Mawlana Sheikh Mehmed Adil. Translations.

حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلٰوةِ الْوُسْطٰى وَقُومُوا لِلّٰهِ قَانِت۪ينَ (2:238) Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, commands: Keep up the prayers. Preserve them. Perform all your obligatory prayers. Especially important is the middle prayer. There is disagreement about the middle prayer, Salat al-Wusta. It is discussed whether it refers to the Fajr or the Asr prayer. However, it is highly probable that the Fajr prayer is meant. The Fajr prayer is the most valuable of all prayers. Because getting up early and performing this prayer at the end of the night is difficult for many believers. Since the prayers at night are especially meritorious, this prayer at the end of the night also holds a high status. Every deed has its most excellent form. Among the obligatory prayers, the Fajr prayer is the most excellent. Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says: "Whoever performs the Isha prayer and rises for the Fajr prayer, it will be recorded for him as if he had spent the whole night in prayer." If you begin the day with the Fajr prayer and perform all your deeds with the intention of pleasing Allah, all of this will be counted as worship for you. In this way, we fulfill the purpose of our creation. Allah has created us so that we may serve Him. In this way, we follow His command. Through this, every blessing is bestowed upon the human. For those who cannot perform the Fajr prayer at the prescribed time: There is the possibility to make it up after sunrise until the Dhuhr time, along with the Sunnah. Of course, it does not reach the value of a prayer performed punctually, but Allah still accepts it. In this way, the day begins in the spirit of worship. May Allah accept our worship.

We thank Allah that He has given us the Prophet. No matter how much one honors and loves the Prophet, it is never enough. Praising the Prophet brings us benefit. First, Allah praised him and then commanded us to do the same. The highest and most beautiful qualities are found in the Prophet. Among jinn, humans, and angels, there is no one with a higher rank or better qualities. He stands in the highest position. His rank is so high that Allah took him into His divine presence during the Night Journey and spoke to him—a level that no one else could reach. For his sake, Allah has bestowed numerous gifts upon humanity. These gifts from Allah are an expression of honoring the Prophet. Some things are obvious. The Prophet said, "The earth has been made pure for me." In the case of previous prophets, the earth was not considered pure. They absolutely had to establish a pure place. For praying, there was a need for a house of worship or a specific prayer place. In honor of the Prophet, dry purification with earth is accepted as a substitute for ablution when no water is available. One can pray anywhere as long as the prayer place is free from ritual impurity (najasah). Whether on the street, in the field, in a building, a church, or a synagogue. Wherever it may be, as long as it is free from ritual impurity, one can pray. Ultimately, many things were given or made possible for the Prophet's community that previous communities did not have. One of those pertains to fasting. Fasting existed in the divine law that Jesus followed. The divine laws became nuanced over time, but the religion remained one: Islam. All prophets proclaimed Islam. The legislation was updated from prophet to prophet. "Truly, the religion with Allah is Islam." (Qur'an 3:19) Allah's religion is only one: Islam. All prophets belonged to it. Nothing else. Adam, Moses, Noah—they all followed Islam. The divine laws were updated from prophet to prophet, but all prophets lived Islam. Some things were forbidden, others permitted. Some things were added, others were omitted. And so it continued until our Prophet. There was also fasting in the earlier divine law. Back then, people fasted for six months. There was only one time a day to break the fast. At sunset, they broke the fast. After that, they ate nothing for 24 hours. Thanks be to Allah, we have been prescribed fasting for one month, and we are allowed to eat from the evening until the call to the morning prayer. There are many such examples. For the Prophet's sake, Allah has granted us ease. Our religion is easy for the sake of the Prophet. It is important that people live this religion. It is very simple. Some say it is hard and not doable. They lie. People spend at least ten times as much time in their daily lives on other things and activities than on worship. That is no problem, but when it comes to worship, they find excuses like "I can't do that; it's too hard." But if one does not fulfill their religious duties, all kinds of problems arise. Without worship, without connection to Allah, one is connected to Satan. And with Satan, of course, come all sorts of difficulties. Therefore, it is the greatest honor to be connected with the Prophet. If Allah has granted it to someone, they should be grateful. Being connected to the Prophet makes one a good person. Everything will be good for you. Your relationship with your fellow humans will be good. You will get along well with your family. Things will be good with your environment. You will become a beloved servant of Allah. Satan does not want that at all. He continually manipulates Muslims with illusions. He says, "The Prophet was just a human like us." "What is the difference? After