Mawlana Sheikh Mehmed Adil. Translations.

وَمَا ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَآ إِلَّا مَتَٰعُ ٱلۡغُرُورِ (3:185) Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, says: "The worldly life is fleeting; it does not last." Before us, millions, indeed billions of people have come and gone. Yet everything has an end. Just as the life of a human ends, so too does the world have a limited lifespan. As our Prophet (Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said, humanity has drawn very close to the Day of Judgment since the last Prophet. It has already been more than 1400 years since our Prophet said this. We have now reached the end, yet people are sinking deeper and deeper into this worldly life. They are completely unaware of this; they do not know what is happening or how much time remains. But Allah's command will come to pass. Everything has an end; this world too will end. We are living in the End Times, at the end of all days. Everything is upside down. One hardly knows what is actually going on anymore. وَهُمۡ فِي غَفۡلَةٖ مُّعۡرِضُونَ (21:1) People are living in complete heedlessness. They are clueless and lose themselves in this worldly life. Yet all of this will come to an end. Even if the end of the world were to be delayed, the end of the individual will surely come. As our Prophet (Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said: "A person's death is their Day of Judgment." But in truth, the end of the world is now also near. Therefore, you must wake up. You live in this world – well and good, that is fine. Live your lives, but fulfill the commands of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, while doing so. Do not forget Allah, the Mighty and Exalted; do not forget the Hereafter. For that is what will benefit you. This world is transient, merely play and amusement. Like a mirage – it appears and vanishes again. Therefore, do not let yourselves be deceived; do not fall for this worldly life. Believe in the Hereafter; do not rely on the transient. It will pass away; billions of people have come and gone before us. Those who come after us will also pass away. There is not much time left. Man must know the value of his time and be on the path of Allah. As said: Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, has created everything beautifully and granted blessings; you may use them. The most important thing, however, is to use them without forgetting Allah, the Mighty and Exalted. Make it beautiful; eat, drink, travel, but do not forget Allah, the Mighty and Exalted. Fulfill the commands of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted. For if you do not do that, everything is useless, no matter how beautiful it may appear. The true gain is the pleasure of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted. May Allah be pleased with us, insha'Allah. May we attain His pleasure, insha'Allah.

In a noble verse of the Quran it says that Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, wants to lead us out of darkness into the light. Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, always wishes the good for mankind. He has also granted them free will. Only He alone knows His wisdom, yet Allah desires the well-being of people. Satan, on the other hand, wants to lead those who dwell in the light into darkness, gloom, and evil. Man stands exactly between these two paths; he is either in darkness or in light. Apart from these two, there is no third path. For this reason, following Allah's commands leads man to salvation. Light means salvation, brightness, beauty, clarity, and goodness – in short: every kind of blessing. Darkness, on the other hand, means every kind of difficulty, evil, and tribulation. Everything unknown lies in the dark. That is why nighttime is often more difficult for man. However, what illuminates this darkness is worship, especially the nightly prayers. Therefore, acts of worship performed at night are much more valuable than those during the day. For this worship transforms darkness into light. The darkness recedes, and relief as well as brightness fill the human being. Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, wants what is beautiful and shows you the path so that you may attain this beauty. The path of our Prophet – peace and blessings be upon him – is such a path: it is bright, it is light, light upon light. Allah says: “Nūru s-samāwāti wa-l-arḍ” (He is the Light of the heavens and the earth) (24:35); Allah is the Light. He is absolute beauty, thanks be to Allah. For our own well-being and benefit, we must take this path. This is a gift from Allah to us; one should not reject it. May Allah preserve us. May Allah protect you all from darkness, gloom, and evil, insha'Allah.

