Al-Baqarah 258: Did you not see the one who has (worldly) possessions from Allah(‘s dominion) and engaged in arguments with Abraham about his Lord? Then, Abraham told him “my Lord is the One giving life and death”. And he in return said, “I am the one giving life and death”. Abraham said, “Allah brings the sun from the east; why don’t you bring it from the west?” The infidel was baffled upon this. Oppressors do not desire the guidance of Allah (as long as they are upon that character).

Allah — because He had given him dominion, growing arrogant, about his Lord the one who entered into argument with Abraham — have you not seen him? Now, those who say "have you not seen" and no, when the Prophet clashed with such-and-such peoples, or when such-and-such a people clashed with another, "have you not seen them" — those who translate it so, we are addressing them. Here too? Did the Prophet (peace be upon him) come in the time of Abraham and see him, then leave the world again and go to the hereafter?

Before he even honored the world with his arrival, as much as our Lord willed, it is Allah Almighty showing some events to the Prophet (peace be upon him) — that is what it is. He also says "remember that". He says "have you not seen". Yes.

Have you not seen the one who, growing arrogant, entered into argument with Abraham about his Lord? Then Abraham had said: my Lord is the one who gives life and causes death.

With whom? With Nimrod. With Nimrod. Yes. He in turn had said: I am the one who gives life and causes death. That is, if I (?) a man, I kill him, and see, I killed him. Or a man I am going to kill, I give him life, I gave life, he says. Abraham immediately replied to Nimrod: He brings the sun from the east. Come on, you bring it from the west, he said. Thereupon the disbeliever was left dumbfounded, it says. He was left dumbfounded. Now, of this verse, after this, a sentence or verse has been rendered wrongly. Rendered wrongly. The wrongly rendered part is this, sir: The wrongly rendered part is this: thereupon the disbeliever was left dumbfounded; Allah does not guide wrongdoing people.

This was rendered wrongly. There are also wrongdoers who are guided. Well, is there no one who was a disbeliever and did wrong, and later converted to the religion of Islam? This is a statement (?) to Allah. Wrongdoing people do not want Allah's guidance. Wrongdoing people. As long as they persist, as long as they persist in their wrongdoing, Allah's guidance they do not want. Yes. Yet our Lord wants them to come to guidance. Why? He wants to show them the way with the Quran. That's why the Quran is not to the Muslims — some hodjas who don't know their place say exactly this, he says. I witness this a lot.

"The Quran came to the Muslims. It is the book of the Muslims." No. The Quran came to the worlds. It is the book of the worlds. If he doesn't believe, let him not believe. If he doesn't believe, let him not believe. If he doesn't believe, he denies it. (?) but it came to the worlds. It came to all people. In this case, if he believes, it is his book anyway. It is everyone's book, but to those who abandon it you cannot forcibly say: why did you abandon it? Why? We said it before in the verse: leküm dînüküm veliye dîn — there is no compulsion in religion, it says. There is no (?) in religion, it says.

Yes.

We are explaining this part. Abraham was born in Urfa. Nimrod, the king there at that time, grew arrogant and put himself in place of Allah. He put himself in place of God. Yes. Abraham, for his part, on a day when they went to the fair, breaks all their idols. He puts the axe on the head of the big idol.

When the people returning from the fair see that the idols are broken: who would break these? No one but Abraham would touch them, they say. They interrogate Abraham. In the end Nimrod has Abraham (peace be upon him) thrown into prison. Nimrod, who did not know his place, whose wicked spirit was a taghut, takes Abraham out of prison to argue with him, and enters into argument with him. He asks: who is your Lord?

And Abraham, answering Nimrod, says: He who created the worlds and owns all beings, who causes death and brings to life and gives life to beings. Thereupon Nimrod says: I too give life and cause death. According to narration, he pardons a criminal who had deserved death. Look, I gave this one life, he says. And by killing an innocent man he says: I killed this one. Thereupon Abraham: my Lord makes the sun rise from the east. When he said "you make it rise from the west", Nimrod was left bewildered. He did not know what answer to give Abraham (peace be upon him). "Because Allah had given him dominion, growing arrogant, about his Lord, with Abraham the one who argued — have you not seen him?" — His saying this; then Abraham, repeating, had said: my Lord is the one who gives life and causes death.

And Nimrod, out of stubbornness, had said: I am the one who gives life and causes death. He entered into argument with Abraham (peace be upon him). Thereupon Nimrod, who was a disbeliever, regarding Abraham (peace be upon him), upon his inviting him to the Truth, Nimrod had Abraham thrown into the fire. And by Allah's permission the fire became cool and safe for him. Yes.

Cool and safe — the cold burns too. That is, when you put your hand on iron at 50–60 degrees of cold, your hand sticks to the iron, it burns. (?) be safe, be life-giving to him, it means. The fire goes out, and in the place now called Balıklı Göl, in a rose garden, Allah Almighty brings him to safety. Wrongdoing people do not want Allah's guidance. Because, in the state they are in, living their own desires and wishes, since they follow their nafs, even the most wretched of them, with the feelings and imagination in himself, never comes to faith. For this reason Allah invites them to guidance. But since they are wrongdoers toward their nafs, Allah's invitation they never accept.

They prefer their wrongdoing to Allah's light. Such people. Because in their nature, in their destiny, there was denial of Allah. Whatever He says, they will do the opposite. So Allah Almighty says to the Prophet (peace be upon him): My Beloved, their denying you (?) — in their time they betrayed Me too, He says. Yes, that is, His saying "in their time": at the address Elestü bi Rabbiküm they, waiting for the Lord in their own imagination, turned their backs on Allah — those who turned. For this reason Allah Almighty, according to their desires and wishes, wrote their destinies, gave them their wishes, and all of them are lying disbelievers, He says.

Their hearts are restless and scattered, He says. Then, a liar's restless and scattered heart, of no use to itself, and a person sunk in darkness so deep he cannot see around him — would anyone follow such a person? Worldly wealth spoils a person. It makes this world look rosy in his eyes. Thinking "I live by fulfilling what my nafs desires", as I said a moment ago, likening himself to a flower blooming in a swamp, and burying his life in darkness — is such a person's life a life? Yes. One must think a lot. One must think well.

While saying this, Allah Almighty does not say to us: always for Me work.

Build up your world as it should be, He says. So we will work both for this world and for the hereafter. We as humans were created talented. Talented. We will show this talent of ours. With what? Both by working outwardly, in worldly ways, and besides this work, without forgetting the one who created us, who created this universe, by fulfilling our duty to Him. Here lies human freedom. Its (?) is here. Working both for this world and for the hereafter without forgetting his Lord.