the end of time when in exile in Kastamonu in 1938, Bediuzzaman arranged this treatise in its final form and it was incorporated into the Risale-i Nur as the Fifth Ray. [^336] That is to say, as time unfolded, the interpretations of some of these Hadiths which Bediuzzaman had given as far back as 1907 were realized; what they prophesied was fulfilled.

[^336]:Ibid., 300-1 (Eng. tr.: Rays, 380-2).

For example, one of these Hadiths says: "A fearsome individual at the end of time will rise in the morning and on his forehead will be written: 'This is a kafir'." In 1907, Bediuzzaman had interpreted this as: "This extraordinary individual will come to lead this nation. He will rise in the morning and put on a hat, and he will make others wear hats." [^337] ..."The Sufyan will put on a European hat, and make others wear [similar hats]. But because this will be by compulsion and force of law, the hat will made to prostrate [before God] and God willing will be rightly-guided, and by wearing it — unwillingly — everyone will not become kafirs." [^338]

[^337]:Ibid., 300 (Eng. tr.: Rays, 381).

[^338]:Ibid., 490 (Eng. tr.: Rays, 103).

It was for this reason, because of its topicality, that Bediuzzaman had suppressed the treatise and not permitted it to be circulated. It was only after the entire Risale-i Nur, including the Fifth Ray, had been declared legally innocuous by the previous Committee of Experts and Denizli Court that he had allowed it to be duplicated.

Now the present committee of experts levelled criticisms at the Fifth Ray which Bediuzzaman described as "unfair, mistaken, and unjustifiable." [^339] These centred on the nature of the Hadiths, which they said were either "unsound" or "weak", and on his interpretation of them. In his "Thank-you Letter", Bediuzzaman answered these criticisms with little difficulty. [^340] Besides this, he described the criticisms as resulting from jealousy and "a vein of Wahhabism", which points to the reasons for their second point of objection, which was equally mistaken. They criticized the encomia written to Bediuzzaman and the Risale-i Nur by some of his students.

[^339]:Ibid., 437 (Eng. tr.: Rays, 515).

[^340]:Ibid., 338-9 (Eng. tr.: Rays, 423-4).

Concerning the encomia he pointed out it was a long-standing custom among scholars and literary people to write such pieces about one another's work, and for these to be included at the ends of the works when they first appeared. If they had been directed towards himself, Bediuzzaman had changed them to refer to the Risale-i Nur. In any event, time was