Mawlana Sheikh Mehmed Adil. Translations.

O Allah, do not hold us accountable for what the foolish among us have done. This is a wise saying. We reject the actions of the wrongdoers. Do not punish us like them. We implore Allah. For in the time of the Prophet Moses, an entire people was punished, even if only one committed a sin. Thanks be to Allah, this no longer happens today, through the grace of our Prophet. Nevertheless, a shadow hangs over us due to the misdeeds committed. What is our duty? We must reject evil. Our Prophet, peace be upon him, teaches: If you can change it with your hand, then do it. If you do not have the strength for that, then admonish with words: 'This is not good, do not do that.' And if even that is not possible, then at least reject it in your heart and think: 'This is reprehensible, I do not agree with it, I do not want that.' Of course, intervening with one's hand is impossible nowadays. Even trying to achieve something with words - it is pointless. They do not even want to hear it. For they consider their evil deeds to be good. They believe their transgressions against Allah and humanity are righteous. Therefore, a conversation with them is pointless. The least we can do is reject it in our hearts and not accept what we see. For they have managed to make it seem normal, and people are slowly getting used to it. But everyone should recognize the obvious evil as evil. One must recognize good as good in order to attain Allah's pleasure. This is the lowest level. A Muslim must at least be able to say in their heart: 'This is evil, this is forbidden, this is not right.' He must know that. He must be able to distinguish between what is forbidden and what is permissible. He must not accept what is forbidden. May Allah protect us from that. May Allah guide us. People commit all kinds of evil and are even proud of it. May Allah grant us reason and reflection. May Allah guide us. May Allah protect us and preserve our faith, inshaAllah. May Allah protect us from such conditions.

Allah the Exalted created mankind. For their moral development and education, Allah sent prophets. Allah sent the prophets so that the wildness in people would disappear and they would instead develop good character traits. What does wildness in a person mean? The ego is like a wildly growing tree – you have to prune and cultivate it so that a person bears fruit and becomes useful. If you don’t, the ego will do everything it can to make a person think they are better or special. Pharaoh said, "I am your greatest god." That means he considered the others to be little gods when he said, "I am your greatest." That's how the ego is; the human ego considers itself to be a god. Mawlana Sheikh Nazim said, “If the ego were given free rein, everyone could claim like Pharaoh: ‘I am your highest god.’” Pharaoh was given this power, but others were not – that's why they can't do it. But if the opportunity were there, the ego could make anyone act like Pharaoh. That's why you have to educate your ego. Nowadays, however, it's said that no matter how much you inflate and praise your ego, it’s never enough. "There is no one better than me." That’s how the ego wants to present itself everywhere. It wants people to see everything it does. Oh you foolish being, oh you thoughtless person, what do you gain if they see it? It will not benefit you, it will harm you. The things you show are useless; they will bring you both the evil eye and misfortune. And it will bring others sorrow, envy, and jealousy. It brings nothing else. Therefore, the more a person educates their ego, the more useful it is for them. The more they inflate and exalt their ego, the greater the harm they suffer. What does it bring you if everyone says, “You are so special, you are so great”? When you die and leave, it will bring you no benefit. It will bring you harm. May Allah protect us from the evil of our ego. To believe that people who show off have achieved something great, and to want to imitate them, is nothing but pure foolishness. A wise person knows their measure and their limits. We are weak servants in the hand of Allah. No matter how strong a person may appear – they can claim what they want, ultimately they remain weak. You have to know that. You must be a servant of Allah. Our necks are in the hand of Allah, the Exalted. He takes us when He wants, brings us where He wants. May Allah assist us. May Allah protect us from following our ego and making fools of ourselves through foolishness. And may Allah not divert us from His path, inshaAllah.

