Some of them went so far that the people of the law would have declared them as outside the religion. They cited the Basic Law and the declaration of liberty thirty years ago as proof of disbelief, 1
وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا اَنْزَلَ اللّٰهُ
as evidence of disbelief until the end of the proofs. Poorly aware that: 2
وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ
is 3
مَنْ لَمْ يُصَدِّقْ
. How can I not object to those who thought the previous tyranny was liberty and objected to the Basic Law? They would object to the government. However, they wanted an even more terrifying tyranny. Therefore, I would reject them. Indeed, those who now belittle the people of liberty are from this group.
I saw the second group, the people of separation; they do not know religion, they make unfair objections to the people of Islam, and they cite fanaticism as evidence. Indeed, those who now distance themselves from Ottomanism and want to completely resemble Europe are from this group. At the same time, tyranny, in order to preserve itself, tempted everyone, and it deceived me ten years before the revolution, saying that most of the revolutionaries were Masons. Praise be to God, that temptation disappeared within a couple of years. At that time, I realized that most of our liberals are Muslim fundamentalists.
In conclusion: Some of those who attacked the government would say "Haydo, Haydo," while others would say "Haydar Ağa, Haydar Ağa"; I would say "Haydar." Now I say "Haydar," and peace be upon you...
O people! Now we have turned to God, you stay put; I have an important matter to discuss with you, a matter of the spirit. I have an important issue with the government, the elite, and the non-Masonic part of the Union and Progress.
Münâzarat
·Mektup 61
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)
· · ·
Question: What do you say about the freedom you praised? It has been said:
1
Freedom, freedom with fire, because it is for the disbelievers.
Answer: That poor poet has mistaken freedom for the profession of Bolshevism and the sect of license. God forbid! Rather, freedom towards people entails servitude to Allah. And I have seen many people who would attack the Liberals more fiercely than Sultan Abdulhamid and say: "It is bad that they accepted freedom and the Fundamental Law thirty years ago."
So, what value is there in the words of a man who mistakes the tyranny that Sultan Abdulhamid was forced to impose as freedom, and who fears the nameless name of the Fundamental Law? And indeed, a martyr of twenty years of Islam has said:
2
Freedom is the gift of the Most Merciful, for it is the characteristic of faith.
(Nice definition.)
Question: How is freedom the essence of faith?
Answer: Because the man who is connected to faith and serves the Sultan of the Universe, does not allow his honor and the majesty of his faith to descend to serving others, nor to be subjected to their domination and tyranny. Likewise, his compassion and faith do not allow him to encroach upon the freedom and rights of others. Yes, a true servant of a sultan will not descend to the dominion of a shepherd. Even if a poor person is oppressed, that servant will not descend to oppression. Thus, the more perfect the faith, the more brilliant the freedom. This is the Age of Bliss.
Question: How can we be free in the presence of a great person, a saint, a sheikh, or a great scholar? They have the right to dominate us because of their virtues. We are their captives and captives of their virtues.
Answer: The essence of sainthood, sheikhood, and greatness is humility and lowliness, not arrogance and domination. Therefore, the one who is arrogant is a rebellious and envious servant. You also do not recognize greatness.
Münâzarat
·Mektup 24
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)
· · ·
As a preface, I say: A brave man does not tolerate murder. If he is accused, he does not fear punishment. Moreover, if I were unjustly executed, I would gain the reward of two martyrs. If I were to be imprisoned, then the most comfortable position in a cruel government that reduces freedom to mere words would be the prison. To die as an oppressed person is better than to live as an oppressor. I also say this: Some people use politics as a tool for irreligion, and for their own sins, they accuse others of apostasy and of using religion as a tool for politics. The current informants are worse than the previous ones. How can one trust their loyalty? How can justice be based on their words?
Moreover, while people are judged for their virtues, they fall into injustice. For man is not perfect. However, by collecting the various minor faults, which have been altered over a long time, among the general population, and through the development of virtues, they imagine that a single person at a single moment deserves severe punishment. Whereas this kind of judgment is a severe injustice. Now let us come to the number of my eleven and a half murders:
FIRST MURDER: Last year, at the beginning of the Hürriyet (Freedom) period, I sent fifty to sixty telegrams through the Sadâret (Chancellery) to the eastern tribes. The meaning was as follows:
"If you are concerned about constitutional monarchy and the fundamental law, know that true justice and legitimate consultation are the essence of it; you should be pleased and strive to preserve it. For our worldly happiness lies in constitutional monarchy. And from tyranny, we suffer more than anyone else."
Responses to these telegrams came from everywhere, positive and good. So I warned the eastern provinces, did not leave them unaware, so that a new tyranny would not take advantage of their ignorance. I committed a murder by not saying "What is necessary," hence I came to this court.
Divan-ı Harb-i Örfî
·Birinci Cinayet
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)