Al-Baqarah 93: At one time, We elevated Mount Sinai (Tur-Sinai) upon you so that you will listen to what We have given to you (Commandments) and ordered to obey them. They said, “We heard (with our ears) and rebelled (with our hearts)”. This is because due to their denial, their hearts were filled with affection towards the calf. Tell them; “If you were among the believers, your faith would not have ordered you such (ugly) things!”

We come to verse 93. Verse 93.

'Once, the Torah We gave you — listen to My commands and act accordingly — so saying, We raised the Mount over you and told you this,' it says. This is one of the verses that has been interpreted wrongly. Almost all of it is wrong. All of it has been interpreted wrongly; they have ascribed an attribute to Allah Almighty. Let us read here the wrong way it has been interpreted. All the books are the same anyway. Don't think it is only the book in your hands that is wrongly interpreted. All the books are like this. They are copies of one another anyway. 'Remember that We took a promise from you under Mount Sinai,' it says.

Now, this 'We took a promise from you.' If He took a promise and they gave it, and Allah Almighty, the promise they gave, could not give them as character, and so these people went astray — what is the people's sin?

Because it says 'We took a promise.' He took a promise. Whereas Allah Almighty's — yes — verse 95 — 93. In the verse, what does it say? 'Remember that under Mount Sinai We took a promise from you: What We gave you, hold firmly; understand what is said, We had said. They said, We heard and we disobeyed.' They said, it says: 'We heard and we disobeyed.'

The interpretation here is like this: 'Once, the Torah We gave you — listen to My commands and act accordingly — so saying, We raised the Mount over you and told you.' Told you. Not 'We took a promise from you' — 'We told you.' Taking a promise corresponds to a different meaning. If they gave the promise and then go outside that promise, then Allah Almighty could not write their characters as needed, that would mean. What did He say in His verse? 'If We did not will, you could not will.' So they went outside that promise — its saying 'We took a promise.' But: 'Once, the Torah We gave you — listen to My commands and act accordingly — so saying, We raised the Mount over you and told you,' it says.

He told them; Allah Almighty told them. They had said, 'We heard with our ears, we rebelled with our hearts.' Look, isn't this more correct now, like this? This part.

Here it now goes wrong a second time.

'Because of their denial, love of the calf was poured into their hearts.' What happened? 'Because of their denial, love of the calf was poured into their hearts.' So who poured it? Allah Almighty filled them. They may have filled them themselves, but here the meaning is left hanging. So what will you say here? 'because of their kufr, love of the calf had settled in their hearts.' In their hearts, because of their kufr, love of the calf had settled in their hearts. Now, 'My Beloved, tell them' — this part is just like that too — 'say: if you believe, what evil things your faith commands you.' 'If you were believers' — here it is 'believers'.

Not 'you believe'. 'If you were believers, your faith would not command you, Worship the calf, deny the Quran — such ugly things.'

These are among the wrongly interpreted verses; we correct them like this.

So that the commands within the Torah He sent would be carried out, Allah Almighty, both as a miracle for them and as a shade, raised the Mount over them, and to the Children of Israel: 'Follow the Torah. Listen to its commands. Act accordingly.' That is: We, the Most Exalted, having created all the worlds, above the worlds man, the noblest of creatures, We created. Above the worlds. Now, what does a verse say? In the verse: 'We made you superior over the worlds,' it says. And they misunderstand this verse. People interpret it wrongly too. What do they say? That there was a people there, and compared to those peoples a prophet came to these. That they were superior to them.

And then Allah was ascribed an attribute. And why superior to them? They too are Allah's servants; He would send to them too. They are human too. So here the superiority — within the soul He gave to man, people. Ve mâ erselnâke illâ rahmeten li'l-âlemîn. The Prophet (peace be upon him) — He sends you a mercy to the worlds, and what does He say? Lekad halakne'l-insâne fî ahseni takvîm. 'I created man in the finest form,' He says. Yes.

That is: We, the Most Exalted, having created all the worlds, above the worlds man, the noblest of creatures, We created. Through this most honorable being I created, My Self to be known I wanted. Did He not want to be known through the others? Is He not known through the angels and so on? In prostration, in (?) and so on. But they are all programmed; within a program they remember their Lord. As for man, by his own desire and wish, that his Lord be known — this He willed, Allah Almighty. By man's own desire and wish. Without anyone pressuring him, without his Lord programming him, man, by his own desire and wish, had his Lord program him.

