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The Tenth Flash

 

‘Blows Dealt by Divine Compassion'

 

 

 

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

 

On the Day when every soul will be confronted with all the good it has done, and all the evil it has done, it will wish there were a great distance between it and its evil. But God cautions you [to remember] Himself. And God is full of kindness to those who serve Him.

 

 

 

One meaning of the above verse is expounded by explaining ‘the blows dealt by Divine compassion' that my comrades in the service of the Qur'an receive in consequence of the faults and mistakes they make as the result of human nature. A succession of extra-ordinary events proceeding from the service of the Qur'an and an instance of Gawth al-A'zam's wonder-working will be explained, who supervises this sacred service with God's permission and assists it with his saintly influence and help—so that those who perform it may persevere earnestly in their service.

 

There are three sorts of wonder-working associated with this sacred service:

 

The First Sort is that aspect which prepares the service and urges those employed to perform it.

 

The Second Sort removes obstacles and repulses the evil of those who oppose it and deals them blows. There are numerous instances of this Second Sort, and they are very lengthy, so postponing them to another time, we shall discuss the Third Sort, which are the lightest.

 

 

 

The Third Sort is this: Whenever those who work sincerely in this service become lax, they receive a compassionate slap. So coming to their senses, they again start working. Incidents of this sort number more than a hundred. Of only twenty incidents, thirteen or fourteen received ‘compassionate slaps,' while six or seven received ‘restraining slaps.'

 

* THE FIRST

 

This concerns this unfortunate Said: whenever I have flagged in my duties, and saying, "What is it to me?," have become preoccupied with my own private affairs, I have received a slap. So I have formed the opinion that I received the slap due to my neglect. Because whatever my purpose was that deceived me and spurred me on, I received a slap that was the reverse of it. And studying all the compassionate slaps that my other sincere friends have received, the slaps were the opposite of whatever their aim was—if they were neglectful—so that we have come to the conclusion that the incidents were wonders proceeding from service of the Qur'an.

 

For example, so long as this unfortunate Said was busy teaching the truths of the Qur'an in Van at the time of the Shaykh Said events, the suspicious government did not and could not interfere with me. Then when I said "What is it to me?," and thinking of myself withdrew into a ruined cave on Mount Erek in order to save my life in the Hereafter, they took me without cause and exiled me. And I was brought to Burdur.

 

There, again so long as I was serving the Qur'an—at that time all the exiles were watched very closely, and although I was supposed to report to the police in person every evening, my sincere students and myself were exceptions. The Governor there complained to Fevzi Pasha when he came. But Fevzi Pasha said: "Don't interfere with him; treat him with respect." What made him say that was the sacred nature of service to the Qur'an. But whenever I have been overcome by the idea of saving myself and thought only of my life in the Hereafter, and there has been a temporary slackening in my serving the Qur'an, I have received a slap contrary to my intentions. That is to say, I was sent from one place of exile to another. I was sent to Isparta.

 

In Isparta I took up my duties once again. After twenty days, a number of cowardly people said by way of a warning: "Perhaps the government won't look favourably on this situation. It would be better if you go a bit cautiously." Again the idea of thinking only of myself took hold of me, and I said: "The people should not come!" And again I was taken from that place of exile and sent to a third, to Barla.

 

And in Barla whenever a slackness has come over me and the idea of thinking of myself only has gained strength, one of these serpents and two-faced hypocrites from among ‘the worldly' has been set to pester me. During this eight years eighty such incidents have befallen me; I am able to relate them, but am cutting them short so as not to bore people.

 

My brothers! I have told of the compassionate slaps I have received, now if you will permit it and forgive me, I shall relate those that have befallen you. Do not be offended. If anyone is offended, I will not put his name.

 

* THE SECOND

 

My true brother, and first and most superior and self-sacrificing student, Abdülmecid, had a fine house in Van. He was well-off, and he was a teacher. Following his own ideas, he did not join those who were attempting to send me to the border region against my wishes, which was a place more in need of Qur'anic service, and as though for my benefit, did not vote for it. As though, if I had gone to the border region, both service to the Qur'an would have been apolitical, not pure, and they would have expelled him from Van—so he did not take part. But he received a compassionate slap contrary to his intentions, for he left both Van, and his beautiful house, and his native region; he was compelled to go to Ergani.

 

* THE THIRD

 

Hulûsi Bey was a most important member serving the Qur'an. When he returned to his native region from Eg ridir, there were factors that would allow him complete enjoyment and worldly happiness, perhaps causing him to become slack in his service of the Qur'an, which pertains solely to the Hereafter. For he was reunited with his parents, whom he had not seen for a long time, and he was back home, and because he had returned there with rank and honour, the world was smiling on him and appeared good. Whereas for those employed in service of the Qur'an, either the world must be vexed with them, or they must be vexed at the world, so that they can perform that service sincerely and earnestly.

 

Hulûsi's heart was certainly unshakeable, but since such a situation drove him to slackness, he received a slap from Divine compassion. For one or two years a number of dissemblers were set to pester him, who dispelled all his worldly pleasure. They made both the world vexed at him, and him vexed at the world. So in the true meaning of the word he embraced his duty earnestly.

 

* THE FOURTH

 

This is Muhâjir Hâfi z Ahmed. He himself said the following:

 

"Yes, I confess that I made a mistake in my interpretation of the question of my life in the Hereafter in connection with my service of the Qur'an. I had a wish that would cause me to be lax in my service, and I received a blow that was compassionate, but also severe and was atonement. It was like this: my Master (Ustad) was not in favour of the new inventions. My mosque was next to his house and the Three Months were drawing close. If I had abandoned my mosque, both I would have forgone much reward, and the district would have grown accustomed to not praying. If I had not carried out the new practices, I would have been barred. So according to my interpretation I wanted my Master, whom I loved more than my life, to temporarily move to another village. I did not know that if he moved, or went to another region, it would cause a temporary lapse in my service of the Qur'an. Just at that juncture I received a blow. It was compassionate, but so awesome that three months later I still have not regained my senses. However, praise be to God, according to what my Master says, it was imparted to him that we may hope from Divine mercy that each minute of the calamity is equivalent to a day's worship. For the mistake was not due to enmity; the wish occurred to me only because I was thinking of my life in the Hereafter."

 

* THE FIFTH

 

This is Hakki Efendi. Since he is not here now, I am deputizing for him as I did for Hulûsi Bey, and say this: while Hakki Efendi was carrying out to the letter his duties as student, an immoral kaymakam came to the district. So he hid what he had written so that harm should come neither to his Master, nor to himself. He temporarily gave up his service to the Risale-i Nur. Suddenly, a court case was opened against him, bearing the meaning of a slap dealt by Divine compassion, as a result of which he would have had to pay a fine of a thousand liras. He was subject to the threat for a year—until he came here and we met, and on his return he again took up his service of the Qur'an and the duties of being a Risale-i Nur student. Then the decree of the compassionate slap was lifted, and he was acquitted.

 

Later a further duty commenced for the students, which concerned the writing out of the Qur'an in a new way. A portion was given to Hakki Efendi. He embarked on the portion in the best way, and wrote out a thirtieth part of the Qur'an. But because of his straitened circumstances he felt compelled to secretly undertake the defence of someone in a court case. He suddenly received another compassionate slap. The finger he used to hold his pen was broken. It was as though warning him: "This finger won't both write out a lawyer's case and the Qur'an!" We were astonished at his finger because we did not know about his taking on the case. Then it was understood that the sacred, pure service of the Qur'an did not want to involve the fingers which were particular to it in other work. Anyway.... I know Hulûsi Bey like I know myself and spoke in his place, and Hakki Bey is just the same. If he does not like my acting as his proxy, he can write about his slap himself!

 

* THE SIXTH

 

This is Bekir Efendi. He is not here at present, so like I acted as proxy for my brother Abdülmecid, relying on his confidence and loyalty and what all my close friends like S amli Hafi z and Süleyman Efendi say and know, I say this: Bekir Efendi had the Tenth Word printed. And we sent him the Twenty-Fifth Word on the Miraculousness of the Qur'an to print before the new letters were introduced. We also wrote that we would send him the printing costs, as we sent him the costs of printing the Tenth Word. But thinking of my poverty and seeing that the printing costs would be around four hundred liras, Bekir Efendi thought to himself: "perhaps the Hoja won't be pleased if I pay it out of my own pocket," and his soul deceived him. It was not printed, and caused considerable harm to our service of the Qur'an. Two months later nine hundred liras of his were stolen, and he received a compassionate but severe blow. God willing, the lost nine hundred liras was like the giving of alms.

 

 

 

* THE SEVENTH

 

This is S amli Hafi z Tevfik. He himself says: "Yes, I confess that because of some things I did unknowingly and in error which would have caused harm to our service to the Qur'an, I received two compassionate slaps. I have no doubt that they were the result of that.

 

"The First: All praise be to God, I was endowed with handwriting of the Arabic script which is to a degree appropriate for writing the Qur'an. My Master first of all assigned me three thirtieth parts of the Qur'an to write out, and divided the rest among the others. Desire to write out the Qur'an destroyed my wish to perform the service of writing out the rough and final drafts of the parts of the Risale-i Nur. I even had the conceited idea of wanting to surpass the others who did not know the proper writing of the Arabic script. I had even said arrogantly when my Master told me as a precaution about the writing that it was for him: "I know this. I don't need to learn it." And so in accordance with this mistake of mine, I received an extraordinary and unimaginable slap: what I wrote was not even as good as that of a brother (Husrev) who knew the least about writing the Arabic script. We were all astonished. And we have understood now that it was a slap.

 

"The Second: I confess that two of my attitudes were damaging for the complete sincerity necessary for service to the Qur'an, which has to be purely for God's sake, and I received a severe blow. For I am like a stranger in this region, and foreign. Also—but I should not complain—since I did not observe frugality and contentment, important rules of my Master, I suffer from poverty. I am compelled to mix with selfish and arrogant people, and so, may God forgive it, I was forced to be generous in hypocritical and sycophantic manner. My Master frequently warned, reminded, and scolded me, but unfortunately I could not save myself. On the one hand satans from among jinn and men were profiting from this situation of mine which was opposed to the spirit of service of the All-Wise Qur'an, and on the other it caused a coldness and slackness in our service.

 

"In the face of this fault of mine, I received a severe, but God willing compassionate, blow. I have no doubt that it happened as a consequence of that fault. The blow was this: although for eight years I have had both close relations with my Master and been his writer of rough drafts and final drafts, for around eight months, I had been unable to benefit from the Risale-i Nur. We were astonished at this situation. Both I and my Master sought the reason, wondering why it was thus. We now feel certain that those truths of the Qur'an are light and luminous, and cannot unite with the darkness of artificiality, flattery, and abasement. So the meaning of those truths' lights were drawing away from me, appearing foreign to me and as strangers. I beseech Almighty God that He will grant me sincerity worthy of such service, and save me from hypocrisy and artificiality towards ‘the worldly.' I request of firstly my Master and all my brothers that they pray for me.

 

"The most faulty,

 

"S a m l i H a f i z T e v f i k"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* THE EIGHTH

 

This is Seyrani. Like Husrev, he was one of my students who was enthusiastic about the Risale-i Nur and had a good understanding of it. I consulted the ideas of my students in Isparta about the ‘coincidences,' which are a key to the mysteries of the Qur'an and to the science of jafr. The others responded and took part eagerly, but because he had other ideas and points of interest, he did not respond, and in addition wanted me to give up the truth I knew to be certain. He wrote me a letter that upset me considerably. I said: "Alas! I have lost this student." Certainly I wanted to enlighten his ideas, but a further meaning confused matters. He received a blow from Divine compassion: he remained for nearly a year in a place of seclusion (that is, in prison).

 

 

 

* THE NINTH

 

This is the Hâfi z Zühtü the Elder. At a time he was as though supervising the Risale-i Nur students in Ag rus, not considering the students' spiritual honour to be sufficient, who had taken as their way the following of the Practices of the Prophet (PBUH) and avoiding innovations, he undertook to teach a serious innovation in the hope of gaining stature in the eyes of ‘the worldly.' He perpetrated an error which was directly and completely opposed to our way, and received an awesome slap from Divine compassion. An incident occurred that completely destroyed his family's honour. Unfortunately, Hâfi z Zühtü the Younger was also affected by the grievous incident although he was not deserving of any slap. But God willing it will be like a beneficial surgical operation delivering his heart from worldly attachment and making it over totally to the Qur'an.

 

 

 

* THE TENTH

 

This is someone called Hâfi z Ahmed (May God have mercy on him). For two or three years he wrote out the treatises in encouraging fashion and he benefited from them. Then ‘the worldly' took advantage of a weak trait in his character. His enthusiam was dampened. He had relations with ‘the worldly,' perhaps so that in that way he would not be harmed by them, and have some say with them, and gain some sort of position, and make his scant livelihood more plentiful. And so, in return for the slackness and harm that was thus caused to his service of the Qur'an, he received two blows. One was that five more people had to be supported by his scant means and his situation became truly wretched. The second slap: as someone who was sensitive in regard to honour and self-respect and could not brook anyone's criticism or objections, he was unknowingly used as a shield by certain cunning people in such a way that his honour was sullied. Ninety per cent of his honour was destroyed and ninety per cent of people were turned against him. Anyway.... May God forgive him, God willing he will come to his senses and return in part to his duty.

 

 

 

* THE ELEVENTH

 

This was not written since perhaps he would not agree.

 

 

 

* THE TWELFTH

 

This is the teacher, Galip (May God have mercy on him). Yes, he performed great services loyally and appreciatively in writing out final drafts of the treatises, displaying no weakness in the face of any difficulties. Most days he would come, and listening with complete eagerness, copy them down. Then in return for a fee of thirty liras he had the whole of The Words and the Letters written out. His aim was to distribute them in his native region and to enlighten the people there. But due to certain ideas, he did not distribute the treatises as he had envisaged and left them in their box. Suddenly a grievous event occurred for which he suffered grief and sorrow for a year. He gained numerous unjust and tyrannical enemies in place of a handful of official enemies who would have been inimical because he had distributed the treatises, and lost some of his friends.

 

 

 

* THE THIRTEENTH

 

This is Hâfi z Halid (May God grant him mercy). He said:

 

"Yes, I confess that I was feverishly engaged in writing out rough drafts of the works my Master disseminated in serving the Qur'an, the post of imam in a mosque in our quarter became available. With the intention of dressing once again in my former robe and wearing a turban, I temporarily neglected my service and avoided doing it. I received a compassionate slap contrary to my intentions. Although for eight or nine months I acted as imam, in extraordinary manner I was unable to wear the turban, despite the repeated promises of the Mufti. I have no doubt that this compassionate slap was the result of that error. I was both a someone addressed by my Master and his scribe of rough drafts. He suffered difficulties due to my neglect. In any event... Still, thanks be to God, we realized my error and understood just how sacred this service is. We were confident that behind us was a Master like a protecting angel, like Shah Geylani.

 

"The weakest of God's servants,

 

"H â f i z H a l i d"

 

* THE FOURTEENTH

 

This consists of the three small slaps the three Mustafa's received.

 

The First: For eight years Mustafa Çavus (May God grant him mercy) attended to our small private mosque, and to its stove, paraffin, and even the matches. I learnt later that for the eight years he provided for the paraffin and matches out of his own pocket. On the night before Friday in particular, so long as there was not some other essential matter, he would join the congregation. Then, taking advantage of his ingenuousness, ‘the worldly' said to him: "They are going to interfere in Hâfi z's—one of the scribes of the Words—wearing a turban. He should also temporarily give up secretly making the call to prayer. You tell the scribe to take off his turban before they remove it by force." They did not know that for someone like Mustafa ‚avuß with an elevated spirit to tell someone employed in service of the Qur'an to remove his turban was extremely difficult. But he told him what they had said.

