Al-A'raf 172: Lest they should say; “We were unaware of this” on the Day of Judgment, your Lord has made the offspring that would appear from the sons of Adam witnesses against themselves and Said; “I am your Lord! Yes, you bear witness!”

We have come to verse 172. Verse 172 of Surah Al-A'raf is a verse that has been opened wrongly. Yes, now what does it say here? Let's all read Surah Al-A'raf together now. It says verse 172.

172: So that you do not say on the Day of Judgment, "We were unaware of this," your Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their loins, their descendants. Oh, oh, mashallah. He brought forth their descendants from the loins of the children of Adam. Yes. He made them witnesses over themselves and said: Am I not your Lord? Have we seen such a thing, gentlemen? Have we seen such a thing? We are the ones who brought forth descendants from the loins of the children of Adam now. We live in this world. And He said: your Lord. Have we seen such a thing? And: Am I not your Lord? And that "am I not"?

They said: Yes, we bear witness to this. Look at the story, the story. They don't even know the meaning of the "yes". Yes.

So that you do not say on the Day of Judgment, "We were unaware of this" — from the children of Adam, those who will appear, who have not come yet. Where? In the realm of Lahut. He made their descendants who will appear witnesses over themselves and said: I am your Lord. And they said: Yes, we bear witness to this. We will explain this "yes" to you too, God willing.

In the tafsir of some verses I had told you that, with some verses shown as examples, when the turn of these verses came, they would be explained to you in more detail — in the tafsir of some verses. One of these is this verse. In this verse we will explain to you in detail how Allah Almighty made a covenant with people. Moreover, in the next verse it will be opened to you as a support of this verse. In fact all the verses support one another. All the verses make known the existence of Allah Almighty's essence, and that there is no other deity besides Him. And some verses have been opened wrongly in translation.

It had been announced that these wrongly opened verses too would be opened to you with their correct renderings. Before moving on to the tafsir of this verse, after explaining to you the translation of the wrongly opened verse, we will continue our tafsir. When they open the verse in translation, saying "when We brought forth from the loins of the children of Adam their descendants and made them witnesses over themselves" — opening the translation in this way is wrong. I came from the lineage of the son of Adam, but I made a covenant with Allah neither in my mother's womb nor in the world. Whereas the translation of the verse — yes:

We made a covenant with those who will appear from the lineage of the son of Adam. With whom? With those who will appear from the lineage of the children of Adam. Where? At "Qalu Bala". If you pay attention to these two ways of opening it, they have completely different meanings. For this reason, when the translation is opened wrongly, the meaning too is automatically opened wrongly according to minds, and one ends up in dead ends. And Allah Almighty is given attributes according to minds. Then, bringing their own minds into play, they try to fit Allah's knowledge into their own minds. Those among people who say "I am a man of knowledge", although they have no knowledge of the word of Allah, follow every stubborn devil.

And such people keep increasing more and more. This covenant is the state of making a covenant with those who will appear from the descendants of the son of Adam — that is, with the creation of the souls in the realm of Lahut, with them when they were first created. It is the state of the covenant in the realm of the hereafter, before Adam had put on the garment of a body and before he came to this world. Having known this much about this, one wrong place is the address "Alastu bi-rabbikum". After explaining this to you as well, let's continue with our lesson. "Alastu bi-rabbikum" — its meaning is the address "I am your Lord".

In this verse it has been opened wrongly in meaning. The meaning the commentators gave as translation is "Am I not your Lord?" There is no equivalence in the word of Allah. Between saying "I am your Lord" and "Am I not your Lord?" there is a difference. Namely, when He says "Am I not your Lord?", we would know our creation; that is, when He created us, we would be witnesses to Allah creating us. We would be witnesses to Allah, to Allah Almighty creating us, so that in our denying Allah Almighty we would remain subject to this word. We do not know how our creation, our being created, came about.

