Second radiance: This relates to the Qur’an’s freshness, which is maintained as if it were revealed anew in every epoch. As an eternal discourse addressing all human beings regardless of time or place and level of understanding, it should—and does—have a never‑fading freshness.

The Qur’an so impresses each new generation that each one regards it as being revealed to itself and receives its instructions therefrom. Human words and laws become old and so need to be revised or changed. But the Qur’an’s laws and principles are so established and constant, so compatible with essential human nature and creation’s unchanging laws, that the passage of time has no effect upon them. Instead, it shows the Qur’an’s truth, validity, and force even more clearly! This twentieth century, including its People of the Book,[1] is more confident of itself than preceding ones, and yet most in need of the Qur’anic wisdom beginning with: O People of the Book. As this phrase also means “O people of schooling and education,” those messages seem to be directed toward this century exclusively. With all its strength and freshness, the Qur’an calls to us:

Say: “O People of the Book, come now to a word common between us and you, that we serve none but God, and that we associate not anything with Him, and do not some of us take others as lords, apart from God.” (2:64)

Our present civilization, the product of human ideas and perhaps of the jinn, has chosen to argue with the Qur’an. It tries to contradict its miraculousness through its charm and “spells.” To prove the Qur’an’s miraculousness against this new, terrible opponent, and affirm its challenge of: Say: “If humanity and jinn banded together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they would never produce its like, not though they backed one another” (17:88), I will compare modern civilization’s principles and foundations with those of the Qur’an.

First, all of the comparisons and criteria put forward so far, and the truths and verses contained therein, prove the Qur’an’s miraculousness and indisputable superiority over modern civilization. Second, as convincingly argued in The Twelfth Word: Modern civilization says that the point of support in social life is force or power, the aim of life is to realize self‑interest, conflict is the principle of relationship in life, the bond between communities is racism and negative nationalism, and its fruits are the gratification of carnal desires and the multiplication of human needs. In addition, force calls for aggression, and gratification of self‑interest causes conflict over material resources. Conflict brings strife. Racism feeds itself by swallowing others, and so paves the way for aggression. Thus despite modern civilization’s advantages and positive aspects, only 20 percent of people are superficially contented while the other 80 percent are in hardship and misery.

In contrast, the Qur’an accepts right as the point of support in social life, considers the aim of life to be virtue and God’s approval, recognizes mutual assistance as the principle of relationship in life, and accepts ties of religion, profession, and citizenship as the bonds between communities. It seeks to place a barrier against the illicit attacks of lust, urges the soul to ennoble and satisfy its lofty aspirations, and encourages people to perfection and so makes them truly human. Right calls for unity; virtue brings mutual support and solidarity. Mutual assistance means helping each other. Religion secures brotherhood (and sisterhood) and mutual attraction, while restraining the carnal self and urging the soul to perfection bring happiness in this world and the next.

Thus despite its borrowings from previous Divine religions and especially the Qur’an, which accounts for its agreeable aspects, modern civilization cannot offer a viable alternative to the Qur’an.

Third, I will give a few examples of the Qur’an’s many subjects and commandments. As its laws and principles transcend time and space, they do not become obsolete. For example, despite all its charitable foundations, institutions of intellectual and moral training, and severe disciplines and laws and regulations, modern civilization has been defeated by the Qur’an in the following matters:

First comparison: Perform the prescribed prayer, and pay the zakat (2:43) and: God has made trading lawful and usury unlawful (2:275). As explained in my Isharat al‑ I‘jaz, the following two attitudes or approaches are the causes of all revolutions and social upheavals, as well as the root of all moral failings. They can be summed up, respectively, as: “I do not care if others die of hunger so long as my stomach is full,” and: “You must bear the costs of my ease—you must work so that I may eat.”

A peaceful social life depends on the balance between the elite (rich) and common (poor) people.[2] ·This balance is based on the former’s care and compassion and the latter’s respect and obedience. Ignoring the first attitude drives the rich to wrongdoing, usurpation, immorality, and mercilessness; ignoring the second attitude drives the poor to hatred, grudges, envy, and conflict with the rich. This conflict has destroyed social peace for the last 2 or 3 centuries, especially in Europe’s social upheavals, all of which are rooted in the century‑old struggle between labor and capital.

Despite all its charitable societies, institutions of moral training, and severe laws and regulations, modern civilization has neither reconciled these two social classes nor healed those two severe wounds of human life. The Qur’an, however, eradicates the first attitude and heals its wounds through zakat, and eradicates the second by outlawing interest. The Qur’an stands at the door of the world and turns away interest. It says to us: “If you want to end social conflict and struggle, do not engage in interest,” and orders its students to avoid such things.

Second comparison: Modern civilization rejects polygamy as unwise and disadvantageous to social life, even though if the purpose of marriage were sexual gratification, polygamy would be a lawful way to realize it. The Qur’an permits a man to have more than one wife under certain circumstances. However, as observed even in animals and plants, the purpose for and wisdom in sexual relations is reproduction. The resulting pleasure is a small payment determined by Divine Mercy to realize this duty. Marriage is for reproduction and perpetuation of the species. Being able to give birth at most once a year, to become pregnant during half of a month, and entering menopause around 50, one woman is usually insufficient for a man, who can sometimes impregnate even until the age of 100. That is why, in most cases, modern civilization tolerates prostitution.

Third comparison: Modern civilization criticizes the Qur’an for giving a woman one‑third of the inheritance (half of her brother’s share) while giving a man two‑thirds. However, general circumstances are considered when establishing general rules and laws. In this case, a woman usually finds a man to maintain her, whereas a man usually has to take care of someone else.[3] ·Given this, a woman’s husband is to make up the difference between her share of the inheritance and that of her brother. Her brother, on the other hand, will spend half of his inheritance on his wife, equaling his sister’s share. This is true justice.

Fourth comparison:·The Qur’an prohibits idolatry and condemns the worship of images, which can be an imitation of idolatry. However, modern civilization sees sculpture and the portrayal of living beings, which the Qur’an condemns, as one of its virtues. Forms with or without shadows (sculptures and pictures of living beings) are either a petrified tyranny (tyranny represented in stone), embodied ostentation or caprice, all of which urge people to tyranny, ostentation, and capriciousness.

Out of compassion, the Qur’an orders women to wear the veil of modesty to maintain respect for them and to prevent their transformation into objects of low desire or being used to excite lust. Modern civilization has drawn women out of their homes, torn aside their veils, and led humanity into corruption. Family life is based on mutual love and respect between modest men and women; modern civilization has destroyed sincere love and respect, and poisoned family life. Sculptures and pictures, especially obscene ones, have a great share in this moral corruption and spiritual degeneration. Just as looking at the corpse of a beautiful woman who deserves compassion with lust and desire destroys morality, looking lustfully at pictures of living women, which are like little corpses, troubles and diverts, shakes and destroys elevated human feelings.

In conclusion, then, besides securing happiness for all people in this world, the Qur’anic commandments serve their eternal happiness. You can compare other subjects with those mentioned.

Modern civilization stands defeated before the Qur’an’s rules and principles for social life and humanity, and bankrupt before the Qur’an’s miraculous content. The Words written so far, primarily the Eleventh and Twelfth, demonstrate that European philosophy and scientism, the spirit of that civilization, are helpless when confronted with the Qur’an’s wisdom. In addition, when compared to its literary merits—which may be likened to an elevated lover’s uplifting songs arising from temporary separation or heroic epics encouraging its audience to victory and lofty sacrifices—modern civilization’s literature and rhetoric appear as an orphan’s desperate, grief‑stricken wailing or a drunkard’s noise.

Styles of literature and rhetoric give rise to sorrow or joy. Sorrow is of two kinds: loneliness and lack of any protection and support, or separation from the beloved. The first is despairing and produced by modern misguided naturalist, and heedless civilization. The second is lofty and exhilarating, and arouses a hope and eagerness for reunion. This is the kind given by the guiding, light‑diffusing Qur’an.

Joy also is of two kinds. The first incites the soul to animal desires (so‑called “fine” arts, drama, and cinema, etc.). The second restrains the carnal self and urges (in a mannerly, innocent way) the human heart, spirit, intellect, and all inner senses and faculties to lofty things and reunion with the original, eternal abode and with friends who have passed on already. The Qur’an encourages this joy by arousing an eagerness to reach Paradise, eternal happiness, and the vision of God.

Thus the profound meaning and great truth contained in: Say: “If humanity and jinn banded together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they would never produce its like, even if they backed one another”·(17:88), is not, as some assert, an exaggeration. It is pure truth and reality, which the long history of Islam has proved. The challenge contained here has two principal aspects. One is that no human or jinn work can resemble or equal the Qur’an’s style, eloquence, rhetoric, wording, comprehensiveness, conciseness, and profundity. Nor can their most beautiful and eloquent words, all arranged in a volume by their most competent representatives, equal the Qur’an. The second aspect is that all human and jinn civilizations, philosophies, literatures, and laws, regardless of apparent profundity and beauty, are dim and helpless when faced with the Qur’an’s commandments, wisdom, and eloquence.

[1] 1Jews and Christians.

[2] 1Said Nursi uses elite for those who can give zakat, and the masses for those eligible to receive it. These designations are relative, for they depend upon the local standard of richness. As Islam does not allow a deep socioeconomic gap to form between Muslims, the gap between these groups is not very great. In many Muslim societies today, members of both groups can be found within the middle class. As the main purpose for zakat is for the poor to receive enough money to provide for their families, we should consider the living standard envisaged by Islam when considering zakat. (Tr.)

[3] 1According to the Qur’an, the husband is legally responsible for providing for the family. However rich, the wife has no legal obligation to contribute to the family’s livelihood. Second, as the wife is free to multiply her wealth through such undertakings as trade, the Qur’an does not force her to be economically dependent upon her husband. Therefore the Qur’an’s distribution of inheritance has psychological, social, and economic motives and implications. For more information, consult The Eleventh Letter of Said Nursi, The Letters 1 (Fairfax, VA: The Fountain, 2002).