Al-Ma'idah 106: Oh you believers! When death comes upon you, have two honest people of integrity amongst you to stand as witnesses during your will. Or if you are on a campaign and the calamity of death comes upon you, have two people who are not from among you (stand as witnesses). If you have doubts, halt those two people after prayer and have them take an oath by Allah, saying; “We will not buy anything in return for this testimony and we will not hide our testimony for Allah even if it is for (the benefit of) relatives; in this case we surely will be sinners”.

Allah Almighty, in Surah Al-Ma'idah, verse 106: O you who believe! What does Allah Almighty's language of speech say? O you who believe! Sometimes "Yâ eyyühe'llezîne âmenû" here, sometimes "O mankind!" He addresses people. Sometimes "O believers!" — with words like these He tells people things. We are explaining the subtleties there to you anyway. When death comes upon one of you, at the time of the will, let two just persons from among you bear witness between you. Two persons, so to speak, who are just. Two persons, so to speak, should bear witness. Why just? Why must we seek out and find just people?

What is the reason?

The reason: witnesses, by others — that is, by those who have no right to the inheritance — are deceived with material things. In that case, "we can change the will of the deceased," they say. But just people do not do this. That is why Allah Almighty specifies it there Himself. He doesn't say just any two people. He doesn't say just any two people. If they are just any two people, after the prayer — you will see that they pray. After the prayer you will make them swear an oath. An oath. Now we are reading the verse. O you who believe! When death comes upon one of you, at the time of the will, let two just persons from among you bear witness between you.

Or, if the calamity of death has come upon you while traveling, let two others not from among you be witnesses. Two others. If there are not two men, let the testimony of one man and two women count, He says. Because women were created half, Allah Almighty says, so that if one forgets, the other reminds her. Yes.

If you are in doubt, take those two witnesses after the prayer — "we will not sell anything in exchange for this will. Even if it benefits a relative, we will not conceal the testimony we give for Allah. If we do otherwise, then surely we will be among the sinners" — you make them swear by Allah, He says. How beautifully He says it. You make them swear by Allah. This is the beautiful side of Islam. What is the beautiful side? When you do business, He says, take a trustee as witness.

You cannot split people's hearts open and know what is inside. You get struck by the people you trust most. In that case, if a person holds fast to Allah Almighty's verses, it is made good. When I make a purchase, if I pay cash, a witness may not be deemed necessary. If I pay cash. But having proof in your hand is even better. What is it today? They give you an invoice. You have proof in your hand. This invoice. That you bought these goods from so-and-so. (?) If you are not trading in cash, you have a promissory note. How beautiful. I have signed. Out of our faith, the people opposite us — because we trust them so much, so much — we become their guarantors.

We trust. We act on their words. And then we see we have fallen into a pit deeper than our height. Eyvallah. Well, Hodja, shall we not be guarantors? We shall. A friend of ours, a Muslim, is in a tight spot. We will be guarantors.

"I am your guarantor."

But we will make a trustee witness: how much are you buying? "I'm buying for three thousand five hundred lira." "I'm buying for five thousand lira." "Give me a note for five thousand lira." "To be guarantor?" Of course. "Sign for me that, in case these notes are not paid, when the unpaid notes fall due, I will pay them personally — sign it. Sign it." "You pay the notes you pay. The ones you can't, I pay. The notes you couldn't pay, you pay back to me. If you don't pay, I'll hand you over. I'll take my right from you in court." What do we do? We don't resort to such a thing. We go along with just witnesses and onlookers.

Then the man loads it onto you, runs away, and you have no proof in your hand.

Those who can't bear this even think of suicide. I have had such events happen to me. In Diyarbakır. A man goes as far as suicide. As far as suicide. He stood guarantor and couldn't pay. Well, the money — in this situation the wife and children are hungry. His son is sick at home. He himself goes toward suicide. Yes. Eyvallah. Allah Almighty gives us life with His verses. Life. Make everything secure. Our Lord's verses stand plainly before us. Look, here, a witness. And He makes the witness swear. And he will come out of the prayer, from the prayer. You will see him pray, and He says you will make him swear.

Yes.

Our religion is so beautiful, so subtle, it gives people life. Life. We abuse our religion in conscience. We abuse it. We trust people too much. And we collapse under the blow those people deal us. And then we begin — "He had a beard, and he was a Muslim, and he prayed, and he was a hajji," we say, throwing it after him. Instead of throwing that, take a trustee as witness. How beautifully Allah Almighty says it. He gives us life. Yes. O you who believe! When death comes upon one of you, the person who will make a will should take two persons among you whose justice is trusted as witnesses. Or, if you are traveling, when the calamity of death comes upon a person, let two others not from among you be witnesses. Here, when it says "two others not from among you," this verse is pulled toward many meanings.

Many meanings. Actually the meaning here is: the relatives and kin with the traveler being meant, let two persons outside them bear witness. What is the reason? Those relatives and kin would carve out a share for themselves. But if there are two persons outside those relatives and kin, their word is valid. In the time of Umar, a man picks up a stone from the road and throws it down (?). Down (?). Below, a man was working; the stone hits his head, and from a brain hemorrhage he dies.

Allah. In Islam too, thorns, glass and stones are removed from the road. For good. At once those two people come. The father's — so to speak — children. That is, the sons, the dead man's sons. Two people come and seize the man. Straight to Umar.

"This man killed our father," they say.

(?) — Umar. "He was our father." "Your testimony is not valid," he says. So the testimony of relatives and kin is not valid. In today's civil law too, among judges, the people judges take as witnesses — according to their kinship, their testimony is not valid. Eyvallah. Yes.

He asks the man. "Is what they say true?" "True," he says. (?) "Look," he says, "there is no other witness. What do you say? You are playing with your head." "If there is no other witness, Allah's witness (?)," he says.

Eyvallah. Yes.

(?) "In this case we will apply retaliation. What do you say?" he says to the sons. "We want retaliation," they say. (?), he says. If his (?), that is, the one responsible for him, says retaliation, there will be retaliation.

Since there will be retaliation, he says to Umar: "I hold an orphan's trust. Allow me to give this trust to the orphan, (?) come back, then apply retaliation to me." "A guarantor is needed in your place," he says.

A few Companions who heard of this event also come to Umar. They listen to these events. At once the one to be put to retaliation says, "That man is my guarantor." Umar asks: "Are you a guarantor?" "I am a guarantor," he says. "I am a guarantor," he says. "A guarantor for what? Look, for your head," he says. "Yes," he says. "I stand guarantor for this man with my head," he says.

I forgot the name of that person; they mention the person too; "you," they say, "the Prophet loved very much. We don't want any harm, any loss, to come to you," they say. "O Umar, I have spoken, I am a guarantor," he says. They say to the man: "In how many days will you get there?" "In two days. Back in two days — four days." "On the fifth day you will be here. All right?" "All right." The fifth day comes; the man is nowhere to be seen. Noon comes; he is nowhere to be seen. Afternoon comes; he is nowhere to be seen. They say, let us wait until evening. After evening there is no execution anyway.

"Perhaps," he says, "he will come." "Perhaps he will come. Otherwise," he says, "we will have killed this one, so to speak, for nothing." As the evening call to prayer is being recited, they see a dark shape coming from the horizon. The evening prayer time is passing, but they say, well, let's wait. Coming on and on, the man really arrives and throws himself at Umar's feet. "O Umar, is my guarantor still standing?" "He is standing," he says. "Why were you late?" "I was caught in a storm," he says, "a desert storm. I couldn't make headway," he says. "That is why I was late. Now," he says, "I am ready, you may apply retaliation to me." Umar says, "You had run away and saved your life — why did you come?" he says.

"Why did you come?" "The Prophet," he says, "went to the hereafter only a short time ago. The Prophet —" he says, "if I don't keep my word, from now on, of those who come after us, none will keep their word," he says. "Let this head be sacrificed on this path, but let the religion of Islam live," he says.

He asks the guarantor: "Why did you become a guarantor?" He too gives the same answer. "A brother of mine was in a tight spot," he says. "If I don't stand guarantor for him, who will?" he says. "It has been only a short time since the Prophet passed to the hereafter. In this case," he says, "if he can't find a guarantor before him, no one after us will stand guarantor," he says. "Let this head be sacrificed," he says. "As long as," he says, "the religion of Islam lives." Seeing this, the sons of the dead man say, "We have forgiven this man."

And the man pays them some money, and, honored with the beautiful morals of Islam, they part from one another. So justice is important in Islam. Justice.

If we act outside Islam, we are exposed to many disasters. And then we blame Islam. We blame the hajji, the hodja. Don't blame the hajji, the hodja. Your own helplessness in your nafs, your not living Islam — blame that. If you had lived Islam, if you had taken a trustee as witness.

Pınar came to me and says, "Stand guarantor for five thousand lira." Is that all right, Hızır? Five thousand lira. How many, how many notes do you have to the other side? You have this many, this many notes. Against this many notes, in case you don't pay — your notes, these — when your debt is finished, when your debt is finished — you are helping him, because when your debt is finished — on condition that I pay these notes of mine to you, so to speak, against these notes I have given, my notes — on condition that I pay them to you, I give you this note," he will say. I give you this explanation.

(?) Of his 20 notes, he hasn't paid 5. I will pay 5 of them. (?) I will pay 5 of them. Eyvallah. After I pay the 5, he will come to me and pay me the money of the notes I paid. Eyvallah. If this man has not paid me his 5 notes, and in my hand — if I have no proof, this man won't pay a single note. Allah's peace be upon his head.

Go on, pay it yourself.

In this case, is the fault Islam's? Allah Almighty removes such events. Take a trustee as witness, He says. Here, how beautifully He explains it.

After a person dies, the testimony his relatives give, even if it were true, if something was left to them by way of a will, the heirs may not believe them. The other heirs — "My grandfather, or my father, or the deceased left me this and that." True, he really did leave it. But the heirs: "How do you know he left it to you? You're not lying?" they say. That is why there will be two persons outside the family members. Witnesses.

Now there are notaries. You know, the man calls the notary. "I give this much of my share to this one, this much to that one; to my mother, my father, my siblings, to this one so much, to that one so much, to this one so much," he says. After he dies, the notary comes and opens it. How beautifully he states all of this. If you fear that the man will commit injustice, He says, let those two persons tell him justice, tell him the truth. The truth. What is this truth? Allah Almighty gives the mother and father a share. Allah Almighty says two shares to men and one share to women. If the man commits injustice in his will, He says, let them explain to him the truth, what is right.

Let them make known to him Allah's noble rulings, He says. The verses are history. How beautiful.

After a person dies, even if the testimony his relatives give were true, if something was left to them by way of a will, the heirs may not believe them. That is why, by saying "two not from among you," Allah means those outside the relatives.

If you fall into doubt about the truthfulness of these witnesses — that is, if you fall into doubt about the testimony of the two persons, whether they will tell the truth — then what do we do? After leaving the mosque we make them swear; make them swear after the prayer. By the prayer here, some commentators mean the afternoon prayer and suggest that their oaths be taken after this prayer. What is the reason? The reason is that they are ruled by superstitions. That they are ruled by superstitions. Even if they are commentators. What is the superstition here? It comes from their taking the middle prayer to be the afternoon prayer.

And since they value the afternoon prayer as the middle prayer, they say after this prayer. Yet the middle prayer is not the afternoon prayer, the morning prayer, the noon prayer, the evening prayer, or the night prayer either.

By their reasoning, the middle prayer here — the middle of the five daily prayers, the afternoon time, they suppose to be the middle prayer.

What if there were six daily prayers — which would the middle prayer be?

Or if four times of prayer were prescribed for us, which would the middle prayer be? I am asking. If four times — if the times come according to the earth's rotation, the times, if these times are according to the earth's rotation, for example the time of imsak begins, we call it the morning time. The time of imsak. According to how the earth turns. So to speak, the sun turning to reach its zenith — right away we call it the noon prayer. A (?) lengthening twice its length, its shadow lengthening twice its length, we call it the afternoon prayer. With the sun setting, a redness appearing, a redness appearing in the sky, we call it the evening prayer.

The redness disappearing, we call it the night prayer. Look, the times — according to the earth's rotation, our Lord, within those times, commands us to serve His Essence. By worshipping. In this case, if there were four times, the middle prayer, how would you pray it? What was the middle prayer? The middle prayer is, in the heart itself, looking at the manifestations, in Allah Almighty's presence, a prayer you pray with reverence. While bodily (?) this prayer, spiritually you are in your Lord's presence. That is the middle prayer. If you cannot pray like that, His saying "the middle prayer — pay attention" — pay attention.

At least pray a prayer close to it. What is this close prayer? The world's trade, wandering around the market and bazaar, the (?) passing through your heart — it extinguishes them. More than fifty percent of the prayer, saying "I am in my Lord's presence," passes in reflection. My God, Allah. Yes.

So you see, the middle prayer is not the afternoon prayer. To make a man swear, am I to wait for the afternoon prayer? On a journey the man is leaving. "Friend, wait here, let's pray first" — is that how I'll go at him? My God, Allah. So whatever the time of the prayer. Does the man pray? He prays. Fine. His testimony is fine. According to our Lord's command. All that remains is to make him swear an oath. Yes.

So, after explaining this much here: if you doubt the truthfulness of these witnesses, make them swear after the prayer. By the prayer here, some commentators mean the afternoon prayer and suggest that their oaths be taken after this prayer. I even hesitate to call these people commentators.

What is a commentator? Those who open the verses to us. Is this how you'll open the verse to me? Is this how you tell people the verse? Eleven commentaries were written, all copies of one another. Eleven commentaries. The verses are copies of one another too. They have opened the verses falsely. They have written the verses falsely. Falsely, wrongly — the meaning, (?) — they wrote it falsely.

As I told you in the evening too, in the verse, and look at the Quran's (?), look what it says there now. So to speak, Allah and His Messenger they accuse too. They accuse them.

What do they say here now? Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 165. Verse 166. Well.

Which verse was it, that one — now I'll be able to tell which verse it is. Later I'll remind you of it.

"Before scarcity comes upon you, what befell those of old," He says. "Did you think you would just enter Paradise before those calamities came upon you?" He says.

"The Prophet and those with him" — "the Prophet and those with him" — pay close attention to my words.

"They were so afflicted with scarcity that Allah's help (?), they said." Here they accuse the Prophet (peace be upon him) too. What does it say? "The Prophet and those with him said, Allah's help (?)." This is how they open the Quran translation. Job (peace be upon him) spent forty years among worms, in illness. His family: "O Job, you are a prophet. Pray. Pray, so that you are saved from this illness." (?) "to my Lord, that I should pray for me — does He not see my state?" he says. Well, although all the prophets were created from the spirit of Muhammad, although he will be witness over all the prophets, although he came to perfect good morals, although he came as the last, sealing prophethood, although he came as a mercy to the worlds, could he not be like Job (peace be upon him)?

Eyvallah. "To his Lord: I wonder, when will guidance come to us?"

In this way they accuse the Prophet here. Yet it is not "the Prophet and those with him" — they rendered that verse that way. Those with the Prophet came to him: "When is Allah's mercy?" Those with the Prophet — who are they? The noble Companions. "O Messenger of Allah, mercy — when is our Lord's mercy?" They put the Prophet on a par with the Companions. With verses opened falsely like this, those who write commentary in this way will write here too meaning the afternoon prayer. There is no knowledge. He thinks he is something because he knows Arabic. Yes.

We read this paragraph again. After explaining this much: if you doubt the truthfulness of these witnesses, make them swear after the prayer. By the prayer here, some commentators mean the afternoon prayer and suggest that their oaths be taken after this prayer. This claim is also wrong. Do you have any proof about the person who will die, that for the afternoon prayer, so to speak, you will wait and not let the dying man give up his soul, and these witnesses, after making them pray the afternoon prayer, that they will testify truthfully, you will make them swear? Do you have proof in your hand?

What if this man dies? What if he dies? After the prayer. If he doesn't make it to the prayer, if he can't make it, there, these commentators — these witnesses will take the thing from the man, take the will, and after the prayer: "Friend, look, the man has died and gone. Will you testify truthfully to these?" — they will make those two witnesses swear again by Allah. If the man hasn't died yet, they will likewise make them swear. Those two persons.

The meaning here is: these people, having them pray two rak'ahs for Allah's sake, pray two rak'ahs, that before Allah they will testify truthfully — you will make them swear. So what is best here? Before the mosque time — that is, noon, afternoon, evening, whatever — comes, the man is dying: "Friend, will you testify truthfully?" He will. "Go on, pray two rak'ahs" — he will pray them in Allah's presence. After praying, after that prayer, even for a relative, to no one in his testimony will he show (?) — let his oath to that come out in Allah's presence. Their oaths, as stated in the verse: "In exchange for this will we will not buy anything." In exchange for the will.

That is, "we will carve out nothing for ourselves so that a (?) falls to us." That is, "for the will to be changed, from the heirs of the other side, in any way, we will not take unjust gain or bribe. Even if it is a relative, even if his interest is at stake, the testimony we give for Allah we will not conceal. If we do otherwise, surely we will be among the sinners before Allah" — so these witnesses you make swear by Allah. In this way the person who will die, by telling his will to these witnesses, his property that they will leave — (?). Having them pray is, in one sense, to understand that they are Muslims.

Yes.

Yes. You are right. Verse 214 — we searched for it at 114. Verse 214 didn't come up. "Or did you think, before what befell those who passed before you came to you, that you would enter Paradise? Poverty and hardship touched them so, and they were so shaken, that finally the Prophet and the believers with him said, 'When is Allah's help?'" Would the Prophet say this?

The believers with the Prophet say to the Prophet, "When is Allah's help?" Yes. Just think about those who write it like this and write commentary according to it. I'm not saying anything. My God, Allah.

These (?)