Talk of 3 September 2025

Peace be upon you. First, if there are questions, the questions let us answer. After the questions — tonight is the Kandil night. We congratulate you on our Kandil. Now There's something from Mustafa Hacıoğluoğlu.

Probably we said these, didn't we? From Surah Ara 33 to Surah Az-Zumar 37 We said these. Bayram, that's enough. "Peace be upon you, sir. Your blessed hands, I kiss them respectfully," he says. "My question: while praying, they say pray looking ahead so that Satan doesn't sit in front of us. How will it be during prostration?" he asks.

To this, let us first say this.

They say a half doctor costs you your life, a half hodja costs you your religion. The best form in Islam is looking at the place of prostration; there is benefit in praying while looking at the place of prostration.

Why? There is benefit in praying while looking at the place of prostration.

Satan comes and sits on your place of prostration.

That is why prayer is not performed in darkness. You will see the place of prostration. Against the rays coming out of your eyes, Satan cannot sit there.

And Satan flees. So if you pray in the dark so that you can't see the place of prostration, Satan is in front of you, and you prostrate to him. Whoever that hodja is, he needs a bit of knowledge.

Why does he say look ahead? There are rows, rows in line. You may look at the row, you may also look at the back of the person in the row ahead. But your head — in Islam there are four schools. Hanafi, Shafi'i, Hanbali, Maliki.

In the Hanafi school you cannot turn your head right or left to look. Why? Because your eyes leave the place of prostration. But if you look at the back of the person in front of you, below your eyes you also see the place of prostration. The place of prostration is seen. Sometimes, when we pray in contemplation, our gaze is always elsewhere, toward the place of prostration it is turned. Yes. So, Bayram, my child, if we listened to every hodja's word like that, religion has already gone to extremes, it has turned into a mess. Everyone speaks by his own reasoning. There is no religion by reasoning.

Religion is Allah's commands. The commands given to us. It is a ruling of the sharia.

Now, in Hanbali and Maliki — we put our hands above our navel. In Hanbali and Maliki, one holds them like this, the other lets his hands hang down. He doesn't fold his hands. The four schools are true. The Prophet (peace be upon him) says this in his hadith.

It's a bit incomplete. I can't say all of it, but a very beautiful word needs to be put there.

"Your differences in religion are salvation (felah)," he says. Felah. There is no division in religion. So why are the differences in these four schools salvation? For the four schools. We can put it like this. The four schools of Islam are true. The actual practices of the differences in these four schools are also true.

And it is salvation, he says. Felah. What is its salvation? Now I'll explain it. When the Prophet set out on a journey, through forested lands, or when he passed among wild animals, he would look right and left like this, to protect himself from wild animals. The others, to protect against enemies, with hands down, would look like this. For example, for Imam Shafi'i, if blood comes out, ablution is not broken. In the Hanafi school, if blood comes out, ablution is broken. And blood has come out of me, and I go about as if always in ablution. I believed I was in ablution. Whereas according to the Hanafi school, the ablution is broken.

I have performed my prayer. And my prayer has gone on like this. It never even occurred to me. In the hereafter, Imam Shafi'i will intercede for me. "You accepted our ummah like this, accept him like this too." Say you turned your head, threw it right and left in the Hanafi school. Just for a moment you got confused and did it. Then Maliki or Hanbali will intercede for you. This is the salvation. The difference of the four schools. Salvation for us.

But our eyes are always more or less on the place of prostration. I think we agree. Bayram, if there's a problem, tell me. Sir. Hoca Efendi says: "Our hodja is travelling today, so there is no lesson," he says. "On the occasion of the Mawlid Kandil, God willing, our hodja will give the lesson tomorrow evening," he says. This is probably yesterday's. Yesterday's. Yesterday's. Our son Fatih says, "Metin Hodja is travelling now, toward Ankara, he's coming; tomorrow on the occasion of the Mawlid Kandil" — this is probably yesterday's too. A guest says, "Sir, peace be upon you, in ruku should we also look toward the place of prostration?" Where else would you look?

In ruku you can't look right or left anyway, you're bent toward the ground. Yes, our eyes on the place of prostration, or, if we're standing in a row, on the back of the row in front of us; by looking at the man's back we can perform our prayer. "Peace be upon you, sir. Could you open the seventy-seventh verse of Surah Al-Furqan?" he asks. Let's see. Let's open it. Yes.

Surah Al-Furqan, verse 77. Yes, Al-Furqan, Surah, verse 77, let's see what it says, Al-Furqan?

77: "Say, my Messenger: were it not for your servitude and supplication, why would my Lord value you? Were it not for your servitude and supplication, why would my Lord value you? O deniers, you have utterly deemed what the Messenger told you a lie. So the punishment will not let go of you," it says. It speaks the truth. "Hodja, sure it speaks the truth, but open it up." "And I'm saying today that the Quran speaks the truth," he says. I told you to open it. Let's open it then. Look.

What is servitude? Servitude. First let me explain servitude. All creatures are Allah's servants, but servitude is saying the testimony of faith. There, you have become a servant of Allah. The others don't know Allah anyway. Or they worship idols instead of Allah. Or they associate partners with Allah. Saying Jesus is His son, Ezra is His son, and Lady Mary, they give Allah a form. And they reduce Him to the state of a human. So who is the servant? Look what it says: were it not for your servitude and supplication, look, were it not for your servitude and supplication — now it is counting the Muslim here.

Directly the Muslim — it addresses those among people who live Islam. In fact it addresses all of them, but first, in this case, your servitude, were it not for your servitude and supplication, that is, without your servitude — what does it say next? Why would my Lord value you, it says. Indeed, although we are Muslims, if, our reason being incomplete, for the mistakes we made knowingly or unknowingly we do not ask Allah Almighty for forgiveness, and pass over what we did, sir, and to Allah make no repentance and plea for forgiveness, "What shall I do with you?" He says. "How are you a servant?" He says. A servant is one who knows Allah.

And the one who knows Allah — you are incomplete. "If I had not created you incomplete, because of the mistakes you made, you would not find a single living being on earth," He says. Because of mistakes. So because we are incomplete, for the mistakes we made knowingly or unknowingly — what do we say? What is the most beautiful prayer? The prayer that Prophet Jonah made. What does it say? Lâ ilâhe illâ ente sübhâneke innî küntü mine'z-zâlimîn — O Allah, I have wronged my soul, forgive me, you say. How beautiful. Now, without this prayer, if you didn't know Allah, if you turned your back on your Creator, what would Allah do with you?

Look, now what does it say about the unbelievers? Look, what does it say about the unbelievers? You have utterly deemed what was conveyed to the Messenger a lie. So the punishment will not let go of you, it says. What does it say for the unbelievers? When they pass to the hereafter denying Allah, that is, not as Muslims but as unbelievers, all the good deeds you have done have gone to waste, it says. This is what corresponds to it. The verses. What does it say? You have utterly deemed it a lie, so the punishment will not let go of you, it says. Yes. Now in this case, first, why did Allah Almighty create man? He created him so that His essence would be known; He was a hidden treasure.

In this case He created us in the realm of Lahut, where He said "Am I not your Lord?"; there people were divided into three groups. In Surah Al-Waqi'ah He says so. In the seventh verse. Ve küntüm ezvâcen selâseh. (?) you will be three classes. Fe ashâbü'l-meymeneti mâ ashâbü'l-meymeneh. People of the right, good tidings to you. Ve ashâbü'l-meş'emeti mâ ashâbü'l-meş'emeh. People of the left, woe to you. Ve's-sâbikûne's-sâbikûn. Ülâike'l-mukarrabûn. Fî cennâti'n-naîm. The third group, it says. The group of the foremost. The group of saints, prophets, martyrs, the righteous (?). So, set against these, there are two paths.

One: with the company of saints and prophets, the people of the right, those who go on the straight path. Second: those who deny, who have left the straight path, Satan's friends — who have become Satan's friends, carried away by the desires of their nafs, and on the path of punishment they continue. That, too, is a road leading to Hell. In this case,

man knows his humanity. He knows why Allah Almighty created man. And to stand by his Creator — if in the world, with Allah Almighty, he does his duty of servitude to Him, this place is a guesthouse. In this guesthouse Allah will guarantee our sustenance. He will feed us, give us drink. After proving what kind of person we are, we will go before the Supreme Court, into His presence. In that divine presence — according to the verse "Did you think you would die without proving what kind of person you were in the world?" — before our Lord we will give our account. Accordingly, when it says the duty of servitude, you will say the testimony of faith and perform your five daily prayers.

You will fast. You will give your zakat. If you have the money, you will go on Hajj. And when I say zakat: after a year has passed over the saved money, you will give one-fortieth of it. Yes. How beautiful. Allah Almighty opened this for His servants as a door of sustenance. Zakat. A door of sustenance. There, Allah Almighty has programmed it until the Day of Judgment. This servant of mine is here, he will have this need, this one will help that one, this one will give to that one, this one will earn reward through that one — all of it is written. All of it is written. Yes.

Let's see, are there any more?

There are no more.

Tonight is Kandil.

The sultan of the worlds, sent as sultan to the worlds, "ve mâ erselnâke illâ rahmeten li'l-âlemîn" — sent as a mercy, a prophet; and at the same time, with the honour of being of his lineage, this evening we will celebrate as the birthday of the Prophet. If we have a completed Quran reading, the khatm prayer. If not, a few rak'ahs. Sir, because the Prophet lit up the darkness for us this evening, we worship our Lord with our prayer. We pray for the Prophet. Don't we? With every call to prayer, a prayer is already made. "O Allah," it says, "Your promise is true. Give the Prophet the Praised Station You promised him," it says.

Right? How beautiful. In everything, in the call to prayer too. Now in this case, the Prophet's

night, which brought the universe out of darkness into light, all of us, wholeheartedly taking part, are celebrating. The celebration is not like some people celebrating with alcohol, indulging in pleasure, or following their nafs into pleasure here and there, sir, following their own nafs, falling into Satan's trap and becoming his companion. We, bound by what the Prophet brought us, so that we live our Lord's lordship — for that. We celebrate the Prophet's birthday, but the Prophet says, "Value me only as much as is due." Now, Hodja, I used a word. Let me explain that word before you ask. We say all of us, all humanity, came from his spirit, don't we? This night we celebrate the birth of our Prophet, from whose spirit we came, his birthday.

What does this mean? Allah Almighty subsisted by His essence.

An unknown treasure. This treasure is not a treasure of gold and silver, it is a treasure of knowledge. He willed to be known. He created the first light of the Prophet. Then He gave him of His spirit. "You were one ummah at first," He says. "Then you fell into division." Who is the one ummah? Before that, the Prophet. From his spirit, as many prophets and messengers as would come to the world, that many prophets He created. From whose spirit? From the spirit of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Then in Surah Al Imran, verse 81, what does it say? Let's see, let's read what it says. In Surah Al Imran, verse 81.

Let us read it here ourselves. Sir.

Surah Al Imran, let's see, verse 81, what does it say?

"When Allah took from the prophets: after I have given you the Book and wisdom" — before they even came into the world, note this, to the prophets He created from the Prophet's spirit — what does it say, look: when Allah took from the prophets, "after I have given you the Book and wisdom, when a messenger comes confirming what is with you, you shall surely help him. Do you affirm this? Do you take on My covenant?" To whom is He saying it? To the prophets. Not yet come into the world. Making a covenant. This is making a covenant. He made a covenant with us too. Surah Al-A'raf, verse 172. Yes.

"When I said," it says, "they answered: we accept. Thereupon Allah said: then bear witness. And I am with you among the witnesses," He said. Now, the one ummah is the Prophet (peace be upon him). From him, from his spirit, who were created? The prophets were created. As many as would come. From their spirits the spirits of their peoples were created. There is the verse. The prophets are the elder and the father of their peoples in spirit, it says. Father, father. Being created from his spirit. In this case, when "one ummah" is said, it goes back all the way to the Prophet. And since we too were created from his spirit, indirectly from his spirit, all of humanity, this evening, by celebrating the night the Prophet was born, actually indirectly its own birth it celebrates too.

Because indirectly it was born from him. Created. Brought forth from him. But when He says "you were one ummah, then you fell into division," they pin this on our father Adam and our mother Eve. Whereas before our father Adam and our mother Eve took on the garment of the body, in the realm of Lahut our Lord had already created all the people He would send to the world; there they stand, ready. Yes. Then, when He created our father Adam's body from clay, Allah Almighty loads into him the spirit of the Prophet. When I have breathed into him of My spirit, you will prostrate to him, He says. And that spirit is from Allah Almighty, listen.

If one goes much deeper, people's minds cannot grasp it. Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) says so. "If I told you the secrets in me, you would lose your heads," he says. Leave that aside. You cannot bear that much depth. This much is enough. Then why did He send the Prophet? He drowned the darkness in light. Now, before the Prophet came into the world, people their daughters were burying alive in the ground; why were they burying them? Those who knew themselves, people who knew themselves — but not the deviants; they are deviant too, but among them, because their feelings were different — their feelings, they're deviants too.

I'll tell you now.

The people of that time, so that their eye's pleasure would not be spoiled — in those times there was the pleasure of the eye. What kind of pleasure of the eye? Those who made their mothers, sisters, daughters dance at drinking revelries, on tables, on tables. People who could not bear this would take their children, their daughters, and alive bury them. The Prophet (peace be upon him) — Allah gives our women great value, and our women are saved from being buried in the ground. Our women. Now, in our time, women have stripped stark naked.

They walk around with all their private parts uncovered. These women are exactly like the leaders of the children buried in the ground. The child born of her is like her; these people too — you see, there's no fear of Allah, the Book, the Prophet. What will he do? People burning with love of Allah, even if they buried their child, it would be one sin. If he doesn't bury, two sins. If he rebels, three sins.

Well, where has our humanity gone? Shall we not be ashamed at all? The Prophet (peace be upon him) saved those children from being buried in the ground, and with all this value Allah Almighty has given our women, these women dance stark naked as Satan's toy — not as Allah says, but as Satan's toy, following after him. Here is a verse for you.

Beware, it says, just as Satan, with our father Adam and your Eve, stripped them stark naked in Paradise, let him not strip you stark naked too, it says. Well, he did it. The youth is lost. Your wife is stark naked. Children don't respect their parents. The parent walks the uncovered child around beside them, (?). What he couldn't do himself, he satisfies his nafs through the child. Well, there you go. What kind of world is this? What kind of Islam is this? Islam is manners and propriety and modesty. When modesty is gone from people, however much filth there is, when he carries it all out, he thinks rain is falling from the sky.

Because those filthy ones, among themselves, with the evils they themselves have done, themselves, their consciences, by talking with them, they silence; but if only you knew the damage done in that conscience, and how that conscience rebels against him. Their hearts, it says, are scattered and divided, it says. They are liars and scattered, it says. Yes. So, coming into the world to light it up by drowning the darkness, the Prophet, whom Allah Almighty sent as the last prophet, with the Quran, gathering the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel into the Quran, the four books, by which He will continue His religion until the Day of Judgment, with that law — the Prophet's coming into the world and his guiding of people, drowning these darknesses in light.

Those who know the value of this light, those who benefit from it, are those who live the joy of life. Now look what it says in the seventh verse of Surah Al-Baqarah. Look what it says in the seventeenth verse. Surah Al-Baqarah. Look how they have blamed Allah.

"The state of them, the hypocrites, is like one who kindles a fire on a dark night." On a dark night the hypocrites, the unbelievers, people outside Islam cannot kindle a fire. Fire means — look, I'll open Surah Ibrahim now. What does it say in its first verse? Here, let's look at Surah Ibrahim now, let's open it. Sir.

Here.

Sir. Surah Ibrahim. Here.

Alif, Lam, Ra. This Quran, by their Lord's permission, people out of darkness into light — Look, pay attention. A verse does not contradict a verse.

But this book written according to Zionism has always blamed Allah. Now look, what does it say? By their Lord's permission, people out of darkness into light, that is, to bring them out to the path of Allah, the Almighty, the Praiseworthy — a book We have sent down to you, it says. Well, what does it say in verse 17 of Surah Al-Baqarah? "The state of them, the hypocrites, is like one who kindles a fire on a dark night. When this fire lit up their surroundings, Allah put out their light, put out their fire, and left them in darkness." Can there be such an Allah? Allah Almighty, in a figurative sense — look what He says now.

