Al-An'am 24: See how they tell lies against themselves and how the things they made up (as deities) disappeared from their sides.

Surah Al-An'am, we left off at verse 23. We left off at verse 24. "See," it says, "how they lied against themselves, and how what they invented as gods vanished from them," it says. Here again perhaps in the verse, Allah Almighty: "Then their excuse will be nothing but saying: Our Lord, by Allah, we were not those who associated partners," He says. That is, in Hell, when they are asked about those partners of theirs, what do they say? Then their excuse will be nothing other than saying: Our Lord, by Allah, we were not those who associated partners, it says. Yes. And what does Allah Almighty say here?

See, it says, how they lied against themselves, and how what they invented as gods vanished from them.

Those who worship idols they made with their own hands, who deify their own nafs, who turn a deaf ear to Allah's commands, who cast them behind them, who do not listen to Allah's command, who with the feelings of the nafs think of themselves as if unrestrained and in this world carry on their lives irresponsibly — such people. I will not be able to (?) them. You know, there are madder ones among the mad — raving mad. Yes, on the level of raving madmen, people sleepwalking, unaware of themselves. Let me go further: the dead. These are the dead. "Hodja, they are alive!" — In His verse Allah Almighty says, do not be with the dead.

These are not the dead lying in graves. People whose heart and nafs have found no nourishment, unaware of themselves, who do not know the Messenger of Allah, who live their own nafs, who judge by their own reason's verdict and recognize no other verdict, are no different from the dead. These are the dead. Here is another verse for you. "My beloved, you cannot make the dead hear. Nor can you make the deaf hear when they turn their backs and leave," it says.

What comes out here? Hatemallâhu alâ kulûbihim ve alâ sem'ihim ve alâ ebsârihim gışâveh, ve lehüm azâbün azîm. From here: over their eyes a veil, in their ears a (?). And their hearts — they had them sealed by Us, it says. They had them sealed. These will never come to faith. So who are these? The dead. The living dead. Well, as long as they live, as long as they live within their term, what will their end be? Their end will be eternal Hell. Eternal Hell. When they pass to the Hereafter like that, eternal Hell, that is, punishments there beyond imagination, and burning in fires, being scorched, their skins again growing back fresh and being scorched again — for so many thousand years there they will suffer punishment. Yes. What do you say?

See how they lied against themselves, and how what they invented as gods vanished from them. So according to this verse, my advice to you this evening: never follow your nafs; do not deify your nafs and chase after filth; do not follow the footsteps of the leaders of disbelief, walking behind them.

Otherwise, tomorrow at the Supreme Court, when we are called to account, against the lightness of our load of good deeds and the weight of our load of sins, regret will be of no use. Regret is of no use. Yes, those who deny Allah saying to Allah Almighty, "Our Lord, by Allah, we were not those who associated partners" — with the verse "how they lied against themselves", they still, thinking they would deceive Allah Almighty, with the lies they made up against themselves thought they would clear their nafs.

What does it say? For the love of Allah, we (?) them — how they lied against themselves, and how what they invented as gods vanished from them. Their saying: Our Lord, by Allah, we were not those who associated partners.

As if they will deceive Allah.

There is not a single living being to come until the Day of Judgment whose deeds Allah Almighty does not know. In this case, if a person knew his guilt and knew there is no god other than Allah, bowed his head and asked his Lord for forgiveness, asked his Lord for forgiveness — Look, this, this we will open to you with verses.

In Hell, if those people (?) Allah as Allah, submitted to Allah and asked for pardon and forgiveness, then believe this: as much as their sins, Allah Almighty, after punishing them, takes them out of Hell and also closes Hell.

After punishing them in Hell as much as their sins, He takes them out and closes Hell too, it says. But since those people's desires and wishes are their destiny, in proportion to their wishes Allah Almighty has placed characters in them. Since these characters will never change, however much punishment they see, in the face of that punishment, against Allah Almighty they will hold a grudge. Since they wait for the Lord of their imagination, they will try to take revenge on Allah. That is why Allah Almighty says: they will not see their Lord. So, by such talk, in their claim, they think they will deceive Allah. Yet Allah Almighty knows the secrets of hearts.

