Ar-Ra'd 16: (Oh My Messenger!) Say; “Who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?” They will say; “Allah”. Then say; “Did you leave Allah aside and take as friends the ones that don’t have the power to benefit or harm themselves?” Say, “is the blind and the one who can see equal? Or can darkness and light be equal? Or did they find partners who can create like Allah creates, and this creation appeared similar to them?” Say; “Allah is the One Who creates everything. And Allah is Waahid (One) and Qahhar (the One with irresistible Might).

My Messenger, say: who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth? In the verse Allah Almighty has him address people, non-Muslims, idolaters. Say to them: who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth? They say: Allah. Now a question of mine comes to mind like this. It will come to you too. Since they knew Allah, why did they turn their backs on Allah and worship idols? It comes, doesn't it? Since they say Allah. And here, Allah Almighty's saying "Allah" — let's see whether it matches those people's saying "Allah". Well, Hodja, are you now going to believe Allah? Or are you going to believe these men?

Of course I will believe Allah, but there must be proof from Allah for their saying Allah.

And where is the proof? The proof is in the address "Elestü birabbiküm".

Allah Almighty created our souls, created them. After giving them life, when they came to themselves, when the souls came to themselves, before them, before the souls, He called out: I am your Lord. I certainly created you.

The Messenger of Allah, too, beside Allah Almighty — yes, this is our Lord — he testifies. With the souls' sudden coming into being, within this formation, these souls know that by a god, by a Lord, they were created. Because there is a sudden coming into being. There is a being created. Since Allah Almighty gave us from His spirit, since the part and the whole resemble each other, the non-Muslims — that Allah Almighty is Allah, that He is the one who created them — could not believe. What did they do? They waited for the Lord of their imagination. So here it says: say to them, who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth?

They say: Allah. How do you know? They know because they know that there they were created, that a god created them. That's the proof. They say Allah created. They know they were created. Yes. Then say: have you abandoned Him and taken as friends those who have no power to benefit or harm themselves? That is, to idol-worshippers: have you, in place of Allah, taken as friends those who possess no power to benefit themselves or anyone else? Yes.

Say: are the blind and the seeing equal? Never. Indeed. One is blind, one sees. Well, my Allah, why did You create me blind? Allah didn't create you blind. Well, what does it say? Are the blind and the seeing ever equal, it says. If you knowingly, in that Elestü birabbiküm address, deny Allah, if your desire and wish, your will, becomes your destiny — destiny — this destiny, although Allah writes it for you: did Allah give it willingly, or did you have your own will written as your destiny? In this situation, if there you deny your Creator, if you continue denying when you come into the world, are you blind or seeing?

Of course, if after seeing so many truths he doesn't use his reason and still persists in his stubbornness and turns his back on Allah, he is the blindest of the blind. The blind man at least lives the spiritual world with the light of Islam. He lives his spiritual world. But the blind one who has turned his back on the truth, in pitch-black darkness, falls into the state of a person living in a way that makes his life a dungeon.

Say: are the blind and the seeing equal? Or are darkness and light equal? Look how beautifully it says it. Are darkness and light equal? If you turn your back on Allah's word, which will light your way, if you turn your back on the Lord who created you, if you turn your back on those words of Allah which will bring you out of darkness into light, of course you fall into the state of people swimming in darkness. That is, in darkness so pitch black you cannot see ahead, bumping left and right like drunks — you fall into the state of such people.

Or have they found partners who create as He creates, so that the creation seemed to them alike? Is there one more creator? Have you ever witnessed it?

Or do you own a seed of your world, it says, like that. Were it so, it says, from your world not even as much as a seed's (?), nothing would be given to you. So the owner of the heavens and the earth and what is between the two is Allah. He has created all beings seen and unseen and encircled them with the Throne of Allah. He is the owner of the Throne of Allah. In this case, we are people who need what Allah has created and who sustain our lives with what Allah has created. In this case, a person does a person a kindness, and that person, toward the one who did him the kindness, is at a loss how to do him a kindness.

If only I could do him some kindness too, he thinks.

Allah created man as the noblest of creatures.

He made him honored above the worlds. He created him close to His essence. He has given man a (?) from His essence. In this case He did not separate man from His essence, and His word, with man, with man as the addressee, He set before man. He offered all His blessings to people. He created and created for people to eat, drink and enjoy themselves. In this case, if man, to the one who created so many blessings, turns his back and doesn't recognize Him, what conscience can you look for in this person or what faith? In this case such people truly — like those ships in the oceans, in the darkness of the night, in pitch-black darkness, amid waves like mountains, struggling, condemned to carry on their lives like those ships — fall into the state of such a person.

Because within darknesses. Are darkness and light equal? Or did they see a likeness in creation? Say: Allah is the creator of all things. Because He knows every kind of creation very well. And He is One.

There is no god but Him; He possesses irresistible power. Even if men and jinn gathered, against Allah Almighty they could bring no harm.

Allah Almighty created our souls in the world of Lahut. With the (?) He gave our souls, that it has a Lord who created it, each soul knew.

Allah Almighty, in their partial will, into their own hands gave people their will. Allah willed that His essence be known by people with their own will — He willed it. For this reason He left people free in their will. Giving people from His spirit, He created them very close to His essence. When He addressed them, "I am your Lord", people, facing their Lord, since they did not consider it possible that their Lord, who resembled them, was the one who created them, denied Allah at the very beginning. But when they were created by an Allah, they (?). Yes. I think we explained this with a clearer example.

In this respect, Allah: My Messenger, say: who is the Lord of the heavens and the earth? They say: Allah. Then say: have you, abandoning Him, taken friends who to themselves benefit or harm have no power to give?

This verse makes known that people, by an Allah, were created. But since Allah Almighty created people very close to Himself, people could not believe that they were created by Allah, who was a partner to them. They waited for the Allah they had conceived in their own minds. During this waiting of people, Allah Almighty — with each one of them, within people's own will, in proportion to their own wishes, whatever they wished — wrote their own desires and wishes for them as their destiny. Although they knew that they were not created by an Allah, in the unseen world people, conceiving their Lord according to their own minds, wanted to worship their Lord according to the covenant and imaginings they gave.

These behaviors of theirs lead them to associate partners with Allah, to worship idols, to hope for help from others. Since they knew Allah, if you asked them who created the heavens and the earth, they said: Allah. They knew, because they knew they were created by a god — Allah. So, without using your reason, besides that One Allah, have you taken friends who can give them neither harm nor benefit? Since Allah created, and you know that Allah created,

in this case, what you carved with your hand — carving into idols the shape of the Lord you conceived in your mind, giving them those shapes and worshipping them — is that sensible? Is this the work of reason?

Well, in this Elestü birabbiküm address? In the address, when we made a covenant with Allah Almighty — I made the covenant — the Lord who came before you, with whom you made a covenant one by one — you could not believe in Him, could not believe in Him as your Lord, so with whom did you make the covenant? Was there an unseen Lord (?), and did you make the covenant with Him? In this case, what does Allah Almighty say? Do you never use your reason, He says. Do you never reflect? That is: O man, with this reason I gave you, when you could not believe in your Lord, who made the covenant with you and created you, when you came to the world, when Allah, free of deficient attributes, sent you to the world, did you, still using your reason, make a covenant with an imagined Lord?

Now people don't want to go into these areas. Because they don't know. And those who go into them — as we always say — not a Qadari. If they go further, they declare them deviants in religion. These areas are exactly the point where the (?) secret will be solved. This Elest (?).

Allah Almighty made a covenant with people, we say. He gave man his covenant to him as destiny.

Now I ask about Surah Al-A'raf, verse 172 — I ask the (?) about this verse.

Is there a covenant from Allah Almighty? It's not clear, they say. Well then, is Allah lying? (?) we made a covenant, it says. We made a covenant, it says. Well, fine. We made a covenant, it says. Well, fine. Fine, but while making this covenant, did Allah divide His servants as disbeliever and Muslim and set their destinies according to His own will, take people's will away from them, and — although He Himself created those people — discriminating among His servants, say: you are a disbeliever, bound for hell; you are a Muslim? Would Allah do this? Can you find injustice in Allah? No. So there is a covenant.

