Al-Ma'idah 30: Eventually, (Cain’s) his nafs (ego) led him to kill his brother (Abel) and he did. Hence, he became amongst the defeated.

Did you understand? Did you understand? Yes.

In verse 30 of Surah Al-Ma'idah, Allah Almighty says: his nafs drove him to kill his brother. Yes. Cain kills Abel. and he killed him. And because of this he became one of the losers, He says. Of the losers. So the human nafs is laden with fame, renown, pride, arrogance, grandeur, ego and worldly desire. If a person cannot break these desires of the nafs and cannot master them, he becomes the plaything of his nafs. Even though his mind shows him what is right, he can never rule in favour of what is right. Because the nafs has taken the person completely, at full gallop, under its own control. Meanwhile, if it were only the nafs — Satan, too, flatters him.

He puts (?) into him. He gives (?). With those (?) he (?). Nor does it stop there. The world, too, looks rosy to him. In this case, the person, with his own grandeur, his pride and arrogance, with the passion to be a leader, or with the passion for superiority over people, or with his heart darkening and oppressing people, (?) tries to soothe his own nafs. And tries to find peace. And the more they do this, people's hearts fill with unrest, and the verse in which Allah Almighty says their hearts are scattered and restless — they are left (?) its meaning. So, Allah Almighty accepting Cain's sheep, and Cain, for his part, offering the weakest animal of his flock to Allah and thereby bringing out the stinginess in his own nafs, the blessings his Lord had offered him — being stingy, offering his Lord the weakest, the weakest of the creatures He created and its puniness, well, he brings out the stinginess in his nafs.

As if this were not enough, with the stinginess we ourselves have shown, with these faults, jealousy arises as well. Well, saying: Allah accepted yours, He did not accept mine, and saying I will kill you, and killing Abel. And Abel, through the deeds he did as a beautiful example to people as long as the world endures, leaving people a lesson and an example. What does Abel say? Even if you set out to kill me, I fear Allah. I will never raise my hand against you, he says. And you will be among the people of Hell, he says. He warns him in this way. But Cain does not listen to this advice, does not listen to these warnings. With Satan's (?) desire of his nafs, his brother Abel he murders.

Yes, Cain, who could not put out the fire of hatred and, out of jealousy, could not master his nafs, killed Abel. Here there is a beautiful example for people. A moment's greed and desire, that through anger and jealousy, through bearing grudges against people, it drags people into disasters, that it ruins people in this world and the next — through these events Allah Almighty shows people these as examples. Putting these verses here, through the verses, well, Allah Almighty holds a light before people.

So that people who would commit this evil deed may find life, that by following Allah's laws and fearing Allah, by not resorting to such evil deeds, they will attain life in this world and the next — Allah Almighty shows this to people. Yes. our Lord makes the verses known to us. The deep meanings within these verses Allah Almighty tries to explain to people. Through His scholars, His learned men, His (?), He works to guide people.

Yes.

So, in Islam there is no envy; envy exists in Islam in one place. That envy is good; apart from it, there is no envy in Islam. The good envy is this: Ahmet Efendi gets up for the tahajjud prayer — you know I can't get up — envy him, and try to get up too. Ahmet Efendi performs his five daily prayers and also the voluntary prayers. You envy him, wishing you could pray them too. This too is good. Ahmet Efendi gives very fine donations. You may envy him. What fine help he gives for Allah's sake. Through serving the religion of Islam, those who serve people, to those who give material and spiritual help — of course, if the people facing them envy them, that is, not like asking why there is envy.

Envy in the sense of: I will be able to do it too. Envy their good deeds. There is admiration for them. There is admiration. Within that admiration, envying them, seeing the weakness of one's own nafs, and to steer one's nafs towards the good works they have done — there is that kind of envy. There is envy of this kind. Otherwise, there is no envying in the religion. He has wealth and I don't. He has children and I don't. He has this and I don't. He has a car and I don't. Envying these things is not good. Yes. In Islam there is no envy.

There is no hatred or enmity either. Because Allah says (?) the believer's brother. His brother. Because a Muslim is a brother. In a hadith, the Prophet says: a Muslim's life, property and honour are inviolable to another Muslim. He said: a Muslim's life, honour and blood are inviolable to a Muslim. Yes, there is life and blood too; property is inviolable. Life, property, honour are inviolable. Today, to this hadith and to the path Allah has shown us, how much value we give, how much, out of awe of Allah, we keep ourselves guarded and away from what has been said — we must decide this by calling ourselves to account in conscience.

Here we will call ourselves to account. If you cast your eye on your Muslim brother's honour, if you cast your eye on your Muslim brother's property, if you (?) your Muslim brother and cast your eye on his life, you will ask your own conscience how far that is compatible with Islam. You will call yourself to account. If a person cannot call himself to account in the light of the verses, that person is one who has become very weak in terms of faith. In terms of faith. Even though, according to the times, people's understanding changes, according to the times — people's understanding can always change with the times.

For example, is the understanding of people a hundred, a hundred and fifty, fifty years ago the same as the understanding of people today? When the fields were ploughed with a pair of oxen, everyone would help one another collectively. They lived like brothers. Now it's every man for himself. People have come to not know one another. Yes. Even though people's understanding changes with the times, Allah's verses do not change. People change, but Allah's verses do not change. Why don't they change? Because Allah created people with deficient minds, so He holds a light before people, Allah Almighty.

