Present-day conditions cause a hundred innocents to be harmed on account of a handful of criminals.

For example, it is opposed to the principle of compassion to crush the hapless elderly parents and innocent children of a faulty man, and to ruin them and nurture partisan hatred for them. But partisan currents among Muslims are the cause of such innocents being wronged; they cannot be saved from oppression. Especially situations that give rise to revolution, they altogether spread and escalate the wrongdoing.

In jihad — even if it is in the name of religion — the position of [non- Muslim] women and children is the same. They may be considered as booty and Muslims may include them in their property. But within the realm of Islam, even if a person is irreligious, his family cannot be claimed as property; their rights may not be infringed. For owing to the ties of Islam, they are bound not to their irreligious father, but to Islam and the Islamic community. [Outside the realm of Islam] unbelievers' children are surely among those who will be saved, but according to the law those innocents may be made prisoner and taken into possession at the blow of jihad, since they are dependants of and bound to their fathers, so long as they are alive.

I send greetings to each and every one of my brothers and congratulate them on the Holy Night of the Ascension, [^20] which yields thousands of merits. Convey my condolences to the family of the late Haji İbrahim, like Re'fet Bey, and tell them that the deceased is within the fold of the Risale-i Nur, perpetually receiving the prayers of all. And we are offering prayers for him especially.

[^20]:The Night of the Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad UWBP (Ar. Mi'rāj) is the eve of the 27th of Rajab. [Tr.]

S a i d   N u r s i ∗∗∗

► (019) ◄

My Dear, Loyal Brothers !

A short answer to one of our brother's question:

Question: How can the wonders (kerâmet) apparent in the coincidences (tevâfuk) [^21] be definitely established?

[^21]:Coincidences (T. tevâfukât; Ar. tawāfuqāt) refers to the coincidence of events or the unintentional correspondence of letters or words in lines or patterns on one or several pages. [Tr.]

The Answer: If coincidings are apparent in something, it is a slight sign of intention and will and that it is not a chance happening. If such a coinci-