irtually no effect on us, and, God willing, they will cause no harm to the Risale-i Nur circle. As I told you before, don’t give any importance to the written calumnies of that official, don’t let them confuse your ideas. If there is any legal point the reply to which is not found in my defence, give a brief answer. And say: “Said says: So as not to vex the three courts which acquitted us, nor be in contempt of them, I am not going to afford importance to that malicious indictment by replying to it. My long defence, especially the ten points showing the ten ways it is illegal, furnishes a complete and apt reply.”

***

In His Name, be He glorified!

Firstly: It is an instance of Divine favour that did not hear that man’s slanderous indictment. I would otherwise have spoken vehemently. I would have said to the Chairman of the Court: I am taking you to court, that is, you and your injustice to the Supreme Tribunal at the Last Judgement, and I am taking your contempt of the law to the court of this world. And the reason I said I have no lawyer was to tell them that he is the lawyer of all of us in general matters, and only I can reply to the attacks on my person. You may tell Ahmed Hikmet this.

Secondly: Our former defences are sufficient to answer the prosecutor’s charges.

Thirdly: Mustafa Osman and Ceylan wrote and told me what they thought of it and that it had caused them no discomfort, and that it would have no adverse effects in the Risale-i Nur circle either. I saw the hero Tahiri. He had the same idea. I was curious as to what Husrev, the Feyzi’s, and Sabri thought.

Fourthly: I reckon it is because disbelief and misguidance now attack us in the form of secret societies and political groups that Divine Determining makes them torment us with this extreme tyranny and accusation of being a political society. That means there is overriding need for the believers to be united. We were unaware of that fact, so received the blow of justice from Divine Determining.

S a i d N u r s i