Mawlana Sheikh Mehmed Adil. Translations.

Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, says in the noble Quran that He created people in diversity. The most honored person in the sight of Allah and most pleasing to Him is the one who obeys Allah, the Almighty and Exalted. Origin, skin color, or language have no significance in this. What is important is to be on the path of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, and to follow His commandments. And to remain steadfast on this path. Through Allah's guidance, you have now found the right path; you are in Islam. But Satan will not leave you in peace. Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, is merciful and loves the merciful. Yet some do the exact opposite. They claim, "We are on the path of Allah," and thus deceive people. While they say, "We are on the path of Allah," they commit all kinds of evil. While they say, "We are on the path of Allah," they lead people astray and alienate them from the religion. Such people are not pleasing to Allah. A person who is pleasing to Allah is the one who is on the path of Allah and walks that wonderful path that our Prophet has shown us. This path is very clear. The scholars, the saints, the companions, and the righteous have all walked this path. But those who strayed from this path have perished. Therefore, it is necessary to be vigilant. The most important thing on this path is to show reverence to our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. To love him is the highest commandment. To love him means to follow the path of our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, to act according to his example, and to try to be like him. What was the most important characteristic of our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him? His mercy. His mercy. One of the companions was about to kill someone in a battle when that person cried out: "I have become a Muslim." But he killed him anyway. When our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, heard about this, he was deeply grieved. He asked, "Why did you do that?" The companion answered: "He only said that out of fear of death, to save his life. He was lying." The Prophet said: "Did you split open his heart to see whether there was faith in it or not?" He was so grieved that he repeated these words a second and a third time. Those today who lead people away from the religion know no mercy and practice oppression. They divide families, sow discord among the people, and alienate them from Islam. Their path is not the path of our Prophet. Praise be to Allah, the right path, the most important path, is the path of the Tariqa. For it is the path of those who follow the Sunnah, the Sharia, and the example of our Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. May Allah make us steadfast on this path. People should take this path, because we are living in a time of Fitna, of discord. Good is portrayed as bad and bad as good. Black is portrayed as white and white as black. There are deceptions of all kinds. Therefore, in order not to stray from this path, it is necessary to follow a Murshid. Not necessarily us. In these times, it is very important to follow a Sheikh or Murshid of a Tariqa that is on the right path. May Allah grant guidance to everyone. May He not let us stray from the right path and make us steadfast upon it, insha'Allah.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He who does not thank people does not thank Allah." Therefore, we should be grateful to our ancestors. We should thank them for their efforts, which they made for the sake of Allah and for the well-being of mankind. Our journey lasted four days. It was, insha'Allah, blessed and fruitful. We took a trip to the Balkans. We visited some places for the first time, while we only passed through others. Masha'Allah, our ancestors advanced to there and conquered these territories. Despite all the discord, mischief, and wars, Islam survived thanks to them and persists, thank God, to this day. Of course, there is still much discord. For the disbeliever knows no mercy. He wishes the Muslim no good. Satan is against those who believe in Allah. Satan and his followers want to sow discord and lead people astray. Our ancestors conquered these territories, cultivated them, and beautified them. These are beautiful areas, but they are difficult to rule. The fact that our ancestors ruled there in peace and tranquility for over 400 years is one of the greatest proofs of the justice of Islam. They all lived together there. Numerous peoples of different origins, languages, and religions lived together under the just Ottoman rule. After the Ottomans withdrew from these territories, the people there had to endure much oppression and suffering. But Satan continues to deceive people. They do not show respect to the Ottomans. And above all, it is even the Ottomans' own descendants who deny them this respect. It is Satan who whispers this discord to them and incites them against each other. Satan wants nothing but evil. You see it with your own eyes, you read and hear about what happened in these territories after the Ottoman era. Nevertheless, they still speak ill of the Ottomans. Allah will hold them accountable for it. And whoever shows such ingratitude will not fare well either. May Allah make us among those who are grateful and appreciate the good. One must be thankful for the good that one has experienced. For if you thank a person for a good deed, you are also thanking Allah. May Allah be a thousand times pleased with our ancestors. We thank them. These territories were really very difficult to govern. Without this justice and without the help of Allah, the Prophet, the saints, and the sheikhs, it would have been impossible to hold these territories. It would have been impossible to rule there. May Allah be pleased with them. May Allah grant blessings and peace. May we all, insha'Allah, receive guidance.

And if they had followed the [right] way, We would have given them abundant water to drink. (72:16)
That We might test them thereby. And whoever turns away from the remembrance of his Lord, He will cause him to enter a tormenting punishment. (72:17)
Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, protects and preserves those who are on the right path.
But those who are not on the right path cause Fitna.
Those who fall for Fitna believe they are on a good path.
But in truth, Satan destroys their faith.
For there is Islam and there is Iman.
The essence of Islam is Iman.
Faith in Allah, in the unseen, in the angels, and in the hereafter – all of that is Iman.
The only ones who truly live this are the followers of a Tariqa.
The other groups, who call themselves a community, Jama'ah, or something else, may appear very Muslim outwardly, but without true Iman, nothing remains of them.
This is a game of Satan.
Many people have fallen for this game and taken this path.
And this state has led them to ruin.
For this very reason, one must attach oneself to a Murshid and a Tariqa. For the Tariqa connects a person directly to our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.
In the communities, however, there is no such connection.
Because this spiritual connection is missing, they can easily gather people around them.
Subsequently, they destroy their faith and incite the Muslims against each other.
Even in the hereafter, they will be denied intercession.
Because they have no connection to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.
Without this connection, there is no true faith.
Without the mediation of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, there is Islam, but no Iman.
That is, they are not Mu'min, but only Muslims.
So one must pay attention to this.
A Muslim who wants to perfect his faith joins a Murshid so that he may lead him to the Prophet, Allah's peace and blessings be upon him.
May Allah enable people to follow this beautiful path.
May Allah assist them all and protect them from Satan, Insha'Allah.

Indeed, the soul is a persistent inciter to evil. (12:53) Allah says: "Truly, the ego incites to evil." One must not give the ego any room. One must not make any concessions to the ego and must distance oneself from evil and sin as much as possible. Of course, no human is sinless. There is no one who does not commit sins. Allah says: "I created mankind so that they may sin and ask for forgiveness, so that I may forgive them." For this reason, man is a sinner. There is no one who does not commit sins. There are many sins, small and large. But if man asks for forgiveness, Allah forgives him. Therein perhaps lies the wisdom of Allah; His wisdom is unfathomable. But He also shows us the way. "If you commit a sin and ask for forgiveness, this sin will not only be erased, but even replaced by a good deed." So great is the generosity and kindness of Allah. But people follow their desires. Only a few repent and ask for forgiveness. Most, however, do not and sink into their sins. They are not even aware of it. Especially nowadays, sinning is almost seen as a heroic act. Some even claim: "That's normal, it's human nature. You don't need to ask for forgiveness or apologize." But if you ask for forgiveness, Allah thwarts the devil's game. He erases that sin, and you receive a good deed instead. This means that people without faith do not have this opportunity. Truly happy is the person who possesses faith. If Allah grants someone faith, it is the greatest gift there is. Because whatever one does in this world will not benefit them after death. No matter how much pleasure one had, how many sins one committed - even if one was satisfied with one's deeds, all that will be of no use. On the contrary, there will be punishment for it. But to the believer, Allah grants repentance and thus frees him from his sins. May Allah keep us away from sin. And may He forgive our sins, insha'Allah. May Allah accept it from all of us.

