بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

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

  عيسى عليه السلام -  ‘ÎSÂ (as) – NASRÂNIYYAH

JESUS – CHRISTIANITY-1

1. The claim about Hazrat ‘Îsâ (as) being the son of Allah:

Furthermore, according to a certain sahîh narration, he (asm) said to Imam 'Ali (ra), "Just as it is with Hazrat ‘Îsâ (as), two groups of people perish due to their error about you. One due to excessive (ifrât) love, the other due to excessive (ifrât) enmity. Transgressing the limits of Sharî’ah, Christians called Hazrat ‘Îsâ, hâsha, “the son of Allah,” on account of their love for him. The Jews, on account of their enmity, extremely transgressed and denied his nubuwwah and perfection. On account of love for you, some will also transgress the limits of Sharî’ah and will perish. He (asm) said, لَهُمْ نَبْزٌ يُقَالُ لَهُمُ الرَّافِضِيَّةُ : on account of enmity against you, some others will go further; they are the Kharijites and some of the extremist partisans of the Umayyads, who are called Nâsiba.”

The Nineteenth Letter-Sixth Subtle Sign

 

Question: How does love for the prophets and awliyâ remain without benefit?

The Answer: In the same way that the love of ahl al-tathlîth1 for ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm and Ar-Rafida for Hazrat 'Ali (ra) remains without benefit.

If those loves are in the manner that the Qur'an guides, on account of Janâb-i Haqq and in the name of love for Ar-Rahmân, they would have beautiful results both in this world and in the âkhirah.

…

The result of love for the prophets and awliyâ in a way that Qur'an describes is, by means of that love, to benefit from the highly elevated ranks and faydh that suit them, as well as the shafâ‘ah of those prophets and awliyâ at the barzakh and the rising from the dead and assembling for judgment.

Indeed, according to the mystery of اَلْمَرْءُ مَعَ مَنْ اَحَبَّ2, an ordinary man can reach the highest rank by following an exalted rank person whom he loves.

The Thirty-Second Word/Third Stopping Place/The Second Discussion of The Second Point/An Important Question

 

For example, لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا اَحَدٌ3 From the meaning of this âyah, the share of comprehension of the class of ‘awâm, which is the majority: "Janâb-i Haqq is free from father and children and relatives and wife." The share of comprehension of a class closer to the middle: "It is the denial of the ulûhiyyah of ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm, malâikah and anything that has been born." In balâghat, since denying something impossible is apparently purposeless, another judgment that will require the validity of the statement and that will be its purpose is intended4 through that statement. Thus, the purpose of denying offspring and parents that are particular to materiality is to deny the ulûhiyyah of those who have offspring and parents and peers; it is to show that they are not worthy of being ma’bûd.

It is because of this mystery that surah al-ikhlas can be beneficial to everyone at all time. The share of comprehension of a more advanced class: “Janâb-i Haqq is free from all relations with beings that suggest giving birth and being born. He is free from a sharik, helper, or the same kind. Rather, His relation with beings is being their Khâliq. He creates with the command كُنْ فَيَكُونُ5 and through His azalî Irâdah and Will. He is free from all kinds of relations contrary to perfection, like those that forcibly and unwillingly occurred due to a necessity.”

And the share of comprehension of a higher class: "Janâb-i Haqq is azalî and eternal; He is the first and the last. He has in no way any equal, peer, match, or anything similar, resembling, or analogous to Him, neither in His essence, nor in His attributes, nor in His actions. There can only be comparisons expressing a similitude in His acts and shuûn.

  The Twenty-Fifth Word/1st Light/3rd Ray/3rd Reflection

 

Fourth is لَمْ يَلِدْ 6. Tawhîd pertaining to His Jalâl is concealed in it; it rejects every kind of shirk and refutes kufr in a doubtless way.

That is, one who is subject to change, transformation, or decomposition, or who is born, can surely be neither Khâliq, nor Qayyûm, nor Ilah.

لَمْ 7 refutes the idea of offspring and the kufr of being born and rejects them at once. The majority of mankind has gone astray due to this kind of shirk…

Such that, from time to time, the shirk of being born, such as ‘Îsâ (‘Alayhissalâm) or ‘Uzayr or the malâikah or the intelligences8, emerges in mankind.

The Fifth: وَلَمْ يُولَدْ 9 is an indication of an everlasting tawhîd; it is as follows: The One Whose existence is not wâjib10, qadîm11, or azalî cannot be Ilah.

