Esref Sencer Kuscubasi, who was then a student. In the years following the proclamation of the Second Constitution in 1908, they were both to be members of the Teskilat-i Mahsusa or Special Organization, the State Security Service after the deposition of Sultan Abdulhamid.

Molla Huseyin Efendi, a student of the mufti, teacher, and Erzincan Deputy in the First Ankara Assembly, Osman Fevzi Efendi recalled a conversation with Bediuzzaman while he was about to set out for Istanbul from Erzincan.

"One day a young man aged about twenty-two came to our medrese. He had a darkish complexion and was wearing boots, a shawl wound round his head, and a dagger at his waist. Saying `As-selamu aleykum', he entered. He was holding a letter in his hand. `Who is Osman Fevzi Efendi?', he asked. Our teacher immediately rose to his feet. `Come, let us have a look, Molla Said Efendi', he said, showing him a place to sit. He treated this person called Said Efendi with great respect. After a short while it was time to pray, and Molla Said went out to take ablutions. I went as well, in order to pour the water over his hands. After he had taken the ablutions, I said to him:

"`Where are you going?'

"`I am going to Istanbul', he replied. Then when I asked:

"`Why do you want to go to Istanbul?', he said:

"`Your tongue is very busy. But since you ask, I shall tell you. I have travelled all over eastern Anatolia observing the state of the country from close to. Now I am going to Istanbul, and shall meet the Sultan.'

"So Molla Huseyin asked: `Why do you want to do that?'

"`I intend to meet the Sultan and propose to him that religious subjects are taught in the new secular schools (mektebs) and that the positive sciences are taught in the religious schools (medreses).'

"`And what will be gained from that?'

"`If the students are taught in this way, those in the secular schools will be saved from being without religion, while those in the religious schools will be saved from bigotry', replied Molla Said."