We only see that we have a coming-into-being. Within this coming-into-being, with our sudden existence, we hear the address of Allah Almighty: I created you. "Alastu bi-rabbikum." This is a definite command. It is the address "I am your Lord". Grasping Allah or not, within our own understanding, corresponds to our covenant. That is, in our partial will, our knowing our Lord or not — what do we say? It corresponds to our covenant, to our covenant. Some commentators gave some examples here. For instance, "Am I not your Lord?" Against that address: does the Creator not know? Or: who created the heavens and the earth?

They tried to compare it with these verses. These verses can never be compared with the verse "Alastu bi-rabbikum". Namely, in one, Allah Almighty creates our souls, and though how these created souls were created is not known, the address is the address "I created you". In the other, in the verses they gave as examples, after Allah is known, it is understood that there is no other deity besides Him, and He introduces Himself to people and makes known to us that He is the owner of the whole universe and of all existence.

After proving this: does the Creator not know? We believe. Of course He knows. Who created the heavens and the earth? Of course Allah created them. How do I believe? After knowing Him, that there is no creator besides Him — after He proves this to us, we believe by grasping it. At the first creation of people's souls He does not ask "Did I not create you?", and this is a wrongly opened word. After this much explanation of this part, let's continue our tafsir. When Allah Almighty willed that His essence be known, He created the light of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from His own light.

Then, again, He gave the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) of His own spirit. First, before the worlds, He created the Prophet (peace be upon him). Before moving to our lesson from here, let's also open the word "yes" to you. Yes. They said yes. That is, who created these earths and heavens? Allah knew. That's why they said yes. With their openings in this way, mixing up this "yes" with one another, man broke his covenant in the world. In the world he went back on his word; words began to be opened according to the mind. Whereas their saying yes — since Allah Almighty gave man a part of His spirit, He created man in human form exactly resembling Himself.

He created them in the forms of the Essence. When the Lord before man said, "I created you", because Allah Almighty knew that, out of the pride and arrogance and grandeur in his nafs, he would deny it, "they said yes." Who says this? People don't say it. Allah Almighty says it. Why does He say it? "They said yes." Why does He speak in their place? Because He knew they would deny His essence, since in his covenant he denied. Because He knew they would deny, they know that they too were created by a Lord. Yes, I came into being. Someone created me. But you resemble me too. I deny you. You didn't create me. From the pride and arrogance of my nafs.

You didn't create me. What am I waiting for? In my imagination I am waiting for the one who created me. So, they will not see their Lord — the confirmation of this in the verse. But those who cannot grasp this too say they will not be able to see Allah in the realm of the hereafter, or that they will be gathered blind. Whereas "they will not be able to see their Lord" — the verse symbolizes tawhid. Tawhid. There is no other deity besides Allah, after all. Let them wait for the Lord in their imagination. So, because Allah Almighty knew that the people who would deny His essence would deny His essence, and they know that "I was created by a Lord", Allah Almighty says "yes".

So here it's "yes". Otherwise those unbelievers don't say yes. And he cannot break his covenant either.

That is the meaning of "yes". Now, having known this much, we continue. When Allah Almighty willed that His essence be known, He created the light of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) from His own light. Then, again, He gave the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) of His own spirit. That's right, a part. For example, we say, if you take a drop from the oceans, a drop — that drop carries the ocean's character just as it is, its chemical substances and their compounds. We too are a part from our Lord. Yes. He created the Prophet (peace be upon him) first, then giving him of His spirit. From the spirit of the Prophet (peace be upon him) the spirits of the other prophets were created.

And from the spirits of the created prophets the spirits of their peoples were created. In this way, as many people as Allah Almighty willed were created. These souls, created in the realm of Lahut, were divided into three groups. Into three groups. Surah Al-Waqi'ah, verse 7: "Wa kuntum azwajan thalatha." All pairs, coming from one another, are three classes, it says. "Fa ashabu al-maymanati ma ashabu al-maymanah." O those of the right, glad tidings to you. "Wa ashabu al-mash'amati ma ashabu al-mash'amah." O those of the left, woe to you. Yes. "Was-sabiqun as-sabiqun. Ula'ika al-muqarrabun. Fi jannati an-na'im." There is a third group, it says. These are the group of the foremost: the saints, the prophets, the group of martyrs. The group of prophets.

