on a comprehensive study of all the Islamic sciences. These included those that can be thought of as 'instrumental', such as logic and Arabic grammar and syntax, as well as the main sciences of Qur'anic exegesis (tafsir), traditions of the Prophet (Hadith), and jurisprudence (fiqh). He committed to memory around forty books in two years, including works on theology (kalâm), like the Matali' and Mawaqif, and the work of Hanafi fiqh, Mirqat. It used to take him three months to go through them all, reciting a part of each from memory each day.

Molla Said was subject to two conflicting states of mind. The first was one of expansion when there was nothing he could not understand. The second was when his mind contracted; then it was not only studying, he preferred not to speak even. When he was young, the former state was prevalent. But once he passed the age of twenty, the hours when his mind contracted increased, and the times of its expansion started to decrease until they were about half and half.

During his time in Bitlis, Molla Said began to memorize the Qur'an, by reading one or two juz' [^50] each day. He learnt the greater part in this way, but did not complete it. There were two reasons for this. Firstly, he wanted to avoid being disrespectful to the Qur'an, and it had occurred to him that to read the Qur'an at great speed was lacking in respect. And secondly, it occurred to him that the more urgent need was to learn the truths that the Qur'an was teaching. In the following two years therefore, he learned by heart the forty or so works noted above on the Islamic sciences and philosophy which would be the key to the Qur'anic truths, and which would preserve those truths by answering the doubts that had been raised concerning them. [^51] The governor's residence in Bitlis provided a favourable environment to pursue this programme.

[^50]:A juz' is one thirtieth of the Qur'an.

[^51]:Tarihçe, 43-4.

Ömer Pasha's wife was dead, and he had six daughters. One day, one of these girls wanted to go into Molla Said's room to clean it, or for some such innocent reason. However, Molla Said scolded her, and brusquely shut the door in her face. The girl was taken aback and upset at this.

The same day while in his office, someone who was trying to make trouble for Said, no doubt jealous of him, whispered in the governor's ear: "How can you leave Molla Said in the house all day? Your daughters are not married and you have no wife, and he is a vigorous young man. How can you do such a thing?" , thus sowing seeds of doubt in his mind about Said.