Al-Baqarah 144: We see that you turn towards the sky. Thus, we will let you face towards a qiblah which will please you. Now turn your face towards Masjid al-Haram. Wherever you are, turn your faces (while in prayer) towards Masjid al-Haram. Verily, those who were given a Book know that this change in the qiblah is truthfully from their Lord. Allah is not unaware of their denial and what they will be doing.

Look, earlier we said that the Prophet, so that the qibla would be changed, turned his face to the sky; now the verse has come. We see you turning your face searchingly toward the sky, it says.

There are very great meanings here.

This is the verse. What is the meaning here? You know, those who liken Allah to nothing. Who cannot liken Him.

When we say Allah Almighty has an eye — look, look, he has ascribed attributes to Allah — those who say that. And then those who interpret it and say it is figurative. Well, in His verse Allah Almighty addresses those idolaters like this. Or do they have eyes that see? Or do they have tongues that speak? Or do they have hands that hold? Or do they have feet that walk? What is this describing? What does it describe to a person who has a mind? And also, as Noah's ship sailed: it was sailing before Our eyes, He says. How beautiful. Again, in (?), He says Allah's hand is above all other hands.

Yes, we always say it: we are entirely the likeness of our Lord. Yes, because He gave us of His spirit — of His spirit, what do we say? If you take a drop from the oceans, a drop, that drop carries the qualities of the ocean.

(?), yes. There was a question in between, it came to my mind, someone had asked. In this Surah Al-Ikhlas, in Surah Al-Ikhlas, does the word 'likeness' occur? And if it does, in what sense? What shall we say? Does the word 'likeness' occur in Surah Al-Ikhlas?

Kul hüvallahu ehad. Allah, one (?). Allahu's-samed: He is one; samed: He hears, He knows, He sees. He has neither family nor child. He is one anyway, it says. That is Al-Ikhlas. What does 'likeness' mean?

There is none. So there is no such 'likeness' in it.

We see you turning your face searchingly toward the sky. So We will turn you to a qibla that will please you, He says. As we explained in the previous verse. Because they mocked the Prophet (peace be upon him) — when they said Muhammad has lost his qibla, we are showing him the way — he would turn his face toward the sky. He was always waiting for the command from Allah Almighty. That is, so that he would not turn to that qibla from there. So We will turn you to a qibla that will please you. Now turn your face toward Al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you are, turn your faces in prayer toward that mosque.

There is no doubt that those who were given the Book know that this change of qibla is the truth from their Lord. And Allah is not unaware of their denial and of what they will do, it says. Yes.

The Noble Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) — ve mâ erselnâke illâ rahmeten li'l-âlemîn.

Muhammad (peace be upon him), over all prophets and people, has a distinction.

He was created before the worlds were created; from his light these worlds, and from his spirit the prophets and people were created. What is his distinction? Because this whole universe from his light and all the prophets and people from his spirit were created. Those created from the created one — those other than the Prophet — are created from the created one. Who is the created one? The Prophet (peace be upon him). Who are the created ones? The universe from his light, and people from his spirit. So he has a distinction. So he was created before the worlds were created; from his light these worlds, and from his spirit the prophets and people were created.

Since the worlds and people, all beings, were created from him, his coming into this world, his being sent as the last prophet and completer of the religion, is his coming as a mercy to the worlds. On this night, because of his coming into the world, it is his illuminating the worlds. Yes, so it is not that such a prophet should follow the qibla of past communities, but the other communities must follow the qibla of the religion of Islam that Muhammad brought. Right? What would it mean? He would be following them. Whereas all people were to follow this one. What a magnificent — without making any shortcoming — Allah Almighty, free of imperfect attributes, lays down such a beautiful law.

Free of imperfect attributes. Had We turned the qibla back to Jerusalem, our qibla would have been there too. And the religion the Prophet brought would have followed them. Whereas, since all the books are in the Quran, since over all people and prophets the Prophet is witness, everyone is obliged to follow the law he brought and his path. So the changing of the qibla, too, is the removal of all shortcomings. Therefore the Jews' mocking talk — saying Muhammad did not know his qibla, we showed him the direction — grieved the Messenger of Allah; that the Jews' arrogance with such talk be ended, he prayed to Allah Almighty, asking that they be given the qibla of Islam.

Actually the Messenger of Allah knew that the qibla of Islam was the House of Allah. But unless he received a verse or a command from Allah, he would never do anything of his own accord. There is a verse: he does not speak idly. Well, if the Prophet (peace be upon him) does not speak idly, would he ask Allah for his qibla to be changed? The Messenger of Allah knows that our qibla is the House of Allah. But he wants to turn as soon as possible. As soon as possible. Despite knowing — he knows. This knowledge of his, from long before, points to his being alive. What is it? Adam's circling around that pillar of light.

He knows from there too. And since he is alive until the Day of Judgment, until the Day of Judgment, that is, since he is alive in both this world and the hereafter, and since of the programs made and of the future he is aware, he knows.

That is why he wants it changed as soon as possible. Otherwise he would never ask Allah for anything of his own accord. Had he asked, the verse 'he does not speak idly' would not (?).

Yes. So he knows. With witnesses, witnessed, proven.

Amid these worries and sorrows, while every moment he kept waiting for Allah Almighty to give him his own qibla, Allah Almighty sends down His verse to His Beloved. We see you turning your face searchingly toward the sky. So We will turn you to a qibla that will please you, He says, and with this verse He comforts His Beloved.

Now your face toward Al-Masjid al-Haram turn. And wherever you are, your faces in prayer toward that mosque, mosque — turn them. While in prayer, upon this verse, the Messenger of Allah turns his qibla from the side of Jerusalem toward Mecca, toward the Noble Sanctuary. Seeing this, the companions, imitating the Messenger of Allah, turn their faces toward the Noble Sanctuary too. Wherever you are, after first searching for the qibla, faces are turned toward Al-Masjid al-Haram, the qibla of Islam, and in Allah Almighty's presence one stands for prayer.

Gentlemen, never brush prayer aside, as Muslims. And do not neglect your prayers. Prayer means, of our Lord who created us, the duty of servanthood upon us — to fulfil it, going into Allah Almighty's presence. Now I ask you, if it were possible, if it were possible, and they said: Allah Almighty is in such-and-such place — wouldn't you want to see Him? Wouldn't you? You would run. Wouldn't you? So it seems to me. You would run. Let me see, you would say. If you knew Allah was really there, you would run.

If it were possible, if He were in the town you are in, who, into His presence, every moment, would not want to go? Who would not want to be with Him? The companions never wanted to part from the Prophet (peace be upon him). They always wanted to be in his presence. And this is Allah, who created the worlds. Who would not want to go into His presence? All of you would say: we would never leave. So what is prayer, prayer? It is going into His presence, isn't it. Then why, while you want to go into His presence, while you desire it so, in prayer do you treat it as an afterthought?

You do not perceive it this way. Let me put it to you this way: if you loved a woman very much and were in love with her, loved her, loved her very much, would you want to leave her? You would want to be with her every moment. Compared with this love of a person, although Allah Almighty created him for the worlds, that person who never wants to leave the side of the one he loves — can he not love Allah even this much that he pushes prayer back as an afterthought? He tries to block it.

If a person uses his mind a little, he will compare. In this comparison he will feel ashamed before his Lord who created him. Perhaps the whims the devil gives him and the worldly whims his nafs gives him, and the world seeming so attractive to him — perhaps by using his mind this way he tries to overcome them and keeps up his prayer.

So what does Allah Almighty say? Do you not use your minds? Do you not reflect? How beautifully He says it.

Yes.

What does it say now? Wherever you are, after first searching for the qibla, faces are turned toward Al-Masjid al-Haram, the qibla of Islam, and in Allah Almighty's presence one stands for prayer. There is no doubt that those who were given the Book know this change of qibla to be the truth from their Lord. They know it to be the truth from their Lord. So if he knows it as the truth, that person, out of his love for his Lord and his faith and belief in Him, is a person who carries out his Lord's command. No doubt the People of the Book know this change is the truth. Because theirs too is a book that came from Allah.

He calls them the People of the Book. In the verse where He says they too know: whatever Allah wills, the People of the Book know there is wisdom in it. That is why they obey Allah. With this change of qibla they show their submission to Allah Almighty. By distinguishing with these verses between those who obey and those who do not, our Lord declares to people their own state. Those who obey and those who do not. He distinguishes them this way. Allah, however, is not unaware of their denial and of what they will do, it says. What did we say: in every atom of this universe Allah Almighty is present and watching. In every atom.

This leads to many meanings.

If we were to explain it, the capacity of the mind would not suffice. That is, with your permission, your capacity would not suffice for it.

And with various interpretations you would fall into kufr. But scientifically, of substances the atoms, the nuclei of atoms, by spinning around their own axes — the heavens and the earth and what is between them know the remembrance of their Lord, it says. By making them remember Him, by making them remember Him, it signifies that there is no god but Allah. Like a factory that produces a product and stamps its logo on it — not from human hands has it come. This whole universe, created from atom to globe, as what Allah created — our Lord, His glorious names, by having His creations remember them, that there is no god but Him, He makes them remember. Plus, these positive and negative electrodes, while spinning around their own axes, give off a signal.

A frequency. Those frequencies, all of them, are programmed to Allah Almighty. A wish in them, a desire, any event, an event, to Allah Almighty is given. Therefore, even the (?) of the universe is within Allah Almighty's sight and hearing. So Allah Almighty is both Basir and Sami, the All-Seeing and the All-Hearing. He is also All-Knowing. He has power over all things. He created no atom outside His being. He created no atom He cannot rule over.

Allah Almighty is not unaware of what they will do, it says. In this whole universe, let us put a finger on this point, on a matter of which people, people, some things misunderstand — let us put a finger on it. That the holy spirit of Allah Almighty came to Mary and breathed Jesus — that they say to Mary [it was] Gabriel (peace be upon him), actually it was not Gabriel, but directly from our Lord a spirit, a spirit from our Lord. Muhammad, from him the spirits, all the people in this universe; the rest does not concern you. The rest would blow your minds. That is why Allah Almighty is present and watching everywhere in the universe.

Nothing happens without His knowledge. He has power over all things.

People cannot bring any deficiency to Allah by their denial. Making all people witnesses against their own selves, so that they would not say 'we knew nothing of this', Allah made a covenant with people and gave people their own aims as their destiny. Here we are explaining this in another sense. The part that is really Sufi and esoteric, a very deep matter, we are closing here. Allah made a covenant with people and gave people their own aims as their destiny. This is Surah Al-A'raf, verse 172. Since Allah Almighty knows what the people to come until the Day of Judgment will do, such people's denial of Allah brings no deficiency to Allah.

With Allah Almighty saying 'We are not unaware of what they will do', that is, it is impossible for Us not to be aware of what they do. Every soul will find the full return of whatever it does, He says. We put the verses here briefly with their meanings. This must be Emre Çetin. Emre is writing from America. Peace be upon you, sir. I kiss your hands. The expression kufuwan ahad at the end of Surah Al-Ikhlas is exactly as you said. There is none equal to Him. And it means one, one, which confirms what you said. 'There is nothing like Him', as many people understand it — it does not mean that. I kiss your hands.

Blessed Kandil, sir, he says. See? Yes. So it is not as many people say, 'there is nothing like Him'.

Well done, Emre Çetin, you are doing fine research.