What we need but do not know, what is hidden in the (?) of our heart, our Lord knows. How does He know? According to the covenant we gave, according to the characters He has placed in us — what those characters will increase over time, we know. The one who provides sustenance for every one of His creatures in the universe: Allah. Allah who, again through actual creations among His creatures in the universe, by creating causes, creating causes, has people put them into practice with their actual deeds and makes them witnesses to themselves of what kind of people they are. Every moment on duty, every moment according to people's desires and wishes He creates causes, creates.

And people, by working these causes, prove what kind of people they are. Besides, within their destinies, what they will earn, what they will eat, what they will drink — by creating their sustenance for them, people take their sustenance, or go bankrupt, or earn, and so, within the covenants they themselves gave, since our Lord knows what state they are in, every moment in the universe He earns attributes toward these creatures of His. In this case, if you get up and say to Allah Almighty, "Our Lord, by Allah, we did not associate partners" — would you not be lying? As if you will deceive Allah.

But Allah Almighty is such a God that He has recorded what you did. Also, just as you are listening to me here — if you filmed a video, if you (?) the video everywhere, the same, just as they will listen to this talk of mine everywhere, Allah Almighty too, to them, with these images arising, will show them, making them witnesses against themselves. Yes.

Whereas in fact, since denial of Allah had arisen in their nature, as soon as they found the chance they would again oppose Allah and associate partners with Him. Yes. As long as their characters do not change, they will always do the same thing. Allah Almighty, abundant in mercy and compassion — would He ever will injustice for people?

What do people say in that world of the Hereafter when they see the punishment? "My Lord, send us back to the world. Let us behave well toward You there. Let us know You." If these people were truly going to know Allah as Allah, without bringing them into the world again at all, they would suffer there as much as their punishment and He would again admit them to Paradise. But look what it says: Even if We sent you back not once but several more times, you would again do the same thing. The reason: the same characters will never change. Wherever he goes. So their talk is nothing other than deceiving themselves by their own nafs, nothing at all.

Yes.

Indeed, according to Allah Almighty's verse in which He says this world (?) the likeness of the Hereafter, the one who denies Allah in this world will deny there too. Because people's desires and wishes are the characters of persons. And it is impossible for these characters to change. From this world, from the world of the Hereafter — however this person passed over, his characters in the world of the Hereafter are the same. These people can never change. Why are they the same? Because he has fully proven himself. He has matured, like a ripe fruit. He has brought out his characters completely.

If he is obedient, obedient; if rebellious, rebellious; he has made himself a witness both before those around him and before Allah Almighty. In this case, in how many breaths — this covenant he gave, in how many breaths he will complete it — our Lord knows this. Within that number of breaths, that becomes a lifetime for him, that number of breaths. When that number of breaths ends, you neither go an hour ahead nor stay an hour behind. And you will have made yourself a full witness. Both to yourself, to those around, and to Allah.

Yes.

So for people in this world, to prove what kind of people they are, they come to the world of mulk; after living in it and proving themselves, either they pass to the Hereafter with the light of faith or, without faith, they end up in eternal Hell.

If there is one thing a person must do, it is to use his reason; there is no treasure as great as the blessing of reason given to man. With your reason you know your Lord. With your reason you buy Paradise. With your reason, with your lack of reason, you buy Hell. So we will use our reason, and try to be servants to Allah, the ummah of His Beloved. So we will know that in the world we are in a guesthouse, and finally the end of the world — how it is, we will understand in the Hereafter. Whose it will be. Yes, we must act accordingly.

