Al-Baqarah 203: Mention Allah on the known days. Whoever rushes to return from Mina within two days (on the second and third days of Eid al- Adha, the Feast of Sacrifice), there is no sin for them. For those who stay at Mina, there is also no sin. This is for those who abstain from sins. Fear Allah and know that you will all be summoned in front of Allah’s presence.

Well, (?) Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 203. On numbered days, on the days of tashriq, remember Allah. Whoever, within two days — the 2nd and 3rd days of Eid al-Adha — hurries to return from Mina, there is no sin on him. And there is no sin on those who stay in Mina. This is for those who guard against sin. Fear Allah and know that you will all be gathered before Him.

Look, pay attention. Bahçeli, a veteran, has written: I understood, Hodja, may Allah be pleased with you. May Allah be pleased with all of us. Before moving on to our lesson, first: according to this verse, to people's false beliefs, or unthinkingly, from forefathers, mothers, fathers, the words they know, people's untrue words, which they describe as religious creed — a beautiful answer, a beautiful answer. Those who still claim the Sirat bridge, the Sirat bridge — we touched on a very fine topic. This topic, this topic will become legendary. And God willing, with this topic we will cleanse the falsehoods in religion. With this topic.

How will we cleanse them? People will find no verse in response to this. With these (?), they rely only on human words, and with words based on narrations they will be left. They will not be able to say a single word against the truth. In that case people will have heard our word. And Allah Almighty will have distinguished truth from falsehood. As I told you before too, cleansing our religion of falsehoods is our duty. Yes. Now what does Allah Almighty say? Pay attention. That there is no Sirat bridge — you know, people will fall off the sırat, they say — what is sırat anyway? Perfectly straight, perfectly straight.

Straight. Now, that sırat-ı müstakim, that sırat way, the right path — with our forefathers' words: if you slip off this right path, into the middle of hell you will go, they said. And people turned it into a bridge. And from this bridge they set about dropping people into the middle of hell. Over time. That's how superstitions creep in over time. And this is accepted as religious creed. Look how nicely they put it. This Sirat bridge is thinner than a hair, sharper than a sword. What bridge? This way is the sırat way. The perfectly straight way. Allah's verses. Sharper than a sword, thinner than a hair.

These — he knows this too. He knows it like this. But because there is no knowledge, people say this man denies the sırat. He denies the Sirat bridge. They start showing narrations. Oh, from so-and-so it went like this. Oh, the Prophet said a bridge will be set up there. From here some will pass like lightning. Some, well, will pass like a bird. Some by camel, some on horseback, (?). Allah! Where did you find these? Where did you find them? Did you rise from the soil and find these? Where did you find these? There are thorns there, it will weigh you, (?) you, and so on, they'll say. Don't take Allah Almighty this lightly, for Allah's sake, I'm saying.

Don't take it so lightly — His justice, His (?). These are truly sophistries on the tongue; with narrations they've lulled people to sleep; these are (?). Look what the verse says now, listen well, listen well to the verse. Fear Allah and know that you will all be gathered before Him.

What did it say? Let me read it again. To those who say there is a sırat, to those who say they'll fall off that Sirat bridge, let me read it again. But they don't have that knowledge to claim it. Fear Allah and know that you will all be gathered before Him. All of us. Well, before the gathering, we fell off the sırat, fell into torment, went, were torn to pieces. What happens then? What happens? Without the reckoning, without your reckoning being taken.

Is there a single verse? Show me, apart from the superstitions. Look how many verses I show, and more keep coming. And more will come, more verses will come. Where did you get this from, this Sirat bridge? Producing these, along with the false beliefs your forefathers spoke, as religious creed, from where are you pinning these superstitions on so many people?

I'm telling you, I knew it like that too. I too knew it like that. But a person is one who, once he knows the truth, at once from falsehoods breaks free. Yes. In my childhood I knew it like that too. In fact, until I grew up I knew it like that. When we began to be governed by our Lord's verses, our Lord lit up our way and, by inspiration or by way of unveiling, also showing us certain verses, lit up the path before us. That is when we understood. Yes. This is for those who guard against sin. Who are these who guard against sin? Those governed by Allah's verses. Fear Allah and know that you will all be gathered before Him.

Well, if we will all be gathered before Him — since it says every soul will taste death and in the end your return is to Him — yes, if all souls will be returned to Him, and according to the verse that what you earn is the return of your two hands, and today no one will be wronged, everyone will be given the return of what he earned — according to that verse. Without bringing him before our Lord at the Supreme Court, without taking his reckoning, which Sirat bridge was there, that you pushed him down from it into hell? Come on, you with a mind, use your mind. I say it again. Use your mind.

