Mawlana Sheikh Mehmed Adil. Translations.

The Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam said, “Ad-Dīnu n-Naṣīḥah.” Everyone asks for naṣīḥah, which means advice. When someone asks you— “Al-mustashāru mu’taman.” So says the Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam. The one who is consulted must be trustworthy. Therefore, naṣīḥah is very important in religion to show the good things, to show the way—the right way—and every good thing for you in life, for Dunyā and for Ākhirah. Those who ask for naṣīḥah—people ask for advice on good things. Naṣīḥah is not: "How shall I rob these people?" "How shall I kill these people?" "How shall I cheat these people?" This is not naṣīḥah. And they do not even need to ask this much. They are doing so by themselves. Shayṭān teaches these people. There is no need for naṣīḥah for such people. Naṣīḥah is to prevent the doing of bad deeds. Our doors—the door of Ṭarīqah, the door of Allah Azza wa Jalla—are open for people who are asking for goodness. Goodness brings goodness. Badness brings badness; it never brings good. A bad deed never yields good results. So, we must be very careful about those who claim, “I am in Ṭarīqah,” yet cheat people, saying things that are not in Ṭarīqah, not acceptable in religion, and not acceptable in normal times; not like this current time, where everything is upside down. We cannot speak about right now. But in normal times, everything good would bring good. And the bad always brings bad. Maybe you enjoy yourself for one minute, two minutes. After that, nothing. Then again, you want to do this bad thing. You think you are enjoying yourself. But it is like a fire; every time you throw wood or throw anything flammable, like petrol, it flares up more against you. You will not be happy with this. This has become common all around the world. This evil is spreading from East to West, not only in Western countries. This badness is growing everywhere. Why? Because Allah Azza wa Jalla has given them so much from His Azza wa Jalla favors: money, cars, jewelry, work—everything. Now they claim there is poverty in the world. It is not true. The first time I went to Hajj, you could hardly find a fat man or a fat woman—I only saw that the Egyptians and Iraqis were fat. The others were just skin and bone; nothing. Now when you go, masha’Allah, it is like a herd of cows; everybody is huge, masha’Allah. Where does this come from? Because they have plenty. They are eating and growing their desires, growing their egos. Even those following Sharī’ah have now given themselves a fatwa to do whatever is ḥarām. "We make a fatwa according to this Madhhab, maybe according to the Ithna-‘Ashari [Twelver] Madhhab, or another Madhhab—I don’t know which Madhhab—that you can marry twenty women, you can take a woman as a jāriyah." This is now, SubhanAllah, all they are thinking about: from the stomach and below; nothing else. This is, unfortunately, what we see and what we hear about. Of course, also from above: sniffing powders up the nose or anything else. They are doing all of this. Muslims are doing this too! This is very sad! Allah Azza wa Jalla gave you all this, and you act this way! “Yā ’Ayyuhā Al-Ladhīna ’Āmanū Qū ’Anfusakum Wa ’Ahlīkum Nāran Waqūduhā An-Nāsu Wa Al-Ḥijārah”, (Qur’ān 66:06). This means: O people, O human beings! Beware of Hell! How is the Hellfire lit? With stones and people. Because when they are thrown into Jahannam, they will be like a mountain. Each one thrown into Jahannam will be atop the other like a mountain. Not like the mountains in England, which are small. It is like the Himalayas. So it will be fueled with stones and with people. Why is this? Because they are doing all of this. Even with what Allah Azza wa Jalla gave them, they are committing this ḥarām, doing this bad thing. After that, what happens? First, their Īmān leaves them. After that, their Islām is also gone from them. They become real Kāfir, atheists. They become unaccepting of Truth. For this reason, we say very surely to those who are cheated by such people: Be careful! The Ṭarīqah, our Naqshbandī Ṭarīqah, is the most careful regarding Sharī’ah. Sharī’ah is very important for us. You cannot do as you like. You cannot give fatwas as you like. You must be very aware. This is for the benefit of each individual, and for the benefit of the society you are living in. When one apple—every time we give this example—when one apple is rotten in a box of apples, all the apples will be ruined. Normally—I cannot go to the garden for work much now—we take maybe ten people, and masha’Allah they work very well. But if one of them is not working, he affects all of them. Because of this, I separate them: “You stay here. Just do khidmah [service] in the Dergah. If you like to sleep, sleep. If you like to leave, leave. But don’t come with us.” This is important. So, when there is a bad person in the family, he cheats on his wife all the time. I have heard this many times. I have heard this story many times just this week. He claims he prays five times, masha’Allah. Allah Azza wa Jalla will throw these prayers back in his face. “He is a Murīd,” he also claims. The Shaykh will spit on his face. Unfortunately, they come to Ṭarīqah and say “We are following,” and after that... You are coming for advice for your life. Be good! Do not commit ḥarām! Do not follow your ego! Because this ḥarām will never be enough for you. Even if the whole world were women, this would not be enough for you. As Mawlānā Shaykh used to say, a man who is good to his wife, Allah Azza wa Jalla protects him from other women; he does not look outside. But if he looks, it will be a curse upon him; he will never be satisfied. And zina (adultery) will make him poor! The first and biggest consequence of this, if he does not stop and does not ask for forgiveness from Allah Azza wa Jalla, is that he will eventually become poor, having no money. And when he has no money, no bad woman will look at his face. There is no loyalty. Their loyalty is only to money. And when this man commits zina, he will become poor and will have nobody, not even his wife. He will lose his wife and will just suffer in Dunyā. And in Ākhirah, he will be in Jahannam too. May Allah Azza wa Jalla protect us. Therefore, be very careful. Do not fall for someone wearing a turban and Jubbah saying, “Okay, we have a fatwa from Mawlānā, from the Shaykh, or from others.” Do not believe them. We never accept ḥarām. We do not accept ḥarām. It destroys families, destroys children, because the children will also become like him. I am very sad about this. All day, every day, I am hearing this same story. They are sending messages saying this. And people are still believing these people. They say, “Yes, Islam approves this for them.” Most of these "non-Madhhab" people are doing this. They say, “We go to Europe, there are jāriyahs, there is I don’t know what... this is ḥalāl for us.” It can never be ḥalāl. They do not know what is ḥalāl or ḥarām. And when it comes to you praying and making ṣalawāt upon the Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam, they say, “This is Bid’ah, this is ḥarām, this is shirk.” But when they do every dirty thing with women, or with non-women, it is somehow ḥalāl for them. So we must be very careful not to look at this. Do not look at bad things, bad movies, or anything else. Shayṭān has put this everywhere in the telephone. Sometimes when you open the telephone, they quickly pop up a bad, dirty picture. Shayṭān is everywhere. So be careful! Be strong! Have a strong will! Do not look at this. Allah Azza wa Jalla will be happy with you, and the Prophet ṣallá Llāhu ‘alayhi wa-sallam will be happy with you. And you protect your family, your society, your jamā’ah. All will be protected by this, in shā’a Llāh. May Allah Azza wa Jalla protect us. This is the most difficult fitnah. Really, this time is even worse than the time of Sayyidinā Lūṭ. It is worse than Sodom and Gomorrah. At that time, it was only in two cities. Now it is the whole world. And when you say something, it is forbidden to say that it is bad. For this, may Allah Azza wa Jalla protect us. We must protect ourselves because Shayṭān is in full power attacking human beings—not only Muslims, but attacking all human beings. May Allah Azza wa Jalla send us Sayyidinā Al-Mahdi ‘alayhi s-salām to save us. Really, we are sinking. Not thinking—sinking. As the Egyptians say: “About what you sinking?” The whole world is sinking. Like Qārūn with his money. Now that they have too much money, they are all sinking into the sewage; not into the earth, but under the sewage—we are all sinking together. May Allah Azza wa Jalla save us from them.

