THE SEVENTH RAY

Nineteenth Degree of the First Station

Then, inquisitive yearning traveller, who came to the world and seeks the Creator of the world and who, through a miraj of îmân — which ascents through eighteen degrees and reaches the ‘arsh of haqiqah — ascended from a ma’rifat without seeing Him to a rank as though being in front of His presence and addressing Him, told to his rûh:

Just as rising to the address of اِيَّاكَ1 in the noble Fâtiha, from the beginning to the word اِيَّاكَ, through praise and acclaim without seeing Him and through gaining hudhur, so we too should abandon the seeking without seeing the One being sought and ask Him directly to the One we seek for; it is necessary to ask the sun that shows all things from the sun itself. Yes, the one that shows all things shows itself more than everything. In which case, like seeing and knowing the sun by its rays, we can strive to know our Khâliq through His Asmâ Al-Husnâ and Sacred Attributes, in accordance with our capacities.

In this risale, we will briefly and summarily declare two ways from among the numberless ways of this aim and two degrees from among the infinite degrees of those two ways and two haqiqahs from among the numberless haqiqahs of those two degrees and their very long details.

The First Haqiqah is the comprehensive, permanent, well-ordered and magnificent haqiqah of invading and pervading2 activity, which is observedly seen by our eyes and which   manages, changes and renews all beings in samâwât and on earth and encompasses the universe, being seen and within the haqiqah of activity every aspect of which is hikmah, the haqiqah of manifestation of Rubûbiyyah evidently being perceived and within the haqiqah of manifestation of Rubûbiyyah every respect of which scatters rahmah, the haqiqah of manifestation of Ulûhiyyah necessarily being known.

Thus, from this continuous ruling activity with hikmah and behind its veil, the actions of a Fâ‘il, Who is Qadîr and ‘Alîm, are perceived as if they are seen. And from this nurturing and administering actions of Ar-Rabb and behind their veil, the Names of Allah manifestations of which exist on everything, are known to an extent as if they are perceived. And from Al-Asmâ Al-Husnâ, which manifest with glory (Jalâl) and beauty (Jamâl), and behind their veil, the existence and truth of the seven sacred attributes are understood at the degree of ‘ilm al-yaqîn, rather ‘ayn al-yaqîn even haqq al-yaqîn. And with the testimony of all beings created with art, through the infinite manifestations of the seven sacred attributes in a manner that possesses life, power, knowledge, hearing, seeing, will and speech, the existence of Al-Wâjib Al-Wujûd, Who possesses these attributes, a Wâhid Al-Ahad bearing Names and a Fâ’il, Who is Fard and Samad, is known as if it appears to the eye of îmân in the heart self-evidently, necessarily and with ‘ilm al-yaqîn in a way more evident and brilliant than the sun. Because a beautiful and meaningful book and a well-ordered house evidently necessitate the act of writing and building, and the acts of writing beautifully and building well-orderly evidently necessitate the titles of writer and builder, and the titles of writer and builder evidently necessitate the arts and attributes of writing and building and these arts and attributes evidently necessitate the one who possesses these attributes and arts and names and actions. Just as it is not possible to be an action without a doer and a name without a possessor, so too it is impossible to be an attribute without an owner and an art without an artist.

Thus in consequence of this haqiqah and rule, the universe with all its beings are meaningful infinite books and letters and countless buildings and palaces written by the pen of Qadar and built with the hammer of Qoudrah; just as each of them, in thousands of ways and together in infinite ways, with the endless acts of Ar-Rabb and Ar-Rahmân and the infinite manifestations of the thousand and one Names of Allah, which are the source of those acts, and the infinite manifestations of the seven attributes of Subhân, which are the sources of those Beautiful Names, in endless and infinite ways, indicate and testify to the necessary existence and wahdah of azalî and eternal Zuljalâl One, Who is the owner and mine of those all-comprehending, sacred seven attributes, so too all beauties, perfections and values exist in all those beings evidently testify to the sacred beauties and perfections of the acts of Ar-Rabb, the Names of Allah, the attributes of As-Samad and shuûn of As-Subhân, which are appropriate to and worthy of them, and all together they testify to the sacred beauty (Jamâl) and perfection (Kamal) of the Most Pure and Holy Essence (Dhât Al-Aqdas).

Thus the haqiqah of Rubûbiyyah, which manifests within the haqiqah of activity, shows and makes itself known with disposal and shuûn such as creating, causing to exist, forming artfully and ibdâ’3 with ‘Ilm and hikmah, determining, shaping, administering and arranging with order and balance, chancing, transforming, diminishing and perfecting with purpose and Irâdah and feeding, giving ni’mahs, bestowing and granting bounties with compassion and rahmah. And the haqiqah of the Ulûhiyyah being manifested, which is perceived and exists within the haqiqah of manifestation of Rubûbiyyah, makes itself known and recognized through the compassionate and generous manifestations of Al-Asmâ Al-Husnâ and through the beautiful (Jamâl) and glorious (Jalâl) manifestations of the attributes of Hayât (Life), ‘Ilm (Knowledge), Qoudrah (Power), Irâdah (Will), Sam’ (Hearing), Basar (Seeing) and Kalâm (Speech), which are As-sifât as-thûbûtiyah.

Just as the attribute of Kalâm makes the Most Pure and Holy Essence (Dhât Al-Aqdas) known through wahy and ilham, so does the attribute of Qoudrah make the Most Pure and Holy Essence (Dhât Al-Aqdas) known through its artful works, which are its embodied words, and through showing the universe, from end to end, in the essence of a material Furqân, it describes and makes known a Qadîr Zuljalâl.

As for the attribute of ‘Ilm, to the number of all administered, directed, adorned and distinguished creatures and to the number of all well-ordered and balanced artful beings bearing hikmah, it makes known the single Most Pure and Holy Essence (Dhât Al-Aqdas), Who possesses all their attributes.

As for the attribute of Hayât, just as all the works that make Qoudrah known and all well-ordered, balanced and adorned forms and states with hikmah, which indicate the existence of ‘Ilm, and all proofs, which make other attributes known, together with the proofs of the attribute of Hayât indicate the existence of attribute of Hayât, so does Hayât, with all of its proofs, make known the One, Who is Al-Hayy and Al-Qayyûm, by showing all living beings as witnesses, which are the mirrors of those proofs. And in order to show fresh and various manifestations and embroideries, from end to end, all the time, it turns the universe into a continuously changing and refreshing supreme mirror composed of countless mirrors. And compared to this, the attributes of Seeing, Hearing, Decreeing and Speaking, each makes the Most Pure and Holy Essence (Dhât Al-Aqdas) known and recognized as much as a single universe.

Also, just as those attributes indicate the existence of the Zuljalâl One, so do they indicate evidently the existence and truth of Life and His being alive and possessing life. For knowing is a sign of life; hearing is an indication of life; seeing belongs only to the living; the will can only be through life; power to choose is found only in living beings; speech is an act of those who are alive and knows.

Thus, it is understood from these points that the attribute of Hayât has proofs seven times as numerous as the universe and has evidences to make known its existence and the existence of the One Who possesses it, whereby, it has become the foundation and source of all attributes, the origin and source of al-ism al-â’dham. Since the Risale-i Nur proves this first haqiqah with powerful proofs and explains it to an extent, now, we suffice with the aforementioned drop from this ocean.

The Second Haqiqah is Allah’s speaking that arises from the attribute of Kalâm. According to the mystery of the âyah: لَوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّى 4 Kalâm of Allah is infinite. The clearest sign that makes known the existence of a person is his speech. That is to say, this haqiqah infinitely testifies to the existence and wahdah of Azalî Mutakallim. Since two powerful testimony of this haqiqah, a vast testimony of it with respect to wahy and ilham, which are declared in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Degrees of this risale and another most brilliant and comprehensive testimony of it with respect to sacred samâwî Books, which are indicated in its Tenth Degree, and with respect to the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition in the Seventeenth Degree are mentioned, by referring the exposition and testimony of this haqiqah to those Degrees, our traveller sufficed with the nûrs and mysteries of the sublime âyah شَهِدَ اللّٰهُ اَنَّهُ لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ هُوَ 5 وَالْمَلٰئِكَةُ وَ اُولُوا الْعِلْمِ قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ that proclaims this haqiqah miraculously and expresses its testimony as well as the testimony of other haqiqahs, therefore, he could not go any further. Thus, as an indication of the short meaning of the lesson our traveller received at this sacred Station, it has been said at the Nineteenth Degree of the First Station:

لَٓا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ الْوَاجِبُ الْوُجُودِ الْوَاحِدُ الْاَحَدُ لَهُ الْاَسْمَٓاءُ الْحُسْنٰى وَ لَهُ الصِّفَاتُ الْعُلْيَا وَ لَهُ الْمَثَلُ الْاَعْلٰى اَلَّذ۪ى دَلَّ عَلٰى وُجُوبِ وُجُودِهِ ف۪ى وَحْدَتِهِ اَلذَّاتُ الْوَاجِبُ الْوُجُودِ بِاِجْمَاعِ جَم۪يعِ صِفَاتِهِ الْقُدْسِيَّةِ الْمُح۪يطَةِ وَ جَم۪يعِ اَسْمَٓائِهِ الْحُسْنٰى اَلْمُتَجَلِّيَّةِ بِاِتِّفَاقِ جَم۪يعِ شُؤُنَاتِهِ وَ اَفْعَالِهِ الْمُتَصَرِّفَةِ بِشَهَادَةِ عَظَمَةِ حَق۪يقَةِ تَبَارُزِ الْاُلُوهِيَّةِ ف۪ى تَظَاهُرِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةِ ف۪ى دَوَامِ الْفَعَّالِيَّةِ الْمُسْتَوْلِيَةِ بِفِعْلِ الْا۪يجَادِ وَ الْخَلْقِ وَ الصُّنْعِ وَ الْاِبْدَاعِ بِاِرَادَةٍ وَ قُدْرَةٍ وَ بِفِعْلِ التَّقْد۪يرِ وَ التَّصْو۪يرِ وَ التَّدْب۪يرِ وَ التَّدْو۪يرِ بِاِخْتِيَارٍ وَ حِكْمَةٍ وَ بِفِعْلِ التَّصْر۪يفِ وَ التَّنْظ۪يمِ وَ الْمُحَافَظَةِ وَ الْاِدَارَةِ وَ الْاِعَاشَةِ بِقَصْدٍ وَ رَحْمَةٍ وَ بِكَمَالِ الْاِنْتِظَامِ وَ الْمُوَازَنَةِ وَ بِشَهَادَةِ عَظَمَةِ اِحَاطَةِ حَق۪يقَةِ اَسْرَارِ - شَهِدَ اللّٰهُ اَنَّهُ لَٓا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَ وَ الْمَلٰئِكَةُ وَ اُولُوا الْعِلْمِ قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ لَٓا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا هُوَ الْعَز۪يزُ الْحَك۪يمُ