An-Nur 55: Allah has promised to those of you believers and commit righteous deeds (salih deeds), that Allah will make them rule on earth as Allah has made those before them rule, that Allah chose the true religion (Islam) for them, and (that Allah will) foster it for their benefit and that Allah will protect it, and that after a time of fear, Allah will give safety for them instead. (This is) because they worship Me (Allah) and don’t associate any partners. The deniers are truly the wrongdoers.

We have come to verse 55 of Surah An-Nur.

To those of you who believe and do good deeds, Allah, that just as He made those before them owners and rulers, He will make them too owners and rulers on the earth, that He will establish for their good Islam, the true religion He chose for them, and protect it, and that after the period of fear they went through He will give them security in its place, has promised. Because they worship Me and associate nothing with Me. Whoever disbelieves after this, it is they who are the transgressors. Now, there is a place where people go wrong here. (?) scholars, we will say, there is a place where they go wrong.

Where is it? That just as He made those before them owners and rulers, He will make them too owners and rulers on the earth. They understand this wrongly. They say that at the end of the world Muslims will own the world.

This is the product of a wrong understanding. If Muslims had come to own the world, the unbelievers too will continue until the moment of the Last Day. At the Last Day a scorching wind will blow, Muslims (?). With this scorching wind, that is, the wind of death, (?) will also vanish. The Last Day will break upon the unbelievers. So the meaning here is that until the Last Day Islam will prevail on the earth, that Islam will live on, and in this case, whatever trap they set, let them set it; Allah will complete His light until the Last Day, according to that verse, this verse and this word reinforce each other.

Those who believe and have faith in Allah and the hereafter, who do good deeds for Allah's sake, Allah Almighty will make owners and rulers on the earth. Of what? Within the living of the religion of Islam, a person also gives charity. He also disposes of his wealth.

Before death, Muslims, from the world to the hereafter, transfer it. They become the owners of the world. And by living the religion of Islam, by carrying out Allah's commands, in what Allah has created, within Allah's commands, they live as heirs. Heirs. In this case, when they are bound by Allah's commands and transfer it to the hereafter as well, according to the verse about those who (?) Paradise with their wealth and their lives, they will have transferred it from the world to the hereafter. Indeed, in ancient times, in the time of Moses, when the Children of Israel were in captivity under Pharaoh in Egypt, through the Israelites' believing in Moses (peace be upon him) and obeying Allah Almighty, Allah Almighty freed them from captivity and made them rulers over Egypt and the (?) region, it says.

These are temporary rules. Temporary. The real rule, as I said, will be both outward and inward. The outward is Islam living on until the Last Day. He has also destroyed many peoples who did not believe in Allah and the hereafter.

Of these peoples, the people of Noah (peace be upon him), the people of Lot (peace be upon him), the people of Thamud, the people of 'Ad, and such peoples were destroyed. Many peoples who obeyed Allah and did good deeds on earth, who spread Allah's justice on earth, also became owners and rulers of the earth. Like what? Like the Ottoman Empire. Right?

Like the Ottoman Empire.

Among these, the Turks in the time of the Ottoman Empire owned and ruled three continents. But in (?) periods the Empire was left in the hands of incompetent people, and through their pleasure-seeking and distancing from Allah, as a result of forgetting Allah, a huge Empire collapsed. Again, thanks to people's faith, the Republic of Turkey. Now, without going too far into past times, if we examine those whose traces are found in our own time, those who depart from Allah's justice and distance themselves from Allah, from calamities and captivity cannot escape. If Allah's righteous servants, people who believe in and have faith in Allah, down to the last single person who does not compromise on Allah's verses, against the unbeliever's unjust stance stand firm, they will see that Allah's promise is true, and Allah, bringing about His help through these righteous servants, will make them on earth rulers.

That is, they do not fall into captivity. Rule (?) this. Are you free? If you have freedom, you are a ruler on earth. And over what Allah has entrusted to you, as the vicegerent of the earth, you are owner. Because you do what Allah says, you have entered the company of people who please Allah.

Yes.

If Allah's righteous servants, people who believe in Allah and have faith, down to the last single person who does not compromise on Allah's verses remaining, stand against the unbeliever's unjust stance, they will see that Allah's promise is true, and Allah will bring about His help through these righteous servants and make them the rulers of the earth. Like the people who triumphed through the wars won at Çanakkale and in the Caucasus.

