In His Name, be He glorified! And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. There is no god but God, He is One, He has no partner; His is the dominion, and His is the praise; He alone grants life, and deals death, and He is living and dies not; all good is in His hand, He is powerful over all things, and with Him all things have their end ¹
[This sentence expressing divine unity, which is recited following the morning and evening prayers, possesses numerous merits² and according to an authentic narration bears the degree of the Greatest Name.³ It contains eleven phrases, in each of which are both some good tidings, and a degree in the unity of dominicality (tevhid-i rubûbiyet), and an aspect of the grandeur and perfection of disine unity from the point of view of a Greatest Name. Referring a full explanation of these vast, elevated truths to other parts of the Risale-i Nur, in fulfilment of a promise we shall for now write a brief, index-like summary of them in two "Stations" and an "Introduction."]
Be certain of this, that the highest aim of creation and its most important result is belief in God. The most exalted rank in humanity and its highest degree is the knowledge of God contained within belief in God. The most radiant happiness and sweetest bounty for jinn and human beings is the love of God contained within the knowledge of God.
And the purest joy for the human spirit and the sheerest delight for man's heart is the rapture of the spirit contained within the love of God. Yes, all true happiness, pure joy, sweet bounties, and untroubled pleasure lie in knowledge of God and love of God; they cannot exist without them.
The person who knows and loves God Almighty may receive endless bounties, happiness, lights, and mysteries. While the one who does not truly know and love him is afflicted spiritually and materially by endless misery, pain, and fears. Even if such an impotent, miserable person owned the whole world, it would be worth nothing for him, for it would seem to him that he was living a fruitless life among the vagrant human race in a wretched world without owner or protector. Everyone may understand just how forlorn and baffled is man among the aimless human race in this bewildering fleeting world if he does not know his Owner, if he does not discover his Master. But if he does discover and know Him, he will seek refuge in His mercy and will rely on His power. The desolate world will turn into a place of recreation and pleasure, it will become a place of trade for the hereafter.
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1. Bukhūrī, Adhān, 155; Tahajjud 21; Muslim, Dhikr, 28. ЗО, 74, 75, 76; Tinnitila, Mawãqit, 108; Hajj, 104; Nasal, Sahw, 83-6; Ibn Maja, Du'a, 10, 14, 16; Abu Daud, Manasik, 56; Durimi, Salāt, 88, 90; Muwatta, Hajj, 127, 243; Qur'an, 20, 22; Musiiad, і, 47; ii, 5; iii, 320; iv, 4: v, 191.
2. Sec, Musitad, iv, 60; al-Haythamï, Majma' al-Zawa id, х, 107.
3. See, Ihn Māja, Du'ā, 9.