بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

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

F) SUBMISSION TO THE EVIDENCES BASED ON TRANSMITTED KNOWLEDGE1 (al-dalâil al-naqliyyah) IS ESSENTIAL

Judgments cannot be made in the name of religion based on human intellect or opinions:

1- “Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamâ'ah, which is the haqq madhab, states, “Janâb-i Haqq commands a thing; therefore, it becomes beautiful and good, and He prohibits a thing; therefore, it becomes ugly and bad.” This means that beauty and goodness are established through command and ugliness and badness are established through prohibition.” The Second Station of the Twenty-First Word

2- “According to the madhab of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jamâ'ah, who are people of haqq, the cause of ugliness or dirtiness of a thing in Sharî'ah is the prohibition of Allah.” The Eleventh Letter

3- “اَمْ تَاْمُرُهُمْ اَحْلاَمُهُمْ بِهذَا 2 Or, like mindless philosophers, who rely on their minds, saying: "Our mind is sufficient for us", do they refuse to follow you? Whereas, the mind commands to follow you because everything you say is reasonable. But the mind cannot reach them on its own.” The Twenty-Fifth Word/First Light/First Ray/Second Aspect/Fifth Point

4- “اَمْ هُمُ الْمُصَيْطِرُونَ3 Or, like the arrogant Mu'tazilites, who made the mind ruler, do they imagine themselves to be rivals to and inspectors of the works of Al-Khâliq and want to hold Al-Khâliq Zuljalâl responsible? Beware, do not lose your zeal! Nothing comes out of the denials of such self-centred people! You, too, do not mind!” The Twenty-Fifth Word/First Light/ First Ray/Second Aspect/Fifth Point

5- “اَمْ عِنْدَهُمُ الْغَيْبُ فَهُمْ يَكْتُبُونَ 4 Or, like Buddhists, who claim to know the ghayb, or the people having the reputation of being intellectual, who imagine their suppositions about the matters of the ghayb to be certain, do they not appreciate your information from the ghayb? Do they have books from the ghayb that they do not accept your book from the ghayb? If so, they imagine that al-‘âlam al-ghayb, which is not disclosed to anyone apart from the rasûls possessing wahy and in which no one has the right to enter by himself, is beside and disclosed to them, and they imagine that they obtain information from it and write it down. Do not lose your zeal due to the denial of such arrogant braggarts who have overstepped their boundaries to an infinite degree! For in a short time, your haqiqahs will completely destroy their imaginings!” The Twenty-Fifth Word/First Light/ First Ray/Second Aspect/Fifth Point

6- “The Qur'an's expositions on the Ilahî haqiqahs, and its expositions on the existence, which solve the enigma of the universe and disclose the riddle of the creation of ‘âlam, are the most important of the information about the ghayb. Because, among the innumerable ways of dhalâlah, the human mind cannot find those haqiqahs of the ghayb through istiqâmah; it is impossible. It is well-known that the most genius philosophers of mankind have been unable to reach the most insignificant of those matters through their minds. Furthermore, it is only after the Qur'an has explained those Ilahî haqiqahs and haqiqahs on the existence — which the Qur'an points out — and after man's heart and nafs have been purified (tazkiyyah) and after his rûh has advanced and his mind has been perfected, the mind of man accepts those haqiqahs by saying “Sadaqta”5 . The mind of man says to the Qur'an: "Bârakallah!"6 The Twenty-Fifth Word/First Light/Third Ray/First Radience/The Second Glisten

7- “One who considers the books of the Ishraqiyyun philosophers and the works of Sufis, who rely on their own kashf and shuhûd without weighing them on the scales of the Sunnah, will indubitably confirm this statement of ours. It means that although their works are from among the sorts of haqiqahs of the Qur'an and are taken from the Qur'an's teachings —because they are not the Qur'an — they are defective in that way.” The Twenty-Fifth Word/Third Light/Third Gleam

8- “The âyahs of the Qur'an see and show in detail each of all six pillars of îmân pertaining to the world and the âkhirah, action (‘amal) and ‘ilm and intentionally, and seriously each of the five pillars of Islam and all the principles which ensure happiness in this world and the next. They preserve their balance and maintain their mutual proportion, and a ma’nawî miraculousness of the Qur'an comes into existence from the source of the beauty which is born of the mutual proportion of the entirety of those haqiqahs.

Thus, it is due to this great mystery that although the ‘ulamâ of ‘ilm al-kalâm are students of the Qur'an and some of them have written thousands of works of ten volumes on the pillars of îmân, they have not been able to express them clearly, prove them decisively and convince persuasively like the ten âyahs of the Qur'an, because they preferred the mind to the transmitted knowledge (naql) like the Mu'tazilites. It is as if they have dug tunnels under distant mountains and gone to the farthest point of ‘âlam through pipes and chains of causes; they have cut the chains there. Then, they proved the existence of Al-Wâjib Al-Wujûd and the ma’rifat of Allah, which is the water of life. As for the noble âyahs, each can extract water from every place like the staff of Mûsâ; each opens up a window from everything and makes known As-Sâni’ Zuljalâl. This haqiqah has actually been proved, and we demonstrated it in the Arabic risale Katre and other Words, which flow forth from the ocean of the Qur'an.

It is also due to this mystery: all imams of the groups of dhalâlah, who, by relying on their shuhûd and not following the Sunnah as-Saniyyah, passed toward the inside and essence of matters and things (bâtin), turned halfway back and became the leaders of a jamâ’ah and founded groups, have fallen into bid’ah and dhalâlah since they were unable to preserve the mutual proportion and balance of the haqiqahs; in this way, driven a jamâ’ah of mankind down the wrong way. Thus, all their impotence demonstrates the miraculousness of the âyahs of the Qur'an.” The Twenty-Fifth Word/Third Light/Third Gleam

9- “All the miracles of Ahmad (asm) are miracles of the Qur'an that demonstrate the relation of the Qur'an with Janâb-i Haqq, and with the appearance of that relation, each of its words becomes a miracle. Because, then, like a seed, a single word can contain a tree of haqiqahs in a ma’nawî manner. Also, like the centre of the heart, it can be connected with all members of the mighty haqiqah. Furthermore, since it relies on an encompassing ‘Ilm and infinite Irâdah, it can look to innumerable things through its letters, entirety, situation and position. Thus, it is because of this mystery that the ‘ulamâ of the ‘ilm al-hurûf7 claim that they have found a pageful of secrets in a single letter of the Qur'an, and they prove their claim to the experts of that science.” The Twenty-Fifth Word/Third Light/Third Gleam/Conclusion

10- Lifestyle affects the understanding of a person:

“THE FOURTH: Just as within a body, there is the inclination to expand for growing and flourishing. As for that inclination to expand, — because it is from inside — for the body, it is to become perfect. But if it is an inclination to expand from outside, it is to rip the body's skin and destroy it; it is not expansion. In the same way, if the inclination to expand and the will to make ijtihad are present in those who enter the sphere of Islam through the door of perfect taqwâ and the way of conforming to the dharûriyyah of Islam like the Salaf as-Sâlihîn, it is a perfection and to become perfect. Otherwise, the inclination to expand and the will to make ijtihad arising from those who abandon the dharûriyyah, prefer the life of this world to that of the âkhirah and are soiled with materialist philosophy, it is to destroy the body of Islam and the means of casting off the chain of the Sharî'ah from its neck.

THE FIFTH: Three points of view make the ijtihad of this time earthly and exclude it from being samâwî. While the Sharî’ah is samâwî and ijtihads belonging to the Sharî’ah are samâwî as well since they reveal its hidden laws.

The First: The hikmah of a law is different, while its real cause (‘illah)8 is different. Hikmah and benefit are not the cause of the necessity and creation of the law but are the cause of its preference. While the ‘illah is the cause for the existence of a law. For example, the salâh is shortened while travelling; it is performed two rak'ats. The ‘illah of this rukhsah of the Sharî'ah is the journey, while its hikmah is the hardship. If there is a journey, the salâh is still shortened even if there is no hardship. Because the ‘illah exists. But if there is no journey but hundreds of difficulties, it cannot be the ‘illah for shortening the salâh. Thus, contrary to this haqiqah, the view of this time appoints the benefit and hikmah in place of the ‘illah and makes its judgment in accordance with that. Such an ijtihad is certainly earthly, not samâwî.

The Second: The view of the present time looks primarily and directly to worldly happiness and directs the laws of the Sharî’ah towards it. Whereas the view of the Sharî’ah looks primarily and directly to happiness in the âkhirah; it looks to happiness in this world secondarily due to its being the means to the âkhirah. It means that the view of this time is alienated from the rûh of the Sharî’ah. In which case, it cannot make ijtihad in the name of the Sharî’ah.” Twenty-Seventh Word

11-“For example, if, through misusing his will, in a haram way, a man makes himself drunk, according to ‘ulamâ of the Sharî’ah, his actions are in force against him; he is not accepted as excused. If he divorces his wife, the divorce is in force. And if he commits a crime, he receives the punishment. But if it is not through misusing his will, the divorce is not in force neither does he receive any penalty. And, for example, an alcohol addict — even if his addiction is at the degree of dharûrah — cannot say: "It is a dharûrah; it is halal for me."

Thus, at this time, there are many matters that are considered dharûrah; they have taken the form of a general calamity that causes people to be addicted to them. Since they were born out of misuse of the will, haram inclinations and acts, they cannot be the source of the judgments with rukhsah and cannot cause to make halal what is haram. Whereas, since the people of ijtihad of the present time make those dharûrahs the source of judgments of the Sharî’ah, their ijtihâd is earthly and philosophic; they arise from the desires of their nafs; they cannot be sâmâwî and are not from the Sharî’ah. However, interfering with the decrees of Al-Khâliq of the samâwât and the Earth and meddling in the ‘ibâdah of His ‘abds, without the ma’nawî permission of Al-Khâliq, make such meddling and interference unacceptable and rejected.” The Twenty-Seventh Word/The Third/The Fifth

12- “Just as a person, who is dreaming, cannot interpret his own dream, the people of kashf and shuhûd of that group cannot interpret what they saw while they are in such a state. It is the muhaqqiqîn possessing the legacy of nubuwwah called asfiyâ who can interpret them. For sure, when the people of shuhûd of that group rise to the rank of the asfiyâ, they understand their errors through the guidance of the Book and the Sunnah and they correct them; they had corrected them.” The Eighteenth Letter-The First Important Matter

13- “It is understood from this matter that the degree of shuhûd is much lower than the degree of îmân in the ghayb. That is to say, the uncomprehending kashf of some of the people of walâyah, who rely only on their shuhûd, does not reach the pure, comprehending and right judgments of the asfiyâ and muhaqqiqîn, who possess the legacy of nubuwwah, about the haqiqahs of îmân pertaining to the ghayb, that were made by relying on the Qur'an and wahy, not on shuhûd. It means that the balance of all ma’nawî states, kashf, azwaq and shuhûd are the Book and Sunnah. And their touchstone is the sacred principles of the Book and Sunnah and the laws of muhaqqiqîn asfiyâ, which arise from the hads.” The Eighteenth Letter-The First Important Matter

14- “At a time when this poor Said was trying to emerge from the Old Said, due to the lack of a guide and the pride of nafs al-ammarah, my mind and heart were rolling over amidst haqiqahs in a terrible and ma’nawî storm. Sometimes from Pleiades to the ground, sometimes from the ground to Pleiades, amidst the falling and rising, they were violently shaken.

Thus, at that time, I witnessed and saw that the matters of the Sunnah as-Saniyyah, even its small âdâb, were switches amidst innumerable harmful, dark ways like a compass showing the route followed by ships arranged to point the qibla. Also, on that journey of rûh, when I saw myself under heavy pressure, in a situation where I was loaded with extremely burdensome loads, as long as I followed the matters of the Sunnah as-Saniyyah connected with that situation, I found a lightness as though they were taking all my loads. Through submission, I was saved from doubts and waswasas, that is, anxieties like: "I wonder if such an action is haqq, is it beneficial?" Whenever I drew back my hand, I saw the pressure was heavy. There were numerous ways that were not understood where they led. The load was heavy, and I was extremely impotent. My view also was short, and the way was dark as well. Whenever I adhered to the Sunnah, I felt a state as though the way was illuminated, the safe way appeared, the load became lighter and the pressure was lifted. Thus, at those times of mine, I confirmed the judgment of Imam Rabbânî by witnessing it with my own eyes.” The Eleventh Flash-3rd Subtle Point

As a few brief examples above demonstrate, in religion, there are certain restrictive judgments and principles, fixed laws and muhkamât that are not open to interpretation. Having îmân in these laws and submitting to them is an absolute necessity; otherwise, the danger of stepping outside the sphere of the Sharî’ah arises. Judgments concerning secondary matters cannot run contrary to these core principles of religion.

Thus, it is obligatory for all Muslims to unite around these unchangeable principles of religion. These very principles constitute the foundation of a firm Islamic unity, whereas deviation from them is the root cause of division in the Muslim world. If Muslims fail to unite around these principles and laws, true Islamic unity cannot be achieved, because no common ground for unity can be found as long as groups and their leaders follow opinions derived from the human mind rather than the laws of Allah. It is the primary duty of the leaders and influential figures of religious groups to declare and teach these principles to their followers and to explain that uniting around them is a vital necessity.

Unfortunately, under the guise of moderation or modernism, or out of a desire to gather crowds around them, the leaders and influential figures of religious groups invite Muslims toward ideas inspired by Western civilisation and philosophy instead of the laws of Islam — laws which even the Prophet (asm) cannot alter or interfere with on his own accord without the permission of Allah.

Students of the Risale-i Nur must likewise unite around these essential principles within the bounds of the Sharî’ah, for division among them stems from failing to adhere to them. Indeed, there is no other rightful path that can truly lead to unity.

(Please refer to The Twentieth Flash and The Twenty-First Flash on Ikhlas)

15- There cannot be unity and cooperation in the Islamic service with people who oppose these principles, since doing so results in participating in effect in that wrong through support.

For instance, Bediüzzaman says in a letter he wrote to the Mufti of Eğirdir:

While it was necessary for you to be ardently supporter and protector of our service more than anyone else, you worked to settle your son in this village and find friends for him, since you, unfortunately, look at us coldly and antagonistically and consider us a rival for unknown reasons. As a result of it, such a situation has arisen here that my rûh trembles in your place when I think about it. Because according to the rule اَلسَّبَبُ كَالْفَاعِلِ9 , you are responsible for the sins and evil consequences arising from this situation.

Just as the poison will not be an antidote by giving the name antidote to it, so the meaning of an assembly, which prepares the ground for irreligiousness and reeks of zandaqa, will not change by saying it The House of Youth, or even if it is said The House of Blessed People, or whatever name is given to its situation. The assemblies with names and titles like The House of Youth, The Assembly of Turks or The Association of Reforms may be present in different forms and in a harmless way in other places. But in this village, since we are only occupied with the principles of îmân and the fundamental haqiqahs of religion for eight years. In this village, the way of an obstinate assembly against us will surely be antagonistic to the fundamentals of religion and a movement on account of irreligiousness and even zandaqa. Whether knowingly or unknowingly, this will be the result…

…Thus, I say this to you because of your ‘ilm, social rank, your official rank of fatwâ, influence in this region and your encouraging help arising from your compassion for your child at the degree of ifrât: here, a situation comes into existence that will concern both me and you very seriously.

