Al-An'am 54: When those who believe in Our verses come to you, say; “May (Allah’s) peace be upon you. Your Lord has promised to you forgiveness and mercy. So, for those who have committed a wrongful deed unknowingly and repented thereafter, Allah is Ghafoor (Forgiving) and Raheem (the One who very generously accepts repentance).

Yes, Surah Al-An'am, verse 54. Allah Almighty says: When those who believe in Our verses come to you, say this to those who believe: Allah's peace be upon you, and how fine, these believers, those who submit to Allah's oneness, who never lend an ear to any god but Him, who make no distinction between the prophets, who say (?) to all that was sent down in the Quran and accept it. Allah's peace be upon you. Your Lord promises you mercy and compassion, He promises it. Mercy and compassion. Why does Allah Almighty promise mercy and compassion? To those who believe, though. Not to those who do not believe. Aren't they His servants too?

They are His servants. So, if one person gives another a task, and that person succeeds in that task, or carries out what the one who gave the task said, that person is loved by the one who gave the task. And those given the task who rebel against him, what does the one who gave it do? He drives them away. It is Allah Almighty who created the worlds from nothing. Those who believe in the oneness of His Self, in the prophets He sent, in the books He sent, in the angels, the hereafter, and resurrection after death.

They are those who submit to Allah Almighty's command. These are those on the right. Ve ashâbü'l-meymeneti mâ ashâbü'l-meymeneh. On the other side, those on the left. Ve ashâbü'l-meş'emeti mâ ashâbü'l-meş'emeh. Who are they? Those who, free in their will, rebel against Allah Almighty. Those who swell with pride through the feelings of the nafs. Yes. We are living this in our time too. We see it. Against those who say Allah in the face of Allah's word, attacks begin. They attack not because they know that person, but because they know the words coming out of his mouth; they attack them, they recognise those words. Because the words coming out of that person's mouth are Allah's verses, those who cannot bear it, those who serve dark purposes, in this way prove themselves in this world, and (?), (?), O you on the left, woe to you, He says.

In this situation, with talk of the nafs, against the person who says Allah, who actually tells people Allah's verses and invites them to Allah, the state of those who take a stand probably becomes clear in this situation. It becomes clear.

Say to those who believe in Allah, He says: Allah's peace and blessing are upon you.

And the places promised to you will surely be given to you one day. Who is more faithful to His word than Allah? Which places are promised to them? This world; surely the life of this world will end. At the gathering, Allah Almighty will raise us again, He will raise our bodies. And after our bodies bear witness against our souls, a second time our bodies will die. Our souls will be placed, under our Lord's mercy, in the promised gardens. And the angels will say to them: peace be upon you. Peace. Yes. They will say: how fine a reward for the deeds you did in the world. So that whoever among you does an evil unknowingly and then repents afterwards, surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.

Allah Almighty did not create people free of error. Surely people commit errors. In this situation, because of the errors people have made, those who fear our Lord, the Creator of the worlds,

those who turn back to Allah Almighty, who open their hands and plead: O our Lord, we committed an error in our helplessness. Pardon us for it, forgive us, treat us with Your mercy, they say, and they promise never to do it again. In this situation, people attain our Lord's pardon and forgiveness. Well, what if the person does it again? Through the feelings of the nafs, because he was created helpless, he may do it. Deeds depend on intention; without his control, again (?) forgiveness. And even if he repeated it several times, from this deed he did, from that sin, until he himself gives it up by struggling, until he gives it up, and as long as he struggles with it, out of his helplessness, by it coming out of his mouth like this falling into sin, or falling into sin by deed, when he repents again, Allah Almighty knows that he is struggling with his nafs.

He knows the secrets of hearts; He forgives him. And that person, finally, because he struggles with his nafs, because Allah Almighty created human will strong, gains mastery over his nafs and does not do that again. This is Allah's blessing on people, His mercy, His pardon, His forgiveness. Yes. If this did not exist, what would we do? If it did not exist.

