The Fifteenth Letter (15.Mektup Englisch)

[EMRE]

The Fifteenth Letter

 

 

 

In His Name, be He glorified!

 

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.

 

 

 

My Dear Brother!

 

YOUR FIRST QUESTION

 

Why didn’t the Companions discover the troublemakers with the eye of sainthood, so that it resulted in three of the four Rightly-Guided Caliphs being martyred? For it is said that the lesser Companions are greater than the greatest saints?

 

T h e A n s w e r : There are two Stations in this matter.

 

FIRST STATION

 

This question is solved by explaining as follows, a subtle mystery of sainthood:

 

The Companions’ sainthood, known as the ‘greater sainthood,’ is a sainthood which arose from the legacy of prophethood, and, passing directly from the apparent to reality without travelling the intermediate path, looks to the unfolding of Divine immediacy. Although this way of sainthood is very short, it is extremely elevated. Its wonders are few, but its virtues many. Illuminations and wonder-workings are to be encountered infrequently on it. Moreover, the wonder-working of the saints is mostly involuntary; wonders appear from them unexpectedly as a Divine bestowal. And the majority of these illuminations and wonder-workings occur during their spiritual journeying, when they traverse the intermediate realm of the Sufi path; they manifest these extra-ordinary states because they have withdrawn to a degree from ordinary humanity. As for the Companions, due to the reflection, attraction, and elixir of the company of prophethood, they were not compelled to traverse the vast sphere of spiritual journeying present on the Sufi way. They were able to pass from the apparent to reality in one step, through one conversation with the Prophet. For example, there are two ways of reaching the Night of Power, if it was last night:

 

One is to travel and wander for a year and so come to that night. One has to traverse the distance of a year in order to gain this proximity. This is the way of those who take the way of spiritual journeying, which most of those who follow the Sufi path take.

 

The second is to slip free of and be divested of the sheath of corporeality, which is restricted by time, to rise in the spirit, and to see the Night of Power, which was last night, together with the night of the ‘Eid, which is the day after tomorrow, as being present like today. For the spirit is not restricted by time. When the human emotions rise to the level of the spirit, present time expands. Time which is the past and the future for others is as though the present for such a person.

 

And so, according to this comparison, in order to reach the Night of Power, one has to rise to the level of the spirit and see the past as though it was the present. The basis of this obscure mystery is the unfolding of Divine immediacy. For example, the sun is close to us, for its light and heat are present in our mirror and in our hand. But we are far from it. If we perceive its immediacy from the point of view of luminosity, and understand our relation to its image in our mirror, which is a similitude; if we come to know it by that means, and know what its light, heat, and totality is, its immediacy is unfolded to us and we recognize it as close to us and we become connected to it. If we want to draw close to it and get to know it from the point of view of our distance from it, we are compelled to embark on an extensive journeying of the mind, so that by means of thought and the laws of science, we may rise to the skies in the mind and conceive of the sun there, and through lengthy scientific investigation understand the light and heat in its nature and the seven colours in its light. only after this may we attain to the non-physical proximity the first man attained with little thought through his mirror.

 

Thus, like this comparison, the sainthood in prophethood and in the legacy of prophethood looks to the mystery of the unfolding of Divine immediacy. The other sainthood proceeds mostly on the basis of proximity, and is compelled to traverse numerous degrees in is spiritual journeying.

 

SECOND STATION

 

Those who were the cause of those events and instigated the trouble did not consist of a few Jews so that having discovered them the trouble could have been prevented. For with numerous different peoples entering Islam, many currents and ideas which were opposed to and contrary to one another had confused the situation. Particularly since the national pride of some of them had received awesome wounds at the blows of Umar (RA), they were waiting to take their revenge. For both their old religion had been rendered null and void and their old rule and sovereignty, the source of their pride, been swept away. Knowingly or unknowingly, they were emotionally in favour of taking their revenge on Islamic rule. It was therefore said that certain clever and scheming dissemblers like the Jews took advantage of that state of society. That is to say, it would have been possible to prevent those events through reforming the social life, and various ideas of that time. They could not have been prevented by discovering one or two troublemakers.

 

I f i t i s s a i d : Why did Umar (RA) not see his murderer, Firuz, who was at his side with that piercing eye of sainthood of his, although while in the pulpit he said to one of his commanders called Sariya who was a month’s distance away, “Sariya! The mountain, the mountain!” making Sariya hear it and in wondrous fashion causing a strategic victory - showing how piercing his view was?

