The New Said flees from politics so vehemently so as to not sacrifice for one or two years of dubious worldly life..., [or] his working for and gaining eternal life, which lasts millions of years, and so also to serve belief and the Qur'an, which is the most important and necessary, the most sincere and loyal duty. For he says, I am getting old, I don't know how much longer I shall live. For me the most important matter, therefore, has to be working for eternal life. And the first means of gaining eternal life and the key to eternal happiness is belief in God, so one has to strive for them. But because I am bound by the Shari'a to be beneficial to others in regard to learning, I want to perform that duty. Therefore, I gave up the other way and chose the way of serving belief, which is the most important, the most necessary, and the soundest…

But if you ask: "Why does service to the Qur'an and belief bar you [from politics]?", I would reply: Since the truths of belief and the Qur'an are each like diamonds, if I were polluted by politics, the ordinary people, who can be deceived, might wonder: "Isn't he making political propaganda in order to win supporters?", and they might look at those diamonds as though they were common glass. Then I would be wronging those diamonds by being in contact with politics, and would be as though reducing their value. [^96]

[^96]:Nursi, Mektûbat, 58-9 (Eng. tr.: Letters, 84-5).

A passage in the Thirteenth Letter [^97] enlarges on this, pointing out that politics were not the way to bring the guidance of the Qur'an to the majority of people at that time, in fact, they formed an obstacle. It shows Bediuzzaman's acute awareness of the state of Turkish society and its needs, In the face of the misguidance that had permeated all aspects of life, most people were not opposed to the truth, they were confused and uncertain; what they needed was to be drawn to the truth through the lights of the Qur'an, whereas politics frightened them off. Only a minority embraced misguidance, but all the attention was focussed on them, while the "bewildered" majority remained deprived of the guidance of which they were in need. Bediuzzaman's concern was for this majority. He also pointed out that there were supporters of the truth in all the political currents; thus, one showing the truths of the Qur'an had remain outside all partisanship, so that the Qur'an should not be left open to attack by his political opponents.

[^97]:See, Nursi, Mektûbat, 45-6 (Eng. tr.: Letters, 69-70).

#### Isparta

Isparta

In the summer of 1934 Bediuzzaman wrote to one of his students in Isparta, a calligrapher called Tenekeci Mehmed, saying that things had become intolerable in Barla. He wrote: