As you see, the books we publish through nurpublishers.com are focused on All about finding God because: If you find God, you have found everything and this finalizes the search for God. REMINDER: In ten days (May 21st or 22nd) we will be entering the first of the three Holy Months, Rajab. According to Bediuzzaman Said Nursi: the rewards for good deeds are multiplied by 100 during this first month, they are multiplied by 200 during the second month of Sha’ban, and finally the highest rewards are given during the month of Ramadan in which they are multiplied by 1,000, except on the Night of Power (Layla-tul Qadr) when they are multiplied by 30,000. Osman Birgeoglu, Ph.D.
Reintroducing Our Nur-the Light Magazine!
Brief History: The first issue of Nur-the Light Magazine was published in August, 1974. Since that time, its publishing has unfortunately been interrupted three times. Now with renewed energy and enthusiasm, we pick up from where we left off to continue publication of this treasured Magazine. By way of reintroduction, we have put together some examples of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s faith-building, mind-opening, and spirit-comforting guidance that many have been looking for to hang on to. The kind that makes you truly happy, healthy, and strong. Nur-the Light Magazine developed into further book publishing through our Risale-i Nur Institute of America. Nur-the Light is deeply indebted to the following great individuals: The late Attorney Bekir Berk Abi (death, June 14, 1992) who supported immensely its publication and the late Mehmet Buker Abi (death, 2005) who, in 1975, helped us purchase our very first printing machine. Additionally, we give special mention to the late Huseyin Demirkan who recently passed away on February 5, 2012 for his selfless efforts to help us start the Risale-i Nur service in the U.S. We humbly share our thoughts and feelings during this great effort to finally see our newly printed spring magazine with Bediuzzaman’s Risale-i Nur works. During our preparation of the magazine, two interesting things occurred which were not planned. I really don’t know what they mean for sure, but they gave us all great hope and happiness in our efforts to get our magazine finished. The first thing happened when I brought the unfinished product home to proofread and make final editing. In the middle of our work a small bird, sparrow, flew into our house through the patio door which was opened very slightly for our cat, Dusty. This had never happened before in the 19 years we’ve lived here. Despite the danger of our cat who was still inside, the bird circled around in the kitchen for quite some time even though our cat was trying to catch him. We immediately put the cat outside for the bird’s sake. Then we opened the front door and amazingly the bird flew out to safety. This led me to recall the story of Umit Simsek when he and I were working on Nur-the Light Magazine for the February, 1976 issue when a bird then, too, visited us. The pictures of this story are included on Page 9 of our newly released March/April, 2012 issue, the little bird can be clearly seen on a flower pot, fourth photo from the left. We thank our friend Umit Simsek for sending these photos. The second interesting thing I noticed two days ago on March 20th. I realized all the printing of our first reintroduced issue of our magazine was completed on March 20th, the first day of spring in 2012. This really made our day because we’re coming out together and being renewed with all of God’s creation. What a heart-warming message this is for us, although some people may see this as insignificant. –Osman Birgeoglu, Ph.D. P.S. We kindly ask our readers to send us some mailing addresses of sincere and devoted family, friends, colleagues, or others who may benefit from a complimentary copy of Nur-the Light Magazine.
Spirituality Today: On Curing Ills and Wounds
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, the genius scholar of our century, indeed the millennium:
“There is no god but God, He is One, He has no partner; His is the dominion and His is the praise; He alone grants life, and deals death, and He is living and dies not; all good is in His hand, He is powerful over all things, and with Him all things have their end.
Be certain of this, that the highest aim of creation and its most important result are belief in God. The most exalted rank in humanity and its highest degree are the knowledge of God contained within belief in God. The most radiant happiness and sweetest bounty for jinn and human beings are the love of God contained within the knowledge of God. And the purest joy for the human spirit and the sheerest delight for man’s heart are the rapture of the spirit contained within the love of God. Indeed, all true happiness, pure joy, sweet bounties, and untroubled pleasure lie in knowledge of God and love of God; they cannot exist without them.
