Mawlana Sheikh Mehmed Adil. Translations.

شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أُنزِلَ فِيهِ ٱلْقُرْءَانُ هُدًۭى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَـٰتٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلْهُدَىٰ وَٱلْفُرْقَانِ (2:185) This is commanded by Allah. The Holy Quran was revealed in this blessed month. The Holy Quran was sent down as a whole. Afterwards, it was revealed to people piece by piece. The Holy Quran is the greatest miracle that the Prophet, peace be upon him, received from Allah. The Holy Quran contains all knowledge and wisdom. Both all overt knowledge and the inner hidden wisdom of all things are in the Holy Quran. The Holy Quran tells of the people of the past and gives news of the future people. The Holy Quran contains everything: what happened and what will happen. This book is blessed; this book is the one that Allah gave to the nation of the Prophet, peace be upon him. The Holy Quran is the book that comes from Allah, and the greatest thing a human being could hold in their hands. There were also previous revelations: the Bible and the Torah; but they all have been altered. Only little truth remains in them. The Holy Quran is without any alteration. بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا ٱلذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُۥ لَحَـٰفِظُونَ (15:9) Allah commands: We have sent down the Quran. We will protect it. There will be no alteration. Nothing will be added to this book and nothing will be removed from it. This is the word of Allah, a great blessing to mankind. It is a great gift from Allah. It is an invaluable gem for the nation of the Prophet, peace be upon him. They are priceless gems. This is the Holy Quran. Allah revealed through the Prophet, something great that cannot be imitated, although it was announced in human language. No modern computer, not a billion of them combined, could produce something comparable. The Arabs were then number one in the art of speech and poetry. There was no one who surpassed them. 28 But even they were fascinated by the language of the Holy Quran. Both believers and non-believers agreed: The Holy Quran is inimitable and no one could produce something comparable. Therefore, the greatest miracle is the Holy Quran. Those who read it are filled with light. Those who read it find healing, find good. Therefore, we must definitely read it. If you can learn it, good, if not, you can read it in a transliterated version if necessary. Of course, it is best to learn and read the Holy Quran as the Prophet, peace be upon him, recited it. This is, however, too hard for some people. You should at least memorize some chapters. Allah will give you the reward, according to your intention. The Holy Quran is a great gift for us. O Allah, give us the constancy and inner satisfaction through the Quran. Reciting the Quran is the greatest gift for us. May Allah grant us perseverance and inner peace through the Quran.

Thanks be to Allah: Our Tariqa is the Naqshbandi Tariqa. The Naqshbandi Tariqa is the way that follows the path of Allah, the path that leads to Allah. This path is a source of happiness for those who are assigned to it. Their life becomes more beautiful. Both the worldly and the afterlife become beautiful and blessed. The life will be for them so that they will attain Allah's pleasure. All Tariqas are ways that lead to Allah. These are ways that all lead in the same direction. However, the Naqshbandi is stronger! This path is, with Allah's permission, a path that leads to all kinds of goodness. This path comes from our Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. It is the path of Ahl al-Bait, the Sahabas, saints, and scholars. This path is the path of light for humanity. It is the path that shows the right way. It is a firm path! Without deviation, with Allah's permission, this path will guide the way to Allah until the end of time. This is the Naqshbandi Tariqa! Those who have entered this path are fortunate people. There are many people out there who know nothing about Islam. There are also many who do know, but sometimes do not fulfill Allah's commandments. We cannot chastise them. We should be grateful for our condition. Our state is praiseworthy. Those who have the fortune to participate in such assemblies are chosen among so many people. These assemblies are such that Allah is pleased with and the angels are envious of. We are all gathered here in this holy month of Ramadan for Allah's sake. Allah's abundance, blessings, and mercy are raining down upon us. This is the greatest luck. This is the biggest profit. This is the greatest joy. Assemblies like these are not numerous. Compared to gatherings that displease Allah, these are very few. There are many gatherings that want to cause all kinds of trouble. But these gatherings are the most beautiful; Allah looks upon them with favor. They are the most useful gatherings with the greatest profit! May the blessings of our Sheikh accompany us. The glances of the Sahaba, the Ahl al-Bait, the Prophet, the angels, all are directed towards us. Their blessings are raining down upon us. We thank Allah for this. May these gifts always stay with us. Outside there are those who fast, but also those who do not fast. Do not let yourself be influenced by others. We must be a thousandfold, millionfold, grateful for our condition. This is a gift from Allah. Those have not received this gift. They know it. Allah knows it. Our task is to control ourselves and master our own egos. May Allah not leave us to our egos. May Allah protect us from following the ego. May the ego submit to us. Trample upon your ego with your feet as you steadfastly advance on this path. Don't give your ego a chance.

إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَنَّـٰتُ ٱلْفِرْدَوْسِ نُزُلًا (18:107) صدق الله العظيم Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, promises Paradise to the believers who do good deeds. Paradise is a place that the human mind and imagination cannot comprehend. Everything happens by the power of Allah, but Paradise is a place that Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, has specially prepared for the believers with His Omnipotence. It is a place of beauties that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind can grasp. Allah promises the believers Paradise. "I will surely give them Paradise," says Allah, the Almighty and Exalted. Good tidings! But man does not appreciate this. Do not look at others. You, as a Muslim, should be on the path of Allah. Do not deviate from the path and the commandments of Allah. The path of Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, is not a difficult path. It is not difficult for humans, but for the lower self, the ego. Herein lies the real problem, praying is not hard for humans, but for the ego. It is not difficult to fulfill the commandments of Allah, it is only difficult for the ego. Even if the effort for prayer compared to all the other things you do is only one percent, still, the prayer would seem hard to the ego. The one who controls his ego gains the blessings of Allah. Allah gives them to anyone who desires them. Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, does not reject anyone who asks for them. May we be among those to whom this good news is addressed. This is a blessed month. There are all kinds of beauties in this month. Fasting, prayers, Sahur, Iftar: Every type of worship has its own rewards. In return for this, one feels refreshed and reaches those wonderful places in the hereafter. May Allah grant it to us. Let us recognize the value. Appreciation is a characteristic of prophets and good people. Not appreciating is a characteristic of those who are not good; it is a characteristic of the devil. They appreciate nothing. No matter what you do, they pay no attention. Therefore, we thank Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, for these gifts that He has given us. Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, has granted us these beautiful things. Many people have not received these. Therefore, we praise and thank Allah.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ ٱلذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلْغَفُورُ ٱلرَّحِيمُ (39:53) Allah is the one who forgives all sins, He is the Forgiving. No matter what sins have been committed, upon repentance, Allah turns them into rewards, so that the sin is removed and rewards take its place. Allah has done this out of His generosity, to provide mankind every conceivable way to salvation. There are many people who spend their entire lives committing bad deeds or not doing good deeds, but if they repent before they die, they find salvation. The gates of repentance are open. The gates of repentance will only be closed on the Day of Judgment. From that point on, repentance will no longer be accepted. There are people who have doubts. There are scrupulous people, women and men, who ask: 'Will Allah forgive our sins?' Allah promises again and again, both in the Holy Quran and through the statements of the Prophet, that He will forgive. 'Repent, I will forgive your sins,' Allah proclaims as glad tidings. And yet there are still people who ask: 'Will He forgive me?' Allah will forgive. Do not doubt that. There must be no doubt about it. The word of Allah is the truth. You should listen to the word of Allah. Do not listen to your ego, which makes you doubt whether Allah will forgive you or not. If you listen to these doubts, then you are not listening to the word of Allah. This is an even greater danger. Do not doubt the mercy of Allah, and do not give in to the insinuations, "Would have, Could have, Should have." You must believe that Allah will surely forgive and will accept all good deeds. Whoever believes in the mercy of Allah will be saved. If someone thinks they can be saved through their own deeds, they are mistaken and will not be saved. May Allah protect from this mistake.

