Bedizzaman and the Risale-i Nur
In the many dimensions of his lifetime of achievement, as well as in his personality and character, Bedizzaman (1877-1960) was and, through his continuing influence, still is an important thinker and writer in the Muslim world. He represented in a most effective and profound way the intellectual, moral and spiritual strengths of Islam, evident in different degrees throughout its fourteen-century history. He lived for eighty-five years. He spent almost all of those years, overflowing with love and ardor for the cause of Islam, in a wise and measured activism based on sound reasoning and in the shade of the Qur'an and the Prophetic example.
Bedizzaman lived in an age when materialism was at its peak and many crazed after communism, and the world was in great crisis. In that critical period, Bedizzaman pointed people to the source of belief and inculcated in them a strong hope for a collective restoration. At a time when science and philosophy were used to mislead young generations into atheism, and nihilistic attitudes had a wide appeal, at a time when all this was done in the name of civilization, modernization and contemporary thinking and those who tried to resist them were subjected to the cruelest of persecutions, Bedizzaman strove for the overall revival of a whole people, breathing into their minds what ever and spirits whatever is taught in the institutions of both modern and traditional education and of spiritual training.
Bedizzaman had seen that modern unbelief originated from science and philosophy, not from ignorance as previously. He wrote that nature is the collection of Divine signs and therefore science and religion cannot be conflicting disciplines. Rather, they are two (apparently) different expressions of the same truth. Minds should be enlightened with sciences, while hearts need to be illumined by religion.
Bedizzaman was not a writer in the usual sense of the word. He wrote his splendid work the Risale-i Nur , a collection exceeding 5,000 pages, because he had a mission: he struggled against the materialistic and atheistic trends of thought fed by science and philosophy and tried to present the truths of Islam to modern minds and hearts of every level of understanding. The Risale-i Nur , a modern commentary of the Qur'an, mainly concentrates on the existence and unity of God, the Resurrection, Prophethood, the Divine Scriptures primarily including the Quran, the invisible realms of existence, Divine Destiny and humanitys free will, worship, justice in human life, and humanitys place and duty among the creation.
In order to remove from peoples minds and hearts the accumulated sediment of false beliefs and conceptions and to purify them both intellectually and spiritually, Bedi zzaman writes forcefully and makes reiterations. He writes in neither an academic nor a didactic way; rather he appeals to feelings and aims to pour out his thoughts and ideas into peoples hearts and minds in order to awaken them to belief and conviction.
This book includes selected sections from the Risale- i Nur collection.
The Nineteenth Word
Muhammads Messengership
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
I have not praised Muhammad with my words; rather, my words are praiseworthy because of him.
Hasan Thabit
This Word consists of 14 droplets. Only his attributes have made this Word beautiful.
Fourteen droplets
First droplet: Three great and universal things make our Lord known to us: the Book of the Universe (explained elsewhere); Prophet Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets, the supreme sign in the Book of the Universe; and the glorious Quran. We must recognize and listen to the Seal of the Prophets, the second and articulate proof and announcer of God with all His Names and Attributes, His Existence and Unity.
Look at the universal personality of that proof. Earths face is his mosque, Makka his mihrab (niche where he leads his community in prayer), and Madina his pulpit. Our Prophet, this illustrious proof, leads all believers and preaches to all people. He is the chief of Prophets, lord of saints, and leader in the remembrance of God of a circle comprising all Prophets and saints. With all Prophets as its roots and saints as its ever-fresh fruits, he is a radiant tree. All Prophets, with the support of their miracles, and all saints, depending on their wonders, confirm and corroborate his claims. He declares: There is no deity but God; and all illustrious past and future reciters of Gods Names repeat the same words in unison, as if to say: You speak the truth. What illusion can dispute such an argument confirmed by such countless endorsements?
Second droplet: Just as this radiant proof of Divine Unity is affirmed by the unanimous consensus of all Prophets and saints, he is confirmed by hundreds of signs in the revealed Scriptures (e.g., the Torah and the Bible), thousands of indications of his Prophethood that appeared before his mission, famous reports of voices from the Unseen, the unanimous testimony of soothsayers, indications of thousands of his miracles (e.g., splitting the moon), and the justice and truth of his Sharia (the Law). Similarly, his laudable virtues that reached the utmost degree of perfection; his total confidence in his mission and most excellent qualities in relation to its fulfillment; and his awesome fear of God, worship, serenity, and firmness, all of which show his beliefs strength and his total certainty and complete stead fastness. These clearly show his claims truthful ness.
Third droplet: Lets imagine that we visit him in the Arabian peninsula while he is performing his mission during the Age of Bliss. We see a person distinguished by the excellence of his character and beauty of his form. In his hand is a miraculous book, and on his tongue a truthful discourse. He is delivering an eternal sermon to humanity, jinn, and angelsindeed, to all beings. He solves and expounds the mystery of the worlds creation; discovers and solves the intricate talisman that is the mystery of the universe; and provides convincing and satisfying answers to lifes great and important questions: Who are you? What is your purpose? Where have you come from? Where are you going? What is your final destination?
Fourth droplet: He spreads such a light of truth that, if you consider the universe without the light of his guidance, you see it as a place of mourning. Beings are alien or even hostile to each other. Inanimate beings appear as ghastly corpses, and living creatures as orphans weeping under the blows of death and separation. Gazing at these with the light he spreads, however, this place of universal mourning is transformed into a place of invocation where Gods Names and praises are recited in joy and ecstasy. Alien and hostile beings become friends, as well as brothers and sisters; and dumb, inanimate creatures appear as familiar, obedient officials and docile servants. Weeping, complaining orphans are seen reciting Gods Names and praises or offering thanks for being discharged from their duties.
Fifth droplet: Through this light, the universes motions and variations, changes and transformations are no longer regarded as meaningless and futile playthings of chance; rather, they appear in their true form and function. Each is a missive of the universes Master, a page inscribed with creations signs, a mirror reflecting Gods Names. The world itself is a book of the Eternally-Besought-of-Alls wisdom.
Without this light, humanitys boundless weakness and helplessness, poverty and neediness cause everyone to fall lower than the animals. Their intellects, by conveying grief, sorrow, and anxiety, make them more wretched. But when they are illumined with this light, they rise above all animals and creatures. Once their intellects are illumined, their poverty and helplessness become means of infinite wealth and power through dependence on God. Through entreaty, they become beloved kings and queens and, through lamentation, Gods favored vicegerents. If this light did not exist, the universe, humanity, and all things would be reduced to nothingness. Indeed, if such a person did not exist in such a wonderful universe, the universes existence would not be necessary.
