Ar-Ra'd 4: There are neighboring tracts, vineyards, grains and date trees which grow out of single roots or otherwise. All of these are watered with one water. (But) We determine some in their fruit superior to others. In this, there are lessons for a nation that uses its intellect.

In the fourth verse of Surah Ar-Ra'd, Allah Almighty continually proves Himself. He seeks to prove His existence to people, to everyone with reason. In this verse, too, He says: on earth there are neighbouring tracts, vine- yards, crops, and date palms branching from one root and from various roots, it says. From one root and from various roots there are branching date palms.

In the same place, growing in the same soil, from the roots, different fruits with their tastes, shapes and particular features growing. In the same soil, so, their growing in this way with their own particular features, their natures, is because of Allah Almighty: the trait, that is, the character He gave to that plant; in this case each plant, the particular features it takes from the soil, by chemical separation, and people have not been able to do this chemical separation, sir, easily turning it into its own being, into its own essential trait, into its character; this too is an art of Allah's knowledge.

For example, with the food we eat, our liver separating it, analysing it, according to what they say, only a laboratory the size of the world could do that job, they say. Moreover, as it passes through the intestines, the nutrients are taken up in the capillaries, and those substances we have eaten are turned into waste, the body stores the nourishment it takes in if it is too much, and when it is needed spends it for the person; this is great knowledge. The power of Allah's knowledge. It is impossible for such a thing to happen by chance. You know how they say there is no Allah, they say animals come from the ape, humans come from the ape, they say, Yes, something is updating here.

Tayfun. Where is Tayfun? Yes, so, on earth, neighbouring tracts. Why does Allah Almighty speak of these tracts as neighbouring tracts? All right. It did an update. Sir, our Lord says in a verse, in one verse: "We have distributed even the earth to you equally," it says. Equally. That is, among the people He created on earth, without discrimination, He has treated every person with justice, every person. Whether they are unbelievers, unbelievers, idolaters, Zoroastrians, Muslims, non-Muslims, absolutely; without discriminating on earth, according to the verse "My mercy in the universe is for everyone," He treats everyone equally.

"My mercy in the universe is for everyone; in the Hereafter only for the believer." Of course the one who works and the one who does not will not be the same. In that case you will say: Hodja, one person has vineyards and gardens, another has deserts. How can the two be equal here? If one has gardens, streams and rivers, the other has oil under the ground in that desert. There are gold mines under the ground. Today, in a place in Saudi Arabia near the sea, whose name I have forgotten right now, they extract 28 grams of gold per ton. Per ton. One of the richest gold mines in the world. Yes. And in Saudi Arabia's own land, an American has fenced off an area, he does not even let their own people in there.

That is, he does not even let Saudi Arabia's people in. So when it says tracts on earth, neighbouring tracts, neighbouring, without discriminating between them, He distributes even the tracts on earth to people with justice. With justice. Yes. On earth there are neighbouring tracts, vineyards, crops, and date palms branching from one origin and from various origins. "All of these are watered with one water," it says. All of them. All living things were created from water. From water. All living things. So all of these, that is, living things, however many humans, animals, created living things there are, all benefit from water. They were created from water.

In this case Allah Almighty tells us that He is the one who creates water, and that He is the owner of all these living things and gives them life. What does it say? "All of these are watered with one water," it says. Who creates water? Allah Almighty. How does He take water to the land that needs it? How does He water it? Through the contrast of low pressure and high pressure air, the air rising in low pressure, the air being dense in high pressure and rushing towards the low pressure, the clouds being steered in that direction, and there meeting a cold air layer, and from the compressed clouds, with raindrops, His watering whatever place He wishes, as much as He wishes.

His giving life.

"Yet We make some of them superior to others in their fruits," it says. That is, different fruits have different tastes. When it says We make some superior to others, every fruit does not benefit people to the same degree, some fruits even harm people; there are poisonous fruits. But there are animals that eat those too. But because man was created honoured, to man various, various fruits are offered with flavours and tastes superior to one another, He tells us here. Yes. "Yet We make some of them superior to others in fruits." "In these are lessons for a people who use their reason," it says. And what kind of lesson?

That there is no god but Allah, that all of existence was created by Allah and that He is the absolute owner and ruler of these beings, that from the atom to the globe, whatever there is, surrounded by (?), the creator of all these worlds, besides Him there is no strength or power; according to the verse "The heavens and the earth and what is between them know the remembrance of their Lord", by making every living or lifeless thing, every particle He created, remember Him, like the patent people take for a product they bring out after setting up a factory, He has stamped this patent on His creations. That is, by making them declare His oneness, by making them remember Him, He has proven that there is no god but Allah.

Yes. How do lifeless things remember Allah? And we know that they have cells, atoms. Inside the atoms are cells, around them molecules, the atoms inside those cells. There are positive and negative atoms. As these positive and negative atoms turn around each other's axis, they make a sound. Even if we do not hear it (?), Allah Almighty raises it to Himself. For example, the (?) factory makes a motor. It makes it say the name (?). It makes it run saying (?). If man can do this much, Allah Almighty will surely make His creations remember Him. That there is no god but Him (?), according to the verse "The heavens and the earth and what is between them know the remembrance of their Lord".

The mountains and stones used to remember Allah with David (peace be upon him). In fact, because the mountains and stones remember Allah Almighty, David, morning and evening, used to remember Allah with the mountains and stones. Yes.

So these, those who use these, that is, for people who use their reason there is a lesson in these, it says. What is the lesson? He tells us that it is Allah who created these, that the one who created all these beings in this universe is our Lord, that we have no other door to go to besides Him, that bowing to His commands and prohibitions is an absolute condition. If you step outside this, you know how children are naughty, and their father tells them: look, don't do it again, I'll punish you. Yes. Since Allah Almighty's pardon and forgiveness are abundant, however much evil you have done in the period of ignorance, what Rumi said, actually not Rumi, but what our Lord said, the lodge, the lodge is (?) open. There is no other door to go to besides Allah, so that a person would not enter through that door.

If he turns his back on that door, the verse (?): "None but the unbelievers despair of Allah's mercy," it says. The unbelievers. Yes.

We too (?). Let us read the verse once more. We have explained it as far as we have. And we'll read its commentary too. On earth there are neighbouring tracts, vineyards, crops, and date palms branching from one root and from various roots. All of these are watered with one water. Yes. Yet We make some of them superior to others in their fruits. In these are lessons for a people who use their reason. Allah Almighty clearly shows in this verse too that He created the universe with knowledge, that He invites people to reflection, and the majesty and power of His existence. In fact, in this verse, in Surah Ar-Ra'd, from the beginning, Allah Almighty has been proving Himself throughout.

It comes as proof like this. He seeks to prove His existence openly to people, to everyone with reason; and when we say everyone with reason, Allah Almighty, although He gave reason to people in limited measure, gave it equally. For example, what is limited? Universal reason is Allah Almighty. He has given people a mind that works at twelve percent. This is a limited mind. In this limited mind, in these minds He gave to people, He has made absolutely no deficiency. He distributed it equally. But whether a person uses his reason or not is left free to his own will. So every person, all the people created, from our father Adam until the Last Day, all people to come have been given full reason.

Some have used it, some have not. Who are those who use it? Those who, with the Word of Unity, obey Allah and Allah's prophets. Who are those who do not use it? Non-Muslims.

Since Adam, those who believe in the prophets and messengers Allah Almighty sent are upon the (?) of Islam. We can call them Muslims. The others we call non-Muslims. Non-Muslims. Those who do not use their reason are non-Muslims. They do not want to use it. So what do they do? They do not use it, so do they go about like madmen? No. They follow the nafs. They take Satan as a guide over them. Because they deify their nafs, deify it, they wander in swamps. They wander in darkness. And because they long for the light, they try to attribute the quality of enlightenment to themselves. As the class of enlightened intellectuals.

