justice and the rights of everyone who applies have to preserved without discrimination and the duty of those involved is to work solely for the sake of right, that during his caliphate, Imam ‘Ali (May God be pleased with him) sat together with a Jew in court and they were tried together. On another occasion, a just judge saw that an official was angry with a delinquent thief when he was cutting off his hand as demanded by the law. He immediately sacked the official, and full of regret said: “Those who up to now have been influenced by their feelings in this way while executing the law have perpetrated great wrongs.” Yes, even if in executing the law he does not pity the convicted man, he may not be angry; if he is, he is acting tyrannically. If he carries out capital punishment angrily, even if it is in retaliation (qisas), he becomes a sort of murderer.”
Thus, in courts of law it is this pure, unbiased truth which rules. But although three courts have acquitted us, and perhaps if they knew, ninety per cent of this nation would testify that the Risale-i Nur students are harmless and beneficial for nation and country, the students are being angrily and contemptuously mistreated, despite being innocent and much in need of consolation and the indulgence of the law. But since we have decided to meet with patience and forbearance every calamity and insult, we are silent, referring it to God and saying: “Perhaps there is some good in this.” However, I was afraid that these innocent unfortunates being treated in this way due to unfounded suspicions and the malicious reports of informers would lead to the visitation of disaster, and I was therefore obliged to write this. Anyway, if there is any fault in this matter, it is mine. These unfortunates assisted me solely seeking God’s pleasure and to save their religious belief and lives in the hereafter. For them to receive such treatment when they were deserving of praise and appreciation, is enough to make anyone angry.
Moreover, it is amazing, but again they are making unsupported assertions about a political society. However, both three courts have scrutinized this aspect of the case and acquitted us, and neither the courts, nor the police, nor the experts’ committees have discovered any sign of any society that could justify such an accusation: the Risale-i Nur students are a brotherhood which looks to the hereafter, like the students of a teacher, or university students, or the students of a Qur’an teacher who is teaching them to memorize the Qur’an. Those who have made charges against them calling them a political society, have to look on all tradesmen, preachers, and school-children as belonging to such societies. I therefore see no necessity to defend those imprisoned here as a result of such meaningless and baseless charges.