I request that you listen to this very brief statement about the very lengthy story of my life of persecution. The following are the reasons they have given for the last twenty-eight years of unprecedented ill-treatment, surveillance, and imprisonment:
The First: They accuse me of being opposed to the regime. We say in reply:
Every government has opponents. On condition they do not disturb public order or infringe security, no one is answerable for an idea or way of conducting themselves which they believe in with their hearts and consciences. For although the more than one hundred million Muslims who were under the rule of the English and their tyrannical, religiously bigoted government for a hundred years, rejected their infidel regime due to the Qur'an and did not accept it, up to the present the English courts have not bothered them in that respect. And although the Jews and Christians who since early times have had a place among our nation and in its governments, and have been opposed to its religion and sacred regimes, and have held contrary, critical views, at no time have the courts of law interfered with them in any way. Furthermore, during his own caliphate, 'Umar (May God be pleased with him) was tried by a court together with a common Christian. The fact that the Christian's [religious] views were not taken into consideration by the court despite his being opposed to both the Muslims' sacred regime, and their religion, and their laws, shows that a court of law cannot be partisan, but has to be unbiased. For the vicegerent of the earth was tried together with a common infidel.
Thus, relying on hundreds of verses of the Qur'an, not only myself but all people of conscience are opposed to a temporary regime that has replaced the Qur'an's sacred laws, and on account of the anarchy of corrupt civilization and behind the screen of the liberties of the Republic is an absolute despotism, and may be used as a tool to tyrannize religious people. Moreover, opposition to any government can never be deemed a crime.
The Second: They have inflicted punishments on me for thirty years on the pretext of the possibility of disturbing the peace and breaching security. I say this in reply:
Although according to the investigations of the court there are both five
hundred thousand devoted Nur students, and for twenty-eight years we have been subjected to this cruel ill-treatment, the six provinces and six courts of law that have been concerned with the Nurjus have been unable to record any incident involving them. This proves that the Nurjus are the protectors of public security. Through their instruction in belief, they instil a prohibitor in everyone's head and preserve public order. The fair-minded police of three provinces have affirmed this.
The Third: They have declared me guilty saying, He wants to exploit religion for political ends. A decisive reply to this is my article entitled, "It is Only the Truth that Speaks," in the one hundred and sixteenth issue of Sebilürreşad. A summary of it is as follows:
The Answer: Those who accuse of exploiting religion for politics a person who is over eighty years of age and at the door of the grave, and whose whole life testifies that he is ready to sacrifice his whole world for religion and if necessary his personal life in the hereafter, who has absolutely nothing in this world, and has given up politics for thirty-five years, and concerning this matter five courts have found no certain evidence - those making this accusation are totally wrong, unjust, and unfair. In addition to these slanders, they say that he wants to disturb public order and security. But the lesson in truth he has taken from the Qur'an and he has taught to his students, is this:
If one innocent man is found in a house or on a ship together with ten criminals, the justice of the Qur'an forbids the burning down of the house or sinking of the ship lest harm comes to the innocent man. To burn or sink them in order to destroy one criminal when they hold nine innocent people is therefore a grievous wrong, cruelty, and perfidy. In consequence, since divine justice and the truth of the Qur'an severely forbids harming or placing in danger by disturbing public order and security, ninety innocent people due to ten criminals, owing to that lesson of the Qur'an we consider ourselves compelled religiously to preserve public order with all our strength.
There is no doubt that our covert enemies who accuse us of these three or four matters and preoccupy the courts with us unnecessarily, want either to exploit politics for irreligion or under the veil of communism, either knowingly or unknowingly, to establish anarchy in this blessed country. For any Muslim who leaves the fold of Islam becomes an apostate and anarchist, and spreads poison in the life of society. For anarchy recognizes no rights and transforms human nature into that of savage animals. The Qur'an alludes to the fact that the secret society of Gog and Magog, which will appear at the end of time, will be composed of anarchists.
In His Name, be He glorified!
Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings, for ever and ever!
My Dear, Loyal Brothers!
