A Short Piece Written in Eskişehir Prison
My Brothers!
On numerous occasions I have defended the Risale-i Nur students in the manner of which they are worthy. God willing, I shall shout it out in court. I shall make the world hear both of the Risale-i Nur, and of its students’ value. However, I remind you of the following: the condition of my retaining this mention of your value in my defence is your not feeling offended at the Risale-i Nur due to your painful experiences in this affair, nor at your Master, nor to feel disgust at your brothers on the pretext of the difficulties you suffer, nor to find fault with or accuse one another. You will recall that in the treatise on divine determining we have proved that there are two aspects to the wrongs that are visited on us: one is man’s aspect, the other, divine determining’s. In the same event, man does wrong, but divine determining is fair and acts in justice. In this matter of ours, we should think more of the justice of divine determining and mystery of divine wisdom than man’s tyranny and wrongdoing.
Yes, divine determining summoned the Risale-i Nur students to this gathering. And the wisdom in this was the unfolding of their striving and struggle, which drove them to this truly very distressing School of Joseph. Man’s tyranny and pretexts were the means. So beware, do not say to one another: “If I had not done such-and-such I would not have been arrested.”
S a i d N u r s i
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Part of My Defence Speech,
which was included here and not later removed
I seek an important right from the Chief and Members of the Court, as follows:
In this matter it is not only my person which is under scrutiny so that with your exonerating me and becoming aware of the reality of the case, the case would be solved. For the collective personality of the pious and the people of learning has been incriminated in the eyes of the nation, and a lack of confidence has been engendered in the government towards the pious and religious scholars, and they need to know how they will avoid dangerous and harmful attempts against them. I therefore request that this