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. (24:35) The light belongs to Allah, the Almighty and Exalted. He bestows the light upon the believers. They receive from His light. From the light of our Prophet, Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, created this universe. Light is faith, and whoever has no faith has no light. Among people, light is the sign of faith. It is, so to speak, the proof of faith. In an unbelieving person you will not find it. Whether white or black, whoever is a believer, even if he is dark-skinned, his face will shine brightly. Through the light of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted. Allah has bestowed this grace in this world upon the believers, but the unbelievers are not aware of it. Only the believers are aware of it. Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, has proclaimed through our Prophet, peace be upon him, that the light is with the believers. How can the unbelievers know about the light? They know nothing. They just live on, it was not granted to them. Whoever is granted it should be grateful. It is good to emulate the believers. Whoever tries to be like the believers will have a share in this light. He receives from their light. This light leads people to bliss. Allah is the Creator of all things. With Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, lies the wisdom. Everything lies with Him. He created people so that they would believe in the unseen. The people who believe in the unseen are granted the light of faith. This light will protect them from darkness in the Hereafter. And in this world, it also protects them with Allah's permission. Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, created everyone and wished that they would believe; but people were given free will. This too is among the secrets of His wisdom. Not even our imagination can approach Allah's secrets and His knowledge. Allah does not wrong anyone, He gives to those who ask for it. He has given the will so that man may strive for the light with this will. We cannot understand the secret of this wisdom. Whoever wants it can receive it. Some people always come up with 'ifs and buts' and look for excuses. Their excuses are invalid. They have no value. "Ask for the light," it is said. Also, Mawlana Sheikh Nazim said recently: "Ask for the light!" May Allah grant us light. Light means faith, means goodness, means the most beautiful. May Allah give us all of this light, inshaAllah. May Allah illuminate all our hearts.

The life of this world is only the enjoyment of deception. (3:185) The earthly life, Allah the Exalted says, is nothing more than a game and a distraction. The worldly life has no true value. As Allah the Exalted says, we may live in this world, but it has no lasting value. For the world is not permanent. What is not permanent has no true value. For this world, people wage wars, kill each other, and inflict suffering on one another. That too has no value whatsoever. The Hereafter has value. What is truly valuable in this world are the houses of Allah the Exalted. The Kaaba in Mecca, the Prophet's Mosque in Medina, and the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Wherever there are mosques, they are valuable before Allah. These are the valuable things in this world. Outside of that, the world has no value whatsoever. It has no standing. These holy sites - the mosques and houses of worship - although they are on Earth, actually belong to the Hereafter. All these holy sites - be it the Prophet's Mosque, peace and blessings be upon him, the other mosques and houses of worship, the Dergahs or the Turbahs of the saints - they all exist for Allah's pleasure. Since they are not meant for the world, they make up the true value on Earth. Neither skyscrapers nor cities... Nor palaces... None of that has any value with Allah the Exalted. And it should not have any for people either. But people do the opposite: they do not value what is valuable. They value what is worthless. People leave their homes without it being necessary and go elsewhere, just chasing after the world, just for worldly things. However, if the place where you live prevents you from practicing your religion, then Allah's earth is vast, and you can go to another place. But to leave for a more luxurious life, for worldly gain, that means chasing after the worldly. That brings no benefit. Allah is not pleased with that. Allah provides sustenance everywhere. Wherever one is, Allah provides sustenance. Therefore, pay attention to the things that concern the Hereafter. People say to themselves: "I must go somewhere else to live better." Allah is the Provider. Allah gives you your sustenance wherever you are. If you still want to emigrate, you have to be careful. "Will my religion be preserved?" "Will I remain true to my faith?" "Will my children remain true to the faith?" "If my children remain faithful, will my grandchildren also?" - this is what one must pay attention to. Wherever a person goes, he should always stay in the places that Allah the Exalted loves. Mosques, Dergahs, houses of worship... Wherever they are in the world, that is where one should seek refuge. Allah will help. Allah will protect, inshaAllah. May Allah help all Muslims, inshaAllah. May we preserve our faith. May the faith of our children and descendants be preserved, inshaAllah.

And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (51:56) I do not want from them any provision, nor do I want them to feed Me. (51:57) Many people, indeed most, do not know why Allah the Exalted created us and what the purpose of our creation is. Allah the Exalted says: "I have only created mankind and jinn to worship Me." That is the wisdom behind it. Whoever understands this does not rack their brains and does not fall into despair. Whoever does not understand this leads a life without true benefit. Sometimes they even take their own lives and think: 'I don't understand the meaning of this life, I suddenly came into this world' and wander around as if there is no one and nothing in this world. They do not know that Allah the Exalted exists. They must believe in Allah. If they believe in Allah, all good will come to them. But whoever is without faith, who has no idea of anything, acts as a denier and still expects good. Where is good supposed to come from for you? Even if the whole world belonged to you, you could not free yourself from this distress. To be freed from distress, you must worship Allah. Worship means to honor Allah the Exalted. You must also honor the Prophet to lead a life of wisdom. In a life without wisdom, there is nothing of significance. Many people say to their parents: "Why did you bring me into this world?" May Allah forgive us! Your parents did not bring you here, Allah the Exalted created you. He only chose them as a means. The only thing you should do towards them is to respect them. You should treat them with reverence for the sake of Allah. People who live only for worldly things do wrong to their parents and insult them. The fault lies with themselves. If Allah the Exalted had not created you, how could your parents have brought you forth? Is it easy to create a human being? There is no creator other than Allah the Exalted. Allah the Exalted creates when He wills, and that is how you come into the world. There is nothing else than this. If Allah says "Be not", it will not be. If Allah says "Be", then it will be. That too one must know. That is the wisdom of life: We were created to worship Allah; to worship Him in devotion. Worldly matters are not of great importance. The essential thing is a person's understanding of the purpose of his creation: We are here to worship Allah the Exalted. In this certainty lies true peace of mind. Otherwise there is no peace. One runs here and there. One does this and that. But one sees that there is no rest, no contentment in the heart. How does one attain contentment? Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured. (13:28) Contentment comes through the remembrance of Allah the Exalted, through constant remembrance of Him. May Allah guide us all, all of humanity. May they follow this beautiful path; Allah has opened this path for everyone. It is not that it is only for you or only for me - anyone who wants to can take this path and find peace, Allah willing.

There is a hadith: Indeed, Allah does not look at your appearances or your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and your deeds. Allah the Almighty does not reward you based on your appearance, your face, or your eyes. Allah the Almighty looks at your actions, your good deeds, and your obedience to Him. People today - although it was like this before, it's even worse now - place a lot of value on their external appearance, their looks and their form. They place no value on their inner selves at all. Their inner selves even become worse. They think their outer appearance has become beautiful according to their own ideas. They torment themselves for their ego. They get into all sorts of difficulties. But none of it has any value. If you tell them to pray two units of prayer for Allah's pleasure, they won't even do that. They do various things. They don't eat, they do this and that, they run around. They have operations. They change their faces, their eyes. For their ego. All for a body that will decay. No matter how much you beautify it, how much you try, after a while it changes again. They will have to have it done again. Then comes the second, third, fourth operation, and life is over. Whether the exterior has really become beautiful or not - only Allah knows that. They think it's beautiful according to their ideas, but they never look inward. You are busy with your exterior, but you yourself don't even see your exterior. Others see it. Allah has given you your eyes, given you your ears, given you everything. He has given you these so that you can see your surroundings. Not so that you make others stare at you. Allah the Almighty has created you. Be grateful to Allah. Allah has created you in the best form - in the form that suits you. Our eyes, our nose, everything... Everything has become as Allah the Almighty wanted it to be. There is no reason to change that. Look inside yourself. If you would only spend one thousandth of the effort you put into your outer appearance on your inner self, your heart, and your soul, you would reach the highest ranks. One should not attach importance to the external. One should not attach importance to the worldly. These things are not done for Allah's pleasure. Nobody says: "So that Allah loves me, let's correct our nose, plump up our lips." Nobody says: "Let me inflate my eyes like this for Allah." So everything is for the world. For the ego. To be liked by others. But this is not real affection, it's just about collecting lustful gazes. That makes the whole thing even worse. May Allah protect us from that. Satan deceives in every imaginable way. The temptations of the end times are much greater. There wasn't so much of it before. Now everyone has neglected their inner selves. They only look at the exterior. Instead of paying attention to your behavior, your upbringing, and your character, you are busy with your outer appearance so that people look at you lustfully. May Allah protect us from that. May Allah not let us follow our ego. May we be satisfied with what Allah has given us, inshaAllah.

