Al-Baqarah 267: Oh you who believe! Spend on the path of Allah from the clean and lawful provisions that you have earned and that We have brought forth for you from the earth. But do not attempt to give the inferior and cheap things that you would only accept with your eyes closed. Know that Allah is far from needing your charity. Allah is Ghaniyy (Bounteous) and Hameed (worthy of being praised).

Verse 267: in it our Lord says: 'O you who believe, of what you have earned and of the produce We bring forth for you from the earth spend the lawful and good in the way of Allah. But what you yourselves would take only with your eyes closed — low and worthless things — do not set out to give. Know that Allah has no need of the alms you will give. Allah is Rich, worthy of praise.' Now, from the start I had been telling you, I used to say that I fear these verses very much, I used to say. The reason: using the religion of Islam as a tool, exploiting the consciences of Muslims, the hard-earned money they earned by the sweat of their brow they swindle and eat up; in the face of such people, in these verses, when you say 'give in charity, give for Allah', a (?) Hodja too, they would say — I feared that.

I feared I would harm the religion of Islam. For this reason I did not even accept donations made to us. I do not accept them. Hodja, let us help. No, no. No need. We do not need help. We help each other among ourselves. As much as needed. What is it? SİDE's dues. And what if there were money? we give. We give service to people. Anything else? We have no other expenses. The capital (?). (?) gives that capital so that it is distributed to His servants. That capital. If I am stingy, I torment my own self. That is why we were afraid to explain these verses. But its turn has come; (?) I will explain it to you.

Allah Almighty, for the blessings He has given people — whoever gives of them in charity for Allah, Allah Almighty makes known He will give them great rewards. I am explaining it because it comes next. Explaining it is not my obligation. Yes. But never, before these verses came, to you on this path, in any way, do I explain Allah Almighty's verses, and I hold back. Yes. What does He say? O you who believe! Of what you have earned, O Lord, of what you have earned and of the produce We bring forth for you from the earth, spend the lawful and good in the way of Allah. What a fine thing. Both from the produce he brings out of his field, vineyard and garden, and from the wages you have earned in the places you have worked, after setting aside your own livelihood, distribute the surplus, He says, in the way of Allah.

Do not fear. Whatever you give, Allah Almighty gives back three for one, five for one, seven for one, seventy for one, seven hundred for one and more. Where did you get seven hundred for one? For one, he says — what does our Lord say in the verse? A seed that has produced seven ears. In each there are a hundred, He says. Seven ears with a hundred in each makes seven hundred. There is even more than that, He says. So do not fear at all. If you give for Allah from what you earned in Allah's way, our Lord returns to you many times over what you gave. Do not fear. What does He say in one verse? Satan accustoms you to stinginess, He says.

To stinginess, he drives you to want, He says. Yes, do not follow your devil. Imam al-Ghazali says this, too: He says, give charity even if it is little; do not accustom your hand to stinginess.

O you who believe! Of what you have earned and of the produce you bring forth for you from the earth, spend the lawful and good in the way of Allah. Of the lawful and good — not of what was earned by forbidden ways, by ways of interest. Those do not count as good deeds. Why do they not count? We will now explain why they do not count. Even if they count, very low, very low. Even if they count. Well, they will count — with the (?) we did, the good will count, but it will count very low. And then its burden will be loaded on your back. What does He say now? But what you yourselves would take only with your eyes closed — look now, with your eyes closed would take, that is, a sum comes from the forbidden, and you close your eyes to it.

From the forbidden. Because, coveting the sum, you take it. Do not come near giving low and worthless things. Low and worthless things. Do not take them at all, He says. Do not give them for Allah either, He says. I do not accept it, He says. How beautifully Allah Almighty puts it. Know that Allah has no need of the alms you will give. If you will give alms or spend in Allah's way, from what you earned honestly — it is not made lawful. It is from the lawful.

Allah does not accept even the zakat of money earned in evil ways. We will come to the verses, God willing. We will always explain Allah's verses to you nicely, openly, in their bare truth. It will offend some people. Some, thinking themselves a head, with a craving to lead, seeing they are full of superstitions, toward this (?) will show hostility.

Except those who use their reason. Yes.

Allah has no need of the alms you will give. Allah is Rich. Worthy of praise. He — He has no need of anything. He is the Creator. He is worthy of being praised. Of being praised. How do you praise Allah? How do you praise Him? Allahu Akbar. You say Allah is (?). You say Lâ ilâhe illallah. Yes. This is praise. Because what are you saying? You are saying there is no god but Allah. Sir, you (?) the names of our Lord. For example, Allah Almighty subsists by His own essence. He has the attribute Hu. Allâhu lâ ilâhe illâ huve'l-hayyu'l-kayyûm. Look, it always goes with Hu. Allah-u: that Allah who by Hu, by His essence, subsists, created by no one, not begotten, not begetting; for example, in qul huvallâhu ehad the attribute Hu appears there too, sir; you know how some people say 'hucu' — these 'hucu', poor people — 'hucu', that is, meaning those on the side of Allah, who subsists by His essence, besides whom there is no god — that he himself is hostile to it he proves so well, the 'huvucu' sayer.

He does not even know the meaning of Hu, why it is so. Yes. First, pre-eternal, everlasting, subsisting by His essence — the meaning of Hu is this.

In this case, if Allah Almighty created all these worlds, He has no need of anything. He is Rich. Worthy of being praised. Of being praised — now, in this comparison, sir, may there be no error, God willing.

If my father were the President, I would be proud of him. The President is my father.

Or if he were a Sultan, I would be proud of him: the Sultan, my father.

And if you are not proud of Allah, the Owner of the worlds, if you are not proud of the One who created you, if you are no good on His side, if you do not bow your head to Him, how do you (?) His due? Allah Almighty has a right over you. He feeds you, gives you drink, gives you life, protects you from every kind of evil and disaster, and bestows on you every kind of blessing. He makes you vicegerent on earth. He creates you in the finest form. He gives you of His spirit, and you — such a great (?) and created close to His essence, held as one He addresses, man, with the quality of being human, amid so many blessings, is ungrateful — how can you turn your back on your Creator?

Then how will you go into His presence?

Yes. This is not possible. As a human being this is not possible. If we think about it. We feel shame, shame. A person does good to someone, and when he sees evil from that someone, a person who knows the doer of good says to the doer of evil: come on, isn't it shameful? This man did you so much good. And you treat this man like this. Does this befit you? Does this befit humanity? he says. Does it befit humanity? Yes. Our Lord, too, brought these people into being from nothing. All these blessings (?). Can partners be ascribed to Him? Can one fall short in thanking Him for His blessings? Then with what face will we go into the Divine Presence?

What will we say when we stand before Him? We will have nothing left to say. Well then, does this state befit man, who was created sublime? So we will use our reason. (?) and reason. We will use reason. Yes.

Allah Almighty, to those who wish to do good, of the lawful and good of their earnings and of their produce from the earth — give to people, He commands. Do not give from your wealth the things you do not like. Thinking 'I am doing good', you may find your deeds have gone to waste.

From your wealth, what you like least, and what you take with your eyes closed, He says. What is this? Desiring material things, taking it knowing full well it is forbidden, and then giving from it as charity. Allah forbid.

Give charity from the good of your wealth. Would you willingly take the rotten or bad of goods? Yes, in the verse where He says 'what you take with your eyes closed', does a person knowingly pay his money for rotten, putrid goods — does he take them? Of course not. He does not pay his money for them and give it away. So the goods we do not like, which we give calling it charity, do not count as good deeds.

You too, such goods of yours as He calls 'with eyes closed', saying you do good, to people do not give. Because Allah is Rich, Generous. Of your goods given in this way — need. Allah Almighty has no need. That is given from alms. The goods you give in this way, to the other party — those who are in need and forced to accept — wring their hearts, and among them, against those who act this way, backbiting or unpleasant words arise. Instead of good, you will have fallen into sin, sin. The rotten part of the goods, which you do not like, which you would throw away, (?), you set out to give it to a person as charity.

Yet if you give the person in front of you what you would not eat, what you do not like, he too — a person certainly cannot eat it.

What does he say? Look, he brought me what he would throw away and gave it. Am I a person so debased by my Lord? he says, and his heart and soul are broken. So do not act like this. If you give something in charity for Allah, give the finest and cleanest of it. That is, give from what you earned lawfully.

The meaning of 'the clean of the goods' here:

let there be no one else's right on the goods you give, so that in the hereafter someone else will not say, 'the goods he gave in charity were mine, and its good deed is mine too', and so that what you gave comes back to you in kind. We have stated that part too. Indeed, as Allah's mercy, may your reward be increased and granted to you. By whom? Who gives that gift? Allah will give it, of course. Yes.

Allah is Rich. He has no need of His creatures. Because He creates what He wills. He possesses the art of creating. Bringing into being from nothing. Its knowledge is of Allah Almighty's knowledge. All created things are in need. Of whom? In need of the One who created them first. All created things. Allah, however, is free of need. Because He has the attribute al-Hayy. All created things are in need of Allah. Allah Almighty, however, has no need of His creatures. For this reason He is compassionate and merciful to His creatures. Because Allah did not create people so that they suffer oppression.

He is compassionate and merciful to His creatures. My mercy has surpassed My wrath, He says. My mercy is for everyone in the universe, He says. For everyone. He gives all His creatures their provision as long as they live; He is the (?) Allah. He meets the need of every (?) I created, gives its provision. And for this reason, by the attribute of being Creator, the one worthy of praise is Allah alone. Yes.