بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

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

TASATTUR – HIJÂB – COVERING - 6

Hazrat Bediüzzaman avoided mingling with women (ikhtilat) for any reason in his life:

Even if we disregard the universal and vast Qur’anic service that Ustadh performed and assume that his entire occupation and service consisted solely of the lessons he gave to the people he met and the guidance he offered to them, it is still a service that is so great and effective that it is unparalleled. His service in this area is monumental. In Emirdağ and its surrounding villages, he had many sisters of the âkhirah, students and friends, just as men and women that he had accepted as students, brothers and sisters of the âkhirah while in Barla. He paid great attention to innocent children in particular.

Ustadh’s boundless ‘iffah and istiqâmah are testified to, proven and undeniable. Throughout his life, he strictly avoided talking to women or even looking at them. It is understood from one of his letters that, even in his youth, he was at the pinnacle of ‘iffah and istiqâmah as it was established through the testimony of the people who knew him and his life well.

By seeing this exemplary ‘iffah and istiqâmah of Ustadh, the townspeople showed him ma’nawî attachment for the âkhirah. Ustadh would always offer du'â for the women he accepted as his sisters of the âkhirah and the innocent children he considered his ma’nawî children and students. He would briefly inform them that women are the heroes of compassion; in this age, it is necessary for them to act within the sphere of tarbiyyah of Islam; they are responsible for their children’s lives in the âkhirah; if they were to raise them religiously, they would have a share in their children’s rewards. He would say to them that he is very ill. He would request their du'â and offer du'â for the elderly and young women who perform salâh and accept them as his sisters of the âkhirah. He would speak very few words. Through the innocence of their hearts, the blessed women would know that Said Nursî was an eminent person of ahl al-haqq and haqiqah.

Biography 464-465

It is well known to those who know my life: fifty-five years ago, when I was about twenty years old, I stayed at the residence of the late Governor ‘Umar Pasha in Bitlis for two years at his insistence and because of his great respect for ‘ilm. He had six daughters; three were younger, and the other three were older. Despite living in the same residence with them for two years, I could not identify and differentiate the three older ones from one another. I never paid them attention, nor did I know them. An ‘âlim came to visit me, and within two days, he could identify and differentiate between them. Everybody was surprised with this state of mine and asked me, “Why do you not look at them?”

I would tell them, “Protecting the dignity of ‘ilm prevents me from looking.”

Moreover, forty years ago, during a special Kâğıthane festival in Istanbul, thousands of immodestly dressed Greek and Armenian women and girls, as well as those from Istanbul, lined up around both sides of the Golden Thorn, all the way from the Bridge to Kâğıthane. At that time, the late member of parliament, Mullah Sayyid Taha and another member of parliament, Haji Ilyas and I were together on a boat; we were passing by those women. I was not aware. However, Mullah Taha and Haji Ilyas confessed after an hour of travelling on that boat that they had been testing me and were watching me in turn. They said, “We are amazed at your state; you did not look even once.”

I said, “I do not want to look because the consequences of unnecessary, temporary and sinful pleasures are pains and regrets.”

Biography 519-520

CONCLUSION

1. If it is said, “There are many ‘ulamâ, who give fatwâs about tasattur. Can’t we follow their fatwas that show us an easy way that conforms to the modern Western lifestyle?”

The Answer: Let Hazrat Bediüzzaman give the answer. It is as follows:

By using the conditions of the present time as an excuse and using rukhsah (exceptions) within the Sharî’ah as a cover, books are written in a way that prepares the ground for a version of Wahhabism and Malamisim1 . Without extending it to everyone, it is indeed one of the fundamental duties of the Risale-i Nur to preserve the subtle yet important principles like the principle of walâyah, the principle of taqwâ, the principle of ‘azîmah and the principles of Sunnah as-Saniyyah that arose from the haqiqahs of Islam and reached us. These principles should not be abandoned by the pressure of necessities (dharûrah) and the permissions (fatwa) given according to the conditions of the time.

Kastamonu Addendum (77)

The neglectful should not be indulged with rukhsah but severely warned with ‘azîmah.

The Letters-The seeds of haqiqah-103

O you, who are asleep while awake! And you who think you are awake while asleep!

Do not approach civilised people with tolerance in religious matters and by resembling them. You think you can be a bridge and fill the valley between us and them. Definitely not! Because the distance between mu’min and kâfir is infinite, and the valley between us is extremely deep, and you cannot fill it. Instead, you would join them or fall into a deep dhalâlah.

Al-Mathnawî Al-Nûrî- 276

Indeed, to preserve the life of this world, there is rukhsah in Sharî’ah for temporarily preferring the life of this world over some of the matters of the âkhirah on the condition that it is at the degree of dharûrah. However, this preference cannot be made due to a simple need alone or harm that will not cause a person to perish; there is no rukhsah for it, whereas this age has injected into the man’s vein to such a degree that for the smallest of needs and the most insignificant harm to worldly life, he abandons the matters of religion, which are like diamonds.

