milk.

The bird gives its chick its vomit soiled with saliva.

The Gleams

 

This is important

This conservation which I have been reminded in order to amend to good thoughts and ifrât regard held of me far beyond my due, by some of my brothers from among the Risale-i Nur students.

I will recount to you a conversation I had with my older brother Mullah Abdullah (rahmatullahi ‘alayh) forty to fifty years ago.

My late brother was a sincere student of Hazrat Ziyaeddin (Kuddisa Sirruhu) among the great awliyâ. Since it was a widely accepted practice by the people of tarîqah to nurture excessive love and favourable thoughts towards their murshid, my late brother said to me: “Hazrat Ziyaeddin knows all the ‘ilms. Like a great qutb, he has an understanding of everything in the universe.” And he described his many marvellous ranks to connect me to him.

So I said to that brother of mine: “You are exaggerating. If I saw him, I could defeat him in many matters. In fact, you do not love him as genuinely as I do. For you love a Ziyaeddin that you imagine as knowing all the ‘ilms in the universe and is like a great qutb; that is, you are connected to him and show affection with regard to that title. If the veil of the ghayb was lifted and his haqiqah was revealed, your love of him would either be shattered or would be reduced to a quarter of that level. I, however, earnestly love that blessed person seriously and appreciate him just as much as you do. For he is a sincere, influential and important guide to the people of îmân within the circle of Sunnah as-Saniyyah and the way of haqiqah. Whatever his personal rank might be, for this service of his, I would sacrifice my rûh for him. If the veil was lifted and his true rank was revealed, let alone renouncing and abandoning him, or my love for him being diminished -far from it- I would be attached to him with greater respect and appreciation. That means I love a real Ziyaeddin, while you love an imaginary Ziyaeddin”5

Because my brother was an equitable investigative ‘âlim, he accepted and appreciated my point of view.

O valuable students of the Risale-i Nur and my brothers who are more self-sacrificing and fortunate than me! In relation to my personality, your excessive favourable view of me may not bring you harm. But perceivers of haqiqah such as yourselves should look to the duty and service performed and base their views on that respect. If the veil was lifted, my nature which is full of faults from head to toe would have you pity me. So that I do not lose your brotherhood and that you do not feel remorse, do not attach your connection with me to imagined ranks which are beyond my due.

My relationship with you is as a brother; it is not my right to become a murshid. Neither am I your Ustadh; rather, I am fellow in learning. I am in need of your compassionate du'â and support for my mistakes. It is that with the bestowal and generosity of Janâb-i Haqq through the principle of delegating duties, we have become partners in a very sacred, very important, very valuable service that is of benefit to everyone from the people of îmân. The extraordinary significance and value and guidance (Irshad) of the ma’nawî collective personality, which proceeds from our solidarity, and its being an Ustadh are sufficient for us.

And since beyond all things, the service of îmân is a most important duty in this age; and as for quantity, it has little importance compared to quality; and the temporary and constantly changing political worlds are of no importance compared to the eternal, permanent and fixed service of îmân; they cannot act as scales, nor can they serve as a means. We should seek contentment in the ranks with faydh within the Risale-i Nur’s circle of instructions and from the aspect of service, it grants us. Instead of affording exceptional and extraordinary favourable thoughts and excessive lofty ranks that is beyond due, what is needed is exceptional loyalty and steadfastness, excessive connection and ikhlas. We should progress in this.

اَلْبَاقِى هُوَ الْبَاقِى

Your Brother

Said Nursî

Kastamonu Addendum (100-101 )