When those who believe in Allah and Allah's verses come to you, it says this: Allah's peace be upon you. Allah's peace. Why did we come into the world? To earn our Lord's peace, to earn His mercy. We came to attain His mercy and the gardens He promised. We were sent. But those who gave their covenant badly before, who are unaware of this and tie everything to the world, those unaware of their scenario there, are disturbed, as before, by our talking here like this. Because they do not know the truth. Yes, verse 172 of Surah Al-A'raf, I will always remind you of this verse. This is people's covenant with Allah Almighty in the covenant of Elestü bi-Rabbiküm, His placing the wishes and desires of their will in them as characters, and within those characters, with the person's wishes and desires, in the world with the wishes of the scenario written there, with their own will, with the actual events Allah Almighty creates, people carry out their deeds and earn reward and sin. Yes. In this situation people came here for a test.

For a test. Allah Almighty, in this world we call the unseen, that is, in this world of dominion where His Self is not seen, sent us to be witnesses to ourselves, witnesses to our surroundings and witnesses before our Lord. Those who believe in Allah and Allah's verses, when they come to you, say: Allah's peace be upon you. Your Lord has decreed mercy and compassion for you. According to this verse, Allah Almighty, who created people deficient and erring, by people turning back to Allah Almighty, returning to Allah, being governed by the verses and continuing in obedience and worship, such people, out of love of Allah, because they love Allah: Allah's peace be upon you, He decrees.

So, since He created people deficient, when he knows he was created deficient, that he is responsible before the Lord of the worlds, that he has gone outside His word, followed his nafs and sinned, he fears his Lord. His love in his heart, in place of ardent love, inflames ardent love, and if he settles fear too, the fear of Allah, in his heart, then this person, yes, when he repents of his sin, to Allah Almighty, much granting exemption, that is, forgiving, because Allah is great. When children make a mistake too, when they apologise to their fathers and mothers: Daddy, or Mummy, I will never do this again.

Because they say: do not punish me. That mother and father say: all right, I don't want it again. Come on, I've forgiven you. This is from greatness. Allah Almighty's glory is great. His glory is exalted. In this situation, since people were created in helplessness, His forgiving them is from our Lord's greatness. Yes.

That is, through the worship and obedience they offer Him, under His mercy, to safety He gives the good news that He will bring them. Of course, if a mother or father said to their child: my child, if you do this, if you do what I say, I will buy you a car. Or I will buy you a house. Or I will buy you a toy like this. They know what he loves and, as far as they can, make him promises. And that child makes every effort to reach it. Allah Almighty, the greatest of the great, (?), also makes us such a promise. If those who believe keep what our Lord says, Allah Almighty will bring them through worship and obedience to safety under His mercy: this is His good news.

Allah has decreed mercy and compassion for you.

Yes, Allah is not unjust, He says, that He would wrong human souls; a person wrongs his own soul, He says, a person wrongs his own soul. Yes, in this situation people's wrongs against their own souls display Allah Almighty's attribute of justice. Through people being free in their own will, through not loading on anyone what is beyond their strength, through the words He told people, His verses, His sharia rulings, and whether they believe or not, our Lord makes known He will call them to account. He did not create these worlds in vain. Look, He set up this world. He gives sustenance to all the creatures on it.

He feeds, He gives drink. While for us, one person, two people, their responsibilities weigh on us, looking after them weighs on us, Allah Almighty in the universe (?) gives the sustenance of living beings. And in this situation, if people of course believe in the Lord who created them and carry out what He says, Allah Almighty gives them good news. He gives them the good news of entering paradise in peace. Yes.

Allah has decreed mercy and compassion for you. When people err, Allah Almighty, for the errors people make unknowingly, when they ask Him for pardon, their sins He forgives them.

He shows them compassion and does not withhold His mercy from them. People are constantly responsible before Allah Almighty. Even in every breath they take. How do we know? There is not a single word coming out of your mouth, He says, that We do not write. On the Day of Judgment, on the Day of Judgment: woe to us, woe, what kind of book is this? Small and great, all of it has come before us, they will say. This is what the verses (?). There is not a single word coming out of your mouth that We do not record, He says. So, I want to remind you here of a saying of Mevlana. Either you will appear as you are, or you will be as you appear.