all, he was a human just like all of us." Of course, he was a human, one of us—a human created by Allah from the descendants of Adam. But regarding his essence and his soul, the Prophet says: "I was sent to this world as the last prophet, but I was created as the first of all prophets." Physically, the Prophet came into this world as the last of all prophets. But Allah created the Prophet at the very beginning as the first of all prophets. The first thing Allah created was the light of the Prophet. Therefore, on the Throne, the Footstool, everywhere, it is written: "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Messenger." Those who see the Prophet as a normal human have limited understanding. Even physically, the Prophet was not like us. He was the most beautiful of all humans. He never appeared too tall or too short, even next to someone seemingly taller. His qualities and appearance did not resemble those of normal humans. Even outwardly, at sixty years old, he appeared like a thirty-year-old. In his hair and beard, there were only six or seven white hairs. He had the strength to carry the revelation, the exalted Qur'an, and the burden of humanity. Allah gave him strength. No one could defeat the Prophet. In Mecca, an unbeliever once challenged him. He was a wrestler. No one could defeat this man. He said, "Fine, if you defeat me, I will become Muslim." "If I win, you give up your cause," he said to the Prophet. They began wrestling, and the Prophet immediately threw him to the ground with one move. The man was surprised and asked, "What happened?" "I was inattentive." "Let's start over." They wrestled again. Again, the Prophet threw him to the ground. "Now become Muslim," said the Prophet. "No, you have enchanted me; no one can defeat me," refused the unbeliever. The Prophet was not an ordinary human. Gabriel received the command to weigh the Prophet. He placed one person on the scale; the Prophet weighed more. He added a second person; again, the Prophet weighed more. Even if one placed ten or a thousand people, the Prophet would weigh more. Even if one placed all people, he would weigh more. Sometimes, the Prophet left footprints when he walked over rocks. These holy footprints of the Prophet can still be witnessed today. When he walked over sand, he left no traces. The qualities of the Prophet are countless. He had no shadow because he was made of light. Unfortunately, there are young people who are deceived by Satan and do not honor the Prophet. They spoke about it yesterday. The internet is both the greatest weapon and the greatest trap of Satan. It is the most important tool of Satan. Sometimes it is also useful—not very often, but what can we do? We have to cope with it. Satan deceives the youth. They say, "The Prophet was a human like us." "He died and went away; don't exaggerate," they say. They talk like this and become enemies of those who honor him. They believe their actions have significance. In Turkish, they say, "shooting oneself in the foot." Here, they don't shoot themselves in the foot but directly in the heart. Thus, they perish. They are a bad example for others. Instead of coming to the right path, they distance people from it. The youth lose their faith. May Allah protect them. Islam is the first stage. True faith (iman) must still be attained. There are many Muslims, but few have true faith. If you recite the declaration of faith, you become a Muslim. But faith is something else. Faith has conditions and requires, among other things, believing in the unseen, which means believing in everything the Prophet has said. The words of the Prophet are clear. But they pay no attention to the Prophet and say, "He died and went away." But the Prophet lives; he continues to live in his grave. Because there is a hadith: "Whoever greets me, I receive the greeting and respond." They do not believe in that. They say, "He died, went away, can do nothing." It is difficult for us even to repeat what they say. We do not even say one thousandth of what they say. We mention only the mildest. The other things they say, we cannot even directly repeat. They have strayed from true faith. That can even lead them to leave Islam. The more we mention the Prophet, the more we are connected with him. Some people say, "I want to see the Prophet; help me." It's not about seeing him in a dream; it's about faith. If you convey greetings of peace to him, you are already in contact with him. Every time you greet him, he greets you back. That is a great mercy. Satan deceives people so that they forgo this virtue and do not recite salawat (blessings upon the Prophet). When there are gatherings like this, people come, but in the communities deceived by Satan, a hundred times as many gather. Most are not granted this. Since it is the end times, there is much corruption and wickedness. They look like Muslims, but at the same time, they are the ones who harm Muslims the most. Gatherings like this are like oases in the desert. The thirsty come and benefit from them. Those who chase a mirage perish. Come here; here is an oasis with water! Come, save yourselves, drink from this water. "No, we won't come; look over there, seas are flowing, and springs are gushing forth." But what they see is only a mirage. They go there and die of thirst, destroying themselves. They think what they see is something special, but it's just an illusion. May Allah make us among those who see the truth. May we not stray from the right path.

Under the instruction of Sheikh Nazim, let us say a few words after the morning prayer. Since this is a Dergâh, it will be beneficial for all of us, inshallah. Nowadays, people all over the world ignore the Sunnah of our Prophet and the things that are beneficial to humanity. Everyone does the most obvious thing without even realizing it. They have no idea that it's harmful. For them, it's completely natural. They eat and drink while standing, as if it's the most normal thing in the world. This is neither in accordance with the Sunnah nor beneficial to people. On the contrary, it is harmful. You should drink while sitting, eat while sitting. If you at least follow it as the Sunnah of our Prophet, you will not only reap the blessings of a hundred martyrs but also do something good for your health. Whether young or old, everyone does the same. With a bottle in hand, they sip while walking. Even when they have a glass, they still drink on the go. The only thing that should be drunk while standing is Zamzam. Zamzam is drunk while standing. And secondly, after ablution, to drink a sip of water while standing, facing the Qibla, and saying "Bismillah." Apart from that, everything is eaten and drunk while sitting. Wherever you look—in restaurants, in cafés—people eat and drink while standing everywhere. People think, "It doesn't matter." They believe it makes no difference whether you eat standing or sitting. "Makes no difference," they say. But that's not true; it's by no means the same. For a Muslim, the word of our Prophet counts, and following his instructions is of great importance. Allah rewards this abundantly and at the same time preserves people's health. May Allah be pleased.

Mubarak! Blessed be this month! In this blessed month, in which we celebrate the Prophet's birthday, the month of Mawlid an-Nabi, we should especially remember the Prophet, peace be upon him, every day and honor his birthday. Let us solemnly celebrate the Prophet's birthday. The most important thing for us is to follow Allah's command. And Allah's command is to praise the Prophet, peace be upon him. At every opportunity, we should remember the Prophet and praise him. For in the Quran, Allah commands: قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللَّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللَّهُ (3:31) "If you love Allah, then follow me. Allah will love you." The more you follow the Prophet, the higher you will rise. You will be elevated above other people. It is Allah's pleasure to elevate you. People are equal in their creation—they are humans. Allah has created all people equal. Through their love for the Prophet, they distinguish themselves from others. We see that the highest people after the Prophet are those who are closest to him and who follow him. They strive to emulate him completely. Who was closest to the Prophet? Sayyidina Abu Bakr was always by the Prophet's side. He followed him most faithfully. After him come the other companions. There are differences among them, but those who followed more of what the Prophet did achieved a higher rank. The Prophet said: "My companions are like stars; whichever of them you follow, you will be rightly guided." They paid very close attention to what the Prophet said and did, and eagerly emulated him. The best time for Muslims was the time of the Prophet and his companions. After them, the saints and scholars also paid attention to what the Prophet did. What he did, we call Sunna, the way of the Prophet. Those who lived with the Prophet and witnessed what he did taught it to the people after them. The scholars recorded what the Prophet said, and thus this Sunna has been passed down to us. The Sunna is not like Fard. A Fard is obligatory; you must do it, you cannot avoid it. If you miss it, you can make it up later. With the Sunna, however, you cannot make it up. And if you miss an obligation and make it up later, you cannot attain the full reward that Allah gives. If you do it at the right time, like the five daily prayers, but do not perform them at the prescribed time and make them up later, you cannot attain Allah's full pleasure for it. If you do not fast one day in Ramadan, which is an obligation, even if you fast all night until the end of your life, you cannot attain the reward for it. وَتَحْسَبُونَهُ هَيِّنًا وَهُوَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ عَظِيمٌ (24:15) Allah has given you something valuable. He does not need your fasting or your prayer. But if you are negligent with it and do not observe it, even though He has given it to you, then He is not pleased with you. So the scholars and saints followed the Sunna of the Prophet and what he showed us. There are many Sunnas that many people have forgotten, but which are still in the books. Of course, we cannot follow everything 100%, because we are ordinary people. But much of it is easy, and as much as possible we can integrate into our lives. Things we do, we should do with the intention of emulating and following the Prophet. Allah rewards us for that. With this good intention and love for the Prophet, the shaykhs of the Sufi orders walk this path and try to teach the same to their followers. No matter what happens to them, they are at peace with it and content, even if it is ever so difficult. Once, Shah Naqshband Bahauddin Bukhari, the founder of the Naqshbandi order, when he was on pilgrimage, said that Allah would take his son to Himself. When he returned to Bukhara, they informed him that his eldest son had died. How did he react when he heard that? Normal people would be very sad; it is the hardest thing in life to lose a son. What happened? He was extremely happy. Why was he happy? He said: "Alhamdulillah, the Prophet also lost his son; my son has also died—I am following the Prophet completely." This is the love and attitude of the saints and shaykhs whom we follow toward the Prophet. And he said: "I have not omitted any Sunna of the Prophet; I do everything like the Prophet." All shaykhs and also sultans are like that, especially the Ottoman sultans. When the famous Great Mosque in Bursa was completed, the Sultan announced that he needed an imam to lead the inaugural prayer. But he had a condition for it. He said he wanted someone who had not omitted any Sunna prayer of the Asr prayer. Since the Sunna prayer of the Asr prayer is not considered mu’akkadah (emphasized), some people omit it. But at that time, it was performed by everyone, although perhaps not always regularly. No one came forward. The Sultan said: "I will lead the prayer. I have never omitted a Sunna." And all sultans saw themselves as servants of the Prophet. They did not see themselves as rulers of the world; they are only servants for the Prophet and his community. Therefore, the sultans are the most slandered people by the devils. The devils despise the sultans because they show people the right path, goodness, and justice—all things that are a thorn in the devils' side. They made the greatest sacrifices in their lives to do good and to serve people out of love for the Prophet. In return, they are accused of bad things. Allah is the witness; justice will come to light. The most important thing is that they did everything for the sake of the Prophet to attain the pleasure of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted. They did not follow their ego; otherwise, everything would have been completely different. Therefore, we should take these great personalities as role models—how they served, how they excelled in everything. People today think they are smarter, they have more understanding than these. But these people were a hundred, a thousand times smarter than these. Therefore, Allah gave them this power to preserve the way of the Prophet. They were defenders of the Prophet and Islam. They exercised justice for Muslims and non-Muslims equally, without distinction. That is the command of the Prophet. The Prophet said that if someone harms a non-Muslim in a Muslim country who follows the laws of the land, his punishment is twice as high compared to when a Muslim was harmed. All these sultans followed this command very precisely. For this reason, there was no one, except the sultans and caliphs of Islam, who was as just as they were. We thank Allah for this grace on this path—the path of these great personalities, both the sultans of this world and the sultans of the hearts. Every sultan of the Ottomans had a shaykh; he was under the guidance of the shaykh and followed him. With the sultan at the head, there was a special power. When they removed the sultan, it was over. Allah, send us a sultan to establish justice for the whole world.

We are in the birth month of the Prophet ﷺ, the month of Rabi' al-Awwal. This month is considered particularly blessed in Islam. Whoever loves, respects, and praises the Prophet ﷺ fulfills Allah's command, and Allah ﷻ loves them for it. Regardless of origin, skin color, or language: Whoever praises the Prophet ﷺ is loved by Allah ﷻ. Allah's ﷻ will is based on His ﷻ knowledge. We can only be grateful to be among those who praise the Prophet ﷺ. Alhamdulillah, mashallah, there stands a mosque here. May Allah ﷻ bless the Bosnians. He has chosen them to be Muslims in this region. He ﷻ has selected them; that is His will. There are other people here who were not chosen. They do not praise Allah, do not believe in Him; they have no faith. That is not good for them. Therefore, everyone who has experienced the grace of faith should thank Allah ﷻ daily for it. One should constantly repeat, "Shukran li-Llāh, shukran li-Llāh." As the Prophet ﷺ said: For a Muslim, a believer, nothing happens without reward or reason. In many places, people have forgotten everything—even in our country—they have forgotten Islam, lost all connection to Islam. Allah ﷻ sends an occasion, alhamdulillah, and they turn back to Islam. It is like this everywhere. Whatever happens, do not be sad. It has happened and is over; there's no reason for sorrow. If you are on the right path, you should be happy and thank Allah ﷻ. We live in difficult times, but that is Allah's ﷻ will. Whoever goes through such difficulties and believes in Allah ﷻ and the Prophet ﷺ, loves his caliphs—the four caliphs—his family, and his companions, is on the right path. They should be grateful to Allah ﷻ. As the Prophet ﷺ said: A believer should love what I love. If I do not like something, they should also not like it or be attracted to it. That is our standard, the scale for true believers and those who truly follow the Tariqah. You meet people whom you thought were true believers, but they are not satisfied with the companions. They do not agree with the caliphs of the Prophet ﷺ. And some people do not like the family of the Prophet ﷺ either. They do not respect the Prophet ﷺ; they see him as an ordinary person. These people do not belong to the true believers and are on the wrong path. Perhaps you see them and think they are doing everything for Islam, but that is not true at all. The Prophet ﷺ described these people. The Prophet said, these people know the Quran by heart, know the Hadiths by heart, but their recitation does not go beyond their throats. It remains only in the mouth, on the tongue. And they will fall away from Islam, from faith, as quickly as an arrow leaves the bow. For Islam requires faith, complete faith. And true faith is found only among the Ahl as-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah and especially among the followers of the Tariqah. Therefore, we warn people, because these days are dangerous times. Some may think they are right and can achieve something, but they harm themselves without receiving any benefit or reward from Allah ﷻ. They harm themselves and others as well. Without any benefit. They do things only for their own interests and would even destroy everything for that. If it is in their interest, they are ready for anything. For a believer, a Muslim, is merciful. That is Allah's ﷻ attribute—ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim—and the Prophet ﷺ is also ra'ufun bi'l-mu'minin, ra'ufur rahim. We, alhamdulillah, thank Allah ﷻ that He has guided us on His path. We have come here only by Allah's ﷻ miracle, and inshallah, this miracle can continue; we can remain on this path until the Day of Judgment. May Allah ﷻ keep us on this path and help Islam by sending us the true Sayyidina Mahdi, alayhis salam, inshallah. May he lead the whole world to pure Islam, inshallah. With Islam, there will be no fear, no oppression, no depression—nothing. All good will come with Islam. Blessings, mercy, happiness—everything, inshallah.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, says: Guiding a person to the right path, to righteous guidance, is better for you than the whole world. Most people now think only of the world and pursue it. They have forgotten the hereafter. Some do not even believe in it. If you show one of these people the right path and become a means to his rightful guidance, Allah grants you a great reward. This person has come to Allah's way through you. The reward that Allah will give you for this is very great. Imagine how much you would rejoice over a small place in this big world. You have now gained something that is better than this world. Allah the Exalted has promised you this and will give it to you. Because you have rightly guided a person, shown him the right path, and set him on the way. Therefore, the one who does this should be content. He should think of nothing else. Whether this person prays once or five times a day, whether he does it incompletely or completely. In any case, he has embarked on a path and is walking this path. He is walking on Allah's path. May Allah grant him peace. You should rejoice over this. As long as he does not deviate from the right path, you should be grateful to Allah. This person has come to Allah's way through us, Allah has made it possible for us. That he has taken this path through us is a grace of Allah the Exalted upon us. For that, we should be grateful. Think of nothing else. Do not think of deriving worldly benefits from it. Put out of your mind that you could gain worldly profit from it just because someone walks the right path through you. That would somewhat spoil the matter. There would still be a reward, but it would be far below the rank of an act done solely for Allah. Therefore, we should point people to the right path with goodness and kindness to the best of our ability. And we help those who have embarked on the right path to stay on course. If you lead them away from the path and what Allah has given you is lost because of you, then you have let it slip through your fingers. You have then let this great benefit, this great gain, slip through your hands. Therefore, let them come to you, and be the one who shows them the way. Be the door through which they enter. Do not pursue ulterior motives in doing so. You have shown them this path; they have entered it. They should stay on this path. They should continue on Allah's path. May Allah's path be your path. May Allah help. These people have needs. Satan does not like at all that these people are on the right path. He tries by all means to lead them away from the path. He also tries to deprive the benevolent person of his good deeds. Do not follow Satan. Thank Allah the Exalted that this grace has been bestowed upon you. For every person who finds the way through you, whether one, two, five, or ten, Allah gives you reward and recompense. May Allah grant it to you all. May it also be granted to you to show people the path of rightful guidance.