Al-A'raf 158: Say; “Oh mankind! Verily, for all of you, I am the Messenger of Allah, to Whom the heavens and the earth belong. There is no deity other than Allah. Allah is the One Who resurrects and the One Who deals death. So, believe in Allah and believe in Allah’s Messenger, the ummi Prophet, who believes in Allah and Allah’s words, so that you will find guidance.”

We begin with verse 158 of Surah Al-A'raf.

Yes.

Say: O people, truly I am the messenger to you all of Allah, Owner of the heavens and the earth, it says.

According to this verse, the Prophet announces his prophethood — that is, he announces his prophethood.

Is he falling into pride and arrogance?

I mean, by saying I am the messenger, by making known that he is charged by Allah with a duty, is he falling into pride and arrogance?

So, should he not say: I am the messenger? All prophets proved themselves, they said it. Now, when you ask why do you say this so, when we say we too are charged by our Lord, are we falling into pride and arrogance?

By their own reasoning, such people do not speak of themselves like that, they say. If they don't say it, how will people know?

They will say it; if it goes against the Islamic sharia you know and Allah's verses, then that person has said it in deviation. For example, like people saying I am Jesus, like people saying I am the Mahdi.

These are people whose mental balance is disturbed. But when we say we too are Allah Almighty's appointees on earth, can you see any disorder in my mental balance? Or can you see that I step outside Allah's verses and use words ascribing attributes to Allah Almighty? So their speaking like this is to make themselves look superior to those around them and to take a stand against those who speak the word of truth. I think like this: if the Prophet (peace be upon him) came into the world today and said: I am the Mahdi, and Jesus were with him, they would stand against them too. Yes, I'm telling the truth, they would stand against them too.

These, those (?) — even ones among them who will (?) exist.

Yes.

So: I am the messenger of Allah, Owner of the heavens and the earth. There is no god but Him. He gives life and causes death.

Yuhyî ve yümît. Yes. Ve hayyün la yümit. He is the Giver of life.

So believe in Allah and in His Messenger, the unlettered prophet, who believes in Allah and His words — believe, have faith, and follow him so that you may find the right path.

So: people's love of the world, their giving value to the feelings of their nafs,

the world's rosy appearance to people, man's inclination toward the world, toward his nafs, with his whims, his (?) against Allah's verses drag man into ruin and destruction. So Allah Almighty says: O man. Come to your senses. We created you from a lowly fluid. From a lowly fluid. In helplessness. I created you in need of My Essence, He says. Allah Almighty created us in need of Him. We always eat what He gives. We benefit from what He created. You yourself are not even capable of creating the sprout of a seed. If it were so, it says, you would have been given nothing from the world. In this case, the sustenance He gave, the benefit you drew from what He created, you forget. You bind yourself to the world, and those who bring you profit you chase. If you forget Allah, you will have tormented your own self, it says.

You will have brought loss upon your own self, it says. (?), you turn into a merchant, it says. Yes. So: in Allah's words, it says, and in that unlettered prophet believe and have faith, so that you may find the right path, says Allah Almighty. How beautifully He shows people the way. This verse proves that the Prophet (peace be upon him) is "ve mâ erselnâke illâ rahmeten li'l-âlemîn". Namely: Say, O people, I am to you all, and to you all, to those of the past as well. To those of the past, all of you — among people, not only to his own time, to those to come as well. To you all. Their prophets were different, Hodja.

The Prophet is witness to those prophets, and we too are witnesses to their communities, right? Being witness to those prophets means he will also bear witness over their communities. Of those prophets, with witnessing over the prophets. Yes. These prophets entrusted the duty to their communities. To what? Ve mâ erselnâke illâ rahmeten — illa: he came as mercy to the worlds, and he is alive. Yes. But Hodja, he didn't live at that time, so how will he bear witness to them — this may come to mind.

He will bear witness like this. One: the prophets created from the Prophet's first spirit — as many prophets as Allah Almighty wills to create, and that is our Lord's will, that many prophets He creates and says to them: From your spirits the spirits of the peoples I will create. And I will send you as their elders, as messengers to your peoples. Do you accept? And they say: we accept. And I am with you among those who bear witness, says Allah Almighty. So if they were all created from the Prophet's spirit, if that witnessing is clear there too, if that covenant is clear, then for them — Allah Almighty's witness — he will bear witness in His presence.

That's one. Second: about the Prophet (peace be upon him), the verse sometimes says: remember. Remember. That is, showing what was done in the world, the past, to the Prophet. In this case every prophet, as every prophet knows his son, recognizes the Prophet, recognizes him, and this too, that he will bear witness to them, shows. Yes.

By saying "Say, O people, I am to you all", all people are meant. That he did not come as a prophet to peoples like the other prophets — when he says "to you all" that he came as a prophet to all of humanity; and at the same time, when he says "I am the messenger of Allah, Owner of the heavens and the earth", that he is also the messenger of the heavens and the earth and what is between them; that as the prophet of all creation, he is "ve mâ erselnâke illâ rahmeten li'l-âlemîn", that He sent him as mercy to the worlds — this it declares, we say. Yes. That He sent him as mercy to the worlds.

Before the worlds were created, all the created worlds are from his light. In the light of the Prophet. The worlds have not yet been created. First, Allah Almighty wills. So that His Essence may be known, in the light of His face, it says — a bit more

plainly, let's say. It says "from His light", doesn't it? I'll put it more like this: from the light of His face. Hodja, did I ascribe attributes? Yes. I did not ascribe attributes. Allah is free from deficient attributes. From that light He creates the light of the Prophet.

From his light

the heavens and the earths and what is between the two He creates. Then the spirits of the prophets, and — that is, after Allah Almighty gives the spirit to the Prophet — by creating the spirits of the prophets and the spirits of the peoples, of all the worlds, of the created, let's say: the beginning of all the created worlds. For this reason the Prophet, both by the attribute of being alive, and Allah Almighty grants the Praised Station to the Prophet — which people, it says, cannot even imagine. Think of man's power of imagination, the power of imagination. A realm far beyond this power of imagination.

So, the capacity of the mind, the twelve percent capacity given. Some are at 14%, some at 8%, 8%, 18%. But normally 12% — the scholars agree on this — 4% is ignorant, it says, 8% is a normal person, and scholars use 12% of the mind, it says. It also develops. So what this 12% can imagine — the mind has that capacity. Outside this 12%, no one can imagine those imagined places. Unknown places. Outside of that is the Praised Station that Allah Almighty gives, Prophet (peace be upon him), to you. And He writes his name together with His name in Paradise.

In this case, before the realm was created, all the created worlds are in his light. Since people were created from his spirit, he came as mercy to all the worlds. All these religions Allah, through the messenger He sent as prophet to all people, the Beloved of the Most Glorious, Muhammad (peace be upon him), in the religion of Islam has gathered. Whoever denies the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace be upon him), becomes an unbeliever, since they deny their own origin. Unbeliever. I believe in my own book, that is, in the Torah I believe; I believe in my own book, I believe in the Psalms; I believe in my own book, I believe in the Gospel — when he says so, when he denies a verse in the Quran, their own books too they have denied.

Because those books are in the Holy Quran. Since all the verses of the Holy Quran are Allah's word, whoever deliberately denies a verse of it is an unbeliever. So these people, in their own books, in the books in their hands, deny. Since he came as mercy to all the worlds and the prophets are witnesses, whoever denies the Prophet (peace be upon him), they too are unbelievers.

Their believing in the books in their hands is their own fabrication. Because their originals are not in the books in their hands. Their rabbis inserted additions into them in exchange for material gain. In this case, their originals exist in the Holy Quran. Four books. It is the Holy Quran. İnne'd-dîne inda'llâhi'l-İslâm. With Allah, the religion is Islam. The first virtue of the religion being Islam is la ilahe illallah. The first virtue of the religion being Islam. The second virtue is faith in the prophets. Is faith in the prophets. Now, and the third virtue is, in Allah Almighty's verses sent to the prophets, to have faith.

To have faith. So, since all the prophets were created from the Prophet's spirit, since all the books are gathered in the Holy Quran,

apart from their regarding Allah as one — even if they regard Him as one, which they don't — what does it say? With words like "in the name of the Holy Spirit", "grandfather", by associating partners with Allah, perhaps even if they regard Him as one, by their denial of Muhammad (peace be upon him), since these deny their own origin — for the whole root is the Prophet, from him it comes. The totality of the spirits is therefore created from him. By denying their own origin, these are lost. They will have opposed Allah's verses. In this case, the place of people who oppose Allah's command is known.

The grandeur of the nafs drags a person to (?), and like a merchant pushes him into the middle of Hell. Yes.

The messenger He sent as Prophet to all people, the Beloved of the Most Glorious, Muhammad (peace be upon him) — in him He gathered the religion of Islam. All people, indirectly, from the spirit of the Prophet (peace be upon him) were created. Whoever denies the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace be upon him), becomes an unbeliever, since they deny their own origin. Those who follow the messenger they find written in the Torah and the Gospel with them, that unlettered prophet, are the ones who attain salvation. This is the verse. We put the verse here. If those who have it written in the Torah and the Gospel in their homes follow that messenger, that is, Muhammad (peace be upon him), if they say yes, this is a prophet sent by Allah — for the Jews say this: Between Jesus and the Prophet, 400-odd years passed.

