An-Nisa 142: Indeed, the hypocrites seek to deceive Allah. But Allah turns their deception back upon them. When they stand up for prayer, they do so lethargically, they show off to people and they remember Allah only rarely.

Let us finish our lesson. Surely the hypocrites try to play games with Allah. Yes, the hypocrite. Because he doesn't know what Allah is. Yet Allah turns their games back on their own heads. When they rise for prayer, they rise lazily, showing off to people. And they remember Allah but little, He says. The hypocrites pray the morning and night prayers at home. The noon and afternoon, and if necessary the evening, so as to appear Muslim, they pray in the mosque with people, with Muslims.

I want to give a reminder to those who pray.

Those who pray morning, noon and evening in the mosque — who pray noon, afternoon and evening in the mosque and the morning and night prayers at home — let such people by no means think, we are hypocrites too; let it not cross their minds. That's how it may need to be. But that person has affirmed Allah in his heart. His tiredness, the needs of his work, you know, he may pray the morning and night prayers at home, the noon and afternoon, you know, the evening, he may even pray the evening at home too, he may pray noon and afternoon in congregation, he may even not manage to pray them, not manage in congregation, he may pray alone.

What we're saying is about those who deny in their hearts,

who outwardly appear beside you, beside me, people of bad blood — the hypocrites — it is about them that we say it. Yes.

The hypocrites forget their creation. That is, he ties everything to the world. He thinks he just exists like that. He forgets his creation. He plots games against the Creator and tries to trick Him. Trickery. Truly these are ignorance itself. That is, the grandchildren of Abu Jahl — you know, they say Abu Jahl, the father of ignorance — the father of ignorance. Yes. Abu Jahl's — while he himself has power over nothing, while man himself has power over nothing, against Allah who brings the worlds into being from nothing he prepares games and sets out to lay traps for Him. Between the created and the Creator no comparison or likeness can be made — so exalted, all-knowing and all-powerful is Allah — can games be played on Him, can one try to deceive Him? Against Allah?

Is this not ignorance and foolishness itself, we say. The hypocrites and people of this mindset, until the Day of Resurrection — of the people to come, their conduct and what they will do — against Allah Almighty, who knows it, can games be played? Games (?). Since Allah knows what these will do, the games they will play against their covenant, He prepared His program accordingly, and within this program they melt themselves away and finish themselves off. Let's open this part up a little.

Those to come until the Day of Resurrection, He says — there is not a single living being of which We would not know what it will not do. Every-

thing is concluded within this verse. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. We, with the children of Adam — with those who would emerge from their offspring — made a covenant, and We are your Lord, We said. Their desires and wishes, their intents, were written for them as destiny; within those destinies, according to their desires and wishes, characters were inscribed; into that spirit those characters were inscribed; within those characters a person, within however many breaths, proves himself — that became his lifespan. Lifespan. So, did you think you would die without proving what kind of person you are? — according to the verse.

Man, within his lifespan — knowing what the people to come until the Day of Resurrection will do, Allah Almighty programmed these worlds accordingly. Yes. If man does not know his Lord, he cannot know himself. He swims in ignorance. Let's put it this way. If man cannot know his own nafs, he swims in ignorance and cannot recognize his Lord. Yes.

Allah, with such people, in the deeds they will do, their respites (?) — so that they forgive their wrongs. That is, so that they find their degrees. In the deeds they will do, their opportunities: within their lifespans, what kind of people they are they will determine. These people. Yes.

We know the secrets of your heart, says Allah Almighty. What you need, which is in the most hidden corner of your heart, but of which you are unaware — We are aware of it, We know it, He says. Because He is the one who creates, who gives characters according to desire and wish, and who knows what we will do. Although within our destiny we cannot know what will happen one second later, our Lord knows what the people He created, the beings, will do until the Day of Resurrection. Can traps be laid against Him? Can games be prepared against Him? So what does this show? Man's ignorance. His inability to know his nafs. It shows that he is in pride, arrogance and grandeur.

We say to those wrongdoers. We bring them to the highest position where they are, so that their kufr may increase. Those criminals, He says. We bring them to the highest position where they are. Because how will his kufr increase? It will increase in that high position. With what? With trickery. With injustice. By seizing the property of (?). By betraying the homeland. By seizing the rights and law of the nation. Yes. Don't we see it? Before our eyes, (?), he says.

Our lesson is not a politics lesson, so (?) this part.

But the Quran is the finest politics. The verses show man the mirror of politics. They show its inner face. Yes. These appear Muslim among Muslims and go to prayer lazily. If there is no one to see them, they do not pray. Their praying is for show. That is, it is so as to wring something out of the person in front of them.

If you ask me, Hodja, has anything like this ever happened to you — it has. It has. On duty, someone prays behind me. But I know what mindset he has.

After the prayer, he tells me about his situation. And two or three times, perhaps, in the environment people are in, he may have acquired such a character — hoping that, God willing, with the kindnesses done to him, he would see the truth and turn back, I showed him kindness. But we saw that the more we gave, the more he mocked us in front of his other friends.

When he came again to ask for something, I would tell him this: Look, the colour of your blood is clear. You are a hypocrite.

Don't ask me for help by praying behind me. But we are human. Whoever you are, don't ask me for help by (?) Allah. Tell me, I'll still give you whatever you want.

(?) this happened to me. Yes. These are the hypocrites.

Those who, among people, present themselves as Muslim for their own material interests. The hypocrites do not pray the morning and night prayers. Because at that time they are at home. There is no one beside them to show off to. For this reason they do not pray these prayers. The hypocrites.

And they remember Allah but little. Allah. The meaning here is that, since the hypocrites do not believe, the limits of right and law Allah set, the lines of wronging people, they overstep; and only when they stand in prayer among people for show is it as if they remember Allah. They are in doubt about Allah's existence too.

Bored and distressed they stand in prayer and try to finish the prayer. Living their lives this way, every day, part of the day is torture and part is pleasure and enjoyment. Why pleasure and enjoyment? Their paradise is this world. Outside prayer, they are in pleasure and enjoyment. They continue their filth as their hearts desire.

Their torture side is the prayer they never embrace but are compelled to for their interests — the moments of standing in it. After praying in distress, as if something had lifted off them, they feel as light as a bird, as if from a life in captivity they had regained their freedom.

Then they fall into distress over the next prayer, and after the evening prayer, since they will not pray the night and morning prayers, they try to live out the pleasures and filth they long for. So they spend their lives in this state. In the end, when with death the realities of the hereafter, which is the truth, are shown to them — regret, and in the end an eternal punishment. May Allah protect us from such a life and mindset, we have said. Yes.