That is, surely, one who is not eternal but created in time and is subject to change in time, or born of physical matter, or descended from a progenitor cannot be the universe's protector.

The nature worship, idol worship, star worship and causes worship are the varieties of shirk and a pitfall of dhalâlah.

The Gleams

 

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَاْلاِنْسَ اِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُونِ مَا اُرِيدُ مِنْهُمْ مِنْ رِزْقٍ وَمَا اُرِيدُ اَنْ يُطْعِمُونِ اِنَّ اللّهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتِينُ12

Since the apparent meaning of this noble âyah explained by many tafsirs does not demonstrate the elevated miraculousness of the Qur'an, it has occupied my mind for a long time. We shall now explain briefly three aspects of their exquisitely beautiful and elevated meanings, which arise from the faydh of the Qur'an.

The First: In order to honour and elevate His rasûl, Janâb-i Haqq sometimes attributes certain states to Himself that may pertain to His rasûl.

Here, this âyah, the meaning of which is "I created you for ‘ibâdah, not to give Me rizq and feed me," that is, "My rasûl does not want a wage, recompense, or reward, or to be fed in return for his duty of risalah and service for the tablîgh of ‘ubûdiyyah," should refer to Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm being given food and rizq. Otherwise, it would be the informing of something evidently known, and it is not appropriate to the balâghat of the miraculousness of the Qur'an.

The Second Aspect: Since man is excessively addicted to rizq, the noble âyah says, "You were created for ‘ubûdiyyah. The purpose of your creation is ‘ubûdiyyah. Working for rizq is a sort of ‘ubûdiyyah, in point of being a command of Allah. You were not created to procure rizq for your nafs and your families and animals, who are my creatures and whose rizq I am responsible for. You were not created to produce the rizq and food that simply belong to Me because Ar-Razzâq is Me. I provide the rizq of my ‘abds who are your dependents. Do not use this as an excuse to abandon ‘ubûdiyyah,” lest man find an excuse by supposing that working for rizq is an obstacle to ‘ubûdiyyah.

If it were not for this meaning, it would be informing something that is already known because the impossibility of feeding and giving rizq to Janâb-i Haqq is evident and known. In the ‘Ilm of Balâghat, it is a well-established principle that if the meaning of a word is known and apparent, that meaning is not what was intended with that word; rather, a meaning necessitated by it and dependent on it is intended with that word. For example, if you say to someone, "You are a hâfidh," it is informing something that is already known. It means that the intended meaning is this: "I know that you are a hâfidh." I inform him because he does not know that I know.

Thus, as a consequence of this rule, the meaning of the âyah, which is alluded to by the rejection of giving rizq to Janâb-i Haqq and feeding Him, is this: "You were not created to produce rizq for My creatures, who belong to Me and whose rizq is guaranteed by Me, but rather your fundamental duty is ‘ubûdiyyah. It is also a kind of ‘ibâdah to strive for rizq in accordance with My commands.

The Third Aspect: Since, in surah al-ikhlas, the apparent meaning of لَمْ يَلِدْ وَ لَمْ يُولَدْ13 is known and apparent, a meaning, which is the requirement of the apparent meaning of the âyah, is intended. That is, in an extremely known and apparent manner, Janâb-i Haqq decrees لَمْ يَلِدْ وَ لَمْ يُولَدْ , in meaning, "Those who have a mother and children cannot be an Ilah," and with the purpose of rejecting the ulûhiyyah of Hazrat ‘Îsâ (as), and ‘Uzayr (as), the malâikah, stars and any other bâtil ma’bûd, and in the meaning of Janâb-i Haqq being azalî and eternal. In the same way, in this example of ours, too, the âyah has the meaning, "Things that receive rizq and are fed cannot be Ilah, nor ma’bûd," and "Ar-Razzâq Zuljalal, Who is your Ma’bûd, does not want rizq for Himself, and you were not created to feed Him." It means that beings in need of rizq and being fed are not worthy of being ma’bûd.

