The Second Chapter: Proofs for Divine Unity

 

 

The traveler who was sent to the world in order to attain faith, and who has made an intellectual journey through the whole universe, asking all things concerning their Creator and seeking their Lord in every place, has finally found their Deity with the certainty of experience, particularly with regard to His Necessary Existence, and now says to their intellect: “Come, we will set out on a new journey in order to see the proofs of the Unity of our Necessarily Existent Creator.”

 

THE FIRST STAGE

And so they set out together. At the first stage, they see that four sacred realities or truths prevailing over the whole universe necessitate self-evidently the Unity of God.

 

THE FIRST TRUTH: Absolute Divinity

Every division of humankind is engaged in or manifests a mode of worship through its “natural” life: the services dictated by the creation and vital functions of other living beings, as well as inanimate creation, are in effect a form of worship particular to them; each of the material and spiritual bounties and favors is a means inciting beings to worship and praise the One Who is uniquely worthy of worship and praise. Indeed, all the manifestations from the Unseen and spiritual emanations and radiations such as Revelations and inspirations proclaim unanimously the certain fact that there is a Deity Who is worshipped and worthy of worship. All of this proves self evidently the certain fact that there is an absolute Deity prevailing over the whole universe. And this Deity can in no way accept partnership. This is because those who respond to this Deity or the fact that He is being worshipped and is worthy of worship with thanks and praise are the conscious fruits on the further parts of the tree of the universe. If others were able to gratify and place under their obligation those conscious beings in such a way as to cause them to abandon their true Object of Worship, Who may be swiftly forgotten because of His invisibility, this would be in such utter contradiction to the very nature of Divinity and Its sacred purposes that it could in no way be countenanced. It is for this reason that the Qur’an so repeatedly and vehemently refutes polytheism and threatens the polytheists with Hellfire.

 

THE SECOND TRUTH: Absolute Lordship

It is observed throughout the universe, particularly in the lives of living beings that a wise and compassionate hidden hand operates for their provision and administration everywhere in the same fashion, yet usually in an unexpected form. This is most certainly a reflection of absolute Lordship and a decisive proof for Its actual existence.

Since an absolute Lordship exists, It certainly cannot accept any partnership. For since the most important aims and purposes of Lordship—such as the manifestation of Its beauty, the proclamation of Its perfection, the exhibition of Its precious arts and the display of Its unknown skills—are combined and concentrated in particulars and living beings, any participation of another “lordship”—even in the most particular of things and the smallest of living beings—would frustrate the attainment of those purposes and destroy those aims.

Also, since any participation of another “lordship” would avert the faces of conscious beings from those purposes and the One Who has willed them, and turn those faces toward means and causes, it would be totally opposed and hostile to the very nature or essence of Lordship: given this, absolute Lordship cannot in any way permit it. It is because of this fundamental truth that with all its frequent proclamations of God’s sanctity, and of His absolute freedom from having any defects and partners, the Qur’an guides people constantly to God’s absolute Unity with all its chapters, verses and letters.

 

THE THIRD TRUTH: Perfections

Just as all of the exalted instances of wisdom in the universe, and all of its wonderful beauties, just laws and wise purposes indicate most evidently the existence of perfections related to the existence of the universe, they also testify most clearly to the Perfections of the Creator Who has originated the universe and Who directs it miraculously and beautifully in every way, and to those of humanity, which is the conscious mirror of the Creator.

Since the existence of perfections is a reality; and since the Creator, Who has created the universe perfectly and endowed it with perfections, possesses essential perfections Himself; and since humankind has been endowed with perfections or distinctions as the most valued of God’s creations, the most important fruit of the universe and the species of being chosen to settle on the earth in order to cultivate, develop and administer it according to God’s laws, then indubitably the participation of another “lord” and “deity” in the creation and life of the universe and humanity is absolutely impossible and false. For the existence of such a “partner” would turn the universe, which is endowed with perfections and instances of wisdom, into a vain plaything of chance revolving pointlessly toward utter destruction: it would be reduced to a realm of amusement for nature, a cruel slaughterhouse for living beings and an awful house of sorrows for the conscious; it would reduce humanity, whose (relative) perfections are visible in their works, to the level of the most wretched, distressed and degraded of animals; and it would cast an impenetrable veil over the infinite sacred Perfections of the Creator that are reflected in the mirror of all beings, thus nullifying the result of His Activity and denying His Creativity.

Since it has been proven convincingly in The First Station of The Second Ray that associating partners with God is in direct contradiction to the existence of Divine, human and creational perfections, we refer our readers to that section and cut short the argument here.

 

THE FOURTH TRUTH: Sovereignty

Whoever looks at the universe with due attention will see it in the form of a most prosperous and active country, or a city governed most wisely and ruled most firmly; they will find therein all things and all species engaged obediently in a particular duty.

According to the military metaphor contained in the verse, God’s are the hosts of the heavens and earth (48:4, 7), all of the Divine hosts from the armies of atoms, the brigades of the vegetable kingdom and the battalions of the animal kingdom to the armies of the stars live in utmost obedience to the prevailing commands, imperative orders and royal edicts of creation and life. This indicates self-evidently the existence of an absolute Sovereignty and a universal, all-encompassing Authority.

Since there is the truth of absolute Sovereignty, there can be no truth in associating partners with God. For as it is declared decisively in the verse, Had there been in the heavens and the earth any deities other than God, both (of those realms) would certainly have fallen into ruin (21:22), if numerous hands intervene in the same task, they cause chaos. If there are two kings in one country, or even two headsmen in one village, order will be destroyed and government would be reduced to chaos. However, there prevails everywhere such an order, be it in the wing of the fly or in the lamps of the heavens, in the cells of the body or in the constellations of the heavens, that it is impossible for there to be any partners with God.

Furthermore, sovereignty is a station of majesty and honor: to admit a rival would damage the majesty and honor of sovereignty. The fact that a human sovereign, who needs the help of many people on account of his impotence, is ready to murder his brothers and offspring for the sake of retaining his minor, apparent and temporary sovereignty shows that sovereignty rejects rivalry and partnership. If one who is so weak acts in such a way for the sake of a sovereignty that is so insignificant, then it is in no way possible that the absolutely All-Powerful One, Who is the Master of the whole creation, should allow one other than Himself to have a share in His sacred Sovereignty, the means to His real and universal Lordship and Divinity.

Since this truth has been explained with powerful proofs in The Second Station of The Second Ray and many other places in the Risale-i Nur, we refer our readers to those sections.

Having observed these four truths, our traveler came to know Divine Unity to the level of certainty of vision, and their belief grew more radiant as a result. With all their might they say, “There is no deity but God, the One, Who has no partner.” In a brief reference to the lesson they learned from this stage, it was said in The Second Chapter of The First Station:

There is no deity but God, the One, the Unique, Whose Unity and necessary Existence are demonstrated clearly through the observation of the sublime truth of the self-revelation of the absolute Divinity, as well as through the observation of the sublimely comprehensive truth of the manifestation of the absolute Lordship, Which demands Unity; and the observation of the sublimely comprehensive truth of perfections, which arise from Unity; and the observation of the sublimely comprehensive truth of the absolute Sovereignty, Which prevents and contradicts any partnership.

Said Nursi