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم اِنَّ اللّٰہ علیٰ کل شی ءٍ قدیر (35:1) The power of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, is limitless, boundless, and infinite. Therefore, the human mind is powerless in the face of His power. Some people ask: "Why is this so? How does this happen? Why is there so much injustice in the world?" "Why does Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, do nothing about it? Why doesn't He help them?" He is Allah, the Exalted and Majestic; everything happens by His will, by His power. A believer, a Muslim, believes in that. As believers, it is our duty to accept everything from Allah and to believe in the greatness and majesty of Allah, the Almighty. When we do that, we find peace. You can't even manage your own affairs; how dare you interfere in Allah's affairs? Many people act ignorantly out of ignorance. They act out of ignorance and yet consider themselves clever. So many millions and billions of people have passed away; believers have passed away, Muslims have passed away. Are you the only wise one that you dare to pass judgments? Therefore, a person must know their limits. Knowing one's limits is a great virtue, a great goodness. Those who do not know their limits often encounter difficulties in life. Those who do not know their limits will be put in their place. Naturally, Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, is capable of putting people in their place. There is no doubt about that. Man is haunted by doubts. As long as these doubts remain within, it's not bad. But whoever goes out and tells people "this is so, that is so," Allah, the Exalted, will show him his limits if he does not repent. He will bitterly regret his actions. Therefore, the majesty of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, is infinite, limitless, and boundless. Do not open your mouth to ask "Why did this happen? Why did that happen?" Keep the inner suggestions to yourself. Everyone has these inner suggestions. May Allah protect us from this. But if it comes out, then the person will be held accountable and punished if he does not repent. May Allah protect us from this. May Allah protect us all from inner suggestions and from overstepping our limits.

Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, has created both good and evil. He has created a counterpart for everything. There is day and night. There is good and evil. There is virtue and vice. There is obedience and disobedience. A reasonable person sides with the good. He adheres to the good. He does not associate with dirt and impurity, but with purity and sincerity. He turns towards the beautiful and avoids the ugly. Ugliness is disobedience; it is evil. That is Satan. Beauty is embodied by the Prophet, peace be upon him, whom Allah created as the most perfect human being. Whoever follows him attains all good. Whoever opposes him will never experience anything good. Therefore, Allah has given humans reason and free will. Hold on to the beautiful. Surround yourselves with beautiful things. Do not get involved with the ugly and evil. Keep away from it. Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, invites you to Paradise. Satan tempts you with poverty, sadness, evil, and all bad things. Avoid Satan! But the ego desires more evil, ugliness, and filth than good. Do not give in to your ego. You can educate your ego. You can control your ego. Even if the other seems more tempting to your ego, do not follow it. Make your ego follow you. Walk the path of good, the beautiful path, the path of the Prophet, peace be upon him, who was an exemplary human being. In this way, you will be saved. Otherwise, you will experience nothing good. In the end, it will not end well. May Allah protect us from that. May Allah keep us on the right path. Let us recognize the beautiful. Let us perceive it as beautiful. Let us not consider it ugly. For whoever follows his ego sees the beautiful as ugly. And he considers the ugly to be beautiful. May Allah protect us from that.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, says: إذا ابتليت بمعاصي فاستتر "When you yield to your desires and fall into sins, keep it secret." Sinning is actually a kind of plague for a person. It is nothing good; on the contrary, it is a plague. Plague does not only mean that something happens to someone. Doing bad things is also a plague. Therefore, when one does such things, one should not do it openly. One should conceal it so that Allah covers it. Allah is As-Sattar, the Concealer. Allah then says: "My servant is ashamed; he does not do it openly. He does not sin in front of everyone." A plague has come upon him; he covers and conceals it. Allah the Exalted will then conceal his sin, show it to no one, and forgive it. There are things that are such plagues. Many people suffer from such plagues. Smoking is, for example, such a plague. It is one of the greatest plagues. Once it gets hold of someone, it doesn't let go, like an octopus. The person cannot free himself. The person wants to stop, distances himself a bit from it, and is grabbed again. As if it pulls him back with a rope. It makes him inhale this dirty stuff. It makes him inhale this poison. The person wants to consciously free himself from it. It's