***

Said Nursî

 The Twenty-Eighth Flash/Second Subtle Point

 

However, the word اَنْدَادًا means alikes, or equals; anything like or equal to Taâ’lâ is His exact opposite; there is contrariety between them. In this, there is a subtle allusion that a like or an equal is essentially bâtil. Then the use of the plural indicates the utter ignorance of mushriks and alludes to the fact that they attract contempt and rage to themselves. That is, the Qur’an says to them, "How can you attribute a great number of equals and opposites to Allah, Who is without any like?" There is also a subtle sign for the rejection of all kinds of shirk, like shirk in His essence, in His attributes and His actions. It also alludes to the rejection of levels of mushriks, like the pagans (al-wathaniûn), the Sabeans, the Christians (ahl al-tathlîth14) and the Naturalists, all of whom believe that causes have an actual effect.

Signs of Miraculousness-32515

2. The answer that Hazrat Bediüzzaman wrote in a letter to his student about a doctor’s claim that Hazrat ‘Îsâ (as) had a biological father:

Your Fourth Question: That is, it is not your question, but Ömer Efendi's. A wretched doctor says that Hazrat ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm had a father. With a lunatic forced interpretation, he cites an âyah16 as evidence. {Note: Although the extraordinary states of an extraordinary individual of mankind, who is the leader of a quarter of them, who passed from the level of life of mankind to the level of life of malâikah in one aspect, left the earth and made the samâwât his homeland, require an extraordinary form of the law of giving birth to offspring, including him under that law in a questionable, unknown and even vile way against fitrah would in no way have been appropriate for him, nor was there any necessity for him to be included under it. Moreover, the explicit statements of the Qur'an do not bear interpretation. For the sake of restoring the law of giving birth to offspring that has been broken in a hundred ways, how can the law of the malâikah’s gender — which is outside the law of giving birth to offspring and in no way can be broken — and these powerful laws, such as the laws in the explicit statements of the Qur'an, be attacked?}

At one time, that wretched doctor was trying to create a writing with the Arabic letters without joining them.17 He was working feverishly at this. Then, I understood that he had realised from the zindiq’s attitude that they were going to attempt to abolish the Islamic script. The man was working in vain, as though he was going to serve against that flood. Now, in this Matter, and in the Second Matter related to him, he realised the zindiq’s terrible attacks against the fundamentals of Islam, and I assume that he wants to find a way to reconcile through such meaningless forced interpretations.

According to the definite nass such as  اِنَّ مَثَلَ ع۪يسٰى عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ كَمَثَلِ اٰدَمَۜ18, while there is the certainty of Hazrat ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm having no father, no importance is given and is not worthy of giving importance to the words of those who attempt to change this firm and fundamental haqiqah through nonsensical forced interpretations due to the acceptance of the impossibility of the violation of a law concerning reproduction because every law has exceptions and unique individuals, and it is breached by individuals. And all universal rules have been granted with extraordinary individuals. Since the time of Âdam, it has been possible for an individual to be exempt from the law and excluded from it.

Firstly, at the beginning, the law of giving birth to offspring has been torn by the origins of the two hundred thousand animal species and destroyed. That is, their first fathers, those two hundred thousand foremost fathers, simply their Âdam, had torn the law of giving birth to offspring; they had not come from a father and a mother; the existence had been given to them outside that law.

Furthermore, the innimurable individuals of the majority of the hundred thousand species that we see with our eyes every spring are created outside that law on the leaves and from the materials that are rotten and fetid. How unreasonable is a mind that cannot squeeze to his mind that an individual is an exception from a law in 1900 years, while that law is torn and broken at its beginning and even every year by such irregulars; how unreasonable is a mind that clings to a forced interpretation against the nass of the Qur'an? You compare!

The things those wretches call natural laws are the laws of Âdâtullah that are the universal manifestation of the command of Allah and Irâdah of Ar-Rabb; for certain hikmahs, Janâb-i Haqq changes such customs of His. He shows that His will and irâdah rule over everything and every law. He tears His custom in certain extraordinary individuals. He demonstrates this haqiqah through the decree  اِنَّ مَثَلَ ع۪يسٰى عِنْدَ اللّٰهِ كَمَثَلِ اٰدَمَۜ .

The Ninth Flash-Your Fourth Question

3. The miracles of ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm:

Although man is the place of manifestation for all names, the names being various has resulted in the universe's variety and the different kinds of ‘ibâdah of malâikah; it has also caused men to be diverse to a degree. The different Sharî’ahs of the Prophets, the different tarîqahs of the awliyâ, and the various outlooks of the asfiyâ have arisen from this mystery. For example, in ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm, together with the other names, the name Qadîr is dominant. In the people of ‘ashq, the name Wadûd, and in the people of tafakkur, the name Hakîm is more dominant.