With what did he have himself programmed? He had his desire and wish written for him as destiny. These destinies, as characters, in people were placed. Within those characters, when the time comes, people bring their characters out. They prove what kind of person they are. Within those characters people have desires and wishes. And Allah Almighty, for all these people He created, in a state of creating at every moment, creates events according to their desires and wishes. Within these events every person, by his own desire and wish, by his own decision, through the deeds he has done, earns reward and sin and so proves himself.

This is a great matter. This is Allah's (?). Yes. Therefore I have held you as addressees of My Self; that is, by giving them of His Spirit, He holds man as an addressee of His Self. 'There is no creator and no god but Me.' Allah Almighty — indeed the reason He gave proves this too. 'Your only god is Me; fear Me; so do not disobey My command' — although He said this, the Jews again said, 'We heard with our ears, we rebelled with our hearts.'

Because, owing to their kufr, love of the calf had settled in their hearts. It is not that Allah filled their hearts with kufr. Allah filled no one's heart with kufr.

He gave each person his own desire and wish as destiny. Every person had Allah Almighty program him according to his desire and wish. Their characters as they themselves wished — their desires and wishes, as character, He gave them. Whatever is in people's nature, that, they will live out. Those people will live them out. Here we can give an example about this people. Yes, let me finish this example, then ask — let me finish the example, of course you can ask — you will ask. In our garden, a zaqqum tree we plant. In our garden, to this tree we give great care, and we never let its water and fertilizer run short.

We hoe around its base, clear it of harmful (?), and every kind of food and fertilizer that will do it good, without fail, we feed it with (?) splendor. We want something from this tree. 'Without us touching you at all, without grafting, become an olive tree by yourself,' we say. Can such a thing happen? Is it possible? So too, if there is rebellion in these people's nature, then flatter them as much as you like, show them as many miracles as you like, fulfill their every word as much as you like, still they will turn away. Because in its destiny that — that tree, although with splendor we fed it, although we gave it every kind of food, in its own kind, in its nature, if it will bring out whatever is there — so if in this one's rebellion there is rebelling against Allah, even if you do all it says, even if you raise the Mount over it, even if all the miracles to it you showed — still, this: tar, (?) boiled, does it become sugar? To its kind, (?) to its kind it is drawn; it will return to its own nature. Yes.

Indeed, although Allah Almighty, with such splendor, with every kind of miracle, proved His existence to them — despite that: 'We heard, but we will not turn to You; whatever You do, we will not depart from what we know.' Who says it? (?) 'We will not accept and recognize You as Lord, nor will we do what You say. In our hearts we will keep rebelling against You,' they say. Because in their hearts kufr and the love of (?) against Allah Almighty exist. With nature being such, can that zaqqum tree ever become an olive tree? Why? I said zaqqum. Why? I gave the olive as an example. Zaqqum grows in Hell.

And the olive — its homeland is Mount Sinai. It is in the Sinai desert. Can that zaqqum become an olive? It cannot. Does it turn to mercy? It does not. Their food in Hell, it says, is zaqqum. Its fruit is gnarled and lumpy, it says. It looks like the head of Satan, it says. Whenever they get hungry, they will eat it. It is bitter. When they eat it — these are all verses; I am telling you verses. I am telling you these in spoken language. When they eat it, it says, it will be as if their intestines were chopped with a knife, it says. That is, as if chopped, it says. And then a burning heat will seize them, it says.

They will drink boiling water and pus, it says. If this is not punishment, what is? What is it — if not punishment, what is it? Who could endure this? Yes. Well, is this passing world worth such a punishment?

We live in a time as short as the blink of an eye. Allah Almighty created time within time. A thousand years here are like one day of the Hereafter. Is a life of 60–70 years here, like an hour and a half, worth it? But once that rebellion is in his nature, he risks everything.

When (?) comes, they say, 'We too are believers'; that they will deceive Allah and His Messenger they imagine. My Beloved, say to them: 'If you were believers, your faith would not command you such an ugly thing as: worship this calf, deny the Quran.' After so many miracles, a stone would soften; water would turn to steam; if a person had the light of faith, he too would melt from shame and vanish.

Had they been people of faith, would they have felt hatred toward Allah's creatures? With their denial of Allah Almighty, they consider themselves right, they say no one but themselves deserves good things, and they consider Paradise in the Hereafter fitting for themselves. May Allah Almighty grant such people awakening.