Talk of 16 September 2023

He says: isn't it the topic he mentioned above, to guard against the matter? Yes, yes, it's the topic he mentioned. Now here it is. Hodja, a person, while engaged, with their fiancé committed zina. Yes.

Why? It's gone.

Turn it on. We turned it off.

He says — peace be upon you, Hodja — a person, while engaged, with the person who was their fiancé, committed zina. Then, because of some disagreements, they separated. This person, marrying this man, um, says: I don't want to have an unhappy marriage. This man — this person marrying this man, um, unhappy — what does this mean, um, unhappy? She doesn't want to marry and be unhappy. "I don't want to marry and have an unhappy marriage." She says: I don't want to have an unhappy marriage. Is it necessary for this person to marry this man? Since she doesn't want to, would it be all right to do the nikah and then divorce, she asks. May Allah be pleased with you, I kiss your hands.

Now, these two have not done the nikah. Both are strangers to each other. Even if engaged, without a nikah they are strangers. Their hands shouldn't even touch. They committed zina. Then, if they separated, first of all they are to be married to each other.

They are to be married to each other. If they don't want to marry, however much the man may want it — if the other doesn't, then a hundred lashes each are to be given. This is our religion. What the civil code says or doesn't say does not concern me. But in our religion, first the two sides must marry each other. If they don't marry, they have committed zina. Two unmarried with two unmarried. If both are unmarried. If the man is married and the woman unmarried, for the man stoning, for the woman lashes. If both are unmarried, they are to marry. When they marry, they are spared the lashes. If they don't want to, they must accept a hundred lashes each.

To avoid a hundred lashes, they marry. Afterwards, if they want, they can separate from each other.

That's the situation.

There's a question here, Hodja. Also, regarding the hospitality of friends we know play the stock market, what should we do, my child? These get asked too, but our real topic here is to explain the verses. These are child's play. He plays the stock market, went to his house — does he eat the food, or eat it or not eat it, now? Since you're so devoted to piety, don't go to his house, don't eat his food. These take up our time here. If you want to ask these, sit down — I have close to fifty thousand videos, search there, find it. Don't waste our lessons here. It goes on, he says it anyway: even if unwillingly, at work tea is offered and I have to drink it.

Is the right thing to refuse the offer? Or, when we're forced to, can we give the cost of what we drank as charity to someone else? Come on, since you're so devoted to your religion, to piety, tell your friend: I won't drink your tea. Why? You (?) the stock market, you take haram, or you do such-and-such, you take haram. When you say "I won't eat from your wealth", you've enjoined the good. Be ashamed! Not ashamed before Allah, ashamed before the child — drink his tea, then go give it somewhere else.

Ask a proper question. Yes. These are all written in our videos.

Hodja, unfortunately house rents are rising enormously. See, there. A question.

So much so that where normally a twenty-five, thirty percent increase is due, there are increases of two hundred, three hundred percent. In this case, if a tenant took a home loan from the bank and bought a house, would he have declared war on Allah's verse about interest — would he? What is the measure regarding interest? May Allah be pleased with you. Now look at this, he'll do it like this. This is fine. How much rent do you pay here? Fifteen thousand lira. When you take money from the bank, this is the state's thing. The banks. Under the state's guarantee. Well, what did you take? A hundred thousand, two hundred thousand, five hundred thousand lira.

Ten years, or fifteen years. You're making this money for yourself. The house becomes yours. The house's value rises. Maybe the house's value rises even more than the value of the interest you paid the bank. In this case you've become a homeowner, and you've given the money to yourself, and you've made a contribution to those who work there. Now, when we say interest, how does interest come about? They run overnight interest. Overnight. Isn't that so? In one night two hundred, two hundred fifty percent interest they run. Interest: a man, say, a house worth five hundred thousand, a thousand, a million lira — they'll seize it, two thousand lira — they sell it for two hundred thousand lira.

Well then, go take money on interest. Overnight, at that. Overnight or daily he makes money work at interest on you. He makes interest work on you monthly. Take it. There are fatwas for this too. Two hundred thousand lira — go take money from a loan shark. Go deposit your money, save your house. Put your house up for sale right away. When he puts it up for sale, your house that would go for two hundred thousand, your house worth a million, you can't sell for a million, you'll sell for nine hundred fifty. You'll give two hundred thousand of it right away to the usurer, the loan shark. What did the loan shark gain? Two hundred fifty thousand lira.

For example. Seven hundred, eight thousand lira, and six hundred fifty thousand, seven hundred thousand will be left with you. There are this many fatwas for this. Yes. But you can take money from the bank. That one percent, zero, ninety percent, when it charges one, one and a half percent interest — you, every month, (?) fifteen thousand lira of interest to the landlord. On that house you bought, the man doesn't load fifteen thousand lira of interest every month (?) your money. You keep paying anyway, and it comes off your money. Well, today, um, when you pay the money, if you calculate the house rent, and also calculate the rise in the house's value, what the bank took from you, um, as interest comes down to twenty percent of it, twenty percent.