So if a person gave his covenant as a denier, it can never change. However, in the world of mulk a person may, in body, be born and grow up in places not suited to his covenant. They may have bad traits, but if the person's destiny is an obedient nafs, this person, the moment he finds the environment suited to his life, gives up his bad habits and returns to his covenant. A person may also grow up in a good environment and give up his bad habits. But a person's covenant may be bad; this person too, when he finds the environment suited to his life, turns toward evil, abandons his good, moral life; he too has returned to his covenant. That is, Allah Almighty places into the loins of a Muslim a non-Muslim soul, and into the loins of a non-Muslim a Muslim soul.

The reason: so that tomorrow they do not say, look, had You created me among Muslims I would have become Muslim — from non-Muslim to Muslim: by placing it into a Muslim's loins, that one leaves Islam and becomes a disbeliever. By placing an Islamic soul into a disbeliever's loins, that one too — what does he do? He will return to his origin. He returns from the place he lives in. He turns back. He puts his trust in Allah Almighty. He chooses the religion of Islam. These will be shown to Allah Almighty. And also, look: if you too had been obedient, if you too had not been a rebellious, tyrannical person, even if you had been among them, like Abraham you would have returned to your origin, that is, to Allah, you would have turned back. And like the son of Noah, despite being among Islam, he too chooses the disbelievers, the path of disbelief.

Because their covenants are so. They cannot refrain from them. They cannot change.

In the lives in this world, people, changing character, until the very last moment, a person completing his covenant in his nafs, making it said of himself "I am this person", completing his life, passes to the Hereafter. After passing to the Hereafter, it is impossible for this person to change character again. So, when they are left subject to punishment, with the excuses they invent they make themselves liars, and so they become unjust to their nafs. Now above we said they change character. The other time we said they cannot change character. Within the characters Allah Almighty gave people, the habits people acquire when they are in a bad environment — these are habits.

They may have some bad habits, but that does not mean it is his character. A person can abandon his habits, but his characters he can never change. Yes.

So people, in a bad or good environment, can acquire some habits. Then, because He gives them a life, a number of breaths, in which to prove themselves as a result of their characters, Allah Almighty — within that number of breaths people give up these habits, return to their origin, living their own characters, and prove to themselves what kind of people they are. Since all created beings are Allah's creations, these people, worshipping as Allah what they made with their own hands and associating partners with Allah — on the Day of Judgment, when people are gathered in the divine presence of Allah Almighty, the idolaters will see that the objects they believed in as god, or carried with them as lucky charms, are not with them.

Allah did not create His creatures irresponsible and aimless, creating people to do evil within their own desires and wishes and be unjust to their nafs. Allah Almighty did not create people aimless; within their nafs-driven feelings He did not give them the authority to live as they wish. By what? By His laws. By His laws. If He had given them authority to live — given an authority, live your desires and wishes as you like — Allah Almighty would not have made His laws known to people. He would not have made His Sharia ruling known to people. So these people who seem free actually have a great yoke on their necks.

What yoke? The yoke of Allah's Sharia rulings. Just as, within the laws of a state, those laws are a yoke on our necks and we must obey them; when we step outside the laws, when we act contrary to those laws, those laws', that state's, those laws' enforcer catches us and settles our account. Well, if a state's laws, when a person breaks the law like this, punish that person for it, then did Allah Almighty, who created these worlds and created man, whom He addressed directly, free and very noble and honourable, leave man aimless? Has He no law over man?

Then, if you trample on Allah's laws and with your own reason's verdicts go on living, if, where there are no state laws, you commit every kind of lawlessness — or more accurately, if you run after the two-legged taghut and follow the trail of the people of whom He says they are like four-legged animals on earth, even more astray, the place you will arrive is what He calls an evil destination, what an evil resting place: the fire of Hell. Yes.

Yes.

Allah did not create His creatures irresponsible and aimless, so that people, within their own desires and wishes, do evil and are unjust to their nafs. So although Allah has declared with many verses that He will one day call His creatures to account to people, if people, without heeding the day they will give account before Allah Almighty, their hardest moment, spend their lives running after Satan and the nafs, then they will see that they are left all alone. They will see that they are left all alone. Where? My mercy in the universe is for everyone, in the Hereafter only for the believer, He says. What does He say?

