My Brothers! This a truth of the greatest importance which was composed due to a spiritual admonishment, and which, if you deem it appropriate, may be given to the Prime Minister and religious deputies.
Introduction: I have given up politics for nearly forty years and most of my life has passed as a sort of recluse and I am not busy with social and political life, and therefore did not see a serious peril, Recently, I have perceived that a danger is preparing the ground to cause serious harm to both the Islamic nation and to this country and Islamic government. I am compelled therefore to explain three points which have been imparted to me as a warning for the politicians who work for the good of Islamic nationhood and sovereignty and this country, and for those who zealously work for the human community.
First Point: Although I have not listened to the newspapers being read, for the last year or two I have heard the phrase “accusations of political reaction” being repeated over and over again. I listened attentively with the Old Said's head and saw quite clearly that
the covert enemies of Islam who exploit politics for irreligion are making iniquitous accusations — not of being Muslim or being zealously religious or having powerful belief, but of exploiting religion for political ends and even utilizing politics for religion and making them subservient to it. Those covert enemies who strive to revert to one of the most savage, primitive fundamental laws of humankind, and have donned the mask of patriotism, in completely unjust fashion brand with accusations of political reaction and imagine to be harmful for the country, those striving to reinforce this Islamic government with the moral strength of Islam and to secure for it four hundred million true brothers as a reserve force, and to save it from begging to certain tyrannical Europeans. The time has come to explain, in the second point, the chief of many examples, as a barrier against the awesome injustices of this century. There are two sorts of reactionism, which have two fundamental laws as their source:
The First is true reactionism, which is political and social. Its fundamental law has led to much abuse and tyranny.
The second is the basis of true progress and justice, but it is given the name of reactionism.
Second Point: Those who attack religion in the name of civilization and a fundamental law remaining from the primitive, savage eras of mankind, are reverting to similar savagery and primitiveness due to reactionism. That ghastly, barbaric fundamental law, which annihilates humanity's welfare and justice and general peace, is now wanting to infiltrate our wretched country. Strife is appearing, as though the beginnings of obdurately biased partisanship are being inculcated. The fundamental law is this:
Due to the mistake of a single member of a group, or of a movement or tribe, all the members of those groups are condemned and falsely imagined to be enemies and responsible. One mistake becomes thousands. Brotherhood and citizenship, and love and fellow‑feeling, which are the foundations of unity and unanimity, are overturned.
Yes, obdurate opposing forces that clash, lose their power. Then due to the weakness arising from this loss of power, the nation and country cannot be served justly. The forces are obliged to give material and other bribes, and in order to find supporters for themselves, irreligious currents utilize the cruel, savage, primitive fundamental law mentioned above, In the face of this, in accordance with the revealed, sacred verse, No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another , which is pure justice, is a fundamental law of the Qur'an which ensures true love and brotherhood and saves this country from this danger. It says: “No one can be held responsible for another's fault. No one may be said to share in a crime committed by his brother even, or his tribe or group, or party. If he supports him somehow in the crime, it is a sin for which he will be answerable in the next world, not in this world." If this fundamental law is not promulgated swiftly, human society will fall to the very lowest of barbaric reactionism, equal in destruction to that perpetrated during the two world wars.
The following is the basis of the politics of those wretches who give the name of reactionism to such sacred fundamental laws of the Qur'an as the above and accept the fundamental law of barbarism and savagery: “Individuals may be sacrificed for the good of the community. Personal rights may be disregarded for the welfare of the country. Minor injustices may ignored in the interests of state policies.” It considers permissible the killing of a thousand people because of one criminal. Thousands of innocents may be thrown into misery due to one man being wounded. On such pretexts, two hundred men being lined up and shot is overlooked. In the First World War, thirty million wretched human beings were wiped out due to the errors of three thousand. There are thousands of such examples.
So to label “reactionary” and leave under suspicion those self‑sacrificing believers and students of the Qur'an who oppose the awesome injustices of that barbaric reactionism and who strive to secure true justice, unity and brotherhood in line with the fundamental law taught by the verse, And no bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another, which is one of hundreds of the Qur'an's fundamental principles, resembles preferring the accursed Yazid's tyranny to the justice of the Caliph 'Umar. It resembles preferring a cruelly savage law of the Inquisition to the above‑mentioned law of the Qur'an, which is the means to humanity's highest progress and justice. The politicians working with the Islamic government for the welfare of this country should hold these facts in view. The government will otherwise be weakened with the clashing of three or four obdurate opposing forces. Then since its weakened power, with which it has to secure the country's interests, will be insufficient to preserve its authority — even as a despotism — and public order and security, it will pave the way to sowing the seeds in this blessed Islamic country, of the French Revolution. One feels consternation at such a possibility.
Since, by reason of the weakness and powerlessness arising from disunity, extraordinary non‑material bribes are being given in the face of the foreigners' policies and their insignificant, temporary aid, it gives the idea that no importance is being given to the brotherhood of four hundred million brothers and the way of millions of forefathers. Supposing themselves to be compelled to maintain power through so much wastefulness and fat salaries, bribes are given so that no harm comes to public order and politics, and the nation's poverty is disregarded, Most definitely it is absolutely essential that the politicians in this country should give gratis and as a harmless bribe to the four hundred million Muslim brothers who in the future will form the united states of the world of Islam, ten times the political and non-material bribes they now give to the West and the foreigners; to do so would be in the interests of this country and nation and Islamic state.
One such acceptable, necessary, most advantageous, permissible, and obligatory bribe is to take as guiding principles the sacred, fundamental laws taught by the following verses: Indeed, the believers are brothers , Hold firm to God's rope, all together , and No bearer of burdens can bear the burden of another , And fall into no disputes, lest you lose heart and your power depart .
The Third Point has been postponed for now.
Saîd Nursî
Postscript:
My brothers! Three things have led to the severe warning you received previously being changed:
The First: The Nur hero Husrev saying that twenty‑five courts have ruled that the Risale-i Nur contains nothing incriminating.
The Second: One of the Risale‑i Nur's heroic lawyers saying that it would be appropriate if the vehement words were toned down, since the Ankara government is not opposed to Said.
The Third: A sign that the wrongful oppression of the Nurjus is being lessened and rebuffed is that although, according to certain reports, there was a plan to send to court at least six hundred active and capable Nur students due to Afyon Court saying that there were six hundred thousand of them and on the pretext of the Malatya Incident, only one out of twelve and then out of six was given a one‑year sentence. It was in consequence of this that the severe expressions were toned down.