The house will have stayed with you. This is in (?). But like overnight, or "I'll do some business" and there are interests of twenty-five, thirty, twenty percent. There are overnight interests. Interest of this kind. He's asking about interest here. What is the measure regarding interest? On interest, he says: I asked Ahmet Efendi for a hundred thousand lira, a loan. I'll give it to you, but I'll take a hundred fifty thousand back. That is interest. A man sells goods. Well, he sells the goods for three kuruş. They come and ask the man for goods.

The man says to him, I'll give you the goods tomorrow, he says. He bought it from the man for three kuruş. He tells the man: I'll give you your money, but before taking the goods. I want this much money from you too, he says. The man is in need too — of necessity, before even handing over his goods. He says: fine, I'll give you my goods and pay you this share too. This too is interest. Hazelnut traders do this a lot. In Ordu, in Giresun, those hazelnut sellers are the fathers of usurers. What does he do? The man comes, he's in need. He also has a hazelnut field. He comes to the usurer, says: I need money.

How much do you need? 10 thousand lira, 5 thousand lira, 7 thousand lira. Fine, he says. You'll give me your hazelnuts, he says. Fine. Hazelnut time comes. 7 thousand lira has become 15 thousand lira. Or 25 thousand lira. 7 thousand lira. He takes all his hazelnuts, just like that. And on top of that the man ends up in debt.

I witnessed one of them.

The man's debt was three thousand five hundred lira. He owes three thousand five hundred lira. I happen to be there by chance.

No, he said, you don't owe three thousand five hundred lira. You owe seven thousand five hundred lira, he said. You owe seven thousand seven hundred lira, he said. How can that be, he said? I took three thousand five hundred lira from you. You took three thousand five hundred lira from me, but this much time, this much time, this much time, he says. This much time, he says. Now it's seven thousand seven hundred lira, he said.

And the man said: here, he said, is my 3,500 lira. Here's the money I took from you, he left it there — come on, I'm off, he said. Goodbye — and off he went. I don't know what happened after.

The man's 300 decares of land they took from him. Across there, in the middle.

Someone took 1,500 lira, and in place of the 1,500 lira, the man's house they set out to sell; he owed 6,500 lira, the man can't pay, they'll take his house. The man threw himself on me: father, I've entrusted my life to you, he said, they're throwing me out, he said. I know the other man too; I phone him. I say: look, the man took 1,500 lira from you, you've made it 6,500 lira. Have you no conscience, I said. Lower it a bit and let me pay you the man's money. I won't take it, he said. Why are you paying, he says to me. He'd take the man's house from him. Such conscienceless people. I paid the six thousand five hundred lira.

I saved the man's house.

Right? Then he says to me: are you that merciful? There's another one with him. Pay his money too, he says. I said: Allah has given you reason too, given you thought. I said, He has made His command known to you. I said, I did a duty in Allah's hand. You too do a duty for Allah — give up interest, I said. Otherwise in your grave you'll be struck as if by (?), and stay struck, I said. You've shouldered the world and forgotten the hereafter, I said. Maybe you'll take it to the hereafter — I hung up on him.

Yes.

That is the measure of interest.

That is interest. The others — you took from the bank, it tells you a set price. That too is against devaluations. And factor in the devaluation too. Factor in the devaluation on the money you took. Factor in the money you paid. Factor in the rent money to the man. And factor in the rise in the house's value. Your house is yours. You've paid your money to yourself. A help from the state to you. Yes. Is there anything else? Anyone to ask? No. Where did we leave off?

Yes. It's probably written here where we left off.

Surah Al-Isra, verse 54.

Sir, he says. Page 225 — we left off at Surah Al-Isra 54. Right? There's nothing else, is there? Nothing else, Hodja. Yes.

This is Surah An-Nahl here. 225, 225. We've left off at 219. Here we — this place already does the thing. 219, look, it's marked here.

But it's Surah Al-Isra. 225. Let's go to 225.

Surah Al-Isra — where did we leave off? 54, he said, Hodja. 54, Hodja. Let's see.

At verse 54.

54. Yes. All right.

Small questions like these. Our time here is limited anyway. Questions like these — you can find all of them in our videos. Asking questions here, and this precious time — we only have an hour anyway. Let's not fall behind in our lesson here. It's twenty-five to eight.

You'll open it; whatever you ask, you'll find its answer on the site. The question you want to ask me here, you'll ask like this: In such-and-such sura, such-and-such verse, it says this. And in such-and-such sura, such-and-such verse, it says that. It's as if there's a contradiction between the two. Or: I understood this verse of this sura like this, Hodja. Is my understanding right? Or am I in contradiction? I mean, I'm in contradiction about some things. Let us confirm verses for you with verses. Our duty here is to teach you the verses rightly. Not these questions. In their time we uploaded all these questions to the thing.