Alhamdulillah, we arrived safely in London. This is the first time, alhamdulillah, that we have visited this particular mosque. Mashallah, Muslims are building many mosques. In the past, nearly fifty years ago when Mawlana Sheikh first came, there was nothing; there were no mosques at all. Even at the Central Mosque, there was only a tent. Alhamdulillah, after that, thousands have started coming. Alhamdulillah, this is light. It is the House of Allah Azza wa Jalla. The House of Allah spreads light, spreads blessings, and spreads barakah. Alhamdulillah, Allah rewards those who build mosques, help mosques, or assist in anything for the sake of Islam. Regarding mosques specifically, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) says that whoever builds a mosque or helps build one, Allah will build a palace for him in Jannah, in Paradise. When you build something like this, the good that comes from it is like investing money and receiving interest—but this is interest that lasts forever. Alhamdulillah, this is wonderful. Mashallah, may Allah bless all of you. Alhamdulillah, I believe everybody helped; whether small or big, they helped. May Allah reward us, inshaAllah. As we said, it is the House of Allah Azza wa Jalla. Allah is the Most Merciful, the Most Beneficent—Allah Azza wa Jalla. We must also be merciful towards people, towards Allah's creation. This is the way of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). The Ulama, the Salihin, the Awliyaullah, and the Mashayikh all follow this path. They want goodness for the creatures of Allah; whether human or not, we must be a mercy to everything. We should not be harsh. Allah Azza wa Jalla says of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam): Raufun Rahim. This means our Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) is very gentle and very merciful. We are Muslim, so we must imitate him as much as we are able. We must wish well for everything and everyone. Do not be an enemy, and do not be envious. Because Allah Azza wa Jalla controls everything; everything is under His control. There was a great Wali from Turkey named Merkez Efendi. His Sheikh was a great scholar—I believe he was a Qadi (judge)—who left his position. His Sheikh put him through many tests, and eventually, he made him his Khalifa (successor). Since he became very close to the Sheikh, many of the murids—older murids who had been there for thirty or forty years—were a little jealous of him. They thought, "How can this be? He is new, yet the Sheikh is so happy with him." So the Sheikh wanted to teach all of them a lesson. He said, "I ask everyone: If Allah gave you power, what would you do?" One of them said, "I would make the whole world Muslim." Another said, "I would finish off all the kafirs." Another said, "I would ensure nobody remains poor." Many different answers were given. Then he asked Merkez Efendi, "You, what would you do?" "I would not do anything," he replied. "Why?" "I would leave everything in the center (Merkez)." Merkez means unchanged, balanced. "Why?" the Sheikh asked. He said, "Because Allah Azza wa Jalla wants it this way. I cannot interfere with Allah Azza wa Jalla." Therefore, all of us must be happy with Allah's will. We should help as much as we can and do what we can. But not with force, and not with violence. When Allah wants hidayah (guidance) for someone, Allah sends him guidance. If you try to force it, you cannot do it. But through softness, mercy, and doing good deeds for people, they will be happier with you, and Allah Azza wa Jalla will be happy with you. We must have good intentions. This is our intention: goodness for people, for humanity. Nowadays, of course, everyone is suffering. We are at the end of the life of Bani Adam (humanity); it is the End Times, and everything is very difficult and miserable. People are not happy. Allah has given them everything, but they are not happy. Why? Because they harbor envy, bad intentions, and bad character—everything bad. They only want for themselves, not for others. Allah gave us the capacity for good thinking. You must realize that if everybody is good, you will also be good; everything will be good. But when you are not happy, others are also not happy. Others are also jealous of each other, trying to create problems for one another. And then, for all people, there will be misery and poverty. Now Ramadan is coming, Shahru Ramadan. Normally, you can give Zakat at any time, but in Ramadan, it is best so that one does not forget. So when people ask for money, others say, "We don't have money." Why? Because the rich people are not giving. They are not giving their Zakat; they are not thinking of others. If they gave, it would be enough for all the poor people. But by not giving, a curse comes from Allah upon those who withhold. It also causes the poor to become more aggressive and miserable. And they pray against those who do not give, those who do not look after them. The whole system becomes corrupted. Islam shows us what is best for humanity, for the whole world. For a hundred years now, there has been no real Islam. Nobody says "We are Muslim." Even where we have two billion Muslims, there is no benefit at all. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "You will be many—lots of Muslims—but you will have no value." "Your value will be like the foam on the sea—no benefit, nothing." Maybe someone is happy with bubbles, but there is no substance to them. This is because they left real Islam, which existed with the Khalifa, the last state of the Ottoman Empire. This was not only for the Turkish; there were seventy nations within it—Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Orthodox, Armenian, Ethiopian, Zoroastrian—everything you can imagine was in this Ottoman Empire. The Islamic Ottoman Empire provided justice everywhere, defending poor people and oppressed people from everywhere. They finished it, and the whole world was finished. They thought, "When we finish this Empire, we will be happy; it will be good." No. They finished it, but things became worse and worse, full of suffering. And still, they do not accept this. They are poisoning everybody in this world, spiritually and physically. Even the sea is full of poison. This black poison—wherever it is found, there is misery, there are bad things, bad luck. I mean this black liquid, petrol (oil). Wherever there is oil, a curse descends there. Everybody descends upon them, killing them, taking from them, and not giving anything back. But in Ottoman times, no. They said the Ottomans were taking from the people. But what was in Saudi Arabia or the Gulf or any other place back then? Only desert. The Sultan used to send aid to feed them, to give them everything. And they did not appreciate this. When the oil came—this black, cursed liquid—they destroyed the Ottomans, and they destroyed the whole world. Even until now, you see that wherever there is oil, there is a curse. They keep running after it. SubhanAllah, it was not good from the beginning. There were times when it would seep out in some places, and people would say, "What is this black liquid? It is very dirty. Where is this coming from?" This was perhaps two hundred years ago; they didn't know about petrol or anything like that. Later, when they realized what it was, they started killing each other and killing all the poor people over it. And they claim, "We are saving them." This is not a system of justice. They finished the only system of justice; they killed it. After that, there was nothing. But we, alhamdulillah, are Muslim and we are happy because we depend on Allah. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said that a time will come, a very bad time, a very dark time. There will be oppressors, zulm (oppression), and every bad thing; it will be like black nights. But when this happens, Allah will send one of my descendants, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said. He will remove all this darkness and he will fill the whole world with justice and peace, inshaAllah. SubhanAllah, this is good tidings. Because we know this, we also depend on Allah. We are not afraid. Who is afraid? The other people—"What will happen? This one is taking this country, that one is taking another country, there is bombing here, bombing there." All of this, for a Muslim, does not matter. Allah will reward any oppressed person; Allah will reward him. But for the oppressor, there will be no mercy. May Allah keep us safe and may Allah send us this Mahdi (alayhi salam) so we can see the good days that Allah and the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) promised. The whole world will be in peace, with no trouble. This will happen in Akhir Zaman (the End Times), inshaAllah. It is the end of time now. We are waiting, inshaAllah, for Sayyidina Mahdi (alayhi salam). May Allah send him to save this Ummah and to save humanity, all of humanity, inshaAllah.

