THE NINTH STEP: Veracious, purified scholars

 

 

While the questing traveler, who has derived an elevated taste of truth from the power of belief, is coming from the assembly of the Prophets, upon them be peace, they are invited to step into the schoolroom of the profound, veracious and purified scholars who confirm the claims of the Prophets, upon them be peace, with the most decisive and powerful proofs which reach the degree of certainty based on knowledge. Entering here, the traveler sees that with their profound studies and investigations, thousands of geniuses and hundreds of thousands of veracious and exalted scholars are first and foremost proving the necessity of God’s Existence and His Unity, together with all other articles of belief, which are absolutely true. And they are doing this in a manner which leaves absolutely no room for doubt. Indeed, the fact that they unanimously agree on the principles and pillars of belief, despite the fact that they differ in their capacities and outlook, each of them leaning on their own firm and certain proof, constitutes in itself evidence so strong that it cannot be doubted. Or, rather, we can see that it can be doubted only if the doubter possesses more intelligence and perspicacity than all of these scholars combined, and only if they are able to counter their arguments with a single proof that is more compelling than all those of the scholars put together. Otherwise, the deniers can oppose them only in order to display their ignorance—their utter ignorance—and their obstinacy and biased inattention with respect to negative matters that admit neither denial nor affirmation. One with a biased inattention or who closes their eyes turns day into night only for themselves.

The traveler realizes that the lights which these respected and profound scholars disseminate from this magnificent and vast school have been illuminating half of the world for more than a thousand years. The traveler finds in these lights such moral and spiritual power that if all the people of denial were to come together against them, they would neither be able to confuse or shake the traveler.

In a brief reference to the lesson the traveler has learned in this school, in The Ninth Step of The First Station it was said:

There is no deity but God, Whose Necessary Existence in His Unity is demonstrated clearly by the agreement of all the pure, saintly and veracious scholars with the power of their brilliant, certain and unanimous proofs.

Said Nursi