In another letter after pointing out that it was blind imitation of Europe that was the source of these attempts to change the marks of Islam, as in all bad things, Bediuzzaman stressed the importance of an environment which constantly reminds Muslims of the meanings of these sacred phrases, and instructs them in them [^89] — these phrases which are "each a seed of the pillars of belief." [^90]
[^89]:Ibid., 405-6 (Eng. tr.: Letters, 506-7).
[^90]:Nursi, Asâ-yi Mûsa, 48.
Bediuzzaman said that when the proposal was first made to translate the Qur'an, it was part of the conspiracy against it and was made with the direct intention of discrediting it. "But," he wrote, "The irrefutable arguments of the Risale-i Nur have proved that a true translation of the Qur'an is not possible. No other language can preserve the subtle points and fine qualities of the Qur'an in place of the grammatical language of Arabic. The trite and partial translations of man cannot hold the place of the miraculous and comprehensive expressions of the words of the Qur'an, each letter of which affords from ten to a thousand rewards; [such translations] may not be read in mosques." [^91] While some aspect of this fact is shown to be true in many places in the Risale-i Nur, it is chiefly the Twenty-Fifth Word, [^92] called The Miraculousness of the Qur'an, which in demonstrating forty aspects of the Qur'an's miraculousness proves this to be the case. This remarkable treatise, which demonstrates Bediuzzaman's profound and extensive knowledge of the Qur'an, shows its miraculousness in respect of the eloquence of its word-order, meanings, styles, manner of exposition, the comprehensiveness of its words, meanings, subjects, styles and conciseness; its giving news of the Unseen, preserving its youth, and addressing all classes and levels of men, and in various other respects.
[^91]:Sözler, 430 (Eng. tr.: Words, 474-5).
[^92]:See, Sözler, 338-431 (Eng. tr.: Words, 375-458).
The more they increased the pressure on Bediuzzaman with their arbitrary and unlawful oppression, the greater was his endeavour and the more the Risale-i Nur spread. Just as by unjustly exiling him, and unlawfully isolating him and preventing him from all social intercourse, the authorities in Ankara had unwittingly served the cause of the Qur'an, now too in Barla their persecution of him served only to "make the lights of the Qur'an shine brighter." Indeed, the same was true for the next twenty years; the spread and successes of the Risale-i Nur were in direct proportion to the continual increase in the severity of the treatment meted out to Bediuzzaman and his students. Bediuzzaman points this out in the conclusion to the following letter, describing some of the injustices he received in Barla.