Kastamonu Addendum (105)

Yes, only if there is an absolute dharûrah; Sharî’ah gives rukhsah to prefer the glass (such as this world and property) to the diamond (such as the âkhirah and îmân) provided that the diamond is recognised and accepted as a diamond. Otherwise, if it is preferred due to a minor need or desire or greed and slight fear, it is foolish ignorance and a loss that makes the one who prefers it deserve a slap. 

Kastamonu Addendum (25)

الَّذِينَ يَسْتَحِبُّونَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا عَلَى اْلآخِرَةِ وَيَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا اُولئِكَ فِى ضَلاَلٍ بَعِيدٍ2

Through its three phrases, this âyah, too, looks both to the way of Risale-i Nur and the way of mulhids regarding the conformity of its meaning and certain ma’nawî connections. And it says with its first phrase, “Through the guidance of some people of îmân (even though they have their îmân) and some people of ‘ilm (even though they perfectly know the âkhirah) joining them, those wretches knowingly and willingly prefer the life of the world over religion and the âkhirah, like preferring glasses worth five cents over the diamond, even though they know the diamond and have found it; they obstinately prefer a life of dissipation over religious sentiments and take pride in irreligion. This phrase has a special connection with this century because no century has shown such a feature. In the former ages, the people of dhalâlah did not know the âkhirah and denied it; they did not know the diamond as a diamond and preferred the world.

And with its second phrase, which is 3 وَ يَصُدُّونَ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ, the âyah says, “Since those wretches’ dhalâlah was born out of obstinacy and love for life, they do not remain harmless but transgress. With hostility, they want to dry up the sources of the religion they know and their ancestors tied to; they want to destroy its foundations and close its doors and roads.”

And with its third phrase, which is وَيَبْغُونَهَا عِوَجًا4 , the âyah says, “Since their dhalâlah arose from science and philosophy, it gave them bizarre pride, a strange state of the pharaoh and a terrible ananiyyah that spoilt their nafs. They want to see both the rays of laws of Allah that administer the universe and the principles of those haqiqahs in the world of mankind (Hashâ, hashâ!) as crooked, wrong and incomplete since they do not consider them to be suitable to the inferior appetites and desires of their nafs.”

The First Ray/3rd Âyah

(Please also refer to the compilation What is dharûrah?)

Indeed, Hazrat Usthad has perfectly conformed to Sunnah As-Saniyyah of Ar-Rasûl Al-Akram ‘Alayhissalâtu Wassalâm. This state of Bediüzzaman, too, is an exemplar for all mujahidîn of Islam and Muslims. In other words, he performed ‘ubûdiyyah and taqwâ with jihâd. He did not neglect one or the other.

Conference (25)

(This letter is extremely important.)

My ‘azîz, siddîq brothers,

In recent times, I have considered the principles of taqwâ and ‘amal as-sâlih, which, in the view of Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm, are held to be the most fundamental principles after îmân. Taqwâ is to abstain from prohibitions and sins, and ‘amal as-sâlih is to act within the sphere of the command of Allah and earn sawâb through good deeds. While repelling sharr has at all times taken precedence over attracting good, in this age of destruction, dissipation (safahat) and alluring desires, this taqwâ — which consists of repelling corruption and abandoning kabâir — has become the primary foundation and gained supreme precedence.

Since negative currents and destruction have become terrifying in this age, taqwâ is the greatest principle against this ruinous destruction. Those who perform the fardh ‘ibâdah and do not commit the kabâir attain salvation. Amidst such grave kabâir, attaining ikhlâs in ‘amal as-sâlih is exceedingly rare. Furthermore, under these severe conditions, even a small act of ‘amal as-sâlih amounts to a vast amount.

Furthermore, a form of ‘amal as-sâlih is contained within taqwâ, for abandoning a haram is wâjib; and performing a single wâjib yields sawâb corresponding to many Sunnahs. In such times, amidst the onslaught of thousands of sins, taqwâ — through a single act of abstaining with a small deed — amounts to having performed hundreds of wâjibs by abandoning hundreds of sins. With the intention of this significant point, as taqwâ and with the resolve to avoid sin, it constitutes a significant ‘amal as-sâlih deriving from passive ‘ibâdah.

In this age, the most important duty of the students of the Risale-i Nur is to adopt taqwâ as their primary principle against destruction and sins, and to act upon it. Since, in the present way of social life, a hundred sins confront a person every minute, surely, through taqwâ and the intention of abstaining, he amounts to having performed a hundred ‘amal as-sâlih.

