and learning of it were carried on in secrecy. Imprisonment and torture were the lot of the persecuted hocas caught teaching it. It was a nightmare time for people of Anatolia, so bound to the religion of their fathers. This official terror and persecution increased in severity throughout the 1930's and 40's.
In reading the letters of those who were introduced to the Risale-i Nur at this time, it becomes clear how greatly they benefited from it. Their belief became firm and strengthened as they read its treatises and they gained great strength and courage. So also they had the example of Bediuzzaman and his proverbial courage and persistence, so that they bore all the hardships, attached no importance to the persecution, and like Bediuzzaman devoted themselves entirely to writing out copies of the treatises of the Risale-i Nur and passing them on to others. The following are two examples of letters to Bediuzzaman from his students. The first is from Hüsrev of the "graceful pen", who for years wrote innumerable copies of the Risale-i Nur.
"My Dear and Respected Master!
"Each of your Words, that is, your treatises, is a mighty cure. I receive great blessings from your Words. So much so that the more I read them the more I want to read them. And I can't describe the sublime delight I feel each time I read them. I am certain that one who takes, not all, but even one of your Words and reads it fairly will be obliged to submit to the truth; and if he is a denier, he will be obliged to give up the way he has taken; and if he is a sinner, he will be obliged to repent..."
The second is from Kuleönlü Mustafa, who as mentioned above visited Bediuzzaman after he had received news of Abdurrahman's death, and was a forerunner of the many hardworking students who were to devote themselves to the Risale-i Nur in place of Abdurrahman. Included here are only several extracts of his long letter, which is interesting in that it describes both how he himself found his "guide" in the Risale-i Nur, and how others like him responded to it in the same way and found how it "cured their wounds", and also how the hocas, not known for their readiness to accept anything new, recognized its unique value. This letter also