He has moreover included with perfect order in this body the numerous sensitive feelings and senses, and subtle, non-physical faculties and inner senses. He has created with perfect art all the systems and members and faculties necessary for human life so that He might allow me to experience and understand all the varieties of His bounties, and make known to me the countless different manifestations of His Names.
- Nursi is making an analysis on himself to understand what is going on within him
- Think about yourself and reflect on who you are
I have a perfect, functioning body with infinite senses, feelings, perceptions and thoughts.
- What kind of creature am I?
- Where did I get all of this from?
Always reflect on yourself
- You will realize the extraordinary qualities you possess
- Expand your understanding of these qualities
- The qualities exist not just for me, but extend to the rest of the world
- I have eyes, but it is the beauty all around in the world that I see
- I have a tongue, but it is the taste in all of creation that I enjoy
- I have communication with everything in my world
- I can expand my interaction and my correspondence with the rest of the universe and even further
Do we have the capacity to wonder about the universe, even before it was created?
- Yes, we do
- We are unable to comprehend it BUT we have the capacity to question how creation came about and wonder about how it might end
- Human capacity goes well beyond the universe
- It is because I understand that my creator gave me the opportunity to allow me to experience and understand all the varieties of His bounties
- I am deliberately put in contact with my Creator’s bounties that exist all around me
Make known to me the countless different manifestations of His Names.
What does God’s Names mean?
- His qualities and attributes
- He is disclosing Himself to me
*I have enormous capacities BUT these capacities are not independent (they are given to me to connect me with the rest of universe) so that I may experience countless different manifestations of my creator’s qualities.
I am here to experience the countless manifestations of my Creator
- That is why I am here and have been given all these qualities.
If I am in this world, as it is, a park is more sacred than the mosque BECAUSE it gives me the opportunity to practice my reality better.
- After being filled with excitement through my interactions in the park, I am better able to present the conclusion (of my previous experience) in the mosque
- If I don’t have any experience, what conclusion can I present?
Like the bodies of all believers, He had made this poor body of mine, which appears so insignificant, a fine calendar and diary of the universe;
- Bring the subject back to you personally
What makes me so precious?
- My body, once I die, will be reduced to nothing but a mass of decomposed matter
- My life is a calendar of events that take place in the universe and my actions
We have to understand our reality and what are we doing here in this world
- So that we wouldn’t take for granted our belief in God
- It is essential to acknowledge our belief in God BUT belief in God in and of itself does not bring much value to your life
- It needs further realization
- What does God mean for you?
- How do you correspond with Him?
- Solely believing in God does not bring anything additional to your life
- We have to be able to define who and what He is
- But in order to know who our lord is, we have to know who we are
- Without knowing who you are, you cannot know who your God is
- You can experience yourself, you cannot experience God
- I have to use the material that is practical for me
- God is the conclusion
By looking at a building, I conclude that there is an architect
- It is a conscious conclusion
- But unless I look at the building, how can I conclude that there was an architect
- The more I concentrate on the building, the better I become aware of the qualities of the architect
Although our body is extremely insignificant, it exist so perfectly and is in reality a calendar, and a diary of the universe
- Whatever is in the universe, is in the human being
- We are at the centre of the universe
- The relationship between me and the universe will allow me to know the qualities of my Lord and allow me to experience it
Who is making this universe in a perfect order and a perfect balance with a merciful generosity?
- I have to experience it within myself to know who my Lord is
an illuminated summary of the macrocosm a miniature sample of the world;
Why illuminated summary AND not just summary?
- My consciousness (I am aware of the qualities in me and the qualities in the universe)
- Although the universe is so big, I am able to communicate with the universe because I am equipped with all the qualities
- We are a microcosm, representing the macrocosm
- Our qualities allow us to expand our field of interest beyond the universe
- We have the ability to wonder about life in the world after it collapses
- Your qualities can go beyond the universe; they are limitless
a clear miracle of His handicraft;
-Whoever made this universe, made me
I have the qualities to go beyond the universe, so we should not waste ourselves
a desirous seeker after every sort of His bounty, and the means of enjoying;
- We are constantly questioning everything around us
- We can see how there are so many scientists doing research in a variety of fields
- There are so many questions in people’s minds
I am going to do research to become famous, to help people… but eventually you will die
- It seems pointless, in the long run
- But, in reality, we are given the ability to seek after every type of bounty because as I connect with the bounties I am able to know the source of the bounties and His names
- I am put within the context of this universe, to know who I am and to know who my lord is
*I don’t exist in this world to become an expert in a subject and then to eventually die
- I exist to know who I am and to know who my lord
- Only that adds meaning in my life
- I am the artefact of my Lord to connect with Him
- You secure your existence
- It is within all humans to seek an existence that provides satisfaction
- The most satisfying way to achieve that is to realize what is the meaning of my existence
- What is the meaning of the existence of this universe
- If I can see that this universe is where the owner exposes Himself to me, I will realize that He is Eternal and He exists here with me
- If you don’t attribute yourself to the Absolute source of existence, you cannot secure your existence.
