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Someone who looks at things and events from the right point of view sees things right. One who sees (things) right defines (things) right. And one who defines what is right reaches correct judgements and results. That is, reaching correct judgements and results is only possible by looking from the right angle.
In the light of these truths, in order to correctly understand the judgement “There is no comfort in the world”, let’s look at ‘the world’ from the right point of view so that we see it right. Let’s see it right so that we define right, and let’s define right so that we reach correct judgements and results.
People can be divided into two with regard to their view of the world. The first group of people see the world as a place of testing thanks to the lesson they take from revelation. They look at the periods of their life as periods of examinations, the results of which are all recorded. They do not name this land (i.e. the world) as the land of pleasure, joy, and reward. They do not chase an impossibility like “turning this world into paradise”. They call this great land as the place of sweating, struggle, toiling, difficulty and working. Since they look at the world from right point of view, they reach correct judgements and results about it.
The second group of people, on the other hand, look at this temporary world as “a place to live forever” due to the lesson they take not from revelation but from fantasy, misguidance, desires, lower self and sensation. They suppose this transient land as their real homeland. They fancy that this place of work is the place of pleasure, payment and reward. They try to turn this place of test into a false paradise by means of various fantasies, games and forms of entertainment. They look at it from the wrong point of view; they see wrongly. They are deceived and mistaken. They waste their life in pursuit of a vain hope. They strive to achieve the impossible throughout their life.
We always hear the following words: “My job is really easy; I lay about till the end of the day.” “My military service was really easy; I just sat back until the end and finally got my discharge paper.” “Your job is a piece of cake.” “If only I can retire and relax finally.” “You have money, you are at ease.”
‘Comfort’ is like ‘the ultimate goal’. Humans crave for ‘attaining comfort’, ‘reaching comfort’, and ‘living in comfort’. They are always after comfort with this craving. They unfortunately think that this world is a place to get comfort. Throughout their life they struggle to reach a paradise-like life by means of various entertainments, fantasies, games and events. They are afraid of and escape from trouble, hardship, and difficulties just as they escape from snakes and scorpions.
As the standard of living, purchasing power, and wealth and possibilities increase and material development gains momentum, the blessings of the world appear more and more appealing to human beings. They gradually become familiar with the life of comfort and luxury. They start tasting things they have never tried before, they go to the places they have never been before, see the things they have never seen before, and live the things they have never experienced before. What they want is the comfort, and they have obtained it to some extent. However, the hearts are still not satisfied. Feelings are still not satisfied. Needs are still not met. The hunger of souls is never satisfied. This is because the lower self – which is the centre of all these pleasures – has been created in a form that can only be satisfied when he goes to Paradise and sees his Lord’s countenance.
Allah has created the world not as the place of joy, pleasure, and reward, but as a place of examination, deeds, and struggle. Striving to turn the world into a paradise does not make it a paradise. The turmoil of the causes and the dark veils of the means cannot be overcome by fantasies, entertainments, and games.
Comfort is like a magician executioner. It is such an executioner that its aim is to behead humans with a terrifying axe in his hand. However, since it is a magician, by means of illusion and some magic, it presents himself to the humans it wants to hunt as an appealing, cute, nice and good being. It invites them to itself with open arms and says “Come to me!” as attractively as possible to the people it entraps. Deceived by this magic of comfort, those poor people go to that magician executioner, which will behead them, with a great appetite, enthusiasm, desire and eagerness. The moment they are about to come together all the charm is gone. The real face of the executioner appears with hatred and the axe in its hand. However, it is too late now; the executioner has hunted its prey.
Just like this example, ‘comfort’ invites humans to itself with its magic and charm. And people chase it with a craving, desire and eagerness and strive to get it throughout their life. In fact, as Imam Bediuzzaman Said Nursi puts it, comfort is ‘the mother of all hardship and the nest of all vileness’. Comfort makes the endeavour, thought and goal of a person only for himself; that is, he starts to think of himself alone. Someone whose endeavour turns toward himself chases the satisfaction of his lower self’s most secret and deepest demands for pleasure, its search for fantasies and its most secret desires and wishes. He cannot object to his lower self anymore. Now he becomes the slave his lower self’s desires and the plaything of his lower self. There are many examples that a person was once a man of action, but after ‘meeting comfort’ he lost his love of action, was captured by his lower self, and started to waste a lot of money while pursuing trivial worldly pleasures.
The only way to get rid of this horrible vileness is to take the guidance of “There is comfort in hardship and hardship in comfort.”
Allah has created humans with an enthusiastic nature. Having an enthusiastic nature, humans’ peace and happiness can only be possible by working and struggle. Someone who works and struggles does not realise how time passes. He really enjoys his life. He produces and serves. He is honoured by Divine names. For this reason, action and working are the pleasure itself.
To sum up; there is no comfort in the world. It is highlighted in many verses of the Qur’an that ‘the worldly life is not but play and amusement’ (6:32), ‘the Home in the Hereafter is the life indeed’ (29:64), ‘Allah created the heavens and the earth that He might test humans as to which of them is best in deed’ (11:7). For this reason, comfort of humans is in hardship in this world. And hardship is in comfort. The real comfort will only be obtained in the Hereafter. The comfort in this world is like a magician executioner; it kills the human spiritually. It deeply shakes the lofty faculties of humans. He cannot object to his lower self and becomes its slave. All aims and objectives are for his lower self.