Al-Furqan 42: “If we hadn’t insisted on believing in our deities, he almost would have made us go astray from our deities.” When they see the punishment, they will truly know whose path is wrong.

Surah Al-Furqan, verse 42: Had we not been able to remain steadfast in believing in our gods, he would truly have almost led us away from our gods, they say. When they see the punishment, they will know whose path is really astray, it says. Yes, now what do the polytheists say?

Had we not been steadfast in believing in our gods. Such people believe in what is superstition, what is false, in things that please their nafs. And because of these beliefs, since they don't use their reason, they are dragged to ruin. If Muslims, as they believe, in their beliefs — we'll say in their belief, not in their beliefs — had been steadfast in their belief, today's Islam would not have degenerated like this.

The Muslim is very far from Islamic dress. Very far from covering.

Men too, likewise, have come to take pleasure in women dressing that way.

Jealousy, jealousy for one's wife, has disappeared. They nearly have them going around exposed everywhere like this. And he takes pleasure in that too. What happens? He becomes high society. High society.

Yes. (?) So if we, with our faith, were steadfast in our belief — what does being steadfast mean? Whom do we believe in? We believe in Allah, who is One, the Owner of the worlds. If we were steadfast in faith in Him, what is this steadfastness? If we were governed by the laws He sent, then from our path no one could turn us, and we would be a voice in the world like the voice of the Ottomans. Because Allah too would be behind us.

Had we not been steadfast in believing in our gods, it says. He would truly have almost led us away from our gods, they say.

When they see the punishment — where? In the hereafter. Why doesn't Allah Almighty give it here? What is the reason? Why does He save it for the hereafter? Allah Almighty, in His address, with each of us, Allah Almighty too made a covenant. In return for our covenant, He sent us to an unseen world, a world in which His Self is not seen, this world. Why did He send us? If You sent us to a world where Your Self is not seen, what worship we would offer You there, if only You knew, it says. That is, if You sent us scholars, sent us prophets and books, we would worship You. So, so that each person can act out what corresponds to the covenant they gave Allah Almighty, so that they can prove what kind of person they are, Allah Almighty grants them here a span of time in proportion to their lifetime.

A span of time. When within this span of time a person has completed what kind of person they are, and passes on to the hereafter, then truly, when they see the punishment, there is no more way out for them there. There is no coming back to the world again either. They will know whose path is really astray, it says.

So, as Islam, we must know the value of Islam. The value of Islam lies in obedience to our Lord. If we obey Him, we observe His religious rulings. Yes.

The polytheists who deny Allah and associate partners with Allah say among themselves: had we not been steadfast in our gods, that is, had we not been attached to them, he would almost have led us away from our gods. O My Beloved, tell them. On the Day of Judgment, on that day of reckoning, when you see the punishment, whose path is astray and whose path is the truth, they will understand there. O polytheists! You knew that Allah exists. You also realized the One who created you. That is, you knew that Allah exists. Of course. If he did not know Allah exists, would he worship idols?

All created people, all (?), the people from our father Adam until the Day of Judgment, that they were created by a Lord, they know. Even if, like the unbeliever Darwin, you say I don't believe in Allah, you do no more than deceive yourself. Why? At that address, Elest-ü bi Rabbiküm, he knows that he was created by a Lord. Because suddenly a formation comes about. When our Lord, facing them, said I created you, those who saw our Lord in human form, those polytheists, the non-Muslims, because they did not believe that Allah Almighty's Self had created them, waited for the Lord of their imagination.

So every human, the people from our father Adam until the Day of Judgment, since they knew there that they had been created, the same feelings, the same characters were given to them as destiny. In the world, too, these people know that this universe has an owner and that there is One who created us. But because, out of their pride before Allah, out of their arrogance, they deny Allah, they cannot break their feelings of the nafs and keep themselves from following Satan. Yes. O polytheists! You knew that Allah exists. You also realized the One who created you. Had you not realized that you were created, you would not have worshipped idols as god.

Right? Right. Then the One who created you and who brought the universe into being, the One, the absolute Owner and Ruler of dominion and of His creatures, Allah — why did you not recognize Him?

Of course. He knows these things. What you made with your hand, what you made with that hand, (?), that our Lord who creates as the Owner of the worlds created it too — why did you not realize that? You realized it, you did, but you could not break your nafs and turn to the Truth. Because there are iron collars on their necks, it says. Collars. You know, they put collars on dogs' necks too. What is the collar on the necks of those wolf-dogs? A spiked ring: when the wolf lunges at this thing, at the animal's neck, so that it does not overpower it there, they put collars on it. So people too have collars on their necks.

They cannot break their pride and bow their heads. In the face of so many truths and proofs you turned your faces away from Allah. Allah — Allah cannot be overpowered. Since Allah's promise is true, He does not go back on His promise. If you continue in the middle of a deviant path, Allah's wrath will not be turned away from you either. If you go along the middle of a deviant path. So in that case, can you think what state you are in against your nafs? he had said. Every person is a commander himself. He will make his own decision himself. And then: Ahmet misled me, Mehmet misled me. Let me put it this way: could you carry some of my sins?

And what will he say? You were just like me. I only told you. You followed me. Had you not followed. You were of this intention anyway, of this opinion, we will say. (?) (?) believing people, Muslims, knowing the way of Allah, do they not follow Allah and keep on that path? Why don't they go another way? Tomorrow, on the Day of Judgment, when we settle accounts with the non-Muslims: we were apart from your path. On which path? We were on Allah's straight path, the path of His friends. And Allah Almighty: yes, these believed in Me but followed their nafs. Well, I am just, I will judge everyone. Within that judgment I will deal with them with My mercy, He says.

So even if we enter hell, we will surely one day come out of it. But we will not stay there forever like the others, like those on the deviant path. Yes.