Sultan Abdülhamid

Tenth question: If freedom of thought and speech is granted and then suppressed, would it not be a plan to throw the unfortunate people into the fire? If not, would it not be imagined that it would be put into practice under another excuse? Eleventh question: Everyone swears an oath to constitutionalism. However, if the one who swore to the constitution remains silent against his own opposition or those opposing him, would it not be necessary to hold him accountable for breaking his oath? And would the people not become liars? And would not the innocent public opinion be falsely labeled as lying, foolish, and incapable of discernment? In short: A severe despotism and tyranny is now in power due to ignorance. It seems that tyranny and hypocrisy have merged. And the goal is not to steal freedom from Sultan Abdülhamid. Perhaps it is to transform mild and slight despotism into intense and oppressive one! Half a question: Imagine a weak and fragile body that cannot tolerate the bites of mosquitoes and bees, and thus with great anxiety and effort tries to drive them away. Then someone comes forward and says: Perhaps the real intention is not to drive away the mosquitoes and bees, but to point out a big lion and provoke it to attack. Would such a statement deceive any fool? The other half of the question cannot be expressed. O Pashas, officials! I say with all my strength: I am completely innocent of all the truths I have published in my general articles in newspapers. If I were summoned by the court of the blessed era from the past, according to the justice of the Sharia, I would present the truths I have published exactly as they are. At most, I would dress them in the fashion of the customs of that time. If I were summoned by the court of the future, the court of the wise critics three hundred years from now, under the name of historical investigation, I would again present these truths there, fresh and with some minor repairs to the places where they may have cracked due to time and wear. FOOTNOTE

Divan-ı Harb-i Örfî ·Divan I Harb I Orfi ·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)

I received the Twenty-Sixth Letter with great joy. I read it repeatedly, carefully, eagerly, affectionately, and with delight. In the end, I prayed to the Almighty, the Most High, with complete submission and devotion, in the language of servitude, with utmost humility and poverty and eagerness, that He, the Merciful and Generous Creator, would reward your material, spiritual, outward, inward, worldly, and otherworldly services to the believers and the Qur'anic soul and account, in a manner befitting His infinite grace and generosity, and that He would honor and exalt the esteemed names of our masters in both worlds. I hope that His command, "Call upon Me, and I will answer your call," will be fulfilled. Respected Master; Indeed, isn't the only thing you expect from us poor ones your prayers? I cannot say anything about the specialization I have shown in my letters regarding the blessed Words, or about the weak and feeble expressions I have used, in relation to your intention to commend the Risale-i Nur. However, my scattered expressions are like lighting a candle next to the sun, and despite their actual feebleness, they may relatively shine a little by being close to and partaking in those Lights. Among the followers of the Risale-i Nur, there is an 88-year-old scholar named Hacı Abdurrahman Efendi, who served as a teacher for many years in Kerbela during the time of Sultan Abdülhamid. Each time he reads, he shows great satisfaction, saying, "I have benefited a lot, may God be pleased," and he prays a lot. I read the Third Section of the Twenty-Sixth Letter unintentionally to various important people of different ranks. All of them said, "Very true, very beautiful." Yes, this poor one has experienced much and has become certain that there is a miracle in the recitation of the verse 2 "And say, 'The truth has come and falsehood has perished' (until the end of the verse)." This time, I was blessed to read the letters several times to different small groups. In one of these groups, there was also an important scholar. All of them expressed their amazement and admiration. As for me,

Barla Lâhikası ·Mektup 21 ·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)

The current mosquitoes can make me their ally not by force but through friendship. For one and a half years, I have been working here for the enlightenment of my homeland. Most of Istanbul knows this. I am the son of a laborer. Although such a world was made accessible to me, I did not elevate myself from being the son of a laborer or from poverty. And by not taking root in this world and by leaving the high mountains of the southern provinces, which are my favorite place, I committed a great crime by engaging in such ambitions that caused me to fall into a hospital for the people, a detention center, and a torture prison during the time of the Constitutional monarchy. Thus, I entered this terrible court. HALF CRIME: That is, with the idea of not letting the center and the bond of the Islamic world—the point of caliphate—escape from my hands, and with the assumption that the late Sultan Abdülhamid Han, may he rest in peace, had accepted the previous social shortcomings with regret and was ready to accept advice, and with the idea that "Reform is the path of improvement," I thought that the current event, which is the main source and seed of the greatest injustice and collapse, could be handled in a better way. Therefore, I said in the language of the late Sultan, may he rest in peace: Break the Star of Destiny, so that it may rise as high as Süreyya. And instead of travelers and informants, place the people of truth and the angels of mercy there, so that it may become like paradise. And use the wealth that the people of Yıldız have given you as a gift, and spend it on great religious universities to cure the people's main illness, ignorance, and return it to the people. And trust in the people's loyalty and affection. For the people are dependent on your noble administration. After this life, you must think only of the hereafter. Leave the world before the world leaves you. Spend the alms of your life on the path of a second life.