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: صَلَاةُ اللَّيْلِ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى، فَإِذَا خِفْتَ الصُّبْحَ فَأَوْتِرْ بِوَاحِدَةٍ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ وِتْرٌ يُحِبُّ الْوِتْرَ. Our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "The night prayer is performed in units of two Rak'ats. Voluntary prayers are also performed in twos." "Whoever fears that the time for the morning prayer is approaching should pray a single Rak'at (Witr) to conclude. Verily, Allah is Witr (One), and He loves the odd number." قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: صَلَاةُ اللَّيْلِ مَثْنَى مَثْنَى، وَالْوِتْرُ رَكْعَةٌ فِي آخِرِ اللَّيْلِ. Furthermore, our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "The night prayer is performed in twos. The Witr prayer is the single Rak'at at the end of the night." As mentioned: This single Rak'at applies to the Shafi'is; they can pray a single one. The Hanafis, on the other hand, must pray three connected Rak'ats. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: الْوِتْرُ حَقٌّ فَمَنْ لَمْ يُوتِرْ فَلَيْسَ مِنَّا. Our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "The Witr prayer is a duty (Haqq)." It is therefore Wajib (necessary). "Whoever does not perform it does not belong to us." So one must not neglect it by thinking it is merely a voluntary act (Nafila); it is Wajib. Performing it is a duty for everyone. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمًا مِائَةً غَيْرَ وَاحِدٍ، لَا يَحْفَظُهَا أَحَدٌ إِلَّا دَخَلَ الْجَنَّةَ، وَهُوَ وِتْرٌ يُحِبُّ الْوِتْرَ. Our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Verily, Allah has ninety-nine Names – one less than a hundred." "Whoever internalizes (enumerates and understands) them will certainly enter Paradise. Allah is One, and He loves the odd number." This means: Whoever memorizes the ninety-nine Names will enter Paradise. Whoever cannot memorize them obtains blessings by reading these Names. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِنَّ لِلَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمًا مِائَةً غَيْرَ وَاحِدٍ، إِنَّهُ وِتْرٌ يُحِبُّ الْوِتْرَ، وَمَا مِنْ عَبْدٍ يَدْعُو بِهَا إِلَّا وَجَبَتْ لَهُ الْجَنَّةُ. "Verily, Allah has ninety-nine Names, one less than a hundred." The Names of Allah are numerous, but there are ninety-nine Names that were specifically revealed to our Prophet and his Ummah. "Allah is One and loves the odd number." Allah loves to be odd even in the number of His Names. These ninety-nine Names are those that Allah communicated to our Prophet. "Paradise is certainly granted to every servant who calls upon Allah by these Names." As stated: It is good to memorize them. If not, one reads them, and through the honor of these Names, one will belong to the inhabitants of Paradise, inshaAllah. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: الْوِتْرُ رَكْعَةٌ فِي آخِرِ اللَّيْلِ. Our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "The Witr prayer is a single Rak'at at the end of the night." This means the Witr prayer should be the last prayer performed. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَا وِتْرَانِ فِي لَيْلَةٍ. Furthermore, our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "There are no two Witr prayers in one night." This means: If you have performed the Witr prayer after the Isha prayer, it is not prayed again before the morning prayer or during Tahajjud; it is once only. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: زَادَنِي رَبِّي صَلَاةً وَهِيَ الْوِتْرُ، وَوَقْتُهَا مَا بَيْنَ الْعِشَاءِ إِلَى طُلُوعِ الْفَجْرِ. Our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "My Lord has added another prayer to my five daily prayers." "This is the Witr prayer. Its time lies between the Isha prayer and the morning prayer." قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: الَّذِي لَا يَنَامُ حَتَّى يُوتِرَ حَازِمٌ. Our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Whoever does not sleep until he has performed the Witr prayer acts resolutely and safely." He means by this: "Whoever performs it before going to sleep – out of concern of forgetting it later or oversleeping – has placed his affair on safe ground." قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ لَمْ يُوتِرْ فَلَا صَلَاةَ لَهُ. Our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Whoever does not perform the Witr prayer, his prayer is not complete." This means prayers without the Witr are spiritually deficient and incomplete. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ نَامَ عَنْ وِتْرِهِ أَوْ نَسِيَهُ فَلْيُصَلِّهِ إِذَا ذَكَرَهُ. Our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Whoever oversleeps the Witr prayer or forgets it should perform it as soon as he wakes up or remembers it." It is therefore a duty to make up the prayer as soon as one remembers it. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: اسْتَعِينُوا بِطَعَامِ السَّحَرِ عَلَى صِيَامِ النَّهَارِ، وَبِالْقَيْلُولَةِ عَلَى قِيَامِ اللَّيْلِ. Our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Seek help through the Suhoor meal for the fast of the day; for Suhoor makes the day easier for the fasting person." "And seek help through the midday nap (Qaylula) to rise for the nightly worship." This means: A little sleep between noon and afternoon makes it easier to get up for prayer at night. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: أَقِلُّوا الْخُرُوجَ بَعْدَ هَدْأَةِ الرِّجْلِ، فَإِنَّ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى دَوَابَّ يَبُثُّهُنَّ فِي الْأَرْضِ فِي تِلْكَ السَّاعَةِ. Our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Reduce going out when people have settled down for the night." People like to go out and wander around at night, but our Prophet advises: "Reduce it." "For Allah, the Exalted, has many creatures that He scatters upon the earth at this hour." There are visible and invisible beings. It is not advisable to go out much at this time; it is better to stay at home. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: إِيَّاكُمْ وَالسَّمَرَ بَعْدَ هَدْأَةِ الرِّجْلِ، فَإِنَّكُمْ لَا تَدْرُونَ مَا يَأْتِي اللَّهُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ. Furthermore, our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Beware of chatting outside after calm has set in." This means that one should not walk around outside engrossed in conversation. "For you do not know which of His creatures Allah brings forth." Allah's creatures are numerous; one could be harassed or harmed – may Allah protect us. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: قِيلُوا فَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ لَا تَقِيلُ. Furthermore, our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Take a midday nap (Qaylula), for the devils do not take a midday nap." The devils do not rest at this time, so you should distinguish yourselves from them. The midday nap is both the Sunnah of our Prophet and a rest for the human being, which the devils detest. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: مَنْ قَرَضَ بَيْتَ شِعْرٍ بَعْدَ الْعِشَاءِ لَمْ تُقْبَلْ لَهُ صَلَاةٌ تِلْكَ اللَّيْلَةَ حَتَّى يُصْبِحَ. Our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Whoever recites poetry (useless speech) after the Isha prayer, his prayer will not be accepted that night until morning." With these words, our Prophet advises refraining from useless things late in the evening. Some might say: "We are Muslims, we can do anything," but one must pay attention to certain things. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: خَفِّفُوا بُطُونَكُمْ وَظُهُورَكُمْ لِقِيَامِ الصَّلَاةِ. Our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) said: "Keep your bellies and backs light to rise for prayer." This means: Do not fill your stomach excessively. Whoever fills the stomach too much is overcome by sleep, and rising for nightly worship becomes difficult. قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: نَهَى عَنِ النَّوْمِ قَبْلَ الْعِشَاءِ وَالْحَدِيثِ بَعْدَهَا. Our Prophet (sall'Allahu alayhi wa sallam) forbade sleeping before the Isha prayer and unnecessary talking afterwards. So there is no reason to sleep between the evening and night prayer; it is even disadvantageous to sleep after the Asr prayer. This is what our Prophet taught. Furthermore, he did not want the night to be spent in useless talk, and he forbade this. Of course, this sensitivity corresponds to the high standard of the Sahaba; may Allah forgive us, insha'Allah.

It is He who enables you to travel And He is over all things competent Allah leads and guides you as He wills. Everything you do happens by His will. The will of Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, is above us all. The believer must know that there is good for him in everything. He must thank Allah that he is on the path of Islam. Therefore, a thousandfold, indeed a millionfold thanks are due to Allah, the Mighty and Exalted. For He has not led us onto other paths. May He—insha'Allah—make us steadfast on this path. May we remain on this path until our last breath, insha'Allah. For He has guided other people onto other paths. There are the people of felicity and the people of misery. The felicitous are those people whom Allah has guided onto His own path. The people of misery are those who walk the opposite path. Yesterday, thanks be to Allah, we visited a place. It was a place where significant events occurred, through which the felicitous were plunged into misery. After this event, they became enemies on Allah's path there. They followed the path of Satan. What had happened? They left the path of the Prophet Jesus and went astray. We were at that place where they denied the rank of prophethood to the Prophet Jesus and declared him to be God. This was an event that took place 1700 years ago. That place was exactly there. They expelled those from there who were on the true path. They killed them. They silenced them. They burned their Gospels. They made everything that belonged to them disappear, all their knowledge. They tried to destroy it, but the truth endures; the truth does not perish. Therefore, we must thank Allah, so that Allah does not let us stray from the right path. For Satan does not rest. Just as he led those off the path and made them worship idols, he also leads people astray here and makes them worship Satan. He makes them serve their own desires. May Allah protect us from evil. This is certainly Allah's decree, but whoever is on the right path should be grateful. May he not leave the path, insha'Allah. May Allah not separate any of us from this path. The true path is the path that Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, has granted us. Blessings last through gratitude. This is the greatest blessing; for this, one must constantly give thanks. Thanks be to Allah for the blessing of faith, insha'Allah. May these blessed months also be full of blessings. May our faith become even stronger through their honor. That is, for man, Islam alone is not sufficient; Iman is required. Together with Islam, Iman is necessary. What is Iman? It is belief in the Unseen. Now there is a group that leads everyone astray. They do not believe in the Unseen. "That does not exist, that cannot be..." While they say: "He is dead, he brings no benefit"... They say "this" and "that" but do not realize that they themselves have strayed from the path, and they lead others astray as well. May Allah protect us from evil. May Allah give strength to our faith, insha'Allah.

Praise be to Allah, may our three holy months be blessed. They began yesterday evening; may they be good and full of blessings. These months are among the great and beautiful months. They are extraordinary months that Allah has especially chosen. The month of Rajab belongs to the sacred months (Hurum). In these months, no war was waged. That is, attacks were forbidden; it was allowed only for defense, otherwise not. But the situation today... What does it look like? Whether people accept it or not... They act according to their own minds. But the important thing is that these beautiful months are a great blessing for people, especially for Muslims; they are a gift from Allah. Good deeds performed in these months are rewarded manifold. Where it is normally tenfold, in these months it is hundredfold, seven hundredfold... Regarding Ramadan, Allah says: "Fasting belongs to Me, and I shall reward it." "The reward for it comes from Me." The generosity and kindness of Allah is incomparable. Everything lies in His hand. He gives as He wills, and He takes as He wills. May Allah give to us, insha'Allah, may He grant us good. Allah gives, but some people... Satan is stingy. He does not like to give. What he gives is only bad, nothing else. Allah, on the other hand, gives good; He grants every kind of beauty and says to the people: "Take." Whoever takes, takes, praise be to Allah. But people who fall for the whisperings of Satan are envious and do not accept it. They say: "There is no such thing." They say: "It does not work like that." O man, Allah is giving, why do you interfere in Allah's affairs? Do you lose anything thereby? Do you pay for it out of your pocket? "No, that is not possible, it is not like that, do not do this, do not do that, do not pray too much, do not do too much Tasbih..." Immediately they say: "Do not pray Sunnah either, Sunnah is not necessary, too many voluntary prayers are unnecessary," and thus they keep people away from good and from gain. Allah has spread out His treasuries before us and says: "Help yourselves." As much as you want... Our Prophet (Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) says: "When you pass by the gardens of Paradise, then: farta'u" By 'farta'u', our Prophet (Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) means: "Take, take abundantly, benefit from it." Where is this place? They are the circles of Dhikr, places of worship, or prayer spots in one's own home. Take as much from there as you can; here lies the gain. For when you close your eyes for the Hereafter... If you have not prepared anything, the book is