Be as you appear, so that, feeling shame before people, they know you well; be as you appear, so that in lonely places too you know that Allah sees you, and accordingly by my Lord's verses you are governed. So that whoever among you does an evil unknowingly and then repents, surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. A Muslim does not easily sin knowingly. A Muslim does not easily sin. Today even Muslims who drink alcohol know they are sinning. That is, they know they are in sin. They know. Yes. But because they cannot master their nafs, they continue with it, and I have witnessed some of them. He drinks and cries at the same time.

He cries. Why are you crying? I am a sinner. I drink the alcohol my Lord does not want. (?). O Allah, he says, grant me, grant me to give this up, O Allah, he says. He prays like this, prays.

And I witnessed one of them give it up, he gave it up. Yes, he used to drink; he cried like that and gave it up. Look at the beauty of human will. Allah Almighty created man in helplessness, and as long as they cannot gain mastery over their nafs, but are humble before their Lord, because they know they are sinners, one day when they give it up, Allah Almighty grants them pardon and forgiveness. Why? Because for Him, for His Self, for Allah he struggled. He knew it was a sin and, struggling with his nafs, gave it up. In this situation, does Allah leave His servant alone? Yes.

They later become aware of the evils they did unknowingly. If they repent, Allah, these people's sins, with His attribute al-Ghaffar forgives, and with His attribute as-Sattar covers them. Yes. For this reason Allah Almighty decrees this. Do not disclose your sins, He says.

This has several meanings. One: you have felt remorse. You have turned to your Lord. Saying: forgive my sins.

Because of this pardon of yours, because you asked Me for pardon, I granted you pardon and forgiveness. I granted pardon and forgiveness. That is, I forgave you. Now, in this situation, although I covered your sins, why do you make others witnesses to them, He says. I had covered them, He says. Why do you make witnesses? This is the first meaning, anyway. Another meaning: with what you did, with what you did, taking pride, taking pride in this evil, as long as it serves as an example to other people, you commit the (?) of disbelief and multiply your sins, He says. You multiply your sins. You take on others' burdens of sin too.

In another meaning, your sins, Allah Almighty forgave them. He forgave. By disclosing it, inside yourself you feel a pride. Back then I did it too, really. I used to drink, that sort of thing. However much you asked Allah for pardon, and your Lord forgave you, (?). You feel a pride in yourself. So you are disclosing your sin again.

In this situation people need to be very careful. People are not free of sin. Because Allah Almighty did not create people complete and perfect. For this reason people were created deficient, so that they know their helplessness and ask their Lord for pardon and forgiveness. Man's asking his Lord for pardon and forgiveness, the exaltedness of Allah Almighty's glory, man, whom He created as the noblest of creatures and through whom He wished His Self to be known, also asking Him for pardon and forgiveness, knowing his helplessness, since to Allah Almighty's purpose of creation (?), He loves His servants and raises them before Himself.

Yes.

People in the age of ignorance. They commit many sins. People, a time comes, seek guidance, see the truth, realise that through the evils they did they are sinners, turn to Allah Almighty, repent and ask forgiveness. They repent, vowing never to commit these evils again. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. He forgives their sins; Allah is very compassionate and very protective. He is the one who forgives sins abundantly.

So, Hodja, if He forgives sins abundantly, let us keep wanting sin, asking pardon, wanting sin, asking pardon; He forgives anyway. It is not in that sense.

Water gives you life. You drink it, in due measure. But if you cannot swim, if you fall into water, too much of that water drowns you.

So too with Allah Almighty: in the sin committed, thinking He forgives anyway, Do it, He forgives. Do it, He'll forgive me. He, according to the actual deed your action did, your sins this time (?) to Allah. As if you were mocking His verses, He multiplies your sins. Yes.