The numbers are every day increasing of those who, receiving effulgent inspiration from the loftiness of his goal and cause, and the sublimity of his belief, are drawn to this spiritual pole. This amazing fact on the one hand angers the deniers, and on the other delights the believers. See how a great mujahid described this divine phenomenon, which is like a bond in the hearts of believers, in an incomparable style that addresses the heart:
"At this black time when the flooding filth of immorality threatens to sweep down in every direction and carry away whatever virtue exists, I find solace in seeing that the outflowing of his, that is, Bediuzzaman's, grace passes from heart to heart like a secret, swelling to irresistible proportions. ... Our nights have indeed become dark, but the darkest hour presages the coming dawn."
Yes, everyone who in every part of the country sees the effulgent effects of this irresistible light, spreading from heart to heart, asks in amazement: "Who is this person whose fame has spread to every corner of the country? What sort of person is he? What has he written? What is his outlook? Has he founded a Sufi order, or a religious community, or a political organization?"
More than this, there have been numerous enquiries instigated by the government and judiciary, and there have been lengthy investigations and protracted court cases. But these have all concluded that this divine manifestation consists only of "a faith movement" established in people's hearts. Divine justice has been manifested in this way; Bediuzzaman Said Nursi and his works have been formally acquitted. And now the eternally immutable divine laws, that spirit will always prevail over matter, truth over falsehood, light over darkness, and belief over denial, have appeared like the sun.
It is said the truest criterion for judging the nature, integrity, truth, and sincerity of a reformer of any sort, is the differences in his personal, social, and spiritual life from the day he first annouced his cause and the day he won victory.
For example, in the early days of his mission, he is modest, generous, self-sacrificing, and humble; he is a perfectly upright and honest, distinguished by his example of virtue and morality. But how is he when he triumphs in his jihad, and he is beloved and feted by everyone; is he still the model of sobriety? Or like many supposedly great persons, drunken with victory, does he become arrogant and overweening?
This is the clearest mirror for displaying the true nature and character of any man with a cause, great or small.
Throughout history, the most brilliant examples of those who have won this terrible trial, have been furnished by firstly the prophets, and especially the Lord of the Prophets (Peace and blessings be upon him), then his Com-panionns and successors, and then the great persons who have followed in his way.
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With his miraculous eloquence, the Prophet pointed out with his saying: "The scholars are the heirs of the prophets," that it is no easy matter to be a scholar of religion. For since they are the heirs of the prophets, they have to adhere faithfully to the path of the prophets in questions of truth and its dissemination — even if it passes over rocky mountain, wilderness, muddy bog, stony desert, or abyss; or worse, if they suffer arrest, trial, and imprisonment; exile, isolation, poison, and the gallows; and whatever other unimaginable forms of persecution, oppression, and torture.
Bediuzzaman was such a person; all his life he trod that rough path and for over half a century pursued that sacred jihad, overcoming as lightning the innumerable obstacles confronting him, and proving by act that he was a scholar who was heir to the prophets.
Of all his numerous virtues, scholarly, moral, and literary, what captivates me most was his belief; it was firmer than mountains, deeper than the ocean, and broader than the skies. О Lord, what sublime belief! What enduring, inexhaustible patience! What a steel will! His head unbowed, his voice unlowered, his breath uncaught, despite all that oppression, repression, torment, and torture, which make one shudder.