Al-Baqarah 13: When they are told to believe just as the believers do, they say “should we believe as these ignorant ones believe?“. Verily, they are the mindless ignorant ones but they do not realize.

We left off at the thirteenth verse on page seventeen.

Page seventeen, the thirteenth verse. Let's check again — is that right? Yes, the thirteenth verse.

What does Allah Almighty say in His verse?

When they are told 'you too believe like the other people,' they say: 'Shall we believe as those mindless ignorant ones believe?' Yet they are the mindless and foolish ones. First, as you always do, let's read our, um, translation once. Then let's explain the sentences in it in light of the verses. When such people are advised — who are such people? The hypocrites. When they come to the Muslims, they say 'we are Muslims.' When they go to their own allies, they say 'we will mock the Muslims,' 'we will make fun of them.' These are the people who drown everything in corruption — such people. When such people are told to believe, they, acting on their selfish feelings, taking fame, renown, pride, arrogance, ego and grandeur, worldly whims and such things as their motto, towards these people who live Islam the Islamic way, who live their religion, who obey Allah, who are obedient and pure, who have faith — they look down on the people of faith.

Why do they look down on them? One: the believer's mirror, or people's mirror. When that person looks at the believer, he sees his own lowliness. Not that of the one before him. When one looks in a mirror, one sees oneself.

Two: people carried away by selfish feelings into pride and arrogance, ego, (?), towards those obedient to Allah Almighty, towards people who carry out our Lord's command, take on an air of superiority. The reason:

They do not boast. That is, people of faith do not boast. They keep away from traits like pride and arrogance. And they are obedient and respectful towards Allah. Because they are deprived of this respect, this obedience, this peace, they look down on them. The reason: 'They are good for nothing. People who just vegetate like this,' they say. Yet that person of faith has found peace; on the path his Lord shows, fully humanely, for the blessings Allah has given, to his Lord he gives thanks, prostrates, submits; such people — that this world is passing (?), and in the everlasting life of the hereafter, their Lord's mercy they wish to earn — on these people, they, that is, those who look down on others, look down on them.

Yet the ones who are despised are they themselves. And these people, who do not possess pride, arrogance, ego, fame, renown and keep away from them — towards them, these try to establish superiority. And so they prefer this passing worldly life to the realm of the hereafter, and leave themselves exposed, in the realm of the hereafter, to eternal punishment. So when such people are advised that their way is wrong, and that by following Allah and His Messenger they should find salvation and attain peace — when this is recommended — in the grandeur of the wealth and pride they see in themselves they cannot obey Allah Almighty.

Yes. These, these people,

existing in this worldly realm, what comes after this — that is, it is impossible for them to believe in a hereafter after death. They don't believe in the hereafter. Even if they do, it's with their tongues, not their hearts. Even if they did believe, they are in shirk. That is, worshipping others besides Allah and expecting help from them, associating partners with Allah, they carry on their lives. And while doing so, deifying their own nafs, changing Allah's verses with their own hands, by the verses that please their selfish feelings they rule themselves; by verse-like words they rule themselves.

And they call that a verse. 'We follow the Gospel, we follow the Torah, we follow the Psalms,' they say. Their true originals do not exist. Their true originals are in the Holy Quran. But the Holy Quran does not suit them. And since they denied Allah way back in the (?), they had their script written that way. They have worked their own destinies into themselves as characters. And when they come into the world within those characters, again their desires and wishes, their aims, Allah Almighty (?) as attributes. As actors of the script they had written in the realm of the hereafter, or the realm of lahut, they play their part in this world.

Yes. Nor do they obey Allah Almighty. People who have reformed their nafs — realising that wealth, pride, grandeur, fame and renown belong to Allah Almighty alone,

who, as Mevlana Rumi's words go, 'be like the earth, be like the waters, be like the sun,' have attained these words — towards them, people who turn their backs on Allah Almighty, among their own allies, with grandeur and pride, say: 'Shall we believe as the mindless ignorant ones believe?'

Yet they are the mindless and the ignorant, they are the unaware; the merchant whose trade made no profit is them too.

With their own minds, they disdain the commands Allah Almighty sent. Because selfish feelings have covered him; in a (?) that Satan has given to his nafs, following Satan's footsteps, he takes him as his guide. In this case man, regarding the eternal life of the hereafter, makes his choice within these few hours of time.