The Twenty-Fourth Word-First Branch

 

Also, for example, concerning a miracle of Hazrat ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm: 19 وَاُبْرِئُ اْلاَكْمَهَ وَاْلاَبْرَصَ وَاُحْيِى الْمَوْتَى بِاِذْنِ اللّٰهِ Just as the Qur'an explicitly urges mankind to follow the exalted morals of Hazrat ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm, so too, it allusively leads them to desire the elevated art and Rabbâni medicine in his hand. Thus, this âyah indicates that “Cures can be found for even the most chronic diseases. In which case, O man and O sons of Âdam afflicted by calamities! Don't despair! The cure of every trouble — whatever it is —is possible. Search for it and find it. To give a temporary hue of life to death is even possible!” Janâb-i Haqq says in a ma’nawî manner through the indicative tongue of this âyah, “O man! I gave two gifts to an ‘abd of Mine who abandoned the world for Me. One was the cure for the ma’nawî diseases and the other was the medicine for physical diseases. Thus, dead hearts return to life through the nûr of hidâyah. Even the sick, who appear to be dead, are healed by his breath and medicine. You, too, can find a remedy for every trouble of yours in the pharmacy of My hikmah. Work and find it! Indeed, if you seek, you may find.”

Thus, this âyah draws the limit of medicine beyond the present progress of man, and indicates and urges towards that limit.

The Twentieth Word-Second Station

 

The Qur’an possesses miraculousness, and its miraculousness exists. Because the absolute majority of people in the Arabian Peninsula at that age were illiterate; therefore, they were preserving the sources of their pride, historical events and proverbs promoting good morality by means of poetry and balâghat instead of writing. A meaningful word was being remembered by people from generation to generation with the charm of poetry and balâghat. As a result of this fitrî need, eloquence and balâghat were the most sought-after goods in that nation’s ma’nawî trade market. As proof, it may be mentioned that, in a tribe, a litterateur well-versed in balâghat was like their greatest national hero. They took pride in him at most. Thus, the intelligent tribe that ruled the world after Islam with their intelligence was the most advanced and highest among the tribes of the world in balâghat that was in high demand among them and the source of their pride and they intensely needed. Balâghat was so valuable that for the word of a litterateur, two tribes would start a great battle, and with his word, they would make peace. So much so that, among them, they had the seven laudatory poems of seven poets called Mu'allaqat as-Sab'a written in gold on the walls of the Ka'ba and took pride in them. At such a time when balâghat was most in demand, the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition was revealed. Just as sihr was most in demand at the time of Mûsa ‘Alayhissalâm and medicine at the time of ‘Îsâ ‘Alayhissalâm, and their important miracles came with those kinds. Thus, at that time, the Qur'an invited the Arabian litterateurs well-versed in balâghat to reciprocate to one of its shortest surahs. It challenges them with the decree,وَاِنْ كُنْتُمْ فِى رَيْبٍ مِمَّا نَزَّلْنَا عَلَى عَبْدِنَا فَاْتُوا بِسُورَةٍ مِنْ مِثْلِهِ 20

It also says, "You shall be cursed if you do not come to îmân, you shall enter into Jahannam." It strikes intensely in their veins, terribly smashes their pride and despises their arrogant minds. It condemns them firstly to eternal extinction and then eternal extinction in Jahannam, as well as worldly extinction. It says, "Either contend with me, or your life and your property shall perish.

