“I want to understand!”, “I want to know better and love more!”
Make sure you do these types of prayers a lot so that your mind and heart is filled with the light of knowledge; so that your path is always bright.
The “I Wonder” Series have been written using the works of the great Muslim scholar Said Nursi (1878-1960). The answers given to the questions and the examples to help you understand the topics have all been taken from his Risale-i Nur books. You can easily reach these valuable works through the internet.
Özkan Öze
İstanbul, 2012
DO YOU WANT to see Allah? Don’t be afraid to say, “Yes, I want to see Allah,” because I understand how you feel. I want to see Allah too.
I, too, wonder about Allah, who hung the glistening sun above the earth like a lamp.
Is it possible not to wonder about Allah, who lit up the dark night sky with the moon and millions of stars?
Look at the earth! A humongous basketball hanging in space. No, no, I am wrong. It is not just hanging; it’s orbiting the sun at extraordinary speeds. I also want to see Allah, who keeps the earth in its orbit without allowing it to fall.
How could we not wonder about Allah, who wraps the earth with the sky?
Who wouldn’t wonder about Allah, who makes heavy clouds float in the sky as if they’re not carrying seas and rivers of water?
What is more reasonable than wanting to know about and wanting to see Allah, who allows rain to fall from the clouds, who creates each snowflake to be different from another?
Look at those trees! They drink muddy water through their roots, yet cherries as sweet as honey, mouth-watering apples, succulent pears and pomegranates with hundreds of seeds, grow out of their branches.
Who wouldn’t want to see Allah, who creates and does all these things?
“Why can’t I see Allah?” you ask. You’re completely justified in wanting to see Him.
I feel the same way.
I want to see Allah too! I want to know Him better and love Him more.
Look at all these flowers: daisies, carnations, roses – all different from each another.
Of course you wonder about Allah, who created all these flowers, all more beautiful than the other, all so colourful and with their individual fragrances.
Oh no, I almost forgot!
What about the sparrows chirping in the trees?
Think about the tall storks. What about the seagulls you throw your bread at?
Close your eyes for a second and think about all the birds you have seen. Think about how they beat their wings when they fly, and how they float with the wind.
Some have pleasant voices.
Some have magnificent feathers.
And some make spectacular nests and feed their chicks.
I wonder more than anything about Allah, who created those birds and gives them beaks, wings and voices. You want to see Him too and you want to know why you can’t.
You’re completely right. We’re both right.
Isn’t it a miracle how a tiny cell multiplies into many and develops into a baby in your mum’s tummy?
Your hands, fingers, your face, eyes, mouth, tongue, ears, your hair and your eyebrows, are all the result of two cells combining and then splitting and multiplying inside your mum’s belly.
Yet, these are such hard and complicated things.
Your heart, lungs, kidneys, brain – all of your organs have been perfectly placed and are made to work. Now, you’re curious about Allah, and you are wondering, “Why can’t I see Allah, who created me and everything around me so perfectly?”
You’re right, you’re completely right.
Okay, now I’m going to try to answer your questions, but first I need to remind you of a few things. You need to be patient.
Because, my friend, you haven’t asked a question that can be easily answered.
Your question is very big.
And, of course, such big questions have big answers.
Everything has a limit
There’s a limit to everything you can do. For example, what’s the maximum weight you can lift? Twenty, twenty-five, thirty kilograms… but never a hundred. This is because the muscles in your arms and in the rest of your body have a limit to how much they can take. You can never go beyond this limit. If you try to go over the limit, you will either break a bone or get squashed under the weight.
Your ears have a limit too. You can hear your teacher in your classroom, but you can’t hear the teacher in the class across from you.
Your voice also has a limit. You can shout as much as you want, but if you have a grandma in a far away village, she will not hear you. If you want to talk to her, you must phone her or visit her village. Of course, your grandma could come over to you too.
What about your legs?
How fast can you run?
Are you as fast as a leopard?
Of course, your legs also have a limit.
Even if you run very fast, after some time you will get tired and you will have to stop.
How many glasses of milk can you drink at once? Two, maybe three, right?
Because your stomach has a limit too.
Now, here’s a question for you:
3 x 5
Okay, okay. You don’t have to laugh! I know this is a very easy question.
Well, tell me the answer to this question:
2134594 x 777
What happened?
It’s pretty hard to answer this question without a calculator. But don’t worry, this is completely normal, because your mind also has a limit.
Some things you understand easily.
Some
