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risalei-nur · 4 days

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The Words - The First Word - Part 15

This Divine Name is evident via the lights of all Names manifested in the universe, and on the earth through innumerable evidences of God’s absolute Lordship. In the same way, the All-Merciful is also manifested ful- ly in our comprehensive form, which is a miniature form of the universe.

A further indication may be derived from the following analogy: Animate creation and humanity are loci of evidences of the Necessarily Existent One, proofs and mirrors to the All-Merciful, All-Compassionate. These proofs are so certain, clear, and evident that just as we might say that a mirror reflecting the sun “has the form of (or is like) the sun” (emphasizing the brilliant evidence of the sun’s light), we also might say: “Humanity has the All-Merciful One’s form,” stressing our being a clear evidence of, and perfect connection with, the All-Merciful. Therefore, the more moderate and balanced believers in the Unity of Being said: “There is no existent but He,” expressing the evidence’s clarity and the connection’s perfection.

O God, O All-Merciful, All-Compassionate. Through the truth of In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate, have mercy on us as befits Your being the All-Compassionate. Open to our understanding the mysteries of this phrase, as befits Your being the All-Merciful. Amin.

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risalei-nur · 5 days

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The Words - The First Word - Part 14

FIFTH MYSTERY: There is a hadith (Prophetic Tradition) to the effect that God created humanity in the form of the All-Merciful One. Its extrav- agant interpretation by some Sufis does not accord with the fundamentals of belief.6 Some ecstatic Sufis assert that our spiritual nature is “in the form of the All-Merciful.” Immersed in their contemplative and spiritual trances, they might be excused for expressing mistaken views. If others consider such views acceptable, they are in error.

The Pure and Holy God, Who orders and administers the universe as easily as if it were a palace or a house, Who turns galaxies as if they were particles and sends them travelling through space with wisdom and grace, Who dispatches the minutest particles as if they were obedient officials, has no equal or match, no partner or opposite. According to: There is nothing like to Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing (42:11), He has no form, likeness, or peer. Nothing resembles or is similar to Him. On the other hand, according to: And to Him applies the most sublime attribute in the heavens and the earth, and He is Exalted in Might, the All-Wise (30:27), humanity can conceive of His acts, Attributes, and Names via allegory and comparison. Thus the Tradition’s intended meaning is: “Humanity’s form, in its totality, reflects the Divine Name the All-Merciful.”

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risalei-nur · 9 days

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The Words - The First Word - Part 13

There are stamps of various kinds and degrees in the universe showing that it is God Almighty Who has created, sustains, and directs is. Although these stamps, existing in concentric circles of different size, display a unity behind multiplicity of innumerable creatures, it is still a unity within multi- plicity and, therefore, cannot enable worshippers to address God directly. Thus the stamp of Divine Oneness must be on everything, that is, through the concentrated manifestation of God’s Names on it, each thing and species should display that it is God Who has created, sustains, and directs it, so that multiplicity may not detract minds from seeing the Pure and Holy One in everything in the universe, and a way be opened up to the hearts to enable them to turn to and address Him directly.

Also, a most entrancing design, radiant light, agreeable sweetness, pleasing beauty, and powerful truth have been placed upon the stamp of Divine Oneness to draw our attention and hearts to it. Mercy’s vigor and power draw sentient beings’ attention to It, and enable them to attain to the seal of Oneness, to concentrate on the One of the Absolute Oneness, and thereby to address Him directly, declaring: You alone do we worship, and from You alone do We seek help (1:5).

Thus In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate, being the index of the Chapter of Opening (Suratu’l-Fatiha) and an epitome of the Qur’an, is the sign and interpreter of this mighty truth. Whoever equips him/herself with it can travel through the levels of Divine Mercy; whoever causes it to speak can learn the mysteries of Divine Mercy and see the lights of Divine Compassion and Pity.

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risalei-nur · 10 days

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The Words - The First Word - Part 12

FOURTH MYSTERY: In the face of Divine Unity manifested within the boundless multiplicity of individualized creatures, declaring, You alone do we worship (1:5) is not enough for everyone, for our minds wander from Reality. We would have to possess so comprehensive a heart as the earth to observe the One in His Oneness behind the unity within the totality of individualized entities, that we could say: You alone do We worship, and from You alone do We seek help (1:5). Thus, the seal of Divine Oneness must be apparent on each individualized entity and species, and a seal of Divine Oneness should exist within the stamp of Divine Mercifulness, so that everyone at every level can turn to the Pure and Holy One and, by saying: You alone do we worship, and from You alone do we seek help (1:5), address Him directly.