 

T h e A n s w e r : We answer with the answer that the Prophet Jacob (Upon whom be peace) gave. That is, it was asked of Jacob, “How did you perceive the odour of Joseph’s shirt from Egypt when you did not see him in the well at Cana’an close by?” He replied: “Our state is like lightening; sometimes it appears and sometimes it is hidden. Sometimes it is as though we are seated on the highest spot and can see everywhere. And sometimes we cannot even see the arch of our foot.”

 

In short: However much man acts with choice, still, in accordance with the verse,

 

You do not will it except as God wills,

 

Divine will is fundamental, Divine Determining is dominant. Divine will gives back human will. It confirms the statement, If Divine Determining speaks, human power cannot speak, man’s will falls silent.

 

THE MEANING OF YOUR SECOND QUESTION

 

What was the nature of the wars that started in the time of Ali {May God be pleased with him)? In what way should we describe those who took part in them, and those who died and those who killed?

 

T h e A n s w e r : The war called the Event of the Camel between Ali and Talha, and Zubayr and Aysha the Veracious (May God be pleased with all of them) was the struggle between pure justice and relative justice. It was as follows:

 

Ali took pure justice as the basis and in accordance with his judgement of the Law, proceeded on that basis, as was the case in the time of the Caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar. Those who opposed him said that at that time the purity of Islam permitted pure justice, but since with the passage of time various peoples whose Islam was weak had entered Islamic social life, to apply pure justice was extremely difficult. For this reason, their judgement of the Law was to proceed on the basis of relative justice, known as the lesser of two evils. Dispute over interpretation of the Law led to war. Since the interpretations had been purely for God’s sake and for the benefit of Islam, and war was born of interpretation of the Law, we may surely say that both those who killed and those who were killed gained Paradise, and both acted rightfully. However accurate was Ali’s interpretation, and however much in error those who opposed him, they still did not deserve punishment. For if one who interprets the Law extracts the truth, he gains two rewards, but if he does not extract it, he still earns one reward, the reward for interpreting which is a form of worship; he is forgiven his error. A learned person who is widely known amongst us, and who speaks the truth, wrote in Kurdish: “Don’t gossip about the war between the Companions, for both killer and killed were destined for Paradise.”

 

Pure justice and relative justice may be explained like this: according to the allusive meaning of the verse,

 

If any one slew a person - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - it would he as if he slew the whole people,

 

the rights of an innocent man cannot be cancelled for the sake of all the people. A single individual may not be sacrificed for the good of all. In the view of Almighty God’s compassion, right is right, there is no difference between great and small. The small may not be annulled for the great. Without his consent, the life and rights of an individual may not be sacrificed for the good of the community. If he consents to sacrifice them the name of patriotism, that is a different matter.

 

As for relative justice, a particular is sacrificed for the good of the universal; the rights of an individual are not considered in the face of the community. A sort of relative justice is attempted to be applied as the lesser of two evils. But if it possible to apply pure justice, relative justice may not be attempted, if it is it is wrong.

 

Thus, Imam Ali {May God be pleased with him), saying it was possible to apply pure justice in the time of the Caliphs Abu Bakr and Umar, he constructed the Islamic Caliphate on the same basis. Those who opposed him and objected to him said that it was not possible to apply it because of the great difficulties, and judged according to the Law that they should proceed with relative justice. The other reasons related by history are not true reasons, they are pretexts.

 

I f y o u a s k : What was the reason for Imam Ali’s lack of success in regard to the Islamic Caliphate relative to his predessesors, despite his extraordinary capabilities, unusual intelligence, and great deservedness?

 

T h e A n s w e r : That blessed person was worthier of important duties other than politics and rule. If he had been completely successful in politics and government, he would have been unable to truly gain the meaningful title of ‘King of Sainthood’. Whereas he gained a spiritual rule far surpassing the external and political Caliphate, and became like a Universal Master; in fact, his spiritual rule will continue even until the end of the world.

 

When it comes to Imam Ali’s war with Mu’awiya at Siffin, that was a war over the Caliphate and rule. That is to say, taking the injunctions of religion, the truths of Islam, and the Hereafter as the basis, Imam Ali sacrificed some of the laws of government and pitiless demands of politics to them. Whereas Mu’awiya and his supporters left aside resoluteness and favoured permissiveness in order to strengthen Islamic social life with their politics of government; they supposed themselves to be compelled to do so due to the demands of politics, and choosing permissiveness, fell into error.

