At-Tawbah 22: They will remain there eternally. Verily, there is great reward with Allah.

(?).

They will abide there forever. Where? In paradise. Where will the others abide forever? In hell. 'Surely with Allah there is a great reward,' it says. What is the great reward? Entering paradise is a great reward. The greatest reward is entering paradise. Winning this is like a wrestler in the top class winning his match.

And besides that, as a great reward there is the beauty of his Lord. Plus, besides that, the great reward is Allah Almighty giving those people the Kawthar. Giving them gardens beneath which rivers flow. Placing the houris and the youths at their service. Yes. Aren't these great rewards? 'Being saved from hell,' he said. 'Being saved from hell,' he said. He enters paradise anyway. It said 'great reward'. These are the rewards in paradise. Those who obey Allah and His Messenger, who emigrate and wage jihad if necessary, who, spreading Allah's justice on earth, do not exchange the hereafter for this world, who continue their worship and bow to none but Allah, in the sight of Allah attaining great ranks, will abide in eternal gardens, in the gardens.

In the hereafter there is no more death. No death. How do we know? It says that paradise is eternal and endless. It says that hell is eternal and endless too. In that case, if spirit, nafs and life (?) separate — according to the verse 'We revive you twice and twice cause you to die' — if these revivals and deaths happen to the body — upon the body — paradise and hell, upon the spirits, are deathless. That is, the spirits become immortal in paradise and hell. Why are they immortal? Why?

People cannot bear to hear the truth. Why can't they bear it?

'We're finished,' they say, 'we're finished, what shall we do?'

Come on, blessed one, if you're finished — you're hearing the truth — (?) anew. (?) anew. Then why are paradise and hell everlasting? Because Allah gave man of His spirit. Hüve'l-evvelü ve'l-âhiru ve'z-zâhiru ve'l-bâtın. Allah, who subsists by His own Being, is the First, the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden. Our Lord is immortal. If our immortal Lord gave man a part of His spirit, if He made man's being His addressee, then, since in paradise and hell spirit, nafs and life are one, people too are immortal there. Is there a verse that could prove this better?

One that could prove the opposite of this.

Yes.

And people who do not want to hear these truths, who want to block their ears to the truth — such people. Hateme'llâhu alâ kulûbihim ve alâ sem'ihim ve alâ ebsârihim gışâvetün ve lehüm azâbun azîm. I'm not saying this about you, since you are a Muslim. But your actions and behaviour are just like what this verse describes. If you go a little further, you will end up like the person this verse describes. Yes.

In the hereafter there is no more death. Death in this world is upon bodies.

A thousand years of this world are like one day of the hereafter. Accordingly, those in the world who incline to the world, who turn their backs on Allah, who for a few hours' worth of temporary worldly blessings turn their backs on the path of the hereafter, its eternal bliss, such people are in loss. They are like a merchant whose trade has (?) and who has suffered loss. Traders who have suffered loss.

No created being can be as faithful to its promise as Allah. So if in His verse He says 'surely with Allah there is a great reward', to those who take their place with Allah — Those who take their place with Allah — what is this? Those who fulfil their Lord's command, who, in the ranks Allah has commanded, are within the ranks. Yes.

To those who take their place with Allah, who obey Allah and His Messenger, Allah promises that in the hereafter He will give great rewards and prizes beyond our imagination — so He promises. In return for what?

(?), it says. That our Lord has no need of anything, that all there is, from the atom to the globe, He created it all — those unbelievers, when they see the torment of death, it says, 'Even if there were a world full of jewels, and yet another world full,' it says, 'they would want to give it as ransom and be saved,' it says.

So since even two worlds full of ransom are not accepted, and Allah Almighty creates whatever He wishes with His will 'Kun', that is, 'Be', what does He want from us then? In return for what will He give us paradise? In return for our listening to Him. In return for our saying 'Allah'. In return for our being His servants. How shall we be servants?

The finest servanthood to Him is gratitude.

Within gratitude there is every kind of worship. Gratitude for the provision He gives, (?) one's debt for the blessings to Allah Almighty. Praying in return for the provision He gives is again gratitude to Him. Worshipping Him in return for the blessings He gives. The finest worship is gratitude, giving thanks.

If you knew the blessing of gratitude, if you knew the blessing of gratitude, night and day you would give thanks. Shall I tell you in a verse? In a verse Allah Almighty says: 'Would We ever diminish the wealth of one who is grateful?'

So the one who is grateful also performs his prayer, keeps his fast, gives his zakat, does his dhikr, cuts himself off from all evils. He turns to good deeds and kindnesses. This is the essence of gratitude. This is the gratitude of gratitude. If you are struck by a misfortune, you have fallen short in gratitude. Or you have been lacking in your worship. What does it say anyway? 'Would We ever diminish the wealth of one who is grateful?' it says. In that case, if there is a loss in your wealth, in your wealth, then you fell behind in gratitude, and for that Allah Almighty gave you that misfortune.

'But Hodja, there are also misfortunes that come from Allah, misfortunes come too.' If He took a speck from your wealth, He gives you a bushel. That is a test. It is not that He diminished your wealth. Because if Allah had diminished your wealth, the verse (?). 'Would We ever diminish the wealth of one who is grateful?' it says. So even if you have trillions in debt, never fall behind in gratitude. Always give thanks. As you give thanks, Allah will give to you. As you give thanks, Allah will give to you. As you give thanks, He will give. And you will pay off those debts. And in this world too you will attain your Lord's blessings.

So you are lacking in gratitude. We cannot fully perform gratitude.

Yes. So no created being can be as faithful to its promise as Allah. So if in His verse He says 'surely with Allah there is a great reward', to those who take their place with Allah, take their place, who obey Allah and His Messenger, Allah, in the hereafter, great rewards and prizes beyond our imagination promises to give. In return for what? Not by giving the material things we earn working with our bodies to Allah and the Messenger; those who believe in and obey Allah and the Messenger, being mindful of Allah's commands and prohibitions, on the straight path Allah has shown, who continue their worship, can attain the rewards Allah has promised to people. May Allah grant this state to all of us.

Yes.