An-Nisa 147: If you believe and if you are grateful, why would Allah punish you? Allah is much Appreciative (Shakir) and All-Knowing (Aleem).

Verse 147 of Surah An-Nisa: if you believe and give thanks — and gratitude is very important. Allah Almighty says, would We ever diminish the wealth of one who gives thanks? Gratitude is a person knowing his helplessness. Gratitude: that there is no god other than your Lord, tawhid; gratitude — only those people blessed with the religion of tawhid, who know that by Allah, the sole Owner of these worlds, all blessings are given to people by Him, who give thanks for what comes from Him and are content with their state — as if they had performed the greatest worship, Allah Almighty accepts them. That's why gratitude is very important.

Gratitude. You will give thanks. In gratitude there is submission. In gratitude there is trust in Allah. In gratitude there is being content with what comes from your Lord. In gratitude there is turning to your Lord sincerely. There is recognizing no god other than Him. All of this is gratitude. That's why give thanks a lot. Look, what does Allah Almighty say in His verse? Luqman, He says, because he gave much thanks, We gave him wisdom, He says.

What is it? Luqman, He says, Luqman. Because he gave much thanks, We gave him wisdom. So we will give much thanks. So that we may win our Lord's pleasure. So that we are not ungrateful for the blessings He gave. And we (?), let us prove that we are human. Think: you are helping a person.

You meet all his needs. You keep him on his feet at a certain level. And he sets out to betray you. Would you like that? And Allah Almighty says: you, He says, from someone a well, received help — then thank him, He says. Look: thank him. Here He strengthens love toward one another.

But for what our Lord gives us, we cannot say thank you to Him. He is not our equal. We offer Him gratitude instead. We say: O Allah, all praise and glory be to You. Yes. We give thanks for His blessings.

What does it say now? Let's read it again. If you believe and give thanks, why should Allah punish you? Allah is the One who rewards gratitude and knows everything, it says. What beautiful verses. Allah Almighty created people so that His essence would be known. Addressing them, He willed that His essence be known through people. For this He created people and these worlds. If a person fits this way of creation and will of Allah Almighty, is with his Lord, does what He says, why should Allah punish those people?

For whom is punishment?

Even though He created him so that His essence would be known, even though He granted him a life, even though He addressed him, even though He gave him a part of His essence, even though He left him free in his will, made him the most excellent of creation, made him the vicegerent on earth, even though He offered people so many blessings — O man! With what conscience do you turn your back on your Lord and act ungratefully toward Him?

Yes. And what power do you find in yourself that, with your pride, arrogance and grandeur, you oppose your Lord?

I say again: is your reason really reason? Your path that you go, is it a path? Tomorrow at the Great Court, when you are subjected to punishment, whom will you blame? You can't blame Allah, because your own (?) — you will see the consequence of what you did. So be wise; while living this world, know that your time is very precious, and return to your Lord so that you may find life. While every kind of authority has been given to you in the world, if you, within these authorities, become spoiled, turn away from your Lord and turn your back on Allah, deify your own nafs, and, with more grandeur than your Lord, with pride and arrogance, show off to people — when your place tomorrow is Hell, whom will you blame?

What does Allah Almighty say? They, He says, when they realize they will go to Hell, He says, those who throw themselves face down on the ground, their eyes like the blue of the sky, He says, pop out. Did Allah give you this state? You did it yourself. By yourself. So if you, (?) of so many created beings, become spoiled and see this power in yourself, then your place (?) becomes Hell. If toward Allah, who offers you so many blessings, you act without conscience, if you don't use your conscience, if you don't respond with that gratitude, again, according to the verse, you become like the four-legged ones roaming the earth, and, going on, into a more misguided state you fall.

The four-legged creatures living on earth carry out the duties they were created for — they fulfill them. And you?

Even though you were created the most honorable, not knowing your place, (?) (?) — if you live with the worst traits and with an in- human attribute carry on your life, then surely Allah Almighty, Eleysallahu bi-ahkemi'l-hâkimîn, with the attribute of Judge of judges — surely you will have determined your own place yourself.

Yes.

Allah Almighty created people so that His essence would be known. Addressing them, He willed that His essence be known through people. For this He created people and these worlds. If a person fits this way of creation and will of Allah Almighty, is with his Lord, does what He says — why then should Allah punish those people? Why should He punish? Because His promise is that. His will is that. He willed that His essence be known through people. If that person knew his Lord and obeyed His command, would Allah be unjust and punish those people? Wasn't He the Most Merciful of the merciful? Wasn't what you earned the return of your two hands?

Wasn't He the One who abundantly forgives upon repentance? Wasn't our Lord Tawwab, the Accepter of repentance? In this case, would Allah ever, to people who do what He says, ever do wrong? Yes. Doesn't Allah Almighty say in a verse: We do not will injustice for the worlds. But you wrong your own selves. So those who know Allah as Creator, who realize He is the absolute Owner and Ruler of the worlds, who accordingly trust in Allah and give thanks to Allah — why would Allah punish them? Yes, to those who obey and worship Him and who, trusting in Him, submit to Him, to those who give thanks for what comes from Allah — Allah promises to give great rewards.

Again, doesn't He say in a verse: who keeps his promise as faithfully as Allah? So if we disregard Allah's promises, do not bear patiently what comes from Him, or do not give thanks, if we turn our backs on Allah, then when Allah punishes people, has He inflicted torment on people?

That person has inflicted torment on his own self. Yes. What did we say before? If a person goes against the law of a state, did the people of that state punish him? Or did that person, because he went against the laws of that state, make himself liable to punishment? Yes. If a person throws himself down from a cliff and is shattered, or consciously breaks his own arms and legs, is it Allah who punishes him? Every person is free in his own will.

So we say: O man, we have such a Creator and such a mercifully giving (?) Owner, our Lord, that if we reflect a little, if, thinking of our Lord, we try to grasp His mercy upon us, we are ashamed of our humanity for what we have done against Allah, we feel shame. Toward what He gave, toward His blessings,

toward what He bestowed on us — for the health He gave, the lifespan He gave, the spirit He gave, for His addressing us, for our being the most excellent of creation, for so many blessings He created for us, for His guidance in these worlds? I mean, we cannot count His blessings. So what do we do in the face of so many blessings? What do we do? Are we going to boast of performing one prayer? We cannot fulfill the gratitude owed for the blessings He gave. If we go into His presence with what we did in the face of His blessings, head down, neck bowed, hands folded on our chest we go. We only take refuge in His mercy, His mercy.

And He, out of His mercy: O My servant, I had already given you shortcomings. I have forgiven all your mistakes. It is enough that you knew Me, He says. That's what it was for Me. You did what I said, He says. As much as you could, you did not depart from what I said. Today My Paradise is yours, He says. Oh, look how beautiful it is. His blessings — in return for so many blessings. What does He want from us? What does He want? Does He say: work and give it to Me? Does He say: tire yourself out for Me in these places?

Yes.

If a person truly reflects a little, out of shame he cannot raise his head before his Lord.

In this case, whoever gives thanks for the blessings Allah gave, Allah is the One who rewards gratitude. He is the One who takes them as friends. Friend. Through his gratitude. Just as He gives wisdom to Luqman — in wisdom there is great knowledge. There are great events. Yes.

He is the One who gives the happiness of eternal life. In the world, being with those He loves, He is the One who gives peace to their hearts. That Allah is the One who knows everything. Because it is He who created everything, and the one who truly knows, knows, is also He. He has power over everything, He is wise in His decree. Here we connected the feelings sentence by sentence. These are feelings.

In this case, whoever gives thanks for the blessings Allah gave — Allah is the One who rewards gratitude. That is, He is with those people. He is the One who gives him wisdom. He is the One who makes known to him the secrets of the worlds of meaning. Most people do not know inspiration, it says. Through inspiration, in the light of the verses, it is the knowledge his Lord gives him. (?) is the One who takes them as friends, it says. He takes them as friends.

Indeed, when He gives wisdom, since those people of wisdom never compromise on their Lord, they are their Lord's friends. O soul at peace, your Lord pleased with you and you pleased with your Lord, enter among My servants, enter My Paradise — beyond even the attribute of the (?) He speaks of,

He is a friend to the people in the state of ilm al-yaqin. Friend. Yes.

He is the One who gives the happiness of eternal life. There. Like that. Your friend should not wrong you. Right? The Sirat bridge (?). They made up the hooks, they made up the maces. On what basis did they say it? May Allah forgive their sins, since they did it without knowing. If they do it knowingly, may He reform them.

Being together, in the world, with those He loves — who? Allah is with those He loves. He is the One who gives peace to their hearts. Just as in the verse of Light. To those We love, He says, (?) Our light in their hearts. That Allah is the One who knows everything. And the One who brings the universe into being from nothing. Until the Day of Judgment there is not a single particle of which He does not know what it will do. He is aware of the whole secret of creation. He has created many more beings we do not know. Within His knowledge. He is the Knower of the unseen. Because it is He who created everything, and He who truly knows it.

Yes. Because He created, He knows everything.

He has power over everything. He has created nothing outside His decree. Such a universe, these beings of a vastness we cannot imagine, every substance of them and the forms of their atoms, which Allah makes remember Him — His being together with all He created — can you imagine that? (?) Such an exalted Lord we have. Yes. Powerful over everything. Everything is under His decree. In everything He is wise in His decree. He has made everything deliberately. There is wisdom in everything. Our reason cannot grasp His wisdom. We only know as much as He has made known.