THE TENTH

This is someone called Hâfız Ahmed (May God have mercy on him). For two or three  years he wrote out the treatises in encouraging fashion and he benefited from them.  Then  ‘the  worldly’  took  advantage  of  a  weak  trait  in  his  character.  His enthusiam was  dampened. He had relations with ‘the worldly,’ perhaps so that he would avoid being harmed by them and have some say with them, and win some sort of  position,  and  make  his  scant  livelihood  more  plentiful.  But  in  return  for  the slackness and harm that was thus caused to his service of the Qur’an, he received two blows. One was that he had to support five more people with his scant means, and his situation became truly wretched. The second slap: as someone who was sensitive in regard  to  honour  and  self-respect  and  could  not  brook   anyone’s  criticism  or objections, he was unknowingly used as a shield by some cunning people in such a way that his honour was sullied. Ninety per cent of his honour was  destroyed and ninety per  cent  of  people  were  turned  against  him.  May God  forgive  him!  God willing, he will come to his senses and return in part to his duty.

THE ELEVENTH

This was not written since perhaps he would not agree.

THE TWELFTH

This is the teacher, Galib (May God have mercy on him). Yes, he performed great  services loyally and appreciatively in writing out final drafts of the treatises, displaying no weakness in the face of any difficulties. Most days he would come, and listening eagerly, copy them down. Then in return for a fee of thirty liras he had the whole of The Words and  Letters  written out. His aim was to distribute them in his native region and to enlighten the people there. But due to certain ideas, he did not distribute the treatises as he had envisaged  and left them in their box. Suddenly a grievous event  occurred  due to  which  he suffered  distress  for  a  year.  He  gained numerous unjust, tyrannical enemies in place of a handful of  official enemies who would have been inimical just because he had distributed the treatises, and lost some of his friends.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

17 A teacher by profession, Hafız Halid Tekin was a native of Barla. He was one of

Bediuzzaman’s close students there, also acting as his scribe. (Tr.)