 

As for Hasan and Husain’s struggle against the Umayyads, that was a war between religion and nationalism. That is, the Umayyads planted the Islamic state on Arab nationalism and put the bonds of nationalism before those of Islam, therefore causing harm in two respects:

 

The First Respect: They offended the other nations and frightened them off.

 

The Other: Since the principles of racialism and nationalism do not follow justice and right, they are tyranny. They do not proceed on justice. For a ruler of racialist leanings prefers those of the same race, and cannot act justly. According to the clear decree of, Islam has abrogated what preceded it. There is no difference between an Abyssinian slave and a leader of the Quraish, once they have accepted Islam, Islam has abrogated the tribalism of Ignorance; the bonds of nationalisrn may not be set up in place of the bonds of religion; if they are, there will be no justice; right will disappear.

 

Thus, Husain took the bonds of religion as the basis, and struggled against them as someone who executes justice, until he acquired the rank of martyrdom.

 

I f i t i s s a i d : It he was so right and just, why was he not successful`? Also, why did Divine Determining and Divine Mercy permit them to meet with the tragic end they did?

 

T h e A n s w e r : It was not Husayn’s close supporters, but those of other nations who had joined his community, and due to their wounded national pride, harboured feelings of revenge towards the Arab nation; they caused harm to the pure, shining ways of Husain and his supporters, and were the cause of their defeat.

 

The wisdom in their tragic end from the point of view of Divine Determining is this: Hasan and Husain and their family arid descendents were destined for a spiritual rule. It is extremely difficult to bring together worldly rule and spiritual rule. Therefore, Divine Determining made them feel disgust with the world; it showed them the ugly face of the world, so that they should cease to feel any attachment to the world with the heart. They lost a temporary and superficial rule, but were appointed to a splendid and permanent spiritual rule. They became the authorities of the spiritual poles among the saints instead of commonplace governors.

 

YOUR THIRD QUESTION

 

What was the wisdom in the tragic and cruel treatment those blessed persons received?

 

T h e A n s w e r : As explained above, there were three basic reasons that gave rise to the pitiless cruelty of Husain’s opponents during Umayyad rule:

 

One was the pitiless principle of politics: “Individuals may be sacrificed for the well-being of the government and preservation of public order.”

 

The second was the cruel rule of nationalism, “Everything may be sacrificed for the well-being of the nation,” since their rule was based on racialism and nationalism.

 

The Third: Since the traditional vein of rivalry of the Umayyads towards the Hashimites was found in some people like Yazid, he displayed a merciless ability to be cruel.

 

A Fourth Reason: The Umayyads, taking Arab nationalism as the basis, looked on the members of other nations - who were found among Husain's supporters - as slaves, and had wounded their national pride. So, since the other nations had joined Husain's community with mixed intentions and to take revenge, the Umayyad’s fanatic nationalism was excessively affronted, and the other nations were the cause of the extremely cruel and pitiless well-known tragedy.

 

The four reasons mentioned above are outward and apparent. When it is considered from the point of view of Divine Determining, the results pertaining to the Hereafter and the spiritual rule and spiritual progress that the tragedy gained for Hazrat Husain and his relatives were of such high worth that the distress they suffered due to it became extremely easy and cheap. Like if a soldier dies after an hour’s torture and becomes a martyr, he attains such a rank that another could reach it only if he strove for ten years. If the soldier was to be asked after he had died, he would reply that he had gained much for very little.

 

THE MEANING OF YOUR FOURTH QUESTION

 

After Jesus (Upon whom be peace) kills the Dajjal (Antichrist) at the end of time, most people will enter the true religion. But it says in some narrations: “The end of the world will not occur so long there remain on the earth those who say, Allah! Allah!” So how after most people have come to believe, will most people become unbelievers?

 

T h e A n s w e r : Those whose belief is weak deem it unlikely that what is narrated in a sound Hadith, “Jesus (Upon whom be peace) will come, he will act in accordance with the Shari’a of Islam, and he will kill the Dajjal,” will come about. But if the reality of this is explained, no reason remains to deem it unlikely. it is as follows:

 

The meaning expressed by this Hadith and those about the Sufyan and the Mehdi, is this: at the end of time two currents of irreligion will gain strength.

 

One of them: Under the veil of duplicity, a fearsome individual named the Sufyan, who will deny the prophethood of Muhammed (PBUH), will come to lead the dissemblers, and will try to destroy the Islamic Shari’a. To oppose him, a luminous individual called Muhammed Mehdi of the Family of the Prophet will come to lead the people of sainthood and perfection, who are bound to the luminous chain of the Family of the Prophet, and he will kill the current of dissemblers, which will be the collective personality of the Sufyan, and scatter it.

