The universe as a whole is a grand book of God,
Try any of its letters; the meaning of each reveal nothing but Him
Recaizade Mahmud Ekrem

Experts of mystical journey profess that to be able to attain true faith, one must have an encompassing sight. Only with such a sight will the essence of unity felt deep within resonate in the conscience, and constant signs indicating God will be observed on every thing and every face. When one reaches the horizon of “There is nothing more manifest than God the Truth / He is only concealed to those lacking eyes,” they will flutter over the colorful flowers in the garden of the universe with the enthusiasm of wondering, “Isn’t there more?” and will form the honeycombs of Divine Knowledge.

It is difficult to attain such a result for one who steps into the gardens of existence without gaining an encompassing sight. For example, while contemplating the multitude of flowers, the sight will be distracted, and the meanings collected somehow will not be distilled into divine knowledge because they will not receive affirmation in the heart. Hence, the sight must first be turned to the human, who is an infinitesimal model of the universe, and after reading this reference point, a telescopic view must be obtained to read the Book of the Universe. “Because the accurate reading of the outer dimensions depends on the correct reading of the inner dimensions” [1].

Intending for the sweetest honey

In this journey, the mind, like other organs, becomes a subject of the heart and follows its guidance. To bear witness to this journey, the residents in the realms of earthly and heavenly Dominion convene in the conscience – the human conscience that can be as expansive as to contain all that is there. As they do so, the primordial testimony we gave before we were born into this world echoes therein.

The heart draws nigh to the mind, dusts off its clothing and gifts its friend a pair of wings made of pure light and emerald, for it to soar into the heavens. The mind, like a honeybee leaving its hive to collect pollen, intends for the sweetest honey and takes flight. With the eyes of its friend, the heart, it observes the human, the infinitesimal model of the universe.

The journey begins from the womb of a mother.

Enthusiasm and the gift of life

As it opens its eyes with curiosity and turns its sight upon its body, the mind first catches the glimpse of an inclusive and perfect order and an encompassing and delicate balance [2]. Intending to see the Governor who created this marvelous order and delicate balance, the mind embarks on its journey from the point where the indicators of the divine name The Infinite Last transforms into the manifestations of the divine name The Very First. At this point, the sperm and egg cells, which become nuclei, quit on being themselves to grow into a new being, and they become annihilated in each other. For this meeting, the sperm covers demanding distances with great enthusiasm, and the egg, despite its apparent inertia, attracts the sperm towards itself by diverse mechanisms. Enthusiasm, manifested in the sperm as a palpable activity, manifests itself in the egg as active patience. Both take such a pleasure in obeying the law of creation and adhering to the Divine Commandment that they perish themselves with great enthusiasm to become a single cell honored with the gift of life. Thus, enthusiasm becomes the bearer of the gift called life—that is, the enthusiasm becomes a means to receive the gift of life. The human body, which will become the bearer of the gift called the soul, will develop from this single cell called the “zygote.”

Order

The mind witnesses the first steps in the creation of a marvelous order in this new cell which has been worthy of the manifestations from the divine name al-Batin (the All-Inward, the Hidden) thanks to its inherent potential. 12-24 hours after the creation of the zygote, mitotic divisions begin with a divine command, and with each division, two identical cells are formed from one cell. Rapid divisions and the hardening of the covering surrounding the zygote do not allow new cells to grow. Hence, although the number of cells reaches 32 by the 96th hour of fertilization, the size of this cell clump remains the same as that of the zygote. At this point, while the cells continue to divide and multiply, they also begin to differentiate.

As the cells in the outer part assume the key task of adhering the embryo to the mother’s womb, the cells in the inner part are clustered adjacent to one side. This mass of cells to be deployed in creating the embryo is called the “embryoblast.” Around the sixth day, the hard shell surrounding the cells thins and disappears, and the embryo, whose first differentiation is complete, adheres to the uterine wall. Like the germination of seeds buried in the soil, the embryo will be well embedded in the uterine wall in the coming days, where it will develop and transform into a radiance of the divine name al-Dhahir (the All-Outward, the Manifest) [3].

