Blind Sensations

“Just as contentious disagreement among the rightly-guided does not arise from their shortsightedness and failure to foresee consequences, so the sincere agreement among the misguided people does not result from their farsightedness and ability to take consequences into due consideration. Rather, although guided by the truth and right and not being dragged by the blind impulses of the carnal soul the people of right guidance follow the farsighted inclinations of the heart and the intellect, they fail to preserve sincerity and straightforwardness and thus fall into disagreement.”¹⁾

“In order to obtain the approval and good pleasure of God Almighty, and to be saved from the great dangers that this world poses to the spiritual life, and to attain eternal happiness, the people of God have chosen to follow two principles:

The first is contemplation of death. Thinking of the world as transitory and realizing that they too are transient guests in the world who have many duties, they work for the eternal life in this way.

The second: In order to be saved from the dangers of the carnal, evil-commanding soul and blind passions, they have tried to kill the evil-commanding soul through austerity, religious exercises, and asceticism.”²⁾

“Once, I saw some individuals who had escaped from the dominion of their evil-commanding souls, known as the ‘great friends of God’ engaged in intense inner struggles and complaints against their evil-commanding souls. I used to wonder greatly about this. After some time, I witnessed a spiritual evil-commanding soul that was even more obstinate, more disobedient, and more inclined to maintain immoral behaviors than the evil-commanding soul. It had emerged from desires, impulses, nerves, nature, and sensory inclinations, and it was the last fortress of the evil-commanding soul. It continued its struggle until the end of life after purifying the evil-commanding soul. I realized that those blessed individuals had complained not about the true evil-commanding soul but about a metaphorical one. Later, I saw that Imam Rabbani also mentions this metaphorical evil-commanding soul. This second evil-commanding soul lacks consciousness, and having blind sensations, it does not understand or listen to the words of the intellect and heart in order to reform itself and recognize its faults. It only reacts with aversion or dedicates every sensation to its purpose, like becoming a complete devotee, with slaps and hardships. And like the principles of the Risale-i Nur Collection, it abandons all selfishness. In this strange era, by the urging of terrifying inculcations, both the real and metaphorical evil-commanding souls unite, eagerly indulging in evil deeds and sins, infuriating the universe.”³⁾

“O my soul! You have enjoyed it for more than seventy-three years, and you have indulged in pleasures more than ninety percent of people. There is nothing left for you now… You are seeking the permanence of sudden and transient pleasures. Therefore, you start crying at the end of those pleasures. With your blind sensations, you receive the full slap for your mistake. For one minute of laughter, you cry for ten hours.”⁴⁾

“Human actions stem from the inclinations of the heart and feelings. These inclinations come from the specialization and needs of the spirit. The spirit, in turn, is set in motion by the light of faith. It does good deeds when inspired by it and resists when faced with evil. Even the blindest sensations do not mislead and defeat it.”⁵⁾

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