At-Tawbah 113: After it becomes apparent that they are the dwellers of the hell (who die as blasphemers), it does not suit the Prophet and the believers to ask for forgiveness for those who associate partners (with Allah), even if they are their relatives.

Surah At-Tawbah, we are at verse 113. After they have died as disbelievers and it has become clear to them that they are the people of Hell, it says. To Hell — where would it become clearly evident? Where? In the world of the Hereafter. When they are called to account. They, it says, when they realize they will be thrown into Hell, it says, their eyes, like sky blue, will pop out, and they will throw themselves, it says, face down on the ground, it says; We will call the zabaniya and have them seized by their forelocks, and through a narrow gate of Hell have them thrown in, it says. Yes, in this verse again, that there is no Sirat bridge is indicated. So, after people die — they die as disbelievers anyway, it says — after it has become clear to them that they are people of Hell, even if they are relatives, that is, mother, father, siblings loved more than one's own life, uncle, whatever, maternal aunt, paternal aunt — to ask forgiveness for those who associate partners with Allah befits neither the Prophet nor the believers.

Why? It doesn't befit. Because Allah Almighty — His mercy in the universe is for everyone — because to a world where He is not seen, a world where our Lord is not seen, the material world, He sent people. His mercy in this material world is for everyone; in the Hereafter, it says, only for the believer, only for the believer. There they are without anyone and alone, it says. Because Allah will lift His mercy from the disbelievers. He will lift His mercy from the disbelievers. There they are without anyone and alone, it says. According to this verse, those who have passed to the Hereafter with faith, Muslims, however sinful they may be, when they enter Hell, are not alone.

Because the Prophet says in his hadiths: "Until not a single one of my ummah remains in Hell, I will plead to Allah Almighty." Indeed, pay attention to the verse: after they have died as disbelievers and it has become clear to them that they are people of Hell, it says — people of Hell — even if they are relatives, for those who associate partners with Allah, asking forgiveness befits neither the Prophet nor the believers. So, being very sinful but with faith, with faith, though very sinful, when they pass to the Hereafter as Muslims, when their sins are much heavier than their good deeds, they will surely enter Hell, by Allah Almighty's attribute of justice; but there too they will not be alone.

The Prophet will plead to Allah Almighty for them and with them, and let's say, let's say — I'm giving an example, of course. I would never, in Allah's place, say "inflict this much punishment, inflict that much" — Allah forbid, I would never say such a thing, but I'm giving an example. I'm saying: he got 100 (?). For example. Or he got 500 blows of the stick. As an example, I mean. If you had a relative who is a minister, or a president as your uncle, or a sultan, let's say — a minister whose word carries weight with people, a man of yours, sir — what do you do? You go, and when you make a request to those people, for your sake they reduce his punishments a little, let it pass.

So those who go with faith will also, in Hell, the punishment they deserve suffer. But for the sake of the Prophet, there they will be lightened, lightened more for his sake, for the Prophet's sake, their punishments will be carried out in lighter form: if it's 100 blows, then 50 blows, for example, 60 blows. Well, let's say if it's 5 months, 5 months, if 1 year, if 3 years, (?), just as in prisons, because of good conduct, because of good behavior, they bring him to certain good places, give him good jobs, and if, because of their good behavior, even in court, because of conduct and behavior, the sentence is reduced — so too, for the Prophet's sake, "I will intercede with Allah Almighty until not one of my ummah remains in Hell" — according to that hadith, since the Prophet's word will not be left unanswered, Allah Almighty, for his sake, will have them too, deserving their punishment, serve it out and take them out of there.

That is, those people's nafs will be perfected there. Yes. So, asking forgiveness for those who associate partners with Allah befits neither the Prophet nor the believers. If these went to the Hereafter without faith — according to the verse "mercy in the Hereafter only for the believer", with the attributes Rahman and Rahim: the attribute Rahman is for everyone in the universe, the attribute Rahim, in the Hereafter, only for the believer. In this case Allah Almighty, that the disbelievers are eternally for Hell, that they are alone and without anyone there, that they have no intercessors at all — this He declares.

So, in this world, these people living irresponsibly, staying far from Allah, living unaware of the verses, setting falsehood up against the truth and resisting, shamelessly defending this falsehood, and against Allah's verses calling things that are not hadith hadith, and slandering the Prophet — think (?) about the state of those who do this. If it weren't for Allah Almighty's great mercy, those whose intentions are good but who speak falsehood within the circle of ignorance are (?) with this verse of Allah Almighty. What is the verse? What is it? Deeds depend on intention. If he did it, said it sincerely, well, the judgment still rests with Allah.

(?) And what does Yunus Emre say to such people? If you put in a black stone, he says, and boil it for forty years, it is still stone, still stone, he says, it won't soften. The ignorant are like this too, he says. The ignorant are like that too. Yes.

The ignorant — do not fear the scholar. Do not fear the scholar. A scholar won't easily harm a person. Don't fear the ignorant either. Because the ignorant, too, (?). He won't do you a single harm. (?), unaware of himself, thinking he has some knowledge — those half-ignorant ones, you must fear those half-ignorant ones. You must stay away from these half-ignorant ones. Allah protect us. Yes.

We're summing up the verse. After they have died as disbelievers and it has become clear to them that they are the people of Hell, even if they are relatives, asking forgiveness for those who associate partners with Allah befits neither the Prophet nor the believers. Those who did not believe in Allah and the Hereafter during their lives, and thus went to the Hereafter as disbelievers — even if they are your relatives, even if they are their relatives, even if they're your mother and father — for them to ask forgiveness, to ask Allah's mercy for them, befits neither the Prophet nor the believers. The believers.

Yes.

Because these are lying disbelievers who denied Allah and His Messenger.

These are what the verses correspond to. Allah Almighty too addresses them as lying disbelievers. Why does He address them as lying disbelievers? Because new people join our lessons. For these newcomers, some of the words we have said we need to sum up. So that they (?) our lesson better. As we always say, to listeners it may seem like a waste of time, but newcomers will learn something, of course. Allah Almighty created our souls in the realm of Lahut and addressed them as "your Lord". Those souls, our souls, were divided there into three groups, and although one knew it was created by a Lord, before Allah Almighty, to His address "I created you", it did not bow to Him. Although it knew it was created, it did not bow to Him.

It did not recognize Him as Lord. Rab means Creator. Creator. This word Rab belongs to Allah alone. Bringing into being from nothing also belongs to Allah alone. Yes, that's why it is the word Rab. Our Lord, that is, our Creator. Yes. Although they knew they had been created, waiting for the Lord of their own imagination, they denied Allah Almighty. In this case, everyone's desire, wish and aim was written for them as destiny. And in the (?) of these destinies, these were worked into them as characters. In this case, so that every person, by the decisions he makes, proves what kind of a person he is, Allah Almighty sent us to a (?) world — to this world.

Now, because these denied Allah there at the origin, Allah Almighty calls them lying disbelievers. Although they knew they were created, although they said yes — yes. But they don't say yes to Allah, that is, yes to the One who created them they don't say. Allah Almighty — yes, that is, these know they were created. They know, but since Allah Almighty gave us a part of His spirit, since He, in His essence, in a human form appeared to us, since man saw his Lord there as like himself, he cannot believe in Allah Almighty. He waits for the Lord of his imagination. Allah Almighty in His verse: "We, with angels, from the clouds (?)", it says, "would have made them prostrate", it says.

What does this mean? "We would have used force on you", it says, "and made you prostrate, but We left you free in your will. With the values you gave, to prove yourselves to yourselves and to others, We", it says, "left you free with your own will." In this case, the (?) created human, although he knew there that he was created — which is what his saying yes means. Yes, that is, those people, those disbelievers and all people know they were created. In this case, because they wait for the Lord of their imagination, what do they say to Allah Almighty? Well — "You are not my Lord." And when making the covenant, he gives his covenant that way.