Divan-ı Harb-i Örfî ·Divan I Harb I Orfi ·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)

I have not diagnosed those diseases, nor have I seen anyone but meddlers who bother me and liars. Therefore, I send to these villages, to an unknown disease, to a patient I have never seen, a remedy without a prescription, without balance; perhaps it will cure or perhaps it will kill? Yes, you have been made to witness the secret of "Die before you die," in the shade of this Muslim sun. Indeed, sending such a medicine to every village, or collecting remedies that act as digestives for your kind who suffer from stomach pain due to gluttony, or enforcing Hamidism, which increases the inflammation in those bodies already inflamed by banditry and enmity, and until the end, is this treatment or completion? Is it helping the angel of death? This is the true image of tyranny. For in the past, the Sultan was sitting like a prisoner in his own place, not understanding the condition of the poor people, or not wanting to understand it due to weakness of heart and imagination, or the nature of the people, which was not suitable for narration, was too suspicious, too hesitant, and too fearful. Compare this tyranny in government with tyranny in everything. Indeed, even the tyranny of knowledge that imitates creation is like this. But if you want the true image of the constitutional monarchy, which is the goal of the Islamic government, imagine that I am a doctor. This tent is also a pharmacy; I am inside. A man who has diagnosed various diseases in all the villages or homes and written prescriptions comes to me, showing me his prescription, which says, "Headache due to ignorance." I then give them opium, first in the form of their language, and then in the official language. Another person shows me a prescription stating that the weakness of religion is a heart disease. I then mix it with Islamic knowledge to make a paste, give it to the professors, and send it.

Münâzarat ·Mektup 9 ·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 faithfulness 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 the captives of their virtues. Answer: The essence of sainthood, sheikhood, and greatness is humility and modesty, not arrogance and domination. Therefore, the one who is arrogant is a rebellious and envious servant. You also do not recognize greatness.

Münâzarat ·Munazarat ·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)

Yes, Said Nursî came to Istanbul with the determination to direct the Yıldız policies, which were being pursued to destroy the eastern provinces through ignorance. Even before arriving in Istanbul, from Van, Bitlis, and Mardin, he had been repeatedly summoned. Upon his arrival in Istanbul, he was immediately placed under strict surveillance by the late Sultan Abdülhamid. He was arrested several times. Eventually, one day they sent Said Nursî to Üsküdar, to Toptaşı. Because it was likely that there were people to be warned in the prison. Every now and then, they would take him out from the hospital; they would give him salary, rank, and titles. Hazret-i Said would say, "I came to my country to open schools and madrasas, and I have no other request. I ask for this, and I ask for nothing else." In other words, Bediüzzaman wanted two things: to open schools and madrasas throughout the eastern provinces and to receive nothing else. The throne of our belief became a paradise for us, We will not make the ground of our security a place of suspicion. He is the most noble of ranks and positions, He secures peace and happiness through the service of faith. On the night of the conference held in Şehzadebaş, when he ascended the stage with great majesty and delivered a balanced, impartial speech, it confirmed that Said was not only advanced in knowledge but also in heroism and self-sacrifice. Whether that night or during the infamous 31 March, when the wise teacher made his world-renowned advice known, at such a dangerous time, when his precious body was under threat and it was necessary for him to protect himself for the sake of the people, and when he was warned, he opposed the idea that "The greatest lesson is to give the lesson of preserving death on the path of truth"; "This life is necessary to die in one's place." He would respond with the verse: We are familiar with death; it is not strange to us, We have given our lives for justice and truth. For us, the water of life becomes the boiling fire of death.