In good and in reward they are foremost, it says. These three groups, created in the realm of Lahut, all at once, by the power of the knowledge of Allah Almighty, come to life in an instant; they are animated. In the realm of Lahut, where all the souls are together in the twilight of the evening and in three groups, though seen in the front rows and seen in the back rows, in the twilight of a form that cannot be recognized, before the people stand Allah Almighty and the Most Noble Messenger, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Before them, in a ring interlocked with one another, stand three prophets, who are Moses, David and Jesus (peace be upon them).

All people at once hear the address of Allah Almighty. He decrees: I am your Lord, I created you. If we open this up a bit: since Allah Almighty gave man of His spirit, man is a partial attribute of Allah Almighty's forms of essence and beauty. The whole of it is Allah Almighty. That's right — in life we can change a few attributes, a few forms between our youth and old age. That is, we can take on forms. But Allah Almighty, with various forms — bearded, beardless, young, old, aged — is an infinite form. The whole attribute. The whole form. Yes.

In a verse, with the verse in which He says "Laqad khalaqna al-insana fi ahsani taqwim", He decrees: I created man in the finest form.

Yes. Yes. Again, in a verse, "Lahu al-asma'u al-husna," He says. Let's take this thing from the start, the paragraph. Since Allah Almighty gave man of His spirit, man is a partial attribute of Allah Almighty's forms of essence and beauty. The whole of it is Allah Almighty. In one verse, with the verse in which He says "Laqad khalaqna al-insana fi ahsani taqwim", He decrees: I created man in the finest form. Again, in one verse, "Lahu al-asma'u al-husna", He decrees: the finest names are Mine too. If we compare these two verses — since, God forbid, there can be no deficiency in Allah Almighty's word — is man the finest, or is Allah the finest?

Such a question may come to a person's mind. It is because Allah Almighty gave man, whom He did not separate from His essence, a part of His forms that He reveals His verse to people in this way. "Laqad khalaqna al-insana fi ahsani taqwim." I created man in the finest form. I gave them of the forms of the Essence. But "Lahu al-asma'u al-husna": the finest forms and attributes are Mine too, He says. That is, apart from people — apart from the many people who will come from our father Adam until the Day of Judgment, apart from their form — the many attributes and beautiful, sir, Beautiful Names are Mine, says Allah Almighty.

Right. Yes. Since He gave partial will into man's own hand, Allah, who wills His essence to be known without any pressure or coercion being applied to man, addressing people with "I am your Lord, I created you" — this is to lead people to think. That's it: in the verse, "Do you not think at all?" "Do you not reflect at all?" — with the verses in which He says this — man, faced with Allah Almighty's address "I created you, I am your Lord" — since Allah Almighty, who gave people a part of Himself and did not separate man from His essence in respect of creation, closely resembles man, people, with their own existence and ego, some said no, and some said yes. That is where people were separated, as wretched and as God-fearing, by their own will.

That is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) says: while a child is in the mother's womb, whether it is wretched or God-fearing is determined. How is it determined? The spirit has entered in the mother's womb. How is it determined? It is determined by our division into three parts when we made a covenant with our Lord at the address "Alastu bi-rabbikum". Yes.

Now, if we open this a bit more: we said some said yes and some rebelled. Yet Allah Almighty said: they said "Bala", yes. Where did the rebel come from? If you can understand well the point I will explain now, you will solve the secret of the matter. You will grasp very well the sciences and the things explained from now on. We will explain the meaning of the "yes" I explained a little earlier. From His essence — so that His essence be recognized and His address be understood — Allah Almighty gave all souls an intellect that knows His essence. The intellect in those souls is called 'aql al-ma'ad.

He taught this intellect to speak with characters. The proof of this is Jesus (peace be upon him). Allah decrees in His verse: Allah taught you speech and reading. That is, although Jesus (peace be upon him) learned reading and writing from no one in the world, it was Allah, who recorded reading and writing into that memory — Jesus knowing how to read and write without needing anyone. At the same time, again recording speech into that memory, even as a baby, by Allah's leave, he spoke. Just as a person's intellect on the body in this world — this intellect we call 'aql al-ma'ash — sees, learns and records into memory, Allah Almighty too recorded speech into the intellect we call 'aql al-ma'ad, in the way all souls would speak.

