Talk of 24 May 2025

Come on, let's see.

Can you explain the verse, he says.

And He created many more signs. And by the stars they find their way.

Here Allah Almighty makes known the loftiness of His Self. His greatness, sir, His ocean of knowledge. That everything He made serves people; He shows that everything He created serves people. That He did not create these stars in vain either, that people, looking at the stars, also determine their way; not only people, even animals benefit from the stars.

At the pole, the polar bears too determine their direction that way, like everyone. Now look what it says: so that it does not shake you, in verse 15 too: so that it does not shake you, He created firm mountains on the earth, and so that you find your way, rivers, or roads, He says. Now in one place too, Allah Almighty, the mountains as the pillars of the world, makes known to us. Mountains are the highest points of the world, and the waters are beneath the mountains. That is, beneath the mountains are water reservoirs. With both the weight of the mountains and the water reservoirs, when the world rotates around its axis at 1666 km per hour, a pulling force arising from the spin keeps it from flying apart; it comes about. That is, a force arises from the side.

On top of this, on the world, people moving around, or too many buildings being built, or in earthquakes, some events: the world is not affected. Because, to the end of a rope, to the end of a rope, a piece of iron, or a piece of iron tied to the end of a strong rope, and when you swing it around like this, from that swinging, from the centrifugal force, a force arises. That is, arising from the centre, on the world, on the thing, on that rope, a force arises. The harder you swing it, the more it affects what is on it; it does not affect that rope's tension. The world too, by rotating at 1666 kilometres per hour, despite some changes made on it, continues its rotation without being shaken.

That's why: He created many more signs. And by the stars they find their way, He says. Then is the One who creates like the idols who do not create? Do you still not reflect? He says. How beautifully He puts it. People worship idols. They worship what Allah created. He is speaking of them. Allah shows here the loftiness of His Self, His greatness. He shows that He created everything in its proper place with the power of His knowledge. Yes, Guest.

Necati says: Hodja, as head of the family, on behalf of my household I took a share in a sacrificial animal. My children and my wife have savings at the zakat threshold. Even though we live under the same roof, does everyone have to slaughter a sacrifice separately? No. One person slaughtering a sacrifice is enough. No matter how much money they earn, if your children are with you, under the same roof... if the roof is separate, for example you're in the same building but in separate flats, that is, you live separately, here there is the possibility of slaughtering. That is, the possibility of slaughtering becomes definite.

Since you live separately. But if your children are under your authority, in your home, even if they earn millions, one sacrifice by the father is enough. But if they wish, they may slaughter too. It depends on their wish. Our Lord does not force people. Yes. (?) says: Peace be upon you, sir, [I kiss] your blessed hands. My question: in Surah Al-Mu'min, verse 9, our praying to be protected from evils, is it within our destiny? he asks. Yes. Now let's read Surah Al-Mu'min, verse 9. Every deed you do is within your destiny, every deed you do. Yes, Al-Mu'min Surah, sir,

verse 9. What does it say? And protect them from all evils. Whomever You protect from evils on that Day, You have surely granted him Your mercy. That is the great triumph, it says. Here there is a prayer. Allah Almighty is praying.

And on a page it says this: Our Lord, them and their fathers and their spouses and their offspring, the righteous ones too, [admit] into Your Paradise that You promised them; surely You are the Almighty, the Wise, it says. A prayer, a very beautiful prayer. Look what it says here now. I'll come to your question too. The righteous among their spouses and offspring, it says. It says nothing about the bad ones. The prayer made in Allah's hands: within that person's destiny, the good ones, good, those who obey Allah Almighty. It prays for them. For example: O Allah, raise the station of the believers like this, make it lofty in Paradise.

Look what we are saying. For the believers. This is an apt prayer. Because the believer is in the fourth state of the nafs. He has become a believer, he has become aware of the divine manifestations. But when you say "make the Muslim like this", within "Muslim" the believers are meant. But for the words to fit properly, when I say here "grant them that highest degree", these are the believers. These attain the highest degree; among them, high degrees they reach. But a Muslim cannot be worthy of those high degrees. Because there are seven paradises. Allah Almighty gives a paradise according to the state of each nafs.

Everyone in that paradise will be content with his own state. Sir, here we now come to your question. And protect them from all evils. That is, those people who are believers. That is: whomever You protect from evils on that Day, You have surely granted him Your mercy. It speaks truly here as well. Because Allah Almighty sent one percent of His mercy to Turkey, I mean, to the world. Sir, to people. The ninety-nine percent, He says, I have kept for Myself for the Day of Judgement, He says. What does this mean? People will make mistakes in some things. He will wipe them out. He will treat them more kindly.

Because He knows the secrets of their hearts. In this case we, we will make our prayer ourselves. What will we say? O Allah, treat us with Your mercy. Grant us not to carry our feet towards evils. Grant us to be a good servant to You, we will pray. But if within our destiny we are to attain a high degree, our prayer will be apt. If you are not destined for those degrees and did this with your feelings of the moment, you still earn reward. Because you cannot change your destiny. In the hereafter you will again reach whatever your degree is. Within that degree Allah Almighty increases your rewards.

Do you know what this is like? In civil service there are grades. For example, according to a person's education, let's say, he will rise to the fifth or the fourth grade. But he doesn't rise. His retirement has come, he doesn't rise. However long he stays there, he cannot rise from the fourth grade to the third. But what happens? He advances in steps. That is, his salary increases. Likewise here, within the same degree, their rewards increase. That is, everything happens within his own destiny. But in the hereafter, if it is outside his destiny, he cannot attain the aim he wished for. Because his wish and desire was like that.

It was in proportion to his destiny. And his reward increases. Yes, it's Eid, after all. Ramazan Kutbunar, member, says: our lesson will start in 10 minutes, he says. He is right. Sir, it has already started. "Peace be upon you, Hodja. With Allah Almighty we made a covenant. Our own wishes became our destiny." True. "Then we come to this world." This is true too. "Sometimes we want things that are not in our destiny." This is true too. "But even if we want them, they don't happen." This is true too. He wrote what is true. Even if you want it, if it's outside your destiny, it doesn't happen. "When making the covenant, we are the ones who ask." This is true too. "In the world too, we are the ones who ask." This is true too. "Why do we want different things that are not in our destiny?

How should we understand this?" Before we were clothed in the garment of the body; the garment of the body, that is, with a second creation, in Surah Al-Mu'minun, verse 14, with a second creation we were clothed in the garment of the body, and to prove what kind of person we are, we came to this world. Now there, spirit, nafs and life are one. Our (?) are separate. When spirit, nafs and life are one, we have 'aql al-ma'ad, that is, the reason in the spirit, 'aql al-ma'ad. The reason that will secure our livelihood in the world, the reason in the body, we call 'aql al-ma'ash. Now there, there is no 'aql al-ma'ash.

That is, we are (?) the body. Spirit, nafs and life: Allah Almighty shows us the world's ways of living. We choose ourselves a time we like, and upon that wish we make a request of Allah Almighty. When we come to the world, with 'aql al-ma'ash, in the manifest world, we desire some things. That's 'aql al-ma'ash. That's reason too. But since they are outside our wish and desire, that is, with 'aql al-ma'ad, outside the covenant we made with our true being, these do not come about. Yes. In this case there can be different wishes. Among our different wishes, if there are things we wished at the time we made the covenant, these happen.

If, outside this covenant of ours, in the world, with 'aql al-ma'ash, there are some things we wish, from these we only gain reward for our patience. Because this is a prayer. We gain reward for our patience. Or we earn sin through our rebellion. This is how we prove what kind of person we are.

Another guest says: Peace be upon you, sir. Can you explain Surah An-Nahl, verse 67? May Allah be pleased with you. Good evening. Surah An-Nahl, verse 67. Sir, let's see what it says at 68 too.

