Mawlana Sheikh Mehmed Adil. Translations.

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.

Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was sent as a mercy to all worlds. Whoever wishes to benefit from this mercy should accept that they belong to the community of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, asked Allah in every conceivable way for intercession for his community. And Allah granted our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, this wish. Whoever belongs to the community of Muhammad will receive this intercession by Allah's permission. Those who have accepted our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, have become part of his community. Those who did not must know for themselves what they are doing. Those who reject mercy, who reject the good, must know for themselves what they are doing; they are free. They can do as they wish. They can bring themselves into difficulties as they wish. They can have a bad end if they wish. But a person who seeks salvation asks for the intercession of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. They ask for his mercy. They bind themselves to him. They love him. Those who honor him will be saved. There is no other salvation. Even the prophets ask on the Day of Judgment for the intercession of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. It is said that on this difficult day people will appear as if they are drunk. But they are not drunk. In view of the majesty of Allah and the overwhelming nature of this mighty day, people seem as if they are stunned. If it were actual drunkenness, it would eventually subside, but their state is so extraordinary that only our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, can deliver people from this situation. Even the prophets implore our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, for the sake of the honor Allah has given him, to save them from this difficult day. They seek refuge with him. Therefore, the majesty and greatness of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is the highest with Allah. There can be nothing higher than him. The end of those who do not recognize his worth will not be good. Satan has now attached himself to the youth here and elsewhere. Satan prevents people in every conceivable way from honoring the Prophet. His goal is that they do not accept our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Satan wishes that the end of people will be bad. May Allah protect us from that. May the intercession of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, be upon us. May his mercy be upon us, so that our faith will be strong, if Allah wills.

Today, in the month of our blessed Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, we should remember his beautiful words. We should try to do what he said as best as we can. Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says: "The best among you are those who are the best to their families." He says, the best among you is the one who protects his family, takes care of them, and gets along well with them. Our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said: "I am the best among you." For our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, took the best care of his family. No one surpasses our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who showed every kindness and friendliness to his family and was gentle and merciful. We should try to be like him. To be a good person, as he wanted, one must get along well with one's family. It is the right of the wife and the children that one gets along well with them and takes care of them. To give them beautiful names and to raise them, but not in today's sense of the word: One does not send the children across the country to some universities or elsewhere, hoping that they will learn something there. They teach nothing. You are the one who should teach. You must be a good role model so that they follow you and become like you. So that they stay on Allah's path. That is what our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says. Good people are raised at home. From the family through the neighborhood to the entire city and the country—everything thrives when the core is right. Now everyone follows their own ego. And then people wonder: "Why has it become like this?" You are throwing the children, with open eyes, into the fire. That is not good treatment for them. A person is not good if he raises his family according to his own ideas, outside the boundaries of Islam, not as Islam commands. For good is the one who protects his family from the evils of this world as well as from the fire of the hereafter. May Allah grant all of us to be good people who are good to their families. By family we mean both children and wife and relatives. May Allah instill this understanding in people's hearts so that they can distinguish between good and evil. The good is the way of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. The evil is everything outside of that. There are only two ways, nothing else. May Allah protect us all. May our month be blessed. Peace and blessings be upon our Prophet. May his blessings and his gaze rest upon us.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says: "He who does not truly love me cannot be a perfect believer." The faith of the one who loves the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is perfect. You should also love what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, loves. What he loves, you should also love. More than anything else, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, loves the Ahl al-Bayt, the companions, and the saints. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says: "They are my companions." He loves all his companions. "Whoever speaks ill of them speaks ill of me," says the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Whoever respects him also respects his companions. For they are the people he loves. One must love the Ahl al-Bayt, that is, his family, grandchildren, and descendants. Along with them, one should respect and love the companions, saints, scholars, and sages, as they show the way of Allah and the Prophet. This is part of the perfection of faith. Thus, you will belong to the people whom the Prophet truly loves. The Prophet loves things like prayer, fasting—all that the Prophet loves. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had some foods that he especially liked. Of course, the Prophet also ate. Although there were not many foods at that time, he had certain fruits, vegetables, and dishes that he liked. Eating the foods that the Prophet liked strengthens our faith with Allah's permission. Eating his favorite foods becomes a healing. If one does it with this intention, faith will be strong, Allah willing. There is a story on this topic. An imam went to a village. They gave him pumpkin. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, liked pumpkin. When he saw it, he said: "This is the food that the Prophet loved; it is food from Paradise," and ate it. In the village, there was a lot of this pumpkin. It was both cheap and plentiful; they gave it to him every day. The imam eventually grew tired of it but could say nothing because it was the Prophet's favorite food. Finally, he climbed up the minaret. He said: "Pumpkin in the evening, pumpkin in the morning, I've had enough, O Messenger of Allah." After that, the community didn't give him any more. They had given him so much until he was fed up with it. So much is not necessary either. Whether one likes it or not, a bite of it, out of respect for the Prophet, becomes healing and goodness. Therefore, love for the Prophet is the greatest treasure, the greatest worship. If people have this love, they need fear nothing, Allah willing. They will experience Allah's grace. May Allah bless it. We have again celebrated the Prophet's birth month. That is over now. May we, Allah willing, celebrate an even more beautiful, more blessed Mawlid, where the whole world knows respect for the Prophet.

May this blessed day be a blessing for all of us and the entire Islamic world. Our Prophet was born on a Monday, on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal. Today is a blessed and beautiful day. Whoever honors and respects him will surely receive goodness and blessings. Everything about our Prophet, peace be upon him, serves humanity. Immediately at his birth, he miraculously pleaded to Allah, the Almighty, and cried, "My community." At his birth, he was in prostration. At the moment of his birth, our Prophet pleaded in prostration to Allah: "My community, my community." Until his death, our Prophet always thought of his community. He pleaded to Allah for the salvation of his community. And Allah never rejects the prayers of our Prophet. His intercession reaches everyone who asks for it. Whoever says, "I don't need intercession, I pray and practice my faith, I don't need anyone's help"—they will achieve nothing. Salvation without intercession is extremely difficult. That is, with the rejection of intercession, everything is lost. All deeds and prayers will then be in vain. Therefore, Islam is based on reverence towards our Prophet. Without this reverence, everything we do is useless. Therefore, honoring this day and venerating our Prophet brings us great blessings. Great benefits are surely bestowed upon us. Our Prophet, Allah's beloved servant, has attained the highest rank among people. To honor and visit him in every way is granted to those who are able. To those who cannot, Allah gives according to their intention. There are many Muslims who venerate everything about our Prophet. May Allah protect them. May Allah keep them on the right path. For when a person does good, Satan whispers doubts. He says, "You're doing it wrong." "You shouldn't do it like that." Of course, because Satan is jealous; he doesn't like it. He doesn't like our Prophet. Because he doesn't like him, he wants to keep people away. He wants people to receive no benefit from it and stay away. Thank Allah, last night not only was our Prophet honored, but also a relic of his blessed body—a hair from his beard—was venerated. A single tiny piece of a hair from our Prophet's beard is of inestimable value to a believer. Thanks be to Allah that we were able to be in the presence of a beard hair of the Prophet. The blessing reached the visitors. The blessing also reaches those who could not come, who wished for it, who watched from afar. Allah's treasures are immeasurable and inexhaustible. He gives to people according to their intentions. May this holy day be a blessing for us all. May the whole world find Islam and unite in respect before our Prophet. May this happen already next year and not later. May people worldwide recognize his value and acknowledge him. May all people together, at the side of Mahdi Alayhissalam, pay their respects to the Prophet, peace be upon him. May Allah be pleased with all of you.

Eternal thanks be to Allah. Infinite thanks and praise are due to Him. Eternal thanks be to Him for making us followers of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. For every minute, every breath, every second, thanks be to Him. One must recognize the value of this great grace. Some people ask why Allah created us. Even some Muslims ask: "Why did Allah create us?" With all due respect, who are you to ask this question? See, Allah has created you. What can you do? You can do nothing at all. You have come into this world by Allah's will. Allah creates as He wills. He could have created you as a stone, or as an insect. As an animal, as a bird, as a jinn, or as an angel. He created as He wanted. You have no decision-making power over it. In Islam, it is about accepting Allah's will and submitting to your Creator. Aslim Taslam! Peace through submission! Otherwise, your mind will be confused for a lifetime. "Why did He create? Why am I here? If only I were, if only I were not"—thus you will ponder all your life. Yet Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has created you as a human. And to the human, He has commanded and told what he should do. If you follow this instruction, you will find peace. Nowadays, many people buy, let's say, a device with a thousand things in the manual on how to use it and what to do with it. If you ignore that and act on your own discretion, you have already broken it before you have properly held it. Yet it was explained to you there. Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has created you and shown you what you should do so that you walk the path to peace. Even if there are torments in the world, your mind will be at peace, for this is Allah's decree and will. Say: We will be patient! The days in this world pass by; we hope to pass into the hereafter in peace. There we will enter the paradises promised by Allah. Otherwise, in this world there is dispute and turmoil; one quarrels with oneself, with the family, with the people one lives with, with the world; one makes trouble and difficulties everywhere and with everything. This life, this hell before the hereafter, one already experiences in this world. So if you want to experience paradise in this world, follow the path of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Walk the path that he has shown. Whether you are poor or rich, sick or healthy, there is reward and recompense from Him for everything. If you follow the path of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, you will find peace. The greatest gift is that we may belong to the community of the Prophet in the end times. That is the most important: to be allowed to be part of the community of the Prophet. That too is by the will of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, who has created us in this time. The world is chaotic, confused. If you want peace, be with Allah, find peace. The world may perish, it will not affect you, nothing will happen to you. Otherwise, not so. Even if you live in the safest place, this inner darkness, this restlessness will not let you come to peace. Thank Allah, today is the birthday of our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, who was sent as a mercy to the worlds. Every kind of beauty Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, has assigned to him and his community. Just now, Hafiz Imam Efendi, Abdurrahman Efendi, has delighted the people with his beautiful recitation of the Holy Quran. And this greatest gift for the community is the noble Quran. Everything is contained within it. Peace, knowledge, health, salvation, beauty! That is precisely the gift of our Prophet to us, a miracle. If you will, this is the greatest miracle—in other words, among the miracles of our Prophet, one of the greatest is the Noble Quran. No one can change it, no one can create anything similar. No one can match the things within it. It is the eternal word of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic. May Allah bless this day and this night for us. May Allah be pleased with us.

Thanks be to Allah, our community has once again gathered here to remember our Prophet, the beloved of Allah. These gatherings serve to pay respect to our Prophet, to honor him, and to express our love for him. In doing so, we fulfill the command of Allah, the Exalted and Almighty. In the Quranic verse that we just heard during the Friday sermon, Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, says that He has sent our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—as a witness over our deeds. Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, says: "I have sent him as a bearer of glad tidings and as a warner." Our Prophet has said: "I have come to you as the Prophet of Allah." The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—brought good news to the people so that they might be freed from darkness, ignorance, and oppression. But the people did not listen to it. Even if people gradually understood it, they naturally did not recognize the value of this grace. Our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—has also come as a "Nadhir," that is, as a warner. "I have come to warn you of the punishment. If you do not do this, if you do not accept these good and beautiful things that Allah has given you, then there will be torment, hardship, and punishment for you." Does that apply to the Hereafter? It even applies before the Hereafter, even in this world. Even in this world, whoever does not respect and honor our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—finds no peace. His life will not go well. This is an urgent warning and admonition from Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, to us. He says: "I have sent you the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him." He has come to us from Allah, the Exalted and Almighty. Our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—is not an ordinary human being. Our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—says in a hadith: "I am the first who was created." "I was created as the first of the prophets." "But I am also the last of the prophets to be sent to humanity." Before all people, the light of our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—was created; afterwards, the others were created. From this light, the body was then created, and finally humanity. Therefore, the blessing of our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—is immeasurable for us. His worth is priceless. "Take it," he says, "I give you the greatest, most valuable gift; accept it." To the one who does not accept it, Allah, the Exalted and Almighty, says: "Then take what you deserve; take the difficulties, the torments, the unrest." Our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—was created as light; his path is the path of light. However, the path of darkness is the path of others. All paths outside the path of our Prophet are paths of darkness. Whoever follows them is ruined. Whoever follows the path of our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—wins. He wins for eternity. The others, on the other hand, lose forever, or there are those who later repent and, after serving the punishment for their mistakes, come out. But this torment is not necessary. Our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—says: "Whoever loves Allah should love me." "Whoever follows my path wins, finds salvation, is saved. There is no other way to salvation." The paths outside the path of our Prophet lead to one place; they lead nowhere else. They lead to the abyss. No matter what one does. Whoever does not follow the Prophet's path ends up in the abyss. He will have to account for it. May Allah protect us from that. May the light of our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—rest upon us. May his peace be with us. Blessings and peace be upon our Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, advises us to be an "ummah wasat," that is, a moderate community, and to do the things that you do without exaggeration. So that it is easy for you. The religion of Islam is not a difficult religion but an easy religion. In this religion, there is relief. All the prayers that must be performed are burdensome to the ego. For the ego, they are hard, but actually, they are very easy for people. Some people can do more; others do nothing at all. Therefore, it is the advice of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to keep to the middle way and to be consistent. One day, three people came to the mosque of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. One of them said, "I will not sleep at all; I will pray all the time." The other said, "I will fast constantly; I will never be without fasting." "I will fast to devote myself to prayer." The third said, "I will not marry so that my prayer will not be interrupted; I will only pray." When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, heard this, he said, "I sleep and wake up and pray." "I fast, and sometimes I do not fast; I do not fast constantly." "And I also marry," he said. "So not marrying is not acceptable," said the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. This should be a lesson for us; these companions thought according to their own understanding, although the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is even more exalted and yet does not do what they said. It is not necessary, for if the prayers that you perform are accepted by Allah, you are with Allah and attain His pleasure. The daily things that you do, like being with your family, earning your livelihood, working—Allah, exalted and mighty is He, counts these also as prayer. They also bring merit. Therefore, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, says that one should not withdraw from worldly life like monks and do nothing else but pray. You attain the reward and merit through these deeds that you perform. So this is an ease. Otherwise, if he had said, "Do that as well," many people who devote themselves to prayer and are on the path of Allah would give up everything else and try to do this. They would try not to sleep and to fast constantly, but humans have only limited strength. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, teaches us the best and recommends to us the best. Following his way is the greatest gift for the believer. If Allah enables you to walk on this path, that is the greatest and best thing one can ask from Allah. Let us now say a prayer. Let us pray: May Allah not lead us away from the right path. May the love of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, always be in our hearts. That is the most important thing. The love for the Prophet should stand above everything. Nothing can stand above him. No worldly thing stands above him. For thousands of years, people have lived and died. They live and go. What countries have come, what kings, what sultans have come. None have remained. Whoever loves for the sake of Allah's love has won. Whoever is not for the sake of Allah's pleasure and says, "This has brought me this benefit, that has brought me that benefit," has found no benefit. No benefit comes from anything outside of Allah, exalted and mighty is He. So the benefit of the other is for oneself. As benefit, the love for the Prophet should always be above everything in our hearts. Sometimes people unknowingly say, "I love this very much, I love that very much..." Therefore, one must seek repentance and forgiveness every day, for no love can stand above the love for the Prophet. No child, no parents, no country—nothing can stand above the love for the Prophet. Therefore, one must pay attention. If a person always keeps this in mind when speaking, he will receive great reward with this intention. The greatest reward is the intercession of the Prophet. That is the most necessary for all of us. If it were not for that, even if you had all the knowledge of the world, or perform all the prayers of all the pious ones, if the love for the Prophet is not present, it has no benefit. May Allah make us all steadfast.