بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

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

SHUKR – THANKS - 2

1. Shukr al-urfî — Shukr offered through action that is the haqiqah of shukr:

Furthermore, among the many meanings of hamd, the most well-known one is displaying the attributes belonging to His Kamâl1.

The haqiqah of this matter is as follows: Allah Subhânahu created man and made him a comprehensive exemplar that gathers the universe in himself and an index of the book of the ‘âlam that comprises eighteen thousand ‘âlams, and into his essence, He entrusted a sample from all those ‘âlams, in which one of the Names of Taâ’lâ manifests. 2

If man spends all of what is bestowed on him for the purpose and hikmah of their creation and spends them for performing shukr al-‘urfî that is included under the title of “hamd,” and if he obeys Sharî’ah that removes the rust of nature, then each of those samples opens a mishkât3 and a window to the ‘âlam to which they belong and becomes a mirror to the attribute of Allah that manifests in that ‘âlam and to the name that manifests from that attribute. Thus, in this way, with both his rûh and material being, man becomes a summary of al-‘âlam ash-shahâdah and al-‘âlam al-ghayb, and what is manifested in those ‘âlams manifests in him.

Man becomes a place of manifestation for the attributes of Allah belonging to His Kamâl through offering hamd. This is indicated by what Muhyiddîn al-'Arabi said in explanation of the hadith:كُنْتُ كَنْزًا مَخْفِيًّا فَخَلَقْتُ الْخَلْقَ لِيَعْرِفُونِى 4 That is, I created creation to be a mirror in which I might observe My Jamâl.

   Signs of Miraculousness - 42

All material and ma’nawî senses, subtle faculties and feelings have a duty and a purpose of creation. Man can offer their shukr through using them for the purpose of their creation. It is called shukr al-urfî, which is the haqiqah of the mystery of amanah and selling one’s nafs and property to Allah and becoming His ‘abd that is indicated by the âyah 5 ‌اِنَّ اللّٰهَ اشْتَرٰى مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اَنْفُسَهُمْ وَ اَمْوَالَهُمْ بِاَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ‌ .

By means of shukr al-urfî, all those senses, subtle faculties and feelings acquire value due to the names of Allah that manifest in them; man becomes a real human being; he reaches to the rank ahsan taqwîm and a’lâ ‘illiyyin. It is as follows:

If you want to understand how profitable trade and honourable rank to sell one’s nafs and property to Allah and to be His ‘abd and soldier are, listen to this short story in the form of a comparison:

One time, as an amanah, one sultân gives each of two men from amongst his subjects a farm on which everything is present, like factory, machines, horses and weapons. But because it is a tempestuous time of war, nothing can remain permanent. It will either be destroyed, changed, or lost. The sultân sent his most honourable assistant out of his perfect mercy to those two soldiers. With a most compassionate decree, he was saying to them:

"Sell me my amanah that you hold in your hands so that I shall protect it for you. Let it not be destroyed without purpose. Furthermore, after the war is over, I shall return it to you in a better condition. Also, it is as if that amanah were your property, I shall give you a very high price. Furthermore, the tools in the factory and the machines will be operated in my name and on my workbench. Both their prices and payments will rise from one to a thousand. I shall give you all the profit. Furthermore, you are impotent and poor; you cannot provide for the cost of those great works. I shall undertake all the expenses and equipment and give you all the income and benefits. Furthermore, I shall leave my amanah in your possession until the time of demobilisation. Here, profit within profit, by five degrees!

If you do not sell it to me, you already see that no one can preserve what they have in their hands. You will lose, like everyone else. Furthermore, it will be lost for no purpose; you will also be deprived of that high price. Furthermore, those fragile and precious tools and scales will lose all their value since wonderful minerals to be used and valuable services to be performed are not found. Furthermore, the hardship and burden of management and preservation will be yours. Also, you will receive punishment for betraying the amanah. Here, loss within loss, by five degrees!

As for selling it to me, it means becoming my soldier and acting in my name. Instead of an ordinary prisoner and irregular soldier, you will be a private and free assistant soldier of a mighty sultân."

After they had listened to this kindness and decree, the mindful one of those two men said:

"With pleasure, I will proudly sell. I offer a thousandfold thanks as well."

The other one was proud, self-centred and fond of merriment, his nafs had become a Pharaoh, and he did not know anything about the earthquakes and tempests of the world, as if he were to stay eternally on that farm. He said:

“No, no! Who is the sultân? I do not sell my property nor spoil my pleasure.”

After some time, the first man has reached such a rank that everyone envies his state. He has been honoured with the sultân’s kindness and favour and lives happily in his private palace. The other was subjected to such a state where everyone pities him but also says, “He deserves it” because, as a result of his error, he has both lost his happiness and property and suffers punishment and torment.

Thus, O nafs full of desires! Look at the face of haqiqah through the telescope of this comparison. As for the sultân, He is your Rabb and Khâliq, Who is the Sultân of azal and eternity. As for the farms, machines, tools and scales, they are your possessions in the sphere of your life, and your body, rûh and heart within those possessions, and your outer and inner senses like the eye, tongue, mind and imagination within them. As for the most honourable assistant, he is Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm. As for the firmest decree, it is Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm; through the following ayah, it declares the immense trade we discuss:

اِنَّ اللّٰهَ اشْتَرٰى مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اَنْفُسَهُمْ وَ اَمْوَالَهُمْ بِاَنَّ لَهُمُ الْجَنَّةَ‌

As for the tempestuous field of battle, it is the stormy face of the world that never stops; it turns and decays and gives the following thought to the mind of each man:

"Since everything will go out of our hands, be destroyed and be lost, is there no remedy to make them permanent by transforming them to be eternal?"

While thinking, the samâwî voice of the Qur'an is heard. It says, "Indeed, there is! There is a beautiful and easy remedy in a five-degree profitable way."

Question: What is it?

The Answer: To sell the amanah to its true owner... Thus, in that sale, there is profit within profit, by five degrees.

The First Profit: Transient property becomes eternal. For this fading life, which is given to the Zuljalâl One, Who is Al-Qayyûm Al-Bâqî, and is spent for His sake, transforms into an eternal one and gives eternal fruits. Then, the moments of life appear to die and rot, like seeds and kernels, but they bloom and sprout the flowers of happiness in al-‘âlam-al-baqâ, and each becomes a luminous and companionable view in al-‘âlam al-barzakh.

The Second Profit: A price like Jannah is given.

The Third Profit: The value of each of limbs and senses increases from one to a thousand.

For example, the mind is a tool. It will become such an inauspicious, troublesome and annoying tool that it descends to the level of an unfortunate and detrimental tool that will load all the sad sorrows of the past and the frightening states of the future onto your unfortunate head if you do not sell it to Janâb-i Haqq but rather employ it on behalf of nafs. Thus, it is for this reason that a fâsiq man generally runs to drunkenness or amusements in order to be saved from being disturbed and troubled by the mind. If the mind is sold to its True Mâlik and if you employ it on His behalf, it becomes such a key with talisman that it opens the infinite treasures of rahmah and the troves of hikmah that the universe contains, and with them, it rises to the degree of a Rabbânî guide (Murshid) that prepares its owner for eternal happiness.

For example, the eye is a sense that, through that window, the rûh beholds this ‘âlam. If you do not sell it to Janâb-i Haqq but rather employ it on behalf of nafs, by watching some temporary, impermanent beauties and views, it will be a servant of the lust and desires of the nafs at the level of being a pander. If you sell the eye to its Sâni’, Who is Basîr, and employ it on His behalf and within the sphere of His permission, then the eye will rise to the rank of a reader of the great book of the universe, a spectator of the miracles of art of Ar-Rabb in this ‘âlam and a blessed bee of the flowers of rahmah in the garden of the globe of the earth.

For example, if you do not sell the sense of taste in the tongue to its Fâtir, Who is Hakîm, but rather employ it on behalf of nafs and for the sake of the stomach, then it will decrease and decline to the level of a doorkeeper to the barn and factory of the stomach. If you sell it to Ar-Razzâq, Who is Karîm, then the sense of taste in the tongue will rise to the rank of a skilled treasurer of the treasuries of Allah’s rahmah and an inspector, who offers shukr, of the kitchens of the qoudrah of As-Samad.

If you compare all the other tools and limbs like these, you can understand that, in truth, the mu’min attains an essence worthy of Jannah, and the kâfir attains an essence conforming to Jahannam. The reason for each of them attaining such a value is: with his îmân, the mu’min uses the amanah of his Khâliq on His behalf and within the sphere of His permission. And betraying the amanah, the kâfir employs it on account of nafs al-ammarah.

…

We should strive to sell it now. I wonder, is it such a burdensome thing that many people shun selling it? No! By no means! It is not burdensome at all because the sphere of halal is broad and sufficient for pleasure. There is no need to enter into haram. The fardh of Allah are light and few. To be the ‘abd and soldier of Allah is such a pleasurable honour that cannot be described. As for the duty, one should work and start only on behalf of Allah, like a soldier, give and take on account of Allah, and act and be still in the sphere of His permission and law. If he commits a fault, he should offer istighfâr. He should say, "O Rabb! Forgive our faults, accept us as Your servants and make us trustworthy with the amanah until the time of its being taken. Âmîn!", and He should be beseeched.

The Sixth Word

 

I see that the most fortunate person in the life of this world is one who accepts the world as a military guesthouse and has idh‘ân in that way and acts accordingly. And through that acceptance, he can swiftly gain the rank of acceptance and pleasure of Allah, the greatest rank; he would not give the price of a perpetual diamond to a thing with the price of a piece of glass that will break; he passes his life within istiqâmah and with pleasure. Yes, the matters belonging to the world are glasses doomed to be broken, while the eternal matters belonging to the âkhirah possess the value of extremely solid diamonds. The intense feelings in man's fitrah, such as intense curiosity, fervent love, terrible ambition, obstinately desiring, and so on, have been given to him to gain the matters belonging to the âkhirah. To turn those feelings intensely towards transitory matters of the world is giving the price of eternal diamonds to transient glasses that will break. A point occurred to the mind in connection with this; I shall tell it. It is as follows:

‘Ashq is an intense love. When it turns towards transitory beloveds, it either causes its owner to suffer perpetual torment and pain or, since the metaphorical beloved is not worth the price of such intense love, it causes its owner to search for an eternal beloved; the metaphorical ‘ashq transforms into true (Haqîqî) ‘ashq.

Thus, there are thousands of feelings in man. Like ‘ashq, each of them has two degrees. One is metaphorical, the other is true (Haqîqî).

For example, the feeling of anxiety about the future is present in everyone. When one suffers intense anxiety, he looks and sees that he does not have a certain proof in his hand to reach the future he is anxious about. Furthermore, a future that is brief and guaranteed with respect to rizq is not worth such intense anxiety. So, he turns his face away from it and turns towards a true and long future beyond the grave that has not been guaranteed for the ghâfils.

He also displays intense ambition for possessions and rank, and then he looks and sees that the transient possession that has been put temporarily under his supervision and the calamitous fame and perilous rank that are the sources of riyâ are not worth such intense ambition. From it, he turns towards ma’nawî ranks and degrees of closeness to Allah that are true ranks and towards the stock of provisions for the âkhirah and ‘amal as-sâlih that are true possessions. The metaphorical ambition that is a bad trait transforms into true ambition, which is an elevated trait.

Furthermore, for example, with intense obstinacy, he spends his feelings on insignificant, fading, transient matters; he sees that he has been obstinate for a year over something not worth even a minute of obstinacy. He also persists in a poisonous and harmful thing out of obstinacy. Then he sees that this powerful feeling was not given to him for such things. Spending it on them is contrary to hikmah and haqiqah. Then he spends that intense obstinacy not on those useless transitory matters, but on the elevated and eternal haqiqahs of îmân, principles of Islam and services for the âkhirah; such metaphorical obstinacy that is a contemptible trait transforms into true obstinacy that is ardent steadfastness on haqq, a beautiful and elevated trait.

Thus, like these three examples, if man uses the ma’nawî faculties given to him on account of the nafs and the world and acts with ghaflah as though he will eternally remain in the world, they become sources of contemptible morality, wastefulness and futility. But if he spends ma’nawî faculties that are not severe on the matters of the world and the intense ones on ma’nawî duties and the duties belonging to the âkhirah, they become the sources of praiseworthy morality and the means to happiness in both worlds in a way conforming to hikmah and haqiqah.

The Ninth Letter

 

Irâdah, mind, feelings and Rabbânî subtle faculties, which are the four elements of the conscience (Vijdân) and the four faculties of the rûh, each have an ultimate aim. The ultimate aim of the irâdah is ‘ibâdah to Allah; the ultimate aim of mind is ma’rifatullah; the ultimate aim of feelings is the love of Allah; the ultimate aim of subtle faculties is mushâhadatullah6. The perfect ‘ibâdah that is called taqwâ comprises the four of them. Sharî'ah both cultivates and corrects them and directs them towards their ultimate aims.

Damascus Sermon-136

Shukr al-urfî is the way of the tazkiyyah of nafs. It is cleansing and purifying the nafs through following the commands of Sharî’ah, which is the highest rank of Sahabah:

Although the people of walâyah succeeded in annihilating the nafs and killing the nafs al-ammarah, they still could not reach Sahabah because, with the many faculties within the essence of nafs, Sahabah became the place of manifestation for more varieties of ‘ubûdiyyah and kinds of shukr and hamd since their nafs had been purified (tazkiyyah) and cleansed. After annihilating nafs, the ‘ubûdiyyah of awliyâ becomes simple and plain.

…

If man consisted of only the heart, it would be necessary to abandon the mâsiwâ7, leave even the Names and Attributes behind and bind the heart only to Janâb-i Haqq. But man possesses many senses, feelings and subtle faculties charged with duties, such as the mind (aql), rûh, sirr and nafs. The perfect man is the one whose heart goes heroically, like a commander, with subtle faculties as its soldiers towards the aim, in a broad circle and rich fashion, same as the Sahabah by directing all those subtle faculties towards haqiqah on the different ways of ‘ubûdiyyah particular to each of those subtle faculties. Otherwise, if the heart abandons its soldiers in order to save only itself and goes on its own, it is not the cause of pride but the consequence of being compelled.

Addendum to The Twenty-Seventh Word

2. The reward of shukr for the worldly ni’mahs offered by action as defined in Sharî’ah is those ni’mahs being given eternally in Jannah in a form worthy of Jannah. The following part is an example of the ni’mah of beauty bestowed on women: 

It is understood from hadiths’ narrations that what will play the most terrible role in the fitnah of the âkhirzaman will be women and their fitnah. Yes, just as it is reported in the histories that, in ancient times, a group of soldiers composed of extremely skilled warrior women called ‘Amazons’ fought extraordinarily in battles. In the same way, at the present time, in the war of the dhalâlah of zandaqa against Islam, through the plan of nafs al-ammarah, the most fearsome group that is placed under the command of shaytan is half-naked women; with their naked legs, which are terrible knives, they attack and assault the people of îmân. By working to close the road to marriage and widen the road to houses of debauchery, they take many people’s nafs captive and wound their hearts and rûhs with kabâir; rather, they kill some of those hearts.

As a perfect punishment for displaying them to the desires of non-mahram men’s nafs, those legs with knives will be the logs of Jahannam and burn first. And since she has lost her trustworthiness and loyalty in this world, she can no longer find a suitable husband whom by her disposition, she wants and who, by her fitrah, she is in great need of. Even if she finds one, it only brings her trouble. It is even understood from hadiths’ narrations that as a result of this situation, in the âkhirzaman, due to marriage being neither sought after nor respected, women will be without a guardian, unimportant and valueless to the extent that one man will look after forty women in some places.

Since the haqiqah is this. And since every beautiful one loves their beauty and wants to preserve it as far as they can and do not want it to be spoiled. And since beauty is a ni’mah, if shukr is offered for a ni’mah, it increases in a ma’nawî manner, while if shukr is not offered, it becomes ugly. For sure, if she has a mind, she will run away with all her strength from using her goodness and beauty to reap sins for herself and others, making her beauty and loveliness ugly and poisonous and turning that ni’mah due to ingratitude into a source of punishment. And to make her transient five or ten years of beauty permanent, she will offer shukr for that ni’mah by using it in a way that Sharî’ah permits; otherwise, in her old age, she will be detested for a long time and will weep despairingly.

