Praise be to Allah Lord of the Worlds, and peace and blessings upon Sayyidina Muhammad, the honest and the trustworthy. O Allah, we know nothing but what You teach us. You are the All- Knower, the Wise. O Allah, teach us what is good for us, and benefit us from what You taught us, and increase our knowledge. Show us the righteous things as righteous and help us to do them, and show us the bad things as bad and help us to keep away from them. O Allah our Lord make us amongst those who listen to the Word and follow the best meaning of it, and admit us, by Your Grace, to the ranks of Your righteous Servants.

Oppression:

 Dear brother, I told you before beginning this series of lectures – the lectures on major sins –that there are well-known major sins, such as murder, adultery, drinking wine, perjury, disobedience of parents, and so on. However some scholars mentioned more than seventy major sins in their books. I would like through this series to inform you about the major sins that we do not know about. I just want to show you how serious they are. The major sin I would like to tackle in our lecture today is oppression. Sometimes people oppress the sh3er unintentionally. There are many cases where people are oppressors. For example, a father may be unfair at home. Also a mother sometimes prefers one of her daughters to the sh3er. Even a simple employee in a hospital can be an oppressor when he treats mercilessly the patient of emergency. Oppression is exercised in many other departments.
 Narrated Abdullah bin 'Umar:

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "Everyone of you is a guardian, and responsible for what is in his custody. The ruler is a guardian of his subjects and responsible for them; a husband is a guardian of his family and is responsible for it; a lady is a guardian of her husband's house and is responsible for it, and a servant is a guardian of his master's property and is responsible for it." I heard that from Allah's Apostle, and I think that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, also said, "A man is a guardian of his father's property and is responsible for it, so all of you are guardians and responsible for your wards and things under your care."

[Agreed upon]

 This Noble Hadith encompasses whoever does wrong to people, such as a school teacher, an employee in a department, a doctor in a hospital, an employee in the financial department and so on. Once, one of my brother in faith travelled to a foreign country so in his passport it was written that he was a business man. He stayed in that country for seven years, but he worked there as an employee. One day he came back to his country and spent some time there. When he wanted to get back to the foreign country, he was told that he had to pay a very high tax, because according to what was written in his passport he was considered a business man. He had to pay 500.000 S.L although he did not have that amount. I met one of my brother who worked in the financial department. He understood the problem of that man and helped him. However, the employee who imposed this tax on that man had done wrong to him. The man had brought the employee all the documents, receipts, the documents which showed where he had worked, his monthly salary recipients and even the cheques he was given. That employee was not convinced that the man had worked there as an employee, not as a businessman. He might perform the ritual acts of worship, such as Salah, fasting, and paying Zakah. Yet, he had done wrong to that man. It is unfair to make someone pay from the money he has earned in Halal (legally) , or make him sell his house in order to pay that tax. Actually, the simple employee who works in the financial department, in the insurance company or who works at supplying with provisions should know the market price and accordingly the reasonable prices. He should not register a violation against a seller if he finds a difference between the prices of the goods in someone’s shop and those in the old lists he has. In brief, doing wrong to people is really a serious major sin.

Oppressing people is one of the major sins:

 I would like to tell those who work in hospitals, at schools, in sanatoriums, in government departments, in customs, in the finance department, in insurance company and in any other department, that they sometime oppress other people without caring about their feelings. There are many Noble As7adeth and ayat which are related to oppression. Allah the Almighty says:

"The way (of blame) is only against those who oppress men and wrongly rebel in the earth, for such there will be a painful torment."

[As-Shura, 42]

 It is impossible to find a director asking his employees to harm people. The deviant employee hurts people of his own free will. There is no boss who orders his employees to harm people nor does he prevent them from being kind to them. Actually oppression is a personal, reckless, careless and frivolous behavior. Thus, every employee should take sh3er' interests, dignity, feelings, sensations and advantages into consideration, otherwise Allah the Almighty may afflict him with an unbearable calamity.

