Mawlana Sheikh Mehmed Adil. Translations.

فَتَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ أَحۡسَنُ ٱلۡخَٰلِقِينَ (23:14) Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, creates in the best way. He created everything in a good way. Allah gave everything a deeper meaning. Today, according to the calendar, is the beginning of Zemheri, the onset of the harshest frost. Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, created days, years, and months, each in its own right. He gave each of them a deeper meaning. It is the coldest time of winter, the frost is now at its most biting. This period lasts for forty days. These forty days are of great benefit. Some know-it-alls appreciate sunny weather and are happy when it's not cold. Later they complain: "There is no water, the fruits are not ripening, this and that has become more expensive." This shows that Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, has given everything a deeper meaning. Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, has determined the measure and quantity of all things. When people interfere, they only cause harm. As Allah says in the holy verse: ظَهَرَ ٱلۡفَسَادُ فِي ٱلۡبَرِّ وَٱلۡبَحۡرِ بِمَا كَسَبَتۡ أَيۡدِي ٱلنَّاسِ (30:41) "All kinds of mischief have appeared on land, at sea, and in the air," says Allah, the Exalted and Mighty. All this happens because of what people have done with their own hands. When they interfere in the affairs of Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, rebel against Him, and act contrary to Him, then everything takes a bad turn. Allah is the best creator. Allah created everything in a perfect way. If people did not interfere, but followed the path of Allah, everything would be perfect for them. However, when people rise up and rebel against Allah, then Allah says: "So bear your punishment." Otherwise, there would actually be no problem. The problem lies with the people, with the bad ones among them. Therefore, one must be grateful for everything. One must also be grateful for the cold. One must also be grateful for the heat. For everything that comes from Allah, for everything that Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, has given us, we must bow down to Him and say, "He alone knows the deeper meaning." We have no other choice. May Allah protect us. May Allah bestow His blessings. We are content with what Allah does. We are powerless. We surrender to Him. We are Muslims: We have surrendered to Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, inshaAllah. We have entrusted ourselves to Allah's protection and mercy. Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, is merciful. Everything has its balance. Good is rewarded, evil is punished. May Allah protect us. Whoever thinks they can get away with their deeds in this world will atone for them in the hereafter. May Allah protect us. Even today, on this coldest day, the Zemheri, 100, 110 years ago, the tyrants sent soldiers without proper clothing into the icy cold. They all died as martyrs before they even fired a single shot. May Allah elevate their ranks. And those who caused this disaster, Allah will surely give them their just punishment. We are talking about Sarıkamış. The disaster of Sarıkamış, why did it happen? Because they had rebelled against Allah. They had overthrown the Sultan. In Sarıkamış, in Çanakkale... They shed the blood of millions of Muslims. After that, they handed over the entire Ottoman Empire to the unbelievers. Allah will hold them accountable for this. Allah does not leave the oppressors unpunished. The account for the injustice they have done will surely be demanded. May Allah protect us from doing injustice, inshaAllah. May we rather be oppressed, but never oppressors - inshaAllah.

Good friends are extremely important. الرفيق قبل الطريق Before you embark on a journey, choose your travel companion carefully. The journey is the path of life. Our path in life will either be good or bad, depending on who we have by our side. The good path is taken with a good friend. Whoever has a bad friend leads himself onto a bad path. On the bad path, one perishes, both in this world and in the hereafter. Our brothers, especially younger ones, come and ask for advice. The best advice is to surround yourself with good people. Surround yourself with good people! In the hadith, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, compared a good person to a shop that sells exquisite fragrances. As soon as you enter the shop, the wonderful scent envelops you, even if you don't buy anything. This pleasant scent gives you grace, inner peace, and goodness. A bad friend, on the other hand, is like a blacksmith's workshop. Of course, a blacksmith's workshop is necessary for people, but if you go in there, you will either be bothered by the stench or hit by a spark and burned. The Prophet, peace be upon him, used this parable so that we stay on the right path, with good people, in beautiful places. He is my best friend; he can always be relied upon. The greatest evil is to trust someone blindly and to feel falsely secure. That is the greatest foolishness and the greatest evil that you can do to yourself. Therefore, pay close attention to your circle of friends. If he makes a mistake, ask him, "My friend, what are you doing?" "What's the meaning of this? Why are you doing that? Is there a valid reason for it?" "Are you acting out of your own ego, or what's going on?" you should ask him. At the very least, you should correct your friend when he is wrong. One should not leave the path; one should not deviate from the course. Therefore, the greatest evil that we can observe everywhere today comes from bad friends. People see someone doing something and think they have to do it the same way. Is that the right way? Many think, "Father, mother, relatives - they don't know anything about it." "This friend is so clever, so intelligent. I will follow him. What my father and mother say is outdated; they don't have a clue about anything." "This guy knows everything; I will be like him, I will emulate him." In doing so, they ruin themselves, the country, the whole world - everything. May Allah grant them understanding and reason. May they not stray from the right path, inshaAllah.

