Al-Baqarah 120: The Jewish and Christian people will never be content with you, until you follow them. Tell them “true guidance is the guidance of Allah”. If you were to follow their wishes and desires after the knowledge that came to you, you would not find any (true) friend and helper to save you from the punishment of Allah.

We come to our lesson. What do we say? Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 120. Look, our children too, sir, quite a lot of them have gathered. At least they too will have learned its meaning, the meaning of the Quran, this way.

Unless you follow the Jewish and Christian nation, they will never be pleased with you. Yes. So it says. Allah Almighty: unless you follow the Jewish and Christian nation, they will never be pleased with you. Look, we want to join the European Union. In their own constitutions: no state that is not Muslim, among us — no state that is Muslim can enter among us, they have such laws. So, although they need Turkey, the Turkish nation, this homeland, and although they know this very well, they still keep throwing up excuse after excuse, excuse after excuse. They do not take us in. This is the reason.

This is the reason. You must become one of them. If you become one of them, fine. They will take you in. Otherwise it is impossible. So they leave it to time. In that time, by degenerating Muslims, making them envy Europe, wrapping people in a progressive mindset, a progressive state, and with that progressive state, in fact, within the ideologies of a (?) personality raising people, thus turning them away from Allah and His Messenger, and only after preparing a pawn who can steer people the way they want will they take you in. Pay close attention to my words. Because they are people whose hearts are scattered and restless.

They do not want to face people with will and sound reason. Because of the desires of the nafs, because of pride and arrogance, and because their minds work against Islam, they cannot break their pride and arrogance and accept Islam as their head. So, since they know these things very well, they will not take you in either.

And if you follow them, you wrong yourself. Yes. Let us read the verse once more.

Unless you follow the Jewish and Christian nation, they will never be pleased with you. Say: the true huda, guidance, is Allah's guidance. Of course. Guidance is from Allah. The true huda: whoever follows it, true guidance is with him. If, after the knowledge that has come to you, you follow their whims and desires, then from Allah's punishment you will have no friend or helper to save you, it says. Now, this seeming to be said to the Prophet (peace be upon him), to all of us, is in fact Allah Almighty addressing people. He knows that the Prophet will not (?) to them.

Why does He know? He says: I have forgiven your past and future sins. In this case Allah Almighty — the Beloved of the Almighty, the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace be upon him), our master — He raised him Himself. The one who said 'my Lord raised me, raised me beautifully', sent as a mercy to the worlds, sent as the very last, as the Seal of the Prophets — the Prophet (peace be upon him) — does He think he would turn to them? (?) Is there anything our Lord does not know? He addresses this to people, through him, as if saying it to him. To whom? To our time. How they beg to get in. How they strive to get in.

Unless you turn to them, they will not take you in. Look, when we walk out of meetings, they run after us. They apologize at once. Because they need this state, this homeland, this land — they need this nation. Because Europe is finished. Finished, finished. It does not know how to carry on its exploitation. That is why we need to be smart.

(?) What does it say now? Let us read again. Unless you follow the Jewish and Christian nation, they will never be pleased with you. Well, true guidance is Allah's guidance. That is, not the talk of sophistries. If, after the knowledge that has come to you, you follow their whims and desires, then from Allah's punishment you will have no friend or helper to save you, it says. Jews and Christians do not approach those who do not follow them, and are not pleased with such people. For this reason they wanted the Prophet too to follow their own wishes and desires.

In their false beliefs, in the way of their nafs and carnal desires, from the Prophet they should get (?). What didn't they want to give! All the things they wanted to give the Prophet (peace be upon him)! What promises they didn't make!

Take Abu Sufyan.

His uncle Abu Talib. (?) If he wishes, let us give him ten wives. If he wishes, let us give him a hundred camels. If he has an illness, let us have him treated. Let us give him the keys of Mecca. What didn't they promise! But do you know what the answer of the Prophet (peace be upon him) to them was? Even if they put the sun in one hand, he says, and the moon in the other, still, he says, I will never give up telling of Allah, he says. Yes. Since scholars are his heirs, we too will never give up telling of Allah. Yes, (?).

So they wanted the Prophet too to follow their own wishes and desires. In their false beliefs, in the way of their nafs and carnal desires, they should get (?) from the Prophet.

Those among Jews and Christians who are deniers, within their own line of reasoning, are used to acting as their carnal feelings please.

They never (?) from their own nafs. And at the covenant of Alastu bi Rabbikum, Allah Almighty — when Allah Almighty created our souls, (?) and suddenly before them, when He said: your Lord, I am your Lord — they, in that pride and arrogance, saw Allah Almighty as being like themselves, so they expected a Lord of their own imagination and turned their backs on Allah. These people, adorned with characters of pride and arrogance, will never come near to Islam. Because they cannot reconcile with it. That is why they will not let you in. Go on, try, try. But if we do get in, I will say — I hope I won't live to see it — I will say: Alas!

This one has given up part of his religion. That's what I'd say about it. (?)

Those among Jews and Christians who are deniers, within their own line of reasoning, act as their carnal feelings please — they are used to it. And they never give up anything of their carnal feelings. Of their carnal feelings. What is their carnal feeling? They are very (?) toward the world. They are selfish. They live in pride and arrogance. When they see people below them, they take pride and pleasure in crushing them. 'But Hodja, they help so much!' — they help out of pride, again, so as to say 'I did this', so that people say they did it. Not out of their humanity.

Not out of humanity. Look at those people — can you get five cents from them? Say: give me a written note here, from my own money. See whether you can get it. You will find them the greediest in the world, the stingiest. Because they have devoted themselves to the world; their being is the world. Their god is the world. Money, matter. Know this well. Yes.

That is why, when the truth is told to them, these people are driven into distress. When you tell them what is right, when you tell them the truth, they are distressed. These correspond to the verses. What does Allah Almighty say (?)? When they hear the word of truth, He says, they get to the point where the clouds in the sky would burst, He says. When they hear the word of truth. Yes. That is why, when the truth is told to them, these people are driven into distress. Since they have not tasted the ease on the path of truth, the peace of heart, on the path of truth — since they have not tasted its flavors, its peace, to the torments of the nafs they are accustomed.

Since they live so intertwined with those torments of the nafs, they think that is life. They take pleasure in it, in those torments.

They have not tasted this peace, because they do not know peace. They do not know what peace is. Can't they taste it? (?) if he is a denier, he cannot taste it. According to what, Hodja? 'Their hearts are restless and scattered.' According to that verse, they cannot taste it. Because those characters have settled in them; they live that way. Yes. Like what? Like a flower growing in a swamp. Like a flower growing in a swamp. (?) is in the swamp. Its end is again a swamp.

Man is the noblest of creatures, but with his denial he is the one who wrongs himself, his own soul.

Since they have not tasted the ease on the path of truth, the peace of heart, to the torments of the nafs they are accustomed. So, since they cannot bear the light of faith, with people outside their understanding they cannot get along, nor are they pleased with them. And we explain the words, the verses, according to the beautiful verses.

If only they knew that true distress is being outside Allah's command — true distress. For example, a Muslim now, a person of faith — think. Think of a person who fears Allah, who has submitted to Allah, who leans on Him. Let's say, sir, from somewhere, a (?) sum of money he found. He needs it too. He will use it, but how restless he becomes. Should he give it to its owner, hand it back — if he can know that the one who lost it needs it, the restlessness eats at him. Restlessness.

This is the taste, the pleasure that faith gives a person, of human rights — his commitment to them — that person here is already living it. He becomes restless. He will return that money to where it belongs. That person — what will he say? He will see his face smile. He will see it. But the other will satisfy his nafs. (?) He will see himself as great. And since they are used to this, with their feelings toward one another, they take that to be life. And he, since he knows where life's true salvation lies, is dragged into restlessness over injustice.

If only they knew that true distress is in Allah's command — outside His command — and if they could also grasp that from an eternal and everlasting world's unending torment, the distress it will bring them, they cannot escape. If only he could know — what? That with their actual deeds, by turning their backs on Allah, and, tomorrow on the Day of Judgment, by associating partners with Allah, by falling into shirk, by rejecting the religion of Islam, in the world of the hereafter they bought their place in the eternal fire of hell — if only they knew. What state would they be in, in this world? That is why the Prophet (peace be upon him) says: if you knew the reality, knew the truth, you would weep much and laugh little, he says.

You would weep much and laugh little. Why would we weep much?

I personally say: O my Lord, with the mind You have given me, fully (?), a for me to live the truth as You wish it, to live it is impossible. The truth as You wish it.

Because He created people incomplete, created them incomplete in mind. So, given the mistakes I make, if I cannot be a servant as You wish — and I cannot — nothing but taking refuge in Your mercy can save me. My sincerity, my faith in Allah, my devotion to Him, my reliance on Him. Hasbünallahu ve ni'me'l-vekîl, ni'me'l-mevlâ ve ni'me'n-nasîr. What an excellent support He is, what an excellent friend, what an excellent master (?). My taking Him as my trustee. My trusting in Him, and other than taking refuge in His mercy. If He calls me to account by the deeds I have done, then my state is dire. For example, let's say we speak of our Lord, we try to tell people something, but still, since our minds are incomplete, since we cannot be quite the person our Lord wants, we still find no way other than taking refuge in our Lord's mercy, no other way, no way out.

Yes, so, the scholar, it says, the scholar clings to the verses and finds life, it says. Look, pay attention, this is the verse. The scholar clings to the verses and finds life, it says. So we too say: my Lord, the reason for our incomplete creation is that, knowing our helplessness, we ask forgiveness and pardon from Your being. And for the sins we committed knowingly or unknowingly, we ask You entirely for pardon and forgiveness. With our hearts and selves, with all our feelings, that we submit to You — knowing that You are aware of our inner feelings, we submit to You, I say. And according to that verse of Yours, we receive our decree of salvation.

What was it?

Knowing the incomplete creation of our minds and your helplessness, your turning to our Lord. 'But we were created incomplete.' 'He wanted us that way.' If I say 'I'll commit this sin', I'm done for. Why? Why are you done for? Fine, you were created incomplete. You will sin, but in the end you will know you sinned. You will know your Lord said don't do it. If you do what He said not to do and say 'My Lord created me this way, so I did it this way', you are done for. Allah Almighty to you: if you turn to My being and ask pardon and forgiveness, I will forgive you. If you act in accordance with His verses, you will be saved.

Otherwise, no. What are you to do? Yes, the human mind is incomplete. It errs, makes mistakes. Sometimes it truly becomes captive to the nafs and errs. In the end he feels remorse, regret. He says: O Allah, I have sinned, forgive me. Allah is Tawwab, the One who forgives sins abundantly. But not knowingly, not by doing it again and again. If you do it over and over, you will have made it a habit. (?) According to the verse, He writes down all you do, just as it is. And since He also knows what your intention was, He throws it in your face. If

he only knew that from the unending torment of an eternal and everlasting world, the distress it will bring him, he cannot escape. Then the torment and distress of this world, next to the other world's, would be a bed of roses. Think that he went to the hereafter without faith. The torment there is eternal; it never ends. Since it never ends — even if this world turned you like the wheel of fortune between two millstones, since it will end here — being bent and ground between those two millstones, compared to living in the torment of hell, this world will seem to you a bed of roses. Yes.

If only they knew that true distress is being outside Allah's command, if only they could also grasp that from the distress the unending torment of an eternal and everlasting world will bring them they cannot escape. Then the torment and distress this world gives a person, next to the other world, are a bed of roses. O man! In this world, without any pain or torment being done to your body, in your own free thought, when you are only invited to Allah, unable to bear being scorched by the fire of hatred and hostility in your heart against Allah Almighty, to satisfy your carnal desires, against those bound by Allah's commands, in wanting to inflict pain and torment, thinking you have satisfied yourself, and while you cannot bear this hatred, in the hereafter, the hellfire which Allah Almighty in the verses calls 'what an evil destination', and the endless torture of the pain and torment there — how will you bear it?

How will you bear it?

Let us open this up a bit. O man! In this world, without any pain or torment being done to your body, in your own free thought — he considers himself free. Free. Of course, nobody is causing him pain or torment. When he is only invited to Allah — a single word: there is no god but Allah. Come. Say La ilahe illallah Muhammeden Resulullah. When this is said. By the fire of hatred and hostility in his heart against Allah Almighty — while unable to bear being scorched.

Since you already rebelled against Allah there, those traits are in you. When you are invited to the Truth, that hatred spews out of you. Unable to bear it. To satisfy your carnal desires. That is, when you are invited to Allah — come, La ilahe illallah Muhammeden Resulullah — when you say it, that nature of rebellion against Allah in you, in that rebellion, while (?) hatred, this hatred of yours — what are we saying now? Unable to bear being scorched by the fire of hatred and hostility toward Islam, to satisfy your carnal desires, against those bound by Allah's commands, that is, Muslims, in your wanting to inflict pain and torment, thinking you have satisfied yourself — what does he do?

To those who say Allah, those enemies of Allah, people outside the Muslims, by inflicting pain and torment — in fact, however much pain and torment he inflicts on that person's body, he inflicts such pain and torment on his own soul that he is not even aware of it. And by harming those who say Allah he tries to satisfy his nafs. Out of his enmity toward Allah. Otherwise he doesn't know me, doesn't know you. He doesn't know Ahmet or Mehmet, that they are Muslims. But because those people are Muslims, with the harm he does to them, as if taking revenge on Allah, he tries to satisfy his own nafs. Yet what does Allah Almighty say?

If people (?), if the universe (?), (?) No being's power, hatred, pain or torment reaches Allah. It only reaches his own self. Yes.

Thinking he satisfies himself, while he cannot bear this hatred — he cannot bear it so much that he can't even vent his rage anyway. While he cannot, in the hereafter, what Allah Almighty in the verses calls 'what an evil destination' — that is, to hell, which He calls (?) an evil destination for those people, its fire, and the endless torture of the pain and torment there — how will you bear it? There, too, their hatred grows. Toward Allah Almighty. The more torment they see there, the more their hatred grows. As their hatred grows, they remain there forever. They are still waiting for the Lord of their imagination.

The Lord of their imagination will come. They will take revenge on Allah. Allah protect us. You too understand what I am telling. We tell it, you understand. Your nafs overcomes your reason, and by the lies your nafs made up, you say: the fire of hell will not touch me for more than a few days. You say it. You say this too. You try to convince yourself. (?) with the temptation your nafs and Satan give you, by taking Satan as your guide. And you know the truth, too. You know it, but since you once rebelled against Allah, and since that rebellion pleases you — since out of that pride and arrogance you take Allah lightly, take His command lightly, and say the fire will not touch me more than three days, two days, you decide in Allah's place.

Then, He says, do you have any proof in hand? says Allah Almighty.

You say it, you try to convince yourself. But you just can't be convinced. Why can't you? Because you have reason; you know the truths. So, with the temptation your nafs gives you, with the pride Satan shows you, gives your nafs, and arrogance — since you cannot convince your reason either, you live forever restless, and (?). That is how you come, that is how you go. Yes. In this case (?) cannot escape restlessness. Yes.

Unable to give up your carnal feelings, unable to make those outside your own beliefs who obey Allah follow you, you can never get along with them, and you are not (?) to them. What was it? So, in line with their own beliefs, when they cannot rule Muslims, they can never come close to them, and won't take them in. Only when you flatter their egos and hand things to them on a plate, because that's what they are used to. In pride and arrogance they see themselves at a certain rank. Their whole order is class differences set up by people. So among people there are differences of (?).

Yet all people are equal in the sight of Allah. By creation. Free. All people. Allah does not treat people unjustly. When that person, by his own will, shows what kind of person he is, in the sight of Allah, by their deeds they will be called to account. Allah did not create them one as a rebel against Him, the other (?).

He created everyone and left them free in their own will. Those who, in that will, turned their backs on Allah and in pride and arrogance saw themselves as great — weren't things handed to them on a plate, weren't they? Weren't they told 'you're the one'? Weren't they bribed? From them you will find no good. Yes.

Say: the true huda, guidance, is Allah's guidance. Of course. What if you gave me the whole world?

I say this sincerely. What if you put the world at my command? Ahmet, Mehmet would say. In the end, the inheritance of the heavens and the earth belongs to Allah. According to that verse, you cannot take a single atom from here. Then, even if you gave me this world, if I had lost my Lord's mercy, sir, I would have sold my true home to this (?), and bought eternal hell, its punishment. So your giving me the world, your letting me live in the world in pomp and splendor, next to my Lord's mercy, is not even worth a fly's wing. As much as a fly's wing. Because this place is temporary; the true world is the hereafter.

So huda, true mercy, is from Allah. Once I've earned His mercy, the mansions, palaces, villas, vineyards and gardens of the path of eternal bliss are yours. Of your eternal life. This place is temporary. Would a person, for a few hours' pleasure of the temporary world, sir, be fooled and kick away his hereafter?

Well, My Beloved, do not look at their living in the world in pomp and splendor. What they live in pomp in this world, He says, is for a moment. For a moment. Then? Then its end is loss. What if I took on a task whose end is loss? What if I didn't? If I take on a task whose end is loss, I wrong myself.

Yes. What was it? True huda is Allah's. It is from Allah. Yes.

The true huda, guidance, is Allah's guidance. Because He is the Creator. He is also the One who wills no injustice to His creatures. So if, with our incomplete minds and carnal feelings, we abandon Allah's path of guidance and act on carnal feelings, we remain in darkness.

Allah Almighty always shows us the truth and guidance, the (?) paths by which people reach salvation — He shows them. With His light He shines a light for people. That is, with the Quran, with its verses, He lights the way for people. Just as when you go to a foreign town, you don't know its roads and districts. And when you want to visit that city's historic sites, you hire yourself a guide, you take a guide. Walking with a guide who knows the city, without any trouble, without difficulties, you tour the city and get to know it. So my guide, my guide too, is Allah's verses, the Holy Quran. If I live by it, I suffer no trouble.

None. Since my Lord will not load on my back a burden I cannot bear, even if my Lord turned me between two millstones, I say: since my Lord will not load on my back a burden we cannot bear, and since we are in a test in this world, with what comes from Him I am all the more content, I say. And my Lord, to test me — with your lives and your wealth, unless you are tested, (?) that befell those before you befalls you, did you think you would enter Paradise? — according to that verse, I say: I am in a test. I accept what comes from my Lord and earn my Lord's mercy. Yes, what was it? I cling to the verses of the Quran, I find the truth, I find what is right, I find peace. With light He shines a light for people. Just as when you go to a foreign town, you don't know its roads and districts, and when you want to visit that city's historic sites you hire yourself a guide; walking with a guide who knows the city without any trouble or difficulty, you tour the city and get to know it.

So Allah Almighty too has sent us, showing the paths of guidance, standing before us as a guide, His Holy Quran. You will cling to them. You will not part from them.

Allah Almighty, who wills that we not suffer — than the path of guidance He has shown with the Holy Quran He sent us, can there be a better guide? Can there be a better guide? 'But Hodja, aren't scholars guides too?' Scholars — no. They explain the Quran to you. They explain the verses to you. They teach you what you cannot understand. They too go under the guidance of the Quran. Scholars too. So it must be the Quran, it must be the verses.

Allah Almighty, addressing the Prophet: if after all this knowledge that has come to you, you follow their whims and desires, then from Allah's punishment no friend or helper will save you, He declares. He has willed that His being be made known to people, be known. Every soul among people that follows those who deny His being and turns its back on Allah will individually give account before Allah Almighty on the Day of Judgment. But the faith of those who believe in Allah will be their companion, and they will attain Allah's mercy; otherwise they have neither a helper nor a companion — this He tells us.

Even if deniers did good deeds in the world, in one verse Allah Almighty declares that all the fine deeds they did have gone to waste. So, since those who deny Allah have no intercessors, and their beliefs are no companion to them, they will have neither a friend nor a savior.

May Allah Almighty protect us all from such a (?).