At-Tawbah 38: Oh you believers! What happened to you that you stay put in your place when you are told to go to battle for Allah’s path? Are you choosing the worldly life over the hereafter? But the benefits of the worldly life are few in comparison to the hereafter.

Yes, we have come to Surah At-Tawbah, verse 38. If you pay attention, we always speak on the verses.

Speaking with verses, explaining the verses, is so that we may better grasp Allah Almighty's commands upon us. And so that we love Allah and His Messenger and know the hereafter with certainty. People have been drawn away from the verses. In this situation, as we always say, with stories like Ahmet Efendi did this, Mehmet Efendi did that, you say that one was Ahmet Efendi, the other was Mehmet Efendi. Since a person cannot attain the states of those people, he also shows weakness in his religion. In this case, weakness of faith emerges. Weakness of faith. These (?) emerge. Sir, certain things a person did not do are shown as if the person had done them. Now, once upon a time a hodja in a mosque was describing the state of a venerable person. And that venerable person was in that mosque; the hodja does not recognize him.

Sir, the hodja was preaching in the mosque.

He began to praise this venerable person. And this venerable person began plucking his armpit hair. The hodja, from there, said: aren't you ashamed? While I'm preaching here, or describing a man's states, sir, you are plucking your armpit hair, he said. And that venerable person said to the hodja: Hodja Efendi, he said, that man you describe is me, he said. Of the states you describe, there is none in me either, he said. While you recount the slanders or lies about me, I am carrying out the sunnah (?), he said. Yes. People today, when describing people according to their own minds, those events not true of them, attributing them to them as if they had done them, events that fit their own minds, slandering those people too — because when he tells it according to his mind, that person does not have that trait.

Since that person is more mature, more perfect, since that person's actions do not fit into the mind of the one telling about him, he tells it falsely by his own mind, considers it true, and slanders him. In this case people, over people, one another, as if they knew the religion, Islam, sir, as if explaining a religion, lull people with superstitions to sleep. In this way these superstitions came about and we too fell asleep in religion. No one knows his religion. With all this Ahmet Efendi did this, Mehmet Efendi did that, a person knows neither how to pray, nor, let me say, sir, how to perform ablution, nor how to cleanse himself of major impurity, neither Allah, nor book, nor prophet.

A testimony of faith, a bare dry testimony of faith, that is all. Please, tell people Allah's verses. Yes. Let people be informed of the verses. we still continue to be lulled to sleep, lulled to sleep; God willing, we will break these bonds called sleep by Allah's grace and generosity. Yes, of Surah At-Tawbah, in verse 38, Allah Almighty in His verse: O you who believe, what is the matter with you that when you are told to go forth to fight in the way of Allah you stay nailed to the ground? Do you prefer the life of this world to the hereafter? Yes.

But the benefit of the life of this world is very little beside the hereafter, it says. How was this verse revealed?

In the time of the Byzantine Empire, the Byzantine Empire, in the time of the Prophet, prepares an army of 40,000 men to destroy Islam. An army of 40,000 men. Thereupon the Prophet (peace be upon him) too, against these polytheist armies, sets out to prepare the army of Islam. But the hypocrites among them, that the Byzantine army could not be fought, that fighting the Byzantine army meant suicide, there among the Companions, or among those people, spreading this propaganda, broke people's morale. In this situation those who had newly become Muslim too fell into doubt. They decided not to go to war.

This verse was revealed for this. Indeed, in this situation the Prophet prepared a Muslim army of thirty thousand men. Thirty thousand men. Tabuk — he set out toward Tabuk. The Byzantine army, learning of this, hearing that the Muslim army was coming toward it, fled. Yes. And the verse was revealed upon this. In the 9th year of the Hijra of the Prophet (peace be upon him) this situation occurs. He learned that the Byzantine Empire, to annihilate the Muslims, preparing an army of 40,000, had set out on campaign to wipe out the Muslims. And against the Byzantine Empire, in this situation, the Prophet declared war.

But the hypocrites spread propaganda against the Prophet. That fighting against Byzantium was suicide, among the people they spread. Some who had newly become Muslim believed this propaganda and did not want to join the war. Through the efforts of the Prophet and the Companions a Muslim army of 30,000 was prepared and they went as far as Tabuk. The enemy army, hearing that the Muslims were coming, fled. With this verse, the lying propaganda that will appear in every age — so that people do not believe it, Allah warns them. This is propaganda. It happens a lot in wars too. The losing side, to break people's morale by broadcasting, about their own victory, that many Muslims died, that units surrendered, that they no longer have the strength to stir, they broadcast.

In fact they are defeated. In this way, with this propaganda, they break people's morale and try to gain the upper hand. This too is one of the games of war. So in wartime, one must not believe the words of televisions or of such propaganda. Especially as we are Muslims; until a single person remains, until a single person remains on the soil of the Republic of Turkey, this Turkish nation, with this faith and the strength that faith gives, will never be captive, nor surrender, nor give up the fight. For that is, given by Allah Almighty to Islam and this nation, an innate nature, a feeling. Yes.

Allah Almighty informs us of the states of such hypocritical people. Islam will continue until the Day of Judgment, and Allah will complete His light. Did they think that with their lies, by blowing with their mouths, they would put out Allah's light, it says. Allah will complete His light until the Day of Judgment. O you who believe! What is the matter with you that when you are told to go forth to fight for Allah, you stay nailed to the ground, says Allah Almighty. People weak in faith, wavering about Allah and the religion of the hereafter, who from their religion make no concession, because they love their lives and wealth so much, when told to fight are afraid.