In these first steps towards order, the mind watching the Divine Command which determines the position and function of each cell, will also witness the embryoblast cells progress towards their own vaults of perfection. Because each of these cells, called the “pluripotent stem cell,” bears the potential to transform into all cell types in a developed human body.

In the second week of fertilization, a third layer is created from the embryoblast cells that separate into two layers. The ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm layers that emerge at this stage—which is called “gastrulation”—are internally and externally different from one another. The ectoderm, at the top of these layers, is the predecessor of the cells that will eventually form the skin, nails, hair, teeth, brain, and the nervous system. The mesoderm underneath forms the muscles, sex organs, bones and cartilage, heart, blood vessels and connective tissue. Lastly, the pancreas, liver, intestines, stomach, and lungs originate from the endoderm, the bottom layer.

These cells, once in one piece before transforming into features like the shattered pieces of a mirror, become mirrors to different divine names according to the organs where they will be placed for training and “as trillions of mirrors, always express the same meaning and concept with features such as unity, solidarity, harmony, concordance, cooperation and solidarity among themselves and with different voices, tunes, and characters” [4].

Quest for the straight path and regular flow

Built in a stunning order and form befitting their duties, these organs depend on precise measurements to function as a whole. Life continues with the preservation of this balance in the sphere of causes and ends when it deteriorates without repair. Numerous variables such as body temperature, pH balance, and blood pressure are kept constant within a set value range notwithstanding internal and external factors. Excess or deficiency in the system gives way to various diseases. This quest for attaining “The Straight Path” in the human body is called “homeostasis.” At this point, the mind heeds more to read the order in the body, for order, according to Nursi, is another tongue that speaks on behalf of Divine Unity. In this attentive observation, the mind notices that the body and its surroundings are in constant change, and yet the delicate balance is refreshed and maintained regularly [5] like clockwork and in harmony [6]. The fact that powerless and unconscious cells—and the tissues and organs formed from them—undertake massive duties as if they are conscious and act like soldiers as if they know the general order in the body bears witness to the Unity of the One (Great is His Majesty) Who does everything with wisdom, and Who has absolute power and knowledge [7]. The loud voice of “He is God, there is no god but He” resonating from trillions of cells to bear witness to His Unity makes the mind hear this truth without borrowing the ears of its companion, the heart.

Tasting the Sweetest Honey of Love

At the end of this journey, the mind returns to the heart having traveled between the Divine names and witnessed the order, harmony, and balance that run like clockwork in human body. Now, it feels the Divine unity deep down in the conscience, tasting the sweetest honey of love formed in the honeycombs of the heart. The heart now invites its subjects to reunion with the Divine “like gleeful children and filled with the pleasures of having attained contentment” yet with caution and composure [8]. The subjects convene in the conscience and sherbets are prepared from the sweetest honey. When lips meet the sherbet of reunion, the talks only mention the One. As the Divine Unity is captured by the mind, Love is sensed in the heart. At times, the heart’s “cupbearers of speech” offer these sherbets to other hearts as well. Hearts which taste the sweetest honey even just once always overflow with the same melodies:

“Take heed of this slave’s condition
How attached he’s been to a lock of Your hair
I kept on tasting the honey of Your love
I am parched; give me a sip of water!”
(Gadai)

References

1. M. Fethullah Gülen, Sohbet-i Cânan (Kırık Testi-2), İstanbul: Nil Yayınları, 2011, pp. 165.
2. Bediüzzaman Said Nursî, Mektubat, İstanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, pp. 261–262.
3. www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/cells/embryology/a/human-embryogenesis
4. M. Fethullah Gülen, Kalbin Zümrüt Tepeleri, İstanbul: Nil Yayınları, 2008, pp. 565–566.
5. Bediüzzaman Said Nursî, Mektubat, İstanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, pp. 262.
6. M. Fethullah Gülen, Kırık Mızrap, İstanbul: Nil Yayınları, 2006, pp. 31.
7. Bediüzzaman Said Nursî, Sözler, İstanbul: Şahdamar Yayınları, 2010, pp. 602.
8. 8. Fethullah Gülen, Kalbin Zümrüt Tepeleri, İstanbul: Nil Yayınları, 2008, pp. 194.