The Seventh Word of The Words by Imam Said Nursi is one of the most concentrated explanations of the human condition in the early part of the Risale-i Nur. It focuses especially on belief in God and the Hereafter, and explains how these beliefs transform the way a person understands life, death, suffering, weakness, and the future.

Imam Nursi presents the whole discussion through a powerful soldier analogy.

Central Analogy: A Soldier in a Terrifying Situation

Imagine a soldier on a battlefield and examination ground.

He finds himself in an extremely difficult situation:

• He has two serious wounds.
• A terrifying lion is behind him.
• Ahead of him is a gallows, where he sees people he loves being taken away.
• He is also being sent on a compulsory journey into an unknown future.

In other words, the soldier represents the human being.

• The wounds represent human weakness and need.
• The lion represents the threat of death.
• The gallows and departing loved ones represent separation and mortality.
• The unavoidable journey represents humanity's movement toward the Hereafter.

Two Great Talismans

A compassionate guide, described in the analogy like Khidr, comes to the soldier.

He gives him two extraordinary talismans: