Al-Ma'idah 95: Oh you believers! Do not kill prey while being on ihraam. If someone among you kills it intentionally, the penalty is an equivalent animal that was killed. Two individuals of justice from among you will judge over this as a sacrifice that will go to the Kaaba. Or as atonement, (the penalty consists of) the feeding of the needy or fasting the equivalent thereof. Thus, the one (who has hunted illegally) shall taste the penalty for what he has done. Allah has forgiven what has passed. Whoever repeats this offence, Allah will take recompense from him. Allah is Azeez (Exalted) and Zuntiqam (taking recompense).

O you who believe! Do not kill game while in ihram. Why not kill it? You have entered ihram. I said ihram is an unstitched garment. You have (?) in towels. What is this? You are saying, while still in the world: I am going to Allah. Yes. So you cannot kill a living being. Whoever among you kills it deliberately — deliberately? But if it will harm you. Or it will sting, a snake attacks you, it will sink its venom into you, and you are left helpless meanwhile — you may kill it. What does it say anyway? Whoever kills it deliberately — deliberately means that it did you no harm and you killed it. The equivalent of the animal he killed is his penalty, He says.

That is, whatever this animal is, whatever its value, he will dedicate an animal accordingly. As a sacrifice to reach the Kaaba, two just people among you judge this, He says. When you reach the Kaaba, He says, you will slaughter it as an offering, and two people will be witnesses. They assess the equivalent of the killed game; or the penalty for hunting is feeding the poor. An expiation consisting of that; or its equivalent in fasting. That is, if you have no money, Allah Almighty allows you these too.

So that the one who hunts forbidden game, who hunts forbidden game, the penalty of his deed may taste. Allah has pardoned what is past. Whoever commits this offense again, Allah will exact recompense from him. Allah is ever Mighty. He is the One who gives the recompense of offenses, He says. The One who gives the recompense of offenses. Of Surah Al-Ma'idah, which verse was this? Sir, let's see. Verse 95. Here there is a verse that has been explained wrongly. What does it say?

Do not kill game while in ihram. Whoever among you kills it deliberately, the equivalent of the game he killed is his penalty. As a sacrifice to reach the Kaaba, two just people among you judge it. They assess the equivalent of the killed game. Or the penalty for hunting is feeding the poor. An expiation consisting of that. Or its equivalent in fasting. So that the one who hunts forbidden game tastes the penalty of his deed. Allah has pardoned what is past. Whoever commits this offense again, Allah will exact recompense from him. Allah is ever Mighty, the Avenger, it says. The Avenger. This ending of the verse ascribes an attribute to Allah.

Allah is the Avenger, it says. Allah does not take revenge on His creatures. This does not befit Allah. For Allah, so kind and merciful, for our Owner, taking revenge is not fitting. What does taking revenge mean? Holding a grudge against him. Or wanting to do him some wrong. Taking revenge. Whereas we say its counterpart is: the One who gives the recompense of offenses. How fine. He is the Judge of judges, after all. So He will recompense. He will give recompense for offenses. The Judge of judges. Its ending is this. (?). Yes.

O you who believe! Do not kill game while in ihram. While man fulfills the obligation of hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, the way Allah Almighty has shown us, we must perform our hajj.

Beyond this, we can never go beyond this. That is, while fulfilling the obligations of hajj, we can never go outside our Lord's commands. If we do, we are punished. What punishment is this? The state's punishment? No. The punishment of Allah's law. What is it? The value of the equivalent of the killed game is assessed. A sacrifice is slaughtered for it. In Mecca. Or the poor are fed, depending on the situation. Or he fasts, if he has no money. If we commit an offense unknowingly or knowingly, we must pay the penalty for that offense. Everything has a recompense. An offense committed also has its recompense.

In this verse, on the other hand, it is made known that people who have entered ihram must not hunt. Yes.