 

The Second Current: A tyrannical current born of Naturalist and Materialist philosophy will gradually become strong and spread at the end of time by means of materialist philosophy, reaching such a degree that it denies God. A savage who does not recognize the king or accept that the officers and soldiers in the army are his soldiers ascribes a sort of kingship and rulership to everyone and to all the soldiers. In just the same way, the members of that current, who deny God, each ascribes dominicality to his soul like a little Nimrod. And the greatest of them, the Dajjal, who will come to lead them, will manifest awesome wonders - a sort of spiritualism and hypnosis; he will go even further, and imagining his tyrannical, superficial rule to be a sort of dominicality, he will proclaim his godhead. It is clear just what foolish buffoonery it is for impotent man, who may be defeated by a fly and cannot create even a fly’s wing, to claim godhead.

 

At that point when the current appears to be very strong, the religion of true Christianity, which comprises the collective personality of Jesus (Upon whom be peace), will emerge. That is, it will descend from the skies of Divine Mercy. Present Christianity will be purified in the face of that reality; it will cast off superstition and distortion, and unite with the truths of Islam. Christianity will in effect be transformed into a sort of Islam. Following the Qur’an, the collective personality of Christianity will be in the rank of follower, and Islam, In that of leader. True religion will become a mighty force as a result of its joining it. Although defeated before the atheistic current while separate, Christianity and Islam will have the capability to defeat and rout it as a result of their union. Then the person of Jesus (Upon whom be peace), who is present with his human body in the world of the heavens, will come to lead the current of true religion, as, relying on the promise of One Powerful Over All Things, the Bringer of Sure News has said. Since he has told of it, it is true, and since the One Powerful Over All Things has promised it, He will certainly bring it about.

 

Indeed, it is not far from the wisdom of an All-Wise One of Glory Who all the time sends the angels to the earth from the heavens, sometimes sends them in human form (like Gabriel appearing in the form of Dihya), and sends spirit beings from the Spirit World making them appear in human form, and even sends the spirits of most of the dead saints to the world with similitudes of their bodies, it would not be far from His Wisdom - even if he was not alive and present with his body in the skies of the world, and had truly died and departed for the furthest corner of the Hereafter - to clothe Jesus (Upon whom be peace) in his body and send him to the world, so to bring the religion of Jesus to a good conclusion; for such a momentous result. Indeed He promised it because His wisdom required it to be thus, and since He promised it, He will most certainly send him.

 

When Jesus (Upon whom be peace) comes, it is not necessary that everyone should know him to be the true Jesus. His elect and those close to him will recognize him through the light of belief. It will not be self-evident so that everyone will recognize him.

 

Q u e s t i o n : There are narrations which say: “The Dajjal has a false paradise into which he puts those that follow him, and he also has a false hell into which he casts those who do not follow him. He even has made one of his mount’s ears into a paradise and the other into a hell... his body is of such-and-such vast dimensions...”, they describe him like this?

 

T h e A n s w e r : The Dajjal is superficially like a human being. Since he is arrogant and pharaoh-like and has forgotten God, he is a foolish satan and intriguing man who calls his superficial, tyrannical rule godhead. But his huge current of atheism, his collective personality, is truly vast. The awesome descriptions of the Dajjal in the narrations allude to that. At one time, the commander-in-chief of Japanese army was depicted with one foot in the Pacific Ocean and the other ten days’ distance away in Port Arthur. The collective personality of the commander-in-chief’s army was shown by depicting him in this way.

 

The Dajjal’s false paradise are the alluring amusements and enticements of civilization. His mount is means of transport like the railway; at one end of the train is the fire-box which sometimes sprays fire on those who do not follow him. The other of the mount's ears, that is, the other end of it, has been furnished like Paradise, and he seats his followers in it. Anyway, the railway, an important mount of dissolute and cruel civilization, brings a false paradise for- the dissolute and the worldly, while for the people of religion and Islam like the angels of Hell it brings dangers in the hand of civilization, and casts them into captivity and indigence.

