seed. Only one part out of a million is found in the seed, yet in meaning it is an index written with the pen of divine determining. Otherwise, as many factories as a village would be necessary for the vast tree to be formed with all its branches and twigs. Thus, a proof of grandeur and divine power is that it creates things as huge as mountains from a particle. In just the same way, without intending any humility or modesty, I proclaim with full conviction that the services I have performed and the course of my life have been a sort of seed. Divine providence bestowed the Risale-i Nur, which proceeded from the Qur'an and is a lofty, fruit-bearing tree, in order to be the source of a crucial service for religious belief at this time. I swear that I never saw in myself due to the wonders that have happened throughout my life, any ability or virtue or anything needing extraordinary talent. I used to be quite astonished. Let alone possessing a wonderful genius or marvellous sainthood, I did not consider myself capable of organizing myself and participating in social relations. It is true that some traits like self-advertisement were apparent in my life, but that was a sort of involuntary boasting so as not to give the lie to people's favourable opinions. Because I did not know the wisdom in my not being as the people supposed and thought that I was no use for the world, I considered that my thus being held in regard a thousand times higher than was my due was totally opposed to right and truth. But endless thanks be to Almighty God that now at the end of this life of seventy to eighty years we have understood the wisdom in it to a degree through divine grace, and I am going to indicate a part of it briefly. I am explaining a few examples out of many.

First Example: The method followed in the medreses requires at least fifteen years' study so that the Islamic sciences and religious truths may be fully acquired. At that time, what was observed in Said was not a wondrous intelligence or spiritual power, but a state or condition whereby, in extraordinary fashion outside all abilitiy and talent, in three months after acquiring in two years the basics of Arabic grammar and syntax, astonishingly he as though read forty to fifty books in three months and received his diploma.

Sixty years later this situation showed directly that a Qur'anic commentary would emerge that, in the short period of three or four months, could teach people and that the wretched Said would be employed in its service. And it also suggested the idea and predictions that a time would come when there would be no medreses where the sciences of belief could be learnt in fifteen years, or even in one, or else they would be reduced in number.

Second Example: I confess and believe certainly that Said's debating