One who knows and loves God Almighty is potentially able to receive endless bounties, happiness, lights, and mysteries. While one who does not truly know and love him is afflicted spiritually and materially by endless misery, pain, and fears. Even if such an impotent and miserable person owned the whole world, it would be worth nothing for him, for it would seem to him that he was living a fruitless life among the vagrant human race in a wretched world without owner or protector. Everyone may understand just how wretched and bewildered is man among the vagrant human race in this bewildering fleeting world if he does not know his Owner, if he does not discover his Master. But if he does discover and know Him, he will seek refuge in His mercy and will rely on His power. The desolate world will turn into a place of recreation and pleasure, it will become a place of trade for the hereafter.”
Bediuzzaman further states this profound truth:
“Since He exists, everything exists”
–Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (exerpts from The Letters, The Twentieth Letter)
I encourage everyone to read The Twentieth Letter, First Station in its entirety. The details teach us through belief about true happiness, dispelling the dark, the sorrow, and all sources of misery. –Dr. Osman Birgeoglu
Concerning the Standards of Serving the Risale-i Nur
- SINCERITY
- BROTHERHOOD
- RESPECT
S I N C E R I T Y : It is no wonder that Bediuzzaman does instruct: “This Flash should be read at least once a fortnight [two weeks].” In true sincerity there is never any dishonesty, rivalry, or competition as they negate, undermine, and indeed destroy sincerity. A lack of genuine sincerity in the service of the Risale-i Nur is clearly harmful to all and is thus unacceptable. Bediuzzaman Said Nursi discusses four rules of sincerity:
“YOUR FIRST RULE
You should seek Divine pleasure in your actions. If Almighty God is pleased, it is of no importance even should the whole world be displeased. If He accepts an action and everyone else rejects it, it has no effect. Once His pleasure has been gained and He has accepted an action, even if you do not ask it of Him, should He wish it and His wisdom requires it, He will make others accept it. He will make them consent to it too. For this reason, the sole aim in this service should be the direct seeking of Divine pleasure.
YOUR SECOND RULE
This is not to criticize your brothers who are employed in this service of the Qur’an, and not to excite their envy by displaying superior virtues. For just as one of man’s hands cannot compete with the other, neither can one of his eyes criticize the other, nor his tongue object to his ear, nor his heart see his spirit’s faults. Each of his members completes the deficiencies of the others, veils their faults, assists their needs, and helps them out in their duties. Otherwise man’s life would be extinguished, his spirit flee, and his body be dispersed.
YOUR THIRD RULE
You should know that all your strength lies in sincerity and truth. Yes, strength lies in truth and sincerity. … Evidence that strength lies in truth and sincerity is this service of ours. … You should be aware that Hadhrat Ali (May God be pleased with him) and Ghawth al-A’zam (May his mystery be sanctified) honor you with their miraculous wonder-working and wondrous vision of the Unseen because of this mystery of sincerity.
YOUR FOURTH RULE
This is to imagine your brothers’ virtues and merits in your own selves, and to thankfully take pride at their glory. The Sufis have terms they use among themselves, “annihilation in the shaykh,” “annihilation in the Prophet;” I am not a Sufi, but these principles of theirs make a good rule in our way, in the form of “annihilation in the brothers.” Among brothers this is called “tafânî;” that is, “annihilation in one another.” That is to say, to forget the feelings of one’s own carnal soul, and live in one’s mind with one’s brothers’ virtues and feelings. In any event, the basis of our way is brotherhood. It is not the means which is between father and son, or shaykh and follower. It is the means of true brotherhood. At the very most a Master [Ustad] intervenes. Our way is the closest friendship. This friendship necessitates being the closest friend, the most sacrificing companion, the most appreciative comrade, the noblest brother. The essence of this friendship is true sincerity.“
–Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (for details, see: The Flashes, The Twenty-First Flash; Sincerity And Brotherhood)
B R O T H E R H O O D : Simply put, brotherhood between all students of the Risale-i Nur, regardless of gender, is our strength, our joy, and our support. Brotherhood is very important to maintain at all times. We refer to our Master Teacher, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, regarding this topic:
“Dispute and discord among the believers, and partisanship, obstinacy and envy, leading to rancor and enmity among them, are repugnant and vile, are harmful and sinful, by the combined testimony of wisdom and the supreme humanity that is Islam, for personal, social, and spiritual life. They are in short, poison for the life of man. We will set forth six of the extremely numerous aspects of this truth.
