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 greetings and respects to Ahmed Hamdi Efendi {[*]:} and tell him:

Two years ago, 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 cannot 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 Qur'an'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 parts of which 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 to such 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 last time 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 our court defences to your previous office, and now I am sending a complete, well-written, and absolutely correct copy, so that, on your indication, it may be 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 Students of Safranbolu 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 have written out beautifully a number of treatises and recently sent them to me as gifts, and strangely, they arrived together with some sweets while I was severely sick and distressed. Although for a long time past it has been my custom not to accept unreciprocated gifts, the reason I have accepted these ones perfectly happily and gratefully, are three meaningful and strange events.

The First: I was attempting to send both 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 set had 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 somewhat 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, arrived. 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 was an 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 of Religious Affairs, the same amount, no more and no less, arrived, sent by the young Nur champions of Safranbolu, Eflâni and thereabouts. Their blessed gifts 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 yet.

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 there was 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. Then in truth, 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 before, it'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 came and 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 disappeared. 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 Sungur and 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 wondered if something 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).

Our Most Esteemed, Most Blessed, Most Kind, and Most Beloved Master!

We presented your valuable, acceptable letter to the Head of the Directorate of Religious Affairs, Ahmed 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 them published 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 that they 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 following point 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 translation read in the mosques instead of the Qur'an itself. Too many details and unnecessary discussions were included, but perceiving a valuable key to hidden matters 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 important, 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, because yourself 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 did not send 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 old medrese 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 obliged to make." 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 resulting from 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 send you 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 Nur students. 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 old letters, 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, for it is the Directorate's duty to publish such works in the face of the influx of irreligious currents from abroad.

The Second: Seeing that the Risale-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.

The Third: Our Qur'an which shows the coincidences (tevâfuklu) should be printed photographically if possible so that the flashes of miraculousness in the coincidences 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!

It is now five times that the Head of the Directorate has insistently requested a set of the Risale-i Nur. Our Master, though ill, is correcting it 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 definition at the beginning is printed separately. For your information, we are sending attached the letter our Master wrote the Director. Our Master 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 handed over 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 with it, 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 Directorate on your own account, so that the muftis can publish them.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly: I offer my condolences on the death of Hâfız Mustafa to both the students of the Medresetü'z-Zehrâ, particularly the auspicious committee, and to the province of Isparta, and 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, and the Medresetü'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 Almighty God 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 matters concerning 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 have seen 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. The clear 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 car, but 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 them who 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 ranks and 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 the good 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 ascetics who 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 some of 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 agree not 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 bestowals 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 intention 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, and although 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, I'm not 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, I said 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 which should 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 Bey, heard 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 precautions at all at that time of youth, and did nothing to protect my life. But now, although I am eighty years old, an extraordinary contradiction is 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 or two 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 unofficial and 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 all importance 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 temporarily look 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.

The 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 has been shaken 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 Collections are published, 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 undergoing 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, they were 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 related 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, although I already 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 was a total 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 that we had 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 my room 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 fashion broke 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 more important things, but my indisposition exclaimed: "Enough!" It is absolutely essential to always act with caution, sincerity, solidarity, without being shaken; to perform our duties and not interfere in God's business; to act in accordance with the rule of " ... illuminates discreetly," and not to feel alarmed or despairing. Once again I say, there have been no persons in history who have performed the valuable services of the Nur students with so little trouble for such vast spiritual gains. Sometimes an hour's watch in arduous conditions may be the equivalent of a year's supererogatory worship; similarly, God willing, the hours spent by the Nurjus serving belief and the Qur'an will each gain for them hundreds of hours of merits.

I send greetings to all the brothers and sisters, and pray for their well- being in this world and the next, and request their prayers.

The truly devoted Zübeyir 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 in that way.

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly: We congratulate you on the Night of the Ascension and beseech divine mercy that the prayers 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 generally, God willing.

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 old students 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 for the 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 do this 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 has held 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 and I saw 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 another current 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 success in 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,