Edward Tarte Spreads Math Education on YouTube

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What is belief in God?

I want to share this sentences From Risalei Nur collection by Said Nursi

Belief is both light and strength. Yes, one who
acquires true belief may challenge the whole universe and be saved from the
pressure of events in accordance with the strength of his belief. Saying, “I
place my trust in God,” he travels through the mountainous waves of events in
the ship of life in complete safety. He entrusts all his burdens to the hand of
power of the Absolutely Powerful One, voyages through the world in ease, then
takes his rest in the Intermediate Realm. Later he may fly up to Paradise in
order to enter eternal happiness. Otherwise, if he does not rely on God, rather
than flying, the burdens of the world will drag him down to the lowest of the
low. That is to say, belief necessitates affirmation of Divine unity,
affirmation of Divine unity necessitates submission to God, submission to God
necessitates reliance on God, and reliance on God necessarily leads to
happiness in this world and the next. But do not
misunderstand this, reliance on God is not to reject causes altogether; it is
rather to know that causes are a veil to the hand of power and have recourse to
them. Knowing that attempting causes is a sort of active prayer, it is to seek
the effects only from Almighty God, recognize that the results are from Him
alone, and to be thankful to Him.

Belief makes man into man, indeed, it
makes man into a king. Since this is so, man’s basic duty is belief and
supplication. Unbelief makes man into an extremely impotent beast.

Out of thousands of proofs of this matter,
the differences in the ways animals and man come into the world are a clear
indication and decisive proof.

Yes, these differences show that humanity
becomes humanity through belief. For when animals come into the world, they
come complete in all points in accordance with their abilities as though having
been perfected in another world; that is, they are sent. They learn all the
conditions of their lives, their relationships with the universe, and the laws
of life in either two hours or two days or two months, and become proficient in
them. Animals like sparrows and bees acquire in twenty days the power to
survive and proficiency in their actions that man only acquires in twenty
years; that is, they are inspired with them. This means that the animals’ fundamental
duty is not to be perfected through learning and progress by acquiring
knowledge, nor to seek help and offer supplications through displaying their
impotence, but in accordance with their abilities to work and act. Their duty
is active worship.

As for man, he needs to learn everything
when he comes into the world; he is ignorant, and cannot even learn completely
the conditions of life in twenty years. Indeed, he needs to go on learning till
the end of his life. Also he is sent to the world in a most weak and impotent
form, and can only rise to his feet in one or two years. Only in fifteen years
can he distinguish between harm and benefit, and with the help of mankind’s
experience attract things advantageous to him and avoid others that are harmful.
This means that man’s innate duty is to be perfected through learning and to
proclaim his worship of God and servitude to Him through supplication. That is
to say, it is to know the answers of the questions: “Through whose compassion
is my life so wisely administered in this way? Through whose generosity am I so
kindly raised? Through whose graciousness am I so delicately nurtured and
ministered to?” It is to beseech and supplicate the Provider of Needs through
the tongue of impotence and poverty; it is to seek from Him. It is to fly to
the high station of worship and servitude to God on the wings of impotence and
poverty.

This means that man came to this world to
be perfected by means of knowledge and supplication. In regard to his nature
and abilities everything is tied to knowledge. And the foundation, source,
light, and spirit of all true knowledge is knowledge of God, and its essence
and basis is belief in God.

Furthermore, since man is subject to
endless tribulations and afflicted with innumerable enemies despite his
boundless impotence, and suffers from endless needs and has innumerable desires
despite his boundless poverty, after belief, his fundamental innate duty is
supplication. As for supplication, it is the basis of worship of God and
servitude to Him. In order to secure a desire or wish he cannot obtain, a child
will either cry or ask for it, that is, he will supplicate through the tongue
of his impotence either actively or verbally, and will be successful in
securing it. In the same way, man is like a delicate, petted child in the world
of living creatures. He has to either weep at the Court of the Most Merciful
and Compassionate One through his weakness and impotence, or supplicate through
his poverty and need, so that the things he wants may be made subject to him,
or he may offer thanks for their being made so. Otherwise like a silly child
who creates a fuss over a fly, saying: “With my own strength I subjugate things
it is not possible to subjugate and things a thousand times more powerful, and
I make them obey me through my own ideas and measures,” he displays ingratitude
for the bounties. And just as this is contrary to man’s innate nature, so he
makes himself deserving of severe punishment.