Alhamdulillah, we are meeting again. We came last year, and now we are here again. Oxford is an important place that the whole world knows about. It is a place of knowledge, encompassing every kind of knowledge. There is good knowledge and there is bad knowledge, and they have both types here. We must choose good knowledge and not bad knowledge. Bad knowledge comes from Shaitaan, and good knowledge comes from Allah Azza wa Jalla. None of this knowledge comes from people themselves; all of it comes through the Prophets, especially through Sayyiduna Idrees Alayhis Salam. All of this knowledge, including technology, has been coming through this way for perhaps 10,000 years. Of course, knowledge is revealed slowly, bit by bit, through Sayyiduna Idrees Alayhis Salam. All languages, all writing, and all knowledge come through Sayyiduna Idrees Alayhis Salam. When the time is right, you will see new knowledge appear. Some people have knowledge now, but it is incorrect knowledge; they guess that this happened like this or that happened like that. One year there was less knowledge, the next year better knowledge, and ten years later even better, improving further after a hundred years. We are approaching the End of Times, so perhaps because of this, the opening of knowledge has accelerated in the last century. Now people are astonished by this machine that seems to think better than you. Some people are afraid that this machine will control everything, that it will be too much for people to handle, and that it will destroy human beings. This is a fear held by people who do not believe in Allah Azza wa Jalla and who think knowledge manifests by itself rather than through the Will of Allah Azza wa Jalla. When the time comes, things will be different. In the end, we will reach what the Prophet Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam told us regarding the last days before Qiyamah. There are big signs: Sayyiduna Mahdi Alayhis Salam, Sayyiduna Isa Alayhis Salam, Ya'juj and Ma'juj, and the forgetting of the Quran; many of these signs will appear before Qiyamah. What will happen will happen by the Will of Allah Azza wa Jalla. Knowledge comes through His Will and through His Prophets. For this reason, Sayyiduna Idrees Alayhis Salam paves the way for knowledge to be revealed. People say they discovered this thing or that thing. This and that is fine, but it is all still coming through Sayyiduna Idrees Alayhis Salam. Knowledge is very important to Allah Azza wa Jalla, as knowledgeable people know the truth of what things are and how they are. Ignorant people look and think without true understanding, so they do not know. All this knowledge is meant to serve human beings, to take them to their Creator, and to show them their Creator. Many creatures have not changed in 10,000 years, but human beings must reflect on how they were before and how they are now. All of this progress is through the knowledge of Sayyiduna Idrees Alayhis Salam and the Prophet Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. To be knowledgeable is to save people from ignorance and to be beloved to Allah Azza wa Jalla. Allah Azza wa Jalla loves those who possess knowledge. The first command was "Iqra"—Read. This was to ensure the Ummah of the Prophet Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam learns about knowledge and goodness. The Prophet Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam knows the knowledge of the beginning and the knowledge of the end. He who looks at the Prophet's life from beginning to end will see the treasures the Prophet Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam gave to humanity. He was the Seal of the Prophets, and all knowledge was granted to him. There are many clever people whom Allah Azza wa Jalla guided to know and follow him, and they came to this city to study. Most of them are intelligent people, likely from good families and good backgrounds. Through Allah Azza wa Jalla, we hope they come to know Him. Although they are influenced by what they hear, many are interested and researching, and they will find the best thing, which is Islam, through the Prophet Salla Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam. May Allah Azza wa Jalla help us to remain on this path, and protect Muslim children from following their egos and desires, which lead them away from the way of Allah Azza wa Jalla.

Innallaha yuhibbul mu'minin. Innallaha 'aduwwun lil kafirin. Allah loves the believer, the Mu'min. And Allah Almighty said in the Holy Quran that He is an enemy to the Kafir people. What does Kafir mean? It means they do not believe in Allah; a non-believer. What does non-believer mean? He does not thank Allah for what He gave him. Because of this, he is an enemy to Allah, and Allah is an enemy to him. Take an ant, for example. If a single ant were an enemy to a country—let alone the whole world—how could that one ant possibly matter? Although it is not good etiquette to give an example like this, it is necessary to show how valueless those who are against Allah Azza wa Jalla truly are. Allah Azza wa Jalla created the whole universe. Even our whole Earth—actually, the whole galaxy—is not even like a speck of dust. So, how crazy are these people who are against Allah Azza wa Jalla? They are against Him and want to wage war against Allah Azza wa Jalla. And they think they will win. They will never win. Because Allah is with us. We don't have any weapons; we don't have any power. Our power is with Allah Azza wa Jalla. He wins; nobody can win over Allah Azza wa Jalla. This means: never feel down about whom you support, and never feel superior if you are His enemy. Therefore, Alhamdulillah, everyone here is a believer whom Allah Azza wa Jalla loves. We are all together, and we would love for these people to come to our side, to become beloved ones of Allah Azza wa Jalla. Not against Him. If you are against Him, you will not win anything; if you are with Allah, you will win everything. The most important thing is the end; eternal life is what is important. Not this life. This life might last a hundred years. Not many people live more than a hundred years. A hundred years pass quickly. What comes after? The second life; the second life is forever. Not a hundred, thousand, million, or billion years. Nothing happens to it. Those who are against Allah will be in misery all the time. They thought they won in this life, but in the Akhirah (Hereafter), they will face punishment. They will be asked about everything, for every moment, and for what they have done. So if they do not ask for forgiveness, they will be in misery forever. Not for ten thousand, or ten thousand million billion years; it will be like that forever. Our next life is eternal. Maybe non-believers do not believe in this. But even non-believers, while they are living this life, never think about how they will die. They think they are living forever. Most people think like this. But of course, when the end comes, only at that time do people think, "Maybe we will die." We have even seen many old people who still do not think about dying. You can be a hundred years old and still not think that you will die. This is from Allah, an inspiration for human beings regarding the next life. There is no death after this. No second death; it is forever. Because the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said that after Judgment Day finishes—of course, this may take millions of years because some people will wait in a queue for their judgment one by one. Some of them wait a thousand years, some ten thousand, maybe a hundred thousand years; there are people waiting. After this is finished, Allah Azza wa Jalla orders Jibril Alayhis Salam to bring Death. They put it between Jannah and Jahannam, Paradise and Hell. They place it between them, and Allah orders Jibril to slaughter it. He slaughters it like a sheep. And they say, "This is death; after this, there is no death." It is forever for you: forever for Paradise, or forever for Hell. So it is not a joke. People are gambling, but this gambling might be the worst gamble they have ever made. Because after this, there is no chance for them to gamble again. Finished; they will be either in Paradise or in Hell. Therefore, whoever has good sense must not listen to these people. Now there are many Shaytan-people around, taking people from Paradise to Hell. They take them on a tour from Paradise to Hell. Some of them leave them there for ten years, for a hundred years, for a thousand years in Hell. This happens if they do not commit Kufr (disbelief). When they finish their punishment, they can come to Paradise. But if they have Kufr—wal iyadhu billah (and we seek refuge in Allah)—now in this time, many make people atheists, causing them not to believe in Allah. So this is a big gamble. And those Shaytan-people who take them on a tour to Jahannam, to Hell, may end up taking them there forever. Forever in Hell. But if they ask for forgiveness and repent to Allah, Allah will forgive them. Many people say, "We are angry with Allah." Who are you to be angry with Allah? We have a Turkish saying: "The rabbit was angry with the mountain, but the mountain didn't even know." This is ridiculous; nothing will happen to the mountain. Whatever happens will happen to the rabbit; so he will not go and eat or drink from there. So if anyone says, "We are angry with Allah because He didn't give us what we want," What do you want? You are not in a restaurant; you are not in a hotel to ask for whatever you please. If Allah gives to you, you must be happy. Allah gave you everything. You are like a horse running from place to place doing every bad thing, and afterwards, you blame Allah, or you blame the Awliya or Mashayikh, saying, "They are not protecting us." How can they protect you? You must protect yourself. You must know this. You will be asked for what you have done and what you do. You are a human being. Allah gave you a brain to think, to distinguish between good and bad. Who is not responsible? Many who have mental issues are not responsible. Even the government gives them a paper [certificate]. For many of them, if they do something, they are not responsible because they don't have a mind and they act without knowing. These are the only ones who can be saved from punishment or judgment. Therefore, whoever has a mind must think and know that Allah gives Rizq (provision) to everybody. Everybody