closed. Therefore, take abundantly in this world from all the gates of good that Allah has opened. Praise be to Allah that He has granted us these months. And today is now the first day, insha'Allah. According to the counting in this country, it is so; elsewhere it may differ. Therefore, these blessed days are days of profit. They are days of mercy, days of beauty. Let us benefit abundantly from them. At the very least, one should recite the praises (Tasbihat) that are specific to these days. Whoever wishes, fasts. Whoever wants, fasts completely; whoever wants, a few days, or on Thursday and Monday. Everything is a gift from Allah. Let us accept them, insha'Allah. May the Islamic world be in a more beautiful and better state next year, insha'Allah. May the whole world accept Islam. May Mahdi Alayhissalam have appeared, insha'Allah. May Allah send him soon, for the state of this world is very bad. May Allah protect us from evil. The devils do not rest either, and their followers do not rest either. They harm the people, they harm the children, they play with their faith. Faith (Iman) is important. Faith must be inseparably connected with Islam. And faith is the love for our Prophet, his path, the Tariqat. Tariqat means path; it is the path that leads to our Prophet. Otherwise, with a dry practice without faith, the human being collapses immediately. Satan causes him to fall. He leads him to bad things, onto bad paths. He makes him do evil. May Allah protect us. We live in a very dangerous time. In this time, faith is necessary; we must strengthen our faith. May Allah strengthen our faith, insha'Allah. Today, for the blessing of this day, the brothers have completed Khatms; 500 Khatms. They have performed all kinds of recitations: Quran Khatms, salutations (Salawat), praises, Tahlil, individual Surahs... May Allah accept them. First for the souls of our Prophet, his family, his companions, all prophets, saints, pure ones, Sheikhs, and all the deceased... May the good intentions of those who read also be fulfilled. May it be a strengthening of faith, insha'Allah. May it be a means for guidance. May it be guidance for the children and also for us, insha'Allah. May we remain steadfast in faith, insha'Allah. May Allah not let us go astray. May Allah make us dependent on no one. May Allah grant us blessed, abundant provision. May Allah grant us happiness in this world and the Hereafter.

So blessed is Allah, the Best of creators. (23:14) Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, has created everything beautifully. His Name is venerable; therefore, we praise Him with "Tabaraka". There is nothing higher than Him. He, Allah, the Almighty and Exalted, has created the most beautiful of all things. But man is dissatisfied and wants to change it. When he changes it, it does not become better; even if it looks beautiful, it harms the human later on. In this day and age, the End Times, people think: "We can do it better, we make everything more beautiful." But while they claim "I am making it better," they are only making it worse. Then they want to return to the original state, but that is no longer possible. Once you have ruined it, you cannot fix it again; you cannot imitate what Allah has created. Therefore, one should not interfere with it too much. One must be content with what Allah has given, be grateful, and live one's life. It is unnecessary to engage in superfluous things just to "be more beautiful". Of course, there are certain necessities; these may be fulfilled. There may be interventions that are necessary for health, but to do it merely out of vanity is not right. "...and they will change the creation of Allah." (4:119) "They alter what Allah has created." It starts with small things, but now major interventions are being added as well. May Allah protect us—in these End Times, men try to resemble women, and women, men. Apart from that, they try to change their faces and eyes, to make themselves bigger or smaller. They do it, indeed, but the harm will come back to them later. Therefore, one must be content and grateful for what Allah has created. For how long is life, anyway? You will not live forever. Fifty years, a hundred years... No matter how long you live, everyone knows and accepts you as you are. So why do you try to change yourself? These are completely unnecessary things. If you want to change something, change your ego; be a better human being. Do not follow your ego; your ego should obey you. Allah has intended this form and this appearance for us. O ego, be content with this. Correct yourself, your inner self. Perform the operation on your ego. Tear out your bad characteristics and throw them away. If you do not like the body that Allah has created, then it is actually you who must change so that Allah may be pleased with you. Otherwise, the outer appearance is unimportant. It is not the form that counts, but the essence of the person, their humanity. If your humanity is not good, then change that. If you are dissatisfied with Allah's decree, change this state; be content with Him. Be grateful for what Allah has given you; be content. That is what matters. The exterior is not important. The body will eventually turn to dust; nothing of it will remain. But your self, your soul, remains forever; you will truly experience the benefit of a purified ego. May Allah grant people to use their intellect in the way He has given them knowledge, so that they may find peace. Otherwise, people find no rest and are satisfied with nothing. They are never content. May Allah help mankind. May He protect them from the evil of the Devil and the ego.

