Al-Baqarah 130: Who would turn his face from the religion of Abraham except for those who are ignorant about themselves? Verily, We have exalted him in this world. In the hereafter, he is among the saliheen.

We come to Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 130, to this noble verse. Who turns away from the religion of Abraham except those who do not know themselves? From Allah, from the religion of Abraham. What was the religion of Abraham, then? That is, one who never, not even in his childhood, to any god other than Allah bowed in worship; who, besides His existence, besides the existence of Allah, to no other being turned his face; a prophet who worshipped Allah alone. That is his religion. His religion is his Lord's command. Who? One who has turned himself away from his religion, other than those who do not know themselves.

Who are these who do not know themselves? Wretched people who deny their origin.

Wretched people who deny their origin. What is its origin? Its origin: first, the creation of the light of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Then Allah Almighty giving the Prophet (peace be upon him) of His Spirit. Giving of His Spirit.

Then, from his spirit, the spirits of the prophets being created.

Then, from the spirits of the prophets, the spirits of their own peoples being created. If all people knew that, indirectly, from the spirit of the Prophet they were created. Look, that they came from a single lineage, if they knew it. Would they deny their own origin? From one who denies his origin does any good come to a person? If a person denied his own father and 'I am not your son' said, then wouldn't this be nonsense? By denying his father, does he not degrade himself? He does. Because to very different ideas people get caught up and stuck. So those who turn away from the religion of Abraham and from that One Allah debase themselves in that way, they bring themselves low. That is why our Lord, and the verses always confirm one another, says: they are like four-legged beasts roaming the earth.

They are wretched ones who do not know where they came from and where they are going. Wretched people unaware of themselves.

Who turns away from the religion of Abraham except those who do not know themselves? Truly, We exalted him in this world. And in the Hereafter he is among the righteous. Yes. Truly. We exalted him in this world. In His verses Allah Almighty says: he was neither a Christian nor (?). He was a hanif on a straight path, says Allah Almighty. He praises him. And He says, he is My Khalil. My Khalil.

Abraham says he is on the religion of Islam. The religion of Islam. In this respect Abraham, believing in the oneness of Allah, that our Lord is the sole owner of the universe and in Allah who created all beings from nothing, believing that all the prophets and the books to come were from Allah, is a prophet.

That all beings were created as a will of Allah,

that Allah Almighty, taking people as those He addresses Himself, gave them of His Spirit, and that therefore, because people are a part from our Lord, with the verse that those who do not know themselves turn away from the religion of Abraham, that the unbelievers, those who associate partners with Allah, and those who chase different ideologies deny their origin, that they are people who deny why and for what they were created and where they came from: how beautifully Allah Almighty makes this known with His verse, we say. If people do not know where they come from and where they are going, such people are divided into two groups.

The first group of people are in Islam but ignorant. They make no concession in their religion, live their life that way and pass on to the Hereafter. Such a one has not been able to know himself. By embracing the religion of Islam, he has not denied his origin. The second group: people who, out of their stubbornness, the light of faith drown in the darkness of shirk. These, out of the hatred in their hearts, have turned away from Allah and denied their origin.

These too have not been able to know themselves. So, He says, only those who do not know themselves turn away from the religion of Abraham. This second group of people we mentioned, because they bear hatred toward Allah Almighty, because they do not acknowledge Him, and because they associate partners with Him, are destined for Hell forever. These.

This second group of people we mentioned, because they bear hatred toward Allah Almighty, because they do not acknowledge Him and associate partners with Him, are destined for Hell forever. Abraham never associated partners with Allah, never parted from our Lord, against people's rebellion against Allah and their associating partners with Him, he took his place on our Lord's side. In return for such strong faith, our Lord both in this world exalted his name and placed him among the righteous in the Hereafter.

There is the story of Abraham in the verses. While everyone worshipped idols, on a festival day, when everyone had gone to the festival celebrations, Abraham breaks the idols and places the axe next to the big idol.

People come and say, who broke these idols? If anyone broke them, there's an Abraham over there who opposes our idols, someone called Abraham; he broke them, they say.

Thereupon they summon Abraham. They say to Abraham, did you break the idols? Whoever the axe is next to, (?), he broke them, he says. Look, the axe is next to an idol, he says. Well, how could this idol break them? It has no hands or feet, they say. Well then, an idol that has no hands or feet and knows nothing of itself, how can you worship it, he says. Since that time, since his childhood, he knows that they can bring him no benefit.

Now, sometimes I explain things very deeply, deeply. Since our Lord gave of His Spirit, I say: it is the likeness of man. At that time people could not recognize their Lord and waited for the Lord of their imagination. And Allah Almighty sent them to a (?) realm. Now what does our Lord say? Or do they have eyes that see, or do they have ears that hear, or do they have tongues that speak, or do they have hands that hold, or do they have feet that speak? What do these (?) symbolize? When we come to them, we will explain those verses. So, because of their faith, people who say, we cannot see Allah Almighty, He is a light, He is a radiance: Allah Almighty gives them a very beautiful answer. But there is also benefit in it staying that way.

Because people interpret some things away. From interpretation, breaches arise. Sufism arises. From Sufism the Qadariyya arises. Qadariyya, Mu'tazila arise, and they end up in denial. The Qadariyya followers are like that too. They end up in denial. That is why our forefathers kept some things closed. We open them a little, and the reason we open them is that the end of the world has come anyway. More or less. After this, the time of Asr-ı Saadet will come, inshallah. Inshallah. So this is a preparation for it. Be ready.