Maryam 4: He prayed (to Me) saying; “Oh My Dear Lord, my bones have weakened, my hair has grayed. And my Lord, I have never been left behind with my supplications to You.”

Surah Maryam, verse 4 "My Lord," he said, "my bones have weakened in me, in my body," Zechariah (peace be upon him) is saying this now, "my hair has turned white, and, my Lord, thanks to the prayer I made to You, I have never been wretched," he says.

These are truly meaningful.

It truly moves a person.

If a person is with Allah, if he submits to Allah from the heart, from the heart, I tell you sincerely, I too have never been wretched. Whatever I prayed for, whatever I desired, even whatever passed through my heart, my Lord granted it. Yes. But you must find that submission.

Old age comes upon Zechariah (peace be upon him), and in his old age to Allah Almighty he prays. The prayers Zechariah (peace be upon him) made to Allah Almighty were accepted by Allah Almighty and the prayers he made never went unanswered. Allah Almighty, because of the prayers of Zechariah (peace be upon him), granted him his wish. Now, you could ask me a question like this. We too ask for so many things. It doesn't happen. You might say. Hodja, did you never ask for something that cannot be? God forbid, I never asked for anything that cannot be. A place as much as what I do, provision as much as my sustenance, (?).

I made (?) supplication to Allah. And I said: if You grant me a place, I will open it for people, for Your sake, as a gathering of remembrance of Allah, a gathering of talks, I said.

We don't ask for something that cannot be, something worldly. The prophet is like that too. And also, what is in his destiny, out of his own heart, with his desire and wish, within his own nature, to make it sprout. Like what? There is a spring here, a spring. When you lightly touch your hand to the soil at that spring, it will splash water. Your feelings are like that spring. When you wish for something from Allah Almighty, that spring within that wish, what do you want? You don't go outside of it anyway. I don't know if I could explain it? That is why he says, I have never been wretched. Because he always asks Allah Almighty for things that will happen.

Yes.

Zechariah (peace be upon him): in return for the prayers he made to Allah Almighty, Allah Almighty granted Zechariah's wish, and in return Zechariah (peace be upon him) expressed his debt of gratitude to Allah Almighty and said, "My Lord, thanks to the prayer I made to You I have never been wretched." Yes.

Well, don't the prophets suffer calamities?

They made the Prophet's feet bleed, in Taif they threw dung-filled tripe on him, they called him a madman, but he was never wretched. Calamities like these are not wretchedness for people; the meaning of wretched is poles apart from calamity. (?) If calamity comes to him, that he is in a test from his Lord he knows, he submits to Allah Almighty from the heart, and whatever he wishes, Allah Almighty grants him his wish. Because it is within his feelings. So don't confuse calamities with being wretched. Do you know what wretched means? Not finding what you desire, falling into a miserable state. He says, I've become wretched.

That is, I went bankrupt, I'm ruined. It means Allah's mercy being cut off. No. Allah cuts off no one's mercy. "My mercy in the world is for everyone," He says. His mercy in the world is for everyone. He, the wretchedness within his own destiny, that is, toward Allah Almighty, from the lack of his longing, his zeal, his loving devotion, he becomes wretched. Otherwise, those who submit to Allah from the heart are never wretched.