The Path of Faith or the Road of Regret - Which One Are You Walking? | Risale-i Nur Collection

Find Yourself! - What do you see?

Once upon a time, a bitter cry rose from the dungeons of a city. It was such a cry that broke from a heart burned like embers of regret and echoed off the stone walls of the dungeon.

An elderly prisoner in the same cell could not bear it any longer. He wanted to know the secret of his suffering:

— O son, he said. Tell me, what brought you to this darkness, to these dungeons?

The young prisoner bowed his head, tears streaming down his face. His voice was filled with both disappointment and rebellion.

— I... was a victim of my own pleasure and comfort, he said.

“How?” asked the old man. The prisoner began to tell his story by sobbing: I was once a soldier. One day, the commander summoned us; we, two friends, appeared before the commander. We both had orders to come to this city.

We set off and travelled together until we reached the intersection where the roads split into two.

The old man asked curiously: What happened at that intersection that caused your fate to change like that?

The prisoner’s eyes wandered far away and his voice trembled:

— That’s where it all started. A wise, old, but stately man appeared before us.

He called out to us:

“O travelers! The path on the right is orderly. It has a bag and a weapon. Yes, it will put some burden on your shoulders, but it will bring peace to your heart and confidence to your spirit. Nine out of ten people who walk this path will win.
The path on the left, however, is unregulated. You won’t take the bag or the weapon. From the outside, it looks easy and comfortable, but don’t be deceived! At its end lies fear, loss, and regret. Nine out of ten people who walk it will lose. Both paths are the same in length, but their outcomes are poles apart.”

Foolishly, I abandoned my bag and weapon to avoid any discomfort or upset, and took the left path. “I’ll go without my bag or weapon; it’ll be more comfortable,” I thought. My first steps felt light. I thought, “I’ll reach my destination this way; why should I burden myself with my bag and weapon?” But after a little while, my heart began to feel heavy with each step.

The old prisoner held his breath and squinted his eyes. Why? he asked.

I was hungry but I didn’t have my bag. I had food in my bag. I paid the price for not taking the bag by both hunger and begging people. I begged people for a piece of bread and was humiliated.

And I began to feel scared. Every creak, every shadow frightened me. Because I didn’t have a weapon with me. One day, a dog came out from behind a tree and I was almost scared for my life. I don’t remember how far I ran.

Then bandits appeared in my path... I was unarmed. My hands were shaking and my knees were about to buckle. The old man asked, “Did they hurt you?” He said, “They robbed me; they took everything I had and beat me mercilessly.”

At that moment I realized… My body was free of the bag and the weapon, but my spirit was crushed under the weight of fear and indebtedness.

Tears streamed from the prisoner’s eyes; his lips were trembling. Even the stones of the dungeon testified to his pain. “Finally, I arrived in the city. However, they treated me not as a traveler, but as a rebel and a fugitive. I was chained, and now I’m here!” he said.

The old prisoner took a deep breath and nodded:

— Son... You made a choice, but it was a wrong choice. Everyone lives with their choices and then pays the price.” After these words, the dungeon fell silent.

Now let’s leave this unfortunate soldier where he is and take a look at the situation of the other soldier.

That soldier listened to the voice of his mind and conscience. He turned to the right path. He shouldered his pack and armed himself. With his first steps, he felt the weight of the burden on his shoulders; but he soon realized that his spirit had lightened. Because there was no indebtedness in his heart and no fear in his eyes. Unlike his unfortunate friend, he neither begged nor bowed to anyone.

When he was hungry, he didn’t ask anyone for help. He ate from the food in his bag. He drank water from his own ration. With every morsel, he said, “I’m glad I didn’t follow my other friend,” and thanked God.

A little further on, bandits appeared on the path. Where his unfortunate friend trembled, this soldier stood firm. Because he had a weapon in his hand and the support of belief in his heart. His eyes screamed not fear, but determination. He eliminated them all with one move.

Although his bag seemingly looked like a burden, in reality it was a source of strength. Although his weapon seemingly looked like cold iron, in reality it was a sign of safety and honor. His heart was filled with peace and his spirit with confidence. Finally, he reached the city. He drove those bandits in front of him.

When the people of the city saw him, they took to the streets. The applause rose to the sky, the cries of victory spread in waves. Children shouted “hero”; women prayed and old men raised their hands to the heavens.

His commander greeted him standing; pride and appreciation were shining in his eyes. He was complimented by the commander.