It is indeed established in the hadiths that if her beauty is beautified with the adornment of Qur’anic âdâb within the sphere of Islamic tarbiyyah, that transient beauty will be eternal in a ma’nawî manner, and in Jannah, it will be given to her in a more graceful and shining fashion than the beauty of the houris. If such a beauty has even an iota of mind, she will not allow this beautiful, shining and eternal result to slip from her hand.

Youth Guide-An important matter that was suddenly warned

The ni’mah of youth:

One day, some brilliant youths came to me. Like I had told those who had previously sought help from the Risale-i Nur, I also said to these youths who seek an effective warning to guard themselves against the dangers arising from life, youth and the desires of nafs:

Your youth will undoubtedly leave you. If you do not stay within the sphere of the permission of Sharî’ah, it will be lost; instead of its pleasures, it will bring you troubles and excruciating pains both in this world, the grave and the âkhirah. If through the tarbiyyah of Islam, in order to offer its shukr, you spend the ni’mah of youth in ‘iffah, chastity and obedience, youth, in ma’nawî aspect, will remain perpetually and will be the cause of gaining eternal youth.

Thirteenth Word/A warning, lesson and reminder given to some helpless youth

 

Then I looked at my youth, which makes everyone weep with its fading, infatuates them and fills them with desire, which passed and continues to pass in sin and ghaflah. I saw that within its beautiful and adorned charshaf (garb) was a most ugly, drunken, stupid face. If I do not know the true essence of youth, in return for intoxicating me and making me laugh for a few years, it would make me weep if I remained in the world for a hundred years. Just as such a person said by lamenting:

لَيْتَ الشَّبَابَ يَعُودُ يَوْمًا فَاُخْبِرَهُ بِمَا فَعَلَ الْمَشِيبُ

That is, "If only my youth would return one day, I would tell it and complain about the sorrowful states that old age has brought me.”

Indeed, elders, such as the abovementioned one, who do not know the true essence of youth, think of their youth and weep with regret and longing. However, when youth is with the mu’mins with sound mind and heart, who are the people of heart and hudhur, and if it is spent in ‘ibâdah, khayr and trade for the âkhirah, it is the most powerful means of trade, the most beautiful and pleasant means of good works. And youth is a most precious and delightful ni’mah of Allah for those who know their religious duties and do not misuse it. When youth is not in istiqâmah, ‘iffah and taqwâ, it has many dangers; with its transgressions, it damages one’s eternal happiness and life in the âkhirah, as well as ruining his life in this world. Indeed, in return for the one or two years of pleasures of youth, he suffers many years of grief and sorrow in old age.

Since, for most people, youth is harmful, we elders should offer shukr to Allah that we have been saved from the dangers and harm of it. Like everything else, the pleasures of youth will depart, too. If it has been spent in ‘ibâdah and for khayr, the fruits of such a youth remain perpetually in its place and become the means of gaining youth in eternal life.

The Twenty-Sixth Flash/Eighth Hope

 

As for your love of youth: Since you have loved it as a beautiful ni’mah of Janâb-i Haqq, you will indeed spend it for ‘ibâdah; you will not drown it in dissipation and kill it. Thus the ‘ibâdahs you have gained during your youth are the eternal fruits of transitory youth. As you grow older, you will be saved from the perils and excesses of youth while reaping the eternal fruits of youth, which are the good results of youth. Since, in old age, you will think that you will achieve success in performing more ‘ibâdah and being more worthy of the mercy of Allah, you will not weep for your youth and feel sadness by thinking, "Alas, my youth has gone!" as the people of ghaflah do for fifty years after losing the pleasures of youth that lasted five or ten years. Just as one of those ghâfils said, لَيْتَ الشَّبَابَةَ يَعُودُ يَوْمًا فَاُخْبِرُهُ بِمَا فَعَلَ الْمَشِيبُ . That is, "If only my youth would return one day, I would tell it and complain about the sorrowful states that old age has brought me.”

Thirty-Second Word/An Important Question