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The Eighteenth Flash

This has been published in Sikke-i Tasdik-i Gaybî (The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen) and in hand-duplicated editions of Lem'alar (The Flashes Collection).

The Eighth Flash

This has been published in printed editions of Sikke-i Tasdik-i Gaybî (The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen), and in hand-duplicated copies of The Flashes Collection.

The Eleventh Flash

The Stairway of the Practices of the Prophet and Antidote for the Sickness of Innovations In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Now has come to you a Prophet from among yourselves; it grieves him that you should perish; ardently anxious is he over you; to the believers is he most kind and merciful. [The First Station of this verse is the Highway of the Practices of the Prophet (PBUH), and its Second Station, the Stairway of the Practices of the Prophet (PBUH).] But if they turn away, say: "God suffices me, there is no god but He; in Him do I place my trust-He the Sustainer of the Throne (of Glory Supreme!" * say: "If you do love God, follow me: God will love you and forgive you your sins; .for God is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. " Of the hundreds of points concerning these two sublime verses, eleven will be explained concisely.

The Fifteenth Flash

This consists of the Indexes of Sözler (The Words), Mektûbat (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi—Letters 1928-1932), and Lem’alar (The Flashes Collection), from the First to the Fourteenth Flash. Since they have been included in the relevant volumes, they have not been published here.

The Fifth Flash

A treatise was intended to explain in fifteen degrees a most important truth of the verse, For us God suffices, and He is the Best Disposer of Affairs, but since it would have been concerned more with reflective thought and remembrance of God than with reality and intellectual knowledge, it has been postponed for now. In fact, the important treatise called ‘The Stairway of the Practices of the Prophet and Antidote for the Sickness of Innovation' was initially known as the Fifth Flash, but being divided into eleven important Points, it became the Eleventh Flash, and the Fifth Flash remained unoccupied.

The First Flash

IN THE NAME OF GOD, THE MERCIFUL, THE COMPASSIONATE But he cried through the depths of darkness, "There is no god but You; Glory be unto You! I was indeed among the wrongdoers!" * When he called upon his Sustainer saying: "Verily harm has afflicted me, and You are the Most Merciful of the Merciful." * But if they turn away, say: "God suffices me, there is no god but He; in Him do I place my trust-He the Sustainer of the Throne [of Glory] Supreme!" * For us God suffices, and He is the Best Disposer of Affairs * There is no strength and no power other than through God, the High, the Mighty. * The Enduring One, You are the Enduring One! The Enduring One, You are the Enduring One! * And to those who believe guidance and healing. [This the first section of the Thirty-First Letter consists of six Flashes, each of which depicts one of the many lights of the above verses and phrases. The recital of each of these thirty-three times particularly between Maghrib and 'Isha, the prayers at sunset and nightfall, is most meritorious.]

The Flashes Collection

The Flashes Collection

The Fourteenth Flash

[This consists of Two Stations. The First Station is the answer to two questions.] In His Name be He glorified! And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise. Peace be upon you, and God’s mercy and blessings. My Dear and Loyal Brother, Re’fet Bey! The answer to the question you ask about the Bull and the Fish is to be found in several parts of the Risale-i Nur. Questions of that sort have been explained in the Third Branch of the Twenty-Fourth Word in accordance with twelve important rules called Twelve Principles. The rules are each guidelines concerning the various interpretations of the Prophet’s (PBUH) Hadiths; they are important principles for dispelling doubts that arise concerning the Hadiths. Unfortunately at the moment there are certain matters preventing me from being occupied with scholarly matters other than inspiration. I therefore cannot reply in accordance with your question. If inspiration comes to my heart, I am compelled to be busy with it. Some questions are answered because they coincide with the inspirations, so do not be offended. For this reason I cannot answer all questions as they deserve. So let me now reply briefly to your question this time. This time you ask in your question: “The hojas say that the earth rests on a bull and a fish. Whereas geography sees it hanging in space and travelling like a star. There is neither a bull nor a fish?” T h e A n s w e r : There is a sound narration attributed to people like Ibn Abbas (May God be pleased with him), that they asked the Most Noble Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace): “What is the world on?” He replied: “On the Bull and the Fish.” In one narration, he said one time, “On the Bull,” and on another occasion he said, “On the Fish.” Some of the scholars of Prophetic traditions applied this Hadith to the superstitions and stories taken from Isra’iliyat, related since early times. Especially some of the scholars of the Children of Israel who became Muslims, they applied the Hadith to the stories about the Bull and the Fish they had seen in the former scriptures, changing its meaning to something strange. For now I shall write Three Principles and Three Aspects in connection with your question.

