2b] The error of the collective personality concerning the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as)-2-

2b]
5) ... There will be such intellectual trends at that time even IF
THAT PERSON WHO IS TRULY AWAITED AND WILL COMEIN A CENTURY'S TIME
comes at that time, since he takes everything for his own account...
-Bediuzzaman refers to Hazrat Mahdi (as) as that "awaited person." Not
as "that awaited collective personality." The reference here to that
person" removes all doubt on the subject.
-Bediuzzaman says that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come "in a century's
time." The verb "come" is one that can only be used of a person, and
it can therefore clearly be seen that Bediuzzaman is referring to
Hazrat Mahdi (as) as a person.
6) ... YET THAT GREAT PERSONAGE OF THE END TIMES WILL BE FROM THE AHL
AL-BAYT (descendedfrom the Prophet (saas))…
In this extract Bediuzzaman makes it clear that Hazrat Mahdi (as) is
not a collective personality in the words "that great personage of the
End Times."
7) The accounts consist of various information regarding HAZRAT MAHDI
(AS), who is from the descent of our Prophet (saas) and a portent of
the End Times. (Rays, p.465)
In the narrations are various different prophecies about the Mahdi
(May Allah be pleased with him)
8) ... Said stated in his objections, saying: "I am not a Sayyid, and
the Mahdi will be a Sayyid," thus refuting them.
In the above three passages Bediuzzaman states that Hazrat Mahdi (as)
will be a person, a sayyid, in other words a descendant of the Prophet
(saas). It can be seen from this expression that he is not referring
to Hazrat Mahdi (as) as a collective personality. It is impossible for
a collective personality to be descended from another human being. One
would have to be a human beingin order to be descended from our
Prophet (saas), which is what Bediuzzaman is stressing here.
9) …THAT PERSON will strive to perform his great duty with the helpof
all believers and the assistance of the Islamicunion, and of scholars
and teachers and of millions of loyal people from the ahl al-bayt
(theline of our Prophet (saas)) present powerfully and in large
numbers every century.
In this extract, Bediuzzaman again states, in the words "that person,"
that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come as anindividual. Furthermore, by
referring to the great task Hazrat Mahdi (as) willperform he again
states that Hazrat Mahdi (as) willdischarge his duties as a person,
not as a collective personality.
10) ... But flowers appear in the spring, and the ground has to be
prepared for sacred flowers such as that.
In this extract, Bediuzzaman again uses the word "people" for these
holy individuals who will come in the End Times. By saying that he has
prepared the ground for these people he makesit clear that the Prophet
Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) are not collective personalities.
11) … HAZRAT MAHDI WILL HAVE NO TIME AND BE IN NO STATE TO PERSONALLY
protect believers from madness (prevent them straying from the true
path) and to perform that duty for the whole world, leaving nothing
behind,and with much research....
The word "himself" that Bediuzzaman uses here is another proof that
Hazrat Mahdi (as) is not a collective personality.
Bediuzzaman makes other emphases in this passage that also show that
Hazrat Mahdi (as) is a person: 1 – Hazrat Mahdi (as) has a duty he
will discharge. That means Hazrat Mahdi (as) is an individual. 2 –
Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be occupied with his other duties and will have
no time to perform that task himself. Being busy and not having enough
time are conditions that only apply to people. There is no question of
a collectivepersonality being or not having enough time.
12) Certainly, the elevated ardor in that huge force will surge upand
the Mahdi shall come to lead it, guiding it to the way of truth and
reality.
Bediuzzaman states that another of Hazrat Mahdi's (as) duties is to
encouragepeople to the truth. Bediuzzaman says that in performing that
task "Hazrat Mahdi (as) will personally undertake it," aclear
statement that Hazrat Mahdi (as) is an individual.
13) ... To give the name OF THE INDIVIDUAL TO COME recalls his three
duties at once, it would be wrong….
Bediuzzaman also speaks of "the individual to come," confirmation that
Hazrat Mahdi (as) is not a collective personality.
Bediuzzaman refers to "Hazrat Mahdi" (as) and the "collective
personalityof his community" as two distinct concepts.
14) ... THE PEOPLE who will disperse the darkness in a century's time
may be THE STUDENTS OF HAZRAT MAHDI."
... who will disperse the darkness in a century's time...
... The students of Hazrat Mahdi (as)
1- Bediuzzaman says that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will have students. It is
clear that in order for Hazrat Mahdi (as) to have a community he will
have to be present as its head.
:->

2a] The error of the collective personality concerning the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as)-2-

