Al-Baqarah 170: When they (the polytheists) are told to believe in and obey to what Allah has sent down, they say “we follow the path on which we have found our ancestors”. Do they (follow them) even if their ancestors did not comprehend anything and did not choose guidance?

Al-Baqarah Surah, verse 170: When those polytheists are told, "Believe in what Allah has sent down and follow it," they said, "We follow what we found our forefathers upon." "Even if their forefathers understood nothing and could not choose the right?" He says. How beautiful: Allah Almighty invites man to use his reason. Even if their forefathers knew nothing and were on a dead end, will you still follow them?

When those polytheists are told, "Believe in what Allah has sent down and follow it," they said, "We follow what we found our forefathers upon." "Even if their forefathers understood nothing and could not choose the right?"

Why do these people say, "We follow in our forefathers' footsteps"?

The nafs is not content with anything that would please Allah Almighty.

Because their forefathers made their laws as their nafs liked, said "This is Allah's religion" and pinned it on Allah, against such ideologies that side with their nafs, Allah's commands are hard for them. So they say, "We follow in our forefathers' footsteps."

My forefather does not concern me at all.

If my forefather concerned me, then Abraham's forefather would have concerned him. He would have concerned Abraham. What does He say? "I will pray for you, my father," he says. "O Abraham, do not be among the ignorant," He says. If my forefather has turned his back on Allah and is rebellious, he is not my forefather. Like Noah's son: "O Noah, he was not of you," He says. "Nor is it as you think," He says. When he says, "Did your wife perhaps take him from someone else?", "Nor is it as you think." "Those who follow you are of you, those who do not follow you are not of you," He says. So to be my forefather, he must be on my Lord's path.

Those on my Lord's path are my forefathers.

The others, those outside the religion of Islam, those who follow various ideologies, are not my forefathers.

This is Allah's command. So, Allah Almighty who created us sends us leaders, sends prophets and books, and besides these sends scholars, and if these invite people to Allah, your forefather, your father, your relatives, your kin, your ancestors, your forefathers, all of them, the forefathers, and the ancestors too: Allah created them all. So instead of following those forefathers and ancestors, instead of following those people you called your forefathers, follow the Owner of these worlds who created them and created you.

Then you get away safe. Perhaps you may even be of some help to those of your forefathers who will be punished, if they did not go as kafirs.

Yes, let us both read and explain the commentary of the verse. The polytheists believe in nothing that comes from Allah. Why do they not believe? Who is a polytheist?

Allah Almighty addresses them there as polytheists. What does He say? It's verse 170, isn't it? Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 170. Let's see how He addressed them there. Yes.

170. Verse 170. Those polytheists:

When those polytheists are told, "Believe in what Allah has sent down and follow it." Who was a polytheist? Idol-worshippers who recognize neither Allah nor a book are called polytheists. They (?) the spirit of the Lord they believe in to those idols. If you (?) them, if you said, "Why do you worship this?" "I mean, this thing knows nothing of itself." "That spirit, my Lord's spirit, is inside it. That is why we worship that spirit, not this," they say.

That is idolatry.

These people are polytheists. Allah Almighty says, "Do not marry polytheists." Polytheists. And in one verse He says, "You may marry kafirs from the People of the Book." At once those poor people without knowledge say, look, this verse was abrogated by that verse.

Now I am saying this with sound reason. I ask: is Allah Almighty free of deficient attributes? What does that mean? You can find no deficiency in Him. Then, about the Prophet (peace be upon him), does He say he does not speak idly? He does; this is the verse: he does not speak idly. Well, if he does not speak idly, and Allah Almighty says in His verse, "Alaysallahu bi-ahkami'l-hakimin": is He the Judge of judges? Would He do injustice? He would not. Well, here He says, "Do not marry polytheists." And here, when He sent down the verse, He says, "You may marry kafirs, the People of the Book." At once they say this was abrogated by that.

Well then, for a person who believed in Allah and did not marry from the People of the Book or from the polytheists, who stayed loyal to Allah's religion, stayed loyal to His religion and did not marry, wouldn't this be a torment this time? Wouldn't Allah be doing injustice? (?) "You may not marry," then it turns around this way: "Ah, you may marry from this one." These poor people – I call them poor. Because these poor people do not know the meanings of the verses, they say there is abrogation in the Quran. This was abrogated by that, changed, they say. These poor people put Allah into situations as if He were evolving, as if He saw His shortcomings and was repairing them.

The word of Allah Almighty rests on letters. Alif, Lam, Mim. What is it? Allah knows best. Ya-Sin, Ta-Ha. These are (?). Only those with sickness in their hearts, He says, try to give them a meaning. "Their knowledge is only with Allah," says Allah Almighty. Well then, if it rests on letters, if He calls the polytheist polytheist and the kafir kafir, can you (?) the kafir from the polytheist? Who is a kafir? One from the People of the Book who does not believe in the Quran. Who is a polytheist? Idol-worshippers. So, "Do not marry idol-worshippers; they call you to the Fire," He says. "You may marry from the People of the Book," He says.

Because in them there is a bit of softness, there is belief in a Lord. However much they (?) the Lord, however much they associate partners, there is belief in a book. In this case,

in the Quran – listen well, and if those hodjas are here too – there is no abrogation in the Quran; you learned it that way, get it out of your heads. There is no abrogation in the Quran; Allah is free of deficient attributes. So think well; do not ascribe attributes to Allah. If I am thinking wrongly, convey the truth to me with verses. So what are we saying? The polytheists believe in nothing that comes from Allah. They follow their own nafs and do not go on the right path. Because Allah's commands weigh heavy on them. So, follow the book that Allah Almighty sent, believe in it. When told, "This is from the Lord of the worlds who created you," they say, "We will not leave our forefathers' path. We follow whatever we saw them upon." In fact, they talk like this because they enjoy the evils they do.

Although they know that the One who created their forefathers is their Lord, although they know that the One who created their forefathers too is their Lord, people who cannot make concessions from their own nafs and, living their lives irresponsibly, have grown used to a life of answering to no one and feeling no responsibility for what they do – such people. Now we pass a statement here. Look, what are we saying?

Although they know that the One who created their forefathers is their Lord, their forefathers too, although they know that there is a Lord who created them too, that is, that there is a Lord, well, those who cannot make concessions from their own nafs.

And as we said, Allah Almighty gave them the reason called akl-i maad. With this reason every person knows he was created by a Lord, every person: a Lord created me. This reason is programmed into him. So their saying "yes" there, their saying "yes": you too know that a Lord created me. There is, I mean: you were created. But because you awaited your Lord as you imagined Him, because in your own attribute you saw that a part He gave from His spirit resembled your own self, out of pride and arrogance you (?) your Lord. Had they said "no" there, Allah Almighty would not have been able to make His essence known to those disbelievers.

By His essence I mean: He would not have been able to make known that they were created by a Lord. So they said yes. That is, their yes means: I was created by a Lord. But who is He? Who? Here, "You saw Me and did not believe; We will send you to a lost world," He says. There you go, those worlds close. We are lifted into the barzakh. Every soul whose time comes is born into the world and in this world starts from zero, unseeing; our Lord makes His essence known to us by sending prophets and books, but because our denial there was written for us as our wish, as destiny, we cannot escape that nature of ours and we play the same game here.

Our script was written; the actors are playing here in the world. Yes. When we pass that place, there is a meaning like this here, I mean.

What was it? In fact, they talk like this because they enjoy the evils they do. Although they know that the One who created their forefathers is their Lord, unable to make concessions from their own nafs, and living their lives irresponsibly, having grown used to a life of answering to no one and feeling no responsibility for what they do, such people are these.

People who, in this life, recognize no right or law, cling to wealth and property as if they would never die, take pride in it, boast with what Allah created and show off to people with it, and have grown used to doing whatever they want with the wealth in their hands. These too know Allah exists. But they cannot leave the deviant ways and turn to Allah. These are people of the same mindset as one another.

Trying to throw the blame on their forefathers, one another, they themselves – what does it say – trying to throw the blame on their forefathers, they are people who want to live the life they carry on and escape responsibility.

"I saw my forefather (?). I go this way. I believe my forefather." Then, when you are called to account for the same crime: "I had seen him on that path.

I had seen him on that path. That's why I did this." You cannot say this. Why can you not say it? Now we come to the verse. Why can you not say it?

Yes.

We come now: "Or" – Surah Al-A'raf, verse 173 – "Or lest you say: Our fathers associated partners with Allah before; we were a generation that came after them; we followed in their footsteps; will You destroy us because of those who did falsehood? – that is why We did so," says Allah Almighty. Look how beautifully He says it. What does He say now? Or: our fathers associated partners with Allah before. We were a generation that came after them. We followed in their footsteps. "Will You destroy us because of those who wanted falsehood?" – lest you say this, We did so. How did He do it? He sent prophets. "Your forefathers are ignorant; will you too follow their path?" He says. He shows every path, and whatever may come to a person's mind from all his nafs, He makes people live through all their problems.

Allah's – this is Allah's attribute. No one will have the face to ask Allah a single question.

Yes.

People who, in this life, recognize no right or law, cling to wealth and property as if they would never die, and take pride in it, boast with what Allah created and show off to people with it, and have grown used to doing whatever they want with the wealth in their hands. These too know Allah exists, but they cannot leave the deviant ways and turn to Allah. These are people of the same mindset as one another. Trying to throw the blame on their forefathers, they are people who want to live the life they carry on and escape responsibility. Here is a verse for you. The claim no longer has any responsibility.

That is: our forefathers, our fathers – we, this was the path. We followed its track. Now will You call us to account because of those (?)? Never. So I will call you to account for your own will. What is that? I sent you a prophet. I sent a book. I sent a scholar. I showed the truth. Allah Almighty says, "I do not call anyone to account for a thing I did not make known," He says.

Is there a land today that has not heard of Islam?

Yes. If the life they lived had not seemed good to these polytheists, would they not have turned to their Lord who created their forefathers too?

Would they not have turned to their Lord who created their forefathers too, that is, who created these worlds? Why? Not what their Lord said, but their forefathers' footsteps – is that what they follow? They follow their forefathers' footsteps. Because these polytheists make no concessions from their nafs, they prefer their forefathers to their Lord. Here Allah Almighty asks a question. He asks a question. What does He say? "Even if their forefathers understood nothing and could not choose the right?" In this case, since no one will be asked about anyone else, in Allah's presence neither will their forefathers be able to save them nor will they be able to save their forefathers. Everyone is individually responsible to Allah Almighty for what he does. We are obliged to return not to our forefathers' footsteps but to Allah's track. Perhaps then we reach salvation and become (?).

Yes.