It is for this mighty truth that the wise Qur’an abruptly juxtaposes indi- vidualized detail with totality, small with large, particular with general. To prevent the mind from wandering and the heart from drowning, to allow the spirit to find its True Object of Worship directly, it mentions our creation and speaking, and the fine details of the favors and wisdom in our features, while mentioning the creation of the heavens and the earth. This truth is miracu- lously shown in And among His signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the varieties in your languages and in your colors (30:22).

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risalei-nur · 13 days

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The Words - The First Word - Part 11

How could the One Who gives you this face, Who impresses upon it the stamp of Mercy and the seal of Oneness, leave you to your own devices?

How could He consider you of no account, have no regard for your actions, and so make all creation, which is directed toward you, futile and wasteful? How could He make the Tree of Creation worthless and rotten with decayed fruit? Would He cause His perfect, indisputable Mercy to be denied when it is as obvious as the sun, and His Wisdom, which is as clear as light?

You can ascend to the throne of that Mercy by In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate. Grasp its importance by looking at the beginning of each Qur’anic sura (chapter), all worthwhile books and good actions. A most decisive argument for this phrase’s worth is the comment of the foremost Islamic scholars like Imam ash-Shafi‘i4: “Although the basmala is a single verse, it was revealed 114 times in the Qur’an.”

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risalei-nur · 15 days

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The Words - The First Word - Part 10

The Gracious All-Merciful One, Who causes everything to serve life; Who demonstrates His Compassion in the self-sacrifice, the extraordinary sweetness of compassion, of motherhood in plants and animals; Who sub- jects animate life to humanity and thereby displays our importance and sta- tus as the finest and loveliest weave from the Divine Lordship as well as His Mercy’s brilliance—that One has, due to His absolute lack of need, made His Mercy an acceptable intercessor for His animate creatures and human- ity. So, if you are truly human, say: In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate, and find that intercessor.

Nothing but Divine Mercy brings to life, nurtures, and administers all plant and animal species. It neither overlooks nor confuses one with another, but raises each at the right time and with perfect order, wisdom, and grace. It impresses the seal of Divine Oneness upon the earth’s surface. Just as this Mercy’s existence is as certain as the existence of the earth’s creatures, each creature also is a proof of its actual manifestation or being a reality.

The seal of Mercy and Divine Oneness is impressed upon the earth and upon humanity’s nature. The mercy stamped upon us is not less than the compassion and mercy stamped upon the universe. Our nature is com- prehensive, as we are the weave’s center and the Divine Names’ focal point.

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risalei-nur · 18 days

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The Words - The First Word - Part 9

Consider this: How could the All-Majestic One, Who causes all entities to turn toward you with their hands outstretched to help you, not know and see you? He knows you and teaches you through His Mercy that He knows you . So know Him, and reverently show that you do. Understand with conviction that Divine Mercy, existing together with Wisdom, Knowledge, Grace, and Power, subjects the universe to your service, even though you are a slight, transient, wholly feeble, powerless, and needy creature. Most certainly, such Mercy requires total and sincere gratitude as well as honest and ardent reverence. So say: In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate, which express- es and interprets such feelings. Make it the means of admission to His Mercy, and an intercessor at the Court of the All-Merciful.

The presence and actuality of Divine Mercy is as clear as the sun. Just as a center-patterned tapestry is woven by positioning and sequencing the warp and weft and then gathered to the center, so also the luminous threads extending from the manifestations of Divine Names throughout the uni- verse weave a seal of such compassion, a tapestry of such kindness, a pat- tern of such grace within the stamp of Mercy, that it is impressed upon the mind more brilliantly than the sun.

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risalei-nur · 22 days

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The Words - The First Word - Part 8

THIRD MYSTERY: Divine Mercy causes the universe to rejoice. It gives the spark of light and life to dark entities, and nurtures and raises up crea- tures struggling with their endless need. It causes the universe to be direct- ed toward humanity, just as a tree is directed toward its fruit, and to hasten to our assistance. It fills and lights up boundless space, an otherwise void and empty world, making it rejoice. For transient humanity, Divine Mercy also appoints eternity and the rank of the creature addressed and beloved of the One, Eternal before and after eternity. Since Divine Mercy is so powerful a truth, so inviting, mild, helpful, and worthy of love, say: In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate, and cling to this truth, and be saved from endless desolation and need. Draw near to the King of eternity, and become the one He addresses, befriends, and loves through the rays and intercession of that Mercy.

Why do all entities gather around humanity with purpose and foresight, and hasten to meet our needs with perfect orderliness and grace? Do they rec- ognize us and so run to help us—as irrational as it is, in many respects, impos- sible for it requires that we, who have no power, should have the power of the mightiest, absolute sovereign? Or does this help reach us via the recogni- tion of One Absolutely Powerful behind the veil of the visible universe? In other words, the One, All-Knowing and All-Compassionate, knows and has mercy on us, and puts all the entities of the universal out our service.

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risalei-nur · 23 days

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The Words - The First Word - Part 7

SECOND MYSTERY: Divine Unity is evident in the boundless multiplicity of individualized creatures. So as not to overwhelm our minds all at once, the Qur’an, being a miracle of exposition, constantly reiterates the manifestation of Divine Absolute Oneness3 within Unity—the manifestation of a Divine Name on all beings.

Consider this analogy: The sun encompasses innumerable things in its light. But to hold the totality of its light in our minds, we would need a vast conceptual and perceptual power. So lest the sun be forgotten, all shining objects reflect its properties (light and heat) as best they can and so mani- fest its being the sun, and those properties (heat, light, and the color spectrum) encompass the objects that the sun is facing.

Similarly—to God applies the most sublime attribute—just as God’s Oneness, His being Eternally Besought, and His Divine Names are mani- fested in everything, particularly in living things and especially in our mir- ror-like nature, each Divine Name related to creatures encompasses all creatures through Divine Unity. Thus the Qur’an constantly draws our attention to the stamp of Divine Oneness within Divine Unity, lest our minds be overwhelmed by Unity and our hearts become heedless of the Pure and Holy Essence. So, it is the basmala which indicates the three important aspects of the stamp of Divine Absolute Oneness or Uniqueness.

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risalei-nur · 24 days

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The Words - The First Word - Part 6

FIRST MYSTERY: Three stamps of Lordship are impressed upon the face of the universe, the earth, and humanity. They are one within the other, and each car- ries a pattern of the others:

DIVINITY: We see this in how all entities in the universe help and cooper- ate with each other, and in their general interconnectedness and reciprocity. The referent is In the Name of God.

DIVINE MERCIFULNESS: We see this in the resemblance, proportion, orderliness, harmony, grace and mercy in disposing, raising, and adminis- tering plants and animals. The referent is the All-Merciful, in In the Name of God, the All-Merciful.

DIVINE COMPASSION: We see this in the subtleties of kindness, fine points of affection, and rays of compassion on the face of the human com- prehensive nature. The referent is the All-Compassionate, in In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate.

Thus, the basmala is the sacred title of Divine Absolute Oneness’ three stamps. They form a luminous line on the page of the universe, a robust stay, and a golden thread. Revealed from above us, its tip rests upon humanity, a minia- ture of the universe and its fruit. The basmala links the world to the Divine Throne, and is a stairway for us to rise to the throne of true humanity.

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risalei-nur · 25 days

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The Words - The First Word - Part 5

The second station of the Fourteenth Gleam

About the six of the innumerable mysteries of: In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate.

NOTE: A bright light from the Basmala concerning Divine Mercy touched my dimmed mind from afar. I wanted to capture and record it as notes in 20 to 30 sections of “Mysteries.” Alas, I have not been able to do this yet, and my 20 to 30 have been brought down to 6. Even though addressed particularly to myself, I refer it for the approval of my exacting brothers with the hope that it may benefit those with whom I am associated spiritually and whose souls are wiser than mine. The argument addresses the heart rather than the mind, and regards the inner experience and pleasure rather than being rational proofs.

In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate.

[The Queen] said: “Chieftains, here delivered to me is a letter wor- thy of respect. It is from Solomon, and is: In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate.” (27:29-30)

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risalei-nur · 29 days

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The Words - The First Word - Part 4

QUESTION: We pay people for whatever they bring us, even though they are only “tray-bearers.” What payment does God, their true Owner, ask of us?

ANSWER: That true Bestower of all precious bounties and goods we enjoy requires three things: remembrance, thanksgiving, and reflection. Saying bismillah at the beginning is a manner of remembrance, and saying al-hamdu lillah (All praise and gratitude are for God) at their end is a man- ner of thanksgiving. Reflection means always being mindful and thinking of the precious and ingenious bounties we receive as miracles of the Eternally Besought One’s Power and as gifts from His Mercy.

