بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَ بِهِ نَسْتَعِينُ

THE FIRST LETTER

بِاسْمِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَاِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ اِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ

[It is the brief answer to the four questions]

First Question: Is Hazrat Khidr ‘alayhissalâm alive? If he is alive, why do some important ‘ulamâ not accept his life?

The answer is: He is alive, but the degrees of life are five. He is at the second degree. Because of this reason, some ‘ulamâ have doubted his life.

The First Level of Life is our life that is restricted by many limits.

The Second Level of Life is the lives of Khidr and Ilyâs ‘alayhimassalâm, which is unrestricted to an extent. That is to say, they can be present in numerous places at the same time. They are not permanently restricted by the requirements of humanity like us. Sometimes, they eat and drink like us when they want to but are not compelled like we are. The adventures of the awliyâ, who are the people of shuhûd1 and kashf, with Hazrat Khidr at the degree of tawâtur illuminate and prove this level of life. There is even one rank among the ranks of walâyah which is called “The rank of Khidr”. A walî who reaches this rank receives lesson from Khidr and meets with him. But, sometimes, the owner of that rank is mistakenly accepted as Khidr himself.

The Third Level of Life is the level of life of Hazrat Idris and ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhimassalâm that through divesting the requirements of humanity, enters into a life like that of malâikah and acquires a luminous subtlety. In fact, they are present in the samâwât with their earthly bodies, which have the subtlety of a mithâlî body2 and the luminosity of a body like the stars. The mystery of the Hadith in the meaning “At the âkhirzaman, Hazrat ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm will come and will act with the Sharî’ah of Muhammad (asm)” is this: at the âkhirzaman, at a time when by being purified and divested of superstition, the religion of Christianity is going to transform into Islam against the current of kufr and denial of the Ulûhiyyah given by the Naturalist philosophy, just as the ma’nawî collective personality of Christianity kills the fearsome ma’nawî collective personality of irreligion with the sword of samâwî wahy, so does Hazrat ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm — by representing the ma’nawî collective personality of Christianity — kill the Dajjal, who represents the ma’nawî collective personality of irreligion… That is, he will kill the idea of denial of Ulûhiyyah.

The Fourth Level of Life is the life of the shahîds. According to the nass of the Qur'an, the shahîds have a level of life higher than the people of the grave. Since the shahîds sacrificed their earthly lives on the way of haqq, out of His perfect munificence, in al-‘âlam al-barzakh, Janâb-i Haqq bestows on them a life resembling earthly life but without the sorrow and hardship. They do not know themselves to be dead but only know that they have gone to a better ‘âlam. They derive pleasure with perfect happiness. They do not taste the bitterness of separation within death. Although the rûhs of the people of the grave are eternal, they know themselves to be dead. The happiness and pleasure they experience in the barzakh cannot reach the pleasure experienced by shahîds. Just as two men, in a dream, enter a beautiful palace resembling Jannah; one knows that he is dreaming. The pleasure and enjoyment he receives are very deficient. He thinks: "If I wake up, all this pleasure will disappear." While the other man does not know that he is dreaming. He experiences true happiness and pleasure.

In al-‘âlam al-barzakh, the benefits of the dead and the shahîds from the life of barzakh are thus different. It is certain and has been established by innumerable incidents and riwâyât that the shahîds manifest this way of life and know themselves to be alive. To a degree that this level of life has been illuminated and proved by many repeated events like Hazrat Hamza Radhiyallahu ‘Anh, the Sayyîd of the shahîds, protecting those who have refuged to him, performing and making performed their worldly matters.

I myself, even, had a nephew and student named Ubeyd. After he became a shahîd at my side and in my place, when I was a prisoner-of-war at a place three months' distance away, in a ru’yâ as-sâdiqah3 , I entered his grave, which was in the form of a dwelling place under the earth, although I did not know where he was buried. I saw him at the level of life of shahîds. He knew me to be dead. He said that he had wept much for me. He knows himself to be alive, but because he had retreated from the Russian invasion, he made a beautiful dwelling place under the ground for himself. Thus, this particular dream, through certain conditions and indications, gave me a conviction for the above-mentioned haqiqah at the degree of witnessing (Shuhûd).

