The Twenty-Third Flash

Risale On Nature

[While it was the Sixteenth Note of the Seventeenth Flash, it became the Twenty-Third Flash due to its importance. It kills the idea of kufr arising from nature in a way that will not resurrect and turns the foundation stone of kufr upside-down.]

A Warning

In this Note, through “Nine Impossibilities”, which include at least ninety impossibilities, it has been declared how irrational, ugly and superstitious the inner face of the path followed by deniers among the Naturalists is. Since those impossibilities were explained partially in other risales, some steps have been skipped due to the brief explanation provided here. Therefore, it suddenly reminds those who read this risale how those renowned intelligent philosophers could have accepted such an apparent and blatant superstition and how they still follow that path. Yes, they could not see the inner face of their path. Furthermore, the reality of their path and the necessity and essential requirements of their path are such that I am ready to explain and prove in detail with the most evident and conclusive proofs to anyone having doubts that the ugly, repulsive and irrational {Note: The reason for writing this risale is the extremely aggressive and ugly attack on the Qur'an, which is carried out by vilifying the haqiqahs of îmân, labelling what their corrupted minds cannot comprehend as 'superstition' and linking irreligion to nature. The pen delivered severe and harsh blows to those mulhids and followers of bâtil paths who turned their faces away from the haqq, as this attack provoked fierce anger in the (heart) pen. Otherwise, the method of the Risale-i Nur is pure, gentle and qawl layyîn.1} core of their doctrines that is stated at the end of each ‘Impossibility’ is the necessity of their path and constitutes the essential requirements of their path.

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

قَالَتْ رُسُلُهُمْ اَفِى اللّٰهِ شَكٌّ فَاطِرِ السَّمٰوَاتِ وَاْلاَرْضِ 2

This noble âyah, with istifham inkârî3, states, “There is no doubt about Janâb-i Haqq, nor should there be,” thereby demonstrating that the existence and wahdâniyyah of Allah are self-evident.

A warning before explaining this mystery:

I went to Ankara in 13384. I saw that the most terrifying ideology of zandaqa was working deceptively to infiltrate the strong thoughts of the people of îman, who were intoxicated by the victory of the army of Islam over the Greeks, and was working to corrupt and poison them. I said, “Alas! This dragon is going to attack the pillars of îman.” At that time, I sought assistance from the noble âyah, as it evidently silences any argument regarding the existence and wahdâniyyah of Allah; I wrote in an Arabic risale a powerful proof taken from Al-Qur'an Al-Hakîm that will destroy the head of that zandaqa. I had it printed at the Yeni Gün Printing House in Ankara. Regrettably, not many people knew Arabic, and even fewer who considered it seriously; therefore, this strong proof presented in a very concise and summarised form did not have its desired effect. Unfortunately, that idea of irreligion became widespread and gained strength as well. As a necessity, I will declare that proof to a certain extent in Turkish. It will be written briefly here because some parts of that proof have been fully explained in certain risales. The numerous proofs that have been distributed to other risales are partially combined in this proof; each proof becomes a part of this risale.

Introduction

O man! Know that there are terrible words that exude irreligion spoken by people. The people of îmân use them unknowingly. We shall declare three of the most important of them.

The First: “أوجدته الاسباب ” That is, “Causes create this thing.”

The Second: “تشكّل بنفسه ” That is, “It is formed and comes into existence on its own; it comes to an end on its own.”

The Third: “اقتضته الطبيعة ” That is, “It is natural; nature necessitates and creates it.”

Yes, since beings exist and cannot be denied, and each being comes into existence full of art and hikmah, and none of them is qadîm5, but each comes newly into existence. O mulhid! You will, indeed, say that this particular being, for example, this animal, is either created by the causes in the universe, that is to say, it comes into existence through the gathering of causes, or it is formed on its own, or as a requirement of nature, it comes into existence through the effect of nature, or it is created by the qoudrah of a Qadîr Zuljalâl. Since, by reason, there are only these four ways, if the first three ways are definitely proven to be impossible, invalid, unfeasible and unattainable, then the fourth way, which is the way of wahdâniyyah, will inevitably and evidently be proven to be true without any doubt or hesitation.

AS FOR THE FIRST WAY:

It is the formation of things and the existence of creatures through the gathering of the causes in the universe. We shall mention only three of its many impossibilities.