Allah is the Almighty and He, who makes everything happen according to His will. Many people are dissatisfied with their lives or themselves. This dissatisfaction is a familiar state for most people. Because many of them have no faith. They are missing something. They are directionless. That's why they reject everything. They are satisfied with nothing. They dislike many things. Then there are people with a bit of understanding of religion and faith. But they too are plagued by dissatisfaction. They complain: "I want to eliminate disbelief from the world. In my world, there should be no unbelievers. If it were up to me, I would do this and that differently." Everything has happened and happens with Allah's will. If Allah wishes, He will surely send a person to bring about change. And it will happen with Allah's permission. Allah's promise is the truth. Disbelief will end; there will be no more disbelief, no injustice, no evil. But the current situation requires that especially the followers of Tariqah be content with Allah's judgment, accept what Allah gives them, and not rebel against it. The knowledge and wisdom of Allah are unfathomable. The knowledge and wisdom of Allah cannot be questioned. In former times, many true saints and sages lived. The saints in the past were more numerous in public. Today's saints are hidden; they have withdrawn. Therefore, the world is full of people without faith. They are Muslims, but they have no faith. The number of people without faith has increased. They are dissatisfied with things and promise to do this and that differently. Meanwhile, they make judgments at their own discretion. In the past, there were many great true scholars and spiritual masters. One of them was Muslihuddin Efendi, a great scholar and saint. After completing the sciences of the exterior, he sought true knowledge. To gain this knowledge, he went to a great sheikh named Sumbul Efendi. The scholars of the Ottoman era had great respect for Sumbul Efendi. His rank was known. One day, Sumbul Efendi gathered his students and asked them the following question to test their suitability: "The question for your lesson today is: What would you change if the world were in your hands? Later, I will gather the opinions of each of you and ask what your thoughts on it are. May this task reveal how far your progress is," said Sumbul Efendi. They all thought about it all day. One by one, they came to their sheikh. "Sheikh, I would eliminate this injustice, I would change this and that, I would do this and that," they said until they all had expressed their opinions. Then it was Muslihuddin Efendi's turn. The sheikh asked him what he would do and how he would improve the world. He asked him: "What would you do if it were up to you?" "If everything were in my hands," he said, "I would leave everything at its respective center just where it is now. I would leave everything as it is. Allah has wanted everything this way. It is not for me to express a will where there is Allah's will," he said. Because of this answer, Muslihuddin Efendi became known as Merkez Efendi: the Sheikh who leaves all things at their center. He is revered to this day. He had great knowledge. Both in medicine and in the sciences of the exterior and the interior. He educated many students. He made good people. People visit him to this day. They learn from his wisdom. People always want everything to go their way. Merkez Efendi teaches Muslims a great lesson: Allah has created everything in the best way. Everything happens as He wills. This is a very important lesson. Those who accept and apply this wisdom find peace. They have no headaches. Their heart comes to rest. They are content that everything happens according to Allah's will. May Allah make us such servants.

Every time we begin with gratitude towards Allah. With each of our actions, we should be grateful to Allah. Through gratitude, blessings, and gifts are multiplied. The gifts always remain consistent. The only permanence comes from Allah. Through His blessing, His power, His mercy, and His eternal being, we receive the gifts, whenever He wills. That's why we start everything with gratitude. Thanks to Allah, we have arrived again at these blessed days. The days pass quickly and fly by. Our thanks is for our steadfastness on the right path. We are thankful that we can remain persistent. We are thankful so that Allah may consistently grant us His gifts. We thank Allah for today, as it is the 19th of Ramadan. Tomorrow is the 20th, and then there is another beautiful worship: Itikaf. Our Prophet, peace be upon him, never missed this. Those who want and can do it, should do it. This means, it is not an obligation, but for those who want, it is a great blessing and a great benefit to practice Itikaf. Itikaf lasts for ten days. Itikaf can be done for seven days, five days, one day, or one hour. What matters is to have the intent, and to have the intent for Itikaf every time you enter the mosque. But actually, Itikaf lasts for ten days. Our Prophet, peace be upon him, practiced for ten days. But for the Muslims in general, it is enough to do as much Itikaf as they can. So, opening us up to the intention to practice Itikaf with each entry to the mosque gives us gates to rewards and the good path. In the Hadith at the Juma hutba, our Prophet, peace be upon him, pointed out that the blessings of Ramadan in the afterlife are turned into rewards that we cannot even imagine. In this world, people strive for meaningless things. They yearn for things of little value. They do nothing for the afterlife, the actual, eternal life. This is part of the determination that Allah intends for people. All we can do is deliver Allah's message to those who do not practice. Whether they act or not is up to them. If Allah does not bless them with it, they will not do it. But we should be sad about them missing out on such good things. May Allah protect us on this path. We must ask Allah that we do not become like them. May He makes us steadfast. On the path of Islam, of light, of beauty, may he make us steadfast and help us. Because one can never be sure of the whims of the ego. If one makes a misstep, they fall into an abyss and are lost. All efforts will then become worthless. Therefore, we need to stay alert. We need to show gratitude towards Allah. Say: "This is a favor from my Lord!" هَٰذَا مِن فَضْلِ رَبِّي If Allah does not bless you with this, no matter how hard you try, it will not be possible. It will not be possible. What Allah wills happens. Do not question: Why did Allah do this? Those who ask this question will achieve nothing. They will only lose many things, but gain nothing. These blessed days are a booty for the afterlife. Not a booty of the world, but a booty of the hereafter. You can take as much from it as you want. Nobody can say anything to you. The more, the better, says Allah. Our door is a door of generosity, says Allah. Do not hesitate, do not be shy. Take in abundance. Take as much as you want, says Allah. What do we do? While we run away and say we do not want it. Then we constantly complain about why we are in trouble. If you flee from Allah, where will you go? Trouble! That's a known fact. There are two ways, no third. There is the way of Allah and the way of the devil. You're either on Allah's way or on the devil's way. Whoever is on Allah's way, has won. Whoever is on the way of the devil, has lost. They can eat and drink as much as they want. They can eat day and night without interruption. It will not benefit them. The only benefit would be that their belly gets bigger and they get fat. It has no other advantage. The damages are greater than the benefit. May Allah protect us from such people. May he not lead us astray from the right path. Again, millions and billions of praises of gratitude to Allah that He brought us on this path. We have many examples in front of us. They are humans like you and me, but Allah has not given it to them. That's why we should be grateful! We need nothing else. Stay steadfast through gratitude! May Allah make us among the grateful.