This blessed month of Allah is approaching. Although all months belong to Allah, He has specially chosen this month, so that it is said: "Rajab is Allah's month, Sha'ban is the month of our Prophet (Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and Ramadan is the month of the Ummah." These are exceedingly blessed months. We must prepare ourselves, not forget them, and be constantly aware of them. Now the new year is approaching, and one sees how everything has been decorated. As if it were something magnificent... What really changes when the new year comes? Unfortunately, people waste a lot of effort on such useless things. They attach great importance to unnecessary things that do not benefit them or their Hereafter in the slightest. But they do not think at all about what is truly important. Therefore, we constantly remind you: These months are blessed. In the past, even sinners refrained from their sins out of respect for these months. Even alcoholics did not touch the forbidden during these three months. They said: "These months are holy," and paid them respect. Today, however, some who claim to be Muslims confuse people's minds with statements like: "These three months are not needed, this is unnecessary." Yet these are very important matters. Regardless of those who consider it unimportant, we should seize every opportunity; we must not forget these beautiful spiritual gates that Allah has opened for us, and these spiritual feasts. Let us derive benefit from them and show them respect and reverence. Let us thank Allah that He created us as Muslims. He has gifted us the beauties of Islam; let us benefit from them. Other worldly decorations and festivities are in vain. Imitating other people is also not good. Allah has given you the most beautiful thing; why do you want to be like others? Let them be like you. Resembling others, especially the disbelievers, brings nothing good. Everything they do is mere appearance, just an outer shell. All their places, buildings, even their houses of worship are dressed up on the outside, but when one enters... It is the same with their palaces. If one looks at the palaces of their kings, they seem beautiful from the outside. But if one enters them, only oppression and emptiness prevail there. There, one does not find that peace and beauty as exists in Islam. True beauty lies in Islam; therefore, seek peace, beauty, and goodness nowhere else. Allah has already given you all of this. May Allah increase His bounties and grant awareness to the Muslims, insha'Allah.

Thanks be to Allah, the three holy months are approaching. A whole year has passed since then. Days pass, years go by, and life draws to a close. Therefore, we must make use of these spiritual times. These are the provisions one needs for the Hereafter. The people of the Tariqa—that is, those who follow the path of our Prophet—know the value of this time and utilize it. However, people who have not been granted this blessing do not appreciate it. They are unable to derive benefit from anything. As I said: Satan always wants to harm the believer, never to benefit him. Wherever there is something good, he badmouths it. He acts as if he were giving advice and constantly whispers: "Stay away from that, it is useless. If you do that, you will go astray, commit Shirk; that is not Sunnah." Yet Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, has said: "The year has twelve months, four of which are holy months." The first of them is Rajab. Rajab is a blessed month. Sha'ban is the month in which our Prophet (Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) fasted and performed acts of worship the most. And Ramadan is something very special anyway; there is no doubt about its blessings. Therefore, it is very meritorious to honor these three months and to devote oneself more to worship; this opportunity must not be missed. Fasting is observed in these months. Anyone who still has the two-month expiatory fast outstanding should start two days before the beginning of Rajab to complete the sixty-one days. For one of the months, either Rajab or Sha'ban, might have only twenty-nine days. That is why one must begin two days before Rajab. Whoever does not fast or breaks the fast must perform the expiation (Kaffarah) once in their lifetime. Regardless of whether one has not fasted for one day or a hundred: this single expiation suffices for all transgressions. After the expiation, one should strive to make up the missed days. In this way, the expiation is completed at one time of the year. Subsequently, one begins to perform the obligatory make-up fasts. This takes precedence; for as mentioned, the reward in these three months is much greater and more abundant. There are many Hadiths on this subject, but also many followers of Satan who deny them. Do not listen to them. Thanks be to Allah, the way of the Tariqa shows us the most beautiful path. The Tariqa is the path that leads to our Prophet. That means practicing his Sunnah and his deeds, insha'Allah. This also includes spiritual exercise (Riyadah) and seclusion (Khalwa). In the past, there was a forty-day seclusion for the dervishes. But in this day and age, a complete seclusion is not required, as it would be too difficult and hardly sustainable. That could lead to other problems. Therefore, the partial seclusion applies for the forty days: getting up one hour before the morning prayer, praying until sunrise, reading the Quran, and performing Dhikr. Anyone who has missed prayers to make up performs them before the morning prayer. Of course, one also performs all the night prayers. One continues this until Ishraq time. Whoever is fasting, fasts then; whoever is not, eats breakfast then. One can also perform this partial seclusion between the afternoon and evening prayers or between the evening and night prayers. This is done with the intention of spiritual exercise and seclusion, and Allah accepts it. The seclusion that a dervish must perform once in his lifetime is thereby fulfilled. If he does not do it here, the dervish will be forced to do it in the grave. But doing it here is much more meritorious and pleasant. May Allah bless these days and months and count us among those who know their value, insha'Allah. We must thank Allah and be grateful to Him for this gift. May Allah grant us His gifts permanently, insha'Allah.

"And whoever strives, strives only for his own good." (Surah 29:6) The true Jihad (struggle) is directed against our ego (Nafs). For man cannot wage the Jihad solely on his own. Therefore, our Prophet (Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) said, when he returned from war, the Jihad: "We have returned from the lesser Jihad to the greater Jihad." With these words, our Prophet (Allah's blessings and peace be upon him) meant that the fight against the enemy is easier than the fight against one's own ego. Man must not simply give in to everything his ego demands. He must resist it. There are many reasons for this. There are many reasons why a person must resist his ego, fight against it, and wage war against his own self. One of them is: Because it is bad and brings no benefit at all... The Grand Sheikh, Sheikh Abdullah al-Daghestani (may Allah sanctify him), used to say: "It is made from the filth of the Devil." This refers to tobacco; cigarettes and whatever else there is; everything made from it. It is a plant that has not the slightest benefit. It is nothing but harm. By causing all kinds of diseases and bothering the surroundings, one harms oneself and others. That means, it is something that also causes harm to the people in the vicinity. May Allah protect us; whoever becomes addicted to it becomes its slave. It is very difficult to break free from it. Only a few manage to quit. But as for the training of the ego... Jihad is a command of Allah and a distinguishing mark of the believer; it is a duty in Islam. Since we naturally cannot wage the outer Jihad alone right