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My ‘azîz, siddîq, sincere and devoted brothers, and my serious, genuine companions in the Quranic service!

A severe warning came to my heart in connection with the dissemination of the Flashes on Ikhlas from the Risale-i Nur recently, both in Isparta and in this area, and due to one or two minor incidents. Three points will be written about riyâ:

The First: Riyâ cannot penetrate the practice of fardh, wâjib and Shaâ’er of Islam, and the following of Sunnah as-Saniyyah and abandoning harams. Displaying them openly cannot be riyâ unless one has riyâ in his fitrah due to having very weak îmân. In fact, personages, such as Hujjat al-Islam Imam Ghazâlî (ra), stated that displaying openly the ‘ibâdah related to the Shaâ’er of Islam is far more rewarding than performing them privately. Although it is far more rewarding to perform nawâfil privately; especially during this age of bid’ah, to display openly the Shaâ’er of Islam, which shows the honour of following the Sunnah, and to display taqwâ in abandoning the haram amidst such great kabâir are not riyâ but rather far more rewarding and sincere than performing them privately.

The Second Point: Of the reasons that lead people to riyâ,

The first is the weakness of îmân. Those who do not think of Allah worship the causes and posture with self-promotion full of riyâ among the people. The Risale-i Nur students, with the powerful lessons of tahqiqî îmân they receive from the Risale-i Nur, do not give any value or importance to the causes and people in terms of ‘ubûdiyyah. Therefore, they would not fall into riyâ by showing off in their ‘ubûdiyyah.

The second reason: Greed and ambition lead a person — because of his impotence and poverty — to take up a state of riyâ to attract the attention of the people. The dignity arising from îmân that the Risale-i Nur students receive from the lessons of the Risale-i Nur, such as the lessons of frugality (iqtisâd), contentment, tawakkul and acceptance of the allocation in life ordained by Allah, will, inshâAllah, prevent them from riyâ and self-promotion for worldly benefits.

The third reason: One falls into riyâ due to feelings, such as the ambition for fame, the love for rank, the pursuit of status and the urge to surpass one's peers, and due to adopting the attitude of presenting oneself favourably to others, striving to gain more importance than one truly deserves and appearing in high positions that one is not worthy of through pretence. Since the Risale-i Nur students transform ‘Ana1’ into ‘Nahnu2’, that is, they abandon the ananiyyah, work on behalf of the ma’nawî collective personality of the Risale-i Nur circle and say, "We," instead of "I," and since they act according to the principle ‘fana fil-ikhwan3’, that is, they dissolve their personality in the ma’nawî collective personality of their brothers, which is one of the means in this age that saves one from riyâ, similar to the means that are used by the people of tarîqah, such as ‘fana fish-shaykh4,’ ‘fana fir-rasûl5’ and ‘killing the nafs al-ammarah’, inshâAllah, just as the people of haqiqah have been saved from riyâ, they too will be saved by this mystery.

The Third Point: Regarding religious duty, working to gain the acceptance of people and adopting the high manners and states required of that rank are not considered and should not be considered as self-promotion and riyâ, unless that person uses and exploits that duty for his ananiyyah.

Yes, an Imam makes the tasbîhât openly and audibly while leading the salâh; this can in no way be riyâ. However, outside his duty, making tasbîhât openly heard could lead to riyâ; it is more rewarding to perform it privately.

In the dissemination of religion, their ‘ibâdah concerning following the Sunnah and their taqwâ in avoiding kabâir, the true Risale-i Nur students are considered to be on duty on behalf of the Qur’an. InshâAllah, it will not be riyâ unless they have entered the Risale-i Nur for some other worldly intention .

More was going to be written, but a state of stoppage has cut it short.