If you kissed the hand of someone who brought you a precious gift without recognizing the true sender (the king), you would be making a great mistake. Praising and loving the apparent bestower of bounty, while forgetting the true Bestower of Bounty, is far worse. O soul! If you wish to avoid such stupidity, give and receive in God’s name. Begin and act, to the very end, in His name. This is the kernel of the matter.

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risalei-nur · 1 month

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The Words - The First Word - Part 3

A tree’s branches spread in the sky, and its roots spread unhindered among stones and soil. It generates underground spontaneously, and its delicate green leaves hold moisture despite intense heat. These realities vex the naturalist. It jabs a finger into the naturalist’s unseeing eye and says: “You put so much trust in the power of hardness and heat, yet they obey the Divine Command. That is why each soft fiber of the plant’s roots, like Moses’ staff, obeys: And We said: ‘O Moses, strike the rock with your staff!’ (2:60) and penetrates the rock. Every delicate, paper-thin leaf, like one of Abraham’s limbs, recites: O fire, be coolness and peace! (21:69) in defiance of the intense heat.

All things inwardly say bismillah and deliver God’s bounties to us in His name. Thus we also should say bismillah, give and take in His name, and accept nothing from those who do not give in God’s name.

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risalei-nur · 1 month

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The Words - The First Word - Part 2

Bismillah is a blessed treasure. It transforms your boundless weakness and poverty, by binding you to the All-Powerful and Merciful One’s infi- nite Power and Mercy, into the most heeded intercessor at His Exalted Court. When you say bismillah, you act in His name. You are like a soldier acting in the state’s name, fearing no one, doing all things in the name of the law and the state, and persisting against all odds.

How does everything recite bismillah through its very mode of exis- tence? For example: A stranger arriving in a city can order its people to gather at a certain place to work on a certain task. If this order is obeyed, the stranger obviously is acting in the name of the ruler’s strength and authority, not his own. In the same way, everything acts in the name of God, the All-Mighty. Small seeds and grains carry huge trees on their heads and raise weights as heavy as mountains. Each tree says bismillah and, filling its hands with fruit from Mercy’s treasury, offers them to us on a tray. Each garden, a cooking pot from the Divine Power’s kitchen where count- less varieties of delicious foods are prepared, says bismillah.

All blessed animals (e.g., cows, camels, sheep, and goats) say bismillah and become fountains of milk from Mercy’s abundance. They offer us, in the All-Providing’s name, a most delicate and pure food like the water of life. Every plant and blade of grass, every root and stem, says bismillah. All plant, tree, and grass roots and fibers, soft as silk, say bismillah and pierce hard stones and soil. Mentioning His Name, the Name of the All-Merciful, subjects everything to them.

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risalei-nur · 1 month

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The Words - The First Word - Part 1

Brother! You asked for advice, so listen to a few truths contained in the following parables in the successive nine Words. Since you are a soldier, I will express them in military terms.

The worth of Bismillah

In the Name of God, the All-Merciful, the All-Compassionate.

And from Him do we seek help. All praise be to God, the Lord of all worlds, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, his Family,1 and Companions.2

BISMILLAH (IN THE NAME OF GOD) IS THE START OF ALL GOOD things, so we will start with it. This blessed phrase is a mark of Islam, one constantly recited by all creatures through their tongues of disposition. If you want to perceive its inexhaustible

source of strength and blessing, consider the following parable: Travelers in Arabian deserts must travel under a tribal chief’s name and protection, or else they will be bothered by bandits and unable to acquire what they need for the journey. Two people, one humble and the other arrogant, set out on a journey. The humble one obtained the name of a tribal chief; the arrogant one did not. The former traveled everywhere in safety. Whenever he met a bandit, he said: “I’m travelling in the name of such-and-such tribal chief,” and so was left alone. He was treated with respect in every tent he entered. In contrast, the arrogant one suffered dis- aster and constant fear, for he had to struggle and beg for every need. He became base and vile.

O arrogant soul! You are that traveler, and this world is the desert. Your weakness and poverty are endless, and the enemies and privations to which you are exposed are beyond number. Given this, invoke the name of the Eternal Owner and the Everlasting Ruler of this world, for only this can deliver you from such begging and fear.

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risalei-nur · 1 month

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The Words - The Thirty-third Word - Part 45

THIRTY-THIRD WINDOW

Praise be to God, Who has revealed to His servant the Book, and has allowed no crookedness therein. (18:1) * Alif. Lam. Ra. A Book which We have revealed to you, in order that you might lead mankind out of darkness into light. (14:1)

Think of all the Windows we have mentioned as being a few drops from the ocean of the Qur’an, then you will be able to compare how many lights of Divine unity like the water of life the Qur’an contains. But even if the Qur’an, the source and origin and fountain of all those Windows, is considered in an extremely brief and simple manner, it still forms a most brilliant, luminous, comprehensive Window. To see how certain and shining and luminous this Window is, we refer you to the Treatise on the Miraculousness of the Qur’an, the Twenty-Fifth Word, and to the Eighteenth Sign of the Nineteenth Letter. And beseeching the Merciful Throne of the All-Glorious One, Who sent us the Qur’an, we say:

Oh our Sustainer! Do not take us to task if we forget or unwittingly do wrong! (2:285) * Oh our Sustainer! Let not our hearts deviate now after You have guided us! (3:8) * Oh our Sustainer! Accept this from us; indeed You are the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing! (2:127) * And turn unto us; for You are the Oft-Returning, Most Compassionate. (2:128)

NOTE

God willing, this Thirty-Third Letter of Thirty-Three Windows will bring to belief those without belief, strengthen the belief of those whose belief is weak, make certain the belief of those whose belief is strong but imitative, give greater breadth to the belief of those whose belief is certain, lead to progress in knowledge of God –the basis and means of all true perfection– for those whose belief has breadth, and open up more brilliant vistas for them. You cannot say, therefore, that “One window is enough for me,” because if your reason is satisfied, your heart wants its share as well, and so will your spirit want its share. Your imagination will also want its share of the light. The other Windows are also necessary, therefore, for each contains different benefits.

In the Treatise on the Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), it was primarily the believer who was addressed, while the atheist was in the position of listener. But in this treatise, it is the denier who is addressed, while it is the believer who is in the position of listener. This should be taken into consideration when looking at it.

Unfortunately, due to an important reason, this letter was written with extreme speed. It has also remained in the state of the first draft. There will certainly therefore be some irregularities and defects in the way it is expressed, which are due to me. I request of my brothers then that they look at it with tolerance, and correct it if they are able, and pray for my forgiveness.

Peace be on those who follow Guidance, and may those who follow their own desires be censured.

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed You are All-Knowing, All-Wise. (2:32)

O God, grant blessings and peace to the one whom You sent as a Mercy to All the Worlds, and to his Family and Companions, and grant them peace. Amen.

#allah #god #islam #muslim #quran #revrt #convert #convert islam #revert islam #reverthelp #revert help team #help #islamhelp #converthelp #how to convert to islam #welcome to islam

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risalei-nur · 1 month

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The Words - The Thirty-third Word - Part 44

THIRTY-SECOND WINDOW

He it is Who has sent His Messenger with the Divine guidance and the Religion of truth that He may make it prevail over all religions. God suffices for a witness. (48:28)

Say: “O humankind! Surely I am the Messenger of God to you all, for Whom is the sovereignty of the heavens and the earth; there is no deity but He. He gives life and causes to die.” (7:158)

This window is formed of the Prophet Muhammad, the sun of the heav- en of Messengership, indeed, the sun of suns, upon him be peace and bless- ings. Having explained this most brilliant, large and light-diffusing window in great detail in the Nineteenth and Thirty-first Words, as well as in The Nineteenth Letter, we discuss only the following point:

On the wings of Messengership and sainthood, that is, equipped with a power formed of the absolute consensus of all Prophets preceding him and the unanimous agreement of all saints and pure scholars to come after him, Prophet Muhammad, himself an articulate proof of Divine Unity, pro- claimed and demonstrated Divine Unity throughout his life with all his strength. He opened up onto knowledge of God a broad and radiant win- dow, namely the world of Islam. Hundreds of thousands of pure, truth-seek- ing and truthful scholars like Imam al-Ghazzali, Imam ar-Rabbani, Muhyid- Din ibnu’l-‘Arabi, and ‘Abdu’l-Qadir al-Jilani look through this window and point others to knowledge of God through it. Is there a veil to draw across such a window? Can one who criticizes this window and does not look through it be considered sensible? You give the answer.

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