My Dear, Esteemed Brother!
I read your lengthy treatise‑like, comprehensive, 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) is the 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 with the verse, Say: I ask no recompense of you save love of close kin , love of the Prophet's (UWBP) family is a fundamental principle of the Risale‑i Nur and our way, so Wahhabism should not be 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 powerful 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 for their 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 discussion of the 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 (May God be pleased with them) of the ten promised paradise were present, the war resulted from an independent ruling (ijtihād), so even if Imam 'Ali was right and the other side 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 Wahhabism or extremist Shi'is cause harm to Islam.
The prominent authority of the science of theology (kalām), Sa'd al‑Dīn al-Taftazani, said about villains like Hajjaj the Tyrant, Yazid, and Walid, that it is permissible to curse them, but he did not 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 the Companions' 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. For unlike 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 everywhere 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 people of 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 found 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, and, — 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 who favour the innovations and want to use them against the saints (evliya) and to screen their permissive way, may make a pretext of your ruling (ijtihād) which arose from love of the Prophet's (UWBP) family and should not now be 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 actions, and 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 vilifying 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 foremost the Four Imams and the Twelve Imams, 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 and debate, 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, taking one 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 they committed 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 disregard of 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 it from 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 awaiting from both a discerning scholar like yourself, and Sabri, who had gone there to work for the Risale-i Nur, that both of you would perform useful services, I felt and understood that, on the contrary, harm had been caused to the Risale-i Nur in three respects. I was wondering about the cause of this when two or three days later I received news that Sabri had argued with you in meaningless, unwarranted fashion, and that you had become angry. Alas! I exclaimed, “O God! Make peace between these two people who have come from Erzurum to assist me; settle the dispute between them!” As it says in the Twentieth Flash on sincerity, at the present time the believers should unite not only with their Muslim brothers but also with religiously-minded Christians, and avoiding questions of dispute, not engage in argument and debate. For absolute disbelief is on the attack. I appeal to your religious zeal, scholarly experience, and attachment to the Risale-i Nur, and request that you try to forget the argument with Sabri, and forgive him and waive your rights. For he was not voicing his own views but was repeating things he had heard from the hojas of the former times, and started arguing in uncalled-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 cause a thousand 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 those wars, 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 that Imam '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 'Abbas, 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 did not allow us to spill their blood, so as thanks for His great favour we shall hold our tongues 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 opposing side, and some of the ten promised paradise like Talha and Zubayr (May God be pleased with them) would be objected to and vilified, causing enmity, so they favoured closing that door.
In fact, Sa'd al‑Dīn al-Taftazani, one of the greatest authorities of the Sunnis and of the science of kalām, permitted the 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 it is not 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 state of belief. 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 wrongdoers and the 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 therefore only been able to write this much hastily.
The Enduring One, He is the Enduring One!Saîd Nursî