بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

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

The desire of being ahead damages ikhlas:

38) “The salve and remedy for this important disease are the following: Through the mystery of “الحُب في اللّه ”1 , to take pride in accompanying all those travelling on the path of haqq, to walk behind them, to leave the honour of being an Imam to them, to gain ikhlas by abandoning ananiyyah through the possibility of who so ever is on the path of haqq being better than oneself and knowing that an ounce of the deed with ikhlas is preferable to a ton of deeds without ikhlas and preferring being a follower to being followed, which is the cause of responsibility and danger, he can be saved from this disease and gains ikhlas and completely performs his duty pertaining to the âkhirah.” The Twentieth Flash-4th Cause

39) “Thus, the salve and medicine for this disease of unjust disagreement of the people of haqq are: To make the severe prohibition of Allah in the âyah 2 وَلاَ تَنَازَعُوا فَتَفْشَلُوا وَتَذْهَبَ رِيحُكُمْ and the command of Allah containing great hikmah for social life in the âyah 3 وَتَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْبِرِّ وَالتَّقْوَى principles for actions; by considering how disagreement harms Islam and how it facilitates the people of dhalâlah to prevail over the people of haqq, it is to join the caravan of the people of haqq self-sacrificingly and sincerely with an utter weakness and impotence; by abandoning riyâ and pretence through forgetting his personality, it is to gain ikhlas.” The Twentieth Flash-5th Cause

40) “one who is equitable, just and worships to haqq, breaks the influence of the nafs for the sake of haqq. If he sees the haqq in his adversary’s hand, he will still accept it with pleasure, take his side and will be glad.

Thus, if the people of religion, the people of haqiqah, the people of tarîqah and the people of ‘ilm adopt this principle as a guide for themselves, they attain ikhlas and succeed in their duties pertaining to the âkhirah.” The Twentieth Flash-7th Cause

All Islamic groups (jamâ’ah) must follow the above principles of ikhlas.

41) “Do not let ananiyyah and nafs al-ammarah deceive you! Take the following principles as your guide in order to gain ikhlas and preserve it and repel the obstacles!” The Twenty-First Flash

42) “YOUR FIRST PRINCIPLE: In your action (‘amal), there must be the acceptance and pleasure of Allah.” The Twenty-First Flash/Your First Principle

43) “YOUR SECOND PRINCIPLE: It is to not criticize your brothers in this Qur'anic service and to not incite the vein of ghibta4 by pretending to be virtuous over them.” The Twenty-First Flash/Your Second Principle

44) “YOUR THIRD PRINCIPLE: You should know that all your strength is in ikhlas and haqq. Yes, strength is in haqq and ikhlas.” The Twenty-First Flash/Your Third Principle

45) “YOUR FOURTH PRINCIPLE: Imagining your brothers' virtues in your personalities and their fadhîlah in yourselves, it is to thankfully take pride in their honour. Among the people of tasawwuf, the terms “fana fish-shaykh”5 and “fana fir-rasûl”6 are present. I am not a Sufi, but this principle of theirs, in the form of “fana fil-ikhwan”7 , is a beautiful principle in our way. Among brothers, this is called “tafânî”. That is, it is to annihilate one's self in one another. That is to say: By forgetting the feelings of one's own nafs, it is to live with the virtues and feelings of his brothers in his mind. Essentially, the basis of our way is the brotherhood (ukhuwwah). It is not the means between a father and a son or a shaykh and a follower (murid) but rather the means of true brotherhood.” The Twenty-First Flash/Your Fourth Principle

46) “O, my friends in the Qur'anic service! One of the most effective causes of gaining and preserving ikhlas is “the rabita of death.”8 Yes, just as it is “tûl al-amal”9 , which harms ikhlas and drives a person to riyâ and the world, so it is the rabita of death which causes feeling disgusted from riyâ and causes one gaining ikhlas. That is to say: it is to be saved from the tricks of the nafs by thinking about his death and pondering the world to be transient…

Yes, without the need for imagination or supposition, one can look at his own corpse, which is the single fruit on the head of the tree of this brief life. With it, he can see not only his own death but if he goes a bit further, he can also see the death of his century; if he goes a bit further, he can also witness the death of the world; it opens up a way to the complete ikhlas.” The Twenty-First Flash/Your Fourth Principle

47) “So come, what have you got to say to this? Is this civilization? Is it encouraging education? Is it patriotism? Is it love of the nation? Is it republicanism? Hâsha! Hâsha! It is nothing at all! It is rather an Ilahî Qadar; that Ilahi Qadar made that ahl al-ma’rifat man receive hostility from the very sources he hoped he would receive friendship, so that the respect he would receive did not adulterate his ‘ilm with riyâ, and so that he achieved ikhlas.” The Flashes ( 230 )

48) “the taqwâ and ikhlas of my brothers and amongst the respect and good opinion given by visitors -without my knowing- my nafs, under the veil of being thankful, wanted to proudly take a position of ananiyyah. Suddenly with their infinite sensitivity and in a way in which the very particles of riyâ could be felt, ahl ad-dunyâ attacked me. I offer shukr to Janâb-i Haqq that their dhulm became for me a means to achieve ikhlas.” The Flashes ( 231 )

49) “Among the students of the Risale-i Nur, the mystery of ikhlas is manifested on them in ways such as, having a high degree of abandonment of the ananiyyah and being indifferent to the pleasures of the nafs.”  Kastamonu Addendum (275)

50) “The true students of Risale-i Nur consider the service of îmân above and beyond everything. Even if the rank of qutb was offered to them, for the sake of ikhlas they would prefer servanthood.” Kastamonu Addendum (275)

51) “The haqiqah of ikhlas prevents me from things that may be a means to fame and honour and material and ma’nawî ranks. True that it is a great harm to the service of the Nur, but since quantity is trivial relative to quality, as a sincere servant, I consider giving lessons on the haqiqahs of îmân which are superior to anything to ten people with the haqiqah of ikhlas is more important than to give guidance (irshad) to thousands of people through a great rank of being Qutb.” Emirdağ Addendum-1 (75)

52) “for people who do not completely conquer their nafs, temporary pleasures and karâmât become their goal in this world and the reason for their works of the âkhirah, and this spoils ikhlas. For the works of the âkhirah may not be sought with worldly goals and pleasures; if they are sought for, it destroys the mystery of ikhlas.” Emirdağ Addendum (100)

53) “Like I cannot exploit the services we have performed for religion and îmân and the Risale-i Nur for world politics, or even for elevated ma’nawî ranks and ma’nawî attainments, not making it a means of winning eternal happiness and being saved from Jahannam, which everyone deems attractive, and making it an instrument for anything other than seeking of Ilahî pleasure and complying the Ilahî command compelled me to preserve the mystery of true ikhlas at this time, which is the Risale-i Nur’s true strength.” Emirdağ Addendum (420)

54) “The lesson I have received from the Qur’an is to act with ikhlas and say as Jalal ad-Din Khwarazm-Shah did: ‘’My duty is the service of îmân; it is Janâb-i Haqq’s duty to make successful or not.’’Emirdağ Addendum-2 (242)

55) “This age has another sickness; which are sicknesses like egotism, ananiyyah, vain, the desire to pass one’s life comfortably with the fantasies of civilisation and addiction10 . The first principle of the lesson that Risale-i Nur has received from the Qur’an is: The necessity of abandoning egotism, ananiyyah and vain. So that the saving of îmân may be served with true ikhlas.” Emirdağ Addendum-2 (246)

The things that cause to lose ikhlas:

56) “If what is sought is turning the public regard against me to destroy a false fame, which is baseless and is the cause of riyâ and can destroy ikhlâs, then may Allah bless them! Because I consider it is harmful to receive the attention of people and to gain fame in the eyes of the community for people such as myself.” The Sixteenth Letter/Third Point

57) “And the more I apply and seek their assistance, the more Ilahî qadar, which is just, will torment me at their dhâlim hands. For they are oppressing me due to my devotion to religion. As for qadar, due to my shortcoming in religion and ikhlas, it will occasionally repress me for my riyâ before the ahl ad-dunyâ.

Since this is so, I cannot be saved from this distress for the time being. If I was to apply to the ahl ad-dunyâ, qadar will say: “O hypocrite! Pay the penalty for this application!” If I refused to apply, the ahl ad-dunyâ would say: ‘’You do not recognise us, so continue to suffer.’’ The Letters (97)

58) “When kashf and karâmât, azwaq and nûrs are given to them, they accept them as a sort of Ilahî favour, and try to conceal them. They do not become proud, but offer more shukr and ‘ubûdiyyah. Many of them have wanted those states to be concealed and to be ceased, lest they spoil the ikhlas of their actions (‘amal). Yes, the most important Ilahî favour for an acceptable person is to make them not realize His favour, so that they do not cease beseeching and offering shukr, and start complaining and become proud.

It is due to this haqiqah that if those who seek walâyah and the tarîqah do so for azwaq and karâmât, which are some of the emanations of walâyah, and they are turned towards those and receive pleasure from them, they as though consume transiently in this transient world the enduring fruits of the âkhirah. This too opens up the way to losing ikhlas, the yeast of walâyah, and to walâyah eluding them.” The Letters ( 527 - 528 )

59) “Those haqiqahs of the Qur'an are nûr and light. They cannot combine with the darkness of pretence, bootlicking and abasement. Therefore, the meanings of the haqiqahs of those nûrs were drawing away from me, appearing foreign to me and becoming stranger. I beseech Janâb-i Haqq: May He grant me ikhlas worthy of such service and save me from riyâ and pretence towards ahl ad-dunyâ.” The Tenth Flash-The Seventh

60) “Greed scatters ikhlas and harms actions pertaining to the âkhirah. For if a person from the people of taqwâ has greed, he wants the attention of people. And one who observes the attention of people cannot find complete ikhlas. This consequence is extremely important and worth noticing.” The Nineteenth Flash

61) “Warning: People’s attention is not to be demanded, it is rather given. Even if it is given, it is not to be pleased with. If one is pleased with it, he loses ikhlas and falls into riyâ. People’s attention as a consequence of the desire for glory and fame is not a reward and a prize but a reprimand and punishment received due to the lack of ikhlas.” The Twentieth Flash - First Cause

62) “Because nothing should be sought in the world in return for religious service lest ikhlas is lost. Although they have the right to their livelihood being provided by the ummah; they also deserve zakât. But it is not to be asked, but rather given. When it is given, it is not to be said that this is a reward for my service.” The Twentieth Flash - First Cause

63) “Thinking "Why are my students going to him? Why don't I have as many students as him?", his ananiyah seizes an opportunity from there and causes him to incline to the blameworthy quality of love of rank; it causes him to lose ikhlas and opens the door of riyâ.

The medicine for this error, this wound and this dismaying sickness of the rûh is this: The acceptance and pleasure of Janâb-i Haqq are gained by ikhlas, not by a great number of followers or great success.” The Twentieth Flash – 3rd Cause

64) “But since they cannot divest themselves of ananiyyah and due to the ifrât and tafrît, they lose the union, which is an elevated source of power; ikhlas is also shattered and the duty pertaining to the âkhirah is also harmed. The acceptance and pleasure of Allah cannot be gained easily.” The Twentieth Flash - 4th Cause

65) “As for the ghâfil ahl ad-dunyâ, since they think only of the life of the world, they severely embrace the matters pertaining to the life of the world with all their feelings, rûh and heart, and adhere strongly to those who help them in those matters. Like a crazy diamond dealer Jew giving five dollars for a piece of glass worth five cents, they restrict their time worth five hundred dollars to matters which in the point of view of haqiqah are not worth five cents and the people of haqq do not give any value. Since paying such a high price and embracing them with intense feelings are sincere ikhlas even if it is on the bâtil way. They succeed in that matter and prevail over the people of haqq. As a result of this victory, the people of haqq fall into abasement, condemnation, pretence and riyâ, and lose ikhlas and are obliged to fawn some ahl ad-dunyâ who lacks manliness, zeal and public spirit.” The Twentieth Flash – 6th Cause

66) “By being the place of manifestation for the severe threatening prohibition of Allah in the âyah 11 وَلاَ تَشْتَرُوا بِآيَاتِى ثَمَنًا قَلِيلاً , and shattering ikhlas to the detriment of eternal happiness for the sake of insignificant benefits and some meaningless, unnecessary, harmful, grievous, boasting, ugly, inferior feelings full of riyâ, we would both transgress the rights of all our brothers in this service, attack the service of the Qur'anic service and disrespect the sacredness of the haqiqahs of îmân.” The Twenty-First Flash

67) “Of the numerous causes that shatter ikhlas and drive one to riyâ, we shall briefly explain two or three.

The First: The rivalry arising from the aspect of material benefits slowly shatters ikhlas. It also harms the result of service and causes the material benefit to be lost. Yes, this ummah has always nurtured the thought of respect and assistance for those who work for haqiqah and âkhirah. Intending to actively participate in the haqiqah of their ikhlas and their loyal service in one respect, they have respected them by assisting with material benefits like sadaqah and gift in order to save them from their time being lost by occupying themselves with the procurement of their material needs. But such assistance and benefit are not to be asked, rather they are given. Also, they are not to be asked through desiring by the heart, waiting expectantly and even through the language of being but given while one was not expecting it. Otherwise, his ikhlas will be harmed.” The Twenty-First Flash - Your Fourth Principle

68) “The Second Obstacle, Which Shatters Ikhlas: It is to flatter the ananiyyah and to give a rank to the nafs al-ammarah by attracting attention to one’s self and gaining public regard through the urge of the ambition for fame arising from the love for rank and position under the veil of dignity and honour. This is the most serious sickness of the rûh; it also opens the door to the riyâ and boasting, which are called hidden shirk, and harms ikhlas.” 21st Flash

69) “In fact, he sanctifies his nafs through praising it and freeing it from its defects with exaggerations and even with lies, and receives a slap from the âyah مَنِاتَّخَذَ اِلٰهَهُ هَوٰيهُ12 according to his degree.

