Al-A'raf 74: Know that after the nation of A’ad, Allah has brought you in place of them and Allah has placed you on earth. You are erecting palaces on its planes and carving homes on its mountains. Now remember Allah’s provisions and do not cause mischief on earth as mischief-makers.

We left off at 74, he says. Yes. Surah Al-A'raf, 74.

In the verse, Allah Almighty always gives us examples from the past.

Those who do not learn from the past are fools, He says. Fools.

As we also said in the previous lesson, with Allah Almighty it is as if we were in a classroom, and our history teacher is telling us about the past with dates. And we listen to the events of the past and learn them. Just as we see our teacher with our eyes and hear what he tells with our ears, even though we do not see our Lord with these eyes or hear Him with our ears, spiritually we see Him with the eye of the heart and hear Him with the ear of the heart too, like that. Yes. Because Allah Almighty rules over both the outward and the inward, He commands. Yes. Surah Al-A'raf, verse 74: Remember that after the people of 'Ad, Allah brought you in their place. Brought whom?

The people of Salih. And He settled you on the earth. You build palaces on its plains and carve houses out of its mountains. So remember the blessings of Allah, and do not spread disorder on the earth as corrupters, says Prophet Salih to his people. This is the people of Prophet Salih, the people of Thamud.

They were big, hulking people. From the mountains, from the rocks, they would build palaces; from the rocks in the mountains, by carving them, they would build palaces, and they felt very strong and mighty. In this state they had abandoned Allah's Book and the Prophet, living in their own world, both spreading corruption all around and crushing the weak, committing injustice, they became people who lived off the backs of others. That is, they had come to the point of committing oppression. To oppression. Yet Allah Almighty spreads truth and justice on the earth. No one, no one has superiority over anyone.

The Prophet says it too. Neither has the Arab superiority over the white, nor the white over the Arab. Superiority is only through obedience to Allah, between Allah and His servant. Yes, in this situation, while the people of Thamud were in their transgressions, Allah Almighty sends them a prophet, His prophet Salih. Yes, after the destruction of the people of 'Ad, Allah Almighty settled the people of Thamud on the earth in place of the people of 'Ad. He sent Salih (peace be upon him) from among them as a prophet. A prophet. The people of Thamud were also a powerful people. In the verse where He says, you build palaces on its plains, they built large buildings on the plains, and in the mountains and valleys they cut rocks and marble and shaped them.

From hewn stones they built houses, palaces, pools and whatever buildings they wished. From hewn stones. You know how we say the Chipped Stone Age. Yes. The Polished Stone Age, the Chipped Stone Age. You know, the early ages, the middle ages, the new ages, the recent ages, ages.

In this verse, His saying, palaces on the plains, you carve houses in the mountains, indicates that they were a very powerful people. According to the reports, they were people like the pillars of a building. Building pillars, people like church pillars. Yes.

Prophet Salih, in return for these blessings given to them, for this strength, gives them such a fine reminder. So remember the blessings of Allah, and do not spread disorder on the earth as corrupters. This people too, a short time after the people of 'Ad, went astray from their path. They began to worship idols. So Prophet Salih, by the grace and generosity of Allah Almighty, to this people, so that they would find the truth without spreading corruption on the earth and, finding their way, would obey and serve Allah, was sent to convey this to them as a prophet. Yes.

That is what Allah Almighty says in His verse. What does He say? Do not spread corruption on the earth. Yes.

Once a person loses his way. That is, once he starts turning his back on Allah and His Prophet, on Allah's Book. To put it more precisely, once in that covenant of Elestü bi Rabbiküm he gives his pledge to Allah Almighty badly, there is no one left who can bring him to the right path. Yes. Once a person loses his way. Once he is disobedient and rebellious toward Allah. Once these people have their destiny written as rebels. That is, as I said, those who in the covenant of Elestü bi Rabbiküm did not accept Allah Almighty as Allah, but knew the lord of their own imagination as Lord and rebelled against Allah, those who called Him a liar.

Then however much you advise them, however much you convey the truth to them, you cannot make these people hear the oneness of Allah. Why? My beloved, He says, you cannot show the blind, you cannot make the deaf hear, and the dead you can never make hear at all, He says. Yes. Because they are not ones to find the right path, those who, within their destiny, against the covenants they had given, against Allah Almighty, as rebels had their destiny written.

Once these people have their destiny written as rebels, then however much you advise them, however much you convey the truth, you cannot make these people hear the oneness of Allah. Since they are not ones to find the right path, they will not give up being disobedient to Allah and opposing Him either. Once a person falls into Satan's net. Into Satan's net. This Satan latches onto weak characters, onto people who are weak. He tries to keep them from Allah's path. Yes.