اُتْلُ مَا اُوحِيَ اِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ وَاَقِمِ الصَّلٰوةَ اِنَّ الصَّلٰوةَ تَنْهٰى عَنِ الْفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ اللّٰهِ اَكْبَرُ وَاللّٰهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ

حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلٰوةِ الْوُسْطٰى وَقُومُوا لِلّٰهِ قَانِتِينَ

اَقِمِ الصَّلٰوةَ لِدُلُوكِ الشَّمْسِ اِلٰى غَسَقِ الَّيْلِ وَقُرْاٰنَ الْفَجْرِ اِنَّ قُرْاٰنَ الْفَجْرِ كَانَ مَشْهُوداً

In the Mukhtasar Ibn Kathir text (Al-Baqarah 2:238): performing the prayers properly and at their fixed times is commanded; in a report from Ibn Mas'ud, prayer at its time is 'the dearest deed to Allah.' The text notes that the majority of scholars identify the 'middle prayer' as the 'Asr prayer, supported by the report from the day of Al-Ahzab in which the Prophet mentioned being kept from the 'Asr prayer. It also states that standing before Allah in devotion (qunut) requires obedience and humility.

In the Ninth Word, Bediüzzaman takes up the question of why prayer is assigned to five times, reading each appointed time as a mirror of the great workings in the cosmos and of the phases of human life.

1. 1The meaning of prayer is to hallow God by saying, in word and act, 'Subhanallah'; to magnify His greatness by 'Allahu akbar'; and to give thanks and praise by 'Alhamdulillah.'
2. 2Each of the five times is the beginning of an important transformation, a mirror of a great divine disposal, and an occasion of thanks for the countless bounties gathered between two prayer times.
3. 3Each time recalls a state: dawn recalls the start of spring, the forming of a human in the womb, and the first day of the universe; noon recalls midsummer and the fullness of youth; afternoon recalls autumn, old age, and the Age of Happiness; sunset recalls the onset of winter and the end of a lifespan, even the coming of the Resurrection; and night recalls darkness, death, and the closing of the world.

The quotations are verified from the primary texts. This is a modern Risale/tafsir reading of the verses (a human interpretive layer), not identical with the Qur'an's certain declaration.

يَا اَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ اٰمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي اُنْزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْاٰنُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِنَ الْهُدٰى وَالْفُرْقَانِ فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ وَمَنْ كَانَ مَرِيضاً اَوْ عَلٰى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِنْ اَيَّامٍ اُخَرَ يُرِيدُ اللّٰهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللّٰهَ عَلٰى مَا هَدٰيكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ

In the Mukhtasar Ibn Kathir text (Al-Baqarah 2:183): Allah orders the believers to abstain, with sincere intention, from food, drink, and marital relations, because fasting purifies the souls and cleanses them of the evil that may mix with them. The text notes that fasting was also prescribed for earlier nations as an example for the believers, and that assigning it to a fixed number of days prevents undue hardship on the heart and preserves resolve and endurance.

The Treatise on Ramadan opens with Bakara 2:185 and sets out the wisdoms of fasting in Nine Points. The First Point divides these wisdoms into five aspects: those looking to God's lordship, to human social life, to personal life, to the training of the self, and to thankfulness for God's bounties. The selections below treat social life, the training of the self and of character, and Ramadan's link with the revelation of the Qur'an.

1. 1The Third Point ties fasting to social life: "People have been created differing in their means of livelihood. In view of that difference, God invites the rich to assist the poor. Yet the rich can fully feel the pitiful, bitter state and the hunger of the poor only through the hunger of fasting." According to the text, one who is not obliged to make his own self go hungry cannot render the help he owes through compassion, or cannot render it fully, because he does not feel that state in himself.
2. 2The Fourth Point takes up the side of the self that considers itself free and unowned; the self, it says, "naturally desires an imagined lordship and to act as it pleases." Fasting breaks that illusion: "In Ramadan, the self of everyone from the richest to the poorest understands that it is not an owner but owned; not free but a servant. Realizing that unless commanded it cannot do even the most ordinary and easiest thing, cannot stretch out its hand to water, its imagined lordship is broken, it assumes servanthood, and it enters upon thankfulness, which is its true duty."
3. 3In the Fifth Point fasting is read from the side of moral training. To a self that through heedlessness does not wish to see its own impotence, poverty and defect, fasting "makes it sense its weakness, its impotence and its poverty"; the person then feels "a desire to take refuge at the divine court in full impotence and poverty," and prepares to knock at the door of mercy with an inward thankfulness.
4. 4The Sixth Point ties the Ramadan fast directly to Bakara 2:185, that is, to the revelation of the Qur'an in this month: it describes stripping away the lower needs of the self, leaving off eating and drinking, and reciting and listening to that address as though it were being revealed anew. Bediüzzaman then writes, "In Ramadan the world of Islam becomes as it were a single mosque," and reads the millions of memorizers who make the Qur'an heard in that month as the verse showing itself in a luminous manner.

