The Last Instruction Our Master Bediuzzaman Gave the Nur Students Generally Before His Death
My Dear Brothers!
Our duty is to act positively; it is not to act negatively. It is solely to serve the cause of belief in accordance with divine pleasure, and not interfere with God's concerns. We are charged with responding with patience and thanks to every difficulty we may meet in the positive service to belief, a consequence of which is the preservation of public order and security.
Taking myself as an example, I say: Formerly I never bowed before tyranny or humiliating treatment. Numerous events established that I could never endure to be treated in that way. For example, not rising to my feet before the commander‑in-chief in Russia, and my giving no importance to the pashas' questions in the military court even when under threat of execution, as well as my attitude to four commanders, all show that I never bowed before domination, But these last thirty years, for the sake of acting positively and not acting negatively and not interfering in God's concerns, I have responded with patience and resignation to all the treatment I have received. I have met it with patience and resignation like Jarjis (Upon whom be peace) and those who suffered the extreme difficulties of the Battles of Badr and Uhud.
Yes, for example, I did not even curse a public prosecutor whose eighty‑one errors I had proved in court, as a result of whose false accusations the decision was taken against us. For the essential matter at this time is the jihad of the word or moral jihad (cihad-ı mânevî). It is to form a barrier against the moral and spiritual destruction, and to assist internal order and security with all our strength.
Yes, there is a power in our way, but this force is for preserving public order. According to the principle of No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another the brother, family, or children of a criminal cannot be held responsible for him. It is because of this that throughout my life we have endeavoured with all our strength to maintain public order. This force may not be employed internally, but only against external aggression. Our duty in accordance with the above verse, is to assist the maintenance of internal order and security with all our strength. It is for this reason that within the world of Islam internal destructive conflicts damaging public order have been negligible, and arose from differences in interpretation of the law. The most important condition of the jihad of the word is not interfering in God's concerns; that is, to say: “Our duty is to serve; its results are Almighty God's concern. We are charged with carrying out our duty, and are obliged to do so.”
Similarly to Jalaluddin Kharazmshah, I have learnt from the Qur'an to say: “My duty is to serve religious belief; it is Almighty God's concern whether or not He makes it successful,” and to act with sincerity.
External aggression may be met with force, for the enemy's possessions and dependants are like booty, But this is not the case internally. Internal action should be in accordance with the true meaning of sincerity, and means acting in positive, non‑physical (mânevî) fashion against the moral and spiritual (mânevî) destruction. External and internal jihad are completely different. Almighty God has now given me millions of true students. Internally, we shall act positively only to maintain public order and security. The difference at this time between internal and external jihad is truly great.
There Is Another Question which is also of supreme importance. According to the injunctions of the Qur'an, at this time due to the demands of modern low civilization essential needs have risen from four to twenty. As a result of addiction, custom, and habit, inessential needs have become like essential needs. Although one believes in the hereafter, he says: “It's necessary,” and because of this gives preference to this world over the hereafter, for worldly benefits and because of the struggle for livelihood,
Forty years ago, in order to accustom me to this world a little, a commander‑in-chief sent some high-ranking officers and even some hojas to me. They told me:
“As dictated by the rule: Necessity makes permissible what is prohibited, we are now compelled to adopt some of the Europe's principles and imitate some of the requirements of civilization.”
I told them: “You are grievously deceived. If necessity arises from unlawful deeds, it certainly is not right. It does not make licit what is illicit. If it does not arise from a wrong, that is, if it has not arisen from an unlawful action, it is not harmful. For example, if a man deliberately gets drunk in unlawful fashion and when drunk commits a crime, the judgement will be against him; he will not be considered excused and will pay the penalty. For the necessity resulted from a voluntary wrong action. But if an insane youth shoots someone when in a state of insanity, he is excused; he will receive no penalty, because it was not voluntary.”
I asked the commander and the men of religion: “What essentials are there outside having bread to eat and maintaining a livelihood? Voluntary actions arising from illicit desires and unlawful dealings cannot make what is unlawful lawful. Since things like the cinema, theatre, and dancing are not essential and addiction to them results from a voluntary wrong action, if a person becomes addicted to them, it cannot be a reason for making the illicit licit. Laws whose source is human have also taken this point into consideration, for they differentiate between definite necessity outside the will and matters arising from voluntary unlawful acts. Divine laws differentiate in firmer and more fundamental fashion between these basic matters.”
Nevertheless, do not attack those hojas who support innovations, supposing that they are made essential by the times. Do not strike at those unfortunates, who unknowingly act on the supposition of “there being necessity.” For this reason we do not employ our force internally. We do not interfere with the unfortunates who oppose us saying “such‑and-such has become essential,” even if they are hojas. I previously held out on my own against so many opponents, not wearying even a jot, and was successful in serving belief. Although there are now millions of Risale-i Nur students, I still endure all their insults and persecution through acting positively.
We do not consider the world. If we do consider it, we try to assist those involved in it. We assist in positive fashion the preservation of public order and security. Because of facts like these, we have to tolerate it, even if they persecute us.
The Risale‑i Nur's spreading everywhere has given rise to the firm conviction that the Democrats support religion. To hamper a single treatise now is directly contrary to the benefits of the country and nation.
A small example of the rule “Necessity arising from a voluntary unlawful action does not make what is unlawful lawful:” there was a confidential treatise the publication of which I prevented. I said that it could be published after my death. Later the courts seized it and studied it; then they acquitted it. The Court of Appeal upheld the acquittal. And in order to pre‑ serve public order internally and so that no harm should come to the ninety-nine innocents out of a hundred people, I gave permission to the publishers, saying: “Said may publish it on consulting with others.”
Third Matter: Absolute disbelief is now trying to spread such a hell that no disbeliever in the universe should approach it. An inner meaning of the Qur'an being a “Mercy to all the worlds” is this, that just as it is mercy for Muslims, so, by offering the possibility of belief in the hereafter and belief in God, it is a subtle sign of its being a mercy to all unbelievers and all the world and mankind. For it saves them to an extent from that immaterial hell in this world too. But now the misguided sort of science and philosophy — that is, the sort which is not reconciled with the Qur'an and has strayed from the path and opposes the Qur'an, absolute disbelief — has begun to be spread in the form of communism. Since it has begun to be inculcated and spread by means of dissemblers and atheists, and some extremist irreligious politicians, covertly as communism in such a way that will result in anarchy, it is not possible to live now without religion. The saying, “A nation cannot continue to exist without religion” alludes to this point. Absolute disbelief is not viable, it cannot be lived. That is why the All‑Wise Qur'an has taught the Risale-i Nur students this age in miracuIous fashion that they should form a barrier against absolute unbelief and anarchy. And so they have. Yes, what has protected us against this current, which has overrun half Europe and the Balkans is this lesson of the Wise Qur'an; it has formed a barrier against its assault and in this way found a solution for the danger.
This means that it is not possible for a Muslim to embrace another religion and become a Christian or a Jew, or especially a communist. For if a Christian becomes a Muslim, he loves Jesus (Upon whom be peace) even more. And if a Jew becomes a Muslim, he loves Moses (Upon whom be peace) even more. But if a Muslim breaks away from the chain of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and gives up his religion, he will not embrace any other religion; he becomes an anarchist and nothing remains in his spirit that may lead to perfection and attainment. His con‑ science is corrupted and he becomes poison in the life of society.
It is because of this that, thanks be to God, a Qur'anic miracle, a lesson of the Qur'an called the Risale‑i Nur, has begun to spread among the heroic Arab and Turkish peoples. Alluded to by the All-Wise Qur'an and in the Arabic and Turkish languages, it will save this age. Sixteen years ago it had saved the belief of six hundred thousand people, and now it has been established that the number exceeds millions. That is to say, just as the Risale-i Nur has been a means of saving mankind from anarchy to an extent, so it has been a means of uniting the Turks and Arabs, the two heroic brothers of Islam, and disseminating these fundamental laws of the Qur'an, as even its enemies have confirmed.
Absolute disbelief is opposing the Qur'an at the present time. Absolute disbelief comprises a hell in this world that is greater than Hell itself. For since death is not killed and every day thirty thousand human deaths testify to its continuance, thinking of their own eternal annihilation and that of all their relatives of the past and future, those who fall into absolute disbelief, or those who support it, suffer torments ten times severer than Hell. That is, owing to their absolute disbelief, they feel that hellish torment in their hearts. For a person is happy at the happiness of his relatives and is tormented at their torments, and due to the beliefs of the deniers of God, all their happiness is destroyed and replaced by torment. Thus at this time there is one single way dispelling this immaterial hell from people's hearts in this world, and that is the All‑Wise Qur'an, and the Risale-i Nur and its various parts, which is a miracle of the Qur'an in accordance with the understanding of the age.
Now we offer thanks to God that one party among the political parties has realized this to an extent for it has not prevented the publication of those works. It has not hindered the Risale‑i Nur, which proves that the truths of belief gain a non-material heaven for believers in this world; it has permitted its publication and given up pressurizing its publishers.
