Ali 'Imran 137: Many decisions (by Allah) were done in the past, before you. Go travel on earth to see the end of those who denied (Allah’s verses).

Before you, divine laws concerning many nations have come and passed. So travel and roam the earth, and of those who called Allah's verses lies see what the end was, it says.

Allah Almighty sent many prophets to peoples.

Those who denied their prophets, who denied the divine laws Allah sent them, travel the world and see what the state was of those who belied their prophets, it says.

To travel, (?), we believe. We believe. Praise be to Allah.

And the miracles of Allah Almighty's verses are coming to light.

For the people of 'Ad, for the people of Salih: they, it says, with a single blast dropped to their knees, it says. And they really see them and find them on their knees. Fallen to their knees. Collapsed where they were. For Pharaoh: today, it says, your lifeless body I will leave as a lesson for the worlds, it says, and they find him in prostration in the Red Sea.

The miracles of these verses are coming to light. They find them, and we see what they found.

In this case one single thing emerges.

Allah Almighty, ever since He created the universe, has been addressing the generations that came and went before us. What does He say? O people, I created you, with father Adam, with your father Adam, your outward, your outward appearance in the world I provided. From then till now I call out to you.

If there had been another god besides Me, he too would have called out to you. Since no such god has appeared, O people, do you not use your minds? Do you never reflect that, though you know there is no god but Allah, though I have proven it openly to your thick skulls, you still follow the taghut with your nafs and turn your backs on Me? Do you not (?) your own generation, it says. Don't you think of yourselves?

Allah Almighty tells us this clearly. Think a little, it says, think. Yes, what does it say? Before you, divine laws concerning many nations have come and passed. So travel and roam the earth, and of those who called Allah's verses lies, the end see what it was, it says.

To those who have doubts about Allah Almighty, and to all people, for the proof of His existence, Allah Almighty, eternal without beginning or end, who exists by His essence, Allah Almighty, according to the verse "every soul shall taste death", says that people will die, and that while many peoples lived, divine laws were sent to them; how the peoples who denied these laws and His divine essence were destroyed, travel the earth and see it, He says. That is, there is no god but Him who could rise against what He says and protect the people who go against Him; this is impossible, it has never happened till now; so from now on too will you not take a lesson from these, says Allah Almighty; travel and see, look, is there a god but Me? Then why don't you do what I say? He says. You, carried away by the few hours' life of this fleeting world, deceived, to satisfy your own pleasures and delights, bringing forth every trick and evil you can while you want to sustain your life, to the eternal punishment of the hereafter how can you leave yourself exposed? He says.

If I am the owner of justice, I will judge with justice, and what you did, without doing you any injustice, without doing any injustice, the full return of what you earned I will give you, He says. Well, in this case, if what every soul earned with its own two hands is given in full to it without it being wronged, then if you, in this world, this fleeting, fleeting world, deceived, turn your back on Allah, do you not see how these past peoples were destroyed? Do you take no lesson at all? So if you cannot take a lesson from them, and though from them you see that lesson, with the feelings of your ego still go on living your own life, Allah Almighty, (?): have you not seen the one who (?) his nafs?

And people like this, they, it says, are like (?) roaming the earth, it says. Why does He say so? Because they don't think. They don't comprehend. I programmed them. They do their duties according to that programme. But the person who has will in his hands doesn't think like that animal; like that animal, his own future he doesn't consider; acting with his own nafs, with his own two hands, it says, he leaves himself exposed to punishment. Yes.

Allah's existence, and that His promise is true; that as crops sown on earth come and go, people will come and go from this world, and that the turn is with the living: they came and went, the turn is ours. How the deniers were destroyed, that their end is a loss, see it, He decrees, says Allah Almighty.

Here we tried to give an example. We said: just as every year crops are sown in the field. One sows wheat, sows corn, sows barley. When its time comes, it's harvested, it passes and goes. Next year new is sown. People on earth are like this too. It doesn't wait for that year; those crops are sown, those that have given their fruit go, new ones come in their place, and they continue like this. That is, like a crop. Generations go, new generations come.

So no one has remained forever in this world. The One who created you is calling out to you too.

If you don't obey Me, those past generations, it says, did you not see what befell them? it says. You know how fire falls on some field and it burns, the field burned. That people too, it says, met Allah's curse. They were destroyed, it says. Destroyed. Did you not see them, it says.

What beautiful examples Allah Almighty gives people. So Allah Almighty, warning people with these verses, decrees that they associate partners with Allah, not associate; that, believing in the books and prophets Allah Almighty sent, we be bound by Allah's verses; that while living this worldly life, by the nafs, the world and Satan we not be deceived and ruin our hereafter.

Allah Almighty, with each of His verses, has both proven the existence of His essence and shown people the most beautiful paths; people finding life through Allah Almighty's commands and prohibitions is not enough for a person as proof of Allah's existence, we have said. Yes.

Although people know their Lord, indeed every person knows Allah Almighty. Even the one who says He doesn't exist. What does Allah Almighty say? They said yes, He says. That is, a Lord created me. That is, saying yes doesn't necessarily mean affirming Him as "You are my Lord". If it were so, no one would be an unbeliever. Yes, a Lord created me, but who are You, he says, that You created me. Because He created him one-to-one close to His essence, out of the pride and arrogance in that person he denied Allah. But he knows he was created; that knowing he was created is his saying yes.

(?) though knowing their Lord, unable to overcome the rebellion in their nafs, seeing in themselves an existence, for their proud nafs making no concessions on their pride and grandeur, rebelling against Allah, belying His verses, who want to satisfy, satisfy their nafs's whims over people: the end of such people, travel the earth and see; of those who called Allah's verses lies see what the end was; with this verse He warns us, decreeing: like the other destroyed people, do not be. In the end, by death, on the Day of Judgment, that people will be called to account before Allah He tells you clearly with this verse, we say.

How will He make them witness? Of your associating partners, of the Muslims not associating partners, that they subsist by Allah's essence and that there is none but Allah, and that in this way they believed in Allah and finally attained Allah's mercy, to us and to you He will show, making those nations witnesses.

Yes.

Allah's existence and that His promise is true, that as crops sown on earth come and go, people from this world will come and go,

of those to come and go, the turn, the turn is with the living; everyone will come and go in this world. The turn is with the living. Look at the field: we sow wheat, we sow barley. You know, in October, November; in spring we harvest, we take it in. What's sown in October-November is harvested in spring, that is, it died, you could say. Living people depart the world in their time, but in their place, they come again. What did they do? What did that wheat do? With the harvested seeds it was sown again in October, November. People too bring forth the coming generations this way, a human factory.

Although Allah Almighty created man and woman to complete each other, for those spirits He created and raised (?) to come into the world, He made a means of people. In this case people too will come into the world, and just as those sown crops are harvested, people too will die and finally be returned to their Lord. Yes.

That the turn, the turn is with the living; we too will go anyway.

How the deniers were destroyed, and that their end is a loss, see it, says Allah Almighty. That their end is a loss. Now, there's a person who leaves a pleasant memory in the world. There's a person who, well, leaves a bad memory in the world.

People's lives: among people, those who leave a good memory are loved among people. The other, because he did evil to people, is shunned among people. Him too people curse. Because they tormented people. In this case, good or bad people, while living on earth under the same conditions, those bound by Allah's laws attain mercy. Those who step outside Allah's laws end in loss.

So Allah Almighty, warning people with these verses, that they not associate partners with Allah, that believing in the books and prophets Allah Almighty sent, we be bound by Allah's verses, that while living this worldly life, by the nafs, the world and Satan we not be deceived and ruin our hereafter, He decrees. Why does He say this? Because He loves us very much. So as not to punish us. He didn't create us to leave us exposed to punishment. To take us as addressees of His essence, to converse with us, with us to talk, and to act as an elder to us, He created us. He created us so that His essence would be known.

Indeed, doesn't He converse? Look how beautifully He guides us with His verses, well, our path He illuminates, He guides us, He acts as an elder to us. Doesn't He? He gives counsel. But if you don't accept this, that's your business. Everyone has a destiny. No one can compel anyone in religion. Because there is no compulsion in religion. The reason is that no one can change anyone's destiny. What is there, then? There is enjoining what is right. Yes.

Allah Almighty, with each of His verses, has both proven the existence of His essence and shown people the most beautiful paths. People finding life through Allah Almighty's commands and prohibitions, as proof of Allah's existence, isn't it enough for a person?

How beautiful. To the one who uses his mind, to the one who does use his mind; you will use that mind. You will use your mind. In a verse it says: do you not use your minds? Do you not reflect, it says.

Why does He say so? Look, what do we say? Isn't people finding life through Allah Almighty's commands and prohibitions, as proof of Allah's existence, enough for a person? If your mind was so fine, your mind was fine, why do you live in swamps, live in darkness? Why do you live in oppression, why can't you find peace? But when we're bound by Allah's verses, since they hold a light before us without any deficiency, from all difficulties we are saved. Because our mind is deficient. Because it's deficient we make mistakes. And when we make a mistake, we've committed a sin. And when we repent of this sin, since Allah Almighty forgives repentance, since there is repentance, we're stripped of the sin, and by Allah creating us with the purpose of erring upon us, through that intellect given deficient, we also gain reward. Plus, our dark paths we light with our Lord's verses, and our Lord then gives our hearts peace, and we live in peace.

