Speech 3

                           

Mahmut Efendi Hazretleri   Yavuz Selim Mosque 1997

The knowledge is just, the ignorance is unjust. The right has come, the wrong has gone. The piety has come, the rebellion has gone. Zuhd (abstention from the lustful desires) has come and the love of the world has gone. First we must purify our eyes and our nafs (souls). Then Allah will show Himself to us. Moses wanted to speak to Allah. He had been asked to go near a certain tree. When he approched the area where that tree was he saw a fire. When he got closer he reliased that it was not a fire but a light. He heard a voice from a side of the valley stating that it was Noor (spiritual light). Then he heard:

“ Inni ene Allah”

meaning in Arabic, definiteley I am Allah. The voice was heard from the tree in light. Obviously, the tree is not Allah but Allah made himself heard from that tree. The pharaoh also said: ‘Ene rabbikum ala.’ meaning to ‘I am your lord, the highest’. But since the pharaoh said this, while his ego (nafs) was still with him, it was a declaration of kufr (disbelief) to say this for him. There was a famous saint called Hallacı Mansur who said ‘Enel hak’ i.e. ‘I am lord’, but only when after his nafs has been wiped off. There was no more ego left in him. He perished in the existance of Allah. Thus, it was not actually him that who said ‘I am lord’, but it was Allah Himself using his tongue and his words. It is similar to the case of Moses hearing the tree talking to him. It is not the tree that is talking but Allah is talking through that tree. When the nafs (ego) disapears then it is no more that man or that tree acting but Allah does whatever is being done. When nafs disappears, body still remains but whatever the body does is guided by Allah.

“And forsake those who take their religion for a pastime and an amusement and whom the life of the world decieves. Remind (mankind) with this, lest a soul be destroyed by what it earns. It has beside Allah no friend nor intercessor, and though it offer every compensation it will not be accepted from it. Those are they who perish by what they have acquried. For them is drink of boiling water and a painful punishment, because they disbelieved.”

Nowadays, Islam has been taken as an amusement. Whoever amuses with Islam is in fact allured by the worldly life. Such people think that they will have the life in this world forever; they will never die. We must pay attention to it. A person can be destroyed by what he or she earns. Even if the whole world is giving a ransom, in case it was possible, it will not be accepted, besides, nobody will have any belongings with him, he will be completely nude.

“On that day the hypocrites, both men and women will say to the true believers: ‘Wait for us that we may borrow some of your light.’ It will be said: ‘Go back and seek some (other) light.’ Then a wall with a gate will be set before them. Inside there will be mercy, and out, to the fore, the scourge (of Hell)”. Chpt.6 ‘Al An’am-The Cattle’ Verse 70

On the Day of judgement, after the judgement has finished all mankind will be asked to follow one road. The hypocrites (munafiquun) will start talking among themselves: ‘We haven’t got light (Noor). The Muslims have it. While we were on earth we used to benefit from there light and now we must walk again with them in there light otherwise we will be left in complete darkness. But Muslims will be walking very fast. Some of them like lightnings; others will be flying just like airplanes, still others like racing cars. The hypocrites will not be able to follow them and will be left in darkness. They will beg the believers for some light. The Muslims will answer: ‘While on earth you used to call yourselves enlighted people. We have earned this light which we have now, from our life in the world.’ Go back to the world, if you can, and get your own light.
 

“They will call out to them, saying: ‘Were we not with you? They will reply: ‘Yes, verily; but you tempted yourselves, you wavered, you doubted and were deceived by your own wishes until Allah’s will was done and the deciever (satan) decieved you concerning Allah” “So this day no ransom from you, nor from those who disbelieved. Your home is the Fire; that is your patron, and hopeless journey’s end”

Chpt.57 ‘Al Hadeed- Iron’ Verses 14-15

Then, a high wall will be drawn between them. Inside the wall the believers will enjoy the mercy of Allah and His bounties. Outside of it the hypocrites will be in darkness and dispair. And so, those outside the wall will be asking those who are inside: ‘Weren’t we together on the earth? Why do you leave us now outside? We used to sit at the same table, and we used to work together, talk to each other, marry each other, socialise with one another. Why have you made this wall now?’ The Muslims will answer: ‘Yes, we would be together but you have wronged yourselfves and had humiliated us. You detested Muslims in your hearts and you wanted them to be destroyed. You had done so until death reached you. Allah built this wall now to separate us’ Then Allah addresses to the Muslims:

“Is not the time ripe for the hearts of those who believed to submit to Allah’s reminder and to the truth which is revealed that they become not as those who recieved the Scripture of old but the term was prolonged for them and so their hearts were hardened and many of them are evil-livers?”. Chpt.57 ‘Al Hadeed- Iron’ Verse16

Will your hearts always remain hard? Isn’t the time close yet for you to feel fear when the verses of Allah are mentioned to you? Hasn’t that time of not following Jews and Christians arrived yet? You follow them in everything they do. In their fashion and everything else and you live exactly like them. Allah warns us in this verse. When will the time arrive when you stop imitating the Jews and Christians?

We must be strong in our dhikr (remembrance) of Allah. It must be a conscious remembering not just removing the lips. When a soul is expoused his own destruction for what he earned there will be no one to help him but Allah. There is boiling water ready for him, sixty times hotter than boiling water we know on earth. When this water is drunk, throats are torn and burnt. Drinking it is too much to bear.

How can we worship anything other than Allah? Something which we have no benefit from it like a cross, an idol. We have been ordered to surrender ourselves to the Lord of the Worlds.

We have been ordered to pray, to fast, and to give alms not to watch t.v and get lost in all sorts of amusement and games. You invite them to the straight path, they keep following Satan’s steps, and they get lost. You are being asked to obey the Messenger of Allah and Allah and not to disobey them. Whoever disobeys the Messenger of Allah actually disobeys Allah. We must obey the Messenger of Allah completely. Otherwise we will be making fun of our religon. Not to pray, not to read Qur’an, not to do things properly and not to respect the rules is making fun of the religon. Having Christian type of weddings and funerals, taking pictures during such ceremonies is also making fun of your religion.

Ali (prophet’s son in law) wanted to marry again, this time with the daughter of Abu Jaheel (a mushrik; associating partners with Allah). The Messenger of Allah heard it and during a hutba (speach) referred to this fact saying that once he had wedded a companion (aiming at Ali) who had promised not to marry a second time and that he was pleased with him. Then he added that his daughter Fatma (Ali’s wife) was very much beloved to him, that she was like a part of him and he swore that the Messenger’s daughter could by no mean be included in the same marrige contract as the daughter of the ennemy of Allah (Abu Jaheel).

It is not right to marry a second wife and worry your first one. It is better to stick to the one you have, especially nowadays since it is very diffucult to do justice to both of them.

Khadija (the prophet’s first wife) had warned women to care a lot about their husbands and not to give them any pretext to marry the second one. It is true that Allah permitted marrying two, three or four but He said if you think you may not be able to treat them adequatly, marry just one. It is tremendously diffucult nowadays to achieve this, so we should rather stick to one wife and turn to Allah and worship him properly rather then indulge in worldy pleasures.

Usama was Zayd’s son. Zayd used to be before our prophet’s slave. Our prophet appointed Usama as the general commander of the army and other companions complained about it. The messenger of Allah reminded them that they had complained before when he apointed his father as general commander. He also said that both he and his father were well worth being general commanders, even though some might have not liked that. He added he liked both of them very much.

In case of a theft Beni Israel (Sons of Israel) used to cut hands of the poor who stole but not of the well-off people. The Messenger of Allah said that even if his daughter Fatma had done such a thing he would have ordered her hand to be cut off. I have heard that there are girls who wear jeans under their jeelbaabs(outer garments).

Allah sees what you wear even if you wear hundreds of clothes on top. Allah is aware of what you are wearing as western fashion clothes. He is Khabeer (All-knower) nothing can hide from him. He is Hakeem (most wise); He has no fault at all. I would not wear anything like that for anything in the world, it seems so ugly to me. We must be careful and protect Islam. Kufr is attacking it from all sides; we should not give in. A university girl says that she already knows English, why should she study Arabic? We care a lot about western languages but not for Arabic which is the language of the Qur’an, the Book of Allah. We should try to learn at least everyday. All we care about is how to earn more money and follow more western fashions. You have heard the verses above. Those who make fun of their religon will be exposed to severe punishment. Allah gave us the Book and its translater, interpreter -the Messenger of Allah. Nobody cares for the news of the Qur’an. Allah asks you what has happened to your hearts; why are they so hard?

Why do you stand still like rocks while My verses are being mentioned?