The Twelfth Premise
One who does not find the kernel will busy himself with the shell. One who does not recognize the truth, will deviate into fancies. One who cannot see the mean (lit. straight path – sırat‑ı müstakîm), will go to one extreme or the other. The unbalanced, unstable person will often deceive and be deceived.
Something that deceives the literalists is confusion about the relationship between the tale and its moral, and the association in the mind of the premise and what is intended, and its association in external existence and what is intended. Take note of this point, because you will need it later.
Furthermore, something, and perhaps the foremost thing, that gives rise to confusion and is a cause of conflict, creates superstitions, and gives rise to exaggeration is dissatisfaction with the beauty, grandeur, and loftiness of creation. Allah forbid, this is to decry its order out of vicious pleasure.
Whereas the beauty of the order, and the perfection and loftiness of the truths of the world – each of which in the view of reason and wisdom is a clear miracle of power – have been so embroidered by the hand of wisdom that if they were to be compared with all the past amazing beauty and perfection of all the fanciful and the exaggerators, it would show those wondrous delusions to be utterly commonplace and those divine practices to be utterly beautiful and full of majesty.
But familiarity, the sister of compounded ignorance and mother of superficiality, have closed the eyes of those exaggerators. It is to open such eyes that the Wise Book commands that attention be directed to the outside world and to the self, both of which are familiar.
Yes, it is only the stars of the Qur’an that will open eyes. They are stars so bright they both disperse the darkness of ignorance and the dimness of superficiality; and with their perspicuousness, they rend the veils of familiarity and superficiality and rip up the masks of the literalists, and direct them towards the truths of the world and of the self and offer them guidance.
Furthermore, what gives rise to the tendency to exaggerate is man’s innate propensity to actualise the potential. For one of his predilections is to see and display unusual things that arouse wonder, and to renew and innovate.
In consequence, since due to his superficial view man does not appreciate the spiritual sustenance in the dishes of the universe beneath the lid of familiarity, he becomes weary at licking the dish and the lid; and since it produces nothing but dissatisfaction and desire for the extraordinary and appetite for fancies, the desire for the extraordinary gives rise to the tendency to exaggerate, to effect renewal and to give it currency.
Then the exaggeration, like a snowball at the top of a mountain, rolling down from the summit of the imagination to the tongue, then rolls along from tongue to tongue, both scatters pieces of its own truth to left and right, and grows like an avalanche as numerous fanciful notions increase its size from every tongue due to the tendency to exaggerate. Then it does not fit in the heart, or in the ear, or even in the imagination.
Eventually the eye of truth comes, and divesting it of the conglomeration of all its accretions, shows it for what it is. The meaning of “the truth comes and falsehood perishes” is made manifest.
In Short: A recent happening may be related here by way of example: I do not say this out of pride, but ever since my youth, essentially my way has been to cleanse the truths of Islam of the stains made by those who go to one extreme or the other and to polish up those diamond‑like truths. Numerous events in my life testify to this. In connection with this, recently I mentioned the sphericity of the earth, a self-evident matter, and some relevant religious matters, and I applied and adapted them and thus refuted the objections of enemies and the doubts of those who love religion.
But then it seemed that since the brains of the literalists are accustomed to such make‑belief things as ghouls, they would not accept it. But the true reason must have been something else. They acted idiotically as though by shutting their eyes they could make it nighttime, or by puffing they could extinguish the sun. They suppose that by accepting the sphericity of the earth, one is opposing numerous questions of religion. Making it a pretext they uttered serious calumnies.
And it did not remain at that: suspicious minds found grounds suitable for the spread of the slander, and so increased it they caused extreme distress to the religiously minded and made the patriotic despair of Islam’s progress.
But it provided an exemplary lesson. It awakened me to the fact that an ignorant friend can cause as much harm as an enemy. Until now, I considered only the enemy’s side and smashed their excesses with the diamond sword I was wielding. But now I shall have to poke gently with the sword at those friends’ vulgar and excessive imaginings in order to educate them.
For sure, one should not have to mention such personal things in discussions of this sort, but it is no longer personal; it has become a general matter concerning the life of the medreses. The literalists should know certainly that their efforts are futile. They have kept us ignorant uptil now with their banal sophistries, and want in the future to take advantage of our ignorance. But it is not to be! The medreses will spring to life, and that’s that!
Also, what confuses the literalists’ ideas and spoils the order of their imaginings is their believing that the evidences of the prophets’ veracity are limited to marvels (harikulâdeler), as well as their supposing that all or most of our Prophet’s (UWBP) acts have to be wondrous. But existence does not allow this, so their fancies remain disordered. For such a belief arises from disregarding the mystery of divine wisdom and the divine laws in force in the creation of the world, and the prophets submitting to these and complying with them; it results from a serious disregard of the truth.
Yes, although all the Prophet’s (UWBP) actions and behaviour indicate his veracity and testify that he adhered to the truth, he still submitted to and followed those divine laws. Attention is drawn to this in the Third Article.
Marvels (harikulâde) are displayed in order to verify prophethood. Such verification may be obtained by their miracles (mu’cize) being in the best possible form. If the miracles are more wondrous than they need to be, they would be either futile or opposed to the mystery of man’s accountability – for accountability is a test or trial about something theoretical (nazarî). The most inferior and most superior may be equal in things that are obvious or nearly obvious – or they would be opposed to submission to the inner workings of wisdom in things and compliance with them. Whereas more than everyone, the prophets were charged with servitude and submission to Allah the Most High.
