Ash-Shu'ara 137: “This is nothing but the tradition of the former ones.”

This is verse 137 of Surah Ash-Shu'ara. "This is nothing but the custom of the former ones," it says. You know, it says "tales of the former ones, of the ancients"; "it is nothing but the custom of the former ones," it says. The people of Ad, the people of Hud (peace be upon him), also accused their prophet of lying. They said, "This is the custom of the ancients." If there is something astonishing about people, it is this: as if they had heard what was told to the ancients as "the custom of the ancients" but not heard of the destruction that befell them, these too, saying the same words, saying "the custom of the ancients," wanted to bring destruction upon themselves.

So these — what turns them away from the path of truth? There is one single factor that turns them away from the path of truth. It is that in pre-eternity, at kalû belâ, while Allah Almighty was making the covenant with our souls, there they denied Allah. These people's denial was written for them as destiny; in the earthly world, to people who cannot reform their nafs, Allah Almighty's commands feel heavy, so these people live in the feelings of the nafs, far from Allah. People who do not master the feelings of their nafs and live outside Allah Almighty's commands, like copies of one another, in the same feelings, using the same words, deny their prophets.

Today people of the same feeling meet in the tavern. People of the same feeling meet in the gambling house. People of the same feeling meet in mafias, meet among smugglers. And people of the same feeling meet in mosques, meet in madrasas. Everyone's place is different.

Now, in this regard, it comes to my mind: to the Prophet someone comes, "O Messenger of Allah," he says, "I come from such-and-such city; the coffeehouses are full," he says. "That's true, true."

Again someone from there, from that city, "O Messenger of Allah," he says, "I come from that city; the taverns are full," he says. "True." The Companions are puzzled. "The coffeehouses are full — he said 'true' to him," they say. "The taverns are full — he said 'true' to him," they say.

"I," he says, "come from that city," he says. "There," he says, "it is full of people who swindle each other and commit injustice," he says. "True," he says. One comes and says, "O Messenger of Allah, I come from that city. The mosques are full," he says. "True," he says. Which of these is true? "O Messenger of Allah, we didn't understand," they say. "To him 'true,' to this one 'true,' to that one 'true,' and to that one too you said 'true,'" they say. "Which is true?" "Everyone," he says, "determines for himself the place he came to," he says. That one went to the coffeehouse, the other went to the swindlers, the other went to the mosque.

"Everyone," he says, "sees that his own place is full," he says.

Yes.

There is a verse about this too. "As you are, so are the rulers you bring over yourselves," it says. How beautiful. Yes.

Have we finished here? 137. verse. In the earthly world, to people who cannot reform their nafs, Allah Almighty's commands feel heavy, so these people live in the feelings of the nafs, far from Allah. People who cannot master the feelings of their nafs and live outside Allah Almighty's commands, like copies of one another, in the same feelings, using the same words, deny their prophets. In that case, the peoples who overstep the bounds invite their own destruction themselves. Yes.