Divan-ı Harb-i Örfî ·Mektup 2 ·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)

I have not diagnosed those diseases, nor have I seen anyone but meddlers who bother me, and liars. Therefore, I send a remedy without a prescription, without knowledge, to these villages, to a disease I do not know, to a patient I have never seen; perhaps the patient will be cured or perhaps he will die? Yes, you have been made to witness the secret of "Die before you die," in the shade of this Muslim sun. Indeed, sending such a medicine to every village, or collecting donations, which are like a purgative for those suffering from stomach pain caused by dâü’l-cû, or enforcing Hamidîlik, which increases the inflammation in those bodies already inflamed by banditry and enmity, and so on—perhaps it is treatment, or perhaps it is a preparation for death, helping the angel of death? This is the true image of tyranny. For in the past, the Sultan was sitting like a prisoner in his own place, not understanding the condition of the poor people, or not wanting to understand it due to weakness of heart and imagination, or the nature of the people, which was not suitable for expressing such things. Compare this tyranny in government with tyranny in everything else. Indeed, even the tyranny of knowledge that imitates creation is like this. But if you want the true image of the constitutional monarchy, which is the goal of the Islamic government, imagine that I am a doctor. This tent is also a pharmacy; I am inside it. A man from the villages or from a house comes to me, having diagnosed various kinds of diseases and written prescriptions. He shows me his prescription, which says, "Headache caused by dâü’l-cehl." I then give him opium, first in the form of their language, and then in the official language. Another person shows me a prescription stating that the disease is weakness of faith caused by heart disease. I then mix the remedy with Islamic knowledge, make a paste, give it to the scholars, and send it away.

Münâzarat ·Munazarat ·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)

Conference It is a conference delivered in the Faculty Mosque in the presence of professors and members of parliament from Ankara University, our Pakistani guests, and students from various faculties, lasting until midnight on the second of Ramadan 1950, and listened to with great interest and importance. In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad and upon his family and companions altogether. Beloved brothers who are thirsty for the water of life of faith and Islam, Firstly: I confess that there is no difference between me and you in terms of being present at this conference platform. I am one of your brothers. Moreover, this conference is a very beneficial lesson that I myself am in great need of. My audience is myself. I will present this lesson in the form of a discussion, which I will read to you, my blessed brothers. The shortcomings are mine. The perfection and beauty belong to the Risale-i Nur works I have drawn upon. Unless something prevents us, we will hold religious conferences once a week, and today's first one is about faith. Because, as Bediüzzaman Said Nursi stated in the First Grand National Assembly, "In the universe, the highest truth is faith, and after faith comes prayer." For this reason, we considered it appropriate for our conference to be about the Qur'an, faith, and our Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him. The second one will, God willing, be about prayer and worship.

Sözler ·Konferans ·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)

For, disobedience is not only an act of tyranny, but also a sort of violation of the rights of millions. You know that in this age, the banner of the unity of God is in your sevenfold strength. And that sevenfold strength is also obedience and discipline. For, a thousand disciplined and well-trained soldiers are equal to a hundred thousand rebels. Why, you have achieved so many bloody revolutions in the course of a hundred years without shedding blood, by your obedience alone. I also say this: to lose a noble and enlightened officer is to lose your spiritual strength. For, now the victory is in the courage of faith, intellect, and science. Sometimes one enlightened mind is worth a hundred. Foreigners are trying to defeat you with this courage. Natural courage alone is not enough... In conclusion: I am conveying the decree of the House of Osmans to you that obedience is obligatory. Do not rebel against your commander. Long live the soldiers! Long live the legitimate constitution! So, I committed a crime by neglecting such important duties while so many learned men were available. ELEVENTH CRIME: I was seeing the state of distress among the tribes in the eastern provinces. I realized that our worldly happiness, in some way, depends on modern sciences and arts. For those sciences and arts to have a unified center and a source, there must be the ulema and madrasas. So that the religious scholars may establish a connection with the sciences. For, in that province, the ignorance and backwardness of the nomadic citizens is in the hands of the ulema. And for that reason, I came to Constantinople. At that time, the hopes for happiness had been divided and intensified. The despotism that was attributed to the late Sultan, I did not accept or reject the salary and personal kindness given to me by his Revenue Minister. I made a mistake. However, my mistake was good in that it revealed the errors of those who seek worldly wealth through madrasa knowledge. I sacrificed my mind, but I did not abandon my freedom. I did not bow to that compassionate Sultan. I sacrificed my personal interests.

