bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Raheem was-salaat was-salaam `ala Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `ala alihi wa sahbihi wa sallam

May Allah make us to be with His good servants in Dunya and in Akhirat. It is a blessing to have good neighbours. In Dunya the neighbours may change, either you move or they may move. But in the cemetery you don’t change. In old times people were careful about their neighbors in Akhira. For example, they chose the neighbourhood of Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari, a great Sahaba of the Holy Prophet (s) [in Istanbul], because on his tomb mercy is always raining down. And on the Day of Judgment they will be gathered under his flag. With their love to the Prophet (s) they ask for forgiveness, shafa`at, for their neighbours, and it is not difficult for them. And there are so many Sahaba in Istanbul.

It is also a blessing to live near a mosque, because on it mercy rains all the time, and you receive a share of this mercy. There is a prayer to ask for this: Subhana Rabbi- al-`Aliyul-`Ala-l Wahhab…Allahumma-ahshurna fi zumrat is-saliheen. But the Hodjas (Islamic teachers) and Imams of today don’t know how and what to pray for anymore.

Once Jibreel (as) came to the Prophet (s) and said: “I will come once more to you to take your soul.” And the Prophet (s) asked if after that he would come again to the world. “Yes”, he said, “I will come four times. Each time I will take something away from the world. First justice; then mercy from the hearts; then I will take shame and finally `ilm, knowledge, so that there will be no more `alims and the people will be left ignorant.”

Everyone is talking, making khutba, but they are not giving from their hearts to the hearts of people, and their talking has no benefit. In old times they were acting without talking a great deal, but today they talk and destroy what they built, because they are ignorant.

They don’t teach children about their Creator, they don’t teach His Name, “Allah”. So all learning has no benefit. And they don’t know how to pray and make Du`a. Allah told us to ask to be in the company of good ones, because that is safety for us. Evil servants attract bala, troubles, and it comes on all who follow them. Curses from the heavens and from the sky come down on them.

No government nowadays follows the saliheen anymore. Mercy and blessings come down on mosques, but people don’t enter them anymore. People are so burdened with darkness, having left good actions, that they don’t enter… The computer of Allah is working. People are marked. If your relationship to Allah is acceptable, you don’t have to worry…I am worried for this island, because the people are not grateful and they are constantly complaining, never saying “Shukru-lillah” [thanking God], that they have been living in peace here since 27 years. They don’t pray or fast, they don’t respect Allah, His Prophet and the holy days…