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Bediuzzaman explains the proofs of existence of the angels through ten points in 29. Word Treatise.
1- ‘THE TRUTH’ REQUIRES THE EXISTENCE OF THE ANGELS
Although the earth is quite small when you compare it to the sky it is filled with the counscious beings such as human and jinn. This situation of the earth which is sometimes emptied and then filled indicates clearly that of course there are beings which have life and conscious in the skies which look like adorned palaces. These beings are called “angels” and “spirituals” in the tongue of Qur’an. Those also have four tasks just the same way the human beings and jinns in earth have. Firs, to watch the palace of the universe with amazement. Second, to scrutinize and read with care the book of universe. Third, to announce the dominicality of Allah (SWT) with conscience. Fourth, to represent the tasbihat of the universe and huge beings deliberately.
2- THE CONDITION OF THE UNIVERSE AND INSIDE OF IT PROVES THE EXISTENCE OF THE ANGELS
Everyone who has beauty and perfection wants to see and show his/her beauty and perfection. Allah (SWT), our Lord, created the universe adorned with countless artful ornaments, expressive beauties and significant decoration. Of course, these countless ornaments, beauties and decorations necessitate the existence and contemplation of admirers who think and hold in high esteem them. How the beauty requires an admirer and the food is given who is hungry. In the same way, these infinitely fine arts demand the hearts and spirits whose food and nourishment are just the beauty of the art. And these hearts and spirits are the angels.
Infinite ornaments, arts and decorations require infinite worship and contemplation. Since human beings and jinns have nafs (evil soul) and heedlessness could hardly fulfill the one in million of this infinite worship and contemplation. Thus, infinite angel kinds are needed to fulfill this infinite worship and contemplation task.
3- ‘THE WISDOM’ REQUIRES THE EXISTENCE OF THE ANGELS
Because Allah (SWT) who creates permenantly the life and conscious beings from the soil and water which are too distant from spirit and life and have less relations with them, of course, have some groups of conscious beings created from the other transparent materials such as noor and darkness, air and electricity which are more appropriate and deserved to spirit and life.
Bediuzzaman shows this truth with an example considering the necessity of “the life and consciousness”:
“ A substance without life is alone and awkward even if it is a huge mountain. Its connection is limited with only its place and the ones intervene with it. Whatever there is in the universe out of that substance is absent in terms of this substance. Since it does not have a life and consciousness it does not have a connection with life and living beings. Now, let us look at a living but little being, for example a bee… Once the life penetrates into that bee, it gains such a connection and relation with universe, and especially it signs such ‘a trade agreement’ with the flowers and plants on earth, it can say “ the earth is my trading house”. The bee has dealings and connection and friendship with many beings on earth with its senses called as ‘saika’ (driver) and ‘şaika’ (encourager) and which are not famous plus to the senses that are common in all animals and it has a right of usage on them.
It is understood from this example that the life has a huge effect even on a little being. Especially, while the life is getting on the human life level which is the highest level of life, it gains an immense breadth and expansion. As human kind looks round his home with his consciousness and mind which are the light of the life, he/she pays a visit and travels lofty, spiritual and material worlds spiritually. And these worlds may pay a visit to ‘spiritual mirror’ of human being.
Summarily, it can be claimed that unles there is life, existence is not existence. It has no distinction than the non-existence.
Bediuzzaman who stated the importance of the life and consiousness in that way explains why there should be the angels in terms of wisdom in the following way:
“Now that, the life and consciousness is that important and we see that there is a perfect regularity and flawless and stable structure in that universe. And this our wrecked and little earth on which we live has been filled with countless beings which have life, spirit and intellect. After all these explanations, that truth is grasped by mind and heart swiftly and it takes root with a doubtless faith: Those skies which look like alight palaces and huge towers are not without life and spirit and qite empty; of course they are full. As fish lives in the water, there are shining settlers in the fire of the sun. That they are not seen because of the distance or incapability of our eyes or because they hide is not a proof for their absence. Because not to be seen is not a proof for absence. We see that the Eternal Divine Power creates his countless living and spirited creatures from the soil and water which are the most ordinary being and abysmal and dense and far distance from spirit and life. And he transforms the dense and dull materials (such as soil and water) into transparent and pleasent materials through life with importance. And he disperses the light of the life on everything mostly. And he adorns most of the things with light of the consciousness. Of course, Allah (SWT), All-Erudite and All-Powerful, does not neglect and leave lifeless the other mobile transparent and pleasent materials which are close and appropriate to the spirit like noor and ether material with his flawles power and complete wisdom. He does not leave them without life and consciousness. Of course, he creates living and conscious creatures mostly from noor, darkness, ether material, air and even from the meanings and words. Some of them are the angels and and some of them are spirituals and some are jinns.
4- RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MATTER AND SPIRIT POINTS TO THE EXISTENCE OF ANGELS AND SPIRITUALS
While Bediuzzaman proves the existence of angels he compares the matter and spirit with each other. It is in the following way:
The matter cannot stand up on its own. It stands with a meaning. That meaning is life and spirit. The matter is not what is served but it is servant. It serves a truth to be maturated. And that truth is life. And the essence of the life is spirit. It is clearly understood that since the matter is not manager, it is not applied by the others. The perfections are not demanded from him. On the contrary, the matter is imprisoned. It obeys the basic principles. It acts according to the ways of these principles. And these basic principles are life, spirit and consciousness. The fact is that the matter is a ‘cortex’, or a ‘foam’, or an ‘appearance’ which is usually ready to crack or melt or tear or deform or scatter.”
Bediuzzaman explains this truth with such an example:
“A microscobic living being has very sharp senses. They are such sharp and accurate senses that it can hear the voice of its friend and see its livelihood. That attitude of this animal shows that the more the matter becomes smaller the more the indicators and signs and results of its life increase. The noor of the spirit is intesified. It is as if the matter gets thinner and departs from our material world, it closes to the realm of spirit and life and consciousness and heat of the spirit and noor of the life show themselves more severely.”
Is it ever possible that on one hand there are those indicators and dribbles of life and spirit and consciousness on matter sphere and on the other hand the inner world, the world of melekut and world of spirits which are under the sphere of matter are not full of the beings which have spirit and consciousness that is angels and spirituals?
5- THAT ALL PHILOSPHICAL MOVEMENTS AND RELIGIONS AGREE ON THE MEANING OF THE ANGELS IS AN EFFICIENT EVIDENCE PROVING EXISTENCE OF THE ANGELS
It can be claimed that all philosophical schools called as rationalists and all religions which favor metaphysical knowledge about origins or ultimate causes agree on existence of the angels unanimously though they name them differently.
For example the philosephers of the school of Meshaiyyun (Aristotelianism) which favor matter over spirit and claim that we can reach the truth just through the reason and refuse the wahy (revelation), accepting the the meaning of the angels, say “there is a spiritual truth inside of a kind of being differently from its material structure.” They define the angels in this way. And again the philosophers of old school of Ishraqiyyun (the Illuminationist philosophy), being obliged to accept existence of the angels, namig them wrongly for equivalence of angels as “ten minds” and “arrangers and governers of species” which are claimed descented from each other and efficint in creation and governing of universe. Again all religions accept the existence of an assigned angel for every sort of being such as “angel assigned for the monuntains”, “angel assigned for the seas”, “angel assined for rain” with the inspiration and teaching of the wahy (revelation) and they titled them in this way. Even the materialists and naturalists who accept only what they see have been obliged to accept the truth of angels, being unable to refuse the existence of the angels, calling them as “the spreading power without barrier”
6- THE PRINCIPLES WHICH GOVERN THE UNIVERSE INDICATE THE EXISTENCE OF THE ANGELS
The principles which govern the universe and the positive sciences accept are not sufficient for emergence of the life. Because these principles which are taking place do not have existence but they have only scientific existence. Thus, they are cosidered nearly ‘non-existent’. If they are not servants of Allah called angels who will represent these principles and hold control of everything, these principles will not come about to scene and appear. They cannot be a stable ‘truth’. However the life is a stable truth. A delusive principle cannot take over a stable truth.
For example, If we comparison the principles in universe to the laws of a state, the angels are like the government wich applies the laws. If it is not the government, the laws cannot govern a state on their own. Because the law does not have an existence. It is a scientific rule. These principles are understood, applied and appear through only a power or authority, that is a government.
The human kind is an ummah. It is carrier and representative of Divine Law which derives from the Kalam attribute of Allah (SWT). In the same way, the angels are also such an immense ummah that workers group of them are carriers and representatives of the laws which derive from Will attribute of Allah and wrongly named as ‘nature’. They are a kind of worshippers of Allah who are subjugated to the Divine will and power who has real effect. Each one of the stars in the sky and celestial bodies is a mosque and sanctuary of them.
7- BEING SEEN OF ONLY AN ANGEL THROUHGOUT HUMAN HISTORY IS AN EVIDENCE PROVING THE EXISTENCE OF ANGELS GENERALLY
When we prove the existence of one of the angels we prove the existence of all the angels at the same time. Being seen of one individual of the angels, the existence of all the angels is known. Because the ones who refuse the existence of the angels refuse them totally. And if someone accepts the existence of one of them he has to accept the existence of all of them. If that is the truth, we can say that: All the members of the religions of all times from Adam to now agree on the existence of the angels. They agree on that we can talk to the angels and see them and narrate from them as the groups of people speak to and meet with each other. Was it ever possible that that allience would continue unless anyone of the angels was seen and their existence could be felt? Is it ever possible that a groundless thought would continue without change and it would survive throughout all humane revolutions and thought changes?
8- THAT ALL PROPHETS AND AWLIYAS AGREE ON THIS MATTER PROVES ITS TRUTHNESS
The prophets and awliyas are models for morality, integrity, merit and truthfulness for human kind. That their allience on the existence of the angels and reporting from them though they came in different times and places proves the existence of the angels. Because they are expert and specialist and consultative authority in this matter. The words that are uttered by two experts of a field concerning a matter of that field are more valuable and superior than the words stated by thousands of people who are unexpert of that field. The prophets and awliyas are in the probatory position on the matter of the angels. A probatory reduces the refusals of thousands rejectors to nonentity. Is it ever possibel that the witnessings of the Glorius Qur’an and the prophet Muhammad Peace and Belssings be upon Him, the commentator and disseminator of Qur’an, contain doubts.
9- THE WISDOM OF REPRESENTING THE REMEMBERENCE OF EACH CREATURE THROUGH SPEECH AND CONSCIOUSNESS PROVES AND SHOWS THE ANGELS
Our Lord thus speaks in the 44. verse of the Isra sura: “there is not a thing but celebrates His praise” Yes, as does a flower remembrance (tesbihat) of his creator through the tongue of the adornments on it, the huge garden of earth renders the regular and general task of remembrance (tesbihat) like an immense flower. As a tree has a remembrance (tesbihat) with its leaves, fruits and flowers the huge sky praises his Lord with its suns, stars and moons which are in the place of its words. Like these epitomes each one of all inanimate beings has duties and tasbihat like the ones who are alive and have consciousness although they are appearingly inanimate and without consciousness. The angels are representatives of these inanimate beings in the realm of malakut (alem’ul malakut) and express their tasbihat. In the same way, the inanimate beings are examplers, homes and mosques of angels in the concrete realm of witnessing (alamu’ul shahadah). Thus, all beings have a deputy angel who is appropriate fort hem and like their spirit and knows and states verbally and proclaims to the universe the divine names and sacred meanings which are expressed and proclaimed through the tongue of disposition and offers them to divine presence. That is, divine wisdom requires the worship and tasbihat which every being performs through tongue of disposition to be performed also with consciousness and verbally. This wisdom necessitates the existence of the angels and their general duties.
10- DIVINE WISDOM REQUIRES THE EXISTENCE OF SERVANTS WHO WILL SERVE DELIBERATELY FREE OF CHARGE IN THE PLACE OF UNIVERSE
There are four kinds of servants of Allah (SWT) who employ them in the palace of universe. The plants and inanimate serve free of charge uncosciously in the authority of an all knowing for important duties. The animals serve for quite general goals for a little wage unconsciously. Men and jinns serve for obeying divine purposes deliberaely obtaining a share for their soul in everything and supervising and performing leadership for the other servants in exchange for to kinds of wages; one is advance and the other is late payment. It is understood in that point that there should be another fourth kind of servants. These servants resemble to men in respect of serving for general purpose of Allah with a conscious worship. And on the contrary to the human being they are isolated from their sensual pleasures and advanced little rewards. They work with sincerity being contented with the pleasure, bliss, perfetction stemming from loyalty to Allah (SWT), to be with view and order and complaisance and plan and name of Allah (SWT). Their rewards are inherent in their obedience and service.
AS A CONSEQUENCE
‘The Truth’ necessitates the existence of the angels. The condition and inner face of the universe proves the existence of the angels. ‘The Wisdom’ requires the existence of the angels. The relationship between matter and spirit indicates the existence of the angels and spirits. That all the phiolosphical and religious movements agree on the meaning of the angels is a strong evidence which proves the existence of the angels. The laws which are prevailing in the universe shows the existence of the angels. That even one of the angels was seen in human history shows that they generally exist. That all prothets and awliyas agree on angels proves this fact. The wisdom that to show the tasbihat of every being which they do through tongue of disposition with verbal speech proves the existence of the angels. The Divine wisdom requires the existence of servants who will work consciously in palace of universe on unwaged.
We implore Allah that He make us read and understand the Risale-i Nur which explains and proves the truths of faith to the people of modern age absolutely and make us serve for other people belief. Amin! Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuhu