Al-A'raf 203: When you don’t bring a miracle to them, they say; “Why didn’t you compile and bring it (just like the others)?” Say; “I only follow that which has been revealed to me by my Lord. This (Qur’an) is a sight (eye opener) from your Lord. It is a guidance and mercy for a nation of believers.”

To the 203rd verse we have come. Getting through the verses is no skill. The skill is to be governed by the verses. To know that Satan is man's enemy. Not to be governed by the temptation he gives the nafs. So as not to waste the acts of worship he has done, to leave those bad and dark paths his nafs has shown him, and at the same time, by continuing his worship, to put Allah Almighty's light into his heart. On the path that the verses show people, if people are governed on that path, these things I have mentioned, they will come to know. He struggles with his nafs, does not fall for Satan's temptation, puts Allah's light into his own heart. Then he begins to see with Allah's light.

When you do not bring them a miracle, they say: like the others, you should have compiled one and brought it. Yes, you should have compiled one and brought it, they say. Say: I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. This Quran is insights from your Lord. Declarations that open the eyes of the heart. It is guidance and mercy for a people who believe, it says. Yes, which open the eyes of the heart.

The eyes of the looking blind it opens. Of the blind who look.

Remember, We drew a veil over their eyes, it says, and stopped their ears too.

They neither see nor hear the truth. So if Allah Almighty puts His light into the hearts of those He loves, these verses — as I said a moment ago, if he does not fall for Satan's temptation and does not waste the worship he has done, waste it, and if he is governed by Allah's command and goes straight along the straight path then Allah Almighty says to him: Labbayk, My servant, tell Me, what do you want? O my Lord, to advance on Your path, and forgive me, that is what I want — when he says this, when he remembers Him much, then the person corresponding to this verse is what you become. Look what it says. When you do not bring them a miracle — to whom? to these unbelievers — like the others, you should have compiled one and brought it, they say.

Say: I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. Look how beautiful. So what is revealed to us from Allah? To the Prophet. The verses; and to us, the Holy Quran that the Prophet left behind. Yes.

The Quran is revelation. We follow what is revealed. We follow revelation. Although it came to the Prophet, through the Prophet as a trust to us it was left. We follow revelation. That is, revelation is the Quran. We follow the Quran. Yes. Say: I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. This Quran is insights from your Lord. Insight. That is, it develops your mind. It guides your own heart. It instills in you the love of your Lord. That there is no deity other than Allah it (?), and that He is the owner of the worlds, of all created things;

you see your own nafs's helplessness before your Lord, that He created it, that Allah created it; you see your nafs and its helplessness. In that helplessness, with your surrender to your Lord, Allah Almighty opens your insights. What does insight mean? What you do not know, it slowly opens to you. You know there are tight knots. Tight knots get untied. With patience. A person unties those tight knots. Sir, the questions in a person's mind — questions, questions and questions. If you continue your way toward Allah with a good covenant, good worship, a good remembrance of Allah, your questions in your heart slowly get solved.

Most people do not know inspiration. In line with His verse, Allah Almighty, into your heart, what you do not know inspires too — what you do not know, as He says in the verse: Whoever acts on what he knows, I teach him what he does not know too, He says. So the Quran is a revelation that was revealed; the Quran — only those who follow it — insights, they open up to insights. That is, he finds the answers to the questions in his heart. Yes. They are insights from your Lord. It opens the eyes of the heart. That is, people's (?) — or rather, because their minds cannot grasp it, to those who speak of spirituality, of the world of the hereafter from the verses in the light of the Quran, they say: these men have gone astray. Such a thing cannot be.

'They are playing with religious beliefs,' they say, and they deny the verse — these people. Yes. They are insights from your Lord. Declarations that open the eyes of the heart. That open the eyes of the heart. So there is an eye of the heart. It sees. It is guidance and mercy for a people who believe. Attaining guidance. Becoming a believer.

Now, it is very clearly understood that the Holy Quran cannot be opened up with Arabic alone. Impossible. Yes, it opens it as far as it can. Anyway, if it were not understood, why would Allah Almighty send the Holy Quran? He sends it in the Arabic language. So that it is better understood, look, better. That is, not all of it. Can such a person understand all of it? Beyond that, from Allah's word, as far as our Lord permits, He makes it known to His scholars, shows it. He praises His scholars too. Their passing to the hereafter is like the sun going and darkness coming, it says. Since no prophet will come again, He raises them as heirs of the prophets.

Did they think they would put out Allah's light by blowing with their mouths? The people corresponding to the verses where He says Allah will complete His light until the Day of Judgment — they take out the (?) that have entered religion, deliver the truth to people, and through such people Allah Almighty, by making the truth heard, completes His light until the Day of Judgment. Yes.

People have a habit of constantly wanting to see a miracle, people do. You show me a wonder, you show me a miracle. Whereas the miracle appears before his eyes, and he does not see it. He insists on seeing a wonder, on seeing a miracle. Now, for example, let me talk about myself, myself. I have no outward knowledge, no knowledge at all, outward knowledge. But I was raised personally by the Lord. I wrote a tafsir of four thousand pages, a tafsir. Not one of them, not one of them confirming — with words and the subtleties of the verses we leave people a keepsake. In this case, a person raised by no one at all, than a person who is only Allah's student on earth, a finer wonder — is it not a finer miracle for them from his Lord?

I am saying this about myself. Yes. But they do not see this. They do not see this truth. The knowledge and subtleties corresponding to these beautiful verses they do not see.

They do not see these. No, the Hodja must fly in the air or bring the mountains together. Wonders. So what does Allah Almighty say to them? Look what He says. The Prophet too: I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. I follow the Quran. This Quran is insights from your Lord. Declarations that open the eyes of the heart. It is guidance and mercy for a people who believe, it says.

Yes.

People too have a habit of constantly wanting to see a miracle; the deniers, even if they see miracles, will not believe them and will surely say 'this is magic' — like the people of Salih: a yellow camel comes out of the rock; though they saw the miracle, they cut the camel's legs. Though they saw so great a miracle — and finally they perish and are gone.

Those who want to see a miracle every moment, just as they never stop demanding impossible miracles in their own world of life — if the Prophet (peace be upon him) was a little late in showing a miracle, these people persisting in denial would point to the other prophets as examples: these prophets brought such a miracle; if you were a prophet too, you would bring miracles like theirs — and saying so would at once turn to calling the Prophet (peace be upon him) a liar. Calling him a liar. Yes.

Whereas, to no one in the worlds granted — such miracles Allah Almighty has created. Upon the Prophet (peace be upon him): the Splitting of the Moon, splitting the moon in two. This is not a miracle that could just happen. This is an event that happens only by our Lord's power. And this is not a miracle to be done this way by any prophet. Only my Prophet, who came as a mercy to the worlds — this one. This miracle appears upon him. The moon will split in two, one half going west, one east, then come back and join. Two: his ascending in the Mi'raj. He will see Allah Almighty Himself, in His true form, as in the 'Alastu bi-Rabbikum' address he saw Him.

And with his physical eyes, at that.

Granted to no one. Hodja, aren't you denying that verse? You know, He cannot be seen, He is not seen in the world. He was not in the world. Where did he go? To the most remote corner of the Throne. Then even the ground was gone. 'Put one foot upon the other,' He says, 'so that My servants know that I am free of time and place.' Again, where? Outside time and space. Of course He will be seen there. Yes. Miracles not granted to the worlds. That is why, over those worlds — 've ma erselnake illa rahmeten lil alemin' — created as such, sent to complete all good morals; the worlds from his light, people indirectly from his spirit created; in this case, 'if it were not for him, the worlds too would not have been' — those who deny this are people who toward the Beloved of the Almighty, the Prophet Muhammad, feel some resentment inside — people.

There are also those who feel (?). These come in droves. That's why a person must know where he came from. Yunus Emre too says it so well. He who cannot know where he came from and where he goes is an animal, he says. An animal. Yes.

To such people, Allah Almighty in His verse, addressing the Prophet (peace be upon him): Say, what is revealed to me from my Lord, only that I follow. Whatever was revealed. What is revealed? Verses. Verses that hold a light before people. Yes. This Quran is insights from your Lord. That is, I am not able to create a miracle on my own. If Allah wills, He shows a miracle. I am His messenger. Whatever He has commanded me, I am charged with doing it. That's what we say here. Its essence: insights — the answers to the questions people have.

Opening the eye of the heart, beholding the spiritual worlds. These are the worlds we call meaning. Meaning: what we give meaning to in our minds, we call meaning. Spirituality: the place we gave meaning to — when our Lord opens that eye of the heart and one sees those places, then those insights open, that is, the tight knots are untied, and with those worlds being seen, what we call spirituality grows strong. Meaning disappears. When you say spirituality, with vision it is Allah Almighty's (?) that person's heart. This is spirituality. But if you ask people today: my spirituality is strong. Which spirituality of yours is strong?

Fine, in degree of faith — a little, toward Allah Almighty, in degree of faith you have faith. Let's say you have escaped the nafs-i ammara and are in the nafs-i lawwama. With this faith of yours, how do you have spirituality, how do you grow strong? This too, it says, has two faces, in the nafs-i lawwama. One face turned to the nafs-i ammara, one face turned to the nafs-i mulhima. If your spirituality had been strong, by a small hole you would have entered the gate of wonders. The gate of wonders. What kind of spirituality is this — while you are still unaware of the gate of wonders, unaware, while you have not attained the attribute of a believer, 'I have spirituality,' 'my spirituality is strong,' you say.

Well, have you been able to learn spirituality now? Like people saying 'create' — like saying I created this, I created that. The way they take it lightly. In spirituality too they take it lightly like this. People cannot create anything. They only make inventions with what Allah has created. Making an invention is not in the sense of creating. Creating — out of nothing, beyond anything that Allah created, he himself would have to bring something into being from nothing for it to count as creating. So in spirituality, Allah Almighty opening that person's eye of the heart, with those insights, widening his unveiling with insights, in the hereafter world, showing him from those worlds of meaning — in his mind the true form of the events he gave meaning to, with Allah's verses — when he sees the realities, the world of spirituality, that is, of that world of meaning, by seeing its reality, the person has become content.