now, we must wage this struggle against ourselves, at least against our ego. We must strive to get away from this vice. Let us free ourselves from it. There is nothing about it that could be described as useful; no person would claim that it has a benefit. Even where it is cultivated, this plant ruins the soil. Years must pass before the soil recovers and can produce something else again. In the past, this dirty plant was grown on thousands, hundreds of thousands of hectares of land. Then they harvested it, stored it, and paid the farmers. A few years later they dumped it into the sea because it was useless. Fortunately, they have stopped doing that. Instead, at least more useful plants were cultivated that serve mankind. This problem has been – thanks be to Allah – eliminated. As said, it is harmful in every respect; even the cultivation is a damage... A pity for the money for diesel, for tools, for warehouses and all the expenses. So much land is wasted just to grow a harmful plant. Fortunately, we got rid of that. Hopefully, people will also be freed from this evil. But strangely enough, the Devil never gets tired, he takes no break. You see how children and teenagers start smoking; as soon as they light a cigarette, they adopt a posture as if they had saved the world. People even smoke in the toilet. The favorite place of smokers is the toilet. Amidst these foul smells, the smoke probably masks them, for it is even dirtier. That is why they are most content there. May Allah protect us. Even if it looks like it doesn't harm some people, it does affect most of them. It certainly causes harm to ninety-nine percent. The one percent that takes no harm may exist. For example, years ago we were performing ablution in a mosque in Cyprus. There was an old man who was smoking. Our late Ahmet Salman Efendi – who himself used to smoke a lot and then quit – He said to the man: "Uncle, don't smoke that, it is harmful. If you don't smoke, you will have a long life." He asked the man: "How old are you?" He said: "I am ninety-five." "Since when have you been smoking?" He said: "I have been smoking since my childhood." Nothing happens to some, but for most it is harmful; and it burdens the surroundings. This foul smell sticks to the man and spreads everywhere. People try to stay away from them. When they come near you, they smell like an old boiler room. So the harms and the badness are countless. May Allah save them. May Allah protect people from falling into this bad state. May Allah help and save us. Many people come to us and say: "Pray for us so that we may get away from this evil." We will pray, Insha'Allah. May Allah free us from this trap of Satan.

And that Allah does not guide the plan of the betrayers. (12:52) Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, is not with the traitors. We are living in a strange world nowadays. People do anything to badmouth one another and cause each other harm. They slander one another. Whoever is slandered becomes frightened. But what is said? "Who actually has reason to be afraid?" It is the one who commits betrayal. That is, he is hiding something and fears it will come to light. In this day and age, they resort to any means to gain an advantage. They spread fear, demand money, threaten, and try to force things. They leave no stone unturned. But as long as a person is pure, he need not be afraid. For Allah is with him. But if he carries within him a wrong he has committed, then fear and worry plague him. He asks himself anxiously: "Have I done something for these people to harass me and want to harm me?" They intimidate you and say: "We want this from you, we want that." If you are pure, know yourself, and are not aware of any guilt, then never be afraid. Let them slander as much as they want; let them do whatever they wish. If you are pure before Allah and keep your heart clean, then seek refuge in Allah. Allah will protect you. But if betrayal is involved, if you carry wickedness within you, then cleanse it. Return to the truth, come to the right path. If you have violated the rights of others, give them their rights back. Otherwise, there is no salvation for you. Even if you get away with it in this world, you will not escape in the Hereafter. For these rights will certainly be claimed. Therefore: If you settle with them while still in this world, you will be saved. Otherwise, you will spend your entire life in fear and worry. Many people are accused without even knowing it: "You are like this, you are like that." And that frightens people. If you have done nothing, have no fault and no sin, do not fear and place your trust in Allah. Even if the whole world turns against you, do not be afraid. But if you have a fault, then correct it. If it concerns rights and claims, set it right. If there is a sin between you and Allah, repent and ask for forgiveness; then Allah will protect you. For the time in which we live is truly a difficult time. There is no humanity left, no conscience; neither decency nor shame remains. Shamelessness knows no bounds. Therefore, guard yourself, and Allah, the Mighty and Exalted, will protect you. Otherwise, your whole life will become difficult; you will fear everything and everyone. You will stand helpless and ask yourself: "What am I to do?" Whoever is with Allah need not fear, by Allah's leave. May Allah protect us all. May Allah save us from the evil and wickedness of our own egos.