There is a saying, I don't know if it is a hadith or something else: أحبب من أحببت فإنك مفارقه Whomever you love, in the end there will surely be a separation. Ultimately, everyone in this world will have their time and leave this world. He separates from his loved ones and those close to him and goes. This world is simply not an eternal place. Eternal is Allah, the Exalted and Mighty. In the hereafter, eternal life awaits. Before people go to the hereafter, they pass through earthly life. Life goes on somehow in a way. People struggle in vain and say, "If we had done this, that would have happened; if we had done that, that wouldn't have happened." What Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, wills, happens. Allah creates various reasons - Allah forbid, be it illness, war, violence, accident, or something else - that lead to a person's departure from this world. Therefore, the Muslim, the believer, must necessarily surrender to Allah in order to be content with everything. Everything that comes from Allah will return to Allah. What Allah wills will happen. This is the truth that the Muslim, the believer, must know. Our Prophet, peace be upon him, also proclaimed this to the people. Our Prophet, peace be upon him, went through the most difficult trials. His children died while he was still alive. No one can say that he suffered greater difficulties than our Prophet, peace be upon him. Therefore, our Prophet, peace be upon him, is the greatest example. It is necessary to follow his blessed path. Whoever follows this path will find peace. No one will drive a stake into this world forever. These were once the words of Sheikh Baba. He was ill, he was not well. He said, "Don't worry, none of us will drive a permanent stake here." Everyone will go to the hereafter. Therefore, act accordingly. In the hereafter, there is no separation. In this world, there is separation. In the hereafter, there is no separation. May Allah not separate us all from each other. On the right path, we will all be together in Paradise, inshaAllah. May Allah have mercy on the deceased. May He grant their families patience. Tonight, a brother whom we loved very much died in an accident in Sri Lanka. May Allah have mercy on him.

أَلَآ إِنَّ أَوۡلِيَآءَ ٱللَّهِ لَا خَوۡفٌ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَلَا هُمۡ يَحۡزَنُونَ (10:62) The friends of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, know neither fear nor sorrow. They are under Allah's protection, guiding people to the path of righteousness. The Awliya are the servants loved by Allah who follow His commandments. There are great saints, but sainthood does not only mean being able to perform miracles. There are both saints with miraculous powers and great saints, but anyone can become a servant loved by Allah. Those who follow Allah's commandments are His beloved servants. The servants who fulfill Allah's will are His beloved servants. Everyone asks, "How can I become a saint?" It begins with following Allah's commandments. It is not about necessarily performing miracles. What is the greatest miracle? أجلُّ الكراماتِ دوامُ التوفيقِ The greatest miracle is the consistency in good deeds. If you pray, remain faithful to prayer. To continue good deeds until the end of life, that is the true miracle. There have been many great saints who have shown people the way to righteousness. The Sheikhs, companions of the Prophet, scholars, and wise men, all of them belong to these great saints. One of the greatest among them is undoubtedly Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi. Millions of people have benefited from him. Some found guidance and accepted Islam, others returned from the wrong path to the right path. Through his wise advice and teachings, he is recognized by the whole world, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, and his words are read. They read his advice and books. Through him, people recognize the truth. And the truth means being on the path of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted. That is it. Some people portray Rumi differently. Rumi's goal was to keep the doors open so that people could find Islam, come to faith, and repent. One of his famous blessed words is: Even if you break your repentance, come again. Even if you break it a hundred times, come again, come again. This door is open. If a person does something bad, makes a mistake, or sins, the door does not close. The door remains open. You just have to let go of the evil. Do not chase after evil. The door is open to you. People make mistakes, no one is without fault. Some people cannot control their ego. When they commit a sin, some think, "Now I am a sinner, I am no longer good for anything, they will not accept me. Then I will make it even worse." That is not the case. Out of mercy, he continues to invite: "Come anyway. Whether once, twice, five times, ten times, or a hundred times... In the end, Allah willing, you will give up these sins and evil." This is Rumi's beautiful saying. He has written thousands of such pieces of advice and a magnificent book, the Mathnawi. He describes the state of man in minute detail. Maulana Rumi is one of the great saints. The great saints have truly accomplished wonderful things to show people the way to righteousness. Through their blessings, millions of people have found guidance, have come to faith, and those who were already Muslims have been purified. They were cleansed of their sins. Through the intercession of these saints, they came before Allah pure. This blessing will be credited to them as merit. May Allah bring their blessings upon us. May their beautiful states and their beautiful words also be granted to us, inshaAllah.

"Victory from Allah and an imminent conquest" (61:13) Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, proclaims glad tidings. Whoever is with Allah will always achieve victory. This world is certainly a place of trial. And because it is a place of trial, there will also be difficulties. Man will be tested. The more good he can do, the more righteous deeds he performs, the greater will be Allah's reward for him. People wish that everything in life were easy and effortless. Yet earthly life is a test. Allah does what He wills. He gives to whom He wills and withholds from whom He wills. Therefore, be with Allah so that you always achieve victory over your ego. The ego is in constant battle with you. If you ask when this battle ends - it only ends when you enter the grave. Therefore, always be with Allah, for only in this way comes victory over our greatest enemy, our ego. To achieve this victory, one must be with Allah. Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, is capable of all things. Whoever forgets Him will be defeated. Thus, man cannot win. Whoever does not forget Him has won. Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has promised victory. Therefore, as our Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "We are returning from the lesser jihad and are now going to the greater jihad, the struggle against the ego." May Allah help us. Let us not follow our ego. May we, if Allah wills, be victorious over our ego.

Alhamdulillah, praise be to Allah for giving us Islam. All thanks and praise are due to Allah, who created us in the religion of Islam. In honor of the Prophet, may Allah's blessings and peace be upon him, this religion continues in its original form, without any alteration. The people who came before us changed the religion that was conveyed to them, which even then was Islam. They did things that had nothing to do with religion, just as it occurred to them and as they pleased. They corrupted everything. They made everything inauthentic. Therefore, the acts of worship of the Muslims correspond to the commands of Allah, the Exalted and Almighty. With the others, however, nothing is correct. They did everything according to their own discretion; they even changed and corrupted the books. They added things that have absolutely nothing to do with religion. They even say so with their own words. They claim that December 24th is the birthday of Prophet Jesus. That has nothing to do with it. He was born at a different time, at a different point in time. The designation of December 24th as Jesus' birthday is a custom that has its origin in pagan traditions. They have also adopted this custom. Many elements of Christianity actually originate from pagan cults. They added it under the pretext of religion, although they are things that have nothing to do with religion. People believe they are doing something meaningful. But they do things that have no benefit and no value. Thanks be to Allah that the one who accepts Islam attains the grace of the Almighty. Because through this grace, he is enabled to perform deeds that bring him blessings, rewards, and recompense in the hereafter. InshaAllah, he will be granted high ranks in the hereafter through these good deeds. But the others celebrate New Year's Eve and do this and that, thinking they are "doing something". They have no intention at all of earning rewards or attaining His pleasure. Therefore, their deeds are empty and harmful. May Allah protect us from that. InshaAllah, may Allah reward us abundantly on the path of Islam. Thanks be to Allah that we are on the right path. We must be grateful. Many people toil in vain and waste their lives. InshaAllah, we will not be among them. InshaAllah, may they be guided.

And remind, for indeed, the reminder benefits the believers. (51:55) Allah, the Exalted, commands us to admonish, to remind. Admonishing brings benefit to people, to the believers. Sometimes the same thing is repeated. Through this repetition, a person is reminded of what has been forgotten and of the duties they have neglected. Therefore, there is constant admonishment - whether it is said once, twice, or a hundred times, every repetition carries blessing within it. The person remembers again, because if you only say it once, they forget it. The word human, Insan, comes in Arabic from the word for forgetting, Nisyan. Therefore, one must constantly remind. Doing the same thing over and over is not a bad thing, but a good one. Some people do say: "We've already heard that." But the sheikhs, the saints, and the scholars constantly remind through stories and parables. Even other scholars listen attentively, instead of saying "I already know that". There is benefit and blessing in listening. This gathering is, in any case, for Allah's sake. Even if you already knew or learned something before, you receive Allah's blessing through attentive listening. You attain the pleasure of Allah, the Exalted. Therefore, listening and remembering in these gatherings is of great merit. To remind of the Holy Quran, the Hadith, and the necessary actions is very beautiful, inshaAllah. May Allah allow these beautiful gatherings to continue. These are gatherings of knowledge, and whoever attends and listens to these gatherings becomes a beloved servant of Allah, the Exalted. Allah, the Exalted, spreads the wings of the angels on the earth for them, and they walk on these wings. To seek knowledge is the duty of every Muslim – not just some, but all! These are gatherings of knowledge. Whenever one participates in this gathering, Allah's pleasure rests upon them. May Allah not keep us away from these gatherings, inshaAllah.

