Mawlana Sheikh Mehmed Adil. Translations.

There is this Hadith that we recited in the last Friday sermon. In it, the characteristics of a hypocrite are described very aptly. According to this, a hypocrite has four specific characteristics. Our Prophet, sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam, says: If these four characteristics are combined in a person, he is an absolute hypocrite. If you possess only one of them, you carry a part of hypocrisy within you. However, if you repent, it disappears again. Thanks to Allah, it is actually not that difficult to free yourself from it. First, he says: When he speaks, he lies. Second: When he makes a promise, he breaks it. Third: When he is entrusted with something, he betrays this trust and claims: "I do not have it." Fourth: When there are disagreements or arguments, he makes a huge scene. He screams and shouts loudly. So it is actually not difficult to get rid of these characteristics. Sometimes you make a resolution: "I will fight my ego, I will get rid of it" – but you do not succeed. But you can very easily free yourself from these specific habits and behaviors. You simply do not lie, you keep your word, you do not commit betrayal, you do not stab anyone in the back, and you get along well with your fellow human beings. Furthermore, you do not make a scene. When you argue, you do not shout and do not attack others. These four traits of a hypocrite are truly bad characteristics. Our Prophet, sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam, said: If all these characteristics are present – may Allah protect us – then the person is an absolute hypocrite. And if you still carry traces of hypocrisy within you, you can easily get rid of them too. Thanks to Allah, we, the people in the Tarīqa, by Allah's permission, do not have most of this within us. And if a little bit of it is still present, it is not difficult to free yourself from it either. May Allah help us. May we, insha'Allah, discard these bad habits, these terrible and unpleasant characteristics. May Allah protect us from this and, insha'Allah, not let us fall prey to our ego.

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَكُونُوا مَعَ الصَّادِقِينَ (9:119) He says: "O you who believe! Fear Allah and be with the truthful." Allah, the Exalted, says: "Be sincere, so that your life becomes good and beautiful." However, people do not stick to the truthful, because their ego does not allow it; they occupy themselves either with bad things or with trivialities. They dedicate themselves with full devotion to completely unimportant things. People cling with such passion to bad things, or rather to secondary things, that... To bad things too, of course, but I have been thinking about it for days: the most unnecessary thing they attach themselves to the most is football. Football is secondary in itself. Fine, you play a bit, run around, have fun – that is understandable. But then there are the football clubs. People are attached to these clubs with such devotion that it is almost impossible to persuade them to change clubs. Even if you offered them millions, they would not change their club. But when it comes to the path of truth, they are extremely fickle. They do not keep their word. You cannot rely on them. But when it comes to their club, there is no fickleness, no breaking of promises, and no backing down. They remain loyal to this passion until the end of their lives. All of these are trivialities. What really matters is remaining steadfast on the path of Allah. When one has found a true spiritual guide (Murshid), one should follow him. This path is no child's play. Life is precious. Time is precious. Over an absolute triviality, you get upset, argue, and insult others. Alright, you like football, we understand that. But why does one have to get so upset over such trivialities? A person should think a little. Fine, you like that, it is understandable. But if one were to show the devotion, loyalty, and reliability that one shows for a club on the path of Allah, then one would rise to become one of the great friends of Allah. That is why Satan occupies humans, as I said, either with trivialities or with sins. May Allah protect us from this. This is a strange disease and one of the greatest problems of the end times. As I said: You are allowed to love things, but true devotion must be directed towards Allah. May Allah help us. Insha'Allah, He will protect us from occupying ourselves too much with worldly trivialities.

"Make it easy and do not make it difficult." (Yassiru wala tuassiru) Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, wants it to be easy. He says: Do not make it unnecessarily difficult. The religion brings relief, it means ease. Allah has sent down Islam to mankind in accordance with their natural disposition. Therefore, this religion must be easy so that people can progress on the path of Allah. Sometimes people are afraid and wonder what a Tariqa actually is. When they hear the word Tariqa, they believe they have to load stones on their backs and carry them. But that is not the case. We do exactly the same as every other Muslim does. The only additional thing we do is entrust ourselves to a Murshid (spiritual teacher). Because the Tariqa is a path that dates back to the time of our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). "Tariq" literally translated simply means "path". A person who walks this path correctly will reach Paradise with Allah's permission – entirely without coercion and without doing bad things. With Allah's permission, this path is something beautiful and not a burden. Every Muslim performs his prayers and fasts. Someone who belongs to a Tariqa does this too, but pays even closer attention to the Sunnah while doing so. Furthermore, he sincerely helps others on the path that Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, has prescribed for us. He does not act at his own discretion, but follows the path according to the rules and etiquette (Adab) of Islam. That is exactly it. That is the Tariqa. Some people think it is something terrible when they hear the word Tariqa and want to stay away from it. In reality, however, the Tariqa offers protection. The difference between a Tariqa and a Jamaat (grouping) is enormous. With a Jamaat, often only Allah knows how it originated, what is being done there, and whether their intentions are insincere or bad. Since much is controlled by the ego there, such communities inevitably have flaws. That is exactly why the Tariqa is so important. A person who walks the path of the Tariqa is on the path of truth with Allah's permission and does not stray from it. And the path of truth is the path of Allah. May Allah bless you all, inshaAllah. And everyone else too, for this path is a great gift, a true blessing. May Allah grant this to everyone, inshaAllah.

Our Prophet, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, said: "Ad-dallu ala'l-khayri ka failihi." Whoever points others to something good or shows the way to it, is like the one who has performed this good deed themselves. Our Prophet, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, says: Whoever does good to their fellow human beings, is the cause for good deeds, helps them, or encourages others to help, receives the same reward as the one who performs the deed themselves. Because the greatest goal of a Muslim is to be of benefit to their fellow human beings. The true goal of Islam is to do good and show mercy to all of humanity. Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, sent down Islam so that it brings good not only to humans, but also to animals, the environment, and the entire creation. In Islam there is no evil; in Islam there is only good and beauty. Therefore, in Islam, the one who shows the way to good receives the same reward as the one who learns and performs the good deed, as our Prophet, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, says. His words are full of blessings. When people want to perform these good deeds, the devil naturally gives them no peace, because it does not suit him. He wants neither good to be shown nor good to be done. The devil wants only evil to happen at all times, for strife and chaos to prevail, and for there to be absolutely no peace. That is why he harasses and attacks those who do good. But a person who is on the path of Allah pays no attention to this and continues on their way. He expects gratitude from no one. He also does not expect words of praise from anyone. Everything he does, he does only for the pleasure of Allah. He says to himself: "We do it for the pleasure of Allah. Whoever likes it, likes it – and whoever doesn't, just doesn't." If Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, is pleased with us, everything else is unimportant. May the pleasure of Allah always be with us. May we always pave the way for good, insha'Allah.

Our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) says: مَنْ أَحْيَا سُنَّتِي عِنْدَ فَسَادِ أُمَّتِي فَلَهُ أَجْرُ مِائَةِ شَهِيدٍ Aw kama qal - if I was mistaken in the exact wording, that was at least the meaning of his words. Our Prophet says: "Whoever revives my Sunnah when my Ummah has strayed from the right path will receive the reward of a hundred martyrs." The Sunnah of our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) encompasses everything that he himself did and exemplified. We must not forget that. The followers of the Tariqa follow this Sunnah to the best of their abilities. However, there are also people who reject the Sunnah. They call themselves Muslims, it is true, but say about our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "The Prophet was also just a human being like us, one does not have to follow his Sunnah." Judging by their clothing, one would think they are Muslims, but their behavior has absolutely nothing to do with a Muslim appearance. They present things as Sunnah that are not Sunnah at all. And others imitate them in the belief that it is Sunnah, and strive to do the same as them. The most obvious example of this is: When these people line up for