Al-Mu'minun 53: But they (humankind) divided matters among each other into pieces. Each party boasts with what they have (in ideas and habits).

Verse 53, Surah Al-Mu'minun, verse 53 — now pay attention here. But people divided their affairs among themselves into pieces. Each group, rejoicing in the ideas and conduct they have, is boastful. Each group. Whereas, just as we submit to the laws of a state and adopt that state's laws and, so as not to be charged with a crime, act within the framework of that state's laws, instead of carrying out the command of Allah, the Owner of the worlds, each group made something up according to its own mind and, its own inventions seeing as the finest, people fell into factions among themselves. They fell into divisions.

This already happened in pre-eternity. That is, at the covenant of Alastu bi-Rabbikum, when Allah Almighty said I am your Lord, people there split into three groups. Ve ashâbu'l-meymeneti mâ ashâbu'l-meymeneh: you on the right, glad tidings to you. Ve ashâbu'l-meş'emeti mâ ashâbu'l-meş'emeh: O you on the left, woe to you. Ve's-sâbikûne's-sâbikûn, ülâike'l-mukarrabûn, fî cennâti'n-naîm. A third group, the group of the sabiqun. The group of saints, prophets, martyrs, (?). So whatever covenant man gave to Allah Almighty, whatever destiny he had written, according to that destiny Allah Almighty inscribed characters into that person.

When he comes into the world, according to that person's desires and wishes, Allah Almighty creates causes and, according to those causes, the person, carrying out deeds in the direction of his desires and wishes, does good deeds and sins and proves what kind of person he is. Yes. How beautifully He puts it. But people divided their affairs among themselves into pieces. Each group, rejoicing in the ideas and conduct they have, is boastful. Even in our religion we fell into factions. One said, I am a Süleymancı. One said, I am a Nurcu. Another said, I am so-and-so's. One said, sir, I am an Ahmetçi.

One said, I am a Kaplancı. And these split the brotherhood of Islam apart from one another.

Instead of binding, they separated them from one another. They went against the verse. Even if one Muslim is at one end of the world and another Muslim at the other end, the two are brothers — this verse. Instead of strengthening the brothers' bond with each other, these drove them away from each other. And what did they say? You cannot go to such-and-such a place, you cannot listen to them.

This one to that one, and that one to this one. Why did they say so? Because the people at their head were false sheikhs, that's why. If the sheikhs at their head had been true sheikhs, they would say: my children, go and listen, listen, but come and tell me, and we will sort out here which is truth and which is falsehood — that is what they would say. And they would give them warnings. Unfortunately these, under the guise of sheikhs, claiming for themselves a rank that does not exist, among people exploitation they created. Exploiters exploited people's consciences. And one of them is the greatest sedition of the age, FETÖ.

The sedition of the age. Of course that one will say to him, don't go there, and this one will say to him, don't go here. What does it mean, when it is about listening to Allah's word: don't listen to it there, don't listen to it here? This is how they sowed such factions among us. But since people persist in the bad covenants they gave to Allah Almighty, in the last Prophet Allah sent to the earth and in the Quran these did not believe. They tried to content themselves with the earlier books, such as the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospel.

Allah's creating people as one single community, and there being one religion and one God, they opposed. They stirred up factions among themselves. While Allah's perfectly straight path was there, they sought paths according to their minds for their selfish interests and strayed onto crooked paths. Each of these people, thinking their own belief is the truth, boasting of themselves, rejoice. In fact, they are the ones who, chasing falsehood, turn their backs on the truth. Their desiring the filth and injustice in their own nature and wanting to live what they desire by the whims of the nafs distances them from Allah and makes them wrongdoers against their own souls.

Therefore, although they hear and know the truth, since they could not live out their own nafs desires, in the distress that comes upon them they abandon the truth. Among themselves, when they come together, drawing strength from one another, because they abandon the truth, because they oppose Allah, in each other's presence, as if they had performed a great heroic deed, in pride and whim they wrap themselves. In this state, to oppose the truth, they practically race one another. Although they themselves know it, the whims of the nafs of people within a short life will drag them to torment in their eternal home, and as people of hell they will remain there forever.

Knowing these things full well, lest they be humiliated in front of each other and shunned, they accept the torment in the hereafter, yet Allah's — to know Allah they do not consent. While living out their lives, so that those on the wrong path do not shun them, they never give up denying Allah and the hereafter. Yes. That is, denying Allah and the hereafter they never give up. In this state they incur Allah's wrath.

Let us read the last sentence once more. While living out their lives, so that those on the wrong path do not shun them, they never give up denying Allah and the hereafter. In this state they incur Allah's wrath. These are the people who, out of the pride of their nafs, so as not to be belittled among themselves, put collars around their necks. What is a collar? They put spiked collars around dogs' necks so that wolves won't strangle them. When people too put such spiked collars around their necks — so that, among people, out of pride and grandeur, he does not bow — with his own carnal pride, boasting of his own mind and technique, his so-called standing among people the man who tries to maintain actually knows — by our Creator, our Lord, who is the true Being and to whom account will be given — how much he is shunned, how much he is sunk in unbelief, and that in the hereafter eternal life in hell he has bought; yet, though knowing it, knowingly, out of the pride in this world and arrogance, they do not give up their rebellion against Allah.

Yes.