An-Nur 30: (Oh My Messenger!) Tell the believing men (mu’min) that they shall lower their gaze and that they shall protect their chastity. This is cleaner for them. Verily, Allah is aware of what they are doing.

We have come to the thirtieth verse of Surah An-Nur.

Here it addresses the believer. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim. Kul li'l-mü'minîne yeğuddû min ebsârihim ve yahfazû furûcehum. Zâlike ezkâ lehum. İnnallâhe habîrun bimâ yasneûn. My Messenger, tell the believing men to fix their eyes on what is forbidden, their chastity and to guard it. To the believing men. Why doesn't it say "to the Muslim" here now? What does it say? Li'l-mü'minîne yeğuddû min ebsârihim. Ebser: eye. Let them guard their eyes from fixing them on the forbidden. Now here, Cengiz, here we probably (?) the believer and the Muslim. That verse is Surah Al-Ahzab, verse 35, isn't it? Believer: people with no turning back ever again, who have grasped the divine manifestations, who cling tightly to Allah Almighty's commands and prohibitions — such people.

Believers. Looking once with the eye is no harm. Because the eye perceives. Yes. My Messenger, tell the believing men to fix their eyes on what is forbidden and to guard their chastity. A believing man never commits adultery. You may cut off his head, you cannot make him commit adultery. The believing woman. The believing woman too — you may cut off her head, you cannot make her commit adultery. Nor can you make her uncover her head. Of the believer.

By addressing the believer, Allah Almighty here gives life to Islam. He gives life to Islam. How does He give life? I mean, apart from the believer, should Islam fix its eye on the forbidden? He does not push him into kufr. He knows that the Muslim will fix his eye on the forbidden. For this reason, if He had said to those who believe: do not fix your eye on the forbidden, all who fix their eyes on the forbidden would have become unbelievers. The unbeliever would have turned his back on that verse. But by addressing the believer, He makes the Muslim a sinner. If the Muslim looks at it, that one is a sinner.

He should not look. It is like this for the believer, and not different for the Muslim. Because He knows the Muslim cannot master his nafs, He leaves him here an open door out of His mercy. But He shows him the believer as an example. He mastered his nafs, He says. He was faithful to My command. Why were you not like him? Was My command for him alone? It was for all of you. But because, according to the covenant you gave, I knew you would fix your eye on the forbidden, you as a sinner, since you would incur sin as a sinner in what you would do, I did not push you into kufr. And since you did not leave Islam, you stayed under My mercy, He says.

But I will give you your punishment, He says. I will give you your punishment. There is none without punishment. What does it say? My Messenger, the believing men, to fix their eyes on what is forbidden and to guard their chastity — tell them. For this is purer conduct for them. Surely Allah is aware of what they do. Of what everyone does. Not only the believer. Allah Almighty is aware of what everyone does. Yes.

Is there a wrong word here, Hodja? How so? "Not to fix" — one word, the "not", is that missing perhaps? Tell them not to fix their eyes on the forbidden. Not "to fix", but tell them "not to fix".

Tell the believing men not to fix their eyes on the forbidden and to guard their chastity. That's it. I didn't say "to fix". That's how it came out, Hodja. No, "not to fix". Yes, did I say "to fix"? "Not to fix".

So we made a Ramadan tongue-twister. You know, it was Ramadan; people sometimes make tongue-twisters.

Yes.

Allah Almighty: the believers are not to fix their eyes on the forbidden, and are to guard their chastity, He commands. Why, in this verse, does Allah Almighty not speak of Muslims but of believers? Believers have a definite place and rank in Allah's sight. Allah Almighty is pleased with the believers, and the believers are pleased with Allah Almighty; such people they are. Therefore they fear Allah, cling tightly to Allah's commands and strive to carry them out. In Surah Al-Fajr too, 27, 28, 29, 30, in those verses: O soul at peace! Your Lord pleased with you and you pleased with your Lord, enter among My servants, enter My Paradise — the people it speaks of. Believing men are strong in faith and, in terms of nafs, a nafs that has reached perfection.

That is why Allah addresses these people. And because they obey Allah's command by not committing adultery, by not fixing their eyes on the forbidden, and are bound to Allah with their hearts, Allah Almighty addresses the believers. If Allah had addressed Muslims with this verse, since they do not observe Allah's command, by not following this verse they would have denied the verse, and since they would have turned their backs on it, with these errors they would never again find salvation.

If people deliberately, knowingly deny a verse of the Holy Quran, God forbid, they become unbelievers. Yes, if you deliberately deny a verse of the Quran, you become an unbeliever. For example, Allah Almighty says cover your heads, doesn't He? Here this (?), at that time a certain man — I won't say his name. He served as the president of the republic of the time. Back then there was no manicure and whatnot, so they covered their heads. Now there is manicure and whatnot. So, the hair does not fall out. Therefore covering their heads is not important. That is, they deny the verse. He says it — who said this, again?

Kenan Pasha, Kenan Pasha. Kenan Pasha, Kenan Pasha. Kenan Evren.

Yes.

See how they know it. The older ones know; why don't the younger ones?

For this reason, since Allah Almighty knows the believers will never fall into kufr again, He addresses the believer. Thus He shows believing persons to Islam as examples. For believers, not going near adultery and guarding their eyes from the forbidden is a very pure conduct. People living intermingled, against Allah's command and without regard to halal and haram, doing away with the very notion of honour and chastity — at a time when it is unclear who is doing what with whom, by the believers guarding their own chastity and not turning to the forbidden, these believers, among Muslim people, for Allah's sake are waging a jihad against the nafs.

Jihad against the nafs. According to the verse in which He says Allah is aware of what they do, of the believers' conduct, their (?) of Allah, their being patient for Allah's sake, their guarding their chastity, without bringing any harm to their honour, of the deeds they do while guarding their eyes from the forbidden, surely Allah is aware. The works people do for Allah's sake are not wasted, and their reward is with Allah. Yes.

O people! Did Allah, abundant in forgiveness and mercy, send people into the world to eat, drink and roam about, living for pleasure, so that His Being would be denied and so that they would not listen to Allah's commands? Did Allah send people so that they fight each other on earth and, regardless of halal and haram, usurp each other's rights? Although Allah Almighty created people honourable, while even animals have a notion of family and are jealous over their female, did He send people so they would live in states lower than animals and, on earth, abolish the notion of morality and spread immorality?

Forgetting the purpose of creation, every deed his nafs desires, without recognising any moral rule, without listening to Allah's commands, inclined to every evil and ready to do every deed — man, for a life of a few hours in this world, in return for enduring everything — let us get to this point:

in return for enduring everything, to turn his eternal life in the hereafter into torment — is that why He sent him? So think and reflect. Be respectful toward Allah, who is aware of every deed done. Obey His commands; tomorrow in the hereafter regret is of no use, and man is not sent back to the world again. Life's opportunity is in your hands; be a servant to Allah and make use of the opportunity.