The Seventh Flash

[This is about the seven sorts of predictions about the Unseen at the end of Sura al-Fath.]

In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.

Truly did God fulfil the vision for His Messenger: You shall enter the Sacred Mosque, if God wills, with minds secure, heads shaved, hair cut short, and without fear. For He knew what you knew not, and He granted besides this, a victory soon to come. * It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim it over all religion, and enough is God for a Witness. * Muhammad is the Messenger of God; and those who are with him are strong against unbelievers, [but] compassionate among each other. You will see them bow and prostrate themselves [in prayer], seeking grace from God and [His] good pleasure. On their faces are their marks, [being] the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Torah; and their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, [filling] the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the unbelievers with rage at them. God has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness, and a great reward.(48:27-9)

These three verses from Sura al-Fath contain many aspects of miraculousness. The Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition’s miraculousness has ten universal aspects; the aspect related to its giving news of the Unseen may be seen in seven or eight ways in these three verses.

THE FIRST

“Truly did God fulfil the vision for His Messenger” to the end of the verse, gave certain news of the conquest of Mecca before it happened. It occurred two years later just as predicted.(*)

THE SECOND

“And He granted besides this, a victory soon to come” is stating that although the Truce of Hudaybiya was apparently opposed to Islam’s interests and the Quraysh were victorious to an extent, in reality it was a great victory and the key to further conquests.

For with the Truce the physical sword was temporarily hung up, but the flashing diamond sword of the Qur’an was unsheathed, and it conquered minds and hearts. As a result of it, the two sides mixed with one another. The virtues of Islam and lights of the Qur’an rent the veils of obduracy and tribalism and prevailed.

For example, people like Khalid ibn al-Walid, a brilliant warrior, and ‘Amr ibn al-‘As, a brilliant politician, who could not accept defeat, were defeated by the Qur’anic sword manifested through the Truce of Hudaybiya.(*) They submitted in perfect obedience to Islam in Medina, and Khalid became a “Sword of Allah;” a sword in the conquests of Islam.

An Important Question: What was the reason the Companions of the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), the Glory of the World and Beloved of the Sustainer of All the Worlds, were defeated by the idolators at the end of Uhud and beginning of Hunayn?(*)

The Answer: Among the idolators were many persons like Khalid who in the future would be equal to the leading Companions of that time. Therefore, so as not to degrade them entirely in the view of the future, which for them would be glorious and honourable, divine wisdom gave them in the past immediate recompense for their future good works and did not completely destroy their pride.

That is to say, the Companions of the past were defeated by the Companions of the future, so that the future Companions would enter Islam, not through fear of the flashing sword but through zeal for the flash of truth, and so that they and their natural valour should not be brought low.

THE THIRD

The words, “and without fear” say this: “You shall circumambulate the Ka‘ba in complete safety.” However at that time the majority of the nomadic peoples of the Arabian Peninsula were hostile, and most of the environs of Mecca and the tribe of Quraysh, enemies. By predicting: “Soon you shall circumambulate the Ka‘ba without fear,” it was indicating and foretelling that the Arabian Peninsula would submit and all the Quraysh enter Islam and total security be established. And it all occurred exactly as predicted.(*)

THE FOURTH

“He it is who sent His Messenger with guidance and the Religion of Truth, to proclaim it over all religion”

predicts with complete certainty that the religion which the Noble Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) brought would triumph over all religions. However at that time Christianity, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism had hundreds of millions of adherents and were the official religions of such world- dominant states as Rome, China, and Persia, which had hundreds of millions of subjects, and Muhammad the Arabian was unable to subdue his own small tribe even. Yet it is foretelling that the religion he brought would triumph over all religions and be victorious over all states. And it does this most clearly and categorically. The future confirmed this prediction, with the sword of Islam extending from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west.

THE FIFTH

“Muhammad is the Messenger of God, and those who are with him are strong against unbelievers, [but] compassionate among each other. You will see them bow and prostrate themselves.”

The beginning of this verse foretells explicitly the loft y qualities and virtues that made the Companions the most elevated of humankind after the prophets. And allusively it indicates the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, who would succeed to the Prophet’s (UWBP) position after his death through the institution of the Caliphate, and foretells the fine attributes(*) which were what most distinguished each of them and marked them out. It is as follows:

“And those who are with him” alludes to Abu Bakr the Veracious, who was distinguished by being among the Prophet’s (UWBP) special followers and party to his conversation, and again being included among his special followers by being the first to die.

While “are strong against the unbelievers” points to ‘Umar, who in the future would cause the countries of the globe to tremble at his conquests, and with his justice would descend on tyrants like a thunderbolt.

And “compassionate among each other” gives news of ‘Uthman, who in the future when the most serious dissension was being fomented, would sacrifice his own life and spirit out of his perfect compassion so that the blood of Muslims should not be spilt; he preferred to be martyred wrongfully while reading the Qur’an.

And “You will see them bow and prostrate themselves [in prayer], seeking grace from God and [His] good pleasure” tells that with his complete worthiness to undertake the Caliphate and government, and his heroism, and his choosing perfect asceticism, worship, poverty, and frugality, and whose bowing and prostrating in prayer was corroborated by everyone, ‘Ali (May God be pleased with him) was not responsible for his position in the future and the wars and strife in which he was involved, and that his intention and wish were for divine favour.

THE SIXTH

The phrase, “This is their similitude in the Torah” makes predictions concerning the Unseen in two respects:

The First:

It cites these qualities of the Companions that are mentioned in the Torah, which for an unlettered person like the Prophet (Upon whom be blessings and peace) belonged to the World of the Unseen. Yes, as described in the Nineteenth Letter, the Torah contains the following lines about the Companions of the Prophet who was to come at the end of time: “The banners of the holy ones are together with them.”(*) That is, his Companions would be pious worshippers and righteous saints, so that they were described as “the holy ones,” that is, “sacred.” The Torah has been corrupted through translation into numerous languages, yet with many of its verses it still corroborates the words of Sura al-Fath, “This is their similitude in the Torah.”

The Second aspect of it giving news of the Unseen is this:

with this phrase it is predicting that the Companions and the generation that followed them would achieve such a degree of worship that the luminosity of their spirits would shine in their faces, and that marks would be apparent on their foreheads, like a stamp of sainthood, caused by their repeated prostrations. And indeed the future proved this brilliantly, with complete clarity and certainty.

Many prominent persons caught up in that strange dissension and political upheaval demonstrated the mystery of “This is their similitude in the Torah,” who day and night performed prayers of a thousand rakats like Zayn al-‘Abidin, and performed the morning prayer with the ablutions of the previous evening, like Tavus al-Yamani.(*)

THE SEVENTH

“And their similitude in the Gospel is: like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong; it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, [filling] the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the unbelievers with rage at them.” These phrases give news of the Unseen in two respects:

The First

is the prediction in the Gospel about the Companions, which for the unlettered Prophet (UWBP) belonged to the World of the Unseen. Yes, the Gospels contain such verses as, “With him is a staff of iron, and his community is like him”(*) describing the Prophet who was to come at the end of time. That is, a Prophet would come who unlike Jesus (UWP) would wield the sword and be charged with waging jihad, as would his Companions. The one bearing “the staff of iron” would be the World’s Ruler. For in another place in the Gospels it says: “I am going so that the Ruler of the World may come.”(*)

That is to say, the World’s Ruler will come. It is thus understood from these two verses in the Gospels that at the outset the Companions would be few and weak, nevertheless they would sprout like seeds, grow, thicken, and find strength. Then when about to be overwhelmed and smothered by the rage this caused the unbelievers, they would subjugate mankind with their swords and prove that the Messenger (UWBP), their leader, was the Ruler of the World. These verses express exactly the meaning of the above verses of Sura al-Fath.

Second Aspect:

The verses predict the following: due to their weakness and small number the Companions accepted the Pact of Hudaybiya, but within a short time they grew and acquired such strength and loftiness that, planted by the Hand of Power in the field of the face of the earth, they multiplied in most elevated, powerful, fruitful, and plentiful fashion. This was true in comparison with the shoots of mankind at that time, since these latter were short, weak, defective, and scant due to neglect and heedlessness.The Companions would grow strong causing illustrious governments to rage at them in envy, jealousy, and anger. The future verified this prediction in most brilliant fashion.

The prediction also make the following further slight hint: it indicates through the word “forgiveness” that, although while praising the Companions’ excellent qualities they should have been promised the greatest rewards, in the future they would commit serious errors due to strife. For forgiveness indicates the existence of faults. At that time it would be forgiveness, the greatest bounty, that the Companions would want. The highest reward would be absence of punishment, thanks to forgiveness.

The word “forgiveness” both makes this subtle allusion, and it is connected with the verse at the beginning of the Sura, “That God may forgive you your faults of the past and those to follow.”(48:2) By giving the good news of forgiveness at the start of the Sura not for true sins, since the Messenger (UWBP) was exempt from sin and did not commit them, but for a meaning in keeping with the rank of prophethood, and by giving the good news of forgiveness for the Companions at the end of the Sura, it adds a further subtlety to the allusion.

Of the ten aspects of miraculousness contained in the above-mentioned three verses at the end of Sura al-Fath, we have discussed here only the aspect concerning predictions about the Unseen, and of the numerous parts of that aspect, only seven. A flash of miraculousness in the positioning of the letters of the last verse is alluded to at the end of the Twenty-Sixth Word, which is about divine determining and man’s faculty of will. This last verse looks to the Companions both with its sentences, and to their situations with its phrases, and it describes their attributes with its words(*) and letters; so too with the repetition of the number of letters it alludes to classes of famous Companions like the Companions of Badr, of Uhud, of Hunayn, of the Bench, and of Ridwan. Moreover, it expresses many further mysteries through ‘coincidences’ and abjad reckoning, which are branches of the science of jafr and keys to it.

Glory be unto You! We have no knowledge save that which You have taught us; indeed, You are All-Knowing, All-Wise.(2:32)

[Predictions similar to these concerning the Unseen indicated by the allusive meanings of the verses at the end of Sura al-Fath will be discussed here briefly, also in connection with their allusive meanings.]

A Postscript

And We should have shown them the Straight Way. * All who obey God and the Messenger are in the company of those on whom is the grace of God – of the Prophets, the Veracious, the Witnesses [or Martyrs], and the Righteous: And how goodly a company are these!(4:68-9)

We shall point out two of the thousands of fine points expounding these verses.

FIRST POINT

Just as the Qur’an of Miraculous Exposition expresses truths through its explicit, clear meanings and senses, so it expresses many allusive meanings through its styles and manner of exposition. Each of its verses contains numerous levels of meanings. The Qur’an proceeds from all-encompassing knowledge, so all its meanings may be intended. Its meanings are not restricted to one or two like man’s speech, the product of his limited mind and individual will.

In consequence of this, innumerable truths contained in the Qur’an’s verses have been expounded by Qur’anic commentators, and there are many more that have not been expounded by them. In addition to its explicit meanings, much significant knowledge is contained in its letters in particular and in its allusions.

SECOND POINT

With the terms, “of the Prophets, the Veracious, the Witnesses [or martyrs], and the Righteous: And how goodly a company are these!”, the verse describes the people of the Straight Path and the groups of the Prophets, the caravan of the Veracious, the community of the Martyrs, the class of the Righteous, and those who follow them. These are the members of mankind who truly receive the divine bounties. Furthermore, having indicated explicitly the most perfect of those five groups in the world of Islam, it indicates their leaders and chiefs by mentioning their well-known attributes. In addition, with a flash of miraculousness giving news of the Unseen, it specifies one aspect those chiefs’ positions in the future.

Yes, “of the Prophets” looks explicitly to the Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace), and the phrase “the Veracious” looks to Abu Bakr the Veracious. It also indicates that he would be second after the Messenger (Upon whom be blessings and peace) and first to succeed him, and be known by the special title of Veracious and be seen at the head of all honest and upright people.

Then “the Witnesses [or Martyrs]” refers to ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, and ‘Ali (May God be pleased with all of them) together. It intimates that the three of them would succeed to the Caliphate after the Veracious One, and that the three of them would be martyred and the merits of martyrdom added to their other virtues.

