Al-Baqarah 17: Their (the hypocrites) situation is like the example of a fire that burns (during the night). Who extinguish the fire while it enlightens its surroundings, will cause themselves to stay in darkness. They won’t be able to see anymore.

Yes, Mehmet Murat, let's start from verse 17. Not 13, from verse 17 let's start. Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 17. Their state is like the state of those who kindle a fire in the dark of night, so that, apart from the light that gives a little brightness around them, they remain within the darknesses of Allah's nights. So they do not see. Now this verse too — let's look at how they opened it up here, let's look now; we open it up like this, but, I mean, let's look at what other people opened up: 'their' — it says — that is, the hypocrites' state is like someone who kindles a fire on a dark night; that's the example. The moment that fire burns and lights up his surroundings, Allah immediately takes away their light. Is there such a thing? Is Allah unjust?

One who comes to Him, who holds fast to Allah's verse — would He say, no, you won't hold fast? Remember, Allah (?), He used to accept repentances abundantly; remember, He created people in helplessness, created their reason incomplete; they will err, and when they know their errors and repent, Allah Almighty will accept their repentance. If — I'm quoting the verse now — on earth there were servants who committed no errors, He would destroy them and create those who err, it says. Here, Allah Almighty created no being equal to His Self, no being, and though He created people close to His Self, though He gave them of His spirit, because of their reason being created incomplete, for the errors they will commit, when they ask for pardon and forgiveness, He will forgive them.

This — our Lord's greatness will come out, and man's helplessness will come out through repentance. So that is how the dialogue between the Creator and the created will begin. Is there such a thing now — he will turn to Allah, and Allah won't forgive him? Do you see people's errors? Yes.

Man is a very ungrateful being toward his Creator. We said. Toward his Creator.

Where does this ingratitude come from?

Allah Almighty has given man a fine attribute. What does He say? Lekad halaknel insane fi ahseni takvim. I created man in the finest form. The blessing of His holding him as the one He addresses. The blessing of His giving a (?) from His (?). The blessing of His giving him health, giving him reason. The blessing of His leaving him free within his will. Sending him to a hidden world and protecting him in that hidden world from unknown directions — a blessing. And spreading every kind of blessing before him — a blessing. Man does not grasp these, and says 'I did it', says 'I got it', and if he doesn't see this blessing and its place, surely man is very ungrateful.

Yes.

However much a Muslim may have fallen into this ungrateful state, with the faith that the religion of tawhid has given him, he is saved from this ingratitude. How is he saved? He knows there is one Allah and knows that all these blessings come from Allah. Even if he takes the blessings Allah gave as coming from himself, at the root such a trait lies in him. But if he is an unbeliever, he associates partners with Allah. He describes Jesus as the son of Allah, Mary as His wife, and Allah as the greatest of three gods. The Jews call Ezra the son of Allah. And 'we are Allah's close ones.' 'We are Allah's sons,' they say.

Allah Almighty answers them. 'Do they have a proof in their hands?' He says. 'Then let them wish for death at once,' He says. How well He says it. Now, so man is a very ungrateful being toward his Creator. Although Allah Almighty placed all the blessings He created at people's command, man has forgotten his Lord who grants the blessings, has inclined toward what Allah created, has leaned his back on created things and come to expect help from those things — that man is truly an ungrateful person. He has forgotten what Allah gave. He has leaned his back on the matter Allah gave. (?) doesn't he know?

In an instant an earthquake, a disaster, a fire, well, takes away his life and his property.

Allah Almighty, so as to meet every need of the people He created, has sent His Holy Quran. He has lit their way. Teaching them what they did not know through the Holy Quran, (?). What? From the verses.

'Had We not sent you Our word, that is, had We not sent prophets, you would have had to know Me with the reason I gave you,' He says. 'But a little of My mercy reached you; I sent you prophets and scholars,' He says. Prophets and scholars. In this case, what does this mean? Because He created our reason incomplete, so that we don't suffer hardship in this world, Allah Almighty leads us, guides us. He holds a light before us.

With what? With His word. The Holy Quran — a light, a lamp, a guide, we say, don't we? What is the Holy Quran? It is Allah's word. Yes.

But that poor man, the paths of mercy and guidance Allah Almighty showed — he abandoned them, and the dark and swampy paths his nafs showed, to the paths of guidance and mercy, he preferred.

Allah Almighty, in a verse: aduvvallahi ve aduvvekum. 'Your enemies are also Allah's enemies,' He says. Now people (?) this wrongly. Who is Allah's enemy? The unbelievers, these, those. Whereas our enemy is in ourselves. My nafs, Satan and the world. These are the things that mislead man, the three working together. Friends: against three enemies, three friends. Reason, faith, the angel of inspiration.

Whichever side you turn to, you take your place in that side's ranks.

So, those who are captive to their nafs, see the world through rose-tinted glasses, while Satan sets a trap before man — those who forget this verse in which Allah Almighty calls out to people. What is the verse? O people! Satan is your enemy, it says. Do not follow his steps. Then he will strip you stark naked, it says.

