I shall mention a point about two Hadiths to my brothers who become bored of writing, and prefer other recitations during the Three Months, the months of worship, to writing out the Risale-i Nur, although to do this is considered to be worship in five respects.¹ The two Hadiths are these:

The First: “At the Last Judgement, the ink spent by scholars of religion with weigh equally to the blood of the martyrs.”²

The Second: “Whoever adheres to my Sunna when my Community is corrupted shall earn the reward of a hundred martyrs.”³ That is, “Those who adhere to and serve the Practices of the Prophet and truths of the Qur’an when innovations and misguidance are rife may gain the reward of a hundred martyrs.”

O my brothers who weary of writing due to laziness! And O my brothers who lean to Sufism! Together, these two Hadiths show that the black light flowing from the blessed, pure pens serving the truths of belief and mysteries of the Shari’a and Practices of the Prophet (PBUH) at a time such as this, even a drop of their water-of-life-like ink, may gain for you the advantage on the Day of Judgement equal to a hundred drops of the blood of martyrs. So you should try to gain it!

I f y o u s a y : It says “scholars” in the Hadith, and some of us are only scribes.

T h e A n s w e r : One who reads these treatises for a year, comprehending and accepting them, may become an important, correct scholar at this time. And even if he does not understand them, since the Risale-i Nur students have a collective personality, doubtless it is learned. As for your pens, they are the immaterial fingers of that collective personality. Although in my own view I am unworthy, due to your good opinion of me, you have afforded me the position of Master (Ustad) and religious scholar, and attached yourselves to me. Since I am unlettered and have difficulty in writing, your pens may be thought of as mine; you will receive the reward indicated in the Hadith.

S a i d  N u r s i

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Footnotes

1. We asked for an explanation of the five sorts of worship which our Master indicates in this valuable letter. The explanation we received is below:

i. To strive against the people of misguidance, the most important struggle.

ii. To serve our Master in the form of helping him spread the truth.

iii. To serve Muslims in respect of belief.

iv. To obtain knowledge by means of the pen.

v. To perform worship in the form of reflective thought, one hour of which may sometimes be equal to a year’s worship.

Signed: Rüshtü, Husrev, Re’fet

2. Ghazzali, Ihya Ulumi’d-Din i, 6; al-Munawi, Fayzu’l-Qadir vi, 466; al-Ajluni, Kashfu’l-Khafa ii, 561; Suyuti, Jami’u’s-Saghir no: 10026.

3. Ibn Adiy, al-Kamil fi’d-Duafa ii, 739; al-Munziri, al-Targhib va’t-Tarhib i, 41; Tabarani, al-Majma’u’l-Kabir 1394; Ali b. Husamuddin, Muntakhabat Kanzi’l-Ummal i, 100; al-Haythami, Majma’u’z-Zawa’id vii, 282.