We uploaded them to the site. Whatever you want is there. You'll ask me about the meaning of verses. You'll say the verses: I understood this like this, Hodja, how is this? Or: here it's written like this. I didn't quite, sir — did I misunderstand this? Like the attributes of Allah Almighty, for example. Then I'll open that up for you. Yes. Not to you — to everyone. The question you ask is for everyone.

This part is done. In verse 54 of Surah Al-Isra we're reading the wrong part. Your Lord knows you best, it says. Correct. If He wills, He has mercy on you. His mercy is always upon us anyway. If He wills, He punishes you. We have not sent you as a guardian over them, it says. Correct, isn't it? Where is the mistake? Look, I'm reading it again: Your Lord knows you best; if He wills, He has mercy on you; if He wills, He punishes you. (?) over them, We have not sent you as a guardian over them, it says. Now here, Allah Almighty, among people making distinctions, will torment whom He wills. If He wills, He'll torment.

If He doesn't will, He'll have mercy. Allah Almighty has no further willing over us. And in the verse He says: My mercy has surpassed My wrath. Now there are (?) meanings here, but I won't go into that. Let me just say it in one sentence. Everyone's destiny was written for them. Everyone will play out their own destiny. So, since he came to the world to prove what kind of person he is, when Allah Almighty says My mercy has surpassed My wrath, He will treat everyone with His mercy. Even on those who rebel, who are in kufr, who know Allah Almighty, Allah Almighty will rain it down. Why has it surpassed His wrath? Because in the end it will go to questioning, and (?) the account there.

That's why Allah doesn't look at us in the world. I mean, He doesn't look at what we do. What we do is written just as it is, second by second.

It is written.

Now I'm reading the correct version. Your Lord knows you best. Correct. He has mercy on whoever of you wishes. How beautiful. What do you say? My Allah, I've fallen into (?). I have no one but You to help me. Don't withhold Your mercy from me. You pray. Every prayer of yours is accepted with Allah. If it's within destiny, Allah is behind us — that's what He says. You people, We are behind you, He says. If it weren't so, the whole world would fall into chaos. And this verse proves it, where He says We are behind you. Neither drowsiness nor (?) [takes] Us, it says. Yes.

If He wills — when you wish, when you wish, He punishes you. When you wish. We are being punished now.

You know how peoples were destroyed in the past. They themselves wished it. The people of Lot. They acted shamelessly, practised homosexuality. Is it LGBT? What is it? These homosexuals, filth. Those who appear in human form — human in form, animal in form. Even animals don't do what they do.

So Allah Almighty destroyed the people of Lot.

How quickly people came to resemble their ancestors. Although only a little time passed since the people We destroyed, it says. How they came to resemble their ancestors. But the religion of Islam for 1440 years, 1430 years, came preserving Islam. After 1430, or after the year 1400, in these 40 years, 44 years, it got thoroughly corrupted. In our time now — how they resemble their ancestors, those filthy ones. How so. If not for the good — Allah protects for the sake of the good. For the sake of the prayers of the good, He keeps this world standing. But Allah Almighty in His verse said this about the disbelievers: Although We send them three or two calamities a year — so that, as they help one another, they would ask help from Us too, it says.

Look, but not once does "Allah" come out of their mouths. With us too, eleven cities were lost, and not a single "Allah" came out of their mouths. Did it? Did you hear it? I didn't hear it. "What did we do that Allah gave us this?" — nobody says that. From faults, from lines, from here, from there. Constant earthquakes, an earthquake there, an earthquake here, an earthquake in Konya, an earthquake in Denizli, in every part of the world, roughly always in Muslim lands now. In Algeria the flood carried off (?). Thousands of people, tens of thousands of people died and were gone. Sir, in other places there are always things — earthquakes.

We don't say: what has happened to us? Why weren't we like this until now, and now we've become subject to these calamities? Look, the verses — history — Allah tells us the verses. What does the Prophet say — when (?) the calamities, "I will give calamities," said Allah Almighty. "Because with them I will bring people to their senses," He said. To their senses. And we don't come to our senses.

Everywhere volcanoes, rains flowing away like floods. The signs of the Last Day have appeared. The Prophet said in his hadiths that earthquakes will appear, volcanoes will appear, rains will flow like floods. What more do you want? People (?) stark naked, there's neither modesty nor manners. We feel shame to go outside. We feel shame. Shame. We feel shame. We're afraid. We're embarrassed. We're embarrassed for our humanity. How are they not ashamed? They walk around with their private parts exposed. Yes. And Allah strikes, too. Hodja, are you glad? Come on, we're human too. We have a conscience. Even if it's our enemy, in that state we help.