First: In a pharmacy, there are hundreds of jars and bottles filled with a wide variety of substances. A living medicine was requested to be made using those medical substances. Making a wondrous living panacea using them was also demanded. We went to the pharmacy and saw that most of the ingredients of the living medicine and living panacea were in there. We examined each of the medicines and saw that the components were taken in different amounts from each jar and bottle with specific measures: one or two grams from this, three or four from that, six or seven from the next, and so on... Even if a gram more or less is taken from one of them, that medicine cannot possess life and cannot show its unique quality. We also examined that living panacea. A substance was taken from each jar with a specific measure; even if a gram more or less is taken, the panacea would lose its unique quality. While the number of jars was more than fifty, the components have been taken with different amounts, as if measured with different balances. I wonder, is it in any way possible that those various amounts of substances taken from those bottles — only with those specific amounts — may spill, move, gather and form the medicine due to the bottles and jars falling over by the impact of a strange coincidence or stormy wind? I wonder, is there anything more superstitious, absurd and bâtil than this? If a donkey were to enter a state of double-donkeyness and then become a human being, it would run away by saying, “I will not accept this idea!”

Just like this example, each living being, indeed, is a living medicine, and each plant is like a living panacea composed of numerous components and various substances that have been taken with exceedingly precise measures. If the living beings are attributed to causes and elements, and it is claimed that “causes created these beings”, it is utterly unreasonable, impossible and bâtil, much like the idea that medicine in the pharmacy came into existence from bottles falling over.

Conclusion: The substances needed for life in this great pharmacy of the universe, which are taken with the scales of Qadar and Qadhâ of the azalî Hakîm, can only come into existence through an infinite hikmah and ‘ilm and an irâdah encompassing everything. The wretched man who says, “They are the work of universal elements, nature and causes that are blind, deaf, boundless and that flow like a flood” is more foolish than a crazy, delirious, drunk fool who says, “That wondrous panacea has been formed on itself from the bottles falling over.” Indeed, such kufr is to talk nonsense in a stupid, drunken, lunatic manner.

Second Impossibility: If everything is not attributed to the Qadîr Zuljalâl, Who is Wâhid Al-Ahad, but attributed to causes, it necessitates many of the elements and causes of the universe to intervene in the existence of each living being. Whereas the gathering of various causes, which are opposite to and distant from each other, within the tiny body of a creature like the fly, with perfect order, exceedingly precise measures and in complete agreement, is such an apparent impossibility that anyone with a consciousness the size of a fly's wing would say, “This is impossible; it cannot be!”

Yes, the tiny body of a fly is connected to most of the elements and causes in the universe; it is rather a summary of them. If it is not attributed to azalî Qadîr, it would be necessary for those material causes to be physically present along with the fly’s body; indeed, it would be necessary for them to enter its tiny body. Rather, it would be necessary for them to enter a cell in the fly’s eye, which is a miniature sample of its body because if the cause is material, it is necessary for it to be present inside and adjacent to the effect that it caused. Therefore, it is necessary to accept that elements, nature and the pillars of the universe are physically present within that tiny cell — in which the two fingers of the flies, like the tip of a needle, cannot position — and work as a master inside of it.

Here, even the most foolish of the Sophists are ashamed of such a path.

Third Impossibility: Through the established rule اَلْوَاحِدُ لاَ يَصْدُرُ اِلاَّ عَنِ الْوَاحِدِ “If a being has oneness (wahdah), it can surely originate from a single being (wâhid), from a single hand.” Especially if there exist perfect order and exceedingly precise measures within that being, and if it is a place of manifestation for a comprehensive life, this evidently demonstrates that it did not originate from multiple hands, which is the cause of conflict and chaos, but rather originated from a single hand that is infinitely Qadîr and Hakîm. Despite this fact, attributing such a well-ordered and well-measured being that has oneness (wahdah) to the chaotic hands of limitless, lifeless, ignorant, transgressive, unconscious, utterly disordered, blind and deaf natural causes — although, amidst the ways of infinite possibilities, the blindness and deafness of those causes increase due to gathering and mixing — is as unreasonable as accepting a hundred impossibilities all at once.