So what does being bound by Allah's verses show us? That people's minds are deficient, that they certainly need a leader, and that this leader is the absolute one, the owner of this universe, Allah the Absolute; we must know this. Yes. Apart from Him no being will hold a light before us with laws, none. Look, those who step outside the verses, all are in misery. And indeed those who with their minds to some places have come, some places applying Allah's verses, wish for a little life. But when they see (?) Allah's verses, they give that up too (?) and (?), they remain in swamps, in darkness.

Doesn't Allah Almighty say so too? Their state, it says, is like lightning flashing in a dark night. When that lightning lights their way, they stand up, but then when to it they turn their backs, they remain in darkness. Yes.

So Allah Almighty's verses, as a person's greatest proof of his Lord's existence, suffice for the person who uses his mind. So people, though knowing their Lord, the rebellion in their nafs unable to overcome, seeing in themselves an existence, for their proud nafs, from pride and grandeur making no concessions, people who rebel against Allah.

Those who belie His verses, who want to satisfy their nafs's whims over people: their end. Travel the earth and see. See what the end was of those who called Allah's verses lies. With this verse He warns us, decreeing: like the other destroyed people, do not be. Do not be like the destroyed people. Well, Hodja, where's that now? That was in the old days. Is there destruction now? You might say. Those were fairy tales. The old ones said so too. When the prophets came and told them the truth, they said: these are tales of the ancients. You may say the same now. That's over now. Truly, back then people's minds didn't work.

Now, well, you too, in social life, everything has advanced in technology. That era is past and gone. Is there such destruction now? he says. If you say so: a mercy has come to the worlds. For the sake of Muhammad (peace be upon him), Allah lifted the destructions. Think well. For his sake you are not destroyed. Think well again. Is it for the sake of the prophet who came as mercy to the world that you're not destroyed? But what do you do? You remain (?) to calamities. What does Allah Almighty say this time? We will not destroy them, but for whose sake? For the sake of Muhammad (peace be upon him).

Why? Because a mercy came to the worlds. In mercy there is no destruction. He died and is gone. By your reasoning he died and is gone. He is alive. What does Allah Almighty say? I made you alive, He says, alive. He tasted death and is alive. Because he's alive, until the Day of Judgment destruction, for his sake, won't happen. But Allah Almighty, for that Beloved of the Almighty, the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace be upon him), for his sake, since he came as mercy to these worlds, through the Quran He sent to him and to all people He will make this known to people to come until the Day of Judgment, complete His religion, lift that destruction, and to those who turn their backs on these verses give calamities.

Doesn't He? That's what He says anyway. For his sake We lifted destruction, but We give them two or three calamities a year, He says. Today floods, tornadoes, tsunami waves, earthquakes, volcanoes, disasters; don't they knock on their doors? Don't they suffer three or two calamities every year? You can't deny this. See how sound the verses are. So for whose sake were you living, not being destroyed? For the sake of the master of both worlds, Muhammad (peace be upon him), we are not destroyed, it turns out. What happens to us? To those who don't heed His commands, Allah's commands, Allah Almighty gives calamities. Today, before the eyes of the whole world, these appear.

In the end, death, and on the Day of Judgment, that people will be called to account before Allah, with this verse Allah Almighty tells us clearly. Yes.

So, as I always say, you have such a treasure, or rather we have; all of us people have such a treasure that before letting this treasure fly from our hands, let's turn to Allah, to Allah. Hodja, what treasure do we have? Your lifetime, a treasure for you, your lifetime. There's no finer treasure than this. If you turn to your Lord, then to the Gardens of the hereafter that Allah Almighty promised you become heir. Isn't this a treasure? But if you misuse this treasure, then you will have wronged your own nafs. Yes.

People (?), turn into (?). What does Allah Almighty say? There they are without anyone and alone, He says. Well, isn't life a treasure now? An irreplaceable treasure, isn't it? Yes. Go live your pleasures.

The cicada does so too: chirp chirp chirp chirp in August, and in the end when winter comes, all doors are shut in its face. Those who chirp through the fleeting worldly life like the cicada, and who think life is like the zaqqum flower blooming in swamps, for it grows in Hell, and see it as the most beautiful of flowers, that too because it is in Hell.

Those people who live without peace with their ego feelings, seeking peace in drink, gambling, adultery, vices, or to dispel that unrest drag themselves to ruin, in the hereafter too they remain without anyone and alone. If you want to find peace, if you want to live life, that apart from Allah there is no god, that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, that the Gospel, the Torah and the Psalms were gathered in the Quran and sent to all people as a life-giving, (?) leader before them; believe this and have faith. Say the declaration of faith, enter Islam so that you find life. Yes, (?), live.