Yunus 53: They ask you for news, saying; “Is it (punishment) true?” Say; “Yes, swear by my Lord, it surely is the truth and you will not incapacitate Allah.”

That punishment — verse 53. Is that punishment a reality? There is a question mark here. Why are they asking you about it, he says. Every Muslim knows this to be a reality. Knows it is real. But he knows it in proportion to his faith. In proportion to his faith.

He does not deny it. But he cannot escape the 'I wonder'.

He does not deny it. He cannot escape the 'I wonder'. The reason is that the heart was not at peace. Because his nafs had not risen to tranquillity. We said the nafs has seven states. Nefs-i emmare, nefs-i levvame, nefs-i mülhime, nefs-i mutmainne, nefs-i raziye, nefs-i marziye, nefs-i safiye. Nefs-i emmare: he has become a Muslim. In drink, gambling, adultery — every kind of vice. Prayer and ablution — nothing at all.

When he starts talking, with his own mouth he puts himself in the middle of Paradise. Look at my heart, my heart, he says. He makes himself one of the people of Paradise. Nefs-i levvame is in his prayer, his ablution, his fasting. If he turns to taqwa, he rises to nefs-i mülhime. Nefs-i mülhime is the gate of miracles. There too, if he does not look at those miracles, he rises to nefs-i mutmainne, to the manifestations. O soul at peace! Enter, your Lord pleased with you and you pleased with your Lord. Enter among My servants, enter My Paradise — the people to whom He says this. Allah Almighty, in the words of the verse, which one should pay attention to, says Ya eyyühellezine mü'minün.

He says Ya eyyühellezine amenü. They believe. He says O nas. He says people.

One must pay attention to these distinctions.

Somewhere — now, so that we understand these distinctions better — at a place whose name I won't say, it happened; (?) a retired mufti.

The honourable gentleman — they gathered around him. They told me — they don't know me.

One of them knows me. And that one who knows me takes me to his own office. To his own office. There they will listen to advice from the mufti efendi. When the mufti efendi explained some things correctly and some wrongly, I showed him this verse. Tell those believers. Let them guard their eyes from the forbidden. Let them cover their headscarves over their collars. What does Allah Almighty mean by this verse? Why does He say it not to Islam but, he says, to the mu'min, he says? I saw that he was talking nonsense.

I said: Hodja, as far as I know, Allah Almighty, by addressing the mu'min, gives the Muslim (?). The Muslim will uncover the head. The Muslim will uncover the head. Had He said 'O you who believe, do not uncover your heads', everyone who uncovers the head would, by this verse, be a disbeliever. I'm saying it — but since He addresses the mu'min, since there is no turning back for the mu'min, since that Muslim too will not give up the testimony of faith — since they will also uncover the head, they will be a sinner, a sinner, but will not leave the religion of Islam. If He had said: Muslim — O you who believe — then, because of denying the verse, because of the nafs, the grandeur of the nafs, toward Allah, they would have left Islam. So Allah Almighty knows that the Muslim will be a sinner, will uncover the head, and knows they won't give up their word either.

So, I say, He addresses the mu'min; He does not address the people of faith. Isn't the subtlety of this verse right here? — when I said this, the man was completely baffled.

Just a moment, I said, just a moment — my phone wasn't even ringing. The phone's ringing, give me a moment, Hasan is calling me, there's something we have to do at home, so, goodbye.

Yes. Because there's no need to argue. Our religion is not a religion of argument.

A person — the Prophet says in his hadiths: do not try to straighten people all at once. The man was actually (?). If you straighten him all at once, he'll break. He'll break. A crooked branch, a dry branch — if you suddenly try to straighten it, it breaks. What shall we do? You put it in water, let it soak, bend it open a little, put it in water, let it soak, bend it a little more, water, water, water, and so slowly, slowly, without breaking it, you try to straighten it. Of course, if it is in the person's essence too. With those who tell him the truth. Yes. This is a knowledge that is not grasped all at once.

