from the Risale-i Nur, and contrarily to the rule of my life for the past ten years, which is not to concern myself with the passing, inconsequential matters of this fleeting world, just for your sake and your long letter and the questions you asked about, I am going to explain a few matters related to my situation and the oppressors' torments.

The First: One day thirty years ago while I was a member of the Darü'l-Hikmet, Seyyid Sadeddin Pasha, who was a friend of mine and also a member, told me: "I have received through means that are certain that an atheistic secret society which is present here but the roots of which are abroad has read one of your works and declared that if its author remains in this world, it shall be unable to persuade this nation to accept its doctrine, that is, atheism and irreligion, so has decided to eliminate him. That is, it has given the order for your execution. You must look to protect yourself." I replied: "I place my trust in God! The appointed hour is fixed and won't change!"

These last thirty or forty years that secret society has both spread, and has employed every device to struggle against me, It has tried to eliminate me twice with imprisonment, and eleven times by poison (now it is nineteen times). Its worst plans were its using the full force of official government influence against me through the former Interior Minister, the former governor of Afyon, and the former deputy kaymakam of Emirdağ. Those three officials so intimidated everyone and conducted such propaganda against me, a weak, elderly, solitary, impoverished stranger in need of assistance, that except to spy on me no official would come near me, for if any greeted me he would be posted elsewhere, and out of their fear some of my neighbours would not greet me at all. But divine protection and providence bestowed patience and forbearance on me, and their unparalleled torments and oppression did not compel me to have recourse to them.

The Second: Perhaps you recall that in the president's office in Ankara when disputing with Mustafa Kemal, I responded fiercely to what he said, declaring to his face: "Those who neglect the obligatory prayers are traitors, and the words of traitors are to be rejected!" [^76] He did not find the courage to respond to that insult and disparagement, but here, a low-ranking officer and a sergeant heaped similar abuse and insult on me. Their intention was to infuriate me and provoke an incident, but divine protection and providence bestowed patience and forbearance on me.

[^76]:That is, traitors can hold no position of authority. [Tr.]