Now then, setting aside this impossibility, the effects of material causes surely occur through direct contact and close supervision. Whereas, the direct contact of those natural causes is with the exterior of living beings. However, we see that the interior of those living beings, where the hands of those material causes can neither reach nor touch, is ten times more well-ordered, more subtle and more perfect from the aspect of art than its exterior. Even though tiny living beings and tiny animals, in which material causes can in no way place with their hands and tools or even touch their exterior completely, are more astonishing in their artistry and more wondrous in their creation than the larger creatures; attributing them to lifeless, ignorant, crude, distant, large, deaf and blind causes, which are opposite to each other, can only be due to being blind a hundredfold and deaf a thousandfold.

AS FOR THE SECOND MATTER: It is “تشكّل بنفسه ”. That is, “It is formed on its own.”

Here, this phrase too has many impossibilities; it is bâtil and impossible in many aspects. We declare three of its impossibilities as an example.

First: O, stubborn denier! Your ananiyyah has made you so foolish that you judge to accept a hundred impossibilities at once.

Because you exist, and you are not a simple substance, nor are you lifeless and unchanging. Rather, being constantly subjected to renewal, you are like an exceedingly well-ordered machine and a wondrous palace continually changing. In your body, particles are constantly working. Your body has a connection and interaction with the universe, especially in terms of rizq, and particularly in terms of the perpetuation of your species. The particles working in your body are careful not to spoil that relation or to break that connection. So cautiously they take their step. It is as if the particles in your body look to the whole universe, see your relations with the things within the universe and take their positions accordingly. According to the wondrous position of those particles, you benefit from the universe by your external and inner senses.

If you do not accept that the particles in your body are tiny officials or an army moving according to the law of azalî Qadîr, or that they are the tips of the pen of Qadar, or that each particle is the tip of a pen, or that they are the dots of the pen of Qoudrah, or that each particle is a point, then each particle working in your eye must possess such an eye that will see the entire universe, with which you are connected, as well as seeing all sides of your whole body, and must possess such a mind with a genius mind equal to the genius minds of a hundred geniuses that will know and recognise the sources of all your past and future, your descendants and ancestors and elements of your body and the sources of your rizq.

Attributing the knowledge (‘Ilm) and consciousness equivalent to that of a thousand Platos to a single particle of a man like you, who possesses not a shred of understanding in these matters, is an act of lunatic superstition a thousand times over.

Second Impossibility: Your body resembles a magnificent palace with a thousand domes; within each dome, stones lean on each other without pillars and are left suspended. Your body is even a thousand times more wondrous than such a palace because the palace of your body is subjected to continuous renewal with perfect order. Even if we disregard the rûh, heart and ma’nawî subtle faculties, which are indeed wondrous, each member of your body resembles a house with a single dome. Like the stones in that dome, by leaning on each other with perfect balance and order, the particles display a wondrous building, an extraordinary work of art and an astonishing miracle of Qoudrah, such as the eye and the tongue.

If these particles are not obedient officials under the command of the Master of this ‘âlam, each particle should be both an absolute ruler over all particles in the body and an absolute subject of each of those particles, both equal and opposite to each of those particles in terms of dominance, both the origin and source of the majority of the attributes particular only to Al-Wâjib Al-Wujûd, and both extremely restricted and free of all forms of restrictions. Anyone with an iota of consciousness would understand what an apparent impossibility, or rather a hundred impossibilities, it is to attribute to infinite particles a perfectly ordered work of art possessing oneness (wahdah) that can only be the work of a Wâhid, Who is Ahad, with the mystery of oneness (wahdah).

Third Impossibility: If your body is not a thing that is written with the pen of azalî Qadîr, Who is Wâhid Al-Ahad, and if it is a thing formed by nature and governed by nature and causes, then it would be necessary for thousands of moulds of nature to exist in your body from a single cell to the number of thousands of compounds akin to circles within circles. Because, for example, if the book in our hand is a thing that is written, a single pen, relying on the knowledge of its writer, writes all of it. If it is not a thing that is written, and if it is not attributed to the pen of its writer, and if it is claimed that it has come into existence on its own and is attributed to nature, then, like a printed book, a different iron pen for each of its letters will be needed so that it can be printed. Just as there are pieces of iron letters to the number of letters in a printing press, and then those letters come into existence, so too there must be numerous pens that correspond to the number of those letters, instead of a single pen. As sometimes happens, among those letters, if, with a fine script and a small pen, a whole page is written within a large letter, thousands of pens become necessary for a single letter. If they enter each other and take an orderly shape, akin to your body, then within each circle and for each component, moulds become necessary, to the number of those compounds.

Now then, even if you say that this way, within which a hundred impossibilities exist, is possible, to make these well-ordered artful iron letters and perfect moulds and pens — if again it is not attributed to a single pen — to make those iron letters, there must be pens, moulds and letters to the number of those pens, moulds and iron letters. Because they, too, have been made, and they, too, are artful and well-ordered. And so on, it will continue in a never-ending chain.

Here, you too understand! This is such an idea that contains as many impossibilities and superstitions as the number of your particles. O you, stubborn denier of Allah! Shame on you too; give up such a dhalâlah!

THE THIRD WORD: “اقتضته الطبيعة ” That is, “Nature necessitates it; nature makes it.” Here, this claim has many impossibilities. We shall mention three of them as examples.

First: If the visible art and act of creation that exist with discernment and hikmah in beings, particularly living beings, are not attributed to the pen of Qadar and Qoudrah of the azalî Sun but instead to blind, deaf and mindless nature and force, then it would be necessary for nature to possess infinite ma’nawî machines and printing presses inside everything for creating or to put in everything the power (qoudrah) and hikmah that will create and manage the universe. Because, just as the manifestations and reflections of the sun are seen on all tiny fragments of glass and droplets on the face of the earth. If those similar and reflected tiny suns are not attributed to the single sun in the sky, it would be necessary to accept the external existence of a natural and fitrî sun possessing the qualities of the sun, apparently small but deep in ma’nawî aspect, within a tiny fragment of glass where the head of a matchstick cannot fit in, and it would be necessary to accept natural suns to the number of the particles of pieces of all glasses.

Just like this example, if the creation of beings and living beings is not attributed directly to the manifestation of the names of the azalî Sun, it would be necessary to accept, within each being, especially within each living being, a nature, a force or quite simply a god (Ilah) that possesses a limitless power (qoudrah) and will (irâdah), and infinite knowledge (‘ilm) and hikmah. This style of thinking is the most bâtil and most superstitious impossibility in the universe. A man who attributes the art of Al-Khâliq of the universe to an imaginary, insignificant nature lacking consciousness certainly demonstrates that he is a hundred times more bestial and unconscious than an animal.

Second Impossibility: If the creation of extremely well-ordered, well-measured, artful beings full of hikmah is not attributed to the One, Who is infinitely Qadîr and Hakîm, but instead attributed to nature, it would be necessary for nature to possess machines and printing presses, in every piece of earth, to the number of all the factories and printing presses in Europe so that a piece of earth, which is the origin and workshop of innumerable flowers and fruits, can be the means of their growth and formation because the ability that can form and shape numerous diverse shapes and forms of all flowers, the seeds of which are sown by a programme in a bowl of soil, which serves as a pot for the flowers, is visible in action. If it is not attributed to Al-Qadîr Zuljalâl, then this condition cannot come into existence unless there is a different, natural and ma’nawî machine for each flower in the soil of that bowl. Because seeds, similar to nutfah and eggs, are made of the same substance; that is, they are composed of an orderless, formless mixture of oxygen, hydrogen, carbon and nitrogen, like a dough. And since air, water, heat and light are each simple and unconscious, and they flow like a torrent against everything, the emerging of those countless flowers from the soil in various and extremely well-ordered and artful forms requires evidently and necessarily that the soil in that bowl contain ma’nawî printing presses and factories in a small measure but as big as Europe in meaning so that it can weave such living fabrics and thousands of different embroidered textiles.

Thus, you can compare how far the idea of kufr of the Naturalists deviated from the sphere of reason. And see how far they have strayed from reason and science, embracing an impossible and utterly unattainable superstition as their path, even though those stupid drunkards in human form, who suppose nature to be the creator, claim to be versed in science and intelligent! Laugh and spit!

If you say: If beings are attributed to nature, such strange impossibilities and unachievable difficulties occur; I wonder, how do these difficulties disappear when beings are attributed to the One, Who is Ahad and Samad? And how does that impossibility that contains unachievable difficulties transform into easy necessity?

