Al-Baqarah 135: Jews and Christians said (to Muslims) “become Jews or Christians to find the right path”. Tell them “no, we follow the religion of Abraham, who is a Haneef. He was not a polytheists”.

We'll talk, they will continue our talks. Yes. Verse 135. The Jews and Christians said this to the Muslims. The Jews and Christians gather — to the Muslims. Geylani says: on Thursday, God willing, if there is M, with your permission we'd like to come too, Hodja, he says. Yes. What he calls M is, in our language, a sacrifice — is there a sacrifice, he says. There is. A sacrifice will be slaughtered. Since that sacrifice won't be enough, meat will be bought (?), veal will be bought. So: roast meat, pilafs, boiled meat. You'll eat. Whatever Allah gives. It's all there. And there's enough for everyone.

Yes. Geylani.

The Jews and Christians said this to the Muslims. Become Jews and Christians so that you find the right path. The Jews to the Muslims: find the right path, become Jews. That is, enter Abraham's religion. And the others: follow the Gospel, the Torah — I mean, the Gospel. The Christians say the same. To the Muslims. Say: no. We follow the religion of Abraham, the hanif. We do not, like you, ascribe attributes to Allah. We are not, like you, those who oppose Allah and say 'we are His close ones'. We — of Abraham, the hanif, who from childhood affirmed there was never a second god and who worshipped only that God, Allah — we follow Abraham's religion.

We recognise no god other than Allah. Neither our nafs, nor what Allah created. We know only Allah, the Owner of this dominion, the Creator of this universe, as God, and believe in Him, have faith in Him and worship Him. This is our principle. This is the Muslim's principle. When you say Muslim, this is it. Yes. And whatever our Lord made known to us in His verses, we believe in it as it is. In all the prophets, all the verses, in all of them we believe; we profess with our tongue and affirm with our heart. That affirmation is the seal, the seal of Islam.

The Jews and Christians, because of the kufr in their hearts, being hostile to Allah, (?): by drawing the Muslims into their own ranks to distance them from Allah; in the last and perfect religion Allah Almighty sent, to leave Allah alone; to make Allah accept their own wishes; in the direction they want, to make Allah (?) to their own wishes and desires — that is it. These — just as the Jews bargain: we won't suffer more than three days of punishment in hell, what do the Christians do? O greatest of the three, my God, they say, and they call Jesus father: save us, father. May Allah give them sense.

May Allah truly give them sense. They know very well themselves what they serve. Shall I tell you what they serve? Even their greatest, I mean even the greatest in religion — always that money, isn't it, money? Matter. And fame and glory. That pride and arrogance. (?) And they became captives of that pride and arrogance. They deified their nafs. They worshipped matter. So in this situation, people — that is, beside the Muslims — since they are in a state of helplessness, so as not to show themselves as inferior, they tried to draw those Muslims, people of character, onto their side. They are still trying.

If in their destiny there are those who will follow them, they follow anyway. Within their destiny. And if there are some of them who will come to Islam, they come to Islam anyway. Yes. No one can change anyone's destiny. Everyone will live their own destiny.

Now we look at the understanding of this heart, that is, look at these people's understanding: people so unaware of themselves that they cannot grasp right or wrong — why do we say this? Their hearts, it says, are scattered and restless. Being scattered and restless adds stress to a person; in that stress a person cannot make a right decision, falls into pessimism; that's why they come together and each tries to make the other accept his ideas. And finally they gather. Among themselves they make a false, wrong decision. False and wrong. Why false and wrong? Because Allah makes the very best decision.

And as long as Islam applies that decision, it stays firm on the right path and does not fall into those errors. For this reason Allah Almighty says a Muslim is worth three non-Muslims — in reason.

Because they are people governed by Allah's command. The Muslims. Yes.

People so unaware of themselves that they cannot grasp right or wrong. People who fit Allah into their minds and, ascribing attributes to Allah according to their own reasoning, want to make Him a partner in their own mistakes. Their own (?). That is: make religion as you say. Let it be like this. And if you don't do it that way, we won't follow you, sort of. For that reason they are already opposing Allah Almighty and associating partners with Him.

People who see their own minds as superior to Allah. Yes. Is it wrong? Today there are human rights, aren't there. Outside the religion of Islam. Those who call some Sharia rulings desert law, who stain humanity and give up their own honour and dignity — such people. Today those laws he calls desert law let a person taste the attribute of humanity. Human means the vicegerent on earth, the most honoured, in the sense of the most faithful to Allah, the most honoured. And the human, the human is the star of the earth — with what? Provided he is governed by Allah's commands. So how does he become a star?