Kastamonu Addendum (148-149)

2. The most important point about tasattur is this: even if Muslim men and women have shortcomings in their observance of tasattur, they must acknowledge tasattur as defined in the Sharî’ah, and they should not devalue the tasattur or Islamic clothing that they fail to fully practice due to modern Western lifestyle and habits. They should appreciate and love the Islamic lifestyle that conforms to the principles of ‘azimah and taqwâ, as well as the people who live their lives according to those principles. For their deficiencies and shortcomings, they should offer istighfâr and strive to correct them. Adhering to this principle of recognition is the vital boundary between kufr and îmân.

To know Allah is to have a firm îmân in His rubûbiyyah encompassing the entire universe, to believe that everything, whether particular or universal, from the particles to the stars, is in the grasp of His control, coming into existence through His qoudrah and irâdah, to have îmân that He has no shariks in His dominion and in the sacred phrase لاَ اِلهَ اِلاَّ اللّٰهُ and all its haqiqahs, and to affirm all of these through the heart. Otherwise, saying, “There is one Allah” while partitioning His dominion among causes and nature, attributing that dominion to them — hashâ — acknowledging causes as His infinite shariks and as ultimate points of reference, failing to acknowledge His irâdah and ‘ilm present with all things, refusing to acknowledge His inviolable commands and failing to acknowledge His attributes and the messengers and prophets He has sent; indeed, the haqiqah of îmân in Allah is not present in those words in any respect. Rather, he says it to attain a degree of consolation for himself against the worldly torment of the ma’nawî Jahannam within kufr al-mutlaq.

Yes, not denying is one thing, but having îmân is entirely different.

Yes, no conscious being in the universe can deny Al-Khâliq Zuljalâl, Whose existence is testified to by witnesses as numerous as the particles and elements of the universe. If he does so, he will remain silent and indifferent, because the entire universe will prove him wrong. But to have îmân in Him is to affirm Al-Khâliq in the heart with His attributes and names, by relying on the testimony of the whole universe just as the Qur’an Great in Dignity teaches; it is to acknowledge the commands He has sent through His messengers and to turn to Him in tawbah and feel regret in the heart when one sins and violates the commands. Otherwise, committing great sins freely but not offering istighfâr and being careless about them is proof that he has no share of îmân in Allah.

Emirdağ Addendum-1 (202)

The meaning of the non-mu’min Muslim and the non-Muslim mu’min is this: In the early period of the Freedom5 , I saw irreligious individuals who infiltrated the members of the Party of Union and Progress6 . They acknowledged that Islam and the Sharî’ah of Ahmad (asm) contain profoundly beneficial and valuable sublime principles for the social life of mankind and particularly for the politics of the Ottoman; thereby, they were supporters of the Sharî’ah of Ahmad (asm) with all their strength. At that point, they were Muslims; that is, they were supporters of haqq and had iltizâm for haqq, yet they were not mu’mins. It means that they deserved to be categorised as non-mu’min Muslims. But now, even though he supports the Western methods and principles and the currents of bid’ah that destroy Sharî’ah under the name of civilisation, he carries îmân in Allah, in the âkhirah and the Prophet and considers himself a mu’min. Since he does not truly support and have iltizâm for the laws of the Sharî’ah of Ahmad (asm) that are haqq and haqiqah, he becomes a non-Muslim mu’min. As Islam without îmân cannot be the means of salvation, neither can îmân withstand without Islam knowingly. It can be said that it cannot provide salvation.

Barla Addendum (349)

By Allah’s facilitation, only special khawass can accomplish completely following the practice of each sort of Sunnah as-Saniyyah. If not through action, everyone can diligently, intentionally and purposefully pursue it by supporting it to the degree of necessity (Iltizâm).

The Eleventh Flash- 9th Subtle Point

Even if one does not carry out the injunctions (ahkâm), he must acknowledge that they are right (haqq).

The Twenty-Ninth Letter/The Ninth Section/7th Allusion

According to the rule of 'Even if a thing is not wholly obtained, it should not be abandoned completely,' it is not reasonable to give up…

30th Flash/6th Subtle Point

May Janâb-i Haqq save and preserve us and you from the alluring fitnah of this time.

Amin

اَللّٰهُمَّ يَا اَرْحَمَ الرَّاحِمِينَ وَ ارْحَمْ اُمَّةَ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلاَةُ وَ السَّلاَمُ وَ نَوِّرْ قُلُوبَ اُمَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَلَيْهِ الصَّلاَةُ وَ السَّلاَمُ بِنُورِ اْلاِيمَانِ وَ الْقُرْآنِ وَ نَوِّرْ بُرْهَانَ الْقُرْآنِ وَ عَظِّمْ شَرِيعَةَ اْلاِسْلاَمِ آمِينَ

سُبْحَانَكَ لاَ عِلْمَ لَنَا اِلاَّ مَا عَلَّمْتَنَا اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْعَلِيمُ الْحَكِيمُ