Hud 116: Why were there no people of virtue in the centuries before you who would prevent (people) from mischief? But a small number from those who attained salvation are the exception (they have fulfilled their obligation). The oppressors however followed the comfort that has been given to them. And they were sinful.

Surah Hud, verse 116: this is a verse that has been interpreted wrongly, it turns out. Let's take a look: where is the mistake?

Surah Hud, 116. What does it say? In the generations before you, on earth, keeping people from corruption, virtuous people, if only there had been, it says. Yes, but from among them, a small part whom We brought to salvation is excepted. Now how beautifully Allah Almighty says: if this were a human fabrication, there would be in it many words that do not agree with each other, it says. How beautiful, our Lord (?) to us with the Quran. Now, is there any meaning in this reading? This isn't the verse, though. Because one couldn't open up the meaning of the verse, look what it says now. What it says.

In the generations before you, on earth, keeping people from corruption, virtuous people, if only there had been, it says. In this case, Allah Almighty sent people to earth, and from among those people who would cause corruption, according to His own wish and affairs, He this time picks people. Weren't the others His servants? "If only you had (?) the people, if only you had saved them," it says. Well, they could not save them; so why did He, as our Lord, not save you? Then I say: I saved the ones I felt like. Now doesn't the meaning come out like this? Let's read it again. In the generations before you, on earth, keeping people from corruption, virtuous people, if only there had been; but of them a small part whom We brought to salvation has been excepted.

A small part whom He brought to salvation has been excepted. Yes, as I was nicely saying earlier. "Among you, was there really nobody for these?" it says. Then, or rather, or rather, You are our Lord; You should have called them to salvation. (?) I did too, but I took the ones I wanted, it says. That's how it seems to me. And it continues.

A small part reached salvation, excepted. These did their duty. As for the wrongdoers, they pursued the luxury given to them. They were sinners anyway, it says. They were sinners anyway. Now in the end, too, since Allah Almighty knew they were sinners, this time they have opened up the verses with words that (?).

Does reason and logic accept this now? Here, for people who use their reason and put it to work, this verse has taken a normal order of interpretation. In the generations before you, on earth, keeping people from corruption, virtuous people, if only there had been; but of them, of those who reached salvation a small part, among those people, of those who reached salvation a small part is excepted. That is, these did not look to those people, and despite those people's going astray, running wild and leading people to bad paths, they did not follow them. These were a small part, it says. These did their duty.

That is, We left you free in your willing, and these, within their own will, carried out the command of their Lord, our Lord, upon us, it says. They did their duty. As for the wrongdoers, they pursued the luxury given to them. They were sinners anyway. They too were sinners anyway. Now here: that people, within their own will, made a covenant with our Lord, and that they continue their lives within their own will, and that those among them who are (?) to the truth, paying them no heed, within their own will served Allah Almighty as servants, and in this case, that Allah Almighty sent them to earth so that, in the world, by the decisions they themselves made, they prove what kind of people they are: the proof of this, in this verse, becomes so beautifully clear.

Yes. If it is interpreted, of course, it is beautiful. As long as it is not interpreted on such a (?) basis.

Yes.

In the generations before you, on earth, keeping people from corruption, virtuous people, if only there had been; but of them, of those who reached salvation a small part is excepted. These did their duty. As for the wrongdoers, they pursued the luxury given to them. They were sinners anyway. Yes.

In this verse, too, Allah Almighty, that He is Hayy, that He is so, that is, alive; that He is everlasting in pre-eternity and post-eternity; that of those under the rule of His creation He knows what they have done and will do; by saying "in the generations before you, on earth, virtuous people keeping people from corruption, if only there had been", reminding people that His existence is everlasting, (?), that our Lord created people and sent them to the world, that He is their owner and knows what they do, that to the peoples who came after them too He made these known, and will make them known to those who will come until the Day of Judgment, and finally, after the Day of Judgment too, according to His verse in which He says Hüve'l-evvelü ve'l-âhiru ve'z-zâhiru ve'l-bâtın, that He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden: how beautifully He proves this in His verse.

Yes.

In saying "in the generations before you, on earth, keeping people from corruption, virtuous people, if only there had been", reminding people of His existence, that He is everlasting, that He acts with justice, and reminding us of their states, that we too should not be like those peoples, He makes known to us as a warning. In saying "virtuous people among these peoples", people who have believed in Allah and the Prophet, believed in Allah and His Prophet, acting on His path, who would keep people who would do evil from evil: those are meant. Virtuous people. Yes.

These are people who are friends of Allah, people whom Allah loves. "Are you seeking honor and might?" it says. Honor and might are with Allah. Yes. Those who are friends of Allah, people who possess honor and might, are virtuous people; but this virtue people have turned into a material view. As we explained at the start of our lesson earlier, with this material view they have made people virtuous and honorable.

The one with money is a virtuous person, whatever he does. Let him commit adultery. Let him gamble. Let him eat what is haram. Let him cheat people. He has money, doesn't he; that man is a powerful man. He is a virtuous, honorable person. Yet honor and might are with Allah. What does this mean? Allah created man honored above the worlds. That is, He gave him a part of His spirit. So that man can be honorable, Allah Almighty has made known to him the Sharia rulings that let him live human dignity. He will protect his chastity. He will guard his honor. He will heed halal and haram. He will cheat no one.

He will look at no one with an evil eye. He will be master of his hand, his tongue and his loins. He will help people in distress.

He will keep people from evil and invite them to good. That is virtue, that is honor and dignity, that is human dignity. Apart from this, if people go outside the path Allah Almighty has shown, lead the way in drink, gambling, adultery, wander swampy paths, these, because they wander in darkness, because they are in need of light, wanting to present themselves as enlightened so as to escape that darkness, are poor people gripped by an inferiority complex.

In this case, for these people to be saved, they need to enter Allah's true path. Apart from this, these people have no honor and dignity at all. I won't say it, I won't say it, in their (?) a degraded way of life comes about. Degraded. For example, today: Allah created people honorable, He described covering to them. What is this covering? From the eyebrows to the chin, from these wrists, down to the shin bones she will cover. Why? With such a covering, among people, Allah Almighty, who created our women as (?), says to them: your adornments, cover your adornments. By striking your feet on the ground, it says, do not make a sound and draw anyone to yourselves.

Do not wear anklets on your feet and strike your feet on the ground. So when He says "cover your adornments", that is, cover your ornaments, those who uncover these places of adornment and push themselves outside human dignity, thinking they are living, living in a way that draws people to themselves with lustful feelings: the honor and dignity of such people, now you think about it. These, who cannot master themselves, and stepping outside Allah's command, taking on states that our Lord does not want, dragging people out of human dignity, forcing them beyond the limits: the disasters that came upon such people in the past, that is, destructions; now we are struggling with calamities.

It comes upon us. It comes upon us.

But whatever Allah Almighty's covenant was at first, at the last His covenant is the same. Those who say "Allah" He keeps apart from that calamity, keeps apart from that calamity. Those who follow Allah, who with their hands and tongues, unable to stop them, cannot reach them, who detest it in their heart and do not follow them: Allah Almighty, in the (?), because of the promise He gave in the (?), just as He saved the other prophets and those who followed them, among those struck by those calamities He protects these too. Yes. To us it is plainly visible that Allah Almighty truly, of our every breath, our every step, our every cell, is aware. Even if we are unaware, unaware of ourselves, of all His creatures He is aware.

Yes.

These did their duty. As for the wrongdoers, they pursued the luxury given to them. They were sinners anyway, it says. As I explained earlier, at the start of the lesson. How beautiful. It fits in here now. They pursued that luxury, the world's finery, the adornment. If they had truly been ones who submitted to the truth, such persons, then for these, which Allah gave people as a trust, blessings they would give thanks, and know the owner of the wealth. They would hand the wealth over to its owner. Now here a couplet said for the Prophet (peace be upon him) comes to my mind. El-fakru fahrî, el-fakru fahrî, did not that Pride of the worlds say so? Mention your poverty, mention your poverty; poverty (?) (?) of this heart. Now here, when it says "mention your poverty", this is not poverty.

In Arabic, the poor is the miskin, the miskin. The miskins are poor, that is, a person with no wealth or property is poor. But the faqir, the faqir, even if the wealth of the whole world were his own, even if he owned the world's wealth, the world, knowing the One who created these possessions, and handing those possessions over to his Lord, even his body, just as He created Adam from clay and (?) his spirit, his Lord created his body too, and his being and his spirit, as a part of Him, a part from his Lord, knowing He created them, and surrendering himself in spirit and body to his Lord: that person is the faqir. This goes as far as "lâ mevcûde illallah".

People who know and live these stations, people will of course be under Allah's mercy and Allah will protect them. These are the stars of the earth. And for their sake there is no disaster in that land. If there is to be, if He is to send a disaster on that land, He takes these beloved ones out of that land. He creates a cause. He takes them out of that land. Then He sends that calamity there. Yes.

As for the wrongdoers, they pursued the luxury given to them. They forgot Allah. They pursued what Allah created. They were sinners anyway. How does Allah Almighty know? When He made the covenant with them at the address "Elestü bi-Rabbiküm", He knows what they are. Yes.

In this verse, too, Allah Almighty, that He is Hayy, that is, alive, that He is everlasting in pre-eternity and post-eternity, that of those under the rule of His creation, what they have done and will do, He knows; in saying "in the generations before you, on earth, keeping people from corruption, virtuous people, if only there had been", reminding people that His existence is everlasting, that He acts with justice, and reminding us of their states, that we should not be like those peoples, as a warning to us He makes known. By "virtuous people among these peoples" are meant people who have believed in Allah and His Prophet, who on His path act, who would keep people who would do evil from evil: such people.

By saying "if only there had been such virtuous people", it is understood that all these people were on the same bad path. To the other people. That they were outside these. Yes. Except a small part of them who reached salvation. These, because they could not make their words heard by these peoples, are people lost among them. That is what "a small part excepted" refers to. Yes, (?), (?) they lose. Then it means that people has run wild. So, among these peoples, the people whose words were not heard by (?) and the like, and who were lost among these people, did their duty. They believed in Allah and the Hereafter and reached salvation.

They reached salvation. Yes.

A person explains. He explains the truth. We too explain. We explain the truth. With verses we invite people to the truth. We give examples.

In this case we fulfil our duty. Within this duty, whether it is made heard or not belongs to Allah alone.

Indeed, every person, in proportion to his covenant, the destiny of the wish he gave will live.

Since no one can change anyone's destiny, in this case those virtuous people, to such people by explaining the truth, will have fulfilled their duty. Allah Almighty, too, (?); accordingly they too will not be able to say "we did not hear it on earth", and every person, by the actual deeds he has done, will either leave his own nafs (?) in punishment or else (?), inclining to the gardens of Paradise, well, as one of the people of Paradise, will have himself invited to Paradise. In this case, a person, as a human being, will know his own existence, where he came from and where he is going. When I say this, the words of (?) come to my mind.

He who does not know where he came from and where he goes is an animal, it seems. Yes. Man takes pride in what his Lord has given. Wanting to preserve with it the unity of might and honor, yet running after every vice, he amuses his nafs. And if he turns his back on Allah, such people too, not knowing where they came from and where they go, into the state of those animals have fallen.

To people they have closed off the ruling of "Elestü bi-Rabbiküm". This was deliberate; I always say it, and I will remind you of these points constantly, often, I will remind you. I will remind you of this matter.

They closed this off consciously, because human dignity starts here. Here mankind knows its own duty, what kind of person it is. By what? By its making a covenant with Allah Almighty. That is, our spirits being created by Allah Almighty, at the address "Elestü bi-Rabbiküm", when He said "(?)", that it made a covenant with Allah Almighty, its wish and (?), its will, it had written for itself as destiny. They closed this off. They don't let people enter here. The reason: if you enter here, you become a fatalist. A Qadarite. What does this "Qadarite" mean? That is, you then tie everything to Allah, everything becomes Allah's, and for the deeds you yourself do you hold Allah responsible.

Oh blessed one, on the one hand you say this, and also, about the covenant of the whole with the part: "don't you dare go there, yes, there is such a thing, but don't you dare go there"; if you close these places off like that, then today's situation comes about. People turn their backs on Allah and His Messenger and, deep inside, whether there is a Hereafter at all they wonder.

I tell you sincerely.

Just let a person start deceiving himself.

Those people we regard as very great in religion, you know, professors, who've done doctorates.

I'd bet my life on it, I tell you: They too have doubts about whether the Hereafter exists or not. Yes. When is a person freed from this doubt? "O nafs that has found rest, enter, your Lord pleased with you and you pleased with your Lord. Enter among the servants of your Lord": when (?), he is freed from this. Those people, those believers, there is no turning back for them. Since these could not become mu'mins, they are not mu'mins. Muslims. Now, since they could not become mu'min, Muslim (?), they may perhaps take offense at us. They are Muslims, but not mu'mins. Since he is not a mu'min, (?) live in his (?) heart.

(?). But as long as he does not turn it into actual (?), he lives within Islam, and if at his last breath he goes to Allah as (?), he gets away with it. Yes.

A person, in this case, will know this ruling given at Elest. If he cannot know it, his situation is hard. It's hard for him. So they had these places closed off to people. They play people around as they wish.

After that, with Arabic words: "oh, it went there, oh, it came like this." "It passed from here. Allah (?) people's unbelief." "With their sins, He saved them, those inside." "What did He do with the others?" Like that. "He chose whom He willed, and whom He willed, well, He did this to." Make it up, make it up, say it. You know, with Allah's attribute of justice, and the decisions people make in proportion to their own wishes, the matters of (?) and sin have got mixed up with each other. He himself can't make head or tail of it anyway. Yes.

So among these peoples, those who could not make their words heard in the villages and (?), and among these people were lost, did their duty. They believed in Allah and the Hereafter and reached salvation. While living in the world, they sought Allah's pleasure, and their Lord's pleasure they attained. These people are excepted. As for the wrongdoers, they pursued the luxury given to them. This verse is not specific to those who believe. These are non-Muslims. We have, additionally, here, by way of an analogy, from Islam, specific to those who believe, giving an example to those who believe; then to the states of those who wrong themselves and commit kufr it moves on, we said. We are moving on.

If we pay attention, a small group excepted, once a person finds money, spending it on his nafs and his pleasure, ways to enjoy the world he seeks. Allah and the Prophet, religion and faith are cast behind. What does he do? Even though it is the Ramadan holiday, the Sacrifice holiday, a religious holiday, a week before, three or five days before, the man arranges his business. If he has no car under him or no money, he (?) a car; in installments, with bank loans, he takes it out, he buys it. Straight to the beaches, stark naked, to satisfy his carnal feelings. Right now I am at the Black Sea.

On the coast, the notion called morality has disappeared, exceptions excepted. If we look at them, these are the humble ones, those who have no money, the covered ones. These are covered. The poor group. Perhaps Allah, according to their covenant, through the strength of the faith He gave, protects them in this way. Because Allah Almighty does not look at the world. Worldly life is temporary. In order to reward those who gave a good covenant in the Hereafter, not looking at this world's temporary injustice, even if poverty touches them, since He (?) them as the rich of the Hereafter, they were given over to Allah Almighty (?).

Because of their good covenant, those persons are also happy and at peace in this world. Yes. The others, once they find money, squander themselves in this way, let themselves be used like a rag and pushed aside; may Allah protect us. We are honored people. Allah created us honored. We are honored above all the worlds. Whoever does not know the place of the rank of his honor and dignity will of course get slapped.

Yes.

Even though Allah is feared, the reactions the enemies of religion show, because they please their nafs, and although they know these people say wrong things, looking for a branch to cling to, so as to put the responsibility on the backs of those enemies of religion, they take their place beside these people and support them. Who is this? Those who find money. Those who react to that openness, who even in Ramadan say "if you drink as much water as you need, your fast is not broken": those (?). I call them (?).

With these actions they increase their sins once more. these things happen a lot nowadays. Those who wrong their own nafs, on the other hand, are people who deny Allah and the prophets and do not believe in the Hereafter. People who do not believe in the Hereafter. Whatever evil they want, they see it as their right, and without regarding anyone's right they constantly want to take the world and use it for their own nafs and pleasure. These people chasing luxury do not recognize people's rights and laws, and continuing in immorality, in cheating people, in interest, in betraying trusts, they drown the earth in strife.

In this state they are sinners. Since there is no chance they will be set right, Allah destroys these peoples on earth and gives life to the new generations that come after. The destruction of such people is a relief and salvation for the deliverance of people. Allah Almighty in His verse; now here we have given two parts. One: how Muslims, once they find money, lead themselves into sin. And in the second part, those who wrong their nafs. That is, those who do not believe in Allah and His Messenger and incline only to the world. In His verse, by saying all along "they were sinners anyway", Allah Almighty: in the (?) the verses they gave having been written for them as destiny, since these people, in the world too, in the deeds they would do would become wrongful, by their removal Allah did not wrong them. Since they were travellers on the bad road, they themselves their own nafs wronged.

Yes.

So such people, wrongful toward their own nafs, both while in this world, meeting with wrong, were destroyed, and in the Hereafter an eternal, endless and everlasting punishment they bought for themselves. Yes.