An-Nahl 49: The ones in the heavens, the living on earth, and all the angels humbly prostrate to Allah.

We have come to verse 49 of Surah An-Nahl.

Those in the heavens, the living creatures on earth and all the angels, prostrate to Allah without being arrogant.

Now, here there is a beautiful meaning.

We will try to explain to you the verse, its meaning, in a nicer way — we will try. Those in the heavens, meaning those other than man; the living creatures on earth, again those other than man. How do you know, Hodja? I will explain it to you. We will explain it. And all the angels, and all the angels, it says, prostrate to Allah without being arrogant. Here, the angels in the heaven, I mean, when it says those in the heaven, the living creatures on earth, in the living creatures on earth too there is a distinction here. Allah Almighty has made man honoured above the worlds. Here, man, created honoured above the worlds, is excepted.

Why? Because He gave him of His spirit, that is why. Because He made him the one He addresses, that is why. In this case, in this case, it counts those other than man. Those in the heaven, I mean those in the heavens, the living creatures on earth and all the angels. They prostrate to Allah without being arrogant. Who acts arrogantly? Only man, whom Allah Almighty, because He gave him of His spirit, as a part created — that man acts arrogantly. This — man is exempted right here. With this part of the verse, man is exempt here. And involuntarily, Allah Almighty... those in the heaven, those in the heavens, the living creatures on earth — animals we will call these — and the angels, these are not accountable to Allah Almighty.

Why are they not accountable? Because Allah Almighty, for the duties they will carry out, programmed them Himself, His divine Essence. If there is an error in your own program, you do not question yourself. So these created beings are not accountable to Allah Almighty. But when they hurt one another in carrying out their duties, they will take their rights from one another and vanish. Then who is accountable? Humans and jinn. Why? Because He left them free in their own will, that is why. Yes.

So, God willing, this has been well understood.

If there are points you did not understand, please feel free to ask. Those in the heaven and the living on earth, the angels and all (?), without being arrogant, remember Allah. Because just as Allah does not love the arrogant, the beings He created — even their particles He has programmed to remember His Essence. The atomic nuclei of matter, the positively and negatively charged (?), by spinning around their own axes, remember Allah who created them. In any case, that there is no other god besides Allah, Allah Almighty with His verses thus proves to every person of sound mind. Without arrogance, in our helplessness, with our will, to the Essence of Allah Almighty He commands us to submit.

Now, while reading this, a question like this comes to our mind. Now they say — those who listen to you say, it says. Those who listen to you say — they say, when it says the living creatures on earth, are we not living beings? What is our difference among those living beings? they say. Yes. They are right. Our difference from those living beings: we are not single, as we see ourselves to be. Our spirit — or rather, our body is a likeness and shadow of our spirit. In a verse Allah Almighty says this: For the way you used the bodies I have given you I will call you to account, He says. Now in this case, if man sees himself as single, he is deceived.

And there is the verse 'We bring you to life twice and cause you to die twice'; upon the bodies, the first life here, the first death in the world, the second life in the hereafter, the second death again in the realm of the hereafter. In this case, since spirit, nafs and life were given — Allah Almighty — since there is no death upon spirits, when it says living creatures on earth, our bodies are also included among them. Not our spirit; it is excepted. So when I say man, I say it meaning our spirit. Because our true being is our spirit. In the realm of the hereafter, our original homeland, with spirit, nafs and life, into paradise or hell we will enter. But some — poor people, we will call them — claim that with bodies they enter paradise and hell; they say it.

There is neither a verse — nor any hadith in return for this; among superstitions they are ideas in ignorance which they have planted in their minds.

Does this verse not bring their ignorance to light? We bring you to life twice and cause you to die twice. The first life upon the body in the world, the first death upon the body again in the world, the second life upon the body, again in the realm of the hereafter, the second death too upon the body, again in the realm of the hereafter. You know, after the bodies have borne witness before Allah Almighty, it says exactly this, our body: 'You are returning us to the first creator,' it says, and there it tastes death a second time. The bodies were created from earth. They will become earth. That body given to us as a trust will part from us, and we will remain with our original self, with our spirit we will remain. Yes, look how beautifully Yunus Emre too puts it.

'I clothed myself in flesh and bone,' he says, 'I appeared as Yunus,' he says. How beautiful. So paradise and hell will not be entered with bodies. That is, we will enter paradise and hell with our spirits. It was given in verse 49 of Surah An-Nahl. 'Those in the heavens, the living on earth and all the angels, without being arrogant, to Allah prostrate,' we said, we read. So, all beings obedient to Allah and created under Allah's rule — willingly or not, before Allah's knowledge and power, their bowing to Him is their prostration to Allah. Yes.

So it follows that, man aside, — that is, aside from that spirit that governs the body — the body as a living being is created upon the nature of Islam, and every particle of it remembers Allah. But, you see, man can use that body for evil if he wishes, or if he wishes within Allah's command use it. So the verse 'For the way you will use the bodies I have given you I will call you to account' proves everything so beautifully.