from. Secondly, he points out that the sickness afflicting the Empire has spread from the centre of the Caliphate, from Istanbul, and goes on to urge reconciliation between "the three main branches of the `public guide"', the scholars of the Madrases, those of secular schools, and the Sufis in the tekkes. This point was discussed above, as was the following, third wharning, which concerns the preachers. Again, Bediuzzaman is urging them to renew their ideas and methods, and speak conformably with the needs of the times.

• Bediuzzaman's Ideas on Freedom and Constitutionalism What, then, was the relationship between constitutionalism and Islam?
For in this speech, and in all his speeches and writings of the time, Bediuzzaman was at pains to make clear to the people that the Constitution, which was the 1876 Constitution, was in no way contrary to the Seriat. He describes it as the "Kanun-u Ser’i" or Islamic Constitution, and "the Constitution which is founded on the Seriat."'s "Constitutionalism and the Constitution about which you have heard," explained Bediuzzaman, "consists of true justice and consultation enjoined by the Seriat."

Bediuzzaman very often gives clear definitions of constitutionalism by contrasting it with despotism:
"Despotism is oppression. It is dealing with others in an arbitrary fashion. It is compulsion relying on force. It is the opinion of one person. It provides extremely favorable ground for exploitation. It is the basis of tyranny. It annihilates humanity. It is despotism which reduces man to the most abject valleys of abasement, has caused the Islamic world to sink into abjection and degradation, which arouses animosity and malice, has poisoned Islam and in fact sows its poison everywhere by contagion, and has caused endless conflict within Islam by giving rise to its deviant sects like the Mu'tazile, Cebriyya, and Mürci'a...”