My dear, esteemed brother; I read your letter, which is as comprehensive and lengthy as a treatise and written with great care and enthusiasm, with great eagerness. I would like to tell you from the outset that the master of the Risale-i Nur, and the one who has shown many signs of concern for the Risale-i Nur in the poem "Celcelutiye Kasidesi" with his symbolic references, and who is my special master in the truths of faith, is Imam Ali (r.a.).
And with the verse "Say, I do not ask you for any reward except affection for relatives," the love for the Ahl al-Bayt is a principle in the Risale-i Nur and in our profession, and the Wahhabi tendency must not be found in any way among the true disciples of Nur. However, since in this time, the Zindiqs and the people of deviation are taking advantage of disputes, confusing the people of faith and corrupting their signs, creating strong currents against the Qur'an and faith, it is necessary not to open the door to discussions about minor differences.
Also, there is no need to blame the dead. They have gone to the hereafter, to the place of punishment. It is unnecessary and harmful to point out their faults, and it is not required nor necessary for the love of the Ahl al-Bayt. Therefore, the people of Sunnah and the Community have refrained from discussing the trials of the Companions' time. Because in the Battle of Jamal, where Zubeir, Talha, and Aisha Siddiqa (r.a.) were from the Ashab al-Mubashshirah, the people of Sunnah and the Community considered that war as a result of ijtihad and said, "Hazrat Ali (r.a.) is right, the other side is wrong; but since it is the result of ijtihad, it is forgiven."
Also, to prevent the harmful tendencies of Wahhabism and the separate Rafizis' sects from harming Islam, they consider it harmful to discuss the rebels of the Battle of Siffin.
Regarding the tyrant Haccac, Yezid, and Walid, the great scholar of theology, Sadeddin Taftazani, said, "It is permissible to curse Yezid," but he did not say, "Cursing is obligatory." He did not say, "It is good and has reward." Because Yezid denied the Qur'an, the Prophet, and all the sacred conversations of the Companions. Now, there are many people who walk around the streets. A person, by the grace of God, does not even mention the cursed ones.
Emirdağ Lâhikası - I
·Mektup 152
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)
· · ·
FIFTH POINTED INDICATION
We mention a few examples of hadiths concerning the unseen.
The Noble Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, has come to us with a verified and widely reported narration, that while on the pulpit, he commanded the congregation of the Companions:
"This Hasan is a master; Allah will bring peace between two great groups through him."
Indeed, when the two greatest armies of Islam faced each other forty years later, the noble Hasan, peace be upon him, reconciled with the noble Muawiya, peace be upon him, and confirmed the miraculous unseen event of his great grandfather.
Secondly, with a verified narration, he said to Hazrat Ali:
"You will fight the apostates, the wrongdoers, and the rebels."
This foretold the events of the Battle of Jamal, the Battle of Siffin, and the event of the Kharijites.
At a time when Hazrat Ali, peace be upon him, was reconciling with Hazrat Zubair, he said: "He will fight against you, but he is in the wrong."
He also said to the people of Tahirat: "One of you will be the leader of a major fitna (discord), and many will be killed around him."
And: "The dogs of the ravines will bark at him."
Indeed, these authentic and definite hadiths are a practical confirmation of the unseen foretelling, when thirty years later, Hazrat Ali, peace be upon him, fought against Hazrat Aisha, Zubair, and Talha in the Battle of Jamal; against Muawiya in the Battle of Siffin; and against the Kharijites in the Battles of Nahrawan and elsewhere.
Mektubat
·On Dokuzuncu Mektup
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)
· · ·
Second Rank
It is not merely a few Jews who caused the event and stirred up corruption, so that by discovering them the corruption could be stopped. Because, with the entry of many different nations into Islam, many opposing and conflicting currents and opinions mixed. Especially, some of them had their national pride severely wounded by the blows of the Prophet Omar (r.a.), and thus they were waiting for an opportunity for revenge. Because their old religion had been abolished and their former government and empire, which were the sources of their honor, had been destroyed. Consequently, taking revenge, knowingly or unknowingly, had become a common sentiment taken from the Islamic rule. Therefore, it is said that some cunning and clever hypocrites, like the Jews, took advantage of that social condition. Thus, preventing such events could only be achieved by reforming the social life and the various opinions of that time. Otherwise, it could not be achieved by merely discovering one or two corrupt individuals.
If someone were to say:
"Although the Prophet Omar (r.a.) from the pulpit told his commander Sariya, who was a month's distance away, 'Yasariya al-Jabal al-Jabal,' and by conveying this to Sariya, he gave him a miraculous command that led to victory, showing how sharp his vision was, why did he not see with that sharp vision of wilayah the killer Firuz who was by his side?"
The answer: We answer with the answer given by Prophet Jacob (peace be upon him).
Footnote
Mektubat
·On Besinci Mektup
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)
· · ·
So, it was asked of Hazrat Yakub, "Why did you smell the scent of the shirt that came from Egypt and yet did not see Yusuf in the Well of Canaan who was right by you?" He answered, "Our condition is like that of lightning; sometimes it is visible, sometimes it is hidden. There are times when we sit in the highest position and see all around us, and there are times when we cannot even see the soles of our feet."
In short, although man is a free agent, yet according to the secret of the verse, "But you do not will except as Allah wills," divine will is the source, and destiny is supreme. Divine will returns human will, and when destiny comes, vision becomes blind. When destiny speaks, human power cannot speak, and individual choice is silent.
MEANING OF YOUR SECOND QUESTION: What is the nature of the wars that began in the time of Hazrat Ali (r.a.)? What name can we give to the warring parties and those who killed and were killed in that war?
The answer is: The battle between Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Talha and Hazrat Zubair and Ayesha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with them all), known as the Battle of Jamal, is a struggle between absolute justice and relative justice. Here's how:
Hazrat Ali, adhering to the principle of absolute justice, made an ijtihad (independent reasoning) to proceed on that basis, just as in the time of the Prophet. His opponents, however, in the time of the Prophet, the pure Islamic justice was suitable for absolute justice; but as time passed, different groups with weakened Islam entered Islamic social life, making the application of absolute justice very difficult. Therefore, they made an ijtihad based on the principle of relative justice, known as "preferring the lesser evil." Since the ijtihad debate entered politics, the battle was triggered.
Mektubat
·On Besinci Mektup
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)
· · ·
So, it was asked of Hazrat Yakub, "Why did you smell the scent of the shirt that came from Egypt and yet did not see Yusuf in the Well of Canaan who was right by you?" He answered, "Our condition is like that of lightning; sometimes it is visible, sometimes it is hidden. There are times when we sit in the highest position and see all around us, and there are times when we cannot even see the soles of our feet."
In short, although man is a free agent, yet according to the secret of the verse, "But you do not will except as Allah wills," divine will is the source, and destiny is supreme. Divine will returns human will, and when destiny comes, sight becomes blind. When destiny speaks, human power cannot speak, and individual choice remains silent.
MEANING OF YOUR SECOND QUESTION: What is the nature of the wars that began in the time of Hazrat Ali (r.a.)? What name can we give to the warring parties and those who killed and were killed in that war?
The answer is: The battle between Hazrat Ali and Hazrat Talha and Hazrat Zubair and Ayesha Siddiqa (may Allah be pleased with them all), known as the Battle of the Camel, is a struggle between absolute justice and relative justice. Here's how:
Hazrat Ali, adhering to the principle of absolute justice, made an independent judgment (ijtihad) to follow that principle as in the time of the Prophet. His opponents, however, in the time of the Prophet, the pure Islamic justice was suitable for absolute justice; but as time passed, different groups with weakened Islam entered Islamic social life, making the application of absolute justice very difficult. Therefore, they made an independent judgment (ijtihad) based on the principle of relative justice, known as "preferring the lesser evil." Since the debate over independent judgment entered politics, the battle erupted.
Mektubat
·On Besinci Mektup
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)
· · ·
FIFTH POINTED INDICATION
We mention a few examples of hadiths concerning the unseen.
The Noble Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, has come to us with a verified and widely reported narration, that while on the pulpit, he commanded the congregation of the Companions:
"This Hasan is a master; Allah will bring peace between two great groups through him."
Indeed, when the two greatest armies of Islam faced each other forty years later, the noble Hasan, peace be upon him, reconciled with the noble Muawiya, peace be upon him, and confirmed the miraculous unseen event of his great grandfather.
Secondly, with a verified narration, he said to the noble Ali:
"You will fight the apostates, the wrongdoers, and the rebels."
This foretold the events of the Battle of Jamal, the Battle of Siffin, and the event of the Kharijites.
At a time when the noble Ali, peace be upon him, was reconciling with the noble Zubair, he said: "He will fight against you, but he is in the wrong."
He also said to the people of Tahirat: "One of you will be the leader of a major fitna, and many will be killed around him."
And: "The dogs of the desert will bark at him."
Indeed, these authentic and definite hadiths are a practical confirmation of the unseen foretelling, when thirty years later, the noble Ali, peace be upon him, fought against the noble Aisha, Zubair, and Talha in the Battle of Jamal; against Muawiya in the Battle of Siffin; and against the Kharijites in the Battles of Nahrawan and elsewhere.
Mektubat
·On Dokuzuncu Mektup
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)
· · ·
In those disputes, many important Companions were found on both sides. When speaking of those fitnahs, even a biased denial or objection toward the true Companions, such as Talha and Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with them), from the A'isha and Muawiyah group, would arise. Even if there was an error, the possibility of repentance is strong. Rather than going back to those old times and unnecessarily and harmfully investigating those matters without the Shariah commanding it, it is not suitable for a believing and conscientious person to ignore the current ones who are striking terrible blows to Islam and are deserving of thousands of curses and hatred.
Indeed, I will not hide from you that even your small argument with Sabri has caused significant harm to the Risale-i Nur and the dissemination of religious truths. At that moment, I felt distressed and worried. Later, when I learned that a learned and inquiring scholar like you would cause an important service to the Risale-i Nur by Sabri coming there, I expected a great Nuri service from both of you, but instead, I felt and saw that the Nuri movement suffered harm in three ways. Wondering why this harm occurred, after two or three days I learned that Sabri had unnecessarily and pointlessly argued with you, and you had become angry. "Oh no!" I said. "O Lord! Turn the dispute between these two individuals, who came to my aid from Erzurum, into reconciliation," I prayed. As stated in the Risale-i Nur's Ihlas Lem'as, today, the people of faith must unite not only with their Muslim brothers but even with the pious Christian clergy, and must not consider or discuss matters of contention. Because absolute disbelief is attacking. I ask you, with your religious zeal, scholarly experience, and your concern for the Nuri teachings, to try to forget the incident with Sabri and forgive and accept him. Because he did not speak on his own; he had merely repeated things he had heard from his teachers in the past, speaking unnecessarily in argument. You know that a great good deed and kindness can atone for many sins.
Yes, our fellow townsman Sabri has indeed rendered such a service to the Nuri teachings and to faith through the Nuri teachings that it would atone for a thousand sins. Because of your generous nature, that Nuri service...
Emirdağ Lâhikası - I
·Mektup 152
·machine translation (qwen3-32b-sre)