Women and Family in Risala-i Nur

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi established a spiritual university in Anatolia and in order to enroll at this university he demanded four essences which are impotence (ajz), poorness (faqr), compassion (shafqah), and contemplation (tafakkur). Regarding compassion as the major principal in tabligh (delivering the message of Islam), Bediuzzaman Said Nursi also regarded women as the privileged and inherent students of this university by giving them the title of “compassion heroines”.

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi along with offering his treatises for the benefit of humanity without differentiating women or men, he also wrote a book titled “A Guide for Women”.

In order to spread the Risala-i Nur service in Anatolia where it was started in 1926, female Nur students made serious contributions to spread it to 500.000 individuals by 1940. Observing the sacrifices of women with happiness, Master Bediuzzaman expresses how the women students who participate in the Risala-i Nur University by reading and transcribing are included in his dua’s and spiritual gains as the following:

“I decided to include all my sisters, who read and affirm and apply this treatise of me written for them (A Guide for Women) to their lives, in all my prayers and spiritual gains, like other Risala-i Nur students.” (A Guide for Women)

“As the compassion is essential in Risala-i Nur, women are at the advanced level in this aspect and attached to the Nur Treatises (attached to studying the Qur’an truths through Risala-i Nur Tafseer) earnestly. When I say “my siblings” I also intend my blessed sisters amongst them. They are my addressees in all my letters, as well.” (Emirdag Appendix)

WOMEN NATURE IN RISALA-I NUR

The true nature of women and their pure, innocent beauties are intended to be expressed in the best way in Risala-i Nur. In response to the Materialism’s restraining women only to the outer and materialistic beauties, Risala-i Nur attracts the attentions to their “morals” and “virtues” which are the real beauties of the women.

The Real Beauty of the Woman is her Compassion, Purity and Decency

To Bediuzzaman, the affection, one of the most pleasant, beautiful and delightful fruits of the divine mercy, is an enlightening potion and he notes how this particular trait is seen mostly on women as the following:

”Just as in heroism and sincerity women do not resemble men in respect of compassion, so men can in no way be compared with women in that regard.” (A Guide for Women)

“The sweetest beauty of a woman is her tenderness and purity peculiar to her femininity in sensitivity and courtesy, and the priceless and lovely attractiveness of her is the earnest, sincere, sublime and luminous compassion.” (A Guide for Women)

“A proof of this heroism of women with respect to compassion by demanding absolutely no recompense and payment in return and by their sacrificing their very spirits, which bears no meaning of individual benefit and no hypocrisy, is that a hen bearing a tiny sample of that compassion attacks a lion and sacrifices its life for its chicks.” (A Guide for Women)
Women are innocent by nature, they can never catch up with men in vice

“As honorable womankind is the source of high morals by nature, so does the woman almost lack the capacity for worldly pleasures in vice and dissipation. That means, they are a type of blessed creature created to lead happy lives in the family within the boundaries laid by Islam. Allah damn those committees who are trying to corrupt these blessed creatures! And may Allah the Almighty preserve my sisters from the evil of such dissolute wretches. (A Guide for Women)

“Innocent women can in no way be compared with men in vice. Therefore, they are heavily frightened of the strangers, by their natures and impotence.” (A Guide for Women)

Allah created women innocent and with high morals by nature. But nowadays, women are lowered as the symbols of immorality instead of morality. The reason for that is the desire of some dark powers to use women as the most effective weapon for their dark intentions. Inside of the Muslim societies, obscenity is generalized and women with lost-female-identities are formed under the cover of “Activities to Free the Women” by using so many ways to deceive a great deal of innocent Muslim women. As a matter of fact, what is being encouraged under the cover of “freedom” brought them nothing but the immorality and being the slaves of the shopping marketers.

A woman whose nature is uncorrupted doesn’t prefer the great pleasure in which she gets preserving her morality to the taste coming from the sins. The true pleasure for women is to preserve her morality and as to her dignity and honour; it is to provide a basis for the developed societies by raising generations.

Women are Steadfast and are for Haq (The Truth)

Allah created women more delicate and impotent in comparison to men. This delicate creation of them provides them be steadfast in truth and justice. Seeing the intangible Jannah (paradise) hidden inside of the good deeds (Amal-i Salih) and the intangible Jahannam (hell) inside of the sins with the help of their impotence in such a short time, women find the consolation of the hardships coming from the worldly life only in imaan and Islam. They do not seek consolidation in the dissipation by sinking in depths of sins.

“Just as they need the consolation and light (nur) in religion more than anyone; they are in need of the affectionate light of consolation found in religion, and its compliment, compassion, mercy, support, and assistance. Being steadfast is in their natures.” (A Guide for Women)

THE VALUE AND THE DUTY OF THE WOMEN IN THE SOCIETY IN RISALA-I NUR

Women are of the bravery level in compassion which is a nabawi (prophetic) attribution. So, through this heroism of them, their duty in “the deliverance (salamah) of the people’s imaan and moral highness of the society” poses a huge importance. According to Risala-i Nur, women in the last time (akhir zaman) will contribute a lot to the Qur’an and Imaan service with their compassion in the valor level and their developed Imaan.

As the innocent women preserve their imaan, the importance they posses in preserving Islam and in saving the societies imaan is explained in the treatise “A Guide for Women” as the following with a hadith:

“A hadith says: “At the end of time (akhirzaman) stick to the religion “of the elderly women.” That is to say; those compassion heroines, by their sincerity and ikhlaas arising from their compassion, will be a means of saving from the hazards of the hypocritical deviance of those times. They will adhere steadfastly to Islam.” (A Guide for Women)

“Since the self-sacrifice with that compassion expresses the meaning of sacrificing without demanding anything in return, it is of the highest importance at this time. Yes, a mother’s sacrificing herself with demanding nothing in return and sacrificing herself for her child in respect of her duty by nature with a genuine sincerity shows that women are capable of great heroism ( A Guide for Women)

These high moral qualities in women’s nature are so important that if ikhlaas and compassion which are the essence of the ethereal deeds and the Islamic Manners appear properly in Muslim ladies today, they would cause serious achievements and massive felicities.

FAMILY CONCEPT IN RISALA-I NUR

Marriage is a Sunnah. In order to provide it to be maintained in the best way, Master Bediuzzaman gives so many important reminders for the youth about this Sunnah which is corrupted by so many aspects nowadays:

“Each of your homes should be a small Madrasah-i Nuriyah (Nur University) and the centre of knowledge so that this Surmah is fully followed. Your children who are the fruits of the Sunnah-i saniyya may be intercessors for you in the hereafter. And in this world, having the true imaan may they be your true children. Otherwise, as has happened to an extent in this last thirty year-period, if the children are only given the worldly education, these children will be useless for you in this world and in the hereafter will complain about you by asking “why did not you save my imaan?”. Grieving the parents in this way is opposed to the wisdom of the Sunnah.” (A Guide for Women)

“As to one of the essentials of felicity, the marriage (nikah): Yes, what satisfies human’s needs most is the presence of a heart that is equivalent to his heart so that both sides can exchange their love, passion, enthusiasm and be partners in pleasure, helpers and assistants in sorrowful and mournful issues.

Yes; a man indulged in contemplation of something or astonished by something, be it mentally, wants someone to come and share that astonishment and contemplation. The tenderest, the most compassionate of the hearts is the woman heart called “the second part”. But; what grows this superficial and facile friendship intimate and completes the harmony of the soul and friendship and acquaintance is woman’s having no bad character with her chastity and away from nasty defections. (Isharatu’l Ijaaz)

A Qualified family can only be set with a morally upright woman

The shelter and the small world and a kind of paradise of human, especially of the Muslim, is his family life. (A Guide for Women)

Getting married to a woman for her Islamic life-style and a highly up-right moral, a family resembling to paradise can be established. When a woman is married just for her outer beauty, without caring for her religious and moral aspects, only a hell-like family can be obtained. Bediuzzaman reminds the young who get married that a woman having undistorted, pure nature brings the salamah of both worlds.

“The most beautiful and the permanent kind of woman’s outer beauty is her fine conduct (inner beauty) which is particular to her womanhood and compassion. (A Guide for Women)

Allah entrusted women to bring up morally upright, well-qualified, strong and trustworthy generations to compose the base for illuminated, cultural, developed, civilized nations. If woman, doing the internal affairs, covets some other duties leaving or neglecting her own duty, that would both be against her nature and she wouldn’t find any peace in this world. Such a lot of charming businesses done under the label of “socializing” turns out to be heavy for her shoulder to carry alone. Her tender nature would be damaged in the endless tortures of the soul; her delicate heart would always be broken easily. The best peace for a woman is to bring up morally up-right generations acting in the circles of Islam.

“The very basic characteristics of women are their being loyal and trustworthys, since being the director of home affairs, the woman is charged with protecting and preserving all her husband’s property and possessions.” (A Guide for Women)

“Innocent conversations with your innocent children at home are more pleasurable than a hundred cinemas” (A Guide for Women)

“That is to say, they are, each, some kinds of blessed creatures created to lead happy lives in the family within the bounds laid down by Islam.” (A Guide for Women)

Marriage means choosing your life partner for the eternal life

Master Bediuzzaman reminds that the most essential principal between a husband and wife in a marriage which means “choosing the ever-lasting life partner” is being appropriate in terms of religious and moral issues:

“No man of sense can build his love and affection for his wife on her fleeting, superficial beauty of five to ten years. He should build his love on her inner beauty and compassion which are the most permanent and best of beauty and particular to womanhood. In that way, when this unfortunate advances in years, the love of her husband will persist.” (A Guide for Women)

“This time is not like it used to be. For nearly half a century now, the wicked worldly education of this time resides in our society and Islamic education have been replaced by it, while a man should take a wife to be his companion in the afterlife as well as to help him catch the felicity of this life and preserve him from sinning, he loves the wretched, impotent woman only in her youth He piles her difficulties perhaps ten times greater than the ease of life he gives her. And if they are not compatible with each other, in Shari ‘a it is called “kufw’,” she spends her life in misery since the rulings of the Shari ‘a are ignored. Then if the jealousy also resides in this marriage, the situation would even be worse.” (A Guide for Women)

Bediuzzaman reminds the woman unable to find the appropriate spouse in terms of religious and moral as the following:

“O my sisters! Rather than entering under the domination of a dissolute, immoral, westernized husband due to struggles of living, try to economize and earn your own livelihood as the innocent peasant women do with the frugality and contentment which resides in your natures.” (A Guide for Women)

Unhappy the man who follows his wife sinking in the depths of sin, does not try to make her give it up, but joins her. And unhappy the woman who, seeing her husband’s sinfulness, follows him in another way. And alas for the wife and husband who are assisting one another in throwing each other into the Fire. That is, who are encouraging one another to embrace the evils of civilized nations.” (A Guide for Women)

JOB OF MATERNITY IN THE RISALA-I NUR TREATISES

Allah’s Apostle pointed out the importance of parents in child education with the following hadith: “Allah’s Apostle said, “Every child is born with a true faith of Islam (i.e. to worship none but Allah Alone) but his parents convert him to Judaism, Christianity or Magainism”.

The role of “mothers” loom large in child education, because women are the symbols of the next generation. There is a well known saying: “Who brings up a male, brings up a man, but who brings up a woman, brings up a generation”.

The most effective teacher is “Mother”

It attracts attention in Risala-i Nur that the very first and effective teacher of the human is his mother. Allah bestowed upon the women such a holy duty as “Motherhood”. No matter how old a man is, all the lessons and education he takes throughout his life is based on the education given by mum. The sense of humanity and showing mercy which are the signs of humanity are learned fundamentally from the behaviors of their mothers.

The first and most effective teacher of the person is his/her mother. Allah bestowed females a sacred duty as maternity. A person, no matter what age he reaches, builds the knowledge he has got so far and will get onto the education he gets from his mother. For example, Humanity firstly learns the important lessons such as the most essential signs of the humanity have pity, show mercy, have compassion from his mother’s conducts.

“The first master and most influential teacher of man is his mother.” (A Guide for Women)

“I am, in my eighty-year-old age and having received lessons from eighty thousand people, swearing that the truest and most unshakeable lessons I have received are those spiritually inculcated in me by my late mother, which are always refreshing themselves for me. They were planted in my nature as though they were seeds planted in my physical being. I observe that other instruction I have received has been constructed on thoconstructed on those seeds.” (A Guide for Women)

“Yes, by misusing the compassion of motherhood which bears genuine sincerity and self-sacrifice and by not taking the situation of the child in the hereafter which is a treasury of diamonds into account and to turn his innocent face towards this world, which is like temporary, transient fragments of glass, and showing her compassion to him in that way, is to misuse that compassion.” (A Guide for Women)

It is not healthy for a nation to promise prosperity when a woman, who is mother, starts his maternity job having no education and no knowledge about her job and without learning the true nature of his job. It must not be forgotten that a child who doesn’t have the healthy Islamic and moral education from his family will undergo so much hardship in his life about correcting his mistakes on moral aspects. For a person who is dealing only with positive sciences having no spiritual aspects and kept away from religion to practice Islam when he grows up would be hard as a non-Muslim’s embracing Islam.

“Especially if he realizes that his parents are not religious and if his mind is behaved only by the worldly education, it will be even more foreign to him” (A Guide for Women)