In fact, the class of darkness and swamps.

Yes. The class of the enlightened: an enlightened person is one who obeys Allah and His Messenger, and, since the Holy Quran addresses the ages, the ages yet to come, uses his reason and prepares for future times, makes preparations according to them, uses technology accordingly and leaves future generations a safe homeland; such a person is an enlightened person. A person suited to the age. Not saying "modern" and stripping stark naked; modern, look, you stripping stark naked, in the times before the Prophet came, even in later times, those people who buried children alive, who longed for light and lived in darkness; the people who live the times of those people, since they envy that past, are reaction itself.

Envying the old, emulating the old. Envy is reaction. Reaction, (?), they say. That is, they call people who want to apply the Prophet's time reactionaries. If, against them, they call us reactionaries, Allah is our witness, we are reactionaries. In their sense. We are reactionaries. And I take pride in it. Why? If we live the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), if we are governed by the noble Sunnah he brought, by his book, by his way, if, with the Quran addressing the ages to come and us as well, developing our minds, for the ages to come, for our homeland, our nation, our future, leaving light, we continue our lives with this peace, with this reason, then we are reactionaries.

I accept it in this way. But they, their reaction: burying their children alive in the ground, using their mothers and sisters (?), pushing them aside like rags, in this case, saying it spoils the pleasure of the eye, those who (?) women, people who compromise their honour and dignity, this man, who disregards human dignity, created honoured above the worlds, into the state of the person described by this verse falls. "They are like four-footed beasts roaming the earth." He falls into the state of the people of whom it says, "Indeed, they are even more astray in their way." According to the verse, they are human in appearance, in form, but animal in nature.

Yes. So as human beings we will use our reason. Using our reason, we will try to be, to Allah and His Messenger, servants of Allah and the community of His Messenger. This worldly realm is temporary. A thousand years here are like one day of the Hereafter. Allah Almighty, who creates time within time, our hundred-year life in this realm, an hour and a half, two hours, it corresponds to something like that. In this something like an hour and a half, two hours, if a person deifies his nafs, wanders in the swamp too, turns his back on Allah's commands and prohibitions, we cannot look on this person, this person created honoured above the worlds, as a human being.

Yes, because the verses are explicit.

You might ask me a question like this. You'd say: Hodja, how do you decide about a person? How do you decide?

In the future, how can you decide on Allah Almighty's decision about these people? My judgement is not about how a man goes at his last breath. My judgement is about people who (?) the life they live now. After that, what comes after, Allah knows best. What did we say at the beginning? This lodge is not a lodge of despair. That is, Allah Almighty's pardon and forgiveness are much, great, vast, when you turn back, He says. Since you have no other door to go to besides Allah, even if your sins reached the clouds in the sky, We will change your sins into good deeds, He says. So if you ask, Hodja, why are you speaking, I speak to warn you.

In the verse: do not envy them. Their living in splendour in this world is only for a temporary span, it says. Then you will go towards the fire prepared for the unbelievers, it says. Yes.

So we will use our reason.

Allah Almighty clearly shows in this verse too that He created the universe with knowledge, that He invites people to reflection, and the majesty and power of His existence. He says, We created neighbouring tracts on earth. He could also have created these tracts as a single land mass, not separate from one another. By saying We created neighbouring tracts, He opens the paths of knowledge to people. That by reflecting we should serve the One who created this knowledge and know Him, He tells us. That is, land heats up quickly and cools quickly, and the seas heat up slowly and cool slowly. By spreading the land masses among the seas, preventing the world from suddenly heating up and suddenly cooling, by means of the seas acting as a thermostat, the world's temperature He balances.