One of the diseases of the ego is self-complacency: Ujub. Ujub means self-love. These diseases of the ego can occur in anyone. Although they can occur in anyone, it is not good if someone who follows the Sharia and the Tarikat is self-complacent. Why is it not good? Because it diminishes the merit of performed prayers. 'I got up to pray at night while others are asleep.' Satan makes people say such things so that the merit of their prayers is lost. What you are doing is already flawed and only half of half. To make you completely lose the blessing of your deeds for Allah, Satan tempts you to fall into self-complacency. Self-complacency is a common danger on the spiritual path. Satan tempts people into self-complacency in various ways. Some people boast because of worldly things. They think they dress well, they are attractive, they are beautiful, they have this or that, and their status is so high. These are worldly matters. From the start, they have been busy with useless things. Self-complacency is not well-taken by people. Even though they work hard, people who consider themselves superior are not well-regarded. They are envied. Even if they gain recognition, they do not gain affection and they lose the blessing of their achievements. Especially for those on the path of Allah, self-complacency is not a good thing. Beware of self-complacency. If you pray, be grateful that you can pray. You should not put yourself above others because they don't do it. Allah has given you this grace, not the others. You must know that this does not come from you, but from Allah the Almighty. All the good deeds we do are a grace and a gift from Allah the Almighty. These are great gifts. We must be grateful for that. Allah, protect us from the evil of our ego. We should not feel superior and look down on others because we pray and commit pious deeds. Allah, protect us. Allah the Almighty has power over everything. He can take it away from you and give it to the one you despise. Then you are left with nothing. Allah, protect us from the pitfalls of the ego. May Allah protect us from the ambush of the ego in these blessed days.

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم إِنَّ كَيْدَ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنِ كَانَ ضَعِيفًا (4:76) صدق الله العظيم Satan's plan, his malice, is weak. No matter how strong it may seem, it is weak. Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, can nullify Satan's plan, no matter how strong it may appear. People boast about their physical strength. They have no idea about spirituality. Or they don't believe in it. The true power lies in spirituality. Physical strength is useless against spiritual power. That's why we must focus on spiritual strength. Do not trust in the power of Satan, do not be with him. Those who are with him will lose in the end. Those who are against him will always win. Even if they seem to lose in this world, Allah will raise their rank in the end. The truth will come to light. This has been shown from the time of Adam to the Last Prophet, peace be upon them all, many a time. Like on this particular day, the 17th of Ramadan, when the Battle of Badr took place. The disbelievers said, 'We will annihilate the Muslims.' But they were defeated and withdrew. In our time today, the same conditions prevail. People have become even worse. They do things no human should do. Then they claim they are this and that, and their hypocrisy comes to light. Allah, the Exalted, humiliates them in this life. They will face punishment in the hereafter. Their destination is Hell. Everything they do is futile. All they do is nothing but evil. And this evil will hit them back. Muslims, who are with Allah, will always be successful. May Allah make us amongst the successful. أولئك الفائزون Allah describes those who are with Him as the winners: Faizun. Those who are with Allah, will always win. Those who are with Satan: حزب الشيطان هم الخاسرون Those who are with Satan will always lose. May Allah protect us. May we always be among those who are with Allah and not be led astray by Satan.