 Forty years ago, one of my brother in faith told me about a man who was in a ship, heading to perform Hajj with many other people. He was wearing Ihram clothes among other pilgrims (from his own country.) They were merchants and they spoke about their trade deals. That man was an employee in the financial department, so he kept in mind what he had heard. When he came back to his country he called each one of them to pay taxes on his trade deal. How could a pilgrim who was travelling for Hajj do that?!

 Sometimes, a simple employee causes considerable harm to people. Whatever your profession is, you should be just to people. For example, a judge may not read a case-file claiming that he has no time to read all 6.000 cases. I tell such a man that he has no other choice. You should either be just, or leave your job to someone else. A judge should not make a decision in a case before studying it carefully. A man may be unjustly imprisoned for four years because of a false lawsuit. He will be unfairly taken away from his family, his wife and his children. Another man may be compelled to sell his house in order to pay 4 million S.L These things happen because the judge does not read the cases carefully. Our lecture today is addressed to whoever has a job through which he may do harm to people.

Cursed is the one who demolishes what Allah has created:

 Allah the Almighty may afflict man with severe diseases, such as malignant tumors, heart diseases, cerebral thrombus, paralysis, liver cirrhosis or renal failure. All these diseases are under the Power of Allah the Almighty. Once a man who was afflicted with a serious disease told me that when he was about to have surgery, he invoked Allah saying: 'O my Lord, if I have hurt one of your servants, then let me die, but I know for sure that I have not done harm to anyone of your servants during the forty years of my life. If that is true then cure me.' Allah the Almighty cured him.

 If you are an employee, you should know that the one who comes to your office is a human being, and he is the structure made by Allah. It was said: May the curse of Allah be on the one who destroys the structure made by Allah. You should not frighten him or steal his money. I know a man who died and left a small shop, five children and an old car. His possessions were wrongly evaluated by one million and a half, so the property tax was about six hundred and fifty thousand liras, is that reasonable? Those were the properties of the orphans (and it is a great sin to take them). In fact, it was the mistake of the one who had evaluated the properties. He had done harm to a man who had a family and children, so Allah will punish him severely.

 If you have a job in the financial department, in the catering supervision or in customs, you should be merciful to people. You should be just to them as no one prevents you to be like that. Do not invent any pretext, for no administrator will prevent you from being just or will blame you for being fair, rather he will respect you. Thus, you should be merciful to human beings, and you should comprehend the essence of the laws not just its formality. Allah the Almighty says:

"The way (of blame) is only against those who oppress men and wrongly rebel in the earth, for such there will be a painful torment."

[As-Shura, 42]

 Consider the great people, you will find them sublime and wise, while the despicable people like to harm sh3er. One of my brother in faith told me that during the time of fierce heat in Hajj, a man accommodated some pilgrims in an animal corral with a tin roof and the temperature there was fifty six! We cannot endure temperature when it is forty.  A man from Makkah told me that after a month, that man was inflicted with skin cancer and he died because of that behavior. Allah is the Great and is the Avenger. I heard about man who used to do great harm to people, so he was inflicted with four mongoloid children. Allah's severe Punishment is intolerable, Allah the Almighty says:

"Verily, (O Muhammad (Peace be upon him)) the Grip (Punishment) of your Lord is severe."

[Buruj, 12]

 Doing harm to people is a major sin even if you perform Salah, observe fasting, perform Hajj and pay Zakah. It was said: Man is the structure created by Allah, and cursed is the one who demolishes this structure. Allah the Almighty says:

"They used not to forbid one another from the Munkar (wrong, evil-doing, sins, polytheism, disbelief, etc.) which they committed."

[Al-Maida, 79]

Everyone is a guardian and is responsible for what is in his custody:

 When our Master Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, became a Caliph, he was told that people were afraid of his rigor. Thus, he wept and said: 'By Allah, if they had known how merciful my heart is, they would have the audacity to take away the cloak I wear, but nothing fits this matter (leadership) except firmness.' He also once said: O people, I was the unsheathed sword of the Prophet PBUH, and he PBUH used to sheathe me whenever he wanted. When he died he was pleased with me. I thank Allah for this, and I am satisfied with that.' He lauded our Master Abu Bakr As-Siddik, may Allah be pleased with him. Then he said: ' O people, I will no longer be hard and stern in all matters. For those who practice tyranny and deprive sh3er of their rights, I will be harsh and stern, but for those who follow the law, and are devoted to religion, I will be most soft and tender. I will not tolerate any person make any excess. He who commits any tyranny, him I will sternly call to account. I will be harsh and stern against the aggressor, but I will be a pillar of strength for the weak and the meek. They will find in me their best friend. I will put my cheek on the ground so that they can tread on it. O people, you have five rights on me, and I tell you of these rights, so that you may be in a position to call me to account. These rights are: you have the right on me not to take your money or to spend it except when I have the right to do so. You have right on me to raise your wages if Allah wills. You have the right on me not to send you in an expedition which lasts for more that four months. When you are out in an expedition, I am responsible for your children till you come back."

 Once, he said to his stomach "O my tummy rumble or not! By Allah you will not taste meat until Muslim's children are full up ". When good food was presented to him (the meat of the camel's hump which is the best of it,) he said: "What a bad Caliph I am if I eat the best meat of it while people eat the worst of it." He also used it say " If a mule stumbled in Iraq, I would be afraid that Allah would ask me: "Why did you not pave the road for it O Omar?"
 Allah the Almighty says:

"They used not to forbid one another from the Munkar (wrong, evil-doing, sins, polytheism, disbelief, etc.) which they committed."

[Al-Maida, 79]

 Al-Bukhari reported that the Prophet PBUH said:

"Everyone of you is a guardian, and responsible for what is in his custody. The ruler is a guardian of his subjects and responsible for them; a husband is a guardian of his family and is responsible for it; a lady is a guardian of her husband's house and is responsible for it, and a servant is a guardian of his master's property and is responsible for it." I heard that from Allah's Apostle, and I think that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, also said, "A man is a guardian of his father's property and is responsible for it, so all of you are guardians and responsible for your wards and things under your care."

[Agreed upon]

 Let me tell you what could happen to the first grade students. One of the thirty-three students sometimes comes to the teacher complaining about his classmate who hits him, but the teacher will hit both of them! That child will be hit twice; by his classmate and by his teacher. Do not say that he is still a child, so he will forget all about that. This is not true; he may develop a complex because his teacher is unfair to him. Sometimes when the teacher gets angry, he hits all the students in the class although some of them write their homework and they should not be punished. The Prophet PBUH said:

" Everyone of you is a guardian, and responsible for what is in his custody. "

[Agreed upon]

Oppression will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection:

 If you are a catering supervisor, you do not have the right to send a shopkeeper to prison because you see the quotation card of a dress on floor. It makes no sense that you deprive that man of his wife and children. You should know that Allah is the Great and the Avenger. I tell you that catering supervision is really necessary because there are some people who are restrained from committing sins by the ruler more than by the Noble Qur'an. Sometimes strictness is a kind of mercy; I know for sure that there are some people who sell the meat of dead animals. Someone finds a dead sheep on the road, he takes it and sells people its meat. He should be punished by the catering supervisors. Also, some candy factories put the tiles tint in candies which our kids eat. Some people put new labels on the expiry date of their expired goods, so that customers will think that these goods are newly imported.

 Once, I said to a catering supervisor, "You should prepare an answer to Allah the Almighty for every violation recording. That does not mean to leave those who do harm to people to do whatever they want, rather you should call to account whoever sells us toxic or carcinogenic substances, and whoever sells us some expired materials. Calling those people to account is an act of worship. Allah the Almighty says:

"The woman and the man guilty of illegal sexual intercourse, flog each of them with a hundred stripes. Let not pity withhold you in their case, in a punishment prescribed by Allah, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. And let a party of the believers witness their punishment. (This punishment is for unmarried persons guilty of the above crime but if married persons commit it, the punishment is to stone them to death, according to Allah's Law)."

[An-Nur, 2]

 If you record a violation against someone who is innocent, Allah will call you to account. Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet, may Allah have peace and blessings upon him, passed by a pile of food in the market. He put his hand inside it and felt dampness, although the surface was dry.He said to that seller:

"Sell the dry alone and the damp alone. Whoever cheats us is not one of us."