This is an inner, essential knowledge of the Quran. Knowledge of the Quran. Yes. They ask you for news: is that punishment a reality? On this point we strayed from the topic a little. We said every Muslim knows that it is real. But in proportion to his faith. I imagine this faith like this. My own imagining. A child of 4–5, or a child of 6–7, a Muslim of course. If you tell him: son, hit with full force — he hits with force, ten kilos, fifteen kilos. For example. That is the faith of one who is Muslim but in nefs-i emmare.

You tell a child of twelve, thirteen to hit — he hits, twenty-five kilos, thirty kilos.

That is the faith of one in nefs-i levvame. But everyone is hitting fully. Everyone knows fully. But in parts — faith too is in parts.

If you tell a man of 20–25 to hit, he too hits 40–50 kilos. If you tell a person of exactly 40, at the mature age, to hit, he hits 80–90 kilos, 100 kilos. So, look, faiths, according to the person's degree, grow stronger. Everyone knows — but among Muslims — that in the hereafter we will be resurrected, that the punishment will be real; but some in imagination, because they are Islam, by faith; but the mu'min people, tell them, as they see you and me they know it.

They know it just as they see you and me.

Does everyone know the way to their own home? When they leave here, they go by the shortest route, no less, to their homes. So, the hereafter too — if you want to see those realms while in the world, your nafs's states you will break. The grandeur of the nafs, that nafs called grandeur, its whims, you will break. You will be governed by Allah's verses, you will be occupied with the remembrance of your Lord. You will try to fulfil your worldly and otherworldly duties completely. As far as your strength allows, you will work both for the world and for the hereafter. You will heed the halal and the haram.

In this case, as you also remember your Lord, the nafs has an ascent back, a rising. Nefs-i mutmainne. Manifestations. After that, nefs-i raziye, the state of ilmel yakın. İlmel yakın. Allah Almighty, in Surah Al-Imran, verse 7: those kneaded with Allah's knowledge and who enter through the door of that knowledge know, He says. Allah says this. But one who cannot attain this knowledge interprets the verse wrongly. Look now, here we are explaining the verse. We are explaining here the seventh verse of Surah Al-Imran.

First let's give the wrong one. The wrong one. It is that Allah who sent down the Book to the unlettered Messenger, who sent down the Book as firm, without subjecting it to any change. He is the one who sent it down. Correct. The correct parts are correct.

Part of it, some verses, as the foundations of the Quran, are clear and definitive. That's correct too. Some verses are allegorical. This is correct too. Those with doubts in their hearts, to stir up strife, give meaning by their own reasoning and go after the interpretation of the allegorical verses. Up to here, correct. Whereas only Allah knows the interpretation of the allegorical. This is correct too. As for those who have attained a high rank in knowledge — here we come now to the rasihun verse, here, I mean, ve'r-râsihûne fi'l-ilmi yekûlûne âmennâ bihî — what does it say now? Of course, only Allah knows those allegorical verses; those who attained a high rank in knowledge — ve'r-râ sihûn, he said, that high rank, he said, those kneaded with Allah's knowledge — what do they say? Those kneaded together with that knowledge: yekûlûne âmennâ — we believed, they say, we have faith, they say. We believed, we have faith — why? In Allah's existence, in His knowledge and power, I mean, we believed in Him; all of it is from our Lord, from our Lord's side, they say. This subtlety only those of sound reason reflect on and understand, it says.

Now I ask those who know Arabic. One of our children here knows Arabic. Let him listen to me. And let him say. Here, is there an Arabic phrase saying people of sound reason reflect and understand? Look what it says. At the end of the verse: ve mâ yezzekkeru illâ ulü'l-elbâb — bab, door — only those who enter through that door know. Those who enter through the door of that knowledge know. They say: from our Lord; only those who use their reason and who enter through the door of that knowledge know. Those who enter through the door of that knowledge. That is, there is nothing here saying people of sound reason reflect and understand.

There is no 'reflect and understand' here. Those who enter through the door of that knowledge know. So those kneaded with Allah Almighty's knowledge — who are they? Those raised by Allah Himself. Unless it is so, the meaning of the Quran's verses they can render only this far with Arabic words. Besides this, here, in your book it isn't. Is it anywhere? Give it to me, let me look. Besides, here there are over five hundred and four wrongly interpreted verses. Yes. Over five hundred and four.

But, since the founding of the Republic — if these people, I always say this, had Quranic knowledge... let them not hold back at all — those who say, you know, I'm a professor, I'm a scholar, I'm this and that — before Allah's knowledge nobody is in a position to give in to the whims of the nafs. Everyone is obliged to bow their head before Allah's knowledge. Especially people who say: I possess Quranic knowledge, I know Arabic very well, I'm a scholar — they should take even more care about this.

If these had possessed knowledge — and I'm addressing them anyway — they would not, interpreting these verses like this, since the founding of the Republic, raising the new generations like this, deliberately, by way of three divisions, three divisions, drag people into superstitions. Yes.

First: in verse 172 of Surah Al-A'raf, the covenant — those who (?) it for people do not know what the covenant is.

Second: they use the phrase 'it is hoped that'. As if Allah doesn't know. Since they understand it that way, a child, they say, when born into the world, is made Christian or Magian by its mother and father, they say. Allah forbid. Not knowing the covenant, not knowing the covenant at the address Elestü bi-rabbiküm, he speaks this way, and these say: we are scholars too, we are scholars, these people. Third: the writers who interpret the Holy Quran have removed the irade-i cüz'iyye, people's partial will, and tied all will to Allah. Allah Almighty puts whom He wills into Paradise and whom He wills into Hell — saying this, they lifted the deeds people do off people and placed them on Allah.

In this case people too were freed from responsibility. Allah wrote it so, he says, He willed it so, so I do it this way, he says. Yes.

Now I ask you. Can you call scholars those scholars who interpret this Quran this way?

You have reason. If I'm interpreting wrongly, aren't you telling me: who are you? Why don't you say it? Why don't you say to me: who are you? But you also know that this hodja efendi has truly interpreted it correctly. You know this too. Yes. While knowing it, you give in to the whims of your nafs, conceding nothing of what you hold, and try to keep falsehood standing against the truth.

How did we get here? Is this punishment real? They ask, don't they. It is real just as I see you. As real as I see you.

I say it from seeing. I'm not lying, Allah forbid. For 50 years I have forgotten lying. Except the time of ignorance. I was a child, I was young. In this case, what I have never seen — with a Quranic verse and (?) rulings I check it, and nothing that does not accord with a Quranic verse do I say. Don't I see Satan? I do. But I (?) Satan. Because we have knowledge of the Quran. (?) Satan's (?) is ignorant, it says. Ignorant. Yes. Now they ask you for news: is that punishment a reality? Say: Yes, by my Lord, it is surely true, and you are not ones who can render Him powerless, it says. Along with the Prophet (peace be upon him), into Hell too I went.

I also saw the events in Hell. But Hodja, weren't there no people in Hell? Back then, there, (?). Nothing had happened yet. Just as, when teaching you something, they take you to the cinema. There they show you the subject they will teach you.

An engineer makes a city's plan. Just as they show you that city's plan, exactly like a model, in that same way our Lord shows Paradise and Hell. When the Prophet ascended in the Mi'raj, he toured Hell and Paradise and witnessed many events. Yes.

When I write the verses, I write what I have seen exactly as it is. And they say this: He writes as if he had seen it.