In that state. But while helping them, we also pray to Allah. O my Lord, reform them too. If there are calamities upon them, lift them. Don't place on our backs a burden we cannot bear. We pray. We pray for them too.

Yes.

We barely find our bread from evening to morning. May Allah be pleased with them, the children collected. We helped with close to a million. Yes, every person grieves even if it's a dog at a person's door; they are human, but they need to mend their ways — still they don't mend their ways; we look and again: tattoos, short sleeves, tank tops, strange, strange clothes. Yes. Anyway, everyone's sin is their own; we are charged with making Allah's command heard to people. We will make it heard. But they consider me cruel. But they consider me harsh. But, sir, this man is a sharia-man, they say — if only they were for sharia.

If only they were for sharia. Those who are enemies of sharia, now I'll show those enemies of sharia something.

This woman is an enemy of sharia. Or this man. Doesn't want sharia. Their daughter goes and sleeps with someone else. Of course, she's come of age. She goes around with whomever she wants. Then they kill their daughter.

Her mother and father never leave the courthouse door.

When that person is given three years, five years, they raise hell. Well, now I ask this mother and father who don't want sharia: wouldn't you want the life of that woman or that man who killed your daughter? You'd love it, you'd love for them to kill him. Well, sharia commands exactly this to you. What is it about sharia you don't want? Retaliation in kind.

Yes.

They have darkened their own future. People living in fantasy with their own world of reason. In their fantasy worlds. They've forgotten the One who created them. They haven't embraced the life Allah gave them. In a frenzy, going where their own reason and nafs point, not seeing this sea of the world as a swamp — diving into the sea of the world, that they'll be lost in the swamp poor people unaware of it.

Yes. What does it say now? Our Lord knows you best. He has mercy on whoever of you wishes. Well of course, we are Allah's servants. Leave aside these blessings He gave us, food and drink. Apart from humans, in this world how many creatures there are. What if He had created us as one of those creatures? He would have. As the noblest of creatures, as humans, from nothing into being (?) — our thanks to Allah Almighty we cannot repay. Leave aside feeding, giving drink.

These people who don't think of the One who created them, who are hostile to their Creator, and with their own reason find fault with the reason of the Creator of these worlds — these poor people living in darkness, these people. They're in pitch darkness, so much they can't see in front of them.

I'm not saying it. Allah says this too. Let me tell you. Look, I'll tell you here too: in Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 257 — look what it says — Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 257, look: Allah is the friend of people, it says. And Allah, who created the worlds, brought them from nothing — Allah, the friend of people, do you know what that means? Friend — and a friend is bound with his very life, with his life. Allah Almighty gave you a portion from His essence, took you as a (?) to His essence, (?) — because He adorned you with forms of His essence; He didn't make you a stranger; you are My friend, He says. To whom — look, to whom — them He brings out of darknesses into light, it says. Allah lit the way for people out of darknesses, because we came to the world and didn't know what we would do.

Allah sent us prophets, books, sent scholars, lit our way, turned us toward the Owner, the Creator of the worlds. Well, what happens if we go? The Owner of the worlds told us with His verses: I have promised you two places. One is Paradise, the other Hell. If you know Me as Creator, are content with what I say, and come to Me by My path, I'll give you My Paradise; from you I want nothing else, He says. If you deny that I created you, deny these provisions you were given, ascribe them to your own self, took, ate, and with your pleasures in this world, like a cicada, chirped away, were selfish, proud, arrogant, then on your return it is a place of torment, He says.

Yes. Look now what it says. Allah is the friend of people. He takes them out of darknesses and brings them into light. As for those who disbelieve — those who say we don't want sharia, as for them, their friends are taghut. They take them out of light into darkness. Into darkness. These are the people of Hell. They will remain there.

Those who don't want sharia. What is sharia? Allah's commands — law, law. What is the civil code? A law people made with their own reason. Allah created man deficient. With his reason man will fall short and know Allah as exalted and great. He will ask Allah for pardon and forgiveness. That is Allah's purpose in creating. He created man for this — so His essence would be known, so man would know his helplessness and return to his Lord. If you deny this — of course, against so many blessings, against being brought from nothing into being — and if you don't embrace Allah's laws, then both in the world, in a frenzy, with your heart cramped, sir, you'll live restless — as it says, their hearts are restless and scattered.

In this case you'll both spend your world in misery and in your hereafter be subjected to the abode of eternal torment.

The verses were very broad.

We said this much here. Let's go to the topic. To its topic. I mean, let's explain briefly. Here the wrongly rendered part is this: If He wills, He has mercy on you. If He wills, He punishes you — to Hell — punishes you. The correct one: He has mercy on whoever of you wishes. And when you wish, He punishes you. That our Lord has no willing over people, we explained in many verses. In the Quran, when a verse is rendered wrongly and our Lord's constant willing over people keeps being repeated, we too, of the willings we wrote in the past, put one here as a repetition. Part by part, some in some places, some in other places, part by part we put them beneath them.