With his chastity, his dignity, his honour, his glory, by leaning on Allah, and by doing no injustice to anyone on earth, by not wishing them, people, any oppression. These are the honour of humanity. And these people are the complete opposite of this. Neither glory nor fame — those who chase glory and fame have neither chastity, nor dignity, nor decency, nor anything, nothing at all. Nothing at all. Everyone sleeps with each other as they please. There is no concept of family. There is a family in form. In form. And these are people who live life according to their own minds. Le şerefa, le aiziyet. Don't animals live the same way today?

So when Allah Almighty says of them that they are like the four-footed ones on earth, what difference is there? What difference is there? Show me a difference.

So look at this one's mind. While he cannot manage himself, while he cannot know his honoured place, he, the most honoured of creation, with (?) creatures or animals sees himself on the same level and, envying their life, thinking he is living, lives that way, with that feeling — does such a person have honour and dignity? Into this dishonour and indignity — that honour and dignity: the one who lives the religion of Islam and with its characters has (?) — beside him, people with an inferiority (?) compete to draw these, too, into their ranks. And more or less many of them succeed at this. Why? Because we don't know our religion.

Why? Because we live with superstitions. Why? Because we have moved away from the verses. Why? Because we measure everything by our minds. Hey, human, you are responsible, responsible. Especially if you lead a group, you are responsible, responsible.

You've led so many people after you, and you are unaware of yourself.

God willing, Allah gives awakening.

Yes.

Who could be more unjust to their own nafs than these people? Yes. That's right. If there is no god other than Allah, and what a person earns is their own recompense, who can wrong whom the most? Say you wrong me — I die (?). If I said Allah, if I knew Allah — in Allah's religion it is (?). I'll still go to Paradise if I said Allah. If I have sins, I'll suffer for them and still go to Paradise. But if I deny Allah — worse than the one who kills me or than your wronging someone else, if I have denied Allah — who could wrong my own nafs this much?

Let's say I usurped people's rights, their dues, let me tell you, I deceived them, but I never compromised on the religion of Islam. I mean, I did not go (?) the religion of Islam. I have earned sin. I gathered all the sins of Ahmet and Mehmet by usurping their rights. But one day I will come out of that hell. As much as I usurped people's rights, Allah takes it from me, and gives them their due. If that isn't enough, Allah gives from Himself. He is generous. He gives them their rights in the other world. And He punishes you instead. Like a state giving you a loan and taking that loaned money back from you.

There, Allah does not give you the punishment from Himself, from His mercy, but because of their rights, He puts you into punishment. Everything you earned has gone to them. And you have remained in hell. But because you did not give up the religion of Islam, you still come out of there. You went as a Muslim, after all; if you go as an unbeliever and stay there forever, who will show you mercy — have you ever thought about this? Is there a god other than Allah who will protect you? Yes.

In the time of Moses, they misunderstood Allah Almighty's grace upon them.

The people, the people of Moses — Allah Almighty's grace upon them they misunderstood. To free them from captivity and to end Pharaoh's oppression, Allah Almighty sent Moses (peace be upon him) to them as a prophet. Misunderstanding Allah's kindness toward them, as if they thought Allah had accepted their wishes, they grew spoiled; they wanted Allah to be made a tool for their own wishes and desires. By Allah's command, Moses saves them from Pharaoh's oppression. This people, left alone in (?), Allah Almighty feeds with the food of Paradise. This people, used to eating the food of Paradise without working, then grew tired of it and exchanged the food of Paradise for onion and garlic, the bitter ones among foods.

Then Allah Almighty says: enter through this gate saying 'hitta'. They mocked this and turned it into 'hinta'. These are people who, misunderstanding Allah Almighty's (?) abundant mercy, have become used to not doing what Allah says. The more Allah Almighty shows them mercy, as if He were obliged to look after them and will always give their provision (?). What's it to me? You created me. Do as You wish. I mean, You are obliged to give to me. And You are obliged to do what I say. There's also this: yes, I created you in proportion to your wish. I did not separate you from My essence; I gave from My spirit.

And to you — if you know only Me as Lord and for your own life and peace do what I say, if you do, if you do, you will attain My mercy, you will enter Paradise, Paradise. You will enter Paradise. In this situation, what are you doing?

