Al-Baqarah 121: Some (people) among the ones that We have given the Book read it by guarding its truth because they believe in it. The ones who deny it however, they are truly the ones in a loss.

We now come to the 121st verse, verse 121, one of the verses translated wrongly. What does it say? They who believe in the Scripture We sent. Yet what does it say in the book? The people of — 'those We gave the Book', it says, 'those We gave the Book'. Those who believe in it, they, that Book — 'those We gave the Book' — believe, it says. Now, when you say 'those We gave the Book', a group is singled out here. As in: why didn't You give it to them but gave it to this one? You should have given it to that one too. Isn't he Your — Allah — Your servant too? But it is not so. It is not 'those We gave the Book'.

What is it? We remove that 'those We gave the Book'. They are those who believe in the Scripture We sent. Ah — those who believe in the Book. Who are they? Those who don't used their own will and did not. They stepped out. By their own will. But when it says 'those We gave the Book', 'those We gave the Book', then the matter becomes divided. Here one must pay close attention to the verses.

Those who believe in the Scripture We sent recite it giving it its due, it says — those who believe. That is, fearing Allah, they give it its due. Allah asks of us the duty of servanthood that is upon us. So we are obliged to perform our duty of servanthood toward Him. And fearing Allah, heeding His command, we read it aiming to understand what He means. And whoever denies it — those are the losers. Losers. Those who were given a book in their times, in their times given a book — they read it out of reverence because it came from Allah. It came from Allah. What does Allah Almighty say? When He sent all His books, it was in proportion to people's minds; for example, at first, when minds had not yet come into play, the Torah; then when it developed a bit more, the Psalms; when the human mind developed a bit more, the Gospel; and then, when no prophet would come again, when minds had come into play, He sends the Quran.

And what does He say? Read these constantly. It is dhikr. Reading constantly is a dhikr. That is why the scriptures Allah sent are also called dhikr. Since those books are also in the Quran, the Quran too is called a dhikr. It is the most read book in the world. Yes.

They read it out of reverence because it came from Allah. Because it is Allah's book. Whoever sees its verses on the ground and picks them up earns great reward. And when reading the Quran, one should as far as possible not hold it below (?). When reading the Holy Quran. That stems from respect for our Lord. Yes.

And respecting what is written in the book, they carry it out. What is written in the book? The rulings of the Sharia. So these verses, briefly, without opening them up like this, (?) — we said we would open them up when we explain them. What is it? They carry them out. What? The written rulings, sir. The rulings of the Sharia. And because they fear Allah, they heed Allah's command.

Because they believe in Allah. They do not step outside what Allah says. In ancient times, before Muhammad (peace be upon him) graced the world, when the prophets who came to guide people called them to guidance, those who followed those prophets, and those who believed in the books that came as scripture and were valid in their age — those who obeyed Allah — are people of faith. In those ages, those who believed in the Torah, in the Psalms, the believers, after the Gospel came, those who believed in it, and after the Quran came, since all are in it, those who believe in the Quran — since all are Allah's verses, they are upon the fitra of Islam. That is why Allah Almighty says: with Me, the religion is Islam.

What is it? With our Lord, the religion is Islam. Whereas the Torah, Hebrew, Christianity — religions there. So all of them, in their time, were Islam — upon the fitra of Islam in their time. Then, when the Holy Quran came through Muhammad (peace be upon him), these three books would be within the Holy Quran, the fourth book; since they too are Allah's verses, and the Quran too is Allah's verses, if the Quran is upon the fitra of Islam, they too are upon the fitra of Islam. Because they are Allah's verses. Is there any god other than Allah? He sent them verses. Yes. So what Allah calls religion is Islam.

All those who, in their time, followed the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel, in their time, those who followed them, who revered what Allah Almighty sent them and believed, are upon the fitra of Islam. Then, when the Holy Quran came, those who did not believe in the Prophet and the Quran — if we speak in the words of Allah Almighty, if we say it in the words of Allah Almighty — those who do not believe in the religion of Islam are disbelievers. Allah Almighty declares so. 'They are disbelievers,' He says. That is, from now on, neither the Torah nor the Psalms nor the Gospel — their originals are in the Holy Quran.

So you will believe in the Quran. 'No, I will still take my rulings from the old Torah.' 'Or I'll take my rulings from the Psalms.' 'Or I'll take my rulings from the Gospel.' 'Well, Hodja, do you take rulings from these?' Ah, I take rulings from all of them, since with the Quran they are all in it. From all of them. So while I take rulings from all of them, while you take from all of them, while Islam takes from all of them, would Allah discriminate among His servants and say: you, with just this much, you with this much, you with this much, take your rulings — and so sow discord among people? He does not.

Yes.

We continue. In ancient times, when the prophets who came to guide people called people to guidance, those who followed those prophets, and those who believed in the books that came as scripture and were valid in their age, those who obeyed Allah, are people of faith. With the Prophet of the end times, Muhammad (peace be upon him), coming into the world and the Holy Quran being given to him, gathering all the books in the Quran, in an age when no book other than it remains valid, people rise up: I will follow the book that came before. That is: I will take rulings from those of Allah's verses that suit me.

I'll cut ties with those that don't. When Allah calls me to account, I'll show Allah a few verses that suited me. I'll say I took my rulings from these, and living my life in this delusion, I'll go before Allah. Is that so? Outside the law Allah sent for the guidance of all people, you'll take what suits you and throw away what doesn't, then on the Day of Judgment: look, You had sent me these verses, I took my rulings from them. 'I took rulings' — but Allah Almighty told you: don't commit adultery, don't gamble, don't drink. 'I didn't do these.' You didn't, but believe in the prophet of the end times, Muhammad, you said.

Did you? 'I didn't.' Well, I told you my command: believe in the Quran. Did you? 'I didn't.' Well, if, while others take rulings like this, you take rulings only this much, wouldn't I be committing injustice, says Allah Almighty? So you are guilty. Guilty. Allah does not discriminate among His creatures. Yes.

Those with this understanding, those who deny the verses — according to the verse inne'd-dîne inde Allâhi'l-İslâm, those outside it are the losers.

They have no share in the hereafter. Why do they have no share? Who? Allah Almighty's last (?), the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace be upon him) — whoever does not believe in him. If he denies (?) a single verse of the Quran, these, without faith, go to the hereafter, and Allah Almighty removes His attribute Rahim from them. The attribute of mercy: Rahman is for everyone in the universe, Rahim only for the believer. So when He removes the attribute Rahim from them, no one will intercede for them either. So they remain there alone, with no one. What an evil place of return. What an evil resting place. What an evil destination — the verses saying this are fulfilled in them.

Allah protect us. Allah protect us. In this temporary life, none of us — the torment of such an eternal (?) life — has the power and strength to bear it. There we would suffer misery. Allah protect us. Other than taking refuge in our Lord's mercy, other than being servants to our Lord, we have no way out. Yes.

We will work hard in the world. Allah Almighty says: build up your world. But while building it, we will not forget our Lord. Yes.

A person helps another person. When that person gets back to life, to comfort, does he forget the one who helped him? Can he forget? If you forget, it's ingratitude. So our Lord too provides us a life. Forgetting the one who provides that life is foolishness. One must be bound to Him, lean on Him, submit to Him with all one's being, so that one (?). Yes.

They have no share in the hereafter. Those whose minds know what is right, but who convince themselves of the lie they invented and live by their nafs. When they don't find what they hoped for in the hereafter, they will be losers. They are the ones who harm their own souls. They are those who have swapped this world and the hereafter. They are destined for eternal hell.