conditions. While the non-existence of the thing and its falling apart, occurs through the non-existence of one of its conditions and one of its elements being spoilt and destroyed. Instances of good and virtues for the most part are positive and pertain to existence. The leaders cannot lay claim to them. Instances of bad and faults are destructive and pertain to non-existence, and the leaders are answerable for them. While the reality is thus, just as if a tribe is mocked if, when it wins victories ‘Hasan Aga’ is applauded, and when it is defeated it is blamed, and this is judged to be the reverse of the truth; in just the same way, in the name of the court the public prosecutor imputed a fault to me that was completely the reverse of the truth and reality.

Similarly to his mistake, a little previously to the Great War while I was in Van, a number of religious, God-fearing persons came to me. They told me: “Some of the military commanders act contrarily to religion. Come and join us, we are going to rebel against them.”

I told them: “Bad conduct and irreligion like that is particular to commanders like them; the army cannot be held responsible for it. There are perhaps a hundred thousand saints in the Ottoman Army; I shall not draw my sword against it. I will not join you.” They left me, drew their swords, and the fruitless Bitlis Incident occurred. A short time later war broke out. The army took part in it in the name of religion; it entered the jihad, and a hundred thousand martyrs from it rose to the degree of sainthood. They confirmed what I had said, signing the decrees for their sainthood with their blood. Anyway... I was compelled to relate this at some length. The extraordinary attitude of a public prosecutor who acted derisively towards myself and the Risale-i Nur due to unimportant, mistaken feelings and partiality, in the name of justice, one incontrovertible mark of which is imperviousness to all feelings and outside influences, drove me to make this long statement.

Fourth Principle: After scrutinizing for four months hundreds of copies of treatises and letters, Eskishehir Court could only give sentences of six months to fifteen men out of one hundred and twenty, and one year to myself for fifteen words in one or two treatises out of a hundred. They acquitted us of founding a sufi order and organizing a political society and in the hat question. We anyway had served the sentence. Then in Kastamonu they found