How well it says it. He strips you both bodily and by leading you into unbelief, by taking the light of faith from you — he strips you. How well Allah Almighty says it.

Yes. But that poor man, the paths of mercy and guidance Allah Almighty showed, has abandoned, and the dark and swampy paths his nafs showed, to the paths of guidance and mercy he has preferred. Yes.

We write these line by line. These are all words corresponding to verses, you see. Every sentence corresponds to verses. We said about these: we'll read them to you, we'll open these sentences up for you. If we had tried to write them all out here like this, this tafsir would never end. It really would never end. So these people are in darknesses. That is, though Allah Almighty sent the Holy Quran before us as a light, a leader — despite His sending it, those who turn their backs on this light, who, within their short reason, don't care about Allah's verses, or consider their own reason superior and say 'these are the words of times past' — so, within such selfish feelings, within darknesses and in swamps, they swim.

They are restless. Here's a verse for you. Their hearts are restless and scattered, it says. The verse. Who is this? Non-Muslims'. So what meaning will come out here? What meaning will come out? When it says their hearts are restless and scattered, these, to bring their own nafs to rest, need peace. And this peace — those who seek it even in what Allah forbade. Where? Those who seek it in drink. Where? Those who seek it in fornication. Those who seek it in gambling.

Those who push Allah's limits.

Those who commit the filth the destroyed peoples committed.

Those who drown the earth in disease with unknown microbes. Those that spring from them. These microbes, from those base people — they spring from them. I'm not the one saying this, mind you; Allah says it. They are like four-legged animals roaming the earth; indeed, even more astray in their course. So these deviants, apart from humans, with some creatures mate, thereby acquiring all kinds of microbes, and those microbes to people they transmit, endangering mankind.

Yes.

Plus, those who wage biological warfare. Those who, not valuing human creation, for their own economy to rise, produce microbes and infect people with them, then its vaccine they bring out and rake in trillions — we live in such times. Who is it that does this? Those unaware of themselves, who don't value the being Allah created as most honorable, on the earth — more astray in their course than that animal, as He says, more astray in their course, as He says; those human in form and animal in character commit these.

So these people are in darknesses. While all of Allah Almighty's knowledge, in a way that gives people life, before us stands, if we get up and make laws according to our own reason, and pass judgments, we end up in dead ends.

What is it? There's a court of human rights, they say. I wonder, of that court they call human rights, do the judges at its head understand human rights? I swear by Allah, they are devoid of those rights. By what does he say this? He says it by Allah Almighty's verse. Which verse? If they, they had known the verses, they would have become Muslims. Muslim. People outside the Muslims, the decisions they will make — just like the drunk who staggers and says 'I'm walking straight' — they are people who make decisions like that. They are people unaware of themselves. In this case, those who say 'human rights' and make laws the way it suits them.

These people, in the court of human rights, if they valued human rights, they would fear Allah, who created them; they would not change Allah's book with their hands and say 'I believe in that Allah' and associate partners with Allah.

So these pull every kind of intrigue. In what? According to their own reason. Whereas Allah's knowledge is such as to give people life. What does it say? If they killed a man, kill. Qisas. How fine. A deterrent law. If I'm going to kill you, I know they'll kill me too. Deterrent — so I'd better not kill you. I respect your rights and your due. The one who commits adultery — if a married person has committed adultery, it says stoning for him, killing by stoning. Allah Almighty (?) my honor. When I go somewhere, I know no one will be able to touch my wife; indeed my wife can't do wrong. If she does, they stone her, kill her by stoning.

Since Allah Almighty says, 'I created man in the finest form,' and has given man of His spirit, and people are the most excellent of the other created beings, their glory and fame, their dignity and honor, their chastity Allah protects. With what? With His verses. And those who turn their backs on these verses have neither glory, nor fame, nor honor, dignity, chastity. They ask a man — this really happened, mind you — 'You're sending your wife to — what — on holiday?' 'Well, what if she meets someone there?' 'It's her right,' he says, 'she can meet.' 'What if they sleep together?' 'Well, she has needs too,' he says. Look at the mentality.

The mentality. 'She has needs too.' Do such people have honor, dignity, chastity and virtue? Do they differ at all from the other animals roaming the earth? Animals do the same thing too.

Yes.

So if we get up and make laws according to our own reason, pass judgments, we end up in dead ends, just like this. We passed over these parts like this in short sentences. We don't open them up, that is. Keeping them closed.

Because this is for the general public. The public will know this. 'Here a couplet comes to my mind,' it says. What do we say? A person who puts everything to his own reason is like a legless man who has put on an artificial leg, it says. He sets out today to change something he did yesterday, it says. Well, that's how far your reason goes. Today you do this; here you don't like it, you do this. But Allah's laws are deep-rooted. Come, look, here there is life; apply this. Don't go left and right wasting time. Don't search. There's a foundation here, a foundation. Build your building on the foundation.

Don't go building on the edge of the cliff, on ground that will slide.

