From the Fruits of BeliefA Summary of the Eighth Topic
In The Seventh Topic we questioned numerous levels of beings about the resurrection of the dead, but curtailed the discussion because since the replies given by the Creator's names afforded such powerful certainty, they left no need for further questions.
Now in this Topic are summarized a hundredth of the benefits of belief in the hereafter, including those which result in happiness in this world and in the next. The Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition leaves no need for further explanation concerning the happiness of the hereafter, so we refer the subject to the Qur'an. And leaving the explanations of worldly happiness to the Risale‑i Nur, here we shall describe in summary form three or four out of hundreds of results of belief in the hereafter which look to man's individual life and social life.
The First
Just as, contrary to other living beings, man has relations with his home, so he has relations with the world, and just as he has relations with his relatives, so by nature he has earnest relations with mankind. And just as he desires temporary permanence in this world, so he passionately desires immortality in the realm of eternity. And just as he strives to meet the need of his stomach for food, so he is by nature compelled to strive to provide for the stomachs of his mind, heart, spirit, and humanity, He has such hopes and desires that nothing apart from eternal happiness can satisfy them.
As is mentioned in the Tenth Word, even, when small, I asked my imagination: “Do you want to live for a million years and rule the world but then cease to exist, or to live for ever but have an ordinary and difficult existence?” I saw that my imagination wanted the latter, feeling pain at the first, and said: “I want to live for ever, even if in Hell!”
Thus, since the pleasures of this world do not satisfy the imaginative faculty, which is a servant of human nature, man's comprehensive nature is certainly attached to eternity. For man, therefore, who despite being afflicted with these boundless hopes and desires as capital has only an insignificant faculty of will and absolute poverty, belief in the hereafter is a treasury of such strength and sufficiency; is such a means of pleasure and happiness, source of help, refuge, and means of consolation in the face of the endless sorrows of this world, and is such a fruit and benefit that if the life of this world were to be sacrificed on the way of gaining it, it would still be cheap.
Its Second Fruit and Benefit, Which Looks to Man’s Personal Life
This is a consequence of great importance which is explained in the Third Topic, and about which is a footnote in A Guide for Youth.
Man's greatest and most constant anxiety is his entering the place of execution that is the graveyard, the same as his friends and relations have entered it. Wretched man, who is ready to sacrifice his very soul for a single friend, thinks of the thousands, millions, or thousands of millions of friends who have been eliminated and have parted for all eternity, and suffers torments worse than Hell. Just at that point belief in the hereafter comes, opens his eyes, and raises the veil. It tells him: “Look!” He looks with belief, and seeing that those friends have been saved from eternal death and decay and are awaiting him happily in a luminous world, he receives a pleasure of the spirit that intimates the pleasures of Paradise. Sufficing with the explanations and proofs of this consequence in the Risale‑i Nur, we cut this short here.
A Third Benefit Pertaining to Personal Life
Man's superiority over other living beings and his high rank are in respect of his elevated qualities, comprehensive abilities, universal worship, and his extensive spheres of existence. However, the virtues he acquires like zeal, love, brotherhood, and humanity are to the extent of the fleeting present, which is squeezed between the past and the future, which are both non‑existent, and dead, and black.
For example, he loves and serves his father, brother, wife, nation, and country, whom he formerly did not know and after parting from them, will never see again. He would very rarely be able to achieve complete loyalty and sincerity, and his virtues and perfections would diminish proportionately. Then, just as because of his intelligence, he is about to fall headlong from being the highest of the animals to the lowest and most wretched, belief in the hereafter comes to his assistance. It expands the present, as constricting as the grave, so that it encompasses the past and future and is as broad as the world, and shows the bounds of existence to stretch from pre‑eternity to post-eternity.
