At-Tawbah 114: That Abraham asked for forgiveness of his father was only because of the promise he made to him. But after it became apparent to him that he (the father) was an enemy towards Allah, he distanced himself. Verily, Abraham was very kind, merciful and very patient.

Abraham's (peace be upon him) asking forgiveness for his father was only because of a promise he had made to him. That is, he told his father: I will ask Allah to forgive you. Then, when it became clear to him that he was a disbeliever, he contentedly parted from him. Yes, when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah, he distanced himself from him. Surely Abraham was very gentle and most patient. May Allah Almighty join all of us, the whole ummah of Muhammad, to the ranks of those who take on the character of Allah Almighty. Yes, earlier (?) the Prophet Abraham had promised to pray to Allah for his father's sake.

And he said he would ask Allah to forgive him. But when he realized his father was an enemy of Allah, he stopped praying. This verse is about that. Allah Almighty says it that way too. Earlier he says to his father. Because of the promise he gave. For Abraham was a hanif who knew Allah as One. That is, he never associated partners with Allah. A person who knew Allah as One from birth, from childhood. He knew Allah Almighty this way.

More or less — you know, may no vanity come to one's nafs. Had there been such vanity, Allah Almighty would not grant these stations to people. I too remember my childhood. Ever since I came to my senses. I never associated a partner with Allah, never set up an equal. I knew Him as One. I knew Allah as One. I was a child, of course — as children are. They used to say Azrael takes souls. Azrael took so-and-so's soul, they said. I would say: who is Azrael, taking it? How could he take my soul, I used to say. I was a child, of course. I got married. That is, I (?) Azrael too.

I loved Allah Almighty that much.

May Allah Almighty grant all of us, upon the religion of Islam, as hanifs who know Allah as One, to have our souls taken in that state. Yes.

As I said, to his father — earlier, before his father's state had become clear to him — since a father too has a right over his child, he says to him: for you I will ask Allah's forgiveness. But when it became clear to him that he was an enemy of Allah, he gave this up. Abraham's (peace be upon him) asking forgiveness for his father was because of the promise he had made to him. Even as a young child, Abraham would not worship what they worshipped; he found them repugnant. To his father too — you know, kerih means low, awful, filthy things, that is, kerih, loathsome things. Even though he told even his father that there was no benefit in not worshipping these — no benefit in worshipping them — that it would not be right for people to worship what they made with their own hands and not to seek help — to seek help from them, Abraham's people (?) Abraham, his people (?).

We will talk about it further on.

It does not matter at all that Abraham (?) his people. Abraham leaned his back on Allah. And he will settle the idols' account too. In the later verses we will open them up for you. His father too was among those who wronged Abraham, among those who did not believe his son. Thereupon Abraham said: I will pray to Allah for you. When prophethood came and he learned that his father was a polytheist, he gave up praying for his father. So for a prophet and for a person of faith, praying for polytheists and disbelievers is not fitting. But how is one to pray? One does pray: one says, may Allah reform you.

But you cannot say: May Allah grant you His mercy. You cannot say: May Allah guide you. Because you say that only to people of faith. May Allah guide you. May Allah grant you His mercy. To a polytheist, a disbeliever, a non-Muslim, one says: May Allah reform you; that is how one prays. After being reformed, he has become a believer anyway, he has come to faith, he has been honored with Islam, and then, as you said, prayers like: May Allah grant you His mercy, may Allah guide you, may Allah give you good understanding, are made.

So when people of faith, toward those who are hostile to Allah and out of stubbornness and arrogance deny Allah and His Messenger, — these people whom Allah will deprive of His love and of His mercy in the hereafter — show mercy and pray for them, it shows that they love these people more than Allah, and that a state of taking their place on their side has come about. Yes, if one prays for them. That is, why does Allah Almighty say: do not pray for this person? So what's wrong with it? If, saying 'he's a polytheist, so be it, but a good person', in this way, in a way that takes Allah's verses lightly, we let the love of those people into our hearts, then by the verse 'whoever loves them and admires them is like them', according to that verse, one has taken one's place beside them.

