is only due from God ∗ My reward is only due from God [10: 72, etc.] and display independence."

The divine triumphs the Risale-i Nur manifests are all the wondrous results and examples of Ustad's heroic fortitude in adhering to this way of the prophets. Thanks to this, he preserved the dignity of learning as though it were a priceless sword. How could a person not be a conqueror of hearts who, unlike everyone else, had not the slightest connection with salaries, ranks, wealth, and the many other personal, material benefits? How could believing hearts not be filled to repletion with the outpouring of his light?

His Frugality

• His Frugality

Frugality is nothing other than an elucidation of the self-sufficiency mentioned above. Anyway, it is through the door of self-sufficiency that one may enter the palace of frugality. For the two necessitate one another.

For a mujahid like Ustad who has taken the prophets as his model in this matter, frugality becomes second nature and he suffices daily with a dish of soup, a glass of water, and a piece of bread. For as the fair-minded French poet Lamartine said, such persons "do not live to eat, but eat to live."

Having gained a thorough understanding of Ustad's outlook and way of living, it seems inappropriate to equate his elevated frugality with such mundane things as eating and drinking; for it needs to applied on the spiritual plane and to be measured according to non-material criteria.

For example, Ustad was a genius who evaluated the power of this elevated frugality not only in terms of simple things like food, drink, and dress, but so that non-physical, abstract values like thought, brainpower, potentialities, abilities, time, occasions, the soul, and breathing should not be wasted and go for nothing. This careful thought and accounting, which in the course of his life became a part of his character, he instilled in his students. So it is not easy to get a Nur student to listen to any work or to listen to anything that is said. For the words "Watch out!" are inscribed on the focal point of their hearts, where they perform a careful supervisory function.

Thus, the immaculate generations Bediuzzaman raised prove in fact that he was a powerful reformer and extraordinarily effective educator. He was a rare jewel of creation who added a new page, written in flashes of light, to the history of frugality.

His Modesty and Humility

• His Modesty and Humility

These two qualities have been profoundly effective in the extraordinary spread of the Risale-i Nur worldwide. For in his works and talks Ustad did