What? Briefly, why is there no willing? We explain this. But the commentary on the verse goes wider. It goes further to verses, to wider meanings. One verse takes you all around the Quran. One verse — yes, which will you explain? You'll cut it here. In this verse, that our Lord has no willing over people, that every soul made a covenant with our Lord, and that people's wishes and desires were written for them as destiny and that this won't change again, and so that our Lord has no willing over people — we wrote. In broad detail, in Surah Al-A'raf, verse 172, it has been explained. There: why we were created, for what we were created, why He made a covenant with people, and although He knows what we are, why He sent us to the world.

You can get information there, we said.

Those who'd ask trivial questions like these, let them open the site; whatever they'd ask, they ask there, the question comes up for them, they learn it there. Look, there's precious time here, the meanings of verses. Here we're wasting our time. I'm old too; how long I'll remain among you is unknown. Let's finish these. Yes. Surah Al-Isra, verse 55: Your Lord knows best everyone in the heavens and on earth, it says.

Are there humans in the heavens?

I'll open this up for you too. I'm not opening it here, but I'll open this up for you too.

Your Lord knows best everyone in the heavens and on earth. Indeed, We made some of the prophets superior to others. And to David We gave the Psalms, it says. Now first let's read the verse correctly. Then let's tell you some events here. Your Lord knows best everyone in the heavens and on earth. Indeed, some of the prophets are superior to others. And to David We gave the Psalms, it says. Here let's open this part, then let's move on to the topic. Your Lord, of those in the heavens and on earth, knows everyone best, it says. In the heavens, Allah Almighty programmed all these worlds; people according to their own wishes and desires He programmed — people; the others Allah Almighty programmed according to His own will.

For example, the angels — they are living robots for the duties they'll perform. Whatever is written into a robot, it carries out. But angels are living robots. They are genderless.

All the creatures in the universe, the animals too, again for the jobs they'll do, Allah Almighty programmed. Only humans had themselves programmed by Allah Almighty. So since Allah Almighty says, Your Lord knows best everyone in the heavens and on earth, now here this meaning comes out. Allah Almighty says in His verse: We made the luminaries of the sky an adornment for you, it says. What does this mean? Us leaving the world, and on the stars of the heavens, those pieces of land as we call them, sir, our research He commands. If We say, leaving the world, We made the luminaries of the sky an adornment for you, and people go after adornment — gold, diamond, ruby, emerald — sir, then go, search, it says, find, go out.

And you, it says. Now a second verse. Even if you left your world and went to the highest corner of the universe, We would still find you there — according to the verse. It's being proven that there is life on Mars. On Mars. But no humans. Humans are only on earth. Is it in the verse? It's in this one. What does it say? The heavens and the earth. Look, it doesn't say earths. It counts the heavens. The heavens and the earth, and what's between the two, We created in six days, it says. Now when it says earth, earth is only the world. And humans are in the world. With the tools he's made, man goes to the moon today.

He also knows the feelings of the person on the moon. Look, this. Your Lord knows best everyone in the heavens and on earth. Those there. Tomorrow maybe you'll go to Mars. He knows best the feelings of those there.

Maybe there will be travel between galaxies; for example, they'll go on a trip. The heavens and the earth — in all of them. He knows all the feelings of those there. I mean, wherever you'll go, wherever you'll go up to, whatever happens wherever, We are with you. The verse: We are behind you. This is the manifestation of that verse. And the verses are very broad. One verse, look, travels through the verses. Yes. If only they'd open verses with verses and, opening them, explain them to people this way. Would people have come to this state, I wonder? At least in the conscience of a person who says I'm a Muslim there is fear of Allah.

At least a person would hold back a little the step he's about to take.

We are all, in this world, for situations like these responsible. We are all responsible, from needle to thread. Are there also those who aren't responsible, Hodja? There are. Who? People who address them this way — since they fulfil Allah's command, from a calamity that would befall these, Allah takes those people out from among them. Is there an example, Hodja? There is. Who? The prophets of peoples to be destroyed — from the people that was destroyed He took out those who followed the prophets; the others He destroyed. The same way. If we don't tell them that the course is bad, if we don't make known that they've left Allah's path and gone astray, if we don't tell that, shamelessly, private parts and all, among these people they walk around — all of us are responsible. All of us.

Yes. In my childhood they used to say: so-and-so's daughter went missing. A month later, fifteen days later, twenty days later, by a stream, dead, they'd find her. Like that. Who shot her, unknown. Who shot her? Her father shot her; she was killed. Why? For being unchaste. For indecency to increase. Because the law wouldn't kill her either. The law — the civil code, you know. And this way zina increased. Look how nicely people say: They got engaged, committed zina, then separated. Anyway, the idea of girls these days: virginity will go, as a divorcee she'll sleep around with everyone, earn money, live it up, live in five-star, seven-star hotels, at summer houses strip stark naked, live as this one's or that one's mistress, earn money.

Seventy percent, eighty percent of all women and girls are now in this state. You'll find very few people of honour. Yes. And men don't marry anyway. Since there are so many prostitutes outside, just like a pack of dogs, how many follow after one female, and with dogs, sir, (?) — just as dogs (?), the same things go on. (?), it says, you know — they are like four- legged creatures roaming the earth. Indeed, (?) more astray. Today morality is corrupted. When the religion of Islam is mentioned, they say: is this the time for that? Let the word Allah not come out of your mouth. Come on, is this the time for that, they say?

When will its time be? Yes.

55. We're reading the verse, right? We didn't explain this, did we? We didn't. (?) — I told you about "your Lord… those in the heavens and on earth". I didn't explain the rest. We don't mention that part — because it's written correctly, we don't mention it. Here we mention the wrongly rendered parts. We write their footnotes. Why it's wrong. But in addition we open up the meanings of the verses for you here. You know, otherwise we're not at ease. Sir, it's nicer when we explain. The wrongly rendered part here is this: Indeed, We made some of the prophets superior to others. The correct one: indeed, some of the prophets are superior to others.

Yes. They are all superior to one another by their state of faith toward Allah Almighty.

The correct one: indeed, some of the prophets are superior to others. Our Lord, by His own will, has not held any person or any prophet superior to another.

Will is of two kinds, we said: universal will and partial will. Partial will: after the address "Am I not your Lord?", when our Lord made a covenant with people, He wrote their destinies according to their wishes and desires. In this case people, in our Lord's sight, by way of faith, by their nearness, are superior to one another. By way of faith. Now that too, for you, we're explaining here. Prophets (?) woman. I'm in a lesson, woman. Don't you know? You're phoning.

Prophets, since they were created from the spirit of the Prophet (peace be upon him), are the first created. Our Lord made a covenant with them and was witness to them. In Surah Al Imran, verse 81, our Lord says this: When Allah [took a pledge] from the prophets: after I give you the Book and wisdom, when a prophet comes confirming what is with you, you shall surely help him. You shall surely help him. Do you affirm this?

Do you take on this covenant of Mine? He asks. How many? It was 124 prophets, in one narration. Created from the spirit of the Prophet. He asks them. When He said this, they answered: we accept. Thereupon Allah: then bear witness. And I am with you among the witnesses, He said. Now by what degrees did Allah Almighty make these superior?

He witnessed all of them.

Take all of them from the time of our father Adam. The stone age there, the chipped stone age, the polished stone age, the recent age, the modern age — until arriving here, people's further superiority over one another, I mean the workings of their minds, and sending prophets according to that. For example, one only digs with an axe and pick, another discovers the wheel. His head works more. He sends him a prophet like that. To the other He sends a (?) prophet. According to the peoples' level of intellect, each according to its own degree, He addresses them. Their understanding is that much.

Well, these (?) — the Prophet's (peace be upon him) ummah, outside those prophets, has a knowledge, and with Allah Almighty has not made a covenant — it is not a prophet. Is there a verse for this, is there a hadith? Is there a verse? It's in a verse, it's in a hadith. The (?) of my ummah are like the prophets of the Children of Israel, he says. Yes. To him ten commandments were given, to us six thousand-odd verses were given. But we are not prophets. The duty of prophethood is the same: it receives revelation. We, in six thousand-odd verses, to Allah's command are (?) people. We are people of their calibre.

And we too are people who enter among the righteous servants. You said a verse — is it in a verse? It is. And the Prophet says: I — you to the other prophets as witness, and you, he says, to the other ummahs I will be witness, he says. Above the other ummahs.

The Prophet too, above the other ummahs. I mean, above the prophets.

Ah, if only we knew these verses like this, and having come to this world as Islam in Allah's sight, our place in Allah's sight we would know.

My (?) aches — at people's ignorance and backwardness, their not thinking of Allah, when they dive into the world and torment their own nafs.

Yes.

So humans are not robots. Since prophets too are superior to one another in their state of faith toward our Lord, it declares that the prophets too are superior to one another.

Otherwise our Lord, making a deficiency in His justice, would leave aside the one superior in faith to the others, and of the one lower in faith than the other prophet say: this one, in My sight, is superior to these — no, He doesn't impair His justice. Yes.

Let's also read verse 60 of Surah Al-Isra. We'll have completed the sura we went through in prayer.

"Remember, your Lord…" — the footnote of verse sixty, the wrongly rendered footnote, I'm reading.

