Al-Baqarah 43: Establish the prayer (Salah), and bow with those who bow. Give obligatory alm (zakah) as they do.

We have come to the forty-third noble verse.

Perform the prayer, He commands. Ve ekîmu's-salâte ve âtu'z-zekâte. Verkeû mea'r-râkiîn. Perform the prayer, give zakat, with those who bow bow. If you have questions, you'll ask them.

Allah Almighty created people so that His Self would be known. In a noble verse He said: if you had no worship, what would We do with you? What would We do with you if you had no worship? The created one prostrating before its Creator and performing the prayer in deed means: O my Allah, I have believed in You, in Your existence I have faith, and I have accepted what You said. By being a servant to Allah and of the community of His Beloved, a person comes to know his Lord, even if only a little.

Perform the prayer. Why perform it? I created you. I created you as My mirror. Come into My presence so that I may take pride in you. So that I may take pride in you. Hodja, how does Allah — how does He take pride in people? Doesn't He say to the angels:

Don't you see how they remember Me in the world?

Have they seen Me? No, my Allah, they haven't. What if they saw Me, what would they do?

Give that group My greetings, He says. Greetings, angels. Even if you don't see it, those angels come: Allah sends you greetings. Peace be upon you, He says. Yes. On earth you are like the stars shining in the sky, He says. You don't hear this.

Just as in the darkness of night, when the sky is clear, those stars shine, people who remember Allah shine on earth like stars. And those people who shine like stars are those who worship Allah. Those who are in their Lord's presence in bowing, standing, prostration and tahiyyat. O man, even if you don't see it, the moment you stand for prayer you are in My presence, He says. Ask there. Ask whatever you want. Here, here is a verse for you. Do not be (?).

Do not be among those who forget themselves, who cannot master themselves. Here is a verse for you. Pay attention to the middle prayer. That is: O My servant, by standing for prayer you are in My presence. Reflect on Me, He says. Reflect on Me. Ask of Me; ask whatever you want. What you need but don't know, hidden in the most (?) corner of your heart, I know; ask, He says. But when a person performs the prayer, he is (?) of himself. He is deprived of that reflection too. So perform the prayer. Perform the prayer.

Allah Almighty created people so that His Self would be known. In a noble verse He said: if you had no worship, what would We do with you? The created one prostrating before its Creator and performing the prayer, in deed, means: O my Allah — consciously, of course — I have believed in You, I have faith in Your existence, and I have accepted what You said. By being a servant to Allah and of the community of His Beloved, a person his Lord, even if only a little, comes to know.

Even if you know nothing, the moment you perform the prayer, over the others you are still superior. In what are you superior? At least, of Allah's five conditions, that is, that prayer — of the five conditions of the sharia ruling — you are fulfilling one. You brought the condition to my sharia; you are a Muslim, you performed your prayer too. What about those who don't? You keep your fast, for example. What about those who don't? If you have money, you go on pilgrimage. What about those who don't? If you have money, you give zakat. What about those who dodge zakat? Well. If you do these fully, you have held fast to the rope of Allah.

Give zakat, He says. People, mentally — since they were created deficient, they make mistakes. Knowingly or unknowingly they earn unlawfully. If a person, with a sincere heart, obeys Allah Almighty's command and gives zakat sincerely, wholeheartedly, gladly, Allah Almighty purifies his wealth and increases his earnings. What is the meaning here? O man! I willed you, I created you. I gave you a part of My Self and sent you to the earth as the mirror of My Self.

I also put all these beings at your command. I made you the vicegerent of the earth. Aren't you ashamed, He says. Aren't you ashamed? To the One who created you, who gives you so much provision, you don't serve as a servant, and to Him you don't bow. If someone else helps you, saves you from poverty, solves your difficulty, you bow to him, before him you turn somersaults, and to serve him you compete, to serve him. Just to get to do him some service, you compete. And O man, I don't ask any help from you, He says. I use all My blessings on you. So why are you, toward Me, in a bowing, in a prostration, let me tell you, by performing the prayer, deprived of worship?

Does this befit a human?