His self-praise and efforts to make himself liked have the reverse effect, for he attracts contempt and is treated coldly. He also loses ikhlas in his actions which pertain to the âkhirah and they become mixed with riyâ. ” The Twenty-Eighth Flash

70) “Why did you not accept the offer by Mustafa Kemal of the three-hundred lira salary, the position of general preacher in Kurdistan and the eastern regions in place of Shaikh Sanusi?”

If I accepted that offer, the Risale-i Nur, which cannot be an instrument and adherent of anything and which carries the mystery of ikhlas, will not have come about.’’ Biography (441) 13

71) “Also, no one who enters politics, among the powerful currents that now prevail, can preserve his independence and ikhlas. He is bound to become subject to one of the currents, and it will exploit him for worldly ends. It will corrupt the sacredness of his duty.” The Rays ( 384 )

72) “the opportunity is ripe to gather not only a few limited friends but the support of  numerous diplomats; if a person, purely for the sake of  keeping away from politics to avoid harming ikhlas and to not attract the attention of the government, does not busy himself with the world and writing to his friends, says: "Beware of getting carried away by these currents, do not get into politics and do not disturb public order!"…” Biography ( 557 )

73) “and with the mystery of ikhlas, runs away with all his strength from politics and any material and ma’nawî rank which may even have a hint of politics…” Biography ( 627 )

74) “let alone gaining for myself worldly ranks and fame and honour, even if I was given great ma’nawî stations, in fear of the risk posed by my nafs trying to take a share of the ikhlas in my service, I have decided to sacrifice those ranks and stations for my service and have lived this way in practice…” Biography ( 606 )

75) “There must be no rivalry and jealousy, for such things point to lack of ikhlas and an impure intention. Such people, by looking for such worldly rewards as appreciation and praise, invalidate their good deeds, make others shariks with Allah in giving reward, and are condemned by others.” Al-Mathnawi al-Nuri

76) “Wordly benefits arising from the haqiqahs of religion which are the means for happiness in this world just as they are the means of happiness in the âkhirah, can only be at the degree of encouragement and preference. If they were to be made the cause and if the purpose of that deed (‘amal) of khayr was to receive its benefits, it will annul the deed. It will at the very least spoil ikhlas and lose its reward.”  Kastamonu Addendum (122)

77) “The rewards, fruits and nûrs of ‘amal as-sâlih will be in the barzakh and in the âkhirah. To bring those eternal fruits down to this world and to desire them in this world, is to make the âkhirah submit to your world. Thereby, the ikhlas in your ‘amal as-sâlih will be lost and you will lose its nûr. Yes, those fruits cannot be expected and they cannot be intended. If the fruit is given, one would think of it as an incentive and offer shukr to Allah.” Kastamonu Addendum (148-149)

78) “The Risale-i Nur cannot be the instrument for matters of the world, it cannot be used as a shield for matters of the world. Since it is an important ‘ibâdah of tafakkur, worldly aims cannot be deliberately sought from it. If it is sought, the ikhlas will be spoiled…

If those benefits occur through willful desire, they would become the real cause; and this will spoil ikhlas and partly invalidate that ‘ibâdah.” Kastamonu Addendum (288)

79) “The order has arrived to give me a daily allowance of two and a half liras and to prepare a house for me again, fully furnished and according to my tastes. But my lifelong guiding principles of fifty to sixty years obliges me not to accept it…If i do accept the pension, my life of seventy years will be offended, and it is possible that Imam ‘Ali Radiyallahu ‘anh will also be displeased with me, since making predictions of the present, he aimed blows at ‘âlims who embrace bid'ahs avidly seeking salaries and thus losing their ikhlas. It is possible too that the true, pure ikhlas of the Risale-i Nur will accuse me of being without ikhlas.” Emirdağ Addendum (38-39)

80) “Question: Why do you refuse to have any connection with domestic or international currents, particularly with political communities? Why is it that you also exert so much energy to prohibit the Risale-i Nur and its students from having connections with those currents? If you did have a connection and you did associate yourself, there would be thousands of people entering the circle of Risale-i Nur and spreading its brilliant haqiqahs. You would also be saved from being the target of all this unnecessary suffering.              

The Answer: The most significant reason for this refusal and decline is that our fundamental principle of ikhlas prohibits us. In this age of ghaflah, particularly those who are partisan, make everything serve their own aims. They, in fact, make their religion and their activities which relate to the âkhirah, as a means to achieving their worldly aims.” Biography (502)

81) “Promoting oneself, being boastful, using effort to gain praise and being vainglorious is to violate the mystery of ikhlas, which is an important principle of the Risale-i Nur.” Biography (507)

82) “As to states of pretending and displaying myself as more worthy than I am, and showing myself as possessing a rank in order to be seen favourably to those who have an excess good opinion for me, and showing myself as lofty which is completely opposed to the mystery of ikhlas, and seeking the harmful and fleeting pleasures of the ego beneath the veil of dignity, O my nafs, reduce to nothing all those pleasures you are seduced with.” Emirdağ Addendum-1 (201)

83) “If assuming there is a walâyah; to willingly and knowingly seek that rank goes against the ikhlas and humility of the reality of walâyah. One cannot exhibit and claim these ranks like the Sahâbah did, who were the heirs of nubuwwah. We cannot compare ourselves with them.” Biography (541)

84) “in an age in which selfishness and ananiyyah, the worshipping of personal benefit and the feeling of saving one’s nafs are dominant, the service of îmân which is built on the mystery of ikhlas and not being made the instrument for anything requires not to pursue personal ma’nawî ranks. It is necessary to not desire nor consider them in one’s actions lest the mystery of true ikhlas is ruined.” Emirdağ Addendum-1 (244)

85) “For partisanship destroys ikhlas and distorts the haqiqah…” Emirdağ Addendum (270)

86)“You know that, as I do not accept sadaqa or donations, I cannot be the means to such assistance, I buy my own books from my brothers who have scribed them, using the money I receive from selling my own clothes and my personal belongings and I buy my own books from my brothers who have scribed them with that money. So that no worldly benefit can harm or interfere with the ikhlas of the Risale-i Nur, and that my other brothers too would take heed and never use it as an instrument for anything.” Biography (552)

87) “For those who come to receive lesson of îmân cannot be considered with partisanship. While receiving lessons, there is no difference between friend and foe. Whereas the political partisanship damages this meaning; harms ikhlas. For this reason, the Nurjus have endured unparalleled torments, yet have exploited the Risale-i Nur for nothing. They have never grasped the club of politics.” Emirdağ Addendum (318)

88) “The hikmah of the Old Said not taking and not being able to take sadaqa and gifts since his childhood although both he himself and his father were poor, and him not accepting gifts without giving anything in return although he was greatly in need, and him not at all going to collect subsistence and not even accepting zakât knowingly although the custom in Kurdistan was for the students’ food to be given from people’s homes and their expenses made with zakât, now by my certain belief, the hikmah is that the states, which are being abhorrent to the acceptable custom and harmless habit and avoiding it, and accepting the extreme poverty and need but not opening his hand to people, are given to me so that, in my later life, to not make a sacred service which solely pertains to îmân and âkhirah, like the Risale-i Nur an instrument for this world or not to make it a means for personal benefits so that the true ikhlas, which is a true strength of the Risale-i Nur, may not be harmed. And I also perceive a ma’nawî sign in this that in the future, the loss of people of ‘ilm due to the struggle for livelihood will arise from this need.” Emirdağ Addendum-2 (74-75)

89) “With the Risale-i Nur beginning to unfold and spread and show its effects in the Islamic world abroad and with the politicians here inclining towards westernisation in a degree as a bribe to Europe, giving the verdict of complete freedom for the Risale-i Nur by the courts would raise doubts concerning its true ikhlas in the Islamic world abroad and to what would emerge in the abroad is the supposition of either the Nurjus compelled to be hypocritical, or they show no concern about those inclining to westernisation and they display weakness. For this is serious harm for the value of the Nur...” Emirdağ Addendum-2 (107)

The definite result of the above explicit expressions and statements of Risale-i Nur is that “The principle of ikhlas” is an unchangeable basis of the service. Ikhlas is essential for the acceptance of the service and it is the basic condition for the service to be qualified as an ‘ibâdah.

 

 

سُبْحَانَكَ لاَ عِلْمَ لَنَا اِلاَّ مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