Al-Baqarah 140: They surely say that Abraham, Ismaeel, Isaac, Jacob and the offspring are Jewish and Christian. Tell them “is it you who know better or is it Allah?” Who is more oppressive than someone who has been informed by the Book and who hides the witnessing? Allah is not unaware of what you are doing.
Contents
Explanation
Translation
They surely say that Abraham, Ismaeel, Isaac, Jacob and the offspring are Jewish and Christian. Tell them “is it you who know better or is it Allah?” Who is more oppressive than someone who has been informed by the Book and who hides the witnessing? Allah is not unaware of what you are doing.
Tafsir
Jews and Christians used to claim that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and Asbat were Jews and Christians. By attributing their own superstitious beliefs to these prophets, they would make their own souls accept that they were on the right path and continue to satisfy their egoistic desires. Again, these people were trying to clear their own swampy paths by trying to claim these prophets for their own invented religions.
Even though these prophets conveyed the truth to them, you do not listen to the truth, the commands of Allah, you do not believe in what those prophets believed, you oppose those prophets, you change the book given to you with your own hands, and then you use these prophets as a tool for your sins by claiming them for your own according to your own mind. Look at the audacity of these people against Allah (swt).
Instead of breaking their pride and greatness in their selfish desires and submitting to Allah and surrendering to Allah with the easy way of doing things, people cannot give up their pride and greatness, their selfish desires, and they try to justify themselves by saying that these prophets were Jews and Christians, and they try to justify themselves by attributing to their prophets the sins and deceit and evil that they themselves have committed in their dark and swampy ways. How beautifully they prove to the world that they have not an iota of justification in the eyes of people of sound mind, people who judge with truth and do justice, and in the eyes of Allah. However, the prophets are one nation, descended from each other. They are on the religion of Islam.
(Say: "Do you know better or Allah?") surely Allah knows better. Because Allah, who has made a covenant with each human being individually, has written his destiny in the direction of his desire and will. Therefore, even though a man does not know his destiny for the next part of his life, Allah (swt) knows his destiny. This is because He has programmed man's destiny according to his desire and will, and has implanted it in him as his nature. Man cannot escape this destiny. Therefore, Allah has many proofs. Man, on the other hand, has no evidence.
Although the book in their hands contained the coming of the Prophet of the End Times and the qualities of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), they deliberately did not recognize him when he appeared in the world. Their concealment of the prophet's testimony of prophethood because the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) came from the Arab tribe and not from their own nation was the greatest cruelty to their own souls. Their behavior has increased their rebellion against Allah (swt) and multiplied their disbelief.
(Allah is not heedless of what you do) Allah is aware of what is going on in every particle of the universe. No creature can move out of His view. No being can move without His knowledge. He is neither absent-minded nor heedless. No creature can say to Allah that I did not do this bad deed or that I obeyed you and leave Allah unaware of what we do.
What is said in the video
...into it. Indeed they claim that Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes were Jews and Christians. Now, the Christians, about Abraham (peace be upon him), Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the Tribes, the Tribes meaning the children of Jacob. Well, they say they were Jews and Christians. The Jews say they were Jews. And the Christians say they were Christians. Say: Do you know better, or Allah?
Abraham was neither a Jew nor a Christian. He was a Hanif, on a straight path since his childhood. Who could be more unjust than one who conceals a testimony made known to him by Allah through the Book, it says. Allah is not unaware of what you do. So although Allah Almighty made known to them, to the Jews and Christians, what Abraham was, and what Jacob, Ishmael and the Tribes were, they, by claiming these men instead of Allah, by taking them as their backing, by relying on them, show that they once again take a stand against Allah. And so they fall into shirk. Into shirk. Whereas had they said: these too are servants of Allah and righteous people that Allah made known to us.
Ishmael, Jesus, Jacob. The prophet Jacob. These are righteous people, His servants. The Jews and Christians, by claiming that Abraham, Ishmael, Jesus, Jacob and the Tribes were Jews and Christians, attributing their own false religions to these prophets, do so to convince their own nafs that they are on the right path, so that they can keep satisfying their selfish desires.
Yes.
They say: we follow these men, and they are prophets anyway, servants of Allah, or Allah's beloved ones. If we take them as our backing, if we are with them, (?), they will stand up for us; not Allah, but they will stand up for us. And they do whatever they will do (?). Not by what Allah says, but by convincing themselves, their nafs, that they are supposedly on their path.
And these people's trying to make these prophets patrons of the religions they invented is an attempt to clean up their own swampy paths. Look, we are on his path. Saying 'we are on the path of Jesus, of Jacob, of Abraham', and changing the books Allah Almighty sent them with their own fabrications, they attribute it to them and try to whitewash their own filth. And Allah Almighty answers them. What does He say? Than one who conceals the testimony made known to him by Allah through the Book — how beautifully He puts it. Who could be more unjust than one who conceals the testimony in that Book, He says.
No one can be more unjust than a person's injustice against his own self. Yes. Although these prophets conveyed the truth to them, [they say:] you, do not listen to the truth those prophets conveyed, to Allah's commands. Do not believe what those prophets believed. Oppose those prophets. And change with your own hands the books given to you. Then, by claiming these prophets for yourselves as you see fit, make them too a tool for the sins you have committed. Look at these people's audacity against Allah Almighty, I wrote.
They gathered among you, didn't they, held a meeting at the Haram as the community of Abrahamic religions. Yes. As the community of Abrahamic religions, taking refuge in Abraham (peace be upon him), as you said, they try to cover up their filth. Yes. They still gather as the religious communities of Abraham. So they will take refuge in them.
What do we say now? Look, we address these people nicely. Let us read that paragraph again. These prophets, although they conveyed the truth to those people, those people, the polytheists, [say:] you, do not listen to the truth those prophets conveyed, to Allah's commands. Do not listen to the truth and to Allah's commands. Do not believe what those prophets believed. Oppose those prophets. And change with your own hands the books given to you. Then, by claiming these prophets for yourselves as you see fit, make them too a tool for the sins you have committed. Look, we say, at these people's audacity against Allah Almighty.
Yes.
Instead of people breaking the pride and arrogance of their selfish whims and bowing to Allah, surrendering to Allah the easy way, how nice (?)
How does a person find the finest peace? How does he find peace most easily? And how will he attain Allah's mercy in both worlds and live in peace? Very simple. By breaking his nafs. By saying stop to this nafs.
The truth his mind shows him — even though his mind shows him that there is no god but Allah, he does not go with it. In the outburst of selfish feelings, he says stop to the truth his mind shows him. On those dark, swampy paths his nafs desires, he sees the flower of the zaqqum tree blooming in the swamp and tries to be with it. Astonishing. Astonishing, truly astonishing. Now, instead of people breaking the pride and arrogance of their selfish whims, bowing to Allah and surrendering to Allah the easy way, by not giving up that pride and arrogance, their selfish whims, through their deceitful ways, by saying these prophets were Jews and Christians, trying to justify the sins and deceit they committed on dark, swampy paths, and the evil, deceiving themselves, (?) that they have no right on their side — to people of sound mind who act with truth and justice, and in the sight of Allah, how nicely they prove to everyone that they have not an atom of right on their side, it says.
Let us read that again, look how beautiful it is. We will explain it now. Instead of people breaking the pride and arrogance of their selfish whims, bowing to Allah, surrendering to Allah the easy way, right? Is there any god besides Allah? You too know that Allah created these worlds. No power, no strength can match Him, nor can the power of these worlds harm Him. So if you leave Him and whip up your own selfish feelings, if within selfish feelings you deify your nafs, and with this pride and arrogance live in the swamps, in those restless states, with scattered hearts, and take that life for the flower of the zaqqum tree blooming in the swamp, you ruin yourself completely.
What does Allah Almighty say... you may say, Hodja, why did you compare it to the flower of the zaqqum tree? Because in Surah Al-Waqi'ah Allah Almighty tells us that the zaqqum tree is in Hell, that its fruit is knobbly, He likens it to the heads of devils; so the devil's head is knobbly; Allah Almighty says, like the heads of devils, knobbly; and that they will eat it whenever they are hungry, that when eaten it will cause them pain, and also that it will pain their bowels inside as if cutting them with a knife, He tells us. That is why I compared it to the flower of the zaqqum tree.
In that pride and arrogance, not giving up their selfish whims, through their deceitful ways, saying these prophets were Jews and Christians, trying to justify the sins, the deceit, the evil they committed on dark and swampy paths, deceiving themselves — to people of sound mind who act with truth and justice, and here I mean the Muslims, of sound mind, meaning those who know their Lord, and who act justly, meaning those who use their minds, who know (?) and what is right, in their sight, we say, yes, in the sight of Allah, of those people and of Allah, that they have not an atom of right on their side — how nicely they prove it to everyone.
Whereas the prophets, descended from one another, are a single community. They are upon the religion of Islam. They are neither Jews nor Christians. Yes. Say: Do you know better, or Allah? Allah Almighty says this to them. The Prophet says it (?) to his community somewhere. Say to them: do you know better, or Allah? Who knows: Allah, who created the universe and made and programmed the program of everything from atom to globe, Allah, or this poor human who does not know the unseen even a second ahead — who knows? Of course Allah will know. Of course. Of course Allah knows much better. Because Allah, who made a covenant with each person individually, wrote for that person, in line with his wishes and desires, his aim as his destiny.
For this reason, although a person cannot know his destiny in the rest of his life, Allah Almighty knows his destiny. Because He programmed a person's destiny according to his wishes and desires and wrought it into him as his nature. A person cannot escape this destiny. So Allah's proofs are many. Man has no proof in his hands. Allah Almighty's proofs are many, we say. Man, however, has no proof at all in his hands. Yes. Today, in a person's cells, in the nuclei of their atoms, in that DNA, all the traits of all who came before, the eyes, eyebrows, height, figure, whatever it is, all is written.
His destiny is within it. Programmed, that is. That program develops over time, develops, the person comes into being, in that person's destiny events emerge, Allah Almighty creates the causes, they work. Everything is a program.
In the book in my hands, yes, although in the book in their hands it is written that the prophet of the end times will come and the qualities of Muhammad (peace be upon him) are written, and although they recognized him when the Prophet came into the world, despite recognizing him, because Muhammad (peace be upon him) came from the Arabs and not from their own nation, their concealing the testimony to his prophethood is their greatest injustice against their own selves. Why? He commits so many sins, yet that is not the greatest injustice, but the greatest sin is concealing the Prophet's prophethood — is that the greatest sin?
Yes. Why? The other is cheating Ahmet or Mehmet out of their rights by his own reckoning. This happens in Islam too, but one does not become a kafir. By denying Muhammad (peace be upon him) you become a kafir. That is the greatest injustice you do to your own self. You become a kafir.
Their behaving in this way... Yes. Their behaving in this way increases their rebellion against Allah Almighty and multiplies their kufr, we had written.
Yet Allah is not unaware of what we do, it says. Allah Almighty is not unaware of what we do. So says our Lord in His verse. Because Allah Almighty is free of all imperfect attributes; neither sleep nor drowsiness overtakes Him. So Allah Almighty, who since the creation of the universe knows the essence of this whole universe and knows and programs what is to come in the best way, is free of every imperfect attribute. Allah Almighty is aware of every movement that happens in every atom of the whole universe. In every atom.
How is He aware? How is He aware? In every atom, in every atom of the universe. As we said earlier, of all these substances, magnetic or antimagnetic, the cells of all substances, the atoms of those cells and the nuclei of these atoms, while spinning around their own axes, make a sound. This sound remembers Allah. Even if we do not hear it, the heavens and the earth and all between them know the remembrance of Allah, it says. Also, while spinning around their axes they give off a signal, and this signal is programmed to Allah Almighty. When in any atom of the universe there is a wish, a desire, a movement, an event, our Lord is aware of it.
So Allah Almighty, who programmed everything to Himself from atom to globe, is aware of everything. No being can step outside His sight. Because He created nothing beyond His power, nothing He does not rule over. He created nothing like that. No being can move without His knowledge. Because outside His knowledge, outside His program, no being, no atom can move. Not a single atom.
Neither drowsiness nor heedlessness overtakes Him. No created being, by saying to Allah 'I did not do this bad deed' or 'I obeyed You', can leave Allah unaware of what we do.