Their aims are written for them as destiny, and according to those destinies these characters are worked into them. When they come into the world, those desires and wishes appear. And that person, according to those desires and wishes — Allah Almighty, to everyone according to this desire and wish, (?) (?). As everyone carries out their actual deeds in their own desire and wish, reward and sin they receive. Yes. In this case, in this case, they are lying disbelievers. And so we are just stating Allah Almighty's verse. What do we say? They — because these are lying disbelievers who denied Allah and His Messenger.

Even if he is one's father — Muslims know that while people were in the state of souls in the first barzakh, they were neither born from one another nor gave birth. That is, in the realm of Lahut. What? Did we give birth to one another or were we born from one another? We were created directly as a part of our Lord. From His spirit He gives to the Prophet. From his soul He creates the souls of the prophets. From the prophets' souls He creates the souls of their peoples. In this case all people have been created indirectly as a part of their Lord. A part. And because people cannot grasp what I'm saying, they push us toward wahdat al-wujud.

Whereas the follower of wahdat al-wujud holds himself equal to Allah, being (?). That he decides within his own will. Far from it. We are created beings. We have been created by our Lord (?). We subsist through our Lord. We subsist through Allah's (?). In our capacity as a part of Him. Because every soul needs Allah. Allah Almighty has the attribute Hayy. What is the attribute Hayy? The One who gives life to all creation but is Himself free of creation. So we are beings who are created and in need of Allah Almighty's attribute Hayy, yet everlasting with our Lord. Upon us, that is, upon souls, there is no death.

Death is only upon bodies. Soul, nafs and life are one; bodies are separate. These are somewhat deep places, you know. We explain this part, but those who cannot understand, cannot understand, with various feelings — we'll call them superstitions — or else, from some books, though it is not hadith, saying "it is hadith", that falsehood who set out to (?) over the truth; and some, trained, serving non-Muslims, who, seeing the falsehoods inserted into the religion disappear, (?). These attack. We already said this at the beginning of the lesson. These will attack. Yes. That is their job. In this case, in this case, in order for us to understand these deep places better — if you listen to me constantly, constantly in the light of the verses, once you understand that no verse contradicts another, your understanding will open up better.

I'm saying this for our children who are new. Yes.

While people were souls in the first barzakh, they were neither born from one another nor gave birth. That is, all were created as a part of their Lord. Yes. By creating the souls, Allah, toward His Being as Creator, made them witness. Saying, "I am your Lord." You know, Surah Al-A'raf, verse 172: Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Ve iz ehaze. He made a covenant, it says. Rabbüke min benî Âdeme. He made a covenant from Adam. Zuhûrihim. (?) the offspring who will emerge. With his offspring. Allah, Allah — with those who would emerge from Adam's offspring He made the covenant. They explain this part wrongly too.

Wrong. (?). He brought out their offspring from their (?) and made a covenant, they say. Allah protect us. And then: in the world, in the mother's womb, or in the Hereafter — it's not clear, they say. The verse is explicit. Ve iz ehaze rabbüke min benî Âdeme zuhûrihim zuhûrihim. With those who will emerge from Adam's offspring. That is, our souls were created in the realm of Lahut, a covenant was made with each of us, and our covenant became our destiny, characters were worked in according to these destinies, and souls were raised to the realm of barzakh. The souls that will come into the world when their time comes wait there.

Yes. Then "enfüsün", it says. Against their nafs, and "eşhedehüm". That is, He made them witness. Allah Almighty. And against their nafs: "Elestü bi-rabbiküm?" (?). They can't know "Elest" for certain anyway. When He said, "Am I not your Lord?" If, when He said "Am I not your Lord", our souls there too, millimeter by millimeter, to their creation — "I will be witness." And then, if you deny it — "Why do you deny it? Am I not your Lord?" — He may say. That is, logic and wording are very important here. We are speaking of the verses. We are not speaking of human fabrications. Yes. So, "certainly We are your Lord," He says.

Because there is a sudden creation, and there is a command to them there, a command.

Yes.

Allah — with Allah creating the souls, toward His Being as Creator He made them witness. That people know He is their Lord, He left to people's own partial will. But even while still souls, although they knew Allah, that is, although knowing "I was created", out of stubbornness and arrogance they denied Allah. So those who knew Allah, who obey, and those who deny Allah were divided into groups. "Ve küntüm ezvâcen selâseh" — (?), it says. Fe ashâbü'l-meymeneti mâ ashâbü'l-meymeneh. O people of the right, glad tidings to you! Ve ashâbü'l-meş'emeti mâ ashâbü'l-meş'emeh. O people of the left, woe to you, it says.

Ve's-sâbikûne's-sâbikûn, ülâike'l-mukarrabûn, fî cennâti'n-naîm. A third group, it says, the group of the foremost. So — but even while still souls, although they knew Allah, because of their stubbornness and arrogance they denied Allah. So those who knew Allah, the obedient, and those who denied Allah, into groups were divided. And each, through the covenant he gave Allah, had his own aim as destiny written for him. Yes.

So when people come to this material world, by an order Allah has set up, people coming from one another's, one another's (?) — our souls entering the body's (?), yes.

And that does not mean that person is created by his mother and father. Souls entering the body. It is not that person being created by his mother and father. Allah Almighty creates the body of our father Adam from earth. Then He gives him his soul. From him He creates our mother Eve. From the left rib bone, too. In this case, "so that the nafs may find rest", it says. He creates Eve and sets up the first human factory. Who is this? (?) Allah. Its (?) too is from Allah. Yes. That's why mothers and fathers are not creators. Mothers and fathers — those children are a trust to them from their Lord.

Yes. As a means, that child is given to the mother and father and raised. Again as Allah's command, that child does not rebel against mother and father and in their service remains. Because it's Allah's command — why is it Allah's command? Because that mother, that mother, it says, with hardship, it says, carried him 9 months in her womb. She gave him milk, it says, for 24 months, nursed him. There is that child's nursing. Besides, there is the father working and spending his life on that child. His life. How does he spend his life? His life (?), he works at every hard job, brings what he earns and puts it into his child's (?), into his stomach, so that he grows.

Yes. Well, couldn't he spend this life on his own pleasure? Couldn't he devote himself elsewhere with his own way of life? So, in his own life, so that his child's life can be sustained, from his own life (?) into his son's life. In this case neither the mother's nor the father's due is repaid. For this reason Allah Almighty says: if their old age is spent with you, if the old age of mother and father is spent with you, do not even say "uff" to them, He says. Yes.

Let me tell you here a story of my own. My late mother developed eye cancer.

I'm in Istanbul. She was in Samsun.

Eventually I brought her to Istanbul for treatment.

In Istanbul I had her admitted to Okmeydanı hospital. Every evening, every evening, (?) from home, together with my child, I would carry food, I would feed her. I would stay with her until midnight.

She would tell me: my son, here people are alive in the evening, and in the morning, dead, they leave. Don't leave me here alone, she would say.

The time came. I had to go to the Hijaz. For Hajj.

The late one said to me: my son, don't go, she said. And I didn't want to go without her permission. I won her heart. With sweet words. Well, all right, my son, she said. Go, and come back quickly. Don't stay too long, she said. Don't stay too long, she said. After getting her consent, I prayed to Allah Almighty. O my Lord, until I go and come back, don't show my mother my absence, I said.

I was on Hajj for 28 days. 28 days. How do I know? I come back. I brought my mother prayer beads, skullcaps, brought Zamzam water for them to hand out there.

My mother says this to me: My son, did you go? I went and came back, mother, I said. I stayed there 28 days. What are you saying, she said, really, she said. "28 days?" she said. "Weren't you here yesterday?" she said to me. I fell into prostration. Yes.