2a]
It will not be self-evident so that everyone will recognize him.
Several words in this this extract from Bediuzzamanreveal that the
Prophet Jesus (as) will be an individual, not a collectiveidentity:
... the true Jesus
... When Jesus (Upon whom be peace) comes,
... it is not necessary that everyone should know him to be the true Jesus...
... will recognize HIM through the light of belief.
... It will not be self-evident so that everyone will recognize HIM...
These five terms used by Bediuzzaman Said Nursi also suggest that he
is referring to the Prophet Jesus (as) as a human being. It appears
from theterm "the true Jesus" in particular that the reference here is
to a person, and his difference from other people is made clear in
that expression.
According to the following expressions, 1 –The Prophet Jesus (as)
willreturn 2- Not everyone will recognize Jesus (as) asthe anticipated
prophet 3 – only those close to him will recognize him 4 – society as
a whole will not recognize him. The concept of "recognition" applies
in three of these statements, and that can only be possible when used
in terms of a person. A collective identity cannot have people close
to it; and there is no possibility of people recognizing a collective
identity. These statements all therefore show that the Prophet Jesus
(as) is not a collective identity. In addition, Bediuzzaman uses the
words "HE" and "HIS" which again apply to people and this again
reveals he is referring to the Prophet Jesus (as) as an individual,
not as a collective identity.
5) …although when Jesus (as) comes he himself will know he is Jesus,
not everyone will know.
The situation described above also applies to Bediuzzaman's words.
Here, too, he stresses the fact that the Prophet Jesus (as) will come
to Earth as a human being.
... When Jesus (as) comes…
… HE will know that he is Jesus (as)…
… He will be known by the radiance of his faith;
… Not everyone will know
First and foremost, Bediuzzaman speaks of the coming of the
ProphetJesus (as). This shows thatthe Prophet Jesus (as) willcome with
a physical body, not as a collective identity.
Bediuzzaman reveals that when the Prophet Jesus (as) first comes he
will notknow that is who he is, but he will realize it later. It is
clear that no collective personality can have such awareness and
consciousness. Only a person can know who he is and the circumstances
in which he finds himself. This is also confirmed by the use of the
word "he."
Bediuzzaman Said Nursi says that the people around the Prophet Jesus
(as) will only be able to recognize him as the awaited prophet of the
End Times through the light of their faith. It is clear that people
will recognize "an anticipated individual" and not a collective
personality.
Hazrat Mahdi (as) is not a Collective Personality
The term "PERSONAGES of the End Times" clearly reveals that the
Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) are not collective
personalities.
1) Those individuals of theend of time will be knownthrough the
insight and the light of belief.
-The term "PERSONAGES ofthe End Times" clearly reveals that the
Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) are not collective
personalities.
-The way that Bediuzzaman says that these people who will be coming in
the End Times will be recognized "through the light of faith" shows
that he means that the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) will
not come as collective personalities. As set out previously in the
context of the Prophet Jesus (as), the verb "recognize" refers to a
condition that can only apply to people. It is of course impossible
for a collective personality to recognize whether or not it is itself.
2) ...It is a truth as powerful as the sun thatTHIS GLORIOUS PERSON
will bring about the trust and neutralize the concerns of those who
doubt the likelihood of his command.
Bediuzzaman's use of the term "this glorious person" again shows that
Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come as a person.
3) The most important and greatest and most valuable of the three
duties of THE PERSON AWAITED BY THE COMMUNITY AND WHO WILL COME IN THE
END TIMES is to spread the true faith and to save believers from
deviation...
Here, too, Bediuzzaman makes it clear that Hazrat Mahdi (as) is not a
collective personality by saying he is a "person…who will come in the
End Times."
4) The most important and greatest and most valuable of the three
duties of THE PERSON AWAITED BY THE COMMUNITY AND WHO WILL COME IN THE
END TIMES is to spread the true faith and to save believers from
deviation...
Here, too, Bediuzzaman makes it clear that Hazrat Mahdi (as) is not a
collective personality by saying he is a "person…who will come in the
End Times."
5)

2] The error of the collective personality concerning the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as)-2-