has this. There is no need to put yourself in trouble, making yourself suffer forever. This is very dangerous, the most dangerous thing. Nothing is more dangerous than this in this life. Because you only have this life once. If you do not do good things, there is no chance anymore. In a Surah in the Quran, the people of Hell say, "Oh our Lord, let us go back to Dunya and we will obey, we will worship, and we will do every good thing." He says, "No, this is finished." It is only once in Dunya. Many people are teaching you, telling you to be aware, to be a good one, a beloved one of Allah. You used to laugh at them. You said, "You are not clever people; you are idiots." They said this about those who worship or believe in Allah. This is the fashion now. And they attract small children especially, in schools or in the street. They think their families, fathers, mothers, or everyone else are not as clever as them. They are a hundred times more clever than you. Because with this, they have happiness here before the Akhirah. When they see their children or relatives in the way of Allah, they are the happiest ones. Many people come asking for Hidayah (guidance) for their children, for their husband, or for a brother or sister. Many of them come asking for this, and we are praying, of course. All the time, this is also a big issue for this place, places in England or Europe. In Muslim countries, it is a little bit better than here. The men are going for Haram. This will be punished in the Akhirah. In Dunya, it is the worst when a married man goes to another woman without Nikah, without marriage. It is the biggest sin. There are small sins and there are big sins. This is the biggest sin. And they act as if it is normal; they are doing this. And they say, "We know it is Haram but we cannot control ourselves." But when you do not control yourself, it is because you don't know what punishment you will have for this. There is punishment for this in Dunya before Akhirah. There is a saying—I don't know if it is a Hadith or something else: "Bashir al-qatil bil-qatl wa law ba'da hin." It says: give news to the killer that he will be killed, even if it is later. "Wa bashir al-zani bil-faqr." And give news to the one who commits adultery that he will be poor. The Barakah (blessing) will go. He will not have anything. Even if he has millions, it will not remain for him. Suddenly it will go. This is very important. Because people know about the Akhirah and say, "Okay, maybe Allah will forgive us." But there is punishment in Dunya also. When you commit Haram, a sin, something must happen to you. Whenever you do a good thing, you will find good things in Dunya before Akhirah. Even if you are poor, if you do good things, Allah gives you some happiness. If you have millions, you might not have this happiness. If you do bad things, Allah also punishes you here. What kind of punishment? Any punishment. And the biggest punishment is for Allah Azza wa Jalla to look at you with anger. He does not look at you with Rahmah (Mercy). He looks with anger. But if a poor man, or anyone—normal people, small, big, girl, woman—if they do a good thing, Allah is happy with them. Allah blesses them. It is said in a Hadith Sharif that if Allah is happy with someone, He tells Jibril Alayhis Salam that He is happy with him. And Jibril tells all the angels to be happy with him. And all the angels become happy, so Allah makes the people also happy with this man. Therefore, it is very important for people to be in the way of Allah, to be away from sin and Haram. Especially this, the biggest Haram, to do this. So be careful. Don't throw yourself into danger. Don't make your family miserable. Don't make your relatives, father, or mother unhappy with you. Be a good one, Insha'Allah. Goodness spreads when one goes from one to one, to one, to the whole society, to all people; Allah looks upon them with mercy and love. This is very important. Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "Ad-Deen an-Naseehah" (Religion is sincere advice). You must tell people about this; if what they have done is good or not good, you must tell them. And if you see any bad thing happening, if you can prevent it by yourself, you can. If not, then by saying "don't do this." If that has no benefit, then just by your heart you say, "It is not acceptable; Allah does not love this, does not accept this, and I also do not love this, nor accept this." "This is not good; this is bad, from Shaytan, and we do not accept this." So it will be your responsibility, or no responsibility [if you do this]. But if you are like, "Okay, they are doing this, leave them, what can we do? It's normal." Don't see bad things as normal. A bad thing is bad. You must know it is bad and say to yourself, "I cannot do anything, but I don't accept this; it is not normal." Now people are trying to show many things as normal, but they are not normal. I don't know where it is coming from—from food, from the air, where this poison is coming from—making everyone see abnormal things as normal. May Allah open our hearts. May Allah keep our society away from this illness. This is a very bad illness. May Allah give Hidayah to those who are doing this, and may Allah ask for forgiveness for us, Insha'Allah.

Alhamdulillah, today is the last day of Rajab, the first of Allah's Sacred Months. Tomorrow, in some of our calendars, is the first of Sha'ban; for others, it may be later. But alhamdulillah, throughout these thirty days of Rajab, Allah has blessed us. We are happy with what Allah has given us. To be on His path in this life, as the months and years pass. When you are with Allah, you win; you gain the life of these months. Alhamdulillah, a blessed month is going, and a blessed month is coming. The month of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. "Rajab Shahrullah, Sha'ban shahri, Ramadan shahr ummati." Rajab means "Allah's month." Of course, everything is for Allah. But for the Ummah, Allah made this more blessed. And for the honor of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, is the month of Sha'ban. Sha'ban is the month of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. And Ramadan is for the Ummah. Allah made this the most blessed month for the Ummah; many things happen in it. But now, insha'Allah, we are in Sha'ban, to which the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, gave more attention and in which he performed more worship. Some new people say there is no value to this month; no, they do not know. This is the month of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam; he fasted the most in Sha'ban. Even the Sahaba thought it would become fard, as he was fasting nearly the whole month. And regarding Ramadan, he was also very happy with Ramadan. The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, is showing us all of this. Alhamdulillah, Tariqa people respect everything; they do not ask "what is this, what is not?" Alhamdulillah, especially in our Naqshbandi Tariqa, we try to follow every Sunnah in our wird and daily wazifa. We do nothing outside the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. May Allah keep us on His path. We must praise that which the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, praised. You can praise even the smallest thing, but do not go against it. If you are against it... nothing will be less for Allah, but it will be less for you. They give you a jewel and you say, "I don't want this." Well, you are free to choose. May Allah make us realize the value of what we are in. This value is precious; we must know this. Alhamdulillah, Allah has let us enter this valuable time, insha'Allah.

Innamal mu'minuna ikhwatun fa-aslihu bayna akhawaykum. (49:10) Allah, Mighty and Majestic, describes believers as brothers. Many hadith also say, "La yu'minu ahadukum hatta yuhibba li akhihi ma yuhibbu li nafsihi." The Messenger of Allah spoke the truth. Faith is not complete, the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) says, until a believer loves for his brother what he loves for himself. This is very important and of great benefit to Muslims and all human beings. Because when you want something good for your brother in Islam, just as you do for yourself, he will also want good for you. It is about doing good things, spreading goodness, spreading happiness, and spreading barakah (blessings). This is what the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) explained, and Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says in the Quran that believers are brothers. So, regarding the time of the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam), we call it Asr as-Sa'adah—the Time of Happiness. What kind of happiness? They didn't even have anything to eat. Sometimes they went hungry for two or three days, not eating anything because they couldn't find food. Yet, everyone knew this was a happy time—the happiest time. For all humanity and all history, the happiest time was the time of the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam). Of course, it was only 23 years. These years were the happiest ones. Quickly afterward, some of the people who were there became enemies; some fell into fitna (tribulation). Slowly, things got worse and worse. For this reason, the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) also said in a hadith, "My time is the best time." Next after me is the time of the Khulafa ar-Rashidin (Rightly Guided Caliphs). The four Caliphs: Sayyidina Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Sayyidina Ali (may Allah be pleased with them). That time was also good. The century after that, and the second century, were also good, he said. After that, people strayed further from what the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said about loving each other. Many things came between them. Some of them were right, some were not. But that time was not as happy as the Prophet's (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) time. Year by year, century by century, it moved away from what the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, with each century being worse than the other. And Alhamdulillah, we have reached the worst one, Alhamdulillah. What can we do? Allah created us in this time. But despite this, the order from the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) remains the same; the order has not finished. Believers