The Twenty-Sixth Flash

When my innate, metaphorical love of beauty rose in fierce protest against this state of affairs, I once again sought consolation and turned to the verse:

حَسْبُنَا اللّٰهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكٖيلُAllah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Protector. — The Qur’an 3:173

It was as though the verse said to me:

“Recite me and contemplate my meaning with care.”

I entered the observatory of the verse:

اَللّٰهُ نُورُ السَّمٰوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِAllah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. — The Qur’an 24:35

from Sūrah an-Nūr“The Light”; the 24th chapter of the Qur’an, consisting of 64 verses. It addresses moral conduct, modesty, family life, and social responsibilities, and contains the famous Verse of Light (Āyat an-Nūr), which describes Allah as the Light of the heavens and the earth.. Through the telescope of īmānFaith; belief in the six articles of faith: Allah, His angels, His revealed scriptures, His prophets, the Hereafter, and divine decree (qadar)., I gazed upon the most exalted degrees of this verse of HasbiyyaRefers to the Qur’anic expression Hasbunallāhu wa Ni‘mal-Wakīl, meaning “Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.", while through the microscope of believing awareness, I examined its subtlest mysteries.

And I saw the following:

Just as mirrors, glass, transparent objects, and even air bubbles reveal the hidden and manifold beauty of sunlight and the varied beauties of its seven colours; and just as, through their continual renewal and movement, their varying capacities to receive light, and their refraction of its rays, they cause these beauties to shine forth ever anew, thus revealing the hidden beauties of the sun, its light, and its seven colours—

So too do these beautiful works of art, these charming creatures, and these beings endowed with beauty ceaselessly come and go, serving as mirrors to the sacred Beauty of the Majestic One of Beauty, the Eternal Sun, and to the everlasting beauties of His infinitely beautiful Names, so that their manifestations may be continually renewed.

The beauties and charms manifested in these creatures do not belong to them in themselves. They are but signs and indications, flashes and manifestations, of an eternal and sacred Beauty that wills to reveal Itself, and of a pure and transcendent Beauty that continually manifests Itself and wills to be seen.

Numerous compelling proofs of this truth have been set forth in detail in the Risale-i Nur.

For example, in the Fourth Ray—where this 'Sixth Luminous Degree of HasbiyyaRefers to the Qur’anic expression Hasbunallāhu wa Ni‘mal-Wakīl, meaning “Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs."' is treated more extensively—three of these proofs are presented briefly and with remarkable clarity. Anyone endowed with refined spiritual discernment will not only be filled with admiration upon reading them, but will also feel compelled to share their benefits with others rather than keep them to himself.

In particular, the Second Proof sets forth five points. Anyone whose intellect remains uncorrupted and whose heart is unimpaired will inevitably appreciate, admire, and affirm them, exclaiming:

“MāshāAllāhAn expression meaning “What Allah has willed,” used to express admiration or appreciation while acknowledging Allah’s will., Fa-TabārakAllāh“So blessed and exalted is Allah”; an expression of praise and glorification, affirming Allah’s supreme greatness, perfection, and infinite blessings.!”

Thus, he will understand and acknowledge that this is an extraordinary miracle, one that elevates his seemingly humble and insignificant existence.