Yes. For example, a land mass, in deserts, is very hot in the day, and cold at night, a freezing cold. But when it says neighbouring tracts, of the world, two thirds are water, one third is land.

Why are 2 thirds water? Water, slowly, (?) heats up slowly, 2 thirds of it. Because it will cool slowly, and the land heats up and cools quickly, if it were half, there would be no situation of warming the land, acting as a thermostat. There would be a greater difference between day and night. Our Lord calculated it so that with a difference of 7-8 degrees, 10 degrees between day and night He made the world a thermostat. Yes. That is, He regulated the temperatures. Yes.

There are vineyards, crops, and date palms branching from one root and from various roots, it says. All of these are watered with one water. The meaning in the verse: the kinds of blessings He offers on earth for people's benefit are too many to count. Here, listing one or two of them, encompassing all the plants and fruits He created, His saying all of these are watered with one water, giving the example of grapes and a date palm in the same soil, in the same place, shows us that although they take life from the same water their tastes are different.

According to the distinctions the plants and fruits He created will make by their natures, every fruit and vegetable will bring out its own taste as pleasing to itself. Neither will the date palm next to the grapes take on the smell and taste of the grapes, nor will the date palms next to the vineyards pass the taste of the date to the grapes and mix it. "How exalted is the glory of Allah, who makes them perform alchemy with a knowledge able to distinguish their own tastes and flavours," they have said.

We make some of them superior to others in their fruits. In these are lessons for a people who use their reason. Making some fruits superior to others means that each person likes different fruits and vegetables.

I may not like a fruit or vegetable you like. You may not like a fruit or vegetable I like. If all fruits and vegetables were equally sweet and tasty, the vegetables and fruit I eat with pleasure you would eat forcibly, and there would be injustice between us. He makes fruits various, you see, in various, various tastes. For example, let's say I love okra very much, but there are people who don't like okra, who don't eat it. Right? In the same way some fruits too, for example, someone likes one, someone doesn't like the other at all. You don't like what he likes, he doesn't like what you like. In that case, if all had the same taste and flavour, Allah Almighty would have made (?) among His servants. Or else, there are 56, 58 taste organs on the tongue.

Taste organs. He would have tied these taste organs to a single one, just like animals: eating straw, tasting from here and there, it would eat it and go. Because of the honour He gave us, the value He gave us, from various, various fruits, various, various vegetables, with various, various tastes and flavours, He treats you generously. Yes. Look at the worth of this human being. And look at Allah Almighty's art of creation. Those who use their reason, Allah's oneness (?), exactly as if seeing you, (?) you see it outwardly and plainly. Yes.

Taking all these into account, the One who knows what His creations like, who creates for His creations the vegetables and fruits they will like, and who in His justice treats His creations without lack: how exalted is the glory of Allah, they have said.

So, for a people who will use their reason by reflecting on these created things, there are lessons. Allah explains the verses of the Holy Quran to people in a way every person will understand, bringing comparisons and examples. What does He say in the verse? "With a mosquito and something greater," He says. We never abandon giving comparisons. What does this mean? With a mosquito and something greater. That is, to a person who never uses his reason, in the mountains, in the forest, or working as a shepherd, in a way he will understand, and also to people who use their reason so that they become geniuses, never, He says, We do not shy away from giving examples, says Allah Almighty.

Allah Almighty addresses people in the Holy Quran according to every mind.

What are we saying? The verses of the Holy Quran He explains to people by bringing comparisons and examples. But although every person understands from these examples, still most people act following their nafs and Satan. They eat and drink so many of Allah's blessings, and turn their faces away from Allah. In the Holy Quran Allah Almighty says of such people: they are like four-footed beasts roaming the earth. Indeed, they are even more astray in their way. So, taking lessons from these events, we have no other way out but to be servants of Allah, to do what Allah says.

May Allah give us all good comprehension and grant us to understand Allah's verses. May He join us among His servants who act on their knowledge. Yes.