Al-Isra 18: To those who desire the worldly life, which passes quickly, We give in the world whatever they desire (as part of their fate), and then We put them in hell as (people who are) condemned and expelled.

Surah Al-Isra, verse 18, is also one of the verses explained wrongly; let us read the wrong version of it too, and read the right one too, yes.

18. The verse has been explained wrongly. Here we have already written the wrong one. Whoever desires this swiftly passing world, to him, that is, to whomever We wish, He gives at once in the world as much as We wish. Then We put him, blamed and rejected, into the Hell he will enter, it says.

Where is the mistake in this? "As much as We wish."

Look what it says. "Whoever desires this swiftly passing world," this part is right, "desires, the world, desires, to him," that is, "to whomever We wish," it says this time. "To him," or "to whomever We wish." That is, "to whomever We wish," it says. Now, you know how it always uses Allah's will; now first it says "to him," then it says "that is." "To whomever We wish." Right away it twists the words again. "...to whom He gives at once in the world as much as We wish." Shall I tell you something? My provision my Lord does not determine by Himself.

He does not decide my provision for me by His own wish.

According to my desire and wish, according to my characters, whatever I need, that is what He ordains. Not as much as He wishes, as much as I wish. If my provision had gone beyond what I wished, "if only He had not given me this and led me astray," I would say. Or, "if only He had not given me this too little and made me needy," I would say. Didn't it go as far as my desire and wish, after all? Didn't it go as far as the will I wished? Within this desire and wish of mine, doesn't He know what I will desire, what I will do, how many things I will need? Allah Almighty knows this within my own desire.

He gives me as much as my provision. Not as much as He Himself wishes. Then do you know what you would say? "If only You had given me as much as You gave those rich people." If it is as much as He wishes. Indeed. "You gave to him, give to me too. If he gives You worship, I gave You worship," you would say. Then Allah would be ascribed attributes. But what I will need within my desire and wish, He knows. As much as the provision within my desire and wish, He gives me. This is not Allah's wishing over me.

People do not know these subtleties. And they ascribe attributes to Allah. Yes.

Now I ask you: is Allah ascribed attributes or not?

There are rich people. They have yachts, they have palaces. And He gave to him and not to me.

So what now? Isn't this injustice? No one can find injustice in Allah. To everyone, according to their desire and wish, as much as their provision in the world, as much as their life, as much as they desired, He gives. If He gave more than that, it would lead them astray. If He gave less, it would push them into dead ends. He gives exactly as much as they desire. So Allah Almighty gives a person their provision as much as the one who wishes wishes. This is very important.

Whoever desires this swiftly passing world, to him, that is, to the one who wishes; it does not say "whom I wish," look, to the one who wishes, within his destiny, pay attention, within his destiny, as much as he wished, He gives at once in the world, within his destiny; He does not take him outside his destiny. Then We put him, blamed and rejected, into the Hell he will enter, it says. Now, these superstition-mongers, how much they have turned the Quran into superstition, do you understand? You are witnesses. "What did you say to the man?" This I said: "You have turned the Quran into the Gospel, you have made it worse than the Gospel," I said. "Hodja, there is no problem with the verses," I said. "Allah is the protector of the verses; in a single letter of it neither distortion nor destruction can be done. But when you opened it into a translation," I said, "how much worse than the Gospel you made it," I said. Yes. The Fatwa Board too said this; I gave the necessary warnings.

The man went silent, says yes. He said yes. "There is actually a (?)," he said.

Then why are you hiding? Why are you hiding? Yes.

Who- ever desires this swiftly passing world, to him, that is, to the one who wishes, within his destiny, as much as he wished, He gives at once in the world. Then We put him, blamed and rejected, into the Hell he will enter, it says. Allah Almighty: a thousand years of the world's days are, compared to a day of the hereafter, like one day, according to this verse of His, if a human life in this world is sixty years, compared to the hereafter it is like one, one and a half hours. That is, Allah Almighty has created time within time. In this respect, its saying "whoever desires this swiftly passing world" is said according to the day of the hereafter. Man, deceived by this swiftly passing worldly day, suddenly finds that the life he thought was so long has slipped from his hands.

