Al-Baqarah 159: Allah and those who can curse, surely will curse those who hide the clear laws, which were declared in the Book after they were sent down.

We come to Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 159. What does Allah Almighty say here?

Those who conceal the clear rulings after We have made them plain in the Book and sent them down to people — surely Allah curses them, and those who can curse curse them too, He says. May Allah protect us. A very painful matter. A very great matter. What do we say? Allah Almighty, in the style of the art of speech, within a mental capacity every person can understand, sent down the Holy Quran with clear verses.

One of the miracles of the Holy Quran.

In a way that the most ignorant person can understand, its address to him; its address to him in a way that the most learned can also understand. Though it is not possible for the ignorant, the most ignorant, to understand as much as the most learned. What was the aim here? What was the aim of our coming to the world? It was to know our Lord. To fulfil the duty of servanthood to Him. So among Allah Almighty's miracles: even the most ignorant person — I have a Lord, and there is no god but Him. All these worlds were created by that Lord of mine — the most ignorant one knows this. The most learned already knows it.

His knowledge is a bit broader, of course. What was the aim? To know it so. After that there are the acts of worship to be done. To do those acts of worship. In prayer, fasting, zakat, Hajj. This is the miracle of the Holy Quran. It makes this known to everyone. Every mental capacity grasps it. Whoever conceals these verses or tries to do away with them, Allah Almighty curses them. In the hereafter the greatest punishment is theirs. Those who can conceal these are people who have embraced unbelief in their hearts, enemies of Allah. Allah gives those who are enemies to Him the means for a certain lifetime.

The enmity those people show only increases their own unbelief; no harm of theirs can ever reach Allah. For this reason they meet the greatest punishment in the hereafter. What is it? Many people — though in the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel the description of the Prophet (peace be upon him) was set out, was made known — every prophet, it says, though they recognised the attributes of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as they recognise their own sons, though they recognised them, those people who became his enemies because Muhammad (peace be upon him) did not come from their own tribe. Sir, those who hide the verses knowingly.

And those who say to the ones near Islam: do you want to hear their word of truth and have them testify against you in the hereafter? Don't go — and so turn them away from Islam, turn them away from Islam. Sir, these, who are these? Those who have rebellion against Allah Almighty in their hearts, those with rebellious spirits, those who are enemies of Allah, those who, because harm comes

sir, to the whims of their nafs through the verses, cannot submit to Allah against the whims of their nafs, two-legged taghuts who try to turn

people away from Allah's path. These people meet Allah's curse.

And the friends of Allah, those who love Allah, they too curse them. That is, (?) they do not adopt their ideas, and through their talk they see that they are lowly beings, and they (?). They do not stay near them.

That is why the friends of Allah curse them too.

Against this behaviour of theirs, the friends of Allah curse them too. Yes.

Even the heavens, the noble angels in the heavens too.

Because such people are ungrateful. What is ungrateful?

You do someone a kindness and get evil from him. Allah Almighty created man close to Himself, made him the noblest of creatures, gave him of His spirit. By giving people of that holy spirit He gave to no one else in the universe, He (?) them to Himself. He brought them to the realm of Mulk, He protects them from all kinds of evil, He provides all their provision. In return, they become enemies of Allah. And when Allah Almighty gives them two or three afflictions a year, it is not out of enmity toward them. To turn them to Himself, to show them the truth, to turn them back to their Lord, and so that they ask Him for pardon and forgiveness — that is why He gives these afflictions.

But although they know this, the whims of the nafs, that rebellion, braces itself against that punishment. But not once does he bow his neck and say to Allah Almighty, forgive us, O Lord. He cannot say it. Yes. Because such people are ungrateful; all the blessings Allah Almighty has granted these people they take as if they were their own right, benefit from them, live in pleasure and enjoyment, far from gratitude; they turn away from Allah Almighty who gives these blessings; they exalt themselves above Allah who gives the blessings. They grow arrogant within the whims of their nafs. They fall into pride and arrogance.

They want to live in superiority over people. They fall into a complex. In this case, with their own hands, they bring about their own ruin, their own execution.

Yes, and moreover they try to hide the verses Allah sent; as if to take revenge on Allah, they set out to do away with the verses or conceal them. In the end, without succeeding in anything, they themselves perish in their own spite. With that tiny mind, the wretched person who thinks he can overpower Allah — the One who created these worlds, who brought them into being from nothing — can a person measure himself against Him? Can a person ever oppose Him?

If your Lord who created you appeared before you and cut you slice by slice with a blunt saw, if you cannot submit to Him then how are you His servant?

Because be content with Him cutting you with that blunt saw; if He wishes, He makes a person writhe in even more pain. Or, without death, He cuts you, cuts you, revives you and makes you writhe. But our Lord is not unjust. Well then, how is it that against such a merciful Lord you rebel? You try to overpower Him; with your own tiny mind you try to hide the verses He sent. Have you never heard this verse? You have. What does it say? With the blowing of their mouths, Allah's light — do they think they will put it out? Allah will complete His light until Doomsday, it says. Allah, who brought these worlds into being from nothing — with the blowing of your mouth did you think you would leave Him helpless, Allah?

While you have no power over anything, while you are in need of everything Allah created, with what mind do you set out to hide Allah's verses?

So, with the mind Allah Almighty gave a person, if a person does not use his mind, does not reflect, does not think, he brings about his own ruin like this with his own hands.

Allah Almighty, in His verse, likens the state of such people to panting dogs.

Whether you go at them or not, like a dog they stick out their tongues and pant, it says. That is, in any case they never stop taking jabs at Islam. They never stop slandering people, smearing them, looking down on Muslims. So if they are like panting dogs, one should not heed what they say. One should not leave the straight path.

What does it say? It is like the state of that dog: if you go at it, it pants; if you don't, it pants. So says the verse. To people in this state, just as Allah curses them, the friends of Allah curse them too.

Because in the verse His saying, those who can curse, with this state of theirs they have neither friend nor helper; in this state they are left alone. When He says, those who can curse curse them too — those who are friends of Allah Almighty, those who take their place beside Allah, in Allah's ranks, will of course curse those whom Allah curses. Allah's attribute of Rahman, His attribute of Rahim — from over them for those from whom He lifted it, no one will intercede. There they are alone and without anyone.