Thinking of his father being in the realm of bliss and world of spirits and the fraternity of his brothers continuing to eternity, and knowing that his wife will be a beautiful companion in Paradise also, he will love and respect them, be kindly and assist them. He will not exploit the important duties which are for relationships in that broad sphere of life and existence for the worthless matters of this world, with its petty hatreds and interests. His good qualities and attainments will advance to the degree he is successful in being earnestly loyal and truly sincere, and his humanity will increase.
Although he does not receive the pleasure from life that a sparrow receives, he becomes the most eminent and happy guest in the universe, superior to all the animals, and the best loved and most acceptable servant of the universe's Owner. This consequence has also been elucidated with proofs in the Risale‑i Nur, so here we suffice with this.
A Fourth Benefit of Belief in the Hereafter, Which Looks to Man’s Social Life
A summary of this result is set forth in the Ninth Ray of the Risale‑i Nur, it is as follows:
Children, which form a quarter of mankind, can live a human existence only through belief in the hereafter, and sustain their human capacity. They otherwise live only childish, empty existences, blunting their grievous pains with trifling playthings. For the effect of the constant deaths around them of children like themselves on their sensitive minds, and weak hearts which in the future will nurture far‑reaching desires, and their vulnerable spirits, makes their minds and lives into instruments of torture. But then, through instruction in belief in the hereafter, in place of their anxieties, and the playthings behind which they hid so as not to see those deaths, they feel a joy and expansion, and say:
”My brother or my friend has died and become a bird in Paradise. He is flying around and enjoying himself better than we are. And my mother has died, but she has gone to divine mercy. She will again take me into her embrace in Paradise and I shall see her again.” They may live in a state befitting humanity.
It is only in belief in the hereafter that the elderly, who form another quarter of mankind, can find consolation, in the face of the close extinction of their lives and their entering the soil, and their fine and lovable worlds coming to an end. Those kindly, venerable fathers and devoted, tender mothers would otherwise feel such a disturbance of the spirit and tumult of the heart that the world would become a despairing prison for them and life, a ghastly torture.
But belief in the hereafter says to them: “Don’t worry! You will have an immortal youth; a shining, endless life awaits you. You will be joyfully reunited with the children and relatives you have lost. All your good deeds have been preserved and you will receive your reward.” It affords them such solace and joy that were they to experience old age a hundred times over all at the same time, it would not cause them despair.
One third of mankind is formed by the youth. With their turbulent emotions, the youths are not always able to control their bold intelligences and are overcome by their passions. If then they lose their faith in the hereafter and do not recall the torments of Hell, it puts in danger the property and honour of the upright people in society, and the peace and self‑respect of the weak and elderly. One youth may destroy the happiness of a contented home for one minute's pleasure, then pay the penalty in prison for four or five years, degenerating into a wild animal.
If belief in the hereafter comes to his assistance and he swiftly comes to his senses, saying: “It's true the government informers can't see me and I can hide from them, but the angels of a Glorious Monarch who has a prison like Hell see me and are recording all my evil deeds. I am not free and independent; I am a traveller charged with duties. One day I too will be old and weak.” He suddenly starts to feel a sympathy and respect for those he wanted to cruelly assault. This too is explained with proofs in the Risale‑i Nur, so deeming that sufficient, we here cut it short.
Another important section of mankind are the sick, the oppressed, the disaster‑stricken like us, the poor and the life prisoners; if belief in the hereafter does not come to their aid, death, of which they are continuously reminded by illness, unavenged wrongs, the arrogant treachery of the oppressor, from whom they cannot save their honour, the terrible despair of having lost their property or children in serious disasters, the distress at having to suffer the torments of prison for five or ten years because of a minute or two, or an hour or two, of pleasure — these surely make the world into a prison for such unfortunates, and life into agonizing torment.
But if belief in the hereafter comes to their assistance, they suddenly breathe freely, and according to the degree of their belief, their distress, despair, anxiety, anger, and desire for vengeance abate, sometimes partially, sometimes entirely.