A life of some sixty years, at the moment of death, truly seems to him as if it were a few hours ago. Just when he thinks he has attained the world he desired, his life has suddenly ended. Now, my Lord showed me many worlds by letting me live them. And we too lived through many things. That is in fact why, with the inspirations that come, or with worlds lived through, we write this.

I lived sixty years, seventy years. I lived a hundred years. A hundred years. The moment of death came. Felev lâ izâ belegati'l-hulkûm: when the soul reaches the throat. Ve entüm hîne izin tenzurûn. "Then why don't you turn it back," it says. Ve nahnu akrabu ileyhi minküm ve lâkin lâ tubsırûn. The relatives, it says, have gathered and wait for the soul to leave. "Are you closer to him," it says, "or We, in Our power?" it says. I am living that moment. From my childhood until that moment of death, the events pass before my eyes like a film reel; those 100 years, 70 years, however long you lived, it comes in an instant, you see it all, and it suddenly scatters like cigarette smoke.

Just in the time it takes to see that cigarette smoke and see it scatter, you see it all. That is the "swiftly passing." At that moment of death, he (?) all the events. After that, of course, you go by Allah's decree. And in the hereafter, We, it says, are serîu'l-hisâb, We settle the account quickly, it says. We settle it swiftly. Just as it was seen there, those days of reckoning there will also be settled just as quickly.

Yes.

According to the verse where Allah Almighty says a thousand years of the world's days are like one day compared to a day of the hereafter, if a human life in this world is sixty years, compared to the hereafter it is like one, one and a half hours. In this respect, its saying "whoever desires this swiftly passing world" is said according to the hereafter's - according to its day. Man, deceived by this swiftly passing worldly day, the life he thought was so long, suddenly finds has slipped from his hands. A life of some sixty years truly seems to him at the moment of death as if it were a few hours ago; just when he thinks he has attained the world he desired, his life has suddenly ended.

The blessings Allah Almighty gives in this world, compared to the hereafter, are, compared to the hereafter, but a small blessing. Indeed. Here I will eat the same provision. There too I will eat the same things. The world, with this place's (?) and its shadow; there I will eat as much as my provision. Why does it say here it is a small return? Why does it say it is a small return? My dear, why does it say that? According to the worldly day. You are a temporary guest here. "The provision I have given you is, compared to the hereafter, a provision of one, one and a half hours," it says. "But since there is no more death in the hereafter, you will eat the eternal provision of an everlasting life. Compared to that, this here is a small return," it says.

Can you understand these things? What is it saying now? The blessings Allah Almighty gives in this world, compared to the hereafter, are, compared to the hereafter, but a small blessing. Those who deny Allah Almighty, thinking that the life of the hereafter is in this world, people who desire the world, when they value what Allah created, spend their lives in rebellion against Allah. To those who turn their backs on Allah: whoever desires the world, Allah Almighty, in the world, within people's destinies, gives those things to them. (?), that is, He gives him the provision he wanted, those things.

Within his destiny.

Whatever is in man's nature, that is, in his destiny: Allah Almighty grants people what is in their destinies. Since man does not know his destiny, he asks Allah for more of it. So when he asks for what is not in his destiny, Allah Almighty giving a person a thing not in his destiny would ascribe attributes to Allah. Therefore man's desiring the world means that what is within people's destinies, Allah Almighty gives to these people. Such people, by desiring the world, turn their backs on Allah Almighty. Then We put him, blamed and rejected, into the Hell he will enter. According to this verse, if man in the earthly world values what Allah Almighty created and forgets Allah, clings to worldly goods with the desire of the nafs, ties his love to matter and turns his back on the hereafter, then Allah Almighty gives such people, again within their destinies, the share they were to receive; when they move on to the hereafter, these will be blamed there because they did not believe in Allah.

"O man, here is that Day of Reckoning you denied, here is the world you valued, the Allah you did not believe in, and Allah's promise as truth; today you stand before it. Here is the world, and here is your Lord who created you; by forgetting your Lord, the sins you earned suffice today to call you to account," He will say. With Allah's blaming such people, they will moreover, driven from Allah Almighty's presence, be put into Hell.