Weekly Sermons

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					Today’s world is clouded by confusion, harsh conditions, and fear. Everything feels tainted and oppressive. Darkness looms over the course of events, and horizons have grown painfully narrow. Almost nothing flows in its proper course anymore. Even Muslims have drifted far from the essence of Islam. With the withdrawal of true scholars, people have begun to accept the ignorant as authorities. Every corner seems occupied by Satan and his followers, deceiving and misleading people through endless schemes and traps. Justice has been reduced to a name only. Injustices now surpass even the brutalities once carried out by Hajjaj. On one side, oppression, victimization, and wrongful imprisonment weigh heavily on people’s lives; on the other, acts of betrayal continue one after another. Some tyrants commit such horrific atrocities just to preserve their power and pomp that even Satan himself—were he to witness it—would likely break into dance and shout in delight.
In such a dark period, what we truly need is to revive the nights through worship, to build a stronger connection with God, and to stand in His presence with a heart that is fully awake. If we hope to remain standing amid storms so fierce that even mighty plane trees are uprooted, we must cling tightly to the commands of our Lord. If we wish to live with dignity in the face of tyrants who are persistent and resolute in their cruelty, we must build a firm relationship with God, grounded in a constant awareness of His presence. If we are to resist the deep and treacherous forces that come against us with hostility, we must keep deepening our understanding of the religion and extend our spiritual roots ever deeper into the soil. As the ancients would say, we are in desperate need of all these things—at the level of eshedd-i ihtiyaç. Otherwise, a series of relentless tsunamis—God forbid—will sweep us away in their wake. We will be scattered like autumn leaves in the wind.
Every step taken toward God is met with steps of greater magnitude in return. A walk is met with a run. If you offer a single drop of effort in the path of God, He—exalted is He—will respond with tenfold, perhaps even a hundredfold, in proportion to the sincerity of your intention. What matters on our part, then, is sincerity, purity of heart, steadfastness in truth, and unwavering devotion to a lofty ideal. Just as God has always protected those who walked His path, He will continue to do so. Just as He has bestowed immense blessings upon them thus far, He will continue to bestow. The only condition is that this spiritual state be sustained, that our inner balance be preserved, and that we not lose our moral direction.
In a time when efforts made to raise high the blessed names of God and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) wherever needed across the world are met with what amounts to a declaration of war—and when countless obstacles are placed before those devoted to this sacred path—outward appearances of Islam alone will not be enough to keep us standing. Our relationship with God must be profoundly strong. You should strive to perform your prayers trembling before God, filled with humility and reverence. If there are prayers you have performed without proper attention to cleanliness, ablution, posture, or other essential conditions, you should be serious enough in your servanthood to say “Bismillah” and begin making them up. You must perform each element of the prayer with full awareness and attentiveness. For instance, when reciting the Tahiyyat—your words of glorification and praise to God—each sentence should strike your heart like the stroke of a bow upon strings, resonating with meaning. Your heart should be filled with awe of God, and your demeanor should radiate reverence. Even if you cannot attain the horizon of worshipping as though you see Him, you should at least live with the awareness that He sees you. You should always seek to deepen your servanthood. Fix your gaze on the coral islands that lie in the depths. And if you are to drown, let it be while diving into those depths—for without such depth, you cannot remain standing.
We may have faults. We may have sins. We may see ourselves as ruined and broken before God. We may cry out because of our weakness and helplessness. Like the honored Bediüzzaman, we might say:
“O Lord! I am a stranger, I am forsaken, I am weak, I am powerless, I am sick, I am incapable, I am old, I am without will. I cry for protection, I beg for forgiveness, I plead for help from Your noble presence, O my God!”
In such moments, what truly matters is to lay our heads at God’s doorstep—without pretension, without show, without vanity or pride—to reach out and touch the handle of that door, and to expect everything from Him alone.
In times when storms rage violently, people are easily scattered. During periods of calamity and trial, the thorns of blame and accusation begin to grow. People begin to accuse one another, trying to offload responsibility in order to absolve themselves. And Satan fans the flames of this tendency. Some curse the very path they once walked. Others alter their stance to appear favorable to tyrants. Still others fall into slander under the guise of confession. In such critical times, what will protect us from being swept away is our faith, our sound judgment, and our spiritual insight—and our continual renewal and deepening in these values. If we have attained such spiritual depth, then no matter the cost, we will not cross our red lines, we will not turn back from our path, and we will not change our course. Even if dark thoughts cross our minds—as human as we are, we must suppress them with our will and avoid taking any step that would harm our unity and solidarity. Without such depth, it may not take a storm—sometimes even a gentle breeze is enough to shake our resolve and fracture our unity. The toxic atmosphere created by tyrants can cause deep damage to our spiritual world. We may become entangled in worldly affairs and deceived by material things. Then we begin to speak on behalf of those far removed from the spiritual life, serving as the voice of their sentiments. Swept away by foreign currents, we drift into vast seas without shores, without harbors, without ports. And once we set sail on this sea of rebellion, it becomes nearly impossible to return to the shore of salvation. For a ship without a course or a compass is destined either to crash upon the rocks or sink straight to the ocean floor.
If we wish to avoid such a tragic end, we must walk toward God by following His Book, the teachings of the Pride of Humanity (peace and blessings be upon him), and the path of the righteous predecessors who deeply understood and embodied these two sacred sources. We must not give our hand to those who would lead us astray or distance us from God, but to those guides who will help us deepen in our servanthood. We should keep the company of those who, by their presence and guidance, lift us into the imagined gatherings of the noble Companions—those who awaken our inner life and teach us to live as they did. And may we, in turn, deepen ever further in faith, knowledge of God, love, and servanthood—with an insatiable appetite for growth. Let us bind our lives, without interruption, to seeking His pleasure and constantly look for ways to draw nearer to Him. As we continue walking toward our Lord and drawing near to His presence, may He shower us with His bounties like a downpour, and protect us from the traps set by Satan and his cohorts at every turn.
Shallow religiosity and cultural Muslimness will not suffice. The paths ahead cannot be walked, the valleys cannot be crossed, and the crises we face cannot be overcome. At times, I watch scenes of people praying in mosques across the Islamic world—and they appear almost like lifeless posters. Even spaces meant to reflect the inner and spiritual life of Islam have been surrendered to imitation. Let us return to what we said at the beginning: what we need most today is to understand religion with the insight of the Companions and to deepen in our servanthood. Regardless of how others may neglect the Sunnah, chase dispensations, or even dismiss the obligatory acts—we must bind ourselves wholeheartedly to the commands of the religion, take the path of steadfastness, and strive to live our faith with relentless devotion. If we hope to breathe life into others, we must first live Islam ourselves—vibrantly, deeply, and consciously.
May our Lord make us among those who deepen in servanthood, attain sincerity, and remain steadfast in seeking His pleasure.
Āmīn.
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Deepening in Servanthood