O searcher after truth who is scrutinising these disorderly words of mine! The proclivities planted in your nature will sprout and grow with the light of the sun of truth, which travels despite being stationary, and will produce flowers.
Conclusion
Both those sayyids who deny being sayyids, and non‑sayyids who claim to be sayyids are sinful and both their entry and exit is proscribed, just as it is proscribed to either add to the Qur’an or miss something out from it. To add to it is more harmful since it spoils the order and opens the door to baseless ideas. To miss any part out arises from ignorance and may therefore be forgiven to an extent. But adding to it needs knowledge, and a knowledgeable person is not to be excused. Similarly it is not permissible to eliminate anything from religion or to join something alien to it. To include the base metal of stories and the refuse of israiliyyat and misleading similes among the diamonds of the tenets of belief, the jewels of the Shari‘a, and the pearls of its injunctions, reduces their value to an even greater degree and disgusts their customers, the seekers after truth, even more.
Conclusion of the Conclusion
It is a serious act of non‑compliance with the Shari‘a of Creation for a person to give up what he has a propensity for and to attempt something for which he has no ability. For the mark [of those laws] is for the man’s potentialities to enter into and expand within his craft, and to esteem and love it, and to comply with and follow its rules; in short, to become engrossed in his craft. While his duty towards creation is this, by failing to comply, he alters the true form of the craft and infringes its laws. And because his inclination is towards the craft for which he has an innate capacity, he makes disagreeable the form of the craft he attempts in contravention of his nature. For confusion is born of the incompatibility of the propensity, which is potential, and the actual craft.
In consequence, because out of their tendency to domineer and control and desire to be superior, numerous people want to assume positions of domination, they give up offering encouragement, guidance, and advice, and being gracious, which are the marks of knowledge, and they use their despotic, superior positions as means of compulsion and harsh censure and castigation. They exploit knowledge instead of serving it. The duties of teaching have thus passed into the hands of the incompetent, and the medreses in particular have headed for ruin.
The sole solution for this is for the instructors, who form a single faculty, to be reorganized into numerous faculties like a university. Then everyone, impelled by their humanity and claiming their rights, will follow their natures and obey the command of pre‑eternal wisdom, and put into practice the rule of the division of labour.
Reminder One of the main reasons for the decline of the medrese sciences and their being diverted from their natural channel was the instrumental sciences (‘ulûm‑u âliye) being given priority over the fundamental sciences (‘ulûm‑u ‘âliye). Just as the latter were neglected, so brains were busied with deciphering Arabic phraseology; the main sciences became subsidiary, and those profusely wordy works that were made the official syllabus took everyone’s time and attention, and allowed them no opportunity to escape.
Scrupulous brother! I reckon you want to know now what the three books consist of, according to which these Premises are set out. Bide in patience a while longer, for now I’m going to tell you about a subject that forms a consise summary of those books, or is a photograph or an abbreviated chart. I am also going to present to you hastily eight or nine matters from those books. I have the idea to discuss them in detail after the Third Article, if divine will sees fit and I am visited with divine assistance. The subject is this:
I’m going to rise to the sciences (ulûm) of the heavens on a journey of the spirit directly through the power of science (hikmet) by means shown by the Qur’an. From there we shall gaze down on the earth and see that it revolves like a ball or top, or a pebble flung by the All‑Wise Maker’s hand of power and is spinning. With the eye of wisdom we shall see that breaking into pieces it will be transformed into something better.
Descending from the heavens, we shall pass through the atmosphere and gradually descend to the earth, our cradle, which the Merciful Creator has laid out and prepared for the ease and comfort of humankind.
We shall then observe attentively how humankind throws away its cradle on emerging from childhood and destroys it, and is sent to the everlasting palace of bliss.
Having watched this in its entirety, we shall embark on a journey of the spirit, which is unrestricted by time and space, to the past and with the electric current of history shall there exchange news with its people. We shall learn of events in that dusky eventide, and build a railway with its ideas.
Then turning towards the morningtide of the future, we shall visit and welcome our fellow humans, who are on the point of departure, and view and point out from afar the true dawn of happiness. Boarding the train of progress and ship of endeavour, and holding up the lamp of proof, we shall enter upon those times, which although their beginnings appear dark, are bright indeed. There we shall embrace the people of the future, and congratulate them on their achievement and happiness.
This small photograph contains a truly beautiful picture which, on being defined, will later become clear to you. Now, the trees of the aforementioned books will sprout in this ground and will be watered by means of the canals of the three Articles.
Brother! Before taking you by the hand and leading you to the treasury of truths, I am going to dispel the fancies that veil the eye of your discernment and quickly mention the several matters I mentioned. The fancies are such that with their hands they blind your eyes like ghouls, beat you on the chest, and terrify you. If they show you anything at all, they make light appear as fire and pearls as clods. Beware of those imaginings! The most important source of the satanic whisperings that afflict you are several matters related to the sphericity of the earth.
For Instance, the ox and fish; Qaf mountain; the barrier of Dhu’l‑Qarnayn; the mountains acting as pegs; and Hell as being as being specifically located beneath the earth; and such matters as He has extended [to a wide expanse]; (How) it is spread out; The sun runs its course; and He sends down from the sky mountains masses [of cloud] wherein is hail. I shall explain what they mean in reality in order to close up the eyes of the enemies of religion and open the eyes of its friends. I am commencing: