No Happiness Without Standing in the Divine Presence
My brother! Did you also notice that heavy load that sometimes settles right between our shoulders in the daily hustle and bustle? You know, those moments when we try to control everything, carrying the anxiety of tomorrow and the regret of yesterday on our weak shoulders all at once…
Today’s consumer culture and toxic positivity approach constantly whisper to us that we must always be happy. When we feel pain or struggle, we fall into a helpless cycle that makes us feel as though we are at fault.
Modern psychology tells us that we cannot eliminate pain entirely, but rather that we must learn to live with it. Risale-i Nur goes one step further, virtually transforming human pain and limitations—that feeling of helplessness and poverty squeezing our hearts—into priceless jewels and instruments of happiness.
Most of us are always seeking happiness on the outside: A new home, a better career, a higher income, and a whole bunch of things… Even if we experience a brief joy when we achieve these, we get used to them before long and return to our former neutral state. The search for more pleasure puts a person into a never-ending cycle of dissatisfaction.
Because human hearts and desires are infinite, whereas human power is extremely limited… A heart attached to mortal and temporary things inevitably suffers with the disappearance or insufficiency of those things. Temporary pleasures leave a deep wound in the heart behind them when they end.
True happiness is possible not by changing the external world, but by transforming the mind and heart that look at the external world—that is, by changing our perspective.
When a human comprehends that there is an Owner and Creator of everything in the universe, one gets rid of that deep sense of loneliness and pointlessness.
Leave Your Burden on the Ship
If a man boarding a ship does not take his heavy load off his back and put it on the ship’s deck, he both tires himself in vain and falls into a ridiculous situation. Right now, on a huge ship of the universe, you are being crushed by carrying your own small package on your back. Hasn’t the time come to hand over that package to the owner of the ship?
While traveling on this ship of life, we make small packages out of the anxiety of the future and the stress of sustaining success, loading them onto our own feeble shoulders. Because we cannot accept the insufficiency of our power against our unlimited desires—that is, our being helpless and poor—we experience a crisis.
Yet, adopting the principle of doing the things you are responsible for and entrusting the results you cannot control to an Infinite Mercy gives the soul such a breath of fresh air…
According to the secret of:
“He who believes in Divine Determining (Qadar) is saved from grief,”
when we deliver the package to Infinite Mercy, that imaginary yet overwhelming burden on our shoulders suddenly lightens.
“The world is a guest-house. Man is a official guest who stays there for a short time.”— (The 20th Word, The Words, Risale i Nur Collection)
When we do not assume ourselves to be the eternal owner of this world, the losses we experience turn into a wise examination—and one we will win in the end—rather than being destructive tragedies.
How human reading style of events shapes their inner world is shown to us so clearly and understandably in this maxim:
“Belief bears the seed of a spiritual Tuba tree of Paradise. While unbelief conceals the seed of a spiritual Zaqqum tree of Hell.”— (The 2nd Word, The Words – Risale i Nur Collection)
A heedless view sees the universe as stray, the human as abandoned, and death as an eternal annihilation. Even if such a perspective lets a person live in palaces, it carries a spiritual hell in their soul and burns it over and over.
A faithful view, on the other hand, reads the universe as an art exhibition painted by the Maker of Supreme Majesty. It counts the calamities that occur as spiritual discipline, and death as the beginning of eternal happiness. As a matter of fact, that famous diamond rule of Risale-i Nur summarizes everything:
“He who sees the good thinks good thoughts. And he who thinks good thoughts derives pleasure from his life.”
Prescriptions
We find extremely refreshing prescriptions in the pages of Risale-i Nur against many feelings that compress our soul and heart.
Anxiety
For example, face to face with future anxiety and stress, the Aziz Master reminds us of Divine Destiny and reliance on God, saying: “He who criticizes destiny strikes his head against the anvil and breaks it.” Doing your job and entrusting the rest to Mercy calms a person down. This has been personally tested.
Greed
Against greed and discontentment, which are among the greatest diseases of our day, the Treatise on Economy (İktisat Risalesi) comes to our rescue: “Greed is a cause of deprivation, while reliance on God and contentment are means of mercy.” Becoming aware of what is in hand and being grateful gives a person eternal happiness, peace, and wealth.
Illness
Regarding illnesses and physical pain, the Treatise for the Sick (Hastalar Risalesi) radically changes our perspective. Illness does not waste life; it assumes the status of worship and makes life fruitful. It makes a person feel their helplessness and leads them to take refuge in their Compassionate Creator.
Two Pillars of Inner Peace
The human heart is addicted to infinite desires and its power is extremely limited. For a human to soothe that hidden pain in their soul, they need two fundamental pillars:
1-Point of Support: Relying on an infinite Power to take refuge in order to stand tall against the countless calamities, illnesses, and disasters one faces.
2-Point of Help: Seeking help from an infinite Mercy that will satisfy one’s expectations and desires extending to eternity.
True, pain-free happiness is not living a problem-free life; it is having a safe harbor to take shelter in even in the middle of storms. When a human finds these two pillars, that emptiness which you couldn’t soothe even if you gave them the whole world finally reaches full satisfaction.
A Compassionate Friend for the Soul
While walking among the pages of Risale-i Nur, a person doesn’t listen to a sermon; on the contrary, one chats with a sincere friend who knows their soul very well and touches their pain with compassion. Said Nursi does not speak condescendingly like a preacher; he first diagnoses those deep pains in the human soul, and then offers practical cures and prescriptions from the pharmacy of the Quran that will be good for the heart.
If there is a tiredness inside you these days, leave those heavy burdens on your back on the deck for a moment. Open a breath of Risale-i Nur and take a step into that refreshing climate. Take a breath.
You will see that traveling on this ship of the universe will turn not into a torment, but into a unique journey of peace full of gratitude at every moment.
Come on, right now while reading these very lines, let’s say a heartfelt “Hasbunallahu wa ni’mal wakeel” (Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs) and leave all our burdens on the deck of that ship of the universe.
Trust your Lord who gave you this life, be pleased with your life, and set complaints aside. Now take a deep ablution (wudu), step into the Divine Presence to find peace, and say with all your heart and soul: “My Lord, I have come…”
