بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

THE ISLAMIC UNITY – 8

THE NECESSITY OF PRESERVING THE SHAÂ’ER OF ISLAM - 2

1. It is the sense of religion that will cause the progress of Asia, the Islamic lands, while it is the Shaâ’er that will awaken the sense of religion:

To the President and Prime Minister

…

Even some members of Parliament who were highly indifferent to religion and in favour of Westernisation and detachment from Islamic tradition signed it1. However, two of them said, "We now need Westernisation and civilisation more than traditional and religious sciences.”

I replied, "Even if, hypothetically, there is no need in any other way, the fact that most prophets came to Asia, to the East, and most scientists and philosophers emerged from the West indicates that what will make Asia truly progress is the sense of religion rather than the effects of science and philosophy. Despite this fact, disregarding this law of fitrah, even if you abandon Islamic traditions under the guise of Westernisation and adopt secularism as the principle of your actions, in the eastern provinces located in the centre of four or five major nations, it is necessary and essential for you to be absolutely in favour of religion and the haqiqahs of Islam for the sake of the salâmât of the nation and the country.

Conference (166 - 167)

2. Bediüzzaman issued and distributed a declaration to the Parliament established following the victory of Muslims over the kâfirs in the Independence War in Anatolia, which had been invaded by the major powers, such as England, France, Greece and Italy. This declaration serves as a significant lesson for the ummah until qiyâmah, stating that the victory and triumph of Muslims can only be attained through adherence to their religion. It is as follows:

…

Because in the Chamber of Parliament, he saw indifference to religion and, under the pretext of Westernisation, a carelessness towards the Shaâ’er of Islam, which are the sacred historical glories of the Turk nation, he issued and distributed a declaration to the members of Parliament regarding the necessity and importance of their perseverance in ‘ibâdah, especially salâh.

And Kâzım Karabekir Pasha read it to M. Kemal. That declaration is as follows:

يَا اَيُّهَا الْمَبْعُوثُونَ اِنَّكُمْ لَمَبْعُوثُونَ لِيَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ2

O Mujahidîn of Islam, and O people of government!

I kindly ask that you listen to this poor man's ten words on a matter and his few pieces of advice.

1- The wondrous ni’mah of Allah in this victory demands shukr so that it can continue and increase. Otherwise, if ni’mah is not met with shukr as it is now, it will leave us. Since you have saved the Quran from the enemy's attack with the help of Allah, you must obey the fardh, such as salâh, which is the most explicit and definitive command of the Quran, so that its faydh can continue and remain upon you in this wondrous way.

2- You have delighted the Islamic world and gained their love and attention. However, the continuation of that attention and love is achieved by adhering to the Shaâ’er of Islam because Muslims love you due to Islam.

3- In this ‘âlam, you commanded ghazi and shahîds, who are the awliyâ of Allah! It is worthy of the dignity of those with high zeal to strive to be a companion to that luminous group in the âkhirah by obeying the definitive commands of the Quran. Otherwise, while you are the commander here, you will have to beg for nûr from a private soldier there. This vile world, with all its glory and honour, is not a thing that can satiate or satisfy people with sound minds, nor can it be their ultimate goal.

4- The communities of this Islamic nation, even if they do not perform salâh, or even if they are fâsiq, still want to see their leader as religious. As evidence, it can be noted that throughout Kurdistan, the first question they asked about all officials was, "Do they perform the salâh?" If the officials perform the salâh, they absolutely trust them; if they do not, the officials cannot be trusted in their eyes, no matter how powerful they are."

Once, there was a rebellion among the Beytüşşebab tribes. I went and asked, "What's the reason?"

They said, "Our district governor does not perform salâh; how can we obey such irreligious people?" Yet, those who said this were not performing salâh, and they were also bandits.

5- The fact that most of the prophets came to the East and most of the philosophers emerged in the West is a sign of azalî Qadar indicating that it is the religion and the heart that will raise the East, not the mind and philosophy. Since you have awakened the East to consciousness, provide a channel to it in a direction that suits its fitrah. Otherwise, your efforts will either be wasted or remain superficial.

6- Your enemy, the British, who are the enemies of Islam, have severely exploited and continue to exploit your religious indifference. I can even say that people who exploited your neglect of religion have harmed Islam as much as the Greeks have. For the sake of the interests of Islam and the salâmât of the nation, you must transform this neglect into good works. It is evident that despite the strong determination, perseverance and sacrifices of the Ittihadists3, and although they contributed to this awakening of Muslims, they were met with hatred and contempt from the Muslim nation in the country because some of them displayed a lax attitude towards religion. Muslims outside the country gave them and continue to show them appreciation and respect because they did not see their neglect in religion.