I pity you. Truly I pity you. Because you (?) in the cause of ego. Or, a wrongly known matter, with its (?), when it is changed against the truths — for the enmity the person has had toward his own nafs, I pity that person. What does Allah Almighty say? I do not call anyone to account for what I did not make known. Look, I always say this. Can you say it too? I'll kiss your hand. What do I say? Look, what do I say? I explain the verses. If there is a mistake in the verses — if you can explain the verses with verses to me, in response with verses, if you can show me my mistake, with verses, I will kiss your hand.

Look how nicely I put it. I have no pride or air of ego. I love Allah. I enjoy explaining Him, and whoever explains Allah to me best, I carry him on my back.

Because I want to walk that path. Not the path of my nafs. Nor the path Satan shows. Nor the path of those who, for their gain, follow two-legged taghuts. Yes. Look how many verses there are. At the Supreme Court, on that day, judgment is Mine alone, it says. Judgment — Allah Almighty will give the judgment. Judgment on people. According to the verse that says what you earn is the return of your two hands. And every soul will taste death. In the end your return is to Me, it says. That's in the verse: fear Allah and know that you will be gathered before Him. There are many verses. When you come before Me with a driver, it says.

We brought you to life twice, We caused you to die twice. According to the verse. Before bringing these about, from where, from which Sirat bridge did you throw these down? Where was it set up? Where did you find a single thing, that narrations are spoken? He narrated from him, this one narrated from that one. That narration said, this narration said. And in this way they keep consoling one another. Ah. You might say to me: Hodja, you said, didn't you, that everyone has a destiny and you can't take them out of that destiny. Ah. I'm not putting my finger on that here. Everyone's destiny. But I warn people.

This is my duty. What does He say to the Prophet (peace be upon him) — Allah Almighty? My beloved, I sent you to convey, He says. Not to use force. I convey too. I will convey.

The Prophet conveyed with verses. And I, as his heir, with the translations and meanings of the verses, try to show people the truth. I try to weed out falsehoods. Yes.

Here we come. Let's continue the verse. Let's continue now. As I said just now, God willing, this Sirat bridge will make us heard by people. It will make us heard. And the Mahdi and Jesus likewise — these three matters are what have confused people's minds. These — their minds cannot grasp them. Shall I say it again? The mind of the one who says I am a scholar cannot grasp it. I say it again. 60 times. Those who say I am a scholar, who say I, I — their minds cannot grasp it. And your mind can grasp it, Hodja? I prove it with those verses. To this day no one has proved it with verses. We are getting past an era.

To get past the superstitions. For an era, an era, we are laying the groundwork. Which era? The era of Asr-ı Saadet. It will come. It will come. We are preparing the ground for that era from beneath. The ground. By removing, cleansing the superstitions. Yes. So that people are governed by the truths. So that people are governed by the truths. And then, when that Asr-ı Saadet era comes, so that people are not mistaken, and at once, together, in unity, in that Asr-ı Saadet era, they become one community. That is what we are preparing the ground for, the ground. I said: O human, use your mind, please, please use your mind, I say. I don't say follow me — look, don't misunderstand — I don't say follow me, I don't say obey my words.

Use your mind. Please, break your nafs with the verses, see the truth, take your place beside the truth. If I am mistaken, warn me. Warn me. Yes.

Haluk says: Peace be upon you, Hodja; regarding the Sirat bridge, after being called to account at the gathering, according to their sins and rewards, everyone is made to cross the bridge. Whether the bridge is crossed without being called to account, or it is crossed after being called to account, both claims contradict the verses. How strange that in the aqaid lesson taught to us earlier, after the Sirat bridge topic was covered, when paradise and hell were explained, Surah Az-Zumar, verses 71 and 72 were written in the book. Truly a pitiful situation, Hodja. Yes.

They make everyone cross the bridge by their state of sin and reward. According to sin and reward. Yes. They cross the bridge. Whether the bridge is crossed without being called to account, or after being called to account the bridge is crossed, both claims contradict the verses. There is no such verse at all. It doesn't say he'll turn and come back — look what it says. Of course it contradicts. After they are raised at the gathering, those with light before them, that is, righteous servants, in front and at their sides, in their rows, bodies of light; those behind, (?), will say: we have been left in darkness, they will say. And they will say: had you obeyed Allah in the world, you too would have your lights today and be saved from darkness — and continue on their way.

It doesn't say here there was a Sirat bridge and he'll fall down. And what does it say? Again here: you will all be gathered before Him. We were gathered. Well, now he makes them fall from the Sirat bridge, of course. He can't deny that. Since he crosses the sırat, you see. You dropped him. The person fell. Well, without his reckoning being taken — is that compatible with Allah's justice? He threw him down from there without taking his reckoning; he was thrown down from there. Is this compatible with Allah's justice? Those reckonings will be taken. After those reckonings are taken, they, when they realise they are going to hell — in the verse, look what it says. Their eyes will bulge out, sky-blue, it says.

And they will throw themselves face down on the ground. I'm telling you verses, verses. I'm telling the verses. They are unaware of these. (?) people who can reconcile these with one another, this Sirat bridge — (?) will say this. (?) will say it. Well, what does it say? When they realise they are going to hell, their eyes, it says, sky-blue will bulge out and they will throw themselves face down on the ground, it says. Then We have them seized by their forelocks and thrown in through a narrow gate of hell, it says. His reckoning was taken; he went in through the narrow gate of hell. After the reckoning is taken, there is no Sirat bridge.

There is no Sirat bridge, gentlemen. I always say it, don't be deceived. God willing, this will make us heard. And they will say: this Sirat bridge we all knew of really doesn't exist; the man really is explaining the truth, they will say. God willing, in this transition period, the transition from falsehood to truth, this Sirat bridge will help us. This is our Lord's mercy.

Yes.

Haluk says: Hodja, since it has come up, Surah Az-Zumar, verses 71 and 72 — could you read them once more, please, he says. Let's read them, my child. Let's read Surah Az-Zumar, verses 71 and 72.

Yes.

Az-Zumar, 71. Verse: Those who disbelieved are driven to hell in groups, it says. The disbelievers will be driven to hell in groups. After their reckonings are taken — let's take it from verse 70. Look what it says. Listen well. We'll start this from 70. Everyone is given the full return of whatever he did. Everyone will be given the full return of whatever he did. Where? At that place of reckoning.

Yes.

Again, let's take it from (?) verse, please. This time let's take it from 68. When the Trumpet is blown, except for those Allah wills, whatever is in the heavens and on earth will all die. It's over. All will die. Here there are those our Lord wills, look. There is One who wills. That willing is not always (?) the willing of man. Here too it is our Lord's willing. Yes. — except for those, whatever is in the heavens and on earth will all die. Then when it is blown once more, once more, then what do you see? They have risen and are looking. They've risen now, they've come back to life. Listen well. Now after this they set up the Sirat bridge.

Let those who believe in the Sirat bridge listen well.

The earth is lit up with the light of its Lord. The earth too came there.

The Book is laid down.

The prophets and witnesses are brought. And judgment is given among them with justice. Judgment is given with justice. They are never wronged. Listen well. They are never wronged. Judgment is given among them with justice. Well, you set up the Sirat bridge. Before he came into the divine presence, before he gave account, it dropped him down. In that (?) he burned away there, was torn apart, or was scratched as he came. You know, they say on the bridge one gets scratched, (?), and goes on with hands and face torn.

Well, what happened to this verse? Where did you hide it? And judgment is given among them with justice. They are never wronged. So, is even the one going to hell not wronged? Yes, he is not wronged either. He will go with whatever he earned. Whatever he earned. Allah does not wrong. A person wrongs his own self.

Everyone is given the full return of whatever he did. Look, whatever he did, it is given in full. Allah knows best what they did, it says. Because intentions are there according to the deed. Our Lord gave him characters according to his desires and wishes. He knows what he did. We come to verse 71. Those who disbelieved are driven to hell in groups. At last, when they arrive there, its gates are opened. The gates are opened there. Its keepers say to them: Did there not come to you, from among you, prophets reciting your Lord's verses and warning you that you would meet this day? they ask. Yes, they came, they say, but the word of punishment against the disbelievers has come true, it says.

Why? Because there is no turning back for them either. Look what happened. The gates of hell opened and that keeper of hell asked them. What did he ask? Did not a prophet come to you who told you the truth, he said. And they said: yes, he came. He came, they said, but they're still waiting for the Lord of their own imagination, and the Lord of their imagination will come and save them. They will take revenge on the Lord who created them. Yes. It is said to them: enter the gates of hell, to abide therein forever. How evil is the abode of the arrogant, it is said. How beautifully it says it. Look what it says.

Let me say it again. To them: through the gates of hell, in which you will abide forever, enter.

What was it? Enter through the gates of hell. Not by falling down from the Sirat bridge. I repeat it like this. Especially those at the head of such groups: please, if you do not know the verses — and you cannot know them. This is a mercy of our Lord. We are explaining it. At least, in the face of so many verses, come to mercy. Show mercy, tell those people the truth too, and free yourselves of their rights upon you. Please. Yes.