Indeed, those who committed crimes used to laugh at those who believed (83:29) And when they passed by them, they would wink at each other (83:30) Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, says: In this world, the wrongdoers have always mocked the believers, be it today, at the time of our Prophet, or even before. When they passed by them, they would wink at each other knowingly. "Look at these people." With the words: "These have strayed from the right path," the wrongdoers in this world constantly despise the righteous. They consider them insignificant. They laugh at them and mock them. But Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, says that in the Hereafter, the believers will laugh at them. In Paradise, they will sit in places of honor and laugh at the others. For he who laughs last, laughs best. A person's end must be good so that their life has not been in vain. Life passes quickly; it does not stand still, it flows like a river. If you let yourself be swept away by this river and forget yourself, you are lost. Then you have gained nothing. Your life is precious; yes, life is a very precious commodity. Then this too would have been wasted. Rather, not just wasted, but spent in sin. As long as one is still alive and breathing, the greatest gain is to repent and turn to the path of Allah. There can be no greater gain than this. Worldly gains are worthless in comparison. The gain in the Hereafter, however, is eternal. Even if you gain something in this world, you never know when it will slip from your grasp and you will lose it. Therefore, a believer should be vigilant. They should not let the talk of others lead them astray. For to lead you astray, Satan whispers to you: "Oh, these people are making fun of me. Wouldn't it be better to be like them?" Whoever gives in to this has lost everything. We live in a bad time. There are all sorts of ways to lead people astray. Committing sins is much easier today than it used to be. Base desires can much more easily tempt a person to sin. In the past, people hesitated and hid when they wanted to commit a sin. People today, on the other hand, boast about their transgressions and every sin they commit. But this is not a gain, but a pure loss. It is loss upon loss. To make up for this loss, one must sincerely repent, ask for forgiveness, and stay away from this wrong path, these places, and these friends. May Allah help us. May Allah guide all people, insha'Allah.

O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. (49:13) Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, says in this noble verse: "We created you from a single man and woman and made you numerous." Thus, in His wisdom and providence, Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, brings people together in the most unexpected places so that they may get to know each other. He lets them establish a home. Thus, a righteous marriage is formed, and a special beauty is revealed. The crucial thing is that they remain on the path of Allah. It is about being good servants of Allah and attaining a high position with Him. The entire noble Quran is the holy word of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime. Every single verse of the glorious Quran is filled with countless, indeed infinite wisdoms. Among these wisdoms are also the marriages of people. Who will marry whom, who is destined for whom, how the children will be... According to this wisdom, Allah brings people together. They establish a home. They should establish this home to earn Allah's pleasure. If the intention is to please Allah, this home will thrive with His permission. This is also the meaning of life in this world. Satan whispers to some people, causing them to insult their parents and rebel with words like: "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been born, I don't want this life!" That is pure folly. For all of this has happened according to the will of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime. Who is born, who dies, who marries - all this is subject to the will of Allah, the Mighty and Sublime. Submitting to this will, being grateful, and following the path He has shown brings relief to people and the opportunity to raise righteous offspring. It is not right to blame others and portray oneself as a victim. Allah created you. Allah has shown you a good path. Walk this path and do not deviate from it. That is ultimately the meaning of life. Moreover, life is short. If you use it well and lead a good life, you will be the winner in the end. You will find eternal peace. But if it turns out differently, you will suffer much hardship - may Allah protect us from that. May Allah grant those who are getting married a blessed marriage and give them good families. May they raise righteous generations, insha'Allah.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever prays six Rak'at after the evening prayer, without speaking anything bad in between, the reward of these six Rak'at is equal to twelve years of worship." This means that the six Rak'at of the Awwabin prayer, which are performed after the Sunnah prayer of the evening, are equivalent to the reward of twelve years of worship. So it is a prayer with a tremendous reward, an exceedingly meritorious prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever prays between the evening and the night prayer, their prayer is truly that of the Awwabin - those who turn to Allah in repentance." This person will be counted among their group. That is, the rank of the Awwabin is a high level among Muslims. The prayer performed between the evening and the night prayer - whether six Rak'at, more or less - all of that counts as the prayer of the Awwabin. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever performs twenty voluntary Rak'at between the evening and the night prayer, Allah will build a house for them in Paradise." We also pray 20 Rak'at in seclusion (Khalwa). Even in partial seclusion, one can, if one wishes, perform 20 Rak'at as Awwabin prayer. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever performs six voluntary Rak'at after the evening prayer, without speaking to anyone, will have the sins of fifty years forgiven." Since our sins are numerous, these prayers are a great opportunity for a Muslim. There is no sinless person. Therefore, one should not omit these six Rak'at. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever performs two voluntary Rak'at in a secluded place, where no one sees them except Allah and the angels, for them liberation from Hellfire is written." That is: If someone prays in a secluded place, fully aware that only Allah and the angels see them, that person will be saved from Hellfire, with Allah's permission. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Whoever cannot perform the two Rak'at of the morning prayer at their time, should make them up after sunrise." That is, whoever misses the Sunnah of the morning prayer should pray it after sunrise. One should definitely pray them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Even if horsemen are pursuing you, do not omit the two Rak'at of the morning prayer." The Sunnah of the morning prayer is one of the most important voluntary prayers. Its importance is also emphasized in the Noble Quran. Do not omit this Sunnah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Do not omit the two Rak'at before the morning prayer, for they contain tremendous virtues." That is, the Sunnah of the morning prayer is a strongly emphasized, a confirmed Sunnah (Sunnah mu'akkada). The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) exhorts us: "Do not neglect this prayer, perform it without fail." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Only the Awwabin, those who frequently turn to Allah, adhere to the two Sunnah Rak'at of the morning prayer." Thank God, Muslims, especially the people of the Tariqa, do not omit any of the Sunnah prayers. Especially the Sunnah of the morning prayer is, of course, performed by everyone, but how it looks with others, they know best themselves. But this is a prayer whose importance the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) particularly emphasized. May none of us omit it, insha'Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "When one of you has performed the two Sunnah Rak'at of the morning prayer, they should lie down on their right side." We also practice this, because it is a Sunnah. Many people are surprised when they see this in some mosques. They ask: "What are you doing, what is this?" Yet, this is a Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). Many people have either never heard of it or it is a forgotten Sunnah for them. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Perform some of your voluntary prayers in your homes and do not turn your homes into graveyards." That is, a house in which no prayer is performed resembles a graveyard. The obligatory prayers are excluded from this! For it is more meritorious to perform them in the mosque in congregation. But the Sunnah prayers and other voluntary prayers should be performed at home. Voluntary prayers such as the prayer of gratitude or the Duha prayer should definitely be performed at home as well. For the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Your house should not be like a grave." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "If one of you performs their prayer in the mosque, they should also let their house have a share of it." For Allah, the Exalted, brings about good through the prayer that one performs in their house." That is, through the voluntary prayers at home, blessings enter the house, insha'Allah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The most meritorious prayer of a person, apart from the obligatory prayers, is the prayer that they perform at home." That is, it is better to perform voluntary prayers such as Tahajjud, Awwabin, Ishraq, Duha, the prayer of gratitude or the Tasbih prayer at home. This applies to the prayers that one performs in addition to the obligatory prayers. For the obligatory prayers belong in the mosque. Because the reward for an obligatory prayer performed in congregation is 27 times greater.

And I do not acquit myself. Indeed, the soul is certainly a persistent inciter to evil, except for those whom my Lord has mercy upon. (12:53) This noble verse says: "And I do not acquit my ego. Truly, the ego persistently commands evil. It craves the bad. Therefore, one must restrain it. One must not give in to one's desires. When many people today say: "I struggle with my ego," this awareness alone is a good thing. Others, however, simply do what their ego demands of them. They don't even try to fight against it. Actually, families should teach their children self-control from an early age. It's not good to fulfill their every whim. One should meet their needs, but they also need to learn to appreciate what they have. They must learn to appreciate the value of things. Furthermore, they must learn that you can't have everything immediately. That requires patience. People have become strange these days. In the past, children obeyed and served their mothers and fathers. But people today serve animals instead, for example, a dog. They are at its service all day long. They only think: "What will it eat, what will it drink, where will I go with it, what does this animal want?" and completely adapt to it. They run after it. Every day they take care of its food, its water, and its vitamins. They are completely at its service. Yet the true service should be to Allah. You should serve Allah. And you should raise your children in this way. Serving one's mother and father brings great reward and is a duty. Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, commands this in the Noble Quran. If people adhere to this, righteous generations will grow up. If not, a strange generation will emerge – as we see today – in which everyone, young or old, only follows the desires of their ego. Moreover, today's laws are designed so that the punishments for those under 18 are milder. In Islam, however, a person is held accountable as soon as they reach religious maturity. So from when are they held responsible? From the time prayer becomes obligatory for them. This obligation begins with reaching puberty. When a young man or woman reaches puberty – the state in which they could have children – their sins and good deeds are recorded. An act for which Allah, the Exalted, counts a sin, cannot simply be dismissed in this world with the words: "Let him do what he wants." Acting in this way brings misfortune upon oneself. Wickedness, cruelty, and oppression are increasing everywhere. Because if you don't teach a person self-control before they reach maturity, it is all the more difficult afterwards. Therefore, children are instructed in prayer from the age of seven. At the age of ten, one becomes more insistent. When they reach puberty, i.e., between the ages of 13 and 15 – often even earlier these days due to nutrition – prayer becomes an absolute obligation. If one does not perform the prayer then, it is recorded as a sin. Before reaching puberty, it is not counted as a sin if one does not pray, although praying is of course better. It is more meritorious. But after reaching puberty, one must make up for every missed prayer. So, if the lawmakers of this world were wise, they would understand that the punishment must correspond to the deed committed by a person after reaching maturity. May Allah grant us all understanding and insight, insha'Allah. Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, clearly shows people the right path. But if they do not follow it, they get into trouble and ask themselves: "Why is this so? How can we get this under control? What should we do?" May Allah help us all, insha'Allah.