[Ahmad]

 Why cheating is considered a major sin? Because the Prophet PBUH considered the one who cheats people is none of his nation. This is a proof that oppression is a major sin. The Prophet PBUH said:

"Oppression will be darkness on the Day of Resurrection."

Hastening the punishment for the transgressor and the disobedient:

It was narrated in some As7adeth that the punishment of some sins is delayed till the Day of Resurrection except transgression and disobedience. Allah the Almighty hastens the punishment for transgressors and disobedient in this worldly life before the Hereafter. The Prophet PBUH said:
" Every guardian who cheats the people he is responsible for will be thrown into the Hellfire"

[Agreed upon]

 For example, the patients are in the custody of the doctor and the project managers are in the custody of the engineer. The engineer may accept to remove the iron from the building before adding the cement. This is dangerous, because the building will slant. The people who live in such a building will be forced to get out of their flats. A contractor wants to save fifty thousand liras, so he will cause the destruction of a whole building. I repeat; the engineer is responsible for what is in his custody. Also, the teacher is responsible for what is in his custody; his students. He may not teach them well, because he has some family problems. Perhaps he gets bored and he is paid a low salary.  Although the teacher income may be low, he should teach his students in an honest manner. If he cannot do that, then it is better for him to resign. No matter how much his income is he should not teach according to it, for this makes no sense. The Prophet PBUH said:

"Everyone of you is a guardian, and responsible for what is in his custody. "

[Agreed upon]

 I'd like to repeat what I have mentioned earlier, the people who occupy higher positions will not order you to harm people, nor will they prevent you from being fair to them. On the contrary, you will be elevated in their sight. Wrong doings are committed by the despicable people who do harm to people although they have no right to do so.

Al-Hassan narrated that Ubaidullah Ibn Ziyad visited Ma'qil Ibn Yassar when he was on his deathbed. Ma'qil said to him: "I will tell you a Hadith I heard from the Prophet PBUH, I heard him PBUH saying:
"Any man whom Allah has given the authority of ruling some people and he does not look after them in an honest manner, will never feel even the smell of Paradise." "

[Agreed upon]

This religion is giving sincere advice:

 Once, one of my brother in faith, who is a doctor, visited me on Friday and told me about some tragic real-life stories. He told me about a doctor who examined a girl and supposed that she had a breast cancer. He performed mastectomy to her, but after that surgery he discovered that there were no cancerous cells. That girl was engaged to an honorable young man, but after the breast removal surgery, that young man revoked the marriage contract. That girl suffered psychological breakdown although she did not have breast cancer.

 My brother in faith told me about two or three similar stories, and then he said, "Please if any of your brother in faith is in need of surgery which requires organ removal, let him consult two or three doctors in order to have unanimous approval." Glorified be Allah after a while, one of my brother in faith told me that his daughter had a problem in her kidney, and a doctor told him that it needed immediate removal, otherwise the other kidney will stop working too. He asked for my advice, so I told him to consult a righteous doctor of my acquaintance. When that doctor examined her, he said that there is no need for the kidney removal surgery, and that she will be under supervision for few months.  One day, that father came to visit me in an inappropriate time out of his great delight. He told me that after eighteen days, his daughter's first kidney, which was about to be removed, started working, and that she was in a good health. If he had listened to the first doctor, who was a surgeon, his daughter’s kidney would have been removed. Actually, the one who decides whether there is a need for surgery should be the internist not the surgeon, so that there will be no interest. That surgeon could have removed her kidney in just quarter an hour, but that girl could have been damaged for the rest of her life!

 Islam is not restricted to acts of worship or listening to sermons in Masjids. Its principles should be applied in hospitals, in markets, at trade offices, at lawyers' offices, in doctors' clinics and so on. Verily, this is the true Islam. Therefore, whoever does not give sincere advice to sh3er is not considered a real Muslim. The Prophet PBUH said:

"The Deen (religion) is naseehah (advice/sincerity.) The Deen (religion) is naseehah (advice/sincerity.) The Deen (religion) is naseehah (advice/sincerity.)" We said, "To whom?" He said, "To Allah and His Book, and His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common folk."