2]
The second coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi's (as)
appearance in the End Times are the glad tidingsthat have been awaited
by the Islamic world for centuries. Bediuzzaman has also provided
detailedinformation regarding theappearance of the Prophet Jesus (as)
and Hazrat Mahdi (as) in his works. Among this information are
comprehensive statementconcerning at what time and in what sort of
climate Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear, what kinds ofactivities he will
undertake, his assistants, his struggle, and how, together with the
ProphetJesus (as), he will cause Qur'anic moral values to prevail on
Earth.
Yet although Said Nursi's statements on these matters are very clear
anddistinct, the subject of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi
(as) may sometimes be misunderstood. Some people have clichéd
responses they give whenever the subject is raised. When asked, Will
an individual known as the Mahdi appear in the End Times? for example,
they reply, No, the Mahdi will not come, a collective personality will
come, or the Mahdi has already come. Because the Mahdi is a collective
personality; that is the Mahdi who willappear. His collective
personality already exists.In the same way, when asked Will the
Prophet Jesus (as) come to Earth a second time? they respond, No. The
Prophet Jesus (as) will not return; the Prophet Jesus (as) himself
will descend to Earth, he will be in the world as a collective
personality, or The Prophet Jesus (as) has already come, as the
collective personality of the Mahdi. Some people try to back up their
ideas by using the words of Bediuzzaman, saying, In his works,
Bediuzzaman has not made any clear statements regarding the coming of
the Prophet Jesus (as) and the Mahdi.
Yet this perspective is exceedingly mistaken andfalse. All these
clichéd responses express solely apersonal opinion, based on no
evidence, maybe due to force of habit or else that has taken root
inthe public subconscious. Because Bediuzzaman hasactually described
the coming of the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as) in very
clear terms; he has expressly stated that these personages awaited in
the End Times will both appear as individuals, not as collective
personalities.
This point can be clearly understood from Bediuzzaman's statements
about the Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi (as):
The Prophet Jesus (as) will come to Earth for the second time
The term "individual" thatBediuzzaman uses to referto the Prophet
Jesus (as) reveals that he is not a "collective personality."
1) Then the person of Jesus (Upon whom be peace), who is present with
his human body in the world of the heavens, will come to lead the
current of true religion...
...even sends the spirits of most of the dead saints tothe world with
similitude of their bodies, it would not be far from His Wisdom -even
if he was not alive and present withhis body in the skies of the
world, and had truly died and departed for the furthest corner of the
hereafter- to clothe Jesus (Upon whom be peace) in his body and send
him to the world, so to bring the religion of Jesus to a
goodconclusion; for such a momentous result. IndeedHe promised it
because His wisdom required it to be thus, and since He promised it,
He will most certainly send him.
In this passage Bediuzzaman says that the Prophet Jesus (as) who is
currently in the world of the heavens will return to Earth in his
human body and will assume leadership of the true faith. It is clear
that Bediuzzaman does not refer to a collective identity here, but
rather to an individual. This is clear from his use of the term "human
body." If he had wanted to say that the Prophet Jesus (as) would
return to Earth as acollective identity, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi would
not have referred to "clothing Jesus in his body."
2) Yes, with the words of that hadith, the descent from the heavens of
the Prophet Jesus is certain...
In this statement, Bediuzzaman says that "the coming of the Prophet
Jesus (as) is a certain fact," using a language that makes it clear
that the Prophet Jesus (as) is not a collective identity.
3) Our Prophet (saas) has indicated this great secret: The Prophet
Jesus will come, and be of my community and labor with my law.
It again appears from Bediuzzaman's statement that the Prophet Jesus
(as)will labor with the law of our Prophet (saas) that the Prophet
Jesus (as) willcome to Earth as a humanbeing, not as a collective
identity. Because if he were referring to a collective identity, it
would be impossible for such an entity to "labor."
4) When Prophet Jesus (Upon whom be peace) comes, it is not necessary
that everyoneshould know him to be the true Jesus. His elect and those
close to him will recognize him through the light of belief. :->

Some people do notwish to acknowledge the fact that Allah is everywhere. How can we explain this reality to such people?

Some people imagine thatthey themselves, matter and the world they see
allaround them are all absolute beings. But they regard Allah (surely
He is beyond that) as an imagination pervading that absolute matter.
Or else, since they cannot seeHim with their own eyes, they say:
"Allah must be somewhere we cannot see, in space or far away from
human eyes." (SurelyAllah is beyond that.) But these are all grave
errors.
As the sole absolute being, Allah enfolds the whole universe, all
peopleand places, the heavens and everywhere. He is manifested in the
whole universe. According to thehadith, our Prophet (saas) said that
someone who said that Allah was in the sky was telling the truth. But
this account in no way conflicts with the factthat Allah is
everywhere. That is because if someone at your location on Earth
raises his hands and prays to Allah and thinks that Allah is in the
sky, while someone at theSouth Pole turns to Allah in the same way,
while someone else at the North Pole raises his hands and yet another
individual in Japan, or America or Ecuador raises his hands to the sky
in thesame way and turns to Allah, then it is impossibleto speak of
any fixed direction. In the same way, if djinn, angels and demons at
various points in space and the universe also pray toward the skies,
it will again be impossible to speak of any fixed direction, and the
situation will be one that covers the entire universe.
We must not also forget that Allah is unfettered bytime and space.
Allah's Own Being is different. But the manifestations of Allah are
everywhere. If someone enters a room and says Allah is not there, he
is denying Allah. The manifestations of Allah are in that room
andeverywhere. Wherever you may turn, manifestations of Allah are
there. Several verses of the Qur'an state that Allah pervades all
places, that He is closer to us than our own jugular veins, and that
we will see His Face wherever we look. For example, in verse 255 of
Surat al-Baqara Allah says "... HisFootstool encompasses the heavens
and the earth...." Verse 92 of SurahHud says, "... But my Lord
encompasses everything that you do" meaning that Allah also pervades
what people do.