Al-Ma'idah 104: When they are told to come to that which Allah has sent down and to the Messenger, they say; “The path that we found our fathers upon is sufficient for us.” (Is this so) even if their forefathers had no knowledge and were not on the right path?

We have come to Surah Al-Ma'idah, verse 104. When they are told, "Come to what Allah has sent down and to the Messenger," they say, "The way we found our fathers on is enough for us." Even if their forefathers knew nothing and were not on the right path? He says. Yes, let us read this once more. When they are told, "Come to what Allah has sent down and to the Messenger" — we too tell people, "Come to Allah's verses"; when we say there is no Sirat bridge, what do they say? (?) — that is, "The way we found our fathers on is enough for us," they say. Allah's verse — what, not? "Those superstitions are enough for us," they say.

Their forefathers knew nothing. Even if they knew nothing and were not on the right path? Well, my forefather said this, but is there a verse? Look, this man is telling you this way. He is showing you the verses.

Why do you still not turn to the truth? So, however much of a Muslim you are, out of weakness of faith you still continue on the superstitious path you saw. Yes. The verses are history. Take them, compare, use your reason. Use your reason. The same verse also appears here. The same verse, so to speak: "Rather, our fathers associated partners with Allah before." And this one did not associate partners, but took on superstition. Compare, you see. "We were a generation that came after them." So it is. "We were a generation that came after them." "We went because of them." Because of superstitions.

Will you get anywhere because of those who want falsehood, right? "Because We did so," He says. What did He do? What did He do? "So that you would not say on the Day of Resurrection, 'We were unaware of this.'" My Lord took a covenant from the children of Adam, from their loins, with their offspring. "I am your Lord," we said, we say. "Your Lord," we said.

So, man will use his reason. His reason. He has strayed from the right path. He has followed the whims of his nafs. To people who believe in what they invented as religion by their own lights, when they are told, "Come to what Allah has sent down and to the Messenger, obey what the Prophet brought," these people say, "The way we found our fathers on is enough for us."

Why do they say that? They say it because learning the truth doesn't suit them. Why do they say that? They say it because it pleases their nafs. Why else do they say that? Because, if they said they themselves were on the wrong path, those who follow them would say, "Hodja, you used to say this, so why do you now say that? Why did you drag us into error until now?" — so they persist in that error, in that comfort of theirs. Yes.

So, why else do they say it? Because they cannot break their nafs, because they deify their nafs, why else do they say it? They say it because they fall into the passion of being the head. Here is a hadith for you. "Whoever falls into the passion of being the head loses his head," it says. So I say: O man, kneel before the truth. Kneel before Allah's verses. We knelt. We bowed our necks. We submitted to Allah. Within His verses. So do not say whatever comes to your mind is a verse and drag people after these superstitions.

Don't say what you don't know. Tomorrow on the Day of Resurrection, before Allah Almighty, you will carry the sins of those people.

Yes.

That they talk this way is not because they obey their fathers, but because they act according to their own nafs, live in filth and go to their (?) that they do so. Yes. Otherwise they do not follow what they found their fathers on.

The religion their fathers were on — Allah's religion, Allah's verses, Allah's commands — if it pleased you, you would live today the religion your father was on. You would live Islam. You would pray your prayer. You would wrap your head in a covering. So you are not in your father's footsteps; you are a generation that follows its forefather in the footsteps of the evils of the nafs.

Yes.

(?) know nothing and are not on the right path? When this is said, they turn to denial. Because they do not give up their nafs and what the nafs enjoys, they do not obey what Allah has sent down and the Messenger.

Yes. Therefore, not recognizing Allah and the Messenger, in evil deeds and on evil paths, spending their lives restlessly, though they know where they will end up at the end of that evil path, some say, "Hellfire won't touch me for more than a few days"; some, by men of religion, have their sins forgiven and buy Paradise; the state of swimming in filth seems pleasant to them, and they become wrongdoers to their own nafs. Their rabbis and priests sell the keys of Paradise. You do evil upon evil, with every state of the nafs you break open the limits Allah does not want. In fornication, in usury, in (?), in the forbidden, in denying Allah, in associating partners with Him, (?), then come, buy the key to Paradise, pass into Paradise.

Oh how nice, what a fine country. What kind of reason is this?

What kind of priest's man is this?

Yes.

O man! Allah calls man to guidance and salvation. The world, Satan and the nafs call man to torment. To torment. They call to drag you down a path Allah does not want. According to the verse "aduvvallahi ve aduvveküm." If you take your place in the ranks of the enemies He calls "your enemy and Allah's enemy," you will be ruined. Your enemy and Allah's enemy are your nafs, Satan and the world. One inclines to these. If you follow the desires of Satan and the nafs, they pull you to the world. And since the world looks very attractive to man, it makes you forget Allah and His Messenger. Or it makes you deny Allah and His Messenger and turn your back.

Yes.

Allah constantly commands man to use his reason.

Every person will use his reason. His reason. As we have perhaps said in our lessons, and as we will constantly repeat in our lessons ahead, do not mortgage your reason to anyone's reason. Because Allah created man free. He left man free in his will. Don't be "I just followed" minded. If you are going to let your reason be mortgaged, look, let it be mortgaged to Allah's verses; look, the verse, how beautiful, Allah's verses — what is this? Let your reason be mortgaged to these verses, so that you become followers of Allah and attain Allah's mercy in this world and the hereafter. So, Allah constantly commands man to use his reason; since reason was created to know its Lord, it distinguishes the crooked path from the right path; this — though people know it, though their reason shows them the path of guidance, man turns his back on his reason too and follows the path of the nafs and Satan.

If your forefathers did not use their reason, went after Satan and the nafs, and did not recognize Allah and the Messenger — even if it were a whole people, will you tag along after it? What your own two hands have earned — you will be a wrongdoer to your own nafs. Yes.