THE SECOND LETTER

بِاسْمِهِ سُبْحَانَهُ وَاِنْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ اِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِ

(It is a part of the answer in response to a gift from his above-mentioned, well-known student.)

Thirdly: You sent me a present. You want to break an extremely important rule of mine. I do not say: "I don't accept from you as I don't accept from my brother Abdülmecid and my nephew Abdurrahman." Because since you are more advanced than them and closer to my rûh, even if everyone's present is refused, yours cannot be refused just for one time. But in connection with this, I shall tell you the mystery of that rule of mine. It is as follows:

The Old Said had never been indebted to anyone. He would prefer death to be indebted. He never broke his rule despite suffering great hardship and difficulty. This trait, which was left as a legacy by the Old Said to this helpless brother of yours, is not artificial asceticism and istighnâ but is based on four or five serious reasons.

The First: The people of dhalâlah accuse the people of ‘ilm of making the ‘ilm a means to attract benefits. They unfairly attack them by saying "They are making ‘ilm and religion a means of livelihood for themselves." It is necessary to refute them by action.

The Second: For disseminating the haqq, we are charged with following the prophets. In Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm, those who disseminate the haqq displayed istighnâ from the people through saying اِنْ اَجْرِىَ اِلاَّ عَلَى اللّٰهِ ٭ اِنْ اَجْرِىَ اِلاَّ عَلَى اللّٰهِ1 . The sentence in Surah Yâsîn اِتَّبِعُوا مَنْ لاَ يَسْئَلُكُمْ اَجْرًا وَهُمْ مُهْتَدُونَ2 is very meaningful regarding this matter of ours.

The Third: As is declared in the First Word, it is necessary to give in Allah's name and take in Allah's name. Whereas, either the one who gives mostly is ghâfil, he gives in his own name and implicitly causes the one who receives to be indebted, or the one who receives is ghâfil, he gives the shukr and praise, which belong to the True Mun’im, to apparent causes and makes an error.

The Fourth: Tawakkul, contentment and frugality are such a treasury and wealth that can not be exchanged for anything. I do not want to close that inexhaustible treasuries and wealth by accepting goods from people. I offer hundreds of thousands of shukr to Ar-Razzâq Zuljalâl that since my childhood, He did not allow me to be compelled to enter into indebtedness and abasement. Relying on His munificence, I beseech from His rahmah that may He make me pass the remainder of my life in accordance with this rule.

The Fifth: For a year or two, due to many signs and experiences, I have formed a firm conviction that I am not permitted to receive other people's goods, especially, gifts from the rich and officials. Some of them affect my health... rather, they are made to be like that; I am not allowed to eat them. Sometimes they are turned into a form that is harmful to me. This means that, in a ma’nawî manner, it is an order not to take the goods of others and is a prohibition to take them. I also have a need for solitude; I cannot accept everyone all the time. Accepting people's gifts necessitates considering their feelings and accepting them at times I do not want to. And I do not like that either. Eating a piece of dry bread and wearing a hundred patched cloth, which save me from pretence and fawning, are more pleasing for me. Eating the best quality baklava, wearing the finest clothes of others and being obliged to consider their feelings are unpleasant for me.

The Sixth and the most important reason for istighnâ is Ibn Hajar, the most respected ‘âlim of our madhab, says: "If someone gives you something because he thinks that you are sâlih, it is haram to accept it if you are not."

Thus, due to greed and ambition, the people of this age sell their smallest gifts very expensively. They give a loaf of bread by imagining a sinful unfortunate like me as a sâlih or a walî. If — hâsha — I consider myself sâlih, it is a sign of pride and a proof of not being sâlih. If I do not consider myself as a sâlih, it is not jâiz to accept those goods. Also, to receive sadaqa and gifts in return for actions directed towards the âkhirah means consuming the eternal fruits of the âkhirah in a transitory form in this world.

اَلْبَاقِى هُوَ الْبَاقِى

Said Nursî