Remember, We told you that your Lord has encompassed people all around.

The visions We showed you, and the tree cursed in the Quran, We brought about only to test people. We frighten them, yet it gives them nothing but great transgression.

No one can easily find what's wrong here. Look, I'm reading again. Remember, We told you that your Lord has encompassed people all around. The visions We showed you, and the tree cursed in the Quran — that it cursed — We brought about only to test people. We frighten them, yet it gives them nothing but great transgression. The first place that will come to your mind — one single word. Allah tests no one. Testing means one doesn't know what the person is, and gives him some calamities or good things; by his conduct one comes to know what he is. Trying him, that is. Allah tries no one. Tests no one.

Look, already: remember, We told you that your Lord has encompassed people all around. The visions We showed you, and the tree cursed in the Quran, only so that people would be made witnesses to themselves of what kind of people they are, We brought about — like that. This tree. Will they keep what I said or not? Will they approach the cursed tree or not? We frighten them, yet it gives them nothing but great transgression. I mean, today whoever is struck by a disaster rebels against Allah. This increases their transgression. He doesn't say: my Lord, don't load on our backs what we can't bear. And surely every climb has a descent, every descent a climb.

This world is not a place, prosperous on all four corners, made for pleasure and enjoyment. Three corners are torment and suffering, and one corner prosperous enjoyment — one corner. So, in this world of torment and suffering, while living that one prosperous corner of enjoyment, the three-cornered torment and suffering, wrestling with your nafs, you'll bring under command. Man has seven states of the nafs.

In one of the nafs there are fame, renown, pride, arrogance, (?), grandeur, love of the world. If a person kills in his nafs these six heads, that is, fame, renown, pride, arrogance, (?), grandeur — but leaves only the love of the world, these six heads sprout again by themselves. But if he breaks only this love of the world, these six heads wither by themselves. Yes.

Know these well.

We frighten them, yet it gives them nothing but great transgression, it says. The wrong part in this verse is this: The tree cursed in the Quran We brought about only to test people, it says. The correct: the tree cursed in the Quran We brought about only so that people would be made witnesses to themselves of what kind of people they are. Doesn't He say so? Allah Almighty: Did you think you would die before you yourselves had proven what kind of person you are? Yes. I mean, before you have proven what kind of person you are, did you think you would die? So Allah Almighty will give us calamities too, mercy too; what we did in His calamity, what we did in His mercy, sir, how we surrendered to Allah, and in our Lord's sight, toward our Lord what kind of actions we took — second by second it is written.

Verse 134 of Surah Ta-Ha proves this too, right here. Had We destroyed you with a punishment before the Quran, it says. I mean, the Torah and the Gospel are in the Quran. Before sending you to the world, We first made a covenant with you. We knew you were people of Paradise and of Hell. We know. Had We destroyed the people of Hell with a punishment, and put the people of Paradise into Paradise, you would have said this, it says: Had You sent us prophets and Your book, we wouldn't have fallen into this (?) below. Why does He say this? There's a secret here too. One: Allah's attribute of being God will manifest.

I mean, no one will be able to question Him. Where is the (?) of Allah Almighty, of Allah's (?), here?

Can you say? Where is its (?)? Of Allah, of Allah's (?). We were created in the realm of lahut. When our Lord, before us exactly as a human, said I created you, people there split into three classes. Those of the right, those of the left, and the class of those brought near. So We know what you are, according to the covenant you gave Me. But because We were before you exactly in your form, you could not know Me as Creator. You sought the creator of your imagination. And I gave you plenty of opportunity. I gave you the opportunity to think. Still you denied Me. But each of you also knew you were created by a Lord.

They know. Because they are lying disbelievers, He says, and their hearts are scattered and restless, says Allah Almighty. So now, He says, to a place where My essence is not seen I will send you. Allah, free from deficient attributes. So He creates the world; in a hidden realm where His essence is not seen, us — He tests us on ourselves. We live out our covenant there. Whatever we gave, whatever kind of covenant we gave. Yes. Our job isn't very hard. Our job is very simple. Allah didn't burden us with hardship. The simple part is here. The ease is here. Eşhedü en la ilahe illallah ve eşhedü enne Muhammeden abdühü ve resulühü.

A person feels at ease, you see. Then to submit to one's Owner. Look, a person is obliged to submit to his mother and father. Look what it says here now. Let me read it to you here. I read it below, too. Let me read it to you here as well. Sir.

Your Lord has firmly commanded that you serve only Him and treat your parents well, it says. Our Owner says this. The Creator says it. What does it say? Let me look at this part too. Your Lord — that you serve only Him — what does it mean? After saying Eşhedü en la ilahe illallah ve eşhedü enne Muhammeden abdühü ve resulühü, we have five obligations. We've said the shahada — we'll pray, we'll fast, if we have money, we'll give zakat, if we have money, we'll go on Hajj. That's all. He asks nothing else of us. (?) is enough.