The Answer: As explained in the First Impossibility, while the manifestation of the sun's reflection, through its miniature samples, displays its faydh and effect with perfect ease and without any difficulty from the tiniest particle of glass to the face of the vastest sea, if the relation of that manifestation with the sun is severed, it would then be necessary to accept the external existence of a natural sun physically present in each tiny particle that entails unachievable difficulties. In the same way, if each being is attributed directly to the One, Who is Ahad and Samad, then all the necessary things for each being can be conveyed easily and conveniently to it through a relation (intisâb) and manifestation at the level of being wâjib. If that relation (intisâb) is severed, and if being an official is transformed into being an outcast civilian, and if each being is left to its own and to nature, then it would be necessary to accept the assumption — which entails a hundred thousand unachievable difficulties and complexities — that the blind nature creates the extremely wondrous body-machine, which is a tiny index of the universe, of a living being, such as the fly, and the blind nature inside that fly possesses a power (qoudrah) and hikmah capable of creating and managing the universe. And this is not one impossibility but thousands of impossibilities.

In short: A sharik, or an equal to Al-Wâjib Al-Wujûd One, is impossible and absurd. The intervention of others in His rubûbiyyah and in the creation of things is impossible and absurd, just like attributing shariks to His essence.

As for the difficulties in the Second Impossibility, as is proven in many risales, if all things are attributed to Al-Wâhid, Who is Ahad, their existence becomes as easy and simple as a single thing. It has been proven by numerous definitive proofs that if the creation of things is attributed to causes and nature, a single thing comes into existence as difficult as all things. Here is a summary of one proof of it:

Just as if a man becomes related to a sultân in terms of being a soldier or an official, by the strength of that relation (intisâb), that official or that soldier can be the source of actions and works a hundred thousand times greater than his individual strength. Sometimes, in the name of his sultân, he might even capture a king. Because he himself does not carry the equipment and power for the services and works he performs, nor is he obliged to carry them. Because of that relation (intisâb), the treasuries of the sultân and the army, which is a point of support behind him, carry that power and equipment. It means that the services he performs can be as magnificent as those of a sultân, and the works he displays can be as wondrous as those of an army. Just as the ant as an official destroys the palace of the Pharaoh. The fly kills Nimrod through that relation (intisâb). And through that relation (intisâb), a pine seed, like the grain of wheat, nurtures all the equipment of a huge pine tree. {Note: Yes, if there is the relation (intisâb), that seed receives an order from the Qadar of Allah; it becomes a place of manifestation for those wondrous works. If the relation (intisâb) is severed, the creation of that seed requires much more equipment, power and artistry than the creation of the huge pine tree. Because the pine tree on the mountain, which possesses a solid body and is the work of Qoudrah, must be present with all its parts and equipment in the ma’nawî tree within the seed, which is the work of Qadar, since the factory of the huge tree is that seed, and the tree of Qadar, which is inside the seed, manifests in the material and visible world through Qoudrah, becoming the physical pine tree.}

If the relation (intisâb) is severed and he is discharged from being an official, he will be obliged to carry the equipment and power for the services he will perform on his back and on his wrist. He can then perform services according to the power within his tiny wrist and to the number of ammunitions on his back. If the services he easily performed in the previous situation are requested from him in this situation, it becomes necessary to load the strength of an army onto his wrist and to carry the military equipment factory of a sultân on his back. Even laughingstocks, who tell strange tales and superstitions to make people laugh, are ashamed of this delusion.

In short: There is an ease to the degree of being wâjib in attributing all beings to Al-Wâjib Al-Wujûd. And it is difficult to the degree of impossibility to attribute their creations to nature, as it is beyond the sphere of the human mind.

Third Impossibility: Two examples that are stated in some risales explaining this impossibility:

The first example: An extremely savage man has entered a palace that had been established and built in an empty desert, perfected and adorned with all the works of civilisation. As he looked inside, he saw thousands of well-ordered and artful things. Due to his savagery and stupidity, he had thought that no one from outside the palace had interfered in its creation and that one of the things inside had made the palace and all of its contents, and then he started to investigate. Whatever he looked at, even his savage mind did not deem it possible that it could create these things.

He then saw a notebook in which the programme for the construction of the palace, the index of beings inside it and the laws governing its management were written. Even though this notebook, too, — lacking hands, eyes, or a hammer — was incapable of constructing and adorning the palace, like the other things within it, when compared with the other things inside the palace, he saw that the notebook was related to the entire palace in terms of bearing the title "scientific laws". Therefore, he was compelled by necessity to say, “Here, it is this notebook that constructed, organised and adorned this palace and made these things and attached and set them.” He transformed his savagery into nonsense talk of fools and drunkards.

