Every question opens a door for you. And behind every door is a whole other world.
Furthermore, asking a question is also a prayer. Make sure you pray a lot so that your mind and heart are filled with the light of knowledge; so that your path is always bright.
The “I Wonder About Islam” series has 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.
Özkan Öze
İstanbul, 2012
A Messenger has come to you from among yourselves. Your suffering distresses him: he is deeply concerned for you and full of kindness and mercy towards the believers.
Surah Tawbah 9:128
WHEN WE WERE born we opened our eyes and found ourselves in a magnificent world. Just like a baby girl who wakes up in a room full of all the things that she needs, whatever we needed had been prepared for us in this magnificent world.
The sun was in the sky, brightening our day and also warming up this earth as if it was both a light and a heater.
When night came, the moon appeared like a comforting lamp and billions of stars were smiling like pearls in the heavens.
The calming colour blue was spread across the sky and the high seas, which were full of thousands of different types of fish…
Trees grew from the soil under our feet and from their branches sweet cherries, pears, oranges and other hundreds of different types of fruit were extended toward us.
Just so we could drink sweet, nutritious and warm delicious milk, great big cows were grazing in lush meadows all day.
A tiny bee was living its life going from flower to flower to make more honey than it needed.
Clearly, we humans were taken care of.
Well, why was everything revolving around us in such a way?
Who were we, for God’s sake?
What business did we have here?
Where did we come to the earth from?
Why did the One who brought us here bring us?
Were we just to sit among so many treats, so many blessings, so much kindness?
Why did we have to leave this place of beauty after living for some time on this earth?
These were big questions. We had to find answers to them.
Chosen teachers
We were like tiny sparrows lost in a thick forest of questions. The forest was so great and we were so small…
However, in this forest even ants had an advisor, bees a queen, a flight of swallows a head, the wild wolves a pack leader…
Were we going to be the only ones left leaderless?
Was Allah, who sent us to such a beautiful world, who created us so beautifully going to leave us without a guide?
Of course not!
Allah chose messengers from amongst us.
He spoke to them on behalf of all of us.
He informed them of the answers to our questions.
Why He created this world. This moon, this sun, these stars, the Milky Way… the blue planet, everything on the ground and in the heavens…
He let those messengers know why He created birds, fish, lions, tigers, bees, ants… and humans.
Why He sent us to this earth…
Where we are going from here…
And how we need to live here, what we need to do and stay away from as well…
So the messengers chosen from amongst us found out the answers to all of these questions and gave us lessons.
We call those chosen teachers PROPHETS.
For centuries, Allah chose many messengers from amongst us. They invited people to what is good and beautiful with their words, their lifestyles, with verses and books revealed to them.
Some of them had many followers. Everyone turned their backs on others.
They carried out every task Allah gave them.
Many of them were tortured. Many of them were exiled. Some amongst them were killed.
Allah sent new Prophets to fill the void of those who left the world after their tasks were over.
Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, Job, Moses and Aaron, David, Solomon and Jesus… were only some of the messengers chosen amongst us.
They were such good servants.
For humans, they were such beneficial teachers.
Centuries came and passed. Allah sent many other prophets. This continued until the last Prophet Muhammad Mustafa (peace be upon him).
He was the last messenger sent to humankind!
Why was the Prophet born in Makkah?
MORE THAN FIVE centuries had passed since Jesus left the earth. Time had trickled by and people had forgotten what God had revealed.
Truths that Jesus and other prophets before him had told, messages they had given, lessons they had taught… all were buried in the past.
No one cared why this world had been created…
Why were these flowers so beautiful?
Why were these fruits so delicious?
Why were the wings of these butterflies so decorative?
And why was this navy blanket that covered us up at night embellished with stars?
What was the flowing water saying? What about the voice of the wind?
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