Ash-Shu'ara 213: Thus, do not worship anyone (so-called gods) but Allah. Otherwise, you would be among those who are punished.

Open Surah Ash-Shu'ara, verse 213, for me. Surah Ash-Shu'ara, verse 213 — open that verse. Why do we say open it? Because it is also a wrongly interpreted verse. A wrongly interpreted verse. Now I'm reading the wrong version. Let's see, where is the error here? In its interpretation. There is no error in the Quran's verses (?). in interpreting them, people interpret by their own reasoning and attribute qualities to Allah Almighty as well. What does it say? 'So never, alongside Allah, to another god — to another god offer servitude and supplication, lest you be among the punished,' it says. Could you see here what the error is?

Look what it says. 'So never, alongside Allah, to another god' — as if there were a god other than Allah and alongside that Allah another god — like two creators, or three creators, or five creators, whatever — pay close attention. 'So never, alongside Allah' — alongside the true Allah — 'to another god offer servitude and supplication, lest you be among the punished.' Whereas: 'So, there being no god but Allah, to made-up gods' — here 'made-up gods' is not there; we add it in parentheses, in that sense, that is. 'So, there being no god besides Allah' — 'besides Allah' 'no other god,' it already says.

Does it tell you here, 'do not worship another god alongside Allah'? Yes. 'So, there being no god but Allah, (?) serving and supplicating made-up gods, you will be among the punished,' it says. How beautifully it says it. How beautifully Allah Almighty says it. Yes.

Our people, because of faith, because of the faith that the religion of Islam has given them, because of Allah Almighty's mercy upon those people, do not understand these meanings and, with good opinion, what do they say? 'Is there a god other than Allah, that I should worship him?' they say. For example. But they cannot grasp the text deliberately written there. 'Alongside Allah,' it says, look.

Allah, Allah — 'to another god,' it says. 'Worshipping another god alongside Allah,' it says. As if there were a god other than Allah, and it means 'I don't want you, I want him' — that's what it comes to. 'Then you will meet punishment,' it says. Whereas: 'So, there being no god but Allah, to made-up gods do not offer servitude and supplication, lest you be among the punished.'

Although with this verse Allah Almighty appears to address the Prophet (peace be upon him), it is like 'I'm telling you, my daughter, understand it, my daughter-in-law' (?). Because Allah Almighty, through the Prophet, addresses people; He softens the word. His softening it. So that it addresses people's hearts kindly. Not a fait accompli, that is. When it's imposed, people take offense a bit. People who cannot reform their selfish feelings take offense, you know. But how beautifully He softens it here. What does it say? Although with this verse Allah Almighty appears to address the Prophet (peace be upon him), the Prophet was personally raised by Allah Almighty.

And according to the hadith 'My Lord educated me, and educated me well,' that the Prophet would not worship any god other than Allah, Allah Almighty knows. Had He not known, He would not have said, 'I have forgiven your past and future sins.' So here, through the Prophet, it is an address to Muslims, to people. For instance, He also addresses the believers. 'Tell those believing women to cover their heads,' He says, for instance. He doesn't say 'Ya eyyühellezine amenü,' doesn't say 'O you who believe.' Nor does He say 'Ya eyyühe'n-nas.' He says 'Ya eyyühellezine müminün' — müminat. to the believing women, to women: let them cover their heads.

He addresses them. Let them draw their headscarves over their collars, over their adornments, and cover them. He describes it, makes it heard. Well then, why does He say it to the believing woman and not to the Muslim woman?

'Then the Muslim woman needn't cover her head — had He addressed the Muslim too' — such a question may come to my mind. Now, who is a Muslim? Who is a mu'min? Let's know this too. Then what comes to our minds — 'He didn't say it to the Muslim, He said it to the mu'min. Let the mu'min cover up, let the mu'minat cover up. Even if I don't cover up, it's fine' — let that question leave our minds. What is this? The mu'min has passed through nafs-i ammara, nafs-i lawwama, nafs-i mulhima, and to nafs-i mutmainna has risen. This person has come to know the divine manifestations. They don't even know what tajalli is, you see.

