sitive towards it, and would not have remained deaf to the admonitions of belief.

Bediuzzaman then states that there are three ways to direct the attention of the mass of believers towards the Qur'an — "the exemplification of the Pre-Eternal Address, which shimmers with the attraction of miraculousness, has a halo of sacredness, and constantly stirs the conscience through belief." The first he describes as dangerous, the second as needing time, while the third is to remove the veils obscuring the Qur'an and display it directly to the ordinary believers; to seek its "pure, unmixed property" from itself alone, and only its secondary (bilvasita) decrees from the means.

That is to say, the fundamentals and essentials, which as we saw form ninety per cent, should be sought from the Qur'an itself and from the Sunnah, while matters of secondary importance, which are open to interpretation and form ten per cent, sought from the works of those qualified to interpret them, that is, the mujtahids. If that had been the case, the demand shown for these truly numerous commentaries and books on the Shari'a and divided up between them would have been directed towards the Qur'an itself, indeed, the demand would have been greater because of need. And in that way the Qur'an would have been dominant and influential in its full meaning over the Muslim community.

Bediuzzaman had a significant dream shortly after writing this piece, and included it at the end of it. We also include it:

One night shortly after writing this matter, I dreamt of the Prophet (PBUH). I was in a medrese in his blessed presence; he was going to instruct me in the Qur'an. On their bringing the Qur'an, the Prophet (PBUH) rose to his feet out of respect. It occurred to me at that moment that he rose in order to guide his community.

Finally I related this dream to a righteous member of his community, and he interpreted it in this way: "It is a powerful sign and certain good news that the Qur' an of Mighty Stature will acquire the exalted position of which it is worthy throughout the world." [^330]

[^330]:Nursi, Sünûhat, 31-5.

#### Birth of the New Said

Birth of the New Said

Some two years after his return to Istanbul from the prisoner-of-war camp in Russia, Bediuzzaman underwent a radical interior change, "a strange revolution of the spirit", and out of this inner turmoil, the New Said