The quotations are verified from the primary Risale-i Nur text (erisale.com, Mektubat pp. 566-570) and were also checked against a second full-text edition. The treatise opens with Bakara 2:185 and names that verse explicitly in the Sixth Point; the link drawn to the taqwa clause of Bakara 2:183 is editorial. This block is a modern Risale reading of the verses (a human interpretive layer), not identical with the Qur'an's certain declaration, and the truth of the verse does not depend on this reading. The Seventh Point of the same treatise is also cited on the Dimensions of Time page.

مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ يُنْفِقُونَ اَمْوَالَهُمْ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ كَمَثَلِ حَبَّةٍ اَنْبَتَتْ سَبْعَ سَنَابِلَ فِي كُلِّ سُنْبُلَةٍ مِائَةُ حَبَّةٍ وَاللّٰهُ يُضَاعِفُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ وَاللّٰهُ وَاسِعٌ عَلِيمٌ

خُذْ مِنْ اَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِمْ بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ اِنَّ صَلٰوتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَهُمْ وَاللّٰهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

يَا اَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ اٰمَنُوا اَنْفِقُوا مِنْ طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّا اَخْرَجْنَا لَكُمْ مِنَ الْاَرْضِ وَلَا تَيَمَّمُوا الْخَبِيثَ مِنْهُ تُنْفِقُونَ وَلَسْتُمْ بِاٰخِذِيهِ اِلَّا اَنْ تُغْمِضُوا فِيهِ وَاعْلَمُوا اَنَّ اللّٰهَ غَنِيٌّ حَمِيدٌ

In the Mukhtasar Ibn Kathir text (Al-Baqarah 2:261): spending in the cause of Allah is represented by a grain that yields seven ears, each with a hundred grains; the good deed may be multiplied from ten up to seven hundred times. The text stresses that this parable is more effective than merely stating a number, that the divine increase resembles agricultural growth, and that the manifold reward depends on the person's sincerity ('Allah gives manifold increase to whom He wills').

Signs of Miraculousness gives extended treatment to the clause in Bakara 2:3, "and they spend out of what We have provided them." Bediüzzaman reads it both for the social function of zakat and for the conditions under which spending is worthy, and he derives those conditions directly from the wording of the verse.

1. 1Prayer and zakat are set down as two linked foundations: just as prayer is "[…] the pillar and support of the religion, so zakat is the bridge of Islam. That is, they are two divine foundations, one guarding religion and the other public order. For this reason they are bound to each other." Relying on a prophetic report, Bediüzzaman also writes that "the bridge that secures order and security in human society is zakat."
2. 2The text says, "There are several conditions for zakat and charity to find the place they deserve," and lists six: that giving not be wasteful; that it come from one's own property rather than another's; that "the gift not be spoiled by placing the recipient under obligation"; that charity not be abandoned out of fear of becoming poor; that charity be known not to be limited to property and money, so that it is given to those in need "in such things as knowledge, thought, strength and labor"; and that the recipient spend it on necessities rather than on dissipation.
3. 3Bediüzzaman ties these six conditions to the verse's choice of words: the Qur'an left aside shorter expressions and chose the longer clause "and they spend out of what We have provided them." The partitive "min" points to the rejection of waste; placing "mimmā" first, to the charity being from one's own property; "razaqnā," to the absence of obligation, "since the giver is God and the servant is only a means"; ascribing the provision to "We," to not fearing poverty; leaving the provision general, to charity extending also to knowledge and thought; and the root "nafaqa," to the recipient spending on necessities.
4. 4The discussion closes by reducing social breakdown to two sayings: "The first: 'Let me be full, and what is it to me if another dies of hunger.' The second: 'You drown in toil so that I may rest amid bounties and pleasures.'" Bediüzzaman says that what erases the first saying is zakat, and what cuts the second out at the root is the prohibition of usury, and he ties the preservation of the link between social classes to zakat and mutual assistance.

The quotations are verified from the primary text (erisale.com, İşârâtü'l-İ'câz pp. 72-74) and checked against a second full-text edition. The passage is a commentary on Bakara 2:3; the connection made here with Bakara 2:261, Tevbe 9:103 and Bakara 2:267 is editorial. The block is a human interpretive layer; the certainty of the verses does not depend on this reading.

وَاِذَا سَاَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَاِنِّي قَرِيبٌ اُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ اِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِٓي اَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ اِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ

In the Mukhtasar Ibn Kathir text (Al-Baqarah 2:186): it is stressed that Allah is near to His servants and answers supplication; a report is cited that 'you are not calling upon one deaf or absent, but One who is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.' The text relates that supplication is accepted provided it does not ask for sin or the severing of kinship ties and the servant does not grow hasty and abandon it, and that the response comes either fulfilled in this world, or stored for the Hereafter, or as the averting of an equivalent harm.

At this degree of The Supreme Sign the traveler turns toward the unseen world and examines the realities of revelation and of true inspiration. Bediüzzaman lists the "five sacred truths" of revelation and the "four lights" of inspiration, and within these two lists he places God's responding to the supplications and prayers of His servants as items in their own right.

1. 1The third of the truths of revelation treats responding to supplication as a requirement of being Creator: "Just as He responds in deed to the supplications and thanks of true human beings, who are the most select, the most needy, the most delicate and the most longing of creatures, so responding to them with His speech is a requirement of His being Creator."
2. 2The second of inspiration's four lights frames the same reality from the side of mercy: "Just as He answers the prayers of His servants in deed, so His responding also in word from behind veils is a requirement of His compassion." The third looks to the cry raised in distress: "Just as He comes in deed to the aid of His creatures who have fallen into heavy afflictions and severe states when they call for help and cry out and plead, so His coming to their aid with the words of inspiration, which stand as a kind of speech, is a necessity of His lordship."
3. 3Bediüzzaman here holds two modes of response together: God answers His servants both in deed and in word. In the fourth light this response is described as making His presence and existence felt, through what he calls the telephone of the heart, to conscious creatures who are impotent and in need.
4. 4In the solar comparison that closes the degree, a sun is imagined reflecting in mirrors and droplets according to the capacity of each; from this Bediüzzaman says that the divine address likewise manifests itself "according to the capacity of each thing," and that "no question hinders another question, no act another act, no address another address."

The quotations are verified from the primary text (Şuâlar, Seventh Ray). The subject of this degree is revelation and inspiration; Bediüzzaman does not comment on Bakara 2:186 or Mü'min 40:60 here. The two sentences quoted do, however, treat God's answering of supplication directly, and the link with the verses is made at that point; it is not presented as commentary on the verses. This is a human interpretive layer, and the certainty of the verses does not depend on this reading.

اَلَّذِينَ اٰمَنُوا وَتَطْمَئِنُّ قُلُوبُهُمْ بِذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ اَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللّٰهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

يَا اَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ اٰمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللّٰهَ ذِكْراً كَثِيراً

وَمَا اُمِرُوا اِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللّٰهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلٰوةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكٰوةَ وَذٰلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ

In the Mukhtasar Ibn Kathir text (Ar-Ra'd 13:28): it is stated that the hearts of the believers find comfort at the side of Allah, become tranquil when He is remembered, and are pleased to have Him as Protector and Supporter. The text affirms the declaration: 'Verily, in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find rest.'

The Twenty-First Flash is directly about sincerity; a note at its head reads, "This Flash should be read at least once every fifteen days." The treatise first defines sincerity, then sets out four principles for guarding it, and separately treats the causes that break it.

1. 1The treatise defines sincerity through a series of descriptions: "In this world, and especially in works done for the hereafter, the most important foundation, the greatest strength, the most acceptable intercessor, the firmest point of support, the shortest road to reality, the most acceptable inward prayer, the most effective means to one's aims, the highest quality, the purest worship, is sincerity."
2. 2The First Principle ties intention to a single measure: "In your actions, the aim must be God's good pleasure. If He is pleased, it is of no consequence though the whole world be displeased." Bediüzzaman adds that in this service one must "make God's good pleasure alone, directly, the essential aim."
3. 3The Third Principle locates where strength lies: "You must know all your strength to lie in sincerity and in truth. Indeed, strength lies in truth and in sincerity." Bediüzzaman illustrates the principle by attributing the result he saw in his own work to sincerity.
4. 4The Fourth Principle tests sincerity by the measure of brotherhood: "It is to imagine your brothers' merits as belonging to your own persons and their virtues as your own, and to take thankful pride in their honor." The treatise also warns against what breaks sincerity: "Shun the causes that would break sincerity as you would shun a snake or a scorpion." These causes are listed as rivalry arising from material gain, the desire for fame arising from love of rank, and fear and greed.

The quotations are verified from the primary text (erisale.com, Lem'alar pp. 267-271, 274-277). The subject of this treatise is sincerity; remembrance of God and the rest of the heart are not treated here. The verses placed at its head are Enfâl 8:46, Bakara 2:238, Şems 91:9-10 and Bakara 2:41; the connection made with Beyyine 98:5 is editorial ("this connection is editorial"). The companion treatise on sincerity, the Twentieth Flash, opens instead with Zümer 39:2-3, where the command to keep religion sincerely for God appears directly. The block is a human interpretive layer; the certainty of the verses does not depend on this reading.