In His Name, be He glorified!
My Dear, Loyal Brothers!
I congratulate you with all my being on the Night of Power which has passed and the coming festival, and I entrust you to the unity and mercy of the Most Merciful of the Merciful. Although in accordance with the meaning of he who believes in divine determining is saved from unhappiness, I do not consider you to be in need of consolation, I say that from the allusive meaning of the verse, Now await in patience the command of your Sustainer, for verily you are in Our eyes, and glorify with praise your Sustainer, I received all the solace the verse affords. It was like this:
While thinking of passing Ramadan tranquilly, in forgetfulness of the world, this unimaginable and completely unendurable episode befell us, yet I observed that it was pure grace both for me, and for the Risale‑i Nur, and for you and our Ramadan, and our brotherhood. I shall describe only two or three of its many benefits for myself.
One of Them: The intense excitement, seriousness, entreating and seeking refuge with Allah the Most High I experienced overcame a serious illness, and made me work in Ramadan.
The Second: I had a powerful desire to see all of you this year and be near you. I would have agreed to the difficulties I have suffered to see only one of you and to come to Isparta.
The Third: In an extraordinary way, all the painful circumstances both in Kastamonu, and on the way here, and here, suddenly change, and contrary to what I hoped and desired a hand of grace is apparent, making one exclaim: Good is in what Allah chooses. What made me realize this most was that the heedless, highest‑ranking persons are being made to read the Risale‑i Nur with careful attention, opening up new fields for its triumphs.
I was suffering all the pains and regrets of everyone else as well as my own, but then I saw that this calamity increased the hundred merits of each hour’s worship to a thousand – for the blessed month of Ramadan makes each hour the equivalent of a hundred hours. Since this is so, for sincere people like you who have learnt thoroughly the lessons of the Risale‑i Nur, and know that this world is a fleeting place of trade, andn who sacrifice everything for their belief and lives in the hereafter, and believe that the temporary hardships of this School of Joseph will produce everlasting pleasures and benefits, – my pity and sorrow for you were transformed into congratulations and appreciation and applause at your steadfastness. I declared: All praise and thanks be to Allah for all circumstances other than unbelief and misguidance!
I am of the opinion that in this respect there are such benefits both for myself, and for our brotherhood, and for the Risale‑i Nur, and for our Ramadans, and for you, that if the veil were to be drawn back, it would make us declare: “Thanks be to You, O Allah! This divine decree and determining are an instance of Your grace for us.”
Do not blame those who were the cause of this affair. The far‑reaching and fearful plans for this calamity had long since been laid, and in the event we have got off lightly. Allah willing, it will pass quickly. In accordance with the meaning of the verse, It may be that you hate a thing, and it is good for you, do not be grieved.
Said Nursi