My Lord had accepted my prayer. (?) my absence. Yes. This is how we were raised. This is how we obeyed our mothers and fathers. Admittedly, I didn't see much of my father. My father died when I was nine. I grew up an orphan. My mother raised me. Of course. First of all, Allah will give our sustenance, our life. Well. Then, as a means, our elders. Never go against your mother and father. Wherever it may be, win their hearts. There is a hadith of the Prophet. He says: woe to those who could not gain the consent of their mother and father while they were alive, he says. On what basis does he say it? That verse in Surah Luqman: if their old age, it says, is spent with you, do not even say "uff" to them.

The counterpart of that verse. Hadiths must be the counterparts of verses like this. Otherwise, with made-up "Ahmet, Mehmet" — those blessed persons, Muslim and, let me say, Bukhari, would never say such a thing. Those fabrications were inserted there. They made a name, you see, made a name for themselves. Muslim, Bukhari. They inserted fabricated things there. The disbeliever, the non-Muslim doesn't sit idle. Well, close to those, they inserted words back to back against each other. Eh! And people learned these, (?). Instead of learning Allah's verses first, they started the work backwards. And then, when they read those books that way and their brains are washed that way, they have no knowledge of the verses, nor of those hadiths being the counterparts of verses do they have any knowledge.

And then this falsehood comes out against the truth. Show me, he says, the verse number, uh, the hadith number, he says. Instead of showing you a hadith number, I'm showing you a verse, blessed man! Will you believe the word of Ahmet, of Mehmet, or will you believe the verse? With Allah's word there, will you believe a human word, or the word of Allah, who says "I always speak the truth, I always speak the truth anyway"? Shame on you.

I have nothing more to say to them.

Yes, we continue with the verse.

So, those people's being given to mother and father does not mean being created by mother and father. First, as a means, that child is given to mother and father and raised. Again as Allah's command, that child does not rebel against mother and father and in their service remains. We are speaking according to the verses. Allah Almighty in a verse: "ve la bana" (?), then obey your mother and Me, He says. Yes. This is in Surah Luqman.

And the Prophet (peace be upon him), too, in a hadith: while mother and father (?), woe to those who could not gain their consent, he says. In view of this, that children obey their mothers and fathers and, even if their old age has been spent beside them, that the child not even say "uff" to them, He has commanded. Again in a verse: if your mother and father urge you to evil, force you to turn to their own false beliefs, there is parting from them with contentment, it says. That is, again without breaking their hearts, with (?), as Abraham (peace be upon him) parted from his father — what does he say?

"For you (?) I will pray too," he says. And Allah Almighty to Abraham then: O Abraham, do not be among the ignorant. That is, do not pray for people who go that way. Well, Abraham too expresses his regret. So, according to this verse too, whoever opposes Allah and His Messenger — since no created being is above Allah and His Messenger — after those who did not believe in Allah and His Messenger, saying "this was my mother, my father, a relative, (?), I loved him very much" — for them, to Allah, no prayer is made. And no mercy is asked either. Because although these come from the same milk, they are not of one another.

Such as? Here. This too is all the counterpart of verses — it came to my mind, so I explain it like this. This too: to Noah's son, "you, son of a prophet," he says. "He would not have gone as a disbeliever, (?)." How did this (?) go? He was not of you, it says. He was not of you. When something else comes to your mind — it's not as you think either, it says. Those who follow you are of you. Those who follow you are not from your loins, it says. That is, he is not of you. Not "from your loins" — "not of you". Yes. These are of the group "ve ashâbü'l-meş'emeti mâ ashâbü'l-meş'emeh". Where were they separated? Way back at Allah Almighty's (?) we were separated.

Yes.

Because although these come from the same loins, they are not of one another. Muslims are brothers. They are of one another. That is, "ashâbü'l-meymeneti mâ ashâbü'l-meymeneh" are the Muslims, the Muslims. Those who are (?) to Allah and His Messenger — even if he is your father, you cannot hold love for him. And their — not in the world, in the Hereafter, even if it's your father, sir — and beside them and in their ranks you cannot take your place. That is, even if it's your father, if in the world he leads you to evil, beside him you cannot take your stand.

Allah — if His love is above everything, one loves those who love Allah, and those who don't love Allah one cannot love.