Al-Baqarah 243: Did you not see those who went out and left their homes from fear of death although they are in their thousands? Allah told them (to die, they died) and Allah resurrected them. Verily, Allah is generous towards mankind, however, most people are not grateful.

Let's read the verse. Those who, though they were thousands, left their homes for fear of death: have you not seen them, it says. For fear of death. Now look, as I said a moment ago, all of it is within a destiny. And one must know this destiny very well. We are not fatalists. One must know destiny. This destiny is something in which, unaware of the future, unable to know even one second ahead, and constantly taking precautions and leaving the outcome to Allah, one must strive, strive; that is what it is. You'll strive for this. You'll take precautions. Because you don't know a moment ahead. And you'll leave the outcome to Allah.

If I am to die in fear of death, I'll die in such-and-such a place too. I'll die here too. I'll die there too. That is, if I am to die. So if I fear death and run away, my life span will be whatever it is anyway. Hodja, shall we not take precautions? We'll take precautions, but not by fleeing from Allah's decree. Now what does it say here? Those who, though thousands, for fear of death left their homes: have you not seen them? Allah said to them: die. He said die. They died. Then He brought them back to life. Surely Allah is gracious to people. But most people are not grateful. So you flee for fear of death, but look, if I say death here, you die.

But I bring you back to life. So bind yourself to Allah from the heart. That is, point to Allah's existence.

Now, according to narrations, in Daverdan near Wasit, a contagious disease breaks out. A contagious disease. The townspeople flee from there. Allah caused them to die, then revived them as a lesson. In this story the Prophet is addressed with 'have you not seen'. 'Have you not seen.'

We'll dwell on this word 'have you not seen' too. Allah Almighty has sought to show His existence to people with many miracles. In the times of the prophets He created miracles. For example, the greatest miracle, the splitting of the moon, dividing the moon in two. The Prophet sometimes bringing these dry trees back to life, speaking with the dead; he has many miracles.

His making these townspeople die like this and reviving them again, that it is nothing but Allah's oneness and creative power, to prove His Essence, Allah Almighty showed this miracle. By making a town's people live this through in this way, Allah Almighty's verses, what will they do? So that people to come learn from the past, He will show His verses with miracles like this. To one who understands, a mosquito is music; to one who doesn't, drum and zurna are not enough. Because some say these remained in the past, some say maybe; some say yes but don't take it seriously; and some with their faith and belief say: yes, our Lord is capable of all things, and surrender to Him from the heart.

So Allah, to His Beloved: have you not seen? By saying this, before the Prophet (peace be upon him) came into the world, He makes him first a witness to some events in the world. What? Allah Almighty's making the Prophet (peace be upon him) a witness to some events in the world while he was in the realm of the hereafter. What does this prove to us? It proves the verse ve mâ erselnâke illâ rahmeten li'l-âlemîn. The verse that he is alive in both worlds. It proves the word that he is alive. Have you not seen? Because Allah Almighty, in some of His verses, thanks to the Prophet (peace be upon him): have you not seen?

Or: have you not seen this people? By using words like these He makes him a witness, and reflects it into their life in the world too. Some scholars attribute this 'have you not seen' event to the Prophet (peace be upon him), to his worldly life. That is, this happened in the time of the Prophet, they have said. Have you not seen? Yes.

This is people's, with their short minds, we'll say, the words they say. With their short minds. Some write it in the commentaries. Unaware of the verses, by the meanings of some Arabic words, they (?) themselves scholars and write the verses. And afterwards, read the commentaries that don't agree with each other. Many words. There he said it like that, here like this, there like that, here like this: words that don't agree, in commentaries opened on the verse. Many. All are like that. Most are like that. In this case, I'm not saying this here to praise the commentary I wrote. God forbid, Allah protect us.

This is, beyond human speech, a commentary our Lord gave us and that was written down. If I said I wrote this, it would be from myself; Allah protect us. Yes, we, consider it an empty reed flute, an empty reed flute. Look at the one who blows into it. The one who blows. There's nothing in the flute.

Some scholars attribute this 'have you not seen' event to the Prophet (peace be upon him), to his worldly life. Allah's word is not to be reinterpreted. The more it is reinterpreted, the more things go toward kufr. Don't you know that Allah's word addresses both the outward and the inward? It is both worldly and otherworldly. If, before the Prophet (peace be upon him) came into the world, this event occurred, and Allah Almighty says to the Prophet (peace be upon him) 'have you not seen', it is His making the Prophet (peace be upon him), before he came into the world, a witness to this event. This way of ours of contributing to the opening of the commentary in this verse, to the opening of the commentary, is to exalt the honour of the Prophet.

At the same time it is to affirm Allah Almighty's verse. It is to affirm that verse that he is alive.

It is to affirm the verse Ve mâ erselnâke illâ rahmeten lil.

If we were to entrust this to worldly life, we would restrict it. This is how they restricted the Prophet's (peace be upon him) honour.

They brought (?), pinned it on Gabriel. Gabriel did this, Gabriel did that. Gabriel did this, Gabriel did that. Allah Almighty has neither His existence here nor whatever else. Always Gabriel did it that way, did this this way. In this way neither Allah nor His Messenger: all of it ends with Gabriel.

Before coming to the worldly realm, while still in the realm of the hereafter, he saw these events. The more they reinterpret such events that are truth, the more people get into dead ends. Life is not only the life of this world.

Allah Almighty constantly speaks of the life of the hereafter. Constantly. If every event is tied to the world, in all the verses of the Quran too you get into dead ends. If we tie these events to worldly life, in all of them.

Now, Allah Almighty creating His Beloved first and sending him as the last prophet, and making His Beloved alive; with his being alive, Allah Almighty, who programmed the universe, in measure with His will, made His Beloved a witness to events, and by saying to him 'have you not seen', many events to people He sought to explain. If we list some of these, some of these events: The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), from the realm of the hereafter, before coming to the realm of mulk, by the destiny Allah willed, past nations: by his witnessing the events among them. Yes. Have you not seen? By bearing witness to this, by being a witness, in this respect, it is his being a witness over the prophets of all nations.

Let's read this part again. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), from the realm of the hereafter, before coming to the realm of mulk, by the destiny Allah Almighty willed, among past nations by witnessing the events, in this respect, over the prophets of all nations he is a witness. So here we affirm the verse. What is the verse? I have made you a witness over all the prophets. Yes.

The existence of the realm of the hereafter is proven by the Prophet (peace be upon him) being alive, and, though he has passed to the hereafter, being among us until the Day of Resurrection.

Allah Almighty, who created the universe within a program, when He sent His Beloved to the realm of mulk, His saying 'have you not seen' is Allah, openly in the world, making it felt and making him a witness over the other people. The verses with 'remember' also carry the same meanings. What does it say? 'Have you not seen,' it says here. In some places it says 'remember'. Remember. What? Since, while in that realm, he had already seen the events in the world, it says: remember this. Yes.

Those who, though thousands, left their homes for fear of death: Allah Almighty's killing them and then reviving them is His proving His existence to people and His showing grace to them. He proves His existence to people, and in telling this event also to the people to come until the Day of Resurrection, to us, the absolute Owner and Ruler of the worlds, the One besides whom there is no god, Allah Almighty, to you, or to people, thus makes known His command and His existence. And moreover, is it really necessary for your eye to see it and for it to be confirmed like that?

If you heard a voice, and that voice is the truth, can you deny it? So Allah Almighty too makes His existence known to people with such verses, with truths; He makes it known. With truths. Yes. It is impossible for you to deny this.

Yes, it is His proving His existence to people and His showing grace to them. It is Allah Almighty's grace and kindness toward them. Perhaps among them there were (?) and, from their ancestors' swamp of kufr, those who went along in the whole swamp of kufr. Bringing them to their senses this way with His miracles, the life He had given to people, His letting them complete it, and proving to them what kind of people they are: that is what it is. Allah caused them to die, it says. Then He revived them. Why did He revive them? Here, so that it doesn't contradict the next word, 'you will (?) without proving what kind of person you are'.

Because the Lord willed it, He said die. They, before completing their lives. So: did you think you would (?) without proving what kind of people you are? According to that verse. To let them complete their life span, He revived them. Why did He do it? He showed them grace. Yes. Look, there is a Lord who created you. He both causes death and gives life. So do not go the way of your misguided ancestors. Within your own will, you will be called to account (?). Come on, He says, now you're in the world again; step up. How beautifully He says it. You're in the world again. Come on then, to a test again.

Do not turn back to misguidance, He says. In the verse. Yes.

But people, although they know Allah's existence, do not thank Allah. Because people are very ungrateful. A person is so attached to the world that if he suffers even a speck of harm, he raises an outcry. If you truly want to increase your property, and if you have a fondness for property, then meanwhile remember your Lord much and thank Him, so that you increase your property. Well, Hodja, wouldn't this be deceiving Allah? Look now. Erase a written paper with an eraser. First that writing makes a dark smudge. Then the writing on that paper (?) spotless (?). So you too: thanking and thanking, that love of the world from your heart is taken out.

You attain Allah's mercy upon you. Just give thanks. Yes. You know your helplessness. In that helplessness you will have turned to your Lord. As your love, passion and affection for your Lord increase, your understanding grows. Your perception opens. And then you begin to see the truths. So if you love the world very much, again I say: give thanks. That thanks will take you to the truth and bind you with the truth. Give thanks so that it (?) your property. Yes.

But although people know Allah's existence, they do not thank Allah. In this respect, people are very ungrateful. Yes. If you give someone a taste of something, they make you the crown of their head. As they say, the nail says to the adze: why do you keep hitting me on the head? Why are you telling me, it says. Look at the one who makes me hit, it says, the one who makes me hit. Yes. So people don't know the owner of the property; they know the one who gives the property. In this respect people are very ungrateful. Of the many blessings Allah Almighty has given, people eat and drink, irresponsibly living their lives, being ungrateful to themselves and to Allah Almighty, who grants these blessings to people, and they don't give thanks. And so Allah Almighty gives them many afflictions, gives them crises.

Their peace is taken from them. Because they resort to the forbidden. They go outside Allah's verses. They don't give thanks. And so Allah Almighty, look, in His verse what does He say? Would We ever diminish the property of the one who gives thanks, He says. So, because the desires of those who don't give thanks, of those attached to the world, never end, they live their worldly lives in stress and unrest. This world isn't worth this fuss. Even if mountains shake, stay in place. That's why a person, his own (?), will know where his own existence came from and will surrender himself to the Owner of that existence and be content with what comes from Him.

That is what a human is. A human. But unfortunately today people recognize neither Allah nor book. When you remind them of Allah, they say: is now the time? Or else that faith has remained in their heart (?). Allah protect us. Whoever picks up a microphone strips stark naked and goes on stage, exhibiting themselves. Thinking that the more they undress, the more people's enthusiasm they'll win, living their own destiny, moving away from Allah, while still in that worldly life, they buy the torment of hell. How bad it looks. What ignorance, what misery. What a mindless thing.

Allah protect us.

Nor do they refrain from associating partners with Allah. Such people Allah Almighty, in His verse, by saying 'have you not seen the one who deifies his nafs': those who, out of the arrogance and pride of their nafs, do not bow to Allah Almighty. Again in a verse Allah Almighty says such people are like four-legged animals roaming the earth. Even more (?) in their course, He declares. May Allah protect us from such a bad end.