Now, Ahmet Efendi or Mehmet Efendi keeps giving to me. He meets my needs. Whenever I'm stuck, he backs me up. And in return for all he has done, I betray him. Does this befit humanity? What does a person, being human, say? Well, isn't it shameful? Look, this man does you so much good, and you betray this man. Well, Allah, the owner of the worlds, creates us most honourable. He sets all blessings before us, and if we don't do the duty of servanthood to Him, wouldn't we ask each other? O man, you are in the sleep of heedlessness; shame on you, wake up, come to yourself. Look, sir, this is ingratitude; never defy your Lord.

Wouldn't you say that? But we don't say it. We can't say it. Why? We can't know this much.

We can't think, we can't think. Yes, what does it say? In verse 43: perform the prayer, give zakat, with those who bow bow. Allah Almighty, so that His Self would be known, people created. In a noble verse: if you had no worship, what would We do with you, He says. So if you had no worship, what should Allah Almighty do with us?

If people, in worshipping Allah, had fallen short, if in worship the religion of Islam had vanished, what does Allah Almighty say? I would destroy you and create, with servants who sin, beings who would make My Self known until the Day of Judgment, He says. Beings who would make My Self known until the Day of Judgment. Allah Almighty created 17 or 18 thousand worlds. Its ant, its worm, its dog, its angel — all of them within. But all of them, for the duties they will do, Allah Almighty, by His own will, has programmed. They have no rewards and sins. Only, He says, when the animals are gathered, if in the world they treated each other harshly, they will take their rights from each other, and vanish.

People, since they are free with their own will, their own — since they are free with their own will — through their worship are obliged to do their duty of servanthood to Allah with their own desire and wish. Why are they obliged? Because man was left free in his own will. So it turns out no other being is free in its own will. For this reason, what does Allah Almighty say? If you had no worship, what would We do with you?

If We wished, We would create you as a single community, He says. We would also make you prostrate. We would lower angels from the clouds. And you would prostrate to Me out of that fear, He says. But We gave you great value. I willed that My Self be known through your own desire and wish, He says. In this case, I gave you partial free will, that is, the ability to judge for yourselves. I gave it. I gave the authority to judge. If within this judgment you do not worship the One who created you, what shall I do to you, He says. How beautifully He says it here. The created one's prostrating before its Creator and performing the prayer — in deed, that person, look what he is saying to Allah now; he isn't aware of it himself, but he says this: O my Allah, I have believed in You, I have faith in Your existence, and what You said I have accepted — that is the meaning.

What is performing the prayer? Bowing to Him, being in prostration and in ruku. O my Allah, I have believed that there is no god other than You. I have faith. You say La ilahe illallah. And what do you do? Eşhedü en lâ ilâhe illallah ve eşhedü enne Muhammeden abdühû ve resûlüh. I testify that there is no other god besides You. If there were another god besides You, then according to Allah Almighty's noble verse, that creator god would take his property and the other his own, and everything would drown in corruption, He says. So the heavens and the earth, and what is between them, surrounded by the Throne of Allah — again, according to the noble verse that the heavens and the earth and what is between them, their Lord's remembrance have known — again, according to His saying that the inheritance of the heavens and the earth and what is between them is Allah's, there is no god other than Allah.

What are you saying in performing the prayer? I have believed, I have faith. There is no god other than You. And you say: I have bowed to You. To carry out Your command, to carry out Your command, I run to You, my Allah, you say. But you are not aware of it.

This is the virtue of the prayer.

Yes. That's why they say the prayer is the pillar of religion. And a pillar.

By being a servant to Allah and of the community of His Beloved, a person his Lord, even if only a little, comes to know.

What is it? Must you necessarily train your nafs and to nafs-i mutmainne, nafs-i raziye, nafs-i marziye rise? Allah Almighty has given the states of man's nafs. The nafs-i ammara is also Muslim. He doesn't pray, doesn't fast, doesn't give zakat, doesn't go on pilgrimage. To someone: you look at my heart, my heart. I do this for that one, I do that for this one, he says. With his own deeds, with the traps Satan shows him, he throws himself into the middle of paradise. With his tongue. Whereas it is nafs-i ammara. Its salvation is very bad. That is, it is not certain. Ah, nafs-i lawwama. He performs his prayer, keeps his fast, goes on his pilgrimage, gives his zakat.

This one has entered Allah's path. He has entered the paths that will fulfil Allah's command. If he continues, he gets away with it. If he continues. Yes. Ah, what about the other? The other becomes a believer. A believer within Islam.

In nafs-i mutmainne. What did we say just now? Those who come to comprehend the manifestations. Believers. That's why Allah Almighty in His noble verses says: Ya eyyühellezine amenü. They believe. Ya eyyühellezine mü'minün. Or mü'minat. That is, like this. Ya eyyühellezine nas. That is, people. He says this. Forms of address. That's why Islam — the believer is also Islam, Islam is Islam too, but Islam: one who has said the testimony of faith is Islam, up to nafs-i mutmainne. The believer, up to nafs-i safiye, is both Islam and a believer.

That is, if we were to assess it like this,

consider two classes of people. Two classes. One is the employer, one — the other working as a worker. Who is the employer part? The believers. Who are the working parts? The Muslims. That is, one: those working to reform their nafs so they can comprehend Allah Almighty's manifestations. The other: those who have reformed that nafs, have comprehended the manifestations, and there are in constant (?) with their Lord — those people, the believers. Yes, what are we saying now? Being a believer is not necessarily a condition, but being a worker in that factory is a good thing too, isn't it? They say to the ant: where are you going?

To the pilgrimage, it says, to the pilgrimage. But how will you cross those deserts? Even if I can't reach the pilgrimage, can't I at least die on that road, it says. How beautifully it says it. If deeds depend on intention, it gets away with it too. Within the same factory. That is, Islam. The factory of Islam. Yes.

If you have become a Muslim, He says. If you have become a Muslim, now give zakat, He says. Give zakat. Why? Give zakat. I am placing My light in your heart, He says. My light, in the Muslim's heart. Even if the light doesn't settle, Allah's mercy settles in his heart. This mercy, this compassion has made the Muslim a brother to the Muslim. Not blood siblings — if it were blood siblings, Abel and Cain too would be brothers. A brother: even if one Muslim is at one end of the world and another Muslim at the other end, the two are brothers. So if your brother goes to bed hungry while your stomach is full, his burden is on you too, He says.

Couldn't I have given to him as I gave to you? We sent you into your world to test you with one another, He says. A test: in this case, if I gave to you, from the zakat of the wealth I gave you give to your brother too, He says. O person giving zakat, if you give zakat, in it there is another secret, He says. If you give zakat — because your mind is deficient, you didn't say lawful or unlawful, you gathered your money. What you didn't do knowingly — the unlawful you mixed into your money unknowingly, also unknowingly — I will cleanse the unlawful part of that money too, He says. Well, the unlawful was cleansed — what happens? From whomever you took the unlawful, to that person too I gave it as reward, He says; reward, reward — he didn't do it knowingly, after all; he didn't earn the unlawful knowingly; thinking he was earning lawfully, he mixed in the unlawful. So his wealth too was cleansed, the blessing of his wealth increased, and his brotherhood too, by bringing it to a certain level, rose with the levels of social life. In this case, by his carrying out Allah's command — since Allah Almighty wants to see people on earth living together like brothers, and since they carry out this command in a brotherly way, it also pleases Allah Almighty — people, the one who helps and the one who is helped, attain reward with Allah.

The one who is helped, too. Because he broke that pride. He said: my Lord, this is not from Ahmet. You said this to Ahmet, he says. If You hadn't commanded it, Ahmet wouldn't have given me this for Your sake. So I am not taking this from Ahmet, my Allah. It is You who gives this to me, he says. And what do you say? You don't see Mehmet. My Allah, I am giving to You, you say. The one who receives is from Allah, the one who gives is from Allah. Both are in reward. You give zakat, He says. Since people were created mentally deficient, they make mistakes. Knowingly or unknowingly they earn unlawfully.

If a person, with a sincere heart, obeys Allah Almighty's command and gives zakat sincerely, wholeheartedly, gladly — gladly, gladly, why? Sincerely, from the heart, gladly, if he gives zakat. Look at the people who pay attention: when giving zakat, where shall I trim, where shall I slip out, how shall I manage — they always go for the hile-i şer'iyye side of things. Very rarely does a person put his wealth out in the open as it is, and calculate on that basis. When I too was liable for zakat, how much did I have at one time? This much. (?) One billion — I was giving one thousand two hundred fifty lira.

(?) 1250 (?), and here I was giving more. In case I fell short. Ah, this too is zakat.

How fine. This is sincerely, from the heart. You calculate. You give that. Let's say your wife has gold. How much? 300 grams. What does it say? Up to 89 grams or up to 91 grams is exempt. After 91, you will give the zakat of the gold. How much was it? 300 grams. If 91 is exempt, what is it? 209 grams. I was including the 91 as well. In case this too is part of it. Out of piety. I'd calculate on that and give.

This is from the heart. What will happen? You give to your brother. You make him smile. His face smiles, and you're giving to Allah too. From the heart. From the heart you give to Allah.

If people only knew, if they only knew its value,

yes.

Allah Almighty purifies his wealth, increases his earnings, from his sins saves him. From his sins. That in the wealth He has given us there is also the right of little orphans, if only we could know. The little orphan has a right.

How does he have a right in what I earn?

Allah Almighty doesn't give you wealth for you to eat it yourself.

Ah, here's a verse for you now. Open the Quran — in many places. Strive in Allah's way with your lives and your wealth, He says. What does the noble verse say? In many places, not just one or two. In Allah's way — we will come to those. Strive in Allah's way with your lives and your wealth.

With their lives, the martyrs, martyrdoms; with your wealth — so it means within this wealth, this property my Lord gave me, to people in need there is a command that I give. There, too, is the little orphan; give to them.

There are widowed women whose husbands died, pregnant women.

There are the destitute among them, the lonely, sir, people in need of care.

We will give to these.

In a story, Umar, during his caliphate, used to wander around until morning. Until morning. He slept very little, the blessed man. I am the caliph; a person who needs me — if I can't be at his side, his right stays on me, he'd say, and he'd go around. House by house. One night he sees a child crying. A child. When the child's crying goes on, he can't bear it and knocks on the door. Of course the woman doesn't recognise that it's Umar in front of her. Yes, she says, is there something you want? He says, the child is crying, he said, I was curious, he said, it's been crying for a while, and I've been listening, he says. Does this child have some trouble, he says.

Allah, she says, may He do this and that to Umar — she curses. She doesn't know it's Umar, either. He says: sister, Umar — why do you curse like this? Look at our state, she says. In the pot, she says, I'm boiling stones, stones. And to get the child to sleep, she says, I'm doing what I can. I say the food isn't cooked yet, the food isn't cooked yet. We're hungry, hungry, she says, hungry. A child is crying from hunger, she says. Well, if you don't tell Umar this, how would Umar know, he says. Well, if Umar doesn't know how he'd know, she says, why did he become caliph over us, she says.

All right, sister, he says. Let me give you an address, he says, come to this address tomorrow, he says, so they can see to your need, he says. When she comes, the next day she sees Umar in front of her.

His — sorry — you stay here, he says, sister, he says, wait, wait, I'll now, he says, bring you provisions, he says; he loads the sacks on his back, carries them, gives the provisions, and you, he says, take this address; when you're in need, he says, come to this address; all your needs will be met from here, he says.

This is what people, those little orphans, have over people: their rights. If we are each other's brothers, if you go to bed hungry and I go to bed full, by Allah and by Allah, I am responsible. I swear, we are responsible. If, knowingly, you go to bed hungry and I go to bed full, we are responsible for this. If a Muslim cannot share his state with another Muslim, his faith has not reached perfection, he says.

If the other Muslim cannot share in a Muslim's state, his faith has not reached perfection.

Yes.

Zakat — this is how precious zakat is.

If those people were aware of the ranks our Lord gives us, the time of giving zakat they would watch for impatiently and wait for it to come as soon as possible.

Since Allah Almighty created all beings, the wealth He has given us to those in need, couldn't Allah Almighty give it? The owner of all He created — just as He gave to us, couldn't He give to them? He gives. In an instant He guides people, in an instant He gives what He wills. This is Allah Almighty's treasury. You can't know this. You can't know. Now, by a narration, one of the men is hungry.

That is, by one of the men I mean Ali (may Allah be pleased with him); that day he can't find anything. There's nothing. The sun is about to set. At home there's not even bread to eat. Allah Almighty brings Gabriel the trustworthy before him. He doesn't know it's Gabriel the trustworthy. A horse in his hand. He says: Let this horse stay with you, he says; this horse of mine is for sale, he says. If a buyer turns up, give it for this price, he says. Give it for this price.

I have some business, he says; it's entrusted to you, he says. I'll be back in a few minutes, he says. Well, fine, he says.

He comes in another guise.

Is this horse for sale, he says? It's for sale, he says. How much, he says? Its owner told me to give it for this price, he says. It's not mine. I'm only keeping it in trust, he says. Its price is this much, he says.

Good heavens, he says.

It's a fine horse, too, he says. And its price is rather cheap, he says. This horse's price, he says, comes to this much, he says. I will give you this much money, he says. A price above its money.

This, he says, because its value is this, he says. (?), he says. He takes the horse and goes. Gabriel comes back from the other side of the house.

Where is my horse, he says. (?) your horse, he says. I gave it at the price you said. But the man told me, he says, this horse is a valuable horse. An expensive horse. Your money is this much — that is, the price for the horse is this much, he said, he says. He gave me this much money, he says. Friend, he says. Give me the money of the price I told you. The rest doesn't concern me, he says.

The rest doesn't concern me. The rest is yours, he says. You give me my money, he says. So Allah, who guarantees everyone's provision, provides for people from such unknown directions. Someone appears before you. Take this, hold it. Take this, do it like this. Before you know it, something from there, something from the other side; He shows you a way. Oh, the trade in this is good; if I do this, I'll make money, you say; He shows you such a way. This is Allah.

Yes. Guarantor of everyone's provision.

The wealth they have given us — wouldn't they give it to those in need? Wouldn't He give it? Isn't Allah, in whose hand is the sovereignty of all beings and of dominion, capable of this, He says. Instantly. Of course He is capable. So this is a world of testing. Whoever is wealthy today is in want tomorrow. Whoever is in need today is in wealth tomorrow. Isn't it so? It is. In both states of mind, if a person knew these were from his Lord and gave thanks to Him, a sincere servant to Allah Almighty he would have become. If he gave thanks. Now, the virtue of gratitude is very great. Of gratitude.

In gratitude there is contentment with what comes from Allah. In gratitude there is trust in Allah Almighty.

In gratitude there is a person's contentment with his own state. At the same time, in gratitude — Allah Almighty's noble verse says: would We ever, of the one who gives thanks, diminish the wealth? Whoever gives thanks, whoever is content with what Allah gives,

submits to what comes from Him and says, this is a blessing from my Lord to me, if he tries to be worthy of it, it is impossible that Allah would make him needy. Put this out of your minds. If we remain needy, it's that we can't give thanks.

We can't give thanks as we should. The blessings Allah gave, either by boasting, or by saying I did this like that and got it like this, with the desires of the nafs, in this way, with such behaviour, we fall short of gratitude. And Satan gives a temptation to the human nafs, and that person, with that temptation, from gratitude moves away. So from its virtue, that is, from the virtue of gratitude and from Allah's blessings, he remains veiled. The desire of the nafs (?) him. So what is it, for you? I tell you sincerely, don't go by what I say — I say it with a verse, and because we have tried Allah's verse on ourselves, I say it: if (?) consciously you could perform gratitude, if you tried to be worthy of the blessings Allah gave, surely Allah would save you from being needy.

Know this well.

Allah Almighty increases Abraham's wealth, too. When Abraham says to Allah Almighty, I am (?) these animals, I can't look after them, then: if you don't give thanks for the blessings I gave, I will cut off My wealth from you, He says. I will cut off the blessings I will give. Oh my Allah, he says. How could I not give thanks for the blessing You gave, he says. Then I will increase My giving to you, He says. I will increase it. Yes. The virtue of gratitude.

What are we to do? Our being able to be worthy of the blessings Allah gave is, to Allah Almighty, gratitude. O Lord! You gave me this, this blessing, but it was You who put it before me. Even if it's a morsel of bread. I wonder, am I able to be worthy of it? Am I able to be worthy of this blessing You've given? My Allah, from this helplessness in my nafs, grant me strength and might, so that I may be a servant worthy of You — you pray like this. And seeing the deficiencies in your own nafs, you move away from them. So gratitude takes you to the essence. Gratitude takes you to reforming your nafs.

Gratitude takes you to bringing your nafs to perfection. That is why Allah (?) gives you (?). What is it? Give thanks. Yes.

Bow with those who bow, He says. Ruku. If you have bowed to Allah. Isn't ruku a bowing too? You went into ruku. That is, from standing, from the state of qiyam, into ruku you passed. Before passing to prostration, first. What do you say? In ruku, parallel to the ground like this at ninety degrees, Sübhâne Rabbiye'l- Azîm — you remember Allah. Yes. Bow with those who bow. Muslims are brothers of one another. Do not separate from one another. Do not compromise on your beliefs. Then you fall into division. You come to loss, He says. In ruku. What is this? O you who believe!

When the call to prayer is recited, come together. Prove your unity and togetherness. With what? By being in congregation. Follow that imam. When the imam leads you in prayer, form a row. A row. That row is your unity and togetherness, He says. This is ruku. The meaning in ruku: protect your unity and togetherness. Be gathered. Come together and, all together, bow in obedience to your Lord. Ruku. Yes.

If a person is together with those who bow to their Lord, on the way of being a servant to his Lord he continues.

If he separates from those who bow, from those who, in their Lord's presence, bend in reverence, if he stays away, he stays away from his Lord too, so that in the end he comes to loss. Because Allah Almighty loves His creatures very much, because He is full of mercy, He warns us. With what? With standing in ruku and qiyam, with prostrating, ruku. He is describing the prayer. Perform the prayer, bow. Be together with those who bow.

So the prayer is, of a person's duty of servanthood, of the duty of servanthood to Allah, the first symbol. Without it, the others are half-baked. Without the prayer. Because the prayer is a person himself, five times a day, before all people, as an example to them, saying: I am going up into my Lord's presence, to the miraj — saying: the time has come for me to be with my Lord — saying it. Just as, to meet his own needs, within 24 hours there is time he sets aside for himself, so within that time too the time has come to go to my Lord. I won't stay apart from my Lord. In this time, too, I will be with my Lord, he says.

He stands for his prayer. The prayer is miraj. So he sets aside that time for his Lord too. Allah Almighty, who put 24 hours at people's command — can't a person, with the prayer, set aside a few minutes for his Lord? Those who are ashamed to come into their Lord's presence, those who are embarrassed to say they belong to Islam,

those who follow Satan's footsteps — if these people only knew to what an evil bed they sold their own nafs.

That's why within Islam, too.

Those who say there's still time, I'll perform my prayer. (?) is shirk, according to the noble verse. Those who fall into shirk.

When we will die is not certain. The decree of the Truth comes, and we go. As if you will never die, (?) you will work for the world. And you will worship as if you will die right away.

Performing your prayer — according to the noble verse in which He says: I made your community, that is, the Muslims, witnesses over the other communities, and I made you a witness over the other prophets — I say I am a Muslim, but how will I bear witness over those communities? First of all, with the prayer. What will Allah Almighty say to the Muslim?

Come here. In the hereafter, Allah has the attribute of being Allah, after all. He will show the one who performs the prayer to the non-Muslims. Look. He left his work and stood for prayer.

He obeyed My five daily prayers, that is, My time; to come into My presence he never hesitated. He bowed to Me. What did you do, He will say. While this one was doing his duty of servanthood to Me, what did you do? Didn't He make it known to you in the Holy Quran: if you had no worship, what would I do with you?

That's why the prayer is the pillar of religion. You will perform the prayer. There's no abandoning it. How beautifully our ancestors put it. Wherever you turn back from a loss, it's a gain. Wherever you turn back from a loss, it's a gain. What do you say? O my Allah, I remained in ignorance. Truly, I couldn't perform my prayer. But from now on, as long as I live, I will keep on with You. I will keep on with my prayer. Make me be with those who pray, with those who bow. How beautiful that is. Allah Almighty is Gafurur Rahim. Do you know what He says? In a hadith the Prophet (peace be upon him) says: even if your sins reached the clouds in the sky, when you repent once, We will turn those sins of yours into rewards, he says.

Into rewards. Do you know which verse this hadith corresponds to? It corresponds to the noble verse: Allah is the one who forgives sins abundantly. This hadith also corresponds to this noble verse. Allah is Tawwab, He says. He loves those who repent. Yes.