From: irfan@APOLLO.ECE.WISC.EDU (Irfan Alan)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.arabic
Subject: DROPLET VOL 1, NO 1, PART 3
Date: 22 Jul 92 23:43:17 GMT


D R O P L E T
From The Vast Ocean Of The Miraculous Qur'an

Translations from the Arabic and Turkish Writings of Bediuzzaman
Said Nursi, 

The Risale-i Noor

VOL 1, No 1, Part 3
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 GIFT  OF  ISLAM  AND  IMAN In the Name of Allah, 
the Compassionate, the Merciful 

"Who believe in the Unseen" (Qur'an 2:3)

	If you wish to understand how much a big happiness and favor,
and how much a big pleasure and comfort there are in the belief
in Allah, then look at and listen to this parable.  

    Once upon a time, two men travelled for trade and pleasure.  
The one who was arrogant and unfortunate headed in one
direction.  The other who was humble and fortunate went to some
other direction.  The arrogant one was also fearful and nervous.
 As a punishment of his unnecessary fear, he came to a rather
bad city in accordance with his view.  As he looked around, he
saw that the innocent people were crying desperately everywhere
because of dreadful tyrants giving them great destructions.  He
observed this situation wherever he went.  Everywhere became a
place of grief for him.  This person himself could find no way
out in order not to feel the pain of such brutal scenes, but
drinking.  To him, everybody looked hostile and foreign.  Things
appeared as dreadful corps, and living creatures as desperately
crying orphans left outside without any care.  His conscience
always remained in pain.

    The humble one entered into a rather beautiful city in
accordance with his view because he was truthful and reasonable,
equipped with very good moral behaviors.  Then, this good person
saw a general celebration and enjoyment in that city.  There
were places where very attractive and joyful remembrances were
going on [Here, the meaning of this ayat is beautifully
illustrated: "The seven Heavens and Earth, as well as whoever is
in them, glorify Him." (Qur'an 17:44)].  Everybody seemed to him
as friends or relatives.  He further observed that there are
celebrations of some people who were offering thanks in response
to being released from their duties.  He also heard sounds of
takbirs and tahlils (i.e., There is no god but Allah) coming
from the newly arrived soldiers.  Contrary to the unfortunate
one who suffered pains not only of himself but also of other
people's sorrows, this fortunate one was very comfortable and
happy not only with his own happiness but also with the general
happiness of the city.  Moreover, he did very good trade and
thanked to Allah.   

   On his return, he ran into the unfortunate one and immediately
understood his situation.  He said to this unfortunate person,
"O! You became crazy!  The ugliness in your inner-world must
have surfaced on your outer appearance such that you
misleadingly interpreted the release of the people from their
duties (death) as deprivation and theft.  You should come to
your senses and clean your heart.  You cannot see the truth
unless these troublesome curtains (your rusted senses and spoils
of your heart) are removed from your view.  Why don't you
realize that this country is owned by One Who is absolutely
Just, Compassionate, Merciful,  Capable, Ordering, and Loving
(His dependent creatures)?.  Why can't you see that this
country, on which many perfect arts are repeatedly exhibited,
cannot at all be purposeless in the way you interpreted with
your misgivings."  Finally, that unfortunate one understood his
mistake and regretted.  He told this wise person, "Yes, I was
crazy from drinking.  Praise be to Allah, you set me free from a
hell-like situation."

   O my soul (nefs), know!  The first man is an unbeliever (kafir)
or a perverted transgressor (fasik).  To him, this world is a
general grief place.  All the living things are like crying
orphans because of the blows of separation and annihilation. 
Especially, according to his misgiving, the human and animal
kingdom were purposeless groups with no owner, and were
slaughtered by death-guillotine.  The big creatures like
mountains and seas are like big dead corps.  These, and other
similar painful, dreadful, and harmful thoughts as a consequence
of his deviation and disbelief gives him great pains.

The other man is a Muslim who recognizes and affirms Allah's
existence, and accepts worshipping and submitting to Allah alone
as his/her purpose of life.  This world, in his view, is a place
for remembering the Merciful Allah, for training of the human
and the animal kingdom, and for examining the human and the
jinn.  All the deaths of animal and human are simply discharges
from their duties and the obligations.  The ones who completed
their duties go joyously from this transitory place to the
pleasant world so that there would be openings for the newly
appointed ones to come and work.  All the birth of animals and
human are like registrations to the military, and starting times
of their duties.  All the living things are appointed as joyous
soldiers or righteous officials.  All the sounds are either
takbirs coming from the happiness of those who started theirs
jobs or thanks-offerings of those who completed their jobs.  

In the view of a Muslim, all the creatures are friendly
officials, sweet books of wisdom, and obedient servants of
his/her Benevolent Master and Merciful Owner.  Like these, many
pure, high, sweet, and tasteful truths come from his/her belief.
 Thus, the belief is carrying an unseen seed of a tuba tree
belonging to paradise.  The disbelief is hiding an unseen seed
of zaqqum tree belonging to hell.  Therefore, the peace and
security are only in Islam and iman.  We must thank to Allah for
providing the biggest two favors: Islam and Iman.  

Alhamdulillah Ala Din-ul Islam Wa Kemal-i
Iman.

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 WARNING TO THE EGO (NEFS) !

KNOW!  O bloated, arrogant, and stubborn ego (nefs): You are the
place of weakness, impotence, poverty, and laziness.  You cannot
even defend yourself from a microbe in your lungs.  Then, think
that even a microbe, which can only be seen after magnification,
is able to put you down, and kill you at any time! 

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End of the Droplet Vol 1, No 1.
To be continued from Vol 1, No 2 In$a Allah.
Your Br. Irfan in Islam.