The Fourth Flash

The title: ‘The Highway of the Practices of the Prophet' was considered appropriate for this treatise. [Although the ‘Imamate Question' is a matter of secondary importance, since it has been given excessive importance, and because of its relevance to our basic duties towards the Qur'an and belief, it is in part discussed here in regard to this and to its being a subject considered in the sciences of theology (qalam) and the principles of religion.] In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Now has come a prophet from among yourselves; it heavily weighs upon him that you might suffer; full of concern is he for you, and full of compassion and mercy towards the believers. * But if they turn away, say: God is enough for me, there is no god but He. In Him have I placed my trust, for He is the Sustainer of the Mighty Throne. * Say: I ask no recompense of you save love of close kin. We shall point out in two ‘Stations' two of the many vast truths contained in these glorious verses. First Station The First Station consists of four ‘Points.'

The Nineteenth Flash

On Frugality [This treatise is about frugality and contentment, and wastefulness and extravagance.] In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Eat and drink, but waste not by excess. This verse gives most important and wise instruction in the form of categorically commanding frugality and clearly prohibiting wastefulness. The matter contains seven Points.

The Ninth Flash

[Everyone should not read this Flash, for they will not see the subtle errors of the Unity of Existence, and are not in need of it.] In His Name! And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise. My Dear, Loyal, Sincere, Conscientious Brother! The reason I did not write a separate letter to my brother Abdülmecid, was that I considered the letters I had written to you to be sufficient. After Hulû sî ”, Abdülmecid is a valuable brother for me and a student. Every morning and evening he is present in name in my prayers together with Hulûsî ”, sometimes being mentioned first. First Sabri, then Hakki Efendi profit from the letters I write you. I do not write them separate letters either. Almighty God made you a blessed elder brother to them. You correspond with Abdülmecid in my place; he should not worry, after Hulûsî ”, I think of him.

The Second Flash

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. When he called upon his Sustainer saying: "Verily harm has afflicted me, and You are the Most Merciful of the Merciful." The supplication of Job (Upon whom be peace), the champion of patience, is both well-tested and effective. Drawing on the verse, we should say in our supplication, O my Sustainer! Indeed harm has afflicted me, and You are the Most Merciful of the Merciful. The gist of the well-known story of Job (Upon whom be peace) is as follows: While afflicted with numerous wounds and sores for a long time, he recalled the great recompense to be had for his sickness, and endured it with utmost patience. But later, when the worms generated by his wounds penetrated to his heart and his tongue, the seat of the remembrance and knowledge of God, he feared that his duty of worship would suffer, and so he said in supplication not for the sake of his own comfort, but for the sake of his worship of God: "O Lord! Harm has afflicted me; my remembrance of You with my tongue and my worship of You with my heart will suffer." God Almighty then accepted this pure sincere, disinterested and devout supplication in the most miraculous fashion. He granted to Job perfect good health and made manifest in him all kinds of compassion. This Flash contains Five Points:

The Seventeenth Flash

This Flash consists of Fifteen Notes taken from Zühre. In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Introduction Twelve years before this Flash was written, I wrote down in note form in Arabic in such treatises as Zühre, Su'le, Habbe, Semme, Zerre, and Katre, a number of flashes concerning Divine Unity which became clear to me through dominical grace during an unfolding of the spirit and progress of the mind and journey of the heart in Divine knowledge. Since they were written to show only one tip of a lengthy truth and point out only one beam of a shining light, and since each was in the form of a memento and reminder for myself only, their benefits for others were limited. And particularly as the great majority of my most select and special brothers were unable to read Arabic. On their insistent and pressing requests, therefore, I was obliged to write in Turkish an approximation of those Notes, those flashes, in part expounding them and in part abbreviating them. Since these Notes and Arabic treatises form the first of the New Said's works arising from the knowledge of reality, which he to a degree witnessed in the form of illumination, their meanings have been written unchanged. Because of this, a number of the sentences are included here despite being mentioned in some others of the Words. And some are not expounded despite being very concise, so that the refinement of the original should not be lost.

The Seventh Flash

[This is about the seven sorts of predictions concerning the Unseen at the end of Sura al-Fath.] In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Truly did God fulfil the vision for His Prophet: You shall enter the Sacred Mosque, if God wills, with minds secure, heads shaved, hair cut short, and without fear. For He knew what you knew not, and He granted besides this, a victory soon to come. * It is He Who sent His Prophet with guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim it over all religion, and enough is God for a Witness. * Muhammed is the Prophet of God; and those who are with him are strong against unbelievers, [but] compassionate among each other. You will see them bow and prostrate themselves [in prayer], seeking grace from God and [His] good pleasure. On their faces are their marks, [being] the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Torah; and their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, [filling] the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the unbelievers with rage at them. God has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness, and a great reward. These three verses from Sura al-Fath contain many aspects of miraculousness. Of the ten universal aspects of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition's miraculousness, the aspect of its giving news of the Unseen may be seen in seven or eight ways in these three verses.

The Sixteenth Flash

In His Name, be He glorified! And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise. Peace be upon you, and God’s mercy and blessings! My Dear and Loyal Brothers Hoja Sabri, Hâfiz Ali, Mes’ud, the Mustafa’s, Husrev, Re’fet, Bekir Bey, Rüstü, the Lütfi’s, Hâfiz Ahmed, Shaykh Mustafa, and the others! It occurred to my heart to explain to you in concise informative fashion four small Matters which have been the subject of curiosity and questions.

The Sixth Flash

Again, there was to have been a treatise explaining in twenty-five degrees of reflective thought the important truth stated in numerous verses of the Qur'an and expressed by the phrase: There is no power and strength save through God, the Exalted, the Mighty. Like the Fifth Flash, this too formed degrees I had felt in myself and observed through reflection and remembrance of God in my journeying of the spirit, and therefore, since it was the means to illumination and spiritual pleasure more than intellectual knowledge and reality, it was considered appropriate to include it at the end of the Flashes—which are about reality, rather than among them.

The Tenth Flash

‘Blows Dealt by Divine Compassion' In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. On the Day when every soul will be confronted with all the good it has done, and all the evil it has done, it will wish there were a great distance between it and its evil. But God cautions you [to remember] Himself. And God is full of kindness to those who serve Him.

The Third Flash

[Emotion and spiritual pleasure have become mixed in this Flash to an extent, and since their exuberance does not much heed the principles of the intellect and the scales of thought nor conform to them, it should not be weighed up on the scales of logic.] In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Everything shall perish save His countenance; His is the command, and to Him shall you return. The two phrases, The Enduring One, He is the Enduring One! * The Enduring One, He is the Enduring One! express the meaning of the above verse, and so too state two important truths. It is because of this that some of the chiefs of the Naqshbandi Order made themselves a special invocation with the repetition of the phrases, in the form of a concise Naqshi supplication. Seeing that the two phrases express the meaning of the above mighty verse, we shall explain several points concerning the significant truth they state.

