Will your consciousness survive your own bodily death? Will there still be a “you” after you die – which is to say, will you continue to have conscious experiences in an incorporeal state (in a similar state, for example, to dream-consciousness)? Moreover, if the “heart” of human consciousness does survive the cessation of the beating of the physical heart, will the state in which it subsequently finds itself be determined by the way that your individual consciousness had, in life, interacted with others in the physical world, and by the…
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A world that is enduring, stable, and perpetual
It is by no means possible that our Creator should possess this world resembling a temporary guest house, but not possess another, perpetual world that is stable, and that is the locus of the manifestation of His sublimity. From the Fourth Indication of the Tenth Word It is in no sense possible that the Ever-Abiding Creator of this transient world should bring this world into existence yet not bring into existence a world that is enduring. And it is impossible that the Eternal Artful Maker of this unique and transient…
Read MoreBenefits of Belief in Hereafter to Four Group of People
Belief in hereafter has been discussed a lot in the last century. But this article is not about to make readers believe in the resurrection after death and the existence of hereafter. This is about benefits of believing in it, the afterlife. Living in the world is not something easy. We all know it might get too hard struggling with the problems such as money, conditions of environment, trust issues, or health. And the list goes on like that. But maybe the most important of them is the question of…
Read MoreProtection and Preservation and the Hereafter
Risale-i Nur Proves the Resurrection and the Hereafter* SEVENTH TRUTH [The Gate of Protection and Preservation, The Manifestation of the Names of Preserver (Hafiz) and Guardian (Raqib)] Is it at all possible that Allah’s attribute of Preserver (Hafiz), which protects all things with the utmost order and balance, – things in the heavens and on the earth, on dry land and in the ocean, dry and wet, large and small, commonplace and exalted- and as it were, sifts their results by way of accounting – is it at all possible…
Read MoreResurrection and Three Stories
By Mehmet KURT One of my friends recently died at his 30. I attended his funeral. First, the corpse was washed and shrouded. Then we performed the funeral prayer. Finally, the deceased was put in to the grave. Everybody started to bury the corpse in turn. Shortly it was buried under the earth. I was astonished that it took such a short time. What’s the rush? It seemed like everyone wanted to leave that place as soon as possible. Meanwhile, I started to contemplate the dead. The corpse would decay after…
Read MoreTwo Fearsome Conditions of the Modern Age
Since the Risale-i Nur is able to respond successfully to two of the most fearsome challenges of modern life, it has proved to be beneficial to many and it affects people’s minds and hearts easily. By Ismail Kaya The significant results of the Risale-i Nur service, which is a cause of the spreading of faith and knowledge of the Quran, have been attracting attention ever since it was composed. And many people have asked both Imam Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and his students why they were not defeated when confronted with…
Read MoreNursi’s Doctrine of Resurrection and the Relevance of the Divine Names
by Dr. Mahmoud al-Misri Life and the universe are manifestations of the Names of Allah (SWT). Those Names, which are eternal, necessitate that their reflections also be eternal. In this perspective, life should go on even after death, though it may be in a different place and form. Anyone who has read Bediuzzaman Said Nursi’s Treatises of Light (Rasa’il al-Nur) can attest to the fact that the work is permeated by a scholarly, methodological approach which addresses the mind while moving the heart. Such an approach effects intellectual as well…
Read MoreThe Fear of Death and Hiding behind the Wall
During a conversation in a working environment when he was with his mother, I asked a question of a young man who is a student in a prestigious university and has read lots of books: “Do you love your mother?” He said, “Yes” without hesitation. I asked again, “Where will your mother go when she dies?” He paused for a moment, and thought. He could not answer. What about your beloved ones, your family, your youth, your memories, your studies, your works, etc.? I asked lots of questions one after…
Read MoreIs Shafa’ah (Intercession) Right?
The lexical meaning of Shafa’ah Sayyid Sharif Jurjani says the following in Tarifat: Shafa’ah is to demand forgiveness for major sins. Tahanawi says it is “a request to attain a good situation or to get rid of harm by way of invocation.” (Kashshafu Istilihatu’l-Funun / 1st Volume / p: 1034) The translator of Kamus-u Muhit states: according to what the author states in Basair, it means (شفع) (شفاعه), a helper, an assistant or to ask forgiveness for and on behalf of the sinner. In few words, shafa’ah means to seek…
Read MoreLamenting Souls from the Fear of Unending Conclusion
Throughout the human history there is a general concept of hell (Jahannam) and Paradise (Jannah) in minds such as “Hell is one of the last stations, end of worldly pleasures and any pleasures and relief at all, eternal suffering and punishment or Paradise is endless satisfaction, overwhelming beauties and pleasures.” It is very interesting how people don’t take this matter of “eternal suffering” or “endless gratification” seriously even though they know what to come since these two places are both for those who deserve them. “Time has shown that Paradise is…
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