The First
Certain of our brothers like Çaprazzâde Abdullah Efendi had heard related from the diviners of realities that this last Ramadan a relief from difficulties, a victory, would occur for the Sunnis, whereas it did not occur. Why do such people of sainthood and illumination make predictions that are contrary to reality? They asked me, and a summary of the reply I gave them, with which I was inspired, is this:
It says in a Hadith: Sometimes a calamity is visited on a person, but if he meets with almsgiving, it is repelled. The underlying meaning of this Hadith shows that while appointed events are going to come to pass under certain conditions, they do not occur. That is to say, the appointed events of which the people of illumination are aware are not absolute, but restricted by certain conditions; if the conditions are not fulfilled, the event does not occur. However the event, like the appointed hour of death when conditional, is written and determined in the Tablet of Appearance and Dissolution, which is a sort of notebook of the Pre‑Eternal Tablet. It is only extremely rarely that illuminations penetrate as far as the Pre-Eternal Tablet; mostly they cannot rise that far.
In consequence, predictions made as a result of interpretations or illuminations this last Ramadan and Feast of Sacrifices or at other times that do not occur because the conditions on which they were dependent were not fulfilled, do not give the lie to those who told of them. For they were determined, but did not come about because the conditions were not fulfilled.
Yes, the sincere prayers of the majority of the Sunnis that innovations in the month of Ramadan be abrogated formed a condition and important reason. But since innovations had entered the mosques in Ramadan, they hindered the acceptance of the supplications, and the relief did not arrive. Just as in accordance with the above Hadith, almsgiving repels calamities, the sincere supplications of the majority attract a general release from troubles. Since the power of attraction was not formed, the victory was not given.