Yes. Now a good number of our children listen to me. Little by little we can open up to them like this. Because they cannot grasp it. But now they are getting to know me, little by little. The verses I did not see, with what my Lord inspired into my heart, I wrote the verses with the support of verses. With feelings — with the feelings Allah gives — I wrote. Many verses I wrote from seeing. That's why the Arabic wording does not match my writing, my writing. That's one. Second: the Holy Quran we wrote is not a book written from our own reason — we didn't write it. We examined the written Holy Quran.

The errors we found — we wrote with an inner, Sufi knowledge in which our Lord trained us. Some said he wrote it according to his own reason — now that's gone too, I suppose. That's gone too.

Only those who can attain these states can examine this book. Those who cannot attain this state can only learn. Let me say this too. Yes.

Let's read the verse once more. Then let's move to its commentary. We've already explained it to you. Let's read from here too. Because we explain to you constantly, we explain a bit in depth. Here, because we explain to the general public, we pass over it somewhat covertly. They ask you for news: is that punishment a reality? Say: Yes, by my Lord, it is surely true, and you are not ones who can render Him powerless. Even if men and jinn gathered, they could not render Allah powerless. Allah Almighty's promise is true. But those who do not believe in Allah and the hereafter are in doubt, hesitation and supposition.

They know Allah exists, but they do not believe in Allah.

Now Hodja, don't these words of yours contradict each other here? What did you say? They know Allah exists but they don't believe. On what basis do you say it?

According to the address Elestü bi-rabbiküm:

when He said I am your Lord, Allah Almighty, with the (?) intellect He gave them, gave to those spirits, they themselves know that each of them was created by a Lord. So they said kâlû belâ — yes, it says. To what did they say yes? He knew he was created. He knew he was created. Since Allah Almighty gave man of His spirit, since a part resembles its whole, since man sees his Lord as like himself, those people taken by pride and arrogance, by grandeur, the non-Muslims, did not accept Allah Almighty as Creator. They awaited a Lord whom their own minds (?), imagined. In this case they denied Allah.

So they know they were created. But in Allah and the hereafter — they know Allah exists. But they do not believe in Allah. They do not believe in Allah who created them. These are people contradictory in their own selves and restless in their hearts. And for this sentence I said, Allah Almighty too says: their hearts are restless and scattered. Each sentence corresponds to verses.

Among them, those who ask Allah for mercy are excepted; among them there are Muslims too, it says. (?) their signs. The others go as deniers in proportion to their covenants, it says.

They come that way and go that way. So when these people ask you whether Allah's punishment is true: yes, by my Lord, it is surely true, and you too cannot render Allah powerless.

No one can render Allah powerless.

On the Day of Judgment, when their eyes, sky- blue, pop out, when they throw themselves to the ground, when those who boast of their lineage come together, We will call the Zabaniyah, He says.

The Zabaniyah. From this it is understood that even there, with their lineage, they will oppose Allah. They will oppose His command. So We will call the Zabaniyah, He says. Allah does not soil Himself with such filthy people. Through those Zabaniyah He has them thrown in through one of the gates of My Hell. You know, I don't really want to open up these parts, but the topic comes up, since you listen to me. That's how it is. Even there, out of disobedience to the command Allah gave, disobedience — when they oppose Allah, We say, We will call the Zabaniyah.

Yes.

Among them, those who ask Allah for mercy are excepted; the others go as deniers in proportion to their covenants. So when these people ask you whether Allah's punishment is true: yes, by my Lord, it is surely true, and you too cannot render Allah powerless.

That is, according to their own reason, like the idols they associate as partners with Allah, they imagine Allah. They think they can, with lineage, children and family, or with a large tribe, stand against Allah. Or, by deceiving Allah, apart from their true Lord, they fit the Allah they imagine into their own minds and hope for help from Him. Even if mankind and the jinn, the heavens and the earth and what is between them, gathered, they could not harm Allah. Nor render Him powerless. Therefore these people, because of the rebellion in their nature, are people of kufr. These, buying the eternal abode of Hell, are people unjust to their own selves.

Yes.