Al-Hijr 31: But Satan (Iblees) did not. Iblees stayed away from being among those who prostrated.

We have come to Surah Al-Hijr, verse 31. Except Iblis, it says. He refused to be among those who prostrated. So, glory, fame, pride, arrogance, ego, grandeur, worldly desire — as long as such things are in a person's nafs, the acts of worship he has done and his good deeds are recorded, and as long as he is with the nafs, evil deeds are recorded too. Between the salary he receives and the sum he spends, it is either break-even or a loss. He says: I worship so much, Hodja, why can't I make progress? You cannot see the shortcomings in your own nafs.

Yes.

Someone says this: A person cannot have wisdom beyond the extent to which he sees his own shortcomings, he says. So if a person wants to attain wisdom, he must turn to himself and see his shortcomings.

But except Iblis — he refused to be among those who prostrated, it says. Iblis, who was among the angels, refused to prostrate. He rebelled against the command of Allah Almighty. Because the accursed one had pride and arrogance. He saw himself as superior to the human being who was created. So he rebelled against Allah's command. He was not among those who prostrated to our father Adam. Ignorance comes from not knowing and from pride. Ignorance.

May there be no pride and arrogance in a person. Allah protect us.

Do not fear the ignorant. He is ignorant. Let no harm come from him. Do not fear the scholar either. Let no harm come from him either. Fear the half-ignorant. The one who thinks he knows yet knows nothing at all, that utter ignoramus is the one feared. Today such people are running rampant among those who claim to be scholars. They are half-ignorant.

Yes.

Ignorance comes from not knowing and from pride. (?) through having been a teacher to the angels, he saw superiority and grandeur in himself and was carried away by pride. He saw himself as superior to those created. Yet Allah is All-Wise. We cannot know why Allah does what He does. Why did He do what? Why did He create? We only know as much as He has made known.

Yes. But if Allah has commanded something, it is so, and we are obliged to carry out His command, because Allah does nothing in vain. Now I'm giving an example — such a thing would not happen, but if Allah appeared before us and said: prostrate to this ant — not only the ant, I would prostrate even to the ant's dust. Who is saying this? Allah is saying it. There is surely a wisdom in it. There is a wisdom in it, I mean. So if we have submitted to the wisdom of Allah Almighty, we are Muslim, we are Muslims. And a Muslim is a person who judges by Allah's commands. But what kind of Muslim is this?

Although he (?) the five daily prayers, the person who refrains from carrying out Allah's command has fallen, along with his nafs, into Satan's trap, and in this swampy world he carries on his life. And this one is a Muslim too. A person feels shame. He feels shame before his Creator.

Now, how do you see me here? I am like that everywhere. Everywhere. Just because you see me, I'm not trying to appear well-mannered toward you here.

Where there are no people, my Lord sees me. I am like this there too.

There too I am careful about every word that comes out of the mouth. Because Mevlana knew this, he says: either be as you appear, or appear as you are. Yes. It's not that you're like this here, and when you go over there, since there's no one anyway, life goes on as you please. Or in your room, on your own, in your own state, (?). I imagine a person that way.

Because Allah Almighty, in His verse, says to the Prophet (peace be upon him) too: O Prophet, you who lie wrapped in your garment.

So people need to draw a lot of inspiration from this verse. That person, where there are no people, where he is left alone, must keep his good manners.

So that he may be a servant in truth. May he keep Him alive in his heart.

I have such servants, He says, that neither buying and selling nor trade keeps them from remembering Me, He says. Dhikr does not necessarily mean saying Allah, saying la ilahe illallah. Remembering at every moment, being well-mannered at every moment, your Lord seeing you at every moment — that too is dhikr. When you go to bed, reflecting on your past and falling asleep taking refuge in Allah's mercy is sleeping having entered (?).

Yes.

There is still a long way to go.

If Allah wills, we will succeed with our will.

But except Iblis — he refused to be among those who prostrated. Iblis, who was among the angels, refused to prostrate. He rebelled against the command of Allah Almighty. Because he was accursed. We've read this part already, haven't we? He was accursed. In this situation he rebelled against Allah's command; he was not among those who prostrated to our father Adam. Yes. Ignorance comes from not knowing and from pride; (?) through having been a teacher to the angels, he saw superiority and grandeur in himself and was carried away by pride, he saw himself as superior to those created, whereas Allah is All-Wise.

We cannot know why Allah does what He does, but if Allah has commanded something, it is so, and we are obliged to carry out His command. Because Allah does nothing (?). We said, and we also said, that if Cafer has a question, we will answer it too. So the accursed one could not know what Allah Almighty intended and what wisdoms lay behind it. That all these worlds were created from the light of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) he could not comprehend. Pride and arrogance, the passion for greatness, drove the accursed one to rebel against Allah. That is why, going as far as a game of logic, he tried to justify his own nafs.

we say.