The Thirteenth Flash

This explains the meaning of the phrase, I seek refuge with God from Satan the Accursed. In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. And say: O My Sustainer, I seek refuge with You from the whisperings of the Evil Ones, * and I seek refuge with you, my Sustainer, lest they should come near me. [This is about seeking refuge with God from Satan. Thirteen Indications will be written. Some of the Indications have been explained and proved in various places in the Twenty-Sixth Word and other parts of the Risale-i Nur so here will be discussed only briefly.]

The Thirtieth Flash

The Thirtieth Flash of the Thirty-First Letter and a fruit of Eskisehir Prison, this consists of Six Points [Just as Meyve Risalesi (The Fruits of Belief) was the supreme lesson of the Denizli `School of Joseph', and El-Huccetü'z-Zehra (The Shining Proof) was a most valuable lesson of the Afyon `School of Joseph', so too a powerful lesson of the greatest importance of the Eskisehir `School of Joseph' is this Thirtieth Flash, which expounds six Points about the Six Divine Names bearing the Greatest Name. Everyone will not immediately understand and appreciate the profound and extensive matters in the pieces about the Names of Ever-Living and Self-Subsistent from the Greatest Name, but they also will not remain without a share of them.]

The Twelfth Flash

[This consists of the explanation of two fine points concerning the Qur'an, written in connection with two minor questions put by Re'fet Bey.) In His Name, be He glorified! And there is nothing hut it glorifies Him with praise. Peace be upon you, and on your brothers, and God's mercy and blessings! My Dear, Loyal Brother, Re'fet Bey, Your questions at this difficult time put me in a difficult position. On this occasion your two questions are unimportant, but since they are connected with two points of the Qur'an and your question about the globe of the earth touches on criticisms concerning the seven levels of the earth and the heavens made by geography and astronomy, they seemed to me to be important. Therefore not considering the unimportant nature of the questions, Two Topics will be explained concerning two verses of the Qur'an, in a scholarly and general way.

The Twentieth Flash

On Sincerity [While being the First of the Five Points which form the Second of the Seven Matters of the Seventeenth Flash, this became the Twentieth Flash because of its importance.] In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. The verse: Verily We sent the Book down to you in truth, so worship God in sincerity, for God’s is sincerely practised religion, and the noble saying of the Prophet: All men will perish, except the scholars, and all scholars will perish except those who act in accordance with their knowledge, and all of them will perish except the sincere, and even the sincere are in great danger,” demonstrate together how important a principle of Islam is sincerity. From among the innumerable points concerning sincerity, we will briefly expound only five. Note: An auspicious sign of blessed Isparta which causes one to offer thanks is that compared with other places, there is no visible rivalry and dispute between the pious, those who follow the Sufi path, and the religious scholars. Even if the required true love and union is not present, comparatively speaking, there is no harmful rivalry and conflict.

The Twenty - Eighth Flash

[This comprises some of the short pieces I wrote as consolation for my brothers who were (in the ward) opposite me in Eskisehir Prison, at a time I was forbidden to mix with them or speak with them.] In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate An amusing and absorbing conversation with Süleyman Rustu, famous for his fidelity and distinguished by his sincerity of heart

The Twenty - Ninth Flash

n the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate Preface Thirteen years ago, my heart combined with my mind and urged me to the way of reflective thought which the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition commands with such verses as, That you may consider. * Perchance they may reflect. * Do they not reflect in their own minds, did God create the heavens and the earth? * There are signs for those who consider. The Hadith the meaning of which is "An hour's reflective thought is better than a year's (voluntary) worship" states that on occasion an hour's reflection may be equivalent to a year's worship. It also offers powerful encouragement for reflective thought. For myself, in order to preserve the extensive lights and lengthy truths which appeared to my mind and heart during the thirteen years I have followed this way, I recorded a number of phrases by way of indications, not to point out those lights, but to indicate their existence, facilitate reflection, and preserve the order. I used to recite the phrases to myself verbally in varying Arabic terms when I embarked on the reflection. On being repeated thousands of times over this long period, neither did I become wearied, nor did the pleasure they afforded diminish, nor the spirit's need of them lessen. Because, since the reflection all consisted of flashes from Qur'anic verses, the qualities of not causing weariness and preserving their sweetness, which are a qualities of the verses, were represented in the mirror of that reflective thought. I realized recently that the powerful source of life and brilliant lights in the various parts of the Risale-i Nur are flashes of those sequences of thought. Thinking that they would have the same effect on others that they had had on me, I made the intention to set them all down in writing towards the end of my life. Certainly, very important parts of them have been included in the Risale-i Nur, but a further power and value will be found in them in their totality. Since the end of life is not clear, and since the conditions here of my imprisonment have taken on a form worse than death, not waiting for my life to end, on the insistence and importunity of my brothers, those sequences of thought have been written, without changing them, as Seven Chapters. [The remaining six Chapters of this 'Flash have been published in the hand-duplicated editions of The Flashes, and not included here.]