In the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), because the noble Companions lived Islam fully and did not compromise on Islam, even though in battle the polytheists were far greater in number, at Badr and in many battles Allah Almighty, again and again, helped the armies of Islam with the noble angels. But today those who are Muslim, who say I am Muslim, have moved away from religion and, by carrying out none of Allah's commands, have come to the state of people who remain Muslim only in word. People who live far from servanthood to Allah and from worship Imam al-Ghazali describes as having lost their vital functions and, only breathing, living like people in a coma, and (?).

How well he puts it. He says I am Muslim. No prayer, no fasting, no zakat, no pilgrimage, no charity, no prayer. Alcohol has gone sky-high. Fame, renown, pride and arrogance, love of wealth, worldly desire, the temptation to follow Satan, lust, these too have gone sky-high. In this case, a Muslim in word is like a person living in a coma, who only breathes.

So, the peoples who are servants to Allah and do righteous deeds, that He would make them the earth's owners and rulers, Allah promised, and besides this, to give people life and teach them what they did not know, and to light their way, along with the religion of Islam, the Holy Quran He has sent. How beautiful. The Holy Quran, to light the way for people, to show them the path, so Allah, with His prophets, His books has sent.

When people came to the earth, they were in darkness. Don't misunderstand: the world is still the world, there is day and night. Their being in darkness, their not knowing what their minds will do, not knowing what to decide, not knowing how they will be governed, keeps people in darkness. What does Allah Almighty, who also created the intellect deficient, do so that they come to the right path? He sends prophets. Then He sends books. Then He sends scholars. And He draws them out of darkness into light. Who will come out? Those who follow them. They will be saved from darkness and come out into light.

Now, a person who cannot grasp this, Surah Al-Baqarah, verse 17, look what it says. Their situation. Whose? The hypocrites' situation. Is like a fire that burns in a dark night. A dark night: we are already in darkness. The hypocrite has already turned his back on Allah. How will he light that fire? The fire is the Holy Quran. When that fire burns in the dark, it will light up its surroundings. That is, the verses will bring light upon us. He cannot light the fire. Like a burning fire. like a fire burning in a dark night, the coming of the prophets, scholars and books, lighting up those darknesses, then that when they lit a fire, Allah would take away their fire and would leave them in darkness.

Whereas those who turn their backs on that fire leave themselves in darkness.

Poor people, they have opened the verses. We are paying attention: not a sound. The soil of death has been sprinkled over them. Hodja, why does this verse address the hypocrites? What is their difference from the other unbelievers? Come next to me and say it. Hodja, in the verse we opened last, why is it said specifically to the hypocrites? Why doesn't it include the unbelievers? Now, the hypocrites, idolaters they are not either; appearing to be Muslim and yet, outside Islam, among themselves, people who do not believe in religion: the hypocrites. The unbelievers at least believe in one Allah, but beside Allah they declare Jesus or Ezra the sons of Allah, and our mother Mary the wife of Allah.

Now among them, because they are People of the Book, there are some who benefit a little from the light. But the hypocrites and polytheists have no benefit from the light at all, because they are completely enemies. That is why it points to the hypocrites. Because they have their book in their homes, you see; there he does not deny the Gospel, and in it is their light, that is, some of the verses found in the Quran; from that light he benefits. As long as they do not obey the one Allah, as long as they do not accept Muhammad (peace be upon him) as Prophet, as long as they do not believe in the Quran, all the good deeds they have done are in vain, it says. So he does do good deeds.

See. That is why Allah Almighty means the hypocrites. There will be no deficiency in His word, in Allah. Beautiful, isn't it? Yes.

That He will protect with this religion the people who enter the religion of Islam, and that this religion He has established in people's favour and for their good, that He will give people life, Allah, who announced this: whoever (?) far from His religion, this will turn out against that person himself; Allah Almighty makes this known openly and clearly. Allah's righteous servants serve Allah, and just as they do not associate any created being as partners with Allah, neither do they hold it equal to Allah. Who are these? Allah's righteous servants. They serve Allah, and just as they do not associate any created being as partners with Allah, neither do they hold it equal to Allah.

Allah Almighty thus sends His verses to people plainly. Allah, who took it upon Himself and promised to protect those who serve Him, despite His opening so many doors of mercy upon people, whoever after this denies Allah and the Prophet, and does not carry out Allah's commands, those are the very transgressors. These cannot escape torment in this world and the hereafter. Allah's wrath is upon them. Deceived by the benefits of transient worldly life, they are people who exchange the abode of the hereafter for the worldly realm. Since there is no light of Allah in the hearts of these people, they cannot see the truth and cannot turn towards the truth.

These are in darkness.