are brothers. A believer must love his brothers, his community, and the Muslims. He must love them, not create fitna between them, and not be an enemy to them. The more you are happy with your Muslim brother, the more the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) will be happy with you. The Awliyaullah (Saints) will be happy with you. Allah is happy with you when you are happy with your brothers. Satan is not happy. When is Satan happy? When Muslims or brothers are fighting together, he is happy. But Satan's happiness is not like our happiness. Because he is envious; he is full of evil. He will never be truly happy. The more we suffer, he becomes okay—he looks happy—but Allah does not grant him true happiness. Allah gives happiness to believers, to the Mu'min. Of course, you see those who cause fitna and do bad things to Muslims living in constant misery. They are full of bad thoughts, and their hearts are full of darkness. Full of satanic thoughts. They cannot be happy. Even if they conquered the whole world, they would not be happy. But believers, if anything comes from Allah, they are happy. They are full of happiness. When they are with family, when they are with the beloved ones who love them, they are happy. For example, when they go for Hajj, for Umrah, or to visit a holy place, happiness comes. But if they go to a casino or a bad place, they will never be happy. Coming out of such bad places, they become even more miserable. Not better—worse and worse. For this reason, our Tariqa, Alhamdulillah, exists to help people be happy. There are some people who claim to be Muslim, but they do things that make other Muslims unhappy with them. From the beginning, they teach themselves or their children to be unhappy. To curse good people, to curse the Companions of the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam). And they cry, cry, cry. This is not our way. Alhamdulillah, we are laughing. There is no need for that. Because Allah ordered us: "Wa bi dhalika fal-yafrahou." (10:58) You must be happy, Allah said, when you are on the path with Allah and you are Muslim. "In that, let them rejoice." This is an order; you must be happy, not crying. Beating yourself. And after that you say, "We are Muslim, we love this," while creating fitna everywhere. No, Muslims—Tariqa people—were those who opened hearts. Sayyidina Ahmad Yasawi, the Sultan of Turkistan—his blessed shrine is in Kazakhstan, we visited him— he had one hundred thousand murids (disciples). He taught them and sent them everywhere, even to non-Muslim countries. They went around not fighting, but just teaching people. And later, when the army of Islam arrived, these people were happy to receive them. Because they had taught them happiness, goodness, justice—every good thing they didn't have. These people went and taught them. One hundred thousand dervishes and ulama. "Dervish" means he knows how to pray, what is Sunnah, what is Fard, and he follows the Tariqa. They were opening hearts before opening castles or forts. This is Tariqa: giving love to people, giving happiness to people, to humanity. Because of this, we see now that many non-Muslims are coming to Islam through Tariqa. They say "Sufi, Sufi," but if you say "Islam" to them, they run away because they think Islam is what these other people say—killing people, making people miserable, showing no mercy, nothing good. But when you say "Sufi," they come. For example, to Konya for Sayyidina Jalaluddin Rumi. These non-Muslims are fond of him. Maybe they don't know if he is Muslim or not, but they say he is a Master of Sufism. There are hundreds of thousands following him; when any book comes out, his book is the best-seller. People must know this and appreciate this. This is exactly what the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) was saying. Sufi people, Tariqa people are doing this. And through this, thousands, maybe millions, are coming to Islam. On the other hand, when people act against this teaching of the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam), many people run out of Islam. They run, saying, "We don't want this, this is not good." But they do not know the real Islam. This is Islam: brotherhood, loving each other, not oppressing anybody, and not forcing anybody to be in Islam. Islam comes via the heart. The Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) never forced anybody to be Muslim. In the Quran, Surat at-Tawbah says: When anybody wants to come to the Kaaba, he must be Muslim. If he is not Muslim, he cannot come. But you are not fighting them to become Muslim. No, if they don't want to be Muslim, they can stay in their same religion but obey the governor or Sultan and give their tax. The tax was not much. Now, taxes in Europe are maybe 90% or 80%. And Jizya was like Zakat, maybe two and a half percent. It was nothing. Now if you pay VAT, you pay maybe 20% or 30%, I don't know. Plus you pay income tax as well. So, Alhamdulillah, you give all your benefit to the government. And still, they are making Islam look bad. No, Islam is the best, Alhamdulillah, because it is the religion of Allah. Everything is in balance. Nothing is hard, nothing is difficult in Islam. Everything is good. Even regarding the Miswak, the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "If I would not make it hard for my nation, my Ummah, I would order the Miswak for every prayer." When praying, use the Miswak. There are a hundred benefits from the Miswak. Not only for the Sunnah, but also for your health, for your teeth, for everything—countless benefits. Yet even for this, so as not to make it hard, the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said, "I will not order this." So everything in Islam is balanced. And where do you find this balance? You find it in Tariqa, Alhamdulillah. Tariqa and Sharia are the same. The heart of Sharia is Tariqa. Maybe some people ask, "Tariqa? Why do we want Tariqa?" If you don't want it, you can just follow Sharia. But eventually, someone may come and lead you away from Sharia too. Cheating you, making you curse the Ahl al-Bayt or the Sahaba. These people are out of Tariqa. Most of them are like this. Quickly, if they are not from this side or that side, those in the middle can also be infected by these people. And they start doing haram by cursing these blessed people. Blessed people. So, people must follow Tariqa or listen to the people of Tariqa. This is very important for our life and for our children's lives. It is very important to teach them the love of the Prophet, the love of the Sahaba, and the love of Ahl al-Bayt. Alhamdulillah, as we say, we are now in this month, the month of the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam). In our calendar, it begins this night. Maybe in some other calendars, it is tomorrow. But it is important to respect and accept this month, which is the Prophet's (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) month. He valued this month. All Hadith books and Seerah write that the month he fasted the most after Ramadan was Sha'ban. Shahr Sha'ban al-Mukarram al-Mu'azzam. Our respect for the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) means respecting what he did. We respect months, days, and blessed nights. All of this comes from the Prophet's (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam) teaching. And when you follow the teaching of the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam), Allah rewards you ten times, seven hundred times, and more. Alhamdulillah, this is a blessed day and a blessed place; this is our first time here. May Allah bless you. May Allah keep us in His way. Not to be cheated by Satan and the followers of Satan. May Allah make us happy. We are not crying. We do not cry, and we do not make fitna over things that happened before us. Allah will ask what happened. There is no reward for cursing good people or saying bad things about them. Because this makes your heart darker, more unhappy, and brings fitna upon you. May Allah keep us away from this. May Allah bless them. May Allah give us from their barakah. The time of Asr as-Sa'adah, the Time of Happiness from the Prophet (salla Allahu alayhi wa sallam). We are living in a bad time, but may Allah place some of this happiness in our hearts, InshaAllah. The time is not good, but InshaAllah, Allah is capable of everything. If we believe, it can be easy to have happiness in our hearts, InshaAllah.

"Wa khuliqal-insanu da'ifa." (4:28) Allah Azza wa Jalla says in the Qur'an Azim-us-Shan, "We created the human being weak." I think the weakest creature Allah created is the human being. Because others, even small things you see, like an ant, can carry three times their own weight. Other animals also... they are strong, stronger than human beings. Even the weakest ones... Allah has given them special abilities that human beings do not have. So, the weakest creature is the human being. But you see that Allah gave them a mind and enabled them to manage their lives and control other creatures, because He has subjected them—Allah made them to serve human beings. But human beings, when they acquire something, they think they are the most powerful. They forget what they are, they forget their weakness, and they become like tyrants. Towards other people, themselves, their families, or anyone they see as weaker than themselves... they become arrogant, saying, "We are better than them." This is not good. You must be strong with Allah Azza wa Jalla. Whatever Allah Azza wa Jalla has given you, you must appreciate it and thank Him for it. As Sayyidina Umar said, "If the weakest one is oppressed, he is the strongest one in front of me." "And the strongest one who oppresses people is the weakest one in front of me," Sayyidina Umar said. Because of justice and Haqq... justice is the most important thing in Islam. Nowadays they talk about justice, but there is no justice. Without justice, there is no peace, nor anything good. To be just is the greatest strength for a human being; he who acts with justice and Truth is strong. If he leaves this, he is the weakest one. Even if he controls all of humanity, he has no value. Because later, when Azra'il comes, he cannot do anything. May Allah keep us aware of our place and our situation, inshaAllah. We are, inshaAllah, strong with Allah Azza wa Jalla. This is most important. May Allah keep us on this path at all times, inshaAllah.

Allah Azza wa Jalla sends blessings; there is blessed rain coming from Heaven for human beings and for everyone. The place to receive this blessing is in good gatherings, where we ask for blessings. Alhamdulillah, most of you, or your fathers or grandfathers, have come from other countries, like Pakistan, but Allah Azza wa Jalla decreed for you to settle in this land. May Allah Azza wa Jalla keep you on the path of Islam; since you are here, this is your place. So do not say you will be like this or that; you must follow good people so that you will be safe. Otherwise, you will be unhappy and lost; do not be foolish, and do not destroy your identity and religion. This is the most precious thing. One or two months ago, I was in South America, where there were many Muslims who emigrated during the Ottoman time. Many of them were Muslims, but over time this began to change. Alhamdulillah, I can see there are Mashaikh, Tariqah, and Madrassas keeping these traditions alive, though Shaytan and his followers are trying to end this. But Alhamdulillah, Insha’Allah, this will not end because they have these places, which preserve the faith and Iman of people in non-Muslim lands. You must not focus on problems; the real problem is staying away from gatherings. These places give you power and happiness. These places are important when following Tariqah. Tariqah means having Iman, and those people in Islam who do not accept Tariqah are Muslims, but they are not Mu’min. To be a Mu’min means believing in miracles, believing that the Prophet SallAllahu alayhi wa sallam is still alive, believing in the Sahaba, the Ahl al-Bayt, and the Awliyaullah, and that they all help people. In South America, there was no Tariqah; they were only Muslims, but when they started gatherings, Tariqah gathered the people and gathered their hearts. This gathering cannot be bad; it is growing with new people. It makes people happier about Islam and causes them to accept Islam. This is our way, the way of the Mashaikh, the way of the Awliyaullah. We must not worry and think we do not have an easy life; look at these Muslim countries: Pakistan, Türkiye, Egypt, all of them. Allah Azza wa Jalla gave us the best places in the world, but we are not following His orders, so instead, people are becoming those who run away. You must always keep gathering as people of Tariqah by the Order of Allah Azza wa Jalla; then this darkness will not harm you, and it will be easy for you. Sayyiduna Yusuf Alayhis Salam was in jail, but he was happy and it was no problem for him, as he was with Allah Azza wa Jalla. Others were in better places but were unhappy. Happiness is to be with Allah Azza wa Jalla, to be with good people, people who are beloved to Allah Azza wa Jalla. May Allah Azza wa Jalla make this place more and more blessed. Of course, everybody cannot come here. Mawlana Shaykh Qaddas Allahu Sirruhu would say, when anyone asked him about opening a place, “Any place you can gather together is good.” There is no need to say you are coming from a faraway place; go to where it is near you and where you are able to go. This will benefit you. Have love and be happy with one another; do not be jealous. This is not from Tariqah; jealousy is from Shaytan. Jealousy is what threw him out of Paradise. Everyone you see, whether it is a Qadiri Dergah or a Chishti Dergah, we are pleased to see people in Tariqah, in any Tariqah. There is no problem. If you think it will be bad for you, then this is not Tariqah; they are not from Tariqah, and they are going against what Tariqah is. We are thanking Allah Azza wa Jalla, and may He make more and more people come towards the way of Tariqah, Insha’Allah.

May Allah bless you. You show us respect, though we are not deserving of it. But Alhamdulillah, through us, you are respecting the Mashayikh and the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). Thank you for this; may Allah grant you more and more love and light. May He keep you on this path—the way of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), the way of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah, and the way of Tariqa. All of this is the same path; it is not different. Alhamdulillah, we are on the right way, Tariqat al-Mustaqim, the straight path. "Tariqa" means way, and "Mustaqim" means straight—not deviating from the path. Alhamdulillah, we are on the way of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) and will continue, not just until Qiyamah, but forever. Whoever holds onto it from the beginning is more blessed and will be nearer to the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) in Jannah. In Dunya also, they are more beloved by the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). Because the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, "Whoever sends Salawat upon me, I reply to him." For this reason, every time the people of Tariqa recite Salawat or Durood for the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) replies to them. This is our belief, the Islamic belief. Though some people do not accept this, they are not important. The important thing is to be on the way of the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam), the way of your fathers, grandfathers, and ancestors, from the time of the Prophet until now. This way continues. Many people tried to destroy it, but they could not. They are finished, and nobody knows about them anymore. Of course, it was not just one or two or a hundred, but thousands everywhere; yet all of them were defeated and buried with their fitna. They regret what they have done now under the earth, but there is no benefit anymore. The benefit lies in following this way at all times and not listening to Shaytan. People say, "I have weswas" (whispering). This is normal from Shaytan, but these people are worse than Shaytan's whispers. Alhamdulillah, our Sheikh who recited the Qasida spoke about Masjid al-Aqsa and Isra and Mi'raj. Unfortunately, now many people cannot visit it. Today, one of our brothers asked me, "You travel all over; which country do you like most?" Maybe he thought I would say Mecca or Medina, but I said Palestine. Alhamdulillah, because it is the land of prophets and the land of this holy Masjid al-Aqsa. Subhanallah, Allah put love for this land in my heart. I was with Mawlana Sheikh before; at that time, Arab people were controlling it. Every year Mawlana Sheikh would bring Hajis from Cyprus, take them to Hajj, and they would visit Masjid al-Aqsa. After Israel took it, they could not go. But after sixty years, I visited, and it was a really fantastic place. When I was visiting Nablus, which is a very nice city with many Tariqa people, they invited us for dinner. We prayed in all the mosques, and Nablus is truly full of many Tariqa people. But the people, all these Arabs—from the beginning, they were deceived by Western people to launch a revolution against the Khalifa and the Ottomans. They offered Sultan Abdul Hamid billions to pay his debts if he would just give them a little bit of land from there. Sultan Abdul Hamid kicked that man out and said, "I cannot give you even one piece of earth from this holy land; it is my Amanah (trust)." "How can I say to Allah that I gave up this responsibility?" Sultan Abdul Hamid and all the Sultans were people of Tariqa; Sultan Abdul Hamid’s Sheikh was Shadhili. He didn't give it, but they created fitna, threw him out, and cheated the Arabs. They told the Arabs, "You will be King for all Muslims and Arabs, and this land will be yours." Mawlana Sheikh Abdullah Daghestani was in the Ottoman army at that time. He performed Khalwah (seclusion) in Masjid al-Sakhrah, near Masjid al-Aqsa, for forty days. He was there for around one year, defending Palestine and Masjid al-Aqsa. After they returned, the Ottomans were finished, and quickly these Western people took over all the Ottoman lands and exiled the Khalifa. This is what they are capable of. We cannot say anything, as "war is deception." In war, your enemy may cheat you. But to be one who cheats is terrible. To side with the enemy against Islam and against the Khalifa is a major sin. It cannot be accepted. Of course, that era ended, and after they took over Palestine, the people started shouting and crying about oppression. Why is this happening? Even now, they do not accept the wrong they have done. Still, they are against the Ottomans and against the Khalifa—the whole Arab world. Don't think they are happy with the Khalifa or the Ottomans. Until now, the West has put this poison in their countries, and this poison has seeped into the bones of the Arabs. If you speak a little bit like this, you see animosity and hatred for the Ottomans and the Khalifa. For this reason, all of this is happening now. They are crying "Gaza, Gaza," but this is your fault. The enemy can do whatever they want; don't expect goodness from the enemy. But when you do not repent to Allah and are not with Tariqa, it is not good. Can anybody say this is wrong? Because I was born in Damascus and lived there. Throughout my time in primary school and other schools, they taught that the Ottomans were the enemy. They taught that they made us go backward and occupied our land. If the Ottomans had wanted, they could have given Palestine to these people, taken the money, and would still be ruling their country today. But these people don't have minds; their minds are finished and burned. All Muslims... their minds are burned. No thinking, no proper reflection. Only looking outward, not seeing what is behind or inside. Running after Iran, after Wahhabis—you cannot say anyone is truly Muslim in that state. The following took place when I was in Nablus. Sultan Abdul Hamid loved that city; it was a special place for him. It was at a dinner... the people were Masha'Allah, very good. They liked Sultan Abdul Hamid because he loved them; he even built the railway to Nablus. But one