Entering ihram means stripping off the world, reaching union with Allah Almighty. That is: I am now going to my Lord. I have put on the shroud. Ihram — I have stripped off the world. I am going. Being in this feeling. It means going to Him. So if man both sets out on the road to reach Allah and hunts for his pleasure, this hunting contradicts the deeds being performed. For this reason Allah says: do not hunt game while you are in ihram — He commands. While in ihram. Whoever among you kills it deliberately, the equivalent of the animal he killed is his penalty. Today, where I live, there are roe deer around, there are gazelles. They come right up to our door.

Right up to the door. We see them. Sometimes I get up at night for worship. They stand in front of my door; I see them. Roe deer. They move upward like this. Very beautiful animals. Well now, may this animal be shot? Is it game? A game animal. Allah Almighty has made it halal for us. But it is prohibited by law. By law. Even if it were not prohibited by law, a person still couldn't bring himself to shoot it. He'd feel sorry for that animal. By law, when a person kills a roe deer or gazelle, there is a fine of 25 thousand Turkish lira. 25 thousand lira. So that they don't kill the animal and it multiplies.

They multiplied. There are many. Even in winter, last winter, lovely weather — on the ground there's snow, but the weather is very nice, warm. We sat on the balcony, drinking tea, having breakfast. Across from us, roe deer. In two groups. In one group 12-13, in the other 17-18 or so. We count them. There are binoculars in front of us too. About 200-250 meters away from us. Through the binoculars they look right next to you. We were watching. They lie down, they sit. They wander, they graze. Truly, Allah Almighty has adorned this universe so that people, looking at those animals, take a lesson and remember Allah.

What things our Lord has created. Yes. Whoever among you kills it deliberately, the equivalent of the animal he killed is his penalty. So if man deliberately kills a game animal, by two people whose word is trusted and who judge with justice, the equivalent of this game, a sacrifice to reach the Kaaba, he sacrifices for Allah as a penalty.

So normally not the law but two people — a roe deer's — normally a roe deer's penalty today in Africa, here and there, is probably around 1500 lira, 2000 lira, something like that, around 1000 lira. They hunt there freely anyway. Maybe even cheaper. So when he goes there, at the Kaaba, its equivalent — two sacrifices, three sacrifices, one sacrifice, whatever it is — they have him slaughter it for Allah as a penalty.

Saying a sacrifice to reach the Kaaba means this sacrifice being offered at the Kaaba, that is, during the hajj, there. Or, as the penalty for hunting, it is the expiation consisting of feeding the poor. If man cannot afford these, it is his fasting in return for the hunting. This being punished in this way is so that those who do not obey Allah Almighty's command taste the penalty that is the recompense of this disobedience. Yes.

Allah Almighty has pardoned what is past.

Which past did He pardon? He turns back from evil. He returns to the religion of Islam. He says: O our Lord, of all the evils I did in ignorance, in this (?) of ignorance, I have repented.

We have no other door to go to but You. And You are our Lord. From the sins committed in this ignorance (?). You who know me better than we do, who know the secrets of our hearts. There is not a single living being to come until the Day of Judgment of which You do not know what it will not do. So forgive us, pardon us. When you say I will never again return to such evil paths, and when you are faithful to your word, Allah has pardoned the past. Now, according to this verse, there is a verse that supports this. Do not disclose your sins, He says. Why not disclose your sin? You repented of the sin you did, He says, and vowed never to commit it again. And I, He says, have covered your sin.

O My servant, why, He says, My servant whose sin I have covered, do you disclose your sin? He says. Yes, that is why do not disclose your sins, your evils, He says; do not boast any more of those evils, of the evils you did. Yes. In past times, when people fulfilled the obligation of hajj, before this verse came, the hunting done was pardoned. But whoever knowingly commits this offense again, Allah will exact the recompense of this from him. What is its recompense? The like of the penalty he incurred, our Lord, both in this world and the hereafter, makes him suffer. Because Allah is Mighty over everything.

Eleysallahu bi ahkemi'l-hâkimîn. He does not leave an offense committed without recompense, and gives its penalty in full. Yes.