Divan-ı Harb-i Örfî ·On Birinci Cinayet ·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)

Tenth question: If freedom of thought and speech is granted and then suppressed, would it not be a plan to throw the unfortunate people into the fire? If not, would it not be imagined that it would be applied under another excuse? Eleventh question: Everyone swears an oath to constitutionalism. However, if the one who swore to the constitution remains silent against his own opposition or those opposing him, would it not be necessary to hold him accountable for breaking his oath? And would the people not become liars? And would not the innocent public opinion be considered false, foolish, and incapable of discernment? In short: A severe despotism and tyranny is now in power due to ignorance. It seems that tyranny and hypocrisy have merged. And the goal is not to liberate freedom from Sultan Abdülhamid, but perhaps to transform mild and slight despotism into a more intense and oppressive one! Half a question: Imagine a weak and fragile body that cannot tolerate the bites of mosquitoes and bees, and thus with great effort and anxiety tries to drive them away. Then someone comes forward and says: Perhaps the real intention is not to drive away the mosquitoes and bees, but to point out a big lion and provoke it to attack. Would such a statement deceive any fool? The other half of the question cannot be expressed. O Pashas, officials! I say with all my strength: I am completely innocent of all the truths I have published in my general articles in the newspapers. If I were summoned by the court of the blessed era from the past, according to the justice of the Sharia, I would present the truths I have published exactly as they are. At most, I would dress them in the fashion of the customs of that time. If I were summoned by the court of the future, the court of the wise critics three hundred years from now, under the name of historical investigation, I would again present these truths there, fresh and with some minor repairs to the places where they may have become worn or faded. FOOTNOTE

Divan-ı Harb-i Örfî ·Mektup 23 ·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)

The current mosquitoes can make me their ally not by force but through friendship. For one and a half years, I have been working here for the enlightenment of my homeland. Most of Istanbul knows this. I am the son of a laborer. Although such a world was made accessible to me, I did not elevate myself from being the son of a laborer or from poverty. And by not taking root in this world and by leaving the high mountains of the southern provinces, which are my favorite place, I committed a great crime by engaging in such ambitions that caused me to fall into a hospital for the people, a detention center, and a torture prison during the time of the Constitutional monarchy. Thus, I entered this terrible court. HALF CRIME: That is, with the idea of not letting the center and the bond of the Islamic world—the point of caliphate—escape from my hands, and with the assumption that the late Sultan Abdülhamid Han, may he rest in peace, had accepted the previous social shortcomings with regret and was ready to accept advice, and with the idea that "Reform is the path of improvement," I thought that the current event, which is the main source and seed of the greatest injustice and collapse, could be handled in a better way. Therefore, I said in the language of the late Sultan, may he rest in peace: Break the Star of Destiny, so that it may rise as high as Süreyya. And instead of travelers and informants, place the people of truth and the angels of mercy there, so that it may become like paradise. And use the wealth that the people of Yıldız have given you as a gift, and spend it on great religious universities to cure the people's main illness, ignorance, and return it to the people. And trust in the people's loyalty and affection. For the people are dependent on your noble administration. After this life, you must think only of the hereafter. Leave the world before the world leaves you. Spend the alms of your life on the path of a second life.

Divan-ı Harb-i Örfî ·Yari Cinayet ·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)

The current mosquitoes can make me their ally not by force but through friendship. For one and a half years, I have been working here for the enlightenment of my homeland. Most of Istanbul knows this. I am the son of a laborer. Although such a world was made accessible to me, I did not elevate myself from being the son of a laborer or from poverty. And by not taking root in the world and by leaving the high mountains of the southern provinces, which are my favorite place, I committed a great crime by engaging in such ambitions that caused me to fall into a hospital for the people, a detention center, and a torture prison during the time of the Constitutional monarchy. Thus, I entered this terrible court. HALF CRIME: That is, with the idea of not letting the center and the bond of the Islamic world—the point of caliphate—escape from my hands, and with the assumption that the late Sultan Abdülhamid Han, may he rest in peace, had accepted the previous social shortcomings with regret and was ready to accept advice, and with the view that "the best way to reform is through reform," I thought that the current event, which is the main source and seed of so much unrest and collapse, could be handled in a better way. Therefore, I said in the language of the late Sultan, may he rest in peace: Break the Star of Destiny, and let it rise as high as the constellation of Lyra. And instead of travelers and informants, place the people of truth and the angels of mercy there, so that it becomes like paradise. And use the wealth that the people of the Star have given you as a gift, and spend it on great religious universities to cure the people's main illness, ignorance, and return it to the people. And trust in the people's loyalty and affection. For the people are dependent on your noble administration. After this life, you must think only of the hereafter. Leave the world before the world leaves you. Spend the alms of your life on the path of a second life.

Divan-ı Harb-i Örfî ·Mektup 16 ·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)