This blessed month of Ramadan is special in every aspect. In this month, our Prophet not only fasted and devoted himself to worship. He also participated in some great battles in this month. One of them was the great Battle of Badr. With the permission of Allah, despite being outnumbered by the enemy, those who were with Allah achieved victory. The names of these blessed companions were written down and hung in homes in former times. This served for protection. The companions also have various degrees. First come the Sabiqun al-Awwalun. They were the first to embrace Islam. Then come those who pledged allegiance by performing the Bay‘ah. And then come those who participated in the battles. Allah has assigned each of them a rank. Their ranks are high. The attention that our Prophet gave to them is proof that it is fitting to show respect to good people. This is not a new phenomenon, Satan has been trying since old times to prevent people from showing respect to these honorable persons. Without this respect, however, people do not get their share of the rewards. These gifts are given only to those servants loved by Allah. Therefore, we must be careful. It is not good to offend the servants loved by Allah. You only attract unnecessary problems and bring misfortune upon yourself. May Allah protect us from it. May Allah protect their secrets. May their ranks be exalted. We love those whom our Prophet loved. Whoever insults them will be in misfortune. This will remain until Judgment Day. Therefore, one should not be with ignorant people. Do not be with people who pose as scholars but are bad scholars: ulama as-su‘. Their number has increased. Our Prophet predicted this situation as a miracle. He said that in the last times there will be many scholars, but knowledge will decrease and there will be many people who speak empty words. So be careful. Do not blindly believe everything that is said and keep distance from people who speak badly. Their evil will also affect you. May Allah protect us. May Allah be pleased with the blessed Ashab al-Badr and all companions of our Prophet. Their ranks are high. May their blessings also reach us.

وَءَاتُوا۟ ٱلزَّكَوٰةَ وَأَطِيعُوا۟ ٱلرَّسُولَ (24:56) صدق الله العظيم Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, commands the payment of zakat. This is one of the pillars of Islam. Everyone knows that zakat must be paid, but people must be reminded. Human ego is characterized by stinginess. ٱلْأَنفُسُ ٱلشُّحَّ (4:128) In the Holy Quran, the term “Shuḥ” is mentioned, which describes extreme stinginess, utmost greed. The ego is stingy by nature. That's why people always need to be encouraged to give. One should not follow their own ego. If they do, they harm themselves. The harm caused by stinginess and greed is greater for the owner themselves than for others. That's why it's a great blessing to pay zakat. It leads to rewards. It's the key to all goodness. Do not see it as a loss of your wealth. Zakat means your wealth grows! If you give, Allah will give you more. If you do not give, Allah will not give. And even if Allah gives, you will not be able to see the benefit of your wealth if you do not give zakat. A wealthy person boasts of his wealth: "I am rich. Things are good for me!" It's not about the quantity. What's important is to benefit from it. Put all your wealth in one pile, say "This is mine". What does this money do for you if you don't do anything with it? It has no use at all. Zakat is the right of Allah. Allah the Exalted has intended it for the needy. Whoever pays zakat, Allah gives them blessings, goodness, and reward. The position of the zakat-payer in the hereafter will be elevated. Whoever does not pay zakat will receive Allah's wrath. Allah will not be pleased with them. If Allah is not pleased, then nothing will benefit you. That's why we remind once again. Zakat is not a very high amount. If everyone paid zakat, taxes wouldn't be necessary. In non-Muslim countries, taxes are raised to 80% or 70%. Even in our countries, taxes are high, yet there is no benefit or utility. It is still not enough. They always want more. Allah the Exalted only asks people for what they can bear. 2.5% zakat is a very small amount, but very blessed. If people would pay this small contribution, there would be no poverty. But people follow Satan and try to escape paying by fraud, or they don't even think about paying, or if they think about it, they say, "Why should I donate so much money?" The more money they have, the stingier they become. If they have a million, they donate 25,000. They say that's a lot, but if it's ten million, then they donate 250,000. If it's a hundred million, then they donate two and a half million. The more money they have, the more afraid they are to donate more, not thinking about how much more money they have. They only think about what they have donated, and not about what they still have. They think about the little they have given, not about the great they still have. This is stinginess. May Allah protect us from it. May Allah enable us to use our intellect in the right way. The intellect is there, but it's important to use it correctly. May Allah accept our good deeds. May Allah bless and accept what we have given. May Allah be pleased with those who give.