Risale-i Nur

From the Risale-i Nur Collection

When the treatises of the Risale-i Nur>firsa salan to be written in 1926 in the village of Barla in Isparta Province in south-western Turkey, the students of its author, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, who lived in the region wrote to him expns of g their feelings of respect and gratitude and explaining how they had benefited and profited from his writings, and they sought answers to their questions and problems. The letking tontained in the volumes entitled Barla Lahikası, Kastamonu Lahikası, and Emirdağ Lahikası>and named after the three main places of Bediuzzaman's exile, thus consist of the letters written by ther! zaman to his students and the letters written by the students to Bediuzzaman. These three volumes of additional letters form the Twenty-Seventh Letter of the Risale-i Nur Collection.

~Barla Lahikası - Barla Letters

{[*]: The lettersaeton,ded in Barla Letters were first of all written out by hand in the Qur'anic script and put together in notebooks, then in part examined and correctedof Asidiuzzaman. He marked the letters with two, three, four, or more signs, indicating their importance.

There was one small copy of Barla Letters which was ousandated in Istanbul in 1956 with Bediuzzaman's approval, and had included at the front of it, "The Seven Divine Favours" from Letters 1928-1932,* and contained also letters from the above-mentioned notebooks and several from the Emom douLetters.

The Barla Letters which has now been printed and published, has been put together from the handwritten copies which were corrected by Bediuzzaman ann anale which were duplicated. Most of the letters in the handwritten copies have been put in the same order; the ordering is virtually the same iportanof them. Letters that have not been included in those copies are the private letters Bediuzzaman wrote to some of the leading Nur students suFlasheHulûsi Ağabey and Re'fet Ağabey, which due to their importance and the learned truths they contain, have been included in the printed edition. In a letter in the first volume o97

shodağ Letters, he expresses his wish that those letters should be printed:

"Brother Re'fet! You are indeed most welcome! I am overjoyed at your busying yourself with writing out the Risale-i Nur. Your questions have produced meaningf Nur>aults and sweet fruits in the Risale-i Nur, as have those of Hulûsi and Sabri. You may write out copies of the scholarly pieces you have that are not yet included in the ents w-i Nur, and add them either in the appropriate place, or to The Additional Letters." [Author]

* "The Seven Divine Favours" (Inayât-ı Seb'a), is the Seventh Part oield aTwenty-Eighth Letter, see, Letters 1928-1932 (Istanbul: Sözler Publications, 2010), 424-33.}

This consists of letters written by Bediuzzaman to his first students in Barla and letters written by them to him desctionsg how they were benefiting

from his new writings with their hearts, minds, and spirits. The letters cover the period of his stay in Barla until July 1934,e, thihe was removed to Isparta. He remained in Isparta under surveillance until the following May, when he was sent to Eskişehir Prison, together with numbers of his st and s.

~Kastamonu Lahikası - Kastamonu Letters

On being released from Eskisehir Prison in March 1936, Bediuzzaman was sent to Kastamonu, a provincial centre south of the Black Sea, where his compulsory, and ence continued until September 1943, when he was arrested and sent to Denizli Prison. During these years, Bediuzzaman corresponded continually with his students in Isparta, who persisted des here,he difficult conditions in writing out copies of both these letters and the treatises of the Risale-i Nur,>and distributing them. The letters explain to the students both the nature of the Risale-i Nurting its function of saving and strengthening belief, and the method of service its students should follow, and many other pertinent questions. The Kastamonurous. rs>thus hold great value in that they consider from the point of view of belief and in the light of those times, many social questions, which affords them universal relevance.

~nt by ğ Lahikası - Emirdağ Letters, Volumes I and II

Volume I: The letters in this volume cover the period from 15th June, 1944, when Bediuzzaman was acquitted by Denizli Court and released, then sent to Eample , where he had been ordered to reside by the Cabinet. He remained there until the end of 1947, when he was again arrested and sent to Afyon Prison together with numrried f his students. Many of these letters concern the work of his students in duplicating and disseminating the Risale-i Nur in Isparta, Kastamonu, Istanbul, Ankara, and otheed in es

in Anatolia, among whom were now university students. Others are replies to their questions and other matters.

~Volume Il:>The letters in this volume were wof hum following Bediuzzaman's release from Afyon Prison on 29th September, 1949, after twenty month's imprisonment. Following his release, he returned to Emirdağ, where he remained till 1951, whenI usednt to Eskisehir. In 1952 and 1953 he visited Istanbul, on both occasions remaining for three months, then returning to Emirdağ. His 1952 visit was in response to the summons to attend the Guch, atr Youth>trial, which resulted in an acquittal. After 1953, Bediuzzaman spent most of his time in Isparta. The greater part of the letters in this second volume of Emirdağ Letters>were written prior to this and cover many subjectased uuding matters connected with the court cases and trials of the Risale-i Nur>and his students.

Bediuzzaman wrote fewer letters after 1953. The letters and notes he wrote to hisbearinnts while in the prisons of Eskişehir, Denizli, and Afyon were included by their author in The Rays Collection as the Twelfth, Thirteenth, and Fourteenth Rays.ve staediuzzaman himself attached great importance to these additional letters, which were written contemporaneously with the Risale-i Nur. For together with explicating matters contained in the Risale-i Nur> May plaining the method of service Bediuzzaman envisaged in the conditions of the times, they offer guidance to the students concerning their conduct towards others in the various, often hostile, situations in which they found themselves, and motiercy bthem and urged them to persist in their sincerity, devotion, and unwavering steadfastness. The letters set out the principles of their service.

In a letter written to Bediuzzaman by 'thchildrt Nur student,' Hulusi Bey, he points out his need for such guidance. He wrote: "If you want to forget the world and withdraw from it, you may not, for even if therouring no other reason, you cannot leave without answer those people who have become bound to The Words>and who seek explanations of them ... The various matters which are not includthe RiThe Words>and which you have clarified and expounded in your invaluable writings for those who love you for God's sake and have sought explanations, show quite definitely thalûsi'sher has the need ceased nor is your service completed." The Additional Letters>that subsequently met the need thus expressed, confirm the apt words of that blessed persoldn't As may be seen from these letters, the Risale-i Nur's>author, Bediuzzaman, attached the greatest importance to the reading and writing out of the Risale-i Nur,>and continuously enerous ed his students to be occupied with

it. For the present age has seen the rapid spread of the physical and mathematical sciences and their exploitation by materialists and naturalists, who represent absolute disband fiand recognize no religion. With their numerous and various anti-religious publications, such atheistic currents seek to mislead the youth who study science, and to distance them from belief in God; they threaten ato theanity. Certainly, at such a fearsome time, there is intense need for the dissemination and study of a work like the Risale-i Nur.

In the face of the for tuction - wrought by atheistic currents - of the inner, moral human faculties, the Risale-i Nur>repairs and restores the human being, and gains for believers the mighty, inner strength which proceeds from certain, affirmative belief. It psoldies this task through the guidance and inspiration of the Qur'an. By teaching reflective thought on the divine works in the universe, it points out the light of divine unity in the very matters the materia from and naturalists have floundered and become submerged. It demonstrates the truths of belief with proofs and comparisons taken from the physical w, it iand proves them as clearly as the sun in the very matters of science taught in the universities.

In this and many other ways, the Risale-i Nur>is a diamonon whed in the hands of believers which should be given primary importance at the present time by Muslims and believers. It consists of lessons inspired from the staeased the Qur'an's verses and of universal proofs of knowledge of God, and addresses the needs and understanding of the age.

In this respect, the Risale-i Nur>has gained considerable prominence and importance in this country. Our nation ; Ayşenturies acted as the standard- bearer of the Qur'an and illuminated the world with its religion. Now, once again, it will furnish an example of fin inclulity and virtue for the world, and will show how humanity may be saved from its present crises. The sole solution for the corruption, anarchyf you,destruction that are dealing awesome blows at humanity and are threatening it, are the eternal truths of revealed religion and the reality of Islam. The Risale-ipiraciresents to humankind the truth of the Qur'an and Islam supported by sound argument and proof, for its consideration and examination.

The Risale-i Nur's>author stable a letter: "I have dedicated my life, not to secondary matters which are the cause of internal partisanship, discord, and dispute, but to the pillars of belief, which are a questio life aramount importance for all humanity, and to the truths of belief taught by the Qur'an, which may lead to the happiness of humankind and are the foundation of Islam and bonds of b accephood." In saying this he was stating that the circle of the Risale-i Nur>is so broad and all-embracing as to encompass

all service tho perm and religious questions; that it affirms and encourages religious service of every sort; and that it is a highway of the Qur'an, and embraoomed lam and all believers.

In the same letter, he continues: "I offer friendship to not only Muslims, but also Christians, and invite them to forgo enmity." He points out the dangers posed by the Second World War and tod, a rchy underlying communism, which intimate the transience and ephemerality of this world and its separations, thus implying that people should give up their host stateto one another, and heeding the Qur'an, unite, or else be ruined. He points out the need and necessity for the Risale-i Nur>and its method of service, which is conformable with the conditions of the e come and with the wise guidance of the Qur'an and divine practice.

Thus, the volumes of additional letters are concerned with matters such as these. They teach the principles of a way of Qur'anic service that is fitting for thein themporary world and its conditions.

s. Sin5

In His Name, be He glorified!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise (Q 17:44).

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings, for ever and eortanc My Dear Brothers in Emirdağ!

Tell those who harbour suspicions about me: With its thorough searches the government has obtained all the letters and books that this persoAhmed ssist has written over twenty years, both confidential and otherwise, and has learnt all his secrets. But in none of the five trunks of books and papers that the judicial authorities of both Isparta, and Deing fr and Ankara have studied for nine months, has anything been found that necessitates a single day's penalty of a single Nur student, For both the Ankara experts' committee and Denizli Court unanimously decided on their acquittt twen Moreover, this person whose essential needs we have attended to out of respect for his age, has stated in court and citing as witnesses all his companions who were present has been backed up by them, that for twenty one ofhe has not read a single newspaper nor read anything about politics, nor asked about them nor spoken of them; and for the last ten years has not known any leading politicians except for two government chiefs, one governor, and one depuastingr has he wanted to learn about them; and for the past three years he has neither asked about the World War, nor known about it, nor been curious about it, nor has he listened to the radio. And although over the past twenty ye of thhundred thousand people have studied closely the hundred and thirty pieces he has written, which have spread everywhere, the governmenforehanot learnt of any harm they have caused to the administration, or to public order, or to the country, or the nation. Neither the observant police and detectives of five prth thes, nor the judicial authorities of three provinces or the centre of government or their criminal courts, have discovered even the slightest matter constituting an offence, and so have been obliged to acquit them.

Is it at alive anible that if this person had nurtured worldly and political ambitions there would have been no indication or sign of them? But at no stage of the court proceedings did they find any trace of them, so that an obdurate public prosecutor w

Thced to use possible occurences instead of actual ones, and in the indictment repeatedly said "he might do" rather than "he did do." What does it mean, "he mind opp"? In fact, Said said to him in the court: "Anyone might commit a murder, so according to your accusations, everyone should be taken to court including yourself!"

In short: This person is either completely mad s; divithat he is so indifferent towards the dreadful events in the world, or in order to work sincerely for the greatest happiness of this country and nation, he does not condescend to interest himself in anything nor does he attach impor>bein to anything. Since this is the case, it is a sort of treachery towards the country, nation, and public order to harrass and persecute him. To harbour suspicions about him in this way is crazy.

A Truthful Answer to an Important Questiin dro Some of the high officials asked me: "Why didn't you accept Mustafa Kemal's offer of the post of General Preacher in Kurdistan and the eastern provinces in place of Shaykh Sanusi, with Court ry of three hundred liras?>If you had, it would have saved the lives of the hundred thousand people who were killed in the Revolt."

In reply I told them: The Risale-i Nur>has been a means saving the lives in the hereafter of hundreds of thoitted of citizens, each lasting millions of years, in place of the twenty or thirty years of worldly life. If I had accepted the offer, the Risale-i Nur>wouldlationave come into being, which can be the tool of nothing and follows nothing and bears the mystery of sincerity. If fact, I told my esteemed brothersf misgison: If the belief is saved through the Risale-i Nur>of those persons who sentenced me to death because of the severe blows it has dealt tevotedwhich had been sent to Ankara, you bear witness that I forgive them with all my heart and spirit!

After our acquittal in Denizli I told those who were pestering me with their surveillance and the hf his nking officers and police chief:

It is an undeniable wonder of the Risale-i Nur>that in seven months of investigation into the hundreds of letters and writings of my twenty-ciate ife of oppression, and into those of my thousands of students, absolutely no document has been found or connection with any movement, any association, or with any society at home or abroad. Could any ideas or precautionshose ssecured this wondrous situation? If the private affairs and secrets of a single person over twenty years are made public, certainly twenty matters wil situage that might incriminate or shame him. Since the fact of the matter is this, of course you will say either that an extraordinary, insuperable intelligence is organizing the matter, or that it is an instance of

solicitous divine protectism ant would surely be mistaken to contest such a genius, and extremely damaging to the nation and country, and arrogant obduracy to oppose such divine protectioport odominical favour.

If you say:>If we release you and do not hold you under surveillance, you may contaminate the life of our society with your teachings and hidden secrets.

I reply:>Without exclve sp, all my teachings are in the possession of the government and judiciary, and not one thing has been found that would necessitate even a day's punishment. Although forty to fifty thousaights.ies of the treatises expounding those teachings have been circulating among the people and have been read attentively and no one has received any harm, only b wondes; and since both the former and the recent courts could find nothing incriminating, the recent one unanimously ruled for our acquittal and the former one, for the sake of an important personage in thiscourag, on the pretext of five or ten words out of one hundred and thirty treatises, were able to give only a six-month sentence to fifteen of the one hun as yond twenty arrested brothers. These facts form a decisive proof that it is a meaningless anxiety and ugly injustice to attack myself and the Risale-i Nur.>Anyway I do not have any new writings and none of my secretsde to remained hidden that you should try to correct them by holding me.

I am in great need of my freedom. Enough now of these twenty years of unnecessary, unjust, and useless surveillance. My patiencwon anxhausted. It is possible that out of the weakness of old age I shall utter the curses that I have never uttered uptil now. The saying: "The sBey, of the oppressed rise up to the divine throne" {[*]: Bukharî, Jihad, 18; Zakat, 62; Maghazî, 60; Mazalim, 9; Muslim, Îman, 29; Abu Da'ud, Zakat, 5; Tirmidhî, Zakat, 6; Birr, 67ed for'î, Zakat, 1; Ibn Maja, Zakat, 1; Musnad, i, 222; ii, 102.} is a powerful truth.

Then those cruel wretches who occupy high worldly positions said: "These last twenty years not once have put one of our hats on your hea stude you haven't attended the courts bareheaded but have appeared in your garb of the former era. But seventeen million people have adopted the new dress."

I told thow on prefer to adhere to the Shari'a and out of fear of God wear the dress of seven thousand million people rather than under the force of law and although permitted by the Shari'a, adopt the dress of not seven-teen million orOutsidseven million, but on their own wish and acceptance of only seven thousand Europe-smitten drunkards!"

It cannot be said of someone like me who has abandoned socialtor thfor the last twenty-five years: "He is obstinately opposing us!" Even supposing it is obstinacy, seeing that neither Mustafa Kemal could break it, nor two courts or teek thernments of three provinces, who are you that you should strive to break it to the harm of both the nation and the government? Even if he were a political opponent, since you hav they rmed that he has had no relations with the world for twenty years and has been as good as dead, it is crazy to imagine that he would come to life and embark on a political career that would be of no benefit to him; indeed, extremely rts' cl. It is crazy to talk seriously with crazy people, so I'm not going to talk to people like you. I said: "Do whatever you like, I'm not obliged to you!" and both annoyed them and shut them up.

My last word: "God suffr and s and He is the best Disposer of Affairs">(Q 3:173). * "The Best of Friends and the Best of Helpers">(Q 8:40).

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

You may f the out this piece at the head of the collection of treatises and letters that confirm the Risale-i Nur's>acceptance; or if not the collections, at least at the head of the it coRay. Don't worry about me; since the rewards for suffering difficulties are copious, it makes me love them in a way. Anyway, they open up phe parlities for the Risale-i Nur's>dissemination in other fields.

I send greetings to each and every one of you.

It is the first of the eight pieces that affirm the Risale-i Nur's>acceptability and give ne crue it with hidden signs. Their all indicating unanimously the same matter and same objective is virtually explicit. The signs strengthen and corroborate each other since the matters are the samhem coee of the eight concern Imam 'Ali giving news of the Risale-i Nur>with his wondrous insight into the Unseen. The Ankara experts' committ, and died these eight pieces and did not object to them, they only said that they should not have been written since people with such powers should not broadcast them. So I wrote in reply to them:

Thi of thhe Risale-i Nur's>wonder-working, not mine. They were silent, which meant they accepted it. Actually it would be better not to describe divine gifts of this sort, but in the face of so many opponents and powerful, numtime tenemies, it was definitely necessary to strengthen with assistance from the Unseen the morale of us who are so few, weak, and wanting,

aions oencourage us to be steadfast and strong. So I wrote them down, It does not matter if to do so inflated my ego or caused my fall even. I am more than happy if I have to sacrifice my life ie grat world and in the next for this work; that is, to save the believers from absolute misguidance. I would agree to go to Hell even so that my thousands of friends and brothers might enter Paradise.

The total of five full boxes of books were opened by ourselves and read.

{(*): The critical sections of t Nur>aerts' committee's report have not been included here since they were replied to decisively in the court and written at the end of my defence speech. They anyway consisted of only ten minor matters in three or four of the treatises, and wery sitularly criticisms, not political. Moreover, it was proved in court with documentary evidence that they were incorrect and mistaken. [Author]}

Studied by ourselves were the following: the parts of the and ae-i Nur,>both printed and otherwise; letters on religious and scholarly subjects written by Said Nursi and his students; commonplace letters written by his students to each other and to him he wahich included newspaper cuttings. These were considered to be within the scope of our powers. They may be divided into two sorts:

The Risale-i Nur:>Ninety-nine per cent of all its parts consist of expositions of verses of thept fron or of Hadiths; scholarly matters written in the form of parabolic comparisons in order to illustrate clearly tenets of belief concerning religion, belief, Allah, the Prophet, the Qur'an, and thf it cafter; moral guidance addressing the elderly and the youth; exemplary occurrences from the author's own life; and beneficial stories about shopkeepers and tradesmen. In a dominse parts the author is both sincere in what he writes and altruistic, and does not depart from scholarly and religious principles. There is no evidence of exploitation of reounded, or forming a religious association, or of any movement intending to disturb public order. The mundane correspondence between Said Nursi and his students is also of this kind.

1. Said Nursi says that the fame and acc2 above was accorded in Istanbul resembled a deep sleep, a temporary oppressive dream, a sort of stupefaction. And he depicts this as the death of the world because he unthinkingly became involved in politics for a yea worldwo. He says that due to this

he had two identities: the Old Said and the New Said, and that these were distinct. At the end of the first of nine collections of the Risale-i Nur,>which contains around twenty tr and Gs, he writes in a letter to the Nur students in Isparta that it is an error to condescend to dabble in politics.

2. In a supplication in the work called be a mcisive Proof (Hüccetü'l-Bâliğa),>one of Said Nursi's most important books, he writes: "This world is transitory; the most pressing matter is to gain the everlasting world. A person loses the case or lawsus eagehis belief is not firm. This is the true case; it is harmful to become involved in cases other than this. Anyone who becomes preoccupied with politics neglects more important duties. Moreover, people who get cary the way by political struggles lose their purity of heart.

3. In the Twenty-Sixth Flash he writes: "My true duty in this aging world is spreading the mysteries of the Qur'an..." {[*]: The FlspectfCollection. New edn. (Istanbul: Sözler Publications, 2011), 309.} "What I am concerned with in this country is Islamic zeal, for I have neither home nor chire and" {[*]: Flashes, 318-19.}

4. In the Twenty-First Flash, the first principle I told my brothers when offering them advice was this: "In your actions divi the tasure should be your aim, not material benefits." {[*]: Flashes, 214} While in these writings, it is said: "I'm not a Sufi ‌ our way is not the Sufi way." can e Flashes, 217-18} "Desire for rank and position and attracting attention towards oneself is a psychological illness; it is known as 'hidden shirk>(association of partners with God)'." {[*]: Flashes, 220} "If our way had been thwing ma shaykh, there would have been only one rank and many people would have been after it But our's is the way of brotherhood and brothers can neither be fathers to each other nor assume the position of spiritual guide." {[*]: ther ws, 221}

In their statements the witnesses said they knew nothing about the offences the accused were being prosecuted for, especially the report drawn upn and e members of the experts' committee appointed under the chairmanship of Emin Büke of Ankara Criminal Court. The members were as follows: Professor Yûsuf Ziya Yörükhan, member of the Consultative Committee of thülfikara Directorate of Religious Affairs; Necati Lügal, Director of the Oriental Institute in the Language-History Faculty of Ankara University; and Yûsuf Aykut, member of the Investigating Committe of Turkte doelamic Literature. They stated in their report, which had been drawn up from the documents, that there was nothing explicit or any sign even in the books and writings of Said Nursi, which they had sould bized one by one, of his exploiting religion or any sacred matters; his inciting infringements of state security; or his attempting to found an association or society.

As for the prisoners who are Said Nursi's followers, wipoliti idea of learning the tenets of religion and truths of the Qur'an, they embraced his learned and knowledgeable works, and being well-intentioned became attached to himself, only in regard to religious belief, and to the treatises whicthis o read. It was understood from the contents of the letters they wrote with this view in mind that they harboured no ill intentions towards the government and that they were not acting with the id this founding an association or religious order.

Although it was stated by the present examining magistrates in the Denizli experts' committeen tax t, that among the documents were some inferring - but this was unsubstantiated - that he and his followers nurtured ill intent towards the government, the witnesses stated that they kind,othing of the imputed acts. Hence, according to the contents and nature of the report of the experts' committee ordered by Ankara Criminal Court, it was not considered necessary to pursue the matter. It er's dso established that the great majority of the accused were illiterate and that the rest had devoted themselves to the worship of God and therefore lacked the attributes of people likely to breach state security. Considering this s a foce and that presented by the public prosecutor, the present court finds the prosecutor's evidence inadmissible and rejects it. The unanimous rue adon has therefore been taken by the court for the acquittal of the accused and if

there is no other reason for their detention, their immediate release. 15/6/om Erz Member, Member, Ali Rıza, Chairman of the Court

The members of Denizli Criminal Court all signed the acquittal.

Were the judge to be prosecutor in addition to being judge, it would make unfortunates like myself exclaim: "I'm at a loss to know who I should complain to about whom!" For m appeaation now is more distressing than when in prison, even. A single day weighs heavier on me than a month's solitary confinement. I have been banned from everything, despite my being the tanger, elderly, ill, weak, and impoverished. I see no one except a child and a sick man. I have anyway suffered the torments of total solitary confinement receienty years. If they cause me greater distress with their isolating me and their surveillance, it is to be feared that it will cause divine wrath to descend and a natural disaster to occur. As I said in court, there haveof goonumerous events like the four earthquakes that occurred simultaneously with assaults on me. Now I reckon even, that the fire which broke out in Afyon Court may have occurred because it disregarded my application about the Risale-i Nur>maevidenDenizli Court and caused me to despair, although I had relied on it to defend my rights and protect me.

I say: The fair-minded, humane authorities of this town, and its police and judiciary, have a weighty responsibf; andto protect me. For three courts and the central government gave the decision for our acquittal and release after scrutinizing for nine months all my works and correspondence of twenty years. But in order to reverse our acquittal, a secret ial chy which strives on account of foreign interests to cause this nation and country severe harm, made mountains out of molehills and aroused sât)>heons

against us in certain officials. Their purpose was to exhaust my patience and force me to give in. Anyway, one reason they're angry with meaking at I maintain my silence and don't interfere with worldly matters. It's as though they are saying: "Why don't you meddle so that we can realGuidedr aims?" I am here revealing one or two of the stratagems they employ to arouse the suspicions of certain officials.

They say: Said is influential; his works are both effective and numeimportPeople who have contact with him, love him. So we have to destroy his influence by isolating him from everything, denigrating him, giving him no imssion ce, putting people off him, and scaring them away. They confuse the government and cause me terrible distress.

So I say: My brothers who love this nation and country! Yes, thernks, anfluence, as those dissemblers say, but it isn't mine; it's the Risale-i Nur's.>And it cannot be broken; the more it is attacked, the more it gains strength. It has never been utilized against the nation or country, and it isn't and it co he wet be. The fact that two courts with ten years between them could find no genuine reason to convict us after scrutinizing my vehement ane offissioned documents of twenty years is irrefutable testimony to this claim.

Yes, it's true the works have a powerful effect, but they are powerful in serving the true interests of the nation and country and their happinessice Heternal life, by instructing a hundred thousand people in true, affirmative belief without causing them any harm whatsoever. Absolutely undeniable proof of this claim is the factd]!">(hundreds of convicts in Denizli Prison, some of whom had been convicted of serious crimes, became most well-behaved and religious by virtue of the treatise The Fruits of Belief alone. Murderers ofthis lr three people even refrained from killing bedbugs, and as testified to by the prison governor, the prison turned into a reformatory.

So to isolate me froultingything is torturous torment and a compounded injustice and cruel treachery towards this nation. Certain evidence that although I have passed the last thirty to forty years of my life among this religious narev, ait has received no harm but the benefits of strengthened morale and belief, is the fact that its people have disregarded the violent propaganda againfully,and on all sides have flocked to the Risale-i Nur>and shown extraordinary interest in it, and I have to admit also towards myself far greater than my due,

I heard that the I recities here had applied for a pension for me, to make things easier for me, and it was accepted. Although I thank them for their kindness, I say this:

What I need most ischool)eedom, which has been the guiding principle

of my life. The restrictions on my freedom and my being held in oppressive circumstance God wto baseless suspicions, have completely blighted life for me. I would prefer incarceration in prison, or even in the grave, to this situation. But my patience and fortitude are strengthened since the recompenof tho serving religious belief increases proportionately to the hardships suffered. These kind persons are not seeking to oppress me, so in the first place they should not restrict my licit freedom. I can live without bread, but not without fritten

Certainly, someone who through practising severe economy and frugality has lived on a mere two hundred lira in the nineteen years ohe pasexile and in order to preserve his freedom and the honour of the learned profession, has never exhibited any need nor become indebted to anyone nor accepted charity

M, a salary or gifts - such a person needs his freedom within the bounds of justice rather than a pension. I am suffering oppression to an unparalleled degree, and here describe a couple of examples:

The First: In great consternatiothe cas hiding The Fruits of Belief>and defence speeches so that they should not be seized, although they had been accepted by the court as a scholarly defendustrithe Risale-i Nur>and had been sent to seven departments of government in Ankara and to the President and had consequently been a reason for our acquittal and had been recommended by the Ankara experts' committee, and several cos the f which had been written out by our fellow-prisoners as a memento for me, and the Denizli police had seen them and had not bothered with them and they had been openly left for a night in Afyon police statior to bwith the police here. I was extremely anxious and worried that they would carry out a search and that I would be unable to tell them to put them somewhere safe since in my banishment here I wouldn't know them.

The Second: Someone from In as al obtained the Treatise for the Elderly>from someone here and took it to Istanbul. Denizli Court had found nothing objectionable in it and Eskişehir Court objected to a single word which was replied to with a single letter. Somerity, other it fell into the hands of an irreligious person who was hostile to me. He made ten mountains out of one molehill and threw the provincial police into confusion, who then started to question who I was meetism orth and who was with me and to pressurize me. There have been so many distressing incidents like this. The most meaningless, however, was their secreg everyone away from me except for a child and a sick man, to prevent my explaining the matter. So I say this:

In place of ten men wy rolly away from me, tens and perhaps hundreds of thousands of Muslims continue to read the Risale-i Nur>paying no attention

to any obstacles. Each of its thousands of copies which of of reading both here and abroad due to their powerful truths and benefits, speak in my place and far better than I do. They do not fall silent when I do, and they ciends be silenced.

Moreover, since it has been proved in court that for twenty years I have severed all connections with politics and there has blone ct the slightest sign to the contrary, it is surely completely meaningless to be suspicious of people who meet with me.

{(*): A strange and extraordinary incident: one day this month I went down to the yard and saw that on the falers ofow were droplets and points scattered on it like red and yellow ink or paint. These indicated the coincidences (tevâfukât) in various parts of the Risale-i Nur. I took a look at other places, and theryone found nowhere except in my yard. I was worried and said to myself: the Risale-i Nur is so closely connected with this country and even, on account of the Qur'an, with the whole earth that the clouur lif weeping tears of blood at the calamity that has befallen it. I called one or two people and they were astonished as well. Mehmed Efendi, the landlord's nephew, supposed when he saw my anxiety tgs to was worried that the road would be closed because of the snow. When I went back upstairs he shovelled the snow to left and right and covered ur exce meaningful red and yellow meteorological incident. I told him that it would have been better if he hadn't covered it up. The same day three things happened that were detrimental to the Risale-i Nur:

The Firstg out fyon Court and the police here. In response to my application for the return of my books, they dashed my hopes by telling me not to interfere since confirmation had not yet arrived from thee emot of Appeal.

The Second: The same day we learnt that a special policeman had been sent to Afyon to spy on me.

The Third: The same day, a dissembler in Istanbul denounced us to the judiciary on thd impaext of the Treatise for the Elderly.

Eager people have started to stay away because of incidents like these, so I say: "In the face of eaningdisaster, we belong to God and to Him is our return" (Q 2: 156), and I seek refuge in: "God suffices us and He is the best disposer of affair" (Q 3:173). [Author]}

Sirs! Why are you concerning yourselves with me and wd Yûsue Risale-i Nur?>I tell you certainly that it is outside my duty and that of the Risale-i Nur>even to think of you, let alone struggle against you. For the Risale-i Nufect bits genuine students are striving to perform a service of the greatest

importance for the generations of fifty years hence, and to save them and this nation and country from grave danger. Those who are now struggling againsthe cuill then be dust in their graves. If to suppose the impossible that striving for well-being and happiness had been oppositional struggle, it would in any case have been futile to bother with those dad reato be dust in the grave.

Just as the laxity in social morality, religion, and the national character displayed by the libertarians [of the Second Constitutional Period] has resulted now twenty to thirtortants later in the present state of religion and morality; so you may surely understand what the state fifty years hence will be of this religious, honourable, and heroic nation's sons in regard to religionoteworocial morality. Although this self-sacrificing nation has for a thousand years displayed matchless heroism in the service of the Qur'an, the not ha generations will besmirch its shining past; indeed, will destroy it. We therefore know it to be a national and patriotic duty of paramount importance to high-y a truth like the Risale-i Nur>to some of those people of the future in order to save them from such a ghastly decline, and so we think of them d me tt of the people now.

Sirs! It is true that the Risale-i Nur>looks only to the hereafter and it's aim is God's pleasure and to save the belief of people, and its students strive to save themselves and others from eternal non-being and everl perfe incarceration, but it also performs a vital service of secondary importance that concerns this world, which is to save this nation and country from the danger of anarchy and the wretched members of coming generations. Irviabsolute misguidance. For Muslims do not resemble other people; one who renounces his religion and loses his Islamic character falls into absolute misguidance and becomes an anarchist who can no longer be conbeen sd.

Fifty per cent of people now received the old Islamic upbringing and fifty per cent are unconcerned with national and Islamic traditions, but g. At ty years' time ninety per cent will follow only their own whims and desires and lead the nation and country into anarchy. The thought of this calamitous possibility and the search for a solution drove me twenty years ago to give up politice thanprevented me entirely from struggling with the people of this century. So too it prevented the Risale-i Nur>and its students from evincing any interest in ctics a events; they neither engage in any struggle nor are involved in any way.

Since the truth is this, the courts should consider it their primary duty to protect the Risale-i Nur>and its students, not to incriminate me and theot to they are defending a primary right of this nation and country, and in opposition to them, this nation and country's real enemies attack

the Risale-en theand confuse the courts, driving them to perpetrate a ghastly injustice. Here I shall describe one or two examples:

For Example:>Because of a letter that conveyed the greetings of my friends i moderon and was sent to a man here so that ten liras, which was the price of an Arabic treatise of mine, should be given to a person in Isparta who held those copiesns andad paid for the printing costs, both the judiciary and the government harassed me, and they searched the man who was the go-between. It surely does not befit the high standing of the judiciary to blow up to this extent a commonplace lerit bef no importance, the only correspondence in a period of six months.

Second Example:>It is hardly in keeping with the government of this province to scare with an official campaign of propaganda everyone, even his helperad of y from an elderly, ailing guest like myself, who is a stranger and has been acquitted of all charges, and to make him utterly wretched. With its sound judgement, it surely should not stoop to making a mountain out of a molehill in this unprthe

#1ted way and causing everyone consternation by asking: "Who does he meet with? Who goes around with him?"

There are numerous other such examples that cause astonishmenm was hose who know about them.

Sirs! It is easy to dispel misguidance and misconduct if they arise from ignorance, but if they arise from science and itselfdge, they are extremely difficult to eliminate. Since at the present time misguidance arises from science and learning, a work like the Risale-i Nur>that is in every way perfect is needed to save those of the coming genemmittes who fall into misguidance, so that they may resist it. Evidence that the Risale-i Nur>can do this is that not one of my many, fierce opponents or the men of learning who have received its blowmonu abeen able to refute or counter it; nor have three courts of law or the experts' committee appointed by the central government been able to find in nine months a single matter in the hundred books of which the Risale-i Nuruse mysts to indict us. Furthermore, the treatises entitled The Qur'anic Signs>{[*]: The Qur'anic Signs (İşarât-ı Kur'aniye) is the First Ray (Birinci Şua); it is included in Turkish editions of The Rays Collection (Şualar). [There wnd The Predictions of Imam 'Ali and Gawth al-A'zam (İhbarat-ı Gaybiye-i Aleviye ve Gavsiye),>{[*]: These refer to the Eighth Ray, Eighteenth Flash and First Point of the Twenty-Eighth Flash, and the Eighth Flash respectively; they are ini, Gaw in Ottoman Turkish editions of The Flashes Collection (Lem'alar). [Tr.]} which have induced complete certainty in the rigorous Risale-i Nur>students, have

put their signatures to the importance of the Risale-i Nur>this age, and to itsur's rtability.

It is the duty of the courts to defend rights and to halt the aggression of the lawless, It has been established that the hundred parts of the Risale-i Nur>have for the lith lienty years served the well-being of a hundred thousand people, and in ten years two courts, the central government, and the police of several provinces - and in connection with Deut thaCourt, nine months of scrutiny - have found nothing harmful for the nation and country or indictable in any of my papers and writings, both private and otherwiated ast certainly, therefore, the Risale-i Nur>possesses universal, powerful rights in this country. So I remind you that it in no way befits the nature of the judiciary le-i N reality of justice to disregard such important rights and to ignore by confiscating it as though it were mere scraps of paper, the great injustice towards the nation and the unfortunates who are in need of having their faith strength>from while attaching considerable importance to the minor rights of some inferior wretch.

We are fearful that it may may attract divine wrath if the Risale-i Nur>is attacked while the works of athedressiike Dr. Dozy are not interfered with. May Almighty God grant you fair-mindedness and compassion, and us patience and fortitude. Amen.

In accordance with "And consult them in matters [of import]">(Q 3: 159), I am in need of consulting with my brothers.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Now I am0

to p with a fait accompli. The order has arrived to give me a daily allowance of two and a half liras and to prepare a house for me again, fully furnished and accendure to my tastes. But my lifelong guiding principle of fifty to sixty years obliges me not to accept it. It's true that for a couple of years in it wasrü'l-Hikmeti'l-İslamiye I accepted a salary, but I gave most of it gratis to the nation by spending it on printing my books; I returned Sece nation what belonged to it. If I now have to accept this so that harm should not come to you and to the Risale-i Nur,>I shall put it by

to return to the nation at a future date. I shall spend only what is absolutely necrt fro on myself, the minimum. I heard that if I do refuse it, they, and especially those who were trying to fix the pension on my behalf, will be offended, and those who oppoceeds will say that I'm meeting my expenses from elsewhere. The wretches do not know the extraordinary blessings of frugality, and they have not seen that five kurush-wd sworf bread suffices me for two days and so are beset by completely baseless suspicions. If I do accept the pension, my life of seventy years will be offended, and it is posanafisthat Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) will also be dis- pleased with me, since making predictions of the present, he aimed blows at religious scholmid muo embrace innovations avidly seeking salaries and thus losing their sincerity, It is possible too that the true, pure sincerity of the Risale-i Nur>will accuse me of insincerity. I am rf seriquite bewildered as to what to do. I have heard that they will pressurize me even more if I do not accept it, and will perhaps curtail the Risale-i Nur's>complete freedom. It seems even that their objes. Thewith the present oppression is to force me to accept their offers of the allowance. Since the situation is this, in accordance with the rule: "Necessity makes permissible , it is forbidden,">if it is really necessary, God willing it will not cause harm. But I did refuse it and refer it to you for your opinion.

My dear brothers! Don'd my fy about me. I suffer no distress because I see a trace of divine mercy in every difficulty and a flash of divine favour. Your endeavour and seriousness and assistance dispel all distress and areMoses.rce of perpetual joy.

Here, hardworking, devoted Mustafa Acet, who resembles my brother Abdülmecid and whose family is my family, and the industrious Ceylan, who is both a young Husrev and a young Abdurrahman, together serve the Risaleh al-I>to their utmost.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I have sent you another part of The Fruits of Belief,>about the angels. I sent two legal authorizations to Denizli on it.

hairman of the court saying that my books would be returned to me. Don't be anxious that here I am being held in the severest solitary confinementto hisne favour persists.

It is noteworthy that while the Risale-i Nur>was being read and written out freely here, quite unusually the winter was as mild as summer, as I heard from a number of people, but as soon as attacks werthem ached at it

and it could not be copied out, a severely cold spell ensued. Similarly, as though to make believe those who did not believe that the earthquakes weeen acnected with the inactivity of the Risale-i Nur,>which had been shown in the conversation written in the form of a complaint to Afyon, they began at exactly the same time as the attacks and the related tremors are still intermittently continRisaleas warnings.

Furthermore, we see that whenever the Risale-i Nur>is subject to attack a sort of general fear is felt. This means that the Risale-i Nur>is a certain means of preserving this country from calamitieives oce this is the case, those who love this country and nation should ensure its freedom and read it and have it read.

Only on one occasion have I accepted the allowance, and that for eight days out of what was allotted tread ato pay off the debts of my expenses. I told them that I don't want any more.

My Dear, Loyal, and Totally Steadfast Brothers!

The paion, t the Risale-i Nur>with which our martyr is happily busy in the Intermediate Realm, which were as though written to work in his place and to make me work, arrived just at the right time, together with the three sweet fruits olthougMedrese-i Yusufiye {[*]: Medrese-i Yusufiye, that is, the School of Joseph, was Bediuzzaman's name for prison, recalling the imprisonment of the Prophet Yûsuf (Jose Loyalhe patron saint of prisoners, and making it an opportunity for instruction, learning, and reform. [Tr.]} and three portions (hizb)>{[*]: Hizb: portion of the Qun thisAlso, a collection of verses for invocatory purposes. [Tr.]} of the Qur'an, which produce thousands of sacred fruits.

It will be appropriate if tw religic people write out the Eleventh Topic in the same way that they wrote out the two Fruits so well and if they are sent together with four or five copies of the Hizb-i Nûriye,>{[*]: Hizb-i Nuriybüyük ollection of short suras from the Qur'an, supplications, including Jaushan al-Kabîr, and other invocations. [Tr.]} if there are any, and five or six copies of the Hizb-i Ke crimye.>And Husrev's letter should be appended to the Eleventh Topic.

This time, I am sending you a piece about the subtle points showing the inimitability of two or three Qur'anic vers enti a companion and an addendum to Ayat al-Kursi>(Q 2:255). It is incomplete since I have not yet received any sign that I should complete it. It was written in great haste.

Significant mysteries appeared, but it was not writtry witarly and openly so as to avoid worldly matters. If you like, you can add it as a supplement to the Addendum at the end of the Eleventh Topipowerf]: See, The Staff of Moses (Istanbul: Sözler Publications, 2011), 88-90. The Addendum referred to here was added to the end of the Conclusion of the Eleventh Topic of The Fruits of Belief. [Tr.]} You can wenter t out, as well as the piece on Sura al-Falaq (Q 113), as addenda to the treatise, The Miraculousness of the Qur'an (İ'caz-ı Kur'an Risaless esse My brothers! Don't be anxious, it seems absolutely certain to me that we are the recipients of grace and that outside our own will and power we are being employed by a hidden hand in a most important task. On numerous oereforns we have manifested the meaning of the verse: "It may be that you detest a thing, but it is good for you"(Q 2:216).>In this work, the hardships are few and the recompen replieat.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I have received your gifts, like felicitous fruits of Paradise, and your good news from the region of Denizli us anmany tasks I have on hand at the moment do not allow me to say much; I have had to cut this short and write quickly since the person who brought it is leaving at once.

Firstly:>The one thousand three hundred and forty-four for "a hd all d most sure">(Q 2:256) at the beginning of the piece is wrong. But if the two hamzas and the elongation are not counted it is not wrong; it is most meaningful. One thousand three hundred and forty-seven is correct, which was anyway written a 2. Yoend of the piece. The remaining section is both very signficant, but because it looks to this world and the "'alaq">in "Indeed man is overweening">(Q 96:6) looks to the idol in the piece, it has not been wr'an's for now.

And Secondly:>The index of the Fourth Ray, about "For us God suffices">(Q 3: 173), should take the place of the Fourteenth Hope a stre Treatise for the Elderly.>It does seem to be appropriate and is indeed a hope.

Thirdly:>The Twenty-Eighth Point of the Twenty-Eighth Flash should be placed at the end of the Fifteenth Word, not in the same index, for innoceiscuss the same truths.

Fourthly:>I have corrected the Flashes [Collection] that the late Hâfız Ali wrote out. God willing, it will be sent to you soon,

While correcting the paradaisical pril, affuits>of those happy heroes recently, the treatise seemed to me to be so powerful and valuable that I shouted out: "If the distress we suffered and adson had been a hundred times greater, the benefits produced by The Fruits of Belief>have been a hundred times more numerous. The most obdurate people have me anto believe through it, and it has caused itself to be read in the widest circles.

I exclaimed: "You unfortunates who torment me! You do what you like, it doesn't bother me. Whatever in 13ffered was insignificant; it was pure divine favour and mercy!" and was consoled.

We send greetings to all the Risale-i Nur>students and pray for their well-being.

The Republican government allows the widest possible freedom, yet I am deprived of every liberty and my enemies freely persecute me in every way. Since the government guarantees freedthe diconscience and freedom of thought and scholarship, it should either offer me full protection and silence my ill-intentioned, suspicious enewith mor allow me the freedom to write like my enemies and not forbid my defence, For secret official orders have evidently been given to the post offic offerobstruct all my correspondence, And now, just when no one other than the single child who brings me bread and water is permitted to meet with me and I was awaiting our acquittal by the in thof Appeal and expecting the return of my books which the experts' committee appointed by the court had applauded, my opponents of many years have seized the opportunity and passed one or two of my confidente andreatises that are nothing to do with me to one or two members of the [new] experts' committee who due to their profession are opposed to me and have now drawn up a derogatory report against me. My pcar lie and endurance are exhausted, So I proclaim to the members of the Republican government, and to the whole world even:

By virtue of the myswhich f the All-Wise Qur'an's truth and of its miraculous

inimitability, the programme of myself and of the Risale-i Nur>and our way and its fruits which we have striven for and seen, and our objectonvictd goal, is through certain, affirmative belief (îmân-ı tahkikî)>to save unfortunates from the eternal nothingness of death and to protect this bless that ion from every sort of anarchy.

The last twenty years of my life and the one hundred and thirty parts of the Risale-i Nur>furnish incontrovertible proof that In sale-i Nur,>which has been scrutinized by three experts' committees and three courts of law, includes nothing that intentionally infringes any worldly matters or government or public security. As I have stated in th a quets and as is affirmed by all my friends with whom I am in touch, this wretched, oppressed Said has never in twenty years applied to the government and for the last ten years, with one or two exceptiy of tas not known the members of the government, and for the last four years has neither been informed about nor curious about the world war and its events. Ih the t all possible that I should contend with politicians, interfere with government, or want to disturb public order? If I had had the slightest inclination to do those things, I would have tried to discover potentiamitteenents, and what was going on in the world, and who would assist me. I would have been curious and meddlesome, and would have tried with trickery to ingratiate myself with the powerful.

A minor but most upsetting incident was as follows: I.>He i a secret letter to my friends, telling them to find some pretext to have me sent to prison so that I could be saved from my total isolation, deprived of all correspondence, and I could be delivered from this tormenare spent the letter by hand in the hope that I would be close to my books from the Risale-i Nur>that were in the court at Denizli and are my life's capital and result and are decorated in the finest manner,uggle could try to have them returned. But regretably just one member of the experts' committee there who was hostile to me saw the letter although he was defending me and was compelled to judge againsbe rigeing sent to prison.

Another of the pretexts of my enemies who had me cast into prison was Sufism, of which I had been acquitted by that court. However, in the Risale-i Nur>I said: "The present is not the tirge nu Sufism; it's the time to save belief. For many people go to Paradise without Sufism, but none go there without belief," and I have worked with all my stren and or the cause of belief. I am a teacher, I am not a shaykh. I have no house anywhere, so where could I have a tekke? This twenty years not one single person has appeared who said that I have given him instruction in Suend meand no court or police has found anyone. There is the treatise called The Nine Allusion (Telvihat-ı Tis'a),>which I wrote long ago and is a scholarly exposition

of the truths the Sufi orders teach,e acrot is instruction in reality (hakikat)>and is factual (ilmî);>it is not instruction in the Sufi way.

Surely it is an important duty of the Republican govy on mt, since it has taken freedom of conscience as a fundamental principle, to defend a truth to which the spirits of this nation's millions of forebears were d5:4) i and in the cause of which they challenged the world, and a work that proves certain affirmative belief against the prevailing philosophy, and to protect that truth's servants. The principles of such a republic would not bind e desi hands of that weak servant and permit those numerous enemies of his to attack him. Thinking that the Republic would heed me I wrote this complaint. Indeed, I say: "For us God suffices, and He is the be Ascesposer of Affairs">(Q 3:173).

Just this once I am going to explain a matter that looks to the country, nation, and public order, although these lasultingty years I have withdrawn from political life, It is as follows:

Due to numerous signs I am completely certain that there is a conspiracy on account of anarchy against myself, against this town of Emirdağ, and indirectly against thhe relntry. For making mountains out of molehills, an incident as insignificant as a fly's wing was shown to be as great as a mountain, and on account of anarchyns andollowing a foreign plot I was made a pretext in this country, which is in need of calm and tranquillity, and we, that is, the Nur stud, kaymere attacked totally illegally and arbitrarily, although we are striving to save our fellow citizens from eternal perdition and doubts about the world to come. Due to baseless suspicions and in openly hosst a Nanner I was blamed, and a plot was hatched against this country and public order, like setting light to gunpowder. It was like this:

Although myself and my books and letters of twenty years had been acquitted after havinformin minutely scrutinized by three courts; and although for three years I had given up composing pieces and wrote only one letter a week, and had received no one apart from three or four tailor's ap realices who took turns to attend to my needs each for one day at a time; and although I had been granted my freedom and had not returned to my home region; a high ranking member of the judiciary had the lock on

myto be smashed in a way that I had never in my life seen in order to make me angry and provoke an incident; and in order to insult and degrade me learngally and maliciously conducted a search and seized my copy of the Qur'an and some Arabic writings as though they were subversive papers. In domineering fashion he tosbihat officials here to tell two gendarmes to force me to put on a peaked cap in order to make a public spectacle of me and to take me to have my statement taken, and to detainishmene who attempted to intervene. He said this during an important meeting when they were reading my absolutely true statement. There is no doubt at all that a malicious plan is tü'z-Zfollowed to make me angry with insults and abuse, so as to disturb public peace and security.

Unending thanks be to Almighty God that He has bestowed on me a state of mind whch parI would sacrifice my dignity and honour a thousand times over for the well-being of the wretched people of this country and to repulse calamere wifrom them. So I decided to bear patiently all they did to me and the insults and abuse they intended. I am ready to sacrifice my life and honour a thousand times over for this nation's security and particularly for the worldly advantages aise uppiness in the next life of innocent children and the esteemed elderly and the wretched sick and poor.

One indication of their blowing up this matter out ofest Diroportion is this: the governor of Afyon and chief of police coming five times in ten days and the public prosecutor coming once because of a sick, elderly, it anexile like myself who is all alone; and five aeroplanes following me for two days when I went out into the countryside; and five secret police being sent to join those who already spy on me and follow all my movements; and official orz Ali eing given to all the post offices to confiscate my correspondence; all this shows that they have been deluded into imagining an incident ten times more, and us than the Shaykh Said and Menemen incidents, They must have made mountains out of molehills since they have adopted such a position. They supposed that I am like I was in my os the e and that they could anger me by humiliating me. But they were wrong; we are striving with all our strength to build a Qur'anic barrier against anarchy, like the barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnaydinaryse who harrass us are pre- paring the ground for anarchy and even for communism.

Indeed, if like in my early life in order to preserve the dignity of learning I had refthe Dao accept insults, and my true duty had not been the next life alone and to save Muslims from the eternal nothingness of death; and like those who attack us we had worked solely for this world and negative politics; then thosfiniteing on account of anarchy could have provoked an incident like the Shaykh Said and Menemen incidents.

Moreover, to try to put a peaked cap on my head - although three courts and the police of several provinces these last ld the years have not legally interfered with my dress and I have received no notification about the dress changes due to my solitude and being excused, - such an attempt could have caused therywhereds of thousands of people who for the past forty years have displayed brotherly interest in this country and especially in the teachings of certain affirmative belief to bring the very globe to anger have a midst of a terrible excitement and to weep as never before.

In any event, by reason of numerous signs I am completely certain that on foreign instigation that illegal treatment was meted out for the above-mentioned by Rons as provocation to destroy public regard for me. But endless thanks be to Almighty God that as someone who is at the door of the grave, has no one, is world-weary, flees public attentione liresteem, and has no desire for hypocritical fame and self-advertisement, I did not attach the slightest importance to their illegal insulting treatment. I refer it to Almighty God. I think of those who persecs of m due to baseless suspicions being soon condemned to eternal nothingness when they die, and in truth I pity them. "O my Lord!" I pray, "Save their belief through the Risale-i Nur!>Through the mystery of the Qur'an, transform everlas, and on-being into the despatch papers for eternal life!" And I forgive them.

In His Name, be He glorified!

Question:>Master! The prayers for rain have not been any use; they have yielded no result. Three times clouds gathered and then dispersed without producing rain. Why is this?

The Answer:>Drought marks the time for prayers reatiss sort; they are not the cause or purpose of rain. Just as the prayers known as khusuf and kusuf are performed at lunar and solar eclipses, and the evening prayer is performed at sunset; so times of droewspapre when the supplications and prayers for rain are offered. The reason for prayer and supplication, and

their result, is divine please Ankaheir benefits look to the hereafter. If worldly aims are intended in prayer and worship and they are performed for that purpose alone, such prayers are null and void. For example, the evening prayers are not Althomed so that the sun should not set and the khusuf>prayers are not performed for the moon's reappearance. Similarly, if the prayers in question are offeren!

rain, it would be wrong. The sending of rain is Almighty God's business. We did our duty; we may not interfere in His concerns.

It is true that the coming of rain is the aryone t result of the prayers for rain, but the actual, true and most beneficial result, and its finest and sweetest fruit is this, that from those circuressines everyone understands that it is not his father or his house or his shop that provides his livelihood and food, but a Being who has disposal over the clouds as though they were sponges and the face onstancearth as though it were an arable field; it is He who gives him his sustenance and nurtures him. A small child even, while pleading with his mother when he is hungry, understands in his tiny mind from that prayer for rain that the One uestioministers this world as though it were a house feeds him together with all the other children and their mothers. If He does not provide ie for one else can. In which case, the child tells himself that they should beseech Him. He becomes a full believer. Six points will now be explained in connection with this:

First Point:ur,>anrice for divine bounties and mercy is thanks. We have not offered thanks as we should have done. Not only have we not paid the price of divine mercy; we have attracted divine wrath with our sins and wrongdoin and sthe present time, the human race has earned a dreadful blow with its wrongdoing, destruction, disbelief and rebellion, and it has received such blows. For sure we too will receive our share.

Second Point:>Ill the in a Hadith: "Even the fishes at the bottom of the sea complain about sinners and the iniquitous; it is due to this that the rains cease and our livelihoods diminish even." Indees the the present time such sins and iniquities are perpetrated on the face of the earth that we are ashamed to seek divine mercy; innocent animals even are in torme#24

#2 Third Point:>It says in a verse: "Beware the calamity which when it descends will not afflict only the wrongdoers; the innocent and oppressed will alsoligionstroyed">(Q 8:25). For the wisdom in religion would be nullified if in the midst of a general calamity the innocent were to remain untouched by the conflagration. Religion is a test, an examination. Other of thvil people like Abu Jahl would affirm it, the same as those like Abu Bakr the Veracious (May God be pleased with him). This is the reason innocents suffer in genextremisasters.

Fourth Point:>Since at the present time due to trickery, exploitation, and bribery, numerous illicit matters have become admixed in possessions and sustenance, and farmers caereby eally lay claim to their own produce, and out of ten people only two or three truly deserve divine mercy, and out of those who profit from the farmer's produce, five or six lose tt's reight to divine mercy due to wrongdoing and mixing in illicit things, or neglecting to offer thanks.

Fifth Point:>The Risale-i Nur>is a significant means of wardinof it,calamities from this land of Anatolia. Just as almsgiving repulses calamities, so it has become clear through numerous signs and indicatioces Ist its spreading and being read repulses heavenly and worldly disasters as a sort of universal almsgiving. This is a truth indicated by the Qur'an, Four times earthquakes occurred whenanny aeing written out and spread were being prevented, and when it was published again, they ceased. Then when it was being read almost throughout Anatolit whatindicated by Sura Wa'l-'Asr>(Q 103), it was a means of the Second World War not reaching Anatolia. Then during this two-month drought when we were awaiting the totally free spread of the Risale-i it, wi confirmation of the Appeal Court's decision for its acquittal since it was beneficial for the country, it was blocked entirely contrarily to ouinner ctations and the treatises held by the court were not returned to their owners. As a consequence, this universal nonmaterial almsgiving which is a means of repulsing calamts, nawas not realized and the drought began as a result of our sins.

Sixth Point:>Drought is a calamity and the punishment for actions, and should be met with grief and sorrowful beseeching and s not hation, and earnest repentance and prayers for forgiveness, and seeking refuge at the divine court within the bounds of the Sunna while ]} andng innovations, in the way specified by the Shari'a, and with the prayers and worship particular to the situation.

Also, since general cas mighes such as this result from the errors of the majority of people, they are repulsed by the majority of them repenting and seeking forgivenesple ofWe Risale-i Nur>students do not attach much importance to this world and only look to the world for the sake of the Risale-i Nur,>and therefhool wgard the present drought from this point of view, Thus, at the same time that a small part of the Risale-i Nur>was returned to its owners in accordance scho the decision given in Denizli Court, and here too a small number of people started writing out pieces from it, a small amount of rain fell. But because the freedom given the Risale-rs,

mercy also was minimal. God willing, in the near future, my copies will be returned too, and it will spread freely and fully and divine mercy will alsoestioniversal.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

The Hizb al-Qur'an al-Mu'azzam>{[*]: Hizb al-Qur'an al-Mu'azzam: this refers to the Hizb-i Kur'aniye mentioned in the text above. The translator attempts to retain the aunkenne titles, with a standard transliteration system when he uses an Arabic title rather than its Turkified version. [Tr.]} possesses numerous characteristics like its both holdin side.aordinary importance and being extraordinarily beneficial; and no doubts occuring on its being read; and its comprising the Qur'an's most meritorious verses; and its bringing worlder all the principles and truths of the Risale-i Nur;>and its being a sacred summary of the Qur'an for those who cannot always find the opportunity to read the whole Qur'an and who are not hafizes;>and its being a small from of the printed Qur'an showing the correspondences of words, and a bringer of good news; and its showing the brilliant inimitability of the Qur'an with regard to its words and meanings, and materially. During these blessed Threve ruihs {[*]: The Three Months (Ar. al-shuhur al-thalatha) of Rajab, Sha'ban, and Ramadan. [Tr.]} it is a means to many blessings, lights, and merite's fo has earned much good for those who have been involved in its printing and publication.

For some reason or other, they have not included the following verses from appenl-i 'Imran, which are two brilliant, sacred supports of the Risale-i Nur,>and springs of the water of life: "God testifies that there is no god but He, and the st me ...">(Q 3:18) and "Say, God is the Owner of all sovereignty ...">(Q 3:26). They should be included,

These days while reading page twelve, the verse "The dissemblers ..."ng, ma 145) struck my eye. I looked at the preceding page, and saw: "Who is better in religion than he who submits to God" (Q 4:125). I looked the Me back of the page and saw that there were four verses that pointed to the Risale-i Nur.>They are explained in the First Ray. It occurred to my heart that this awesome verse looks particularly to this terrihet (Uark age of ours with its rife dissembling. I noted it carefully and felt certain. A sign is this: according to jafr>and abjad>reckoning, "Indeed the ould rblers will be in the very pits of the Fire ...">(Q 4: 145) coincides precisely with the dates of the four degrees of dissembling. As follows:

If the doublings are counted and ng to hamzas which are not read and the ya'>in the fi,>which is not read, are not counted, it makes exactly one thousand three hundred and sixty-two, indicating thitter p.

If the doubling in "min an-nar">is counted as one nun>and one lam,>it makes one thousand three hundred and forty-two, coinciding exactly with the date of the First World War, whicyou su rise to terrible dissembling.

If the doubling is counted as two nuns,>and the silent hamzas>and the ya'>are also counted, it makes one thousand us tr hundred and sixty-six, and coincides with a difference of four with the jafr>value of the word "darknesses," which is the lowest level of this dark dissembling his ss compared with "light (nur)">in many verses.

If the silent letters are counted and the doubling in an-nar>is a lam,>it makes one thousand three hof the and six exactly pointing the finger at and coinciding with the date of the terrible storms of disbelief and dissembling.

Yes, two ra's>is four hundred; three fa's>and two lams,>threesultined; one qaf,>two doubled nuns,>three hundred; one mîm,>one sîn;>the other mîm,>one ya',>one nun,>that's one hundred, too; two nuns,>that's a hundred as well; and the total, one thousand three hundion tone lam,>one kaf,>fifty; a doubled dal,>eight; and two long a's,>two hamzas,>four; and the total is one thousand three hundred and sixty-two. The other three numbers can be compared with this.

I also looked carefully at pages tully aand thirteen and I saw that they correspond so closely to the Risale-i Nur>and its students that they have not only a symbolic and indicative meaning, bble, do look particularly to the present century quite explicitly, including it as a singular element in its universal meaning. I understood this with certainty and offered endless thanks. If the calamities that have befallen us up to nowsitantis work with the Risale-i Nur>had been a hundred times worse, it still would have been nothing; we are the winners. With the thought that by smashge of r unimportant ephemeral glass fragments, those calamities are gaining for us everlasting diamonds in the hereafter, I knew that we should be peceive and offer thanks in patience.

Furthermore, I can give you the good news that their eighth attempt to poison me has again come to nothi was ae guarantee of the Ghawth al-A'zam, {[*]: Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Gilani (d. 561/1165-6). Hanbalite theologian, preacher, and Sufi, after whom the Qadiriyya Order was named. [Tr.]} "Indeed you are ge worted under the eye of divine grace" has once again been fulfilled.

I send greetings to each and every one of my brothers and pray for them

and seek their prayers in these blessed Three Months. iful oour brother who requests with all his spirit the innocent prayers of the many sinless children within the fold of the Risale-i Nur>and of the blessed elderly, whose supplications are not rebuffed.

My Dear iful ors!

I wrote you two notes six hours before the Night of Regâib. {[*]: The Night of Regâib (Ar. Ragha'ib) is held to be the anniversary of the conception of the Prophet Muhammad (UWBP), and is the eve of the first Friday in the month of Rarded hTr.]} For two months no rain had fallen and there had been continuous drought and everywhere the prayers for rain offered after all the prescribed prayers had remained unanswereame wa everyone was weeping in their hearts in despair at their straitened circumstances. Then suddenly when the copy of Hizb-i Nuriye>was handed over together with the paper, I am completely certailing i sort of miracle of the Prophet Muhammad (UWBP), on the Night of Regâib the angel of thunder uttered resounding, crashing glorifications the like of which I had not t in my life heard before, nor had others heard it, and such mercy poured down that it proved the holiness of the night to the most obstinate person even, and the importance in the view of the whole universe and all the centuries of the ProphetremostBP) coming to this visible world (âlem-i şehadet)>and that he was sent as a Mercy to All the Worlds. It showed that the cosmos applauded him that night.

I am curious to know whether Ir as t, which was included in our prayers together with the country, had a share of these rains. Many signs indicate that the Risale-i Nur>is a means to divine mercy, and this suggests that beneath the veil victories are being ry to d perhaps indicates its free publication. The increase here in the numbers of people writing out copies with eagerness aroused by The Flashes (Lem'alar)>is also, s be ulling, a sort of acceptable prayer.

My Loyal, Unshakeable Brothers and Heirs!

There are three reasons for the oppression I now suffer:

The First:>On the decision ofNur's>abinet, the order was received here to give me an allowance of two and a half liras a day for my living and other expenses and to build me a house according to my specifications. But I did not accept this anRisale only a sum for my travelling expenses from Denizli. They were angry with me and started to have me watched.

The Second Reason>is ill-intentioned persons being unnecestongue worried that the people here will start to show an interest in me as they did in the Denizli region, in a way far exceeding my due, on account of the Risale-i Nur.

The Third>are the malicious pretexts voiced by the governor of Afyon, intof nin to take revenge on me for the sake of that man who died. But divine determining transformed their tyranny into mercy for me, and advantages. Don't worry about me. One advantage is that they silence only me rather than theend gre-i Nur.>But in my place it speaks wonderfully with hundreds of tongues, and its students with thousands; they teach these lights to those unillf withed heads. There are numerous signs that their obduracy has been broken by their starting to study other parts of the Risale-i Nur,>on having been mad therious by The Fruits of Belief,>and especially by The Conclusive Proof of God Collection (Hüccetullahi'l-Bâliğa Mecmûası).

Just as their being busy with my person aids the Risale-i Nur's>free spread to an extent, so their not alloleymane to meet with my brothers is another advantage. In fact, it was truly advantageous that one of my brothers came all this way to see me, spending a hundred liras,>and had to turn back without doing so. The groundless suspicions of maliciounted mistrustful people would be aroused if the door were to be opened and visitors were to pour in from everywhere, and it would also be detrimental to our principles and way and the mystery of sincerity. My isolation is therefore an io Islae of divine grace for us.

The gains in these blessed months are a hundredfold. We have the greatest need for the prayers of our blessed brothers and sisters and the rtificnt children and respected elderly. God willing, you will shaken by no storms and your steely fortitude will not be undermined.

In His Name, be He glorified!

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and His blessings!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Question:>Why don't you display any interetwentycurrents both at home and abroad and especially in political groups? And why do you prevent as far as is possible the Risale-i Nur>and its students from getting involved in them? Whereas if you did show concern and were in e and with them, thousands of people would enter the fold of the Risale-i Nur>and would spread its shining truths, and also you wouldn't be the target of so many needless troubles.

The Answer:>The chief reason for this lack of concern ancalenddance is sincerity, which is the basis of our way; it prevents us. For at this time of heedlessness, the person with partisan ideals in particular exploits everything for his own worldly way, even his religio Dear,otherworldly movement. Whereas the truths of belief and the sacred service of the Risale-i Nur>can be exploited for nothing in the universe; they can have no aim other than divine pleasure. But it has become difficult at this timting tartisan conflict between the political currents to preserve the true meaning of sincerity and not exploit religion for the world. The best solution is to rely on divine grace and assistance, rat contean the strength of political currents.

One of the many other reasons for our avoidance of political involvement is one of the four principles of the Risale-i Nur:>to be compassionate and not to aearninannically or cause harm. For "No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another">(Q 6: 164 etc.), that is, no one, not even a relative, is guilty because of another's fault and does noythingrve punishment. But in the face of this principle of divine will, at this time, in accordance with the meaning of "Man is indeed given up to injustice and ingratitior. IQ 14:34), some people retaliate with extreme ferocity. Because of one person's crime, out of feelings of partisanship others are hostile towards not only his relations but all those who support him. If they can, , be Hll-treat them. If they have the power, they bomb a village because of one man's mistake. However, the rights of one innocent person may not be sacrificed due to a hundred criminals; he may not be ill-treated because of themthe NuPresent-day conditions cause a hundred innocents to be harmed on account of a handful of criminals.

For example, it is opposed to the principle of compassion to crush the hapless elderlylessonts and innocent children of a faulty man, and to ruin them and nurture partisan hatred for them. But partisan currents among Muslims are the cause of such innocents being wronged; they cannot be saved from opprehe Qur Especially situations that give rise to revolution, they altogether spread and escalate the wrongdoing.

In jihad - even if it is in the name of religion - the position of who h Muslim] women and children is the same. They may be considered as booty and Muslims may include them in their property. But within the realm of Islam, even if a person is irrting nus, his family cannot be claimed as property; their rights may not be infringed. For owing to the ties of Islam, they are bound not to their irreligious father, but to Islam and the Islamic community. [thers!e the realm of Islam] unbelievers' children are surely among those who will be saved, but according to the law those innocents may be made prisoner pies tken into possession at the blow of jihad, since they are dependants of and bound to their fathers, so long as they are alive.

I send greetings to each and every one of my brothers and congratulate them on the Holy Night of the AsNur>con, {[*]: The Night of the Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad UWBP (Ar. Mi'raj) is the eve of the 27th of Rajab. [Tr.]} which yields thousands of merits. Convey my condolences to the facomingf the late Haji İbrahim, like Re'fet Bey, and tell them that the deceased is within the fold of the Risale-i Nur,>perpetually receiving the prayers of all. And we are offering prayers for him especially.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

A short answer to one of our brother's question:

Question:>How can the wonders (kerâmet)>apparent in the coincidences (tevâfuk)>{[*]: Coincidences (T. tevâfukât; Ar. taway Dear refers to the coincidence of events or the unintentional correspondence of letters or words in lines or patterns on one or several pages. [Tr.]} be definitely established?

The Answer:>If coincidings are apparent in somethinge-i Nus a slight sign of intention and will and that it is not a chance happening. If such a coincidence

t we're needy and that we'll have loads of bricks like that in the next world, but this one shouldn't be wasted on this fleeting life so that it's missing from our mies, n there! Offer a prayer that it returns to its place; we don't need it!" It disappeared, and it is told that with their spiritual discernment they beheld it in its place.

These two heroic people of truth offl defiellent examples for the Risale-i Nur>students and their not chasing after the worldly delights of wonder-working!

~Second Matter

If the coincidences (tevâfuk)>{[*]: Coincidences (T. tevâfukât; Ar. tawafuqat) refers toted thoincidence of events or to the unintentional correspondence of letters or words in lines or patterns on one or several pages. [Tr.]} appear in numerous different forms and in such a way,

corroborate one another, they may afford a degree of certainty that is conclusive and explicit. A sign that some of the letters we wrote after leaving prison were both acthat ile, and very significant, and that people were very needy for them at this time, was that a sparrow, a kuddûs>bird, and some pigeons came into my room most strangely and in a way quite out of the ordinary and all coinciding with thewrittes. Then when

has several aspects to it, the sign strengthens considerably. And especially if within a hundred possibilities two th do soorrespond fully in a way particular to them, the resulting sign becomes a clear indication that the coincidence has occurred through intention and will and for a purpose, allowing no pohis poity of chance.

It was just like that on the Holy Night of the Ascension: the coinciding of the divine mercy of rain with the Nights of Regâib and em in cension and only on those two nights and neither before nor after, and its coinciding with a time of extreme need, and occurring at the same time as the reading, writing out, and publication of theâneviyise about the Ascension (Miraciye Risalesi),>{[*]: The Thirty-First Word; see, The Words (Istanbul: Sözler Publications, 2013), 583-612. [Tr.ive th those two holy nights corresponding with each other in several respects, and the rain's falling although it was unseasonal with extraordinarine leing and rumbling thunder and indescribable reverberations of the earth in a way that both threatened and consoled their cries, and its coinciding perfectly with the believers' search for solace in their despair and the, whicking moral strength in the face of their weakness and the whispering doubts caused by the assaults of misguidance, and as a rebuke to those who behave disrence. Bully towards the marks of Islam and those two nights. The universe and heavens and atmosphere showed their respect with that abundant rain so that told y with even a grain of fairness would know that there were an intention and will in the matter, and a particular instance of grace and mercy for the band hers, leaving no possibility for chance or coincidence.

