Al-Baqarah 157: They are those upon whom there will be mercy and forgiving from their Lord. Those are the ones who found guidance.

We have come to verse 157 of Surah Al-Baqarah. Upon them are forgiveness and mercy from their Lord, and they are the rightly guided. What is it? Forgiveness from their Lord and mercy are always theirs. Why always theirs?

Those people — doesn't it say so in the other verse? Those who, it says. So, those people who, when they take up a task, when they trade, when they speak with a person, always remembering their Lord, speak with measure and act to gain Allah's pleasure. They are those people. These people, in their state of being created deficient, with their minds being deficient, surely make mistakes. With the mistakes they make, they at once realise that they have made a mistake, and their hearts (?) before Allah Almighty, and they feel shame before Allah. This is repentance itself. Not necessarily with the tongue. This is what repentance is.

If only I could repent with a sincere heart, it says. Look, with a sincere heart. There is forgiveness from their Lord. Mercy is always theirs, it says. It is for such people. Those who are such people. And they are the rightly guided. Because they look nowhere but the straight path. Just as when the Prophet (peace be upon him) was ascending in the Miraj, when he came to the Throne of Allah, O Messenger of Allah, when he came to the Throne of Allah, people think that I too carry my Lord. Whereas I too am carried. How can the carried be, it says, the carrier? it says. At that moment, on the Throne of Allah, the words La ilaha illallah Muhammadun Rasulullah are being written.

But the Messenger of Allah does not look at the writing being written. Here is a verse for you: his eye did not swerve, it says, he did not look. And (?), I have no time to be with you, he says, and goes on his way. So the person on that straight path looks nowhere but that straight path, does not incline to the world. He does not fix his eyes on the things of the world, which are a swamp and a dump.

Mercy and forgiveness are theirs, says Allah Almighty. For such people. Isn't there any for the others? Of course there is for them too. How could there not be? As long as you say it. But with mercy. That is, they say these are on the straight path. Look. And they are the rightly guided. But now people are like this, like this. Until they become believers. Yes. He barely got by with the word of testimony. But in doubts. Let the one who is not a believer and says, I have no doubts in me, tell that to someone else. Tell it to someone else. Let one brave man, without fooling himself — I call him brave because he will tell the truth — say: I have no hesitation in me.

One who is not a believer, though. In Allah's sight. As if he were in His presence. Many of those at the head, many of those at the head of those groups too, are all in such hesitations. That is why I call them sleepwalkers.

Yes.

Don't be angry with me, you people at the head of that community. (?) What does it say? Allah Almighty: there is no envy among people except over religion. Over religion there is. Why is he like this and I could not be like this? Why is he close to Allah and I could not be? So what does he do? Pay attention. Try to (?) with his virtues, so that you too draw near to your Lord. So that you remove the worldly attachments from your heart.

So Allah Almighty, who created people deficient and fallible — when people, in their deficiencies, for the mistakes they make ask Allah Almighty for pardon and forgiveness — that Allah Almighty will forgive them, that by their turning back to Allah Almighty, Allah's mercy will be upon these people, that they will attain salvation, He declares to us. Now, after what I just said, this text is weak, isn't it? Weak. This is for the public, like this. Words for the public. The earlier was from deeper. A bit deeper. In the verse where He says they are the rightly guided, He makes known that there is no god but Allah, and, as He says in the verse above, We belong to Allah and to Him we shall return — according to that verse, those who submit to Allah.

Because of such people's submission, that Allah Almighty will guide them and, making them the recipients of His verse that neither fear nor grief touches them, will join them to the company of those who attain salvation, He makes known to us.

Now, like this, we write sentence by sentence, so people understand, outwardly; here again, what I explained a moment ago, there is a word stressing the word of what I explained. What is it?

And making them the recipients of His verse that neither fear nor grief touches them.

Ve le sevfe yu'tîke rabbüke fe terdâ. We will give you too the station of intercession and you will be pleased, it says. Who has this station of intercession? Those who, He said. Those who. Who are those? Allah's righteous servants. The people at the nafs al-radiya, even above those at the nafs al-mutmainna. People in the state of ilm al-yaqin. Who is in this state of ilm al-yaqin? Those of whom he said: the saints of my community are like the prophets of the Children of Israel.

Those of whom he said: when your scholars pass to the hereafter, when they pass on, it is like the sun going and darkness coming.

Allah Almighty will give these the right of intercession from seven to seventy, to save people. Of course, for those who went as Muslims but will be punished. His mother, father, brother, uncles, aunts — where are they going? To punishment. They went as Muslims but go as sinners. He grieves. He grieves. He is saddened. Allah Almighty does not want to see that servant of His sad. Not just one person, it says to you, or seventy people, it says; take, it says, take what you want. As he takes these, he will take from the others too. Gentlemen, I said a moment ago that Allah Almighty sent one percent of His mercy to the world.

Ninety-nine percent He kept for Himself. He will judge there. If from a family line, three generations later, five generations later, a single saint came forth and took from seven to seventy, then not easily, not easily would a single Muslim enter Hell.

This is our Lord's mercy.

Yes. That is why I am not saying they will not enter — God forbid, do not rely on these, because in our (?) there are no such saints. There are no such people who will save. Those who have them may rely on them, I don't know, but let them not rely on them either; let them rely on Allah. Why? (?) a verse. Beware (?). My father was a saint, my mother was a saint, a great scholar — let me say the verse and then say this — after you come to Hajj and pray two rak'ahs at the Station of Abraham and circle the House, it says, as in the old days of ignorance, it says, do not boast of your forefathers and fathers; this is the verse.

What is it? After you come to Hajj, circle the House and pray two rak'ahs at the Station of Abraham, do not boast as you boasted of your forefathers, your mothers and fathers. What does this mean? Look, my father was a saint. My grandfather was this. Sir, (?). You knew these would not benefit you.

You grasped that just as they are My servants, you too are My servant. You understood that the right eye is of no benefit to the left eye. Because you knew they could give you no benefit, you too came and visited Me, it says here. Because whoever circles the House of Allah, He says, visits Me Myself, says Allah Almighty.

Now do not go back to the days of ignorance again, He says. Boast of Me, He says. Boast of Me.

However much there are such glad tidings for you.

So do not forget that what we earn is always the return of our two hands. What does the Prophet (peace be upon him) say? The giving hand is better than the taking hand. So do not bow your neck to anyone. Stand on your own feet. Be a rescuer yourself.

Do not sink in the swamp and wait for help.