Somehow — what does it say here now: your Lord, that you serve only Him and treat your parents well, has firmly commanded. If one or both of them grow old with you, don't even say "uff" to them, don't scold them, speak kind words to both. Your mother and father who bore you — Allah created your mother and father too, and us Allah created too; us as His servants, what kind of person we are, by setting up a human factory, He brought us into the world. If He wants us to obey that factory which brought us into the world this much, then how should we obey the One who created us?

Are we to be responsible toward Allah? Look what it says next. Sparing them, with humility, over you spread a wing — over them spread a wing — and: My Lord, just as they raised me when I was small, now You have mercy on them likewise — pray thus, it says. For mother and father.

Your Lord knows best what is in your hearts, it says. If you are good, know that Allah, to those who turn away from evil and turn to repentance, is most forgiving, it says.

If only people were governed by verses. If only they had always told people the verses. If only they hadn't told people stories. Saying so-and-so saint did this, so-and-so wali did that, and with going to so-and-so's shrine to pray — if only they hadn't deceived them. If only they had made them ask Allah from the heart for everything they wanted. What would have happened, I mean? Would people (?) like this? Yes.

What does it say now? The wrong part in this verse is this: The tree cursed in the Quran He brought about only to test people. The correct: the tree cursed in the Quran He brought about only so that people would be witnesses to themselves of what kind of people they are. Allah Almighty — Allah Almighty has no need to test anyone. Because our Lord made a covenant with people at the address "Am I not your Lord?" He wrote their wishes and desires for them as destiny. There's not a single living being coming until the Last Day whose actions We don't know. This kind of rendering contradicts the verse.

Whereas verses confirm one another. And at the same time, your Lord would be unaware of what people will do in the future, so that — Allah forbid — attributing deficient attributes to our Lord, we would fall into kufr. Therefore the right rendering of the verse: the tree cursed in the Quran, only so that people be made witnesses to themselves of what kind of people they are, We brought about. Yes. Ömer Sefa.

We have a question here. Ömer Sefa. We're ending our lesson here.

With that, we left off at Surah Al-Isra, verse 64. Page 226. Page 226, Surah Al-Isra, verse 64. Stay well. Now there's a question here. Ayzanur says: Hodja, peace be upon you. I kiss your hands. Does always being tested with the same test mean the person couldn't pass that test? May Allah be pleased with you.

Yes. If you're always in the same test, or in tests like it — in the military, soldiers line up. Nicely, as a battalion. A sergeant at their head.

He puts them at ease. Then he says attention. He says mark time. They start marking time. With their feet. Then when he says forward march, they start walking. Now if we always see the same thing, we're marking time, in place. We go on — we'll see more and more beautiful things. Our kashf will open, and if we pass the test, Allah, because we passed the test, will show us higher stations and encourage us. Yes. When you, Allah's command — struggling with your nafs, raise your degree, Allah too will help you, show you beautiful realms, encourage you. What will He do? First the door of karamat for you He'll open. That is, He'll open the nafs-i mulhima.

If you get spoiled there, you see karamat. I mean, of a shop that's closed — that one's closed, that one's open, you say; if he goes, it really is open. You say something, it happens. Sir, these are karamat, the person's karamat. These — they take them for great saints, whereas they spend small change, they spend their money. Sir, that too, if you pass it, then you attain the attribute of a believer.

O soul at peace, your Lord pleased with you, you with your Lord — enter among My servants. You rise to the state of the people to whom He says, enter My Paradise. I mean, the believer is superior to that (?) who shows karamat.

And there's no turning back for them, the believers. (?) of the believers you cannot open either. Their heads would roll, they won't (?) their heads. Yes.

And that's why Allah Almighty addresses the believer. Therefore, don't promise anything to a believer, it says. If you promise, let me fulfil it. Because a believer doesn't forget. To the verse "Who keeps his word like Allah?" — the verse "Adopt Allah's morals as your morals" he has taken on. He is on the way of adopting Allah's morals. Therefore the believer is valuable. A Muslim is a Muslim, but not a believer. A believer is a Muslim; he's at the fourth degree of the nafs. If he rises above that, he comes to nafs-i radiya, the state of ilm al-yaqin. And if he rises above that — coming once every hundred years — to the state of qutb (?), azam he comes.

And if you rise above that too, nafs-i safiya — what does that mean? those who remove falsehoods from religion, who are aware of Allah's secret, some of His secrets, of the verse in which He says: when We created these worlds, Satan and his companions We did not make witnesses to Ourselves — aware of its secret, people; that too comes once every 200 years. We end our lesson here; stay well. For the sake of Allah, Al-Fatiha.