In His Name, be He glorified!

My Dear, Loyal Brothers!

Firstly: It has been imparted to me that I should describe the astonishing and instructive treatment I have received during my two periods of captivity. As follows:

I was in a ward in Kosturma in Russia together with ninety other officers who were being held as prisoners‑of-war. I used to give them religious instruction from time to time. One day the Russian commander came and he saw this, and said: “This Kurd was made a militia commander and he slaughtered many of our men. Now he’s giving political instruction here. I am forbidding this. He must not do this.” Two days later he again came, and this time permitted it, saying: “Since what you are teaching is not political, but religious and moral, you may continue.”

During my second captivity, here in this prison, the court officials forbade one of my close brothers to come to me, although he has listened to my reading from the Risale‑i Nur for twenty years and himself reads better than I do. Neither did they permit those who attend to my essential needs to come, lest they received instruction from me. However, the Risale‑i Nur leaves no need for other teaching and we have no other teachings, and we have no secrets that have not been divulged. Anyway, certain circumstances have made me cut a long story short.