THE FLASHES

The Fifth Case

This concerns my brother Hakkı. Since he is not present here now, I shall speak on his behalf, just as I also represent Hulūsi.

While Hakkı Efendi was properly fulfilling his duty as a student of the Risale-i Nur, an immoral district governor was appointed. In order to prevent harm from coming either to his ustad or to himself, he concealed what he had written. Temporarily, he abandoned the service of the Risale-i Nur. Suddenly, as a merciful warning, a lawsuit was brought against him, through which he was threatened with being obliged to pay one thousand liras. For a year he remained under that threat, until he came here and we met. Upon his return, he resumed the service of the Qur’an and his duty as a student. The effect of that merciful warning was lifted, and he was acquitted.

Later, a task was assigned among the students to rewrite the Qur’an in a new manner, one in which the tawāfuqāt would become visible. Hakkı Efendi was also given a share in this task. Truly, he took ownership of his share and copied one juz’ beautifully. Yet, because of the necessities of his livelihood, he considered himself compelled to undertake legal representation in secret.

Suddenly, he received another merciful warning. The finger with which he wrote was temporarily broken. It was thereby conveyed to him, by way of meaning, that with this finger one could not both act as a legal representative and write the Qur’an. Since we did not know that he had undertaken legal representation, we were astonished at what had happened to his finger. Later it became clear that the sacred and pure service of the Qur’an does not want its exceptionally pure and particular fingers to be mixed with other work.

In any case, I regarded my brother Hulūsi as myself and spoke in his place, as in the Third Case. My brother Hakkı is exactly like him. If he does not accept my representation, he may write his own warning himself.

The Sixth Case

This concerns Bekir Efendi. Since he is not present now, I shall speak on his behalf, just as I also represented my brother Abdulmecid, relying on my trust in his reliability and sincerity, and upon the judgement and knowledge of all my close friends, such as Şamlı Hāfiz and Süleyman Efendi.

Bekir Efendi had The Tenth Word printed. We also sent him The Twenty-Fifth Word, concerning the miraculousness of the Qur’an, so that it could be printed before the new letters were introduced. We wrote to him that, just as we had sent the printing costs for The Tenth Word, we would also send the costs for this.

However, Bekir Efendi thought of my poor condition and considered that the printing costs would amount to about four hundred banknotes. His nafs deceived him with the thought that, if he paid it from his own pocket, perhaps the Hodja would not consent. Therefore, it was not printed, and significant harm came to the service of the Qur’an.

Two months later, nine hundred liras fell into the hands of thieves. He received a merciful yet severe warning. InshāAllah, those lost nine hundred liras acquired the value of charity.