I will be in this place temporarily; I am not responsible for its reform either; I might be saved from responsibility to a degree. But since you are both the cause and point of support of this situation, before everything, you should solve it for those terrible fruits arising from that situation not being recorded in your book of deeds or take your son from here! Work to change the workshop which will always produce sins to the detriment of your ma’nawî life!

Barla Addendum 196-198

16- Some brief excerpts from the Risale-i Nur concerning the same matter are as follows:

“Why does this calamity, arising from the wrongdoings of certain individuals, take the form of a general calamity in the country?

The Answer: General calamities arise from the wrongdoings of the majority. People constitute that majority by participating in effect in that wrong — by supporting the actions of those dhâlim individuals either by their actions, through iltizâm, or through joining them — and thus cause the general calamity.” The Addendum to The Fourteenth Word-Third Question

17- “Sometimes, the one who follows this war struggles with curiosity becomes a supporter of one side by heart. He approves of their dhulm and becomes a partner in their dhulm.” The Eleventh Ray-Fourth Topic

18- “Consenting to dhulm is dhulm; if one supports it, he will be a dhâlim. If he inclines, he will be the place of manifestation for the âyah وَلاَ تَرْكَنُوا اِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ 10 The Kastamonu Addendum-228

19- “Through the decree of 11 وَلاَ تَرْكَنُوا اِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ, the noble âyah severely and sternly threatens not only those who support dhulm and act as its instruments, but even those who have the slightest inclination toward it. For, just as consenting to kufr is kufr, so too, consenting to dhulm is dhulm.

Thus, a person of perfection brilliantly expressed one of the many jewels of this âyah as follows:

The helpers of the dhâlim in this world are men of sheer despicableness,

It is a dog that takes delight in serving the merciless hunter.” The Twenty-Eighth Letter/The Fourth Matter/Second Point

20- “Just as consenting to kufr is kufr, so too, consenting to dhalâlah, fisq and dhulm is fisq, dhulm and dhalâlah” Emirdağ Addendum-2 (175)

21- “A strange characteristic of this age is {NOTE: That is, although they know the qualities of diamond, Muslims prefer glass to it.} the extraordinary gullibility of the people of Islam in this age, their generously forgiving the terrifying criminals and showing a kind of support to such a man who performs one good deed and commits thousands of evils and destroys the ma’nawî and material rights of the ‘abds of Allah, if they see a single good deed from that man. In this way, the people of dhalâlah and rebellion, who are a small minority, create the majority with the support of such gullible people; they cause qadar to judge for the continuation and retention of general calamity, which happens as a consequence of the wrongdoing of the majority, and even its deterioration; they say, “This is what we deserve.” The Kastamonu Addendum (25)

Many expressions like these demonstrate that there cannot be any alliance with groups whose religious service opposes the principles of the Sharî’ah; consequently, they are not to be supported.

22- Bediüzzaman declares that uniting with well-intentioned religious groups can only be achieved through the acceptance of "the freedom of the Sharî’ah" — which means accepting Allah’s prohibitions as haram and His permissions as halal, acting in accordance with these prohibitions and permissions, and abandoning the negative actions that open the door to anarchy. It is as follows:

“We congratulate the jamâ’ahs that were established out of the love of religion and unite with them on two conditions:

The First Condition is to preserve the freedom described in Sharî'ah and the public order.

The Second Condition is to act on love and not to try to give value to themselves by smearing other groups. Anyone who is in error ought to be referred to the council of ‘ulamâ, who are the mufti of the ummah.” The Damascus Sermon 98

That is, disagreements concerning the secondary matters of religion must be resolved by relying on the principles that are set forth in the foundational books of the Sharî’ah, which serve as the mufti and ‘ulamâ of the ummah in this age. Otherwise, a legitimate and genuine union cannot be achieved.