Our July-August, 2012 issue of Nur-the Light Magazine is now available. On the cover is a partial picture of the mighty Milky Way Galaxy. The Utterance of the Stars by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi is an exemplary meditation of how the stars speak to us as signs of God’s Power:
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.
We wish our readers a blessed Ramadan as we approach the end in these last ten days, and a fruitful Layla-tul Qadr. Enjoy the Eid Festival on Sunday, August 19, 2012 ̶ according to the Directorate of Religious Affairs of the Turkish Republic.
In closing, we would like to encourage all of our readers to support our services by subscribing to Nur-the Light Magazine. Even better, help spread the word of the phenomenal Risale-i Nur Collection and subscribe your friends and family members too! The cost for residents of the United States is only $20 annually. Simply visit this link and click on the magazine cover to subscribe: Nur-the Light Magazine.
Let’s imagine we travel to the middle of the enormous Milky Way and look back upon our tiny planet Earth and other billions of Earth-like planets. We observe: only one of them is filled with living beings that we know of…all others appear vacant to us.
Then, we carefully look at the living beings on Earth which consist of more than a million species. We further analyze them from plants to animals, from ants to bees to elephants, from butterflies to eagles. All are busy performing their tasks without showing any weariness except one species: human beings. Humans consume, they take over many places, they are wasteful and they pollute while they contribute very little. By any worldly standards, humans are extremely poor performers. Also, many people are not even aware of their lofty goals for which they are created. The majority of mankind is not awake. Even worse, they neither remember God nor give thanks to God, many are totally indifferent towards Him.
Now consider this true story: The conqueror of the Eastern Byzantium Empire, Fatih Sultan Muhammad, was once told, “You built these colleges/seminaries where most students are not performing.” The Sultan replied, “If they deliver one saint, like Aksemseddin, that would suffice.” Like in this story, we strongly believe in this logic that it only takes some good people to be sufficient to justify the existence of the planet Earth. However, should our goal not be to raise more of these good people?
The Risale-i Nur says, “In just the same way that the messengerhood of the Prophet was the reason for the foundation of this realm of trial —the saying ‘were it not for thee, were it not for thee, I would not have created the spheres’ being an indication of this— so too the worship he (and his followers) performed was the cause for the foundation of the abode of bliss.”
God Almighty wanted to see a perfect community which would reflect His Attributes and Names best. With Prophet Muhammad, God completes His message to mankind. Without this system of education, mankind cannot learn and thus cannot also perform their God-intended duties to God. Essentially, mankind began in elementary school at the time of Adam, then attended middle schools, then high schools, and now with the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, has finished graduate school, this is according to God’s revealed intentions for mankind. Mankind is now ready to perform complete worship to Almighty God. And, altogether shall we brainstorm to achieve this sacred worship.
IN SHORT: Some of us need to continually raise the bar of our good deeds such as helping each other, discovering and delivering life’s goals like a honeybee. Are we ready? How much do we care about God, religion and the Afterlife?
The Risale-i Nur in Russia On January 13 of this year, the radio MORAL FM of Istanbul, broadcast a live interview with Imam Resul Cemalof, the imam of Baltic countries. The host, Ihsan Atasoy asked the imam about recent religious activities in Russia. Imam Resul told the host that some prisons were impacted by the Risale-i Nur lectures and requested some recorded copies so that they can reach more inmates more often. They needed a studio to record the readings. They were told that Petersburg Radio Station was the place. They went there, paid the fee and were sent to the third floor. Sofia Valentine, a famous radio personality who had retired from Moscow was in charge of the studio. Resul says: “We recorded a 30 minute CD on each of the first two days. When we arrived the third day, we did not see Ms. Valentine whose help we needed to continue. We were told that she was hospitalized earlier. The two of us bought flowers and rushed to the hospital to visit her. She was very surprised to see us and said: ‘Even my son did not come, yet here are two strangers who care about me.’ Besides the flowers, we gave her a few books of Bediuzzaman including Message for the Sick.” Resul said that the next day when they went to the studio, it was their turn to be surprised. Ms. Valentine was there sitting on her desk. “How did it happen?” they asked. She said to them: “Remember the small book you gave me?” referring to Message for the Sick, “I read it six times and I felt fine.” Resul continued: “After finishing our CD’s she suggested we broadcast these messages once a week. We chose a name for the weekly program: “THE DROPS OF LIGHT” and read the 23rd Word, 20th Letter, 2nd Flash, and others for the next 3 months on her watch. Three months later she suddenly passed away. Her will included the following quote: ‘I am a Muslim, and please write on my gravestone: This world is transient; surely the next life is forever.’ So we did.” The Risale-i Nur in Argentina, “where the sun sets” On February 21, 2012 we got a letter regarding the Nur service in Argentina. The following is a summary: A few months ago, one of the brothers delivered some Risale-i Nur books to the prison of Rosario. He then started weekly lectures for the inmates. Soon, other prisons requested their services. They even went to Lima, Peru where they visited the Directorate of Prisons. They told the officials: “We came from Turkey and we have a project to help rehabilitate prisoners.” They answered: “Our prisons are overfilled. We definitely need help.” They said they needed one week to check the books. After checking, they said, “come and start your lectures in seven of our prisons.” They met many inmates, and the meetings were very much welcomed. In the meantime, the Director General of Prisons of Argentina, Dr. Juan Natelo, read their petition to lecture on Fruits of Light and wanted to meet them in person. The interview was a success and Dr. Natelo ordered special I.D’s for them to be able to visit three of the prisons freely. “Our regular lectures from The Risale-i Nur affected many inmates’ lives for the better. Some were even crying.” Here, the brothers made an important point; “Let’s compare the prisons in the 1940s in Turkey and the prisons in Argentina in 2012. The author of The Risale-i Nur was imprisoned in the 40’s for writing these books we use here today in Argentina. The prison officials are even offering their vehicles to carry us from home to prisons. Why? They say: ‘Our inmates need your lectures as much as they need bread and water.’ Look at God’s wisdom and destiny: even Christians are supporting the Risale-i Nur for their inmates! We would like to mention here that our first visit to prisons started with Head Priest Pancho Martinez who was passionately recommending our books to everyone he encountered, from wardens to directors, even the driver of the vehicle that was provided for us…” This letter was signed, “Your brothers in Argentina: Ahmed Hasan, Abdullah, Fatih, Huseyin.” A Gas Station Attendant, an Amazing Person One of the Risale-i Nur students living in the Los Angeles area, called us with the following story: “Recently, I gave a few books, including A Guide for Womento a gas station attendant in my neighborhood to read. [This was a 122 page book of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi which includes many life-saving lectures for women, published by nurpublishers.com.] A few days later, I was filling up my car, he came out and said the following amazing words: ‘This man found the Truth! He’s had a tough life. He carries the whole world on his shoulders.’ I was really amazed at the level of his insight and benefit from this book. And that’s not all. Now, whenever I stop by, he comes out waving his pink book, A Guide for Women, meaning he still enjoys reading the book very much. What a lucky person and I am happy for him. I just wanted to share this with you.” SPECIAL STORY: A presentation on Islam in a high school
A world history teacher in a small town in USA called our editor to invite him to give a talk on Islam to his 11th grade students in early March of this year. The editor writes the following: “The teacher told me that most of his students never talked to a Muslim face to face. ‘Their only source of Islam is the media, so naturally they are biased. They might give you a hard time.’ We decided I would talk for 10 minutes on religion and let them ask questions for the rest of the period. I started with the definition of Islam and said that it also means “religion” which takes you to God. I explained: Any true religion is Islam (see, Ilmihal, Omer Nasuhi Bilmen, pg. 8). Any path which takes you to God is a true path, a true religion. Islam and terrorism are total opposites. A Muslim cannot be a terrorist; a terrorist cannot be a Muslim. A hadith of Prophet Muhammed says that a person is not a believer if his/her neighbor is not safe from him. This clearly prohibits all terrorism. All children until the age of puberty are believers, after which they have a choice. Childrens’ acts are saintly actions; they are pure and innocent. Saints are real and true. In this matter, Santa Claus is real. He may be called by different names in different countries, but he remains the same. The Qur’an calls him Hidr (peace be upon him) who has a long story with the prophet Moses. He helps people in dire need anywhere. In addition to him, there are many saints all around the world who reach out to those in great need. As you see, we are not without help. Almighty God very often sends special help to His people. Then I talked about the Qur’an and its four goals:
1) Oneness of God
2) the Divine Messengers
3) the Afterlife
4) the practice of Justice and Worship
(see Bediuzzaman’s book, Signs of Miraculousness, pg. 19).
Then I answered many curious questions of the students. They were quite satisfied talking to a Muslim. I repeated this talk for students of 3 other classes. Around 11:30 a.m. students had lunch break while I stayed in the class room. Three students remained in the class to ask more questions, missing their lunch. At the end of the day, the teacher was very impressed and said, ‘Wow! They all walked out different people.’ One little note: when I was leaving, the teacher handed me a check. I told him that I could not accept it: this was for God. The teacher was further impressed. Amazed, he shook his head and said ‘this is huge!’ Hearing that made my day…”
Osman Birgeoglu, Ph.D.
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.
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.
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
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 brotherswho 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.“
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 andSincerity 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
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
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
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