Sir, An-Nahl Surah, 31 54 67. From fruits like dates and grapes you obtain both intoxicants, that is, bad provision, and good food. Surely in these too there are great lessons for those who use their reason. Now in one verse Allah Almighty also says this: Who makes unlawful what Allah has made lawful? That is the counterpart of this verse. Who makes unlawful what Allah has made lawful? He eats it as unlawful. If you turn the good provision Allah Almighty gave you into drink, into wine, if you ferment it into a state Allah Almighty does not want and make it harmful to your body, then you fall into sin.

Because this body is entrusted to us. Allah Almighty has also described to us how to use this trust. By eating lawful food. Sir, by what Allah has made known to us. For example pork, carrion, sir, blood; all such things not slaughtered in Allah's name are unlawful for Muslims. If you do these, or turn grapes or dates into drink, sir, although alcohol harms the body, if you drink this alcohol, these things turned into alcohol, then of course Allah Almighty will not have mercy on you. He will give you your punishment. Because Allah Almighty, with His attribute of justice, will call people to account for what they did.

Yes.

Verse 66: Surely for you... 66, isn't it? Look, look, the one before says this: Surely there is a great lesson for you in the cattle too. We give you to drink from what is in their bellies, from between dung and blood, pure milk that goes down easily for those who drink it, sir, He says. Here Allah Almighty is now telling us what is lawful for us. A spotlessly clean thing, milk.

From fruits like dates and grapes; look, from fruits like those, not only dates and grapes. From some fruits too. Bad provision. Bad provision. Every provision you eat is created by Allah. That's why it says provision. Everything you eat. What is our provision? What we eat, drink, wear and wear out is our provision. Nothing else is our provision. In this case, "and you obtain good food", that is, from these you obtain good food. Surely in these too, for those who use their reason, there is a great lesson. What I have given you, He says, who makes it unlawful? If we make it unlawful, into things that Allah's command, the sharia ruling, has forbidden, objects it has forbidden, if we turn it, like into drink, or turn it into bad things and eat it, because we have gone outside Allah's command, we fall into sin.

In this case, since it is lawful provision, instead of eating it nicely, if we get drunk and numb our brain, get into a state where we don't understand what we are saying, and as human beings squander our honourable creation, sir, if we make ourselves a spectacle for people, this does not please Allah Almighty either. In this case, since Allah created people honourable, people must control themselves, control their nafs. In fact a verse says this too: until you know what you are saying, do not stand for prayer, it says. Even about prayer, Allah Almighty's command five times a day, what does it say?

Do not stand for prayer until you know what you are saying. Stay away from prayer. In this case, Allah Almighty... both through your five daily prayers you push yourself into sin, you lead yourself into sin, and what Allah has made lawful, into unlawful you turn it.

Ömer Sefa says: Peace be upon you, sir. On page 418, Surah Al-Ahzab, verse 7, "And when We took a pledge from the prophets." Yes. He says this in Surah Al Imran, verse 81, too. "And when We took a pledge from the prophets, from Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus son of Mary too." Now how nice. From all the prophets, and He also names these. Now these have a distinction. "And from Jesus. Yes, We took from them a very firm pledge." "Instead of the phrases 'We had taken a pledge' and 'We took a pledge', if we used 'We made a covenant', would the meaning fit better?" "I kiss your hands," he says.

Saying "We took a pledge from them" is more appropriate. This is not the covenant. Though it means roughly the same as the covenant, but here those people say: we will obey You like this. In the covenant too these people say this, but here, since the prophets are separate, their pledges to Allah, since He says "I too am among those who bear witness with you", since He is witness to them too, their pledges in the full sense; although Allah Almighty fully records people's wishes too and writes them as destiny, they have a distinction. They are prophets. The first ones Allah created. He takes a pledge from them. Yes.

What does it say? Look now, here, sir, let me tell you that part like this. Yes.

Look what it says. 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, will you surely help him? He says. Now here Allah Almighty is addressing them. They are the first created, the ones who will be prophets. That is, they will tell people the truth. What does He say? Will you do it? But when Allah Almighty made the covenant with people, "to you I will give this. Will you do this like this?" He does not say. What does He say? He shows the worlds, saying: here, let Me give to you. Here, now, there is a mutual conversation.

Yes. "When a prophet comes, will you surely help him? Do you affirm this?" Look, He is asking a question. When I made the covenant with Allah, He does not say to me "will you do this like this and this". What does He say? He shows the worlds. He writes my wish and desire in that world as my destiny. Here He took a pledge from them. On the other side He made a covenant. The person wanted this. And Allah gave it. True, here too Allah Almighty asks again. To that question the person answers again, but there is a difference between them. In one there is talk: "I will do this and this." When He says "Will you do this?", the situation is different.

And then the person wholly wishing, asking from Allah, and Allah Almighty giving him those wishes. Here there is a distinction. Yes. "Do you take on this covenant of Mine?" When He said that, they answered: we accept. There, He took a pledge. Yes. Upon this Allah Almighty [said]: bear witness. "And I am with you among those who bear witness," He said. Yes. Ömer Sefa. Here saying "We took a pledge" is more correct.

Our daughter Selin says: Peace be upon you, sir. I have two questions. My first question: my father passed away five years ago. May Allah have mercy on him. But we have just learned that he had a daughter born out of wedlock. She is your sister. Indeed Allah Almighty says this: Do not take secret lovers, He says. Things like this turn out very badly. You have had a son. Say you have a son. And let's say he loved this girl; if they married, sibling would have married sibling. Well, your father's children, your own offspring. Your own daughter. Your own sister. "The girl knows nothing of us or of my father.

She thinks someone else is her father. What is this girl's right of inheritance?" This girl's right of inheritance: according to the verse "death is real, inheritance is lawful", from what the father left, this girl has a right. Yes. Second question. "Because we are daughters, my father had a will prepared that excludes us from his inheritance. He had it signed at the notary. According to our state's laws we have a reserved share. And it wants to give this to us. But since our state does not know of this girl, it will give this girl's right to us too. Is this inheritance lawful or unlawful for us?

May Allah be pleased with you, sir," she says. This inheritance, the girl's right, is unlawful for you. You, as siblings, will give this girl her right, as much as the share that falls to each of you. We work it out like this. Let's say, guest, let's say. I don't know how many siblings you are. You're three daughters, right? What fell to you? Nine lira fell to you. Or let's say twelve lira fell. And there's this girl. That makes four siblings. What fell? Let's say it was twelve lira. When you divide among four siblings, three lira; you'll share three lira each. If you were three daughters, not counting her, you'd share four lira each.

Each of you will give one third to this sister of yours. She is your sister, after all. Yes. Your father acted somewhat unjustly. Unjust. A father can never single out his child. The child is entrusted to him. Look what He says. There are many verses. One of them says: no matter how bad he is, no matter how far from you he is, no matter how far from you, sir, that is, however far outside your understanding he is, whenever you get the chance, tell him the truth, it says. Look how beautiful. You are their shepherds, it says. Shepherd. Well then, would the shepherd, in that flock, however unruly an animal it is, feed it to the wolf?

And the Prophet too was asked: whom do they call unjust? An unjust father, he says; a father who discriminates among his children is also unjust, he says. I can't find anything else to say anymore. These are verses. Yes.

My Selin, my daughter, is like my own child; "like" is too much. She does not consume what is unlawful. Even if her own siblings don't give, you give her whatever falls to her from her right, a few pennies; worldly goods stay in the world, every soul shall taste death, the inheritance of the heavens and the earth will remain with Allah. So nothing is ours in this world. We own nothing. Because we created nothing; it is all what Allah has given us. Actually we have nothing in this world. Even if you have property, possessions, a world full of money, nothing is ours. When you die, it all stays in the world.

"Well, Hodja, don't we have anything?" We do. Where? Allah Almighty... if you earn the highest Paradise, if you earn Allah's Paradise, what they give you there is yours. Because Allah does not take back what He gives. Yes.

Member Guest says: Hodja, may Allah be pleased with you, I had one more question. As far as I understand, our Lord gives all men except the prophets equal reason and nafs, and all women, among themselves, equal reason and nafs. Except for men's superiority over women. Now look, reason, reason; say it sensibly. Reason: everyone, in proportion to his own understanding, in proportion to knowing Allah, uses it. Otherwise Allah does not give men one reason and women a separate reason. Their traits, their feelings, He gives to them. For example, a woman being able to take refuge in a man, expecting help from him, regarding him as great.