The Twenty-Fifth Flash

Message for the Sick [This treatise consists of Twenty-Five Remedies. It was written as a salve, a solace, and a prescription for the sick, and as a visit to the sick and a wish for their speedy recovery.] Warning and Apology This immaterial prescription was written with a speed greater than all my other writings, and since time could not be found in which to correct and study it, unlike all the others, it was read only once—and that at great speed like its composition. That is to say, it has remained in the disordered state of a first draft. I did not consider it necessary to go over carefully the things which had occurred to me in a natural manner, lest they be spoilt by arranging them and paying them undue attention. Readers and especially the sick should not feel upset and offended at any disagreeable expressions or harsh words and phrases; let them rather pray for me. In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Those who say when afflicted by calamity: “To God do we belong and to Him is our return.” * Who gives me food and drink * And when I am ill it is He Who cures me. In this Flash, we describe briefly Twenty-Five Remedies which may offer true consolation and a beneficial cure for the sick and those struck by disaster, who form one tenth of mankind.

The Twenty-First Flash

On Sincerity [Although originally the Fourth of the Seven Matters of the Seventeenth Note of the Seventeenth Flash, because of its connection with sincerity, it became the Second Point of the Twentieth Flash. Finally, due to its luminous character, it was included in the Flashes as the Twenty-First Flash.] This Flash should be read at least once a fortnight In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Do not fall into dispute, lest you lose heart and your power depart. * And stand before God in a devout [frame of mind]. * Truly he succeeds that purifies it, * And he fails that corrupts it. * Nor sell my signs for a small price. O my brothers of the Hereafter! And O my companions in the service of the Qur’an! You should know—and you do know—that in this world sincerity is the most important principle in works pertaining to the Hereafter in particular; it is the greatest strength, and the most acceptable intercessor, and the firmest point of support, and the shortest way to reality, and the most acceptable prayer, and the most wondrous means of achieving one’s goal, and the highest quality, and the purest worship. Since in sincerity lies much strength and many lights like those mentioned above; and since at this dreadful time, despite our few number and weak, impoverished, and powerless state and our being confronted by terrible enemies and suffering severe oppression in the midst of aggressive innovations and misguidance, an extremely heavy, important, general, and sacred duty of serving belief and the Qur’an has been placed on our shoulders by Divine grace, we are certainly compelled more than anyone to work with all our strength to gain sincerity. We are in utter need of instilling sincerity in ourselves. Otherwise what we have achieved so far in our sacred service will in part be lost, and will not persist; and we shall be held responsible. We shall manifest the severe threat contained in the Divine prohibition, Nor sell my signs for a small price, and destroy sincerity, thus harming eternal happiness for the sake of meaningless, unnecessary, harmful, sad, self-centred, tedious, hypocritical base feelings and insignificant benefits. And in so doing we would violate all our brothers’ rights, transgress against the duty of service to the Qur’an, and be disrespectful towards the sacredness of the truths of belief. My brothers! There are many obstacles before great works of good. Satans put up a powerful struggle against those who assist those works. One has to rely on the strength of sincerity in the face of these obstacles and satans. You should avoid things which harm sincerity the same as you avoid snakes and scorpions. In accordance with the words of Joseph (Upon whom be peace), Nor do I absolve my own self [of blame]; the [human] soul is certainly prone to evil, unless my Sustainer do bestow His mercy, the evil-commanding soul should not be relied on. Do not let egotism and the soul deceive you! You should take as your guide the following rules, in order to gain sincerity and preserve it:

The Twenty-Fourth Flash

On Islamic Dress for Women [While being the Second and Third Matters of the Fifteenth Note, this treatise was made the Twenty-Fourth Flash because of its importance.] In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. O Prophet! Tell your wives and daughters, and the believing women, that they should cast their outer garments over their persons [when abroad] [to the end of the verse]. This verse enjoins the veiling of women. However, dissolute civilization opposes this command of the Qur’an; it does not consider the veiling of women to be natural and says it is slavery of a sort. T h e A n s w e r : We shall explain only four of the many instances of wisdom in this injunction of the Qur’an, showing that it is entirely natural and those who oppose it are opposing the innate disposition of women.

The Twenty-Second Flash

In His Name, be He glorified! This highly confidential short treatise, which I wrote twenty-two years ago specifically for my closest and most select and sincere brothers while in the village of Barla in the Province of Isparta, I am dedicating to Isparta’s just Governor, judiciary, and police. This is because of the concern shown by both the people and the administration of Isparta. If appropriate, several copies should be written by typewriter in either the old or new letters so that those who have been holding me under surveillance and searching out my secrets these twenty-five years may know that I have no hidden secrets whatsoever. They should know that my most hidden secret is this treatise! S a i d N u r s i Three Indications [While being the Third Matter of the Seventeenth Note of the Seventeenth Flash, this was incorporated in the Flashes as the Twenty-Second Flash of the Thirty-First Letter because of the harshness and comprehensiveness of the questions and strength and brilliance of the answers. The Flashes had to give a place to this Flash. It is confidential and particular to my most select, sincere, and loyal brothers.] In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. And if anyone puts his trust in God, sufficient is [God] for him. For God will surely accomplish His purpose. Verily for all things has God appointed a due proportion. This matter consists of Three Indications.

The Twenty-Seventh Flash

This is the defence speeches from the Eskisehir trials, which have been published in the hand-duplicated editions of The Flashes, and in part in the Tarihce-i Hayat.

The Twenty-Sixth Flash

Treatise For The Elderly [This Flash consists of Twenty-Six hopes, lights, and solaces.] REMINDER: The reason I have written my sorrows and afflictions in a most grievous way which will sadden you at the beginning of each ‘Hope’ is in order to show the extraordinary efficaciousness of the remedies proceeding from the All-Wise Qur’an. This Flash, concerning the Elderly, has been unable to preserve beauty of expression in three or four respects: The First: Since it is about the story of my life, I revisited those times in my imagination and it was written in that state of mind. A correct order could not therefore be preserved in the manner of expression. The Second: It was written at a time I felt extreme fatigue, after the morning prayers, and I was also compelled to write it at speed; thus its manner of expression became confused. The Third: There was not always someone with me to write, and the scribe who generally accompanied me had four or five other duties concerning the Risale-i Nur. We therefore could not find sufficient time to correct it and it remained in a disordered state. The Fourth: We were both tired after its composition, and not thinking carefully of the meaning, made do with correcting it only superficially; so there are bound to be faults in the manner of expression. I request of the generous elderly that they look tolerantly on my errors of expression and that since Divine mercy does not reject the prayers of the blessed elderly, when they lift up their hands to the Divine Court, they include us in their prayers. In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Kaf. Ha. Ya. ‘Ain. Sad. * [This is] a recital of the mercy of your Sustainer to His servant Zakariya. * Behold! he cried to His Sustainer in secret, * Praying: O my Sustainer! Infirm indeed are my bones, and the hair of my head glistens with grey; but I am never unblest, O my Sustainer, in my prayer to you.”

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