وَالصَّالِحٖينَ kelimesiyle Ashab-ı Suffa, Bedir, Rıdvan gibi mümtaz zevata işaret ederek وَ حَسُنَ اُولٰٓئِكَ رَفٖيقًا cümlesiyle mana-yı sarîhiyle onların ittibaına teşvik ve tabiînlerdeki tebaiyeti çok müşerref ve güzel göstermekle, mana-yı işarîsiyle hulefa-i erbaanın beşincisi olarak ve اِنَّ ال۟خِلَافَةَ بَع۟دٖى ثَلَاثُونَ سَنَةً hadîs-i şerifin hükmünü tasdik ettiren müddet-i hilafeti azlığıyla beraber kıymetini azîm göstermek için o mana-yı işarîsiyle Hazret-i Hasan radıyallahu anhı gösterir.

Elhasıl: Sure-i Feth’in âhirki âyeti, hulefa-i erbaaya baktığı gibi bu âyet dahi teyiden, ihbar-ı gayb nevinden onların istikbaldeki vaziyetlerine kısmen işaret suretiyle bakar. İşte Kur’an’ın enva-ı i’cazından olan ihbar-ı gayb nevinin lemaat-ı i’caziyesi âyât-ı Kur’aniyede o kadar çoktur ki hasra gelmez. Ehl-i zâhirin kırk elli âyete hasretmeleri, nazar-ı zâhirî iledir. Hakikatte ise binden geçer. Bazen bir âyette dört beş vecihle ihbar-ı gaybî bulunur.

رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذ۟نَٓا اِن۟ نَسٖينَٓا اَو۟ اَخ۟طَا۟نَا

سُب۟حَانَكَ لَا عِل۟مَ لَنَٓا اِلَّا مَا عَلَّم۟تَنَٓا اِنَّكَ اَن۟تَ ال۟عَلٖيمُ ال۟حَكٖيمُ

BU TETİMMEYE İKİNCİ BİR İZAH (*)

Şu âhir-i Feth’in işaret-i gaybiyesini teyid eden hem Fatiha-i Şerife’deki sırat-ı müstakim ehli ve صِرَاطَ الَّذٖينَ اَن۟عَم۟تَ عَلَي۟هِم۟ âyetindeki murad kimler olduğunu beyan eden hem ebedü’l-âbâdın pek uzun yolunda en nurani, ünsiyetli, kesretli, cazibedar bir kafile-i rüfekayı gösteren ve ehl-i iman ve ashab-ı şuuru şiddetle o kafileye tebaiyet noktasında iltihak ve refakate mu’cizane sevk eden şu âyet فَاُولٰٓئِكَ مَعَ الَّذٖينَ اَن۟عَمَ اللّٰهُ عَلَي۟هِم۟ مِنَ النَّبِيّٖنَ وَ الصِّدّٖيقٖينَ وَ الشُّهَدَٓاءِ وَ الصَّالِحٖينَ وَ حَسُنَ اُولٰٓئِكَ رَفٖيقًا yine âhir-i Feth’in âhirki âyeti gibi ilm-i belâgatta “maârîzu’l-kelâm” ve “müstetbeatü’t-terakib” tabir edilen mana-yı maksuddan başka işarî ve remzî manalarla hulefa-i erbaa ve beşinci halife olan Hazret-i Hasan’a (ra) işaret ediyor. Gaybî umûrdan birkaç cihette haber veriyor. Şöyle ki:

Nasıl ki şu âyet, mana-yı sarîhi ile nev-i beşerde niam-ı âliye-i İlahiyeye mazhar olan ehl-i sırat-ı müstakim olan kafile-i enbiya ve taife-i sıddıkîn ve cemaat-i şüheda ve enva-ı salihîn ve sınıf-ı tabiîn “muhsinîn” olduğunu ifade ettiği gibi âlem-i İslâm’da dahi o taifelerin en ekmeli ve en efdali bulunduğunu ve Nebiyy-i âhir zaman’ın sırr-ı veraset-i nübüvvetten teselsül eden taife-i verese-i enbiya ve Sıddık-ı Ekber’in maden-i sıddıkıyetinden teselsül eden kafile-i sıddıkîn ve hulefa-yı selâsenin şehadet mertebesiyle merbut bulunan kafile-i şüheda وَ الَّذٖينَ اٰمَنُوا وَ عَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ sırrıyla bağlanan cemaat-i salihîn ve اِن۟ كُن۟تُم۟ تُحِبُّونَ اللّٰهَ فَاتَّبِعُونٖى يُح۟بِب۟كُمُ اللّٰهُ sırrını imtisal eden ve sahabelerin ve Hulefa-yı Raşidîn’in refakatinde giden esnaf-ı tabiîni ihbar-ı gaybî nevinden gösterdiği gibi…

