its students to a far greater degree, and, moreover, their state of mind and belief spreads to others and is beneficial for them. The satisfaction of those followers, however, is particular to them and personal.

In fact, what they call in logic qaziye-i makbûle, that is, accepting without proof the words of the great, does not in logic express certainty and surety; it is only a probable assumption. The certain proofs of logic do not look to the good opinions of people and people who are generally accepted, they look to irrefutable evidence; all the proofs of the Risale-i Nur are of this conclusive type. For exactly like the realities and truths of belief which the saints experience through their pious acts and worship and asceticism, and on their spiritual journeyings, and which they observe behind veils, the Risale-i Nur has opened a way to reality in knowledge in place of worship; it has opened up a way leading to the essence of reality within logical proofs and scholarly arguments in place of spiritual journeyings and recitations; it has opened up a way of the greater sainthood directly within the science of theology (kalām), the science of the tenets of belief, and the science of the principles of religion, in place of the science of Sufism and the tarikat. It has conquered the misguidance arising from [modern] science and philosophy, which this age has defeated the currents of Sufism (hakikat ve tarikat cereyanları), as is clear for all to see. Let there be no mistake in the simile, just as the powerful, logical truth of the Qur'an has delivered other religions from the assaults of naturalist philosophy and its overwhelming them, becoming a point of support and to an extent preserving their fundamental principles, which are based on compliance and not reason; so too, the Risale-i Nur, a miracle and light of the Qur'an at this time, has saved the imitative faith of the ordinary believers from the assaults of the misguidance arising from materialist philosophy, and as a point of support for all believers, has become an unassailable citadel for those near and far. In the face of today's awesome, unprecedented misguidance, it preserves the ordinary believers' belief from doubts and their Islam from baseless scruples.

Just at the time the believers everywhere, even in India and China, are being shaken by the predominance of the fearsome misguidance of the age, and they are falling into doubt as to the truth of Islam, they hear that a work has appeared that proves conclusively all the truths of belief, and defeating philosophy, silences atheism. Their doubts and scruples disappear, and their belief is saved and strengthened.

The Second Part of the Question: In one of your letters, you described seriously a poetical subtle point, that some birds came to you and your students when your letters were being read and written out. But birds aren't