Does man have a destiny? Yes. So you had your destiny written yourself, blessed one. Why do you blame Allah? Why do you blame Allah? Why do you know nothing of the covenant? Why do you know nothing of the universal and the partial with each other — of having one's covenant, one's will, written as one's destiny?

If you ask them, they say this: Don't go into these areas. The great ones didn't go into them either. Who is it you call great? Who? People advanced in religion. I mean, scholars. Well, if we too, facing the verses — our Lord having raised us and shown us these areas — explain them to you, and you look down on us and turn your backs on our words, you will remain in those darknesses.

If what I explain contradicts the verses you know, warn me. I am sure that in heart and mind you confirm it. Confirm. I know this. I confirm it. But your nafs and desire have put on armor against me that cannot be pierced. It cannot be pierced. Your putting on that armor is not against me. It is putting on that armor against the true word of the Truth. So you remain in those darknesses.

Yes.

Do you not use your reason? Do you not think and reflect? Is it fitting that man, created as the noblest of creatures, believing in things that cannot be, hopes for help from other created things and worships them — does it befit his own creation and dignity, his human honor? Yes.

Say: are the blind and the seeing ever equal? The blind and the seeing. Or are darkness and light equal? By sending the Noble Quran to people, Allah Almighty has held a light before them and taught them to use their reason. With his own reason man cannot escape falsehood and darkness. He cannot protect his own honor, dignity and human honor. Man is the highest and most exalted created being. All created things have been created for man and given into his service.

Let's read this again; perhaps a misunderstanding may have arisen. Say: are the blind and the seeing ever equal, or are darkness and light equal? By sending the Noble Quran to people, Allah Almighty has held a light before them and taught them to use their reason. With the Noble Quran, holding a light before them, He teaches them to use their reason. With his own reason man cannot escape falsehood and darkness. Because a partial mind has come into an unseen world; there is need of a guide. The guide, the light before man, is this Quran. Then the prophets, then the scholars, their heirs. Yes, man is the highest and most exalted created being.

All created things have been created for man and given into his service.

Even the angels pray for people. The angels (?), every human is the vicegerent of the dominion. Of the dominion — in the world of dominion all created things have been put under man's command.

If man, created so honored, comes under the command of what has been put under his command, shapes what he made with his own hand and hopes for help from those lifeless things, where has his honor and dignity gone? Whoever seeks might and honor — might and honor are with Allah.

So don't seek might and honor from those who go outside this. This is Allah's verse. Whoever seeks might and honor, it says — might and honor are with Allah. Yes. We too said: man is the most exalted and highest created being. All created things have been created for man and given into his service. So if people created so exalted do not recognize their Creator and associate partners with Him, then such people, since they do not use their reason,

Yes, here...

What are we saying? Man is the highest and most exalted created being. All created things have been created for man and given into his service. So if people created so exalted do not recognize their Creator and associate partners with Him, such people, since they do not use their reason, follow their nafs and cannot save themselves from darkness.

In their (?), they are unjust enough to wrong their own selves. Unjust. In their (?).

What man does to himself, it says, even the two worlds together could not do. Allah Almighty, with the Noble Quran, has given people both sight and a light to illuminate their way. Those deprived of it are both blind and in darkness. The verse says, doesn't it: are the blind and the seeing equal? Are darkness and light equal? So people who turn their backs on the verse, who turn their backs on Allah's word, are both blind and in darkness. Well, Hodja, today men go to the moon, they shake the world with so much technology — when you say that, Muslims make most of their inventions. Just as Fatih Sultan Mehmed gathered Christian children by devshirme and founded the Janissary Corps, made them Muslims, and with the Janissary Corps shook the world.

These too gather people advanced not militarily but in intelligence and keep them in their service. In this case we witness many things: with Muslims' minds, non-Muslims, by employing them, make many inventions. Today in our country, (?) the engineers who would bring forth advanced technology — eliminating them, with technology they made to shake the world, eliminating them; their own filth, falsehood, to spread over the truth, to use as their armor, those engineers they waste, and with what they have made up they are shedding the blood of Islam. But today again we witness that among us engineers with very good working minds, by making unmanned aircraft and many inventions, have come to the point of selling weapons to the world.

They've come to the point of selling with their helicopters, their planes. So what are you trying to prove, Hodja? I am trying to prove this verse: One Muslim is equal to three non-Muslims. With his mind. Yes. In this case they truly are blind, but a Muslim truly sees and is enlightened. Look (?), is it for that that Islamic blood is shed? Islamic blood is shed because they could not live Islam. They could not know Islam. If they had known Islam, today the non-Muslim would kneel before the Muslim. The non-Muslim. These men, the non-Muslims, to ruin Islam, superstitions they inserted. Superstitions.

With these superstitions they could not corrupt the verses. And they got into the verses from a few places too. The easiest place they found was hadith. They inserted superstitions into hadiths. What Christian propaganda they make. What fabricated verses they tell.

Now I'll open it and read it, I'll prove it. I've done five hundred hadiths. I'm sifting out five hundred. I'm sifting.

They've lulled Muslims to sleep. They've inserted superstitions. Well, with superstition like this, (?), of course they will rule. They have not ruled over Islam. They can never rule over Islam.

They rule over the superstitions they raised to be like themselves.

Yes.

In their (?), they are unjust enough to wrong their own selves. Allah Almighty, with the Noble Quran, has given people both sight and a light to illuminate their way. Those deprived of it are both blind and in darkness. Because Allah is the universal mind. He is flawless and complete. Likewise His verses are flawless and guiding. Whoever, the path shown by Allah — this complete mind, flawless and free of all deficient attributes — does not enter, with the partial mind in man, those people remain both blind and in darkness. And their good deeds are swept away by their sins and carried off.

Then do they also do good? Of course they do. In the end the verse says: all the good deeds they did have gone to waste, all the good deeds have gone to waste. Yes. Or have they found partners who create as He creates, so that the creation seemed alike to them? Say: Allah is the creator of all things, and He is One, possessor of irresistible power. So, the heavens and the earth and what is between the two have known the remembrance of their Lord; according to this verse, if the heavens and the earth and what is between the two have known the remembrance of Allah — if Allah has given His patent to every particle He created, given His patent — with what? The patent: inside those particles, in the nuclei of the atoms of matter, plus and minus, neutrons and protons, turning around their own axes, give off a sound.

Even if we don't hear it, it gives off a sound. Allah Almighty, whichever of His attributes He will have it remember — those atoms and molecules, while turning them around their own axes, He has them remember Allah Almighty. And what does this symbolize? It makes known that nothing has been created by another, by someone else; that this whole universe, from the atom to the globe, has been created by Allah and He is the absolute owner of the worlds — this it makes known.

So, to the One who created these worlds, to such a possessor of knowledge, even if men and jinn united, even if the worlds of men and jinn united, they could do no harm.

He possesses irresistible power. Allah Almighty, regarding the polytheists: Or have they found a creator who, like Allah, brings into being from nothing? Have they found a god who, as Allah creates, in order and harmony resembling Allah's creations, would meet the needs of those who believe in him and light their paths, give them gifts in the hereafter — and so abandoned that One, to whom alone belong praise and glory in His dominion, the possessor of irresistible power? Yes. Allah is One; there is no god but Him.

Allah brings everything into being from nothing. All created things need Allah.

The one who holds sovereignty in His dominion, worthy of praise and glory, besides whom there is no god, whose power cannot be resisted, eternal without beginning and end, outward and inner, everlasting, who has no equal in His essence, owner of the universe and its absolute ruler, possessor of wisdom in His judgment — that is Allah.

So, O man, give ear to the verses of Allah Almighty. Don't turn the abode of eternal bliss into a dungeon for the pleasures of the transient world. Allah wants to see people in the highest stations. Since Allah created man most honored, the ways to protect his honor and dignity He has shown. Calling these outdated, saying they have remained in times past, is man's rebellion and opposition against his Lord, and on that day of reckoning man's regret will never benefit him.