Allah Almighty never left the world without a prophet for so long. In this situation the Jews became excited. Is the Day of Judgment coming, they wondered. When the Prophet honored the world, because he did not come from among them, from their own people, they (?), being haughty, proud, arrogant, they turned their backs on the Prophet and became rebels against Allah Almighty too. In this case, if they had used their reason — which they could not — if they could have known that all people indirectly are from the Prophet's spirit, that the prophets too were created from the Prophet's spirit, and that all these worlds, created as mercy to the worlds, were created from the Prophet's light, if their nafs they could have (?), then they would have found the truth.

That is what we say is written in that book. It is written in the Gospel and the Torah, it is written. Those who follow that unlettered Messenger find the truth, it says.

Yes, well, according to the verse he quoted, those who don't follow the Quran have also denied the verses in their hands, and they too are unbelievers. They are unbelievers also because they went against Allah's command.

So such people become unjust to their own selves.

Man is deceived by the world's attractive, showy and rosy appearance, runs after it, and (?); Allah Almighty says: O world!

Whoever leaves My path, make him work for you and wear himself out. And to whoever advances on My path, submit, He says. Submit. Now, those who say Allah never come to harm. The world flows to them. But those who distance themselves from Allah, even if they fill their pockets with the world — with their nafs-driven feelings, the fear of want, the fear of poverty frightens them so much that those people, amid that wealth, themselves in need of bread, cannot even eat a meal. Yes, he constantly works, buys, constantly buys. By Allah's grace and generosity, those who rely on Allah and those who turn their backs on Allah — their state: those who say Allah, even if they find a dry piece of bread, say: thanks be to my Lord, there are those who can't even find this, and eat it with joy and pleasure, in peace; but the other earns trillions, and the fear of want envelops him so that he almost gives up his life from that fear.

His life. And Satan gives him (?), makes him ever more miserly. That wealth wraps around his neck like a snake. Doesn't Allah Almighty say thus in His verses in many places? Those who strive in the way of Allah with their wealth and their lives. So the people living outside of these.

Yes.

So such people become unjust to their own selves. Since in worldly life they were together with their nafs and their devils, they have bought an eternal life in Hell. Addressing all people, say, says Allah Almighty, addressing all people, say: O people, there is no god but Allah. To all people, yes, addressing them: the one who has the power to create is that one God. The power to create. There is no creator other than Him. So, if there had been another creator besides Allah, he would take what he created, and the other would take what he created, and everything would have drowned in corruption, it says.

In corruption. If there is no god but Allah, if Allah created from the atom to the globe, if we too are servants Allah created, created in helplessness, dependent on Allah, in need, if we were created in helplessness, we say: O man, what state of yours do you rely on? What pride and arrogance of your nafs are you caught up in, that against Allah, who created these worlds from nothing, who has this power, you stand? If we touched this hand of yours to a fire a little, could you bear it? Never mind that fire — (?) to your nafs a little. If we used words that would break your nafs, you cannot bear it, and yet with, well, (?), with grandeur you rise up, and tomorrow in the presence of Allah who created these worlds, where will your grandeur and pride and arrogance remain?

The only word you will say there is this — I'm not saying it, Allah Almighty informs us of it with His verse: Woe to us, who has raised us? What the prophets said was true. And what kind of book is this? Everything written, large and small, everything done, is all written here. Is there no return to the world? The woe of a realm with no return will not benefit you. Yes.

Say: O people, there is no god but Allah. He is the one God who has the power to create. He causes death and gives life. No one other than Him is capable of this causing death and giving life. So believe in Allah and His unlettered Messenger, and have faith, so that you may find the right path. We have no other way out. But Hodja, is there a need to insist this much? I mean, we know it already. We are Muslims, praise be to Allah. We also recite the testimony of faith. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah. Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. What is all this? If we ask whether there's a need to elaborate, such words strengthen that person's faith.

And that faith is enough to drown the evils of the nafs. Now, we all know how to walk, don't we? We walk, I mean. But in the military they march battalions. And a band plays too. All in the same line, in the same way, they step with the same feet. Left, right, left, right, right, right. They walk like that. They walk there, and on the upper street they also walk. But their walking there is different. Likewise, explaining Allah so beautifully increases a person's zeal, his love toward Allah. Increases his love toward His Beloved. His attachment to his brothers in Islam, reflecting on the Hereafter; it serves to break the evils in man's nafs.

