attention towards themselves through statues, pictures, and the press. They deflect attention from the other-indicative way of looking at things towards the self-referential, [^66] and because they imagine a worldly future rather than the future of the hereafter, they accord excessive importance to the dead person's worldly fame and renown in opposition to the former practice of visiting graves solely for God's pleasure. They visit graves in that way. So I enjoin as my last will and testament that in accordance with the true meaning of sincerity, my grave should not be made known, so as not to damage the maximum sincerity of the Risale-i Nur. Whether in the east or the west, the Fatihas recited by everyone will go to the spirit intended. A truth that prevents me from conversing with people in this world will surely enjoin this, not in respect of merit, but of this world.
[^66]:Other-indicative or the significative meaning of things (manâ-yı harfî) and self-referential or meaning that looks to things themselves (manâ-yı ismî) are terms Bediuzzaman used to refer to the Qur'anic and philosophic ways of looking at things. He wrote: "According to the Qur'anic view, all the beings in the universe are letters, expressing through their significative meaning, the meaning of another. That is, they make known the names and attributes of that Other. Soulless philosophy for the most part looks in accordance with the meaning that looks to the thing itself and deviates into the bog of nature." See, The Flashes Collection (Istanbul: Sözler Publications, 2011), 156). [Tr.]
His students in attendance on him ∗∗∗
► (127) ◄ A Copy of the Letter Our Master Sent the Panel of Judges at Afyon Court
A Copy of the Letter Our Master Sent
the Panel of Judges at Afyon Court
I have come to Afyon today to thank and congratulate you. I thank you for holding our books for so long so that they did not get lost, and congratulate you on now sending them to Ankara. A number of private letters which were written ten years ago by unknown persons to other unknown persons, and some of which were written in my name but were not signed by me and were not published, have been scrutinized by your court and disregarded since they contained nothing reprehensible, So to again take into consideration unpublished letters written long ago about which I know nothing and are covered by the Amnesty Laws and which have nothing to do with the Risale-i Nur, is to preoccupy both the judiciary and the experts' committee unnecessarily. So to avoid that and not to delay our case, I request that those private letters are not associated with the books of the Risale-i Nur.