An-Naml 63: (Are they better) or the One Who; makes you find path in the darkness of the lands and the seas, and who sends winds as a glad tidings of Allah’s mercy (rain)? Is there a deity other than Allah? Allah is exalted above what they associate as partners.

We have come to Surah An-Naml, verse 63.

Are they better? How beautifully it says it, one after another. What a beautiful example Allah Almighty gives people. That there is no other god besides the One who created the worlds, that He gives life to all the worlds, that all these worlds subsist through Allah — how beautifully He tells us. Are they better? That is, what they made with their own hands, Allah's creations — inclining toward them, taking them as gods and asking of them — is that better? Or He who, in the darknesses of land and sea, lets you find the way, the One who, ahead of the rain of His mercy, sends the winds as heralds?

Is there a god besides Allah? Allah is highly exalted above the partners they associate, and far removed from them. Allah Almighty, creating low pressure and high pressure on earth,

air rising in low pressure, the cold layer of air in that high pressure rushing toward the low layer, and so winds arise, and with the winds' (?) in spring, the trees' (?), they both fertilize them and are forerunners and heralds of the rains. What a beautiful order my Lord has set up. He created everything with knowledge, with knowledge. Everything with knowledge. Yes. Or is He who created these, who brought them into being from nothing, better, it says. Allah is highly exalted above the partners they associate, and far removed from them. Of course He is highly exalted and far removed. Our minds cannot grasp His exaltedness and His transcendence.

We know only this much.

Even if the whole universe came together, put their minds together, since it could not find the secret of creation, the One who brought the worlds into being from nothing, the absolute owner of these worlds, we must know as Allah. We cannot go beyond that. Because our minds cannot grasp it. When the Prophet ascended on the Mi'raj, when with Allah Almighty he spoke face to face, he begins to praise Allah Almighty. A prophet who came as a mercy to the worlds begins to praise Allah Almighty. And Allah Almighty: your praising is like the praising of the people in your community. Like the praising of some rebellious people in your community, rebellious people.

You know, someone is a Muslim but rebellious, does not do what He says. Then, he says, between my lips came a grain whiter than snow, sweeter than sugar, he says. These words poured from my lips: I cannot extol Your Being as You extol Your Being. The Prophet (peace be upon him), who came as a mercy to the worlds, the messenger of our Lord, the head of all the prophets, and a prophet who will intercede for all the prophets — that such a prophet cannot comprehend Allah Almighty, and: I cannot extol Your Being. That is, I cannot know how great You are. As You know Yourself, he says. Yes. So, before such an exalted Lord, in view of this universe, which cannot be without Him, subsisting through Him, if we do not surrender to our Lord, if we do not become servants to Him as Lord, if we do not give Him our hearts, trust in Him and surrender — to whom shall we surrender?

Who created us? Just think about it. Can you abandon your mother and father? In their old age, how lovingly you serve them. You cannot part from them. If anything happened to them today, you would immediately rush to defend them. Your mother and father. Well, if something happens to that mother and father's child, they immediately sell everything they have to save him. Their property and possessions; when he is ill, when anything happens, they spend their nights and days sleepless. They keep watch at their child's bedside. They try to raise him up.

Think: Allah, who created the worlds. He sent one percent of His mercy to the world. For My servants, He says, I kept 99% for Myself for when I judge, He says. In this case, how much Allah Almighty loves people, and that we too have no savior other than Him, and that person — think of a person's love for their mother and father — further than that, further than that, as long as our love for Allah Almighty is not so, as long as we cannot remember Him from the heart with passionate love, our faith cannot reach perfection, and we cannot enter among the righteous servants. For us to be righteous servants, this is the condition.

Otherwise, we are Muslims. We worship, we know our Lord too. We also know that all the prophets are true. We do not deny any verse either. We say they are all true. But the game of the heart is something else. Yes. Surah An-Naml, verse 63. Are they better? Or He who, in the darknesses of land and sea, lets you find the way, who sends the rain of His mercy — ahead of the rain the winds as heralds — is it Allah? Is there a god besides Allah? Allah is highly exalted above the partners they associate, and far removed from them.

Allah Almighty continues to prove that there is no other god besides Him. Are they better, or He who, in the darknesses of land and sea, lets you find the way? Allah, who lets you find the way in the darknesses of land, is of course better. By the darknesses of land He means: had Allah willed, He would not have sent prophets to people; people would have had to find Allah's Being with the reason He gave them. But Allah's mercy reached people; He sent them prophets and books to make Him known. Through these prophets and books, with His verses, He brought people out of darkness into light.

Although this is also meant, the darknesses of the seas are mentioned in particular because in endless oceans people could not know which direction to go on the sea; with the magnetism He placed at the earth's poles, with magnetism, people discovered compasses. With these compasses they determined their routes and directions. Also, for those who lost their compasses or whose compasses broke, with the stars He placed in the sky, He gave sailors and captains the means to determine their routes. Allah Almighty, who created the universe with His knowledge and placed the world He created at man's command, addresses human reason with every kind of knowledge, leading people to reflect, and proves Allah's existence and that He is the absolute ruler and creator.

Allah Almighty continues to address people. Or He who sends the winds as heralds ahead of the rain of His mercy? Before rains fall, because of low pressure and high pressure, an air current from high pressure to low pressure arises. With this situation, Allah Almighty drives the rain clouds to whatever land He wills. He makes as much rain as He wills fall on those lands and gives people life through water. He gives them all kinds of plants, delicious fruits and vegetables, and all kinds of vineyards and gardens. So, since the rain clouds are driven by these winds, Allah Almighty — how these clouds are driven by winds, that He created this universe with His knowledge — and people, as they discover Allah's knowledge, will inevitably come to know Allah's existence. People's attitude after that will be their own good deeds and sins.

Is there a god besides Allah? Allah is highly exalted above the partners they associate, and far removed from them. In this case, although Allah has proven His Being in many respects, is there another god besides Allah, that people drift away from Allah, turn their faces away from Allah and associate partners with Allah? O man! Allah sets out to prove His Being so clearly and plainly, tries in His mercy to save people from punishment, and yet if man insists on resisting Allah and they continue to associate partners with Allah, let them know that Allah is free of every kind of deficiency they associate with Him.

By associating partners with Allah, people cannot harm Allah, nor can they reach Allah. So, by associating partners with Allah, people wrong their own selves and purchase the eternal punishment of the hereafter.