Yes. This is a remembrance (dhikr) anyway. The Quran is a dhikr. Zikri hatim, zikri hakim — yes, however much we remember Him, it is too little.

Those who do not follow Allah and the prophet He sent last miss the opportunity in their hands; after this neither a prophet will come nor a savior. So the savior is the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace be upon him). And before us the Holy Quran stands as a light and as a guide to guidance.

Now a question like this comes to mind.

Let's read this text once more. Those who do not follow Allah and the prophet He sent last miss the opportunity in their hands. After this, neither a prophet will come nor a savior. So the savior is the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace be upon him), and before us the Holy Quran stands as a light and as a guide to guidance, we say. Whoever is heedless, heedless, does not listen to these, does not hear this voice, turns his back on Allah's verses, wrongs himself. Well, Hodja, the Holy Quran is before us, it is the light already; the Prophet's hadiths, his sunnah are before us. So why does Allah Almighty send scholars again?

Or why does He send appointed ones? one says; of course it comes to our mind. Yes. Allah Almighty will complete His light until the Day of Judgment. In every past, the people who come later, in religion and faith, show weakness.

These people — Allah Almighty says to these people in His verse: from a generation I did not inform, I call no one to account, He says. So if we look around today, more or less, here our usual children listen to us.

Those who have listened to us from long ago, even those who listened for a while, when they visit other sites, encounter superstitions.

With the superstitions people tell claiming to be scholars, people turn cold toward religion, or else they abide by superstitions. So, since Allah Almighty is free from deficient attributes, against them He raises scholars. He has His verses explained to them beautifully and the superstitions in the religion removed. In their place He has the truth firmly set. In this case, since Allah Almighty is free from deficient attributes, He will raise scholars among the people to come until the Day of Judgment; those who cannot grasp these verses, or cannot understand them, or else who have questions and cannot find answers — through those persons, with answers to their questions, He will bring them to guidance.

He will bring them. Everyone will find their own rank. A person could say: O Allah, You sent those people prophets or You sent scholars, but to us then You sent nothing. Yes, You sent the Quran, but I couldn't understand. I couldn't understand some things. he says.

In jurisprudence (fiqh), too, it says thus: If there is no judge in a town, judgeship is obligatory upon all of us, it says. Upon all of us. If there is a judge in that town, it drops from the others. That judge will act as judge. He will explain the laws to those who don't understand them. Or he will separate out the guilty. The others can't know much. But if there is no judge, it becomes obligatory for all of us. Judgeship — learning it becomes obligatory. In the religion of Islam it is like this. So Allah Almighty raises scholars. They explain those verses to those who cannot understand them.

Yes.

What are we saying? Those who do not follow Allah and the prophet He sent last miss the opportunity in their hands. After this neither a prophet will come nor a savior. So the savior is the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad (peace be upon him), and before us the Holy Quran stands as a light and as a guide to guidance. Whoever is heedless, does not listen to these, does not hear this voice, turns his back on Allah's verses, wrongs himself. The verses. Necessarily the verses, Allah's verses. If we don't know, our scholars explain. We will ask them, we will learn.

A (?) person has come before a treasure that never ends and never runs out. Has come before a treasure that never ends and never runs out. He has found this treasure. Those who find this treasure, by inviting people to this treasure, have they not done their human duty?

The religion of Islam is a treasure that never runs out and never ends. Because with it one will find peace in this world, find life, and at the end of an endless eternal life, in the Paradises Allah Almighty promised, one will live. Truly an endless treasure. You've found such a treasure — won't you invite people? In the name of humanity, wouldn't there be a feeling, well, gnawing at your conscience? Of course you will invite them. Yes. When they learn of this treasure, toward those heedless of where it is, those who find this treasure, by inviting people to this treasure, have they not done their human duty?

Extending our helping hands to people in hunger and misery, bringing people to safety — isn't that a duty of man? Like this, the religion of Islam is a treasure that never ends. Whoever abides by it, the good deeds and kindnesses he does are provisions for the realm of the Hereafter. It is a treasure given to him in abundance. So, O man, do not be heedless; you too hold on to one side of this treasure so that salvation and mercy (?). Yes. Apart from this, it is all a lie.

One fellow says it like this. Wealth is a lie, property is a lie. Come, you too amuse yourself a while, he says. Anyway, wrapped in a few yards of shroud we will go. And the shroud too will remain in the world. These bodies too will remain in the world. Our spirit, nafs and soul — those are alive. With them you will set out. Can you give anything from the world to your nafs and your spirit? Go ahead, give it, let's see. Yes.