Again, into this intellect He made known to people that they were created, and when He addressed people, when man was honored with the address of Allah Almighty, He brought people to a state in which they would make a covenant and speak with Allah. If man had not known how to speak, how would he have known what Allah Almighty said? Yes. So, with Allah Almighty's address to people, His saying "I am your Lord" — Allah, who created man very close to Himself and left people to their own will without any pressure or fear given to them — people could not recognize Him. Although people knew they were created, in the face of the pride and grandeur in that nafs, some people, because they did not use their minds, said no and became rebellious against Allah.

And Allah Almighty's saying "they said yes" means that every mind knows that it was created. Since no other deity besides Allah, who created it, came forward saying "He is not your Lord", destroying Him and saying "It is I", Allah Almighty paid no heed to people's denial of Allah Almighty — "they said yes." That is: however much you may deny Me, you too know that a deity created you. Since no Lord other than Me came forward, I am your Lord. Because you do not know the beginning of your creation, your coming-into-being happened suddenly. Because of this you grasped that you were created by a power. And since the intellect I gave you, the proof, knows My essence — that is, although you too know that you were created by a God, because I created you close to My essence, because of the pride and arrogance in your nafs, you could not say to Us, "Yes, You are my Lord." For this reason, We pay no heed to the deniers not recognizing Us; although you who rebel against Us know that I created you, your saying no with lies and objection has no validity in Our sight, decrees Allah Almighty.

If this is well understood, a verse pointing to it is this: He decrees, these are lying unbelievers. Now, if we think with sound reason: is there no one among them at all who tells the truth, that they are called lying unbelievers? Do Muslims never lie at all, that these are called lying unbelievers? Those who rebel against Allah — people who deny Allah Almighty although they know Allah — since they lie at the root, all of them are liars. Even if they tell the truth, their root is on a lie. The Muslim, however, has accorded with the purpose for which Allah created him. He was told, "Deny Allah"; he said, "Yes, You are my Lord"; but because of his deficient creation, since out of his weakness his nafs did not reach perfection, he lied to people.

This falls under forgiveness. When the person repents, Allah accepts his repentance. The other lied to Allah Almighty. At the root there is rebellion against Allah. This person cannot repent. That is what this hadith decrees: while a child is in the mother's womb, whether it is wretched or God-fearing is determined. How is it known that he is wretched or God-fearing? It is known from the covenant he gave to Allah Almighty. However the destinies were written, there is no changing the destinies again. So, within these feelings of people, Allah Almighty wrote the wish and desire of each soul as their destiny.

For this reason Allah, who values His creatures greatly and, without pressuring or tormenting any of them, wills His essence to be known within their own will, made a covenant with each person one by one. Their wishes and desires became their destiny. For this reason man cannot escape his destiny. And this destiny is nothing other than man's own intention. In a hadith, the Prophet (peace be upon him) says: Allah created the souls in twilight, He scattered something of His light upon them; whoever took of that light found his way, whoever could not take of that light lost his way and went astray.

This hadith describes "Alastu bi-rabbikum". In short, if we compare this hadith, with its core points, with what I have explained, it is a twilight, like the twilight of evening. The people at the very front are seen, and the people at the very back are seen, but they are not recognized. His saying "He scattered something of His light upon them" is the address "I am your Lord". Whoever took of that light found his way: one who knows Allah Almighty as Lord, that is, knows Him as Creator and obeys Allah, found the right way. Whoever could not take of that light lost his way and went astray. And those who know they were created by a Lord, yet out of arrogance and pride rebel against Allah, who created them, lost their way and went astray.

So Allah Almighty, who made a covenant in this way according to people's own intentions, says: So that you do not say on the Day of Judgment, "I was unaware of this," We took a covenant from you beforehand. Without any person having any way out, people, the covenant they gave there — when their nafs tastes death and they migrate to the realm of truth, they will grasp it better. Yes. We have finished verse 172 as well.