Thus, just like this example, a savage man, who carries the idea of naturalism leading to the denial of ulûhiyyah, enters this palace of ‘âlam, which is infinitely more well-ordered, more perfect and overall full of miraculous hikmah than the palace in the example. Without considering that it is the work of art of Al-Wâjib Al-Wujûd One, Who is outside the sphere of contingency (imkân)6, and by turning away from Him, the savage man sees, within the sphere of contingency (imkân), an index of Rabbânî art and a collection of the laws of 'Âdâtullah, which is the tablet of the Qadar of Allah for writing and erasing as a changing and transforming notebook for the implementation of the laws of the Qoudrah of Allah, and which is mistakenly and erroneously given the name 'nature'. And he says, “Since these things require a cause, and nothing else seems to have a connection with these things, just like this notebook has… Even though the mind can in no way accept that this notebook with no eye, consciousness or power can perform this act of creation, which is the work of an absolute Rubûbiyyah and which necessitates infinite Qoudrah… But since I do not accept As-Sâni’, Who is Qadîm, then the most appropriate thing is to say that this notebook has made it and continues to make it.”

We, too, say this: O drunken fool, who becomes stupid from the most ridiculous of stupidities! Lift your head out of the swamp of nature and look behind you! See As-Sâni’ Zuljalâl, to Whom all beings, from particles to planets, testify with different tongues and point with their fingers! Witness the manifestation of the azalî Embroiderer (Naqqâsh), Who builds that palace and writes its programme in that notebook! Turn your gaze to His decree, listen to His Qur'an and be saved from those nonsense talks!

Second Example: An extremely savage man enters an impressive military barracks. He sees the comprehensive joint training and uniform movements of a well-organised army. He observes as a battalion, a regiment and a division rise, sit and march and open fire at the command of a soldier. His crude and wild mind is unable to understand the control of a single commander derived from the law of a sultân and the order of the government and therefore denies it and imagines that the soldiers are tied to each other by strings. He thinks about how wondrous the imaginary string is and is astonished by it. He then goes and enters a magnificent masjîd, like Hagia Sophia, on Jum’âh. There, he witnesses that with the voice of a man, the jamâ’ah of Muslims rise, bow, perform sajda and sit. Since he is unable to understand the Sharî'ah, which consists of a collection of ma’nawî and samâwî laws, as well as its ma’nawî principles arising from the commands of the Owner of Sharî'ah, he imagines that the members of the jamâ’ah are tied with physical strings, and those strange strings make them move by enslaving them. He leaves the masjîd with a ridiculous idea that would even make the most savage human-shaped animal monsters laugh.

Here, just like this example, a denier who carries the idea of nature — which is rejection and pure savagery — enters into this ‘âlam, which is an impressive military barrack of the infinite soldiers of azalî and eternal Sultân, and into this universe, which is a well-ordered masjîd of that azalî Ma’bûd.

• Considering the ma’nawî laws of the universe’s order arising from the hikmah of azalî Sultân to be physical matters,
• imagining the ma’nawî laws and principles of the great Sharî'ah of fitrah of azalî Ma’bûd, which are the theoretical laws of the sovereignty of rubûbiyyah and which possess only an existence in the form of knowledge, as having an external existence and as physical matters,
• establishing those laws that arise from the ‘Ilm and Kalâm and possess only an existence in the form of knowledge, in place of the qoudrah of Allah,
• attributing the creation to their hands, and then attach the name Nature to them,
• and accepting the force, which is only a manifestation of the qoudrah of Ar-Rabb, as a powerful and independent being that possesses qoudrah, are all immoral savagery a thousand times lower than the savage man in the example.

Conclusion: What naturalists call Nature, which is imaginary and lacks a physical reality, can be at best art if it were to possess a physical haqiqah but cannot be the Artist (Sâni’). It is an embroidery; it cannot be the Embroiderer (Naqqâsh). It is a decree; it cannot be the lawmaker (Hâkim). It is the Sharî'ah of fitrah; it cannot be the legislator of Sharî'ah (Shâri’). It is a created veil for the dignity of Allah; it cannot be the Creator (Khâliq). It is a passive creation (fitrah); it cannot be the owner of the action of creation (Fâtir). It is a law, not a power (qoudrah); it cannot be the possessor of power (Qâdir). It is a misdâr7; it cannot be the source.