The Twenty-Fifth Word/1st Light/1st Ray/1st Aspect

4. The good tidings and news about Muhammad (asm) in the Injîl (Bible), Tawrah (Torah) and Zabûr (Psalms):

Just as matters concerning the ghayb, such as death and the appointed time for the end of one's life, remain hidden for many benefits and hikmahs, so qiyâmah that is the sakârat and death of the world and the death and appointed time for the end of the life of mankind and the animal nation has been concealed for many benefits. Yes, if the appointed time for the end of one's life was specified — the first half of life in absolute ghaflah and the second half of it in absolute terror due to taking one step further towards the gallows every day to be executed — the beneficial balance of hope and fear that is full of hikmah would be destroyed. In exactly the same way, if the time of qiyâmah that is the sakarât and the appointed time for the end of the world's life had been specified, the early and middle ages would not have been affected by the thought of the âkhirah. And the later ages would be in absolute terror; no pleasure or value would remain in the life of the world, nor would ‘ubûdiyyah with obedience through the will amidst hope and fear have any importance or hikmah. Furthermore, if it were specified, some of the haqiqahs of îmân would be evident and everybody would affirm involuntarily. The mystery of man's accountability and the hikmah of îmân that are tied to the will and irâdah would be nullified. Thus, since matters concerning the ghayb remained hidden for numerous benefits, like this, everyone can work both for this world and the âkhirah since he can think every minute about the appointed time for the end of his life as well as the continuation of his life in this world; in the same way, since, in each age, everyone can think that both the qiyâmah will occur and the world will continue, he can work for eternal life amidst the transitoriness of the world and for building the world as though he will never die.

Furthermore, if the time of calamities were specified, the man afflicted with the calamity would suffer a ma’nawî calamity perhaps ten times greater than the actual calamity by its expectation. Therefore, the time of calamities is concealed and veiled by the hikmah and rahmah of Allah so that one would not suffer the calamity arising from its expectation. And giving news from the ghayb has been prohibited because the majority of the events of the ghayb pertaining to the universe contain such hikmahs. For not being disrespectful and disobedient to the principle لاَ يَعْلَمُ الْغَيْبَ اِلاَّ اللّٰهُ 21, even those who — with the permission of Ar-Rabb — give news about the matters concerning the ghayb that the man is not accountable for and are not included among the haqiqahs of îmân have given veiled and obscure news about those matters in the form of an indication only.

Even the good tidings and news about our Prophet revealed in the Tawrah22, the Injîl23 and the Zabûr24 were veiled and obscure to an extent that some followers of those books made forced interpretations and did not believe. However, the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition and its Glorious Interpreter (asm) inform the matters of the âkhirah in detail and the future events of the world concisely because the hikmah of man's accountability necessitates informing the matters included in the creeds of îmân explicitly and repeatedly and making their tablîgh clearly.

The Fifth Ray-Introduction-4th Point

 

The phraseوَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِى اْلاِنْجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ اَخْرَجَ شَطْاَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَى عَلَى سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ25 is the information about the ghayb in two aspects:

The First is the giving information about the Injîl giving news about the Sahâbah that was ghayb for the illiterate prophet (asm).

Yes, in the Injîl, there are âyahs, like مَعَهُ قَضِيبٌ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ وَاُمَّتُهُ كَذلِك26 that describe the attributes of the prophet (asm) who will come in the âkhirzaman. That is, a prophet who possesses a sword, unlike Hazrat ‘Îsâ (as) will come. He will be charged with jihâd, and his sahâbah, too, will have swords and be charged with jihâd. He will be the possessor of قَضِيبٌ مِنْ حَدِيدٍ and will be the chief of ‘âlam because, in one place in the Injîl, it says, "I am departing so that the chief of ‘âlam will come." That is, the chief of ‘âlam is coming. It means that it is understood from these two phrases in the Injîl: although at the beginning, sahâbah will appear to be few and weak, they will develop and grow like seeds, rise, thicken and strengthen, and at a time when they will cause kâfirs to drown by swallowing their rage, they will subjugate mankind to themselves with their swords and prove that their chief, the prophet (asm), is the chief of ‘âlam. It exactly expresses the meaning of the above âyah of surah al-fath.

The Seventh Flash-The Seventh

 

If we display the perfections of the morality of Islam and the haqiqahs of îmân with our actions, followers of other religions will certainly enter Islam in communities. Rather, some of the continents and states of the globe of the earth will even seek refuge in Islam.

The Damascus Sermon-24

 

سُبْحَانَكَ لاَ عِلْمَ لَنَا اِلاَّ مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ

اَللّٰهُمَّ صَلِّ وَ سَلِّمْ عَلَى شَمْسِ سَمَاءِ الرِّسَالَةِ وَ قَمَرِ بُرْجِ النُّبُوَّةِ وَ عَلَى آلِهِ وَ اَصْحَابِهِ نُجُومِ الْهِدَايَةِ وَ رْحَمْنَا

 وَ ارْحَمِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَ الْمُؤْمِنَاتِ آمِينَ آمِينَ آمِينَ

هَدَينَا اللّٰهُ وَ اِيَّاكُمْ اِلَى الصِّرَاطِ الْمُسْتَقِيمِ