Or, if believers pray for polytheists and disbelievers, for enemies of Allah, out of pity, then the mercy of the people who would pray for them becomes a state that has exceeded Allah's mercy — may Allah protect us. May Allah keep us from going outside Allah's verses like that. God forbid, a person can still slide into kufr. Praying for them: for such people, before their nafs is reformed, one does not pray.

And for them to enter Paradise without their nafs being reformed is also not possible.

If they are prayed for the way one normally prays for a Muslim, a state arises of (?) them into Paradise too, and since their nafs is not reformed, since their faith has not matured, since they have no faith, they would (?) there either. Therefore, since Allah Almighty is just, He will close their account, and as they (?) in Hell, because Allah (?), eternally they will remain people of Hell. Allah's justice and laws — if their nafs, without finding faith, were to enter Paradise, since that goes against Allah's justice and laws, then for the people who would pray for them, it means unknowingly turning Allah's justice into injustice.

That is why asking forgiveness for those who associate partners with Allah befits neither His Prophet nor the believers, decrees Allah Almighty. Abraham (peace be upon him) used to sigh a great deal. The reason was that, since he knew the truth, when he saw people moving away from Allah and being dragged along in their nafs's desires into swamps — though he conveyed the truth to them, since his words had no effect on such people, his heart would ache at the fate awaiting them, and he would sigh deeply. If only these people too would see the truth, escape the grip of the nafs and of Satan and take their place beside the people in Allah's ranks, he would say.

Because of these traits he was very gentle toward people. And since he could not pray for them, he would sigh deeply. Now they say this to me. He writes his own views. Yes. We do not write our own views. We write the feelings my Lord has given me. Feelings. Pay attention. We are not saying that in every age the same calibre as a prophet. You know how they said: this is a hadith, it isn't. The scholars of my ummah are like the prophets of the Children of Israel.

We too explain the truth to people. The truth. Even though we explain the truth, these (?) come against us. They try to spread falsehood over the truth. Although we explain the truth to them, although we (?) explain Allah's verses, because they wrongly hold those superstitions — because they hold those superstitions to be true, their standing against us makes us too sigh deeply. If only they could know too, if only they did not ascribe attributes to Allah, if only they had (?) and learned the truth, if only they had not, saying 'I have studied', let vanity come to their nafs and stood against the truth. We too sigh.

Yes, we too (?) inwardly, inwardly. But there is nothing we can do. So we do not write our own thoughts. With the feelings Allah, our Lord, has given us, bringing to life events that were lived, we put these feelings into words in our own world. Yes, by reason, people, with various words, can draw people in the direction of their own minds. But when you go down to the feelings, when you enter the inner side of the matter, when you come to its essence, a Muslim, toward Allah's servants, for as long as he lives — saying 'this is what our Lord created' — our approaching what He created with mercy, our asking our Lord that he be reformed, shows the rank our Lord has given us in His sight.

Yes. One paragraph left. Let's finish it and discuss it, God willing. Abraham (peace be upon him) too used to sigh a great deal. The reason was that, since he knew the truth, when he saw the swamps into which people, moving away from Allah, were dragged within their nafs's desires, though he conveyed the truth to them, since his words had no effect on such people, at the fate awaiting them his heart would ache and he would sigh deeply. Now this is from my own mind. Abraham's (?). The mercy he felt toward Allah's servants. Doesn't Allah Almighty say so in His verse anyway? Look what He says about Abraham.

Surely Abraham was very gentle and most patient, He says. His being so gentle, his being gentle and (?) merciful toward Allah's creatures. Abraham — long ago, in that realm of lahut, because of the covenant with our Lord, Allah Almighty placed in him traits that would raise him to His Self, and called him 'My Friend'. My Friend. Yes.

If only they took their place beside the people in Allah's ranks, he would say. Because of these traits he was very gentle toward people. And since he could not pray for them, he would sigh so much...