not that he doesn't want to free himself; he wants to, but once he is enslaved, he cannot stop. But even if you cannot stop, you should at least not appear before Allah with this smell. At least, do not put it in your mouth half an hour or an hour beforehand. The saints call cigarette smoke "the incense of the devil." Cigarette addiction is a plague. If it affects you, then do not smoke near the mosque. Do not smoke in other people's houses. Go away and smoke there. In Europe, they have even banned it in bars. So in the dirtiest place, the bar. Even there, they say "Go out" when someone smokes. They say: "No smoking here." You see them smoking in front of the bar. That is just such a plague. We cannot list all the damages. There is not a single benefit. Smoking is a plague. They cannot stop. They do not stop, but they should take some precautions so that Allah the Exalted forgives them. Entering the mosque with tobacco smell in the mouth, smoking again after ablution—that won't do. Just as you do not smoke during Ramadan when fasting, at least do not put it in your mouth 15-20 minutes, half an hour before the prayer. Keep away from it. You also violate the rights of others in this way. If you unknowingly inflict this poison on them, you violate the rights of people. May Allah protect us from it. Whether smoking is haram, makruh, or something else is beside the point. One thing is certain: Smoking is a plague. Do not transfer this plague to others. Keep yourself away from it too. Conceal it. To conceal it means not to do it openly and then go into the mosque. Such behavior shows disrespect towards Allah. When you enter the mosque with this smoke and stench of the devil, you disturb the place of which Allah the Exalted says, "Enter it pure." May Allah free people from it. Many people come and say: "Pray that I get rid of it." "That I am freed from this disease, freed from this sin." "That I am freed from this plague." May Allah free people. Mawlana Sheikh Nazim always said to smokers: "May it come out of your nose." They already blow the smoke out through their noses anyway. The saying "May it come out of your nose" describes a bad thing that is not easily gotten rid of. May Allah free people. May Allah also protect those who have not started with it.

Allah, the Almighty and Most Exalted, has given everything to humanity. He has granted mankind the ability to act and free will. Our will is created through Allah's knowledge. However, what we refer to as intellect is nothing compared to Allah's will and wisdom. Therefore, we must align ourselves with Allah's will—there is no other way. Many people consider themselves clever and question everything: "How can this be? What does this mean? Why is this happening?" It is not necessary to ponder over such things. Allah, the Almighty and Most Exalted, has created you. He has placed you in this world. Attend to your own affairs. Do not engage in unnecessary matters. Do not look at forbidden things. The greatest prohibition is to oppose the will of Allah, the Almighty and Most Exalted. Do not constantly ask "Why?" or "How come?" Yet this is exactly what most people do. Allah does what He wills and refrains from what He does not will. He does not need to give you an account. Attend to your own affairs. Allah treats you with His grace. If you involve yourself in unnecessary things, you will be the loser—you will suffer harm. Everything that Allah, the Almighty and Most Exalted, has given to humanity is beneficial for the Muslim. This world is a place of testing. You cannot live every moment as if you are in Paradise. Even if you possess great wealth, it is not like Paradise. Such a thing does not exist in this world. There will certainly be many worries. Worries and difficulties are part of the worldly condition. When Allah imposes these difficulties upon us, they actually serve the well-being of the believer. They elevate his rank. They increase his good deeds. For the unbeliever, it is a torment. It is a warning so that he may come to the right path. Whoever listens gains. Whoever does not listen has lived in vain. He has wasted his time and his life; he has lost. No matter how much suffering you endure, how many illnesses you overcome, when they are over, it seems to a person as if it never happened. But if he preserves his faith, he will be rewarded manifold for his sufferings. Allah, the Almighty and Most Exalted, will recompense him. The current state of the world is very difficult. People do not know what to do. What they should do is clear. They should seek refuge with Allah, the Almighty and Most Exalted. لا ملجأ ولا منجى من الله إلا إليه There is no refuge except with Allah. There is no other way but Allah. There is no place to flee. The solution to these difficulties is Allah. Some people ignorantly write things like "We are the solution." The one who writes "We are the solution" does not even have a solution for himself. The only solution is Allah. Turn to Allah. Allah, the Almighty and Most Exalted, will help you. You will find all good with Him. Whoever flees from Allah will never find good and will have no peace. May Allah be our helper. May Allah grant us all happiness in this world and the hereafter.