Let me read you the real one. "The state of them, the hypocrites, is like a fire burning on a dark night." Like a fire burning on a dark night. Allah sent prophets, books, the Quran. To light people's way. People were in darkness. No one knew what to do. They didn't know their way. But the prophets, by Allah's commands, showed people the way. With their books. Like a fire burning on a dark night, with the prophets, and the fire, when the fire lit up its surroundings — whose? When the fire lit up the hypocrites' surroundings, that is, when it showed the truth, the fire — those who turn their backs on the fire and, by their own understanding, disregard the Quran and put it out, leave themselves in darkness; they no longer see.

Yes, now, if as such a prophet's lineage we say "I am a Muslim" — of my nation, of my brothers in Islam, for the sake of this night, what did he do? He did. If they repent, they will find Allah Almighty Most Relenting. Let them look after their families and children. Let them speak to their wives, their daughters, their relatives. Let them tell them that we are in a guesthouse here. Man's nafs becoming his enemy, together with Satan, our enemy, the world seeming attractive to us, following this enemy, disregarding our reason, the faith which Allah, to us, sent, gave to our heart with the testimony of faith — pushing it aside, and our Lord — the inspiration our Lord gave to our heart — my friends, do not abandon these and swim in darkness.

This is what I ask of my brothers, of my nation. For the sake of this night. Of a prophet who drowned the darkness in light, who came as a mercy to the worlds, who was sent to perfect good character — of such a prophet we are the ummah. Allah Almighty says of us Muslims: your Prophet over you, and to the other prophets — and you over the other nations I will make witnesses, He says. And my brothers, my Muslim children, my Muslim brothers, what kind of witnessing is this? Leave aside the non-Muslims; we stripped stark naked, and we call ourselves Muslims. Will we really go to the hereafter as Muslims, I wonder?

Well, if a thousand years here are like one day of the hereafter, if here we live a life of an hour and a half, if we live time within time — which is by Allah's knowledge — if time within time we live, for this hour and a half of time, in Paradise and Hell where we will be everlasting, from Hell's fire they will never come out, and in the end as logs of fire they will remain, in such a punishment — for this hour-and-a-half life, is it worth turning your back on Allah? Huh? Is it worth it? Come to your senses.

Our helper is neither Ahmet nor Mehmet, nor my father nor my mother. My helper is Allah alone. Because at that Supreme Court, where everyone says "myself, myself," on a day when a father does not know his child, when a child flees from his mother and father, our only helper is Allah, and with the deeds we did we will be called to account. Allah Almighty has neither a helper beside Him nor anyone who gives Him counsel. The word that comes out of His mouth, from between His two lips, has no return. Because He speaks once. Once. Therefore those who go about uncovered like this, thinking of their tomorrow, to be servants of Allah and of His Beloved, let them turn; tonight the door of repentance — our Lord, Allah Almighty, for the sake of the Prophet, in return for his prayer, will forgive us, God willing.

Yes, blessed be our Kandil.

Also, let me tell you: we hold our children's birthdays.

We blow out the candles. And do you know what we say? "Glad you were born, so-and-so." Is being born in his hands, man? Have you denied Allah this much? "Glad you were born, Ahmet, glad you were born, Şule." Whom Allah Almighty will give to whom, whose time has come, who will prove himself in the world — taking him from the barzakh and giving him to that mother and father — is it in that person's own hands to be born? Give these up too. Things pleasing to your nafs are all Satan's toys; know this. Do not walk on the path of the unbelievers. To you tonight, what I have to say is this much. May Allah give us all a good understanding, a good comprehension; may He grant us to go with His friends on the straight path; for the sins we have committed, may we repent and seek forgiveness from Allah Almighty, may He forgive our sins and join us among His servants. Stay well, be entrusted to Allah. Lillâhi Teâlâ el-Fâtiha.

It's time for the call to prayer, isn't it? It is, Hodja. Okay.