In His Name, be He glorified!
This powerless brother of yours says this both to that old friend who objected, and to the attentive, and to yourselves: through the effulgence of the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition, the New Said offers proofs of the truths of belief so logical and correct that they compel not only the Muslim scholars, but also obdurate European philosophers to submit, and this they do.
As for the signs and allusions of the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition, from the level of its allusive meanings, attracting attention to the Risale‑i Nur, which is one of its miracles at this time, it is a mark of the Qur’an’s miraculousness – similar to the allusive and symbolic prophecies of Imam ‘Ali (May Allah be pleased with him) and Gawth al‑A‘zam (May Allah be pleased with him) concerning the Risale‑i Nur’s importance and value. To do so is also necessitated by the miraculous eloquence of that tongue of the Unseen.
Yes, it was imparted to me in Eskişehir Prison at a terrible time when we were in dire need of a sacred solace: “You cite the saints of olden times as testifying to the Risale‑i Nur’s acceptability, but in accordance with the inner meaning of the verse, Nor anything fresh or dry [green or withered], but is [inscribed] in a Record Clear, it is the Qur’an that should have the word in this matter. Does it find the Risale‑i Nur acceptable? How does it look on it?” I was faced with this strange question.
So I sought help from the Qur’an, and within the space of an hour I perceived that the Risale‑i Nur was one element of the level of allusive meanings of thirty‑three verses, from the level constituted by details of their explicit meanings (and included in the generality of the allusive meanings), and that there were powerful inferences to its inclusion and distinction. A part of these I saw in some detail, and a part I saw in summary form. In my view, no doubt, hesitation, suspicion, or misgiving remained. And I wrote that firm conviction of mine with the intention of strengthening the faith of the believers through the Risale‑i Nur, and I gave it to my closest (hâs) brothers on condition it was held to be confidential.
In the treatise, we do not say that this is the explicit meaning of the verse, lest the hodjas say he has been smitten by the evil‑eye. And we do not say that this is the generality of the allusive meaning.
We say that underlying the explicit meaning are numerous layers or levels, one of which is the allusive and symbolic meaning, and that the allusive meaning is a generality. Every century, this has particularities. And this century the Risale‑i Nur is one element in the generality of that level of its allusive meaning. Inferences drawn by means of the principles of jafr and numbers, practised since early times by the ulema, indeed, proofs, show that that element is intentionally held in view and will perform an important function, and this does not harm the verse of the Qur’an or its clear meaning, but serves its miraculousness and eloquence.
One who cannot deny the innumerable deductions made by the people of reality from Qur’anic allusions, should not deny this, and no one can deny it.
However, if the person who out of amazement deems it unlikely that such an important work should appear at the hand of an insignificant person like myself thinks of the creation of a pine tree the size of a mountain out of a seed the size of a grain of wheat as being a sign of divine power and grandeur, he is surely bound to say that the appearance of this work at such a time of intense need from someone as absolutely impotent and wanting as myself is evidence for the vast extent of divine mercy.
By the honour of the Risale‑i Nur, I assure you and those who object, that these allusions and symbolic predictions and indications of the saints always drove me to offer thanks and praise and to seek forgiveness for my sins. I can prove to you through the glimpses you have had of my life, under your very eyes these twenty years, that at no time, not even for a minute, did they inflate my ego and make my evil‑commanding soul proud and arrogant.
Nevertheless, man is not free of fault or forgetfulness. I have numerous faults of which I am not aware. Also, perhaps my own ideas crept in and there are some errors in some of the treatises. But since they do not object to the false and corrupting interpretations of the people of misguidance, screened by setting up man‑made translations in place of the sacred letters of the Qur’an, in the deficient letters of the new [Latin] script, and their harming the clear meanings of verses, they surely should not object to someone wretched and persecuted expounding a fine point of the Qur’an’s miraculousness in order to strengthen the belief of his brothers, to the extent of discouraging him in his service of belief, as not only the people of reality, anyone with even a grain of fairness would agree.
In addition I say this: in the face of the awesome attacks of misguidance at this time, the powerful, true ways, paths, and tariqats with millions of devoted followers have been apparently defeated. But a semi‑literate person under constant surveillance living opposite the police-station, who is alone and the object of a many-sided campaign of slander in order to make everyone execrate him, cannot lay claim to the Risale‑i Nur, which is more advanced than those other ways and has resisted the attacks more strongly, and that work cannot be the product of his skill, and he cannot take pride in it. It has rather been bestowed directly by divine mercy as a miracle of the All‑Wise Qur’an at this time.
He laid hands on that gift of the Qur’an together with thousands of his friends. For sure the duty of chief interpreter fell to him, but evidence that it is not the work of his thought, knowledge, and intelligence is that in the Risale‑i Nur are parts which were written in six hours, others that were written in two hours, others in one hour, and some in ten minutes even. I swear that even with the power of memory of the Old Said (May Allah be pleased with him) with my own thought I could not write in ten hours what was written in ten minutes. With my own mind and capacity I could not write in two days the treatise that was written in an hour. And neither myself nor the most exacting religious philosopher could research the matters of the Thirtieth Word and write it in six days, although it was written in one day in six hours. And so on.
That is to say, despite being bankrupt, I am the herald and servant of a wonderfully rich jeweller’s shop. Out of His grace and munificence may Allah the Most High make us and all Risale‑i Nur students purely and sincerely constant in this service, and give us success. Amen. In veneration of the Lord of Messengers.
Said Nursi