- You have to acknowledge your existence
Mission of the Prophet: To call us to our reality
- Fa aina tadhabun (Where are you going?)
Think about your existence (meaning, purpose) everyday and you will see how it affects you.
- Concentrate on the reality of your existence and what you are doing here
I am a microcosm of the macrocoms and beyond and through my awareness, I am put in touch with the Eternal and Absolute Creator, from which I am secure in my creation.
- Religion is not presented like this, which is why we end up running around aimlessly
Surah Qadr
- We sent down the Quran in the night of Qadr
- Why do we argue about which night it is
- Rather, think about what the descending of the Quran means to you?
- It was revealed on one night, but 1400 years ago
- What does the particularity and details of it mean?
- Concern yourself with the descending of the Quran and the revelation that comes down
We spend endless amounts of time trying to determine which night in Ramadan was the Quran revealed BUT it happened 1400 years ago
- What does it have to do with you now?
- Don’t entrap yourself in meaningless arguments
- Think, rather, about revelation, the angels, the arch angels
- What makes it more precious than 1,000 months?
We concentrate on the night and forget about the qualities of the night.
- Start from the questions that really matter.
And a list and index, like a model garden, of the gifts and flowers of mercy;
- Have we ever seen ourselves as a miniature garden and the flowers of mercy?
And the understanding recipient of His divine pronouncements.
God speaks to me and I am able to receive it and understand it
- He speaks to me continuously, through His creation, which He created constantly
- I am able to respond to His creation (alhamdolilah, subhanAllah, etc)
- Saying subhanAllah is not meant to be a plain and empty response or just an imitative Sunnah
- It should be a conscious response as a result of your awareness of the announcement you witness in the universe
- God is revealing Himself to you and we are consciously responding back
You have to be aware of your abilities so that your abilities will automatically respond to the excitement you experience when an event is displayed.
- I have to be excited at the manifestations of God’s names in the events I see and I will respond to them by saying subhanAllah
- Unfortunately, we have stopped pondering on the aspect of excitement and just say subhanAllah robotically and reduce the depth that is exist within these actions
Allahu Akbar when climbing up stairs and SubhanAllah when climbing down
- It should not be imitative
- Rather, a response to your excitement
- As you climb, you appreciate His grandeur
Think about why the Prophet said the words he did
- I have to train my human feelings to experience what the Prophet did
Through the food, I experience the manifestation of God and acknowledge His Divine Names
- I respond, by saying bismillah
- It becomes a natural action as a result of your firm belief AND not a robotic response
We have to question our belief foundations
- What does it mean and what is the purpose behind actions?
- Be open to what is said and heard
Consciousness is the base of everything
- You have to constantly be aware that God is the creator and He is Absolute
- Your awareness will automatically make you glorify the creator
He also had given me life, to expand and increase in my existence, which is the greatest bounty.
Existence is the greatest bounty.
- Being aware of one’s existence if the base for everything.
What is the base of the practice of your religion?
- The base of my belief, ought to be my existence
- Without starting from the existence of one’s own being, one cannot go further
First we have to be aware of our existence, and only then will you be able to realize that existence is the greatest bounty.
We can’t imagine non-existence BECAUSE we have been given existence
Do you realize the importance of existence? Think about your existence.
- Somebody bothered to make me and I am made
Because of disappointments, someone may say: I wish I did not exist
- But we cannot imagine non-existence.
- Only because I exist, can I say that I wish I did not exist
- We have to realize that the most precious gift is that we have given existence
- Existence is the foundation of everything
- Only then can the following questions follow:
- What is the reason for my existence
- Why do I exist?
- What are the signs that I receive as a result of my existence?
Life exists. If we really base ourselves on existence, we can delve into other steps.
Unhappiness exists.
Though exists.
Feelings exist.
- Everything has been created AND given existence
- Why have all these qualities been given to you?
- Existence is everything
How do you establish your worldview with the fundamental base that you exist?
For through life, the bounty of my existence may expand to the extent of the Manifest World.
He had also bestowed humanity on me, through which the bounty of existence may unfold
- I exist, so I am alive
- I am a living being, as a human being
- Human qualities are attached to my existence
- Human qualities are a miniature of God’s garden of mercy