THE SIXTEENTH FLASH

بِاسْمِهٖ سُبْحَانَهُIn His Name, glory be to Him.

وَاِنْ مِنْ شَىْءٍ اِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِIndeed, there is nothing that does not glorify Him with praise. — The Qur’an 17:44

اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُMay the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.

My honoured and faithful brothers, Hodja SabriSabri Arseven, an imam from Barla and one of the early students of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. He helped copy and distribute the Risale-i Nur and was known for his devotion to its teachings., Hāfiz AliHāfiz Ali Ergün (Ali Ergin); one of the earliest and closest students of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, who played a crucial role in the writing, copying, and distribution of the Risale-i Nur. Nursi honoured him with the title “Owner of the Nur Factory.”, Mesud, the Mustafas, HusrevHüsrev Altınbaşak (1899–1977), one of the prominent students and scribes of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi. He is especially known for producing a handwritten Qur’an displaying remarkable tawāfuqāt and for his important role in copying and spreading the Risale-i Nur., RefetRefet Barutçu, one of the foremost students of Bediuzzaman., Bekir, RüştüSüleyman Rüştü Çakın; an early student of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi who helped support and spread the Risale-i Nur., the Lütfis, Hāfiz AhmedAn early student who actively supported the writing of the Risale-i Nur for two or three years, but later lost some of his enthusiasm for the service of the Qur’an after forming ties with worldly and official circles., ShaykhA title of respect for an Islamic scholar, religious teacher, or spiritual guide, particularly one recognised for his knowledge, wisdom, and religious authority. Mustafa, and others.

I felt an impulse in my heart to explain to you, by way of clarification and in concise form, four small matters that have aroused curiosity and given rise to questions.

The First Question

Some people, such as Çaprazzāde Abdullah Efendi(1884–1947) One of the earliest neighbours and students of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi in Barla, where he was born. He is mentioned in the Sixteenth Flash of the Risale-i Nur and passed away in the Hijaz region during the final years of his life., announced — on the basis of reports from the ahl-i kashfSpiritually elevated people who, by Allah’s permission, can perceive certain matters of the unseen. — that in the past RamadanThe ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, during which Muslims fast from dawn until sunset and in which the Qur’an was first revealed. there would be relief and victory for the Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘ahThe People of the Sunnah and the Community; the mainstream Sunni Muslim tradition, adhering to the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the way of the Muslim community.. Yet this did not occur. They therefore asked me why such people of walāyahThe spiritual state of a person who has attained high spiritual ranks. and kashfSpiritual unveiling; the disclosure of hidden truths or realities to the heart through spiritual insight, by Allah’s permission, beyond ordinary sensory perception and reasoning. announce something that appears not to correspond to reality.

I answered immediately, by way of inspiration. The concise summary of my answer is as follows:

It is said in a narration:

Sometimes a calamity descends; sadaqaVoluntary charity given for the sake of Allah, including money, material assistance, or acts of kindness. comes forth to meet it and turns it away.

The mystery of this narration indicates that a predestined event sometimes does not take place. That is, the decree disclosed to the ahl-i kashfSpiritually elevated people who, by Allah’s permission, can perceive certain matters of the unseen. is not absolute, but bound to certain conditions; and when those conditions are not fulfilled, the event itself does not occur.

That event, however—like a conditional lifespan—is written in the Lawh-i Mahw wa IthbātThe Tablet of Erasure and Confirmation; a divine record in which certain decrees may be erased or confirmed according to Allah’s will and wisdom., which is, as it were, a separate register within the Lawh-i AzalīThe Eternal Tablet; the divine record encompassing all things and events in Allah’s eternal knowledge, beyond the limitations of time.. Only rarely does spiritual unveiling reach as far as the Lawh-i AzalīThe Eternal Tablet; the divine record encompassing all things and events in Allah’s eternal knowledge, beyond the limitations of time.; most often, it does not reach that far.

On account of this mystery, the reports — whether based on istihrājThe act of deriving or extracting hidden meanings, conclusions, or indications from texts, letters, or numbers, particularly through symbolic or numerical interpretation. or as a form of kashfSpiritual unveiling; the disclosure of hidden truths or realities to the heart through spiritual insight, by Allah’s permission, beyond ordinary sensory perception and reasoning. — whose fulfilment was expected in the past blessed RamadanThe ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, during which Muslims fast from dawn until sunset and in which the Qur’an was first revealed., during Eid al-AdhāThe Festival of Sacrifice; one of the two major Islamic festivals, commemorating Prophet Ibrāhīm’s (as) willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to Allah. It takes place during the Hajj season and is marked by prayer and the sacrifice of an animal., or at other times, did not come to pass because the conditions attached to them were not fulfilled. This does not mean, however, that those who gave these reports were wrong; for it was indeed decreed, but without the fulfilment of the conditions it did not come into effect.

Indeed, the removal of the bidahsReligious innovations that are not prescribed by the Qur’an or by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). in the blessed month of RamadanThe ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, during which Muslims fast from dawn until sunset and in which the Qur’an was first revealed. depended upon the sincere and collective supplications of the Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Jamā‘ahThe People of the Sunnah and the Community; the mainstream Sunni Muslim tradition, adhering to the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the way of the Muslim community.; that was an important condition and cause. Yet, unfortunately, the bidahsReligious innovations that are not prescribed by the Qur’an or by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). entered the mosques during RamadanThe ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, during which Muslims fast from dawn until sunset and in which the Qur’an was first revealed., and thus became an obstacle to the acceptance of the supplications, so that the relief did not come.

Just as, according to the mystery of the narration mentioned earlier, sadaqaVoluntary charity given for the sake of Allah, including money, material assistance, or acts of kindness. averts a calamity, so too the sincere supplication of the majority attracts a general relief. Since that attracting force did not come into being, the victory was not granted.