FIRST ASPECT
They are sinful in the view of truth.
SECOND ASPECT
They are also sinful in the view of wisdom, for it is obvious that enmity and love are opposites, just like light and darkness; while maintaining their respective essences, they cannot be combined.
THIRD ASPECT
In accordance with the meaning of the verse:
No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another, [Quran, 6:164]
which expresses pure justice, to nurture rancor and enmity towards a believer is like condemning all the innocent attributes found in him on account of one criminal attribute, and is hence an act of great injustice.
FOURTH ASPECT
It is a sin from the point of view of personal life.
FIFTH ASPECT
Obstinacy and partisanship are extremely harmful in social life.
SIXTH ASPECT
Spiritual life and correctness of worship will suffer as a result of enmity and rancor, since the purity of intention that is the means of salvation will be damaged. For a biased person will desire superiority over his enemy in the good deeds that he performs and will be unable to act purely for the sake of God. He will also prefer, in his judgment and dealings, the one who takes his side; he will be unable to be just. Thus the purity of intention and the justice that are the bases of all good acts and deeds will be lost on account of enmity and hostility.
Verily God it is Who gives all sustenance, Lord of Power and Steadfast. [Quran, 51:58] How many are the creatures that carry not their own sustenance? It is God Who provides for them and for you; He is All-Hearing, All-Knowing. [Quran, 29:60]
O people of belief! You will have understood by now how harmful is enmity. Understand too that greed is another awesome disease, as harmful for the life of Islam as enmity. Greed brings about disappointment, deficiency, and humiliation; it is the cause of deprivation and abjection. … Greed demonstrates its evil effects throughout the animate world, from the most universal of species to the most particular of individuals. To seek out one’s sustenance while placing one’s trust in God will, by constrast, bring about tranquillity and demonstrate everywhere its beneficient effects.”
–Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (For more details on Brotherhood, see The Letters, The Twenty-Second Letter and Sincerity And Brotherhood, which includes multiple sources from the Risale-i Nur on Brotherhood.)
R E S P E C T : Thus far, we have understood the necessity for truth, sincerity, and brotherhood. All Risale-i Nur students are expected to maintain high standards of respect to each other and towards themselves. The chain of authority starts with Almighty God followed by our Noble Messenger, and the Companions. We may then continue to follow the chain of respect in the Risale-i Nur as described below:
Our Master Bediuzzaman Said Nursi…his first generation students…his first students’ students (second generation students)…and so on down the chain. [Many sincere students use the Arabic term “saff-i evvel” which refers to those who have come before..or..first comers.]
It is crucially important that we all follow the laws of the country we reside in and honor the rights of other beings with fairness and responsibility, we may not breach any of these under any circumstances. Bediuzzaman was extremely careful and respectful of law and human rights, particularly in preserving public safety and security. As Risale-i Nur students we are each expected to uphold these timeless standards equally as much.
The guidance for all Risale-i Nur students is found in the following words:
“Five principles are necessary, essential, at this strange time in order to save the social life of this country and nation from anarchy: respect, compassion, refraining from what is prohibited (haram), security, the giving up of lawlessness and being obedient to authority. ” –Bediuzzaman
“Our sole concern, within the framework of the laws of the Republic, is for the Risale-i Nur” –Bediuzzaman
The principles which I’ve discussed in this article are vital to the success of the Risale-i Nur service. The responsibility required of every single Risale-i Nur student is to uphold, defend, and thus preserve this great service of the Risale-i Nur. It is of utmost importance that we all encourage new readers, help existing readers, and share and spread Bediuzzaman’s great works, but we must do so within the framework of these above standards set by Ustad Bediuzzaman. Doing so honors and protects the Risale-i Nur Collection itself as well as all things vital in serving the Risale-i Nur including: truth, respect, brotherhood, sincerity, law, human rights and Bediuzzaman’s purpose, hope, and vision for humanity.
May God protect all sincere students of the Risale-i Nur and guide us to the right path and His Mercy; and help us to persevere in this most respected honor of serving the Risale-i Nur and our Ustad, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi.
–Dr. Osman Birgeoglu
Spirituality Today: Our Elderly
Twenty-First Letter and Twenty-Sixth Flash (Treatise for the Elderly). Let’s reflect carefully upon what Bediuzzaman Said Nursi advises: “Whether one or both of them attain old age in your life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. * And out of kindness, lower the wing of humility, and say: “My Sustainer! Bestow on them Your mercy even as they cherished me in childhood.” * Your Sustainer knows best what is in your hearts: if you do deeds of righteousness, indeed he is Most Forgiving to those who turn to Him again and again [in true penitence]. (Holy Qur’an, 17:23-25)
O heedless one in whose house is an elderly parent or an invalid or someone no longer able to work from among his relations or brothers in religion! Study the above verses carefully and see how on five levels in different ways it summons children to be kindly towards their elderly parents. Yes, the highest truth in this world is the compassion of parents towards their children, and the most elevated rights, their rights of respect in return for their compassion. For they sacrifice their lives with great pleasure, spending them for the sake of their children’s lives. In which case, every child who has not lost his humanity and been transformed into a monster honors those respected, loyal, self-sacrificing friends, serves them sincerely, and tries to please them and make them happy. Uncles and aunts, maternal and paternal, are like fathers and mothers.”
We must heed these glorious words whenever we encounter our elderly. Furthermore, we need to develop our empathy and be proactive in visiting and assisting our elderly as part of our daily lives. Our elderly are treasured blessings for our families and ourselves. Our mothers are the most elevated of all as the Most Noble Messenger Muhammad reminds us: “Heaven is underneath mothers’ feet.” (Ibn Maajah). And remember: we too shall grow old.
–Dr. Osman Birgeoglu
Spirituality Today: Environment, Adornments of This World
interdependence in the worldwide web of life which shows an exquisite harmony. Such harmony points to an unquestionable wisdom in the order of the universe, which in turn points to a conscious purposefulness in the existence of all things. We need to understand the duties of the beings, both animate and inanimate, around us to develop proper respect and care for our world while we are here on Earth to fulfill our good stewardship. The great scholar of our time, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, gives us his words to review how we need to understand the purpose of the environment:
“There are numerous purposes for the existence of everything, and numerous results flow from its being. These are not restricted to this world and to the souls of men, as the people of misguidance imagine, being thus lost in vanity and purposelessness. On the contrary, the purposes for the existence and the results of the being of all things relate to the following three categories.
- The first and the most exalted pertains to the Creator. It consists of presenting to the gaze of the Pre-Eternal Witness the bejewelled and miraculous wonders He has affixed to the object in question, as if in a military parade. To live for a fleeting second is enough to attain that glance. Indeed, the potentiality and intent for existence is enough, without ever emerging into life. This purpose is fully realized, for example, by delicate creatures that vanish swiftly and by seeds and kernels, each a work of art, that never come to life, that is, never bear fruit or flower. They all remain untouched by vanity and purposelessness. Thus the first purpose of all things is to proclaim, by means of their life and existence, the miracles of power and the traces of artistry of the Maker and display them to the gaze of the Glorious Monarch.
- The second purpose of all existence and the result of all being pertains to conscious creation. Everything is like a truth-displaying missive, an artistic poem, or a wise word of the Glorious Maker, offered to the gaze of angels and jinn, of men and animals, and desiring to be read by them. It is an object for the contemplation and instruction of every conscious being that looks upon it.
- The third purpose of all existence and result of all being pertains to the soul of the thing itself, and consists of such minor consequences as the experience of pleasure and joy, and living with some degree of permanence and comfort. If we consider the purpose of a servant employed as a steersman on some royal ship, we see that only one hundredth of that purpose relates to the steersman himself – i.e., the wage he receives; ninty-nine hundredths of the purpose relate to the king who owns the ship. …”
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi brings to this subject further light in the following paragraph:
“Third Principle: You will understand, further, that the adornments of this world are not simply for the sake of enjoyment or admiration. For if they yield pleasure for a time, they cause pain for a longer time with their cessation. They give you a taste and whet your appetite, but never satiate you. For either the life of the pleasure is short, or your life is short, too brief for you to become satiated. These adornments of high value and brief duration must, then, be for the sake of instruction in wisdom, for arousing gratitude, and for encouraging men to seek out the perpetual originals of which they are copies. They are, then, for other exalted goals beyond themselves.” (The Words, Tenth Word, Sixth Truth by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi)
–Dr. Osman Birgeoglu
Celestial Signs: Innumerable Proofs
Then listen to the stars, listen to their harmonious address!
See what wisdom has emblazed on the decree of its light.
Altogether they start to speak with the tongue of truth,
They address the majesty of the All-Powerful, All-Glorious One’s sovereignty:
We are each of us light-scattering proofs of the existence of our Maker,
We are witnesses both to His Unity and His Power,
We are subtle miracles gilding the face of the skies for the angels to gaze upon.
We are the innumerable attentive eyes of the heavens which watch the earth, which study Paradise.
We are the innumerable exquisite fruits which the hand of wisdom of the All-Glorious and Beauteous One has fastened
To the celestial portion of the tree of creation, to all the branches of the Milky Way.
For the inhabitants of the heavens,
We are each of us a travelling mosque, a spinning house, a lofty home;
Each is an illumining lamp, a mighty ship, an aeroplane.
We are each of us a miracle of power, a wonder of creative art
Created by the Powerful One of Perfection, the All-Wise One of Glory;
A rarity of His wisdom, a marvel of His creation, a world of light.
We demonstrated to mankind innumerable proofs,
We made them hear with these innumerable tongues of ours;
But their accursed unseeing, unbelieving eyes did not see our faces,
They did not hear our words.
And we are signs that speak the truth:
Our stamp is one, our seal is one,
We are mastered by our Sustainer,
We glorify Him through our subjugation,
We recite His Names,
We are each of us in ecstasy,
A member of the mighty circle of the Milky Way.
The Enduring One, He is the Enduring One!
S a i d N u r s i
–Dr. Osman Birgeoglu
All Signs Point to One Maker
When we observe, contemplate, study and reflect upon the world around us, we become aware of many different “things” in our immediate environment. We may see other people, animals, plants, rocks, rivers, mountains, buildings, etc.; we are surrounded by a multitude of animate and inanimate beings. Upon closer inspection, we start to notice the various properties and qualities of the different things and we begin to see unity and continuity between the things.
A simplified example: I discern compassion in a mother duck gathering her little ones upon leaving the nest to go for a swim in a nearby pond. Additionally, I see beauty in her specific form and color, and I also perceive wisdom in the manner in which she communicates with her babies. Next, I look around and perceive multiple instances of beauty, compassion, and wisdom in the flowers, trees, other birds and creatures around me, and I realize that it is the same beauty, compassion, and wisdom which I’ve just perceived in the mother duck. This sameness, this continuity of qualities of the things is unity. Such unity can only mean that it comes from one, single source. The beauty which I see in the mother duck is the same beauty I see in the flowers, the trees, the pond, etc. Thus, there is unity with respect to the things manifesting beauty, and thus the source of beauty must necessarily be one, must necessarily be the same. The same is true for compassion and wisdom given in this example. All are signs which point to a single Maker.
Ustad Bediuzzaman Said Nursi further elaborates on this matter in the following words:
“The phrase “He is One” is the conclusion of this. There is a unity in everything, and unity points to one. Yes, a work that has unity self-evidently proceeded from one maker. One proceeds from one. The fact that there is a unity in everything demonstrates that they are the works and artefacts of a single being. The universe is like a rosebud swathed in a thousand veils of unity. Or it is a single macroanthropos dressed in unities to the number of Divine Names and universal Divine works. Or it is a Tuba-tree of creation on the branches of which are hung unities to the number of realms of creatures.
Yes, the administration of the universe is one and the same; and its regulation is one and the same; its sovereignty is one and the same; its stamp is one and the same; a thousand and one things are all one and the same. Also, although the Names and acts which make the universe turn are one and the same, they each encompass the universe, or most of it. That is to say, the wisdom that works in it is one and the same; the bestowal in it is one and the same; its regulation is one and the same; the providing of sustenance in it is one and the same; the mercy which hastens to assist the needy is one and the same; the rain, which is that mercy’s dispenser of soft drinks, is one and the same, and so on; thousands of things are all one and the same. The sun, the universe’s stove, is one and the same; the moon, its lamp, is one and the same; fire, its cook, is one and the same; its mountains, which are its stores, treasuries, and masts, are one and same; its water dispensers are one and the same; its sponges which water the gardens are one and the same; a thousand and one things are all one and the same.
All these instances of unity in the world are proofs indicating the Single One of Unity, as clear and brilliant as the sun. Moreover, the elements and realms of beings of the universe each encompassing the face of the earth, as well as being one and the same, and their interpenetration and their uniting through their mutual relations and even mutual assistance, are clear signs that their Owner, Maker, and Master is one and the same.” -Bediuzzaman Said Nursi (The Rays, Second Ray)
–Dr. Osman Birgeoglu
New Beginnings 2012, A Spiritual Addition
energizes us to do good deeds for ourselves, our families, our friends and our communities. We will try our best to commit sincerely to whatever resolutions we’ve made. We may make resolutions to take better care of ourselves or to become more educated about God, the Merciful Creator of All Things. The important thing for me is thinking about God. Too often we forget to nurture our souls which is the source of all things. Thinking about God involves being grateful for all that He provides us, it is about remembering and thanking God. What does it really mean to thank God? It means having the proper awareness for the source of what we are thanking God for in order to understand our world. It means being awake. We utilize Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s brilliant methodology to gain awareness in thanking God for whatever He gives us. But there is more involved than simply having an awareness of the Source of the qualities of the thing given, that is only part of it. God creates the order of this universe in harmony, He places connections between all things. This is the unity inherent in the nature of the created order of all the worlds. Let’s take a closer look: Let’s say, for example, that we wish to thank God for an orange we are about to eat. Using Bediuzzaman’s methodology, we know by reflecting upon the orange and confirming that the qualities of this fruit cannot be attributed to itself or to any cause since neither has any power to bring the orange into existence, that this thing must have a Creator, and that whoever created this orange must also have created everything in the universe, and therefore, we conclude that this Creator must be Absolutely Powerful. But are we finished? Is that all there is in being aware in thanking God for the orange we are going to eat? No, there is more. There is also the relationship between the fruit and the person reflecting upon it. Not only is God the Source of all the qualities of the orange, this external piece of fruit, but He is also the Source for everything that connects us to the orange. He is the Source of our ability to reflect upon this orange, to taste the orange, to chew and swallow it, and to digest it. God gives our bodies the ability to extract the nutrients from the orange, to distribute these nutrients in our blood throughout our bodies, and to process these nutrients to keep our bodies functioning. There are multiple processes, from macroscopic to microscopic, we can become aware of in thanking God for just this one orange we are about to eat. It is not simply a separate, external orange. In this created order, everything is attributed to God. We become fully aware that the inter-relatedness of all things connects us to the unity, and thus to God-consciousness. Is there anything else we can gain from this? Yes, indeed there is. When we become truly aware of the process involved through Said Nursi’s methodology of using our reasoning to confirm our belief in God, and thanking God for all things, we also realize that this process is, in fact, a powerful act of worshipping God. Most importantly, we realize our awareness in this act of worship immediately brings us into the presence of God. In that moment of our awareness of the power of Almighty God, we are awakened. We, at the Risale-i Nur Institute of America, extend a warm and happy new year for 2012 to everyone; may it be a year full of peace and prosperity for all. I would like to close with the following hadith: Prophet Muhammed (ASM) said: “When someone is secure in his property, healthy in his body and has his food for the day, it is as if he owned the entire world.” (Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah) –Dr. Osman Birgeoglu ]]>
A Reassuring Message of Hopes
Risale-i Nur Collection in his comparisons between the ways offered to man by the Qur’an on the one hand, and philosophy on the other; those of belief and unbelief, guidance and misguidance. In these he proves and illustrates that man’s happiness and true progress are only to be found in the former way, that of recognition of the existence and unity of this world’s Creator, and of the prophets and scriptures. He has sent, and particularly in His final revelation, the Qur’an, and complete religion for mankind, Islam, and the Prophet Muhammad (ASM), who brought them. For it is only from these that man can learn the true purpose and meaning of both his own existence and that of the universe, and that of such questions as life and death, illness, suffering and disaster. The twenty-five ‘Remedies’ that Bediuzzaman offers in Message for the Sick spring from the Qur’an and present an entirely different view of illness and disaster to that described above. Considered in the light of the Qur’an and through the lens of belief, illness is seen to contain so many benefits, advantages, and instances of wisdom that far from being something to be feared and complained about, it should be submitted to with thanks and patience. The same may be said regarding any disaster and source of suffering. Note that Bediuzzaman is not opposed to modern medicine and its advances, indeed he writes that in “the pharmacy of the earth” is to be found a cure for every illness, and these should be benefitted from. But one should be aware that the effects of medicines are from Almighty God, just as He provides them. In addition, since man’s true sicknesses arise from unbelief, and physical illness itself very often results from “abuses” and “excesses”, that is, from not adhering to the teachings of religion, Bediuzzaman suggests that to find a cure, recourse should be had to believing, religious doctors, and that “materialist and heedless doctors” should themselves “take the medicines of belief from the sacred pharmacy of the Qur’an” if they are truly to heal others. With his unparalleled insight into the human spirit as well as unequalled knowledge of the Qur’an, Bediuzzaman offers most gentle and effective remedies which are a consolation and cure for both the physically sick and those wounded by unbelief and misguidance. His advice is applicable in all situations of hardship, suffering, and disaster. In a special section of Message for the Sick, Bediuzzaman gives several points in his letter of condolence on the death of a child. Below is an excerpt: “First Point: The meaning of the phrase, “immortal youths” (56:17, 76:19) in the All-Wise Qur’an is this: with this phrase, the verse indicates and gives the good news that the children of believers who die before reaching maturity will remain perpetually as eternal, lovable children in a form worthy of Paradise; that they will be an everlasting source of happiness in the embrace of their fathers and mothers who go to Paradise; and will ensure that their parents receive the sweetest of pleasures, the loving and caressing of children; and that all pleasurable things will be found in Paradise; that those who say that since Paradise is not the place for the reproduction there will be no loving and caressing of children, are not correct; and that gaining millions of years of pure, pain-free loving and caressing of eternal children instead of a brief ten years or so of loving them mixed with the sorrows of this world, is a source of great happiness for believers.” –Bediuzzaman Said Nursi May we all find courage, patience, strength and consolation through the verses of the Qur’an and the interpretive words of the Risale-i Nur. –Dr. Osman Birgeoglu ]]>