According to the Maliki school, dogs are clean (kelb tahir-dir). But Tahir is not a dog (Tahir kelb değildir)." Thus with a witty pun, he was able to both gently rebuke Tahir Pasha and conciliate him. As for Tahir Pasha, he was delighted with both the explanation and the 'fatwa'. [^63]

[^63]:Şahiner, Said Nursi, 69-70.

Tahir Pasha used to study scholarly books from Europe and prepare questions to ask Bediuzzaman. Despite the fact that it was only now that Bediuzzaman was learning Turkish, he would give the answers unhesitatingly. If he saw some books on a table or somewhere, he understood that Tahir Pasha was compiling some questions, and would quickly read the books and learn their contents. [^64]

[^64]:Tarihçe, 46.

Bediuzzaman used to spend the summer months in the high pastures of Başid, Feraşin, and Beytüşşebab. On a previous occasion he had told Tahir Pasha that there was snow on these mountains even in July, Tahir Pasha had objected, declaring that there was definitely no snow there in July. Recalling this exchange while up in the mountains, Bediuzzaman wrote his first letter in Turkish to Tahir Pasha:

"Pasha! There is snow on the mountain tops at Başid, You should not deny what you have not seen! Everything is not restricted to what you know! Vesselam!"

During these summer months in the mountains, besides acting as a conciliator in tribal disputes, Bediuzzaman would roam the mountains and forests, reading the book of the universe, and pondering over its meaning and messages as directed by the Qur'an. In respect of this Bediuzzaman greatly loved and respected the natural world — and particularly his mountainous and wild native land — and had a close affinity with its creatures. They also felt an affinity with him. Of the stories illustrating this is one for which we also have the date: 1321, that is, 1905. On this occasion Bediuzzaman was high up on Mount Başid, alone, and was sitting on a rock in contemplation having performed the evening prayers when a great wolf appeared. But this "lion of the mountain" merely came to him "like a friend", then passed on its way doing nothing. [^65]

[^65]:Nursi, Lem'alar (Ott. edn.), 648.

When news of any dispute between the tribes reached Bediuzzaman, he would intervene, and pointing out the just way, would reconcile the two parties. He was even successful where the government had failed in making peace between Şeker Ağa and Mustafa Pasha, the chief of the Miran tribe, mentioned earlier. Where personal courage was the most highly