The Fifth Level of Life is the life of the rûh of the people of the grave. Yes, death is the change of place, liberating the rûh and discharge from the duty; it is not annihilation, non-existence and decomposition. Many evidences like innumerable events of the rûhs of the awliyâ taking forms and appearing to the people of kashf, the connections of people of the grave with us at the state of being awake and sleeping and their giving information to us that are conformable with reality illuminate and prove this level of life. In fact, the Twenty-Ninth Word about the eternity of rûh proved this level of life with certain proofs.

Second Question: In Al-Furqân Al-Hakîm, the âyahs likeاَلَّذِى خَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيٰوةَ لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ اَيُّكُمْ اَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً4 cause to be understood that "Death, too, is a creature like life; it is a ni’mah as well." Whereas apparently death is dissolution, non-existence, decomposition, the extinction of life and the destroyer of pleasures; how can it be a creature and a ni’mah?

The Answer: As is stated at the end of the answer to the First Question, death is a discharge from the duty of life; it is a call for the end of duties, a change of place, a changing of existence; it is an invitation to eternal life, a beginning, an introduction to the eternal life. Just as life coming into the world is through creating and determining, so too its departure from the world is through creating and determining, through the hikmah and arrangement. Because the death of plant life, which is the simplest level of life, shows that it is more well-ordered work of art than life itself. Although the death of fruits, seeds and grains appears to occur through decay, dissolution and decomposition, it is kneading which comprises of exceedingly a well-ordered chemical treatment and a well-balanced blend of elements and a formation of particles with hikmah; this unseen and orderly death with hikmah appears through new shoots’ life. That is to say, the death of the seed is the start of the new shoot’s life rather such death is created and well-ordered as much as life since it is its life itself.

Also, since the death of the fruits or animals possessing life in the human stomach is the source of their rising to human life, it can be said: "Such death is more well-ordered and created than their life."

Thus, if the death of plant life, which is the lowest level of life, is thus created and well-ordered with hikmah, so the death that befalls human life, which is the most elevated level of life, is like a seed entered under the ground becoming a tree in the ‘âlam of air, a man who entered under the ground will surely produce the shoots of an eternal life in al-‘âlam al-barzakh.

As for the aspect of death being a ni’mah, we shall point out four of many aspects of it:

The First: Since it is being freed from the duty of life and responsibilities of life that have become heavier and is a door of reunion in al-‘âlam al-barzakh in order to meet with ninety-nine out of a hundred of one's friends, it is a great ni’mah.

The Second: By being released from the narrow, troublesome, turbulent and quaking dungeon of the world and being honoured with a vast, joyful, trouble-free eternal life, it is to enter the sphere of rahmah of Al-Mahbûb, Who is Bâqî.

The Third: There are numerous causes like old age which make the conditions of life arduous; they show death to be a ni’mah far superior to life. For example, if together with your very elderly mother and father, who make you suffer sorrow, your grandfather's grandfathers in all their pitiful state were present in front of you now, you would know what a severe punishment life is and what a ni’mah death is. Also, for example, it is understood how difficult the lives of beautiful flies — the lovers of beautiful flowers — are  in the conditions of winter are and what a rahmah their deaths are.

The Fourth: Just as sleep is a comfort, a rahmah, a rest, particularly for those struck by a calamity, the wounded and the sick, so too is death, the elder brother of sleep, a pure ni’mah and rahmah for those who struck by calamity and suffering troubles which drive to suicide. But for the people of dhalâlah, as is proved decisively in many of the Words, like life, death too is severe punishment amid severe punishment and torment amid torment. It is outside the discussion here.

Third Question: Where is Jahannam?

The Answer: قُلْ اِنَّمَا الْعِلْمُ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ ٭ لاَ يَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ اِلاَّ اللّٰهُ5 In some riwâyât, it is said that the place of Jahannam is beneath the earth. As we have declared in other places, through its annual movement, the globe of the earth traces a circle around an area that will be the place of the rising from the dead and assembling for judgment in the future. It means that Jahannam is beneath that annual orbit of the earth. Since it is a veiled fire without nûr, they are invisible and imperceptible. In the immense distance on which the globe of the earth travels are many creatures; they are invisible since they do not possess nûr. Like the moon loses its existence when its nûr is withdrawn, so we cannot see numerous globes and creatures without nûr although they are in front of our eyes.