 

That night I dreamt that Mustafa Çavus came to my room behind the Kaymakam with dirty hands. The following day, I said to him: "Mustafa Çavus , whom did you see today? I dreamt of you with dirty hands behind the Kaymakam." He replied: "Alas! The Muhtar told me to ‘tell the scribe.' I did not know what was behind it."

 

Also, that same day he brought almost an okka of paraffin to the mmosque. In a way he had never done before, he left the mosque door open and a kitten entered. Then a big man came, and supposing the paraffin in the ewer to be water, sprinkled it all around the mosque, in order to clean it and the mess left by the kitten on the prayer-mat. It is extraordinary that he did not smell the paraffin. That is to say, the mosque did not allow the man to smell it, in order to point out to Mustafa ‚avuß through the tongue of disposition: "We don't need your paraffin. I have not accepted it because of the mistake you made." That week on the eve of Friday and other important prayers, even, he was unable to join the congregation, although he tried to. Then seriously repenting and seeking forgiveness, he regained his former purity of heart.

 

The Second Mustafa's: These are my valuable, hard-working, and important student Mustafa from Kuleönü, and his most loyal and self-sacrificing friend, Hâfi z Mustafa (May God grant him mercy). After the religious festival I sent word telling them not to come so that ‘the worldly' should not bother us and cause any slackness in our service of the Qur'an. But if they did come, they should come singly. Then one night, three of them came all together. They intended to leave before dawn. In a way that had never previously occurred, neither Mustafa Çavus , nor Süleyman Efendi, nor myself, nor themselves, had thought of taking any clear precautions; we were made to forget to do so. Each of us left it to the others and took no measures. They left before dawn. Then for two hours they were continuously pounded by such a storm that I was alarmed thinking that they would not be saved from it. Until that time this winter neither had there been such a storm, nor had I pitied anyone so much. As a punishment for his lack of caution, I was going to send Süleyman after them to find out if they were well and safe. Mustafa Çavus said: "If he goes, he will be stranded too, and I'll have to go after him to find him. Then Abdullah Çavus will have to come after me." So saying: "We place our trust in God," we waited.

 

Q u e s t i o n : You consider the calamities visited on your special friends to be slaps; punishment for laxity in their service of the Qur'an. Whereas those that are truly inimical to you and to the service of the Qur'an remain safe and sound. Why are friends dealt slaps while enemies are left untroubled?

 

T h e A n s w e r : According to, "Wrongdoing does not continue, but unbelief does," the errors of friends are like a sort of wrongdoing in this service of the Qur'an of ours, and therefore are swiftly punished. A person receives a compassionate slap and if he is sensible, realizes his error. But enemies' opposition to service of the Qur'an, and their efforts to prevent it, are on account of misguidance. Knowingly or unknowingly, aggression against our service assists atheism. Since unbelief persists, generally they do not immediately receive any blows.

 

Just as the penalties of those perpetrating small crimes are delivered locally, and serious crimes are sent to the high courts, so too, according to the rules, the small errors of believers and close friends are punished swiftly and in part in this world, in order to quickly purify them. But the crimes of the people of misguidance are so great that since their punishments cannot be contained in this brief worldly life, as required by justice they are referred to the Supreme Tribunal in the eternal realm, and mostly do not receive any punishment here.

 

The Hadith "This world is the prison of the believers and the Paradise of the unbelievers"18 also alludes to this truth. That is to say, because the believer receives partial punishment for his faults in this world, it is a place of punishment for him. In relation to his happiness in the Hereafter, this world is a dungeon and Hell. And since the unbelievers will not be released from Hell and they in part receive the rewards for their good works in this world and their large sins are postponed, this world is their Paradise in relation to their life in the Hereafter. For in reality and in meaning the believer is far happier in this world also than the unbeliever. A believer's faith is quite simply like a Paradise in his spirit; while the unbelief of the unbeliever sets afire a sort of Hell in his being.

 

 

 

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise.

 

 

 

 

 

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