With their own minds, they disdain the commands Allah Almighty sent. Seeing their minds as above Allah Almighty's mind, in line with their own selfish feelings, with such an understanding, without realising it, they hold themselves equal to Allah Almighty or even see themselves above Him. Yes. How do they see themselves above? 'Oh, that was a thing of that time, that was the past.' 'Now forget about that. Look at this age.' he says, tying Allah's verses to the past with his own mind. 'Those are reactionary words,' he says. That is, 'superstitions of the people of old,' he says. Superstitions — that's how he defines Allah's verse, and he holds his own mind above the mind of Allah Almighty.

(?), both restless and with a scattered heart, while living this life, thinking 'I am enjoying life,' to relieve that restlessness, he sets himself after vices like drink, gambling and adultery, and, (?) thinking he is living, sinks deeper and deeper into a swamp. This is the state of life of people who drift away from Allah, who, calling Allah's verses 'reactionary words,' see themselves above Allah's verses. These.

Or he sees himself even above Him. That is, he sees himself above Allah Almighty too. Such people, in the eyes of those who know the truth, are both mindless and despised, foolish people. So they are the base and the foolish. But they don't know. Why don't they know? Because his nafs has deceived him. He gave his pledge that way. He has followed Satan's steps. And people who think life is in drink, gambling, adultery, in swindling people like this, recognising no rights, people's rights (?) — they sink deeper and deeper into a swamp. And then they live timid, fearful and wary of those around them.

When you call them, they can't answer. They say 'hello' in a disguised voice. If the one on the line is someone who would mislead him, or else a creditor, they close the matter with various words. Is this a life? They are exposed to every kind of insult. Is this a human being?

A person must be able to hold his head high. He must be faithful to his word. He must push himself towards the verse 'Who keeps his word like Allah?' Even if he cannot keep his word as Allah does, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, 'adorn yourselves with the morals of Allah' — according to that hadith, at least, at the very least, try to keep the word you gave. Except for death, of course. Except for illness. Except for accidents. These are valid excuses. (?), you gave a word. Things like these have happened to you. And you couldn't keep your word. (?), so what does Allah Almighty say? 'Who keeps his word like Allah?' Because Allah, knowing what will happen until the Day of Judgement and after it too, within His own being keeps that word of His.

There is no shortfall in His word. Yes. So these people, who don't recognise Allah, who turn their backs on Him — what do they say about the Muslims? 'Shall we believe like these mindless wretches?' they say. 'Shall we believe?' All right, you don't believe. You don't believe — but the One who gave you this life, who gave you this body and gave you a visible appearance in this world, who gave you a fine mind so that with your mind and perception you earn your living and keep your being alive — and all the blessings your Lord created spread before you; who eats and drinks them and benefits from them, if not you?

How do you deny this and say: 'Shall I believe in this one who gives these blessings, that is, in this Lord?' Then what do you believe in? You make a god of your own nafs and believe in it. So you are the mindless and foolish one. Yes.

We left off at Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 13. I think so. Let's see, let's see — which verse of Surah Al-Baqarah is it? Yes, Surah Al-Baqarah, we left off at verse 13. What does it say? When they are told 'you too believe like the other people,' they say: 'Shall we believe as those mindless ignorant ones believe?' Yet they are the mindless and foolish ones, says Allah Almighty. Yes. So Allah Almighty sends the Holy Quran as a mercy to the worlds.

And has us enjoin what is right (emr-i bi'l-maruf). When they are told 'you too believe like the other people.' Who are the other people? 'Believe like the people who believe' — said to whom? To the hypocrites. They say: 'Shall we believe as those mindless ignorant ones believe?' These mindless and ignorant ones it speaks of are found among the polytheists, the hypocrites and the disbelievers.

Since they are in pride and arrogance, those who obey Allah — in the mirror of the believers they see themselves. They realise they are mindless, foolish ignoramuses.

What did we write in the commentary? When such people are advised that their way is wrong — what does it mean, that their way is wrong? Allah Almighty created these worlds. There is no god but Allah.

The religion of tawhid, ever since Moses, ever since our father Adam, the religion of tawhid has continued. As scripture, from Moses, from David, right here, from Jesus, from the Gospel, from the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) — of the 4 books, the 3 books, in the 4th book, being gathered together in the Quran, constantly the religion of tawhid, that is, that there is no god but Allah, Allah Almighty proclaims to mankind. What are we saying? When such people are advised that their way is wrong, that is, that there is no god but Allah. O people!