There are two Jahannam: One is the Lesser and the other is the Greater. Just as the Lesser will transform into the Greater in the future and is its seed, so will it become one of its habitations in the future. The Lesser Jahannam is under the earth, that is, at its centre. The lower side of a globe is its centre. It is known in geology that for every thirty-three metres of digging, the heat mostly increases by one degree. That is to say, since the radius of the earth until the centre is around six thousand kilometres, there is a fire that contains a temperature of two hundred thousand degrees, that is, two hundred times stronger than the fire of this world conforming with the riwâyât of hadiths. This Lesser Jahannam has performed many duties of the Greater Jahannam in this world and in al-‘âlam al-barzakh; this is indicated in the hadiths. Just as in al-‘âlam al-âkhirah, the globe of the earth will pour its inhabitants into the arena of the rising from the dead and assembling for judgment, which is within its annual orbit, so will it hand over the Lesser Jahannam within it to the Greater Jahannam through the command of Allah.

Jahannam has not completely spread out at present time and developed a way entirely appropriate to its inhabitants, therefore, the saying of some of the Mu'tazilite imams "Jahannam will be created later" is mistaken and foolish. Also, in order to see and show the places of al-‘âlam al-âkhirah within the veil of the ghayb with our earthly eyes, either the universe has to be shrunk to the size of two provinces, or our eyes have to be enlarged to the size of stars so that we can see and specify their places. 6 وَالْعِلْمُ عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ , the places of al-âlam of âkhirah cannot be seen with our earthly eyes. But through the indication of certain riwâyât, the Jahannam in the âkhirah is connected with this world of us. The intense heat of summer is calledمِنْ فَيْحِ جَهَنَّمَ7 That is to say, Greater Jahannam cannot be seen with the tiny and dim worldly eyes of the mind. But we can look at it through the nûr of the Name of Hakîm. It is as follows:

The Greater Jahannam beneath the earth's annual orbit has as though appointed the Lesser Jahannam at the earth's centre as its representative and made it perform some of its duties. The possession of Al-Qadîr Zuljalâl is truly extensive. Wherever the hikmah of Allah has pointed out, the Greater Jahannam settles there.

Yes, Al-Qadîr Zuljalâl and Al-Hakîm Zulkamâl, Who possesses the command of 8 كُنْ فَيَكُونُ , has tied the moon to the earth, before our eyes, with perfect hikmah and order; through the grandeour of Qoudrah and with order, He tied the earth to the sun; through the majesty of His Rubûbiyyah, He has caused the sun move together with its planets — according to one possibility — towards shams ash-shumûs9 , with a speed close to that of the annual rotation of the earth; like the electric lights of a navy, He has made the stars luminous witnesses to the sovereignty of His rubûbiyyah; it is not far from the perfect hikmah, the grandeour of qoudrah and sovereignty of rubûbiyyah of such a Zuljalâl One, Who demonstrates His sovereignty of rubûbiyyah and grandeour of qoudrah, to make the Greater Jahannam the cauldron of an electric light factory and with it to set fire to the stars of the samâ, which look to the âkhirah, and give them heat and power, that is, to give nûr to the stars from Jannah, which is the world of nûr, and send them fire and heat from Jahannam, and at the same time, to make a part of such Jahannam a dwelling place and prison for those who are to be tormented. Also, such a Fâtir Al-Hakîm, Who preserves a tree as large as a mountain in a seed the size of a finger-nail, surely, it is not far from the qoudrah and hikmah of such a Zuljalâl One to preserve the Greater Jahannam in the seed of the Lesser Jahannam which is in the heart of the globe of the earth.

In Short: Jannah and Jahannam are the two fruits of a branch of the tree of creation which stretches out and goes towards eternity by leaning. The fruits' place is at the branch's extremity. Also, they are the two results of the chain of the universe. The places of the results are the two sides of the chain. The base and heavy are on its lower side; the luminous and elevated are on its upper side. They are also the two stores of this flood of shuûn and the ma’nawî crops of the earth. As for the place of the store, according to the type of crops, the bad ones are below and the good ones are above. They are also the two pools of the flowing beings which move and wave towards eternity. As for the pool's place, it is where the flood stops and gathers. That is, the abominable and filthy ones are below (asfal) and the good and the pure ones are above (a’lâ). They are also the two places of the manifestation of beneficence and wrath, rahmah and grandeur. Places of manifestation can be everywhere. Ar-Rahmân Zuljamâl, Al-Qahhâr Zuljalâl opens His places of manifestation wherever He wishes.