Firstly: Our miraculous, gilded Qur'an, which was written in such a way as to show at this time the miraculousness in the ordering of the letters, has been sent first of all to Germany to be printed. Efforts were made to have it printed in Istanbul, but this was abandoned due to such obstacles as the expense of printing in three colours. One section of it has been sent to Italy as a sample, since printing techniques there are highly developed. Attempts have again been made for its printing in Istanbul, and for now steps are being taken to have it printed in a single colour while preserving the concidences (tevâfuk). Later, God willing, it will be printed in three colours and with full gilding in either Egypt, Germany, or Italy.
Secondly: To be duplicated are an Arabic Qur'anic commentary (Ishârât al-I'jâz) and a collection, the Arabic Mathnawî of the Risale-i Nur, which is the size of Zülfikar and deserves to be written in gold, God willing. These works, which were written forty years ago and are quite wonderful and of the greatest importance, and every discussion of which is the equivalent of a book or treatise, were approved of and applauded by the leading shaykhs and ulema of the time. Speaking of just one of the treatises, they indicated its unprecedented worth and their powerlessness to comprehend it, saying: "This not a mere droplet (Katre) but an ocean!" We herewith give the glad tidings of these tasks of the Risale-i Nur, and await your prayers for their success. We send our greetings to all of you and wish you every success.
[This letter was published in the newspaper Büyük Cihad, in Samsun. It was the cause of court proceedings being opened there, incited by calumniators. The court case resulted in acquittals.]
Our Master, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, the Saviour of the World of Islam, Chief of the Believers, and Interpreter of the Risale-i Nur!
The fact that, on the indication of the religious Democrats, Afyon Court has given the decision for the Risale-i Nur's liberty and the return of all its treatises, letters, and collections since they contain nothing reprehensible, is clear proof of the truth you proclaimed years ago. You said: "The Risale-i Nur belongs not to me but to the Qur'an and proceeds from its effulgence. No force will be able to tear it from the heart of Anatolia. The Risale-i Nur is bound to the Qur'an and the Qur'an is bound to the Supreme Throne. Has anyone the power to uproot it and tear it away from there?" Knowing this to be shining evidence that this elevated service of yours is in the way of God and the Qur'an, and that the decision for its acquittal marks the dawn of happiness for the world of Islam and particularly of this Islamic nation, we offer our congratulations to our beloved Master, who expectantly awaits such victories, and is the head of the Nur family, has been appointed captain of the seas of truth and guide of humanity revolting in the darkness of disbelief. We congratulate too the religious Democrats who in this way have won the love and support of the believers, and also the just panel of judges and offer them our endless thanks.
Today, the Qur'anic truth which for years you have striven selflessly to advance and uphold is unfolding vastly and filling the hearts of the believers throughout the country with joy. This proves as clearly as the sun just how elevated and brilliant are the sacred cause and work which you have been appointed to strive for and which you have sucessfully accomplished,
Notwithstanding the difficulties and obstacles of the last twenty-five to thirty years, all your patience and fortitude, and labours and exertions in publishing the Risale-i Nur, which occurred to your illumined heart from the Qur'an, furnish a fine example for the heroic mujâhids of Islam. Dispelling the darkness of ignorance and misguidance with the Rays of the inextinguishable Lights of the sun of the Qur'an and their everlasting Flashes, you have illumined millions of hearts and made the believers grateful to you. This country and nation, this history and land, will never forget this service of yours, this devoted self-sacrifice. If you travel to the eternal realm, your service will form a seed from which will sprout a lofty tree which will encompass everywhere. The large communities which will
gather around that tree of light and the rising everlasting rays of the Risale-i Nur will perpetuate your work in even more brilliant and magnificent form.
As the Risale-i Nur's interpreter, with the services you have performed for belief shining on the horizons of Islam, you are the chief guide of the present age!
Esteemed herald of the Noble Qur'an in the fourteenth Muhammadan (UWBP) century! Supreme devotee who has responded with the Qur'an's light in the face of the awesome darkness of this ghastly age! Our beloved heroic Master, who has published everywhere with the pens of his hundreds of thousands of students the hundreds of thousands of copies of the Risale-i Nur and has erected a Qur'anic barrier against irreligion and absolute disbelief!
With this sacred service of yours, which is a mercy for all the worlds and brings solace and deliverance to humanity, you give the good news to the believers of the great festival of Islam's supremacy which will embrace all the continents and the signs of which are just appearing. We congratulate you on this with all our spirits, and beseech Almighty God for your long life, and kiss your hands respectfully.