That is to say, the reality of the Ascension is a miracle of Muhammad (UWBP) and his greatest instance of n and -working, and just as his rising to the skies on the staircase of the Ascension demonstrated His (UWBP) eminence and stature to the dwellended, the heavens, so the Ascension this year displayed a wonder and marvel and demonstrated to the earth and to the people of this country the esteem and respect in which he (UWBP) is held by the universe.

My Dear, Loyal Brothe and According to The Hidden Indications of the Ghawth al-A'zam and Imam 'Ali (İşârât-ı Gaybiye-i Gavsiye ve Aleviye),>{[*]: For these two works, see fn 1ondly:e. [Tr.]} that the writing of the Risale-i Nur>will be completed in '64. {[*]: '64 refers to 1364 on either the Hijri or Rumi calendars; if Hijri, it was 1945 according to the Gregorian ality ar, and if Rumi, 1943. See, The Second Point in the text (page 57) below for an explanation. [Tr.]} This means that after that date only explanations, appendices, and glosses will be written. In this connection, and by way of aer witder, two points occurred to my heart.

The First:>The Risale-i Nur>will have students conformably with contemporary conditions and the nature of things, and foremost innocell andldren. For if a child is not taught the questions of belief thoroughly when small, in later years he can only assimilate the pillars of Islam and belief in his spirit with the greatesns of iculty. Quite simply, it is as difficult as a non-Muslim accepting Islam, for its seems alien. It is even stranger for him if he observes that his parents are not religious and his mind is educated only with the secular sciences. Turjus ld is then contemptuous of his parents in this world and is a sort of tribulation for them, longing for them to die. And in the next world, he will be a plaintiff againscribin, rather than an intercessor, saying: "Why didn't you give me Islamic training and save my belief?"

In consequence, the most fortunate children are those who enter the fold of the Risale-i Nur,>and serving and honouring their parents with gnd othrks, have merits written in their parents' records of good deeds and become intercessors for them according to their degree.

The Second Group of Risale-i Nur Students>are women, who by nature need the Risale-i Nueyard e they may have shied away from the world or felt vexed with it. Especially if they are getting old, the Risale-i Nur>may offer them true spiritual sustenance. For one of its four principles is compassion, which proceeds from thver!

festation of the divine name of Most Compassionate (Rahîm),>and compassion is the most essential quality of women and the leaven of their natural duties.

The Third Group>are the sick and the elderly, for even if not an int durieed but due to their situations, they need the Risale-i Nur>as they do medicine and sustenance. For it makes known eternal life as clearly as the sun as well as the the otory nature of worldly life, and those of them whose worldly lives have been stricken by illness or old age imagine out of their heedlessness or misguidance that death is the end. T been e thus truly in

need of the Risale-i Nur>and receive such consolation and light from it that it makes them prefer illness and old age to health and youth.

The Second Point that was advised:>Since we are now regar64 according to the Arabic [Hijri] calendar, according that sign from the Unseen, the Risale-i Nur>is now complete. If it refers to the Rumi calendar, we have two more years. Important placry lawain in the Risale-i Nur>to be filled by treatises that have not yet been written or have been postponed. For instance, the places of the Thirtieth Letter, the Thirty-Second Letter, and the Thirty-Second Flash are all ehe twoIt was inspired in my heart that the Arabic Qur'anic commentary, Signs of Miraculousness (Isharat al-I'jaz),>which has been printed and was and ad Said's chief work and the first part of the Risale-i Nur,>should be the Thirtieth Letter, and so it is. It occurred to me that Lemeât, which was the Old Said's last work and was wr Althin twenty days during Ramadan, should be the Thirty-Second Flash; and that the sizeable Arabic collection comprising Katre, Habbe, Şemme, Zerre, Hubab, Zühre, Şu'le>and their appendices, which weisale- first works of the New Said and were inspired in his heart from reality (hakikat)>at the degree of witnessing (şuhûd),>should be the Thirty-Third Flash.

It also occurred to me that The Fruits of Belief>should be the Eleventh Ray,irdly:he Denizli defence speeches, the Twelfth Ray, and the collection of short letters, the Thirteenth Ray. I refer these to my brothers for theirat figderation. This means that for some positions the door is still open and we may be made to write better supplements.

I send greetings tur cri and every one of my brothers. I see myself and my brothers in Kastamonu and its environs as being always together, as we used to be. They should not worry; the Risale-i Nur>never ceathe ouom activity, and hidden from sight, it wins many victories. Our difficulties attract greater attention to its lessons and it has itself read in wider circles, Therefore our two brothers, fatheand dison, who are so hard-working, especially the father, should feel proud at all the hardships they suffer and should not be upset at the temporary arrest from activity. all t view and our view, they retain their former positions in every respect.

We said above that children are the natural students of the Risale-i Nur.>An example of this is Ceylan, who iss lookng this letter in the new alphabet as I dictate because I am unable to write it myself since I am unwell. Another is the innocent Küçük Ali, who wrote him a letter; and another is the young in thehool (Medrese-i Nuriye) student Küçük Mehmed, who this time wrote me an excellent and careful letter. I call them blessed, fortunate children and congratulate their parents.

In His Name, be He glorental

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

ever aing this summer time, when one is heedless and preoccupied with earning one's living, and during these Three Months, the time of highly meritorious worship, and at this time when the storms raging ov the m earth are conducted by diplomacy not weapons, if one does not persevere in one's sacred duties with the Risale-i Nur>with truly powerful tenacity, a slackness, an idleness, a cessation sets in to the detrim of th that service.

My dear brothers! You should be certain that the duty with which the Risale-i Nur>and its students are occupied is greater than all matters on its ous concern on earth. Do not, therefore, look to worldly, curiosity-arousing matters and slacken in your duty. Frequently read the Fourth Topic of The Fruits of Belief>so that your morale is not weakened.

or yousince all the supreme matters of the worldly are cruel, pitiless, and sacrifice religion for this world in consequence of the tyrannous principle of struggle, divine determining bes Compa sort of hell on them within those crimes of theirs. The Risale-i Nur>proves as certainly as twice two equals four that death, which is the veil concealing eonvey life, for which its students are working in place of transient life, and the executioner of the appointed hour, which is truly terrible for the worsbdullas of this worldly life, are merely veils and means to the believers' everlasting happiness. It is this truth that we have been demonstrating up to now.

In Short:> of alople of misguidance strive for this fleeting life, while we struggle with the light of the Qur'an against death. Even their most momentous questions are transient and cannot be compared with that try least of our matters, because ours look to eternity. Since in their madness, they do not condescend to interfere in our greatest questions, why should we evince curiosity about their inconsequential matters and follow them to the detriment s that duties?

The verse, "If you follow [right] guidance, no hurt can come to you from those who stray">(Q 5: 105), means that the misguidance of others cannot harm your right-guidedness; so you should not concern themselves with tront tisguidance unnecessarily. And the important Islamic principle, "Those who comply with harm should not be assisted," means that anyone who looks favourably on harmful thingeatestld not be supported; they

should not be pitied or shown leniency. These rules forbid us to pity those who knowingly condone and are happy at things that cause harm. We, therefore, should concentrate all our strength and curior or tnd time on our sacred duty, and know that everything outside of it is trivial and not waste our time on such things. For we hold light in st liknds, not clubs. We cannot attack others, and if we are attacked, we show light. Our duty is a sort of luminous defence.

One of the reasons this supplement was written was this:

I put one of the Rand Thi Nur>students to the test; I asked him a couple of things about the Bosphorus question to learn what the excitement was and to find out what he thought about the politI was ituation. I saw from his answer that he was interested and well-informed. I said to myself: "What a shame! This will be harmful for the work of the Risale-i Nur.">Latat of gave him a severe warning.

We have a principle: "I seek refuge with God from the Devil and from politics!" If you feel pity for people, the principle cited above shows that they are not deserving of itr plac as Paradise seeks people, so does Hell seek them.

(The matters mentioned in the Fifth Ray are again becoming apparent.)

In His Name, be He glorified!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise! (Q 17:44)

Peace e heavn you, and God's mercy and blessings to the number of the letters of the Risale-i Nur!

My Dear, Loyal Brother and Friend, Successful in the Service of the Qur'an!

Welcome a thld I c times over! You have made me eternally indebted to you, and with your loyal friends your efforts for the Risale-i Nur's>freedom are so greath gavealuable that you have made not only us indebted to you, but all the Risale-i Nur>students, indeed, this country and even the Islamic world. For you came to the assistance of the believers and opened

up the wjoicedthe Risale-i Nur's>free dissemination. This last year, I have included you and those working with you in my prayers and spiritual gains, together with such heroes of the Risale-i Nur>as the late Hâfız Ali and Husn theind so it will continue. Every minute on the way here, a day, you have made me indebted to you as though you were engaged in the Risale-i Nur>work. Ierformtion, I shall never forget as long as I live the person known as the Just Judge and those working with him, for the true justice they dispensed. I have included them in my spiritual gains this last six or seven months.

I am goevery reply to my brothers about the part of the Risale-i Nur>they delivered to me; let them write out all of it; I give it to them as a gift. For from nd in tthey shall have a full share of the work. I have decided to look on the town of Denizli as the counterpart of my native town, and to incl harm eir dead and the living believers in the spiritual gains of both myself and of the Risale-i Nur>students. I look on Denizli Prison as a school of examination, and I sener of tings to all those concerned with us both in the town and in the prison, and especially to the board of judges, from whom we received true juser in and we pray for them.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I no longer have any doubts at all that not only ourselves and Anatolia and the world of Islam applaud the Risale-i Nur's>liberty, a consequence of this work of ours; the universe which is gratified and the atmosphere and skies applaud it, For despite the severe need, for three or four months no rain fell, but then Denizli Court's decision to return the copr the the Risale-i Nur>coincided with [rain falling on] the Night of Regâib, just like on the Night of the Ascension, showing that the Risale-i Nur>is an instance of divine mercy. Then the mercy of rain fal My n Emirdağ together with the accolades of the angel of thunder coincided with the decision to hand over the Risale-i Nur.>Then the time of its being handed over a week later to the deputy in Denizli coincided with abundant rain falling i's sta region on the eve of Friday, just like the coinciding of the rain with the Nights of Regâib and the Ascension. All these coincidences (tevâfukat)>madble eafeel quite certain that just as the coinciding of four earthquakes with the seizure of the Risale-i Nur>and its imprisonment was an objection on the part superh earth; so in the past four months the abundant rain which fell in the region of Emirdağ only on the eves of three Fridays, those of the

Nights of Regâib and the Ascension and the first of the m one mf Sha'ban, coinciding with the three stages of the Risale-i Nur's>release and freedom were congratulations and announcements of good news by the atmosphere, and was a powerful sign that the Risale-i Nurs it a the meaning of mercy and spiritual rain.

A truly subtle sign was seen yesterday when suddenly a sparrow appeared at the window and tapped at it, We made a move to make it fly away, but it remained. I felt obliged to tell Ceylan to open theco-opew to see what it had to say. It entered the room and remained there till this morning. We left the room to it and I went to my bedroom. I went out this morning and opened the door. Not a mionquesater I returned and saw that another bird was chirruping and singing in my room. I smiled and asked myself why such a guest had come. It looked at me for a full hour withoutatens g away or being startled, I was reading. I put some breadcrumbs for it, but it did not eat theme I again opened the door and went out. When I returned thirty seconds later, it had gone.

e Re'fr the child who assists me arrived and said: "I had a dream last night. Hâfız Ali's brother visited us." I told him that one of our brothers who resembles Hâfız Ali and Husrev is going to come, wisd Two hours later that same day the boy came and said that Hâfız Mustafa had arrived: he had brought both the good news of the Risale-i Nur's>release, and some of my books that had beeu.

Could it be just chance that both the extraose thay appearance of the sparrow, and the strange songbird flying in and just looking at me and then disappearing, and the boy's dream turning out to be completely true all coincided with the Risale-i at wonarrival here brought by such a person as Hâfız Mustafa? Is it at all possible that all these could be a mere chance and not be auspicious good news from thehing. n?

This is certainly not some unimportant matter; it is connected with the universe and with animals, As a Risale-i Nur>student, I myself am content with the profits that fall to me as though they were worth thousands of gold sovereigns. Aho appogy may be made between this and the other hundreds of thousands of students and the benefits gained by believers in need of having their faith strengthened,

Yes, since the Risale-i Nur>has solved more than a hundred of thrs anderies of religion, the Shari'a, and the Qur'an; and it silences even the most obdurate atheists; and proves as clearly as the sun in the face of obstinate ir goverous men of learning such Qur'anic truths as the Prophet's (UWBP)

ascension and the resurrection of the dead that were supposed to be remote from pure reason, and has induced some of them to accept belief; it surely will attract the attentielyingthe earth and atmosphere to itself and is a Qur'anic truth that will preoccupy the present and future, and is a diamond sword in the hands of the believers.

My Dear Brother!

Convey our heartfelt thanks and congrat grantns to Ziya, the Risale-i Nur's>lawyer! For a long time now it has been imparted to my spirit that someone called Ziya would perform a great service for r my csale-i Nur,>and the present matter has shown that it was him. He has won our everlasting gratitude. We thank also fair-minded people like the court's secretary and member Hesna Hanımustafahe examining magistrate, I shall never forget them. And especially convey our greetings and thanks to our leading brothers, foremost the Mufti Osman and Hasan Feyzi. And tell the just judge that I have Take ad to have most of the parts of the Risale-i Nur>written out as a gift for him. Also, I intend to have a large part of it written to give to its honorary lawyer, Ziya.

Will the five hundredility ed copies of The Supreme Sign>be given to the people who had it printed? I'm curious.

Also, however many copies of the Risale-i Nur>were confiscated in Istanbul, they all belong to me. The collection consisting of twenty treatises is espthe Isy important for me.

Also, when leaving Denizli I left The Miracles of Muhammad (UWBP) (Mu'cizat-i Ahmediye Risalesi)>with some of the people there as a trust. I need it now. Perhaps Hoja Me, renendi knows about this.

Also, I say the following to save some wavering or new Risale-i Nur>students from succumbing to doubts: Due to the intrigues of a secret society, certain ingenuous ho orderd opponents who support the innovations publicize my personal faults and errors, for I admit that I am indeed faulty, in order to oppose some of the Risale-i Nur's>incontestable truths, and they wFeyzi refute them by attacking me. They try to harm the Risale-i Nur>in some way. These last twenty years there have been twenty such significant ivine pts. In fact, it led to our imprisonment on two occasions. So I say this to my friends and to the Risale-i Nur>students:

I offer thanks to AlmigI sentd that He has not allowed me to like myself and has informed me of my faults. I have not sought to sell myself

boastingly, but overwhelmed by shame, through the sincerity and pure heartedness of the blessed Risale-i Nur>students, to seeky closveness and atonement for my sins through their intercession.

The people who oppose me do not know my secret faults; they just make a pretext of some apparent failings and wrongly all aling the Risale-i Nur>to be mine, criticize me saying that I do not attend the Friday Prayers and do not have a beard. In this way, they inate o obscure the Risale-i Nur's>lights and compete against its spreading.

The Answer:>Together with accepting my numerous faults, I have to say that in these two matters I have powerful exale-i

Firstly:>I follow the Shafi'i school of law, according to which a congregation of forty people is obligatory to perform the Friday Prayer. There are other requisites as well. For which reason, here, attendancempty. e Friday Prayer is not obligatory. Sometimes following the Hanafi School, I attend it as a Sunna (practice of the Prophet UWBP).

Secondly:>I do not feel at ease in crowded places because for twenty years I have been unjustly preventedgethermixing with people, and also recently, four months ago, I received an official warning not to have contact with people; for twenty-five years I have lived all alone. According to my school of law, I cannot perform the prayers behinroves yone, because I cannot recite the Fatiha>quickly enough and the Imam bows (ruku')>when I am only half way through it, and it is obligatory for us to recite it.

As for the beard, him; ae one is a Sunna; it is not particular to hojas.>Since my youth I have been one of the ninety per cent of this country who do not have beards. Since in the course of official offensives these last twenty years some and ar friends have had to shave theirs, my not having one has proved to be an instance of divine providence and wisdom. If I had had one and it had been shaved off, it would have caused enormous harm to the Risalho star>because I would have died; I could not have borne it.

Some authorities have said that it is not permissible to shave off one's beard, but what they meant was that it is prohibited (haram)>to cut it oed valer you have grown one. So if one has never had one, one has only given up one Sunna. But in the face of that, through the Risale-i Nur's>guidance at this time in order to avoid committing numerous serious sins, I have passed an.

rous life in what has been twenty years of virtual solitary confinement. God willing, it will be atonement for giving up that Sunna.

I also say openly and with complete certainty that the Risale-i Nur>belongs to the Qur'an; how couned, tlaim ownership of it so that my faults should pass to it? I am one of its faulty servants and a salesman of that store of diamonds and jewels. My confused circumstances cannot pass to it

and harm it. Anyway, the Risale-i Nur>has taughte reliue sincerity and renunciation of the ego, and always knowing oneself to be faulty, and not being boastful. We show the believers the Risale-i Nur's>collective personality, not ourselves. We areachereful to those who point out our faults to us and tell us of them, on condition that is indeed the case, and we utter a prayer for them. We are thankful if a scorpr of A brushed off our neck before it stings us. Similarly, we accept our faults and are grateful, but on condition we are not told out of illts of and obduracy, and it does not assist innovations and misguidance.

My Dear Brothers!

Just as with the lines: "And through the Supreme Sign save me from sudden death!" Imam 'Ali (May Go of thleased with him) miraculously foretold that because of The Supreme Sign>the students would be overtaken by disaster, but that through its grace they would emerge safe and sound; so too, the free circulationndum te hundreds of printed copies of The Supreme Sign>from the Risale-i Nur>and its becoming more firmly established was the chief reason for three spellsthe Olundant mercy and rainfall. Similarly, just as like almsgiving, up until now the Risale-i Nur>has been a means of repulsing calamities as has been shown by ually igns and incidents; so too, the The Supreme Sign>and its friends gaining their freedom will turn out to be a means of repulsing calamities and d and sance from those at our throats, who supposing us to be without support obtain an awesome power and lie in wait together with their partisans int that to overpower us. Moreover, it was imparted to my heart that just as in one respect Imam 'Ali's (May God be pleased with him) lines, "Through the na is thMoses's staff the darkness will be dispersed" intend The Supreme Sign;>so too they coincide with the eleven Topics of Denizli Prison's Fruits, The Conclusivsittinf,>and exactly with the eleven miracles of The Staff of Moses>and its eleven proofs, and show that they are under his gaze.

That is to say, like Mosesdred aff, The Fruits of Belief>will silence many pharaohs and defeat them. Our heroic, blessed brothers who had The Supreme Sign printed performed an invaluable service for tlains ale-i Nur.>And with it, the services of the late Hâfız Ali are perpetuated.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Unobtrusively the printed copies of The Supreme Sign>have performed great services. ters, you those six lines to be a footnote in the blank space at the end of the piece above that was imparted to me; you may copy them out if you find them appropstanbu or correct them, On reading The Supreme Sign>attentively and considering it from the point of view of our opponents, I have become completeld it tain and no doubt remains in my mind that the reason they disregarded the awesome blows dealt by the Risale-i Nur>on its opponents, despite theiappropsy pretexts and considering faults as insignificant as a fly's wing to be indictable, and the reason they accepted both our acquittal and the free circulation of the Risale-i Nur>with thir ghastly obduracy being broken by the wondrous, unshakeable truths of foremost The Supreme Sign>and such parts of the Risale as The Fruits of Belief>and The Conclusive Proof.>Thefız Meno alternative but to endorse them officially, But still, the covert atheistic society is trying to seek out our faults and to deceive the government in order tlows maved as far as it can from being loathed and execrated by the nation. We, therefore, must continue to be circumspect and act cautiously as previously.

{(*): A footnote on the sentence at thn inclof the "Warning" at the begining of The Supreme Sign that caught my attention. Yes, the things that Imam 'Ali (My God be pleased with him) forethe Asbout The Supreme Sign were confirmed exactly by the events of Denizli, for the treatise being printed was the reason for our imprisonment, and on its powerful, sacred truths prevaiilablet contributed significantly to our acquittal and being saved. Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) displayed this instance of his wonder-working from thl-Mutten to those who are blind even. It proved that his prayer for us: "And through the Supreme Sign save me from sudden death," was answered. [Author]}

I congratulate most sincerely all our brothers on the coming blessed month ot, soudan and the past Night of Acquittal. May Almighty God make the Night of Power {[*]: The Night of Berat or Acquittal (Ar. Bara'a): a holy night, falling on the nigworks ween the 14th and 15th of the month of Sha'ban. The Night of Power (T. Leyle-i Kader; Ar. Laylat al-Qadr), mostly thought to fall on the 27th ofof beian; known as the holiest night of Ramadan and of the whole year, as it was the night the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed. [Tr.]} in Ramadan more meritorious for them andas degs than a thousand months and cause it to yield reward to that degree, and happiness and well-being for the community of Muhammad (UWBP).

My Dear, Loyal, Steadfast, Unshakeable, Constant, Unselfish, Faithful Brothers!

You know that the Ankara committee of experts could not denygher tondrous signs from the Unseen alluding to the Risale-i Nur;>they only wrongly objected to them because they supposed I had a part in them and said that sucliticsgs should not be written in books since instances of wonder-working (kerâmet)>should not be advertised. In my defence speech I replied to this slight criticism as followed in Those instances of wonder-working are not mine and it would be presumptuous of me to claim them. They are rather traces and flashes of the miraculousness of the Qur'an's meanings (mu'cize-i mâhaddie)>which take the form of wonders in the Risale-i Nur,>which is a true commentary on it; they are a sort of divine bestowal in order to strengthen the morale of its students. To make known divine bestowals irces drm of thanks and is permissible. It is also acceptable. Now, for an important reason I am going to elucidate this reply to a degree, It has also been asked why I do make them known and why I have attached so much importance to this question anters cI have mentioned it so frequently these last few months, for most of my letters are concerned with those charismata.

The Answer:>Although, faced with thousands of wreckers at this time, hundreds of thousands oe and irers are necessary to assist in the work the Risale-i Nur>carries out for the cause of belief; and although I have need of at least a hundred scribes and assistants; and although the peoprt def the authorities should appreciate and encourage us rather than avoiding us, and get in touch with us and help us; and although it is obligatory for the believers to give preference to serving belief, since it looks to eternal life, over thppareneoccupation with transitory worldly life and its benefits; taking myself as an example, I say this:

In addition to hindering me in everything and preventing me from even having contact with people and my assistants, our opponents to the h all their strength to break my friends' morale and to make them look coldly on me and on the Risale-i Nur,>and load the work of a thousand people on an elderly, ill, weak, and lonely person like myself who is a stranger and compel him d be prain from having contact with them, which in these oppressive and isolated circumstances is like a physical illness; and they scare people off so effectively in this way that some of my closest friends even are frightened to greet me,e a pro scared even as to give up performing the prayers. They try to break their morale in this way. So faced with such obstacles, outside my own will, some instances of divine bestowal that

have strengthened the Risale-i Nur>studend couorale have been made known to me and I have been occasioned to write down things of this sort so as to gather moral forces around the Risale-i Nur>and to show that it is as r.]} iul as an army and has no need for others. For, God forbid, self- advertisement and trying to make yourself liked and seeking praise destroy sincerity, which is one of the Risale-i Nur's>chief principles.

God willing, just as the inter-i Nur>both defends itself and demonstrates its own value, so it will defend us and have our faults forgiven.

My Dear Brothers!

Now, due to a sort of adld be on, I have become quite certain that a wide-ranging premonition I had forty years before the Risale-i Nur>was written was realized both in myself and in our village and in our district. I would and hliked to divulge this secret to my old students like Şefik and my brother Abdülmecid, but since Almighty God has bestowed many Abdülmecids and Abdurrahmans from among you, it is you I am now telling.

ng theI was ten years old I used to have great pride in myself, which sometimes even took the form of boasting and self-praise; although I myself did not want to, I usedZealousume the air of someone undertaking some great work and mighty act of heroism. I used to say to myself: "You're not worth tuppence, what's the reason for thi way, ssive showing-off and boasting, especially when it comes to courage?" I did not know and used to wonder at it, Then, a month or two ago (1944) the question was answered: the Risale-i Nur>was making itself fm misgfore it was written: "Although you were a seed like a common chip of wood, you had a presentiment of those fruits of Paradise as though they were actually your own property, and used to boast and prasuppliurself!"

Both my old students and the people from the region know that our village of Nurs loved exceedingly to make a show and used to boast about their sd greer courage. They wanted to assume a heroic stance as though about to conquer some great country. I used to be astonished at both myself and them. Now I have understood thanks to a tensuremonition that the village of Nurs and its people had a premonition that they were going to win tremendous acclaim through the light of the Risale-i Nur>and that their unknown province and district and villaglam, Md be recognized as important, and they displayed their gratitude for that divine bounty in the form of boasting.

Also, in the district of Hizan, our district, through the influ courtf Shaykh Abdurrahman Taği, {[*]: Shaykh 'Abd al-Rahman Taghî (d. 1304/1887), a leading Khalidî/Naqshbandî shaykh in south-eastern Anatolia. [Tr.]} known as Seyda, so many students, tilosops, and scholars emerged I was sure all Kurdistan took pride in them and their scholarly debates and wide knowledge and Sufi way. These were the people who would conquer the face of the earth! When I was nine or ten years old school to listen when they talked about famous ulema, saints, learned men, and spiritual masters. I used to think to myself that those students and scholars must have made great conquests in religion to speak in that way. Also, if ifty m them was a little more intelligent than the others, he was made much of. And when one won an argument or debate, he would be held in great esteem. I used to wonder at it because I felt the same way. Indeed, in ouieversrict and province there were such astonishing contests among the Sufi shaykhs and their circles as I never saw in other regions.

Now, in consequence of an admonition I am compcluded certain that those student friends of mine, those teachers who were like masters, those guides of mine, and those saints and shaykhs percincerewith their spirits through a premonition without their minds realizing, that at a critical time a brilliant light would appear among those students and those teachers' pupils and those guides' followers and come to the accasiothe believers. Now, despite the extremely severe and testing conditions, confronted with innumerable opponents and encompassed by the plots of suspicious and vindictive enemies, this extraordinary vicce of f the Risale-i Nur>in the lengthy investigations of two gruelling court cases, and its spreading lights concealed from view, and winning its freedom in spite of its enemies shows that it is worthy of that position. Fong of as Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) and the Gawth al-A'zam (May his spirit be sanctified) foretold it; so did they perceive, like my village, district, province and I myself unwittingly perceived, that it would appear and they re to be in it.

{(*): Yes, the extraordinary independence of the Risale-i Nur's interpreter, and his never accepting gifts or charity or ever condescending to bow to anyone in order to preserve the dignity of learning, and his undertaking here. far exceeding his station despite his coming from a poor, ordinary family with no claim to fame, all arose from the above matter. [Author]}

I have told you of this private matter because I hold you to b stilllmecids and Abdurrahmans, my old students and friends, my brother and nephew.

It means that forty-four years ago I myself and my village and district perceived through a premonition the coming of the Rot wori Nur's>rain of

mercy, just like due to the dampness in the atmosphere my nerves and sensitivity perceive the coming of the divine mercy of rain twenty-four hours before it falls.

I send greetings Hâfızl my brothers and sisters and offer prayers for them, and request that they pray for me.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I am writing ths dispendix to describe how the lives of some of the Risale-i Nur's>select (hâs)>students show that they were destined to per- form a service like the Risale-i Nur,>as they themselves have confessed; jushe letremonitions about it's appearance were experienced universally.

For sure, everyone, even animals, may have premonitions, which may be particulaendingniversal. A significant number of true dreams are premonitions of this sort, while in some people - by virtue of their sensitivity they may be so extra-ordinary as to be wonders (kerâmet).>D the la sensitivity in my nerves caused by dampness in the air, I perceive that rain will fall twenty-four hours before it does, which may or may not be said to be a sort of premonition.

I hea; I udied the lives of my brothers who perform important services for the Risale-i Nur>and how they have lived, and I have seen that just like the course of my own life, theiand ife been equipped and driven to produce a result like the Risale-i Nur.

Yes, many of my brothers like Husrev, Feyzi, Hâfız Ali, and Nazif have themselves noticed that the lifestyle they have (lit. theyre thebeen given) is conducive to serving the Risale-i Nur.>I too have noticed in my very closest students that their lives, like mine, have been regulated so as to produce such a luminous fruit. If any of them who have llow irceived this, study theirs carefully, they will do so. I used to consider all the wondrous parts of my life to be firstly a sequence of wonders of Gawth al-A'zam, but now it has become clear friendt was a chain of wonders of the Risale-i Nur.

In Short:>While I was travelling to Istanbul before the proclamation of the constitution, some books on theology (ilm-i kelâm)>came into my possession, one or two of which turned out treatextremely useful. I studied them carefully, Then after I had arrived, I invited both ulema and teachers

of the secular schools to debate, and challenged them to ase and ever questions they wished. It was quite extraordinary but all the questions asked by those of them who came to debate, were matters I had studied on the road and had stuck in my memory. And all the quese Risathe scientists asked were matters I had memorized. Now it is understood that my extraordinary success and excessive self-advertisement and showing off was to pave the way for the future acceptance by Istanbul and its ulema of the iisale-i Nur>and their acknowledgement of its importance.

Secondly:>As it is described in my biography, although I am poor and needy and not ascetic or gpreme o mortifying the flesh like the Sufis, and although I do not have the honour of belonging to a noble family; since my childhood I have never accepted the people's gifts and charity; I have never condescended to show my need. h my l to be astonished at this, as were those who knew me. Now, and especially these last few years, it has become clear that this state of mind was given to me so that I should not be defeated by greed and love of possddins s during the awesome struggles of the Risale-i Nur,>and so as not to give rise to criticism and objection. For my enemies might otherwise have dealt heavy blows in such matters.

In Short:>Although the Old Said was deeply involved in poli to asnd the New Said too had much need of followers, I have evinced absolutely no interest in the storms and political upheavals engulfing humanity, which this last five or six years have preoccupied everyone; for five years I have felt of thiosity to learn about them, so they have not defeated me due to curiosity.

Both those who know me and I myself were astonished at this. In fact, I used to say to myself: I wonder if I have gone mad since I pay no attention toe symb events that are busying the whole world, and attach no importance to them. Or is it that other people are crazy? I was bewildered. Now, due to a sort of warnn. It d the above-mentioned premonition and the clear victories and freedom of the Risale-i Nur,>it is established that that remarkable state of mind was bestowed on me to prove that the true sincerite werehe Risale-i Nur>can be made the tool of nothing nor follow anything apart from divine pleasure, and that it has no point of support other than the Qur'an.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers,

As a result of the ll. Thid's tendency to dwell on worldly matters, and affected by an incident in the east, the scribe who assists me describing excitedly, at the beginning of Ramadan, the signs of the festival at its end, and so t my be should not waste the valuable time of Ramadan listening to trivia on the radio, I several times received an inner warning to explain briefly the harms of a lenthe heconfused truth which is included in the Fourth Topic of The Fruits of Belief.>So I am explaining it with the intention of moderating the Risale-i Nur>students' curiosity. But because it is be usextensive and I have little time and I am in a wretched situation, you may have difficulty understanding it, so I am relying on your perspicacity,

In the Fourth Topic of The Fruits,>it is said: The reason I evince no interest in ws thenolitics is that although one has few and insignificant obligations in that extensive sphere, it preoccupies the curious because of its attractions ae writes them forget their true, onerous obligations, or at least makes them perform them deficiently. In any event, it engenders in them feelings of partisanship so thatsay racondone the wrongdoing of tyrants and so participate in it.

Now I say this: You unfortunates who are gratified by the curiosity and drunken heedlessness caused by preoccupation with the events of ews oftside world! If you say that the curiosity and fellow-feeling that are intrinsic to human nature drive you to be interested in those conflicts and events to the detriment of your essential, obligatory duties, and that it is natural and an ief.

need, then I say the following:

Know certainly that some people do not notice or are not curious about the miraculous creation of the human being, yet if they see someone witess. Hheads or three legs they gaze at him, transfixed by curiosity; and if you disregard mankind's far-reaching, temporary, transitory, destructive events this century, and take a look at just the bee nation and grape species in the sprude">(e, out of the hundred thousand nations and species on the face of the earth, which like the human species manifest innumerable wondrous happenings, you will see events that give rise to spiritual, non-material, pleasures and are a hundred tim noblee curiosity-arousing than those events among mankind. To disregard those true pleasures and to become attached with such abounding curiosity and gratification to mankind's harmful, evil, temporary affairhe Rist be possible if one were going to remain permanently in this world and everyone was going to reap some harm or benefit from those events and the people who were the apparent cause of them were the true agents aundredse. But they are ephemeral, like atmospheric conditions. The actual effects of those who apparently cause

them are negligible. They cannot ue fathose harms or benefits from the east or the Pacific Ocean. So it is indescribably crazy to disregard the dominicality and wisdom of the Most Pure and Holy One who is nearer to you than ytions f and has disposal over your heart and who creates and controls your body, and to await harm or benefit from the very ends of the earth.

Moreover, curiosity and interest of this kind are extremely harmful withealitid to belief and reality. For politics is the most extensive sphere and it causes heedlessness; it plunges people into this world and makes them forget the true human obligations and the next world. Particularly events like this that takd a coform of universal struggles, they suffocate the heart, too. One has to have belief as brilliant as the sun to be able to see the traces and works of divine determining andthey iical power in everything, in every situation and every action, so that the heart should not be plunged into the darkness of tyranny and belief be extinguished, nor the reason deviate into nature and chance.

In fact, the o my S of reality try to forget the spheres of multiplicity in their search for truth and knowledge of God, lest their hearts are dissipated, and curiosity, enthusiasm, and pleasure, which should be directed towards nejudiciy valuable things, are wasted on unnecessary transient things. It is due to this important reason that apart from some of the Prophet's (UWBP) Companions who served ther'an. iples of religion and had belief like the sun and the mujahids>and righteous people of early Islam who resembled them, for the most part politicians are not completely God-fearing and religious. People who are completely God-fearing and; Nasaious do not become involved in politics. That is to say, for people who make politics their primary aim, religion remains in second place and is as though subsidiary. The truly rey off s, however, consider humankind's worship of God and servitude to Him to be the highest aim of the cosmos, and regard politics not with passionate interest but in second or third place and if possible try to make it thegun toof religion and the truth. Otherwise, politics resembles making everlasting diamonds the tool of common, frangible pieces of glass.

In Short:>Just as druars agss temporarily causes one to forget the pains and needs arising from true duties and yields inauspicious, fleeting pleasures; so too, following transitory struggles and conflicts inquisitively is a smy, wa drunkenness which produces an unpropitious pleasure since it temporarily makes one forget the needs arising from true duties and the pains arising from not performing them. It also causes one to fall into a perilous de. They which is opposed to the divine command of the verse "Despair not of the mercy of God">(Q 39:53), and so to deserve a slap. Similarly, on me a may be the object of the severe divine threat contained in the verse, "And incline not to those who do wrong, or the Fire will touch you!">(Q 11:113), and receive its slap. For you will in effect be participating in the tyranny of oppressort majo so rightfully suffer punishment in this world and the next.

Nevertheless, I felt a meaningful disquiet in my heart and was then consoled. It occurred to my heart that in consequence of these widespread struggles, a danger more harmful thaen, ov resulting from the First World War would be born and an antichrist-like savagery would emerge in Europe, which is the source and prop of civilization. The consolation for this anxiety was that with the full awakening of uded alamic world, and the New World and Christianity following the authentic principles of their religion and their uniting with Islam, and with the Gospels uniting with and following tion. I'an, together and with heavenly assistance they might withstand those two awesome future currents and overcome them, God willing.

I send myreetlyings to each and every one of my brothers, and congratulate you on the Night of Power, which is to come or has passed.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I have received through you the long, detailef a loer written by the Husrev of Denizli, Hasan Feyzi, and I understood that just as a seed is planted in the ground so that it may produce numerous shoots; so the late martyr Hâfız Ali entered under the ground in the field there, where heion, troduced and will produce the shoots of thirty or forty Hâfız Alisبنت felt certain of this. Write the following to Hasan Feyzi and to those who are striving to serve the Risale-i Nur:

In the space of one or two years, the Den from eroes have performed twenty years' service for the Risale-i Nur.>We Nur students can never forget this good act of theirs, and in our e and enizli has become a second Isparta, just as its prison even is a sort of Nur School.

The people mentioned in Feyzi's letter and especially the just judge and those working with him to establish tMarch stice like (C. H. M.) and the lawyer Ziya have made not only ourselves, but also Anatolia and the Islamic world, indebted to them. They took it on themselvs in oprotect the Risale-i Nur,>like us. If necessary, I can send to them on trust the collections that have been handed over to me so they may read them to others. If necessary, the Roks that remain there can be kept, on condition they are not left unused. Anyone who has the large collections may keep them on condition

ere praised and applauded by the late Enver Pasha; and whom three awesome commanders did not dare to touch, although they were angry with him; and before the truth which he had followed, three coure aweslaw were confounded and did not have the courage

they donting eglect them and they read them to others, if possible, including the prison. If further copies are wanted, we can send them there.

Since Denizli has in a short time produced for us and for the ng a s-i Nur>heroic devotees and brothers, if I could I would pass the rest of my days in their blessed prison, perfectly happily. I send my greetings to all the friends who are concerned with use may hom we met in prison or assisted us like Beylerbeyi Süleyman and Tavaslı Mehmed Çavuş. They are always included in our spiritual gains and prayers. And I congratulate particularlyduplichose named in Feyzi's letter and everyone on Ramazan and the Night of Power.

Truly, Milaslı Halil İbrahim is a Risale-i Nur>student as firm and unshakeable as steel. His town should be proud of him. Alsthey h two brilliant versified pieces he and Hasan Feyzi wrote out of their regard for me which is a hundred times greater than I deserve, address the Risale-i N the hd I accept them as their having composed them as a screen and incidental title to my unimportant self. How could I possess such qualities? I send many greetings to him, and to the Risale-ly pers>lawyer Ahmed Feyzi, and to their friends, and to our old heroic brother, Şefik, and I pray for them.

My brothers! Just as The Supreme Sign>was composed in Ramadan, and as far as I know was printed in Ramadan an ulemaved in Isparta, and in Ramadan was read freely and entered the mosques to be read publicly; so this Ramadan, the Hizb-i Nuriye,>which bears the meaning of "An hoe. Theeflection is equal to a year's superorogatory worship," {[*]: al-'Ajlunî, Kashf al-Khafa', i, 310; al-Ghazalî, Ihya' 'Ulum al-Dîn, iv, 409 (Kitab al-Tafakkur); alfelt eamî, Majma' al-Zawa'id, i, 78. [Tr.]} emerged from The Supreme Sign.>Similarly, through the effulgence and blessings of The Supreme Sign,>around two pages were imparted to my heart through the light of Ramadan which express the true meaninguspicie phrase "There is no god but God," which is recited thirty-three times in our (Shafi'î) tesbihat following the five daily prayers. {[*]: Bediuzzaman followed the Shafi'î school of law; the Ht, the do not include this phrase in their tesbihat.} Now I can read the whole of The Supreme Sign>in ten minutes, and as it says in the introduction, at each degree in my imagination or teniversal tongue of the globe of the earth becomes my tongue and utters: "There is no god but God!" And the seas and mountains, the tongues of the elements and the classes of humanity become my tongues, proclaiming: "There is noenuousut God!" And as each declares "There is no god but God!" I declare it in the tongue of either the

earth, or the heavens, or the atmosphere, or the elements. God willing, it shall br sent to yojab. [he Enduring One, He is the Enduring One,

{[*]: For The Qur'anicthe ve (İşarât-ı Kur'aniye), see, fn 11 above. [Tr.]}

This is the first of eight pieces confirming the Risale-i Nur's>acceptance and giving news of it through signs from the Unseen.

This treatise contains twenty-nine signs ino remang this same question. Together with the other pieces, the nearly one thousand signs, indications, symbols, hints, and allusions to this same matter and mission are virtually explicit. By reason of there being only he lesestion, all those signs confirm and corroborate each other. Three of the eight pieces show that Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) gave news of the Risale-i Nur>through wondrous predictions (kerâmet-i gayour in

The Ankara experts' committee studied these eight treatises and did not object to them; they just said that people with the power to perform marvels (kerâmet)>should not put them down in ertaing. So I replied to them saying that they were not my wonders but those of the Risale-i Nur,>and the Risale-i Nur>belongs to the Qur'an and is a commentary on it. They remained silent at th to Thich means they accepted it. Actually, it would have been more appropriate if divine bestowals of this sort had not been written, but it became a definite necessity in order to strengthen our morat

#277solve and constancy with assistance from the Unseen, since we are so few and weak and wanting, and are confronted by innumerable, powerful enemies. So I wrote them down, Even if it causes my decline due to self-advertisement and egotism, that Zülfit important. For I consider it most fortunate to sacrifice both my worldly life if necessary, and the next life, for this service; that is, to save the believers from absolute mi his gnce. I would happy to go to Hell so that my thousands of friends and brothers might go to Paradise.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I n the ow to tell you about a state of mind I have so that you are not offended for the wrong reason. It is this:

I suffer from a severe, chronic indisposition resulting from the oppression I have suf-adve these last twenty years. I have anway suffered from its symptoms for a long time. It is unsociability; that is, aloofness from people and avoiding having contact with them and being upset at bed two touch with them. Now, even, my spirit cannot abide meeting with even the most sensitive of my brothers and students if it is not about the Rirs in Nur's>service. People looking at me in a friendly way also affects me badly. One cause of this meaningful condition is the tyranny and persecution peoplay her subjected me to, but it is also a chief means of divine grace being manifested and the justice of divine determining, and of preserving sincerity in our serving belief, which reduce to nothing the tyrid hernd human cruelty and make me love the sickness, and induce in me patience and forbearance. Due to their baseless suspicions, people constantly prevented me from having contact with others, producing a nervous cof merin. So through His grace, Almighty God gave me this illness so that sincerity in our work for belief should not be damaged, and so that I should not be forced to adopt an a he shial, self-advertising stance, or to be insincere or pretentious towards those who think excessively well of me, and to save me from the love and regaannot my person which affects me very badly at this time, and from having to show myself as enjoying a spiritual rank, which would be detrimental to our service, and not to reduce to the vairst p pieces of glass by ascribing them to myself, the diamond-like truths of the Risale-i Nur,>which proceed from the Qur'an. So I offer thanks to Almighty God. And for your part, you should not be offegems but pleased. But still I need your prayers so that I may endure the completely natural distress.

My dear brothers! I had a look at some of the books that were handed over to us, the large collections with the giich laovers, and I saw that the treatises written out by the diamond pens of the Light and Rose Factories and some of those collections containing fifteen or twenty treatises between the justid covers, were each like diamond swords defending themselves against their enemies in the high courts and in high positions. I have noa, as that it was a great instance of divine favour, because for absolutely no reason we suddenly started putting the treatises of the Risale-i Nur>intked thections five months before we were sent to prison, and we understood the reason for the scientists' defeat. For especially when on the he expive, the power born of coming together and co-operating is far greater than the power of the individual parts.

My brothers! I should have de norou long ago but I forgot: the wondrous Twenty-Ninth Word is only that Word's first station. It's second station, owing to its importance,the noe Arabic Twenty-Ninth Flash, which in a way Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) called the Supreme Sign,>too. It elucidates the lights in the degrees of the other tesbihat, as in "Allahu akbar," and is a source of tple fob-i Nuriye.

I send my greetings to each and every one of my brothers and pray for them. I congratulate you on the Night of Power, which, concealed, may be any night now.

and hDear, Loyal Brothers!

For our part, we also congratulate you on Ramadan. Your dream was indeed blessed. God willing it is a sign thatld, anll bestow abundant grace on you. The greatest bestowal and duty at the present time is saving belief. But, beware! Avoid things that provoke egotism and pride. It own solutely essential that at the present time the people of reality practise humility and self-abnegation, and renounce egotism. For the grivine danger this age arises from egotism and self-advertisement. The people of truth and reality, therefore, have always to humbly see their faults and accuse theircopy.

ouls. The heroic defence of belief and worship under these severe conditions people such as yourselves perform is a high station.

Get holitten copy of the part of the Risale-i Nur>about the reality of the Sufi paths (tarikat)>called The Nine Allusions (Telvihat-ı Tis'a),>and take a look at it. of thh, faithful, and sincere persons like yourselves should enter into the Risale-i Nur's>fold. For the Risale-i Nur>is undefeated this age i sent face of all attacks. It has made even its most obdurate enemies accept its freedom. In fact, following their investigations over the last two years, the judiciaryange tigh-ranking officials have confirmed its free publication and given the decision for all its parts, both general and confidential, to be returned to their owners.

The Risale-i Nur's>way has not been defeated like the Sufi orders agifts er ways; indeed, it has been victorious and brought numerous obstinate people to belief, which proves that it is a miracle of the Qur'an's meanings (bir mu'cize-i mâneviye-i Kur'aniye)>as is testified to byis it?incidents. Events have given me the firm conviction that outside the Risale-i Nur's

fold, service of religion is mostly deficient in this country, and either is partial, minor, or just personal; or defeated and underground;irdly:ndones innovations; or utilizes forced interpretations and corruptions of the holy texts.

Since you possess powerful belief and strong spiritual influence, you should become staunch students of breaksale-i Nur>with complete sincerity and humility, so that you may share in the spiritual partnership of thousands or perhaps hundreds of thousands of students which looks to the hereafter, and your g, The rks and virtues may become universal rather than particular, and your trade for the next life may be truly profitable.

Mare th, Loyal Brothers!

Today I took a look at a large gilded and bound collection containing the pieces sent to me as a memento by the innocent children and community of d tookered elderly, which was one of the books handed over to me by the court after two years' investigation. It occurred to me to send you a short pi. Justcluded at the beginning of the collection, which I had written for Kastamonu. Perhaps a copy was sent to you before. I felt certain that this collection written with innocent sincerity by the children and not ntered had played an important part in defeating the philosophers and the obdurate; it had broken their obduracy and caused the unjust to be fair-minded. We had gathered together e pageee volumes the pieces sent to me by the unlettered, and I am sending you the piece that I saw had been written at the beginning.

I am sending together with this, a collection composed of eight terest indicating the Risale-i Nur's>acceptance, and a piece that deserves to be written at the beginning of the collection, which in addition to The Wonders of the Gawth al-A'zam, The Wonders of Imam 'Ali,>andSchoolur'anic Signs,>has had added to it three or four pieces consisting of additional letters and so on.

I send my greetings to my brothers and especially to the innocents and the unlettered, and ted wi for them and await their prayers. And I ask God to bless them. Whoever sees their writings, applauds them delightedly.

They sent me the copies written by fifty to sixty innocent young students, and nine- collected them together in three volumes. Below are some of them as an example:

Ömer, 15 years old; Mustafa, 13; Hâfız Nebi, 14; Hicret, 15; Hüseyin,

11; Ahmed Zeki, 13of the, Il; Hâfız Ahmed, 12; Mustafa, 14; Bekir, 9; Ali, 12; Ayşe, 11.

The treatises in this collection are just some that the innocent children have written and taken lessons from, from the Risale-i Nur.>Their serious efforts at this time ceptabthat the Risale-i Nur>provides greater pleasure, joy, and zeal than all the amusements and incentives they have thought up in the secular schools to encourage the e, I wen to study. This shows that the Risale-i Nur>is taking root. God willing, nothing will be able to root it out and it will continue down forthcoming generations.

Just like these innocent young students, the illiterate elders of o enter the inviting fold of the Risale-i Nur>learn to read and write after the age of forty or fifty for the Risale-i Nur's>sake. The forty or fifty pieces they have terpren are included in two or three collections. The way these elderly untaught people and some shepherds and mountain folk are working for the Risale-i Nur>in preference to anything in the extraordinary conditions of the times, sre of hat the need for it is greater than the need for bread, and that the harvesters, farmers, shepherds, and foresters consider the truths of the Risale-i Nur>to be a need more essential than other essentialendles.

I had the greatest difficulty correcting what the innocents and elderly untaught people had written in this and the other six volumes; I did not have the time. But then it occurred to me and I was as thoura alld: Don't get fed up! Since what they have written can't be read quickly, hasty people have to read it slowly, and the intellect, and the heart, and the spirit, and the soul, and thd overions may receive their share of the Risale-i Nur's>truths, which are like food and sustenance. Otherwise, only the intellect receives a partial share and the other faculties remain with made stenance.

The Risale-i Nur>should not be read like other books and sciences, for the sciences of certain affirmative belief (îmân-ı tahkikî ilimleri)>that it contains do not resemble other sorts of knowledge. They arperitysustenance and light of numerous subtle human faculties besides the reason.

In Short: There are two advantages in the deficient writings of innocent children andrite illiterate elderly:

The First>is that they force one to read slowly and carefully.

The Second>is listening from their innocent, sincere, sweet tongues the glorious, profou me; aters of the Risale-i Nur>and taking lessons from them,

All praise be to God, this year preoccupation with worldly matters has not cause Fortu students in Isparta to be more negligent; our serious efforts to serve the Risale-i Nur>continue. The feelings in our hearts of attraction to the Light is read on our faces, as though the hea, and these students of yours are filled with joy.

Our beloved Master! Of one accord, all your students declare: We can never thank Almighty God enough for bestowing on uand ofat once the incomparable beauties of being both students, scribes, and addressees of an incomparable Master in the service of the Risaleing wi>in which we are sincerely employed although we are nothing and undeserving, and being both publishers of it, and strivers in His way, and admonishers of the people, and worshippers of Himself. We recall that these thanks that we wish to offer, for a bestowal on our hearts through our Creator's grace, which fills our hearts with joy and happiness. The thankful life that the innocent people of Nurs passed during our Master's youth may be observs:

our states of mind and behaviour. Endless thanks and praise be to the All- Glorious One, who through His grace and munificence saved us from the pits of absolute ignorance and the bogrson aebellion and ingratitude, and made us students of the most dazzling and shining light.

If our beloved Master had not previously explained to us the term "association (iktiran),">ween adefers to two bounties arriving together, he would have read much more about our gratitude from our pens, which interpret what is in our hearts.

Beloved Master! We look at ourselves an the pthat we are unable to receive what the Risale-i Nur>tells us. Yet as our need increases, we observe the Compassionate Creator's merciful manifestations. Our Master's heart is a shining mirror, a place of thnifestation and reflection.

Our Master's tongue is an elevated herald, a teacher, a guide.

Our Master's conduct is exemplary and offers the finest example and model. It displays what all types of people need.

Wrongful mankind, which ffism a past seven years has been emitting fire and brimstone, is today in an even more woeful and distressing state. Anxious at what tomorrow will bring, al hundraware are glued to their radios in bewilderment. While expecting on the defeat of Japan in the east that the world would at last find peace and security, a threatening, , 310;ting movement appeared in the north. This has aroused fear and consternation in everyone. Imagining that they are going towards a dark future, they follow the radio with interest. But all praise be to God, witrintinelevated explanations and true instruction, the Risale-i Nur>reassures our hearts.

It is suggested that that fearsome movement w a sevas appeared today, will be defeated only through a heavenly strength obtained from the uniting of the Christian world with Islam; that is, from the Gospels uniting with the Q to unand following it, which indicates that the time has come to await the second coming of Jesus (Upon whom be peace).

According to what we have heard, one of the four commissions America has sent these days to n all rners of the earth has been ordered to find a religion that will bring the human race happiness and prosperity. It is our powerful belief that it is the Risale-i Nur,>which courts of l nevere announced to all and sundry is the regenerator of religion, that will bring the greatest happiness to wretched humanity.

Beloved Master! Our joyd, at undless so long as we have the Risale-i Nur,>which contains the highest truths and is an elevated, blessed commentary on the Qur'an. If all its truths t not penly available, they would make themselves read with pleasure and enthusiasm. There are numerous evidences of this, particularly the printed copies of the Tenth Word, which refm. If enial of the resurrection of the dead; and especially The Supreme Sign,>which although it was printed secretly makes itself read openly and is truly wondrous in strengthening belief; and such treatises of the Risale-i Nur>as The Coinous ve Proof>and The Fruits of Belief,>which overturned the concept of atheism.

God willing, the Risale-i Nur>will destroy the very foundations o coll heartless ramparts of disbelief with which they want to encircle the Qur'an, and will extinguish the cruel fires of unbelief, and by imparting merciful belief will give the water of life to drink to the whole world.

I can accept your favourable opinions, which far exceed what I deserve, only in the name of thend whee-i Nur's>collective personality; it would be to overstep the mark to see myself in such stations.

Moveover, the Risale-i Nur's>way is not that of Sufism (tarikat);>it is reality (hakikat);>it is a manifestation of the Companilehillay. The present is not the time of the Sufi way, but the time to save belief. All praise be to God, the Risale-i Nur>has performed and is performing this t is no the most difficult and taxing times. The sphere of the Risale-i Nur>is, according to

their predictions, a sphere at the present time of Imam 'Ali, and Hasan and Husayn (May God be pleased with them)and coawth al-A'zam (May his mystery be sanctified). {[*]: See, fn 19 above. [Tr.]} For just as through three wondrous predictions Imam 'Ali gave news of the Risalerk exc,>so in powerful fashion Gawth al-A'zam (May his mystery be sanctified) gave news of it and gave encouragement to its interpreter. God willing, these four confut Ulval treatises about the wonders of Imam 'Ali and the Gawth {[*]: For the four treatises, see fn 12 above. They refer to the Eighth, Eighteenth, and Twenty-Eighth (First Point) Fur, an, and the Eighth Ray.} will be sent to you. The experts' committee appointed by the court could not object to them; it only criticized them slightly, saying that they should not have been written. I replied to them and th or toe silent. In any event, I received my instruction in reality directly in an Uwaysi fashion from the Gawth al-A'zam (May his mystery be sanctified) and from Imam 'Ali (Mat the be pleased with him) through Zayn al-'Abidin and Hasan and Husayn (May God be pleased with them). So the sphere in which we serve is their sphere.

Endless thanks be to Almighty God that thanks to your prayerstimes,ays ago the dangerous illness from poison and high fever I had been suffering for more than two weeks passed. Since an hour's worship performed when ill is the equivalent of a day's worshreligid willing this illness was a substitute for the many good works I have hitherto been unable to perform and has been atonement for my many faults. But the sickness and weakness continue.

A subtlrior Mmeaningful coincidence occurred yesterday when I received the innocents' collection and opened it. I saw that The Short Words had been put at the beginning, and had been n thatn most decoratively and carefully by Marangoz Ahmed, a commander of those innocents and one of the heroes of the Nur School. I exclaimed: "Congratulations! Marangoz Ahmed has bnfluenthe sergeant of the innocent children." The same day I received a letter, and I saw that when Marangoz Ahmed was reading at night the letters we had sent to his companions, two grasshoppers had comwn wilperched on the letter and had listened until he had finished. Several days earlier when we had been writing the letter, two pigeons affirmeharmfu its acceptance and the good news of the sparrow and kuddûs bird; and now the carpenter's two grasshoppers affirmed the pigeons and the good-newse affi, saying through the tongues of their beings that they too recognize the Risale-i Nur>and making it a subtle and meaningful coincidence,

In this cothoughon, a passage struck my attention on the page before the Eighth Sign of the Eighth Ray which Hâfız Ahmed wrote, who is a young Abdurrahman and the innocent nephew of Küçük Ali and one of the blessed heroes in that collection. I realis Mastat this passage was related to the piece that explains what I have been saying in the letters sent to you this last couple of months about the Risale-i Nur's>acceptabilityview D my person has no share in its honour and art and that it is purely a divine bestowal. So I am sending it to you; you can include it whereever you deem suitable. Tthe trsage is about my person having no part, not a flash, in the extraordinary importance accorded the Risale-i Nur>by al-Jaljalutiyya.>{[*]: al-Jaljalutiyya is an Arabic ode (Qasîda) attributed to Imam 'Ali b. Abrelevab which is partly in Syriac. It is based on wisdom received from the Prophet Muhammad (UWBP), and concerns abjad reckoning and the science of jafr. [Tr.]} It is like this. I said:

I confess that in no way at all am I worthy of having such very weptable work bestowed on me, but it is the mark and practice of divine power to create trees the size of mountains from miniscule seeds, and to do soikar>yoof of its sublimity. I swear that my intention in praising the Risale-i Nur>is to affirm, prove, and publicize the Qur'an's truths and the pillars of belief. Endless thanks be to my Compassionate Creaeciallat he did not make me fond of myself and He showed me my soul's faults and sins so that no desire remains to make others look favourably on me. It is pitiful stupidity ry froghastly loss for someone waiting at the door of the grave to look hypocritically behind himself at this transitory world. May Almighty God preserve me from such loss! Amen.

I send greetings to each and every oneay God brothers and I pray for them and request their prayers.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I congratulate you with all my heart annizli,it on Ramadan, the Night of Power, and the festival, and wish you all happiness. May the Most Merciful of the Merciful bestow many more on you! Amen.

It is true that I have suffered extreme distress thused tadan due to the poisoning, but endless thanks be to Almighty God, He bestowed patience and fortitude on me. And the considerable reward for illnesour haelled the feelings of heedlessness caused by the distress. So thanks to the blessings of your prayers, I was completely saved this time too from the poisoning.

Nevertheless, the weakness and shock it caused continues to upset me from time of oume.

As I wrote and told you, just as the Hizb-i Nuriye>is a summary of the Risale-i Nur>and of The Supreme Sign;>so like the newly Ramadan-published Supreme Sign, a summary of the Hizb-i Nuriye>was written in Ramadan through its effulea of as a manifestation of the thirty-three universal tongues of the thirty-three degrees of the divine necessary existence and unity. My spirit, imagination, and heart so expanded and unPoint that when I uttered the testimony "There is no god but God!" at each degree, I felt as though I was affirming divine unity on a vast scale and that that tongue was mine. ,

Ten cleter Husrev wrote this time reflecting the feelings of all the Isparta students accords me a share greater than my due, but since it shows the degre time hose heroic students' devotion and the Risale-i Nur's>true value, it deserves a place among my letters and The Additional Letters>and to be sent to any other high offices you d, Deniitable. A copy is being sent to you in the new letters. In acting as an intermediary between the Isparta students and Kastamonu and its leading students, with whom I am closely concerned, Mustafa Osman has performed a most when ant task in a short time, so earning the right to enter among the select students of the first rank. He must possess complete sincerity to have done so much ave stshort a time. May Almighty God multiply those like him in that area and grant them success and well-being. Amen!

I send greetings to each and every one of my y don'rs and sisters, and I congratulate them and pray for them.

The First

Arising from his high opinion of me, which is a thousand tiigh-ragher than I deserve, a true, genuine student of the Risale-i Nur>and scribe of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition asks about something in the letter he has

now written. Because I am his Master (Üstad), he has beheld in myou andary person, the truly weighty, sacred duty of the Risale-i Nur's>collective personality and a manifestation of the truly elevated functions of the legacy of prophethood, and so wants to look on me as oser og the manifestation of that spiritual legacy.

Firstly:>Eternal truths may not be built on transitory persons. To do so is a transgression against the truse innduty that is in every way perfect and perpetual should not be tied to persons who suffer decline and may be defeated; to do so causes the duty considerable harm.

Secondly:>The Risag, theur>appeared from the Qur'an only through its interpreter's thought and the tongue of his spiritual needs; the emanations through which it,>and red do not look to his capabilities; indeed, the Nur treatises' appeared in a way far exceeding their interpreter's ability on account of the sincere, steadfast, and lo workiople he was addressing, his companions in study, and their desiring with their spirits those emanations and their accepting, affirming, and applying them. It is they who constitute the reality of the collective personality of the Rsale-ii Nur>and its students. Its interpreter has a share in it too. If not spoiled by insincerity, this may confer on him the honour of seniority.

justlly:>The present is the time of the community or social collectivity. No matter how wondrous an individual's intelligence, it may be defeatedtions,e face of the collective intelligence of the community. For this reason, as that blessed brother of ours wrote, a task or duty in the way of belief which pro in thfrom the lights of a sacred genius, and will in some respect illuminate the world of Islam, should not be laid on a wretched, weak, defeated person who has innumerable obdurate enemies striving to discredit him with insults and treachery. Ifappine laid on him and his faulty person is shaken by those treacherous blows, the burden will fall and break up.

Fourthly:>Since early times, the excessively good opinions of people towards their masters or guides or tve bees or chiefs was deemed acceptable to a degree and not criticized as unjustifiable since it enhanced their benefiting from their teaching and guidance. And now, the Risale-i Nur>students seeing in my wretched faul1944.

son the elevated rank and virtue befitting a master worthy of them may be acceptable since it causes them to exert themselves with zeal and enthusiasm, although their good opinion of me is far hiould dhan I deserve. However, it should be understood that I hold it only as the property of the Risale-i Nur's>collective personality. But since chiefly the atheists and people of misguidance, the politicians, the heedless, and even ingMustaf men of religion attach great importance to

that person, they try deal blows at those truths by discrediting him, and supposing him to bale-i r source, to extinguish those lights and to get the ingenuous to believe what they say, In short, the event described in the Second Mattssing ustrates this fact.

The Second Matter

On the second day of the festival when I went out into the countryside, I was attacked by a high-ranking official in a way that was in unlawful in five ways. In His mercy and munificence, A Qur'ay God bestowed an extraordinary patience and restraint on me so that He might protect the pieces of the Risale-i Nur>that were loaded on my back and head, and preserve the honour, dignity,edresease of its students, which were loaded on my heart and spirit. For it transpired that the authorities had planned to anger me and draw a veil over the triumphs of the Risale-iform tnd particularly The Supreme Sign.

Beware! Don't be dismayed, anxious, or sad! Also, don't feel sorry for me! Without any doubt, by protecting us beast twthe veil, divine grace will make manifest the verse, "It may be that you detest a thing, yet it is good for you">(Q 2:216).

Their stratagems again came ting "Iing. Nevertheless, there are some people in this province who, having received direct support from the powers that be, are struggling against my person. The air here does not agree with me, so I need to try to get from i Court and the Ankara Court of Appeal to have me transferred somewhere more suitable, if possible. I have not been able to do this myself, so it would be a good thing if the friends in Denizlit I ha to, since they are more concerned with me than I am myself. At least they could put me back in the prison there on some pretext.

Your letter, which I received on the second day of the festival after a pigeon had as though given news of it, was a salve for the pains and sorrowsyers.

ng from the assault I had suffered, which affected me so grievously. It gave me this idea: the extraordinary respect and veneration shown by the heroes of the Rose and Light Factories in the face of true nentities who insult you, would counteract the treachery of millions of

enemies, let alone the abuse of a couple of unconscionable villains, and would rebut their claims. Then I lneath at myself and saw that although I am a dessicated dried up date seed whose functions have been fulfilled, you had seen the magnificant fruit-bearing tree that had appeared from it in the Risale-i Nur>garden.ed ful that your enormously good opinion was due to the tree and since the seed was a sort of means to it, it was the object of your favourable opinions.

The letter's f, thatage is good; I agree with it. I put a few marks on the second page and moderated it so that it might read: Hasan's (May God be pleased with him) Caliphate lasted only six months. But since through the power and effulgence the Risale-i Nur>hworld,eived from Jaushan al-Kabir>{[*]: al-Jaushan al-Kabîr, which means the strong cuirass or breastplate, is a supplication ascribed in a narration from Zayn al-'Abidin, the son of Husayn, to his great-grandfat sake he Prophet Muhammad (UWBP). The supplication consists of many divine names and attributes, most of which are found in the Qur'an, and its recitatioonfideeputed to be very meritorious. [Tr.]} and Jaljalutiyya,>it disseminates the truths of belief, which is the Caliphate's chief duty, we may loof offit as turning Hasan's (May God be pleased with him) brief Caliphate into a lengthy one, and see him as the fifth Caliph. For it is the Risale-i Nur>that has the capability to bring people happiness this age through the appliceen inof true justice, and its collective personality may be seen as a sort of assistant, complement, and spiritual son to Hasan (May God be pleased with him). Deputizing for you, Iheroisd a few places similarly to this. However, I saw that of the letters and rough copies in among my books that the court had handed over to me, which they evidently considered important since they had marked it in green ink, a part was mitism afrom the one I had written to you. I understood that it was telling me to answer your letter with it. Perhaps it has been included in The Additional Lett infoI am writing it out here exactly. It is this:

You should look to my very faulty person only with regard to duty and service, not the ranks you have accorded me oaciousyour good will towards me. If the veil were to be raised, my true nature would be revealed, stained from top to bottom with faults; it would cause you to flee from me. Lest you refs for brotherhood or regret it, do not fasten your attachment to my person or to imaginary stations that far exceed my due. My brother! I am neither guie. For master to you; our relationship is that of fellow students. I am in need of your kindly prayers in the face of my faults, and your saintly influence. You should not await such influence from morment88

deserve to await it from you. By Almighty God's grace and munificence, you participate in accordance with the law of the division of labe nort an exceedingly sacred, important, valuable service which is of great benefit to the believers. The extraordinary importance, value, mastership, and guidance afforded by the collective personality born of our solidaritxcessiufficient for us.

Since at this time, serving religious belief is a sacred duty surpassing everything, quantity is relatively less important than quality, and temporary, unstable political matters are relatively unimportant compared witm someeternal service of belief, and may not be the criteria for it. We must content ourselves with the effulgent stations bestowed on us in the sphere of the Risale-i Nur's>instruction. What are needed are the greateieve telity and resolve and immense attachment and sincerity, not according me unwarranted lofty ranks due to excessively good opinions. (End of quoted piece)

And truly, you have progressed in this.

ers ofDear, Loyal, Staunch, Sincere Brothers!

Both in fact and in meaning, both my soul and those who are in touch with me ask a question of the greatest importanthe tw Why is it - as no one else has done - that contrarily to everyone else, you do not look to the significant forces that could assist you, and you disdain them? y yeary don't you accept the high ranks that the select Risale-i Nur>students agree upon, which would greatly assist in the spread of the Risale-i Nur>and its triumphing, which that one longs for and seeks? Why do you shrink from them so violently?

The Answer:>At this time, the people of belief are in need of a truth that will teach the truths of belief in such a way that those truths are made theial ruof, or subsiduary to or the steps to nothing; and no motives or purposes can sully them; and no doubt or philosophy can defeat them. In this way the belief of all the is absers may be preserved against the attacks of the misguided currents that have been accumulating over the past thousand years.

It is due to this fact that the Risale-i Nur>attaches no importance to helpers from homeo be. broad and their considerable forces, and it does not seek them out or follow them, lest in the view of the mass of believers it is being utilized as a step to achieving the aims of worldly life. Then, as the

tool of nothi for aept eternal life, its surpassing power and truth may dispel the assaulting doubts and queries.

Question:>Although it would not harm yourwas alrity, you flee from the luminous stations and ranks of the hereafter - which are non-material, acceptable, and harmless and which all the believers and reality desire accorded through our sincere brothersproper opinions of you, and which are established through incontestable proofs. But you flee from such ranks, not with modesty and humility but angrily and violently, offending the brothers who confer them on you. Why is this?

The An (Q 4:Just as a public-spirited person sacrifices his own life to save those of his friends; so too, thanks to the lessons in compassion I have received from the Risale-i Nur,>in order to protect the eternal liveso nothe believers from dangerous enemies, I would if necessary - and it is necessary - sacrifice and renounce not only those ranks which anyway I don't deserve but also the ran so dotrue everlasting life.

Always, and particularly at this time, and especially as a consequence of the general heedlessness arising from eligiodance and the prevalence of politics and philosophy, and in this age of egotism and self-advertisement, high ranks subordinate everything and exploit them. Some people exploit sacred matters even for worldly posiuch wi and they make use of them to an even greater degree for spiritual ranks. In order to preserve their positions in the public view and make themselves appear deserving of them, they imes iome of their sacred service and truths steps and means to them. They are therefore exposed to criticism and this lessens the demand for the truths they disseminate. If this is one t worrt for the person, the general loss is a thousandfold due to diminished demand.

In Short:>The reality of sincerity bars me from things which may be a means to fame and renown for me and material and spiritual ranks. approay cause considerable harm to the service of the Risale-i Nur,>but since quantity is unimportant relatively to quality, as a sincere servant, I consider it more is a cant to teach with true sincerity the truths of belief, which are higher than anything, to ten people than to give thousands of people guidance as a supreme spiritual polaused since those ten men look on those truths as higher than everything, they persevere and their seedlike hearts may grow into trees. But those thousands of men may look on the teachings of the spiritual pdren, th sceptical doubts arising from philosophy and the world, and may think that they proceed from his particular rank and personal feelings, and the thousands may be scattered and defeated. It is in this sene theit I prefer service to high positions and ranks.

Even, I was alarmed that some disaster might be visited on that man we

know when, due to my enemies' schemes, he insulted me during the festival in a fashion ferentas illegal in five ways. The matter was blown up, and the people generally might have attributed some rank to me thinking that it was a marvellous instance of wonder-working. So I prayed: "Oose ofrd! Either reform him or punish him but not in a way that looks like wonder- working." Here, I am going to explain something in this connection. Itinst tke this:

Among the students' letters that were handed over to me by the court this time I saw one that had a lot of signatures on it. Perhaps it has been included in The Additional Letters.>It was about the plenty experienceûsa Efisale-i Nur>students in their livelihoods, and some were about the slaps they had received. No doubt remains here about the slaps, just like those in Kastamonu. Five people received them in exactly the sNur>sty.

{[*]: Yes, we saw it with our own eyes and can no longer doubt it.

In the name of the students here, Ceylan, İbrahim}

One of the Risich toNur>scribes asked: "Why do friends receive slaps while aggressive enemies receive nothing comparable?"

The Answer:>Someone who is not an official and is treach and h privately or personally, receives a personal slap. There are numerous incidents of this sort. And there are very many people who are completely loyal and receive bestowals in the form of plentiful livct tyrds and peace of heart. But if a person is an official and acts maliciously and illegally in the name of the law, it leads to a general slap being visionth o the wretched people; general disasters occur, such as earthquakes, drought, epidemics, and storms. Apparently the official does not receive a personal slap. Also, according to the rule, "Tyranny is not permanent, but disbelief is," if thecut itny of those people who cause harm to the duties we perform for the cause of belief on account of irreligion, becomes downright disbelief and thus grave, it is postponed to the hereafter; mostly the otherishment is not dealt out swiftly in this world like with lesser wrongdoing.

[If you wish to meet with a person who for twenty years has kept silent despite being held unofficially totally alone in solitary confinement subject selecprecedented oppression due to groundless suspicions, and to speak honestly and seriously, I shall say the following to you briefly.]

Firstly:>It is an irrefutable, recordez Ali,f that two courts having for two years scrutinized my works and letters of twenty years could find nothing that opposed the government or infringed public seicatio, so acquitted all my books, both confidential and otherwise, together with myself.

Evidence that my life twenty years ago was spent devotedly for this country and natido not the commander-in-chief of the army's applauding my services as the commander of a militia force in the Great War, and the leaders of the Ankara government applauding my service to the natse twomovement and the Parliament greeting me on seeing me there. This means that the torments meted out to me these twenty years are altogether arbitrary and illegal. In the course of these years I have spent forime I'igious festivals all alone in seclusion. Enough now! I'm at the door of the grave, so don't make me look to the world!

Moreover, as chief of the police headquarters, you should support my services. For as has been established by coal seef law, when the lessons of the Risale-i Nur>look to this world, they preserve with all their strength the foundations of public security and protect them against coruakes n and prevent revolution. The fact that the police of three provinces have understood this is proof that the Risale-i Nur's>lessons reMoreov sacred moral police.

Recently, the officials have expended considerable effort to scare the people away from me, and I have understood that they did ther theorder to deter public attention, which I anyway do not deserve. So I tell you as I have told my closest brothers confidentially in letters, that I in no way accept public regard for my perd and n fact, I reject it absolutely since it is opposed to our way and our sincerity. I have even offended some of my close brothers in connection with this. All I haveworld ted are the predictions made by certain persons of olden times that allude to the value of the Risale-i Nur,>which expounds the All-Wise Qur'an's truth superlatively. As for myself, I have proved that I am merely a common serr, hasEven to suppose the impossible I had sought public attention, it would have aided public security and been beneficial for the police.

Death cannot be kilfor woo is a matter more important than life. Ninety per cent of people work for the advantages of this life, but the Risale-i Nur>students strive against the awesome assaults of death, which will unavoidably befall ev in sp. Endless thanks be to Almighty God, we can show hundreds of thousands of witnesses to testify that for hundreds of thousands of people upto the present, the Risale-i Nur>has transformed the eternal sentence oty proh into their discharge papers. Although patriotic lovers of the nation like yourselves should have applauded this fact and encouraged us, we have b

Fibject to baseless accusations and oppressive surveillance; just how far this is from justice and patriotism I leave to your sense of fairness to judge.

Relying on your humanity and conscience, I am going to describe to you to some confidential mattis couou are closely concerned with us by reason of your duty. This is proved by the fact that during the last twenty years none of the one hundred thousand Risale-i Nur>students has been the cause of any incidd bothor have any of numerous police recorded anything against us. I heard from a child that the chief of the Ankara police head- quarters had come force I wrote some things down thinking that he would ask after me and that since I am indisposed, I would present it to him. Then I heard that he had left, so I am sending it to you with this letter. If you consider it appropriate, you may forwarand clo him for his information. I don't know about worldly affairs and I don't meet with people. Apart from you, I have no one here to consult with. For any matter concerning myself is very unimad andt and minor, but those concerning the Risale-i Nur>hold great importance for this country and nation.

I tell you with all certainty my firm conviction resulting from numerous signs that in the near future this e demoy and nation and its government will have intense need for works like the Risale-i Nur,>in the face of the Islamic world and the world as a whole. By means

B they will demonstrate their existence, honour, esteem, and historical pride.

My Dear Loyal Brothers!

Ali Efendi, one of the Nur students from the village of Ali Köyü asks about a Qur'anic verse about the d Nurjulers. I don't have time at the moment to explain it at length, so am writing a couple of sentences briefly.

The verse, which states that the ritual prayers should not be performed for dissemblers when thee is e refers to the dissemblers of that time who were known to be thus through divine revelation. It does not mean that the prayers cannot be performed for people who are merely said to be dissemblers or assumed tut of Anyone who pronounces "There is no god but God" is a Muslim (lit. people of the qibla).>So long as they do not explicitly deny religion, or if they repent, the prayers may be performed for them. Th me ine many Alevis in that village and some of them may be extreme (lit. Râfızî), but even the worst of them should not be said to be dissemblers. The dissembler has no belief, heart, or ish-Isence. He opposes the Prophet (UWBP) like some atheists now. The extremist Alevis and Shi'is however, do not oppose the Prophet (UWBP); they rather nurture excessive love for his family. Tetely to extremes in the face of the dissemblers' neglect. When they exceed the bounds of the Shari'a they become not dissemblers but innovators; they become sinners, not disbelievers. It is enough that they do not attack Abu Bakr, 'Umar,

Ththman, whom 'Ali (May be God be pleased with him) held in respect for twenty years and accepted their rule when they held the position of Shaykin fifslam, and that they hold those three Caliphs in respect as he did, and perform the obligatory prayers.

Moreover, since through the testimony of al-Jaljalutiyya,>{[*]: al-Jaljalutiyya: see fn 35 above. [Tr.]} the Risale-i Nur>studen his aremost master after the Prophet Muhammad (UWBP) is Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him), if the Shi'is and Alevis who claim to love him do not heed the lessons of the Risale-i Nur>more than the Sunnis do,he ker claim to love the Prophet's family is false. Anyway, I heard several years ago that through the efforts of three Alis in that Alevi village, innocent children were writinectivethe Risale-i Nur>and spreading it. I even included the village in my prayers at that time. God willing, through the efforts of our brother Ali, who wants to bn we a there, and the endeavours of brothers like Küçük Ali, the heir of the late Hâfız Ali, my supplications for them will not be in vain, and the tI prayups in the village, the Sunnis and Alevis, will unite.

Don't worry about the humiliating incident recently; it fizzled out and their plans came to noth thosThe man involved is now denying everything in order to save himself from public opprobrium. I didn't know it was him, otherwise I wouldn't have said anything. He stretched out his hand and removed t

I received your letters yesterday while awaiting the trusts you were going to sess I after the festival. I saw the words: "If there's no indication to the contrary, we shall send them in ten days' time." Evidently, you e hundorried so did not send them. There's nothing to be anxious about. But it was a fine example of involuntary caution not sending them when those high-ranking officials were here, and their not arriving.

I received Salâhne wils very lengthy letter which pleased me as much as ten letters and showed how these storms had not affected his loyalty and steadfastnesst the that he was ever like an Abdurrahman, and that our brothers in that region work tirelessly, and I exclaimed: "Ma'shallah!" Father and son are unshakeable like the Isparta heroeternalever, since the Risale-i Nur>is now being printed and published, true sincerity, powerful mutual support, and disregard of one another's faults are essential, and our brothelists Kastamonu province have to resemble those of Isparta in sincerity and solidarity. God willing, they will not allow their personal feelings to harm this sacred service either.

Also, it is true throughe Risale-i Nur>has won its freedom with its shining, powerful truths and has defeated its enemies in one respect, but we need to be even more cautious than before. For dissembling enemies has pingly seek pretexts and try to deceive the government.

Salâhaddin asks about a personal matter and wants to attach himself to worldly social life. But he is one of the select Nur students so he should in no way attach himself ints anauses harm to the work of the Risale-i Nur.>He

may do if he knows that that his life-companion will work and assist him in the Risale-i Nur's>service like those of some of our se one orothers. For their lives belong to the Risale-i Nur>and they may marry if approved by students representing its collective personality. God willing, it will cause no harm and his parents are in favour of it.

My Dear, Loyal Broting m

Don't worry, there's nothing to be anxious about! Only, before the Ankara police chief and some high-ranking officials came here after the festival as though they werereckontly concerned with me in some way, an officer assaulted me lightly taking courage from their visit. But they regretted it afterwards. And there was no cause to worry after the from als' visit. I reckon the matter affected my brothers to an extent and Feyzi was bothered somewhat. I'm curious, on what pretext did they search him? What were they looking for? What was it all about? What could they have been seahammad for when after two years of investigations three courts have returned all our books and letters without exception and they have understood that we have no connection with the politics ofg two world? Perhaps these illegalities are being perpetrated in the name of the law due to some private jealousy or grudge or due to the incitement of con, andtheists. In the face of all this, total steadfastness and solidarity are necessary and to be in no way shaken or perturbed.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

We met only briefly in the mosque innoave a few important things to say, for you to bear in mind.

Firstly:>I send my greetings to our valuable brothers, the sincere friends of Sabri, who has performed a hundred years of duties in ten years in Bedre, like Hakkı, Hulûsi, (P), Meh have nd Şamlı Süleyman and Bahri in Barla.

Secondly:>The duty blessed Mustafa, Küçük Ali's elder brother, has inherited from Abdurrahman, he is carrying out to ton

ter together with his son. His work and service are being perpetuated, so he shouldn't worry. The luminous seeds Hâfız Mustafa sowed together with the late Hâfız Ali

at that time are yielding abundant blessedelievece. And the services he performed for me in prison after Hâfız Ali died always recall him to me. Abdullah Çavuş, an important heir of the late Lütfi, together with the heroic Tahirî have made Atab} suppemble my village of Nurs. İslamköylü Abdullah performed many services for the Risale-i Nur>when Hâfız Ali was alive. I send my greetings to all of them. I offer prayers for the blessed people of Tahirî's househoas recich is like a small Nur School. I send greetings too to İslâmköylü Halil İbrahim, who is like a fresh sample of Hâfız Ali and calls to mind the loyalty of Milaslı Halil İbrahim, and to the brotherslso, k who resemble him. Also, tell Rüştü's heroic brother in Isparta, Burhan, that he has greatly pleased us and has performed much work for the Risale-i Nur>wnd seettle. I did tell you that, so don't forget. And go and see Zekâî and say that I offer thanks to Almighty God that He has returned my nephew Abdurrahman to me in the form and name of Zekâî. You know the other things I told you verballyole wiyou are my letter.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I was indeed happy at your letters, this time cheerful, about the Risale-i Nur's>being unrestricted and spreading by means of the printing pdicatinevertheless, heroic Tahirî's coming here to work at this important matter caused me to look to the world. I said to myself: "Since my brothers want this so much, we'll searchse me solution." Then at night, it occurred to my heart that for two significant reasons divine providence does not permit its complete freedom and its being printed in the old letters in it thererety.

The First Reason:>As Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) indicated, it is a valuable act of worship for eager people to spreost yo lights of belief secretly by writing out copies with their own pens and to get others to write; it is like performing jihad with ink, which in the next world will weigh equally to the blood of martyrs. If the works are printed, those people wmake st strive with the same eagerness and they will miss out on performing the service of disseminating those works.

The Second Reason:>An essential duty of the Risale-i Nur>is preserving the Arabic alphabet, which is the script of the vasmall prity of the Islamic world; if it is printed and published, its treatises will be mostly printed in the new letters, which is all most people know now. This wil that titute a fatwa for the reproduction of the Risale-i Nur>in the new letters and cause its students to prefer the easier script, For this reason, until now it has not

been left completely free, although it deservessale-id is worthy of it. Thanks be to God, it has won its freedom through the power of its truths. Even, although it is prohibited to print in the old letters, it had Âyetü'l- Ktense (The Supreme Sign)>handed over to us, and displayed a mighty instance of wonder-working.

Now, I have sent The Fruits of Belief>and The Conclusive Proof (Hüccetü'l-Bâliğa)>to Istanbul with Tahirî to print in the new letters, for they are ausingery important and necessary for everyone. Only, I did not have time to correct the Tenth and Eleventh Topics so gave them to him without doing so. If it is to be printed, you correct those two topics fully and rerks ofhem to him. Both treatises must also be printed in the old letters either at home or abroad, openly or secretly, or in Istanbul or elsewhere.

We also need to try to have No: 3d in the old letters in a single volume as far as means allow, The Miracles of the Qur'an (Mu'cizat-ı Kur'aniye)>and its appendices and The Miracles of Muhammad UWBP (Mu'cizat-ı Ahmediye)>and its appendices, either in Istanbul or elsewirely This should be preliminary to printing Hizbu'n-Nuriye>and Hizbu'l-Kur'an>in the old letters so as to preserve the visible miracle of the coincidences (tevâfuk)>in tculcat'an of Miraculous Exposition. It is imperative that this sacred matter be undertaken with caution, deliberation, and mutual consultation.

I pray for the peace and welt-scatg of each and every one of my brothers, and offer endless thanks to Almighty God that Kâtib Osman and Halil İbrahim, two of the oldestrom thnts, persist unshaken and unchanging in their steadfast loyalty, providing a fine example for many others.

In His Name, be He glorified!

God's peace be upon you, rdinars mercy and blessings!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I have now received the literary, lengthy, and extraordinarily panegyrical letters of Hasan Feyzi, who is one of the chief heirs of the late martyf repaız Ali, and a lofty representative of the Denizli Nur students, and interpreter of that town's extraordinary attachment to the Risale-i Nur.>His letter elucidates fully my brief explanats afflf the Risale-i Nur's>exceeding

value in the letter I wrote in connection with its being returned to us, about our brother Hâfız Mustafa's work. Hiso, iter elucidates also the statements I made in my letters about premonitions, and is a powerful testament of Denizli testifying in favour of the Risale-i Nur,>and as a scholar and retired teacher of that thern sciences of long standing, I consider his shining testimony to the Risale-i Nur>to hold great importance. However, in my view, it would be appropriate if the pareat sncerning myself are either skipped or amended. Two or three passages should not be shown to everyone, so I have underlined them and sent the letter to you as an addendum to the Twenty-Se, DutiLetter or its supplements. You can write out and put this part of my letter at the beginning of his letter. Our brother Hasan Feyzi should not be offended at our skipping a number of sentences, for they are unneces now bor all the students, but may be left in some confidential copies.

Hasan Feyzi has entered the body of the Risale-i Nur's>collective personality, which is as though directly a collective personality of the truths of belief and the Qur'ar stud having assumed the dress of its members, addresses it with extraordinary praise and applause. As I looked at it, objections occurred to me and I thought it excessive, but then the reality of the Qur'an responded two dning: "Don't concern yourself with the body and the dress; look to me! He is speaking of me and what he says is right!" So I stopped objecting. However, any eulogizing terms about the Risale-i Nur's is lipreter that are either explicit, allusive, or indicative, or exceed his due should be moderated. He should feel no offence, for according to our way and wever, face of others, especially those critical of us, such favourable views of my wretched self are not acceptable.

He (Bediuzzaman) is the Risale-i Nur's>servant. He would have been a millionairan ocey if he had sought the world and accepted all the gifts and presents offered to him, and the alms and charity, donations and bequests. But juji İlye 'Umar (May God be pleased with him), he said: "If I take on an excessive load, I shall never attain to Muhammad the Arabian (Upon whom be blessings and peace), the heart of the speaking cosmos and God's beloved, nor to his uted ds and those perfected persons who have attained to him. I would only get half way. Complying with the Prophet's (UWBP) reply to the dictum: "I created all the spheres, everything, fis inf, my beloved!," "I have abandoned all of them for you!" he abandoned the world and all that is in it, and love and passion, and even abandoned abandoning,

and dedicated all of his efforts and endeavours felt is life to spreading the lights of the Qur'an. Because of this, all the difficulties he suffered are now mercy, and all the services he performed basedom. He revealed the beauty on the face of glory and the world was transformed into a flower-bed of perfection.

One unaware that His favour and ire are the same, suffers torment;

Be delivered from that torment! He whoe a sivereign, knows us.

Like Niyazi Misri, {[*]: Niyazi Misri (d. 1105/1694) was born in Malatya in eastern Anatolia. He studied in al-Azhar in Cairo, where he embraced Sufism. He returned to Anatolia and gained fame as a holy man, and for hind, - ry and knowledge of the occult sciences and his prophecies of the future.} the interpreter here saw everything to be good, turned a droplet into eir pran, non-being into man, and caused his light to rule the world. The fact he was called "Kurdi," and with the inversion and omission in the word "ya mudrikan">in the qasida>of Imam 'Alic. {[*God be pleased with him) alluded to the word "Kurd," does not indicate that he was actually a Kurd, nullifying his descent from the Prophet (UWBP) (lit., his being a sharif>and a sayyid).>This cognomen is merely to announce to theure in his being the Risale-i Nur's>interpreter, who was born and grew up in Kurdistan and became famous with the name; it is not to prove his Kurdishness. His knowing Kurdish and wearing local rts ofand appearing thus was to conceal and hide himself; in my view, his purpose was not to deny his true identity and nationhood. It must be indeed meaningful and full of wisdom that he had great love for the Turkisr,>heaon, which for centuries served the World of Islam and humanity and Mecca and Medina, and that he spent and large portion of his life together with the Turks.

O Lord!

For the sake of Your noble the Ced,

For the sake of the blood spilt at Kerbela,

For the sake of the eyes weeping at separation,

For the sake of the face dragged tople t the dust of love,

Grant victory to the Risale-i Nur,>to Ustad, and to Islam. Amen!

... ...

Their intention is to extinguish God's light [by blowing] with their mouths; but God will complete [the revelation of] His light, eof ourough the unbelievers may detest [it]>(Q 61:8).

Respected Ustad!

I wrote these pieces with the Risale-i Nur's>hand, pen, and tongue, a

tiny spark which sprang from them to my lowly heart. I seek your acceptanc>but shelp so that inspiration should not cease, And I kiss your hands respectfully and await your prayers.

My Dear, Loyal Brothersnts' mt came to my heart that I should explain four matters to you.

~The First Matter:>This is the reply to a question that has been asked both verbally and tacitly and in other ways.

It has been asked: Sn. Andhe Risale-i Nur>is the source of wonders, and leads to an unfolding of the truths of belief greater than the Sufi tarikats and some of its loyal students are in one respect at the level of sainthood (velâyet),>whn anyot they appear to manifest spiritual experiences and illuminations and physical wonders like the saints? Why don't its students seek such things? What is the reason for this?

~The Answer: Firstly,>the reason is true sincerity. Becaussuccespeople who do not completely conquer their souls, temporary pleasures and miraculous wonders become their goal in this world and the reason for their works of the hereafter, and this spoils sincerity. For the wori Nur>the hereafter may not be sought with worldly goals and pleasures; if they are, it destroys true sincerity.

Secondly:>Wonder-working and illuminations are only for those ordinary people who travel the I wasway but whose belief is merely imitative and has not reached the level of realization. Sometimes miracle-like wonders strengthen the weak and tlived,victions of people given to whispering doubts. Whereas the proofs of the truths of belief the Risale-i Nur>adduces leave no place for doubts; the door rd certainty and leave no need at all for wonders and illuminations. So since the certain affirmative belief it induces is far superior toith aninations, spiritual delights, and wonder- working, its true students do not seek anything of that sort.

Thirdly:>A principle of the Risale-i Nur>is to know one's own fadissemnd without rivalry to serve humbly seeking God's pleasure alone. But in this era of egotism, differences and a sort of rivalry between the followers of the Sufi way wd Funcform wonders and seek the pleasure of illuminations, cause the heedless to think ill of them and to accuse them of egotism and selfishness. This shows that it is absolutely imperative that the Risale-i Nur

students do not wish two onders and illuminations for themselves nor run after them. Also, the individual person is not given importance on its way; owing to the spiritual partnership and the brothers' wholehearted identification with each oir punsuch divine bestowals as the thousands of wonders associated with knowledge and the facility in the work of dissemination, and the plenty expe The Qd in the livelihoods of those who work at it, are sufficient for all and they do not seek any personal attainments or wonders.

Fourthly:>Because they are short-e with a hundred gardens of this world are not equal to a single tree of the next world, which is undying. In consequence, since the blind human emotions are captivated by immediknew neasure and prefer an ephemeral present fruit to an eternal garden of the hereafter, the Risale-i Nur>students do not seek spiritual delightso by slluminations in this world, lest their evil-commanding souls exploit this natural tendency.

In olden times there lived a person who resembled theare wre-i Nur>students in this respect. Both he and his wife were of high spiritual rank, but due to their straitened circumstances she remarked to him on their extreme y, theSuddenly, a golden brick appeared before them. She exclaimed: "Look! A brick from our mansion in Paradise!" But then the blessed women said: "It's tr.

Halil İbrahim, one of our brothers from Milas, received the letter describing the kuddûs>bird and opened a locked room, in the same extraordinary way a kuddûs>bird flew n. Tho tried to fly round the room, thus coinciding with our bird. Then when the students of the Nur School read the letter, two grasshoppers appeared and perched on the letter. And just as these miniature birds corroborfiercend coincided with the coincidences of the former birds, so, as endorsed by our loyal brothers in İnebolu, when they were reading that same letter, they were frightened out of their wits by an owl alighting at the window and beating the panesnt of its wings as though saying: "I'm taking an interest in that letter too; don't imagine that I'm not concerned!" The large bird was fully confirming the interest shown by the other bird but iwas coinciding with them. If an imaginary wide-thinking and intuitive person who dwelt on the relationships between the events of the book of the universe from the viewpoint of humanity's situation this century were to endorse so many coincidrs to looking to the same matter {(40): We had just received this letter from our Master. I, that is, Husrev, was reading it and my friend Tahirî was writing it outnear ird came and perched on our window, then seeing Husrev's head, flew off. Husrev, Tahirî} and the importance of the questions discussed briefly in the letters, would he not be right? For it is as thoty yeath their very numerous aeroplanes and human birds, men have frightened the birds of the air, which is their world, and in consequence, with a terrible excitement in that world, the birds show serious concern in the face of men's actions anidentiif there is no one to respond to those tyrannous, destructive, savage birds, so as to force them to give up their destruction and to work for the profit srev aankind and for their prosperity and happiness. Wouldn't it be apt to say they are showing an interest in the questions of the Risale-i Nur?>Woulopposiuch a thing be possible? Could one way it is a meaningless fancy?

~Third Matter

Recently I read the Hizb-i Nuriye,>a summary of The Supreme Sign (Âyet-ül-Kübrâ),>which was composed three years ago in Ramadan and published frnd mathis Ramadan. It took me over an hour. Then again in Ramadan, a ten or fifteen-minute summary of that summary occurred to me. When I read it, I experience on readin Mahomor three pages of Arabic an unfolding of belief and of what is denoted by, "An hour's reflection is better than a year's supererogatory worship" {[*]: al-'Ajlunî, Kashf al-Khafa', i, 310; al-Ghazalî, Ihya' 'Ulum al-Dîn, iv, 409 (Kitaar>andafakkur); al-Haythamî, Majma' al-Zawa'id, i, 78. [Tr.]} as though I were reading the whole of The Supreme Sign.>I can't find the time to write to you with my

own pen; God willinghem, atime I shall do so. Those who understand the piece as I do may read it from their own copies or write it out at the end of either The Supreme Sign>or the Hizb-i Nuriye,>after the tesbihat and the supplication, inste-Haythour tesbihat "la ilaha illa Allah,">which is recited thirty-three times, but only thinking of the meaning of the morning tesbihat.

~The Fourth>consists of two points.

udentsst:>Our brothers in Isparta, especially Husrev, the Rose Nur hero, ask about my material winter needs, and want to help me, I thank them, but say this: their services for the Risale-i Nur>are both profie the for the eternal happiness of all the students, and assist my needs for the winter that will follow the grave, my true winter. They perform these so perfectly that they exceed a thousandfold any aid for this temporary ption, winter and its needs. If I had been able, I would have tried with all my life and spirit and the greatest pleasure to meet all their material needs. Don't worry about me; frugality and contr the t are two inexhaustible treasuries.

Second Point:>I was truly pleased by the fine, sincere letters of our brothers in İnebolu and that distminatowhich at one time won the name of "Little Isparta" and more than anywhere suffered the calamity of prison recently in connection with our matter. Nevertheless, I am concernedhethertwo heroes of the Risale-i Nur,>father and son, have been unable to agree completely due to their differing temperaments. But however unfair a father is, his son is obliged to by thhis pleasure. And however rebellious a son is, his father should not deny him his natural compassion. But for the sake of the Risale-i Nur>and on account of the mutual self-identification of its studeat bled their not criticizing one another and forgiving one another's faults, let alone such a father and son and such select, honourable, and leading Risach as ur>students, even ones that are far from each other and enemies even, should not allow worldly, trifling, and emotional matters to cause dispute among them. In addition to the respect and compassion demanistres fatherhood and sonship, for my sake these two brothers whom I love should, as Nur students, disregard one another's faults and forgive one another, and not criticize each other,

I vine mreetings to each and every one of my brothers, and offer prayers for them.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

The First:>Why is it that apand them work related to the Risale-i Nur,>you don't want to meet personally with people who have a good opinion of your person and look on you as holding a high station, yet have powerful relations with the Risale-i Nur>ando thatyou love dearly? Why do you prefer to meet with those who don't nurture such a high opinion of you and you pay more attention to them?

The Answer:>As I said in the Second Letter of the letter-Third Word, people at this time sell their favours very expensively to those in need. For example, they suppose an unfortunate like myself to wills,hteous or a saint and give me a loaf of bread, then they want an acceptable prayer in return. But rather than paying such a price, I don't accept the favour. Just as I cite this as a reason for not accepting gifts, so peoplese for than the special students of the Risale-i Nur>display powerful interest and services thinking that I hold a high station. In return, in this world they want lumnce toresults like the saints (ehl-i velâyet).>Then they perform services for us and evince interest and this implies favours. But because I don't possess the price they want in return for favours of ths of rt, I am ashamed. Then they are disillusioned when they realize my unimportance and even become slack in their service. It's true that ambition and lack of contentment are acceptable in some ways in matters pertaining to theBrothefter, but on our way and in our service - due to certain faults - it leads to complaint and hopelessness arising from disillusionment instead of thaenefitnd even to the abandonment of service. For this reason, because the contentment of our way leads always to thanks, steadfastness and resoluteness, we are obliged to be contenitiesh the fruits and results of our service although we are ambitious and aspiring in the performance of it.

For example, thanks to the service of tved frale-i Nur,>this result has ensured for thousands of believers in Isparta and its environs an extraordinary strength of belief, and is sufficient for our extraordinary service. Even if someone were t Arabiar who was as illustrious as ten spiritual poles and were to raise a thousand people to the level of sainthood, he still could not lower this degree of the Risale-i Nur's>ae applment. The true students of the Risale-i Nur>content themselves with results like this. In place of the heartfelt contentment of that lofty polood. Bllowers, ensured by his extraordinary station and his rulings, the Risale-i Nur's>unshakeable proofs satisfy

its students to a far greater degree, and, moreover, thdge, wate of mind and belief spreads to others and is beneficial for them. The satisfaction of those followers, however, is particular to them and personal.

In fact, what they call in logic qaziye-i makbûle,>that is, acceptThe pethout proof the words of the great, does not in logic express certainty and surety; it is only a probable assumption. The certain proofs of logic do not look to the good opinions of people and people who are generally accepted, they our. {o irrefutable evidence; all the proofs of the Risale-i Nur>are of this conclusive type. For exactly like the realities and truths of belief which the sai. The perience through their pious acts and worship and asceticism, and on their spiritual journeyings, and which they observe behind veils, the Risale-i Nur>has opened a way to reality in knoy resp in place of worship; it has opened up a way leading to the essence of reality within logical proofs and scholarly arguments in place of spiritual journeyings and recitations; it has opened up a way of the greater sainthos thouectly within the science of theology (kalam),>the science of the tenets of belief, and the science of the principles of religion, in place of the science of Sufrom tnd the tarikat. It has conquered the misguidance arising from [modern] science and philosophy, which this age has defeated the currents of Sufism (hakikat ve tarikat cereyanları),>as is clear for all to see. Let there be noion inke in the simile, just as the powerful, logical truth of the Qur'an has delivered other religions from the assaults of naturalist philosophy and its overwhelming them, becoming Osmant of support and to an extent preserving their fundamental principles, which are based on compliance and not reason; so too, the Risale-i Nur,>a miracle and light of the Qur'an at this time, has saved the imitative faith of the ordinary bout itrs from the assaults of the misguidance arising from materialist philosophy, and as a point of support for all believers, has become an unassh we he citadel for those near and far. In the face of today's awesome, unprecedented misguidance, it preserves the ordinary believers' belief fright obts and their Islam from baseless scruples.

Just at the time the believers everywhere, even in India and China, are being shaken by the predominance of the fearsome misguidance of the age, and they are falling into doubt as to the trutt's foslam, they hear that a work has appeared that proves conclusively all the truths of belief, and defeating philosophy, silences atheism. Their doubts and scruples ds, awaar, and their belief is saved and strengthened.

The Second Part of the Question:>In one of your letters, you described seriously a poetical subtle point, that some birds came to you and youse parents when your letters were being read and written out. But birds aren't

acquainted with the state of the world and don't know the usefulnessten ate Risale-i Nur>in the face of it, do they?

The Answer:>At the divine command and with divine permission and through dominical power and strength,being nimals have a shepherd or supervisor from among the angels, as do the birds. Even if they are not aware of it, at the divine command and through dominical inspiration, their shepherd drives them on. That natural impulse resulty relm the inspiration that comes to the birds; they manifest the inspiration. A day-old bee flies a day's distance in the air through that natural inspiration; through that dominical impulse it returns to its hive without losio fail way.

Indeed, just as the globe of the earth objected to the oppression visited on the Risale-i Nur>and its students, and the atmosphere responded with lack of rain and cold to its confisca have and the clouds applauded with rain on its being returned; so too, the birds may well take interest.

For sure, in the face of the crimes of men which destroy a village and kill a the wnd people with the egg of a bomb laid by artificial birds, and those destructive human birds which lay those hellish eggs, and the tyrannous, cruel ruination of the globe and of humankind, those animate birds will applaud th!

Ile-i Nur,>which illuminates the future so effectively. It is these very subtle points that those letters contain.

My Brothers!

I was truly gratified by the letter written result keeper of the Risale-i Nur>power station, who knows fully the worth of The Fruits of Belief> (Meyve Risalesi)>and has earned the name of Fruit It isr. For, like Hulûsi and Hakkı, the sincere friendship and brotherhood between them have been constant and continuous for close on twenty years; and their attachmentessione Risale-i Nur>and connection with it and loyalty towards it also persist, and like the sincere relations between them, become firmer and are not shaken by events. I offer thanks to Almighty God that Hechool,estowed on the Risale-i Nur>such loyal and utterly sincere students who are good examples for others and offer thanks in patience (Sabri) in their service of the Risale-i Nur,>ever sincere (Hulûsi) in right (Hake wholy brothers in the vicinity of the Fruit Seller, and especially the loyal people of Barla whose names I can't say but are known, very often drawr flim the imagination to the past and that region and take me around Barla and its mountains. I very often think of them and those places and I can't forget them.

I send tays inuntless greetings.

The letter from Hasan Şükrü, the preacher from Kozca, pleased me greatly; I send him my greetings. I send greetings too to foremost the innocent chilsend tthe unlettered, the sisters, and those who write with their pens, and to all my brothers, and offer prayers for them.

I saw the letter of Küçük Ali, the hero of the Auspicious Group (mübârekler hey'eti),>which was have ed to me by the court having been seized from the post before it ever reached me; he had decided to write out the whole Risale-i Nur>once every two years, and has done so. With th

Myoic act he affirmed my premonition that having seen a true Abdurrahman in Büyük Mustafa, the first student of the Risale-i Nur,>I would see many more after him, for he carried out th of thssed Mustafa's duty to the letter. And Hâfız Mustafa showed in prison after having been a full assistant during Hâfız Ali's lifetime that after his death he was a full heir. That is to say, in that elevated and bless shopsup they have performed to the full the work of the Risale-i Nur>that I had hoped for eighteen years ago, and continue to do so. The seeds they sowed produce fruits in their places, even if they do nd of ak at it.

I send greetings to each and every one of our brothers, and offer prayers for them.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>I congratulate you with all my life and spf may n the blessed Ten Nights and holy Festival. {[*]: The first ten nights of the month of Dhu'l-Hijja, the month of the Hajj and twelfth month of the Hijri year. The Tenth day of Dhu'lility marks the first day of the 'Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifices. [Tr.]} Through His mercy and munificence, and protection and support, and aid and guidance, may Almighty God grant you success in the prich a band publication of the Risale-i Nur>and the printing of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition which shows the coincidences (tevâfuk).>Amen.

Secondly:>For a long time I have recited in the tesbihat>following the prescribedspartars the thirty-three phrases expressing divine unity, which are like an epitome (hulâsatü'l-hulâsa)>of The Supreme Sign>and the Hizb-i Nuriye,>which are summarices upthe Risale-i Nur.>Most of the truths of the Risale-i Nur>unfold on reciting the tesbihat>and my imagination expands enormously; all the realms of creatures in the cosmos recite each of those phrases through the tongues of their beings and I in affugh recite them through their tongues, and that universal tongue of being becomes one with my particular spoken word. I recite them with pure pleasure, and am sending you a greetiI have no doubt now that this epitome of the Hizb-i Nuriye>that can be recited in fifteen minutes, holds the mystery of the Hadith, "A hour's reflection ..." {[*]: al-'Ajlunî, Kashf al-Khafa', i penal al-Ghazalî, Ihya' 'Ulum al-Dîn, iv, 409 (Kitab al-Tafakkur); al-Haythamî, Majma' al-Zawa'id, i, 78. [Tr.]} the same as the Hizb-i Nuriy's (UWse people who do not know Arabic will understand this Arabic piece perfectly if they have a good understanding of the degrees in The Supreme Sign.>If they take a look at both of them a few times, they will understand ierefory. I recite it once every twenty-four hours, either following the tesbihat after the morning prayers, or at some other time when I feel fed up or distressed. It gives a soufeeling of elevated expansiveness and banishes the boredom. It will be appropriate to append it to The Supreme Sign>and Hizb-i Nuriye.>It is meaningful that just as tities ority of the truths of the The Supreme Sign>and the Risale-i Nur>were imparted during Ramadan and the tesbihat, so was the Epitome imparted during Ramadan and the te harsh.

Thirdly:>I received news recently that the Cabinet has decided to transfer my official registration from Kastamonu to Emirdağ. Itng peoderstood that they cannot find any reason to bother the Risale-i Nur>and its students, so they direct attention to my unimportant self and make records of evertransi. I assure you that I proudly accept with all my life and spirit their bothering me instead of bothering the Risale-i Nur>and its students. As though in other placess compfix themselves on me but can find no way to prevent them, and now suppose that here they've found the solution and treat me like this. But don't be upset by this; my situation here will lead to triumphs for the Risale-i t deseudents. It is my conviction that divine providence and mercy will transform this injustice of the worldly towards me into considerable advantages. In any event, in our way, time and place cannot be an obstacle to our conversto evae are together whether in the east or west, or even in the next world or in the Intermediate Realm. For instance, Hâfız Ali (May God be pleased with him) in the Intermediate Realm is

everyday with usvices irit. In consequence, we attach no importance to apparent separation, or death even.

Fourthly:>It was truly subtle, the nightingale of Marangoz Ahmed, one of the heroes of the Nur Schoohave nirming the nightingale of the blessed rosy scribe of the Rose Factory. Anyway, in the spring, the nightingales act as orators for all the birds in the face of the caravawho agplants bringing provisions for the animals, and they applaud them in the name of the other birds. Surely the nightingale should be seen as foremost amongst the birds that are concerned with the Risale-i Nur,>and it has been orbear Our sincere, steadfast friend from Safranbolu, Mustafa Osman, says that he sent letters to our brothers here but is worried at receiving no reply. He shouldn't be worried. A separate letter wasn't sent to him, out of caution and rrly wh on communications via Isparta. They shouldn't be anxious, nor should our brothers in Kastamonu. My official registration being transferred here will not diminish my concern for them; on the contrary, it binds me to them more s for hy. Most of the time, in meaning and imagination I find myself in the blessed mountains of Kastamonu, together with those brothers of mine.

I have received numerous letters congratulating me on the festival, I don't have the time to answer all of tvantagnd my circumstances don't allow it. One of our select brothers wrote all the letters for many other brothers; and some of them contain other important points, which pleased and gratified n>sees In short: Husrev's letter of congratulation in the name of the Rose and Light Factories made me weep for joy. In fact, one of Husrev'sors arnguishing characteristics is that not one of the letters I have received to date has offended me; they are soothing, even if they arrive at grievous times, and relieve my spirit. For myself, I am most grateful to h in ththis respect too.

Hulûsi the Second, Sabri's, congratulatory letter on account of the known brothers, filled me with profound joy. Thousandscial brothers of ours being ahead in appreciation and praise and their fine words about Husrev and Hasan Feyzi indeed made me happy. And Hasan Feyzi's congratulations in the name of the Denizli students eely t also his lofty connection and powerful concern.

The letter of congratulation of Feyzi and Emin, the Husrev and Rüştü of

Kastamonu, in the name of its devotees, and their writing tharoke oincident Feyzi was involved in was nothing to cause concern, on the contrary, had become like a whip of encouragement, dispelled our anxieties.

Nazif's letter of congratulation in the nams>way he brothers of that region, and his unshakeable loyalty and attachment and powerful hope, allowed us to breathe freely. I was anxious because of the personal rivals he had.

I received the congratulations sent by Halil İbrahim (May God Nursi>ased with him) whose courage is as powerful as his loyalty, which he had sent directly to my address. I send my greetings first and foremost to himself and the Risale-i Nur's>cautious lawyer and to all oflosely and congratulate them on the festival.

One of the heroes of the Nur School, Şükrü Efe's, letter, which shows the birds' and sparrows' interest, corroborates the heroic carpenter's corroboration and also pleot fous.

We haven't found the time to reply to the question in Ali Osman's letter, who is one of our brothers in Atabey and an heir of Lütfi.

With all od grane and spirit we congratulate each and every one of these brothers and the friends whom they represent, and give a thousand welcomes to our brother Re'fet the Elder. And I conclude my words by congratulating on this the third of your festild lifhe groups of innocent children, unlettered elderly, and self-sacrificing sisters among all our brethren, and offering prayers for their well-being and happiness.

The collection called The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen (Sikke-i Tasdik-i Gaybî)>of the Blessed Ones' champion and Abdurrahmans' hero, Küçük Ali, who is smaeas diname but great in spirit, is indeed fine and appropriate. He arrived together with the books which belonged to the martyr Hâfız Ali. It would, however, be better if the letters you deemulty spriate in The Additional Letters> (Lâhika)>especially in Emirdağ Lahikası>about the Risale-i Nur's>wonder-working; for instance, about the earthquakes, rain, and birds, are included at the end of The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen.>In veritconnection I again congratulate the Auspicious Group on the festival and Küçük Ali a thousand times over.

I have read the admirable letterle-i Nlf-sacrificing Mustafa Osman, the Safranbolu champion, which he sent to the students here. Like Hasan

Feyzi, he wrote in a fine, literary style and showed his extraordinary loyalty and's letwill. However, he credited me with a station far higher than is my due, instead of ascribing it to the Risale-i Nur's>collective personality; he saw his Master to be verynable iant in his own shining mirror. So I accepted his commendation as a prayer. We congratulate both himself and our brothers in that district on the festival.

My Dear, Loylitarythers!

Up until the present, covert dissemblers have attacked the Risale-i Nur>by deceiving members of the government, making use of the law and judiciary, and from the point of view of public security and administratiopassin we, when forced to, assumed a defensive position because we act positively. Now their plans have been confounded. Indeed, their assaults extended the Risale-i Nur's>iir extce. Our intention now to print The Staff of Moses (Asâ-yi Mûsâ)>in the new letters, seems as though the Risale-i Nur>is being made to assume an offensithem ance, outside our will. A significant reason for this must be as follows:

I reckon that because the Risale-i Nur>is a spiritual saviour of this blessed land, the time has come, or will come, for it to make an appearance in the world ' highlishing, and to give instruction, in order to repulse two awesome calamities.

One of those calamities>is the awesome current of irreligion which has emerged td virtnorth and breeds anarchy, and has defeated Christianity. It occurred to my heart that similarly to the barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnayn, the Risale-i Nur>might act as a Qur'anic barrier against the flood ove have ng this blessed country, and that it had become necessary to speak with the printed word in order to reply to and dispel the fierce criticisms and accusations of the Islamic world against this country's people.

I am noing dormed about the state of the world, but just as the Risale-i Nur's>truths are a fortress withstanding the monstrous current which is overwhelming Europe and is noti Nur> on the revealed religions; so too those truths are a Qur'anic miracle which may dispel the present objections and accusations of the Islamic world and continent uhammaa and regain their love and brotherhood. This country's patriotic politicians should come quickly to their senses and publish the Risale-i Nur>officially, so that it may act as a shield against those two cl emeries.

I wonder, if it had not been for the Risale-i Nur's>so potently spreading

certain affirmative belief in this blessed land these last twenty years, would this land have been able in my serve its Qur'an and belief from the terrible blows of the revolutions and explosions of this dreadful age? However. The Risale-i Nur>may not attacked due to its allegedly harming the country and government; they can no lonst in t anyone to believe such a thing. But now, switching their front and behind the veil of religion, dissemblers are employing sly tricks to use simple-minded hojas>or supporters of innovation or egotistical sufistically reporned people against the Risale-i Nur,>as they did two years ago in Istanbul and in the region of Denizli; they are trying to attack the Risale-iOne!

nd its students on another front. God willing, they will not succeed. So acting with perfect caution and circumspection, the Risale-i Nur>students should pay no attention when they are atstanbu and should not get drawn into arguments. If they are attacked by religious scholars or believers who have been deceived, they should be friendly towards them and pacify tordingying: "We don't bother you, so don't you bother us!"

~Secondly

Küçük Ali, small in name but great in spirit, a hero among the blessed who bears a resemblance to both Abdurrahman and Lütfi and Hâfız Ali the Elder, asksests cstion. Its answer, however, is written in a hundred places in the Risale-i Nur.>He asks: What is the reason for the great concentration of arguments concerning the pillars of belief in the Risale-i Nur?>Our former teachers taught us that a gr Nur,>int's belief is similar to that of an ordinary believer.

The Answer:>Both in The Supreme Sign,>in the discussion about the degrees of belief, and Signsts end, is the statement of Imam Rabbani, the Regenerator of the Second Millennium, {[*]: Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindî (d. 1034/1624) was born in Sirhind in India; he is popularly known as Imam Rabbani and also as the Regeneratl-beinthe Second Millennium (Mujaddid-i Alf-i Thanî). He purified Islam of heterodox accretions and was founder of the Mujaddidî branch of the Naqshbandî Order. [Tr.]} which says: "The end and most important aim of all the Sufz Mehms is the unfolding of the truths of belief. Clarity and certainty in a single matter of belief is preferable to thousands of illuminations and instances of wonder-working.ration, the part of the letter right at the end of The Supreme Sign,>taken from The Additional Letters,>and the explanations of all of it, answer the question, as does the Tenth Topin AnkThe Fruits of Belief,>which is about repetition in the Qur'an, and the fact that the wisdom of the frequently repeated emphasis

on divine unity and the pillars of belief in the Qur'an is o herot in just the same way in the Risale-i Nur,>which is a true commentary on it.

Furthermore, all the sections of the Risale-i Nur>which explain treligiure of certain affirmative belief (îmân-ı tahkikî),>imitative (taklidî)>belief, abbreviated (icmâlî)>belief, and detailed (tafsilî)>belief, and demonstrate that belief will withstand and remain unshaken in the face of all assd Ahme misgivings, and doubts, form such an answer to Küçük Ali's letter that no need remains for me to add to them.

Second Aspect:>Belief is not restricted to a brief and imitative assent; it helds trees and unfolds from being seed-like to being a mighty date-palm, and from resembling the sun which appears in the mirror you hold in your hand to resembff aftts reflection on the surface of the sea, and even to the sun in the sky. Similarly, belief is related to the above number of truths, to t 173)

ds of divine names, and to the truths of the universe pertaining to the pillars of belief, It is for this reason that those who have penetrated to the realities have stated unanimvalue;that the greatest of all sciences, knowledge, and human attainments and perfections are belief and the detailed sacred knowledge of God based on proof which springs from certain, affirmative belief.

Imitative belieby 'Abbe swiftly overcome by doubts. Being much more powerful and comprehensive, certain affirmative belief contains numerous degrees. One of these is the degree of knowledge of certaiongueslmelyakîn),>which may withstand thousands of doubts with the strength of its many proofs, whereas imitative belief may sometimes defeated by a single doubt.

There is also a degree of certalect birmative belief known as the vision of certainty (aynelyakîn),>and that contains numerous degrees. Indeed, it contains degrees to the number of manifestations of the divine names; it reaches the degree at whic they whole universe may be read as though it were a Qur'an.

Another of its degrees is absolute certainty (hakkalyakîn),>which also contains numerous degrees. If troops of douth andsail persons with such belief, they cannot provoke any confusion. The thousands of books written by the scholars of the science of theology based on reasointernlogic have demonstrated only one way, based on proofs and reasoning, of that belief and knowledge of God. And the hundreds of books, based on illumination and spiritual unfolding, of the people of reality have depicted another awn thaof that belief and knowledge of God. However, the truths of belief and sacred knowledge of God which the miraculous highway of the Qur'an points out, far surpasses in strength and loftiness those of the scholars and saints sent he Risale-i Nur,>then, expounds the latter all-embracing, universal, and

elevated highway of knowledge, and replies in the name of the Qur'an and belief to the general destructive currents which for a thousand yearsary f acted against the Qur'an on account of the worlds of non-existence to the detriment of Islam and humanity. It defends against them. It thletelye certainly needs to muster innumerable forces so that, through the light of the Qur'an, it may be the means of withstanding those innumerable enemies, and of preserving the faith of believers.

It is written ithrougdith: "Should one person come to believe through you, it is better for you than a plain-full of red sheep," {[*]: Bukharî, Jihad, 102, 143; Muslim, Fada'il al-SahFirst 4; Darimî, 'Ilm, 10; al-Munawî, Fayd al-Qadîr, vi, 359 no. 9606.} and that, "Sometimes a hour's reflective thought may be better than a year's worship." {[*]: al-'Ajlunî, Kashf al-Khafa', i, 310; al-Ghazalî, Ivant. Ulum al-Dîn, iv, 409 (Kitab al-Tafakkur); al-Haythamî, Majma' al-Zawa'id, i, 78. [Tr.]} In fact, the great importance the Naqshbandis attach to inward remembrance of God is in order to attain to reflective thought of this kind.

We send thou My Dof greetings to all our brothers and offer prayers for them. Overlook any errors; this was written in haste. You may correct it.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Don't be upset at the secret agents seizing The Treatise on Sincerity>and the copies of te the ters. To have them read them together with The Predictions of 'Ali (İhbar-ı Aleviye)>was necessary for the Risale-i Nur>and its conquests. Furthermore, thr formnstrations against communism in Istanbul at the time of this incident will also powerfully aid its conquests in that the two forces that attack the Risale-i t has vertly have begun to take up positions opposed to each other. Even if temporarily we suffer some minor attacks, it is of no importance. Because as I see it, it is only the extraordinarily powerful truths of the Risale-i Nur>that can combat ountryarchy that communism instils in Muslims through absolute disbelief and naturalistic thought, those truths thus opening a way for patriotic politicias has religiously minded people and lovers of their country to support the Risale-i Nur>and make peace with it and make it a shield against those har forgiSaid Nursi

When I first saw you, I reckoned that you would be fair-minded and just althougt thread not met, and am therefore explaining to you before anyone else a fact about which I am concerned. It is up to you, and is your duty, to inform the relevant authorities ab-i Nur. The matter is this:

My present circumstances have been unheard of in history. Living in total isolation, forbidden to have contact with anyone even the congregation at the mosque, elderly,might and in deprivation, it suddenly occurred to my heart that since I too am a son of this land, I am obliged to work for its happiness. I have nothing to contribute materially, so I permitted some of my brriefly to print in the new letters The Fruits of Belief> (Meyve Risalesi)>and The Conclusive Proof (Hüccetü'l-Bâliğa),>which I have written about what I have understood from the Qur'an. The l and nt Ankara authorities, the committee of experts, and Denizli Court could find nothing reprehensible in those two treatises after scrutinizing them for two years, and they returned them to us officially. I also sent a reply requesting the herey show them to the censor and to leading writers, and then print them. It is also customary to present copies to twelve departments of government after they have been printed. The Treatise on Sincerity (ith thRisalesi)>and Treatise on Frugality (İktisad Risalesi)>were subsequently added at the end of the former two treatises and printed in the new letters. I declare to you in all certainty that my purpose in printing these worksissembo preserve this blessed nation and country from moral and material anarchy, to assist public peace and security, to erect a moral barrier against the flood of an external current , athencites lawlessness, and to try to dispel the objections and accusations of the Islamic world against us and to attract their love and brotherh, and ut alas! Since I have no connection with the world, and do not meet with members of government, and know nothing of the state of the world, and because I have been subject to illegal assaults, certainollectns who for a long time past have covertly opposed me hostilely, seized the opportunity and raised suspicions about me with the police and judiciary.

In Shorwhat ieard by a strange coincidence that, on a train, detectives had seized four of my treatises and copies of all the letters I have written these last two years. Two of those treatises were on sincerity. It's true they are a bit cure; tntial, but both the court and the Ankara experts' committee considered them harmless and returned them to us. They had also been sent to Istanbul to show the censor and to leading writers. As for the Treatise on

Frugality,>it ior thential for everyone at this time. And as for the Eighteenth Flash, The Wonder-working of 'Ali (Keramet-i Aleviye),>it had evidently been sent to theber ofistake together with the other treatises. I allow only my very closest students to read it, let alone having it printed. It anyway is not concerned with this world. s misser, the experts' committee and the court studied it and returned it to us.

Also, ten years ago at a most distressing time in Eskişehir Prisicallyn I was truly in need of a solace, some good news of a spiritual nature occurred to my heart and I wrote it down. It was not a question of printing and publishing it together with those treatises and the copies of t Nur>sters I had written these last two, rather four or five, years; it was sent together with them at the request of one or two close friends of mine who had wanted to readse Onehe reason I wrote the letters was in order to console some friends who were suffering the wretchedness of prison because of me, and to converse with them and exchange ideas about the Risaights ur,>which for the last twenty years has been most beneficial for the lives in this world and the next of this nation and country. Therld weealso have been some letters I had written both to yourself and to the authorities in Ankara among the works that were seized. This, then, is what the letter veractreatises that were seized by the detectives consisted of. I am explaining these facts as they may possibly have reached you by now or will do soion is hopeful that out of your devotion to duty and your seriousness you will not permit illegal harassment of me due to groundless fears, adding truptiosevere difficulties I am suffering at this time.

My Dear Brothers!

His are all praise and blessings! In all its might and awesomeness a moral victory of the Risale-i Nur>was witne Unseeesterday in Istanbul. A society and its press organs which want to spread absolute unbelief throughout the world and especially in the Islamic world, and their printing presses and libraries, were stormed samplensacked {[*]: This refers to the sacking of the Tan newspaper in Istanbul on 4 December 1945. [Tr.]} and protested against verbally and by action by the very youth and student-Haythhe secular schools they supposed they had made into communists. They were cursed and execrated. Their society suffered thousands of liras>of material damage

and milliod thisliras>of non-material harm. And a collective personality close to our hearts and spirits, shouted out to our unhappy selves: O Nurjus! Don't be saddened at the present lack of material means! The Risale-i Nur's>conquvery eontinue over a wide field and general victories are being won! And so and so forth.

This is from the grace of my Lord!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

A strange and meaningful event related to thlf andle-i Nur>students and the wonder-working of The Supreme Sign>and the worldly's intention to molest the Risale-i Nur:>a fire in one of the local government offices oppomany se burned for three hours at the very coldest time of the night with an extraordinary brilliance I had never before seen. Immediately next to it were the larget down belonging to two brothers, and to one of the Çalışkans who is a Risale-i Nur>student, which held the greater part of young Ceylan's capital. There were only two small shops between their shops and the fire. The fire was spreading iing toits fury towards their shops when the unfortunate Ceylan came to me crying: "Our shops are on fire, we're finished!" Two days earlier I had told him to bring me some of did nointed copies of The Supreme Sign>which were in the shop, but he had not brought them. That is to say, they remained there in order to extinguish the fire. For my part, taking the Risale-i Nur>and The Supreme h the s intercessors, I exclaimed: "O my Lord! Save them!" In three hours that raging fire destroyed the large local government office and compl comfoburnt out the shops that were under it and adjacent to it. But through the protection of the Risale-i Nur>and Supreme Sign, the fire did not touch their shop at all, and the shop under it belonging to the student also remained intact. Only, r on hople broke its windows. There would have been no damage if they had not done so, to remove the goods.

Thus, there were instances of the Rialuabl Nur's>wonder-working, both when the Isparta carpet shop caught fire and the two houses of the two brothers of the person who assigned their villa for readings of the Risale-i Nur>were saved from the conflagration although they werorks. t next to it; and in Kastamonu, just like in Emirdağ, the house of the Nur student Hâfız Ahmed was saved in extraordinary fashion from the fire opposite me that buperiout in the house adjacent to him, and both the life and the jewelry of his sister on the third floor were saved through the blessings of the Risale-i

Nur; ant shre too three brothers from the Çalışkan family, all hardworking students of the Risale-i Nur,>and four people altogether were saved from the fire. Both I myself, and themselves, and our other brothers felt certain that all these were wonders o mistaRisale-i Nur>and The Supreme Sign.>If there had been even the slightest wind, which usually blows continuously here, most of the shops in the market might well have been burne best. In fact, the owners of five or ten shops after the Supreme Sign>shop, emptied them of goods and fled quite a distance.

Certains signs were apparent when they interfered with me and the Risale-i Nur,>and seized my new letters in Sandıksy hea between Afyon and Kütahya. They received slaps with those incidents, and with the incidents in Istanbul. Now they have received this blow as thevert aty for intending to molest me, God willing, it has made them give up the idea, and has scared and silenced them.

My brothers! Your intyalty.nce and precautions leave no need for my advice concerning your solidarity. But recently I have felt that they are trying to make the Risale-i Nur>students suspicious of one another in order to break their solidarity and blame, yournother, or accuse such-and-such a student of being a spy so that they fall into dispute and disagreement. Be careful! Even if you see such a thintered your own eyes, don't break their cover. Respond to evil with good. But be extremely cautious and don't give away any secrets. Anyway, we d custoave any secrets, but there are suspicious people in abundance. If such a thing should happen and one of the students is an agent, try to refod for . Don't rend the veil and break his cover. Your cohesion, especially that of the Isparta School, has acquitted both the Risale-i Nur,>and its studse)>whand this country. Also, your unanimity, enthusiasm, and endeavour are of the greatest importance since they encourage others everywhere to work at the Risale-i Nur.>May Almighty God granil-compersistence and success in this service of belief. Amen. Amen.

I send greetings to each and every one of all the groups of my brothers, and offer prayers for them and request their prayers.

My Dear Brothers!

I eived iated your letters, but the journalists and directors do not yet appreciate those truths. Also, the Risale-i Nur>never beseeches; it is they whof disld beseech and seek it. It only accepts their assistance when they understand its worth and become customers for it.

Furthermore, I reckon it is appropriate at the present time not to attract attention towards the Risale-i Nurtice, nts. But this brother of yours' views should not be asked concerning this matter, since for seven years he has taken no interest in the World War and for twenty-fand thars has read no newspaper nor listened to one being read. The people who really know these matters are yourselves and the select Risale-i Nur>students and its meticulous publishers; con firm g one another, especially those in Isparta, you will do what is best. I have included this fine letter of yours in The Additional Letters.>Feyzisupplimin have won an important place in those Letters; how are they? Are they managing to act in conformity with that important position? Are they feeling upset? Also, how are Taşköprülü Sadık and Hilmi and İhsan, who strove so itten eously and devotedly in prison and made me indebted to them by their assisting me personally for ten years? I can't forget my brothers there, especially those in İnebolu; they shouldn't worry ab my Lo. Sometimes and in some places, the Risale-i Nur>unobtrusively makes conquests most effectively and importantly, despite being halted. They shouldn't worry and shoumes hitinue to write, steadfastly and single-mindedly at the same time as being circumspect and cautious.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>I congratulate you on embarking on the work for The Staff of Moses (Asâ-yı Mûsâ),>the primary duty for the Risale-i Nur,>and with all my spirit applaud your Isparta for itthers!ncing in religion and Islamic mores, and its not regressing.

Secondly:>The verses by the Denizli Husrev, Hasan Feyzi, about the Risale-i Nur,>and about the Qur'anic truth and mystery of belief and depiction of the lthey pf Muhammad (UWBP), which are the Risale-i Nur's>origin and basis, reflect a perfect sincerity and firm conviction and belief; and also although as a scholar and especially as ahe Worer he does not quickly accept things or bow to them without proof, he has described sincerely and

even remarkably the truth of the Risale-i Nur>both in his own name he chi account of the collective personality of his companions around there. We therefore deem it appropriate for the verses to be written out at the end of The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen>and a. A biend of the pieces taken from The Additional Letters,>and for them to be added to The Additional Letters;>and like these, for the last piece describing the Ri Even Nur>written by Halil İbrahim to be also added at the end of The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen.>For so powerful and sincere a conviction may bI usedgn of and hint to the validity of the allusions of the The Ratifying Stamp.

Thirdly:>We send many greetings to all our brothers there mentioned in Hasan Feyzi's ler withand we congratulate them. Their prison is a Nur study centre, as the province of Denizli will also become a Medresetü'z-Zehrâ, God wilthor'sHe is the pride of many people, has endeavoured to deliver the Risale-i Nur>from oppression, and has given us gifts by giving the gifts of the Risale-i Nur>treatises to all its students, even greater than those given to himselfhat th Risale-i Nur>congratulation is a token and souvenir from all those who are indebted to him, a token of justice whose recompense has been rd brotd a hundred times over.

Fourthly:>According to the signs, two situations confirm the predictions that the Risale-i Nur>would be completed in [thirteen] sixty-fhave b[*]: '64 refers to 1364 on either the Hijri or Rumi calendars; if Hijri, it was 1945 according to the Gregorian calendar, and if Rumi, rs, anSee also, fn 25 above. [Tr.]}

The First: Points of the greatest importance occur to one, yet there is nothing prompting one to compose a treatise.

The Second: I used to request sufficient life to work at protecting and dt saysnating the Risale-i Nur,>and to accompany and preserve it. But endless thanks be to Almighty God, numerous young Saids perform those duties in place d yours one, wretched, elderly Said. Especially the Husrevs, Feyzis, Ahmeds, Mehmeds, and many like my nephew Abdurrahman, and so on. Just as they make Hâfız Ali rejoice in his grave, so they will fill me with joy in my grave, God willing.

I soncerneetings to each and every one of all my brothers, and the different groups including the innocent children, the unlettered, and the sisters, and we pray for them. Through the blessings of trmerlyale-i Nur,>the Çalışkans suffered no loss from the fire, and they send you their respects and greetings and kiss your hands.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

The plots they have been hatching against me these lasy certmonths have been uncovered, and thanks to divine protection, the calamity was reduced twentyfold.

I used to go the mosque when it was empty. Then without my knoect an, the students made a small cubicle for me in the mahfel>so that I should not catch cold. For four or five days I decided not to go there. But then, using that well-knentmenliceman, they removed the cubicle and sent me an official order saying that I could no longer go to the mosque. Without reason they made a mountain out of a molehill and caused a stir. But it is of no account, my den't worry. I reckon that their disparaging me on empty pretexts is to destroy public regard for me on all sides, which is anyway greater than my due. They think of what I used to be like and shich h I shall be unable to abide it. Whereas on condition no harm comes to the well-being and spread of the Risale-i Nur,>I offer thanks to God even if I am treated with contempt and tormented a thousand times over. I give no impEmirdae to it, and the students here are not shaken at all. Through divine grace, this long-awaited incident caused little harm.

I send greetings to each of all our brothers and offer prayers.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I received a powerful reminder to restate a matter of the greatest importance, which I had previously explained to you bhis wo. It is as follows:

There have been signs around here that because the covert assaults of hostile dissemblers and their exploiting the judiciary, politics, aompleternment for open irreligion came to nothing, they have abandoned their former intrigues against the triumphs of the Risale-i Nur>and are hatching an even more devious and underhand plot which would leave even Satan in astod to ant. The chief part of their plan is to deter our select, devoted brothers and make them slack, and if possible, give up the Risale-i Nur>altogether. They employ such extraordinary lies and intrigues that as with the hero doubtdents of the Rose and Light Factories in Isparta and that region, steadfastness, loyalty, and resolve are imperative in order to withstand them. Some of them appear in the guise of friends, l Lett it is possible to intimidate people, make molehills into mountains and arouse

groundless fears in them. They try to make the weak ones give up, saying: "Watch out! Don't approach Said! The government's watching him." They even set younn is rs on some of the young students in order to enflame their passions. They also point out some of my personal faults to the leading Risale-i Nuve no ents (erkân),>and referring to some apparently religious well-known innovators, they say: "We're Muslims too; religion isn't restricted to Said's way." They exploit those simpleminded hojas>and men of religion o hereaunt of the atheists and anarchists who have covertly formed a front against us. God willing, these plots of theirs will remain fruitless too. You should say the following to such wretches:

"We are students of the Risale-i Nur,>and SaidGod wistudent like us. The Risale-i Nur>has the Qur'an as its source, mine, and basis. Despite twenty years of unprecedented investigations and inquiries, it has proved its value and superiority to its most obdurate enemies even. Whatever Sai and v, who is its interpreter and servant, even if - I seek refuge with God - he were to turn against it, our loyalty and attachment to it would not be shaken, God willing o"

Saying this, you should sh facedt door. But you should busy yourselves with the Risale-i Nur>as far as is possible, and write it out if you have the opportunity, and attach no importance monthggerated propaganda, and be cautious and circumspect as before.

I send greetings to every one of our brothers and offer prayers.

Those who exploit politics for irreligion and covertly ingratule absolute unbelief with the intention of breaking the good will of the Islamic world, and its zeal and brotherhood, which are the most powerful strengths of the nation in this land, have deceived the governmenlitarytwice confused the judiciary saying: "The Risale-i Nur>students exploit religion for politics and may possibly disturb public order." Whereas the Risale-i Nur>is a sourc two physical and spiritual blessings, and performs exceptional service for this country, and comprises truths connected to all the Islamic world, as is shown by the allusions of thirty-three Qur'anic verses and Imam 'Ali's (May God be pant to with him) three predictions and the certain news of Gawth al-A'zam, and it has no connection with politics. But because it has smashed absolute disbelief, it refutes anarchy, which underlies it, and absolute despotism, which overlies it. The end le-i Nur>ensures public security

and peace and freedom and justice; it may not be attacked on the pretext of its harming the country and government. They can no longer induce anyone to believe such a false excusethat wchanging their tactics, behind the screen of religion and employing sly tricks, dissemblers may attempt to use some simple-minded hojas>or supports offi the innovations or egotistical sufistically inclined people against the Risale-i Nur,>as they did two years ago in Istanbul and Denizli. God willing, they won't be successful.

My Brothers!

sembles now become clear that their insulting me and treating me contemptuously was a secret strategy contrived officially in order to destroy public regard for me. They are trying covertly to make my friendnates coldly on me and to intimidate them. The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen,>however, overturns all their propaganda. It's true that their insulting me on account of irreligion is to suat annoying and irritates a few remaining veins of the Old Said, but in the face of the wondrous victories of the Risale-i Nur>and its studenteral dg met with respect and kindness by the people of reality (ehl-i hakikat)>and the angels and spirit beings, my person being treated contemld thily has the importance of not even a mosquito's wing. In so far as those despicable wretches destroy the respect in which, in regard to religion, thncernegiously minded and religious scholars are held, they are being contemptuous towards Islam and are execrated by the angels, spirit beings, believers, and people of reality; they win only thh thinause of one or two louts or atheists. As though by insulting me they are lessening the Risale-i Nur's>influence; by attacking my person supposing it to be the source of the Risale-i Nur,>they foolishhall sgine it will fall.

So I say this: You wretches who insult me contemptuously on account of irreligion! I tell you with complete certİhlas that on condition you don't repent, the executioner of the appointed hour will hang you on the gallows of an eternal death sentence from which there is no escape. Yoiven tl spirits will be condemned to everlasting solitary confinement and you will win the disgust and curses of the believers and spirit beings. But because I know that as long as you don't repent, my revenge will be taken on you many times over,Moreovl not anger at you, but pity.

Even if people like you who don't have the importance of a fly try to eclipse the Risale-i Nur,>they cannot curb its influence, for through it out weds of thousands of people have saved their belief, so they esteem and

love it with all their lives and spirits. As for the effects of my person, I can tel I wanitely that although I feel annoyance and vexation for a minute or two, I then find such consolation that even if your insults were to increase a thousandfold, they could not negate it. For according to the certain disclosures of the Risaad somur>and as we have explained with thousands of proofs which confute the philosophers, all those who assault us on account of irreligion will be abhorred in everlasting torment and solitary confinement and eternal execution, w, illehe students who save their belief through the Risale-i Nur>will receive their release papers with death and their vouchers for eternal happin.

Also, unlike the Old Said, the New Said is completely against being esteemed and held in last regard and seeking fame and renown, and in no way accepts such things, and has therefore preferred to live in seclusion for twenty years. So if you are doing all this to destroy hothersluence and discredit him in the public view on account of public security and government, you are making a grave error. This is shown by the fact that three courts inther, ears could find absolutely nothing in twenty years of my life and my one hundred and twenty works or among the one hundred and twenty thousand Risale-i Nur>students, that might lead to a disturbance of the peace or was indance ating or against the country and nation, so they acquitted us and returned all the parts of the Risale-i Nur.>I declare to you with totaaps atainty that you who oppress us on account of irreligion, persecute me and cause unrest on account of foreign interests to the detriment of this country and nation and public peace and security; encouraging anarchy, you shames at foreign current's intervention. In consequence, I attach not the slightest importance to your scorn and humiliation, and I have decided to endure it in patience for the (May of public order and security.

Of a certainty, this world is not permanent and its events are stormy and in constant flux. Several hours of crimes produce the resultterprendless torments in this world and the next. You shall then lament to no avail. So I say to you wretches as as I said to the authorities and thi).

cials concerned with us: With the Risale-i Nur>we are endeavouring to repulse the two gravest dangers threatening this country and its future, and we have in parey exped this in fact with many signs, and even in court,

The First Danger:>Anarchy, against which we form a barrier, is trying with all its strength to infiltrate this country from outside.

The Second:>The disgust of three hundred and f. I amillion Muslims, which we transform into brotherhood, thus ensuring the strongest point of support for this country.

My Words to the Afyon Police Chll in Director of the Police! Why do you disregard the illegal, meaningless, and futile aggression against me, which has not been seen in this world since early times even? An example: I have been prohibited officially from atin theg the mosque and so from receiving the merit of the congregation, even when it's empty, and except for one or two people have no one with me. According to which law do they cause such affemineno someone elderly, ill, and living in exile and deprivation? What are the advantages of this? Without my knowledge, in an unfrequented corner of the mosque someone made me a slars (creened-off cubicle for two out of two or three planks and a rug so that I should not catch cold. According to which law have they shown this to be a serious incident anyear led alarm to myself and all the people? What benefit is there in this? I ask you.

Those who humiliate me in this way can find no excuses, so making a pretext of public regard for me, they confront the people saying: "Why do you show turn tespect to this exile?" So I say:

All my friends know that I don't want the people's respect and attention, and I reject them. So although I do not accept their esteem, under wh

.w am I liable to be charged with a crime so that I am treated contemptuously because of their good opinions, which are anyway contrary to my will and wish?horitito suppose the impossible this public regard was justifiable, it would be beneficial for the country and nation and in no way harmful. And even I were accept a tiny part of it, what wrong would there be in my accepting the friendship of ont thetwo people so that they might assist me with my needs in my poverty, illness and old age, in a freezing room and pitiful isolation? Which law could prevent this? According to which law is everyone apart from one or two workers' cif andn banned from having contact with me? The children are not always around and I can't see to my own needs. Members of the police and government are surethat higed to take notice of this grievous situation. I am explaining this to you since you are closely concerned with the case.

My Dear, Loyal Brothebut im Endless thanks be to Almighty God that the serious assistance I have long awaited has begun to appear from the religious scholars (ulema)>of Konya.

The Risale-i Nur>emerged from the medrese>(religious s, and and opened up a way to reality within knowledge (T. ilim;>Ar. 'ilm).>Its true owners and supporters should therefore be the hojas>and ays, drs who are produced by the medreses. I understood from Sabri's letter that the students of the blessed medrese of Konya, since ancient times one of the most brilliant, active ming ans in all of Anatolia, had begun to embrace the Risale-i Nur,>which is their own property. I am therefore delighted with all my life and spiri Barla I have come here, near to Konya, and endure all the difficulties I suffer happily. I share all my prayers and spiritual gains with the religious scholars of Konya and the region wto havreciate the Risale-i Nur>and show an interest in it, foremost Hoja Vehbi Efendi, the esteemed and valued author of a Qur'anic commentary. In my prayers I recall within the circle of my special students, with their names, those whose names I touch Tell them that by virtue of the spiritual partnership of the Risale-i Nur>students, they receive a share of my very defective gains, and that the way has been opened for them to receive a share ohours the gains of all the students, and convey my respects and greetings to them. Since just like the heroes of Isparta, the blessed scholars of Konya are now supporting the Risses asNur,>while still in this world I no longer feel anxious about its duties; I can entrust them to those strong and trustworthy hands and enter the grave with an eang frort.

Secondly:>Mustafa Osman, who in truth has in a brief time been most useful for the Risale-i Nur,>as though he had worked for it for the last ten years, and is a member of the special students' circle, has evidently written a fgrip otter to his brothers in Emirdağ; offering his regrets for the fire, he speaks of the conflagration threatening humanity. We are including part of it in both The Additional Letters>and The Ratifying Stamand on will send you a copy later. I send my greetings both to him, and to those with him, and to our brothers in Kastamonu and İnebolu who are tnd enqns of communication, It will be most appropriate if all those with good handwriting who have the time, write out The Staff of Moses Collection,>as in Isparta and the region. God willing,rs; antask for the Risale-i Nur>will be even more productive than the printing press.

Thirdly:>Hâfız Emin has performed great seًآces for the Risale-i Nur.>Thanks to the endeavours of people like Nuri, Hakkı, İ In myand the late

teacher Osman, before the recent incident, his town, Göre, had become a Nur School and was working brilliantly at the Risale-i Nur.>God willing, it will again perform such valuable services as far as it can. It is true thathousa were saddened more than anybody by the recent calamity, but the share of that town and those devoted brothers in the Risale-i Nur's>widespread atoneries is indeed considerable.

In his letter, Hâfız Emin says that he has not received his books from the court and asks me if they have arrived here. Send him my greetings and tell him that just as his books have not arrivedupplic so none of the books I sent to Istanbul has reached me. I have not even been able to track down the collection of more than twenty treatises called the Big Book (id of kitab),>which I had sent to Istanbul. But since the Risale-i Nur>spreads itself and has itself read to those in need, it is gaining reward fore with Emin and myself; like me, he should be pleased that his books are circulating around others. I also send greetings to however many me is unwomen there are in Göre who are concerned with the Risale-i Nur.>I now again look on Göre as a Nur School as it used to be. I send greetings especially to İhsan, Abdullah, and Abdurrahman; how are they? God willing, theiand aser shining service continues. It proves he is another Abdurrahman, and so he will continue.

I send greetings to each and every one of our brothers andnd, thfor them.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Endless thanks be to Almighty God, that they pressurize me instead of the Risale-i Nur,>and are busy with me. Donk whatanxious! According to the meaning of, "It may be that you hate a thing, and it is good for you">(Q 2:216), God willing, this fresh incident will also turn out for the best.

The incident was this: they prevented Ceylan>has bis two friends who were assisting me from coming to me. They took the key off them and gave it to the watchmen. One of the watchmen used to come and do some jobs for me, such as bringing me b Endlend water. I did not know the reason for this, but there is a party dispute here in this town. One of the child's uncles {(*): This was the late Abdullah Çalışkan. He joined the Democrat Party when it was still in opposition. [Author]hoped orted one of the parties, and it is possible that his opponents were the cause of the incident.

I reckon that the Risale-i Nur's>victories everywhere and the anarchy that is infiltrating from outsirrunni interfering were also the cause of it. Also, they instigated the trouble on the pretext of Mektûbat>being seized in Sandıklı, saying it was a means of communication. But you should neacherl alarmed, it is quite trivial. You can still write to me as you did before, but I can't write myself. They are tyrannizing me to excess as though by humiliating and insulting me they can prevent the Risale-i Nur's>victories,mily out of their lunacy, by puffing a sun of truth like the Risale-i Nur>which has the power of millions of electric lights, it will be extinguished. But they are merely allowing me to gain extra reward.

Yesterday, a nissemithy and warning coincidence occurred: at just the time the child and his father were summoned by the police to have their statements taken, the police were notified by telephone of a serious incident that had taken place, which ct to tthem all great alarm. They were obliged to go immediately to the spot. They were as told: "Leave those who cause less harm than a fly's wing alone, and atteof thethe harms of eagles, or dragons even!"

Also, at the same time as the incident of the mosque banning, the head official of the district (kaymakathe es had ordered it had to undergo an operation in Afyon. He was as though told: "Don't forget death! You shouldn't oppress people who are trying to save and be saved from its eternal execution, but appreciaed nat applaud them!"

I send my greetings to each and every one of my brothers and sisters, and pray for them and request their prayers.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers and Blessed Heirs and Trustworthy deputies!

Firstly:>I tell you certainly that divine providence and assistance for us and for the Risale-i Nur's>service continue. Behind the appare restsgly veils are truly beautiful results. A hundred benefits are bestowed in exchange for one harm that we suffer, No importance should be given therefore to temporary passing difficulties.

Secondly: As fthe prpossible, the writing out of The Staff of Moses Collection>should not cause boredom and laxity. That sacred, supreme duty is

of the very greatest importance. Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) said about that"And it dispels the darkness."

I have corrected and sent you by post the fourteen pieces of the two Ali's. They were the cause of both myself and the students working enthusiastially. Just as they came to my assistance in Kastamonu,with ure those two brothers came to my aid.

Thirdly:>I certainly get very fed up here and discouraged, but when I think of your constantly working and I read longingly yourno cur consoling letters, the distress dissipates and sometimes is transformed into joy. The person who writes down my letters can't come for now, but he has three or four tasks connected with theits are-i Nur,>apart from helping me personally. He carries these out to the letter. In fact, he comes as far as my door and understands what my needs are, and sees to them too.

Fourthly:>Have our brothers in other places started to wror thet The Staff of Moses?>The people who were formerly performing this the most vital task, and those with them, should combine all the pieces in one volume and start to gather together The Miracles of Muhammad UWBsale-iits appendices, which is the duty in serving belief that is second in importance. Or they should assist those who have fallen behind. As far as is possible, the pieces shouders bwritten out clearly and correctly.

Fifthly:>There are numerous signs that after the scholars, teachers are beginning to become aware of their need foruld noisale-i Nur,>One is this: they requested The Supreme Sign>with the intention at reading it at the conference on religion in Istanbul.

Brother Re'fet! You are truly welcome, and yd spireoccupation with writing out the Risale-i Nur>indeed pleased me. Like Hulûsi and Sabri, your questions have yielded valuable consequences and sweet fruits for the Risale-i Nur.>The scholarly pieces you have with you that have not beehe letuded in the Risale-i Nur,>you can add in the appropriate places or in The Additional Letters

My brothers! A new course of action occurred to me while writing out The Staff of Moses>Collection. Five oringtimeople should practise the division of labour and each write out a passage from the same large section; it would be quicker and easier. It would prevent both boredom and - because of the unselfishness - the courage to write being broken. I dents the failure to do this may be the reason this most important duty of the Risale-i Nur>has not progressed as it should. People with good handwriting should anyway apply iativeew measure while working.

My brothers! You must be extremely careful and circumspect! Never argue with the hojas.>As far as possible, behave in a conciliatory manner

#13and thdon't provoke their egotism. Even if they support the innovations, don't annoy them. While faced with ghastly atheism, one should not aggravate the innovators and push them towards the irreligious. If you comwas ofss the hojas>sent to provoke you, don't allow them any opportunity to start an argument. Their objections under the mask of learning, are a trump in the hands of the dissemblers.

You know the harm caused in Istanbul bequentelderly hoja.>Endeavour as far as you can to turn it in favour of the Risale-i Nur.

Greetings to each of all my brothers.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers and Heirs!

It is a Sunna to write a will since the appointed hour is unknown. I am leaving my private books and finely bound collections from the Risale-i Nur>and all the rest of my belongings to foremost Hured. Ond Tahirî and the other twelve members of that committee. {(*): My brother Abdülmecid, Zübeyir, Mustafa Sungur, Ceylân, Mehmed Kaya, Hüsnü, Bayram, Rüştü, Abdullah, Ahmed Aytimur, Âtıf, T were Said, Mustafa, Mustafa, and Seyyid Salih. [Author]} I am leaving them to them so that when my time comes, the belongings I leave behind may work and be employed in those loyal, blessed hands in the service of belief anothin Risale-i Nur>in my stead.

My brothers! Don't be alarmed at this will. I have written it owing to my distress and being poisoned nine times, and the covert dissemblers' numerous intrigues and const, no es against me, despite my extreme weakness. But don't worry; divine providence and preservation continue.

r cameLoyal Brothers and Steadfast Companions in the Service of Belief!

Firstly:>God willing, the principal duty in serving the Risale-i Nur>will be far more productive than the printing press. ... . yields large recompense for the students and powerful services in the cause of belief. Is this work progressing, I wonder, or is it lagging behind in the difficult winteu,

As for the second duty, together with the Tenth Word and its appendices, it has to be within the two treatises about miracles and theirr villdices at the end. Those who finish the first duty, should try to put any other pieces together in one volume, otherwise they should try to get hold of them. For with its present awakening andse intng for unity, the Islamic world will seek works like the Risale-i Nur,>so large collections will certainly be needed to address the broad views of those wider spheres.

Secondly:>Your heby the me is particularly clear and important in two respects:

First: Your working untiringly in the service of the Risale-i Nur>reduces to ns thag all the calamities and difficulties I suffer; indeed, it transforms them into joy.

Second Respect: You should know certainly that I now have no doubts that your prayers has befices. cause of their severe, torturous oppression being turned into providential, beneficial instances of mercy for me.

In Short: The officials and people being scared of me has saved me from grievous errors, artificiality, and acting insparticly, and from wasting my time, and has shown divine determining's total justice and grace towards me within the human cruelty. By analogy, one sees that an instance of divine mercy underlies whatever befalls me. The harm costinices ukuruş>of their preoccupation with me saves the Risale-i Nur>ten thousand liras>of harm. You shouldn't therefore be anxious about me. In face nortetimes when wanting to curse them for their provocations and insults, I think of their soon suffering the execution of death and torments of the solitary es he ement of the grave and the advantages for me and for our work in consequence of their offensiveness and disrespect, and I leave off cursing them.

Thirdly:>Your one or two letters eto exaeek are both healing for me and a means of consolation and as a sort of meeting with you and conversation, I await the post longingly.

I send my eat sangs to each and every one of you and offer prayers.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers and Friends on the Way of Truth!

Don't feel offended that this ts intom answering your five or six blessed letters with a single confused one.

Firstly:>Although according to our way one should not accept the extraordinary qualities that Halil İbrahim's letter accords to me, two meani that coincidences (tevâfuk)>both made me accept his letter, and include it in The Additional Letters.>However, I left out some parts about myself, and in other places I overwrote them with theth. The, the Risale-i Nur;>this replied to their questions about the terms.

First Coincidence: At the time, indeed at the very hour, a captain was insulting me contemptuously in a way that was illegal five times over in order to destrce of lic regard for me, a brother who is one of the pillars of the Risale-i Nur>and is more important in the eyes of the people of reality than a hundred such captains, wrote this new letter xt dayesteeming me far beyond my due completely nullified those insults. Four other persons who are leading pillars of the students also put their signatures to it. For the sake of this strange coincidence, I accepted that letter of praiset fullmodifying it, put in The Additional Letters,>and have sent you a rough copy of it.

Second Coincidence: One night I was thinking about the people who were writing out The Staff of Moses>and I searchelicatireferences to this in the newly arrived letters. Thinking that the severe winter conditions and the occasional harassment of dissemblers might the pethem to be slack and that they might need encouragement, I searched for something to motivate them, just as the two poetic pieces by Hasan Feyzi and Halil İbrahim describing the Risale-i Nur>prompted and encouraged numerous people to write outsguidas. Then out of the blue the following morning I received the letter mentioning my death, which frightened the students and drove them wo grok harder and more speedily at writing. I exclaimed: Halil İbrahim's loyalty has risen to the degree of wonder-working.

Secondly:>Feyzi and Emin's letter dispelled many of my anxieties. >whichyalty, services, and devotion to the Risale-i Nur>of these two brothers is of the very greatest importance. And the continuing work for the Risale-i Nur>mentioned in Feyzi and Emin's letternot acl my brothers in the region with whom I am closely connected made me weep for joy, brothers such as Hilmi, Sadık, and İhsan, who in nine months in prison performed the services , The e years, and elderly Tahsin known as Beşkardeş, who worked so hard for the Risale-i Nur>with his pen.

My blood brother Abdülmecid is very worried about ue to has tried to

learn about my situation from the mufti here, whom I have not been able to see. From now on, Abdülmecid should make up a threesome with Feyzi and Emin. Let themcessarhim the requisite letters they have received from the Safranbolu heroes. Also, let them tell him when they write that just as he was the Old Said's foremost student, so he is in the first rank of the New Said's students, together with Hul tortuurthermore, when he hears of some calamity or bad news concerning me, he should be like my late father, Mirza (May God have mercy on him), not like my late mother, Nuriye (May God have mercy on her).

Ft themthe old days, my father and mother used to be told of my strange doings in that eventful and rough and ready life. When they heard news like, your sonnsive,ad, or, he has been wounded, or, he is in prison, my father used to laugh and enjoy it immensely. He would say: "Ma'shallah! My son is Testasomething of importance again, he is demonstrating his courage and daring; that is why everyone is talking about him." While my mother wouhe Minp unhappily in the face of his pleasure. But then time would very often prove my father to be right.

Thirdly:>I have accepted for the sake of all tho appepions of the Light Factory, the letters of Abdullah Cavil}, who is Lütfi's dedicated and truly serious heir, and of Mustafa, one of the students and heirs of the late Hâfız Ali oifficumköyü. Endless thanks be to the Most Merciful of the Merciful that He has made those villages into Nur Schools, like Sava and Kuleönü.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Compelled by my indisposition, I am this time sufficing with a single e the in reply to your numerous letters.

Firstly:>The Risale-i Nur>champion Husrev wants seriously and sincerely to become ill and die in my place. So I say: the present is the tim

Endless thanks be to the Most Merciful of the Merciful, for they turn Denizli into a second Ier) as and a large İslamköyü.

The just judge Muharrem and Feyzi and Hâfız Mustafa have performed twenty years of service for the Risale-i Nur>in one or two years and have made all the students win pe Risale-i Nur>eternally indebted to them. May God Almighty be pleased with them and with all those who have worked together with them, for May And ever! Amen!

Thirdly:>The truly sincere, sad letter of condolence in the name of the Nur School sent by Marangoz Ahmed (the Carpenter), who is one of its champions and fully an heir of Marangoz ings ca Çavuş and Hâfız Mehmed of Barla, made me weep for joy. So I say: Since there are numerous Saids, young and old, in that blessed school, it is of no importance if one elderly, powerless Said whose duties are finished iutely ing. Even if there is temporary parting, it shouldn't grieve you, for we shall all be together in everlasting life.

Fourthly:>M. H. R. M, , who after the just judge has striven most for true justice and the Risale-i Nur's>freedation among the most sincere of the students and together with his namesake and my own brother and first student, Molla Mehmed, is in my prayers and shares in my sHe didal gains.

Fifthly:>In connection with my will and in the style of Halil İbrahim and Hasan Feyzi, Sabri of Konya has also composed a short but fine ode which accords hih the er excessive value. In the shining mirror of his own good will, he gave this wretched brother of his extraordinary worth. He writes too tm. Fore religious scholars are earnestly writing out the Risale-i Nur.>So I say: The person he calls Master and accords such worth to could only be the Risale-i Nur's>collective personality. So I accepted his ode iinor bname and added it to The Additional Letters.>I am also sending you a copy.

Don't worry, my illness is slowly disappearing. Together with theirew ove a sincere, but strange letter from one of our brothers called Ispartalı Mustafa. Which Mustafa is this? I did not know, but send him mhe majeetings. His extraordinary dream is auspicious, but I can't interpret it for now.

I send greetings to each and every one of all my brothers and sisters, and pray for them, and await their acceptable prayers.

We have added af İslaords to Hasan Feyzi's fine ode and included it in The Additional Letters,>and are also sending it to you.

My Very Dear, Most Loyal and True Brothers, and Trusty, Sincere Heirs in respect of the Risale-i Nur!

I heedlved an admonishment to disclose a most meaningful and powerful coincidence, an indication of the students' loyalty and explicit wonder of the Risale-i Nur.>It is this: at just the same s. I shat I wrote my will, covert dissemblers found an opportunity when my assistants whom I trust were prevented by the police from coming to me, and by means of a person I did not know gave me sohe futson that was more powerful than that given me nine times previously.

Also, at the same time the Tunisian scholar, Hoja Haşmet, who is one of our brothers and last yeaof rel this far to visit me but left without seeing me, wrote to here from Yozgat saying: "Said has died. The one hundred and thirty treatises of the Risale-i Nur>should be kept so that we can print them in tnd Ahmure."

Also, at the same time, Halil İbrahim's sad eulogy-like letter about my death made the students weep.

Also, very close to thot an e, in one or two letters about my death, Husrev, in unaccustomed manner alluded to my death with such phrases as "a lifetime of two or three dayol, thd saddened me. Alarmed, I wondered if I was going to depart.

Also, around that time, while dwelling mostly on my duty in this worldly life and worrying whether the students would perform it in my place at this ghastly time my frzli, Milâs, Isparta, and İnebolu, and the teacher, scholars, and others raced to that duty with such fervour and partiality in a way faense feding my hopes, that I was left in amazement.

In Short:>This fivefold coincidence was a clear wonder of the Risale-i Nur.

Praise be God! This is from the grace of my Lord.

My brothers! Don't be alarmed, the Jaushan>and Evrad-ı Bahâr>studve again overcome and dispelled the dangers of that terrible poison. The danger has passed, but the illness continues.

I send greetings to each and every two sf my brothers and pray for their well-being, and request their doubtlessly acceptable prayers. And with all my life and spirit I congratulate the many women and children in İnebolu and its environs who are starting to write out the he Qur-i Nur>and the many innocents taking lessons about the Qur'an.

My Brothers!

Don't be upset, and don't worry! Just help me with your prayers. For several days now my left arm aches severely and disturbs me at nids are have allowed no one to be with me, I can only attend to the necessary jobs in my room with the greatest difficulty. I reckon it is an offshoot of the chronic lumbago I have suffered for years; I am badly affected by the physical climate heorld, the winter, as well as by the groundless suspicions and persecution of those cruel people, and the non-physical winter. I experience severe suffering as though half affected by apoplexy. But all thanks be to God, your acceptable prayers tool lessened the danger considerably. God willing, it will pass altogether in that way, and only its many rewards will remain in its place.

My brothers! According to what Salâhaddin writes, The Staff of Moses Collectiopon th much action in that region and wins many victories. This means that it is performing that most important duty of the Risale-i Nur>there. All ptectiobe to God a hundred thousand times, and for those who write it out, a hundred Ma'shallahs>and Bârekâllahs!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>Endless thanks be to Almighty God tng Nur proved by the unwavering activities of the heroic students in these harsh conditions, Isparta will be a full Medresetü'z-Zehrâ and al-Azhar University, and has beoyal B be so. Their working enthusiastically at the Qur'an and Risale-i Nur,>and in Ali Köyü even many children becoming students through the efforts of the Ali's and all the young people in another villauded iking at the Qur'an at night and the mosques being filled with congregations, reduces to nothing the difficulties suffered by the Nur students.

Secondly:>For sure, the fourth long poem of the extraordinarily loyal and devoted heir tİbrahim and the descriptions far exceeding my due of my servanthood of the Risale-i Nur,>are really very fine, but since the poem looks more to my person than to the Risale-i Nur>I have not sent ite for u for now; it shall be sent after it has been modified. I particularly send greetings to him and to his companions.

Thirdly:>Don't be anxious about their conspiracies against me; perhaps, indeed, you should be pleased that they are atunceasg my insignificant person whose work is finished in place of the Risale-i Nur>and its students,

and tormenting me. Recently there has been the incident of the high-ranking obe upols here telling some people that "Said should be disposed of." Profiting from ideas like these that have been put around, my secret enemies scattered my assistants, and seizing the opportunity, poisoned me. They of mampowered by officials like them. But divine providence and preservation thwarted their conspiracy. God willing, this providence and preservation will persist and all their plans will be foiled.

isale-ough I had not applied to them for twenty years, this petition was written addressing Hilmi [Uran] , the Interior Minister, once off and when I was angrypolitiuse he was persecuting me. It was sent to the Afyon police chief for his information. Four or five times they meaninglessly and unnecessarily harassed me. They summoned me to the police station officially and demanded: "That's noide beyou write; who wrote it for you?" I replied: "Application shouldn't be made to such people; I was right to keep silent for twenty years!"

Police and authorities of Emirdağ!dutieste the below conversation a year ago, then held it and did not send it. But now they are intervening and preventing my assistant from helping me, which is illegal ied Fua respects, and are constraining and holding me under an absolute despotism in a way unheard of in the world. I am publicizing this in the hope that those who flout the law in the name of the l humill act more fairly and justly.

I have been the target of an injustice that has been unprecede even n history on the face of the earth, and cruelty and oppression that are illegal in ten respects. It is as follows:

How does it profit you to infli and c police on an extremely weak elderly seventy-one-year-old who is severely ill from being poisoned as a result of a conspiracy; is alone in p remin exile; impoverished to the extent that he had to sell his sack coat, vest, and slippers to secure his needs; a solitary recluse who for twenty-five years is able to meet with only one completely loyal person oent ofa thousand; an innocent man whose life and works of twenty years have been ruled by three courts and the Ankara experts' committee to be beneficial, not harmful, for the country and nation; a son of this land who performed importanrittenices in the Great War; a patriot who has striven with all his strength with his effective works to save this nation

and country from anarchy and the corruption of foreigners; and as has been testified tcause eventy witnesses in court, has not read a newspaper for twenty-five years nor been curious about the news; has taken no interest in the Second World War, nor has asked about it nor known about it; and as is proved in hisrs!

has completely cut all his ties with politics, and as has been admitted officially by your judiciary, has not interfered in your world? How does it benefit you to set foremale-i urself, the Interior Minister, and the governor of Afyon and the Emirdağ police on this wretched Said, who flees desperately from public regard ld manyrm should come to his life in the hereafter and his sincerity, and dislikes and shrinks from his brothers' good opinions about him and their praise; what profit is there in making him suince in one day the torments of a month's solitary confinement, compelling him to remain all alone and solitary in anguish? I ask, What law permits this ghastly cruelty? and I declare the above to the Interior Minister by. The f the Ministry of Justice, which protects the rights of the public.

My Dear, Loyal Bg extrs and Osman, Mehmed, and Hasan Efendis, who are as true to me in my exile as kith and kin!

In connection with the extraordinary concern of Hasan Feyzi and the other students for the Çalışkan family, which is immediate recomperformor your unforgetable and earnest services for myself and the Risale-i Nur,>and their broadcasting your good name throughout the country and causing the people of reality to look on you as friends, you are oblig here.my place to be extremely circumspect and completely loyal and most careful in order to protect and defend the Risale-i Nur>and its students more than myself and to save them from the intrigues of the ities cians and the enemies who poisoned me. For even the smallest mistake will discredit not only myself, but also thousands of innocent students and your own good name, which is now shininge workituation and the difficulties inflicted on me are illegal in six respects, so in order to absolve themselves from future responsibility, those who torment me unjashes and illegally, are searching for a pretext for themselves and an excuse. So you have to be extremely careful,

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>Part of the co arisition with the Interior Minister was sent to you a couple of days ago so that you might take it as a model and when necessary refer to it when presenting a petition r Medr minister or to the court. Our brothers too should defend themselves against the dissemblers accordingly. It seems that it was him who up to now has spitefully caused this torturous distress to be vhem an on me. However ... you consult among yourselves and do whatever is necessary. But you must act with caution and without fussing and causing a commotion.

Secondly:>I have received by way of the tiy werefti of this place, whom I have not met, Hulûsi's letter from Kars and a letter from my nephew Nihad. In truth, that brother of ours preserves his staunch, extraordinary loyalty and his close concern with the Risale- unlet>It is a meaningful coincidence that although he did not know it, I had said in the piece for Sabri due to the possibility of Nihad being there, that if he was in Ky disp would meet with Hulûsi. Just at the time I had said this here and then written it to you, they both wrote letters to me although both had hitherto two asilent.

Thirdly:>Another subtle and happy coincidence was the letter from our brother Re'fet which demonstrated his complete loyalty and concern and that he is a Nur commander like Hulûsi, arriving at the same time I received Hu belie letter. Both should be added to The Additional Letters.>Re'fet's teaching the Qur'an to the innocent children and his being preoccupied with writing out and reading Lem'alar (The Flashes),>and tho1943. ocents praying that my illness should be cured, soothed it like a salve and cheered me up.

And Fourthly:>Many times I had sorrowfully and regretfully wondered whether or not Yâkub Cemâl, whose writing resembles that of Âsım, was alid thos if he was alive, he was working at the Risale-i Nur>with his fine pen. Then endless thanks be to God, I received a letter from him showing both that he was alive, and that he was serving the Risale-i Nur,>and that he persisted in loh of I I exclaimed: All praise be to God!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

More than a hundred times, a truly valuable truth related to belief has appeared to me, But because the to thd of composition has finished, I have been unable to capture it, however much I tried. I have waited so that I might express it and communicate it clearly, but I have not been successful.

Now, with the briefest of indications, I sists lpeak of that very extensive and lengthy truth. The Hadith, "God created man in the form of the Most Merciful" {[*]: Bukharî, Isti'dhan, 1; Muslim, Birr, 115; Janna, 28; Musnad, ii, 244, 251, 315, 323, 434, 463, 519. [Tr.]} is both a condensip, Gomprehensive statement, and a figurative (müteşâbih)>Hadith. When reading the Hulâsatü'l-Hulâsa (Ar. Khulasat al-Khulasa)>and the Jaushan al-Kabir,>a truly significant and universal point concerning it becprentiear to my heart. So in order not to lose that strange and beautiful point, I jotted down signs and allusions to it between the Seventeenth Degree of the Hulâsatü'l-Hulâsa, which is the testimony of the Qur'an'sly wrie, and the Eighteenth, which is the testimony of the universe's tongue:

There is no God but God, the Necessarily Existent, the One, the Unique, through the tongue of the truth of humanity, through the worid theits life and senses and disposition, and its being a measure and standard, and its humanness; and through the words of humanity's attributes and morality and vicegerency, and being index-like, and the nature of its 'Ily obl through the words of its comprehensive creation and diverse forms of worship and its multiple needs and its boundless poverty, impotenceb al-Tfaultiness, and its unlimited potentialities.

Here, I am going to explain and elucidate this brief indication, again very briefly and in code. You can add it as an adde, someo the Hulâsatü'l-Hulâsa.

Yes, when I read the Hulâsatü'l-Hulâsa,>I see the vast universe as a circle for the remembrance of God. But since the tongue of each rethe Ri beings is very extensive, to comprehend the divine names and attributes at the degree of the knowledge of certainty the intellect has to wo and iessively by way of reflective thought. Only then does it see them completely. But when the intellect considers the human reality, it confirms tng a lames and attributes in that reality's comprehensive measure, tiny map, tiny true sample, tiny sensitive balance, and responsive egoism, with a conscience, assurance anming aef which are utterly certain, direct, and assented to mentally. It acquires certain affirmative belief most easily, in its mirror that is present with religithout needing a lengthy journeying in thought; it comprehends a true meaning of "God created man in the form of the Most Merciful." Because, since form have cluded in respect of Almighty God, what is meant by form (T. suret;>Ar. sura)>is character, morality, and attributes.

Yes, followers of t was ti path travelled two paths in gaining knowledge of God (marifet-i Ilâhiye),>in the inner and outer worlds, the shortest, easiest, surest, and most that wul of which they found to be the journey through man's inner self (enfüsî);>that is, the silent remembrance of God in the heart. Similarly,e lettofty people of reality (ehl-i hakikat)>proceeded down two highways, not in experiential and ideational knowledge of God (marifet ve tasavvur),>and he the much higher and more valuable belief and affirmation (iman ve tasdik).

One of these highways,>like The Supreme Sign>and Hizbü'n-Nûriye>and Hulâsatü'l-Hulâsa,>is by pondering over the book of the universp,>andehold the outside world (âfâk).

The Other>is by reflecting on the map of the human reality, index of human egoism, and the nature of man's sel>to be the conscience and senses (vicdanî ve hissî)>and to an extent, vision (şuhûdî),>to rise to a degree of belief that is free of doubt and scruples and i few wmost powerful degree, that of absolute certainty, which looks to the mystery of divine immediacy and the legacy of prophethood. Reflective thought on the inner self in attaining belief has been explained in part in the Thirtieth Word ony:>I sI' and 'I'ness (ene ve enâniyet),>and in the Windows on Life and Man in the Thirty-Third Letter, and in part in other pieces of the Risale-i Nur.

This may added to both The Additionaecuriters,>and The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen,>and the Hulâsa.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Don't be offended that, because of my indisposeliver I am answering your numerous letters with one, single, wretched letter.

Firstly:>Our secret enemies have employed every stratagem to gain a hold over several high-ranking government officials and by needliaff ofmost sensitive points and harassing me to incite an incident resembling the Menemen or Shaykh Said incidents. But they realised that the Old Said is no more, and that the New Said endures everything, so they switched plans to other plans this hort, to poisoning me. But divine preservation foiled that one too. Now those dissemblers are officially utilizing black propaganda to scare the people away from me and induce tnts an give me up. However, don't you worry about this at all. Divine providence continues; the Risale-i Nur's>victories are gradually spreading.

Secondly:>Hasan Feyzi's new eulogy and Halil İbrahim's of a week ago,

showing the at thraordinary good will towards my person, and their sincere and sorrowful poems of farewell, have been accepted with a few modifications for three reasons:

The First: They wrote them not on account of my person, but on account of my beiue thaervant of the Qur'an and belief and the Risale-i Nur;>they were looking to that sacred duty.

The Second: Their descriptions, which far exceed my due, and those of our sincere brothers in that region whom they represent,s bein sort of earnest prayer, and an auspicious omen (tefe'ül),>and an elevated desire for good, and a reflection of their abilities, their belief, and their most serious cher, t for the Risale-i Nur.

The Third: In so far as in their view I am the representative and exemplification of the collective personality of the Risale-i Nur>and its students, there would be no benefit in slighting ne or ondrous good will of theirs and breaking their morale. I send thousands of greetings to both of them and their friends, particularly Ahmed Feyzi and our brothers in Denizli Prison and those striving for justice for our sake.

Thplay o>I cannot find the time to extract key passages from each of Husrev's many letters, which have so often soothed my difficulties and which I keep with me, and add all of them to The Additional Letters.>God willing, I shall study them when telihooasion arises. Ahmed Nazif's letters, written in the name of the İnebolu students and showing that he shared in Halil İbrahim's heart-rending eulogy, dispe Risaly worries about my steadfast brothers in that region. May God be pleased with them!

Fourthly:>Our old and new brothers whose names are mentioned in the letter from Ahmed from the villagethe fiban İsa are working at the Risale-i Nur>and getting their children to work at it and at the Qur'an, which is indeed a noteworthy service for the icular-i Nur.>May Almighty God grant them success. Amen!

Fifthly:>Perhaps twenty times, Jaushan and Awrad-i Qudsiyya-i Shah-i Naqshband>have saved me from losing my life due to the physical and spiritual poison of my dissembler for As, but regretfully, due to their cruelty I suffer such effects, tension, grief, and revulsion in my nerves, and such sensitivity and strain, that I can't eaning having even my truest friend and most loyal brother with me for an hour; my spirit cannot abide it. I feel distress if one of them merely looks at me, The unsociableness that I used to suffer from slightly, has become very severe due ts, andcruel maltreatment of those oppressors and their surveillance. It is as though I have died to social life before dying my death; it is on account of this truth and mystery that my select brothers lieve iting their eulogies.

Also, the climate here abrades my nerves and irks me terribly. One winter day here weighs on me and distresses me moriz in the whole winter I spent in Denizli Prison.

However, I can tell you in all certainty that just as the eye cannot endure the weight of a hair; so too, although my spirit is pained by a hair's weight, it takes on itself and endures gratefs at tnd patiently mountains' weight of oppression and difficulties for the well-being of the Risale-i Nur>and its students and in their place. But since my powerlessness and wnd go!s and sorrow are excessive, instead of increasing my load with their praising me, my select brothers should lighten it with their prayers and compassion, returlp me with their saintly influence and pity. It is a manifestation of divine grace that this severe sickness of unsociability that I suffer reduces to nothing the so needs confinement the tyrants inflict on me; it pleases me in a way, rather than tormenting me.

My Dear Loyal Brothers and Efficacious Consolation and Heirs in this Dreadful Agms.

I considered them and this occurred to my heart: Can it be that these champions have no present recompense? Then it suddenly came to me that by writing out this collection, first and foremost they reado shoutively its powerful lesson in belief, which silences the philosophers and induces them to believe, and so gain a spiritual treasury.

Moreover, the copies they write will save the beliefhow thny other people or they will come to believe. There is a Hadith which says: "A single person coming to believe through you is better than a plain-full of redents o." {[*]: Bukharî, Jihad, 102, 143; Muslim, Fada'il al-Sahaba, 34; Darimî, 'Ilm, 10; al-Munawî, Fayd al-Qadîr, vi, 359 no. 9606. [Tr.]} Also, with their blessed pens, they perform the sacred duties of

the great mujahd War,oes of early Islam. The future will most certainly applaud them and the Nurjus.

Secondly:>It is appropriate that the passage at the beginning of The Staff of't be Collection>which is underlined, be written out. Anyone who wishes may write it together with the beginning part of this letter.

The Twenty-Eighth Flash and Eighth Ray have proved satisfactorily that in his ode, Jaljalutiyya,>Imam 'Ali (Mahere, be pleased with him) foretells powerfully and almost explicitly with the same number the Risale-i Nur>and its main treatises, In Jaljalutiyya,>with the line: "And with the name of Moses' srges cthe darkness is dispelled,">he gives news of its final treatise.

A couple of years ago, we supposed that The Supreme Sign>was its final treatise, whereas now, the writing of the Risale-i Nuaults,g completed in [thirteen] sixty-four {[*]: See , fn 25 above. [Tr.]} and the above lines of Imam 'Ali giving news of a treatise that wbut inispel the darkness and scatter light like the staff of Moses,>breaking their spells; and both The Fruits>section of this collection being a sort of court defence and scattering the dark injustice that descended upo the mand The Proofs>section dispelling the darkness of the philosophy that formed a front against the Risale-i Nur>and compelling the Ankara experts' committee to submit and appreill noit; and its containing numerous indications that it would disperse darknesses in the future; and like the staff of Moses>(Upon whom be peace) caused tweur'an rings to flow from the rock, this collection with its Fruits>and their eleven luminous topics and its Conclusive Proof of God>and its eleven decisive proofs, all afforded us the cBP) faion that with those lines, Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) was looking directly to the collection called The Staff of Moses>and was giving news of it appreciatively.

Thirdly:author, who is the Nur Power Station and some of whose pieces are included in the Twenty-Seventh Letter, has sent another eulogy. We have added it to The Additional Letters,>and have also sent it to you. And Hâfız Mustafa nt witis one of the blessed people and has performed many services in spreading the Risale-i Nur>- his blessed, innocent grandson wrote out the Sixth Ray when seven years old an the 'e me a letter, which will awaken an interest in the Risale-i Nur>among the innocents here. He should be called Said Nurî; the name Nursî, referring to the village, is meaningless. vant o' should be left out and just the 'î' remain, to show his attachment to the Risale-i Nur.>I was going to write many other things, but I've been obliged to ng One short due to the many duties and jobs I have to do.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>Your sending the good news that those who have completed the first duty are beginning the second, The Miracles Collection,>prompte Evideo offer endless thanks to the Most Merciful of the Merciful, who has bestowed such true brothers on me in this work for religious belief. Proceeding from its use of the Qur'anic script, the first dutyhty Goayed a wonder on the opening, in the centre, of a course for the Qur'anic script. God willing, the second duty will display an even moremstanculous wonder.

Secondly:>It will be more beneficial and appropriate if Konyalı Sabri communicates with me through you, because for the most part you can do old ste wants in my place. For instance, since the scholars can assist to the fullest extent by doing corrections, the corrections should be done there by them. You can send them some of the copies I have corrected previously. Truly, the q Durn of corrections is most important. Sometimes an error in a letter or a point even, can cause a valuable meaning to be lost. First of all, those who write out copies should compare them thoroughly, then give them to th resulectors. Mâshâllah,>there are very few errors in the Staff of Moses>collections that have reached me recently, and they have been corrected to an extent. May God be pleased with both those who wrn a Haem out and those who corrected them. Amen!

Thirdly:>The Tunisian Hoja Haşmet, who lives in Yozgat and is interested in the Risale-i Nu sheeprd firstly that I had died and then that I was alive, and sent two sincere letters here; send him my greetings.

Fourthly:>We have made Rüştü's heroic brother, Burhan, a partner in our spiritual gains since he has for a long time performg themuable services for the Risale-i Nur>in times of need despite being unlettered. Including him among the select students, we mention him by name in oursend mrs every day.

It is a meaningful coincidence that just when describing my wide-ranging anxieties at the non-arrival of Husrev's and Sabri's letters, numerous letters arrived in unexpected fashion, which dispelled all those compreheme forworries.

I send my greetings to all my brothers.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers, and True Friends on the Way of Truth and Eternity!

The private letters that have aras thehere from the Kastamonu villagers and champions of the Risale-i Nur>and the devotees of Safranbolu deserve replies, but neither my situation nor my time permits this, so they should not be ecedened if I send a short reply via yourself.

Firstly:>The letters of Hilmi, ihsan, Emin, and Taşköprülü Sadık filled me with joy. In truth, these brothers performed in nine months in prison nine years of service for the Risalspair,r>and came shoulder to shoulder with the Isparta champions. I shall never ever forget all they did for my welfare, for the unity and co-operation of our friends in the prison, and for the new parts of the Risal neverr,>May God be eternally pleased with them and with you! Frequently I travel eagerly in the imagination to those times and to the places we used to make excursions to in Kastamonu and Barla. I sit down there and weep, and gaze at those frerous,of mine in the imagination.

Mustafa Osman and Hıfzı (May God have mercy on him) wrote a short letter that resembled the powerful expressions and fine handwriting of the hero Sadık, and sent the greetings of the Safranbolu students. I wonisappeif Sâdık had gone there or whether they had gone to him, or was there another brother called Sâdık?

More than anyone else, it is the duty of the loyal people of Barla to work with all their strength at writing out the Righ by Nur.>For Barla has won the honour of being the first Risale-i Nur>School, so it is not permissible to leave it without students. God willing, it will again be filled. May God's blessings be us mistose who are working, and may He grant them success. Amen!

Secondly:>The two letters of Osman and Ahmed, two of Safranbolu's loyal students, sded byeir extraordinary loyalty and attachment to the Risale-i Nur.> Mâshallah,>Osman has in a short time both learnt the Qur'an, and has written out pieces of the Risale-i Nur,>and is now writing out The Staff of Mosesy affos a true brother of the devoted Mustafa Osman and Hıfzı, and Ahmed is truly devoted as well. There are deficiencies in the writing of the letter, and I could, whmake out what he was saying. I send many greetings to them and to my brothers in Safranbolu and Kastamonu and around there, and I offepeopleers for them, and request their prayers. I send greetings to each and every one of our brothers of the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ in Isparta and the region, and pray for their peace and well-being.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I was worrying because I hadn't received Husrev's letter written by himself; and no reply had arrived concerning the collections I had sent to Konya; and because our enemies and fo Two y the Minister of the Interior together with the anarchists were all pressurizing me; and because some of the dissemblers here had learnt from certain simple-hearted friends of ours thon aboad sent books to both Eskişehir and Konya and had received The Staff of Moses>collections. Then suddenly in unprecedented fashion in this season, one and a half metres of snow fell and there was ae todable blizzard and cold spell. I wondered if such anger and wrath could be connected with the Risale-i Nur>and its students, like the four earthquakes and drought last year. I aske theirhe calamity was general or just limited to the provinces of Afyon and Eskişehir, and they replied that it was limited to them. So I exclaimed: "All praise be to God! That means there is no general attack on the Rappreci Nur>and its students; only on myself and the treatises I have with me." I had reckoned that Eskişehir, which I so trusted, would be a Nur School like Denizli, but it remained ten degrees below Denizli, the reason for which was the situation scaring them, like with Afyon and Emirdağ. Anyway, don't worry; just like with the Istanbul secular schools, God willing, this weather incident has cauld nohe covert Masons to give up the new assault they were intending. Divine providence is protecting us.

Secondly:>This time I received seven or eight letters. My situation, pen, and time do not permit me to write personal replibrothe don't be offended. We added the letters from Mehmed Feyzi and Emin to The Additional Letters>without touching them. I did not interfere with them since both of them have served me personally for eight years, and their descriptioe Greach far exceed my due are a sort of prayer and source of encouragement and contentment, and a sign of good will and loyalty towards their Master in so far as he sand, interpreter of the Risale-i Nur,>and of their belief and attachment. And it is appropriate that Feyzi's description of his mother's beautiful, luminous death due to the lessons of the Risale-i Nur,t theyning example of how it comes to the aid of its students at the time of death and other times of difficulty, should be included among The Additional Letters.

An immediate reply to Halil İbrahimlen snter asking numerous questions about the whys and wherefores of divine decree and determining, would allow us to strive to perform good works, and would attract everyone's attention to the Risale-i Nur>and get them to read it. But since it w>Sabriall to mind some sort of objection to divine decree and determining, it would

be inappropriate for general circulation in The Additional Letters.>However, the sections and invocations at the end oich waletter taken from Jaushan al-Kabir>are very fine.

Thirdly:>Husrev's letter telling of the eager services for the Risale-i Nur>performed by Lame 'Ali of Atabey and Kâzım of Eğirdir prompt even spi>consiings to praise and applaud them. And the letter to me of fourteen-year-old Mustafa Yeşil of Ali Köyü and his father, describing their services for both the Qur'an and the Risale-i Nur threeall the innocents of that village working for the Risale-i Nur>through the efforts and endeavours of the three 'Ali's, drove not only myself but all the Nur stubenefito applaud them and offer thanks.

Fourthly:>Abdurrahman Salâhaddin's belated condolences at the end of the letter Feyzi wrote on the occasion of his mothg witheath, and his writing in a postscript that he did not accept that I had died, and that in some way Gawth al-A'zam's protection had passed At te Staff of Moses,>made me weep for joy. Also, the Safranbolu heroes participating in the epics of Mehmed Feyzi and Emin; and a general course for the Arabic script and letteg an ung inaugurated in the centre of government and this being a sign of The Staff of Moses'>conquests and its wonderworking, and good tidings, caused me the greatest joy and reduced to nothing all the distrthat hhad suffered this winter.

Molla Mehmed of Tavas, one of Denizli's devoted hardworking people, has sent letter which is short in words but long in meaning, from which I understood that he did not bee of pthat I had died either, and that he attributes to me much greater worth than is my due.

I send many greetings both to him, and to my brothers whom I met inh is an, and to Feyzi and Hâfız Mustafa and their friends.

My Dear, Lnd to rothers!

Firstly:>We included in The Additional Letters>in the name of all the innocents and champions of Sava this fine sincere piece of Ahmed, one of the old innocents of the Nur Sand is Mâshallah!>It shows that Haji Hâfız Mehmed has a valuable grandson who closely resembles him.

Secondly:>I was exceedingly pleased that the two grandchildren of one

of the leadion't h students in Safranbolu, Hıfzı, one aged ten and the other eight, are writing out The Staff of Moses> Collection>and that they wrote a letter telling me they were about to finish it.

Thtory o>One reason for the grievous difficulties inflicted on me this winter was that they isolated me from everyone so that I should not assist in the liberal parties' smashing the absolute tyranny of the people from Salonica. But the Risale-im as tpeaks with thousands of tongues in my place, and demolishes disbelief and apostasy, and defeats anarchy.

[Due to his writings bei

Molla Said, who at present is obliged to reside in the town of Emirdağ in Afyon Province, has lived since his birth among his Turkish brothers and has acquired the traits of hey serks. He fought as a voluntary militia commander in the snowy mountains of Caucasia during the Great War together with our heroic soldiers. He moved from place to place to give them guiith thand was awarded the War Medal. He fought in the battle of Sarıkamış. He was wounded and fell prisoner at the fall of Bitlis, and suffered for years as a Russian prisoner-of-war.gift scaped, and on returning to Istanbul was appointed to the Darü'l-Hikmeti'l-islâmiye for his knowledge and learning. On the formation of the National Forces he urged the people to join gardinruggle, and coming to Ankara during the first year of the Parliament, performed services in the Hacı Bayram guest house explaining the necessity to many he from people of defending the country. Because the works this truly patriotic person has written primarily about

worship, faith, and the tenets of bedress o not conform to the regime and the approach of certain persons who dislike religion and religious people, especially the opportunist Şükrü Kaya, who at present occupies:>A Haost of interior minister, the unfortunate Molla Said has suffered the wretchedness of around twenty years' imprisonment and exile as a result of baseless accusations and false reports.. You ears ago, on the pretext of those reports, handcuffs were clapped on his wrists and being taken from his torturous abode in Kastamonu, was sent to Denizli Prison together with sixty-six people wFirstlole crime was to have greeted him. His works, which were deemed so harmful, were scrutinized for months firstly by a committee in the Istanbn fiveti's office, then by a commission consisting of members of the Directorate of Religious Affairs and the Institute of Language and History, who could find not the slightest matter in any of his prisothat might infringe state policies or disturb public order. In consequence, having been imprisoned for eleven months, Molla Said, the Nur students, and those who hsupposd his works were released on the order of the court. But although this elderly man had been permitted to reside in Denizli, a short time later he was sent away write on and from there to the town of Emirdağ, where he was prevented from having contact with any of his Turkish brothers.

Respected Sir! This eldernty (ison has been deprived of the liberties recognised by the Republic and the Constitution. He is an Islamic thinker who, having no family or relatives, in every way deserves the protection and support of an Islamic government. According to whaties ofamous late poet [Mehmed] Âkif Bey recounted, an article about Said entitled "Fatîn al-'Asr (Genius of the Age)" published around twenty years ago in the newspaper al-Ahram>hey mid al-'Aziz Chawish, a leading scholar of Egypt who knew several Western languages and was familiar with philosophy, was read by scholars there who had met hime'

rson and appreciated his powerful knowledge and struggles in God's way.

Esteemed Sir! Molla Said is by nature a lover of the Turks and a ser I thef Islam, yet he has suffered insult and been belittled as a Kurd. {(*): Being students of the Risale-i Nur, thousands of worthy Turkish youths, children, and old people have hastened this strange age to defend Islam just like thworks ish nation hastened to its aid on the collapse of the 'Abbasid state. All lovers of truth applaud this fact, not just Said, and love the Turks. [Author]} Society in our country will suffer nog girlfrom him; rather, it will profit morally and spiritually. I testify on my honour that Molla Said is guiltless and a person of integrity. My request therons' win the name of humanity from far-

seeing persons like yourself who have laid hands on the nation's government and destiny, is that in conformity with the justice of government, your high office, and eorld pand generosity, justice be accorded this person who due to the malicious words of informers has been deprived of the bounty of freedom, of breathing fresh air, and of meeting with any of his Turkish brothers, and that at least once he bes to ted a meeting with good will. After this, whether you graciously rule on his remaining or on his departing, you will have performed your weighty duty within thnd reaand will have added an admirable act to the record of your life. You will have shown your love of justice to the people and to free-thinking historians like myReligiho have lost a leg and are now outside of politics.

My Esteemed Brother in Religion!

For forty days I have been preoccupied with you as I lie ill. Owing to what I een noeard and imagined, in line with "the believer is beset by many tribulations," {[*]: al-Suyutî, al-Fath al-Kabîr, i, 325; al-'Ajlunî, Kashf al-Khafa', i, 295. [TThe got seems to me that you must be suffering some indisposition. Around ten days ago I called from my window to someone who was selling pu, Kashon butter, and bought some from him. My intention was to ask about you. I was very upset to learn that you had been exiled to Emirdağ and that its people were forbidden to meet with you.

My esteemed brose speThe person writing this letter to you is the former Erzurum deputy, Yeşiloğlu Mehmed Salih, who thirty-one years ago was with you during thI shrit War in the Esad Paşa Medrese in Erzurum and the snowy Caucasian mountains, and twenty-four years ago when I was a deputy met you in the hall of the Parliament building together with your frieson; ie Governor of Van, Haydar Bey.

My Dear Brother Hasan Efendi!

Please write on my behalf to our esteemed brother Salih Efendi and tell

him that till the endhey ar days I shall never forget this humanitarian act of his, and that I am most grateful and send many greetings and offer prayers for him. Nevertheless, I have decided to endure every sort of difficulty. Moreover, I don't expst fidy kindnesses from those leaders.

You sent me a copy of The Staff of Moses>which is not bound and has only a yellow paper cover. The handwriting slightly resembles Husrev's, but it has the name Mustafa at the top. Who elief Which Mustafa? The copy also has "thirteen-year-old Hatice, Ahmed's daughter" written on it. Which Ahmed is this? May God's blessings be upon both of them. It is heroic for one of the innoe did hildren to write out at that age such a long book most carefully, beautifully and correctly, and showing the coincidences, Whoever sees it will applaud it. It by Bealso fire the enthusiasm of the women here who have been to school.

Our brother Nazif's letter is important. In truth, there are many people in Aess an who are devotedly attached to religion for religion's sake, not for political ends. God willing, the person who got hold of a copy of The Staff of Moses>is one of itsm. Keçeli Salâhaddin is just like Abdurrahman; he does not want to lag behind his father in heroism. He also makes us look to this world from tit if itime, although it is not our custom. If that American scholar of standing wants the whole Risale-i Nur>and says he will publish it, we can give him good set after having consulted with you.

Sent with Nazif's letter was a questio a siut a retired person's doubts. If he is seriously interested in the Risale-i Nur,>there is no need for him to ask such questions. He should read the Thirteenth Flash, on the meaning of "I seek refugt how God from Satan the accursed," and the part of the Twenty-Ninth Word about the existence of the angels and spirit beings. As for his meaningless doubts, there are answers to them in a hundred places in the Risale-i Nur.>Ate non-c materialists have seized the opportunity in the present ghastly conditions and inculcated such doubts in people. This man has been affected by them and asked that question. I send him my greetihe Sufhe Risale-i Nur>can solve all his difficulties; he should work at it sincerely and with acquiescence, and should listen to it.

The letteressed Marangoz Ahmed, who is one of the old and new heroes

of the Nur School, pleased and gratified me in three or four ways. Bearing the name of the school's leading student, this Ahmed is both performing the duties of the late Hâfız Ali, d as igether with a valuable brother like Süleyman and his young daughter, has written out three copies of The Staff of Moses.>This, together with his being the grandson of as sadessed (uncle) Hasan Day, alleviated my anxiety and greatly pleased me. May Almighty God restore him to good health and grant them success and happiness. Amen. Amen.

The My others of the late Hâfız Mehmed are carrying out his duties, and Mustafa's handwriting conforms with Husrev's pleasant script, which pleased me as greatly as two newly discovered Hâfız Me of ma

Through the efforts of the heroic carpenter (marangoz),>the preacher from Gökdere and his three sons have become students of the Risale-i Nur>and son Frtarted writing it out. I congratulate both them, and the carpenter, and their village. And I have added the verses he recited to them to The Additional Letters.

I was truly cheered up by the long letter writt for tlame Ali Osman from Atabey and his seriously and effectively working at spreading The Staff of Moses>and the Risale-i Nur,>and by Çilingir Ali, who works so hard at serving the Risale-i Nur,>and his uncle Hasan hhmeds. him, and their blessed dreams and coincidences. It made me love Eğirdir even more. May the Most Merciful of the Merciful be pleased with them

ry andnce that their plans and conspiracy against me last winter, which were thwarted as a result of the patience and endurance I showed through divine providence and your prayers, were very extensive was the President announcing recently in Af cominat he surmised that a disturbance connected with religion would break out in the province. That is to say, a secret society wanted to provoke an incident by harassing me. But their completely illegal an-Hijjatrary ill-treatment and treacherous persecution, which rile me excessively and intended to provoke foreign intervention to the harm of Muslims and this country, gain for them only harm in this world and Hell in the next, and for us reward with ictory in this world, and Paradise in the next, God willing. Evidently, the Cabinet and President

perceived this secret plan, because all the officials around here, and even the governoroyal. akam,>and police avoid me and are scared. I was amazed at this. But anyone with a grain of sense has understood that we have nothing but light and the Riuable Nur,>and that we do not wield the club of politics. It is strange, but the officials who should have worked most in our favour, were employed and used againsThe Su The Nurjus have to be extremely circumspect, careful, and calm-headed, for there are storms in the air and cunning dissemblers insinuate themselves es is nere. They infiltrate the liberty-seeking parties although they are anti-religious and support absolute despotism, so that they might corrupt them and learn sing osecrets and divulge them.

Also, in connection with Salâhaddin giving The Staff of Moses>to the American we say this: It is essential that m brotharies and pious Christians, as well as Nurjus, are extremely careful, for certainly, with the idea of defending itself against the attacks of the religions of Islam and Christianity, ad gonrrent from the north will try to destroy the accord of Islam and the missionaries. Making concessions to the lower classes, and inviting the middle classes to assist the common people through the obligatory payment of the purificatio. My sand the prohibition of interest and usury, and preventing them from tyrannizing them, they may deceive the Muslims, and giving them priously s may draw them over to their side.

However, this time I have broken my rule for your sake, and considered worldly affairs.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I am compelled to reply to your very relevant letters with a single short one.

Firstly:>Re'fet's questions have led to the emergence of numerous ln thiss truths. His both teaching the Qur'an and the Risale-i Nur>to innocent children, and himself being busy with the Flashes (Lem'alar),>and his helping me and Husrev with the correctif the nd his endeavouring to give fair-minded scholars in Istanbul copies of The Staff of Moses>deserve congratulation. But for now his new question cannot ut of wered, for the time has not yet come.

The heroic Burhan gave a fine answer to the leader of the Free Party. The Nurjus are not concerned with politics; their whole lives are tied to way o55

truths of belief alone. Uptil now, members of a secret society who have exploited politics for irreligion and atheism have crushed the Nurjus witgth anlute despotism. God willing, a cause will emerge {(*): The Democrat Party was founded and broke it to an extent. [Author]} which will break thatis sortism and deliver the innocent, oppressed Nurjus. However, one has to be extremely careful and cautious. Since the Risale-i Nur>is superior to all the currents in the world and belongs to everyone, it cannot follow or enter onelousne It rather assists the just side against the aggressively anti-religious; it is friendly towards the just side and is like a point of support and reserve force for it. But this is not on account of politics. Neverthel univeome of the brothers may enter politics in their own name, not that of the Risale-i Nur,>in order to secure its publication and interests. Especially since up to the present blessed Isparta has been the Nut servese and its opponents have not caused too much harm, not to take sides internally might be a means of those opponents repenting and returning to the truth. But you know this better than I do.

Salfor cen's letter is important in several respects; of course the American scholars will not be indifferent towards The Staff of Moses,>It will make conquests if those who love religion for religion's sake obtain copies of it, for ifnce ons get hold of it, it is doubtful that they will try to publish and spread it, due to feelings of jealousy like our egotistical hojas.>However, we assign the matter to divine pade cunce.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>God willing it is a good thing that Tahirî has gone to Istanbul. It occurred to me that the extraorr, Yeş divine grace and assistance that were apparent when, in Barla, I performed all the duties connected with the composition and correction of the written pieces, andagmenthis is to be observed in Husrev and his helpers, as he carries out so many tasks to the full.

Secondly:>Tahirî's unforgetable, sincere service while in Denizli Prison, and his unshakeable loyalty to the Risale-iy to sunerring intelligence, and unassailable courage, which have accorded him a high position in the Nur circle, have led us to include his last letter in The Additional Letters>in its entirety. I send mfferedtings firstly to his mother, Zübeyde, a Nur student, and to his wife and all his relatives. May Almighty God be pleased with them for ever! Amen.

Thirdly:>Since Ahmed Kureyşî, a member of the Kureyş tribe froh two together with his respected father and cousin, is one of the select publishers and students of the Risale-i Nur,>his fine versified pieces about the Risale-i Nur>have been added to The Additional Letters>in the name of the stud favouf that area.

Fourthly:>There are some outstanding brothers in the town of Eğirdir, but I cannot write their names. I received a letter from our hardworking and serious brother Çilingir Ali, which referred to them and to Mehmed Sabri, have ain Power House, which was well-phrased and carefully written in a script that resembled Sabrî's. As he wished, we added it as it is to The Additional Letters.>And we coninto mate himself and the person who is getting him to write, and wish them both success.

My Dear, Loyal, Magnanimous, Old and New Brothef goodil Salih!

The matters you asked about my biography will here be indicated very briefly and succinctly. God willing, at a later date others will reply in more explanatory fashion. But I neither want nor do I deserve to pasce of history and to show my unimportant self to coming generations among the religious scholars of this century. I offer unending thanks to Almighty God that rching not make me fond of myself and showed me my awesome faults. Moreover, it is fame-seeking to make oneself known to people, and may lead ted in ism, self-advertisement, and hypocrisy. This is excessively harmful for the likes of us.

Also, since I have been compelled this age to live on my own both physically and mentally, and to withdraw from social life, certainly I do not have tshows ht to mount history among those who pass their lives in society, or to appear to the people of the future. There is only this, that the sue wantive benefits for this country and nation of the Risale-i Nur>have been proved true by the unanimous decisions of courts of law and committees of experts. Considering this, I can point out a few matters in reply to your questions, butand pee name of the Risale-i Nur,>which belongs to the Qur'an alone and bears its meaning; not in the name of my unimportant, wretched, unfortunate,o, theery faulty self. Later the Risale-i Nur>and its students may elucidate these matters.

Firstly:>The late Abdurrahman wrote my biography thirty years ago, and had it printed.

Secondly:>Your questions would be answered in detail e-i Nuh parts of

the Risale-i Nur>as the Defence Speeches of Eskişehir Prison, which are a sort of biography of the period the Risale-i Nur>was emerging and were made the Twenty-Seventh Flash, and the defences of Denizli P Hasan which are the Eleventh and Twelfth Rays, together with The Treatise for the Elderly>(the Twenty-Sixth Flash), The Fourth Ray, The Sixteenth LetterchieveSix Attacks, and The Three Indications (İşarât-ı Selâse>-the Twenty-Second Flash), and The Seven Signs (İşârât-ı Seb'a>-The Seventh Part of the Twenty-Eighth Letter). I do not now have them with me, although the court returned them ton of but I shall have. God willing, I shall never forget you. Your concern for me in this plight has alleviated my severe difficulties. May God be pleased with you, Amen!

My Dear, Loyal Bro will

An unfortunate sensitive man who suffers from scruples and has relations with the irreligious saw a Hadith about the famous supplicationir mile Prophet (UWBP), the Jaushan al-Kabir,>and its inordinate merits and value, and he fell into doubt. He said: "It's narrated from the Imams of the Prophet's (UWBP) family, but it appeaty, nobe greatly exaggerated. For instance, it says that the supplication yields as many rewards as the Qur'an, and the great angels in the skies descend from the divine throne when they see someone reading it and bow before him in all and eity. But this is contrary to reason and logic." He sought assistance from the Risale-i Nur.>So I gave him an answer from the Qur'an, the Jaushan, and the R gildei Nur>that was completely certain and in accord with reason and wisdom. Here, I am writing an abbreviated summary of it. It was like thim.

aid to him:

Firstly:>The Third Branch of the Twenty-Fourth Word sets out ten principles which demolish such doubts and dispel them. übrâ> look at it and find the answer.

Secondly:>Muhammad (Zât-i Ahmediye)>(Upon whom be blessings and peace), who every day receives the merits of the good deeds of all his community and assists in the h is clss of each of its members, and who manifested the greatest name, was the original seed of the cosmos and its most perfect and comprehensive fruit. He saw the supreme degree of that supplication referring to himself and heard it fvered,e Angel Gabriel (Upon whom be peace), who informed him of it, and compared others to himself or was compared. That is to say, that extraordinary merit accrued to the supplication from the supreme sainthood of Mu a per (Zât-i Ahmediye)

(UWBP). The merit is not universal and general; rather, the substance of the supplication holds such extraordinary value, and by following thatey res (UWBP) who manifested the greatest name, such merits may be possible for others. However, there are a number of crucial conditions: it i,>he cenough just to recite it, for it would spoil the balance of the precepts and damage obligatory acts.

Thirdly:>Just as the supplication is exem in mym exaggeration and is literally true when one looks to Muhammad (UWBP); so too, when one looks to the reality of the hundreds of divine names in the of thecation, it is possible that the merit proceeds from their infinite manifestations. The Truthful Bringer of News (UWBP) spoke of a very sof Safart in order to show the infinitude of the potential emanations, and left it vague and absolute for encouragement. Then, with the passage of time that potential and absolute matter came to be seen as actual and universal.

Fourthly:>In to the ntieth Flash, about sincerity, there is a footnote about a person who is given a paradise with the breadth of five hundred years. Take a look at it and you will see that his being gicurityat vast paradise does not mean he is given ownership of it in a way we do not understand. For just as a person's house belongs to him in many different ways and he owns it; so through his numerous sensdecideowns in a sort of way the things on the face of the earth, and has disposal over them, and can benefit from them. He can say: "The huge earth is my house; it was given toooked nd the sun is my lamp." That is to say, some merits and rewards that appear extraordinary and irrational, look to this truth.

Furthermore, in Islam, Muhammad (UWBP) is the primary recipient of all in preritorious and virtuous actions of Muslims and he receives a mountain's worth of merit and reward from one of our prayers, for which we receive only an atom's worth. His private invocations and supplications make plain the highest rank acco writiim in connection with his sainthood, in his private conversations, not in connection with the Shari'a and his messengership. By mentioning these points, he was encouraging his select heirs who follow him to thI thouer.

I declared: "None knows the Unseen save God!" {[*]: See, Q 27:65; also, Tirmidhî, Thawab al-Qur'an, 7; Darimî, Fada'il al-Qur'an, 21.} and "God alone has knowledge of this!" Praise be to God, the man who was beset by doubts and sent tos was saved from them and gained complete certainty. I am sending this with the thought that it might be useful for some of you. Endless greetings to you all.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I always used to wonder why, although it should have been people from the religious schools (medrethat to embraced the Risale-i Nur>more than anyone, it has been those of them who have assumed official duties that have held themselves most aloof from and r It is now necessary to explain a small part of the answer that occurred to me.

Firstly:>Because covert dissemblers have used certain people in high places against us and conducted inr>and propaganda officially, the officials have been perturbed and compelled to keep their distance. The hojas>from among them who are egotistical, sut neitus, and have embraced the innovations, started to be even cooler towards us and to seek pretexts and excuses. And because The Seven Signs (İşarât-ı Seb'a) and ethe Risale-i Nur>deals fierce slaps at the innovators, and in the ode Arjuza in the Eighth and Eighteenth Flashes, Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) deals awesome blows at the misguided ulema (ulema-i su'),>and t They ce in the Twenty-Eighth Letter about Wahhabism, which is in one respect and to an extent conducive to innovations, deals a blow at those who have secretly embraced it, and the Risale-i Nur>deals fierce slaps at the translator of , and r'an and those who permit the Qur'an's translation to be recited in place of it, and the hojas>who think of their needs and livelihoods and their social standing, and even some of the Istanbul hojas>who are old friends, began erriblde us and a few of them, to try to criticize us even. On account of extreme Wahhabism and its enmity towards the Prophet's (UWBP) family and Imam 'Ali, they even began to object to the and a -i Nur's>being a spiritual gift and work of the Prophet's (UWBP) family and Imam 'Ali. But we are not indignant at the Istanbul scholars; in a way we are pleased, because compared with others, they do not bother us.

More than this, fomportasake of fair-minded, esteemed, deceased persons like the late Fetva Emini Ali Rıza, Ahmed Şirani, Şevket Efendi, and Mehmed Âkif, who greatly appreciated and applauded the Risale-i Nur,>we consider ourselves to be friends of our prtanbul hojas>and are not offended by them. God willing, the Twentieth Flash on sincerity will be given to them to read sometime, which will turns at tld friends into new ones.

My brothers! Not everyone can be as staunch as you are. Certain hojas

are being used to covertly break the Nurjus' morale, so don't be deceived or shaken. Don't argue with them, and as farnging u can, behave in a friendly way. We're your brothers, say. And don't forget the points made in this note lest they mislead you.

Hatice and Rabia, the new Nur students who entered the fold of the Risale-i Nur>through Husrev's nversas and wrote me a letter, have been included among the select students. Their working enthusiastically at the lessons of the Risale-i Nur>in Barla, with which I am closely concerthe Rihrough the efforts of Bahri and his children, and Eyûb, Ali, Mehmed, and Süleyman, made me weep for joy. I send endless greetings to all the people of Barla, especially the Süleymans and Bahri and the Mehmeds and Mties is, and Şamlı Hâfız Tevfik, who performed such valuable services for the Risale-i Nur>in earlier years, and blessed Hâfız Halid, and Imam Hakkı Efendi, and Muhâjir Hâfız Ahmed and his children and grandchildren, and Şem'i, and Am wherh Çavuş who assisted me greatly, and all my neighbours there, men and women, and I pray for them and request their prayers during these blessed [three] months.

I havet is vheard that Bahri and his children have written out three copies of The Staff of Moses;>they may pass to the account of Muhâjir Hâfız Ahmed and our other brothers in Barla. And the seri of myincere letters of Kâzım and the barber Mehmed have won the right to be included in The Additional Letters.>While Bahri's fine verses may pass to the account of his small Nur The lo.

It is an astonishing and subtle instance of divine grace that I tried to forget Abdurrahman's death on its being imparted to my heart that Mustafa the Elder (May God have mercy on him) in the with his loyalty, pen, and power, serve the Risale-i Nur>as the late Abdurrahman had. In truth, with his pen, Küçük Ali affirmed exactly that reminderheir athe Unseen. He took over his brother's pen and transformed an old (yellow) knife into a diamond sword. That is to say, I discerned him too in blessed Mustafa's spirit. Also, with my heart, I discerned Muhâjir Hâfız Ahmed, the Risale-i s!

first student and devoted publisher, by virtue of his loyalty and attachment to myself and the Risale-i Nur.>He did not manage to serve it with his pen, but subsequently, his son Kâzım, son-in-law Bahri, and his other son-in-ltes an barber Mehmed started to work with extraordinary devotion and loyalty and to perform fully and steadfastly the service I had felt and Eşreffrom him. His grandchildren even joined the innocent young students. I send my greetings to all.

In His Name, be He glorified!

May God's peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you!

My Dear, Loyal, Blessedven thful, Active, Steadfast Brothers!

Firstly:>We again congratulate you on the month of Rajab and Night of Regâib, and in response to the congratulations of our brothers in Safranbolu, we congratulate them attene three months and the four blessed nights {[*]: The Night of Regâib (Ar. Ragha'ib) is the eve of the first Friday in the month of Rajab. The Three Months (Ar. al-sn heldal-thalatha) of Rajab, Sha'ban, and Ramadan. The Night of the Ascension [of the Prophet Muhammad UWBP] (Ar. Mi'raj) is the eve of the 27th of Rajab. The Night of Berat or Acquittal (Ar.ernmena): a holy night, falling on the night between the 14th and 15th of the month of Sha'ban. The Night of Power (T. Leyle-i Kader; Ar. Laylat al-Qadr), mostly thought to fall on the 27th of Ramadgthy, own as the holiest night of Ramadan and of the whole year, as it was the night the first verses of the Qur'an were revealed. [Tr.]} as well as their most serious concern for the Risale-i Nur.>I wanted to change the titles and praise acc triedmy person in the letter of congratulation written in the name of the students there to refer to the Risale-i Nur,>the same way that we modified some of Halil İbrahim's letters. I was going to include it in The Additional Letters,this nince it so explicitly refers to my person, I could not manage it, so for now it has been left aside.

My brothers, you should know certainly that nd parnk from fame and renown, self-advertisement, self-dependence, and seeking the good opinion of others; I flee from them and I take no pleasure in praise and acclaim. Only, in so far as they are signs of loyalty to the Ri is a Nur>and of sufficing with it, I accept some excessive epithets, and either for the sake of certain people or not to offend them, I alter them a little and keep silent. However, the two Flashes on sincd the and the principles of our way, that is, friendship, sincerity, and brotherhood, do not permit praise of this sort. Moreover, in this age of egoeptionnd selfishness, fame may damage the unalloyed purity of the Risale-i Nur>in the eyes of fameseekers.

Secondly:> The Staff of Moses, Guide for Youth,>and Short Words>written by Hıfzı's two i of tht children filled me with joy. What wonders God has willed! Thousands of innocent Nurju children like them will illuminate the future.

In His Name, be He glorified!

May God's peace, mercy, and blessingces aspon you!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

God willing, during these three blessed months abundant sacred wealth will be added to the Nurjus' spiritual partnership. Each of them willdoing rofit as though working with thousands of tongues and hundreds of pens. Fortunate indeed are those working with pens at the Zülfikâr Collection>t Mosesruitful months, which may counted as worship in five ways. However, it is absolutely essential that attention is paid to accuracy, rather than just writing, Today I saw two meaningful coincidences and I realized that in return benefhe difficulties I am suffering these days in correcting The Staff of Moses,>divine providence is giving me recompense and rations in pleasing fashion.

One of them:>Every day I was ean, obdwo or three of the sweets the heroic Tahirî had brought as a courtesy, and extraordinarily they never came to an end. I was astonished. Today, as was my habit, I was going to take two when I saw ven thwere only two left, so economizing I took only one of them. That very hour, in a box beneath the copies Hıfzı's two innocent children had written out wermit sets just like Tahirî's made of sugar and bread, and the same amount. While enjoying this sweet coincidence yesterday at the same time, I was very thirsty and was drinkicountrot of water. I had a yearning for stewed plums. I did not know and had forgotten that long ago I often used to assuage my thirst with plums. I had an intense desire for some. Then suddenly I was given some in a box together with some she Medrom the Nurju Şerife Hanım, a close friend of Âsiye. For the sake of this truly sweet coincidence I accepted a hundred times over both the childrens'

My Dear, Loyal, Unshakeable, Indefatigable, Constant, Steadfast Brothers!

Firstly:>I declare to those who say that the strtremelfor livelihood this summer and the worship performed these three months may cause some slackness in the writing out of the Risale-i Nur:>on the contrary, it wall hacourage the writing and it should do so. For serving the Risale-i Nur

both augments through its blessings means of support and peace of heart, and since it is worship in the form of reflective the ct, it augments the rewards of the blessed months.

Secondly:>One of the Nur students said to me: "You said last year before the copies of the Risale-i Nur>had been handed over to us and as a result of some copies be receeturned privately - through which divine mercy had showed itself to a degree, that if and when the Risale-i Nur>is read and written completely freely and it is returned to us, divine mercy will be manifest scribly with the coming of rain. Thus, I feel quite certain that the unprecedented mercy this spring is a consequence of The Staff of Moses>now being written out ar secod everywhere in earnest, and Zülfikar>too is being copied enthusiastically.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>Heroic Rüştü, who with Husrev is one spirit in two bodies and together wents os courageous brother holds a key position in the service of the Risale-i Nur,>is trying to get hold of a remarkable machine for that service, which markize oucommencement of new conquests for the Risale-i Nur.>God willing, it will continue to be printed and published by Nurjus with worthy hands like pnute lithout needing strangers and the unworthy. But before everything, it should be written for the duplicating machine correctly and without errors, if possibl bearstly [by hand] in the old letters, and later [on the typewriter] in the new ones. That would be best. I leave it to your discretion and good judgement.

Secondly:>I have seen the letter Konyalı Sabri wrotfficiaet and I understood from it that like the other Sabri this Sabri is a truly sincere, devoted, and hardworking Nurju. May God's blessings be upan; kn and upon the religious scholars of Konya who have encouraged and motivated him and have vindicated the hojas.>I send many greetings to them and foremost the esive re exegetist Hoja Vehbi and to the Nur students there, and I request their prayers these blessed Three Months.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

The late Muhâjir Hâfız Ahmed together with his children and family served me loyally for eight years; worked earnestly at the Risale-i Nur>tosale-i with his children, grandchildren, wife, and sons-in-law; and took all his sermons and teaching from the Risale-i Nur.>As his will and testament looking to this world, ten mits frobefore his death he requested Şamlı Hâfız to complete the pieces he was writing out. Two days earlier he had written me a letter sensing as a wonder of loyalty that just at that very time I was writing to you my preference for Sava over marke and wish to be buried in the Sava graveyard. In response to me and objecting, he wrote in his letter: "Why although you call Barla you them.nd home, don't you come here and why do you prefer other places? Barla is the first Nur medrese; your grave ought to be there." Two days later before my letter had reached you, Muhâjir Hâfız Ahmed's letter reached me, which gave Şamlı Hâfızs not s of his death on its second page. His departure from this world shook me severely, like Abdurrahman's, and made we weep and declare: "We belong to God, and to Him is our return">(Q 2:156). May endless mercy descend on his spirit! Amen! Maye; I hrave be a dwelling for the Qur'an and Risale-i Nur,>like his house! Amen! I have no doubt that this clear wonder resulting from his loyaly had ves that the Nurjus will enter the grave in a state of belief and will manifest happy deaths. Convey my condolences to his relations and tell them that I am assig beenhim a share of all my prayers.

Secondly:>Our brother Re'fet wrote to me saying that there is much need in Istanbul for the Risale-i Nur>and that everyone there needn priss they need bread; and that Yeşil Şemseddin, who is one of our brothers and takes much interest in the Risale-i Nur>and has read it and is a Nurju, deriveso whomermons and instruction, which are attended by large numbers of people, from its truths.

Re'fet also says that it is understood from the above that the Risale-i Nur>is necessary every day for this nation, like bread. He also gave someure ths treatises to people in high places, and he asks me for a copy of Zülfikar>which I myself have corrected.

I send my greetings to each and every one of you and offer prayers for you, and request that you pray for me.

We congratulate Husrev on the correcting, distribution, organization, and communications, and on the publication and will yance of the Risale-i Nur,>and we pray for his success, And despite all these crucial tasks, we see his fine and shining pen's writing in many copies. And we understood from his letter, that hse. Moes copies of single treatises too.

I suddenly thought just now of the Sava students of the Nur School: Haji Hâfız Mehmed, the late Hâfı2010),ed and his brothers, and the Mehmeds and Ahmeds and the innocent Nurju children and the blessed elderly and the other heroes. I felt a desire to be near there all my life and to be buried in its grav by thafter I died. Suddenly it was imparted to me that it is certainly useful in many ways to be physically present in Isparta Province, the centre of the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ, but by virtue of the way of the Risale-i Nur>and teachurjus' custom, you are always together, Time and space cannot conceal this. Wherever you are, in east or west, north or south, in this world or the Intermediate Realm, you may be deemed togetRisale spirit in a council. The Nurjus' spiritual aid constantly reaches each other, and you. I thought of this and it soothed me.

I said: Since evrent pre now numerous powerful hands are stretched out to protect the Risale-i Nur>and publish it, surely it won't be laziness if I rest up a little now.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>We congratulate you on the elpingd Night of Acquittal {[*]: The Night of Berât or Acquittal (Ar. Bara'a): a holy night, falling on the night between the 14th and 15th of the or fo of Sha'ban.} and the coming month of Ramadan. I was astonished to see a sign that for the Nurjus, the Night of Acquittal this year is goingme, fo full of blessings and wonders. It was like this:

Shortly before that Night while busy with correcting The Staff of Moses,>a pigeon came to the window and looked at me. I asked it: "Have you brought some good news?" It came in oursel though we were old friends, was not the least afraid and perched on The Staff of Moses.>{(*): Yes, we saw this with our own eyes. Yes, Nureddin. Yes, Mehmed. Yes, İsmail} It sat there for three hours. I gave it some bre (Merc rice, but it did not eat them. It stayed there till the evening, then flew off, and returned. On the Night of Acquittal it stayed with me till morning. As I was lynfinemwn, it came to me, rubbed my head as though bidding me farewell, then flew off and disappeared.

The second day I was feeling sorry, then it reappeared. It stayed another night. That is to say, the bl My bird wanted to congratulate both The Staff of Moses>and the Night of Acquittal.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

The reason I have accepted the biography of my Kastamonu life written by Kasta paren Husrev and Süleyman Rüştü, Mehmed Feyzi and Emin, without altering the excessive, undeserved praise it contains, is this: recently a high-ranking official and a sergeant in Afyon insulted me, as thouthers destroying the public's good opinion of me, the people here would not embrace the Risale-i Nur>as they have in Denizli and Isparta, and those lights would not shine out. I endured it, but I wchievedened because the new students here were upset. While I was pondering over this, Mehmed Feyzi's sincere, learned, and respectful letter thrust those wretched officials' insults in their faces reducing them to nothing, and completelresembelled my distress. The exact coincidence with those wretches' bullying insults of those two Nurjus' praise and respect, who are infinitely more elevated they are, makes me feel certain that it was wonder of Feyzi and Emin's loyaltyhe gov*

My Brothers!

It has now become clear that their intention in summoning me to the police station and government offices unnecessarily on false pretexts, was only to insult and belittle me in front of people and make met impoguilty. I can't stand it any longer. As far as is possible they should not summon me. Go and see the criminal judge. Find me someone to act as my lawyer sns or if necessary he can go to the police station in my place. It is torment and torture for a person who has lived in isolation for twenty-five years to see such offensive people. During eight years in Kastamonu I met only once with the governovated is insistence and went twice to the police station. Here, I have had to go more than ten times. I can't go anymore. Get a note from the doctor, otherwise this toAssistl suffer material and spiritual harm.

The four severe earthquakes last night, which confirmed the matter of

the four earthquakes in my d distr written by Husrev, occurred at the same time as the police sergeant, who leans on a high official, bawled at my assistant in the government building and with humiliating abuse told him to go and get me, wroteompelled by the kaymakam,>{[*]: Kaymakam: the leading administrative official of an ilçe, a subdivision of a province. [Tr.]} ordered the watchmen and would mes to bring me there even if ill, which was certainly a conspiracy against myself, the Risale-i Nur,>and this country. This unprecedently severe earthquake coinciding with instaassault on the Nur students' enthusiasm and the Risale-i Nur's>being written here and causing me such distress, shows that the Risale-i Nur>is a means of repulsing disasters, and if its service is interrupted, the calamities seize the oppey tolty and occur.

Mustafa Osman has performed many services for the Risale-i Nur>in a short time, and his truly modest and self-abnegating letter p we suhis earnest loyalty and sincerity and shows he is on a par with the select students of fifteen years' standing. The Staff of Moses>Collection he wrote is anyway clear pro he wathis. Even while writing this, the earth tremors have again begun.

I have a question: What is the reason I have been treated in this extraordinary way because I sought my rights in tst hase of humanity?

Firstly:>I did not present the complaint I wrote and have held it for a year. But now I have sent it to someone so that it may be passed to the Ankara authorit is de way of the police. I said that the Afyon police chief is fair-minded and I sent him a copy by hand. But while awaiting a favourable result and improvement of my situation, he evidently wrote to the people who pressurize me e righsaying: "This fine handwriting isn't his; investigate who wrote it!" But to disregard a serious and absolutely right complaint and evince curiosity about an unimportant, harmless note and disturb myself, is like disreuld nog a thousand liras>and placing paramount importance on five para.>Is that not so? What law demands that people who write out the hundred and thirty treatises of the Risale-i Nur>be investigated, despite the fact that three courtsess, sscrutinized every part of them and most of those who wrote them out were in court with me, and the

treatises were found to contain nto Afyatom's worth of anything reprehensible? What benefit is there is this? What need is there to summon an unfortunate like myself to the police statiothe stticularly in response to a denunciation? But I say to you that if I so wished, thousands of people would copy out my writings. And they are writing them out everywhere so that the nation aous, sntry may benefit from them.

Secondly:>I request from you in the name of humanity that until the festival (bayram)>you do not turn my attention towards this world. I don't think oanguis so don't you think of me. Don't force an unfortunate like myself who is weary of this world to be preoccupied during these blessed months with quition, thless worldly matters.

I was curious about this new, meaningful earthquake. I said in my heart: If it was so severe in other places, the Nur students must have been subject to aggression again. I asked if it was only connected witif theetter and they said that it was hardly felt in Ankara, was more powerful in Afyon and Eskişehir, but was most severe in this town of Emirdağ. But it is astonishing that although thered sim four severe quakes, there was no damage. A reason for this is that a categorical order was given to bring Said forcibly to the government ofd nume The guards and a corporal came. I had shut my door and locked it. They announced that they would rather resign than break the door down. They turned and left. That is to say, like the earthqcrimindescribed in my defence speech, this particular one was connected with the Risale-i Nur>and remained particular and caused no damage despite its severity. If they had broken down the door die. W tiny Nur School here, it would have resulted in a serious blow and would not have been merely a warning. It's true this assault was minor and petty, e a thcan't hide that I have never been so annoyed as I was this time. Nevertheless, I put up with it in wondrous fashion for the sake of the Risale-i Nur>and the Nurjus. For that wretch abused me as he sat in his chair s a woice and he ordered my assistant: "Go and tell him!" He arrogated government power to his own sluggard self and challenged it, and really nettled a vein of character that nativned in me from the Old Said. But the absolute necessity for calm, self-control, moderation, patience, and forbearance made me retain my composure.

Thirdly:>Marangoz Ahmed, whobe offholly filled the place of the late wondrously loyal Marangoz Mustafa Çavuş of Barla, had the idea of a resting

place of the Intermediate Realm and hereafter, a grave, for me ought at Davraz near Sava, and wrote about this. He truly pleased me and made me weep sorrowfully.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

We again congratulate you on the blessed month of Ramadan. We also congratulate witmay reour life and spirit Süleyman Rüştü's blessed daughter who is working on a typewriter at Zülfikar Mu'cizat>and is like the eighth of two heroic brothers' seven children in The Miraciniste Muhammad.>And congratulate too their undertaking with great self-sacrifice to duplicate the beautiful and careful writings of Husrev and Tahirî. May God bless them andnt ble them success thousands of times over for the superhuman, valuable and fruitful services they have up to now performed for the Risale-i Nur!>Whhat I ders God has willed!

{(*): It is a subtle coincidence that no rain had fallen for a month and our hearts were weeping at the slackness that had overcome the Nurjus due to the known assault, then suddenly just whhope trev's good news of the duplicating machine arrived two days ago, and Nazif's detailed letter came today, and the sample of the machine's writing reached me, and those who assi Zülfisaid that the call to prayer had once again been recited in Arabic in Eskişehir, and that that man who had given the compulsory order to the sergeant to insult me hecondleived a blow, just at this very time it began to rain. This divine mercy of rain exactly coinciding with the great joy, happiness, and expansiveness that our hearts were experiencing, which had long been weeping, augurs well for the futuothersd willing! [Author]}

I have received a letter from Mehmed Zekeriya, who lives in the vicinity of İnebolu and is one of our brothers who has performed many services for the Risale-i Nur>with his fine pen. It dispelled my anxieties htly alled me with joy. He writes that he is now busy with teaching children the Qur'an and instructing them in matters of belief, which is one of the duties of the Risale-i Nur.>You write and tell him thacensio he is doing now is as valuable for the Risale-i Nur>as were his previous services.

Also, the many treatises that you write out serve the spreading oe wereRisale-i Nur>in your place. He should not worry, he preserves his former position.

Recently, due to my indisposition, I have been readown poe Awrad-i Baha'iyya (Evrad-ı Bahâiye)>from the book and not from memory. I never used to read its conclusion, which is the closing passage at the end (ikhtitam)>because I did not know it. I said to myself: "Lee bookad it this time," and I saw that on one page and in six and a half long lines, were the words "nur nur nur>(light light light)" nineteen times. I felt certain that like the Gawth al-A'zam, Shah Naqshband had disclowith ad observed the Risale-i Nur>and its sacred service and that applauding and predicting it, it was alluding to it. So I added only those six lines and tore ree at the top and the end line to my Baha'iyya>invocations of thirty years, in the hope that those angels should assist in the Risale-i Nur's>publication.

My Dear, Loyal Brotherand noFirstly:>I earnestly share in the sufferings of those struck by the calamity of the Isparta fire, for just as I am a native of Isparta in numerous ways; so with its soil and rocks that blessed town holds great importance in my view, and is accepthe centre of the Risale-i Nur's>al-Azhar university and Medresetü'z-Zehrâ.

Tell those calamity-stricken people from me that according to Hadiths, property belonging to believers that is leffort such calamities is counted as almsgiving. Especially in these times, such transitory property which is a hundredfold almsgiving, is transformed into much more numerous everlasting belongings. So one has to offer thankcommenne respect, in patience. God willing, in this world too the Most Merciful of the Merciful will bestow substitutes for those losses, which go as atonement for sins.

Convey my sympathies to tt diffd tell them not to worry for no purpose.

Secondly:>One reason for occurrences of this kind: notwithstanding an ugly error, it is incumbent on Isparta, which more than anywhere is the years -i Nur's>source and school, to protect it and to preserve the respect and value of the month of Ramadan. It is obliged to protect the malence. Islam against vice and dissipation.

And for example, the following passage which elucidates "Were it not for you, were it not for you, I would not have created the sphers th {[*]: 'Alî al-Qarî, Sharh al-Shifa', i, 6; al-'Ajlunî, Kashf al-Khafa', ii, 164. [Tr.]} needs to be altered to, "although this address is apparently directed to the Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace), it implling. refers to life and animate beings." For since the universal Muhammadan (UWBP) Reality is both the life of life, and the locus of the supreme manifestation of the greatest name, and the light of all spirit beings, and the origin for td of the universe, and the aim of its creation and its most perfect fruit, the address looks directly to him. Then on his account it looks to life, consciousness, and worship.

Also, for example, some sentences whStaff uch on philosophy: such terms as "it formed a crust in the passage of time, then it turned into soil, then the plants appeared, and then the animals found existence" suggest natural philosophy in regard to divine creation and the givi in peexistence, which is not in keeping with the Risale-i Nur's>explanations of divine art and bringing into being.

My brother Abdülmecid! Notwithstanding this tiny mistake, you have learned perfectly about the resuprotecon of the dead from the Risale-i Nur's>matchless proofs, which is powerful evidence that as you were a distinguished student of the Old Said, so, God willing, you will be such a student of the Risale-will fand an exacting scholar of it. When I have the time, I shall either correct or alter some of the words, and calling it "An Explanatory Addendum to the Question of Resurrection," will inc arisit in The Additional Letters>and send it to people like you who have absorbed the Risale-i Nur's>lessons thoroughly. Together with your children and Fuad, you are everyday together unlette in spirit and in my prayers. I congratulate you with all my life and spirit for teaching children the Qur'an, in connection with your othe bll post. May God bestow abundant blessings on you!

Convey my greetings to all friends and relations both around you, and in our native region. Since Zülfikar Mu'cizat>and The Staff of Moses>arng my g reproduced in the centre by the duplicating machine, you should devote yourself to the corrections with all your strength, and with your fine pen and accurate knowledge.

I congratulate you on Ramadan, the Night of Power, and the festival. While I was in Kastamonu, the select Nur students Âsieeing viye, and the Lütfiyes, Zehras, Şerifes, Hacers, Nimets, and Aliyes were everyday with me in my prayers and spiritual gains, and it is still just the same.

I don't forget you, Recently, even, I was wondering abotaff, iye and Lütfiye then two days later I received their letters and gifts; it was an indication of their loyalty. Although it has long been myoyal Bm not to accept presents, this evening, the Night of Power, I wore your robe (cübbe)>and waistcoat and accepted them in the name of Âsiye and all the Nur students in Kastamonu. But so as n it isbreak my rule, in return Lütfiye and Ulviye should take those parts of the Risale-i Nur>that they want which Emin has. Or else Mehmed Feyzi and his companions can write out any on my account that they want.

The innthe Quchildren of the sisters who have visited me on many occasions are within the fold of the Nur students' children, whom I often think of.

I offer eedom!s thanks and praise, for this letter of yours has dispelled all my crushing worries about Husrev and his friends and their duplicating machines, and Nazif and his assistants and his machine, ar>sincther they would be able to continue with this new work, All praise be to God a thousand times over!

In fact, the day before I received your letters, I had gone for a drive round in a car. Suddenly, as though it wanted to cwould,some good news, a bird resembling Solomon's hoopoe followed us for around fifteen minutes, flying to right and left and then perching, then flying off and returning. I had never before seen such a strange thing and I felt sure that the neservic I would receive some good news. I said this to Nureddin, who was driving me; he too was amazed at the bird's strange antics, Then it suddenly disappeared because I had divulged its secret. The next day I received both Nazif'sicitlyrting letter and the new products of his machine; and Abdurrahman Salâhaddin's curiosity-arousing letter and the news that Nevzat,

disseminating and spreading the Risale-i Nur,>not for composing it. However much more beneficial your writing is than my writing, and your publishing and dissemination, to thag the nt your life is more useful for the Risale-i Nur's>service than my torturous life. If I had the power, I would happily give you of my life and health.

Sef Emir:>The brilliant ode and fourth lengthy poem Hasan Feyzi, fully an heir of the late martyr Hâfız Ali, wrote in the name of Denizli and all our serious brothers in that reath a are a salve for my severe illness and poisoning, as is the fact that the students there are also working diligently.

the governor of Ankara who had harassed me because of the hat question, had commce in suicide and punished himself with his own hand, and that there were no assaults on the work on Zülfikar>and it was continuing; and the news that the heroes of the Medresember oehrâ were persisting with Zülfikar>without getting agitated and describing the reality of the situation; and the letters of congratulation of Tahirî and Abdullah, the heroes o prayebey, with which I am closely concerned, and heirs of Lütfi and deputies and heirs of the late Hâfız Ali and his capable companions in t Thirdvice of the Risale-i Nur;>and in the face of this latest assault, the meaningful, correct replies of the Ali Köyü Imam, Hâfız Ali, to the government's qus be us in a way that was most courageous and befitted a Nur student. I exclaimed: "See! The hoopoe's good news was right!"

Just as The Staff of Moses>saves froal Brouidance those submerged in nature and is a necessary antidote for everyone at this time, especially those fallen into doubt and denial; so too, Zülfikar>is essential for the believers and scholayes, ad particularly for the hâfizes>(memorizers) of the Qur'an. All hafizes>have great need for this collection at the present time; it explains forty aspects of the Qur'an's miraculousness (i'jaz)>and every one of them should have a end of At no time in history has there been a work like the Risale-i Nur>that has received so little and so light criticism from those who attack the many schools and ways. Indeed, in return for their hundredfold sacred service and striving or of hundredfold less trouble, its students have suffered a mere one or two terms of imprisonment and two or three calamities which were providential and victorious, unimportant, temporary, and in respect of their ng excs, beneficial.

I send everyone many greetings and pray for their success.

I am forming the opinion that this wondrous machine being given to us so easily just when we were obliged to duplicate large numbers of Zülfikar>and The and tof Moses,>and the unprincipled printers too were holding back, is a sign of those two collections' acceptability, and a wondrous bestowal of divine providence and a wonder of the Risale-i Nur.

ip, or, just at the time I was officially ill-treated and abused eight times and they were asking: "Who wrote this?" about one commonplace letter of mine, the machindue toproducing out of eight hundred pages, one thousand five hundred copies and a million pages. It is most certainly a Nurju and scribe of a thousand pens who has come to our assistance from the World

of the Unseen. It does not matter, thort ofe, if some of the pages are indistinct. The parts that are clear will suffice us for now. The parts that are less legible should be made up separately; the wielders of the diamond pensles ofach correct one or two copies.

Whenever the railway arrived in a country, the carters used to be dismayed and they supposed that their trade was finished. But because activity increased with ecome rival, the need for carriages and carts increased twofold. God willing, the writers-out of the Risale-i Nur>will not halt their activity, but will record greater numbers oof the works in their books of good deeds with increased writing.

In the face of all the the politicians' torments, I have decided to say: "For us God suffices and He is the best dispee stuf affairs">(Q 3:173), and to abide in patience. In the past I had some relations with Kâzım Karabekir. I wonder if he still preserves the manly stance whI haves the cause of our relations. You may convey my greetings to him if he does so, and would cause no harm to the Risale-i Nur>and be of possible benefidence if he is friendly. But since the politicians do not condescend to apply to the Risale-i Nur>for everlasting life, I don't condescend to apply to them for this fleeting life, which is worth practicald at ihing in comparison, neither do I forward any complaint or petition for my own well-being.

I have received the two large and truly fine Nur gifts of Küçük Ali, who is fully the heir of the elder Ali and works on his system, and is thet haviable equivalent and successor of Abdurrahman, and the heroic champion of the blessed people. However, the piece from the Hizb-i Nûriye>was not writdecisi the end of Zülfikar;>let him write it with that wondrous pen of his, and send it to me.

In my native region, when one of the medrese students finished a book or began one, it was the custom to gre andem a sweet or some such thing, called a muftihane>and mahtumane.>I observed this very same rule in the scribe Kâtib Osman. At just the time I had finished the corrections of The ne pleof Moses>he had written, these grapes arrived as mahtumane,>which was a sweet and subtle event and a pleasant reminder of medrese life.

Because compassw myse a basic principle of the Risale-i Nur>and women are more advanced in that respect, they embrace the Risale-i Nur>earnestly. When I say my brothers, I mean that women are included amonand ex. They too are addressed in all my letters.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Don't worry at all; I am telling you about my illness now, which is severe and hasofficited from an attempt on my life and is similar to what I wrote to you about before, solely in order to receive your prayers. But in no way must you be anxious. Endless thanks be to God, it does not prevent my supplicatioye, Ulcorrection duties. God willing, it will yield plentiful recompense and good. For myself, owing to this, I am in a way pleased; so don't you be distressed. Anyway, my compr are about to finish. Every copy of the Risale-i Nur,>especially the collections, may perform Said's duties far better than you suppose due to your good will towards him, and they are pera'ranîg them. And every one of the select Nur students may carry out Said's duties perfectly, and will do so fully in the future, God willing. One defective Said remains among you; but hundreds of collectionsrovideh are Saids in meaning, and thousands of physical Saids among you may perform those duties sincerely and perfectly, and they are performing them. In consequence, you should not attach importance to my person and the eventsured hhave befallen me. Just pray a lot for me; assist me with your prayers in my old age, weakness, and my excessive sensitivity, for in my vfoldedey are undoubtedly acceptable.

The heroic Tahirî's innocent Nurju daughter departing this world for Paradise truly saddened me. The loss of a Nur student and hardworking child such as Hicret grieved me on account the Risale-i Nur.>God willin Mounny will appear in her place and not leave it unoccupied. Indeed, the young Haydar from Uşak has appeared just recently, pleasing us with his saying that he will perform his departed sister's tasks.ur evilmighty God bestow perfect patience on Hicret's parents and relatives, and make her an intercessor for them, and make that departed innocent happy in paradise together withate brparted sister, Hanım. Amen.

Congratulate Uşaklı Haydar for me, and tell him that I am praying for his success in serving the Risale-i Nur>and that he has been included among the Nur children. And f the many greetings to his teacher, İzzet.

The Nur students have never interfered in politics and have never joined any party. For belief belongs to everyon good re are people in every group who need it and who profess it. The students do not take sides. They take up sides only against disbelief, atheism and misguida contirotherhood between believers is a fundamental principle of the Risale-i Nur's>way.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I should have explained this matter to you long ago, but I forgot windos this: most of the verses in the treatise The Miraculousness of the Qur'an,>the Twenty-Fifth Word, have been criticized by atheists or objected to by scientists, or have been the object of the doubts and sce have m of satans among jinn and men. The treatise, therefore, explains the true meanings and fine points of those verses in such a way that the very points that the atheists and scientists supposed were faulty are flashes they raculousness and sources of the perfections of the Qur'an's eloquence. These are proved according to scholarly rules and decisive answers are given, but so as not to cause confusion, their doubts are not mentioned. Their doubts are m expered only in explanations of such verses as "And the mountains [its] pegs">(Q 78:8) and "And the sun runs its course to a place appointed">(Q 36:38), {[*]: See, The Twenty-Fifth Word (The Miracui Taliss of the Qur'an), First Light, Second Ray, in Words, 402, 404. [Tr.]} and three or four verses in the First Station of the Twentieth Word.

Moreover, for sure The Miraculousness of the Qur' have very short and condensed and was written at speed, but its matters are elucidated in so learned, profound, and powerful a fashion in respect of the sciences of rhetoric and Arabic that it lt as Ie scholars in amazement. Not all attentive readers will fully understand and benefit from all the discussions, but everyone may pick a significd doesare from its garden. Although it was written hastily and in disturbed conditions, and the manner of expression is faulty in places, it expin priand clarifies matters of the greatest importance in the light of those sciences.

Now that the Risale-i Nur>is being duplicated by machine and is sons, ang generally and many school children and teachers who study modern

science and philosophy are holding fast to it, there is a point that needs explanation:

The philosophy the Risale-i Nur>strikes at fiercely and attacke thatot absolute; it is the harmful sort. For the philosophy and wisdom that serve the life of human society, and morality and human attainmentss haveindustry and progress, are reconciled with the Qur'an. Indeed, such philosophy serves the Qur'an's wisdom and does not oppose it. This sort the Risale-i Nur>does not bother with.

As for the other sort, st no dt both leads to misguidance, atheism, and the swamp of nature, and is the cause of vice and dissipation, heedlessness and misguidance; and since with its spellbinding wonders it opposes the Qur'an's miraculous truths; the R it. Ti Nur>attacks and deals slaps at it with the powerful proofs in the comparisons contained in most of its parts. It does not attack beneficial, rightly-guided phe for hy. Members of the secular schools, therefore, can embrace the Risale-i Nur>without hesitation or objection.

Nevertheless, completely meaninglessly and unjustly, secret dissemblers are turning a number of hojas>agatruth he Risale-i Nur,>which is the rightful property of the hojas>and the people of the medreses>(religious schools), and they similarly excite the scholarly pri the fcertain philosophers. It is possible that they may do this to harm the Risale-i Nur,>so it is appropriate to include this piece at the beginning of the collections, The Staff of Moses>and Zülfikar.

A br studeof ours and select Nur student, a retired teacher from the village of Mülâyim in the district of Eflâni near Safranbolu, wants to donate the greater part of his capital for the printing and publication that e Risale-i Nur,>and requests that this is accepted. I cannot refuse this devoted and special brother's sincere and self-sacrificing request, but since worldly goods have no place in my personal rules and I do not accept aid for myself, I ng thi know the advantages of this matter. I am therefore referring the matter to the two heroes of Isparta and Husrev and Tahirî and their friends, and to Nazif and his companions. I could not prevent something so good and the Nicial for the Risale-i Nur's>publication. You may accept either the whole amount he intends or part of it, in two instalments; one may be given to the large duplicassed yachine in Isparta, and the other to the smaller machine there. You should please that select brother by accepting his gift as he wishes, either f the rity, or similarly to others who have

helped, with some sort of return in the future, or from the Risale-i Nur,>or in any other way if he so wants.

The Eight Symbols (Rumûzat-i Semâniye)>wam everosed and written very hastily. Relying on what remained in my memory from earlier days, I used two approximate criteria: I wrote down the mysteries of the Quhe lin letters in respect of its miraculousness (i'jaz),>basing it on what I remembered of the reckoning of ulema of former times. Then I looked at the explanations about the merm Nis, the Qur'an's letters and words in the famous tafsir>called al-Miqyas>of Majd al-Dîn al-Firuzabadi, {[*]: Abu al-Tahir Muhammad b. Ya'qub Majd al-Dîn al-Firuzabadî (d. 817/1415), see, Tanwîr al-Miqyas, Kashf al-Zununt as p706. [Tr.]} the famous author of the Qamus,>and ninety per cent coincided with our reckoning; they differed in only four or five places. Then we calculated !

Fgain to verify them, and ours turned out to be correct and his, typographical errors. Saying, small differences and errors are not detrimental in such huge totals, I did not find the time to count the whole Qur'an with all its letters, wordd have phrases and verify them exactly, and to corroborate the subtleties of its miraculousness. The tyrants did not allow me the time. I made do with those approximate calculations, what I remembered, the reckoning of the old ulema, an calumigures in the Kanz al-'Arsh>supplication. {[*]: There is no definite information concerning the author of the supplication Kanz al-'Arsh, which is included God w three-volume compendium of invocations of figures associated with Sufism, Majmu'at al-Ahzab (Istanbul: 1311), compiled by Gümüşhaneli Shaykh Ahmed Ziya'üddin, which also contains the Jaushan al-Kabir and other suppcal inons, and with which Bediuzzaman was familiar. [Tr.]}

I have received the festival congratulations sent by Nazif Çelebi in the name of our devotehe lethers in İnebolu, and his letter saying that the important work on Zülfikar>continues meticulously and circumspectly; that he has completed the text of The Miracles of the Qur'an>and some of its addenda; that Abdurrahman Salâhaddin has sent For uaff of Moses>and Miracles of Muhammad>as a gift in our name to al-Azhar University by reliable means, and that he has been reading them to the American missionaries for four or five months; and that the val and cNur student, Ahmed Kureysi, has given a hundred liras>to meet the expenses of their duplicating machine.

I congratulate with all my life and spirit our brother the heroic Nazif, and the truly earnest, constant, and fully committedof mols of İnebolu, and Ahmed Kureysi and his companions, on both the festival, and their continuing service, and their elevated loyalty, and their successes and the pse, grg of Zülfikar,>and Salâhaddin's efforts in establishing relations between the Medresetü' z-Zehrâ and al-Azhar University. May Almighty God grant them every suin thrand make their service entirely acceptable. Amen.

The two copies sent to the ulema of al-Azhar University had not been corrected by me anw patie are bound to be errors in some of the Arabic words and their vowel points. I saw numerous grammatical mistakes in other copies, particularly in the writing of the Arabic Khulasat al-Khulasa>at the end. So when you deem fit, senn and py each of The Staff of Moses>and Zülfikar>{(*): I can send you a Staff of Moses and Zülfikar that I have here and have been gone through and corrected deficiently by myself. If you wish, you may send your own copi and tEgypt after having comparing them closely with these. [Author]} to al-Azhar that have been examined closely by Arabic teachers, and write them a letter saying that the Medresorm a Zehrâ of the Risale-i Nur>is an offspring, a pupil, of al-Azhar University which is in much need of its kindness; it is a student of it which is the target of s year enemies' assaults; it is a small department and branch of the great al-Azhar University, which is the head of all medreses and perpetually illuminates the world of Islam. So we await the assistanmercy that high-standing master, that kindly father and zealous supreme guide, for its wretched sons and students. As for the two books that have been presented to that grand master, like a print boy shows to his father and teacher in the evening the lessons he has learnt that day, we offer our two lessons to the gaze of those benevolent and compassionate scholars of great l to alg.

I have received a letter from one of our leading students, Muharrem, in Denizli, which is a foremost centre of the Risale-i Nur,>for which it has performed much work in a short time, and with which I am closely concerned. Togee one ith conveying congratulations for the festival in the name of the Husrev of Denizli and his most earnest and loyal companions, especially the just judge, and Muharrem, Hâfız Mustafa and the rest, the

letter gave news of Hasan Feyzi's seve succe dangerous illness. I felt absolutely certain that Hasan Feyzi had assumed the greater part of my calamity similarly to the martyr Hâfız Ali (May God have mercy on him), performing an act of self-sacrifice. Just as Hâfıd for according to several signs, departed for the Intermediate Realm in my stead; so too with Hasan Feyzi, for exactly concurrently with my illness, at the same tility or the same period, in the same way, and in the coincidence of distressing constriction, was a powerful sign that that brother of ours who so kindly pitied me had partly taken God fness on himself. There was just one difference in this four-sided coincidence: my illness was due to poisoning, while he had caught cold. Certainly, the Treatise for the Sick>consoled him in our place a; in suired about him like a visit to the sick, and transformed the ailment into great rewards and the suffering into joy. May Almighty God grant him a speedy recovery. Amen!

One time, in a treatise I wrote in Barla as a parable, two men i Nur>n their way to Istanbul. Ninety-nine out of a hundred friends of one of them were already there, so he set out eagerly. With the other one, it was the opposite, and so on; ce:

written in similar fashion. Now, alerted in the same way by this illness, I travelled to the past and toured in the imagination around the places I had spent my life at that time. Ofessaryundred friends in the places I had spent those sweet times, I could see only one or two. The others were all in the Intermediate Realm. Even in my own villaare noNurs, I saw that my sole nephew and student Molla Dâvud (May God be pleased with him) had departed to join my old friends and relations there. In places like Barla and Kastamonu, which are to be con atheas second homes of twenty years' standing, I saw only two out of the three groups of friends; the others were about to depart. In consequence of ho haduth of this vision, to depart for the Intermediate Realm did not weigh down on me but filled me with longing, since through the light of the Risale-i Nur>we saw it to be truly luminous. Remaining behind me in tall corld were hundreds of Nur heroes: Husrevs, Tahirîs, Mustafas, Nazifs, Osmans, Abdurrahmans, Alis, Sabrîs, Feyzis, Ahmeds, Mehmeds, Atıfs, Mustafas, Sadıks,ly ands, and the rest, who would carry out my duty in my place and win reward, thus greatly alleviating the burden of death for me, With the thought that I was dying only in regard to sin and living in respect of good works, sale-ired endless thanks to Almighty God.

Firstly: "Who say when afflicted with calamity: To God we belong, and to Him is our return">(Q 2:156). The death ofossibi Feyzi, {[*]: Hasan Feyzi died on 13 November 1946. [Tr.]} who had assumed the late Hâfız Ali's position and was one of the Risale-i Nur>heroes, isuch reat loss for Denizli, for the fold of the Risale-i Nur,>for this country, and for the world of Islam. But with his truly sincere, genuine, unique lessohem fo instruction, he prepared the ground for the raising of numerous Hasan Feyzi's in his place, God willing, then he departed. He performmaz's two years ten years of valuable services for the Risale-i Nur,>just as my nephew Abdurrahman did. They performed the tasks of ten years in one ory loves though both knew that they would soon depart from this world. I congratulate Hasan Feyzi's person on his death, and offer earnest condolences to Denizli, the Nur students, and this country; it is a great calamity to lose a true Thus,ver, erudite scholar, elevated litterateur, teacher, eloquent preacher, and educator of this sort whose profound knowledge embraced matters of this world and the next. God willing, He will produce many people fs excee heroes' hearth of Denizli with the spirit of Hasan Feyzi who will espouse the Risale-i Nur>and publish it. Just as one seed enters the earth and dieour ho a hundred shoots emerge from it; so we nourish hopes from divine mercy that Hasan Feyzi will produce many such shoots and many Hasan Feyzis will appear within the fold he nor Risale-i Nur>and carry out his duties to an even greater degree.

Secondly:>Each one of us should assign to that heroic brother's book of good deeds his spiritual gains as though he were rest alive, to him personally just as we do to all of us generally. I have decided to bestow my spiritual gains on him as the fifth member after Hâfız Ali, Hâfız Mehmed, Ahmed of Sava, and Mehmed Zühtü, of the elite group of great saints. The piee laun wrote about the Risale-i Nur>under the harshest conditions, which have done so much to spread it, are in The Additional Letters;>you may add one each of those powerful letters to the end of any colleers. Y you deem suitable. Those living pieces are being included in The Staff of Moses>and Zülfikar>so that they may serve the Risale-i Nur>in his place.

Convey my condolences for me to his relatives in the tiny Nur Scmic sthich is his house, and to his companions and students and the Nur students in the large Nur School of Denizli and its vicinity, and tell them that I have nev by thall my life been so saddened at a death and so wept as at his.

Also, it has now become clear that my intense anger and mental disturbance which were reflected in the letter le ande you before, began on the day that heroic brother died. Its effect negated my will. I thought I was

going to die and dictated my wilsewhery assistant. That is to say, Hasan Feyzi was as though my second spirit and died in my place and is dying. In fact, in a way that was totally opposed to my normal custom, I could not open the ich em giving news of his death for one and a half hours, although I was holding it in my hand. Anyway, when faced with ٌة these grievous sorrows, divine provi of micame to our assistance, and I congratulated happily with all my life and spirit both myself, and him, and the Nurjus. "Endless blessings and mercy be upon him!" I exclaimed, and I applauded his release.

Thirdly:>Juse Abdü was thinking sorrowfully about the late Hasan Feyzi departing for the Intermediate Realm and his position remaining vacant, and as an esteemed teacher his being a shining examis ther pupils in the secular schools and those teaching the modern sciences when I unexpectedly received a letter from Hâfız Hasan of Daday. He is a teacher and, with his two children, is a Nurju and is also called Hasan.o the not heard from him for three years and did not know how he was or that he continued to serve the Risale-i Nur.>Through Hâfız Hasan, Ahmed Fuad, an exceptional and self-sacrificings if Ier like these two Hasans, had entered the fold of the Risale-i Nur.>I said: One teacher called Hasan has departed but in his place another teacher called Hasan and one called Ahmed have arrived!

At the same time,mpelline called Hasan from Bolvadin, who had recently returned from the Hajj, entered the fold of the Risale-i Nur;>he obtained some of its treatises and began to spread its lights.

Three or f Sufi urs later, the doctor Hayri, who is a Husrev and Feyzi of Emirdağ, came to see me. He said: "A respected schoolteacher here wants to become a Nur student. If you agree, we'll give him The Staff of me of ">I told him to give it to him. (This teacher performed as many services for the Risale-i Nur>as Feyzi did.)

Also, I saw the letter that had arrived that day from Mustafa Osman, our brother who like the late Hasan day, whas performed many services in a short period of time. He had written describing how Mustafa, who had attended the secular schools and spread lights in the Kastamonu Lycee to an extent and was now trying to do the same in theults arsity, had drawn attention to the Press Laws lest harm should come to the Risale-i Nur>due to the duplicating machine and had mentioned the need for caution when communicating.

{(*): The Pre produs are not applied to newspapers that spread the ideas of communism, irreligion, and anarchy, so why should they be applied to the machines that print the collections, Zülfikar and The and sof Moses, which most effectively preserve the foundation stones of this country and nation? I am truly amazed. [Author]}

I exclaimed: Endless thanks be to Almighty, I joOne teacher was released but in his place two Hasans, two Mustafas, three teachers, and one hardworking educator are performing the Denizli hero's du have n addition to their own duties. This is a sign that just as Hâfız Ali departed and Denizli took his place and dispelled all the pain and sorrow; so Hasan Feyzi has departed and in his place aone qun school and university will emerge, God willing, and again make the pain subside.

Greetings to all our brothers.

Firstly:>With their services for the Risale-i Nur>with the duplicating machine and in other ways, the hero Naz I saw his friends, who in truth have his spirit and loyalty, are making this country indebted to them. May Almighty God grant them every success! Amee was is a great triumph. The work produced by the machine is both attractive, clear, and correct. {(*): This time, in only two or three places in twenty-four pages, misplaced points madeth it etter ha, kha, and they needed correcting. Nothing more. A lot of words are missing, but the meaning is clear. I haven't looked at the rest of it. [Author]} Almihsan, od has bestowed on Nazif many Salâhaddins and İbrahims.

A piece in my own handwriting is needed at the beginning of Zülfikar.>Because of mys due ss, I am unable myself to write the four waxed pages they have sent, so I shall dictate and my permanent scribe will write it, and I shall write just a few words.

I have received the three sortthis:

aterial gifts (teberrük)>that our brother Nazif sent for the festival and New Year in the name of the Nurjus of both Istanbul and İnebolu. I have accepted them in the name olı andof them, although it is not my habit. May God be pleased with them, Amen! I broke my rule for their sake. And I have received the two collections sent by Mustafa Osman, our brother who is as loyalpresenttached as Nazif: one, the paradisaical Nur Zülfikar>in the name of the second Salâhaddin, the young İbrahim; another, the greater part of The Words (Sözler),>wrievent ost beautifully by himself and sent in the name of all the Safranbolu Nurjus. May Almighty God write in the books of their good deeds and those of İbrahim and Mustafa and İzzet and their friends and helpers, merits to the numbt'll bthe letters of Zülfikar>and those two collections, and a hundred instances of mercy for each letter. Amen!

Indeed, Mustafa Osman has found two dedicated and very hardworking wings. gendarazif has Salâhaddin and İbrahim, Mustafa Osman

has found the teacher Ahmed Fuad and Mustafa Oruç in the university; he will get much work done for the Risale-i Nur>with those two wings, God willing. Now that >The p like Mustafa Oruç and the teacher Ahmed Fuad have started to serve the Risale-i Nur>so effectively, it lessens a little the pain of Hasan Feyzi's death, who was the Denizli herotheren the facts that Küçük İbrahim is a second Salâhaddin and is working earnestly for the Risale-i Nur>with the duplicating machine togethous peh his family, brother, and wife; and Salih, Gülcü Hüseyin, Osman, Zühtü, İzzet, Ömer and the other Nurjus there who are named in the letter are all progressing iks. I r service steadfastly and unshakeably pleased us immeasurably, and showed too that in the future they will make the country grateful to them. As God Sign>a they have proved that İnebolu is a small Isparta and in every respect a Nur School.

Secondly:>We have already sent some collections in thhe Hizletters to Mustafa Oruç, a very industrious university-student Nurju who has the abilities of an Abdurrahman and a Salâhaddin and is related to the vill of th Nurs, my name of Nursi, and the Risale-i Nur.>At his request we have sent eight or nine pieces in the new letters since he says that the ue beinity students have much need of them and are eager for them. But as a young student, he is inexperienced and not capable of safeguarding the Risale-i Nur,>so in order that it should be given to suitable people and not remain unused, anyin unotudents who are near Istanbul or who visit there or who live there should help him with spreading its treatises and safeguarding it.

Thirdly:>The Denizli hero Hasan Feyzi's (Mercy be upon him) going to join the Isparta hero Hâfız Alihave sy be upon him) certainly saddens us terribly, but as his select student, the loyal Nur student Muharrem, said, and I too say: In one respect he has not died; he completed his duty hastily, and was released and departed toup thein the Intermediate Realm. Together, he and Hâfız Ali are assisting with their intercession and the powerful works connected with the Risling iNur>they left behind; they are still working at the Risale-i Nur.>Since they are surely martyrs of a sort, we hope and seek from divine mercy that like the medrese student in the Eleventh Topic of The Fruits of Belief>who thoughtter ths still busy with his Arabic grammar lessons, the two are busy discussing the truths of the Risale-i Nur>within the circle of the Nurjus who have died. God willing, He will rauncall many Hasan Feyzis to carry on his duties in this world.

{(*): Until a new hero is found who, chosen and appointed through consultation by the Nur students, will undertake all the many duties of our decease been her related to the Risale-i Nur, each student should take on one of them in the form of the division of labour. Demirbaş Ali Osman! This duty has been given to you in Isparta. Consht bet with the other brothers there, someone who is very involved with the Risale-i Nur should assume for now the position of the Denizli Husrev so that his place does not remahe priccupied. He should look after the skull cap I gave him until the person for whom it is destined turns up. [Author]}

However, it wants exake that that blessed brother did not avoid taking official medicines, as I do. I suffered much more distress than he did, but thinking that the Nurjus' s desications would suffice, I did not seek material medicines or anyone's opinion about the illness, and so did not suffer any anxiety. Our late brother did not manage to comply with me on this point. He had given hnt chid in his brilliant pieces about the Risale-i Nur>that he would sacrifice himself for this wretched brother of his, so performed his duties for the Risale-i Nur>with great speed and departed for the world of rest and repose. Once again I offed not ondolences to his relatives and to his valuable, dedicated students like Muharrem, and to the Nurjus of Denizli and its surroundings, and suggest that like us they make our lthe Riother a partner in their good works by inscribing them in his book of good deeds as though in respect of good deeds he has not died. And I send them many greetings and seek divine mercyrstoodim.

Fourthly:>The behaviour of the hoopoe-like bird - like Solomon's hoopoe - during the work of the Risale-i Nur,>belonging to the notable Nur student Mustafa Yıldız, is not strange or unique. He is onet frome heroes of Sava, where at one time the Risale-i Nur>was being written out with a thousand pens. There are numerous such examples; on many occasions birds have shown an interest in the Risale-i Nur.

I rnmenty congratulations to Sadık Bey, who completely true to his name worked together with Hilmi in prison and unforgetably served myself, the unity of the Nurjus, and the co-operation of the Nurjus and other prisoners, and betendinnd and afterwards worked heroically in his home region. I send my congratulations to him and his mother and relatives, and may God grant them abundaThe Stssings for the sacrifice they offered in my name. Also, we send greetings to Salih's son Osman, who is a Nur student and sent us greetings via him, and we accept him within the fold of the Risale-i Nur.

"The ink of the schoeasingulema) will weigh equally to the blood of the martyrs." {[*]: al-Ghazalî, Ihya' 'Ulum al-Dîn, i, 6; al-Munawî, Fayd al-Qadîr, vi, 466; al-'Ajlunî, Kashf al-Khafa', ii, 561; al-Suyutî, Jami' al-Saghîr no. 10026. [Tr.]}

"Whoever adheres ttile munna when my community falls into disorder will receive the recompense of a hundred martyrs." {[*]: Ibn 'Adîy, al-Kamil fi al-Du'afa, ii, 739; al-Mundhirî, al-Targhîb wa'l-Tarhîb, i, 41; Tabaranî, al-Majma' al-Kabîr, 1394; alute meamî, Majma' al-Zawa'id, vii, 282. [Tr.]}

Inspired by the above Hadiths, I am declaring only a few of the numerous benefits in this world and the next ofs and ng out the Risale-i Nur,>which are mentioned in it and have been affirmed by the experiences of its students,

1. Striviore yeh ideas and the word against the people of misguidance, which is a struggle of paramount importance.

2. Serving their Master by assisting him in the dissemination of the truth.

3. Serving the Muslims with regard to belief (îmân)e, sch4. Acquiring knowledge through the pen,

5. Performing worship in the form of reflective thought, one hour of which may sometimes be the equivalent of a year's worship.

1. Plentiful sustenance.

2. Ey and heart and happiness.

3. Lack of trouble in securing a livelihood.

4. Success in one's work.

5. By acquiring the virtues of stimposship, to receive a share in the particular prayers of all the Nur students.

1. According to the indications of certain verses of the Qur'an, to enter the grave in a state of belief.

2. By virtue of the spiritual partnership within the fold oer, I Risale-i Nur>to receive a share of the spiritual gains of all the students and of their good works.

Furthermore, on condition one has the good fortune to accomplish one's duty to perfectwritteo belong to the class of students of the religious sciences,

This is the piece to be put at the beginning of the collections duplicated on the machines:

Over two years the courts in Ankara and Denizli and the expy thatcommittee studied all the parts of the Risale-i Nur>and took the unanimous decision both for our acquittal and the return all of the Risale-i Nur>to me; there is therThe Denothing to prevent their publication. The pieces in the present collection were among the treatises returned to me.

All the developments favouring religioame clhe schools and the mosques in Isparta may be looked on as conquests of Zülfikar.>Just as Isparta became the Nur School and the teacher of the other provinces, so, God willing, it will offer a fine exe to bto be followed with regard to the marks of Islam (şeâir-i İslâmiye).

{(*): I have not concerned myself at all with the politicians, but today I heard. Thisa number of irreligious Deputies had met in a council with the intention of abolishing a number of mosques. It does not appear to be a coinchem to that this occurred at the same time as my being poisoned and Hasan Feyzi's fatal illness. These three conspiracies appear to be connected. Two of them were unsuccessful for now, and the other caquity off a hero. [Author]}

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>Just when I was suffering both the distressing physical and spiritual illness of this severe winter, in addition to the pains of possible separation from my verife ane Nurju brothers due to departing from this world, Sıddık Süleyman and Nur Santral Sabrî arrived here in the name of all my brothers in that region and my relatives, as though theyur'aniAbdülmecid and Abdurrahman. I offer thanks to Almighty God, for their arrival was a medicine and cure for me. Contrary to my custom here, I invited tlief d visit me come what may, and they came. For two or three hours, I listened and learnt all that I was curious about, particularly how myis sprds in Barla

were, and we made a joyful tour of the imagination around my time there. I received such relief and consolation, all my grievous sufferings were dispelled. I wanted them to stanger e for a couple of days, but these bad times and the suspicions and circumstances here did not permit it, I accepted those brothers on account on hereof you, and I sent you two living letters in my place.

Secondly:>The second day I received a letter telling me that nine true Nurjus, young Salâhaon himand Abdurrahmans, are making a serious effort to illuminate the young university students, whom I was most curious about and interested in. Those young Abdurrahmans are Mustafa Oruç, ZiyaiteousKonya, Sabri's grandson Feyzi, Bahaeddin, Abdurrahim, Ömer from Kastamonu, Aziz, Şükrü, and Sabrî. Earnest young Nurjus like these embracing the Risale-i Nur>pleased me as mnd to the idea of ten youths like my late nephews Abdurrahman and Fuad returning to this world and embarking on their Nur service. It alleviated my illness considerably

Thirdly:>It is a good fortune for the Nurjus, and for the whole couery inven, that the duplication of Zülfikar>by machine is nearly completed. But so as not to lose that good fortune, you must take whatever precautions you can. If to suppose the iary'sible - God willing it won't happen - there is a search like there was with The Supreme Sign,>not all the copies should be exposed to the assault. There shouldn't be any such assault now; there can't bly, it they are trying to be conciliatory. But covert atheists are sure to be looking for pretexts so as to save themselves from the curses of the future and they deceive the pows of tat be. So relying on divine protection and providence, you must act circumspectly. God willing, Zülfikar>will preserve itself from attack and will either rout the aggressors or bring them to believe.

My Dear, Loyal Brother and his lis, Earnest Friend in This Transitory World!

Firstly:>Out of all my friends and compatriots, I am truly most grateful to yourself and to certain people frisale-urum for your serious and kindly concern for me in these torturous and oppressive circumstances, and for your hastening mentally to my assistanaw havshall never forget this till my dying day and I beseech God's grace and blessings for you.

Secondly:>Completely contrarily to my way and the with s I have taken

from the Risale-i Nur,>and contrarily to the rule of my life for the past ten years, which is not to concern myself with the passing, inconsequential matters of this fleeting world, just for youly dut and your long letter and the questions you asked about, I am going to explain a few matters related to my situation and the oppressors' torments.

The First:>One day thirty years ago while I was a member god b Darü'l-Hikmet, Seyyid Sadeddin Pasha, who was a friend of mine and also a member, told me: "I have received through means that are certain that ailloluistic secret society which is present here but the roots of which are abroad has read one of your works and declared that if its author remains in this world, it shall be unable to persuade this nation to accept its doctrine, that iss of eism and irreligion, so has decided to eliminate him. That is, it has given the order for your execution. You must look to protect yourself." I replied: "I place my trust in Gds of e appointed hour is fixed and won't change!"

These last thirty or forty years that secret society has both spread, and has employed every device to struggle against me, It has tried to elim illneme twice with imprisonment, and eleven times by poison (now it is nineteen times). Its worst plans were its using the full force of official government influence against me through the former Interior Minister, the former governoks of fyon, and the former deputy kaymakam>of Emirdağ. Those three officials so intimidated everyone and conducted such propaganda against me, a weak, elderly, solitary, impoverished stranger in need of assistance, that except to sp late e no official would come near me, for if any greeted me he would be posted elsewhere, and out of their fear some of my neighbours would not greet me at all. But divine prod one n and providence bestowed patience and forbearance on me, and their unparalleled torments and oppression did not compel me to have recourse to them.

The Second:>Perhaps you recall that in the president's office f the ara when disputing with Mustafa Kemal, I responded fiercely to what he said, declaring to his face: "Those who neglect the obligatory prayers are traitors, and the words of trait for we to be rejected!" {[*]: That is, traitors can hold no position of authority. [Tr.]} He did not find the courage to respond to that insult and disparagement, but here, a low-ranking officer and a sergeant heap be unilar abuse and insult on me. Their intention was to infuriate me and provoke an incident, but divine protection and providence bestowed patience and fbe pleance on me.

The Third:>In their investigations of two years two courts could find nothing legally reprehensible in any part of the Risale-i Nur,>{(*): Either no law, not even their arbitrary laws, can in any way interfere as thos and the Risale-i Nur; or, although some of their new laws could do so, because that lofty judiciary and three courts shrink from the fierce hatred and execration of the future, they have nn and nd the courage to declare the Risale-i Nur and ourselves guilty and have unanimously given the decision for the acquittal of all of us and the return of all the Risale-i Nur. They can seek refuge beost inhose laws! If cruel nonentities who hold temporary posts commit such atrocities although the vastly powerful judiciary shrank from it, it will surely bring th I canens and earth to anger, leaving no need for mine! [Author]} but on their acquitting us and the Risale-i Nur,>the secret atheistic society made use of certain dissced sog officials, and hatching an official plan in the centre of government, isolated me from all my friends and students completely illegally, and calling it exile, sent me to the place most detrimve andto my health, to a life of solitary confinement in Emirdağ. It has now emerged that they did this for two reasons:

The First: I have never ever accepted insults. So they wanted to infuriate me by humiliating me and to incsed to incident and pave the way to finish me off. Then because they didn't manage that, they tried to put an end to me by poisoning me. But through divine providence, the panacea-like prayers of the Nur students and the remedial ul Mufties of patience and endurance foiled that plan of theirs and drove off the dangers of the poison, both physical and spiritual. Certainly at no time in history has any government perpetrated such torments aed agaression in the name of law and order. Indeed their constant surveillance vexed me and their scaring everyone away from me made me angry, bite ansuddenly occurred to my heart that I should pity these tyrants, not be angry at them, as follows: Soon each one of them will be subject to everlasting agony in place of the temporary sufferings they have inflicted on yl poss to hellish torments, physical and mental, a thousandfold greater. Revenge will be taken on them a thousand times more severely. And some of them, if they have any sense, will suffer the d therh of guilty consciences and fear of eternal death so long as they remain in this world till they meet their end. So I ceased feeling angry at them and pitied them, saying: May God reform them!

Moreover,ten ab earning great reward from their torments and ill-treatment, and since they were busying themselves with and tyrannizing me instead of the Nur students, it is pr great benefit for the Nurjus and served their well-being and I therefore offered thanks to Almighty God and felt joy within all the distress I was sufferiur>eve The Fourth:>Concerning the matter in your letter about my living conditions

and if I was capable of it, to go to the Hijaz and Damascus, and your applying to the present government for me:

Firstly: If I had been in Mecca, I ling ihave had to come here in order to save belief and serve the Qur'an. For the need is greatest here, If I had a thousand spirits and suffered from a thousand sickness and wauing, icted with that many difficulties, I would again decide due to the lessons I have received from the Qur'an, to stay here to serve this nation's belief and happiness, and I have so decided.

prayeondly: Concerning being treated with respect rather than insultingly, you say in your letter: If you had been in Egypt or America, you would haan accn cited in the histories with honour and esteem.

My dear, attentive brother!

In accordance with our way, we are strongly averse to respect and reverenchman d acclaim, gifts, and tributes for my person. Especially the desire for fame, which is extraordinary hypocrisy, and to be mentioned in histories anûsi. Fppear fine to people, which is alluring self-advertisement, are the opposite of sincerity, which is a basic principle of the Risale-i Nur>and its way, and are opposed to it. I seek none of these things; indeed, I flee from them.bts asince the Risale-i Nur>proceeds from the abounding light of the Qur'an, and is a flash of its miraculousness, and expounds its truths and discloses its mysteries, we want the Risale-i Nurctive sought after, and for everyone to feel the need for it and to appreciate its high value, and to make known its perfectly clear wonder-working, and that it has defeated the irreligion of the atheists in respect of belief and that it willi ordenue to do so, and we await this from divine mercy,

As a postscript, I am adding a trifling and unimportant paragraph about my person:

Receb Bey and Kara Kâzım are friends of yours and I reckon they hthe boe relations with the Old Said; I don't want any favours from them, but like their predecessors they shouldn't permit the meaningless, unnecessary persecution and ill-treatment of my person.Shimsh't abide the physical and spiritual atmosphere here. My distress is excessive. I lock the place I stay on both the outside and the inside. I am completely alone. I have no neighbours really, and pass my life in an oppressive room, self wone and ill. Sometimes one day's anguish here is greater than a month of travails in Denizli prison. Enough now of these twenty years of infringements on my libertyly to he terrible distress. In any event, with the two-year scrutinies of two courts and the failure of the dissemblers' plots against me, it has become absolouse wclear that they can no longer deceive anyone with the groundless suspicious allegations that I and the Risale-i Nur>cause harm to

this country and nat I hadt would be appropriate if like everyone else I had my freedom and there was permission for me to visit some of the villages around here with a more temperate climate. I seng ten greetings to you and to my Nur friends there, and I offer prayers for you.

An indication of the acceptability of Mustafa Osman's service, who lik it tolate Hasan Feyzi has carried out much work in a brief space of time and is earnestly devoted to the Risale-i Nur,>is his finding two teachers resembling Hasan Feyzi in spirit and loyalty, Ahmed Fuad and Mustafa Sungur, ancularlhigher education students, Mustafa Oruç and Rahmi, and his working at the Nur service with those powerful hands. It is a great good fortune for that region.e havee wonderful joint letters of Mustafa Osman and the teacher Mustafa Sungur, which we have added with some alterations to our Additional Letghty Gshows that shoots of Hasan Feyzi's sort have started to sprout and grow who will save the belief of many wretched people, God willing. Both the Nurjus and myself were especially pleased at the devotion of the fourteen-year-old t us.

boy called Rahmi in making his Nur lessons his life's aim, thus resembling the innocent young heroes of Isparta. It is a good omen that , are ung people's belief in that area will be saved.

Hâfız Mustafa has provided immense assistance for the spread of Zülfikar>and the other collectionploit writes in the very best way that the late martyr Hâfız Ali wrote, and is a loyal deputy to him and truly diligent friend of his in the Nur Factory. I congratulate with all my life and spirit Ahmed Fuad, who ovinced that all the parts of the Risale-i Nur>which had been left to Hâfız Mustafa on trust, reached him and the region of Safranbolu and all our brothers there. God willing, every lira>given for Zülfikar>will y Late thousandfold profit and will produce thousands of good works. I send my greetings to both him, and our brother İbrahim, and the new dedicated teacher Mustafa Sungreturnd the young Salâhaddin Rahmî, and to Mustafa Osman and Hıfzı and all our brothers there.

Our Respected, Blessed, Esteemed, Kind, and Virtuous Master theirirstly: "And in the face of every calamity: We belong to God and to Him is our return">(Q 2:156). The death of our elder brother and his depas," anto join the Risale-i Nur>champion and late martyr Hâfız Ali saddened us grievously. I send my condolences to foremost you our Master and to all the Nur students, all the members of his spiritual and actwho admily, his Nur School, and the people of Denizli, and I share in their sorrow. While offering my paltry gifts at the divine court, I beseech that he may be engulfed in mercyffer ilessings. And I entreat from divine mercy that in accordance with the verse: "Every soul will taste death">(Q 3: 185), he has been taken from this world to the world of spirits, anen, sendicated by "But those who believe and do deeds of righteousness - to them We give a home in heaven lofty mansions beneath which flow rivers, - to dwell therein for aye, - an excellent reward for those who do [goocopy. Q 29:58) as recompense He shall bestow the shoots of numerous Hasan Feyzis.

Esteemed Master! According to what I have heard, one day seventy to eighty years ago in Dease of a lofty saint called Hasan Feyzi told his students: "Today a saint was born in Kurdistan," alluding with this good news to yourself. I consider that your coming to Denizli so many years later made that sain the Ririt rejoice. Then a short time later the late Hasan Feyzi, who bore the same name, emulated the first Hasan Feyzi in his respect for the Risale-i Nur>and his passion for it, and entering its fold, strengthened this conviction of mine iief

rably. I thought: Said appeared and attained the fullness of years after the first Hasan Feyzi's death, and the second Hasan Feyzi als otherilled his duties, and immersed in the Risale-i Nur>he summoned many Hasan Feyzi's to replace him, then departed this life. I implore and entreat the Most Mercf thisf the Merciful that He bestow numerous Hasan Feyzis on the Risale-i Nur>and on our Master who will cause them to forget their grief, and I hope from His abundant grace, due t providence, bestowal, bounty, and favour that He will grant our Master a long and felicitous life at their head,

At this distressing time when my soul was vexing me and triggering impatience, this piecvals tnced it completely and induced me to offer thanks. It is attached here in the hope that it will be useful for you too, for I have it hayal Brbeside me.

1. O my soul! In seventy-three years you have received more than your share of pleasures, and none is now owing to you.

uch anu want passing pleasures to persist and start weeping when they disappear. You receive slaps for this error of yours, arising from blind emotions.

3. Underlying the injustices and calamities you suffers lette justice of divine determining. People oppress you for something you didn't do, but due to your secret faults divine determining both trains you through the hand of those calamities, and they are Neverment for those faults.

4. My impatient soul! As a consequence of hundreds of experiences, you believe certainly that divine providence dispenses truly sweet results beneath apparent calamities. The verse, "It may bs the you hate a thing but it is good for you">(Q 2:216) teaches a certain truth. It constantly recalls it. Moreover, the divine law that turns the wheel of the firmament, that vast law of divine determining, w and mt be changed just for your sake.

5. Make the sacred rule: "The believer in divine determining suffers no grief" {[*]: al-Daylamî, al-Musnad, i, 113; al-Munawî, Fayd al-Qadîr, iii, 187; 'Ali a and iaqî, Kanz al-'Ummal, i, 106. [Tr.]} your guiding principle. Don't run after fleeting, trivial pleasures like capricious unthinking children. Know that passing pleasures leave behind pains and regrets, whersend gfficulties and suffering yield spiritual pleasures and rewards in the hereafter. If you aren't crazy, you will seek temporary pleasures only for thanks. They are anyway given to prompt Firfering of thanks.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>Although it is personal, it occurred to me that I should write and tell you about a strange dispute I had with myself. It was like flyin Although the poster you know about that hangs beside me had totally silenced my evil-commanding soul, last night my blind emotions, wh" Alsoploy the weapon of the soul even more insistently, exacerbated certain

veins of temperament. With an excessive irritability and sensitivity caused by illness and poison, and an extraordinary state of mind residng from the whisperings of Satan and a natural love of life, those blind emotions, which resemble a second evil-commanding soul, touched my heart and spirit acutely, and made me feelboth vful despair and sorrow at the possibility of death, and a powerful ambition, thrill, and pleasure.

My soul and those emotions asked: "Why don't you tpposedlive a comfortable life? For indeed you reject such a thing and you don't seek an innocently pleasurable life within the circle of the Risale-i Nur,>but are quite happy to and tohy is this?" Suddenly two powerful facts silenced that second evil-commanding soul and Satan.

The First: When I die, the Risale-i Nur's>sacred work for belief will unfold with greater sincerity; and in no way will it be accused s of dng utilized for worldly ends, or for egotism or self-interest. And since my being personally alive excites rivalry, its service will continue more sincerely dent arfectly. It's true that I can help a bit while I'm in this world, but rivals and critics can accuse my unimportant self, which may harm the Risale-i Nur>and cause people to hold back from it. And if the person who acts as wate is ilays down, all the enthusiasts in his luminous circle become alert and watchful; there are then thousands of guards instead of just one. That is to say, if death were to come, it wother e welcome.

Furthermore, since many of the Nur students have devoted their property, and their comfort, and their worldly pleasures, and if necessary their lives to serving the Risale-i Nur,>why should you be niggardly, O my soul!

Atime nnow certainly that if it were necessary to depart from this transitory, troublesome life while working to save the eternal lives of numerous unfortunates, or if the time were to come, it would be a pleasurable honour to meet itact isly.

The Second: If a weak and powerless man was to be burdened with a heavy load although he could not bear a light one, and if his friends looked on him as strong and wanted his help although it was really him that nethat welp due to his concealed weakness, it would be most grievous and distasteful for him to try, by being artificial and false, which are extremely burdensome, to appear big and powerful just so as not to offend them or appear infer for un just the same way, O my evil-commanding soul, you have become engulfed in blind emotion! With your ordinary person and virtually worthless abilities, you could not be the source and fountainhead ofnd preruths of the Risale-i Nur,>which are far beyond you and purely a divine favour. In this dark, sick age, those truths have emerged from the sacred pharmacy of t Shini'an and been placed in your hands by divine

mercy. Indeed, just so as not to spoil my friends' good opinion of me nor offend their sensibilities, despite my being wretched and needy and a beggar at the Qur'an's doo

Wea mere means conveying it to the needy, this wretched person they call Ustad has given up meeting with friends even if not in connection with the work of the Risale-i Nur,>and has been obliged toies by by his spirit, for their sake, so as not to appear far inferior to them nor be forced to be false and artificial, which is most painful and burdensome. For to appear more worthy than I am, and to shorief tlf as holding some high rank in order to please those who have too high an opinion of me, and to appear lofty and to seek the harmful, fleeting pleasures of thethe coehind the veil of high dignity, which is absolutely opposed to the meaning of sincerity, would reduce to nothing all those pleasures, o my soul!

O my sassing miserable blind emotions, always seeking pleasure! If you were to receive thousands of worldly pleasures even, they would still degenerate in thiswere otion and turn into pure pain! Since out of a hundred of my old friends, ninety are calling me to the grave - or so it seems, I have to abandon the ten that remain here. Surely, thts furphysical life of the Intermediate Realm is a thousand times preferable to this life of old-age and loneliness.

Thanks be to God, the above two facts silenced the secnted iil-commanding soul completely. It was content with the pleasures emanating from the heart and spirit. Satan was silenced too. Even the physical sickness s of tarteries lessened considerably.

In Short: If I die, the work of the Risale-i Nur>will unfold with greater sincerity, and without any incerey or accusations.

Moreover, it means being saved from the burdensome, cold and unpleasant pains of empty formalities and troubles of self-advertisement and harms of artificiality, which usurp the minor, temporary pleasuretter, I don't seek and the pleasure at seeing with worldly eyes the victories of the Risale-i Nur.

Furthermore, O soul! With your spirit and heart, this year you have travelled rict, n fact and in the imagination through the regions I passed my old pleasurable life for which you so long, to see the friends with whom I was so familiar and the brothers at the parting with whom the paso sad. But you too saw that in those many regions you could find only one or two out of a hundred of those friends. The rest had departed for the Intermediate Realm, and the pleasing living tableaux had changed and had taken on a dejef savimournful appearance. Never again would one want to see those empty, friendless places. So with complete dignity and self-respect, we

#1 everyuld give up these fleeting pleasures and bid this life and world farewell before they drive us out unceremoniously.

With greetings to and prayers for all our brothers, your ill but joyful brother,

On the occasion of the death of the esteemed Nur School Master, Haji Hâfız Mehmed, I offer my condolences to all the Risale-i Nur>students, particularln if wstudents of the Nur School, and the late departed's relatives. For as long as we remain in this world, on account of the Risale-i Nur>we shall continue to pray with all our whole spirit that divine ming the bestowed upon him and that between Hâfız Ali and Hasan Feyzi he receive a share of all our spiritual gains. He was a blessed person who successfully fulfilled vital tasks for the Risale-i Nur,>then completed his duty and leaving behinhey corous spiritual offspring as successors, departed and withdrew released to the world of mercy and rest. When dontating my gains to the high-ranking masters, Hâfız Ali, Hâ and fhmed, Mehmed Zühtü, Ahmed of Sava, and Hasan Feyzi, I involuntarily beheld Haji Hâfız Mehmed among them during the last ten days he was alive. I told myself that he had a place among them, and I did not interfere. to refwas surprised that someone who was still alive should have a place among those masters. Now it is understood from your letter that he was making his death felt as alamitir of his sincere and sacred service. He was indicating that he had a position between Hâfız Ali and Hasan Feyzi. May Almighty God inscribe in his book hey ard works and bestow on his spirit instances of mercy to the number of the letters of the Risale-i Nur>written out and read in the Sava Nur School. Amen! And may He grant n all s to his successor and son, Hâfız Mehmed, and grandson, Ahmed Zeki, in continuing his duties in accordance with his method. Amen! And may Hith thow perfect patience on them all. Amen!

In His Name, be He glorified!

May God's peace be upon you, and His mercy and blessings!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers and the Young Heroes Among the Nur Students!

, as ahe end of some copies of The Staff of Moses,>there is the answer I gave to a question asked by one of our brothers, Küçük Ali, who is small in name but great in spirit. Read it,stanbuome critics said to him, in an effort to belittle the Risale-i Nur,>"Everyone knows God; the common man believes in God just like the saint." They wished in this way to present the exalted, valuable, and most essential discussions cohe letd in the Risale-i Nur>as superfluous. Now too in Istanbul, with a still more sinister intention, some hypocrites of anarchist persuasion who have fallen prey to utter unbelief wish cunningly toheir rve everyone of the truths of belief that are contained in the Risale-i Nur>and are as essential to man as bread and water. They say: "Every nation and evand 'Udividual knows God; we have no great need for new instruction in this matter."

To know God, however, means to have certain belief in His dominicality encom Nur sg all beings, and in all things, particular and universal, from the atoms to the stars, being in the grasp of His power, action, and will; it means belieof thon the truths of the sacred words, "There is no god but God," and assenting to them with one's heart.

For simply to say, "God exists," anmpting to divide His sovereignty among causes and nature and attribute it to them; to recognize causes as sources of authority, as if - God forbid - they were partners to God; tizli h to perceive His will and knowledge as present with all things; to refuse to recognize His strict commands and to reject His attributes and the messengers and prophets He has sent - this has nothing to do with the reality of belief in God. Tgive gson who does all this, then says "God exists," does so only in order to find some relief from the torment he suffers in the world after his unbein so as made it a hell for him. Not to deny is one thing; to believe is something completely different.

No being endowed with consciousness, in the whole universe, can indeed deny the All-Glorious Creator to whom every particle of existenceshowed witness. Or if he does make such a denial, he will be rebuffed by all of creation, and hence become silent and diffident.

But believing in Him is, as the Qur'an of Mighty Statng Oneforms us, to assent in one's heart to the Creator with all of His attributes and names,

supported by the testimony of the whole universe; to recognize the messn the He has sent and the commands He has promulgated; and to make sincere repentance and feel genuine regret for every sin and act of disobedience. Conversely, to commit every kind of sin and then nevht betseek pardon for it or concern oneself with it, is a sure sign of the absence of any element of belief.

Thus my spritual offspring, an important event has become the occasion for a brief exposition oP>and ng and complex matter. I now look on you as important students of the Risale-i Nur.>It is most fortunate that Mustafa Oruç so quickly found you, to work according to his systh the his spirit and with his seriousness. Now there are ten Mustafas,

My Dear, Esteemed Brother!

I read your lengthy treatise-like, comprehepieces precisely researched and eager letter with the greatest interest. In the first place I have to tell you that Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) d myse Risale-i Nur's>master, and with his symbolic allusions in his ode al-Jaljalutiya>shows much concern for the Risale-i Nur>and is my particular master in the truths of belief. In accordance witpowerfverse, "Say: I ask no recompense of you save love of close kin">(Q 42:23), love of the Prophet's (UWBP) family is a fundamental principle of the Risale-i Nur>and our way, so Wahhabism shouling oube espoused in any way by any true Nur student. Since at the present time atheists and the people of misguidance profit from differences and confuse the believers, and corrupting the marks of Islam, form po are s currents opposed to the Qur'an and belief, the door of disputed minor questions should not be opened in the face of this awesome enemy.

Moreover, the Sunnis stated that there is no need to vilify the dead, for they have departed the coeir place of punishment in the hereafter, and love of the Prophet's (UWBP) family does not necessitate publicizing their faults harmfully and unnecessarily; they opposed discussio deprihe dissension that occurred at the time of the Companions. The Sunnis said that since at the Incident of the Camel, Zubayr, Talha, and 'A'isha al-Siddiqa (Maythe Que pleased with them) of the ten promised paradise were present, the war resulted from an independent ruling (ijtihad),>so even if Imam 'Ali was right and the o so heide was wrong, it would be forgiven.

The Sunnis also consider it harmful to discuss the rebels at the Siffin War, lest either those inclined to Wahhabducing extremist Shi'is cause harm to Islam.

The prominent authority of the science of theology (kalam),>Sa'd al-Dîn al-Taftazani, said about villains like Hajjaj the Tyrant, Yazid, and Walid, that it is permissible to curse them, but he h to wt say that it was compulsory or that it was a good thing or earned reward. For there are innumerable people who deny both the Qur'an and the Prophet (UWBP) and theiew thnions' sacred conversations; there are many of them everywhere. There is no harm according to the Shari'a if a person does not recall those deserving of execration and does not curse them.nd govnlike goodness and love, execration and vilification are not included among good works, and if they are harmful, that is far worse.

At the present time, there are covert dissemblers everd news who, inclining towards Wahhabism, exert an influence over certain hojas,>who more than anyone are charged with protecting Islam and the truths of the Qur'an; they accuse the peothe gi truth of Alevî-ism, exploit one against the other and try to deal awesome blows at Islam. You wrote briefly about this in your letter. In fact, you know that they ition,the hojas>to be the most effective tool to wield against myself and the Risale-i Nur.>The Wahhabis, who rule the two sacred mosques of Mecca and Medina, aly:>I with the fascinating works of the famous, awesome geniuses Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzi having long since got into the hands of some Istanbul hojas>- a group of hojas>whoen Husr the innovations and want to use them against the saints (evliya)>and to screen their permissive way, may make a pretext of your ruling (ijtihad)>which arose from love of the Prophet's (UWBP) family and should not friene publicized, and deal a blow at both yourself and the Nur students. There is no command in the Shari'a not to vilify and accuse of unbelief but there is an injunction concerning such actionthe un to unjustly execrate and impute unbelief causes serious harm. If it is justifiable, there is no good or reward involved. Those who deserve it are innumerable. But there is no injunction in the Shari'a concerning not vthat ing or accusing of unbelief, so it is not harmful in any way. It is because of this fact that the people of reality, the Sunnis, and foll the the Four Imams and the Twelve Imams, {[*]: The Four Imams are the Imams al-Shafi'î, Abu Hanafî, Ahmad b. Hanbal, and Malik, the founders of the four schools of law that became established in Sunni Islam. The Twelve Imams whiche Imams of Twelver Shi'ism. [Tr.]} took the sacred law based on the above truth as their guide, and did not consider it permissible among Muslims

to make that time's strife the subject of discussion wonderbate, saying that to do so was without benefit, and harmful.

Also, leading Companions were found on both sides in those wars, and if one talks about those conflicts, tthe prone side or the other, one might feel opposed to or critical of some of the ten promised paradise such as Talha or Zubayr (May God be pleased with them). If t>a shimmitted any faults, there is a strong possibility that they repented. As for returning to those times and dwelling on those events unnecessarily and harmfully, without the sanction of the Shari'a, and adopting a stance that infers disregld con those who at this time are dealing awesome blows at Islam in fact and deserve to be execrated and loathed, does not befit a believer and is not congruent with the sacred duty of any conscientious person,

In fact, I can't conceal icted, you that your minor dispute with Sabri caused considerable harm to the dissemination of both the Risale-i Nur>and the truths of belief. I felt it here at that very time, and was affected and saddened. Then while awaits.

#ed-for manner. It would be a good act and meritorious, and atonement for many sins, as you know. Sabri, my fellow-countryman, has performed such services for the Risale-i Nur>and through it for belief that they would causnumeroousand faults to be forgiven. With your magnanimity, for the sake of his service you should look on him as a friend, fellow-countryman, and companion in the work of the Risale-i Nur,

In thoshipper, a group of the Companions followed relative justice as permitted by the Shari'a and abandoned the pure justice and adherence to

the Shari'a t-i Nuram 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) followed, and his ascetic, self-denying way. Since due to this ruling they joined the opposing side, and Imam 'Ali's brother 'Aqil, and 'Abdullah ibn ed in , who was known as Hibr al-Umma, even, joined it for a time, the true Sunnis took as their rule, "Closing the gate of dissension is one the beauties of the Shari'a," and declaring, "God d>inter allow us to spill their blood, so as thanks for His great favour we shall hold our tongues" {[*]: al-Sha'ranî, al-Yawaqît wa'l-Jawahîr, ii, 69; al-Bajurî, Sharh Jawharaisitedawhîd, 334. [Tr.]} considered it appropriate not to put too much emphasis on the matter. They argued that even if some of them deserved criticism, some of the leading Companions and members of the Prophet's (UWBP) family who were on the ty andng side, and some of the ten promised paradise like Talha and Zubayr (May God be pleased with them) would be objected to and vilified, cate pl enmity, so they favoured closing that door. In fact, Sa'd al-Dîn al-Taftazani, one of the greatest authorities of the Sunnis and of the science of kalam,>permitrts coe execration of Yazid and Walid, and the pronouncement of their unbelief, In response to this, other Sunni scholars such as Sayyid Sharif al-Jurjani, said: "For sure Yazid and Walid were iniquitous, cruel sinners, but ies to ot known whether or not they died without believing. And because it is not known with any certainty, since there is no definite record or incontrovertible evidence, there is a possibility that they repented and died in a stateill enlief. In which case, it is not permissible for particular persons such as them to be cursed. It may be permissible to curse in a general sort of way, saying 'May God curse the wrongdoersat he he dissemblers.' Otherwise it is harmful and unnecessary."

The reasons I have been unable to reply at length to your scholarly and detailed letter, are my serious illness and pressing occupations. I have the blese only been able to write this much hastily.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>Two hours after the sparrow had given the good newss beinyfully received safe and sound Zülfikar>and its companions, which are fruits of paradise and the pages of good works of the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ's executive comm monthand the books of their good deeds. I exclaimed, "May God grant them grace and success and happiness in this world and the next!' and with all my life and spirit congratulated both yourselves and this country. There are signs with d reaseliminary appearance of Zülfikar,>of the emergence of powerful currents favouring religion and the cessation of attacks on it, and of some sectors retreating and trying to make up for their former mistakes. Its publication and extramination, therefore, will secure great benefits for the country with respect to Islam, God willing, and indicates that it will disperse the layerirdağ arkness.

Yes, it is only the Risale-i Nur>that will halt the current of absolute dis- belief descending from the north; neither politics nor diplomacy can perform this task. For this reason, patrio, almstionalists, and politicians are obliged to embrace it. I beseech from divine mercy that for those who worked for Zülfikar>with its seven hundred pages, it will f Beingsingle page of good deeds at the resurrection of the dead and will be included in the book of deeds of their collective personality, indeed, of each one of those who workee mystt. Since those truths of belief are elevated worship and pious deeds and save the belief of numerous people, they comprise thousands of pious deeds; with each one of those who worked at it reading, listening to, and believing in itme to ecomes like a document for the hereafter resembling the book in which is recorded the good deeds of each. Most certainly, it is the mark of an infinite elled for Zülfikar,>with its seven hundred pages, to be published and included as one page in the book of good deeds in the hereafter of themselves and their collective personality.

Secblesse>For sure, the Risale-i Nur>is victorious wherever it goes, but as far as they possibly can, obdurate, intransigent atheists and materialists employ every stratagem to impede its victories and arouse the politicians' suspicions. God willinis gooy won't be able to mess things up. But it is always advisable to be cautious. The rule, " ... illuminates discreetly" ("sirran tanawwarat")>{[*]: "sirran tanawwarat" ( ... illuminates disc to it"): quoted from Imam 'Ali b. Talib's qasîda, al-Jaljalutiyya. Bediuzzaman makes reference to it in the First Point of the Twenty-Eighth Flash. [Tr.]} still persists. It is essential toLike Nrcumspect and act with composure until several more collections like this one are

published. Actually, although I have not seen thSaid, olic treatise about the inner meaning of "To thee have We granted">(Q 108: 1) for thirteen years, it would be both somewhat contrary to the rule of caution to send it here, and not everyone would understand it, for it has to be inct theted (te'vil)>and expounded (tefsir).>I wrote in one letter in The Additional Letters>that two truths had been imparted to me briefly:

One of them: A light was shown in a somewhat restricted aris, whunderstood this as meaning an extensive sphere and gave the good news forty years ago that we would behold a light. Even before the Second Consitutional Period, I repeatedly gave that news to my ascribudents. I supposed it would be in the broad sphere of politics, whereas it was subsequently imparted to me that we would see the Risale-i Nur>in theshunnie of belief and Islam and the life of Islamic society, for which this country had greatest need. With a premonition, I insistently and repeatedly told of it, and altered that true and ver belov matter's form.

The second: It was imparted to me that those who were dealing blows at the marks of Islam and Islamic politics would themselves receive severe blows in twelvd avoirteen, fourteen, and sixteen years. Contrarily to the previous matter, I interpreted the events that would occur in the broad sphere and the blows that would be dealt on those large commuOld Sa as happening in the form of blows dealt at individuals in the narrow sphere. But then exactly as predicted, in both spheres, broad and narrow, twelve years later the most terrible of them quitted this wNur stand in the broad sphere fearsome communities like his received blows in the years twelve, thirteen, fourteen, and sixteen, and it was imparted to me that they woulugar finue to do so. With my previous interpretation, I applied the large sphere to the small, then with 'the light' question above, I interpreted the small sphere anBut I event of the Risale-i Nur>and its pertaining solely to belief as occurring in the extensive sphere of politics. For this reason, not eve is sowould understand at once the meaning of "To thee have We granted.">Also, since personal names should not be included in scholarly questions, it is quite apt that for thirteen years I spect ad no copies of that treatise. Nor should my brothers be curious about it. If anyone is really curious about it, he should read the section trs havgins with "And for now secondly" at the beginning of "To thee have We granted,">and the piece about the same matter in The Additional Letters.>Otherwise he should not read it. The end of the Second World War and departu tonguthat fearsome person, and now with his policies falling back and contrarily to them, some people officially making moves in favour of religion, and the believers being saved to consciee from absolute depotism, and with slight differences the

predictions made in that short treatise occurring on the same dates, all constitute a flash of that sura's miraculousness (i'caz).>f the enthusiastic interpretations concealed the truth.

My Dear, Esteemed Brother!

To think of and exacerbate the most grievous, the very worst, wound of the Islamic wude thwhich for one thousand three hundred years has caused it to weep and all the people of reality to sigh at the pity of it, causes me distress greater than I can bear as a follower of my Nur>aular path, For twenty-five years, serving the cause of belief sincerely and truly has held me back from every sort of politics and not allowed me to have the nhem saers read to me. Similarly, the state of mind I have had to adopt has allowed me to apply to the government only with my court defences lest, whilpens tisoner, I concern myself with political life; and it has made me completely disregard the ghastly World War lest the work for belief be impaired or tainted by politics or sincerity marred. But although compliance with the Qur'anic command to hat beelief is obligatory since at the present time fearsome monsters are attacking the believers before our very eyes on the front of the truths of belief, and they have sunk their fangs nt.

any of them, to turn one's back on the present and return to the past to gaze on the atrocities visited on the Prophet's (UWBP) family crushes my spirit and breaks my morale, and heaps on it tnd cou after torment.

Numerous unjust events that were perpetrated in the name of the cruel principle of tyrannical politics, namely, that individuals may be sacrificed for the community, claimed to be t otherser of two evils and a sort of relative justice and advantageous for their rule. In this century, even, due to that cruel principle and on the deluded pretext that harm would come to their policies, five or ten men hascarinned thousands and have wiped out a village because of one man's fault.

Since in early times this cruel principle was adopted to an extent by Muslims, the pious forefathers and the Sunni authorities felt compelled tquestiin silent and closed those doors. Saying: "God did not involve us in their quarrels and kept our hands clean. So in gratitude for this, we shall keep our tongues clean by not talking about them," {[*]: al-Shaw wil, al-Yawaqît wa'l-Jawahîr, ii, 69; al-Bajurî, Sharh Jawharat al-Tawhîd, 334. [Tr.]} they did not open those doors.

Since those who inflicted such suffering on the Prophet's (UWBP) family are now suffering severe torments in thknowleafter, there is no need for us to attack them in order to assist his family members. His family received so high a reward in return for that temporary oppression that we cannotwledgeehend it with our minds. We should not pity them but congratulate them on the infinite mercy they have received. For on the one hand, by suffering a few years' hardship they gained eternal bliss of infinite prongs. Tns in the hereafter, and on the other, they won the ranks of spiritual monarchs, shahs>of the world of reality, in place of the petty, transient sovereignty and temporary rule, and confused poschool of their time in this world. Instead of being governors, they became the commanders of saints and spiritual poles; their gain was not a thousandfold, but millions.

It is for this reason that from the New Said's special masters, Imam Rabbansly anth al-A'zam, and Imam Ghazali {[*]: Imam Rabbani, a popular title of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindî (d. 1034/1624) was born in Sirhind in India is known as the Regenerator of the Second Millennium (Mujaddid-i Alf-i Thanî); he purified Iseir st heterodox accretions and was founder of the Mujaddidî branch of the Naqshbandî Order. Gawth al-A'zam refers to Shaykh 'Abd al-Qadir al-Gîlanî (d. 561/1165-6), the Hanbalite theologian, preacher, and Sufi, after whom the Qadiriyya Ordeisitatnamed. Hujjat al-Islam Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazalî (d. 505/1111). Eminent theologian, jurist, Sufi, and thinker known his criticisms of philosophy.'s newaushan al-Kabir, see fn 36 above. [Tr.]} - and especially from these two masters that I was taught the supplication Jaushan al-Kabir>of Zayn al-'Abidin (May God be pleased with him), And through the instructionprinteeived from Hz. Husayn and Imam 'Ali (May God exalt him), and especially in my constant spiritual link with them these last thirty years through the Jaushan ato prer,>I received the former truth and the way that has now been imparted to us from the Risale-i Nur.>To look to or even think about the tyrants' atrocities, let alone probe them, is opposed to our way. For they and inclither victims have received reward and recompense far exceeding what we can conceive of. To dwell on those matters is detrimental to the Qur'anic duties with which we are now charged in the face of the present calamitous assaults on religion. T He wies of the science of the principles of religion (usul al-dîn)>which the learned theologians of the science of theology (kalam)>and erudite scholars of the principles sible igion and of Sunnism agreed on after their minute studies and reasoned debates, and weighed up on the Qur'an's verses and Hadiths, about the Islamic artigreetif faith, command the preservation of the Risale-i Nur's>way, and corroborate and strengthen it. No one anywhere, not even the innovators, have been able to criticize it. Since it preserves the true m every of sincerity, Muslims of every shade enter its fold. Bigoted Shi'is, the most materialist

and scientistic Wahhabi philosophers even, and the most egotistical narrow-minded hojas>are beginning to sity aits fold together, some in brotherly fashion. There are even signs that some missionaries and truly spiritual clergy of the religion of Jesus (Upon whom be peace) will enter it. Feeling the need for it if ration and reconciliation rather than attacking each other, they avoid putting forward matters that lead to dispute. That is to say, the RisalI wrotr,>which Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) predicted almost explicitly with thirty to forty allusions, is an effective remedy for the awesome wo is sif the present. Its sphere suffices us and we do not go beyond it.

It is one thing to attack and strike at Imam 'Ali's (May God sanctify his mystery) pe, it bnd life and politics, which were founded on the way of true justice. But his collective personality, perfections of knowledge, rank of sainthood, and being heir of the Prophet (UWBP), which are tlaim hds of times higher than his outward personality, worldly life, socio-political activities, have not and cannot be struck. Who can be so bold as to attack them? In consequence, the attacks Nur>pse who oppose him imagining that they can unite his two sides, appear to be very fearsome. They cause bewilderment by asking how such events could have happened between the people of belief? Whereas wth. A e exception of iniquitous persons like Yazid and Walid, the great majority of people were not trying to denigrate Imam 'Ali's (May God be plt you with him) perfections, wonders, and being heir of the Prophet (UWBP), but only to strike a blow at his government of society; and they were in error.

It is essential to break off minor ppressal hostilities when powerful external enemies are attacking. Otherwise it is tantamount to aiding the formidable enemy. For this reason, from early times within Iss, anduslims who had adopted partisan positions opposing one another, temporarily forgot their internal hostilities; the interests of Islam demand this.

My Dear, Loyal,t few nate Brother, Süleyman Rüştü!

With all my life and spirit and in the name of the Risale-i Nur>and all its students, I congratulate you their brother's heroic [son] Burhan, your two blessed, innocent children and the members of your household. Isparta and in the future this country will applaud your success in performing ses frice so sacred that in the next life it will earn you perpetual reward, and here many prayers for your well-being. God willing, you will aritten numerous successes like Zülfikar.>Such an achievement in these severe conditions, is

a wonder of both Zülfikar>and your loyalty. Your truly auspicious dream was a manifestation the Angel Gabriel's duty - giving the Qur'an to the Propr nothpon whom be blessings and peace) at the divine command. It is a sign that this service of yours is in accord with divine pleasure and that of the Prophet (UWBP). It may be in mine ted as The Miracles of the Qur'an (Mu'cizat-i Kur'aniye)>being conveyed to Muhammad's (UWBP) community (umma)>by means of the treatise The Miracles of Muhammad (UWBP).

Just as the sun's image reflected in a frprelim of glass becomes related through its light to the person holding the glass, conversing with him in a sort of way; so particular manifestations in dreams such as these - and the pious forefathers had such dreams -an>is igns of acceptance and approval. The person you saw with the Prophet (UWBP) was the Risale-i Nur>and the collective personality of its students.

Our duty is, with sincerity, steadfastnessage ofutual support, and circumspection to affirm by deed the guidance of Imam 'Ali alluded to by "... illuminates discreetly", {[*]: "sirran tanawwarat" (" ... illumies, sodiscreetly"): quoted from Imam 'Ali b. Talib's qasida, al-Jaljalutiyya. Bediuzzaman makes reference to it in the First Point of the Twenty-Eighth Flash. [Tr.]} to act in accordance with it. We shoa handt respond to opponents or be alarmed at their attacks. Success, the conquests of the Risale-i Nur>and its spreading and being sought, are all God's business. We should look to our own business and duties, and nonnot rrfere in His. I said this and was consoled both for myself and for you.

Of those five Ahmeds, Fuad Ahmed, who has taken the plather sHasan Feyzi in Safranbolu as his full heir, told me in his most earnest and devoted letter that like Hasan Feyzi and Hâfız Ali died in my stead, he was praying that he might give the remainder of hionfine to me and to depart for the Intermediate Realm before me. However, his being alive now is much more useful for the Risale-i Nur.>Thinking that an inemandsous brother who is younger than me will fulfil my tasks for the Risale-i Nur>after me like my other brothers, I await my death with a perfectly peaceful heart. God willing, He will bring many such self-sal to mng people to it.

The Nur medrese hero of long standing, and most loyal, most capable, and most steadfast Marangoz Ahmed describes in his beautiful, sad letter about the death of Haji Hâfız, the scnd val master, the pious attitude of the school's students towards their master, and how the rain stopped so as not to cause them trouble or wet them or cause them to catch colderal Sthen started again when they had finished and how this was a sign that vast mercy had been sent down on the late departed's spirit. May Almighty God bestow mercy on him and on them to the number of those rao falsplets. Amen!

Sadık Bey has performed extraordinary services for the Risale-i Nur>for eight years together with his son and late wife, and has worked loyally with his pen, brinximum umerous people into its fold like the other heroes in prison. Now Hilmi Bey, known as the Little Shaykh, who has done so much for Sadık Bey, and to make my life easier, and for co-operation among the Nur students, and together with suchph), tt Kastamonu students as Feyzi, Emin, İhsan, and the Ahmeds, has performed many services for the Risale-i Nur,>has told me in his letter of his wife's death, who was a Nurju. Thanks to the departed, for the last month or two while mentiperlatthe Zehrâs in my prayers, I have also mentioned the Hacers, intending also the departed although I did not know of her death. May God Almighty grant her abundant mercy and bestore sweence on her relatives. Amen.

While doing the corrections recently, I suddenly felt violently angry, not at the hojas>who are within the fold of the Risale-i Nur>and work at it, and the Konya hojas,>but at the other terri there are devoted Nur students who do not know Arabic and they make numerous mistakes and errors. This causes me great trouble, so I shouted at the hojas>who used to be my students and my brother and the official hojas>who are now in Iest hal and Ankara, saying: "You mean-spirited people! Why don't you help me, although it is your duty and the Risale-i Nur>is a product of the medreses, and it is obligatory for you to serve belieheir mch is so necessary? Your indifference may cause many to withdraw from it. You are earning a share of the slap Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) dealt at a group of hojas>at the end of time." WhilFrom yting them thus, three things suddenly occurred to me in defence of those hojas>whose hearts are uncorrupted.

The First:>For various reasons it is inappropriate to divulge, two scholarly comght. Is in two large centres are employing every means to induce the various groups of hojas>to withdraw from the Risale-i Nur.>Utilizing such things a that cial posts and the struggle for a livelihood, they draw the unfortunate hojas>into their own fields and distance them from the Risale-i Nur.>It isn't that the hojas>don't know its Eğird the struggle to make a living, or relying on the high-ranking hojas>on the committee and supposing that the religious knowledge they have acquired is sufficient to save their own belief, they remain indifferent and issf the was>and concessions for themselves.

The Second:>Due to unwarranted fears that an incident like that of Menemen or Shaykh Said might erupt, my enemies have twice tried to eliminate the Risale-i Nur>stu me foand made them subject to terrible assaults and persecution and for a long time have opposed me covertly, and have twice vindictively induls andme members of the government to have us charged officially in respect of the law, government, and politics, and sent to prison. Their employing official and unofficial means of propaganda in this way to scare everree moway from us and from the Risale-i Nur>of course causes considerable consternation to sensitive and somewhat weak hojas,>and constitutes an excuse for them. Therefore, not the majority but thhe per the hojas>who displaying unusual courage and enterprise, enter the fold of the Risale-i Nur,>are the cause of those of them who don't enter to be forgiven to a degree.

The Third:>This has been postponed. Some hojas>interpret litheir s a number of similes and metaphors which veil the truth such as: "A man as tall as a minaret," and "On his forehead will be written ...", and "His hand will be pierced by water," and make this a pretext althougl oppos inappropriate that such predictions in the Risale-i Nur>should be interpreted superficially, and they thereafter keep aloof from it. But endless thanks be to Almighty God that the Risale-i Nur>contains a news which the mass of Muslims are in dire need of at this time as a point of support and which they have found in it. This is such a truth that it can be exploited fois faming nor tainted by any hostile purpose or aim; it disallows all doubts and scepticism, and no enemy can refute it, and only those who work at it seeking truth and reality icionsind it. Worldly objectives may not be combined with this truth, for then the believers who are far from it may have complete confidence in it and in its loyal dissewritters, and they may save their belief in the face of the objections and denials of atheists and the irreligious, and the philosophers who are violently opposed to religion.

Yes, through the tongue as toposition the believers will say that since

so many fierce enemies could neither refute this truth nor object to it, and its students follow no aim other than serving it; it must be pure truth and studeious reality; it will form evidence as powerful as a thousand proofs, strengthening their belief and saving it; they will not be beset by doubts about the veracity of Islag off Twice, Abdurrahman Salâhaddin, who is enterprising but not always successful, has wanted to send The Staff of Moses>and part of Zülfikar>toical shar University, but unusually some difficulties arose and they were not sent to that very necessary and important place. In accordance with the rule, "What God wishes is best," since I had not looked at the two copies and correctedp that it occurred to me that it would be better if complete and thoroughly corrected copies of both works were sent to those ulema, who study e and sing with the greatest attention. For the copies contain errors that are serious and would attract the ulema's objections. So Salâhaddin should send them to me and I'll have a look at them. Later,Risaleilling, we shall send both the complete Zülfikar,>and The Staff of Moses,>and The Mysteries Collection (Tılsım Mecmuası)>together with a leher inf explanation.

It is understood from the letter of Haji Abdüllatif, who is a follower of Mawlana Jalal al-Dîn Rumi (May God sanctify his mystery), one of my masters, that he knowingly and appreciatively is going to serve the Risale-e bera>I was anyway expecting that some Nur heroes would emerge from the Mevlevis. God willing, he will be one of them. I send him many greetings. He should not be offended that my circumstances do not allow me to write to him just ally. I send many greetings to Sabri and his children and the Nur students there, and to Hoja Vehbi and the other hojas,>and await their prayers.

One ofaddin'ur students asked about my spiritual belongings and rights, which would pass to you after my death, and in accordance with the meaning of "Die before you die!," {[*]: al-'Ajlunîstanbuf al-Khafa', ii, 29. Ibn Hajar said that this Hadith lacks a sound chain of authorities, while 'Alî al-Qarî stated that it is sound in mate, i. [Tr.]} specifying you as my heirs before my death. He asked what the reason was and said that they hoped I would be among them for a long time to come, God willing.

In: alled: If these belongings of mine pass after my death to my true and veracious heirs, they would be divided up just like worldly goods; each

person according to his position woulmy illme the rightful owner of a part of the property; no one person could be the owner of all of it. But if they are made over to the heirs before death, each may be considered owner of all of it, of that lighyal petering lamp, according to his degree. Each would become a young Said and there would be thousands of guards instead of just one. Receiving one share of Said's legacy out a thousand, each would not be juNursi>urju, but fully a young Said. For example, if that property the Risale-i Nur>- were a treasury, on its distribution, thousands of Nurjus would eand hapeive twenty or a hundred gold pieces or whatever. But if they were to receive it before my death, owing to a great mystery, each would do so according to his capacity and the elect t it: receive a million pieces at once. This mystery bears a profound meaning which I cannot now divulge.

That student then asked: "Would all those select students sacrifice their lives and ease as you have done, that tcount ght receive that vast property all at once?" I replied: Mutual support and co-operation hold a vast mystery so that, just as three alifs>put side by shave hcome a hundred and one and acquire commensurate strength, so the strength yielded by the genuine mutual support of the select students should not be less than the self-sacrifice, supposed by you to be e. Thruman, of a wretched person like myself, God willing.

Mehmed Çavuş, one of the Sava Nur School heroes, saw the police chief with the copy of Z has wr>he had written for me. He told the chief that it was his and that he should return it to him. But the police chief replied that he had enjoyed reading it and that he wanted to hold onger ge for another week or two, to which Mehmed Çavuş agreed. Now, if you think it appropriate, tell the police chief, and the superintendent who confiscated it: "Said sends you his greetings and says that that other person wrote it because h Sec handwriting is not good."

I look on Isparta as blessed together with its earth and stones and all its people, and therefore regard its administrators and especially its police as earnest friends. As has bnd themitted by the police of three provinces, and established by numerous experiences and the acquittals granted unanimously by three courts and the praise and appreciation ligiouee committees of scholars and experts, the Risale-i Nur>with all its treatises and its students are highly effective moral keepers of the peaco thatpublic order. They ensure public peace, security, and discipline, which is the duty of the

police chief and his men, and in the face of the bad behaviour o to thunruly, induce obedience more effectively than the police superintendants. The police, therefore, should look on us approvingly as the police chief does, not suspiciously. Because he said that he really liked Zülfikar>and that he was goily imaread it. Anyway, you do whatever you think is best.

Also, tell the police chief: "Our brother Said says that if you really do like Zülfat forou can have that copy as a gift, because it is his. And he says too that he will also give you a copy of The Staff of Moses,>which is just as iin meant as Zülfikar."

I have absolutely no time to write personal replies to the gratifying letters that have arrived from Denizli and Tavas and my circumstances do not a and wt, so they should not feel offended. It is understood from Çakır. Yusuf's letter that he is totally committed and a full heir of Hasan Feyzi.

Thes advayear-old innocent child of our brother, a Nur commander and the Hulûsi of Isparta, Re'fet Bey, has written out the First Word from the Risale-i Nur>so well that it shows heay to stined to be a blessed Hüsnü and young hero among the children like the eleven-year-old Hüsnü of Safranbolu. May Almighty God give him to the Risale-i Nur>and grant him0

and ss. Amen. I shall correct and send the copy I have written out, God willing.

{[*]: Hilmi Uran (1886-1957) had a lengthy political career, holding numerous posts and including ministries in various Republican People's Party governments. He was Interior Mhat asr 1943-1946. [Tr.]}

Firstly:>The only petition I have written in twenty years was to you when you were Interior Minister. But I did notatienc my rule of twenty years and did not submit it. If you like, I can read it to you. I shall speak to you as both former Interior Minister, and present General Secretary. To speak for ten e warswould be little indeed for someone who has not addressed the government for twenty years and spoken only once with one of its leading membehya' ' that on account of the government. So permit me to speak with you for an hour or two.

Secondly:>I consider myself obliged to explain a matter to you as present General Secretary of t Unseety. It is this:

O Turkish nation and brothers in religion who have been Turkified and have for a thousand years gratified the Islamic world with their ***

m and are renowned for the pre-eminent role they have played in preserving Islamic unity and saving the world of humanity from absolute disbelief and misguidance! If, mistakenly and to the detriment of , becaon, you do not now defend the Qur'an and truths of belief as you did formerly, and if you and the patriots who resemble you do not strive to spread the truths of the Qur'an directly in place er Ahm propaganda of present-day civilization, I can tell you most certainly and demonstrate to you with decisive proofs, that instead of the Islamic world's love and- who erhood, you shall earn its loathing and disgust, and you shall fall prey to the anarchy underlying absolute disbelief that is now atteIn fac to destroy the Islamic world; you shall be the cause of the Islamic world's citadel and renowned army, the Turkish nation, being torn to pieces and overrun by the fearsome mohe Risthat has emerged from the north-east.

Yes, this heroic nation may withstand the two terrible currents pressing down from outside by relying news e strength of the Qur'an. Only this nation can halt absolute disbelief, absolute despotism, and absolute dissipation, and the current that gains an overwhelming ning. by allowing the rebellious to seize the wealth of the upright; only this nation, which is fused with Islam and united with Islam and in the paof thi won all its honour through Islam. The zealous patriots of this nation will halt that current, God willing, by taking the truths of the Qur'an as their guiding principles in place of secular educrldly for they are the life-blood of this nation, which is thus fused and united.

The second current['s representatives]>have followed a strategy of accustoming their colonies in the Islamic world to themselves in order to entwise ebind them to this current, to impute irreligion to the powerful Islamic centre of this country and to corrupt it, and in effect to sever the bonds between this country and the Islamic world, and turocent latter's brotherhood into enmity. It has been somewhat successful in this up to the present. If this current were to come to its senses, it would chf the his alarming strategy and placate Islam in this centre just as it has placated the Islamic world. It would both profit enormously, and preserve its vast conquests to a degree, and save this country and nation from a ghastly calamity.

If both itriotic, nation-loving people of whom you are the General Secretary attempt to persist with the principles that have been in force up to now and have trampled our sacred matters on ac the dof modern civilization,

and taking as their guiding principles the policies enacted by three or four people in the name of reform (inkilap),>they ascribe the resulting ghastly errors to the nation, then the evils performed byas chahree or four will become three or four million and will constitute serious oppostion to the innumerable past armies of the Turkish nation with the has blions of martyrs. For this nation is a heroic and religious nation and the army of Islam; to persist in the above will be a cause of dishonour and torment tor his spirits. Moreover, if the good works which have found existence through the nation's and army's power and zeal and in which those three or four reformist men had a very small part, are ascribed to those three or fEmirdan, those three or four million good works will be reduced and restricted to three or four good works, and will in no way atone for those awesome errors.

Thirdly:>You surely have numeronivers various opponents, both internal and external. I would not know because I have not concerned myself with worldly or political affairs. But because they have harassed me so much this year, I have been compelled to search fn only reason and I saw that an opponent of yours had emerged. If that opponent had been a perfect leader and had appeared in the name of the truths of belief, he would have defeated you in one fell swoop. For ninety-nine per cent of this nation haa degra thousand years been bound heart and spirit to the traditions of Islam. Even if it bows obediently to the commands of an opposing nature, it would not be bound to them with the heart.

Furthermore, Muslims do not rd forle other nations; if they give up their religion, they become anarchists and cannot be held by any bonds; they can be controlled only by absolute despotd belid unqualified bribery and not by any educative or preventative measures. There are numerous examples proving this fact so I am cutting it shor. I herefer it to your intelligence.

Sweden, Norway, and Finland have felt an intense need this century for the Qur'an, it is essential that you do not lag behind them. Your duty is to act as guide to them and to others like the are ayou ascribe the errors of the reforms that have occurred up to the present to the three or four men and try to repair the destruction caused under the constraints of the World War and other revolutions - especially the destruction caused to ta premigious traditions - it will both win you great honour in the future, and be atonement in the hereafter for your serious mistakes, and be a useful mirace for the country and nation, and make you deserving to be known as patriotic and a lover of the nation.

Fourthly:>Since death cannot be killed nor the door of the grave be

closed, and since sands veryone you are racing towards it, and since for the people of misguidance certain death means being sentenced to eternal nonbeing and no matter how zealous, preoccupation with politics and worldly matters cannot change this; ide fonce you now have in your possession the Risale-i Nur,>which proves as clearly as daylight that for the believers the Qur'an transforms everlaf hearexecution into discharge papers, and in twenty years no scientist or atheist has been able to challenge it - on the contrary, it has brought to belief scientists who have studied it attentively, and in the space of twelve years four of yo of seminal courts and committees of experts made up of philosophers and religious scholars have applauded, affirmed and appreciated it and have been unable to object to the proofs it contains of the matters of belie which since I can put forward as witnesses one hundred thousand members of the Turkish nation, especially its youths with a secular education, that together with its being in no way harmful for this nation aes to ntry, it is a Qur'anic barrier resembling the barrier of Dhu'l-Qarnayn that withstands the fearsome currents that are assaulting them; most certainly, it is encumbent upon you that was Ansider fully these ideas of mine that I am presenting to you. At all times you lend an ear to worldly diplomats, so should therefore heed, if only a little, a wretched person like myself who iill nohe door of the grave and speaks on behalf of the hereafter and weeps at the circumstances of his fellow citizens.

{(*): Although for twenty years I had never applied to the authorities, this petition was written once off when I was angry periodressed the Interior Minister, Hilmi, and for the record was sent to the Afyon police chief. Four or five times they unnecessarily and meaninglessly caused me distress, calling me to the police station official from asking me: "Your handwriting isn't like that; who wrote that for you?" I replied: "Petition shouldn't be made to such people; I was right to remain silent for twenty years!"

Police and authorities of Emirdle-i Nwrote this conversation a year ago, but I didn't send it and kept it. Now in five ways that are illegal they have interfered and prevented me from having anyone to assist me in the place I stay and enforce out-and-out tyranny on me in aic stunheard of in this world. I am informing you of this with the idea that those who act illegally in the name of the law will come to actem: "Iy. [Author]}

A Brief Postscript

Hilmi Bey! You are fortunate! While in prison and here I considered you to be pitiless towards us. Whenever I became angry, I intended to curse you. But whenever I mentioned in my prayers a select Nur stun of pnd brother of mine called Hilmi Bey, the name Hilmi Bey, the recipient of the prayer, virtually became an intercessor and prevented me, although I had intended to curse you. So I revoked that intention and enduring the illtreatm setba17

of your officials who tormented me, gave up the idea of cursing you. Often I was astonished at this; I was not angry at you despite your causing all this unjustifiable torment. That is he dey, a premonition was inspired in my heart that in the end we would be friends.

... ... ... ... ...d arbi..

I have been the target of an injustice the like of which has never at any time occurred on the face of the earth, and of cruel persecution which is illegal in ten respects. It is like this:

I am both ill ae Turkng been poisoned due to a violent conspiracy, and an extremely weak elderly seventy-one-year-old; I am all alone in piteous exile; and so pooorld, o sell my slippers to buy bread; and I'm solitary and unsociable and, having lived alone for twenty-five years, can meet only with one out of a thousand people who is totally lyone aThis person, myself, has been declared innocent by three courts of law and the Ankara experts' committee, which having scrutinized down to the finest details his life and works of twenty years, gave the decision unanimously for ttok incquittal and ruled that his works were harmless for the country and nation, indeed, were beneficial. He is a son of this land who performed important ser throuin the First World War; and is a patriot who with all his strength strives with his effective works which are there for all to see to save this nation and country from anarchy and the corruption of foreigneour med is a harmless person who, as has been proved by seventy witnesses in court, has not read a newspaper for twenty-five years nor has been curious about the news, and for seven years has not shown any interest in the Second Wand poar nor asked about it, nor known about it, and whose works contain powerful proofs showing that he has severed all connections with politics, and concerning whom your judiciary has officially admitted that he has notoung tfered in your world. I, this wretched Said, who flees with all his strength from public regard lest harm comes to his sincerity and life of the hereafter, and shrinks from and dislikes his brotherfor thd opinions and praise of him, - which of your benefits demands that you, the Interior Minister, set the Governor of Afyon and Emirdağ police to pester me, and inflict on me in one day the torments of a month's soorded confinement,

and compel me to remain all alone by myself in lonely isolation? What law permits this dire cruelty? I am informing the Interior Ministers, ande above by means of the high office of the judiciary, which protects the rights of the public.

Recently, two high-rankiStaff onels (both were gendarme officers) and a deputy who was a party inspector visited our Master. Having held a long conversation with him, they decided with complete resignatthose be friends with him. And now one of them has become a Nur student. The deputy and chief inspector was evidently a friend of the Old Said. After they hur'an,e, we learnt that through him that Hilmi Bey, the former Interior Minister and now General Secretary of the party, was going to visit our Master privatelme andhave a friendly meeting with him. We have therefore sent this note to you so that an exact copy should be given him and this matter should be discussed. Our Master gave us permiblows to send it to you to inform you before he comes.

He also wrote a prayer at the end of the short treatise written out by Hüsnü, Re'fet Bey's blessed son, and we include this as an enclosure. Endless thanks be to Almighty God that a kayma now ts been appointed here who is both a Nurju, and an earnest friend, and religious. We are sending also the piece called "A Conversation with the Interior Minister." Our Master is going to read it to him as wet's sp***

The hero Nazif and Yâkub Cemal say that the coinciding (tevâfuk)>with the publication of Zülfikar>of the acceptance of the Qur'an by three states in thces heh-west, and this confirming the statement last year that if Zülfikar>was to appear it would lead to great conquests at home and abroad, is truly auspicious, and we share in the conviction remarse two brothers. It is most significant that in this stormy and godless century three states should openly acknowledge humanity's intense need for the Qur'an, and one, the German, should do so secretly. It is indeed good news forh law d for the Islamic world that three states in far-off lands should all

together affirm the Qur'an. In fact, it would be good news if only ten famous people or scientists (feylesof)>affirmed it; it would truly boost the morale ofs lifeeople at large.

The wisdom in the Qur'anic symbols and coincidences in such parts of the Risale-i Nur's>Twenty-Ninth Letter as The Six Attacks (Hücumat-ı Sitte)>and its appendix, r or ue Seven Signs (İşârât-ı Seb'a),>and The Nine Allusions (Telvihat-ı Tis'a)>was their being a factor that silenced the courts and the committee of experts and our not being held guilty because of Yes It is as though those symbols and subtle, profound matters told them in unexpressed words to be fair-minded and not to bother those working at such deep mysteries of the Qur'an. Now, the confused arrangement of the symbols and coincid one ain those treatises is quite inapt, for only one person out of twenty is needy for them and may understand them, whereas nineteen out of twenty people may need and understand them in the other treatises.

The Nur students here say thaens, wr brothers in Denizli have examined our miraculous Qur'an for three years, so they should now permit us to peruse it for three months. The students here are also going to get in toyou math Istanbul from here, to have the Hizb-i Nûriye>and Hizb-i Kur'aniye>printed photographically.

Tell that friend and brother of ours who wants to send Zülfikar>and The Staff of Moses>Prison Muslim committee in America via the American ambassador that because ambassadors' heads are busy with politics and the Risale-i Nur>is unconcerned with politics, such political heads cannot quickly appreciate it. In additorld, he Risale-i Nur>does seek customers; the customers have to seek it out and plead for it. America follows even the most trifling events here inquisitively, so it will certainly be curiousd arri the Risale-i Nur,>the event of greatest importance here, and will seek it out. Subsequently, you and the select students who represent the Risale-i Nur's>collective personality will manage all our affairs. I too have a vot God! now.

Your brother who sends thousands of greetings to all our brothers and prays for their well-being and requests their prayers.

ulatioss thanks be to Almighty God, for owing to the wondrous effects (kerâmet)>of true solidarity and unshakeable unity, the pillars of the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ are overco someoll difficulties and obstacles and are being successful in getting the Risale-i Nur's>diamond Zülfikar>and its miracuIous proofs to those in need. Even if the troubles we suffer in securing this result were a thousand times greater, tGod's uld count for little and be insignificant.

We congratulate the three children Münevvere, Nazmiye, and Sâim, who our brother Re'fet says in his letter, have in three montnd itsceeded in reading the whole Qur'an having started from scratch (lit. elif),>and in addition to their Qur'an lessons, listen innocently and eagerly to the truths of belief of the Risale-i Nur.>We congratulate them and t of myeachers and parents. God willing, Münevvere and Nazmiye will complete the tasks connected with the Risale-i Nur>that Abdülbaki and Mehmed Celâl left unfinished.

May Almighty God restore to health t writik person mentioned in the heroic Burhan's letter, who has filled us and the Risale-i Nur>with gratitude, and may God bestow mercy on our brother's Zekâi's motherhe govhas died. Amen.

Sabri, who is the Nur power station and one of the pillars of the Risale-i Nur>and a fine representative of those who are hojas,>tells me in his letter that Ahm to sad wants to sacrifice his life for his elderly Master, whose duties are almost fulfilled, and to go soon to the Intermediate Realm in his stead, and that ht thirs to be the successor in service of the late Hâfız Ali and Hasan Feyzi. Sabri says too that if possible he wants to give his life as well, as the fourth of themhind tis persuading his soul and his heart. I declare "Bârekâllah!" a thousand times over to this staunch, most useful brother of long-standing who has dedicated urts ofe to the Risale-i Nur,>and I accept the life he has dedicated to me like Ahmed Fuad and entrust what remains of my life to those two brothers, thoeem su new Saids, so that they may persist in the service of belief and the Risale-i Nur>in my place.

He also says in his letter that Sıddık Süleyman's son Yûsuf is learning under Şamlı Hâfız Tevfik, the chief scribe of Barla's Nur Schoeir fue script and lessons of the Qur'an and the Risale-i Nur,>like the sons of the late Mustafa Çavuş and Ahmed; and that Hulûsi and Hâfız Hakkı are enthusiasticalut it ting out the Risale-i Nur;>all of which strengthened my hopes for Barla and caused me deep joy and happiness. May Almighty God grant them success. Amen! And to Tevfik. Amen!

I was also greatly pleased wlude ie letter included in Sabri's letter from Hüseyin, the nephew of Sıddık Süleyman, who assisted me so much while

I was in Barla and whom I often remember. It also satisfied my curiosity. Mâsha'llaho eachontinues his previous involvement, just like the old Sıddık Süleyman!

Also sent with Sabri's letter were those of Şükrü, Süleyman, and Osman Çavuş, Nur students from the village of Cire near I begir, which show their serious and sincere attachment to the Risale-i Nur,>to which I say: Bârekâllah! May Almighty God bless them and grant them success!

I have received the treatises sepies othe Husrev and Rüştü of Kastamonu, Mehmed Feyzi and Emin, that belonged to me and remained in Kastamonu and were being held in trust by them. Mehmed Feyzi, the Risale-i Nur's>chief scribe, has ul resn a glossary for The Staff of Moses,>which I have sent to you. It is written in truly fine and learned fashion although he is ill. He inclmy rig noteworthy piece at the head of it, and sent me a letter also. His wondrous loyalty and superior devotion, and his serving belief in various ways, despite the numerous dng itslties and obstacles there, show that just as he is a young Husrev, so he is fully a Hasan Feyzi. But because when I was there, I was not bothered by a very high-ranking and egotistical person who had forivalr been an official and had leanings towards Sufism, and a most notable, knowledgeable hoja>who was deeply involved in the world and was a politically oriented businessman, I did not attempt to draw them into the fold of the Risale-i Nur,>and Icent cot bother them, Now, Mehmed Feyzi wants to deliver Kastamonu from their ascendancy, but is unable to achieve this as in Denizli. Moreover, such Nur champions as Hilmi, Sadık, an Bara'd Kureyşi are away in their villages, so Feyzi's work remains a bit personal. God willing, sometime they will succeed in this completely.

In another field (in the world of women), Kastamonu's Zehrâs, Hacers, Lütfiyes, Ulviremostnd Necmiyes accompany Feyzi in serving the Risale-i Nur.

It says in Feyzi's letter that thanks to the efforts of the Risale-i Nur>students, an official Qur'an school has been opened and that ighs orst to attend it were the Nur children and particularly Emin's children and they have been the first to read the Qur'an from beginning to end and to learn some of it by heart. I congratulate them and their fathers and the otherks of nts there, and say: "Bârekâllah!" a thousand times over for those innocent children.

Our worthy sister Zehrâ has come here twice in connection with the Risale-i Nur>work; her donating two hundred liras>to cover the paper expenses of terallyresetü'z-Zehrâ shows that among the women are Husrevs, Feyzis, and Ahmeds.

I have received the joint letter of the Nur heroes Hilmi Bey and Emin in Kastaissionnd signed by Hâfız İhsan. I send with much longing, greetings to those valuable, steadfast, unshakeable old brothers and the other Nur students there. Also, whe its bİhsan who was together with us in prison and assisted us so much there? I am curious.

Thanks to the wondrous loyalty and devotion of such people in the vicinity andholranbolu as the Mustafas, Ahmed Fuad, the late Hıfzı, and Rahmi, our eight years of service for the Risale-i Nur>in Kastamonu did not remain fruitless; they prove materially that there will be a shining Nur School in Safranbolu. I considehuhur e most significant the good news given in Mustafa Osman's latest letter that the Risale-i Nur>will make many conquests among the hundreds of your expeple and workers in the manufacturing town of Karabük.

It is truly most auspicious what the two young Nur heroes, Mustafa Sungur and Rahmi, tell in their fine letter of Ahmed Fuad's earnest efforts to teach the Risale-i Nur>in thei or coages, and the district of Eflâni coming to resemble a Nur School like Barla, with its people attending the lessons enthusiastically; and two yult, teachers embracing the Risale-i Nur>still in the old script; and the children starting to learn the Qur'anic script, and starting to write out the Risale-i Nur.>May Almighty God grant success to those t extent children and may He be pleased with their teachers and parents. They are included among the children mentioned in my prayers. We congratulate the district of Eflâni, and foremost birdsFuad, Mustafa, and Rahmi.

Mustafa Sungur, one the young Nur heroes, has written out the conclusion of the Eleventh Topic of The Fruits of Belief>perfectly in a short space of time in the old letters, and Rahmi, the othe Risal written out beautifully A Guide for Youth>in the old letters, and sent these to me together with my books that arrived from Kastamonu. In truth, this pleased me so much, it was a to tegh two new nephews resembling Abdurrahman and Fuad had come into the world.

An immigrant in Balıkesir and follower of Jalal al-Dîn al-Rumi called Edhem Hoja has for nearly twenty years been busy teaching the Qucompano children and acting as a village hoja,>and now works for the Risale-i Nur>in Balıkesir and the vicinity of Kırkağaç. The lengthy letter he has written in the name of the Nur students in that area and signed İbe firsEdhem, Imam of the village of Alamescid near Sandıklı,>contains some important passages

as well as some slaps for the cowardly hojas,>whom he invites and encourages to embrace the Risale-i Nur.>I congratulate him earnestly. May Almighty God grant him success! And I send my greetings to both to himsewere o to the many Nurjus and the new ones whose names are mentioned in his letter. But owing to my illness, I am unable to correct and moderate his long letter. The eion isve praise of me needs to be either excised or to be altered. I am sending you a copy to include among The Additional Letters.>God willing, just as Hasan Feyzi and Ahmed Feyzi drew the teachers to the Risaleich wa,>so this enterprising brother will attract the hojas.

I also send my greetings to the baker Mustafa, who from time to time assisted me together with his son while I was staying in the hotel in Denizli, and broughtisale-d embers for heating and bread, and sent me a letter via Tahir Çavuş.

I send many greetings to everyone and pray for their well-being.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

It is asked:>Why don't you accept for yourself the powerful good opinions of the Nur students and tng witertain convictions concerning your self, or a rank or position that would further encourage them to serve the Risale-i Nur?>Why do you ascribe all these to the Ris all tNur>and show yourself to be a faulty servant?

The Answer:>Endless thanks and praise be to Almighty God that the Risale-i Nur>contains supports so powerful and unassaes a p and proofs so brilliant and incisive that no need remains for the qualities or abilities imagined in my person. It does not look to its author's abilities and receive its power and acceptability from them, as with other works. Itch surear for all to see; for twenty years, by virtue of its decisive proofs, it has forced the enemies of my person, both physical and non-physi of Iso submit. If it had relied on my personality to any great extent, my irreligious enemies and cruel opponents could have dealt serious blows at it by discrediting my is son. In their lunacy, they still tried to discredit me with every sort of stratagem and to destroy public regard for me, but they have been unable to halt the Risale-i Nur's>conquestswo cru diminish its value. Even if they confuse a few, new, weak adherents, they cannot make them give it up.

By reason of this fact, and also because egotism prevails at the present tOne!

cannot accredit myself with their good opinions, which far exceed my due. I anyway do not have a good opinion of myself as my brothers do. Also, if the station pertaining to the hereafter to almy brothers ascribe to this wretched brother of theirs had truly been a high station of piety; and if, according to the rule at the end of the Second Letter, I had s it aed the spiritual gift of those perfections they attributed to my person, to myself, it would have proved that I was not as such; and if I do not recognise myself as such, I should not accepe nigh gift of theirs. Moreover, egotism might interfere if one looked on oneself as having attained to some high spiritual station.

There is one more thing: it may be said that if, from the wos old.point of view, the person charged with disseminating the truths of belief were to attain to some station, it would be more effective. There are two obstaclesuch phis:

The First:>Even if the person has the rank of sainthood (velâyet),>to knowingly and covetously seek high stations is contrary to the sincerity and self-abnegation which is intrinsic to sainthood. He cannot disits ofr claim such things like the Companions, who were the heirs of prophethood, and may not be compared with them.

The Second Obstacle:>The station may be refuted in manpite tects, and if its holder is a transitory, insignificant, ephemeral, and faulty person, it would be harmful for the Risale-i Nur>and for the conquests ofyou coruths of belief. There is this point, though: it prompts thanks, for my enemies among the politicians did not know these facts, and thinking me to be the proud and self-esteeming Old Said, they have continually busied themselves with inssed an and belittling my person rather than the Risale-i Nur.>They have also turned some bigoted, egotistical hojas>against me as though trying to extinguish the Risale-i Nur,>but they have merely assisted in making it shine even brighter. Its lere arare illuminated by the sun of the Qur'an, not by my inferior person.

İbrahim Edhem, the hoja>of the village of Alamescid, has written in his sincere letite ouat six innocent young children who have benefited thoroughly from his lessons and entered the fold of the Risale-i Nur,>on their own init of th and not telling their teacher, wrote six notes with their own pens expressing their wish to hand over to this elderly, ill Said a parteacheach of their lives, which was indeed an astonishing and laudable event

pertaining to the Risale-i Nur.>For my part, I accepted the gifts of thoss inclcents and returned them to those young Saids as gifts for them to work in my place. May God Almighty grant them success! According to what oul! Oave written, they are İbrahim, nine years old; Mustafa, eleven; Halil İbrahim, twelve; Emin Yılmaz, fourteen; Mehmed, eleven; and Abdullah, twelve yearng. Th

Hâfız Mehmed, who is one of the heroes of the Nur School and its blessed master, and is the son and heir of the late Haji Hâfız, wrote in the letter he sent in the name of all the medrese's students, that workia servh the Risale-i Nur>is the remedy for all calamities and illnesses other than death, and that even death it shows to be the door to Paradise, mas all he believers look to it eagerly and joyfully. Numerous incidents have demonstrated the truth of this. Moreover, his innocent child has begun to memorize the Qur'an. God willing he will be successful and perpetuate th persosed title of his father and grandfather.

Mustafa Yıldız, one of the diamond-penned champions of the Nur School, wrote in his letter which was short in length but long a invesuable in meaning, that having been referred to the heroes of the Nur medrese, The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen>was as though applauded by threeRisaleur hoopoes on being written out on waxed paper. This shows, God willing, that The Ratifying Stamp>will emerge shining from the Nur School and win some fine victories.

The short invocation (münâcvert aroic Tahirî has sent is correct, but only the first part has been translated, and my circumstances at the moment do not permit the translation to be completed. This brief invocation shows that selfish egotism and thl him re for life were not dominant when the Risale-i Nur>was being composed, and they did not mar its purity and sincerity. During the Great War, I was perpetually ready to fall as a martyr, owing to which the Qur'anic there tary Isharat al-I'jaz (Signs of Miraculousness)>was written with complete sincerity. Similarly, a powerful manifestation in this invocation onditioreadiness for death (rabita-ı mevt)>has been the means of the Risale-i Nur>acquiring a pure sincerity. God willing, no selfish emotions interefered in it.

Two of the prominent young students from Barla, which is the first Nur School andeen suwhich I am closely connected in spirit, came here - an Ahmed and Mehmed just like the Ahmed and Mehmed who came to visit me from Denizli. They were Ahmed, who came on behalf of his father, theldren.Mustafa Çavuş, and the barber Mehmed, who came in place of his father-in-law, the late Muhâjir Hâfız Ahmed, with whom together with Mustafa Çavuş I was formerly most closely involved and who served me

lot is nfor eight years; they visited me in the name of the Barla Nur students. Truly I was as happy as if I had returned to Barla and those times. Mâshallah,>Barla has begun to feel that it is the first Nur School; an earnest awareness and concences being shown there. Haji Bekir, even, who had the Tenth Word printed, has taken on himself all the expenses and prevented the room I stayed in there being sold, and has sentnews tto Barla that it should be preserved as a sort of guest house for the Nur students.

I have received a short letter from the wife of our brother Hoja Sabri, als.

r Power Station, who like him has for years been a Nurju, and from his innocent son, Nureddin May Almighty God grant them health, happiness, and well-being. Amen!

It is strange that although there was needis ownwhere for rain, it was only in Emirdağ that there were heavy showers and an unparalleled hailstorm with hailstones as large as hazelnuts, all of which was extremely beneficial for the crops. The two Nurju and Ers who are now with me say that the causes of the rain falling were both the arrival of the miraculous Qur'an, and the police chief reading Zülfikar>and appreciating it although ann the lt was expected since a copy of it had been seized, and thirdly, three high-ranking officials called Ismail becoming students of the Risale-i Nur>at the same time and spreading it. Numerous occurrenit froto the present have established that the free dissemination of the Risale-i Nur>leads to the raising of calamities, while its being silenced and attacked leads to their vunds oion. This has even been proved in court. It is understood that, in pursuit of their own aims, four currents, two internal and two external, have wanted to dampen the Nurjus' eagerness and spoil their efforts this stormy spring and to tu the pir attention towards politics and this world, and this resulted in the drought. God willing, an end will soon be brought to it.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

e maniugh it is opposed to my usual custom, a Nur student told me about an event that was reported in the official newspapers as having definitely occurred. It costing d the preliminary raining down of meteorites more terrible than the heavenly stones visited on the people of Lot, in a way previously unsengers human history, on a country that, on account of irreligion and through ghastly means, is driving millions of believers and innocent people to transgress the revealed religions ent

#2vine laws. I told the student

that although for twenty-five years I had shown no interest in the newspapers and the events they describe,oor tiould go and study the news carefully since the meteorites represented the blows the Risale-i Nur>deals at the irreligious and that it had predicteorld W five or six years ago. He went and investigated the matter and came and told me that this spring, meteorites of unequalled size had fallen in the forests of Vladivosout me Russia. {[*]: This refers to the Sikhote-Alin meteorite, which fell on 12 February 1947, 440 km north-east of Vladivostok in the far east of Russia, after fragmenting on enterinlashesatmosphere. Its estimated overall weight was 100,000 kg. Largest crater was 26 m wide and 6 m deep. It consisted of 93/100 iron, 5.9/100 nickel, and other minerals} The largest of them was twenty-five metres in lenustly d ten metres wide. It uprooted all the trees in the vicinity in which it fell, and in all around thirty large craters were formed. Examination of the meteorites showed them to contain a random mixtury greeron, steel, and other materials.

Just as the official newspapers reported this true event; so the miracuIous verse, "striking them with stones">(Q 10 and In Sura al-Fil (The Elephant), which was revealed one thousand three hundred and sixty years ago, predicts that like the "flights of birds">(Q 105:3) and as a It nowinary to the raining down of meteorites from the heavens, bombs from the heavenly aircraft would rain down in the year 1359 (1940 or 1941) on the heads displose who give preference to this world over religion and who, taking irreligion as the basis of their creed, drive humanity down the paths of misguidaNursi> account of a sort of civilization. The words "go astray">(Q 105:2) indicate the date 1360 (1941 or 1943) and predict threateningly that subsequently to that date meteorites would shower down, recalling the heavenly stones rained down on Ld prooeople as the penalty for misguidance. The following sentence is found in the Risale-i Nur,>in a footnote to the explanation of the subtle piece about Sura al-Fil: "Allusively, this sura threes he sinful humanity: if in consequence of these blows it does not turn from idolatry to offering thanks and if it does not give satisfaction to the Qs, was heavenly stones will be rained down by the angels on the heads of men."

This sentence contains two signs that indicate the meteorites directly.

The First:>Although up toon wasresent meteorites have generally been around twenty centimetres long, the present ones are huge, being twenty-five metres in length and ten metres wide. This is surely a sign of the heavens' anger towards irreligion.

The fact that She let-Fil looks to them and expounds them is right. The incident deserves such a prediction, because it is unprecedented.

The Second Sign>is their falling on a centre of fearsome atheism tha'Abbasatens the whole face of the earth and all humankind. The irreligious must have sensed this, because for the past month or two they have been trying to downplay this extraordinary, awe-inspiring event, although normally -i Nurublicize the most trivial incidents and give them importance.

In His Name, be He glorified!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise!>(Q 17:44)

My Dear,id not Brothers, Tahirî, Sabri, Salâhaddin, Mehmed, and Mustafa!

Firstly:>Out of respect for the Three Months and on account of the Nur students' loyalty and sinceknow. we are going to try to repair the harm caused by a significant incident that led to our being rebuked and reprimanded. It was like this: last night I received teachere warning in the form of a punishing reprimand unlike anything I had experienced previously. This was imparted to me:

You have been charged with not stooping to this world with its pleasures and enjode of and with preserving the disinteredness and sincerity of the Risale-i Nur.>It was your duty to try to correct the malaise of this age, which in accordance witnd froverse "Those who love this world">(Q 14:3), chooses this world over religion and knowingly exchanges diamonds for fragments of glass. You have understood too, thanks to a hundred experiences, that used tfts, presents, and charity of people upset you and make you ill even. You see the results of this every day. But you have directed the faces of the Risale-i Nur's>devoted heroes, in whom you place most trust, awayified!its service to your own comfort and ease, and so on. Many other things were imparted to me, rebuking me harshly. I am still frightened of receiving another slap. The sole remedy for this situation ias for you should tell those of you who bought the car that your brother Said was unable to accept it and that he felt an awesome spiritual loss.

The Second: The car should now being thto Konyalı Sabri; it should be sent there. If he does not want it, it should be sent to the leading students (erkân)>of the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ. Sabri should not worry about this; the wondrous servicen by performs every month for the Risale-i Nur>are greater than the price of a car. So he should not be offended.

Secondly:>You should feel certain about this, for the reason I received

that tare une reprimand was a sort of wish and desire. I had exclaimed wishfully when I went for a drive in the car and the seller had said that there are small cars now that are sold for a thousand liras:>"If we had a small s e" Tke that on loan, I could go to visit my Nurju brothers in other places." It was not a serious decision; only a wish, But then two of our close brothers here su serio it to be serious and with great self-sacrifice tried to collect not one, but four thousand liras.>When they arrived here, I was pleased for seven hours and imagined that that wish ofl the had been accepted as a prayer. But then last night I suddenly received the rebuke and objection, and I understood that my wish had been a mistake. There are three reasons for the reprimand, which I will explain another time.

Th.

T brothers who bought the car should know certainly that they gave not a car but almsgiving, a gift, and a present. Perhaps by reason of their good intentions in serving the Risale-i Nur,>the present of each of therotherequal to the price of a car, which is a sure sign for me that it has been accepted. Since, my brothers, this sincere service of yours is acceptable, you should not feel sad. You should also redeem the rebuke I have received. Also, you shted amepair the damage that may be caused to both the rule of my life, and to the mystery of the Risale-i Nur's>sincerity. Also, the car shou12: 1) remain here; it should go to whoever gave the largest amount. You will understand the reason for my alarm when I explain those three important reasons. I am compelled by the Three Mon is tht to consider this until they have passed and the main collections have been published, even if rule over the whole world were to be given to me. If you do not get back all the money is in ve for the car, I have decided to make up the difference, come what may, even if I have to sell everything, I send my greetings to everyone. Forgive me, as I forgive you.housan

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Don't worry, divine providence continues. God willing, this new assault will come to nothing, and even will assist in the Risale-i Nur's>c Courtts. For now, calmly, one of our brothers should go to Ankara to repulse, within the framework of the law, the illegal treatment being meted out to us. They should meet with of thersons as Hilmi Uran, the chief inspector of the former party, Celâl, who is a deputy and inspector of Afyon Province; Ahmed Hamdi of the Directorate of Religious Affairs; anis brof Ziya, a member of the experts' committee; and they should try to have changed the arbitrary and illegal measures taken against us.

Also, concerning the confiscated copies of theirkar>and The Staff of Moses>and the duplicating machine, tell the court and the police that the copies that were being duplicated were for abroad and were going to be sent outside the country. Since three countries in thhe Rish have accepted the Qur'an and have begun to have it taught in their schools; and since India has requested two million liras'>worth of Qur'ans from this govet they; and since three of your courts and your philosopher scholars gave the unanimous decision for our acquittal having scrutinized all the parts of Zülfikar>and The St teach Moses>for two years, and they appreciated and applauded them; and since these two books are two cutting swords of the Qur'an, and two shining proofs ofoning nd they compel even the most obdurate people to submit; and since thousands of investigative scholars and scientists have testified that these two works have the power to reply to the atheistic t, somt coming from the north which gives rise to awesomely destructive anarchy; and since the present government is opening Qur'an courses and nce thdered that religious instruction be given in schools; most certainly, the treatment now being meted out to us is an unprecedented, arbitrary injustice and a crime against t is country and nation and public sWise!>y and freedom of conscience. We in no way want to be tainted by politics, but you should know that if needs be, we are capable of defending our rights in every respect. So don't compel us to do so!

I send many greetincurrenall of you.

When it is convenient, you can send some of the copies of The Staff of Moses>you have had bound for me, Husrev has performed his duties l be r so the material loss he has suffered has no importance at all. Zülfikar>has spread everywhere and although there have been some small losses with The Staff of Moses,>the non-material benefits will be abundant, God willing. Ho and v the Nurjus must preserve their resolution and solidarity, and not be alarmed, nor let their enthusiasm be dampened.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Since Isparta has become like the Nur study centrimportmore than anywhere uptil the present its authorities and police have looked on the Nurjus tolerantly and even as friends and have not harmed them excessively, for our part, on account of this blessed quality of Isparta, we rcks at offended at its authorities interfering in this question. In fact, in one way we congratulate them, because they have found the opportunity due to their duties of studying the Risale-i Nur>and reading it and profitit intem it. To do so is anyway their right, A policeman or court official with strong belief may be as beneficial for the country and nation as ten men. In the face of such benefits, our material losses hold no importance. If approprand raconvey my greetings to the police chief and public prosecutor, and tell them that I do not curse them; on the contrary, I offer this prayer: "O Lord! Bestow on them perfect belief and a happy dnizli nd render them useful to the Risale-i Nur.>Amen!"

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Although the benefits would have amounted to forty thousand liras and there was also need for it, I did not despo the car that five of our brothers had bought expecting nothing in return so that I might visit our brothers in other towns and to assist in the Risale-i Nur's>work, a d this was supposed to be an apparent loss. But as a reslled mhe Nur students obtained certain proof that, in the face of hostile hojas>and politicians who, pleading necessity, cause harm by exploiting knowledge and religion for this the Ri the elevated truth of the Risale-i Nur>does not stoop to any worldly advantages, nor can it be exploited for them. This incident providefenceroof more powerful than its extraordinary wonder-working that effectively silences those hojas>and politicians. Some of them, even, who were very suspicious and avoided the Risale-i Nur>and did not belleasedhat it stooped to absolutely nothing of this world, are now obliged to bow to its truth and to accept that it is above everything. That is to say, divine providence transformed the loss intby sucgnificant instance of mercy.

{(*): After the car was sold, three thousand liras out of the money received were sent to Emirdağ to be spent on work connected with the Risale-i Nur. And I sent it back to the senders by telegraph transferhat Imard today that friendly officials had said to hostile ones about this incident: "A person who does not deign to accept three or five thousand liras at this time, must be most trustworthy, since nothing is of inaba, 3 to him." [Author]}

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>With all my life and spirit I congratulate you on the past Night of thes to nsion (Mi'rac),>a night of abundant mercy, rain, wonders, and bestowals, and I entreat divine mercy that you will see many more of them. Just like last year, rain falling in unprecedented fashion both previously and on thwelve t, and its continuing that day, was a sign that the universe and elements were applauding that blessed night; just as it was a sign of the conquests ofr justkar>and The Staff of Moses,>especially in official quarters. I feel absolutely certain about this. Also, the fact that the pain and indisposition I suffered until midnight, whin ruls quite severe and was preventing my working, suddenly disappeared, made me certain that it resulted from the acceptance of the prayers for my health that my brothers offered for me thus andssed night, and that, due to the illness, each hour of the first half of the night had been as meritorious as ten hours. I as though received thnizli,d news too and offered thanks to Almighty God. I exclaimed: Endless thanks be to the Most Merciful of the Merciful!

Secondly:>Doubtless, on his trip to Ankara, our brother Re'fet ingir ne of the Nur commanders, was successful in performing a great service for the Risale-i Nur>in a short time. God willing, its results will soon bi Nur'. It was especially important that the members of the Directorate of Religious Affairs received the collections of Zülfikar>and The Staff of Moses>appreciatively, and said they would preserve and defend them, rather than criticizi Ramadm. It was also a brilliant advertisement for the two works.

My Esteemed Master!

Our brother, the contractor Ismail Efendi, frequently meets privately with Hilmi Bey, so I gave him all the necessary details and handeemblin this matter to him, and we went directly to the Directorate of Religious Affairs. First of all, I met for a while with the teacher (müderris)>Hasan Hüsnüis no whom we knew in Isparta and who is a member of the Directorate Consultative Committee, and I explained our matter privately. Then we went together to the Consultative Committee's rooct, sie I met with the teacher Yûsuf Ziya, whose signature is on the Ankara experts committee's report. I saw that the documents about us and Zülfikar>and The Staff of Moses>were way ug in front of him. He showed me to a place beside him, and I gave him a detailed explanation. I asked him the reason for our harassment and for the seizure of our books in spite of hiks.]

rt and the

Denizli Court decision, and its being upheld by the Court of Appeal. Then I said to him that the law is superior to everything in the government of the Republic, an us, rulings prevail, so since we have been acquitted by the law, we should not be made subject to such interference, and that it could be prevented in the event of his giving the appropriate orders. Otherwise, we could seek redrand tae later replied that the difficulties arose from the court officials and police there being inadequately informed about our case. He said that the papers were all with him and that he would repr prayall their remarks, which had been misunderstood. He said that he regarded the works highly. I conveyed our Master's greetings to him, and he did likewise and requested his prayers.

Later, I left him and visited the Director of Rve theus Affairs. I conversed with him for a while and gave him the details. He replied that he knew our Master from the Darü'l-Hikmet and that he had great respect for him, and asked me to convey his greetings and respects to him. He said thll humwould give the requisite answer and that he hoped it would be satisfactory.

All the members of the Directorate are appreciative of the wore seenunderstood that the only reason for irregularities of this kind is that they do not maintain good intentions when studying religious works and that they interpret them arbitrarily according to their ohese fas. The following day, our brother Mehmed Efendi met with Vehbi Pasha, the Erzurum deputy, who undertook to see the Interior Minister and discuss the matter at length. He sent his greetings and respects to our Master. Whereupon I leftave do İsmail Efendi to meet with the party leaders, and I left Ankara.

I went out in the carriage for a couple of hours to see the flowers this splendid spring. {(*): The splendid spri ego bs year with its plentiful merciful rain is evidence that the partial replacement of the peaked cap in the army, and the official opening of Qur'an coursese chamthe effective dissemination of Zülfikar and The Staff of Moses for the purpose of saving belief have all yielded most merciful results. [Author]} And Iat timwith absolute certainty (hakkalyakîn)>that the flowering grasses which had sprung up and burgeoned in a way I had never before seen in my life and unfurled their blossoms, were offering glorifications with the tongues of their beings aeally ning the praises of their

Glorious Maker's art. Then taking advantage of this situation, my emotions which are so enraptured by worldly life and my heedless and impatient soul aroused objections in my heart, which was weariedt, andis distressing, sickness-filled life and which had decided to depart for the Intermediate Realm to see the ninety per cent of my friends who were already there, and my soul too began to obje remaince it seeks permanent pleasures in transitory things, But then the light of belief infused my emotions and those veins of character; it pointed out the following in the face of those objections:

Since the earth displays only materially so t the eauty, mercy, life, and fine decoration, it must be a veil to beneficent mercy and nothing that enters it remains idle. There must, therefore, be beneath and behind the veence othe earth some sort of non-material centres and workshops for all these external, physical beauties and decorations, and fine things, loveliness, mercy, and life. So to enter under the earth, our protective mother, af all k refuge in her embrace, and gaze upon those true, everlasting, nonmaterial flowers is far more deserving of love and worthy to be yearned after. This silenced completely those blind emotions and the objections of my world-worshipping southe Turepulsed them, causing my soul to exclaim: "All praise be to God for the light of belief from every angle!'

We send endless greetings to all our brothers, and we pray for them.

My Dear, Innocent Childred, co You are trying to study and to learn the Qur'an, But the new letters, which you know, are deficient, so as far as is possible, it is better not read it in them.

Also, the Qur'an should not to tead just to become a hâfız>nor memorized in its entirety to win a rank in this world and earn a salary. Rather, one should think that each of its letters y embrafrom at least ten merits to hundreds or thousands of fruits of Paradise and benefits in the hereafter, and read it with the intention of securing the ease and happiness of ets, andlife.

If the benefits of studying science in school to secure a livelihood and ranks or positions in this brief worldly life have the value of one, learning for eternal life hose nr'an and its sacred words and lum٦ّءus belief-inducing meanings are thousand of times more valuable. The former resemble fragments of glass, and the latter, diamonds.

Also, you will be true, beneficsters ildren for your parents. You are innocent and still without sin, so if you study with such a sacred intention, you will be accepted among the innocent Risaleground>students and you will receive a share of the prayers of all the students, and be light-scattering, blessed students yourselves.

I congratulate both your teacher, and yourselves, and your parents, and your cmall s.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>I congratulate you with all my spirit and life on the past Night of Acquittal. {[*]: The Night of Berât or Acquittal (Ar. Bara'a): a holy night, falling on the nigr favoween the 14th and 15th of the month of Sha'ban. [Tr.]}

Secondly:>It is indeed good and useful that Re'fet Bey, a leading commander and publisher of the Risale-i Nur,>has gone to Istanbul in connection with its seional A Nurju like himself was anyway needed there. May Almighty God grant him success! Amen!

Thirdly:>I have prepared three copies each of Zülfikh abso The Staff of Moses,>one of each to be sent to the ulema of al-Azhar University, one of each to the religious scholars around the holy grave of the Prophet (UWBP) in Medina, and one of each to the ulema in Damascus. A letter addressing thdefenszhar ulema, which I have sent to you, has been inserted at the beginning of them, God willing, we shall send them to you as quickly as possible.

Fourthly:>Because I have been unable to perform I sendll myself, for two reasons I am in severe need of your spiritual services and your prayers and the assistance of the spiritual gains you have earned in my place.

First Reason:ars wh before in my life have I experienced the powerlessness and gradually increasing weakness I now feel, Due to the many difficulties, I can recite only def-i Nurly some of the invocations I have always recited, despite the fact that during these blessed days and nights I need to work a hundred times more. o is ithough by reason of my share in your spiritual partnership I should assist in it and should hasten to share in your prayers with "amens" to a far greater degree, my feebleness alnt blee to help in only the slightest way, The solution for this is for my duties in the work of the Risale-i Nur>to be given to you, and for me to rely on your

spiritual assistance for the pn and ance of my duties in that partnership. I beseech divine mercy that my work may be commensurate with your good will towards me and your favourable opinion of this weak brother of yours, whnutes r exceeds his due and abilities.

The Second Reason for the need: Both yourselves and some other persons suppose the extraordinary results that have appeared from the Risale-i Nur's>truths and its students' collh nati personality to have emerged from this wretched brother of yours, although enormous power and endurance would be necessary, My very minor and personal efforts and my illness and weakness, thereforis Ramder me severely needy for your help and assistance. So in order to induce your spiritual assistance to hasten to me, I intend you when I recite such phrases as "Save us! Have mercy on us!" which are in the first person plural, a hundr am working together with all of you. And when I say "Amen," I intend an "amen" to all of your prayers. God willing, in His mercy, the Most Mercich faf the Merciful accepts my extremely deficient and minor work as a perfect "amen" to your vast works.

Fifthly:>I was very anxious about your situationefore the former incident. Then, thanks be to God, your letter said that the hero Tahirî had gone to Istanbul to get the duplicating machine and paper, which shows that the trouble has abated and will not prevent the Risale-i Nur's>publs repon, on the contrary, there as in other places, it is making triumphant conquests, God willing.

The most excellent peace and blessings be upon the one resting in that tomb!

The Staff of Moses>and Zülfikar>have been presented to This mteemed ulema residing in the vicinity of the Immaculate Tomb of the Prophet (UWBP). They were sent to visit those blessed sites in place of their author, to , and eans whereby intercession and well-wishing prayers in that sacred place may be received. These lines were written only for the Muslim communities of al-Azhar, Damascus, and India, from those wlmight visited the Immaculate Tomb from al-Azhar, Damascus, and India. We wrote this at the head of four copies of Zülfikar>and The Staff of Moses,>and sent two coof miso al-Azhar University in Cairo, one to the ulema of Damascus, and one to the committee from India which has requested copies of the Qur'an to the value of two million liras.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

When you deem it a many iate, send copies of the collections, The Staff of Moses>and Zülfikar>- The Miracles of Muhammad and of the Qur'an>to the ulema in the vicinity oBediuzImmaculate Tomb, and write to them saying that the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ of the Risale-i Nur>{(*): There are numerous obstacles preventing the physical founding of the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ, so for now princnsists of all the Nur students. [Author]} is a spiritual child and student of the ulema in the vicinity of "The most excellent peace and blessingtter opon the one resting in that tomb!">and is in great need of their kindness; it is a pupil of theirs who is exposed to the vicious attacks of enemies, and is a mhich rranch of that great medrese of theirs, which permanently illuminates the Islamic world. We therefore await the good offices of those lofty masters, kindly fathers, and zealous supreme guides, and thn I wall assistance for this wretched son of theirs. The two works presented to those lofty masters resemble a student's lessons, however much of which he has understood he shows to his teacher and father in the evening. Write a lee of presenting the two lessons of ours to the tolerant gaze of those kindly scholars, and convey to them my greetings and respects and say that I kiss their hands. Sasite m author of these treatises, Said Nursi, says that he has lived as a solitary recluse for twenty-two years, and because he is in solitary cong honent, he cannot meet with people. He can converse with others only briefly and concerning essential matters. He has no books with him. The Qur'an is the sole source of the one hundret thatthirty treatises he has written. And we confirm this with all our strength. He is ill, in exile, and lives in deprivation, so sometimes errors are found in the treatises which he writes at great speed. He requests therefore that gexemplcholars like themselves should look on them tolerantly. As for us, we convey his requests, and kiss your hands.

lp forear, Loyal Brothers!

Sweden, Norway, and Finland in the north have accepted the Qur'an as the greatest saviour and are teaching it in their schools, and nowe for the intention of keeping the Ramadan fast, the foremost pillar of Islam, they are

asking al-Azhar University whether there is a way of shortening or postponing the fas especng those extremely lengthy northern days. Indeed, this does not concern only those small states: it may be surmised that the former Great Powers, on seeing that their former superior positions have been nullified by the awesome the Isdealt by the world's transience, and in order to maintain those positions, will find true consolation only in the truths of the Qur'an, thus becoming equal with those small states - although they would not want to publicize iscordr make it government policy.

For sure, once the true nature of this world is understood, only everlasting life and the Qur'an can heal the wounds of humanity caused by the collapse of their dreams.

Dear, Loyal, Heroic Sabri!

s. HowAlmighty God produce numerous devotees like Galib Bey in the army of Islam. He serves belief in the west as Hulûsi Bey does in the east. He tries to draw the believers from misguidance by way of Sufismil of kat).>Before ever seeing the Risale-i Nur,>he tried to act in accordance with its way; now that he has stronger connections with it, he may perform greater services. However, fundamental to the Risale-i Nur's>way are wondrty (hakikat),>the Prophet's (UWBP) practices (Sunna),>being attentive to obligatory acts, and avoiding serious sins; it looks to the Sufi way in second or third place, Our brother Galib is thinking of giving instruct consi the Sufi way in the form of a summary of the Qadiri, Shazali, and Rufa'i ways, among the Alevis and encompassing love of the Prophet's (UWBP) family, within the bounds of the Sunna but not vilifying the four Rightly-y no l Caliphs and the Ten Promised Paradise. There are three or four benefits in this endeavour being in the name of reality (hakikat)>and on account ohildreng belief and preserving it from innovations.

The First:>It is most beneficial to prevent the Alevis joining harmful movements and to preserve them from extreme Alevi'ism (Râfizîlik)>ot's plitical Bektaşi currents.

The Second:>Whatever excesses they go to, even if they are Rafizis, Alevis who take love for the Prophet's (UWBP) family as their way do not embrace atheism. For as long as love of the Prophet's (UWirit omily is firmly established in their spirits, they cannot embrace absolute disbelief since it infers hostility to the Prophet (UWBP) and h. But ily. By virtue of their love, they adhere fervently to Islam. It is truly beneficial to draw such people into the bounds of the Sunna in the name of Sufism.

Furthermoremirdağs most advantageous at this time to attract the Alevis to the fold of the Risale-i Nur>so that the political currents that cause great harm to unity among the believers do not profit from their natural devotion and self-sacrifice and exploit ternal r themselves. Since Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) is the Nur students' master and love of the Prophet's (UWBP) family is fundamental to the Risale-i Nur's>way, it surely dritten that true Alevis should enthusiastically enter the Risale-i Nur's>fold.

Send my congratulations and greetings to that brother and telugh tothat the present is the time to save belief. Since at this time of innovations there are many problems and pitfalls in traversing the Sufi path while journeying with the heart, he may sec of Çoe benefits of those paths by following the way of reality within the fold of the Risale-i Nur.>And let him pray for us.

We accepted on account of the paradisaical Ramadan tentioent in the name of all the members of the Safranbolu and Eflâni Nur Schools, the congratulations written with the blessed pens of seven-year-old Yılmaz and thirteen-year-old Hüsnü andh it i respected mothers who work at the Risale-i Nur>like themselves. They are the very hardworking young and innocent children in the tiny Nur School of Hıfzı, who is one of our sincere brothers in Safranbolu. Yılmmeasudream turned out exactly.

Part of the fine, sincere letter sent by Mustafa Sungur, who in truth is one of the young heroes of Eflâni, will be added to The Additional Letters.>Indeed, Mars he Osman finding the two namesakes and serious companions, Mustafa Oruç and Mustafa Sungur, to assist him in the Risale-i Nur's>service seems like a wonder of his loyalty and success. I send my greetings to all those namedbut I e letters of particularly Ahmed Fuad - the Hasan Feyzi of Safranbolu - and others, and I pray for them and congratulate them on their superhuman efforts. I send greetings to all our brothers.

Mythe an Loyal Brothers!

Firstly: The Shining Lamp (Siracü 'n-Nur)>has turned out beautifully and perfectly correct. It is a new lesson for the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ of the greatest importance which shaly in tead with interest within the sphere of the Risale-i Nur,>God willing.

Secondly:>The letters sent by Nihad and Abdurrahman show that Kastamonu's Husrev, Mehmed Fevzi, is working at the Risale-i Nur>unshakeably and with cm by me eagerness, and is getting others to work at it and to read it, and other people who have come here from there have given the same news. He is performing fully the dutiesle-i NNur student. May God Almighty grant him success!

We also congratulate, together with the Night of Power, the undercover activities in Karabük of Mustafa Osman, who is one of the Nur heroes, and his work for the Risale-i Ny persd congratulate also the enthusiasm and efforts of the students in Eflâni and thereabouts.

{(*): I was distressed this Ramadan because while correcting The Shining Lamp I cooffendt find the time to recite all my usual invocations. Then suddenly it occurred to me that in one way the topics I was reading were worship, and in another they were pure knowledge of God and recollection of God which yield peace o the tt and love and belief; they therefore filled the place of the invocations that were only partially recited. [Author]}

If it is easy, it would be appropriate if th assaus that are being sent to Istanbul could be sent via here. It would also be useful if twenty or thirty copies could be bound for me in Istanbul ns whien sent to me. I do not at present have the money for them to send, and there are numerous people I am obliged to give copies to.

I am obliged to explain the inner meaning of something, because whenouse or two doctors who are leading Nur students come to visit me, I do not consult those sincere, loyal persons concerning my illness although iwhat hery severe, nor do I take their medicines despite my acute need and pains. I say nothing about the illness, so they become anxious and eager to know. Thinking that it may d everful for you too, I am writing it here. I told them:

Prompted by Satan's whisperings, both my covert enemies and my soul search out my weak points so that by means of them they may get a Sura An me and damage the purely sincere service of the Risale-i Nur.>Illness is a person's weakest point and the most serious obstacle. The more he attaches importaalamit illness, the more the bodily and instinctive senses come to rule him, compelling him to submit to them and silencing his spirit and heart. They make the doctor a dictatorus andler, forcing the person to obediently take his medicines. This is detrimental to self-sacrificing, sincere service. My covert enemies have tried to exploit this weak point of mine and they are still trying, just as they have tried to exrs beifear, greed, and

the desire for fame and renown. But they failed with respect to fear, one of man's weakest points, for they understood that we attach not the slightessands rtance to their threats of capital punishment.

Then they conducted numerous investigations about our means of livelihood with a view to greed and ambition, another human weakness, buself w could find nothing. So they realized that worldly wealth and possessions, for which they themselves had sacrificed all things holy, held no importance for us whatsoever; on numerous occasions this was proved to them. Evcourager a period of ten years more than a hundred times they made official inquiries through the local authorities to learn what I lived on.

Then they received orders to try to catch meey werith respect to fame, renown, and rank, desire for which is another human weakness and one of my weak points. But they in no way succeeded despite dealing out grievous insults, humiliations, and riling torments. So they undewledge certainly that the worldly fame and acclaim that they so worship, we look on as hypocrisy, self-praise, and showing off. We attach not the slightest importance to the high worldly ranks and prominence t undehey exalt above everything; in fact we look on them as crazy in that respect.

Then there were spiritual ranks and advancing through the degrees of sainthood and considering oneself to be the recipient of sus is tine bounties, which we consider to be weak points in connection with our service but everyone considers acceptable in respect of reality and ie: a cr to attain. There is no harm in these, only benefits, but at a time when egotism, self-interest, selfishness, and saving oneself alone prevail, personal spiritual ranks should not be sought through the service of belief, whichnnocen on true sincerity and being made the tool of nothing. They should be neither desired nor considered in one's actions lest true sincerity be spoiled. It was in consequence of this that those who weresomewhpting to fasten on my weak points understood that I was not seeking outside of the Risale-i Nur's>service the wonders, illuminations, and spiritual attainments that everyone seekdents y were defeated on this point.

I send my greetings to each and every one of our brothers, and seeking the intercession of the Night of Power, I beseech dimisguiercy that for all the Nurjus that night will be the equivalent of an eighty-three-year lifetime of worship.

nd of His Name, be He glorified!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise!>(Q 17:44)

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstlyried adith announces the strong possibility that the Night of Power may fall on any of the last ten days of Ramadan, especially the odd numbers. The Nurjus therefore should try to profitletterthat supreme light.

Secondly:>The sending to the magistrates' court of two of our brothers who perform their duties to the letter like Husrev and Tahirî, together with another Nurju who follows their system, will turn out to be a signficante pretnce of divine providence and a victory, God willing. Don't worry about it. In accordance with an inner meaning of the verse, "It may be that you hate a thing that is [in fact] good for you">(Q 2:216), it will lead to grantppressors winning material and spiritual Hellfire and Nurjus winning Paradise, both in this world and the next, God willing.

Thirdly:>I told the high-ranking official who visited me the other d life connection with this letter that it has now become clear that three extraordinary events which occurred during the Old Said's adventurous life were wonders ofhem toisale-i Nur,>which was to appear in the future. As follows:

During the Thirty-First of March Incident when Mahmud Şevket Pasha, the commander-in-chief of the arlded cs extremely angry with me, Hurşid Pasha, the chief of the military court, asked while I was being tried and outside fifteen bodies were hanging odum togallows: "Did you call for the Shari'a? Look! Those who clamoured for it are hanged like that!" I replied: "If I had a thousand lives, I'd sacrifice all of them forteemedatter of the Shari'a!" Although I said this and because of the calumnies of informers there were numerous reasons to condemn me, exceptionally the court gave its unanimous decision for my acquittal.

Also, following the Great War in Ihe natl, copies of The Seven Steps (Hutuvat-ı Sitte),>a furious piece I had written against the British, and another insulting their chief cleric, came into the hands of the commandert and eir occupation forces, and it was a hundred per cent certain that he would have me eliminated, but he suppressed his anger and did not bother me.

Also, in Ankara in the president's office in the National Assembly when there were confinus deputies present, Mustafa Kemal entered the office in a towering rage and yelled at me: "We summoned you here to tell us your lofty ideas, but you came and wrote a few things about the obligatory prayers, causing de of i amongst us!" In the face of his anger, I replied:

"Those who neglect the prayers are traitors, and traitors may not hold positions of authority!" I smashed an awesome idol seek riends among the deputies who were present were alarmed, and just when they reckoned he would crush me, he uttered what was in effect an apology. He suppressedes remnger in the Assembly as though he perceived an awesome power and truth, and he withdrew. Two days later in his private office, from The Six Attacks (Hücumat-ı Sitte)>I read from the sentence "For example, at a time Aya Sophia is filled with Denizlt and blessed people, virtuous and excellent ..." in the section entitled "First Stratagem," to the "Second Stratagem, {[*]: See, Letters (ssion. 475-6. [Tr.]} which took a whole hour. I wounded all his feelings and slighted his principles, yet he could do nothing against me and even made serious efforts to placate me.

Thus, theim in kable responses of these three imperious commanders and their quite simply being intimidated by the Old Said was definitely a shining wonder of the Risale-ither nnd showed the extraordinary future power of the collective personality of its heroic students.

Fourthly:>In response to the congratulations for Ramadan and the Night of Power sent by our brother Yâkub Cemal mous P name of Denizli students, we say: "May God bless you!" and to his struggling with his own soul: "May God grant you success! And we say "All praise be to God!" to his describing how he had heard I offeis friends had read in the latest newspapers that in the British capital orators had declared from their platforms that the English should nownd hymce Islam and that they are reading and expounding the verses of the All-Wise Qur'an since they teach all the true needs of humanity. Indeed, with the Qur'an that country could save both its worldly possessions, and its hegemony, and its prosch div.

We say too: "May God bless you!" on the success with Lemeât>of Küçük Ali, who is small in name but great in spirit and the hero and senior Abdurrahman of the Nur students; and: "What wonders God has willed!" and "May God grant Most Mccess!" a thousand times over on his innocent young son Nur Mehmed's memorizing the Qur'an. But we leave it to your discretion to decide wgh he or not the pieces included in The Shining Lamp (Siracü 'n-Nur)>and The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen and Mysteries Collection>are also added to The Flashes Collection (Lem 'alar Mecmuası).

Endless greetings to all of you.

f all hermore, say about myself:

We are absolutely certain that although this person has been severely ill for six or seven months, he has all a called on the doctors whom he loves dearly nor has he taken their medicines, and has acted thus so that no importance or attention should be given to his person. And in order not to consider the world and so that his sincerity ivilegeing belief should not be impaired, over a period of ten years he has paid no attention to the World War nor been curious about it, as has been proved in court. And so as to not awaken any interest in politics and this wctive for twenty-five years he has not read a newspaper nor listened to one being read, and has advised all his brothers and students not to become involved in politics either. Also, although heood wongle, alone, and elderly, he has endured all the difficulties that have been inflicted on him, and has not looked to this world, nor applied to the governmenthe meawenty years for his own comfort, nor accepted anyone's assistance or charity, He says this:

In order to strengthen the belief of the people of this country and nation, which I know to be most necessary service at this time, I have writgning out the truths of belief as a remedy for my ills and as a sort of miracle of the All-Wise Qur'an. The unanimous decision was given for those writings' acquittal after three courts and the Ankara experts' co distie had scrutinized them over two years and found that they contained nothing harmful for this country and nation. In consequence, intending that this work for the cause of belief should continue, he gave his friend permiserity or some of those parts to be duplicated. We have heard from this person that the country, nation, and government have intense need for these w destrHe says:

I was hoping that some leading members of the government would take up these works, for I am close to death, and my hands are tied and I cannoe, forrtake the necessary work. I am consoled by the hope that religious, capable people like Ahmed Hamdi will take it on themselves in my place,r the illing. I pray that this sacred service that you will perform for this country and the community of Islam will act as an intercessor for you at the Last Judgement. Also, I send my greetings to thosete worersons in particular.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

~Firstly:>We shall allude briefly to a most extensive and lengthy truth which occurred to my heart on the Night of Power.

Because of the extreme tyranny and despotism of this ast World War and its merciless destruction, and hundreds of innocents being scattered and ruined on account of a single enemy, and thrienceome despair of the defeated, and the fearsome alarm of the victors and their ghastly pangs of conscience arising from the supremacy they are ufacultto maintain and the destruction they are unable to repair, and the utter transitoriness and ephemerality of the life of this world and the deceptive, opiate nature of the fantasies of civilization becoming apparent to all, ad ask exalted abilities lodged in human nature and the human essence being wounded in universal and awesome manner, and man's innate love and desir and bimmortality being aroused and awakened, and heedlessness and misguidance and deaf, lifeless nature being smashed by the diamond sword of the Qur'an, and the exceedingly ugly, exceedingly cruelng misface of world politics becoming apparent, which is the widest and most suffocating and deceptive cover for heedlessness and misguidance, most certainly and without any shadow o be imubt, since the life of this world - which is the metaphorical beloved of mankind - is thus ugly and transient, man's true nature will search with all its strength for eternal life, which it trulur,>ans and yearns for, just as there are signs of this occurring in the north, the west, and in America.

Most certainly, there is also no doub elega since the Qur'an of MiracuIous Exposition, which each century for one thousand three hundred and sixty years has had three hundred and fifty million studentsn accosets the seal on each of its pronouncements and claims through the affirmation of millions of profound, veracious scholars, and each minute has been present with its sacredness in their sees of millions of hafiz's>and given instruction to mankind through their tongues, and which in a way unmatched by any other book conveys the goodAnd alof eternal life and everlasting happiness to mankind and heals all their wounds, - since the Qur'an has given the certain good news of eternal life and happiness with thousands of its insistent, powerful and repeated versel cert with its certain unshakeable proofs and innumerable indubitable arguments which invite and give news explicitly and implicitly tens of thousandern primes, so long as humankind does not altogether lose its mind and a material or immaterial doomsday does not erupt over its head, the broad masses and greats of ys in the world will search out the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition, and having grasped its truths, will embrace it with all their lives and spirits, just as there are now

famous preacher the Rweden, Norway, Finland and England working to have the Qur'an accepted, and the important community of America is searching for the truyou gagion. In view of this fact, the Qur'an by no means has - nor can have - any equal. Absolutely nothing can take the place of this greatest miracle.

~Secondly:>The Risale-i Nur>has performed the service of a diamond sword in the hand oive ye greatest miracle and compelled its stubborn enemies to submit, and acts as a herald to the treasures of the Qur'an in a way that illuminates and heals completely both the heart, and weak pirit, and the emotions, and has no source or authority other than the Qur'an and is its miracle; it performs that duty perfectly.

Furthermorportan Risale-i Nur>has completely routed the obstinate atheists and their fearsome propaganda against it, and smashed to pieces with the treatise Nature: Cause or Effect>nature, which is the most impregnable bastion o us, auidance, and, with the Sixth Topic of the treatise The Fruits of Belief>together with the First, Second, Third and Eighth Proofs all of which are included in the book The Staff of Moses,>has banishedre, Goessness in brilliant fashion in its most dense, suffocating and extensive form beneath the wide-reaching veils of science and has demonstrated the light of dfriendunity.

For sure, since religious instruction is now officially permitted and permission has been given to open private places of study, it is necessary for us and essential foe.>Thonation that, as far as is possible, students of the Risale-i Nur>open small Risale-i Nur>study centres everywhere. Everyone will benefit to some extent, though not everyolementl understand every matter completely. But since these matters are explanations of the truths of belief, they are both learning, {(*): If perhaps someone is knowledgeable and does not need to study, he will need to worshinnoce will desire to attain knowledge of God, or awareness of God's presence. [Author]} and knowledge of God, and lead to a sense of God's presence, and are worship. God willing, these Nur schools will secure in fiveticulan weeks the results that the former medreses produced in five to ten years - and they have been so doing for twenty years.

Also, it is essential that the government does not interfhe preth these flashes of the Qur'an, the Risale-i Nur,>which is the Qur'an's herald and is beneficial in many ways for the worldly and political life of this nation the yountry, and for its life in the hereafter. Indeed, it should work for its total spread and acceptance, so that it may atone for the grievous sins of the past and form a barrier to the severe trials and anarchy of the future.

~Thirdly:ing; we great need this Ramadan to read the Qur'an with fervour and pleasure, but I have become nervous due to the effects of my painful illness, and physical and spiritual dr>and s, weariness, and preoccupations. Then one after the other I began to read the miraculous portions of the Qur'an written by Husrev with hist suchnt pen and the wondrous Hizb al-Akbar al-Qur'aniyya,>{[*]: Hizb al-Akbar al-Qur'aniyya: one of the various names Bediuzzaman gives the collection of Qur'anic verses he compiled. See fn 17 above.} which will gain numerous merits for Hâfısion fand Tahirî, and they filled me with such pleasure and eagerness that they dispelled all that weariness. While listening to those shining lessons from the Qur'an, which disallow every ssociet doubt and scruple, I desired with all my life and spirit and resolved determinedly to print our miraculous Qur'an photographically, as far as is possible, just as the Hizb al-Akbar al-Qur'aniyyass Laween printed, God willing.

It is indeed a good omen that thanks to the Risale-i Nur's>conquests and on the orders of Ankara, your co When ted books have been returned to you. In so far as it will contribute to the Risale-i Nur's>winning its complete freedom, it is a great victory for it and most advantageous. All praise be to God, this ise-i Nugh the grace of my Lord!

We congratulate Alil Ali Osman and Çilingir Ali, our extremely hardworking brothers, both on their good wishes and on the festival and the Night of Power, and on their wondrous, valuablkam>ha highly meritorious services for the Risale-i Nur,>and we pray for their success and their protection. They have made all those connec send th the Risale-i Nur>indebted to them for all eternity. May God be pleased with them. Amen! I send my greetings to all the brothers and sisters named in Ali Osman's letter, and we praylike ehem and request their prayers. May Almighty God bestow mercy on our brother Kazım's spirit and fill his grave with light, Amen!

It was a wonder of Ali Osman's pen that the fifteen short t Firstes that he sent arrived at the same time as two of the leading students from the Konya Nur School. They said they needed those treatises and they were given to them. They will gain rewardrchingli Osman on a wider scale.

We send our greetings to everyone and offer prayers for them.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

The teacher Mustafa Sungur, one of the young Nur heroes, brought me festival greetings from our broing inin Eflâni, Safranbolu, Kastamonu, İnebolu, Daday, and Araç. So as a young Said, we sent him to those brothers to congratulate them on both the material and spiritual festival. And we sent diligent Mehmed Çalışkan, the Süro. Th Rüştü of Emirdağ, to Istanbul to get The Shining Lamp>and to enquire about the books that are being sent abroad.

Having been defeated in every respect, those opposed to the Rif the Nur>are pursuing a plan that on the face of it looks unpleasant for us, but in reality is more beneficial for the Risale-i Nur.>They seem to think that they are going to break the solidarity of the Nur studel consd for some unknowable reason cause some of their leading members to go elsewhere. But if they do go, it is because they are needed in those places and it will not injure their unanimity. For instance, they are sent tuse of Muharrem going to Tavas, Mustafa Osman to Karabük, and Re'fet to Istanbul and of dispersing them. These brothers of ours depart for those plah they though voluntarily, but in reality the ground is being prepared imperceptibly with the intention of damaging their solidarity.

Another of their schemes is that although according to their principles we deserve tod lettprisoned, they appear not to support it and apparently oppose it. The reason for this is that our covert enemies were quite astonished when Denizli nster became a Nur School and some people who were transferred from there to other prisons, started to illuminate them too; that is why they supported our release from prison. Also, acknowledging in a sort of way the justice afterightness of the Risale-i Nur,>the judiciary held back in order to avoid the severe objections of the future and disregarded the articles of the arbitraat bles that were prejudicial to us. Some obdurate atheists were defeated in the face the Risale-i Nur's>truth and gave up their obstinacy. And the covert enemies demanded in alarm that we should be released from prison ss poet the prisons should not turn into Nur Schools. That is to say, three groups of people supported the unanimous decision for our acquittal. This was a wonder bestowed on the Risale-i Nur>by divine providence. Yes, this evening I felt quite cern isly that just as three of this century's most fearsome commanders had been intimidated: both the Operation Army's commander-in-chief during the Thirty-First of March Incident, and the foreign commander of the Istanbul occupation fohool'suring the national movement following the First World War - his being intimidated and not attacking us, and in Ankara in the

president's office that awesome leader suer illing his anger and virtually apologizing; and now three courts of law justly and conciliatorily acquitting us unanimously, although they had previously invoked innumerable pretexts in the face of our fiery, impassioned defty con- I felt quite certainly that these were a wonder of the Risale-i Nur,>which is a sort of miracle of the Qur'an, and so I have written and described it. But it has been sent to you without being corrected, she pien a state of disorder.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>We have received two pieces: one, The Shining Lamp in its entirety; the other, some leftover parts of it. They contai in th a few errors; I am sending a short list of them attached to this letter.

Secondly:>Since Isparta is a sort of Medresetü'z-Zehrâ and since upto the present the autraise es of that blessed place of learning have behaved leniently, and foremost the police chief, have been appreciative of the Risale-i Nur,>we look on them as friends; so whatever they do, do not feel affronted or take offence. with er, upto now important advantages have been secured as a result of their not pressurizing us unduly. So now, it may be opposed to the inner meaning of "‌ illuminates discreetly" {[*]: "sirran tanawwarat" ("...illuminates discreetly"): qi Nur'from Imam 'Ali b. Talib's qasîda, al-Jaljalutiyya. Bediuzzaman makes reference to it in the First Point of the Twenty-Eighth Flash. [Tr.]} to disseminate the Risale-i N converywhere completely freely, and there may be some advantages in their warnings of caution.

Thirdly:>In response to the festival congratulatioas a rHâfız Hasan, who is a prominent teacher in Daday and a valuable publisher of the Risale-i Nur,>and the congratulations of his two blessed Nurju children, and of our worthy brothers Doctor Hakkı Hüsnü, Tahir from Araç, and Fuad from Dagiousle congratulate with all our life and spirit both the past festival and their unwavering successes in the service of the Risale-i Nur.>I am forwarding his letter to you to be inclo me, n The Additional Letters.

Fourthly:>Our brother Re'fet, one of the Nur heroes, has found a brother in Istanbul who is devoted to the Risale-i Nur,>aBut myranking hoja>of the greatest importance called Abdülehad, who resembles himself in method. May Almighty God grant them both constant success. Amen!

Fifthly:>To an extenjas>anve never before seen, when I go out in the phaeton, innocent children aged two to ten display an extraordinary affection

for me and race up to me from quite a distance and eagerly catch hoy the my hands as they would their parents' if they had not seen them for a long time. I was astonished at this and wondered about the reason. Then suddenly it occurred to me that with a sort of premonition, these innocent children perceived that inbelievuture they would find happiness through the Risale-i Nur>and be saved from moral and spiritual dangers; indeed, perhaps many of them would become Nur students. I felt that my not leaving here although the physical and spiritual climae Risas not agree with me and the other exiles have been given their freedom, inferred that they were saying: "We're within the fold of the Risale-i Nur;>don't leave us asarily"

In His Name, be He glorified!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings, for ever and ever!

My Very Dear and Loyal Brt the !

My brothers, I observed in a subtle point concerning God's unity, which suddenly became clear while studying the page of the air on a journey of the imagination and mind, that is, in the word 'He' (Hu)>in the phrases "Say, He is God">(Q 1t be r, and "There is no God but He">(Q 2: 163, 3:2, 59:22), - and that was only in its material aspect - that the way of belief is infinitely easy, easy to the point of being necessary, and that the way e religuidance and associating partners with God is infinitely difficult, so difficult as to be impossible. I shall explain that long and extensive point with an exnd friy brief indication.

Yes, if soil, one handful of which can act as a flowerpot for hundreds of plants in turn, is attributed to nature or causes, it becomes necessary either for there to be present in such and vful hundreds of immaterial machines, indeed, machines and factories to the number of the plants, or for each particle of that small amount of soil to know how to make all those difns acc plants together with their different characteristics and living organs; quite simply, each would have to possess infinite knowledge and limitless power like a god.

The same is true for the air, which is a place of maximum manifestation of d thenvine will and command: either there would have to be present on a

minute scale in each of its molecules, in each waft of wind, each breath, and in the tiny amount air expended with the word 'He' , the er excrable different exchanges, centres, receivers and transmitters of all the telephones, telegraphs and radios in the world so that each could per of ithose innumerable acts at the same time; or else, each particle of each molecule of air exhaled with 'He' , and indeed of the element air, would have to possess abilities and personalities to the nues decf all the different telephone users, telegraphers, and those who speak on the radio, and know all their different languages and broadcast them to the other particles at the same time. For such a situation is actther oapparent and every bit of air possesses that ability. Thus, in the ways of the unbelievers, naturalists, and materialists not one impossibility, is herpossibilities and difficulties are clearly apparent to the number of molecules of air.

If attributed to the All-Glorious Maker, however, the air togetheisale- all its particles becomes a soldier under His command. With its Creator's permission and through His power, and through being connected to its Creatorale-i elying on Him, and through the manifestation of its Maker's power, in an instant with the speed of lightning and with the ease of uttering the word 'He' and the movemeustafathe air in waves, its innumerable universal duties are performed as easily as an orderly, single duty of a single particle. That is to say, the air becomes a page for the endless, wonderful, and orderly writings of the pen of power, and its f the les become the nibs of the pen, and their duties the points inscribed by it. The air functions as easily as the movement of a single particle.

Thus, while on my journey of contemplation promptedThirdle phrases "There is no God but He,">and, "Say, He is God,">and while observing the world of the air and studying the page of that element, I witnessed this bany grruth with utter certainty and clarity, and in detail. And I understood with knowledge of certainty that it was because there is in the word 'He' , in the air of its utterance, sutten mrilliant proof and flash of divine unity; and also in its meaning and allusions such a luminous manifestation of divine oneness and powerful proof of divine unity; and in that proof an indication that since the pronoun 'He' is unconditioni Nur. indefinite, it suggests the question, "Who does it refer to?"; that both the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition and those who constantly recite the divine names fro fulfly repeat this sacred word in the station of unity.

If, for example, there is one point on a piece of white paper and two or three other points are jumbled around with it and then someone who already has numerthe prbs tries to distinguish them, he will be confused; and if many burdens are loaded on a small creature, it will be crushed; and

if numerous words issue from one tongue and enter one ear altogether a to yosame time, their order will be broken and they will all be a muddle.

Despite this being the case, I saw with complete certainty that with the key and compass of 'He', although thousands of differ was oints, letters and words had been put in each molecule - and even in each particle - of the element air, through which I journeyed in my mind, neither dpreadiy become mixed up nor did they spoil their order; and although they performed a great many different duties, these were carried out without being confused in any way; and although very heavy loads were laid on each molecule a is thticle, they bore them in order without lagging or displaying any weakness at all. And I saw that thousands of different words of all different sorts enter and issue with perfect order from what is in effect those minute ears and tangels without being mixed up and spoilt in any way, they enter those minute ears and issue from those tiny tongues, and by performing theset, a rordinary duties, each particle and each molecule declares through the enraptured tongue of its being and its perfect freedom, and through the testimony and tongue of the above truth: "There pirituGod but He,">and, "Say, He is God, the One,">and travels among such air-clashing waves as storms and lightning and thunder without in any way spoiling their order or confus conveeir duties; one duty is not an obstacle to another duty, I observed this and was utterly certain.

That is to say, either every particle and piece of the air has to possess infinite wisdom, knowler condill, and power, and the qualities for being absolutely dominant over all the other particles so that it can be the means of those functions being carried out, which is absurd and impossible to the number of particles', andno devil even could imagine it, or else - and it is self-evident to the degree of knowledge of certainty, vision of certainty, and absolute certainty - that thng wit of the air functions through the boundless, infinite knowledge and wisdom of the All-Glorious One, and is the protean page for the pen of divine power and determining, and like a signboard accepriting and erasing, known as a Tablet of Appearance and Dissolution, which has the function of the Preserved Tablet in the world of transformation and change.

***

just as the element of air demonstrates the above-mentioned wonders and manifestation of divine unity in only the duty of transmitting sound and shows the impossibilities of misguidance, so does it perform other impise yo duties with order and without confusing them, such as transmitting subtle forces and energy, like electricity, light, and the forces of attraction and repulsion. At the samem)>whoas conveying these, with perfect order, it carries out duties essential for the lives of plants and animals,

such as respiration and pollination. It proves in decisive fashion that it is a place of maparticmanifestation of the divine will and command. I came to the firm conclusion that it proves that in no way is there any possibility of vagrant chance, blind force, deaf nature, confused and aimless causes, aay in erless, lifeless, unknowing matter interfering in the writing and duties of the page of the air. And I understood that every particle and part of it declares with the tongue and wh being: "There is no God but He,">and, "Say, He is God, the One.">Just as with the key of 'He' I saw these wonders in the material aspect of the air, so also, as a 'He' , did the element air become a key to t the pld of Similitudes and the World of Meaning.

I have not been inspired to write the rest of this for now. Endless greetings to everyone.

My Brothers!

Don't worry! Be content with venth sale-i Nur's>extraordinary hidden victories. At no time upto the present has any work spread so effectively in such difficult conditions. The reason it has f fromen given its complete freedom is that they are scared of its unusual power. Although they recognize and appreciate it, news has been received of the Director of idenceous Affair's meeting with the top man and that they are frightened to have it officially disseminated at present, surmising that it might lead to disturbances.anyoneare not attacking it as formerly; indeed, they want to be conciliatory. God willing, the powerful currents in favour of the Risale-i Nur>will turn their uneahis woo the desire to publish it officially. Also, numerous egotistical people do not support the Risale-i Nur's>open publication because they are jealous and want to spread their own works. But don't worry, the Risale-i Nur>will prevail!ars a

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>I have received the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ's twenty lessons and gift. In return, in order to assist its sacred lessons, I have sent with Hâfız Mustafa, who is a leading disseminatoncidenhe Risale-i Nur>and Hâfız Ali's diligent heir, the ninety liras>which is what remains from the salary given

me while I performed my scholare al-Aies in the Darü'l-Hikmet, which at that time I spent on printing the treatises I had written and with which I intended to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, anbe anstwenty to thirty years has been my reserve fund. For me it has the value of a thousand liras.>The price of these new lessons should be seven and a half liras, the same as The Shining Lamp>and The Ratifying Stamp of thekı). Mn,>for I am obliged to give many people copies as presents, Nevertheless, I look on every single lesson and copy as a thousand gifts from the leading members of the Medrestly:>-Zehrâ.

Secondly:>The Risale-i Nur>is spreading through the Islamic world by means of people making the Hajj, and is conveying itself to the worthy. The committee of scholars who studied the handwt al-T copies of The Staff of Moses>and Zülfikar>that we sent to Damascus decided that they should print the collections section by section, a sign that they thought highly of them. It would be very expensive to print them in their entirety. Aluch as would take a long time to translate them into Arabic, which is not possible. Due to this, my old student who is there and the student Issibiljust sent tried to get the copies off them and did not print them so that they might earn the money. Those brothers are now reading them to people who are ee, theAnyway, I am not giving permission for them to be printed. Now is not the time. A group of prominent scholars is needed, with the co-operation of Egyptian ulema. This matter wf a doried out too hastily.

Thirdly:>The reason the copies we were going to send to Istanbul to send abroad have not yet been sent is thawere wmany people were keen to go on the Hajj , and a person who was going to go and had with him something on trust, said that too much notice waty perg given to the hajis at the borders and they were being turned back on false pretexts. He wrote to me advising that it would be better to send them by post directly to Mehmed Ali Mâliki at Vaziye, Mahalle-i Shamiyya in Mecca. Hfficianot take them lest he was turned back at the frontier. It was indeed judicious. For to send these collections now in my name and in that of the Nur students might have given Islamic unity - whiciate, nyway now starting to gain strength and its politics, the idea of trying to use the Risale-i Nur>as a source of power for itself and to exploit it, which would have compelled us to consider Islamic politics. Whereas the meaning of true sincerd beco the Risale-i Nur's>way does not permit it to be made the tool of anything other than belief and the truths of the Qur'an, nor to follow them. Also, from sale-i Nur>does not hunt for customers; rather, feeling their true need, its customers have to seek out the Risale-i Nur>so that it may heal their wounds. Whereas the blessed centres it was going to be sent to shou the fthinking

now, not of its true need for the Risale-i Nur,>but of those matters concerning the Islamic world's religious life. Also, the Risale-i Nur's>way looks on egotism and ostentation as a sort of fame-seeking and rejects them, so sinlue ofthis age of egotism, to try to sell oneself and make oneself liked, and for the Nur students to all of a sudden display themselves through these works in famous places as though they were highly privileged would be a sort of ostentation aaw thetentiousness. To preserve total sincerity, therefore, divine determining does not permit the Nur students to do this at the present time.

Fourthly:>May Almighty God perpetually bestow His grace on Süleyman Rüştü in his materialeft thpiritual commerce in this world and the next, for he is unwavering in his heroism and loyalty, and with his brother is innocent and has performed invaluable services in a short time. Amen!

Fifthly:>"A Fine nt to Concerning 'He' (Hüve Nüktesi)">is truly subtle though very brief and concise; it has been sent to you, for everyone may perceive the powerful light of belief in it, The phrase: "with the tongue of being and through the testimony and nemies of the above-mentioned truth" is to be added to the sentence near the end: "every particle says with the tongue of its being: 'There is no God but He,'>and, 'Say, He is God, the One,'>and travelt wronhis piece on 'He' , together with the imaginary journey related to the verse: "God is the Light of the heavens">(Q 24:35) in the Fifth Section of the Twenty-Ninth Letter, and the other imaginary journ and tlaining the meaning of community through the door of "do we worship">(Q 1:4) in the Sixth Point of the First Section of the Twenty-Ninth Letter should be together added at the end of The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen>or where you deem perforriate. If the "Inâyât">(the Seventh Part of the Twenty-Eighth Letter) has not been put in The Ratifying Stamp,>a summary of it may also be added. I am leaving it up to you.

My Dear, Loo egotothers!

According to what I have heard, Şemsi and certain authors whose names I consider inappropriate to mention, are publishing a numad rec parts of the Risale-i Nur>in their own names. I consent to this and forgive them and am pleased. They are students of the Risale-i Nur>too, and are publishing it iill ha way. For the past twenty years, many people including high-ranking hojas>and authors have taken numerous parts of the Risale-i

Nur and included them in their own works, and te corre continuing to do so, I forgive not only such friendly people, but also those holding high positions who write works themselves and do not favour the spread of the Risale-i Nur>and even prRisaleits publication so that their own works become popular, for their preventing it assists in its conquests and its spreading in other useful ways. I have paid no attention to task insent state of affairs and do not know. Without wanting to, I heard that some high officials who compose works and have plagiarized the Risale-i Nur,>tell others that they have ad it but not give it to others, as though the Risale-i Nur>will obscure their own works. But the Risale-i Nur>affirms the truths in those works, and corroborates them and increases demand for them. God willing, some time they will be comphousanto publish it officially. But as the judge in İzmir said: "The Risale-i Nur>cannot be concealed; it does not resemble other books; no one can claim possession of it. Wherever it is found, it declares: I proceed from the Light!"

Also, hile ie past eight years the most important parts of the Risale-i Nur>have been going to Istanbul and have been read enthusiastically by authors. Basicalelt an seems to belong to everyone on condition they are its students.

I have decided to make those blessed brothers who are going on the Hajj from Isparta and have promised to perform it in my stead shareholders in all the spiritual gaiod dirruing in the sphere of the select students. May Almighty God grant them happiness in this world and the next. Amen!

Soon, I am going to send the sixty liras remainingorld, the cost of The Staff of Moses>which the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ has sent this time.

Also, I congratulate the Nur Trading House. God willing, we shall soon communicate by means of its owner. I send my ut alsngs to everyone.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>I bought a hundred copies of A Guide for Youth from the publishers for fifty liras, and I gave theailabl of the my own copies of The Staff of Moses>which I had sold. I am sending them to you in lieu of my debt of sixty liras>that remains from the cost of and Hipies of The Staff of Moses>which you last sent to me. You can send twenty or thirty of them to the internal Medresetü'z-Zehrâ and the rest in any amounts you deem stwo bre to such places as Denizli, Milâs, Burdur, Antalya, Aydın, and İzmir. Essentially, the true, all-important price of these is that the person who

buys them gets at least ten other pe securo read them. Because there are only a few copies.

Secondly:>I liked your defence speech in the court; it is very good. It is also good condlyhe trial has been postponed to the twenty-second of December (Teşrin).>The parts they are holding are anyway the share of officials; they should read them. If they don't, thorts ofts just being found in the offices near them means that they receive instruction in some way, so don't worry. The unfolding and conquests of the Risale-i Nur>are slowly incrch rec, covering numerous officials. The officials have begun to be curious and are seeking it out. When they find it, they respect it although they receive a slap from it.

Thirdly:>I was overjoyed by tout suters sent by young İbrahim and Salih, two of the young heroes of Isparta. May God bless them! And just as those two brothers visited our leading brothers in that region and described how they were in their letters; so I havod! Thived a fine letter from a new brother describing how such places on the Black Sea coast as Ordu, Sinop, Gerze, Ayancık, Bartın, and Zonguldak are being illuminated by the Risale-i Nur.>He says that Nurju preachers in Üsküda Sellestanbul are working at it, and that he himself has a business in Gerze, is most eager for the Risale-i Nur,>and has resolved to work wholeheartedly at it. I send many greetings to him and to İbrahim and Salih,mercy,ongratulate them and pray for their success.

Fourthly:>The Imam of Alamescid, our active brother İbrahim Edhem, has found two preachers, Ali Şentürk and Osman Nuri, who are fully Nurjus like himself. With te old incere, devoted, and resolute services for the Risale-i Nur,>the preachers have been admitted to the circle of select students in the way they wished for in their letter. May Almighty Goinnumet them success. Amen! I send many greetings to Ali Rıza, the mufti of that district, who is named in Ali Şentürk's letter. Many valuable brothers so-named have ennd makthe fold of the Risale-i Nur>so tell him that he will be a fine example to many people. I send endless greetings to everyone.

I have sent to the printer Aze ImamIstanbul the thirtieth part of the Qur'an (cüz')>containing the subtle coincidences (tevâfukat)>in Sura al-Rahman together with another part with fine coincidences. He liom of em very much and gave his word that whenever we want he will print them photographically, as he did the Hizb-i Kur'âniye>and the Hizb-i Nuriye.>He had promieatise send one million copies of the Qur'an to India and said it

would be splendid to include copies of the miraculous Qur'an with them. Hopefully, God Almighty will bestow success on the Nurjus, if He so wills.

As tght doce of The Ratifying Stamp,>I have obtained fifty copies of A Guide for Youth>from the publishers and have given the money. Also, in exchange, as the blessed price of that blessed collection arer and aucepans which have served me well but are not now necessary and which I did not want to give to anyone, and a cotton robe I have worn for fifteen years, and a truly blessed book; a kettle and teapon, parazor I have used to shave with for twenty-four years, and a sheet which has served me for a long time past. As reckoned and recommended by Kılınç Ali's father, who was present, and Ahmed Rasih, nine liras>for the saucepans, nient, nas>for the kettle and teapot, nine liras>for the razor, and for the cotton robe, sheet, two hand-towels, some underpants and a cotton shirt a total of one hundred and twenty-five liras.>They estimated these prices, but ng colght it should be less and said that was too much. Greetings to all.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>Besides congratulating you on the Ten Nights, {[*]: The first ten nights of theittee of Dhu'l-Hijja, the month of the Hajj and twelfth month of the Hijri year. The Tenth day of Dhu'l-Hijja marks the first day of the 'Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifices. [Tr.]} we want to tell you about tainty ders of the Risale-i Nur.>The many-sided expansion of the Nur service, especially with the duplicating machines, has confused the covert hostile atheists. Using a wretched unthinking man and followine Risanimportant but grievous plan, they provoked an incident that might have given rise to numerous suspicions and calumnies: four shots were fired right beside the house of one of the leading Nur students here who Kütahyms the most vital tasks, wounding some wretched man. The doctor said it was one hundred per cent certain that he would die. Although the conere many people, official and unofficial, to support the wounded man's case and a ninety-per-cent possibility that the crime would be attributed to that leading Nur student and in connection with this, his ho embrould be searched and all the treatises and letters of the Risale-i Nur>would be

seized, and I myself and the Nurjus would be incriminated, nnectie innocent student would be defamed with unwarranted slanders - despite all this, in accordance with the meaning of, "You are protected by divine providence," divine providence again came to our assistance. The man did not die, althour sakehad been hit right in the face at close range by four bullets. Also, there were no witnesses. And no evidence at all was found. The man told neither the court, nor his father, nor hly notthers who had shot him, although they insisted. That is, he was not permitted to say. If he had said, dissemblers who make mountains out of moof thes would have cooked up outrageous slanders. Through His grace and munificence, Almighty God protected the Risale-i Nur>and the Nurjus, and the explosion of the incident caused us no harm. I felt absolutely certain that it waleasednder of the Risale-i Nur.>Furthermore, on the one hand the man had read a part of the Risale-i Nur>and his life was spared as a wonder of it; and on tece iner, due to the sense he had obtained through the small lessons in reality he had received from it, he was silenced so that no harm should come to the Risale-i Nur,>and he was prevented from telling it to either the to ti or his relations. One time he came and visited me and gave his word that he was going to behave properly, but he did something wrong and received a blow. Indeed, we understood that even Nur students who may be subject tof thee accusations although they act with perfect sincerity and loyalty, may suffer compassionate slaps due to negligent persons.

This piece is to be added to the end of A Fine Point Concerning 'Hortuni I saw that the World of Similitudes is all the time taking innumerable photographs without confusing them, and that each photograph contains innumerable evion. Iccurring in this world. I understood that it was a gigantic camera, and a vast cinema of the hereafter thousands of times larger than the world for showing in eternal theatres the fruits of the transient, impermanent states and lr, Hâff ephemeral beings, for showing to those enjoying everlasting bliss in Paradise scenes from their old memories and adventures in this world.

While the uld noies of memory and imagination, which are two proofs, two small examples, and two points of both the Preserved Tablet and the World of Similitudes situated in madered ad, are as tiny as lentils, within

them are written in perfect order and without being mixed up as much information as may be contained in a large library. This provdn't sisively that the World of Similitudes and the Preserved Tablet are large examples of those faculties.

It is definite and as certain as the knowledge of certainty (ilmelyakîn)>that the elements air and water, partugh wily seminal fluid and the air, are far superior to the element earth and are written with more wisdom and will, and with the pen of divine determining and powers in Sthat it is completely impossible for chance, blind force, deaf nature, and lifeless and aimless causes to interfere in them, and that they are a page of the pen of power and the wisdom of the All-Wippropr of Glory. This was known with the knowledge of certainty.

The rest of this was not written for now.

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; You are indeed All-Knowing, All-rn the(Q 2:32)

My Dear, Loyal Brothers and Active, Steadfast Friends in the Service of the Qur'an!

did ny:>We congratulate you with all our life and spirit on the first ten nights of Dhu'l-Hijja, which this year bear the meaning of the Greater Hajj.

is appondly:>The Risale-i Nur's>conquests continue both at home and abroad. But the people of vice and misguidance, our covert enemies, alarm the personudents by causing minor incidents, and making mountains out of molehills, unnerve them. Recently, an incident occurred close to the house of a leading student, where most of my books and my letters of tn addiears were openly found, There was a strong, ninety per cent, possibility of this being taken advantage of and his house being searched, but through Almighty God's providence, protection, and preservation, it was sat. I som this. If that morning I had not sternly admonished two of our ingenuous brothers and got them to remove them from there, once again the Risale-i Nur>and its circzed thld have been in an awkward situation. It appears that a sort of fear of politics caused the incident that did occur. It is true that divine providence preserved us, but at pree Monthe collections are being published and are circulating so we are obliged to be calm and circumspect;

any such commotion allows our enemies to blow up things out of all proportion and to dismay and alarm us. Dicruplerovidence repulsed their scheme and protected us. But thinking of the considerable harm that would come to the Risale-i Nur's>work and due to the trepidations and blows I felt in my spirit arising from that uncustomartance unforeseen event, I felt a distress I had never before experienced in my life and my nerves felt all afflicted with wounds. I was crushed by the involuntary grief I felt. Then out of Hisfor thct compassion, on the second day the Most Merciful of the Merciful sent the truly devoted Nuri Benli, and Sadık Bey, the hero of Kastamonu, and Ismail, one of the İnebolu heroes, as a perfect salve forefore istress of those spiritual wounds and a total remedy. And I received the good news in a letter from our brother Emin, who had gone to his native region, that Molla Hamza was alive although fifteen ye them,o I heard he had fallen as a martyr, and for whom I have prayed continually together with my other martyr students like Ubeyd, and who printed both Isharat al-I'jaz>and the Tenth Word, and that he was now living in Iraq and was seaNur's> for the Risale-i Nur.>This healed my wounds completely. I offered endless thanks to Almighty God.

We send numberless greetings to all our brothers.

My Dear, Luoted rothers!

Firstly:>The time has come to relate to you a both strange, and sad, and subtle story from my life, to describe my enemies' slanders which are both vile and with of thno Satan even could deceive anyone, and to show that absolutely no weapon remains to them to utilize against the Risale-i Nur.>It is like this:

It is well-known by those who are familiar with the story of mylief hthat fifty-five years ago when I was in my twenties, I stayed for two years in the residence of the governor of Bitlis, Ömer Pasha, on his insistence and because of his extreme respect forg triping. He had six daughters. Three of them were small and three of them were older. Although I stayed in the same house as them for two years, I could not tell the three older ones apart. I paid them so little attention, how could I his worne? Another scholar came and stayed together with me as a guest, and within two days he knew them and could tell them one from the other. They were all perplexed at my attitudet of esked me: "Why don't you look at them?" I replied: "Preserving the dignity of learning does not allow me to look at them."

Also, forty years ago on the day of the Kâğıthane fair in Istanbul and iciento sides of the Golden Horn from the bridge as far as Kağıthane were lined with thousands of unveiled Greek, Armenian, and Istanbul women and girls, I boarded a rowing-boat with the late deputy Molla Seyyid Tâha and the deputy Hastly pas and we passed by all those women. I was not aware of it, but Molla Tâha and Haji İlyas had decided to test me and they observed me in turn. At the end of the hour-lons and , they confessed what they had done, and said: "We are astonished at your behaviour; you didn't look at them at all!" I replied: "Unnecessary, fleeting, sinful pleasures yield only pains, so Id see no desire for them!"

Also, all those who have been companions to me know that throughout my life I have avoided accepting gifts and becoming beholden to people and accepting their chari all t benefactions. Also, it has become absolutely clear in the two court cases in the course of my twenty years of torturous captivity that in order to defend the honour and benefits of the Risale-i Nur>and its serviceager. elief and the Qur'an, I have evinced no curiosity about the material, social, and political matters of this world and I have renouncedcrutinheir pleasures, and that I attach not the slightest importance to any of the threats of our malicious enemies, including the gallows.

While this has been my principle in life for seventy-five years, a man who occupies an official positionre is niated me in a way that devils even could not dream up in order to denigrate the extraordinary value of the Risale-i Nur.>He said: "He is being visited at night by prostituhe anad other evildoers with trays of baklava!" But my door is locked on both the inside and the outside at night, and on the orders of that wretch a watchman was posted at the d for sll the morning. And my neighbours here and all my friends know that I receive no one at all from after the late-evening prayer until the morning. An idiotic fool, or an ass, or even Satan coNur Sct utter such slander. The man understood this and gave up such schemes, and left here and went elsewhere, to Hell, With this scheme whichld be vised, not in his official capacity, in order to smear the Nurjus, not me, he was the cause of this new incident and intended to blacken the students' reputation. But inf, whious fashion, divine protection, preservation, and providence confounded it. I am not exonerating my own soul with these explanations; I want to , and ther that the sacred service for belief induced my soul to give up all its desires and that the spiritual (mânevî)>pleasures in that service suffice it. I am making clear too the Nurjus' need for caution and vigilence.

Secondhow oram sending to you my private scribe, who is experienced and capable, with the duplicating machines. I write only with difficulty and will henceforth write to you briefly. So don't be offended.

Thirdlle, reend my greetings to the preacher Mehmed and Tevfik, who are in the whereabouts of Eflâni; his dream is auspicious.

Fourthly:>I have this minute received the fine letter of Mehmed Feyzi, the Husrev of Kastamonu, containing the goonsive of the Risale-i Nur's>conquests and his congratulations. And with all my life and spirit, I congratulate foremost that valuable brother of ours, and Hilmi, Emin, and the Beşkardeş's, and our Nurju si (tarithe Ulviyes, Zehras, and Lütfiyes, on both the Ten Nights, and the festival. Also, we are sending attached the letters of both Hulûsi and Feyzi.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firf Ata-A leading, most worthy Nur student asked me in the name of many of them: "A number of sincere, leading Nur students persistently suppose you to be the susale-iguide who is to come at the end of time and will belong to the Prophet's (UWBP) family. They insist on this despite your holding back so much. You do to worcept this idea of theirs that they so insist upon and you shrink from it. For sure, they have decisive proof and are in possession of some truth, yet you do not concede to it for some reason or owing to some trund cauis is a contradiction and come what may we want to solve it."

I say in reply to the many matters that this person represents: Those select Ny God are in possession of some truth, but it has to be defined and interpreted in two respects:

The First Respect: As I have indicated in many of my letters, the collective personah all f the sacred community that the Mahdi of the Prophet's (UWBP) family will represent, has three functions. We may await from divine mercy that if the end of the need. does not happen soon and humankind does not stray from the path completely, his community and the community of sayyids>will perform those functions. He w come ve three major functions.

His First Function: Since science and philosophy are now dominant and the plague of materialism and natureakneshas spread among the human race, before everything belief should be saved in such a way that it silences philosophy and materialism. Since preserving the people of beliel-Kabi misguidance necessitates leaving aside both this world and everything in it and demands prolonged and devoted study, neither the Mahdi's time nor his situation would permit him to perform thences y himself; preoccupation

with the rule of the Caliphate of Muhammad (UWBP) would not leave him the time. Most probably a group preceding him will perform it in some respect. He will take the work which that group wrote gence,esult of lengthy study as a pre-prepared programme for himself, and with it will find the first duty to have been performed to the full, The force or spiritual army which has undertaken this due!

sists only of a number of students who possess fully the attributes of sincerity, loyalty, and mutual support. However few they are in number, in meaning they should be deemed as powerful and valuable as an army.

His Seconeligiotion: With his title pertaining to the Caliphate of Muhammad (UWBP), this is to revive the marks of Islam, and making the unity of the Islamic world his source of support, to save humanity from material and spiritual dangers acles om divine wrath. This function will require armies with millions of men to support it and serve it.

His Third Function: Since many Qur'anic precepts have suffered harm with the vicissitudes of the times, and the Shari'a of Mme.

d (UWBP) has been suspended to an extent, the person in question will try to perform that mighty task with the moral assistance of all the believers, the help of Islamic unity, and with the participation of all the scholars and saints, parti. My fy the millions of devoted sayyids,>who are descended from the Prophet (UWBP) and every century are numerous and powerful.

Although the reality of the matter is this, since the duty of saving belief, the primary duty and highest [non-and instructing the people generally in certain, affirmative belief and even making the belief of the common people thus, is guidance and instruction both in spirit and in fact - since the Nur students have beheverywhs duty fully in the Risale-i Nur,>they rightly consider the collective personality of the Risale-i Nur>to be a sort of Mahdi, and the second and third duties to be in second and third place. And si tyraney suppose one representative of that collective personality to be a collective personality arising from the mutual support of the Risale-i Nur>students, and a sort of representative of that colleould cpersonality to be the unfortunate interpreter, they sometimes give him that name too. This is actually a point of confusion and an error, but they are not responsible. For since early days he has been looked on too favourably, and t is bas never objected to. So I look on those excessively good opinions of my brothers as a sort of prayer and good wish and a manifestation of the perfect belief of the Risale-i Nur>students, and I do not rebuke them. s. Fort, some of the saints of olden times foresaw with their wondrous predictions that the Risale-i Nur>would be the guide at the end of time, and this is understood

ood woh these verifications. This means that there are two points of confusion, which need to be explained.

The First Point: For sure in ret:>I hthe second two functions are not equal in degree to the first, but in the general view, particularly in the view of the the mass of people and of politicians in particular, and ill, ially in contemporary thought, pursuing Islamic rule on the face of the earth with the armies of the Caliphate of Muhammad (UWBP) and Islamic unity appear a thation, times more extensive than the first function. And when someone is given that name, the latter two functions come to mind and it is given a political meaning; indeed, it may infer selard ofrtisement, or even hint at the wish for fame, glory, and high standing. There always have been, and still are, many ingenuous rank-seeking people desiring and claimiwerfulbe the Mahdi. It's true that a guide, a sort of Mahdi and Renewer appears every century, and has appeared, but because each has performed only one of the Mahdi's three functions, none has bupposecorded the title of the Supreme Mahdi of the end of time.

Also, in Denizli Court, the experts' committee said to me in connection withcuses.belief of some of the students: "If he claims to be the Mahdi, all his students will accept it." So I told them: "I don't know whether or not I'm a sayyid>People's genealogies aren't known today. But that greote thure of the end of time will belong to the Prophet's (UWBP) family. For sure, I'm a sort of spiritual son of Imam 'Ali (May God be pleased with him) and have received instruction in the rd, andes from him, and since in one meaning the family of Muhammad (Upon whom be blessings and peace) encompasses true Nur students, I too may be counelieveong his family. But the present is the time of the collective personality, and in the way of the Risale-i Nur>there can be no egotism off the ort, or personalities, or the desire for personal rank or for winning fame and renown. And since it would totally opposed to the mystery of sincerity, and since, endless thanks be to God Almighty, He did not makewn idend of myself, I would not fasten my sights on personal positions and ranks infinitely higher than my due such as that. Even if I were to be given high rank in Risalreafter, I would consider myself obliged to refuse it so as not to spoil the sincerity of the Risale-i Nur.">I said this, and the experts' committee were silent.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>We congratulate bothnd thrhe Nurjus on their holy festival, and the Nur students who are making the Hajj and the supporters of the Risale-i Nur>who are also on the Hajj. The festival brings us good news, for it is celebrating the preliminaries o I feeIslamic world's great festival of the coming together in unity as Islamic states of such large countries in the Islamic world as India and Arabia, which have for a long time past lost their independence and been in subjection - an Islay die,ate in India with its population of one hundred million, and an Islamic state in Java with its population of more than fifty million, and four or five governments in and ra coming together in Arab unity as united republics and forming Islamic unity.

Secondly:>According to what Re'fet Bey and Mustafa Oruç have written, in Istanbul, oveng to portal of the splendid building that served as the Ministry of War and headquarters of the army, from which for years the army of Islam was commanded and was subsequently handed over to the university, are inscribere conhe Qur'anic script the meaningful verses: "Verily We have granted thee a manifest victory ... And that God may help thee with powerful help.">(Q 48: 1, 3) These verses were later covered with marble slabs andağ! I lights were concealed. Now, as an example of the Qur'anic script once again being permitted, the marble slabs have been removed, which assists the objectives the Risale-i Nur>follows And wh a sign that in the future the university will be a Nur School. And in a passage the Denizli Nurju Ahmeds have taken from one of the works of Bismarck, {[*]: This was most probably taken fromnclusi Edip's work, Kur'an - Garp Mütefekkirlerine Göre Kur'an'ın Azamet ve İhtişamı Hakkında Dünya Mütefekkirlerinin Şehadetleri (Istanbul: 1958). [Tr.]} who was one of the nineteenth century's most eminent social philosophers r in Igreat genius, he says: "I have studied the Qur'an from every angle, and I have seen wisdom in every one of its words. It is unequalled and for the government of humankind there is no work to match it." And ade fiveng the Prophet (UWBP), he says: "O Muhammad! I am indeed sad that I am not your contemporary. Only once has humanity seen a power as outstanding as yours.e woulrefore bow in reverence in your presence." Bismarck put his signature to this. He so belittled the corrupted, abrogated revealed scriptures in the piece he wrote, those sentences should their ve been written; I indicated this too.

The facts that Bismarck was the most brilliant and eminent philosopher

of the nineteenth century antrolleof its most illustrious and powerful figures in political and social life; and the Islamic world is now winning its independence to an extent; and foreign governments are searching for the Qur'anic truths; and there is a powerful current favof pub the Qur'an in the west and north-west; and just like Bismarck, Mister Carlyle, America's most eminent and famous philosopher, has said categorically that none of the scriptures can compare with the Qur'an, and that what it says is true sofor twshould listen to it; {[*]: The famous historian and philosopher Thoman Carlyle (1795-1881) was actually Scottish. He was born in Scotland and died in London. Bediuzzamae here is referring to his work On Heroes, Hero-Worship and the Heroic in History (London: 1841), and the chapter entitled: The Hero as Prophet. of beet: Islam. It is not known for certain what Bediuzzaman's source was, for here, Carlyle praises the moral discipline and direction that Islam, and its Prophet, gives its adherents while at the same Yes, ot denying the pleasant things of life. He does not praise the Qur'an. [Tr.]} and the Risale-i Nur>is progressing and making conquests - these are all auspicious signs that many Bismaelt bend Carlyles will appear in Europe and America. We present these to you as a festival gift and send attached the piece written by Bismarck.

I took a look at the beautifully written letter sent by the innocent son of the barberlook tsman, who is one of the İnebolu heroes, and it suddenly occurred to me that in three important centres of the Risale-i Nur,>three barbers are performing great services for it in such a way that they all resemd wrotch other, together with their children, and I felt most happy. Burhan, Hıfzı, and Ali Osman, each a valuable champion of the Risale-i Nur!>May Almighty God grant them happiness together with their children in te Unserld and the next. Amen!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

With a firm conviction and corroborated by numerous signs, we give the good i Nur.hat in return for the light one-month prison sentence the three students of the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ received and their suffering the judge's extremely unwarranted, meaningless, and cold anger, the spirit beings, angels, andnd resg generations will applaud them exceedingly in place of that man's trifling penalty and meaningless anger, and they congratulate such students. And because harrassment and torments of this sort are means of being saved from millionHalil ears' punishment in everlasting

imprisonment, they are as nothing and do not have the importance of a fly's wing; indeed, they make one pleased and proud.

The self-important and fahere. rince Bismarck, who a century ago was considered to be the world's most intelligent and scrupulous philosopher and imperious ruler, and although a Christian belittlethey dthe former religions and their scriptures and was even so bold as to deny them, affirmed in writing that he had bowed before the All-Wise Qur'an and assented to it with all his strength, and he announced in the newspapers to ald not world that he had renounced his obstinacy, egotism, and irreligion and surrendered to the Qur'an. Just when this was being published, the present terrible government to tents, th-east, which denies all the revealed religions, is sending many of its Muslim population to the Hajj to make a show before the Islamic world as though it has given up its irreligiour nevuracy, and hostility, and no longer denies the Qur'an and as though it recognizes the Qur'an's importance better than the people here and is surrendering to its greatness and having recourse to it in a sort of way. They sa victo the authorities here are lagging behind them in this question and do not send as many people to the Hajj as they do. In the face of this, at a timeok on uthorities are allowing complete freedom in the question of the Hajj and political propaganda of this type is being carried out, and the Nur students of the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ are publishing with their he serhose vast and splendid truths of the Qur'an of Miraculous Exposition with such wondrous treatises as Zülfikar>and The Staff of Moses,>and cofound ng the most obdurate atheists to affirm them - at such a time, the assaults of the people of misguidance surely cause not only the people of trutous joeep, but also the spirit beings and angels, and even enrage the earth and the heavens.

Since a thousand copies of The Supreme Sign> (Âyetü'l-Kübrâ)>printed in the old letters and all the treatises of the Risale-i Nur>save been unanimously acquitted and returned having been scrutinized for two years, to deem it a crime to duplicate in the old letters a number of treatises that have beenportioned and impose a sentence is a matter of serious concern for the judiciary and insults its honour.

Secondly:>I do not have a personal scribe now and the othermuch bes do not understand my language at all well. Also I am unwell and can only write slowly and with difficulty. Since yesterday, close on twenty letters whom rrived and they contain the names of very many of our brothers and sisters. So I congratulate all of them on the festival and with all my lce. I d spirit accept those who wish to be new students. May God Almighty be pleased with both them and those who so prompted them, and may He grant them success in whatever their hearts wish for.

Thirdly:>Both myself and th tool e Nur circle have been made pleased and happy by the fine letter of Sabri, the Nur Power Station, which will be added to The Additional Letters;>and the sacred services of Ali Osman and Çil It haAli in publishing the Risale-i Nur;>and by İbrahim Edhem's effective activities in Balıkesir and that region and many people entering the fold of the Risale-i Nur>through his guidance; and similarlyf all san Feyzi, by Ahmed Fuad's activity and devotion in the vicinity of Eflâni; and by Sabri from Konya's efforts to induce students of the secular schools to enter the fold of the Risale-i Nur>in laof thrmbers; and by the good will and ratifying stance towards the Risale-i Nur>of foremost Hoja Vehbi Efendi, the Qur'anic exegetist, and other Konya ulema; and by thetold aer Abdurrahman İhsan's sincere and earnest devotion in his letter; and by the two or three people described in the preacher Osman of Tavşanlı's letter who have with the utmost earnestness become Nur students; and by truly s.

T Nurjus emerging in the villages of Eğirdir, as affirmed by Ali Osman and Halil İbrahim; and by Abdullah from Araç, who was the first of the Kastamonu secular-school students te courace the Risale-i Nur>and has performed many services for it in Ankara University and has described in his heartening letter which shows hishile tadherence to belief and religion, his efforts to protect and defend Abdurrahman's son Vahdet in Ankara, and that due to the many readers of the Risale-i Nur>there, they have insufficient copies of it, and that he h its eading it among the young people there together with his friend Mehmed from Konya; and by the prayers and descriptions of the Risale-i Nur's>effectiven of th the sincere letter sent by Ali Akdağ, who is closely concerned with it and, God willing, will be a second Ahmed Feyzi in the region of Aydı>bears these messages have filled both us and all the Nur circle with joy, and by implication are a vast gift this festival. May Almighty God be pleased with all of them. They should not alm ofended that I have been unable to write personally and separately to each of them.

I have approved without altering it Husrev's petition to the Court of Appeal; ess iny send your copy of it to the court. Since you have a copy, you can also add it to The Additional Letters>without my sending this letter. You know better than I do concerning monitiice of A Guide for Youth,>which you asked about in the letter that has just arrived, It shouldn't be less than one or one-and-a-half liras.>We say, may God granfiscassings on Husrev's pen, which has started on the Fourth Word. May God grant him success. Amen!

I send in return for their festival congratu theses, congratulations to the barber Hıfzı, the hero of Safranbolu, and his two innocent Nurju sons,

Hüsnü and Yılmaz, and to the İnebolu heroes, Ali Osman and his two Nurju sons, and I offer prayers for their succes and h**

My Dear, Loyal Brother, Re'fet Bey!

Firstly:>I received an acute warning in my spirit that I should explain a matter in connection with a number of minor incidents that have sligtronglffected us. It is like this:

Of course, you select Risale-i Nur>students know that the Risale-i Nur>can be made the tool of nothing, nor be made the means of anything other than be depleasure, and that before everything it teaches the truths of belief and saves the belief of the weak and unfortunate, and those who have fallen to doubt.

Sle wouy:>The Risale-i Nur's>most powerful force in the face of so many opponents is sincerity, and just as it can be made the tool of nothing in the world, so it cannot be concerned w the cy currents based on feelings of partisanship, particularly currents connected to politics. For partisanship destroys sincerity and distorts the truth. In fact, the reason I have given up politics theseging nthirty years is this: because of his feelings of bias towards the political current he supported, a revered scholar of religion insulted another prominenrahim nd scholar to the extent of calling him a depraved sinner because he held opposing views, while at the same time he praised and applauded a famous and aggressive dissembler Bey, reed with his ideas. It caused me to shudder to the very depths of my being. Thinking, when involvement in politics is combined with feelings of bias, it gives rise to quite extraordinary mistakes, I declared: "I seek refuge withrrectirom Satan and from politics," and from that time I gave up politics.

In consequence of that state of mind, brothers like yourself know thher th the last twenty-five years I have neither read a newspaper, nor listened to one being read, nor have I been curious. And for the past ten years, I have evinced no interest or curiosity in the World War, nor have I known about iteing rknow too that, apart from my court defences, in the twenty- two years of this distressing captivity, so as to avoid having any contact with ereforcs and partisanship and to prevent marring the sincerity of the Risale-i Nur,>I have never applied to the government for my own wellbeing. You also know that, as I wrote and told you while in prison, if those who condemn me to dea about torment and maltreat me save their belief through the Risale-i Nur,>bear witness that I forgive them. And so that no

harm should come to sincerity since feelings of bias, I have had nothing to do with the stormy political currents that have emerged from home and abroad these last two or tStauncears, and I have also warned my brothers about them, to an extent.

Thirdly:>You know that I do not accept alms or charity, nor can I be an intermediary for such benefactions, Due to this, I am selling my clothes and obiye).ecessities, and buying with the money my own books from the brothers who wrote them out. In this way, no worldly benefits will impair the Risale-i Nur's>sincerity and it will be an n thisary lesson for our other brothers so that they will avoid making it the tool of anything.

Fourthly:>The Risale-i Nur>suffices for its true students. They should be content wispicioand not set their sights on other honours or benefits, material or spiritual. Also, so as not to make people hostile and resentful towa I wroe Risale-i Nur,>one should not enter into arguments, disputes, or biased discussions on religious questions that are going to upset them. In fact, I had re Afyonition at exactly the same time that our brother Mustafa Oruç was disputing with someone in a fashion contrary to the Risale-i Nur's>way, and I fe Proo intense anger and indignation at him my heart. I felt truly saddened and wanted to demote him from the high rank he had won from the Risale-i Nur.>But he was an Abdurrahman for me, so why did I feel ss a grger towards him? Then he visited me this festival; thanks be to God, he had heeded a crucial lesson and understood that serious mistake of his; he had confessed to his error at the very time Iwritinngry with him here. God willing, it was atonement for him and he was saved, completely purified.

Fifthly:>For the past four or five months,-i Nurson has evidently been sending me a newspaper here. I have only just learned that it was being sent to me. My friends here know my habits, and thre dane scared and did not tell me, since apart from the Risale-i Nur>I accept no book or magazine, let alone newspapers, and anyway I don't know a single letter of tr'an t alphabet. Now, someone showed me a journalist's letter, who is friendly and from the same region, which contained a one-page interview with me. Thalism d me that he had been sending a paper to me, but they were frightened to show it to me. So I told them: "Send that friend many greetings from me. The Old hs sucwho he knew, has changed and cut all ties with this world. He is also ill and cannot write a personal letter to that brother, so he should not be offended."

I send greetings But sl the friends there, especially brothers like Hâfız Emin and Hâfız Fahreddin, and I again congratulate them on the festival.

For the past three years, our brothuminated Feyzi, who is the Risale-i Nur's>lawyer and the Hasan Feyzi of Aydın and a Husrev of that region has affirmed the hundreds of allusions to the Risale-i Nur>made by The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen,>and most powerfully and defuqat)ly proved - in agreement with the meaning of certain Hadiths and verses from the Qur'an and with the science of divination (cifir; jafr)>- the Risale-i Nur's>cers!

ive personality. He ascribes to the Risale-i Nur's>Interpreter, a number of allusions made by Hadiths to the Nur students' collective personality, which is a representative of the Risale-i Nur's>collective personality. The f is bo, though, he is a sort of representative of that collective personality only in regard to the Risale-i Nur's>composition. It is neither ntry eht nor my due that I should be the object (lit. means, pivot - medâr)>of that sacred allusion. In any event, I have not studied it very cf deat. If my time and indisposition permit me to do so and to modify the minute investigations over three-and-a-half years of that extraordinarily intelligent brother, I shall send them to you to write out and add as an adden and t The Mysteries Collection (Tılsımlar Mecmuası)>or to The Flashes Collection,>as a proof of the Risale-i Nur's>authenticity. Send in my name a copy of The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen>to our brother, Ahmed Feyzi, the Risale-nd pows>lawyer, in return for his gifts of figs so that they will not upset me. For recently, numerous experiences have made it understood that unreciprocated presents make me ill.

In return for the sincere letters they have written me, Ier to many prayers for that brother's blessed wife and respected mother and their children called Said and Nuri. With all my life and spirit I accept within the fold of the Nur innocents, the innocent children aor thepected, pious wife of such a heroic Nurju whom he has entrusted to the Risale-i Nur>to serve it as devotees. And I send greetings to Mehmed Emin, Ali Akdağ, apticised Feyzi, and to all our brothers, and we pray for them.

In His Name, be He glorified!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Having sold some unnecessary foodstuffs r of tothes, I am sending you as the price of The Flashes Collection>a truly blessed hundred liras together with ten blessed liras,>which is what remains of my salaoy pubm the Darü'l-Hikmet - with which I was going to go on the Hajj, and is left from what I have spent on food this last twenty-two years.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Endless thanks be to Almighty Gis thesign of the Risale-i Nur's>acceptance by Mecca and Medina is this: the Denizli hero Hâfız Mustafa obtained from Istanbul the Zülfikar,> Staff of Moses,>andverythng Lamp>that were going to be sent to the Indian ulema, and on the road, read them to some people travelling to the Hajj. Then in Medina, they together handed them over to a very famous Kashmiri scholar and to someone who knew Turkish we He ese two young Nurju hajis who had accompanied Hâfız Mustafa and read the Risale-i Nur>on the journey, and some other hajis, brought me this good news, and that the person trom th they had given those collections thought very highly of them and undertook to send them to the centre of the Indian ulema, and also that the collectiono me, gnated for Medina had arrived in good condition, as had those sent to other places; they brought the good news of the Risale-i Nur's>spread and acceptance abroad. Only, of the three collectionsrived to al-Azhar University, Zülfikar>remained here; we were unable to send it; only two of them went. The wisdom in this is that Zülfikar>is an extensivis dutolarly lesson. It would not have been appropriate to send it as instruction to al-Azhar University, which is the supreme medrese of the Islamic world. Also, there e of tholera epidemic there at the moment, so Zülfikar>would not have received the attention it deserves.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers! six prstly:>May God bless and bestow endless happiness on our brother Hâfız Mustafa, a leading Nur champion, who took the main Risale-i Nur>collections to Mecca and gave them to the eminent Indian scholar Ahmad 'Ali Shimshiri, who assthe prim that they would be translated into Urdu (lit. Hintçe) and be sent to India. The Medresetü'z-Zehrâ should write a letter to that lofty scholar. His address is: Ahmad 'Ali tter oiri, Bab al-Salam, Mecca.

Secondly:>We learnt that the incident this time was due to their unfounded suspicions and making mountains out rue juehills. A sign of it was this: on orders from the Minister of the Interior, the governor of Afyon and chief of police came here at night, intending to raid my house, but because the public prosecutor did not agree, they had to wait till morted onThey then appointed two men who were most hostile to us and who without ado smashed the lock and entered. The same day when I went out in

the phll.

Thirdly:>Concerning the present calamity, I considered as usual theons, hce of divine determining and outpouring of divine providence, and I saw that compared with other provinces, Kütahya had lagged behind in regard to the Risale-i Nur>despite being close to its circle, so to awaken its interest and that of its he modary and administration in the Risale-i Nur>like those of Denizli and Kastamonu ... Yes, however much his ideas and duties are against us, he was sent to that province so that he might profters.>m the Risale-i Nur>in respect of belief and win reward for the Nurjus. Divine determining also dealt me a compassionate slap because I told myself: the Intest me inister comes from Erzurum and my home region and the governor of Afyon (from Antalya) and uptil now they have not bothered me; I'm free now and I've found a fair-minded governor; I'm not going to leave al-Azğ; but in punishment for the sort of joy I felt and my lack of caution, divine determining dealt me a blow at the hands of those two men, and acted justly.

ving ivernor of Afyon, the chief of police, and the committee here wrote to Ankara concerning our case: "There's no question of founding a Sufi order or political society, but there are two hundred thousand Nurju brothers who are reade sileacrifice themselves for anything Said Nursi says." They caused serious consternation to the government in another way. But there may possibly be an add brote for the Risale-i Nur>and the Nurjus in that memo of theirs, as well as some harm for my person. One aspect of the advantage is this: the conditions are indeed

M, but there is

a truth as unassailable as steel for which two hundred thousand Turks are eager customers, and to which they are ready to devote themselves and their spirits. It strengthens the belief of anyone whose belief is weak on t For Jint. The politicians and those who have lost their belief are frightened to provoke it and will no longer swiftly attack it. As for the harm towards my person, Almighty God is the Preserverseen.

may try to damage my prestige with slanders that would not occur to Satan even, in order to denigrate me, induce my brothers to flee from me, and rupture our brotherhood.

Yûsuf Ziya, who was a member of the expeing wiommittee and is a consultant at the Directorate of Religious Affairs, and the other hojas,>have asked for a complete set of the Risale-i Nur>from us. As a respectful request, they sent with Hasan Çalışkan, whom we had set begare, such pieces as the Thirtieth Word (Second Station), about the transformation of minute particles, the discussion about particles at the beginning of the First Stopping-Place of the Thirty-Second Word, the piece about the aiisale-e Nüktesi)>and the parts about particles in the Treatise on Nature.>It is as though they want to understand the meaning of the verse, "And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise">(Q 17:44), and it may be understand throug {[*]:e pieces. Those pieces also silence the materialists, who have now started to corrupt ideas freely.

Legally, they should have taken my statement but they neglected to do so, so I am now presenting my statement to happillective personality of the judiciary and for the information of the Interior Minister.

By reason of your job and duty, you are obliged and compelled to heed a person ordinas caused no harm to this country and nation this last forty years; indeed, has been most beneficial for them. In short, during the Thirty-First of ywhereIncident, with one speech this person induced eight mutinying regiments to obey their officers and he saved many of those officers; and with his pamphlet The Six Steps in the midst of the national movement he turned thes shou, Şeyhülislam, and Istanbul away from supporting the foreign occupation forces; and performed courageous services during the First World War e

to condemn him, although he could have been legally charged due to the calumnies of cothe oftheists; and whose treatises have been praised and commended by scholars of religion and science, and who speaks on account of those treatises.

d if nin. Truth and right are with us! May Almighty God not compel us to seek our rights by force or in any other way. Amen!

These twenty years, hundreds of experiences have shong.

t divine providence has protected us and saved us from ghastly oppression; we should therefore feel quite certain that it will save us from this new, completely illegal and cruel injustice. We nourish powerful hopes from divine mercy that eveegion,e suffer some minor difficulties, troubles, and harms, we shall receive divine mercy and grace and rewards far greater than the troubles, which will be transformed into another form of the sacred service of saving the wretched bel pray ' belief.

I declare that the incident in question was illegal in ten ways:

The First:>For two years the Risale-i Nur>was in the possession of the judiciary, and was scrutinized and investigated by three courts aeryoneee committees of experts, and was passed around seven government offices in Ankara; and all the treatises of the Risale-i Nur>were unanimoue Husrd without objection acquitted together with Said and his seventy-five friends, with not even a single day's penalty being given; so anyone the tiniest bit fair-minded would know just how contrary to the law it is to again seize thed why hough they were dangerous documents.

The Second:>Accusing him of involvement in politics, detectives smashed the lock on the door of a man who, after his acquittal has lived for three and a half years as a recluse and strhe sicin Emirdağ, with his door locked on both the outside and the inside, who has received only one person in a hundred to perform his necessary tasks, and has even given up composing works, be ci he had previously done for twenty years, but they could find nothing except a poster with some words about belief. Surely anyone with even a grain of intelligence would understand how contrary to the law this torment wasin andhe Third:>To raid a man's house as though he were a monstrous politician or political conspirator, although as testified to by seventy witnesses in court he has neither known about the Worl it, a nor asked about it or been curious about it - and now the same situation has continued for ten years, and for twenty years has neither read a newspaper nor listened to one being read, and for thirty years, exclaim one o seek refuge with God from Satan and politics," has fled from politics with all his might, and despite suffering torturous distress has not applied once to the governmen My

for his own comfort so as not to attract attention to himself or interfere in politics; with which law does it accord to raid his retreat and cause unimaginablen and ess to his spirit while he lies ill? Anyone with an atom's conscience would pity him.

The Fourth:>Although a number of judicial authorities were promptuminouinst him due to groundless fears concerning the founding of a Sufi order and political society, and due to the personal grudges of a great leader, he was acquitted of the charges after six months of investigations by Eskişehir Court and of charvice.onnected with the Risale-i Nur.>Only, on the pretext of a short part of the Risale-i Nur>about the veiling of women, the court imposed a sentence of six months on five tial t students out of a hundred, not as dictated by the law, but at its discretion. They had already been under arrest for four months by the time thehe namtigation commenced; that is, they had been held in prison for one-and-a-half months; then ten years later Denizli Court scrutinized all the letters and writings of twenntainers, and they remained in prison during the investigations conducted by Ankara and Denizli. Then the courts passed down a unanimous decision for their acquittal regarding the Sufccess r and political society {(*): The basis and objective of the Risale-i Nur is certain, affirmative belief and the truth of the Qur'an. For this reason, three courts acquitted it in regard to Sufism. Also, in twenty years, no one at ilifyis claimed that I have given instruction in Sufism. Anyway, a way that this nation has been bound to for a thousand years cannot be held to be reprehensible. Moreover, n's hewho respond to certain covert dissemblers who label the reality of Islam "Sufism" (tarikat) and attack this nation's religion, cannot be accused of practising Sufism. As for the society, it us wrotherhood that looks to the hereafter in so far as it is Islamic brotherhood. Three courts have ruled that it is not a political society. [Author]}ter ofhe other pretexts, and they acquitted Said and his friends and returned that book and all the letters to their owners. So to now look on them as a political society and accuse him of being a politial andtriguer, and to incite the officers of the law against them as though they were members of a political society and Sufi order, is totally opposed to the laweded hnyone who has not lost his humanity would know.

The Fifth:>It is like this: owing to the compassion which is the basis of the Risale-i Nur'ort ofand has been a guiding principle of my life for thirty years, so that no harm should come to any innocent, I do not vex the criminals who persecute me, let aas carurse them. I feel anger at the depraved sinners who oppress me with terrible hatred, indeed, irreligious tyrants, yet that compassion prevents me from responding physically, or even with curses. For thosde andl evildoers have wretched elderly parents or innocent children; lest they suffer any blows, I refrain from annoying

them for the sake of those innocents, our aometimes I even forgive them. It is owing to this compassion that just as we have done nothing to infringe public order and security, so too, I have advised all our friendsress; ch an extent that some fair-minded police in three provinces have admitted that the Nur students are moral police and preserve public order andields ity. This fact has been corroborated by the students' lives over twenty years by thousands of witnesses, and by no incident at all being recorded by the police despite there being thousands of students. So which law would permit the hand sif that person to be raided as though he were a lawless revolutionary, and for unscrupulous men to insult him, and although they were unable to find anything incriminating, to seize his Qur'an and the posters on his wall as though they weld of gerous papers and he was a multiple lawbreaker?

The Sixth:>Thirty years ago, that person realized through the grace of God and the effusions of the Qur'an just how harmful, just how profitless, just how meaningless are fleetiyon thour and renown in this world, and egotistical self-advertisement and love of fame. From that time he has struggled with all his strength with his ev the smanding soul and has striven as far as he possibly can to abnegate himself and renounce egotism and to act without artificiality and hypocrisy. Although his tackedions and those who serve him know this; and although contrarily to everyone else, for the past twenty years he has fled with all his strength from the excessively good opinions of people and their regard and praise fo God bperson, which everyone wants for themselves, and from looking on himself as a holder of high spiritual rank; and although he has rejected the favourable opinions of his select brothers to Hafended them, and in his replies to their letters has rebuffed their praises for him and broken their excessively high opinions, and has shown himself to be bereft of virtue, and has ascribed all virtue to the Risale-i Nur,eived is a commentary on the Qur'an, and thus indirectly to the collective personality of the Nur students, and that he considers himself to be a common servant; and a the oh this proves decisively that he has not tried to make himself liked, and has not wanted this, and has rejected it; and although without his consent, some of his friends a long wahree yevinced an excessively favourable opinion of him and applauded him and accorded him a high rank; according to which law could he be indicted due to some things a preacher in the region of ed groa said and due to a letter bearing my forged signature, although I have never sent a letter to Kütahya, and due to an inflamatory book being found in Balıkesir whose author is unknown? Is there any law in the wors.

y policy, that would permit the smashing of the lock on the door of a wretched, ill, very

elderly recluse who is a stranger as though he had committed somtogethe, and for detectives to search it but then could find nothing but a book of invocations and some posters?

The Seventh:>What law would pet the uch an assault on a person who, at this time when there are so many lively internal and external political currents in this country and the time is ripe to profit from them; - that is, to win , and side many high-ranking politicians instead of his few friends, he wrote and warned his friends not to get carried away on any of the political currents or enter politics or disturb public order, solely noith hinterfere in politics or harm sincerity or attract the government's attention to himself or to busy himself with this world; and although the two main currents caused him trouble and difficulties due to his avoidanceince tem, the former one out of their groundless fears, the new one because he does not assist it, he does not meddle in the world of the worldly at all but is busy with his lifelligehe next world, and in twenty-two years has not written a single letter to his own brother in his home region and the village of Nurs, and in twenty years has not written ten letters to his friends in those provinces. So whict to iwould permit such harassment of so wretched a man and his preoccupation with the hereafter? Although the law allowing freedom of speech and ideas does not intervene in the dissemination of the books of the ir. It ious and the communists' publications, which are most damaging to this country, nation, and morality, would any law, any conscience, any fair-mindedness permit the seizure as though they were dangerous documents of sufism, ts of the Risale-i Nur>as Zülfikar>and The Staff of Moses,>which contain nothing indictable as has been proven by three courts, and for twenty years has copietriving to hold together society for this nation and country and to maintain its morality and security, and to restore the Islamic world's brotherhood a disseendship for this nation, which is its true source of support, and to strengthen it effectively, and the value of which was recognized by the scholars of the Directorate of Religious Affairs on their scrutinizing them for thhey gonths on the orders of the Interior Minister, although their intention had been to find fault with it; what law and conscience would permit their being handed over to the courts?

The Eighth:>This person has not departed for hisand dee region where he has thousands of relations and friends, although he has been given his complete freedom after twenty years of distressing exile without cause; he has preferred to remain alone and in exile so that he should haentioncontact with this world, and the life of society, and politics; he has eschewed the rewards of performing the prayers in congregation in the mosque, and preferred

#28 them,erform them alone in his room, that is, his state of mind causes him to shrink from the people's esteem; and as testified to by his life of twenty years and affirmed by hundreds of thousands of vjas>(te Turkish people, prefers one religious and pious Turk to numerous negligent Kurds; in fact, has proved in court that he would not change his sincere Turkish brothers whose belief is as powerful as that of Hâfız Ali for hundreds of Kurds; aneres,"ot obliged to, does not meet with people or go to the mosque so as not to be acclaimed and be treated with reverence; and for forty years has striven with all his strength and his works for the brother- hoodey werlam and to strengthen love between Muslims; and who does not act negatively towards fierce enemies and does not even busy himself with them or curse them; Furto loves the Turkish nation since it is the Qur'an's standard-bearer and has been praised by the Qur'an, and has passed his life among them. Which law would permiom, is a person to be insulted in officialese saying: "He's a Kurd, you're Turks; he's a Shafi'i, you're Hanafis!" just for propaganda and to scare his friends and to make the people avoid urrentnd permit a brimmed hat to be forced on the head of that recluse, although in twenty-two years and two courts he has not been compelled to change his dress, and the peaked cap for corruprs even has been partially modified?

The Ninth:>This is very important {(*): The facts that there used to be Christians and Jews in Islamic governments, and Muslims in Christian and Zoroastrian governments shows that theual fanment cannot take measures against opponents who do not breach public security. Also, possibilities are not indictable, for anyone can commit murder. If this were the case, eve>studewould have to be sent to court. [Author]} and very powerful, but I am remaining silent since it touches on politics.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Endless thanks be to Almighty God that this last attack, and very extensive and suspicious assault, has lessened considerably. The day befptuoussterday, they took my statement in court for four hours. I replied exactly as I had explained in the statement I sent you before. May God be pleased with the Isparta judiciary, for the notification in ourm himur that they sent here helped us immensely, We would otherwise have had considerable difficulties due to the baseless suspicions of Afyon and some officials here helping our covert enemies.The 'sey sent our Qur'an, which they had confiscated, to the Head of the Directorate of Religious Affairs. So we wrote a letter to the Head together with tpeople portions of the Qur'an we had sent to Istanbul and some of the portions from the beginning. We said in the letter that we were trying to have it printed photographically and were hopingerts' he would approve of this and assist us.

Among the futile questions they asked me this time in court was about what I lived on. I told them that I lived on the plenty resulting from living frugally, and that one Ramadan w of a n Isparta I had lived on one loaf of bread, a one-kilo-bag of yoghurt, and a kilo of rice. A person who lives thus would not condescend to worldly preoccupations for his livelihood, nor be obliged to accept gifts.

Firstly:>I congratulate you with all my life and spirit on your success, and steadfastness, and for the wonder of the alifs>in the Twenty-Ninth Word being preserved when written on the waxed paper, and on yosetü'zer slacking in your work.

Secondly:>The fact that the fire at the Ministry of Education, which caused two million liras'>worth of damage, occurred at virtually the same time (ten hours latThirty the unprecedented anguish I felt on giving my statement for four hours, showed that the Risale-i Nur>is a means of calamities being repulsed, and if it is attacked, the calamities find a way and descend.

or in y:>The piece written about the fire to show an instance of the Risale-i Nur's>wonder-working, had been waiting for a week to be sent to you. They watch the post offices very closelybers oo their unfounded suspicions, so we did not send it by post. You are curious as to what your position

is vis-à-vis the court. Our brother Burhan writes that he has suffered a smallheir cck, what was it? I was curious. May Almighty God repulse it. I was very pleased to receive the letters of Re'fet Bey and Abdullah Çavuş. I send them greetings in para poinr. Greetings to all.

The chief reason those maliciond evople attack and oppress me is their friendship and partiality for Mustafa Kemal. So I say to them, thirty years ago I said about a man who is now dead and gone and whose connections with the government are sehe rig that according to a Hadith, someone would emerge who would cause harm to the Qur'an, and subsequently time showed that man to be Mustafa Kemal.

Also, because I did nohem - gfully ascribe to M. Kemal the honour and victory of a valiant army which with its heroism and love of truth had for five hundred years challenged the world, his malicious friends have been tormenting me for the lass to bty years on false pretexts.

Yes, as I proved in court, in accordance with a veracious rule, honour, glory, distinction, and material and moral booty are given to the army and community, and distributed; errors and far disttrategies are ascribed to the commander and chiefs, hence the victories and glory of a heroic army and its soldiers and the valiant officer and their head should not be ascribed to Mustafa Kemal, rather, the errors and faults should be ascribed to him. So I consider those who accuse me of not loving him, aic of not loving the heroic army and of slighting their honour, to be traitors to this nation. I have proved this in court and I am ready to prove it to his obdurate friends. I lothis w millions of members of this blessed nation's courageous army and its officers, and I do whatever I can to protect their reputation and honour. My malicious enemies who oppose me in efngful etray those millions of soldiers out of their love for that one man, and are hostile to them, even.

Yes, numerous signs led me to understand that what incites those who attack me are my objections to Mustafa Kemal and my not being orth oly towards him. The other reasons are mere pretexts. I have therefore been obliged to say to those enemies of mine: he summoned me to Ankara to act

graciously towards me and appoint me as general preacher to all the east on thovinces. So I went there, and the following three matters made me turn down his friendship. But for twenty years I have suffered torments in isolation, and have not interefered in their world.

TheStaff Matter>was his showing through his actions that he was the man that a Hadith had predicted would try to harm Islamic traditions at the end of time. I had expar as the Hadith thirty-six years previously and the man turned out to be the person it was referring it. There is an explanation of this in the third part of my cousale-iences.

Second Matter:>It is a correct rule that the existence, construction, and life of something is possible through the existence of all the conditions and es and s that pertain to it, but its non-existence, destruction, and death occur on the spoiling of a single condition. That destruction is far easier than construction is a proverb on everyone's lips. In consequence of this certayment,e, since the serious mistakes and destruction that are there for all to see resulted from that commander's errors, and the great honours and victories resulted ntly uhe army's heroism, it is an awesome injustice to ascribe the good of the community to the man at the top and his evil to the community, when it shouletü'z- been exactly the reverse.

Third Matter:>To ascribe the community's good acts and army's victory to the man at the top and his error to the community, means rerison, thousands of instances of good to a single good and increasing a single error to thousands. For if a regiment kills a terrible enemy, each of its soldiers receives the rank of ghazi,>a champion war veteran, bucal, tt is ascribed only to the colonel, the honour is reduced a thousandfold to there being a single ghazi.>And if due to his own error the colonel becomes a bloody murderer but the murder is ascribedened, o him but to the regiment, a single crime multiplies a thousand times and a thousand soldiers become answerable and subject to punishment.

Similarly, if the ope firsrious errors are not ascribed to the deceased man who committed them, by attributing them to an army which for five hundred, indeed a thoud if tyears has demonstrated its fighting spirit and love of truth to the world and put its signature with its swords and blood to its being the standard-bearer of theis pre Qur'an, those errors increase thousands of times over, to the number of its officers; it tarnishes terribly the army's shining past and sns of this century's army before those armies of the past, and makes it culpable. And if the present glories and victories are given to a single man, they diminish thousands of times over, and the fighting spirit an brillues to the number of officers and men are reduced to one and are extinguished. Such faults could never be atoned for.

It is for these reasons that I forwent his friendship, and in his place, I received the friendship of the army of whinot be a crucial time, I was a member and had effectively served, and I strove with the Risale-i Nur>to preserve its honour and glory, which was thou the oof times more important.

For twenty years, no police in any province have bothered with my dress. Only, twenty-five years ago, Nevzad Bey, the governor of Ankara, attempted to intervene forcibly, butd, ands unsuccessful and he also received a blow by committing suicide.

Also, in reply to the orders given by a high-ranking official under the Afyon governor to forcibly intervene in my dress, a low-ranking official in Em this said that they could do nothing contrary to the law and demonstrated his love of legality.

Also, because the district official (kaymakam)>here was not prone to suspicions and did not mistreat me, they tried to have him moved elhe occe.

Also, due to my indisposition which makes me unsociable and some other physical illnesses, which were preventing me from going to the mosque and the Friday prayers, I acted in accordance wce, ane doctors' law and obtained a weekly report, so as not to be sent to give a statement. But in spite of this, I was subject to some arbitrary laws whereby tRisalent two doctors from Afyon to nullify the previous report, and even sent the previous doctor to court.

The Addendum to the Statement Made While Being Interrogated in Emirdağ and Presented for Its Information to the Judic two y Collective Personality and to the Interior Minister

I had not read any newspaper for twenty years, nor listened to one, then the day before yesterday a person who assists me read me part of a paper. When I heard that both tlam ofistry of Education in Ankara (with two million liras>worth of damage), and a garage again in Ankara, and at the same time a large factory in İzmir, and a large building in Ada had all been completely burnt down, I was this ely sorry and pitied this penurious nation. At that very same time, feeling a distress I had never felt before in my life, though elderly and ies of unlike in any court, I was interrogated continuously for four and a half hours. If the judiciary here had not been humane and kind to a degrelike tould never have been able to endure it, and I decided to say something harsh in this cold and being sick so as to be sent to prison. In fact, we decided that one of my helpers should put someone to bedn in t room and beat someone up so as to join me in prison to assist me. But the humanity shown by the judiciary here and divine providence gave me patience, and I endured it.

d causs curious about this extraordinary situation and true reason for their suspicions. A Guide for Youth>being printed and published officially had illuminated many secular schools; valuable youths in Ankara University and Is' gool University had learnt the Risale-i Nur's>principles and understood that they were a means of securing the happiness of this country and nation; and many teachers were enthusiastn of t showing interest in the Risale-i Nur>out of national and patriotic zeal and for scholarly concerns, and all this had attracted the attention ofand coinistry of Education and they wanted to inhibit the Risale-i Nur>somehow since they dislike it,

Even, here, informers said: "The young people are being lost to us; school children are being turned towards religion through the printed Guide for Youth.">Whereupon, both myself and most of the Risale-i Nur>students in a number of provinces were subject to harassment, Although I ought to have expected the assistance of the hod conteachers of religion) since I was educated in the medrese, I wanted to rely with all my strength on the Ministry of Education and the secular school teachers, and to depend on them. For it is mo>I haveople from the secular schools who enter the Risale-i Nur's>fold and there are only a few hojas.>The latter mostly hold back, while since the secular school pupit won' teachers appreciate the Risale-i Nur>and take it up, I used to hope fervently that the Ministry of

Education would protect the Nur students. But while awaiting their help, the passage at the me poi the printed Guide for Youth>which says: "Now there is government permission, Nur students should open Nur study centres as far as they can," led to this new assault, and with it our covert e any s tried to turn the Education Ministry against us.

Uptil the present those enemies of ours have many times wanted to wreck us with their stratrds thand the judiciary, but they have been unsuccessful and their plans have misfired. Then they tried to incite the bigoted, egotistical hojas>in high positions againsthas ornd again they failed, Now, by using the Education Ministry against us, on whose assistance I had most relied, they are trying to get certain officials in this government to accuse the unfortunof thinnocent Nur students of belonging to Sufi orders and political societies, concerning which we have been acquitted by three courts, and to deprive them anuitabllf of studying the Risale-i Nur.>The Education Ministry's catching fire at exactly the same time as my pitiful interrogation for four and a half hours, and there being no means of extinguishing the fire and its being cogth foly burnt down does not resemble a coincidence; it seems to be more a mark of anger.

At the end of my statement and at the same time, I said: "Don't prevent me in my loneliness and exile from studying my books; iousande a shame both for me, and for this country. {(*): Indeed, it was a shame. [Author]} Perhaps the earth will again shake with an earthquake and anger." Three minutes later an earthquake occurred that lasted three seconds. Then at the same time I repeated that passage in court, the earth attacked the Education Ministry with fire, and as has been proved four ttackinn court, numerous times, whether night or day, earthquakes have happened simultaneously with assaults on the Risale-i Nur>and its students, whihe Tweely could be no coincidence. This means that since the Risale-i Nur>is a weighty foundation stone of this country and nation's order and security, with such occurrences and blows, its truths turn the nation's atperforn to itself, which is a true, veracious, and powerful commentary on the Qur'an, and urging the nation towards itself, it deals compassionate slmed, a its opponents.

It is now established that just as almsgiving repulses calamities, so the Risale-i Nur>is a means of repulsing disasterse, andcalamity of the fire occurring just when the Risale-i Nur>was being attacked proves that the Risale-i Nur>is a means of repulsing disasters.

monu'sDear, Loyal Brothers!

In Eğirdir, the man who seized The Staff of Moses>and gave it to the court, himself received a prison sentence of two years, and the judge who angrily gavtows aev a two-month sentence was himself compelled to resign and his wife left him, receiving a sort of slap. And the slaps here described in the note sent attached to the letter to you show with certainty that we Risalder protection and providence, and that those who harm us will receive severe blows in the hereafter, just as some of them are swiftly smn servhere.

Also, at exactly the same time as their assaults on us, the winter became very angry; the severe cold and storms showed that the atmosphere had unleashed iot feey. Then, when their assaults ceased and the Nurjus became easy, the icy cold days began to smile like the days of springtime. We are of the opinion that their continuing smiles iye>haood news and consolation.

As was written in that note, the fact that the official police who were trying to destroy public regard for us with ridiculous slanders thato theevil even could deceive anyone with, received blows at the same time, shows that our attackers are helpless to find anything but lies and calumnies and that nothing else is lef the Nhem. So we must be extremely careful and cautious, and not attach any importance to such rumours.

From the Risale-i Nur Collection

The first volume of the Emirdağ Letters>covers the period of Bediuzzaman Said Nursi's firstât I hin Emirdağ from August 1944 to January 1948, when he was sent to Afyon Prison. The letters and defence speeches he wrote during his incarceration in Afyon Prison fre theiuary 1948 to September 1949 are included in the Fourteenth Ray and in his official biography. This, the second volume of the Emirdağ Letters,>contains letters written ft withng his release till his death in 1960, during which period he resided mostly in Emirdağ and Isparta.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

In addition to congratulating you on the festival, I am now explaining to you, as I said **

d, that in consequence of a sort of admonishment I have accepted each of you according to his degree as a Said, an heir, and a guard and defender of thare exle-i Nur.>Since, owing to your excessively good opinion of me, you look on me as a master in the sciences of belief and in serving the Qur'an, I for my part award you diplomas, like the masters of former times awarded certificates for thell theious sciences to those of their students who deserved them. And I congratulate you wholeheartedly and with all my life and spirit. God willing, as you have loyally and sincerely published the Risale-i Nur>uptil now, so you will continue even mUpon williantly, and become thousands of capable and strong Saids, devoted to their duty, in place of this powerless, weak, retired Said.

In His Name, be He glorified!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

One of you should go to the Directorate of Religious Affairs in my place; offer my greetingy studrespects to Ahmed Hamdi Efendi {[*]: Ahmed Hamdi Akseki (1887-1951); Director of the Directorate of Religious Affairs in Ankara, 1947-1951.} and tell him:

Two yeor it o, your esteemed self requested a set of the Risale-i Nur Collection.>I would have had it prepared but they suddenly sent me to prison, due to which I was unable to correct and send it. At present I am busy with the corrections. However, I ongrat complete them quickly since I am wretchedly ill from poison. God willing, it will be presented to you on completion. In accordance with the rule, "Gifts are not given if none are received," this highly valuable commentary on the r sayi's meanings is a sacred fee for your esteemed self endeavouring as far as is possible for the unimpeded publication of the Risale-i Nur,>and to have our Qur'an printed, three parhave owhich we showed you previously.

I can tell you with certainty that at no time in history have the science of

reality and truths of belief been subject t an Im malicious and cruel aggression. Your Directorate and centre of learning make it encumbent on you that before all else you perform this religious and scholarly duty. This secutoime I was poisoned, I thought I was going to die but thinking that Ahmed Hamdi would take on the Risale-i Nur>in my place I felt easy in my heart and comforted. We sent some parts of ihas>rurt defences to your previous office, and now I am sending a complete, well-written, and absolutely correct copy, so that, on your indication, itrecluse shown to the people who will work for the Risale-i Nur's>freedom.

In His Name, be He glorified!

May God's peace be upon you and His mercy and blessings!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers, the Nur Studentuffersafranbolu and the Environs of Eflâni!

May God grant you endless blessings for your gift of the parts of the Risale-i Nur>that you sent! And may He grant you happiness in this world and the next. Amen!

Each of the blessed Nur students havter.

The First:>I was attempting to s that th the eleven collections which had been duplicated on the machine and I had myself bought with some money, and the complete set of the Risale-i Nur>which had been written by three invaluable, diamond-penned Nur students. A sighty been requested five or six times by the Directorate of Religious Affairs, so I had prepared this one, which was also to be a gift to motivate the sotical. neglected muftis and hojas,>and I wanted Husrev to come here to perform this most important task. But I was in a difficult position and very anxious. Then suddenly, at that very time, Sungur, the heroic young Husrev, arre his He both saved me from my anxiety and alarm, and from the expense; and since the task had the importance of two year's service together with me, it made me feel quite certain that it w born instance of the wondrous success won in publishing the Risale-i Nur.

Second Event:>At just the time I sent my own copies to the Directorate o the sgious Affairs, the same amount, no more and no less, arrived, sent by the young Nur champions of Safranbolu, Eflâni and thereabouts. Their bless physits as though said to me through the tongue of disposition: "Don't worry! We're replacing the losses; we're taking their place!" So I accepted them wholeheartedly and congratulated the senders; and their other gifts have not upset me at all yer to Third Event:>Ten minutes before the blessed presents arrived at my room, I saw a bird resembling a sparrow under the foot of my bed, The windows and door were all closed and theave be no chink it could have entered by. It did not fly away from me. I gave it a bit of bread, but it did not eat it. I told myself that it must be bringing some good news, like the birds here three or four years ago. Thehe comruth, both that light-scattering gift arrived, and a fine letter from my mufti brother, Abdülmecid, about whom I had had no news for three years. Halil, who assists me, came and I said to him: "Look at this bird! Just like the ones beforits a's a bringer of good news!" Later, we opened the window to let it go, but it remained. He opened it five or six times at the top, but it did not fly away. Later on Sungur caf, fou we showed it to him, so he saw it too. Half an hour later, it disappeared, which was as strange as its appearance. Halil and myself, we both looked for it. It had not flown through the window; we could not find it; it had disapps and In fact, a certain event demonstrating the importance of the gift's arrival and Sungur's coming to our assistance in place of Husrev, was that two days before Sungur arrived, that is, the day he set out, Halil had a dream in which Sulies:

nd Mustafa Osman had come here and some sort of splendid ceremony had been held. He asked me to interpret it. I was curious too and asked him why he had asked me to interpret it, and wonderents hsomething had happened to them. I worried about it all night long till morning. Then the dream turned out to be true with only a little interpretation.

In His Name, be He glorified!

And there is nothing but it glorifies Him with praise>(Q 17:44).utor ar Most Esteemed, Most Blessed, Most Kind, and Most Beloved Master!

We presented your valuable, acceptable letter to the Head of the Directorate of Religious Affaich themed Hamdi Efendi. He was overjoyed to place the blessed collections of the Risale-i Nur>in his personal bookcase. He said: "God willing, I shall give these to my closest brothers to read and in this way we shall try to have tst, pablished gradually."

My beloved Master! He said he would carry out the orders expressed in your blessed letter, but that they could not be published at once. He said that he would get his close brothers to read them and ttriviney would publish them in the future in accordance with the interest they aroused, and that, God willing, they would try to publish them in their entirety and in superior fashion.

This followinccordat should be written after the question and answer on the first page of the Second Station of the Twenty-Ninth Letter:

The reason this treatise was written was as a sort of response to a terrible conspiracy to have the Qur'an's transltly anread in the mosques instead of the Qur'an itself. Too many details and unnecessary discussions were included, but perceiving a valuable key to hidden just rs in that striving and fervent reply, unnecessary details, and weak and extremely subtle signs were also included.

It occurred to my heart that the Twenty-Ninth Letter's most imponversa necessary, brilliant, and miraculous First Station would forgive all the faults and excesses of this Second Station. So I happily offered thanks and forgot those faults.

In His Name, be He glorified!

Peace be upon you, and God's mercy and blessings!

Esteemed Ahmed Hamdi Efendi!

I am describing to you a spiritual experience I had: Many years ago, becauownersrself and the hojas>in your profession favoured dispensations and gave up firm adherence to the Shari'a, your ideas were not congruent with my ideas. I used to be angry with them and with you, so didabût)>end you the Risale-i Nur>directly. But three or four years ago, I felt a critical, nagging sorrow in my heart, and the following was imparted to me:

"In accordance with the principle, 'the lesser of two evils,' some of your othe corese friends like Ahmed Hamdi performed their scholarly duties as far as they could to preserve sacred matters, so their reducing the danger fourfold will be atonement for the deficiencies and errors they were obligeeen loake." I received a severe admonishment. Ever since then, I began to look on you and those like you as my old medrese brothers and fellow-students. Because of this, when I reckoned this severe illness resultis and m poison would lead to my death, I had the idea that you would a true protector and defender of the Risale-i Nur>in my place, and three years ago I intended to whereou a complete and perfect set. Now, although ill, I have partially corrected for you a set written out ten or fifteen years ago by three leading Nu on heents. It is not perfect or complete, but has almost all the parts. Those three students' pens are as valuable as ten sets. The price for the set is three things:

The First>is to duplicate twenty or thirty sets, if possible in the ol the gers, and if not, in the new letters, on condition that one of my close friends is present to help with the corrections, They then should be given to the branches of the Directorate of Religious Affairs throughout the country, fnd altis the Directorate's duty to publish such works in the face of the influx of irreligious currents from abroad.

The Second:>Seeing that the d occu-i Nur>is a product of the medrese, and you are both the pillars, and the heads, and the students of the medreses, the Risale-i Nur>is truly yours. For now, you may leave out any treatise you deem inappropriate.

ocencehird:>Our Qur'an which shows the coincidences (tevâfuklu)>should be printed photographically if possible so that the flashes of miraculousness in thtü'z-Zcidences may be clearly visible. The Turkish definition at the beginning should not be included, but printed separately as a pamphlet, either in Turkish, or translated into good Arabic.

In His Name, be He glorified!

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings, for ever and ever!

Our Most Worthy, Devoted, Nur Hero and Elder Brother, Husrev!

e-i Nunow five times that the Head of the Directorate has insistently requested a set of the Risale-i Nur.>Our Master, though ill, is correctOne fi and is about to finish, and he requests of the Director three things as its non-material price. The first is to print photographically the miraculous Qur'an you wrote. He accepted this, but said it would better if the Turkish r studtion at the beginning is printed separately. For your information, we are sending attached the letter our Master wrote the Director. Our sudder said that he is leaving it to you to discuss among yourselves the sending to the Director of both one set of the Risale-i Nur>and the collections printed on the duplicating machine, and these books being hand Prover to himself by one of the brothers like yourself, Husrev, who is most closely concerned with this work. If, having consulted about it, you are in good enough health to go to Ankara to deal with this matter, and you are in agreement the lt, you should go there for a time and let us know your address. We shall send to you in Ankara the set and the collections. Even, if you wish, you can give them to the Dirnd on te on your own account, so that the muftis can publish them.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>I offer my condolences on ef by ath of Hâfız Mustafa to both the students of the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ, particularly the auspicious committee, and to the province of Ispacommitnd I congratulate him on his carrying out his duties to the letter over twenty years without getting wearied or shaken, as a second Hâfız Ali, and I congratulate both Isparta Province, andfall oedresetü'z-Zehrâ. Truly, just like Hâfız Ali, this deceased heroic brother of ours fulfilled his duties and went to the World of Light and Intermediate Realm to join his brothers, Hâfız Ali and Hasan Feyzi. May Alml younGod write merits in the book of his good works to the number of letters of the Risale-i Nur,>and grant mercy on his spirit. Amen!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

It was imparted to my heart that I should explain to you a few matterspart frning my person.

Firstly:>Sometimes, when I have been angry at and scolded some of my select brothers due to their thoughtlessness when serving my person and I haocrat n them to be less than kind to me, it has occurred to my heart that due to their excessively high opinion they surmise that "If our Master so wishes, some spirit beings and jinns as well will serve him, and perhaps they do. pletelear manifestation of providence in the Risale-i Nur's>service shows that no opportunity is given for his wretchedness; he does not need our kindness." And they are faulty in serving me. In fact, today someone was going to bring a cfestivt due to their thoughtlessness, I set out on foot. I suffered the hardship of ten hours in a single hour. A few days ago I said the following to those of th danho act thus inconsiderately and now I am repeating it; you may listen too:

Just as the inner meaning of sincerity strongly restrains me from exploiting the Risale-i Nur>and the work of serving belief for worldly ransend m high places for myself in the hereafter; so too, I shrink from exploiting that sacred service for my personal ease and comfort or to pass a pleasant, troublefree life in this world. For since consuming the eternal fruits of ths memo works of the hereafter on trivial pleasures in this fleeting life is opposed to the inner meaning of sincerity, I tell you certainly that if the servants from among the spirit beings and jinns that the ascetiis reg abandoned the world sought and accepted were to every day bring me the finest remedies when I was hungry and wounded, for the sake of true sincerity I would know myself compelled not to accept them. Even, if sor two the saints in the Intermediate Realm were to assume forms and give me sweets and baklavas out of respect for the service we perform for belief, both my soul and my heart would agry.

t to kiss their hands and accept them so as not to consume briefly in this world the everlasting fruits of the hereafter. But on condition the evil-commanding soul does not interfere, with all my spirit I accept such merciful besnation as blessings proceeding from divine providence without our intending them.

Secondly:>On the Pasinler Front during the Great War, the late Molla Habib and I were moving forward with the intenears of attacking the enemy. Their artillery fired three shells at us at one or two minute intervals. The three shells passed right over our heads two metres high, ahe Qurhough our soldiers were concealed in the ravine behind us and could not be seen, they retreated. By way of a test I said: "What do you say, Molla

Habib, Iis thi going to hide myself from the shells of these infidels?" He replied: "I'm not going to fall back either, I'll stay behind you." A further shell fell very close to us. Certain that divine succour would preserve us, fied!> to Molla Habib: "Forward! These infidels' shells can't kill us. We won't deign to draw back!"

Also, during the siege of Bitlis, on the front lines, I was hit by three Russian bullets whicb despld have killed me. One pierced my shalwars and passed between my legs, My state of mind was such that I did not deign to crouch in the trenches in that perilous situation, The commander, Kel Ali, and the governor, Mehduh Beercifurd of this, and although they said: "He should draw back or enter the trenches!" I declared: "These infidels' shells can't kill us!" and attaching no importance to them, took no prec, God s at all at that time of youth, and did nothing to protect my life. But now, although I am eighty years old, an extraordinary contradicth for apparent: I am in a state of mind whereby I am extremely careful and guard my life and shun dangers to the extent of having scruples about it. Of course, there is a significant instance of wisdom and purpose in preserving one impowo years of old age and pleasureless life to this extent when that young life was sacrificed fearlessly, and there are two or three aims:

The First:>With their machinations, our malevolent covert enemies, some unoffihis bend some official, direct all their assaults at my person instead of at the Nur students and they are preoccupied with me, and without knowing it, imagine alsaid trtance to lie in myself. Thus, this elderly, wretched life of mine is a means of saving the Nur students to an extent from their stratagems and attacks. For the sake of my brothers, therefore, I temporariseizedk on it as having the importance of ten lives of the Old Said. If I were to withdraw, the difficulties inflicted on me would be inflicted on my select brothers, whom I love more than life. Then one difficulty would become a hundred.ences,e Second:>It is true that like perfect Saids, my select brothers are each devoted to the Risale-i Nur,>but since after sincerity, our greatest strength lies in solidarity, and due to differences in temperament solidarity hasRisaleshaken to an extent as it was in prison; owing to the possibility of significant harm occurring to the Risale-i Nur's>service, I feel myself obliged to guard this old, sick, wretched life of mine until The Flashes>and The Words Collectionsers; tublished, and the calamity is repulsed of the hojas>being scared away from the Risale-i Nur>due to such traits as fear and jealousy, and the solidarity between our brothers has become quite firm. For since undee or t lengthy trials, neither the courts nor my enemies could see my hidden faults, and since owing to divine protection they could not completely

discredit me, thd due e unable to prevail over the Risale-i Nur.>But I felt alarmed that they might discredit some of my heirs, the young Saids, who are inexperienced in matters me and to the life of society, and might slander them, causing harm to the Risale-i Nur.>I even found it necessary to obtain a second revolver, althou literlready had one. The poison administered by our enemies was renderered ineffective through our brothers' prayers; so also will their other conspiracies be thwarted, God willing.

In Short:>The same night that there wasormed al two-hour lunar eclipse, two men came here from Ankara, sent by our enemies who had asked us for the Nur collections. Surmising on the second day that we had not sent the thirty-six collections thhe lethad sent, in order to learn the books' whereabouts and to inform the one or two Masons who held high official positions in Afyon, and to search m would and put poison in my food and drink receptacles in my two rooms, which were locked, the two men climbed onto the roof and in extraordinary fashions can in without dam- aging the windows in either room. The room I was sleeping in was locked, so they could not harm me. Divine protection and providence did not allow them the opportunity. I was going to write about morice hartant things, but my indisposition exclaimed: "Enough!" It is absolutely essential to always act with caution, sincerity, solidarity, without being shaken; to perform our duti

I sendly andings to all the brothers and sisters, and pray for their well- being in this world and the next, and request their prayers.

The truly devotperts'eyir came to my assistance here at a time of great need, just when I urgently required help. I was otherwise going to ask for someone from Isparta who works i which way.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>We congratulate you on the Night of the Ascension and beseech divine mercy that ed befayers you offer will be accepted. Exceptionally, the day before that night and the day after, rain fell in this region; a sign that mercy will be manifested in this country generallythe Alwilling.

Secondly:>These days, Çaycı Emin, who is Kastamonu's Süleyman Rüştü, is in Van and is endeavouring to give the Risale-i Nur>to my oldinthoonts there, to whom I am most attached and have been curious about. I am overjoyed at this and at his informing me by letter that those old brothers of mine are alive and that they are eager ftrysid Risale-i Nur.>This made me feel relieved and happy, yet sorrowful at those old memories. I cannot communicate with there from here, so it would be convenient if the Safranbolu heroes dglorif in my place.

Thirdly:>Although we have given up politics for thirty years and have evinced no interest in current affairs, in unprecedented fashion Afyon Court confiscated our miraculous Qur'an and r to bld it for two and a half years and not returned it to us, and has prevented the publication of our books, all of which has caused me anguish and suffering. So for five or ten days I took a look at the world of politics aongingaw a strange situation. As I said in my defence speeches, an atheistic current which practises absolute despotism and absolute bribery has tried to crush us with these torments on account of Masonry and communism. Then I saw that anothas apprent has begun to emerge in this country which will break the other current's power. But I have not taken another look as my way does not permit showing too much interest.

To: Celâl Bayar, President of the Republic

We offer our congratulations. May God Almighty afford you every succare ob the services you will perform for Islam, and the country and nation!

In the name of the students of the Risale-i Nur,>and one of them,

We Nur students have for the past twenty years been the target of unprecedented penalties and torments. We have exercised patience. Now Almighty God has sente themo assist us. Utilizing the correct legal procedures, three courts over thirteen years have been unable to find in one hundred and thirty books and a thousand letters the reason for those torments; as witness roundthis, we cite the Court of Appeal and Denizli Court. I gave up politics thirty years ago. Now, together with congratulating the President of the Republic and the Cabinet on their taking over the leadership of the Ahrar>{[*]: Supporters of ad of m as prescribed by the Shari'a, sometimes translated as liberals. It refers here to the Democrat Party, rather than to supporters of the Party of Ottoman Liberals (Ahrar Fırkası), founded subsequently to the Constitutiony be solution of July 1908. [Tr.]} and taking on themselves the nation's destiny, I am divulging a fact; it is like this:

Those who have attacked us and punished us in the courts advanced the possibility thatf Islaur students might exploit religion for politics and suggested that they were doing so. So in the face of those tyrants we declared the following in our defences supported by thousands of proofs, and we still say: Although they have vind officly scrutinized more than three sack-loads of documents over a period of three years, our enemies have realized that they can convict us of nos, thesince the basis of our way is not exploiting religion for political ends but to make it the tool of nothing except divine pleasure, not even the world or worldarangoe. They could not even find a pretext for the arbitrary sentences they gave us, so the Appeal Court quashed their decision. We do not exploit st impon for politics. Our duty in the face of those who in bigoted fashion exploit irreligion for politics to the awesome harm of this country and nation, is - when the definite necessity arises that we e accusider politics - to make politics the tool and friend of religion so that it may lead to winning the brotherhood of three hundred and fifty million brethren for the brothers in this countve yea In Short:>In response to our tormentors fanatically exploiting politics for irreligion, we have worked for the happiness of this country and nation by making politics the tool and friend of religio greatMy brothers, I consider this appropriate and refer it to you for your consultation.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

I was going to write you a letter today. I was feeling agitatethe Rito my serious indisposition when just at that moment Mustafa Gül and İbrahim Gül appeared, They were both medicine for me, and consolation, and the cause of great jossion I am sending those two blessed brothers to you as a letter and as my deputies. They are both Saids and are visiting you and congratulating you in my place, and will tell you the other saveds I had to say to you.

To: Bedito estn Said Nursi, Emirdağ

I was exceedingly touched at your cordial congratulations and offer my thanks.

In His Name, be He glorified!

Peace be upon you and Gnd twoercy and blessings, for ever and ever

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>We congratulate you on the month of Ramadan, which with its worship wins a permanent life of eimplainears, and beseech from divine mercy that every one of its nights will yield as many benefits for us as the Night of Power, and that in accordancen "Comthe inner meaning of the division of labour and each select Nurju receiving a share of the spiritual gains of all the Nurjus, each will be enabled to perform with thousands of tongues, and true broy causod and sincerity, his worship, supplications, seeking of forgiveness, and glorifications, and so do I hope.

Secondly:>Together with the Risale-i Nur's>total moral victory, the Mason section of the irreligiousve meahe atheist section of the communists are making mountains out of molehills and trying under false pretenses to

prevent the Risale-i Nur's>free publication. For once again they have meaninglessly and without reason postponed our court Secng for thirty-five days. They even had a noisy argument with our lawyer so as not to return our Qur'an, but divine providence thwarts all their schemes. The Risale-i Nur>is spreading itself magnificen by thd enthusiastically among the enlightened youth of Istanbul and Ankara, and is giving instruction to its students. One result of this moral victory is that the enlightened young people are sending thanks and congratr>and ns with hundreds of signatures to the Prime Minister, who is endeavouring to have the call to prayer restored to its original Arabic. {[*]: The law prohibiting the call to prayer to be recited in Arabic was repealed bys, foremocrat government on 16 June 1950 as one of its first pieces of legislation. [Tr.]}

Thirdly:>The students here send you congratulations for Ramadan, and have chosen some examples of the ma housetances of the former communists' torments, having copied them out and are sending them attached. Perhaps at some time they may publish them in a newspaper article.

I send so hasetings to all my brothers and sisters, and offer prayers for them

From your brother who due to illness cannot perform his worship in all respects and is in need of the N edn. spiritual help, and for their praying in his stead and of their spiritual gains,

In His Name, be He glorified!

[The first example of the hundrbrothe illegal torments wrongfully inflicted on our Master while the Republican People's Party was in power.]

One example of the injustices perpetrated on our Master over the last twenty-five years by an absolute despotism and due to tcians atagems of an atheistic current the likes of which have not been seen this age on the face of the earth, is this:

One day when leaving his house to go out into the coun."

impudence which was in five ways illegal and in five wa the mirely lacking in conscience.

Our Master is someone who could not endure to be slighted by the domineering behaviour of a sultan; and in reply to Hurşid Pasha, the chief of the military court, an thoseother members, in the Second Constitutional Period, declared: "If constitutionalism consists of one party's absolutism, let all mankind and the jinn witness that I'm a reactionary and ready to sacrifist to housand lives if I had them for a single matter of the Shari'a!" who told Mustafa Kemal in the National Assembly: "Anyone who does not perform the prayers is a traitor, and traitors do not have the ri wants govern!" who has never given up his Islamic dress, and who told the Governor of Ankara, called Nevzat, who wanted to interfere with his dress and received a blow by killing himself:the bo turban comes off with this head," pointing to his neck and rejecting any interference; whose turban they could not remove in any of the courts of Isparccusat Eskişehir, or Denizli even; and with the exception of the last Afyon trial, he was not ordered to even when there were crowds of thousands of people and twenty police.

Thus, the intention of those ill-mannered officials in intervening a univ dress although he is a recluse, and insulting him, was directly on account of anarchy to cast the country and nation into danger. It was also entirely illegal. He is a person who for years and with unequalled selfome arfice and abnegation of self has striven in the most arduous conditions to save with his wondrous works consisting of one hundred and thirty treatises the belief of this country and nationr.>We ssault such a person in this way surely means assisting the covert enemies of this country, who strive to destroy and corrupt the nation and its youth. threeerstood from the fact that our Master, who could never endure insults, endured and attached no importance to the denigrating abuse of a couple of obdurate wretches in Afyon, joined and incistuden an atheist Mason, was that he has sacrificed even his honour, reputation, self, spirit, and tranquillity so that no harm should come to this country and nation because of himself.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

tashahstly:>We congratulate you on the joyous reciting of the Arabic call to prayer from the minarets, for it is the introduction to great festivals for both yourselves, and this country, and the world of Islally an delivers the good news that the marks of Islam will once again shine forth in this country. And saying "Amen" to your acceptable prayers and worship in Ramadan, which wins an eighty-year life ofh otheip, I beseech divine mercy that every night of Ramadan will gain for you the reward of the Night of Power. I request spiritual assistance from you this Ramadan, since I am unable to work well due to my extreme weakness and illne

Al Secondly:>One of my greatest wishes is to pass the last part of my life in the region of Isparta. I said, as did the Nur Efe: "Isparta is blessed for me, with its very stones and soil." of th whenever during the last twenty-five years I have felt angry in my heart with the former government, which illtreated and tormented me, I never felt angry at tcommunarta authorities, and forgot the others for their sake. I am particularly grateful to the zealous lovers of freedom there, called Democrive thho are true patriots and have started to repair the damage, and who appreciate the Risale-i Nur>and the Nurjus. I offer many prayers for their success. God willing, those lovers of freedom wd dese away with the old absolute tyranny and work for the establishment of a freedom that is congruent with the Shari'a.

Thirdly:>For a particular reason, I have to stay uous cor some time following the festival. A month or two after that, I shall accept to go wherever you deem suitable, on the decision of the leading members of the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ and the agreement . But young Saids in Istanbul and Ankara Universities. Since you are my true heirs and you perform my duties in this world a thousand times better than I do, I am leaving itrce, au to decide where my last dwelling place should be in this life.

Fourthly:>I appoint you to deputize for me if you reply to the letters of Ahmed Nazif, Ahmed Feyzi, Halil Ibrahim, Hasan Atıf, and the Nurjus in Bucak, Eflâni, and Istanbuis in have sent their congratulations and shown their strong attachment.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly:>In connection with the vigil of the Night of Power, which according to ng certh falls in the second half of Ramadan, particularly the last ten days, and the odd numbers and especially on the twenty-seventh,