There are some women who are even superior to men in reason. Now here, if you say He gave women less reason than men, that is not so. He created them lesser in carnal feelings. Carnal. For example, if a man has one nafs, a woman has one seventh of a nafs. That is, although it's half of his, He gives half of half of half. In this case the woman, to her nafs, that is, in a woman there are seven states of nafs, in a man one nafs, as they say; while a man cannot control his one nafs, how will this woman control her seven nafs? That's why even this woman with one seventh still uncovers herself and speaks out, ruining herself, squandering herself, thinking herself superior the way Satan flatters her, whereas in the sight of Allah and of people she appears like a broom.

Worthless. If you ask her: when she uncovers, people look at her, right? She feels a pride in herself. Yet the poor thing does not know that she is ruining herself. When you say woman, she is a jewel. A woman is a jewel. Look, Allah Almighty says to the woman: your head covering, your adornments, put over your chest, He says; do not show your buttocks, wear loose clothes, He says. A woman is the crown on a man's head. But the woman herself... as in the times of slaves, the slave-traders uncovered women and displayed them, and those women too, though they covered themselves out of shame, were displayed; like that, today women display themselves.

What kind of world is this? Yes. Now, what you said, superiority of man and woman by reason, leave that; in carnal feelings the man is superior. In this respect, compared to the woman, the man has been created stronger and more capable. In this respect men are, sir, more capable than women.

"Except for men's superiority over women, He doesn't create anyone more intelligent than anyone else." This is true too. "But people use this equal reason their Lord gave them to different degrees according to their characters. That is, no one can say: my Lord, why didn't You give me as much reason as You gave so-and-so. That's how I understood it. Is it right?" She understood correctly. Well done. Spot on. Exactly that. No one will be able to question Allah Almighty about reason. The woman will use her reason according to her feelings, the man according to his feelings. Men are superior to and in charge of women, Allah Almighty says.

That superiority is superiority in terms of will. It is superiority in terms of the nafs, carnal feelings. In a woman carnal feelings are weak. That's why she is obliged to be guided.

Except those on Allah's path; those women are exempt. They are in My sight as men, He says. "Continuing my previous question: in the world we say so-and-so is very clever. He is very successful at school, at work. Some don't succeed. Is the state of people we call clever in the world again from 'aql al-ma'ash?" she asks. It's from destiny. From his destiny. Whatever a person wished, that much. He uses that reason accordingly. Otherwise, if that person studied like the successful person, he would succeed too. Now while studying, people sometimes get discouraged.

Sometimes they say: I don't understand. Or they say: I can't grasp it. But if a person applies himself, there is nothing he cannot do. So if his destiny will not devote him to that art, to that knowledge, discouragement comes to him. It seems very far to him. In this case the person says: I can't manage this. Yet Allah created man capable. The word insan comes from (?) in Arabic. Capable, that is. In this case, capability is due to using one's reason. He doesn't use his reason. Discouragement comes to him. Sir, in this case too, look, according to the verse "Can those who know and those who do not know be equal?", since it says "can the one who works and the one who doesn't be equal?", of course they will not be equal.

One will turn to the things his nafs enjoys. The other will devote himself to his studies, even if it's hard. He will think of his future life. One resembles the cicada. Sir, the other resembles the ant. The cicada sings chirp chirp all summer long, and the ant prepares for winter. In the end the cicada becomes dependent on the ant. Yes.

"I understand, sir. I will do what is needed. With Allah's permission, I kiss your hands," she says. My daughter Selin too. Mashallah. Yes.

If anyone else has a question, let them ask. If anyone else has a question, let them ask. Let's see, let's refresh. Does anyone else have a question? It came. No. No one else has a question.

Our time has come too. I'm somewhere else anyway. In Istanbul; I'm not in Ankara.

For this reason, we've just come back from the road and we're tired. That's all for tonight's lesson.

Stay well. May Allah keep you. Lillahi Teala'l-Fatiha.