intended. I am ready to sacrifice my life and dignity a thousand times over for the security of this nation, and the worldly tranquillity and happiness in the next life of particularly innocent children, respected elderly, and the unfortunate ill and poor…

That day and the following day when Bediuzzaman went out in his phaeton into the country surrounding Emirdağ, he was followed by five aircraft." [^295] It may be imagined how all this intimidated the people of the town.

[^295]:Ibid., 29-30; Tarihçe, 460.

Now, at the beginning of 1948, Bediuzzaman was repeatedly summoned to the police station and government offices to give statements and in such a way as to insult and degrade him. On one occasion, although ill and over seventy years old, he was kept standing for four hours while being asked facile and meaningless questions. As during the Denizli episode, that night were four severe earth tremors, the epicentre of which was Emirdağ. [^296] , [^297]

[^296]:Nursi, Emirdağ Lahikası, i, 168, 170, 277.

[^297]:This close connection between the Risale-i Nur and the universe and the creatures within it manifested as tevâfukat, or 'coincidings', has been mentioned in various places in previous chapters, in both 'negative' and 'positive' contexts. There were numerous examples in Emirdağ of both, of which the above earthquakes were just one. Instances of 'positive' contexts mostly involved birds of different varieties either acting heralds of good news or entering a room in a manner quite out of the ordinary and remaining over a period of time while the Risale-i Nur or Bediuzzaman's letters were read, for example. See, Nursi, Emirdağ Lahikası, i, 46-7, 67, 86, etc.

As part of the build-up of this plan to halt the spread of the Risale-i Nur, three plainclothes police were sent to Emirdağ from Afyon to watch Bediuzzaman, establish who his students were, and learn their activities. [^298] The senior policeman of the group, Abdurrahman Akgül, later related his experiences in some detail. A summary is as follows:

[^298]:Tarihçe, 437.

The three were briefed carefully, given false identities, and were to go entirely incognito with not even their families knowing where they were. Abdurrahman was warned by the police chief not to annoy Bediuzzaman, for if he did, he would meet with trouble. The three arrived in Emirdağ on 13 December, 1947. Only the gendarme chief there and kaymakam knew who they were.

Having been shown where Bediuzzaman's house was, the three sat down in a cafe opposite and started to watch it. A short while later Bediuzzaman appeared at the door and some of his students came out. Abdurrahman commented on their youth. The students then came towards the cafe,