Weekly Sermons

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If the pressures, oppression, injustices, and ruthless attacks we endure lead us to turn to God with our whole being, then—even if outwardly we seem to be losing—we are, in reality, winning. Compared with eternal life, what significance can the losses and gains of this brief worldly existence possibly have?
At times the next world appears very distant to us. Yet so many people who were among us only yesterday, who walked around in our midst, have now vanished without even a trace of shadow. They now dwell in that realm which seems so far away to us. One day, we too will join them. Another form of heedlessness on our part is to imagine that our life in this world will never end. The Qur’an, however, tells us that when we cross over and are asked how long we remained here, we will reply, “A day—or not even a full day—less than that.”[1]
When we open onto a realm beyond time, we will see how the life we spent in this world keeps shrinking in our eyes. It will not only be us who witness this; tyrants who plunged into the world as though they would live forever and clung to it in near-worship will also see it. When they grasp how insignificant the world is in comparison with the Hereafter, they will writhe in such agony that you may even feel pity for their state.[2] When you witness how those who shattered thousands of families, separated mothers from children and children from mothers, and preyed upon people’s property, lives, and honor moan in remorse there, compassion itself may fall to you. For this reason, it is vitally important to depart for the next world with credit in our account. Yes—the essential thing is not to be deceived by temporary successes and gains here, but to take steps that will secure eternal life and to display an unshakable stance.
Ziya Paşa wrote beautifully:
Loyalty befits the human being, even when it brings revulsion; 
God Himself is the helper of those who are truthful.[3]
As a result of the pressures we face, we may feel strained and overwhelmed. Because of certain tyrants who are trapped in this world, we may pass through crushing constraints, be ground beneath heavy treads, be slandered, and suffer injustice. Despite all its vastness, the world may feel suffocatingly narrow to us. Yet if we can confront all these hardships with patience and trust in God, then we are on the path to triumph. After stating about Prophet Job, “Indeed, We found him steadfast,” the Almighty immediately praised him with the words, “What an excellent servant he was!”[4] He attained that rank by gritting his teeth and enduring every kind of suffering. If you, too, wish to receive God’s approval, you must strive to become a hero of patience like Job.
<h2>Blessings in Proportion to Hardship</h2>
One must never forget that the greater the suffering endured, the greater—by the same measure—the rewards to be gained. As it has been said, “In proportion to toil, lofty ranks are attained.”[5] The more anguish you endure, the more you are passed through fields of thorns, the higher the incomparable values you reach in the sight of God.
For many long years Prophet Noah strove to convey truth to his people, only to be met with mockery and insults time after time—yet in the end, he was the one who prevailed.[6] That is why this blessed Prophet is remembered today as “Najiyyullāh” (the one saved by God).[7] Prophet Abraham was cast into the fire[8], and afterward he was honored with the title “Khalīlullāh” (the intimate friend of God).[9] Prophet Moses suffered relentless torment at the hands of Pharaoh [10], yet on the other side he was chosen by God as His interlocutor and became known as “Kalīmullāh” (the one who spoke with God).[11] Prophet Jesus was pursued step by step by the persecutors of his age, crosses were prepared for him, but in return he was honored with the name “Rūḥullāh” (the spirit from God)[12] and raised to God’s presence.[13] The idolaters of Mecca never allowed the Pride of Humanity, Muhammad (peace be upon him), any respite with their merciless assaults; in response, God enabled him to traverse the other realms with his luminous being (vujud-u nejm-i nurani) during the Ascension.[14]
From Prophet Adam onward, there has never been a Prophet who did not suffer at the hands of his people. They had a single concern, a single cause: to call humanity to God, to make hearts aware of the mysteries of Divine lordship and sovereignty—without seeking anything in return. Though such efforts deserved boundless gratitude, the reality was quite the opposite. They were mocked by the shameless tyrants of their times, subjected to every form of abuse, and forced to abandon their homes and homelands. They even sawed Prophet Zechariah in two, and beyond that, martyred his son Prophet John [the Baptist].[15] Had such sufferings fallen upon a single society rather than individuals, they would have sufficed to crush it entirely. God subjected His most beloved servants to the heaviest trials and, because they fulfilled those trials with honor, exalted them to the highest stations.
If you are walking in the footsteps of the Prophets, the afflictions that befell them may also befall you. For as the Messenger of God stated, the greatest trials were endured by the Prophets, and then by those closest to them in rank.[16] Regarding those who walk the path of truth, God and His Messenger have made such promises that—even if the entire world were taken from us—it would not be worth expressing sorrow. We were created for eternity, and nothing but eternity and the Eternal Being can satisfy us. In the face of eternity, we would not desire even a thousand or two thousand years of worldly life. Besides, we never made any claim upon this world in the first place, so why should losing it cause us anguish and heartbreak? God—Majestic in glory—draws us away from this fleeting world with events that outwardly taste sour, with compassionate blows[17], and directs us toward what truly deserves to be sought.
This is the path being walked. If you have knowingly entered it, you must endure its demands. Thanks be to God, I have yet to witness anyone who entered this path and later regretted it. Therefore, no one can make service on this road bitter for people who have learned to sip even calamities like a sweet sherbet; for once they have tasted it and savored its flavor, the inner joy it yields overwhelms them so completely that, in the words of the Sufi poet Gedaî, they say:
Whoever drinks that water at once, 
A sun of worlds rises in the heart; 
It grants everlasting life— 
The more I burn, the more I burn, give me water!
Look at the state of this beggar: 
Bound to a single strand of your hair, 
My finger dipped in love’s honey— 
The more I dip, the more I dip, give me water!
Those who have never suffered even the sting of a mosquito for God’s sake—those who arrived late and in comfort—cannot grasp these things. They can neither taste the sweetness of serving faith and the Qur’an nor comprehend through what agonies the manifest religion of Islam has reached us.
<h2>Those Who Suffer and Those Who Make Others Suffer</h2>
Wherever there have been people heralding truth and reality, there have always been the rebellious, the misguided, and the ruined standing against them. Wherever devoted spirits have sought to open people’s eyes to truth through knowledge and wisdom, there have also been the unfortunate who tried to silence them with the power and means at their disposal. In every age, there have existed certain centers—if what they produce can even be called ideas—that manufacture dark enclaves and devilish schemes. Through demagoguery, propaganda, and Machiavellian methods, they have deceived the masses.
Alongside them, there has never been a shortage of “mute devils” and flatterers who could not raise their voices, even in a few words, against the injustices committed by tyrants. They applauded oppressors who tried to portray angelic people as devils, and they sought to present the tyrants’ wrongdoings as reasonable, legitimate, and lawful. Yet God sees everything, and the noble recording angels write down all that occurs. Once the grave is entered, everything will become clear—then they will see black and white for what they are.
In short, throughout history there have always been those who suffer and those who inflict suffering. Tyrants intoxicated by power made others suffer in this world, but through their actions they ruined their own Hereafter. When they pass into the Hereafter, they will seek consolation with cries of ‘If only—if only,’ but those regrets will be of no benefit there. Those who suffered in this world, however, rose—through the trials and calamities they endured—to the loftiest degrees of perfection.
For this reason, one should not despair or sink into hopelessness when confronted with disasters. By God’s permission and grace, those who do not alter their course, who remain patient and steadfast, will ultimately be the ones who gain. That outcome, though it may appear distant, is in fact so close as to be almost within reach.
Do not forget that the injustices experienced are like an eclipse—for the sun cannot be permanently veiled. When the appointed moment arrives and the Divine will manifests in that direction, the eclipse will pass, and the sun will inevitably continue to spread its light. You should instead examine whether there is an eclipse or an obscuring between your heart and the Divine Being. Remember: the greatest eclipse is the one experienced before the Sun of Suns and the Radiant Moon.
In the face of such ferocity and violence, of course we may feel sorrow. The kicks and blows we receive can shake us, for we are human. If even a mighty plane tree were struck with force, its branches and leaves would tremble. What matters is being able to stand firm where you are, not losing hope or resolve, and continuing—under present conditions and to the extent of our ability—to do what must be done. It is to continue patiently weaving our shared ideal—without hurting anyone, neither reopening wounds nor injuring beloved hearts. It is not to abandon today the deeds we were performing yesterday to please God and the Prophet Muhammad, the Master of the Noble Messengers.
<h2>Winter Will Be Followed by Spring</h2>
Moreover, if we can preserve our stance, the hardships we endure will strengthen our immunity, push us to develop new strategies, and open up new opportunities before us. The inhuman treatment directed against you will awaken curiosity in others and cause them to examine you more closely. They will take your pulse and listen to your heart’s rhythm. If you can use this universal curiosity well to explain yourselves—showing that the rhythm is steady and the pulse sound—then who knows: perhaps the works carried out in selfless service will become a matter for the whole world, and the glad tidings given by the Messenger of God will come to pass.
