demanded by the political conditions of the times and the despotic regime's persecution of those who worked openly for the cause of Islam. However, in mentioning some of these points, a further underlying reason emerges for Bediuzzaman's insistence on his students remaining aloof from politics and working solely for belief, and this was in connection with the Risale-i Nur's function as Renewer of Religion, which he saw in the long view of the future. It can be understood from Bediuzzaman's letters that during these years he was concerned with `the end of time', and related the War and dreadful events of this century to those foretold to occur at that time. He placed the Risale-i Nur and its mission within this perspective. This becomes clear particularly from his replies to questions put to him concerning the Mehdi, who is to appear at that time. The following letter makes this clearer. It was written by a number of Bediuzzaman's students to a hoca who had written to him on the subject:
"...Our Master says: Yes, at this time both belief and religion, and social life and the Seriat, and public law and Islamic politics, are all in need of a Renewer of great stature. But the duty of renewal in regard to saving the truths of belief is the most important, the most sacred, and the greatest. The spheres of the Seriat, social life, and politics take second, third, and fourth places in relation to it. Also, the greatest importance in the narrations of Hadith concerning the renewal of religion is in regard to renewal in the truths of belief But since in the view of public opinion and those caught up in this life Islamic social life and the politics of religion, which are attractive in that they are apparently far-reaching and predominant, appear to be of greater importance , they look from that point of view, through that lens; they give it that meaning.
"In addition, it does not appear to be possible for these three duties to be found together in perfect form in one person or community at this time, and for them not to damage one another. They can only be brought together at the end of time in the Mehdi and the collective personality of his community which represents the luminous community of the Prophet (PBUH) 's Family. Endless thanks be to Almighty God that in this century He has given the duty of renewal ;n the preservation of the truths of belief to the reality of the Risale-i Nur and to the collective personality of its