The wise say: "li kulli maqamin makal." For every occasion, there are appropriate words, a topic to be discussed. What does that mean? It means that what is said in one place is inappropriate for another. That's not good. That's unnecessary. Some people may speak with the best of intentions, but if their words don't fit the occasion, they do more harm than good. Therefore, one must know what to say where, because it is a matter of decency. Most people today have no decency anymore. They don't know what to say. And when they talk, they talk useless nonsense. It is better to be silent than to talk useless nonsense. As the ancients said: "Speech is silver, silence is golden." But people nowadays absolutely want to talk; the main thing is that they have said something. Yet in some places it would be better to remain silent. There are also crude expressions for this, but it is not appropriate to mention them here. Everything has its place. In the presence of ladies, men should watch their language. One should speak differently in the presence of children. One speaks differently again in front of scholars. In front of teachers, in front of masters... This means that there is a right place and a right time for every word. If you know that, then speak; if not, then rather remain silent. This is an important matter, but people today think it's impolite if they don't say anything. Yet with their talk, they only reveal their own ignorance. Remaining silent, on the other hand, is much more appropriate and far better. Because the angels write down everything you say. Speaking of which, we should repent for the nonsense we utter during the day and ask Allah for forgiveness in the morning and evening. For all the backbiting, slander, and lies, we must ask for forgiveness so that Allah will forgive us, insha'Allah. Today's people, as I said, consider the elders ignorant, but it was they who possessed education and decency. Today's people, on the other hand, often show no trace of this decency. May Allah improve us all, insha'Allah.

Those who listen to the word, and follow the best of it. (39:18) It says: "Those who listen to the word and follow the best of it are the truly successful." The word 'Qawl', mentioned in this verse, means 'word' or 'speech'. This primarily refers to the noble Quran, and then to the Hadiths of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. For they are truly the best words. One must follow them and obey their commands. Furthermore, if someone gives you advice or tells you something, you must examine it. Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, commands in the noble Quran to pay attention to the good in what is said and to benefit from it. This means: If someone tells you something true, you must accept it, even if you don't like it. At the same time, one cannot accept every word without examination. For if what is said contradicts the word of Allah, the Exalted, or that of our Prophet, it cannot be accepted. But in everyday matters, one hears many words that a person speaks out of their ego or about other people. One must think about it and weigh it by asking oneself: "Is it true or not?" If it corresponds to the truth, one must accept it. That is, even if it goes against one's own ego or one doesn't like it: As long as it is the truth, it is useful to follow this word. Not accepting it, on the other hand, would be wrong. That is, it brings no benefit. Even if it doesn't harm, it doesn't help either. Therefore, one must accept the truth, no matter who it comes from: whether from a child or an adult, old or young, a woman or a man. Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Knowledge and the good word are the lost property of the believer." This means a believer should accept the true word and be happy about it, no matter who they hear it from. There is no reason to be offended or hurt. Feeling offended or hurt is a disease of the ego. The truth is beneficial and necessary for mankind. May Allah count us among those who hear the truth and accept it.