old man was sitting there, and when I greeted him, he was not so happy. He said "Tatbi," and I didn't understand what "Tatbi" meant at first. Later, I understood that "Tatbi" means "to normalize relations," which they don't like. We are coming to visit a holy place, and Allah opened this for us, so we came. Why do you say this? It is not only for you; the holy land is for all Muslims. When you claim it is only for you, of course, they will oppress you and do everything you don't like. So this is the situation of Islam and Muslims. They must learn from real Ulama and Mashayikh. Alhamdulillah, of course, there are many of them, but unfortunately, I see that even Sufi Arabs have this poison in their bodies everywhere. When you engage in something too much, it will appear slowly. So they must ask for forgiveness from Allah Azza wa Jalla. Allah is Ghafur (Forgiving) and Rahim (Merciful). Allah accepts and forgives. Insha'Allah, Allah forgives us and sends us help. Alhamdulillah, there are good tidings from the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) regarding Mahdi (alaihissalam). Without this, it is difficult. At all times, everywhere, there is a problem in the world; no place is without problems. And most of the problems, of course, are in Muslim places and Muslim countries. Why? Because Shaytan has not retired. As Mawlana Sheikh explained once when a bishop asked him when this trouble would end. Mawlana Sheikh said, "When Shaytan retires, it will be finished." He laughed very much at this man. The reality is that when Mahdi (alaihissalam) comes, it will be finished. But Shaytan is not finished yet. When we hear about Kashmir, Myanmar, Palestine, Iraq, Iran, Africa, Sudan, Libya... every Muslim country has a problem. I become very sad. But then I realize that if they tried to resolve it themselves, it would take thousands of years. But I remember that when Sayyidina Mahdi (alaihissalam) comes, there will be peace. No more problems, no visas, no permission needed for staying, going, or coming. All of it will end. Of course, Shaytan is not retired yet, because when Mahdi (alaihissalam) comes, this world will be as the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said: the whole earth will be Islam. There will be no other religion; all people will follow Islam. Islam means peace; it will be peace for the whole world. So Mahdi (alaihissalam) will come, and after him, Isa (alaihissalam) will come. After Mahdi, Isa (alaihissalam) will rule; it will be forty years of peace. And when Isa (alaihissalam) passes away, he will be buried near the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam). Not like those crazy people who say he is the son of God, Astaghfirullah. This is the most ridiculous idea from those who thought they were the smartest people in the world. Even they can ask this intelligent machine now; they have intelligent machines. If you ask, "Who is Isa (alaihissalam)?", it will say he is a Prophet. Even the machine knows better than them. So when Isa (alaihissalam) passes away and is buried near the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) in Medina—his place is there, as Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah knows. After this, everything will become bad again. Shaytan will come back with full power, moving through people. So many people will again become Kafirs and unbelievers. Only a few Muslims will remain, and at that time, the Smoke will come. And the Muslim, when he inhales this smoke, he will pass away. Only the Kafirs will be left here. So for only forty years, there will be a rest from Shaytan, and after that, it will return. So it is Dunya; it must be like this. Because Qiyamah is coming upon these people, the non-believers; all will be destroyed at that time. Now, sometimes they bring news that a stone is coming through space and it will hit earth and cause Qiyamah. Alhamdulillah, Muslims and believers know this is not true. Maybe other people are very afraid, anxious, and sad that the end of the world is coming with this stone. But every stone and every small thing comes by the order of Allah Azza wa Jalla. Without His order, how can it be Qiyamah? Non-believers have nonsensical beliefs. They make themselves afraid—not afraid of Allah, but afraid of nothing. Allah helps us, Insha'Allah, to keep ourselves on the way of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah. Who are they? They are those who follow Sharia. Alhamdulillah, Sharia and the four Madhhabs are important. Those who do not accept this are not from Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah. Each Madhhab has an easy way; there is no difficulty. For each country, whichever is suitable for them, they can follow. But now, the new fashion from these people is to say, "No need for a Madhhab." They are cursing the Madhhabs and cursing the people who follow a Madhhab. They say, "No need for Madhhab, you only follow the Quran." But when reading the Quran, I hear many people who cannot even read it properly. So how can you understand and follow it? The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) said, "Yassiru wa la tu'assiru" (Make it easy and do not make it difficult). The Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) taught us to make things easy. When they show you your way, the Madhhab way, it is easy for you to follow. If you don't know the way, you will open the Quran from start to finish trying to find something. By the time you find it, you forget the other one; opening again and again—it is not good. This causes a big fitna. The Ulama know this; there are many people doing things against Sharia. But they claim, "We know this from the Quran." The Quran Azimushan... for learning, you must study at least ten years to learn to read and understand it. When you understand it, you must look for the Hadith also. These people don't accept Hadith; they are finished. Everything they read will be without any benefit; it even causes them harm. Because they create fitna, making people look for other things. So, Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaah, don't be away from the Madhhab, and don't be away from Tariqa. These are two wings, as they said. Sheikh Khalid al-Baghdadi was called "Zul-Janahayn," the possessor of two wings. One wing for Sharia, one for Tariqa. Without this, you cannot fly. It must be two, and this is our way. Allah bless you, may Allah keep you on this way, Insha'Allah. You can follow any Tariqa; it is not important, as I said today also. There are many Tariqas; any Tariqa you can follow that is suitable for you, just as any Madhhab that is suitable for you, you can follow. Allah bless you, Allah keep us on this way.

"Indeed, Allah is with those who fear Him and those who are doers of good." (Quran 16:128) Those who are conscious of evil and strive to do good for people. Alhamdulillah, this is the greatest favor for us: To know who supports you. The One who supports you is not a policeman, a politician, or a wealthy man. The One who supports you is the Owner of the whole universe. Allah 'Azza wa Jalla supports you; this you must know. You must be happy; do not be sad or distressed. Of course, when people are in an environment different from a Muslim place, sometimes the weather and atmosphere are different. They become afraid; they experience anxiety and sadness. This is not good; you must remind yourself. Say: "Allah is with us." Allah is able to do everything; nothing is difficult for Allah. He is the Able, the Powerful (Al-Qadir, Al-Muqtadir). This is a great favor for the believer, for the Muslim. Because the Muslim is under attack at all times by oppressive people. Or Shaytan sends his army to the believer to make them unhappy and to stop them from remembering Allah 'Azza wa Jalla. Every time, he wants to distract them, to keep them from thinking of the Most Merciful One, Allah 'Azza wa Jalla, who created us and supports us. He supports everyone, Muslim and non-Muslim—it does not matter—but if Muslims realize this, they will be at peace. They will be happy, never without happiness. This is the way of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam. When he declared his message and asked people to believe in him, everyone was against him. They committed every oppression and every evil act against the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam. And they offered him many things to abandon his mission. He refused, because the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, knew Allah. If you have very little money and someone comes to you saying, "I will give you five pennies, come with me," would you go? Hasha (God forbid), this is not a perfect example, but those foolish people thought the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, would leave the Truth and run after them. They are ignorant people. Even this time is called Jahiliyya (The Age of Ignorance). There are two kinds of Jahiliyya. One was the time of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, which he brought to an end, Alhamdulillah. The second time is now. This is worse than that first time of Jahiliyya. At that time, they believed in idols or other deities. But in this time of Jahiliyya, these people do not believe in anything. This is true ignorance. This is real ignorance because Allah gave them everything to know, to see, to observe, and to hear, and still, they do not believe. People of old looked at the sky and thought the stars were merely small objects. Now they know it is vast, and they cannot find the end of this universe. They look and see things billions of times larger, and still, they cannot find a point where they can say, "This is the end." So, if they have a mind, they must believe there is a Creator. But when they do not believe, this signifies ignorance. Ignorance means he does not want to know, or he does not know. Perhaps an ignorant one who knows nothing but wants