— Well done, son! He said, “You did your duty well.”

He was rewarded as befits a soldier who has done his duty. And he began to smile with the comfort and peace of mind of having done his duty.

Yes, of those two travelers, one is a believer who has surrendered to his Lord; the other is a heedless person deceived by his whim. The right path is the path of Islam, illuminated by the light of the Quran; the left path is the dark path of sin and rebellion. This journey begins in the realm of spirits, passes through this world, the grave, and reaches the hereafter. Ultimately, the destination is either Paradise, the abode of eternal bliss, or Hell, the abode of eternal torment.

A believer lives in an orderly manner according to the commandments and prohibitions of Islam. His bag is worship, and his weapon is taqwa (piety). Yes, worship... although it may seem like a burden from the outside, it actually brings a person such lightness and happiness that it is indescribable. Because a believer who says, “اَشْهَدُ اَنْ لَا اِلٰهَ اِلَّا اللّٰهُ” in his prayer knows that harm and benefit are solely in the hands of Allah. With this belief, he finds unshakable support in every calamity he encounters. His belief gives him such security that even if the earth explodes like a bomb, his heart will not tremble; on the contrary, he will watch Allah’s power in amazement and admiration. But a person without belief... He is a traveler without a guardian. Even if he sees a shooting star in the sky, he trembles, thinking, “I wonder if it will hit our earth?” He becomes consumed by fear. He creates huge delusions even from a small incident, turning his heart into a hell for itself.

Imagine yourself on a winding mountain road, on a bus whose driver has fallen asleep… Imagine the fear and terror that descend upon your heart. In the eyes of an unbeliever, the world is like a bus without a driver. Ownerless, adrift, and ready to plunge into the abyss at any moment. In his eyes, stars that spin seventy times faster than cannonballs in the ocean of space are like stray cannons; if one of them strays, it will destroy the worlds and bring about an apocalypse. Such a sight ignites an unquenchable fire of terror in their heart, turning their spirit into an eternal hell torment.

A believer, however, surrenders the universe to Allah; he considers both stars and atoms to be his Lord’s servants. He holds the reins of everything in His mighty hand; nothing can move without His permission. With this belief, a believer believes he is the safe driver on the bus of life; his heart finds security and his spirit finds peace. And with this submission, even in prison, he lives as if he were in a palace.

In the eyes of that believer, only Allah creates and provides sustenance. He knocks on the doors of mercy with prayer and asks from Him. He is freed from the troublesome indebtedness of creatures and the humiliation of begging.

His weapon is piety. Piety is a weapon that protects him against the demons of human and jinn, who want to steal his eternal happiness. Those who walk on the path of life without the weapon of piety become prey for demons on that path. Thus, those who walk the path of life without worship and piety, like the soldier in the story, live a life of fear and indebtedness. The weapon of worship and piety may seem like a burden to the body, but it actually provides security and peace to the spirit. The real burden is to live on this path of life with fear of enemies and indebtedness for needs.

Yes, we are beings so helpless as to be defeated by an invisible microbe, whose needs are as wide as our imagination but whose capital is so poor as to be almost non-existent. On this path of life, where enemies are numerous and needs are endless, only worship, trust in Allah, tawhid (oneness) and submission can give our spirit true security and happiness; they are the greatest trade, the greatest blessing and the truest bliss for us.

So, which path are we on? If we tremble in the face of events and rely on mortals like us for our needs, it means we are travelling on the left path, without a bag and weapon. We will endure these hardships along life’s path and will ultimately be punished with eternal torment just like that soldier.

On this path of life, our enemies are many and our needs are endless. He who does not want to leave his spirit unattended, his heart restless, and his journey fruitless should take the right path like that soldier, equip his bag of worship, hold the weapon of piety in his hand, and live by the order of the Quran.

It is known that the harmless path is preferred to the harmful one – even if there is a one in ten chance of success.

There are two choices on the path of life: The path of worship is harmless and yields a treasury of eternal bliss with a nine-tenth probability. As for the path of sin and rebellion, it is useless; moreover, it leads to eternal destruction and torment with a nine-tenth probability.

Now the decision is up to you... Reason and conscience, fairness and understanding show you the path to bliss. So, do not be deceived by the false pleasures of the ego. And do not heed the devil’s dark call. Remember that true peace and security lie in worship and piety while torment and disappointment lie on the dark path of sin and rebellion. Make your choice and choose your path, because what awaits you at the end of this journey is either the gardens of paradise or the pits of hell.