But as long as a person turns his back on Allah's verses, he puts both his feet into one shoe, and piles the troubles of this world and the hereafter on himself. First in this world. Because his mind is deficient, since he refers every matter to his own mind, he looks at what he deemed right and, (?), this was wrong, he says. He ends up in loss. But had he judged by Allah Almighty's verses, he would have had proof in his hand. Proof. He would not end up in loss. So because people turn their backs on the verses, they try to solve every matter according to their own minds. The person who refers every matter to his own mind, it says, is like legless people fitted with artificial legs.

What he does today, it says, he sets out to change tomorrow. Yes. We will consult our minds too, but in the light of Allah's verses. Because Allah created our minds deficient. So when we combine it with the verses, our way is lit up. You enter a city. A strange city. You don't know where to go. But if you take a guide, if you put a leader in front of you, if you choose someone who knows that city to help you, he will take you around that city without ever getting lost. And he will teach you that city. So, take the world to be a city. In Allah's verses (?) a guide. If you rely on that guide, you won't get lost in the world.

You won't suffer oppression. Your way will always be lit.

Because Allah has sent His verses for all times. People change, but Allah's verses do not change. For every time, Allah Almighty sent His verses to continue until the Day of Judgement. What does He say? Did they think that, with (?) of their mouths, they would put out Allah's light? Allah will complete His light until the Day of Judgement. If there had been any deficiency in Allah's words, in this age we call civilisation, in an era when technology and science advance, if Allah Almighty's word were a plain word, it would long since have fallen behind. The words would long since have fallen behind.

But if we pay attention, in every era Allah's verses and miracles come to light. In every era. In past times Allah Almighty made His miracles appear through the prophets. People won't be able to say: O Allah, You sent prophets to them, You did not send them to us. We did not see the miracles they saw; had we seen them, our hearts would have been at peace — they won't be able to say that. Why could they say it? The verses are each a miracle. What does He say? Look, in our time too: We let the two seas flow into each other. There is a barrier between them; they do not mix, He says. With fresh water (?).

What Captain Cousteau found at the Strait of Gibraltar and shouted that he had found —

the seas, those two seas meeting each other, and one side being fresh, the other salty — he finds that. Well, isn't this a miracle?

Allah Almighty shows it; with such beautiful verses He proves His existence to people. Yes.

What are we saying? Even though people's understanding changes with the times, Allah's verses do not change. Because Allah has sent His verses for all times. Not committing immorality and disrespect is a symbol among people until the Day of Judgement. A symbol.

Not committing immorality and disrespect is among the laws Allah has made known to people. This is a symbol. The symbol of people's honour. Because He created man as the most honourable, remember? What did we say? We didn't say it. Allah Almighty says it in His verse. Laqad khalaqnal-insana fi ahsani taqwim — We created man in the most beautiful form, He says. In the most beautiful form. And He gives man, gives man of His spirit. He makes him the most exalted of the exalted. He makes him the most honourable of created beings. So what befits an honourable human? Righteousness befits him. Honesty befits him.

Faithfulness to his word befits him. Gossip, backbiting, immorality, shameful deeds do not befit him. So the symbol of man is not committing immorality and disrespect. It is a symbol among people until the Day of Judgement. The symbol of human honour. The religion of Islam, for its part, is morality, respect and love. It is founded on love for the young, respect for the elders, order and discipline. Order and discipline.

People are in need of these laws.

When love and respect break down, people's trust in and regard for one another are gone too. Their confidence in one another is gone too. Their safety of life with one another is gone too. Yes. Because if order and discipline break down — indeed if order and discipline break down, there is no such thing as a world left. If the world's order and discipline break down. So people, too, have order and discipline among themselves. They have certain laws towards one another. They are obliged to use those laws. People are in need of these laws. Those who step outside them lose their selves, they lose out.

And through such behaviour these people become vulgar. For this reason, Allah Almighty, who made His laws known through the Holy Quran, to people who follow these laws, His verses that will hold a light for people on earth until the Day of Judgement and give them life and raise people to the rank of the noblest of creation, He has declared. What does He say? O people! Do not cast your eyes on one another's honour, life and property. Do not cast your eyes. O people! Do not bear grudges against one another. Do not be carried away by the desires of the nafs. Through things like fame, renown, pride, arrogance, ego, grandeur and worldly desire, do not fall into Satan's trap.

The heavens and the earth and what is between them will remain to Allah. Every soul will taste its death. The inheritance of the heavens and the earth and what is between them will remain to Allah, He says. So if you are carried away by wealth into pride, ego, grandeur, you cannot have as much wealth as Korah. His keys, it says — the keys to his treasures (?) could hardly carry, it says. What did Allah Almighty do? When he stood before his people and became proud, when he said, this is from my own knowledge, when some of the Jews envied Korah and said, if only we were like Korah, Allah Almighty caused him to sink into the depths of the earth together with his palace.

And those who had said, if only we were in Korah's place, this time said, it's good we were not in his place. Yes, wealth and property, existence, all are Allah's. Everything is Allah's. So every soul will taste death, and with the verse that says your return is to Me, people, unable to take even (?) from the world, will give account before their Lord for what they did in the world. So, O man, use your mind, He says; do not forget that there is a test in the world. Yes.