7- Despite the world of kufr attacking the Islamic world with all its means, with its civilisation, philosophy, sciences and missionaries, and having been materially victorious for a long time, it could not defeat the Islamic world from the aspect of religion. And at a time when all the Muslim groups of dhalâlah inside the country were limited to a small, harmful quantity, and when Islam maintained its strength and firmness through the Sunnah and the jamâ’ah, a current of bid’ah sieved from the corrupt European civilisation, which is indifferent to religion, cannot find a place in its bosom. It means that achieving significant and revolutionary work within the Islamic world can only be done by adhering to the principles of Islam and cannot be done in any other way. It did not happen in any other way, and when it happened, it quickly died out and was extinguished.

8- At a time when the depraved European civilisation that caused indifference in religion is on the verge of collapse, and at a moment when the time for the emergence of Quranic civilisation has begun, no constructive work can be done through indifference and negligence. If the work is destructive and harmful, Islam, which has already endured many wounds, does not need it.

9- The mu’min people, especially the ‘âwam, who appreciate your victory and service and love you, are the firm Muslims. They love and support you sincerely, are grateful to you, appreciate your sacrifices, and offer you the most immense and magnificent force that has awakened in them. It is necessary for you, too, to unite with and rely on the ‘âwam Muslims for the sake of Islam by obeying the commands of the Quran. On the contrary, preferring the wretched European lovers and imitators of the West, who have no nation and who have detached themselves from Islam, over the ‘âwam Muslims is detrimental to the interests of Islam; therefore, the Islamic world will turn its gaze elsewhere and seek help from others.

10- If there are nine possibilities of destruction and only one possibility of salvation along a path, only a mad, brave man who has given up on his life would choose to proceed down that path. Now, in performing the dharûriyyah of religion that takes up an hour out of twenty-four, such as salâh, there is a ninety-nine per cent chance of salvation; only in terms of ghaflah and laziness, there might be one possibility of worldly loss in it. However, in the abandonment of fardh, there are ninety-nine possibilities of loss. There can be only one possibility of salvation that is based solely on ghaflah and dhalâlah.

I wonder, what excuse can be found for the negligence and abandonment of fardh, which are harmful to both religion and the world? How can patriotism allow this? Especially these mujahid commanders and the Great Parliament are emulated. The nation will either imitate or criticise their flaws. Both are harmful. Therefore, in the members of Parliament, the rights of Allah also encompass the rights of His ‘abds. No real and serious work can be accomplished with men who disregard the countless reports and evidence that include the mystery of tawâtur and ijma’ and who accept a wahm coming from the sophistry of nafs and the waswasa of shaytan. The cornerstones of this great revolution must be strong...

The ma’nawî collective personality of this Parliament has assumed the meaning of sovereignty with the strength it possesses. If, by personally practising the Shaâ’er of Islam and making the nation practise the Shaâ’er, this Parliament does not assume the meaning of the khilâfah, too, as a representative, and if the Parliament does not satisfy the religious needs of this nation, who need four things for worldly life but are in need of religion at least five times through an unbroken tradition, and whose fitrah has not yet been corrupted, and who have not forgotten the needs of their rûh despite the playthings of civilisation, then they will inevitably give the meaning of the khilâfah entirely to the name, image and word you have accepted, and they will also provide the strength to maintain that meaning. However, such a force, which the Parliament does not possess and which is not used by the Parliament, will cause division, and that split opposes the âyah,

4 وَ اعْتَصِمُوا بِحَبْلِ اللّٰهِ جَمِيعًا

It is the time of jamâ’ah. The ma’nawî collective personality, which is the rûh of the jamâ’ah, is more firm and more capable of executing the laws of Sharî’ah. The khalîfah, as an individual, can only fulfil his duties by relying on that ma’nawî collective personality. If the ma’nawî collective personality, which is the rûh of the jamâ’ah, is mustaqîm, it becomes more brilliant and perfect. If it is evil, the jamâ’ah becomes evil. The goodness and evil of an individual are limited, but the goodness and evil of a jamâ’ah are unlimited. Do not spoil the good you have gained against non-Muslims with your evil work in the country. You know that your eternal enemies, opponents and adversaries are destroying the Shaâ’er of Islam. Therefore, your essential duty is to revive and preserve the Shaâ’er. Otherwise, it is unconscious assistance to a conscious enemy. Negligence in the Shaâ’er indicates a weakness of nationhood, and weakness does not hold the enemy back but encourages them.

5 حَسْبُنَا اللّٰهُ وَ نِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ

* * *

Biography (139-142)

3. Munâfiqs harm Islam and Islamic life by making Muslims abandon the Shaâ’er of Islam:

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ

فَلاَ تَغُرَّنَّكُمُ الْحَيَوةُ الدُّنْيَا وَلاَ يَغُرَّنَّكُمْ بِاللّٰهِ الْغَرُورُ6

Oh, brother! If the enemy is outside, one can deal with that enemy without weapons. However, if the enemy enters the fortress and hides, then it is necessary to arm against that enemy, wear armour, be very careful and persevere very seriously. So that he can save his eternal life from disguised blows.

Oh, brother! Armour and weapon are the salâh and taqwâ. Hold the chain of the Qur’an firmly! Listen to its words! Do not let others deceive you! Say to those who invite you to abandon Shaâ’er and invite you to the worldly civilisation among the ghâfil drunkards of the time:

“… O ghâfil! If you can kill death, remove departure from the world and eliminate man’s impotence and poverty; if you have found a way to block the path of living beings, especially mankind, towards eternity, then you can intercept mankind’s way and invite them to abandon religion and the Shaâ’er of religion.

If not, shut up, oh fool! Listen to what the Qur’an, Great in Dignity, says!”

Nurun İlk Kapısı 143-146

 

Ninety per cent of this nation has been connected to the Islamic tradition with their rûh and hearts for a thousand years. Although outwardly they submit to a command that is contrary to their fitrah, they would not adhere to it in their hearts.

Furthermore, Muslims cannot be like other nations. If a Muslim abandons his religion, he will become an anarchist and cannot be bound in any restrictions; any form of tarbiyyah and authority cannot govern him other than absolute despotism or total compromise.

Emirdağ Addendum-1 (219)

 

Bediuzzaman was exiled to Barla in the years 1925-1926. These years marked the early period of the implementation of absolute despotism in Turkey that lasted for twenty-five years. The covert irreligious committees were pushing for their plans to confiscate all copies of the Qur’an, destroy them and extinguish the Islamic rûh by repealing Shaâ'er one by one. Thinking shaytanically that this plan could not be achieved, they devised a new strategy that would result in the Qur’an being demolished by the hands of the future generation that would come thirty years later; they started to implement this plan. To destroy Islam, unprecedented destruction and aggression in history were carried out.

All efforts were made to break all kinds of ties of the Turkish nation and children of this country — who for six hundred years challenged the whole world as a flag bearer of Al-Qur’an Al-Hakîm, indeed for a thousand years since the Abbasids — with the Muslim identity to distance and deprive them of Islam, and they were indeed successful. It was not a particular event but a universal one concerning the entire Muslim world. It was a large-scale universal event concerning the îmân and belief of millions of people, especially the youths and the millions of innocents and students, and the catastrophe that would befall them in the world and âkhirah, and it was connected with the eternal lives of the people of Anatolia until the qiyâmah. At that time and during those years, terrible revolutions and destruction were taking place against Islam and the Quran in the life of a heroic nation that has held the highest exalted rank as the flag bearer of the Qur’an with the testimony of its thousand-year shining history. The future generations and students were made to forget their honourable ancestors buried in history and the glorious past of the world’s most renowned army, which spanned a thousand years of jihâd. The ground was being prepared for the communist regime by severing all their ties to the past and deceiving them with apparently glittering veiled words! In place of the most elevated principles of civilisation and the highest material and ma’nawî development that are already present in the haqiqahs of Islam, the covert communists, Freemasons and irreligious people were indoctrinating principles from the swamp of irreligious philosophy that had no nûr and ideologies of intellectuals and philosophers who had no virtue. These principles and ideologies were being taught on a very vast scale through the education system. The main aim of the enemies of Islam, especially the British and the French, was to exploit and deteriorate the Islamic world from the material and ma’nawî aspects. And they planned to sever the heroic Turkish nation from any religious ties and bring it to a state that is totally contrary to Islam in terms of customs, traditions and morality. Unfortunately, these plans have already been implemented!

Biography (152-154)

 

The people of dhalâlah, who attack the people of îmân, have become a ma’nawî collective personality and an evil rûh leavened with the essence of societies and committees because this age is the time of jamâ’ah, and they corrupt the collective conscience and the collective heart of the Muslim world. And it rips apart the lofty Islamic veil that protects the taqlîdî belief of ‘âwam and burns the inherited feelings that have come down from tradition and give life to îmân.

The Kastamonu Addendum (55)

 

The Risale-i Nur does not repair just a small amount of destruction or a small house. Instead, it repairs a universal destruction and an all-surrounding fortress with mountain-sized stones, encompassing all Muslims. And it does not work to reform only the heart of an individual and the conscience (Vijdân) of a particular person, but rather, with the miraculousness of the Quran, works to heal the collective heart and collective thought, which have been severely wounded with the corruptive tools that have been prepared and accumulated for a thousand years, and especially the collective conscience (Vijdân), which is on the verge of deteriorating due to the destruction of Islamic currents, fundamentals and Shaâ’er that are the points of support of the ‘âwam mu’mins, and it works to treat those wide wounds with the medicines of the Quran and îmân. Indeed, for such universal and terrifying injuries and wounds, there must be proofs and tools at the degree of haqq al-yaqîn and with the strength of mountains and tried-and-tested genuine medicines with the effect of a thousand panaceas and countless remedies. In this time, Risale-i Nur, which emerges from the ma’nawî miracle of the Quran, not only fulfils that duty but also leads to advancements and developments in îmân, which has countless degrees.

The Kastamonu Addendum (30)