I can even say that if belief in the hereafter had not helped me and some of my brothers in this fearsome calamity of our being imprisoned for no reason, to stand it for one day would have been as grievous as death and driven us to resign from life. But endless thanks be to God, despite suffering the distress of my brothers, whom I love as much as my life, as well as my own, in addition to the weeping and sorrow of thousands of copies of the Risale‑i Nur and my gilded, decorated, valuable books, which I love as much as my eyes, and although I could never stand the slightest insult or to be dominated, I swear that
the light and strength of belief in the hereafter afforded me the patience, endurance, solace, and steadfastness; indeed, it filled me with enthusiasm to gain greater reward in the profitable, instructive exertions of this ordeal, for as I said at the beginning of this treatise, I knew myself to be in a good medrese or school worthy of the title of Medrese‑i Yusufiye (School of Joseph). If it were not for the occasional sickness and irritability arising from old age, I would have worked at my lessons even better and with greater ease of mind. However, we have strayed from the subject; I hope it will be forgiven.
Also, everyone's home is a small world for him, and even a small Paradise, If belief in the hereafter is not at the basis of the happiness of that home, the members of the family will suffer anguish and anxiety to the extent of their compassion, love, and attachment. Their paradise will either turn into Hell, or it will numb their minds with amusements and dissipation. Like the ostrich, who sees the hunter but can neither fly nor escape and sticks its head in the sand so as not to be seen, they plunge their heads into heedlessness so that death, decline, and separation do not spot them. They find a way out by temporarily blocking out their feelings in lunatic fashion.
Because, for example, the mother trembles constantly at seeing her children, for whom she would sacrifice her soul, exposed to dangers. While the children all the time feel sorrow and fear at being unable to save their father and brother from unceasing calamities. Thus, in the upheavals of this worldly life, the supposedly happy life of the family loses its happiness in many respects, and the relations and closeness in this brief life do not result in true loyalty, heartfelt sincerity, disinterested service and love. Good character declines proportionately, and is even lost.
Whereas if belief in the hereafter enters that home, it illuminates it completely and its members have sincere respect, love, and compassion for each other, are loyal and disregard each other's faults, in the measure not of their relations, closeness kindness, and love in this brief life, but of their continuation in the of the hereafter, in everlasting happiness, and their good character increases accordingly. The happiness of true humanity starts to unfold in that home. Since this too is elucidated with proofs in the Risale‑i Nur, we cut this short here.
Towns are also households for their inhabitants. If belief in the hereafter does not govern among the members of that large family vices like malice, self‑interest, false pretences, selfishness, artificiality, hypocrisy, bribery, and deception will dominate, displacing sincerity, cordiality, virtue, zeal, self-sacrifice, seeking God's pleasure and the reward of the hereafter, which are bases of good conduct and morality. Anarchy and savagery will govern under the superficial order and humanity, poisoning the life of the town. The children will become troublemakers, the youth will take to drink, the strong will embark on oppression, and the elderly start to weep.
By analogy, the country is a household, and the fatherland, the home of the national family. If belief in the hereafter rules in these broad homes, true respect, earnest compassion, disinterested love, mutual assistance, honest service and social relations, unhypocritical charity, virtue, modest greatness, and excellence will all start to develop.
It says to the children: “Give up messing around; there is Paradise to be won!” and teaches them self‑control through instruction in the Qur'an.
It says to the youth: “There is Hell‑fire; give up your drunkenness!” and brings them to their senses.
It says to the oppressor: “There is severe torment; you will receive a blow!” and makes them bow to justice.
It says to the elderly: “Awaiting you is everlasting happiness in the hereafter far greater than all the happiness you have lost here, and immortal youth; try to win them!” It turns their tears into laughter.
It shows its favourable effects in every group, particular and universal, and illuminates them. Sociologists and moralists, who are concerned with the social life of mankind, should take special note.
If the rest of the thousands of benefits and advantages of belief in the hereafter are compared with the five or six we have alluded to, it will be understood that it is only belief that is the means of happiness in this world and the next, and in the lives of both.