Yes.

Of course, laws according to our reason we will make, judgments we will pass — of course, it says, we'll pass them — these judgments, only if they are within the framework of the laws Allah Almighty sent us, will we find salvation, we said. Of course we'll make laws, but within the framework of Allah's laws, yes.

If we go outside this, we will have taken on misery and abasement, we said.

If man, in the state of his rebellious nafs, toward Allah Almighty, by giving an evil covenant, has had himself written as rebellious in his destiny, he will of course turn his back on the light Allah Almighty sent. That is, here we want to remind you of Elestü bi Rabbiküm. Ve küntüm ezvacen selaseh. All kinds are three classes, it says. Fe ashabü'l-meymeneti ma ashabü'l-meymeneh — those of the right. Ve ashabü'l-meş'emeti ma ashabü'l-meş'emeh — those of the left. Ve's-sabikune's-sabikun, ülaike'l-mukarrabun, fi cennati'n-naim, He said. The third group: the group of the foremost. So man, in the state of his rebellious nafs — that is, if he was among those of the left there — those of the left, in the state of their rebellious nafs, toward Allah Almighty, by giving an evil covenant — that is, waiting for the Lord of his imagination and saying, 'Since when are You my Lord?' — if he has had his desire and wish written as his destiny, has had himself written as rebellious in his destiny, he will of course turn his back on the light Allah Almighty sent.

We said it a moment ago: the scenario he had written there, he will play here as a rebel. Because those characters exist in him.

Of course he will turn his back on the light Allah Almighty sent. They will think dark roads are bright, according to their nafs. Pay attention. Wherever there are people far from Allah, these say, 'We are enlightened,' they say. 'We are progressive,' they say. Whereas they are neither enlightened nor progressive. They are utterly pitiful. Don't look at what I say with my tongue. If it isn't proven, don't believe me in any way. Why? They are utterly pitiful.

Calling themselves enlightened. As I said a moment ago, pay attention to these. These people I call 'enlightened' — in theaters, ancient theaters, in cultures they value these things, and they, with their sister, daughter, son, wife, all have fun together. For them everything is flat. Well, if enlightened and progressive is this, we're done for. Why are we done for? Today nations are advancing with giant steps. With giant steps. Enlightenment is catching up with future ages, obtaining the technology of the people of your time; to be progressive, obtaining them, or even getting ahead of them — that is enlightened and progressive. Enlightened and progressive: satisfying selfish feelings, and if you, in no way protecting your homeland, your nation, your state, without making your weapons, the things that protect you, carry on your pleasures, how is that enlightened?

We truly are in such a sad state. Yes.

All these were passed over in coded form here. If man, in the state of his rebellious nafs, by giving an evil covenant toward Allah Almighty, has had himself written as rebellious in his destiny, of course, on the light Allah Almighty sent he will turn his back; dark roads, according to their nafs, they will think bright. So these are eternally blind; they cannot see the truth.

What is blind? Not only the one who looks but doesn't see. What does Allah Almighty say? They are blind. They will be gathered blind, He says. But He says it in a figurative sense. In a figurative sense. What did we say a moment ago? There's a figurative meaning, a literal meaning, and His explaining to people with examples. In a figurative sense. He will be gathered blind. That is, even today, though I am his Lord, he still denies Me. Well, he still doesn't see — blind. Blind. When they enter Hell: 'Malik, tell that Lord of yours to lighten the punishment on us a little.' He can't say 'our Lord'. 'Tell that Lord of yours.' Why can't he say 'our Lord'?

He is waiting for the Lord of his imagination. That one will come. He will take revenge on Allah who created him. So as long as these feelings are character in him, they are eternally the people of Hell. Here's the verse. After burning there for many thousands of years, after suffering punishment, they will no longer feel and no longer taste, it says. Just as in the world — Allah Almighty, well — in the world people get morphine and have surgery and feel nothing, so Allah Almighty in the hereafter will remove their nerve senses. After their punishment ends. From then on they will remain as eternal logs of Hell.

Won't they cease to exist? They won't. How do you know, Hodja? Paradise and Hell are eternal. Allah Almighty: Hüve'l-evvelü ve'l-ahiru ve'z-zahiru ve'l-batın. He is the First, the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden. Allah, who subsists by His Self, has given man a part of His whole spirit. If people's spirits were mortal, Allah would be mortal too. In this case people are eternal in Paradise and in Hell.

Yes.

Allah Almighty has likened a fire burning in darknesses to the reason He gave man. The fire is reason.

In our opening here, perhaps, when man turns his back on Allah's light, that reason is like a fire lighting its surroundings a little in the darknesses of night — He gave that example. That is, although he knows, turning his back on Allah with selfish feelings — the nafs overpowering reason.

And these cannot see their surroundings, they are blind — He brought this comparison, we said. This is one meaning. Allah's verses are a light illuminating the surroundings. People, with their own selfish states, (?) their reason, and turning their backs on Allah — that is what leaves them in darknesses.