gardens, events shake men and the universe turns its face towards them. It is as though the government of creation sends natural philosophy [or science] (fann al-ḥikma) to interrogate and question them, saying: “O mankind! Where are you from? Where are you going? What are you doing? Who is your ruler? And who is your spokesman?” At one time during this conversation there stood up one from among mankind – as did those like him of the prophets with authority – the lord of mankind Muhammad al-Hashimi (UWBP), and said through the tongue of the Qur’an: “O philosophy! All of us beings we come forth emerging by the power of the Pre-Eternal Ruler from the darkness of non-existence to the light of existence, and all of us, we sons of Adam, are sent as officials privileged above our brother creatures in bearing the Trust; we are on our way, journeying on the road of the resurrection towards eternal felicity; and we are busy in this world in preparation of that felicity and the development of the potentialities that are our capital; and I am their master and their spokesman. Here it is before you, my manifesto, which is the word of the Pre-Eternal Ruler on which sparkles the stamp of miraculousness.” Thus, the answerer of these questions, the correct answer, is none other than the Qur’an, that book – the answer is those four fundamental principles.

Just as the four aims are seen in the whole of the Qur’an, so they are manifested in every sura; indeed, they are hinted at in every phrase or alluded to in every word; because each part is like a mirror to the whole ascending, just as the whole is seen in each part successively. And by this point I mean that by this participation of the part (al-juz’) in the whole (al-kull), the Qur’an is made known as a totality (al-kullī) with constituent parts (al-juz’iyyāt). [^2]

[^2]:That is, every part of the Qur’an is a whole Qur’an. See, Nursi, İşârâtü’l-İ’caz [Turk. trans. Abdülmecid Nursî] (Istanbul: Zehra Yayıncılık, 1999), 22.

• If you were to ask: Show me these four aims in “Bismillāh – In the Name of Allah” and “al-ḥamdulillāh – all praise be to Allah.”

You would be told: Since “Bismillāh” was revealed in order to instruct [the Most High’s] servants, ‘Say!’ (Qul) is implicit in it and essentially it is implied by [all] the words of the Qur’an. So according to this, there is in ‘Say!’ (Qul) an indication to prophethood; and in “Bismillāh” a sign to the Godhead; and in the prefixing of [the preposition] “bi-” of “Bismillāh” a sign to divine unity; [^3] and in “the Most Merciful (al-Raḥmān)” an allusion

[^3]:The genitive construction here (jārr wa majrūr) expresses restriction. See, Abdülmecid, 23.