My mercy in the universe is for everyone, in the Hereafter only for the believer. So those who turn their backs on Allah and His Messenger, deify their own nafs in the world and live irresponsibly, those who do not recognize the Book of Allah and His Messenger, who trample all of Allah's Sharia rulings, Sharia rulings, and transgress His limits — there they are without anyone and alone, says Allah Almighty; even if it is his dearest one, the person going to Hell there — a Muslim person will never turn around to look at him. Of the servants, the people, from whom Allah has cut off His mercy, the people who love Allah will not intercede; they will leave them and enter.

There they are. They will have neither a helper nor an intercessor. May Allah protect us from the punishment and severity of such a day. May He keep us safe from being left alone. Yes. May He grant us to gather in our Lord's refuge, under the banner of the Prophet, and make it easy for us.

What do we say?

So although Allah has made clear with many verses that He will one day call His creatures to account to people, people — their hardest moment, the hardest which is it? The hardest moment: the Last Day will come, we will be resurrected at the gathering. At the gathering, at the Supreme Court, the moment we are called to account — our hardest moment. You know, for a year we study at school, study in class. Then at the end of the year we will have an exam, the exam to pass the class. Each of us is nervous while waiting then. Will the questions be easy? Will we pass our class? Or will we fail? Waiting at that exam is our hardest moment.

This is the hardest moment. There we have come to a world from which there is no return. Before our Lord, within a period given us, that is, within a lifetime, we have proven what kind of people we are. Now there it is the day of decision. Isn't that a hard moment? Yes, so for this reason, although Allah has declared with many verses that He will one day call His creatures to account, to people, if people, disregarding their hardest moment, the day before Allah Almighty when they will give account, spend their lives running after Satan and the nafs, then they will see that they are left all alone.

Allah Almighty, applying this point: O people, there is no other god besides Allah who could come and take you from My hand and save you.

So if all created beings are servants of Allah, everyone needs Allah. Whoever turns his back on Allah — on that day of reckoning you will have neither a helper nor an intercessor. So, using your reason, race in obeying Allah and being His servant. Do not move away from Allah, so that you find salvation. So we, in order to be servants of Allah Almighty and under our Lord's mercy, will bow our necks to our Lord, like this. Yes. Or we will (?) our heads. We will say "at your command" to the commands. To Allah's commands.

If, He says, We had asked you to work and give to Us, this would have been heavy for you, He says. Many of you would have (?), He says. Allah Almighty, who needs nothing and gives sustenance to His creatures — although He is so, He gives sustenance.

Unfortunately people will both take this sustenance, the sustenance, and be ungrateful to Allah.

Is this any way to act?

Is this someone with reason?

When he receives help from a person, he says thank you to him. Our Lord gives us so much sustenance; will we not thank Him? He brought us from nothing into being, and prepared for us the endless delights of the Hereafter, the highest Paradises. Paradise, Paradise, you say; you long for Paradise, yet you prove that you do not love Paradise at all.

"Can you prove it, Hodja, that I do not love Paradise?" Of course I can prove it. If you loved Paradise, you would do what Allah says. So you loved not Paradise but your nafs, more than Paradise, since you went outside what Allah said. Now, in this case, did you love Paradise or your nafs? Yes. You love Paradise. Perhaps you imagine Allah. But Paradise — although you only imagine Paradise too, more strongly than Allah you know Paradise. This is people's condition. People imagine Allah, imagine the Hereafter, but when it comes to Paradise and Hell? Yes, they say, there are Paradise and Hell; I will go to Paradise.

If it exists, I will inherit that Paradise there. To inherit that Paradise, you are obliged to do what Allah says. You will do what Allah says. Yes. You will love Allah more than your nafs. You will do what Allah says more than what your nafs says, so that you may inherit that Paradise.