prayer, they spread their legs much too wide – with the justification that they have to touch the foot of the person next to them. That has absolutely nothing to do with the Sunnah. The Sunnah in prayer is to stand shoulder to shoulder, not foot to foot. According to the Hanafi school of thought, the distance between the feet should be at most five to ten centimeters. For the Shafi'is, it can be slightly larger, but – Allah forbid – one does not spread the legs completely, as if one wanted to relieve oneself. That is not how it is. That is not Sunnah and has not the remotest thing to do with it. This is the clearest way to recognize the people who reject the Sunnah. To pass this off as Sunnah and make people believe it is a sin. Because our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) neither did this himself, nor did he order it. Rather, he instructed that during the congregational prayer, the shoulders should touch in the row. When one prays alone, this is of course not necessary. Then everyone simply stands for themselves in their place. But in the obligatory prayer (Fard), it is about forming a closed row with the shoulders, not standing foot to foot. They call it "Sunnah" and lead the people astray. Covering the head is also part of the Sunnah. Women must wear a headscarf anyway, but men should also wear a takke (skullcap) – that is the Sunnah. The even more emphatic Sunnah is the turban, but such people would never wear a turban in their lives. At most, some of them throw a cloth over their heads like women and then pass it off as Sunnah. The Sunnah is to wear a takke. Our Prophet called it "Qalansuwa", which means takke. Tying a turban is the form of the Sunnah that brings even more reward. Someone who follows the Sunnah pays attention to these things. But to spread the feet as far as possible in the name of the Sunnah, offering a strange sight in the process, is certainly not a Sunnah. The head uncovered, the beard a handspan long, no mustache, the trousers up to the knees... That is not Sunnah; that is not what the Sunnah looks like. The Sunnah is the beautiful path that our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has shown us. Whoever follows it needs nothing else anyway. To stand there and declare what is permissible (Halal) as forbidden (Haram) is also a great sin. Therefore, unfortunately, I sometimes see that even some of our brothers spread their feet like this. They were perhaps on Umrah or Hajj, saw it there and thought to themselves: "So this is Islam, one must spread their legs like this." But this is not the case, not at all. Be mindful. Pay close attention to what is really Sunnah and what is not. This behavior is typical of those who reject the Sunnah and show no respect to our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Do not follow them and stay away from them. Do not imitate them, but rather try to resemble our Prophet. Our Prophet says the following about this: مَنْ تَشَبَّهَ بِقَوْمٍ فَهُوَ مِنْهُمْ "Whoever imitates a people (a group), belongs to them." May Allah preserve us and protect us from their evil. The evil of Satan is great; he makes the good appear bad and the bad appear good. May Allah protect us and grant us all vigilance.

„Ismau wa'u... fantaffiu.“ Listen and understand. If you understand it, you will benefit from it. This is not a Hadith, but presumably a saying of Sayyidina Abu Bakr or Sayyidina Uthman. For people do listen, but they do not understand. They only talk without deriving any benefit from what is said. Therefore, these blessed words say: "Listen and understand." Do not act without understanding. If you understand, you will derive real benefit from what you hear. Most people only come to say what they already have in mind. In doing so, they neither understand what the other person is saying, nor do they derive any benefit from it. So if you ask others for advice, knowledge, or an opinion, listen carefully and try to comprehend it. Understanding makes things much easier. You should not look for what you want to hear, but for what is necessary. People today have become stuck in fixed mindsets and expect the other person to say exactly the same thing. If the other person agrees, everything is fine with them. Yet they themselves often do not even understand what they are talking about, what they want, what they are asking, or what answer they receive. Even if it is their own idea, they often do not even know what it actually means. Therefore, one must be attentive. One must truly comprehend what is said. Only if one understands it does one benefit from it; if one does not understand it, it is completely useless. That is why these lessons exist. Allah, Azza wa Jalla, has sent down the majestic Quran; it is a blessed and holy word, the word of Allah, Azza wa Jalla. To understand it correctly, one absolutely needs a Sheikh or a scholar. You cannot simply interpret it according to your own ideas. Nowadays, some know-it-alls appear and say: "We read and understand this ourselves, there is no need for a Madhhab or a Tariqa, we understand this all by ourselves." But you cannot. As already said: You understand neither what you are asking, nor the answer you receive to it. You piece something together and claim: "I have understood it," but these are merely the whisperings of Satan. May Allah protect us from this. May Allah make us among those who truly understand. May our minds and our hearts open. One must comprehend not only with the mind, the intellect, and the head, but also with the heart. May Allah open all our hearts so that we may, insha'Allah, recognize the truth.

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ۔ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «فِي كُلِّ ذَاتِ كَبِدٍ حَرَّى أَجْرٌ۔» Our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said: To give water to any thirsty living being – in Arabic, when speaking of great thirst, one refers to the one "whose liver burns" – to give water to exactly this one is a Sadaqa (charity/alms). And that is an immense Sadaqa. The greatest Sadaqa is to donate water. This does not only apply to humans: giving water to animals, insects too – to everything that exists, whether good or bad – is a Sadaqa. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «كُلُّ سُلَامَى مِنَ النَّاسِ عَلَيْهِ صَدَقَةٌ، كُلَّ يَوْمٍ تَطْلُعُ فِيهِ الشَّمْسُ تَعْدِلُ بَيْنَ الِاثْنَيْنِ صَدَقَةٌ، وَتُعِينُ الرَّجُلَ عَلَى دَابَّتِهِ فَتَحْمِلُهُ عَلَيْهَا أَوْ تَرْفَعُ لَهُ عَلَيْهَا مَتَاعَهُ صَدَقَةٌ، وَالْكَلِمَةُ الطَّيِّبَةُ صَدَقَةٌ، وَكُلُّ خُطْوَةٍ تَخْطُوهَا إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ صَدَقَةٌ، وَتُمِيطُ الْأَذَى عَنِ الطَّرِيقِ صَدَقَةٌ۔» Our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says: For every single joint of a person, a Sadaqa must be given every day the sun rises. Today, if we tell people, "Give Sadaqa," they often reply, "But I already donate, every month or once a week, a thousand or five thousand Lira." Yet it is necessary to donate for every single day. You don't have to give five thousand; perhaps a hundred Lira a day is also enough. If one cannot afford this financially, then – according to our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) – one must provide this Sadaqa in another way. Mediating justly between two people is a Sadaqa. That means, if two people call upon you as a mediator: to decide fairly who is right and who is wrong, and to speak the truth, is a Sadaqa. So Sadaqa doesn't only mean donating money. Even this right here is a Sadaqa. Helping someone mount their horse... In the past, it was often difficult to get on a horse. Helping them with it, holding the saddle or the reins, already counts as a Sadaqa for you. Or helping them load their burden is also a Sadaqa. It is hard to load a mount alone. When you lift the load on one side, someone has to counterbalance on the other side. Helping with exactly that is also a Sadaqa, says our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam). A kind word is a Sadaqa. This means: greeting someone, speaking kind words, asking how they are doing – all of this is a Sadaqa. This too will be credited to you as the Sadaqa that is to be paid for the joints of your body. Every step you take towards prayer is a Sadaqa. Whether the mosque is a hundred or two hundred steps away, all these steps count as a Sadaqa. Since every single step counts, those three, four, or five hundred steps you take to get there are one single massive Sadaqa. Showing someone the way is a Sadaqa. Someone asks you for an address and you show them the way. If you explain it to them kindly, that is a Sadaqa. Removing obstacles or hazards from the path is a Sadaqa. Like what, for example? A stone, a pile of earth, thorns, or similar things... Removing these from the path is counted as a Sadaqa, says our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam). قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «كُلُّ قَرْضٍ صَدَقَةٌ۔» Our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says: Every loan is a Sadaqa. This is also called "Qard al-Hasan" – a good loan granted for the sake of Allah. Even if you get the money back, so it is not a pure donation without expecting a return, the lending itself counts as a Sadaqa. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «كُلُّ مَعْرُوفٍ صَدَقَةٌ۔» Our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says: Every good deed is a Sadaqa. There are many good deeds. Every kind of goodness – doing good to parents, children, neighbors, and fellow human beings – counts as a Sadaqa. So there is nothing that would be in vain. For a Muslim, for a believer, nothing is lost. All of this is written down with Allah as a Sadaqa, as a blessing, a good deed, and a reward. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «كُلُّ مَعْرُوفٍ صَنَعْتَهُ إِلَى غَنِيٍّ أَوْ فَقِيرٍ فَهُوَ صَدَقَةٌ۔» Our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says: Every good deed you do for people – whether they are rich or poor – is a Sadaqa. So one should not think: "He is rich. If I do good to him, it doesn't count as a Sadaqa." Yes, that counts too. Every good deed is recognized as a Sadaqa. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «كُلُّ مَعْرُوفٍ صَدَقَةٌ، وَالدَّالُّ عَلَى الْخَيْرِ كَفَاعِلِهِ، وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ إِغَاثَةَ اللَّهْفَانِ۔» Our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says: Every good deed is a Sadaqa. There are hundreds, thousands of types of good deeds. Every single one of them is a Sadaqa, says our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam). The one who points the way to good is like the one who does it. That means, if you inspire someone else to do a good deed – be it a prayer for the sake of Allah, a supplication, or an act of help – you get the same reward as the one who performs it. Allah loves it when you help someone who is at their wits' end. Whoever stands by someone in distress, who is desperate and going through a severe trial, is loved by Allah, says our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam). قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَنْ مَنَحَ مَنِيحَةَ وَرِقٍ، أَوْ مَنِيحَةَ لَبَنٍ، أَوْ أَهْدَى زُقَاقًا، فَهُوَ كَعِتْقِ نَسَمَةٍ۔» Our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says: Whoever lends his animal so that someone can use its milk, whoever lends money to someone in need, or shows the way to a lost person, receives as much reward as if he had freed a slave. Back then, people lent out animals – today, of course, hardly anyone milks by themselves; you buy milk in a carton. For the sake of Allah, a poor person took care of the animal, used its milk, and when it dried up, returned it to the owner. The reward for someone who acts like this, who lends money to someone or shows the way to a lost person, is immense. It is as if he had freed a slave. Freeing a slave is one of the greatest good deeds of all. Of course, nowadays people should act as our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) commanded at the beginning of this Sadaqa topic. First and foremost, one should look after one's own livelihood and that of one's family, and only donate what is left over – without borrowing money from others and getting oneself into trouble. If there is still something left after that and the other person is truly in need, then you give it. One must not think like this: "I'll borrow money, make a huge profit, borrow even more to give it to him, and then he runs a 'farm'." But by this farm, I don't mean a farm with four-legged sheep. I'm talking about those Bitcoin and crypto farms. These two-legged ones who dabble in this drive their families into ruin. They go and borrow money from others. You should not lend any money at all to such people. Whoever gambles, speculates on the stock market, or messes around with such nonsensical things as crypto coins, you don't give them money. I have nothing against real goats; you are welcome to go out and buy goats. But absolutely do not lend money to anyone who is addicted to drugs and pills. Often people come and ask: "What should we do?" I answer: "Don't give them money." What will he do if you don't give him money? He simply won't be able to buy this devilish stuff. Then they say: "But then he will get angry with us." Let him be angry! "He will die," they say. Then let him die, that is better for him. At least he leaves this world clean, without accumulating even more sins. Let's be completely open about this here. Not only our Turkey, the whole world suffers from this problem. The more you give in to such a person's ego, the worse you make the situation. He is already devastated anyway. Don't let yourself plunge into ruin together with him, my brother. The topic of Sadaqa is to be understood exactly as our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) explained it from the beginning: Everything you spend first for yourself and your family is already a Sadaqa. Provide for them first, after that you can take care of the others. If your own family is in need, you should not say: "That child there is crying, I want to help him," and thereby help another, but plunge yourself into the abyss. Let us pay attention to this. We live in a terrible time, it is no longer like in the past. People in the past kept their word, they had empathy and mercy. There was still a sense of shame and decency – today nothing of that is left. The youth shamelessly harass their mothers, fathers, and families with the words: "I want to make money, give me money!" May Allah guide them. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «مَنْ مَنَحَ مَنِيحَةً غَدَتْ بِصَدَقَةٍ وَرَاحَتْ بِصَدَقَةٍ صَبُوحُهَا وَغَبُوقُهَا۔» Our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says: The animal that someone lends out so its milk can be used, brings him the reward of a Sadaqa morning and evening. As already mentioned, whether it is a sheep or a goat: whoever lends it out so that its milk is used, receives the reward of a Sadaqa morning and evening, as long as the animal is milked. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «خَيْرُ الصَّدَقَةِ الْمَنِيحَةُ، تَغْدُو بِأَجْرٍ وَتَرُوحُ بِأَجْرٍ۔» Our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says: The best Sadaqa is a loaned dairy animal. "It goes out with reward and returns with reward (blessing)," says our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam). As said, it is about a loaned animal – that can be a sheep, a goat, or a cow. The poor and needy took care of the animal, used its milk, and that covered all their needs. In the past, someone who had one or two cows was considered rich. Today, however, someone with two hundred cows only toils away in the manure and earns almost nothing. They have ruined the world. They have left no blessing behind, nothing has remained. May Allah send its true owner. So that that old blessing returns. May better times dawn, insha'Allah.

وَقِهِمُ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِۚ وَمَن تَقِ ٱلسَّيِّـَٔاتِ يَوۡمَئِذٖ فَقَدۡ رَحِمۡتَهُ (40:9) Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, teaches us in the Noble Quran to pray: Protect us from sins. Whoever is protected from sins has attained His mercy. He is surrounded by the mercy of Allah. For every human being is prone to committing sins. There are minor and major sins. Our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Kullu bani Adama hattaun." This means that every human being makes mistakes and sins. But the best among them are those who repent and ask for forgiveness. When you go out on the street, you see people sinning everywhere. But do not feel superior to them. You are not angels, after all. It is Allah who protects you, if He wills. Therefore, we constantly ask for His protection. May Allah forgive us, for we are also sinners. May He count us among those who recognize their sins, repent, and ask for forgiveness. Do not look at the deeds of others and think: "I am better than them." May Allah protect us from this. As long as a person is alive, anything can happen to them. Our ancestors already said: "Do not boast by saying, 'I am this, I am that.'" Whoever speaks so arrogantly does not even notice when a calamity strikes him, and perishes in his heedlessness. May Allah protect us from this. Let us not fall into heedlessness. We should know our own weaknesses so as not to fall victim to our ego (nafs). Never say: "I pray so much, I get up at night for prayer – but look at these people, they are just having fun. I am better than them." For all of this is merely a grace that Allah has granted you. Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, can just as well bestow this grace upon them. He can swap your roles at any time. May Allah protect us from this. Therefore, everyone should continually repent for their own mistakes and ask for forgiveness. Everyone should look at themselves and not interfere too much in the lives of others. May Allah forgive us all. Do not feel superior to anyone and do not treat anyone with arrogance. May Allah protect us. May Allah protect us from sins. Whoever is protected from sins has attained true salvation. May Allah stand by the Ummah of the Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam). May He send us a savior so that we can, insha'Allah, free ourselves from this situation.

May our gathering be blessed. This is a blessed community. We come together as Allah loves, to attain His pleasure. And His pleasure rests upon us. These are gatherings of knowledge. We are here to strive for Allah's pleasure. Whoever seeks advice will find advice here. This advice is given solely for the sake of Allah. Our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Ad-dinu nasiha"; religion is sincere advice. It serves to point out the right path and what is good. Therefore, it is an obligation (Fard) to attend such gatherings and to strive for knowledge. It is a duty for every Muslim. It is our duty to strive for knowledge from the cradle to the grave. Whether one attends circles of knowledge or accepts the advice of others: all this makes one a student of knowledge. Being a student of knowledge is a great virtue. For this, however, one must make the right intention. Without the right intention, nothing happens. Our intention should be to learn what is good and our religion for the sake of Allah. To love our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam), his companions, and his family – all of this is knowledge. Recognizing what is bad and forbidden is also part of knowledge. We should accept good advice in the best possible way. Genuine advice is always given for the sake of Allah. Yet there are many people who do not like to be instructed or advised. Why is that? Because the ego (Nafs) does not particularly like admonitions and what is good. The ego is untamed. If it is not disciplined, it constantly flees from good advice. No matter what you tell it, it resists. But the ego can also be disciplined. The disciplining of the Nafs is possible. While Satan cannot be disciplined, this is entirely possible with the ego. Satan, the ego, worldly desires, and passions (Hawa) are at work in every human being. One must not give in to these influences. Satan whispers bad things to us – we must never listen to him. No matter how hard one tries: one cannot discipline Satan. But one can discipline one's own ego. How does that work? By keeping away from bad things, the ego is gradually tamed. But even when it is disciplined, the ego still lies in wait for an opportunity. One must always be on guard, because it will again try to rebel and do bad things. If one is lulled into a false sense of security and says, "My ego is now defeated," it will bring one down in an instant. May Allah protect us from this. May Allah grant us all the grace to accept advice and, insha'Allah, to act accordingly. In order to defeat our ego, it is essential to accept good advice. May Allah be our helper, insha'Allah. Insha'Allah, we will all remain steadfast on this path and thus also contribute to the guidance of others.

فَأَمَّا مَن طَغَىٰ (٣٧) وَآثَرَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا (٣٨) فَإِنَّ الْجَحِيمَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ (٣٩) (79:37-39) Allah, Azza wa Jalla, says: Whoever prefers this world over the Hereafter, their final destination is Hell. This world is transient. The Hereafter, on the other hand, is eternal; it has no end. Therefore, whoever prefers this world over the Hereafter is merely following their ego. This ego plunges man into ruin. For no matter how much a person suffers in this world, everything here comes to an end. The Hereafter, however, is endless. Whoever enters Paradise will remain there forever. And whoever enters Hell – Allah forbid – will also remain there forever. Life in the Hereafter is eternal. Some people, however, do not want to accept this. They say to themselves in their own imagination, "There is no eternity," and instead consider worldly things to be eternal. They close themselves off to the truth that Allah, Azza wa Jalla, has revealed and proclaimed. But eternity truly exists. This is a very important point. It is not this world that is decisive, but the Hereafter. That is why our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says: "This world passes by like the blink of an eye." And that is exactly how it is. The years pass, and a person asks himself in astonishment: "Was my life really that short?" He asks himself: "Where did the time go? How quickly it flew by!" Exactly for this reason, our Prophet (sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam) says: "This world does not even last the blink of an eye." This means: Compared to the Hereafter, this world is pure nothingness. Everything one experiences comes and passes away again. The only thing that truly matters is the Hereafter. Of course, there are many ignorant people. Some think to themselves: "Life passes by anyway. Let us use the time, give in to our ego as much as possible, and do whatever we feel like doing." Life is over in a flash. Therefore they believe: The more they amuse themselves and the more they serve their ego, the better for them. Thus they convince themselves that they have "not wasted" their time. Yet such a life is absolutely empty. Better said: They fill their lives not only with emptiness, but with bad things. It would be nice if they simply went into the Hereafter with empty hands – but not even that is the case. Because for their sins, what is forbidden, and all their deeds, they will be held accountable in the Hereafter. If they leave this world as disbelievers – Allah forbid – an eternal punishment awaits them. If they leave it as believers, they will serve their punishment and ultimately enter Paradise; but even a tiny moment of punishment there feels like a whole lifetime. Time wasted here weighs as heavily in comparison to the Hereafter as the loss of an entire lifetime. Therefore, one must be very careful and do exactly what is difficult for the ego. One must not give in to one's ego. One must turn back from the wrong path. One must stay away from bad things. Nowadays, many people fall into bad habits and seek out bad company, just to satisfy their ego and make it happy. They do bad things solely to appease their ego. However, this has no benefit whatsoever. On the contrary, it only brings endless harm. Allah forbid. May Allah protect us all from following our ego and doing bad things. May Allah protect us all, inshaAllah.