Ali 'Imran 97: There are open signs (and) the place of Abraham. Those who enter it are safe. For those who have the means, pilgrimage to that House is a right of Allah upon mankind. Whoever denies (should know), Allah is exalted over all the worlds.

In it are clear signs, and also the station of Abraham. Where is this? In Mecca the Honoured, at the House of Allah.

Whoever enters it is safe; the House of Allah is in safety. That is, nothing like a massacre or the like happens there.

Whoever enters its way is safe; that those able to find a way make the pilgrimage to that House is a right Allah has over people. Whoever... making the pilgrimage to that House is a right Allah has over man. Whoever denies, let him know that Allah is free of need of all the worlds. Allah Almighty's Allah Almighty's single verse: a person who deliberately denies it, deliberately, mind you. If he denies without knowing, he is a sinner in that ignorance. Deliberately: can this be like that? When he says 'I will not accept this', he becomes an unbeliever. The House of Allah in Mecca the Honoured, while being the first of the houses built on earth, is also the first house of worship on earth.

The first house of worship. Why? Its first house of worship: when Adam (peace be upon him) left Paradise, what does he say? O Allah, the worship I performed for You in Paradise around that column of light I saw, if You would send that column of light here too, so that I could worship You; when he said this, our father Adam had just come down to earth from Paradise as the very first human. There were no children yet, nobody at all. Only together with our mother Eve. And Allah Almighty accepts his prayer. In fact, this is a scenario already written. To send that House, He ties everything to causes anyway.

And so Allah Almighty, as His House, the first house of worship, sends that column of light of His down to earth.

For this reason the House of Allah cannot be compared with any temple. That is, however many houses of worship there are on earth, it cannot be compared with any of them. The reason: although in the other houses, even mosques are houses. They are houses of worship to Allah Almighty. Allah Almighty's places where He is to be worshipped. But in no way can these, again, be like the true column of light, or like the present house of worship of the House of Allah. If that had been so, worship equal to it would have come about. That is, worship equal to that place. For example, what does He say about the House of Allah?

Whoever comes here is personally in My presence, He says. What does He say? Whoever comes here personally, whoever visits this place, is in My presence, He says. And everywhere one is in His (?), in His presence, but there, He says, personally in My presence. He does not say this about the other houses. He does not say this about the other mosques or other places. Perhaps the other mosques may be superior to one another. For example, Bayt al-Maqdis, which Solomon built, which he built with the jinn, for example the blessed grave of the Prophet: a single rak'ah of prayer performed in these places counts in place of one rak'ah.

The other mosques are all the same as one another, but those places are superior to them. So in this case, the House of Allah is superior to them. Because it is Allah's temple, and one is personally in His presence. Yes.

According to one report, the Jews said that Bayt al-Maqdis was more valuable than the House of Allah.

Because they used to turn in that direction.

Their qibla was that way. In response, the Muslims said that the House of Allah was superior. They reported this incident to the Prophet. Thereupon this verse is revealed. As Allah made known, through the Holy Quran He sent to people, that the religion with Him is Islam, the House of Allah became the qibla for all people. For this reason, the House of Allah is the most precious temple on earth. Allah Almighty had Adam lay its foundation and had His House built in its present place. That is, by 'had its foundation laid' I mean His sending that column of light down there. There, the House of Allah's, you know, our father Adam worshipping around it.

There is the part with the golden gutter there. Adam (peace be upon him) probably used to sleep and rise there. That is why people rush to the place where he lay, where he sat, to pray there. Yet that place is the House as well. Allah's House. Yes. After Adam, the House of Allah was submerged by the flood of Noah. Then, as it was buried under sand, Allah, who made Abraham find the place of the House of Allah, had Abraham repair the House of Allah and it was brought to its present form. Also, at the House of Allah there is a station belonging to Abraham. It is called the Station of Abraham (Maqam Ibrahim).

Right opposite this golden door, another, the station of Abraham: you too, He says, take there as a place of prayer, He says. That is, also perform a prayer at the place where the Station of Abraham is. Yes, after the circumambulation we too, there, at least (?) rak'ah (?).

This place is called the Station of Abraham. Its location is opposite the golden door of the House of Allah, a little more towards the golden gutter side. Now there, on the stone Abraham stepped on, is the place with the mark of the footprint he left. Abraham's footprints on this stone are told in various reports, but the strongest is that while Abraham was raising the walls of the House of Allah, as Allah's miracles, the stone he stood on served him as scaffolding or as a lift. You know, they call it scaffolding: a task, lifting. It would take him wherever he wanted. He would take a stone, and when he turned to where he would place it, that lift would go that way, lift him up together with his stone, and have him place it there.

Yes.

Wherever he wanted to put the stone he took from the ground, this stone lifted itself and was carried there. This stone, at the House of Allah, where the Station of Abraham is, under a glass case is displayed and visited.

Have you seen it, Hodja? I have seen it. There really is a footprint.

Two footprints like this on that stone, a black stone. They are on it. Abraham's foot- prints on this stone are told in various reports. But the strongest: while Abraham was raising the walls of the House of Allah, we say, and we read that part. Those who are at the Station of Abraham are safe. Umar said the following. Even if it were the killer of my honoured father, and that killer were at the Station of Abraham, if he were, I would not touch him until he left there, he says. Because Allah Almighty has made that place safe. However, criminals in this situation are not given anything from outside.

That is, such as food and drink; there they are threatened with death, that is. For those who have strength, who are able to find a way, making the pilgrimage to that House is a right Allah has over people.

One of His rights over people is going on hajj.

Allah Almighty created people so that His Essence would be known. Those who do not know His Essence are non-Muslims within various ideologies.

They are those outside the religion of Islam. So for people who are Muslim, the hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam, going on hajj; that is, it costs money anyway. What does it say anyway? Those who have the strength to get there, (?), that is, those able to find a way, it says. Whether financially or in terms of the safety of the road, for those who are able, Allah's right over people is that they visit there. Because if he has entered Islam, then he will carry out Allah's command. He will, well, visit it. In fact, Allah Almighty having people visit this place is not because that person or Allah Almighty would be honoured by that person.

Nor because He needs it. Nor because He needs his worship. It is so that He cleanses that person. Even if a person prays, fasts and gives zakat, his sins are sins, his good deeds are good deeds. Yes. By calling you to that House of Allah, since He loves man so much, He has all your sins forgiven. What does He say? If you come here, circumambulate the House, and at the Station of Abraham (?) pray, you are newly born from your mother, He says. You are as if newly born from your mother. You are entirely without sin. What does He call you for? For your own benefit. Otherwise Allah has no benefit; not over you, He has no benefit.

He provides that benefit to people, to all His creatures; He gives. He feeds them, gives them drink. He grants them life. Otherwise, Allah does not do (?) out of need for people. He does it to cleanse people. So His right over you: He created you, didn't He, when He wants to cleanse you. Why His right? He created you a little deficient. You will err in your reasoning. And with that error you will ask Allah Almighty for pardon and forgiveness. And with that pardon and forgiveness, because it fits Allah Almighty's purpose in creating you, He will cleanse you. Yes.

Those able to find a way means those who have the means to go on hajj. There are various views among the schools of law. According to Imam Shafi'i, this means is the ability to cover transport and travel costs. According to Imam Malik, the ability to walk and to work and earn. According to Imam Hanafi, it is all of these (?).

That is, let me explain all of them to you a bit more. A person must be healthy. That is, when you are ill, it is not certain what will happen anyway. (?) Allah Almighty does not even make you fast. What is it? He must be healthy. He must have enough money to go there and come back, and until he goes there and returns, he must provide the food of the people at home for them. There is no going and leaving them hungry. He must provide it. Until he goes and comes back, however much money the people at his home need, he will leave that for them. The road must be safe. There must be no bandits or the like.

What is that? You go, and there are highwaymen. In the past they would go, and most did not come back. Bandits robbed them, killed them. And there must be no epidemic. Epidemic. In that case the hajj becomes obligatory upon you. And you go and come back. By Allah's grace.

Whoever denies, let him know that Allah is free of need of all the worlds. That is, He is free of them. Free of the worlds. Because Allah Almighty loves people so much, so that they are cleansed of their burden of sin, He has opened a door of guidance for people. That is, to bring them to the House of Allah and cleanse them there. Whoever does not want to benefit from this door turns away from Allah, if he does not circumambulate the House, does not fulfil the obligation, he acts against his own self. People turning away from Allah Almighty, acting in this way, never reaches Allah. Turn away as much as you like, flee as much as you like.

This flight of yours, this denial of yours, this kufr of yours does not reach Allah. And what does it reach? It reaches the burden of sin in your own record. You bring down your own load of good deeds. What is the load of good deeds? The step beneath your feet that will raise you. You load the burden of sin onto your back. And it crushes you. Yes. For Allah is free of the worlds. Every person binds his own covenant himself. That is, whatever covenant he made with Allah Almighty, his own wish, his own situation he had written himself; he binds it himself. That is, his wish, to Allah Almighty, as destiny, within the characters, to him, to himself, he has it given. The covenant he gave to Allah he plays out on earth, and then goes to give account in the divine presence.

Just as no person is responsible for any other person, people's turning away from Allah does not affect Allah either; every person is responsible for what he does.