My Dear, 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 importance: 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? And why 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 everyone 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 the tool of, 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 believers 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 home and abroad 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 nothing except eternal life, its surpassing power and truth may dispel the assaulting doubts and queries.
Question: Although it would not harm your sincerity, 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 brothers' high 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 Answer: 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 lives of the 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 ranks of true everlasting life.
Always, and particularly at this time, and especially as a consequence of the general heedlessness arising from misguidance 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 positions, 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 make some 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 benefit 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. This may 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 important 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 pole.
For 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 pole with 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 sense that 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 that was 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: “O my Lord! 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. It is like 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 experienced by Risale‑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 same way.
One of the Risale‑i Nur scribes asked: “Why do friends receive slaps while aggressive enemies receive nothing comparable?”
The Answer: Someone who is not an official and is treacherous, 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 livelihoods 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 visited on 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 the tyranny 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 their punishment is not dealt out swiftly in this world like with lesser wrongdoing.
The Enduring One, He is the Enduring One!Saîd Nursî