We come. Let's read the verse once more.

On numbered days, the days of tashriq, remember Allah. Whoever within two days, the second and third days of Eid al-Adha, to return from Mina hastens, there is no sin on him. And there is no sin on those who stay in Mina. This is for those who guard against sin. Fear Allah and know that you will all be gathered before Him. The days of tashriq are the second, third and fourth days of Eid al-Adha. The days of tashriq. What were they? The second, third and fourth days of Eid al-Adha. In that case, remember Allah. Remember Him much. You came from Arafat to Muzdalifah. From Muzdalifah you stoned the Satan.

On the first day you slaughtered your Eid sacrifice — and remember your Lord. Remember your Lord much. Intention: O Allah, I have known my nafs in helplessness. As the Owner of the worlds, I have taken refuge in You. And to carry out the (?) duty You made obligatory on me, here I have gathered in Your divine presence. Although we are everywhere in Your presence — here he is personally in My presence, You say in the verse. I have come into Your presence. Forgive me, O Allah. You keep both remembering and praying to Allah Almighty. Yes. During these days, as the duty of Hajj requires, one should stay in Mina and, glorifying Allah with takbir, remember Him.

One stays at Mina. On the first, second and third days you throw stones, you stone. You stone the small Satan, the middle Satan, the big Satan. On the first day you throw seven stones, on the second day fourteen, on the third day twenty-one. Then you perform the main Hajj tawaf. After having a little of your hair and beard cut, of course you also do your sa'y. Your sa'y between Safa and Marwa you also do. (?) after that, your hair and beard are cut and you come out. The Hajj has been performed.

According to this verse, on the second, third and fourth days of Eid al-Adha, including the afternoon prayer, after the prayers, Allah-u Ekber Allah-u Ekber La İlahe İllallah ve Allah-u Ekber Allah-u Ekber ve Lillahi'l-Hamd must be said. Since it says remember Allah much. Yes. Why? We will say the takbir like this. When Abraham was about to sacrifice Ishmael, Allah Almighty grants him a ram. And when Gabriel (peace be upon him) says Allahu Ekber Allahu Ekber La İlahe İllallah Allahu Allahu Ekber, Abraham looks and sees that Gabriel (peace be upon him) is bringing the ram. In place of his son's sacrifice.

Upon this Abraham says: praise be to Allah, Allah is great. In place of his son, Ishmael, he offers the sacrifice. We remember those too. We remember those days anyway. Yes. Takbir should be said to Allah Almighty and He should be remembered. So, starting from the first day of Eid al-Adha, until the end of the afternoon prayer on the fourth day of Eid al-Adha, Muslims, saying the takbir, remember Allah Almighty. So on the second, third and fourth days of Eid al-Adha Allah is remembered. Allah Almighty, very much.

But whoever within two days, to return from Mina, hastens, there is no sin on him. That is, the person has someone ill, an emergency, has received news of a death. Or, with his work and affairs at home, he has promised: I'll return on such-and-such a day. Or he has fallen ill. That is, an emergency. A situation arose requiring him to leave there. It became necessary. Allah Almighty says there is no harm in his leaving here. Hastening, He says. There is no harm in his leaving. Yes. Because of people's work or family situations, their worldly hardships, on the second and third days of Eid al-Adha they hasten.

If he leaves Mina, there is no sin on him. And no sin on those who stay there.

Free. He has left it open. Up to there you've done your duty, He says; your deed is known, your intention is known too. Your deed — you came; your intention is known too. (?) Yes. This is for those who have taqwa. Pilgrims go to Hajj anyway to win Allah's pleasure. They wipe from their hearts everything other than Allah. That is, they throw off the evils now. They go with such excitement, with such zeal, but in the end, once they are purified there, Satan again makes them put their shoes on backwards. You see that brothers who went (?) have become each other's enemies. And they backbite. They talk behind each other's backs.

They express their Hajj by submitting to Allah. It is not possible for people other than these to go to Hajj anyway. Because these are (?) and people who have not believed in Allah as they should, who have doubts about Allah. Even though they are Muslim and have money, today many people do not go to Hajj.

Justifying it by their own minds, by their nafs, they don't go. Oh, they say, it's dirty there — but who is the dirty one, actually? It's more in us, toward them. This is a game in which (?) the Jews drove a wedge between the two Muslim sides. A game. They portrayed us to the Arabs as unbelievers. I'm telling it because it happened to me. Because it happened to me.

In Mecca, for about 90 days, I (?). Because of a traffic accident. I had gone in my own car.

I say I'm Muslim to the people there, and he says no. Ottoman is Muslim, Turkey is kafir, he says. I recite the testimony of faith. Ente münafık, he says. You're a hypocrite, he tells me. That's what they instilled about us too. Then of course, when he sees me in prayer, supplication, the Quran, (?), ente misli misliyim, he says to me. He's amazed, I mean. Us as unbelievers to them, them as dirty to us — well, between two Muslim sides they drove a wedge very neatly. And people who feed their nafs with pride, in the cause of ego, looking down on their brothers in Islam, began to see themselves as superior to them.

Superiority, in the sight of Allah, is through nearness to Allah. Superiority is here. So strive for that. Yes.

That's why they hardly go to Hajj. We are well off, they say. We are Muslims, they say. Taking lightly the obligation of Hajj, which is Allah's command, they turn a deaf ear to Hajj. Instead of going to Hajj, I'll feed a poor person or meet the need of someone in need, he says. In this case a person falls into the game of Satan and his nafs and becomes their victim. We see these things.

I, (?) — look, I help the poor. I help this one. I help that one, he says. That is your charity. Well, Hajj? Hajj is obligatory for you, obligatory. Allah's command. You have money, so it became obligatory for you. That is Allah's command. The other is your charity. Don't mix your charity with the obligations. Yes. We said people in this situation are divided into two groups. People in the first group mix charity with the obligation of Hajj. Charity is separate. Hajj is separate. Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam. It becomes obligatory for one who has the money and finds a way to go to Hajj and come back.

Charity, however, not being obligatory or required of him, is done to increase his rewards — a kind of worship. People in the second group neither help a poor person nor meet the need of someone in need. Because, with their weak faith, their attachment to material things keeps them from the charity they would do. These are the ones who wrong their own selves. Yes.

So, performing his Hajj with sincerity, in these days of tashriq, that is, the second and third days of Eid al-Adha, the fourth day included, whoever sincerely returns from Mina because his work requires it, or to remember Allah and not to do his worship there — to do it there — stays in Mina, for him too there is no sin, it says. He will do his worship there. Yes, whether he returns or not, for him (?). One, two days, three days, five days. In fact, when he stays there he enjoys it. Why did he come here? He came for worship. They stay there so that they can worship here one more day. No sin on them either. He has work.

He has urgent work. He had to return. No sin on them either. Yes.

People, in their own will too, are free. Such conduct and its sincerity are for servants who submit to Allah. Deeds depend on intentions. Fear Allah, know that you will all be gathered before Him, says Allah Almighty. While fulfilling the obligations of Hajj, observe them fully. While fulfilling the obligation of Hajj. For example, while in ihram, do not take off your garments.

Then a sacrifice becomes required of you. That is, slaughtering a sacrifice becomes obligatory on you. And do not kill animals. Do not approach your wives. Do not even knowingly pluck a single hair from your beard or your hair. Yes.

Do not violate Allah's prohibitions. Fear Allah. In the end your return is to Allah, it says. We will all return to Allah and be called to account there for what we did. For what we did. (?) Allah Almighty will (?) all souls, He decrees. So, (?) at the Resurrection, being gathered before Allah — that Day of Gathering and the Supreme Court — without forgetting it, Allah's commands we must carry out consciously and fully, as far as we can, so that we attain Allah's pardon and forgiveness. Yes.

Never forget.

Never forget this. What, Hodja? We came to the world for a test, a test. We are guests in the world, guests. We are not the hosts. Even if you have palaces. Look, those who had palaces are all under the ground. You know, like the people of Thamud, who carved, well, rocks and built palaces, who said we are the strongest. Those who built palaces in those mountains, they too are gone. Do you know where they are? Right now their bodies are under the ground, and they themselves, their spirits too, are waiting in the barzakh. For that day of judgment. So we are guests in the world, guests, not hosts.

Let us be careful accordingly of what we will do. Let us be careful of what we do. Let us be careful of what we say. Every word that comes out of our mouths is being recorded, recorded. Our every movement is on camera. Did you know? That's how your body will bear witness against you. That there is no one who can escape in any way. If you like, in the most secret fortresses, behind the most perfect fortresses, hide. Or if you like, He says, hide in the (?) corner of the universe; We will still find you there, and there too, there are beings that will bear witness for Us. Who is that? I, the body. You can never escape from it.

That's why, either appear as you are, says Mevlana — how beautifully he puts it. Or be as you appear. Be perfectly straight, that is. Perfectly straight.