My brothers! My illness is very severe, Perhaps I shall die soon or be prevented from speaking altogether, as I am sometimes now. Therefore, saying that they are the lesser of two evils, my Nur brothers of the here‑ after should not attack certain unfortunate, mistaken people because of their mistakes. They should always act positively. Acting negatively is not our concern. For action internally may not be negative, Since some of the politicians cause no harm to the Risale-i Nur and are a little tolerant, look on them as the lesser of two evils. Cause them no harm and do them good, so that you may be saved from a greater evil.
Also, internal jihad of the word is to work against the moral and spiritual devastation. It is not material or physical service that is needed, but non‑physical and moral. For this reason we do not interfere with the politicians, nor have the politicians any right to busy themselves with us!
For example, I have forgiven a certain party despite its having inflicted thousands of sorts of difficulties on me, and even thirty years of imprisonment and persecution. And I have been instrumental in ninety‑five per cent of those unfortunates being saved from insult, criticism, and oppression. For according to the verse, No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another, the fault was ascribed to only five per cent. The party which opposed us has no right whatsoever now to complain about us.
In one court, even, attempts were made to convict us, seventy people, as a result of the delusions of spies and informers and to convict me due to misunderstandings and carelessness and eighty errors by attaching false meanings to certain parts of the Risale‑i Nur — as had been proved in a number of courts. But while a prisoner, one of your brothers who had been subject to the worst attacks saw the public prosecutor's three-year-old child out of the window. He asked and they told him, It is the public prosecu‑ tor's daughter. For the sake of that innocent child, he did not curse the prosecutor. Indeed, since the troubles he had inflicted had resulted in advertising the Risale‑i Nur, that non-material miracle, and in furthering its dissemination, they had been transformed into mercy.
My Brothers! Perhaps I shall soon die. This age has another sickness; sicknesses like egotism, self‑centredness, self-advertisement, the desire to pass one's life comfortably in accordance with the fantasies of modern civilization, and to be obsessed with this. The first and most important lesson the Risale-i Nur has learnt from the Qur'an is the necessity to give up egotism, selfishness, and self-advertisement, so that the saving of belief may be served with true sincerity. Thanks be to God, numerous people have emerged who have gained that maximum sincerity. There are many who sacrifice their egotism and reputation and good name for the smallest matter of belief. For example, when the enemies of one unfortunate student of the Risale-i Nur became friends, divine mercy made him lose his voice because their conversations with him increased. Also, the looks of those who consider him admiringly strike him like the evil eye, and cause him pain. Shaking hands even causes him distress as though he had received a blow.
He was asked: “What is this condition of yours? You have millions of friends; why do you not meet with them for their sake?”
He replied: “Since our way is maximum sincerity, it necessitates preferring a single, eternal matter of belief to rule over the whole world even, if it were to be given, let alone egotism and selfishness. For example, in the midst of the enemy's fire in the front lines in the war, he gave greater importance to a single point of a single letter of a single verse of the All‑Wise Qur'an, and ordered his scribe, Habib, when under the rain of the bullets: 'Take out the notebook!' and dictated that point to him on horseback. That is to say, he did not abandon a single letter or point of the Qur'an in the face of the enemy bullets; he preferred it to saving his own life.”
We asked that brother of ours where he had learnt such extraordinary sincerity.
He said: From two points:
The First is the Glory of the World (Upon whom be blessings and peace) commanding in a Hadith, despite the enemy's assault at one of times of the prescribed prayers during the Battle of Badr, the most wondrous battle in the history of Islam, that half of the mujāhids should lay aside their arms and join the congregation, so as not to be deprived of the benefits of the congregation, and that they should pray two rakats and then the other half should do likewise. Since there is permission to do this in battle, and since the benefit of praying in congregation has been established by the Prophet's (UWBP) practices, complying with that practice was given priority over the most momentous of worldly affairs. Taking one small point from such a hint of the Absolute Master (UWBP), we follow it with all our strength and spirit.
Secondly: In many places of his Jaljalūtiyya and at the end of it, Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him), the champion of Islam, asked for a protector, so that heedlessness should not encroach on his sense of the divine presence during the five daily prayers, He beseeched the divine court for a protecting spirit being, solely so that an assault by his enemies should not occur to him and the thought of his very numerous enemies attacking him should not hinder his sense of the divine presence during the Prayers.
Thus, this wretched brother of yours, whose life at this time is afflicted with self‑advertisement, learnt these two small points from the Reason for the World's Creation (UWBP and the Champion of Islam. Attaching importance to the Qur'an's mysteries, which are so necessary at this time, he did not think of protecting his own life in battle, and expounded one fine point of one letter of the Qur'an.
Saîd Nursî