You act toward Allah as if He were obliged to you. Now, is this right? Is it? If you did good to a person, and he opposed you,

and you, out of mercy and compassion, to prove to him what kind of person he is, fed him and gave him drink, and he got used to it and turned his back on you: I'm in your house anyway. No, you are obliged to do this. You are obliged to do it. You do this, you do that, sort of. Misunderstanding Him, people go into kufr toward Allah Almighty. Yes.

Now something caught my attention here.

A light is shining behind me.

Look, when I do this, the light goes out. When I do this, it shines. These people of our time look for a calf under the ox, they look for a calf under the ox, right, not for the sake of the word, but to vilify people, to sling mud at them, they'll do something, they'll say something, right; so every person, living their own destiny and nature like this, proves themselves like this. Listen well. Look, I only noticed it now. Some say that with a light trick he is doing a divine-light trick. They say it's like a miracle trick. Look, I only noticed it now. When you said it. Look, now I'm coming back.

Look, it went dark. I come like this. It lights up — this light's thing, probably. And they gave this other meanings. I'm laughing so much. Ignorance is something else.

My students won't fall for this anyway. They won't fall for it. They use their minds. Their minds. Yes. What was it? They're apparently saying the Hodja Efendi does divine-light tricks with light tricks.

Look, with movement (?) it goes out anyway. It's not in my hands; the light is doing this. Am I doing a divine-light trick here? Yes. May Allah give them sense.

With these behaviours they have led their own end to destruction. People deprived of Allah's light, who wander in the swamps of darkness and kufr, since they cannot see the brightness of the path of truth — beside people who advance on luminous paths, who watch their surroundings like radar with Allah's verses, their talk becomes so comical. We said. Yes. And how ignorant they end up.

And still, from these things we talk about, these appear. We talk there, and it appears there too. This is truly comical. Very comical. Yes.

A person in the desert has sunk into a swamp and is about to drown.

A traveller who comes near says to the person sunk in the swamp: give me your hand, let me save you from here, as he says this, he is going to save the man from the swamp. If that one says to him: you give me your hand and I'll save you — does that make sense? He'll pull him into the swamp too. The person in the swamp, without giving him a chance to speak, says: friend, give me your hand, I'll get you out of here. These are people who, although they know that there is no salvation for themselves either in this swamp, out of hostility to Allah cannot break the arrogance of their nafs and their pride and turn to their Lord, and, within their own pride and arrogance, consent to their own destruction — such people. We said: may Allah protect us from such situations.

May Allah protect us. From such situations. Amen.

How beautifully Allah Almighty gives the Muslims an answer to this state of theirs. Allah Almighty. Say: no. We follow the religion of Abraham, the hanif. I always tell you the meaning of hanif. Hanif means: someone who in no way, from childhood on, believed in any being other than Allah, who believed only in that God, who believed in Allah who is one — a person. Say: no, we follow the religion of Abraham, the hanif. Hanif — that is, far from every false belief — we follow Abraham's religion. Abraham, who even at a young age believed in the one Allah and associated nothing with Him. Would people who, by the blessing of these prophets' prayers, know Allah Almighty and surrender from the heart abandon the religion of Islam and turn to a (?) religion?

Is it possible, I mean? But if it is in their destiny, of course they turn. After seeing the truth and reality, would they move away from Allah and wrong their own nafs? Impossible. But today we look, people will love their teachers. If they don't love their teachers, they cannot learn the work. He will love him so that he holds to what he says. But a person has a mind. With this mind a person will take the truth wherever he sees it. Ahmet Hodja is Mehmet's teacher. Mehmet looked at Hasan Hodja and saw that he explains it better. Leaving his teacher is not right. (?) But his teacher will raise him up to a certain level.

That's his teacher. He will give him something. (?), knowledge. But he saw that within superstitions he is staying, within superstitions, and gradually, beside a very small truth, beside a small truth, entirely outside the verses, relying on minds, relying on partial minds, there are superstitions. Then he will turn to wherever he found the truth.

Yes. If knowledge is in China, go and take it, says the Prophet. If knowledge is in China, go and take it. Knowledge is honourable. We will take knowledge.

That's why for people, with the passion for being leaders, to put their finger on places they don't know and to explain the religion of Islam that way is — I always say — to pull their own rope on their own gallows themselves.

They will teach what they know. Not what they don't know. They will teach what they know. He has a duty. There is a duty. He has learned. He will teach. What does it say? There are three kinds of scholars. The first knows but does not do. He is good for burning. The second knows and does, but does not teach. He is good for burning. The third knows, does it himself, and also teaches. He is like the sun, it says.