In brief, even if floods sweep everything away, the roads we walk become impassable, and steep mountains rise before us, we are obliged to keep moving toward our goal by finding alternative paths and methods. For our Perfect Guide, the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) did exactly that. What he endured would have shattered mountains, yet I do not know of him ever uttering even a sigh of complaint. When the Meccans refused to listen, he sought other avenues—trying to make his voice heard in Taif, Abyssinia, and Medina. When driven from one door, he knocked on another and never stood still. Though his efforts to convey truth were met with savage hostility, there was no hatred in his heart toward anyone. Instead, he continued to search, with love and compassion, for hearts ready to embrace the truth.
From Prophet Adam onward, events have unfolded in similar fashion, even if not in identical form. God causes the days to alternate among people. Every night has its day, and every winter its spring. Suddenly you find that all negativities have ended and a new spring has arrived. For this reason, one should not fall into despair when snow and ice cover everything, for they have always been followed by fresh springs. Even if all ill-omened mouths were to come together in a grand chorus and declare that they would not allow spring to come, the Overwhelming Power would strike their mouths with a single blow of divine will and bring spring again. After spring will come summer; roses will bloom and nightingales will sing, by God’s permission and grace. Then bats will retreat to their lairs, and magpies—knowing their place—will descend from the rose branches and slip back into the shadows.
God’s power is sufficient for everything. Let us conclude with the words of scholar Erzurumlu İbrahim Hakkı’s Tevfizname:
When the Truth manifests, He makes every task easy; 
In a single instant He creates the means and grants them in abundance.
***
[1] Qur’an, Sūrat al-Mu’minūn, 23:112–113.
[2] See: Qur’an, Sūrat al-Ḥadīd, 57:13–15.
[3] Ziya Paşa, Terkîb-i Bend, p. 8, in Tercî-i Bend ve Terkîb-i Bend (Istanbul: Ahmed Kamil and Company Press, 1928).
[4] Qur’an, Sūrat Ṣād, 38:44.
[5] Imām al-Shāfiʿī, Dīwān al-Imām al-Shāfiʿī, p. 97 (Beirut: Sharikat Abī al-Arqam Ibn Abī al-Arqam, 1995).
[6] Qur’an, Sūrat al-ʿAnkabūt, 29:14–15; Sūrat al-Qamar, 54:8–16; Sūrat Nūḥ, 71:1–28.
[7] See: Qur’an, Sūrat al-ʿAnkabūt, 29:15; Sūrat al-Aʿrāf, 7:64.
[8] See: Qur’an, Sūrat al-Anbiyā, 21:68–71.
[9] Qur’an, Sūrat al-Nisāʾ, 4:125; Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, Book of Faith, no. 193; al-Tirmidhī, Manāqib, no. 1.
[10] See: Qur’an, Sūrat al-Qaṣaṣ, 28:3–43.
[11] See: Qur’an, Sūrat al-Nisāʾ, 4:164; al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Tawḥīd, no. 2; Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, Book of Faith, no. 193.
[12] See: al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Tawḥīd, no. 2; Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ, Book of Faith, no. 193.
[13] See: Qur’an, Sūrat al-Nisāʾ, 4:157–158.
[14] Bediüzzaman Said Nursi, The Words (Sözler), p. 616, “The Thirty-First Word, Second Comparison.”
[15] Yaḥyā ibn Sallām, Tafsīr Yaḥyā ibn Sallām, vol. 1, p. 117 (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyya, ed. Dr. Hind Shilibī, 2004).
[16] al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Marḍā, ch. 3 (chapter heading); al-Tirmidhī, Zuhd, no. 57; Ibn Mājah, Fitan, no. 23; al-Dārimī, Riqāq, no. 67.
[17] Slap of Compassion: A Divinely ordained hardship or difficulty that arises as a corrective response to a person’s spiritual negligence, mistakes, or missteps—especially in matters of faith and moral responsibility. Although seemingly painful, it is rooted in Divine mercy and functions as a loving wake-up call, guiding the individual back toward sincerity, humility, and spiritual alignment. Such trials carry hidden blessings and are intended not as punishment but as means of growth, refinement, and deeper connection with God.
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The Distinctive Hardships of the Prophetic Path