Our Prophet, peace be upon him, says: من تشبه بقوم فهو منهم Whoever imitates a people belongs to them. People often unconsciously do many unnecessary things. Nowadays, everyone dresses the same. That's one thing, but there are even more pointless things: New Year's Eve, for example. Everywhere decorations are hung, everything is decorated. Completely unnecessary, something like that. Brings absolutely nothing. Such things drive away blessings, inner peace, and weaken faith. These aren't even Christian, but purely pagan customs. They were simply adopted into Christianity. It has nothing to do with true Christianity. And the Muslims think it's something great and enthusiastically participate. What's the point of all the effort? Are you getting married or something? Or is your house getting married? That defies all logic. Every year I observe what people do. It's just pointless activity. If it at least had a small benefit, one could still say: "Alright then." But it brings absolutely nothing. It only does harm. And yet people think it's something special and others imitate them. What do all these festivities bring? Can they bring back the past year or lost days? Or does it bring good luck for the new year? Allah has given us reason to think. People should stop these senseless expenses and superfluous actions. One should do meaningful things. There are a thousand better things to do. So many good things. That's what one should be occupied with. "Look at yourself," it says. And indeed, one should do that too. Are my actions good or bad? Self-reflection does not mean looking at one's face in the mirror or paying attention to superficial things like clothes - but examining whether one's own actions are meaningful. One should do this regularly. One must constantly control oneself and one's ego. People shouldn't run after everything like sheep just because others do it too. If one sheep jumps off a cliff, hundreds of others follow and five hundred plunge to their death. To act like this is unreasonable. The poor animals have no reason, but Allah has given us reason. Allah tells us to use our reason. May Allah help us and free people from their carelessness. So that they no longer do senseless things, inshaAllah.

وَمَا يَفۡعَلُواْ مِنۡ خَيۡرٖ فَلَن يُكۡفَرُوهُۗ (3:115) Allah, the Exalted and Mighty, teaches us: Every good deed that we perform is preserved for us. Nothing of it is ever lost. With Allah, every good deed is of eternal duration. Everyone will be rewarded according to their intention. In the Hereafter, we will encounter our good deeds again. Even if they are no longer visible in this world – with Allah, they remain. The reward for good deeds is imperishable. Allah’s word is the truth. Since the times of our beloved Prophet, peace be upon him, countless good works have been done, many seem forgotten. Just think of the many foundations that have been destroyed in the last hundred years. The founders wanted to achieve something lasting. Their pure intention remains with Allah. Even if people destroy their work - in the Hereafter it remains. Our Prophet, peace be upon him, teaches us: The obligatory prayers are of course to be performed. In addition, there are the voluntary prayers, such as the night prayer and others. Whoever is sick and cannot perform these voluntary prayers, Allah still credits him with the reward. It counts as if he had performed them. The same principle applies here as well. No good deed is in vain. Everything that is done for the sake of Allah - donations, charitable foundations, help for other Muslims - all of that will be rewarded by Allah. That is a wonderful promise. Many worry: "What will become of my good deeds?" But be assured: everything is written down. So don't let anything keep you from doing good. Everyone should do good according to their abilities. For worldly things pass away. What we do for the Hereafter is the true gain. May Allah assist us. Preserve us from the whisperings of the devil. And protect us from the evil gossip of people, inshaAllah. Whoever does good will surely be rewarded. Already in this world it brings blessings. But the greatest reward awaits in the Hereafter, if Allah wills. May Allah accept our good deeds. And enable us to continue to do good, inshaAllah.

So that you may not grieve over what has escaped you. (57:23) Allah, the Exalted, teaches us that we should not lose ourselves in the past and dwell on it. What is past is past. Direct your gaze forward, not back. You are alive, and even for sins committed, there is a way to make amends. With worldly things, it is pointless to constantly think "Oh, if only I had..." or "If only...". That leads to nothing. Look forward, into the future. The past is what we call fate. Fate is one of Allah's secrets - only He knows it. Simply say "It was fate" and move on. The future is another matter - Allah has given us all the possibilities for it. Use these opportunities, work on shaping your Hereafter. As long as you live, concentrate on the Hereafter. There is also a way out for past sins. Through sincere repentance and asking for forgiveness, Allah even transforms sins into good deeds. This is Allah's word of truth in the Holy Quran, and our Prophet has taught it as well. Many people torment themselves internally with their past: "If only I had bought that property back then... If only I had gone a different way... I should never have entered into that marriage... If only I had done that..." But all these broodings are unnecessary. Allah determined it that way in that moment, and nothing can be changed about it anymore. That is an important life lesson. Whoever truly understands this, not only finds inner peace but can also actively shape what lies ahead. May Allah give us the strength for it. It is certainly not easy. Our Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "Do not say 'if only I had' or 'if only'." This "if" belongs to the past. Therefore, we should not get stuck in the past. As Rumi so beautifully said: "Life consists of three days - yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Yesterday is gone, today is now, and tomorrow lies solely in Allah's hand - who knows if we will experience it." So, let go of the past and concentrate on the here and now. Use the moment that is given to you, and recognize its value. May Allah count us among those who are grateful and support us on our path, inshaAllah.