وَالصِّدّٖيقٖينَ kelimesiyle mana-yı işarî cihetinde Resul-i Ekrem aleyhissalâtü vesselâmdan sonra makamına geçecek ve halifesi olacak ve ümmetçe “Sıddık” unvanıyla şöhret bulacak ve sıddıkîn kafilesinin reisi olacak Hazret-i Ebubekiri’s-Sıddık’ı ihbar ediyor.

وَالشُّهَدَٓاءِ kelimesiyle Hulefa-yı Raşidîn’den üçünün şehadetini haber veriyor ve Sıddık’tan sonra üç şehit, halife olacaklar. Çünkü “şüheda” cem’dir. Cem’in ekalli üçtür. Demek Hazret-i Ömer, Hazret-i Osman, Hazret-i Ali radıyallahu anhüm Sıddık’tan sonra riyaset-i İslâmiyet’e geçecekler ve şehit olacaklar. Aynı haber-i gaybî vuku bulmuştur.

Hem وَالصَّالِحٖينَ kaydıyla Ehl-i Suffa gibi taat ve ibadette Tevrat’ın senasına mazhar olmuş ehl-i salahat ve takva ve ibadet, istikbalde kesretle bulunacağını ihbar etmekle beraber…

وَ حَسُنَ اُولٰٓئِكَ رَفٖيقًا cümlesi sahabeye, ilim ve amelde refakat ve tebaiyet eden tabiînlerin tebaiyetini tahsin etmekle, ebed yolunda o dört kafilenin refakatlerini hasen ve güzel göstermekle beraber…

Hazret-i Hasan’ın (ra) birkaç ay gibi kısacık müddet-i hilafeti, çendan az idi. Fakat اِنَّ ال۟خِلَافَةَ بَع۟دٖى ثَلَاثُونَ سَنَةً hükmüyle ve o ihbar-ı gaybiye-i Nebeviyenin tasdiki ile ve اِنَّ اب۟نٖى حَسَنٌ هٰذَا سَيِّدٌ سَيُص۟لِحُ اللّٰهُ بِهٖ بَي۟نَ فِئَتَي۟نِ عَظٖيمَتَي۟نِ hadîsindeki mu’cizane ihbar-ı gaybi-yi Nebevîyi tasdik eden ve iki büyük ordu, iki cemaat-i azîme-i İslâmiyenin musalahasını temin eden ve nizâı ortalarından kaldıran Hazret-i Hasan’ın (ra) kısacık müddet-i hilafetini ehemmiyetli gösterip, hulefa-i erbaaya bir beşinci halife göstermek için ihbar-ı gaybî nevinden mana-yı işarîsiyle ve وَ حَسُنَ اُولٰٓئِكَ رَفٖيقًا kelimesinde beşinci halifenin ismine ilm-i belâgatta “müstetbeatü’t-terakib” tabir edilen bir sır ile işaret ediyor.

İşte mezkûr işarî ihbarlar gibi daha çok sırlar var. Sadedimize gelmediği için şimdilik kapı açılmadı. Kur’an-ı Hakîm’in çok âyâtı var ki her bir âyet çok vecihlerle ihbar-ı gaybî nevindendir. Bu nevi ihbarat-ı gaybiye-i Kur’aniye binlerdir.

رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذ۟نَٓا اِن۟ نَسٖينَٓا اَو۟ اَخ۟طَا۟نَا

سُب۟حَانَكَ لَا عِل۟مَ لَنَٓا اِلَّا مَا عَلَّم۟تَنَٓا اِنَّكَ اَن۟تَ ال۟عَلٖيمُ ال۟حَكٖيمُ

Hâtime

Kur’an-ı Hakîm’in tevafuk cihetinden tezahür eden i’cazî nüktelerinden bir nüktesi şudur ki: Kur’an-ı Hakîm’de ism-i Allah, Rahman, Rahîm, Rab ve ism-i Celal yerindeki Hüve’nin mecmuu, dört bin küsurdur. بِس۟مِ اللّٰهِ الرَّح۟مٰنِ الرَّحٖيمِ (Hesab-ı ebcedin ikinci nev’i ki huruf-u heca tertibiyledir) o da dört bin küsur eder. Büyük adetlerde küçük kesirler, tevafuku bozmadığından küçük kesirlerden kat’-ı nazar edildi. Hem الٓمٓ tazammun ettiği iki vav-ı atıf ile beraber iki yüz seksen küsur eder. Aynen Sure-i El-Bakara’nın iki yüz seksen küsur ism-i Celal’ine ve hem iki yüz seksen küsur âyâtın adedine tevafuk etmekle beraber, ebcedin hecaî tarzındaki ikinci hesabıyla, yine dört bin küsur eder. O da yukarıda zikri geçmiş beş esma-i meşhurenin adedine tevafuk etmekle beraber بِس۟مِ اللّٰهِ الرَّح۟مٰنِ الرَّحٖيمِ in kesirlerinden kat’-ı nazar, adedine tevafuk ediyor.

Demek, bu sırr-ı tevafuka binaen الٓمٓ hem müsemmasını tazammun eden bir isimdir hem El-Bakara’ya isim hem Kur’an’a isim hem ikisine muhtasar bir fihriste hem ikisinin enmuzeci ve hülâsası ve çekirdeği hem بِس۟مِ اللّٰهِ الرَّح۟مٰنِ الرَّحٖيمِ in mücmelidir. Ebcedin meşhur hesabıyla بِس۟مِ اللّٰهِ الرَّح۟مٰنِ الرَّحٖيمِ ism-i Rab adedine müsavi olmakla beraber اَلرَّح۟مٰنِ الرَّحٖيمِ deki müşedded ر iki ر sayılsa o vakit dokuz yüz doksan olup pek çok esrar-ı mühimmeye medar olup on dokuz harfiyle on dokuz bin âlemin miftahıdır.

Kur’an-ı Mu’cizü’l-Beyan’da lafza-i Celal’in tevafukat-ı latîfesindendir ki bütün Kur’an’da sahifenin âhirki satırın yukarı kısmında seksen lafza-i Celal, birbirine tevafukla baktığı gibi aşağıki kısımda da aynen seksen lafza-i Celal, birbirine tevafukla bakar. Tam o âhirki satırın ortasında yine elli beş lafza-i Celal, birbiri üstüne düşüp ittihat ederek güya elli beş lafza-i Celal’den terekküp etmiş bir tek lafza-i Celal’dir. Âhirki satırın başında yalnız ve bazı üç harfli kısa bir kelime fâsıla ile yirmi beş tam tevafukla tam ortadaki elli beşin tam tevafukuna zammedilince seksen tevafuk olup, o satırın nısf-ı evvelindeki seksen tevafuka ve nısf-ı âhirdeki yine seksen tevafuka tevafuk ediyor.

Acaba böyle latîf, zarif, muntazam, mevzun, i’cazlı bu tevafukat; nüktesiz, hikmetsiz olur mu? Hâşâ, olamaz. Belki o tevafukatın ucuyla mühim bir define açılabilir.

رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذ۟نَٓا اِن۟ نَسٖينَٓا اَو۟ اَخ۟طَا۟نَا

سُب۟حَانَكَ لَا عِل۟مَ لَنَٓا اِلَّا مَا عَلَّم۟تَنَٓا اِنَّكَ اَن۟تَ ال۟عَلٖيمُ ال۟حَكٖيمُ

Said Nursî

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Altıncı Lem'a ⇐ Lem'alar | ⇒ Sekizinci Lem'a

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