Ibrahim 31: Say to My believing servants; “They shall establish their prayers (Salah) and they shall spend from the provisions that We gave to them, in secret and in open, before a day comes in which there is no trade and no friendship.”

31. We can make this our lesson. Surah Ibrahim, verse 31: Tell My servants who believe. How beautifully it says it. Tell My servants who believe. Why shouldn't He tell those who do not believe? Because he won't do it anyway. Allah does not say (?) another word, a greeting. Tell My servants who believe. Yes. The Quran came to the worlds anyway. It came to the worlds. All people (?), all of you the Quran addresses. All people. Here, although the Holy Quran came to all people, if you turn your back on the Quran, well then, of course, here: tell those who believe. Let them establish their prayers properly.

The one who does not believe is an unbeliever anyway; he knows nothing of prayer. Let them establish their prayers properly. It doesn't say: tell those who don't believe as well, let them pray. Yes: tell My servants who believe, let them establish their prayers properly. What does praying properly mean?

I have something to gain from Elçin. And Elçin is a person who is upright in his religion. I come to Elçin, (?) so that he sees me pray. "Let him see," I say. I pray in front of him or I pray beside him. And Elçin looks and thinks: wow, what a fine man, how beautifully he prays. Then I say to Elçin: I have a small need like this, would you give it to me? "Of course, fine," he says. Well, I (?) prayed in order to benefit from people like Elçin. Yes, you must not pray for show.

Prayer — knowing that your Lord grants you, as your Mi'raj, a unit of time in which to come into His presence, you will pray. What is this? The President says: you can come into my presence whenever you want. Who wouldn't want to go? Everyone runs to tell him their troubles. Well, the President of the worlds, the Sultan of the worlds, says: come into My presence whenever you want. Knowing Him this way, praying as if in His presence — that is the Mi'raj. Yes. Let them establish the prayer properly. Before a day comes in which there is neither trade nor friendship — in that hereafter, neither a trade nor a friend can intercede for you there.

There the judgment belongs to Allah alone. Let them spend for Allah, secretly and openly, from the provisions He gave them. Secretly and openly, that is, publicly — by "secretly" He means: don't give for show. By "secretly" He means: don't give so as to embarrass a person. Openly: your giving to encourage people toward the path of Allah. You show it to that person. You take the poor and needy by the hand. You lift them up. You encourage them. This is openly. Yes.

Tell the people who believe in Allah and in the hereafter, it says. Say: let them establish the prayer properly. That is, let them not, for (?) gain from people, for show before people, stand in prayer. And when we stand in prayer with the aim of worshipping Allah, knowing that we are in the Mi'raj in Allah's presence, contemplating Allah, let them perform their prayers. Before a day comes in which there is neither trade nor friendship, let them spend for Allah, secretly and openly, from the provisions He gave them. Every soul will taste death, and finally our return will be to Allah. So, in the hereafter, on that day of reckoning when there is neither trade nor friendship, Allah Almighty warns His believing servants: O you who believe, from the provisions We gave you, spend for Allah secretly and openly — by saying this: to the hereafter send your provisions.

Your good deeds that you did for Allah while in the world will be accepted in His sight. So I have prepared My Paradise for you. Give charity to My poor and needy servants for My sake, so that in My sight you attain great ranks, He decrees.