Biography of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi | PART ONE - The Old Said | 14
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It was his elder brother, Molla Abdullah's, example that first prompted the young Said to start studying. He had noticed how he had benefited from his studies. Abdullah had gradually improved and progressed so that when Said saw him together with his friends from the village who had not studied, his self-evident superiority awoke in Said a strong urge to study himself. With this intention, he set off with him for Molla Mehmed Emin Efendi's medrese in the village of Tag, near Isparit. However, he fought with another student called Mehmed, and did not stay there long.
For the young Said also held himself in great esteem. He could not endure even the smallest word spoken to him in a commanding tone, or to be dominated in any way. So he returned to his own village, where he told his father that he would not attend any more medreses until he was older, because the other students were all bigger than him. Due to its small size, Nurs had no medrese, so Said's lessons were then restricted to the one day a week that his elder brother, Abdullah, returned.
Let us see how in later years Bediuzzaman described himself at this age.
"When I was ten years old, I had great pride in myself, which sometimes even took the form of boasting and self praise; although I myself did not want to, I used to assume the air of one undertaking some great work and mighty act of heroism. I used to say to myself: `You are not worth tuppence, what is the reason for this excessive showing-off and boasting, especially when it comes to courage?' I did not know, and used to wonder at it. Then, a month or two ago [1944] the question was answered: the Risale-i Nur was making itself felt before it was written: `Although you were a seed like a common chip of wood, you had a presentiment of those fruits of Paradise as though they were actually your own property, and used to boast and praise yourself."'
About a year passed in this way, then, once again, Said set off to continue his studies full-time. But his needs were not be to answered by any of the teachers or medreses he visited. He went first to the
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Biography of Bediüzzaman Said Nursi