Indeed, in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example (33:21) Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, says: The Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him - is your best example. Not only for Muslims, but for all of humanity, the Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him - embodies the most perfect example. Whoever follows him becomes truly human. He behaves in a dignified manner. To the best of his conscience. Therefore, all Tariqas, especially the Naqshbandi order, strive to put into practice the way of life, the words, and the deeds of the Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him. Of course, no human being can perfectly resemble the Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him. His actions are the Sunnah. As a Tariqa, it is our duty to always adhere to the Sunnah. Among all people, he is the most exalted. He is the Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him - whom Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, has chosen as an example for humanity. That is so. Where his example is followed, there is neither oppression nor evil. There is only goodness. This is the path of the Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him. Some criticize the Muslims and presume to judge: "This is not allowed, that must not be done." Praise be to Allah, our Tariqa shows everything that the Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him - taught. It follows his path. The Tariqa does not stand outside the Sharia. The Tariqa is the heart, the innermost core of the Sharia. The path of the Prophet - peace and blessings be upon him - is light, guidance, and mercy for humanity. Whoever follows him finds true happiness. He lives well in this world and, inshaAllah, it will be even better in the Hereafter. May Allah grant us all success on this path. May Allah help us follow this path, inshaAllah. May He protect us from following our ego, inshaAllah. May we attain this beauty, inshaAllah.

He grants wisdom to whom He wills, and whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been granted abundant good.(2:269) Allah the Almighty gives wisdom to some people. Whoever has been given wisdom has been granted great blessing. What is wisdom? It means to recognize the good, to act accordingly, and to make it accessible to others. That is true wisdom. If something is spoken without wisdom, it will be misunderstood, no matter how beautiful the words may be. Because wisdom is lacking. Everyone sees the exterior, but conveying the underlying wisdom is another matter. Recognizing the deeper truth within it, that is a whole other dimension. Why are we mentioning this? Because everywhere people are acting like scholars. 'We possess the knowledge,' they claim, they chatter, hold sermons, and make themselves important. But only a few have wisdom. Groups lacking wisdom emerge, who - despite all reason - reject the time-honored traditions of Islam. "That is not Sunna," they say. 'That has never existed,' they proclaim grandly. What does that bring you? What benefit do you derive from it? It serves only your self-satisfaction. Out of pure self-promotion, they attack established truths. "That is not possible," they say. "That is not allowed," they say. While there are so many things not allowed, so many forbidden things, you attack the practices of the Muslims? Why? It is simply a lack of wisdom. While disbelief and immorality prevail everywhere, they leave that aside and say: "One must not fast in the month of Rajab, that is not allowed." "Rajab has no value," they say. This tradition goes back to the Companions, to the time of the Prophet himself. The Companions practiced it, the successors practiced it, generation after generation practiced it. You declare a fourteen-hundred-year-old tradition to be inadmissible. What is that if not sheer foolishness? Nothing but a lack of wisdom. Indeed, that is exactly it. Wisdom is of the utmost importance. Whoever surrounds themselves with people lacking wisdom and listens to their words harms themselves. It brings no benefit. May Allah protect us from their evil. Those lacking wisdom are either fools or traitors and hypocrites. Nothing else. May Allah protect us from their evil.

وَلَا تَقۡرَبُوۡا مَالَ الۡيَتِيۡمِ اِلَّا بِالَّتِىۡ هِىَ اَحۡسَنُ حَتّٰى يَبۡلُغَ اَشُدَّهٗ​ ۚ وَاَوۡفُوۡا الۡكَيۡلَ وَالۡمِيۡزَانَ بِالۡقِسۡطِ (6:152) "Respect the rights," Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, commands. Do not violate the rights of others. Allah forgives everything. Allah is forgiving, but the right that you have taken from another person can only be forgiven if you sincerely ask that person for forgiveness and return their right to them. If this injustice persists until the Day of Judgment, it will weigh heavily against you. Allah will take from your good deeds and give them to him. If you have no more good deeds, He will load the sins of the person whose right you violated onto you. Therefore, you must give everyone their due in this world while you are still alive. No one should think: "I deceived him and made a profit." That is not a profit, but a loss. In this world, you can still reverse this loss. If you give the person their right while you are still alive, you reconcile with them. But if they do not forgive you, then it will be very difficult for you. Therefore, as long as you live, you should be careful not to violate anyone's right. If you owe debts to others, you should go to them and reconcile with them. You must return their right to them. For many people pose as Muslims but violate the rights of others. This can also happen on a spiritual level. Not only materially. He ignores the right and harms him. That too is a violation of rights. So, if you are given an opportunity to be just and you act against the right, then you commit a very great sin. Our Prophet, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, says: "The worst sin is false testimony." In a hadith, our Prophet says about false testimony: "The worst sin is false testimony." Then he says again: "False testimony." And again: "False testimony." The Companions said: "We wished the Prophet would not say it anymore." He repeated it so often that it became clear: false testimony is the worst form of violation of rights. Therefore, in order not to become a false witness, one must also respect the right on a non-material level. Not only materially, but also spiritually, the right must be respected, that is very important, may Allah protect us from it. May Allah not let us follow our ego. Our ego makes the bad appear good. May Allah protect us from that.

Tonight, the first Thursday of the holy month of Rajab, which transitions into Friday, we celebrate Laylat al-Raghaib. The day itself is also blessed. It brings great blessings. Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, is full of generosity and goodness. In His goodness, Allah wants to give. Allah, the Almighty, wants to give to those who ask Him. He invites us: "Come and avail yourselves of My gifts." But people do not accept these precious gifts. Instead - Allah forbid - they gather dirt and impurity and take pleasure in it. They carry it on their heads, in their eyes, and in their hearts. They pay no attention to the true treasures. They do not see them, they do not recognize them. Allah, the Exalted, has given us these blessed days as a gift. Every Friday is a blessing. All the days of these three months are also blessed. And as a special grace, Allah, the Exalted, has given us these special days. Raghaib is the night in which wishes and desires are fulfilled. This night is for all that we should yearn for. And what should we yearn for? For the Hereafter. We should yearn to follow Allah the Almighty and the path of our Prophet - peace be upon him. Our yearning should be: to follow the example of the Prophet and to live as Allah wishes us to live. That is it. These are the things we should yearn for on the Night of Wishes. What we should wish for are good things. Allah, the Exalted, has established what is permissible and what is forbidden. Allah says, direct your wishes towards what is permissible. What is permissible will also benefit you. It will elevate your rank. What is permissible are the good things we should wish for. Pure things also benefit the human body. They benefit the soul even more; they elevate spirituality. We should be grateful to Allah for making these days known to us. Many people know nothing about them. Neither about Rajab, nor about Shaban, the three months, the prayer - there are many people who know nothing about all of this. They are people who only yearn for worldly things. May Allah guide them. May He also grant them His grace, inshaAllah. Our task is to deliver the message; To tell people about these blessed days and good things. These are the good things. The good thing is to be grateful for Allah's gifts. To nourish our body and soul with these gifts. What is nourished by forbidden things brings no benefit: Neither to the body nor to the soul - it only brings harm. May Allah let these gifts continue. Blessed be these days and nights. Thanks be to Allah, this is our first blessed night in the holy three months, even though all nights are blessed. Today is the first of the blessed nights of the holy three months. Then follow Laylat al-Miraj and Laylat al-Bara'a. Then in Ramadan comes Laylat al-Qadr. Thanks be to Allah for that. Anyone who wants to can have their share in it. There is no limit. It is not only intended for one person; it is enough for everyone and more. Even if there were a thousand, million, or even billion times more people than on Earth, Paradise would be enough for everyone. There is room for everyone, do not worry. May we stay on Allah's path, inshaAllah. May these days and nights be blessed for us, inshaAllah.