They take the mu'min as a Muslim, the Muslim sometimes as a mu'min, sometimes they see the mu'min as below the Muslim. They have writings like that. Since such a mu'min will never turn back, never step back, never fall to the lower state of the nafs, His addressing the mu'mina and the mu'minat is because the other is a Muslim; the address to that Muslim — to the other who has not risen to nafs-i mutmainna, that is, not risen to the fourth state of the nafs — to that Muslim, presenting the mu'min as a leader: 'If she covers her head, she covers it because she fears Me. And I appreciate her for it.

Such people — "O soul at rest, your Lord pleased with you and you pleased with your Lord, enter among My servants, enter My Paradise" — I brought them to the state of the people of that verse where I said it. If you cover your head too, I will raise you to the same state as well. If you don't cover it, I will call you to account: "This believing servant of Mine covered, so why didn't you?"' He says. 'I won't make you a kafir,' look. You are not a kafir. But those who don't know this, if she didn't cover her head, put her outside Islam. God forbid, may Allah protect us. Allah gives according to the punishment of the crimes.

He gives the punishment corresponding to the selfish feelings one acted on. As long as I don't leave Islam, my Lord does not declare me a kafir. But if I kill a man, if I eat what is haram, if you deal in interest, if you commit adultery, what does He do? As long as you are a Muslim, your punishments He adds up, adds up however much punishment there is for all of it, and in that way punishes you in the hereafter. In the end, having served your sentence, having suffered your punishment, where do you go? You come out of prison. For example, a criminal here gets 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, 30 years in prison, right?

If he lives long enough, what does he do? He completes his prison term and comes out. Well, now there are life sentences — can they get out? For the kafirs it is like that life sentence: eternally in Hell. If he does not go as a Muslim. So, the mu'min covering her head — worthy of Allah's appreciation, in a manner befitting His glory — her fulfilling Allah's command (?) that person. Then He says to the Muslim: O Muslim, O you who believe, look, they are human beings like you too. What difference do they have from you? If they cover up like that, if I am going to welcome them in Paradise with a smiling face and show them due favor, then you too, if in the life of Paradise, in the abode of eternal bliss, you want a better life, take the mu'min as an example and act accordingly.

Otherwise you will be punished, He says. That is what the verses mean. Yes.

So although with this verse Allah Almighty appears to address the Prophet (peace be upon him), in the person of the Prophet He addresses all of humanity. Because the Prophet (peace be upon him) was sent as a mercy to the worlds. And Allah Almighty, with the subtlety of the art of speech, by addressing the Prophet (peace be upon him), is in fact addressing all people.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was raised by Allah Himself. Allah Almighty knows best that the Prophet (peace be upon him) would not set up any other god as a partner to Allah Almighty. But because people dislike Allah Almighty's commands and want to do the opposite of the command, by addressing His Beloved He makes His command upon people softer. O people! Since there is no other god besides Allah, do not take gods besides Allah and worship Allah's creatures as gods. Allah is one in His essence. He was neither born nor did He beget. He has neither a child nor a wife. Allah subsists by His own essence and is without beginning and without end.

All of creation has been created by Allah. Allah Almighty in His verse: 'I am the First and the Last, owner of both the outward worlds and the inner worlds.' Whoever takes gods besides Allah and associates partners with Allah, these are the wrongdoers themselves. And these wrongdoers themselves — wrongdoers of what kind? There are such idolaters who go to the hereafter without ever wronging people. So where is his wrongdoing? Against his own self, because he denies Allah. There is no greater wrongdoer than that. These will remain in the most blazing fires of eternal Hell.

Whoever takes gods besides Allah and associates partners with Allah, these are the wrongdoers themselves. The enmity these people commit against their own selves — even if the worlds gathered, they could not inflict this wrong on this person. So those who take gods besides Allah, who supplicate them, who step outside Allah's command and transgress the limits, take on the eternal torment of Hell in the hereafter.