While there, Molla Said memorized the whole of a work on the principles of jurisprudence of the four schools of Islam by the Shafi'i scholar Ibn al-Subki, the Jam' al-Jawami', by reading it for one or two hours every day for a week. Whereupon Molla Fethullah wrote in the book, in Arabic, "He memorized the whole of the Jam' al-Jawami' in a week".
From a letter written by Bediuzzaman in 1946 while in exile in Emirdağ, it is learnt that it was at this time as a result of these feats of learning that he was first given the name of Bediuzzaman — Wonder of the Age — and by Molla Fethullah Efendi. He wrote to one of his important students:
My Curious Brother, Re'fet Bey, You want information about Badi'uzzaman Hamadani's duty and written works in the 3 rd century [Hijri]. I only know about him that he had an extraordinary intelligence and power of memory.
Fifty-five years ago one of my first masters, the late Molla Fethullah of Siirt, likened the Old Said to him and gave him his name. [^27]
[^27]:Nursi, Emirdağ Lahikası (Ott. edn.), 383.
News of these events spread around Siirt and on hearing it, the 'ulema of the area gathered together and invited Said to a debate and to answer their questions. Said accepted, and both defeated them in debate and was successful in answering all their questions. Those present were full of praise and admiration for him and when the people of Siirt came to hear of it, they regarded Molla Said as something of a veli or saint. However, all this aroused the jealousy of the lesser scholars and students in the area, who, since they were unable to defeat him in argument or in learning, tried to do so by force. They set upon him one day, but the people intervened and prevented any harm coming to Said, who told the gendarmes who arrived on the scene, having been sent by the Governor:
We are students; we fight and make it up again. It is better if no one outside our profession interferes. The fault was mine.
Said answered in this way out of his extreme respect for the learned profession, which he felt would be slighted by the interference of the ignorant and uneducated, although it was to assist him.
After this incident, Said always carried a short dagger with him in order to deter those tempted to fight him. He was strong and agile and now came to be known as Said-i Meşhur, Said the Famous. He challenged all the 'ulema and students in Siirt to debates, letting it be known that he never asked questions, but answered anyone who chose to put questions to him. [^28]
[^28]:Tarihçe, 36-7; Şahiner, Said Nursi, 56-8.