In short: Since beings exist. Since, as stated at the beginning of the Sixteenth Note, through the partition made by the mind, no other ways apart from the four mentioned ways can be imagined with the existence of beings. The invalidity of three out of the four ways, each with three apparent Impossibilities, is definitively proven. Surely, necessarily and evidently, the fourth way, which is the way of wahdah, is proven with absolute certainty.

As for the fourth way, the âyah at the beginning of this risale,

8 اَفِى اللّٰهِ شَكٌّ فَاطِرِ السَّمٰوَاتِ وَاْلاَرْضِ ,

with a clarity that is beyond any form of doubt, demonstrates the ulûhiyyah of Al-Wâjib Al-Wujûd One and that everything comes directly from the hand of His Qoudrah and the samâwât and the earth are under the hand of His control.

O unfortunate man who worships causes and nature! Since the nature of everything, like everything else, is created. And because it is artful and comes newly into existence, and its apparent cause, like every effect, is also a work of art. And since the existence of everything requires many tools and equipment. Therefore, there exists an Absolute Qadîr Who creates that nature and that cause. And what need does such an Absolute Qadîr have to associate impotent intermediaries with His rubûbiyyah and creation? Hâsha! Indeed, by creating directly cause and effect together, establishing an apparent causality and associating the cause and the effect with each other (Iktiran) with an arrangement and order, He made causes and nature a veil to the hand of His qoudrah in order to demonstrate the manifestation of His Names and His hikmah and make the causes and nature the source to which apparent faults, mercilessness and defects in things are attributed; in this way, He has preserved His dignity.

I wonder, would it not be easier for a watchmaker to make the cogwheels for a watch and then assemble and arrange the watch using those cogwheels? Or would it be easier for him to make a wondrous machine inside those cogwheels and then hand over the making of the watch to the lifeless hands of that machine so that it could make the clock? I wonder, is it not beyond the realm of possibility? Come, you say it with your unfair mind; you be the judge! Or a scribe has brought ink, pen and paper. Would it not be easier if he wrote the book himself with them? Or would it be easier for him to create a writing machine inside that paper, ink and pen, exclusively for that single book, more artistic and laborious than the book itself, and then tell that unconscious machine, “You write it!” without getting involved himself? I wonder, is it not a hundred times more difficult than writing?

If you say: Yes, creating a machine that writes a book is a hundred times more difficult than the book itself. But perhaps there exists ease in it, as it serves to write many copies of the same book?

The Answer: By continuously renewing the infinite manifestations of His Names to display them in different ways, the azalî Embroiderer (Naqqâsh) has created, through His infinite qoudrah, the distinct identities and unique features for things in such a manner that no letter of As-Samad, or any book of Ar-Rabb, can be identical to any other book. To express different meanings, each should have a different feature. If you have eyes, look at the human face and see! It is a sure fact that from the time of Âdam until now, indeed, until eternity, in this small face, together with the unity of the essential organs, each face has a distinguishing mark compared to all the other faces. Therefore, each face is a different book. The arrangement of art alone requires different writing sets, different arrangements and different compositions. And, to bring and place its materials and to include everything necessary for the body, an entirely different workshop is required. Let’s take for granted an impossibility: we look to nature as a printing press. However, aside from the arranging and printing that belong to a printing press, that is, aside from putting its specific arrangement into a mould and creating and procuring the substances — the creation of which is a hundred times more difficult than the creation of the arranging — present in a living being's body from all corners of the ‘âlam, with a specific measurement and unique arrangement, and delivering them to the hands of that printing press also necessitate the qoudrah and irâdah of the Absolute Qadîr, Who creates the printing press. It means that this possibility and assumption of the printing press is a totally meaningless superstition.

Just as these examples of the watch and the book, As-Sâni’ Zuljalâl, Who is Qadîr over all things, has created causes; He also creates effects. Through His hikmah, He connects effects to causes. Through His Irâdah, He has determined a manifestation of the Ilahî great Sharî’ah of fitrah, which consists of the laws of ‘Âdâtullah concerning the arrangement of the movements of the universe, and determined the nature of things, which is only a mirror for that manifestation of the Sharî’ah of fitrah on things. And through His Qoudrah, He has created the face of that nature, which is a place of manifestation for an external existence, created things upon that nature and mixed them one within the other.

I wonder, is it not easier to accept this haqiqah, which is the conclusion of perfectly rational, countless proofs? Is it not a necessity to accept it to the degree of being wâjib? Or is it easier to give countless tools and equipment that are necessary for the existence of each thing to the lifeless, unconscious, created and simple substances, which you call causes and nature, and to make them perform by themselves the works performed through seeing and with hikmah? Is it not at the level of absurdity, beyond possibility? We refer to your unfair mind’s fairness!

The denier who worships nature says, “Since you are inviting me to be fair, I confess that the path we have mistakenly followed until now is not only utterly impossible but also deeply harmful and ultimately ugly. Anyone with even a shred of awareness would understand from your earlier investigations that it is impossible and absurd to attribute creation to causes or nature. And it is wâjib and necessary to attribute everything directly to Al-Wâjib Al-Wujûd. I say,

اَلْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ عَلَى اْلاِيمَانِ9

and embrace îmân. However, I have one doubt. I accept that Janâb-i Haqq is the Creator (Khâliq); but how does the intervention of insignificant minor causes in the creation of insignificant things and their gaining a little praise and commendation harm the sovereignty of His rubûbiyyah? Does this diminish His sovereignty?”

The Answer: As we have proven very decisively in some risales, the hallmark of rulership is rejecting intervention. As evidence, it can be mentioned that even the lowest-ranking ruler or official does not accept his son's intervention within his sphere of sovereignty. Despite being the khalîfah, some pious sultâns have killed their innocent sons because of the fear of intervention in their sovereignty. It demonstrates the fundamental dominance of "the law of rejecting intervention" in the rulership and sovereignty. From two governors in a village to two sultâns in a country, “the law of preventing partnership”, which is a necessity of the independence in sovereignty, has demonstrated its strength through the extraordinary upheavals throughout human history. Consider the rejection of intervention, the prevention of others' intervention, the unwillingness to accept partners in dominance and the zealous effort to maintain independence in one’s position to such a degree in human beings who are in need of aid and who possess only a shadow of authority and sovereignty. Then, consider the Zuljalâl One, Whose absolute sovereignty is at the level of Rubûbiyyah, absolute authority is at the level of Ulûhiyyah, absolute independence is at the level of Ahadiyyah and absolute istighnâ at the degree of absolute Qâdiriyyah. Then, compare, if you can, to what degree the rejection of intervention, the prevention of partnership and the repulsion of partners are necessary consequences and wâjib requirements for the sovereignty of Allah.

As for the second part of your doubt: If some causes were to become the ultimate object for the ubûdiyyah of some tiny beings, would this diminish the ubûdiyyah of creatures, from the smallest particles to the planets, all of which are directed ultimately towards Al-Wâjib Al-Wujûd One, Who is the Absolute Ma’bûd?

The Answer: This universe’s Khâliq, Who is Hakîm, created the universe like a tree and made the conscious beings its most perfect fruit. And among the conscious beings, He made mankind the most comprehensive fruit of the universe. And man’s shukr and ‘ibâdah are the most important results of his creation, the purpose of his fitrah and the fruit of his life; would the Absolute Hâkim, the Independent Âmir, Al-Wâhid Al-Ahad, Who created the universe to make Himself loved and known, give man, who is the fruit of the entire universe, and his shukr and ‘ibâdah, which are the most exalted fruits of man, to other hands? In complete contradiction to His hikmah, would He let the result of creation and the fruit of the universe be in vain? Hâsha and Kallâ! Would He ever agree to give the ‘ibâdah of His creatures to others in a manner that would cause His hikmah and rubûbiyyah to be denied? Would He ever allow this? And while He infinitely demonstrates through His actions that He wants to make Himself known and loved, would He permit Himself to be forgotten by giving the shukr and gratitude, love and ubûdiyyah of His most perfect creatures towards other causes, thus leading to the denial of His exalted objectives in the universe? O friend who has given up the worship of nature! Now, you tell us!

He says, “Alhamdulillah, two of my doubts have been resolved, and you have presented two brilliant and powerful proofs regarding the wahdâniyyah of Allah and that He is the True Ma’bûd, and that nothing other than Him is worthy of ‘ibâdah; to deny them is arrogance, like denying the sun and the day.”

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