They act cowardly. As if they would never die, they look for a place to flee and escape. To such people Allah says: O you who believe! If you believe in Allah and His Messenger, if you are also convinced that the hereafter exists, come on, show yourself, don't stay nailed in place. For Allah, in the cause of Allah, strive in jihad, He decrees. The life of this world, compared to the hereafter, is a place of very little benefit. Very little. This is a transient world. People who give their hearts to this small benefit turn their backs on the hereafter, end up as those who have no share in the hereafter, and, Allah protect us, there they are subjected to many punishments.

Or do you prefer the life of this world to the hereafter, says Allah Almighty. Yes, or do you prefer the life of this world to the hereafter? Allah Almighty knows what passes through the hearts of the people He created. What does your Lord say? There is not a single living being to come until the Day of Judgment of whom We do not know what it will not do. In this case Allah Almighty, in that address Elestü bi-Rabbiküm, when He said I am your Lord, when those people there made a covenant with Allah Almighty, our Lord, who wrote their desires and wishes, their intentions, as destiny for them, surely, of those who will come until the Day of Judgment, what they will do knows. Yes, for people whose belief in the hereafter is weak, so that their faith and belief are strengthened, by stirring up the people of faith, in this way increasing the faith of those who have believed, to give them high ranks in His presence, He is urging those people on.

That is, to give the Muslims high ranks in His presence — because He loves people so much — Allah Almighty wants to give high ranks to those who obey and worship Him. Yes.

What does it say? Or do you prefer the life of this world to the hereafter, it says.

A Muslim does not prefer eternal worldly life to the hereafter. If he is a Muslim. Of course, if his faith is strong. If he is not one of those living in doubts. Well, Hodja, should we abandon the world then? When asked, no. The world is our means of livelihood. The world is, to prove to ourselves what kind of people we are, a piece of land that makes us witnesses over ourselves; so we will call the world. And the world is also — in this trading, in the trades we have made, in the dialogues we have established with people, how we treated them, and whether in our trades we paid attention to lawful and unlawful, to make ourselves witness over ourselves, Allah Almighty created this place as a means of livelihood, and here, through such situations, a person, by paying attention to lawful and unlawful, or without paying any attention to lawful and unlawful, sir, by merely amassing the world — it is a place where every person proves what kind of person he is.

So a Muslim, a Muslim, knowing this very well, knows that this is a world of trial, and never prefers the hereafter to the world — that is, the world to the hereafter. So the world is our earning for the hereafter. It is its capital. But the benefit of the life of this world is very little beside the hereafter, says Allah Almighty. How beautifully He says it. What does He say? The benefit of the life of this world is very little beside the hereafter. How is it very little? If a thousand years here are like one day of the hereafter, then here, compared to the hereafter, you will enjoy 1-2 hours of benefit.

In this 1-2 hours of benefit, in eating and drinking, the blessings your Lord gave you, the blessings your Lord gave you, if you see them as your own property and turn your back on your Lord, not seeing the Giver, and amass the world without heeding lawful or unlawful, if here you swindle people and usurp their rights, then in a small benefit, a benefit of one or two hours, you turn the eternal abode of bliss into an eternal abode of punishment. Then: O you who believe! If you, carried away by the life of this world, benefiting from these transient worldly blessings, are in doubt about the blessings of the life of the hereafter, know that the benefit of this world is very little beside the world of the hereafter.

Not being in doubt about the hereafter, but as the Jews said: in the hereafter fire will not touch us for more than 200 days. Some of them: we are the sons of Allah. Fire will not touch us, as they said; paradise is our right, as they said; and Allah Almighty says: do they have a proof in their hands? Or do they have a proof in their hands, He says. How, He says, they deviate from the truth, He says. Such people too, coveting the world, amassing without regard to lawful or unlawful, sir, drive their hereafter into bankruptcy — such people. For every soul shall taste death. Every soul shall taste death.

The goods you did not part with, the goods you could not part with, and the children will remain in the world. From the goods you never let go of, whose money, gold and silver day and night you counted, when that true command comes to pass, you will part from them. Then those endless sights of the true world will be shown to you. That is, the eternal paradise and hell. those places of punishment will be shown to you. Then, when you say: send me back to the world once more, see how I will worship You, according to the verse where Allah Almighty says: even if We sent you back not once but several times, you would again do the same thing — if people in this world do not know the truth, do not know their Lord, turn their backs on Him, they turn that eternal abode of bliss into an eternal abode of punishment, and at that Great Court Allah Almighty says of such people: they are there forsaken and alone.

Forsaken and alone. Allah Almighty will withdraw His mercy from them. No one — people who say Allah, Muslims, people of faith — will stand by them. And they will remain there eternally alone. Well, Hodja, how will people stand by them? Doesn't Allah Almighty say in His verse: On that day judgment is Mine alone. Accordingly, how would people stand by the people there — such a question may come to your mind. Allah Almighty says this to those He loves. Neither grief nor (?) will touch them, He says. That is, He will give them the right of intercession. And those to whom He gives that right of intercession, for those they love, will intercede. Yes.

For every soul shall taste death. Those goods you did not part with and the children will remain in the world. You, however, in your eternal life, alone with what you did, with the deeds you have done, will come before Allah Almighty, before your Lord. So the worldly blessings you enjoy within a lifetime, compared to the time of the hereafter, are nothing more than one or two hours. These one or two hours of worldly blessings, beside the favors in the eternal abode of bliss and what will be given to you, are very, very little. Very, very little indeed. So, obeying Allah and His Messenger, going to the hereafter with faith, following Allah's commands and prohibitions — may Allah Almighty grant this to all of us, we said.

Yes.