According to the verse 'you will not see your Lord' — that is, 'they will not see their Lord' — according to that verse, a Lord such as you imagine does not exist. There is no other god besides Allah. 'You who believe, let them make this known to those who do not believe,' He says. Yes: you too believe, like those who believe. Believe how? There is no other Lord such as you await in your imagination. There is no god but Allah, that you might see that Lord. So your ways are wrong. If you want to come to the truth, you must enter Allah's religion of tawhid. When it is recommended that they follow Allah and His Messenger, find salvation and attain peace — in the grandeur of the wealth and pride they see in themselves, they cannot obey Allah Almighty.

Why can't they obey? (?) On whom does it rest? That is, Allah Almighty (?). Allah Almighty — when Allah Almighty created us and, before us, said 'I am your Lord,' and the Prophet (peace be upon him) was beside Him as a witness — despite that, because our Lord gave us of His spirit, because the spirit resembles the whole spirit, the part resembles the whole, people saw their Lord as like themselves and did not recognise Allah as Lord, and by their own minds awaited a Lord. Accordingly, Allah Almighty's verse: 'they will not see their Lord.' That's where it comes from. So people, there, out of pride and arrogance, turned their backs on Allah.

So Allah Almighty says in His verse: 'My Beloved, their calling you a liar — do not mind it.' 'In their time they betrayed Me too.' 'That is, they did not recognise Me as Lord,' He says. Such is Allah's attribute of being Allah, that — since no one can question Allah Almighty — so that you do not say 'I, in this world, saw You as like myself. So I could not believe in You. If You had sent me to an unseen world, I would have obeyed You there,' Allah Almighty created this unseen world. And He sent us into the unseen. Now He says: 'Here's your chance — believe in the unseen,' He says. But those who there, with their pledge, by their own will, by their desire and aim, had their own destiny written — when they come here, they play out their script from there as actors.

Because their desires, wishes and aims were written for them as destiny, and those destinies settled in them as characters. So those characters — people's own nature, through the actual deeds in their lives — they make the proof of themselves. What does the verse say? Did you think you would die without proving what kind of person you are? Yes. So these, at the root, in their wealth and pride, because they likened their Lord to themselves, that is, saw Him as human, could not believe in Allah and awaited the Lord of their imaginations. Hence they became proud and arrogant towards Allah Almighty.

So they did not obey Allah. People who have reformed their nafs know that wealth, pride, grandeur, fame and renown, renown, belong to Allah Almighty. Fame, renown, pride, arrogance — if they exist, if there is anyone to be proud and great, it is Allah. But Allah, even Allah Almighty, is not proud and arrogant. Yes. Now,

with the words spoken by Mevlana Rumi — what does he say? Be like the earth, be like the waters, be like the sun.

Towards people who have attained these secrets, people who turn their backs on Allah Almighty, among their own allies, with grandeur and pride, 'shall we believe as mindless ignorant ones believe?' they say.

Yet those people have reformed their nafs; regarding the created kindly for the Creator's sake — the saying of Ibrahim Fakrullah — they have attained it, truly. Knowing all created beings as servants created by Allah Almighty, breaking the grandeur in their nafs, the pride and arrogance, being servants to Allah — towards such people, those who are in pride and arrogance, by the veil their pride and arrogance draw before their eyes, cannot know that these are fine human beings.

And then what do they say? When they come to their own allies: 'We are mocking those mindless and ignorant fools.' That is, 'we are making fun of them,' they say.

With their own minds, they disdain the commands Allah Almighty sent. What do they say? 'Those are words of a bygone age.' 'This is reactionism,' they say. Reactionism. Yet the reactionaries are they themselves. The Muslim is not reactionary. The Muslim, with Allah Almighty's verse, has the capacity to keep pace with future ages — he is a person with such a mindset.

Reactionism, though, is people who long for the ways of those left behind in past ages. So who longs for the ways of the past age? Those who, as today, strip their wives, daughters, sisters to feast their eyes, who trample their honour and dignity underfoot — those who, burying their children alive in the sand, return to the age of people ashamed of those girls and long for those ages. Those who make these sisters, some of them, dance at drinking tables and make merry, before Islam — these are the reactionaries. Today's way of life is this reactionism rising from the grave.

The Muslim is not reactionary. The Muslim is a person who can keep pace with future ages. So, that believer — those fools, those ignorant ones, those hypocrites, within the ideology of the non-Muslim, seeing that way of life as superior to the Muslim's, saying 'shall we believe like those fools and ignorant ones?' — the poor wretches.

Those who by their own minds see Allah's commands as above their own minds and yet call them words of a past age. With an understanding in line with their own nafs, without realising it, they hold themselves equal to Allah Almighty or even see themselves above Him. Such people, in the eyes of those who know the truth, are both mindless and despised, foolish people.

Yes.