THE TWELFTH FLASH

This Flash, prompted by two small questions from our brother RefetRefet Barutçu, one of the foremost students of Bediuzzaman., concerns the explanation of two subtle points of the Qur’an.

بِاسْمِهٖ سُبْحَانَهُIn His Name, glory be to Him.

وَاِنْ مِنْ شَىْءٍ اِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِهِIndeed, there is nothing that does not glorify Him with praise. — The Qur’an 17:44

اَلسَّلاَمُ عَلَيْكُمْ وَعَلٰى اِخْوَانِكُمْ وَرَحْمَةُ اللّٰهِ وَبَرَكَاتُهُMay the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you and your brothers

My honoured and truthful brother RefetRefet Barutçu, one of the foremost students of Bediuzzaman.,

Your questions, coming at a time when I have no real opportunity to answer them, place me in a difficult position. Although these two questions are small in themselves, I regard them as important, because they are connected with two subtle points of the Qur’an. Moreover, your question concerning the earth touches upon the criticisms of geography and cosmography regarding the seven layers of the earth and the seven levels of the heavens.

Therefore, without considering the limited nature of your questions, two matters concerning two noble verses will be briefly set forth in a scholarly and general manner. From this, you too will receive your share in answer to your particular questions.

The First Question

It consists of two points.

The First Point

وَكَاَيِّنْ مِنْ دَابَّةٍ لاَ تَحْمِلُ رِزْقَهَا اللّٰهُ يَرْزُقُهَا وَاِيَّاكُمْHow many living creatures there are that do not carry their own provision! Allah provides for them and for you. — The Qur’an 29:60

اِنَّ اللّٰهَ هُوَ الرَّزَّاقُ ذُو الْقُوَّةِ الْمَتٖينُ“Indeed, Allah is the Provider, the Possessor of unwavering strength. – The Quran 51:58

According to the mystery of these verses, sustenance lies directly in the hand of Qadīr-i Dhul-JalālAllah, Who has power over all things and Whose greatness and majesty are boundless. and comes forth from the treasury of His mercy. Since the sustenance of every living being is under Divine guarantee, it would seem that no one should die of hunger. Yet outwardly, many people are seen to die from hunger and lack of sustenance. The resolution of this apparent difficulty is as follows:

The Divine guarantee is a reality; no one dies from lack of sustenance. For that Hakīm-i Dhul-JalālAllah, Whose wisdom and majesty are without limit. stores part of the nourishment He gives to the body of living beings as a reserve in the form of fat. Indeed, in every cell of the body, part of the nourishment it receives is stored in a corner of that cell as an emergency provision, to be used when no nourishment comes from outside.

In reality, those who outwardly appear to die from lack of sustenance die before this stored reserve has been exhausted. Their death, therefore, is not due to lack of food, but to an illness arising from the abandonment of habit, which in turn results from the misuse of free will.