 

For sure, with the emergence of the true religion of Christianity and its being transformed into Islam, it will spread its light to the great majority of people in the world, but when the end of the world is close an atheistic current will again show itself and become dominant. According to the rule, The word is with the majority, no one will remain on earth who says, “Allah! Allah!;” that is, “Allah! Allah!” will not he uttered by a significant group which holds an important position on the earth. The people of truth will form a minority or will be defeated, hut they will remain permanently till the end of the world. Only, the moment Doomsday occurs, as a sign of Divine mercy, the spirits of the believers will be seized first so that they do not see the terrors of the Last Day, and it will break forth over the unbelievers.

 

THE MEANING OF YOUR FIFTH QUESTION

 

Will the immortal spirits be grieved at the events of the Last Day?

 

T h e A n s w e r : They will be grieved according to their degrees. They will be grieved in the same way that. they are grieved at the overwhelming, wrathful manifestations of the angels towards themselves. Just as in respect of his mind and conscience a person is affected by those trembling in the snow and cold outside while he himself is inside in the warm, so too, since they are connected to the universe, according to their degree, immortal spirits are affected by the awesome events of the universe. The Qur’an indicates and alludes to this and to the tormented being afflicted in a grievous manner, and those destined for happiness being struck by wonder and amazement, and even rejoicing. For the All-Wise Qur’an always mentions the extraordinary events of the resurrection in the form of threats; it says: “You will see it!” Whereas those who will witness it physically are those living at the Last Day. That is to say, the spirits whose bodies have rotted in their graves also have a share of those Qur’anic threats.

 

THE MEANING QF YOUR SIXTH QUESTION

 

Does the verse,

 

Everything will perish save His countenance

 

include the Hereafter, Paradise, and Hell, and their inhabitants or does it not include them?

 

T h e A n s w e r : This question has been much discussed by the scholars, the saints, and those who uncover the realities of creation. The word is their’s in this matter. Moreover, the verse is very broad and contains many levels. The majority of scholars said that it does not include the everlasting realm, while others said that those realms too will perish for ,just an instant, a brief interval of time, but so brief a time that it will not be perceived that they have been annihilated and returned. But the absolute annihilation stated by some of those who uncover the realities whose ideas are extreme, is not right. For since the Most Pure and Holy Divine Essence is eternal and everlasting, His attributes and Names are also surely eternal and everlasting. And since His attributes and Names are everlasting and eternal, the everlasting beings and the immortal ones in the realm of eternity which are the mirrors, manifestations, impresses, and places of reflection of His attributes and Names of necessity will not go to absolute non-existence.

 

I shall now write one or two points that occur to me from the effulgence of the Qur’an:

 

The First: Almighty God is the possessor of such Absolute Power that He can despatch and bring into being existence and non-existence most easily as though they were two houses in relation to His power and will. If He wishes He can return them from there in a day or in an instant. Anyway there is no absolute non-existence, for His knowledge is all-embracing. And there is nothing outside the sphere of Divine knowledge that something can be cast there. The non-existence within the sphere of His knowledge is external non-existence and a title for something concealed but existent in Divine knowledge. Some scholars have called these beings existent in Divine knowledge, “latent realities.” In which case, to go to extinction is to be temporarily divested of external dress and to enter upon existence in Divine knowledge, existence in meaning. That is to say, transitory, ephemeral beings leave external existence and their essences are clothed in what has the meaning of existence; they pass from the sphere of Divine power to that of Divine knowledge.

 

The Second: As we have explained in many of the Words, in regard to their faces which look to themselves, all things are nothing. They do not possess existences which are of themselves independent or constant. And they do not possess realities which subsist of themselves. But in regard to their aspects that look to Almighty God, that is, that signify a meaning other than themselves, they are not nothing. For in that aspect are to be seen the manifestations of eternal Names. It is not doomed for non-existence, for it bears the shadow of an eternal existent. It has a reality, it is constant, and it is elevated. For it is a sort of constant shadow of the eternal Name which it manifests.

 

Furthermore, Everything will perish save His countenance is a sword to sever man’s hand from things other than God. It looks to the transitory things of this world in order to sever the attachment for ephemeral things in this fleeting world, which are not for Almighty God’s sake. That is to say, if it is for God’s sake, on account of the face which looks to Him, for Him, it cannot enter upon what is other than Him so that its head should be cut off with the sword of Everything will perish save His countenance.

 

In Short: If it is for God, if a person finds God, it cannot remain other than Him so that his head should be severed. If he does not find God and does not look on his account, everything is other than Him. A person has to use the sword of Everything will perish save His countenance, he has to rend the veil so that he can find Him.....

 

 

 

The Enduring One, He is the Enduring One!

 

S a i d N u r s i

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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