to learn is no problem; there is no shame in that. But if you insist on being ignorant, to be a Jahil, this is a terrible thing. For this reason, Allah 'Azza wa Jalla sent all the Prophets. As the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, said regarding his Sahaba: "My Companions are like stars; whichever of them you follow, you will be guided." You will end your ignorance. So, everything here from the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, teaches people what this life is and what the Next Life is. How Allah created people and how this universe began. There is no need for theories saying it happened like this or like that. You can simply say Allah created it; it is easier and more understandable for intelligent people. Foolish people are still searching for how it comes and goes. Everything is in the Quran, Allah's Holy Word. It describes everything from the beginning to the end. Even what will happen afterward, how it will be on Judgment Day. They have theories, and they know it will be as the Quran says, but still, they are not believing. Even the description of Qiyamah in the Quran—they are confirming this in their science. "When the sky is torn apart and becomes rose-colored like oil/paint." (Quran 55:37) When the sky opens and becomes like a rose. They describe exactly this in science; it will look like a giant opening rose. Allah describes this, yet they still do not believe. They are still saying it will happen after billions of years. When Allah wills, when the time comes, everything will happen in one second, Insha'Allah. The important thing is to find good people and follow the blessed way of the Prophets. Which intelligent people are following. Many Awliyaullah (Friends of Allah) are showing the way of Allah. Mawlana Sheikh Nazim, may his secret be sanctified. Alhamdulillah, he was from a well-educated family. They sent him at that time to study in Istanbul. In Cyprus, nobody could afford to study or had enough knowledge to study there at that time. So he was studying in Istanbul. He was very clever, and his brothers were the same. When the time came and his brother passed away, he left his studies. Because he became interested in the Hereafter. This encouraged him to leave worldly studies, although he had finished them, for he was very clever. Mawlana Sheikh, with the Barakah of Awliyaullah, was chosen. He left and performed Hijrah (migration) from Turkey. Because at that time in Turkey, it was forbidden to pray or to wear clothes in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam. He had the intention to go to Medina. First, he went to Syria, to Homs. There was a Madrasa there with great Ulema from the Ottoman era, truly excellent scholars. He studied there for one year. He was living at the Maqam of Khalid ibn al-Walid, the Sword of Allah. He was there, and in this one year, he learned what takes ten years to learn. From Fiqh, Hadith, Tafseer, Arabic—everything. It was not easy; I was also studying, but to study ten years' worth in one year is extremely difficult. But what we study in ten years, he studied in one year. This was to prepare him for his duty. After he finished Sharia, the Sheikh sent him to Damascus. From that time, he met his Grandsheikh, Mawlana Sheikh Abdullah ad-Daghestani. He served him his whole life. Until the end of his life, Mawlana Sheikh Abdullah was looking after Mawlana Sheikh Nazim. When he left the worldly life for seven years, he did not keep a single penny in his pocket. He said, "I don't want Dunya." He was going and coming, even traveling from Syria to Cyprus by small boat, without money; this is his Karamah (miracle). After seven years, Mawlana Sheikh Abdullah told him, "Now it is finished. Enough, you must spend, you must take; there is no problem now." After this, he spent many years with Mawlana. In these years, Mawlana Sheikh Abdullah ad-Daghestani was teaching him and making Tawajjuh (spiritual focus) for him. There were other Murids, but Mawlana Sheikh had a specific interest in Mawlana Sheikh Nazim. He sent him into Khalwa (seclusion) in Medina. Six months in Medina. And after that, in Baghdad also. Mawlana Abdul Qadir al-Gilani, his holiness, was also with him; they were in the same Dergah. A grandson of Mawlana Sheikh Abdul Qadir al-Gilani saw a dream. He was told, "Look, one of our sons will come here; you must look for him and serve him until he finishes his Khalwa." He was told what day he would come and at what time. When Mawlana Sheikh came from Damascus to Baghdad by bus, the first step he took in Baghdad, he saw that man waiting there. He was waiting for him and took him to his place, a room prepared for Khalwa. He served him for this whole time. Mawlana Sheikh said, "I was there for six months." "Every day, when people left, I went near the Maqam of Sayyidina Abdul Qadir al-Gilani and made Muraqabah." "For three or four hours, then I would go back to the room." This was how Mawlana Sheikh was. After he completed many Khalwas, when Mawlana Sheikh Abdullah passed away to Jannah, Mawlana took his place. There are many people who claim they are Khalifa or something, but nobody listened to them. One year before Mawlana Sheikh Abdullah passed away, he said to him, "There will be an opening for you in foreign countries; you must go, you must look for them." After this, when Mawlana Sheikh Abdullah passed away in 1973, in 1974 Mawlana Sheikh came to England for the first time. From that time, Alhamdulillah, he planted the seed and it is growing. And Insha'Allah, it will be with Sayyidina Mahdi and the whole Muslim world, Insha'Allah. For this reason, we say: don't worry, don't be sad. What will be, will be; it is written by Allah 'Azza wa Jalla. Mawlana Sheikh was singing this Qasida every time: "La tukthir li-hammik, ma quddira yakun." (Do not increase your worry; what is destined will happen.) "Wa Allahu al-muqaddir, wa al-'alamu shu'un." (Allah is the Decreer, and the world is full of changing affairs.) Don't be sad about what will happen; it will happen whether you are happy or unhappy. Allah is doing everything, and the people are His creation, so don't worry. Sometimes people say, "I have a panic attack." This comes from weak faith. If they are a believer, there are no panic attacks. Many of them say they have a fear of death. Why fear death? In Turkish, they say: "Korkunun ecele faydası yok." Fear is of no benefit against death. Whether you fear or do not fear, when you are meant to die, you will die. So for this reason, don't be worried. Be prepared for death; pray five times a day. And anytime death comes, it will be good for you, no problem. If you don't have this preparation, that is the time to be afraid. If you are a Mu'min and a Muslim, you pray five times, you fast, you do what Allah says, following the Mashayikh and Awliyaullah. There is no need to fear. You must be happy. Many of the Sahaba spoke like Sayyidina Bilal al-Habashi. He was saying when he was very ill, and he knew he would die. He said: "Tomorrow I meet the beloved ones, Muhammad, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, and his Companions." For this reason, O people, do not be non-believers. Believe that when Allah wants you to eat, you will eat. He gives Rizq (provision) to everybody; He is al-Razzaq. Don't be afraid, saying, "I won't find food, I will die of hunger." If you have the whole world but you have no permission, you cannot eat anything. If you don't have anything, Allah 'Azza wa Jalla will send Rizq for you. Most people have this problem, the problem of Iman (Faith). You must believe in Allah. Are you a Mu'min? Yes, I am a Mu'min. So don't be afraid, don't panic, don't be sad. "Let them rejoice in that." (Quran 10:58), Allah 'Azza wa Jalla says. Be happy if you are following, praying, fasting, and doing good deeds. "In that let them rejoice." (10:58) The command is: You must be happy. Don't be sad. Many things are happening, of course. But it is from Allah. Allah wills what you see. Of course, there are some things we are not happy with, such as oppression or injustice. But we also believe in Allah 'Azza wa Jalla. How He will reward those who are oppressed, or killed, or tortured. All this, Allah will reward them for. And they will be happy forever. Dunya is a short time compared to Akhirah (Hereafter); you cannot even compare them. Mawlana Sheikh, Alhamdulillah, from his ocean he gave without tiring, without stopping. From that day, and before also, he was going around giving Sohbah. Teaching people. Giving them support. Spiritual support is the most important. Without this spiritual support, no one from the Muslims would remain. Because from the first day after the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, they began to attack Islam and true Muslims to destroy them. But with the support of the spiritual power from the Prophet, sallallahu 'alayhi wa sallam, the Sahaba, Ahl al-Bayt, and Awliyaullah, we are still here as we are. We have no fear. May Allah give us, all of you, and all Muslims, good support, Insha'Allah. May Allah keep us on their path. And enable us to imitate them, Insha'Allah. We cannot be exactly like them, as we said. Maybe if we can do one part out of a thousand, it is very good. If we can imitate one part out of a thousand parts of Mawlana, it is very good. So may Allah help us to achieve this, Insha'Allah. Allah bless you. Alhamdulillah, this is the second time in this mosque, Insha'Allah—a blessed place also. The city is also a nice city, with many good people, Alhamdulillah. Allah has brought you here together. May Allah, Insha'Allah, grant you good relationships and happiness with each other. There is no difference between Tariqas. The important thing is to be in a Tariqa, any Tariqa. Mawlana Sheikh used to say that each person has an opening for a certain Tariqa. It is not important which one; just do not be outside of Tariqa, Insha'Allah. Allah bless you.