Ar-Ra'd 14: Allah is the One who is worth to be begged with open hands. The ones that they offer prayers for with open hands cannot fulfill their desires with anything. They resemble the one who has opened his palms towards the water so that it will come to his mouth. But (unless he brings his mouth to the water) the water is not to enter his mouth. Verily, the prayers of the infidels have missed their destination.

We have come to the four- teenth verse of Surah Ar-Ra'd. Praise be to Allah. The one worthy of being implored with open hands is only He. Who? It is Allah. Why does He make us open our hands and implore? What is the reason? I mean, does Allah Almighty take pleasure in it? Allah Almighty existed by His essence; He willed to be known. From His light He created the light of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Then He gave from His spirit. From that spirit of His He created us as a part. The universal spirit is Allah Almighty. Otherwise you can't put the spirit into a cat, a dog, a plant. This man doesn't attach the spirit to anything, they say.

Only Allah, he says, they say. Whereas the spirit goes to various places, they say. Gabriel too is a spirit, they say.

If the word of Allah Almighty is (?), if He addresses Gabriel, Michael and Israfil like this, how do you attribute the spirit to Gabriel? To Gabriel. And through Gabriel — the one who came as a mercy to the worlds, raised by Allah Almighty's revelation, the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace be upon him) — how do you have him taught? The spirit taught him, Gabriel taught him, you say. You attribute that spirit to Gabriel. Rather, Gabriel too, who found life from the existence of the Prophet, created by Allah, is the prophet of the angels. In this case, the spirit: Allah Almighty raised the Messenger of Allah by way of revelation, and "We will reveal to your heart; you will never forget" — comparing this verse with which Gabriel do you attribute it to Gabriel?

And Gabriel — Gabriel taught and raised the Prophet, they say. They say this without shame. Their tongues dare to say this. Their tongues dare to say this.

Yes.

Then why does He make us implore? He gave a part of His spirit. In man, fame, renown, pride, arrogance, selfhood, egoism and love of the world are present. With these he falls into the (?) and the passion for it. So you will know your helplessness, know your Creator, know your owner, know your mistake. Since He created you with an incomplete mind, by knowing your mistake, turning back to your Lord, asking Allah's forgiveness for your mistake, and before His loftiness knowing your helplessness, Allah Almighty says to you: O My servant. You say it, He says, and I will give it to you. His making us implore is for giving to man, making known his helplessness, introducing to that person the loftiness and greatness of His essence; even as humans we go to our elders and kiss their hands.

Our elders. We don't fail in respect and reverence toward them. Allah Almighty, in Surah Luqman or in some other surah, says: obey first Me, then your mother and father. He has us obey our elders. Well then, in this case, do non-Muslims (?) people? Those who say "he's human, I'm human too" and, with pride and arrogance, turn their backs on Allah also try to make people turn their backs on their elders. If you kiss your elder's hand in this world, in the hereafter, when you see your Lord like yourself, you will bow your neck to Him. If you cannot break your pride here and kiss that hand, in that hereafter too you will still be rebellious against the Lord who created you.

If only they had known me here, it says. They have taken this verse too: if only he had known beforehand. If they had known beforehand, would he even say it? "If only," it says. Didn't He know beforehand that they wouldn't know? Didn't He know? If only they had (?) here. I mean, if only they had turned back after seeing so much punishment. He still leaves an open door. But their character is such that, because they rebel against Allah, even when they enter that punishment, that spirit of rebellion — to them: "O Malik, tell your Lord to lighten the punishment on us a little." So they will say. To our Lord they will not be able to say it.

Because they will still be waiting for the Lord of their imagination. So for man to know his helplessness and to be elevated in his Lord's sight, Allah makes that person supplicate to His essence. To elevate man. Those to whom they open their hands and supplicate apart from Him cannot meet their wishes with anything. Who? Idols. Those who associate partners with Allah and implore idols.

They too are Allah's creations. The heavens and the earth, and what is between the two, have known the remembrance of their Lord. Every soul will taste death. The inheritance of the heavens and the earth will remain to Allah. Yes. So every living thing, every non-living thing, plants and vegetation and people, jinn, angels — all are Allah's creations. Apart from Allah there is no created being to be implored with open hands.

They are only like one who opens both palms toward the water so that it may reach his mouth. How beautifully it says it. Look at a (?), a (?). What a beautiful (?). A person wants to drink water, he is thirsty; it gives him an example: he has opened his mouth, holds both palms to the water, but doesn't bring it to his mouth. If it doesn't come to his mouth, it isn't going to come to you. Let's read it once more: they are only like one who opens both palms toward the water so that it may reach his mouth, it says. Yet unless he brings the water to his mouth, the water will not enter his mouth. The supplication of the disbelievers has surely missed its target, it says.

That is, instead of turning to Allah, asking from Him, with that mouth from Allah, it says, asking from the One who created them, submitting to the One who meets their needs — instead of that, submitting, it says, to what Allah created and asking from it, the disbelievers have surely missed their target. What was the target? It was to (?) Allah. Yes.

With this verse Allah Almighty shows people the ways of guidance. He encourages people to supplicate, and in encouraging people to supplicate He wills that people know their helplessness and recognize their Lord. Asking from others than Allah means people associating partners with Allah, which is among the greatest sins. Asking from others than Allah means people associating partners with Allah, which is among the greatest sins. Therefore He declares: the only one worthy of being implored with open hands is He. That is, it is Allah. Creating all these beings, giving life to His creations and granting them their sustenance belongs only to that One Allah.

Only Allah is worthy of being implored with open hands and asked. But people turn to wherever their benefit comes from. Or (?), worshipping idols, they begin to ask from them. If within their destiny there is attaining those wishes, and Allah Almighty fulfills that person's wish, the one who wished, seeing his wish fulfilled, says the idol he worships has granted it to him, and all the more they begin to associate partners with Allah.

So Allah — declaring that these are false, that these idols or the things they ask other than Allah have neither any benefit nor any harm for them, that the owner of all beings is Allah — declares: the only one worthy of opening hands and asking is Allah.

Now Surah Ar-Rahman comes to my mind.

Allah Almighty says it in 33 places, I think: which of the blessings He has given will you deny, it says. 33 times, so beautifully does it say it that this place is truly very moving, Surah Ar-Rahman. Yes.

At-Tawbah, Surah An-Najm, Surah Ar-Rahman. What do they say?

There are grains with leaves and fragrant plants, it says. Grains with leaves and fragrant plants — He created this for man. Then which of your Lord's blessings can you deny, it says. Is there anyone else who creates this, it says. Will anyone be able to create this, it says. Then how will you be able to deny this generosity of Mine to you, it says. Allah created man from clay like baked earthenware. He created the jinn from pure fire. That is, He created them from within frequencies. Then which of your Lord's blessings can you deny, it says. I am the one who created you. I am also the one who brought you from nothing into being.

how will you deny what I have created, it says. How will you be able to deny it? Then are you left to yourself? Without an owner? How beautifully, by saying "which of the blessings given will you deny", Allah proves the existence of His essence — so beautifully that He says He is the Lord of the two easts and the two wests.

Here I'll say: poor people. Let them excuse me. When the sun rises from such a place — in summer it rises from such a place and sets at such a place; in winter it rises from such a place and sets at such a place. This is what these poor people take the two easts and two wests to mean. Whereas when He says this world is the likeness and shadow of the hereafter, when He says a thousand years here are like one day of the hereafter — if east and west are in this world, then since the inner worlds have an east and a west: O man, when you live in this world with your nafs, one day you will be (?), you will be (?); and in that hereafter — which is the east and west of that time — in its paradise and hell you will prepare your own place, it says. Yes, of the two easts and the two wests, the Lord.

Lord of the outward worlds. And Lord of the inner worlds too, it says here.

In every way, how beautifully Allah Almighty proves His essence. In every way.

Let's take a look here.

So, Allah — declaring that these are false, that the idols or the things you ask other than Allah have for them neither any benefit nor any harm, that the owner of all these beings is Allah — declares: the only one worthy of opening hands and asking is Allah.

Because all created things have been created by Allah; all created beings, from the atom to the globe, every living thing, every particle needs Allah. The things people ask apart from Allah are not able to meet any needs of the people making the request. Because they themselves need Allah. If the things people worship are inanimate beings, these idols — the request, those making the request — they neither hear nor listen. Here Allah Almighty gives these people an example. They are those who, lips on the ground, so that it may come to their mouths, stretch both hands toward the water. But without putting their hands in the water, they wait for the water to come to their mouths.

Unless he puts his hand in the water, takes it into himself and brings it to his mouth, the water will not enter his mouth. Here water is the truth. And the Truth is Allah. Because the Lord of creation can hear the supplication of everyone who supplicates. But a supplication not made to Allah: a person who stands before the water and waits for the water to come into his mouth — unless he turns to the water, that water will never enter his mouth. So unless man turns to Allah, the supplications and requests of such people are not accepted. When their needs are met by Allah Almighty, it is so that, all his life, a person makes himself a witness to Allah and to those around him: Allah Almighty gives that person sustenance.

Now here we pass a sentence; pay attention. So — unless man turns to Allah, the supplications and requests of such people are not accepted, we say. Yet Allah Almighty, in His verse, says: man says, "I supplicated, but my supplication was not accepted." Now this would seem to contradict this verse. Right? As if it contradicts. So since all the good deeds done by people who deny Allah go to waste — they went to waste — their supplications too go to waste. Because he has gone denying Allah. What we said is for idolaters.

Yes.

the supplication of the disbelievers has surely missed its target. Look how beautifully it says it. It has missed its target.

Requests made to idols unaware of themselves: people who, without using their reason, with habits of the nafs, with customs copied from one another, following falsehood as if it were truth, do harm to their own selves.

I'll read this sentence once more. They say such things to those who explain the truth too, so let me read it once more.

So: requests made to idols unaware of themselves — instead of "requests made to these idols", let's say unaware of themselves people, and continue. They are people who, without using their reason, with habits of the nafs, with customs copied from one another, following falsehood as truth, do harm to their own selves — people.

Yes.

The actions these people perform, as the right path and striving to reach the target, have strayed from the target and gone astray; they are in the state of confused, bewildered people.

As long as these people continue these actions and do not hear the truth and turn to the truth, if they go to the hereafter like this, their going, their destination, is hell. What an evil place that is, we say.