This is a person of spirituality. Such a one is called a person of spirituality.

A person says to me: I have spirituality. Tell me, what spirituality do you have? If you had spirituality, a small (?), you would (?) the gate of wonders, or a believer you would become. Believer. You don't even know what a believer is. You just say it. If you were a believer — in Surah Al-Fajr, between verses 27 and 30 — 'O soul that has found contentment, your Lord pleased with you, you with your Lord, well pleased, enter among My servants, enter My Paradise' — among the people He means you would enter. Ah, now then, you would have spirituality. Yes.

Do not take on words that are not true of you.

Do not slander yourselves. Yourselves. And do not put yourselves in the position of liars. Maybe my words seem harsh, but to people they are actually very good words. Why? I'm showing you this. I say this is a jewel. A jewel. Come on, catch it, take it. That's how I say it. Take it. This is spirituality. Take this. What will you do? You will struggle with your nafs. The Hodja is right. What do I need to do to reach those places, Hodja? Ah, then you will be governed by Allah's verses. By Allah's verses. Look how beautifully Allah Almighty says it. If we say we have spirituality like that and, let me say, with made-up words deceive ourselves, then our state comes to this.

But if we long for those places — longing. You know, someone wears a very beautiful piece of jewelry. The person opposite longs for it. If only I had something like this too. Someone has a very beautiful car. If only I had a car like this too. Someone has a very beautiful villa, a house. If only I had a house like this too, he says. He longs for it, doesn't he. He sets out toward it, doesn't he. That's the root of what I want to tell you. By describing spirituality to you this way, I make you long for it, I draw you toward it, so that you keep away from the feelings of the nafs you have had. Yes. So that you find the truth.

Made-up words — with words, that is, do not ascribe realities to yourselves without that meaning, state, and states. Now can I say: I am the president? Can I say: I am a minister? Prime minister. Or can I say: I am the governor of this city? Or the mayor. But if I say it this way, I slander myself, I lie. What is this like in spirituality? The people of spirituality are the walis, the awliya. Yes. I suppose the meaning of this verse too has been understood.

To such people, Allah Almighty in His verse, addressing the Prophet (peace be upon him), says: Say, I only follow what is revealed to me from my Lord. This Quran is insights from your Lord. Yes.

That is, I am not able to create a miracle on my own. If Allah wills, He shows a miracle. I am His messenger. Whatever He has commanded me, I am charged with doing it. And the Quran is insights coming from Allah to people. That is, a book that wakes people from sleep, from the clutches of the nafs and Satan saves them, distinguishes truth from falsehood, teaches people what they do not know, and brings people out of the darkness into the light. So insight — if, with that indifference of people, saying 'oh, I am a hafiz of the Word, how beautifully I recite', we live unaware of these things, what kind of insight is that?

Yes. We teach a parrot too. I had a parrot. Whatever I said, it would pick up. With a red tail.

Every morning, to my wife: Mommy dear, welcome. Mommy dear, welcome. To me: Daddy dear, daddy dear, sir, (?). It would repeat many words like that. It was still a youngster. We traveled a lot, so out of fear of not being able to look after it, back to its owner we returned it. It had come to love us very much too; it killed itself. Now, we give the parrot as an example — does the parrot know what it is saying? No, it has memorized it; it doesn't know what it is saying, but it talks. So even if he is a scholar, if the eyes of his insight have not been opened, he is like one who does not know what he is saying.

It is guidance and mercy for a people who believe — for a people who believe, because the believing people will be governed by it. For people there is no wealth and treasure as great as the blessing of reason; the blessing of reason — you have money, you can lose it, you can lose everything, but with your reason everything you can protect, in your mind. There is no blessing as great as reason, no wealth as great as that. You may be poor. But you will never lose anything of your human dignity, your glory and renown. If you are wise. But if you lack reason — if you do not think, do not reflect, even if the world were yours, as long as you compromise your honor and dignity, you fall into the state of a porter of the world.

Yes.

Those who can use their reason attain the greatest wealth. The blessings of the world are temporary wealth given to people. As for the blessings of the hereafter — to those who use their reason to see the truth and, holding fast to the truth, believe while governed by Allah's commands and prohibitions, in Paradise as heirs, to those who earn Allah's mercy — can a greater wealth than this be imagined? Every soul will taste death. The heavens and the earth — the inheritance of these and what is between the two will remain to Allah. So if the creation of these worlds, from atom to globe, is from Allah, their owner is Allah; and we, on these temporary blessings, what kind of person we are are beings proving it.

So our true world — our Lord, by His command which He promises us, if we are governed by it and can earn His pleasure, the hereafter world's paradises — that He makes us heirs to the paradises, He declares. He promises.

And Allah Almighty confirms that promise with this: Who is more true to his word than Allah, He says. Yes. That's why the greatest wealth belongs to those who use their reason and attain the gain of the hereafter.

Thus Allah Almighty explains His verses, so that for believing peoples, with the blessings Allah will give, these peoples may attain guidance and mercy. Yes.