As for the existence of Jannah and Jahannam, it has been proved most decisively in the Tenth, Twenty-Eighth and Twenty-Ninth Words. Here, we only say this: the existence of the fruit is as definite and certain as that of the branch; the result as the chain; the store as the crops; the pool as the river; the place of manifestation as definite and certain as the existence of rahmah and wrath.

Fourth Question: Like the metaphorical ‘ashq for beloveds transforming into true (Haqîqî) ‘ashq, can the metaphorical ‘ashq for the world, which is present in most people, also transform into a true (Haqîqî) ‘ashq?

The Answer: Yes. If the lover turns his face from the transitory face of the world by seeing the ugliness of fade and transience on that face, searches for an eternal beloved and if he is successful in looking at the world's other two most beautiful faces, which are the mirror to the Names of Allah and the tillage of the âkhirah, such metaphorical love for the transient face of the world, which is not permitted by the Sharî’ah, begins to transform into true (Haqîqî) ‘ashq. But on the one condition that he does not confuse his own fleeting and unstable world tied to his life with the outside world. If like the people of dhalâlah and ghaflah, he forgets himself, plunges into the âfâk10 and by supposing the general world to be his private world, he becomes the lover of it, he will fall into the swamp of nature and drown. Unless, extraordinarily, a hand of ‘inâyah saves him. Look at the following comparison in order to illuminate this haqiqah:

For example, if on the four walls of this beautiful and adorned room were four full-length mirrors belonging to four of us, then there would be five rooms. One is actual and general and four are similitudes and personal. Each of us could change our personal room’s shape, form and colour by means of our own mirror. If we were to paint it red, it shows it red, if we were to paint it green, it shows it green. And so on… We could give numerous states to it by changing the mirror; we could make it ugly, or beautiful and give it many forms. But we could not easily change and transform the outer and general room. While the general room and personal rooms are the same in haqiqah, the requirements of their conditions are different. You can destroy your room with one finger, but you cannot make one stone of the other stir.

Thus, this world is a decorated halting place. The life of each of us is a full-length mirror. Each of us has a world, an ‘âlam from this world, but its pillar, centre and door is our life. Rather, that personal world and ‘âlam of ours is a page. Our life is a pen… Many things are written with it that will pass to the page of our deeds. If we have loved our world, later we have seen that it is fading, transitory and unstable like our life since our world is constructed on our life. We have felt and understood this. Our love for it turns toward the beautiful embroideries of the Names of Allah to which our personal world is the mirror and which it represents; from them, it progresses to the manifestation of the Names. Also, if, by understanding our personal world is a temporary seed-bed of the âkhirah and Jannah, we turn our feelings like intense ambition, desire and love toward the benefits of the âkhirah, which are its results, fruits and shoots, then that metaphorical ‘ashq transforms into true (Haqîqî) ‘ashq. Otherwise, if he sunk into the world and embrace it with intense emotions by manifesting the mystery of the âyahنَسُوا اللّهَ فَاَنْسَيهُمْ اَنْفُسَهُمْ اُولئِكَ هُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ11 forgetting his nafs, not thinking the fading of life, supposing his personal, unstable world to be constant like the general world and imagining himself to be undying, he will drown in it. Such love is boundless trouble and torment for him. Because compassion peculiar to orphans and a despairing tenderness are born of that love. He pities all living beings. To a degree that he feels the tenderness for all beautiful creatures, which are subject to fading, and the pain of separation; he is incapable of doing anything; he will suffer pain in absolute despair.

But the first man, who is saved from ghaflah, finds an elevated panacea for the pain of such intense compassion that in the death and fading of all the living beings he pities, he sees the mirrors of the rûhs representing the perpetual manifestations of the eternal Names of a Bâqî One, to be eternal; his compassion transforms into joy. Behind all beautiful creatures subject to fading and transience, he also sees a perpetual embroidering, beautifying, art, adornment, bestowal and illuminating, which make a sacred beauty that is free from any unworthy thing and ugliness perceived. He sees the fade and transience to be refreshing in order to increase the beauty, renew the pleasure and exhibit the art, he increases his pleasure, his ardour and his astonishment.

اَلْبَاقِى هُوَ الْبَاقِى

Said Nursî