[At-Tirmidhi]

 This is a comprehensive definition of Islam: Islam is giving sincere advice.

Man will be called to severe account for his deeds:

 Our lecture today is about major sins. Islam is not only about performing the acts of worship or performing Umrah more than once. You may consider yourself a righteous man if you perform these. However, you will be committing a major sin when you oppress people. You may commit this major sin in your job whether you are an employee in the financial department, in customs or in any other department, or whether you are a doctor, an engineer, a nurse and so on. Sometimes, a patient may die because of a medical mistake. For example the patient may have a successful heart surgery but he dies because a bad bandage causes sepsis to the wound. Everyone will be called to account for his mistakes. Allah the Almighty says:

"Verily, We give life to the dead, and We record that which they send before (them), and their traces [their footsteps and walking on the earth with their legs to the mosques for the five compulsory congregational prayers, Jihad (holy fighting in Allah's Cause) and all other good and evil they did, and that which they leave behind], and all things We have recorded with numbers (as a record) in a Clear Book."

[Ya-Sin, 12]

 You will be called to a severe account for every misdeed. The Prophet PBUH said:

"Any man whom Allah has given the authority of ruling some people….."

[Agreed upon]

 I have just clarified that the people who are in the custody of the teacher are his students, the people who are in the custody of the doctor are his patients and the people who are in the custody of the lawyer are his clients. Let me give you an example about a lawyer whose client put his trust in him. He asked the client to pay him 300 thousand liras as fees in advance, but he did not study the case carefully. He neither read the pleading, nor revised the laws. As a result, the sentence was pronounced against his client. Why did he take these three thousand liras! He did not consider that case seriously, and the client did not know that. The lawyer might tell him that his opponent was more influential than him and that he paid more than him. The lawyer could fabricate false charges against sh3er, but even if he was able to convince all people, the truth cannot be hidden from Allah the Almighty. There is a French proverb that you can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can never fool all of the people all of the time. You can never deceive Allah the Almighty, because He knows all your intentions.

 Your religion is manifested in your job and in your manner. There are people who sell an expired drug. You find the place, where the expiry date should be written, is torn. I used to think that an expired medicine is harmless since it only loses its effectiveness. However, the latest studies have indicated that expired medicines are extremely harmful.  Its components begin to disintegrate turn into materials which have negative effects. I know a man who was about to die because of taking an expired antibiotic. He could not discover that it was expired, because the place where the expiry date should be written was scrubber. The man vomited too much, so we asked a doctor about the matter and he said that the expired medicine was quite harmful. If you sell such a medicine to people, your prayers will be of no value at all. This is not about medicine; it is about your religion which you sell for fifty liras. You should throw expired medicine away, and Allah the Almighty will compensate you for that. The Prophet PBUH said:

"Any man whom Allah has given the authority of ruling some people and he does not look after them in an honest manner, will never feel even the smell of Paradise"

[Agreed upon]

 Al-Hassan narrated that Ubaidullah Ibn Ziyad visited Ma'qil Ibn Yassar when he was on his deathbed, Maqil said to him: I heard the Prophet PBUH saying:

"If any ruler having the authority to rule Muslim subjects dies while he is deceiving them, Allah will forbid Paradise for him."

[Agreed upon]

Major sins nullify acts of worship and jihad:

 Oppressing people is one of the major sins which nullify the acts of worship. The proof is indicated in the following story: during the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, a man committed a major sin. When Mrs. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, knew about that, she said: "Tell him that he has invalidated his Jihad with the Prophet PBUH." Major sins invalidate the acts of worship and Jihad. As long as Jihad, which is the highest peak of Islam, is abolished by major sins, the acts of worship are nullified by major sins with greater reason. Thus, do not sell your religion whether for one hundred liras, or for a small amount of worldly goods. By Allah, the real believer never sells his religion for a quite incredible amount of money, rather he says: God forbid! I fear Allah the Lord of the Worlds.

 Dear brother, the big problem is that there are very serious jobs, and the people who have these jobs are trusted. They can collect a considerable amount of money without benefiting anyone, let alone that they do harm to sh3er. This is really a big problem. The real Muslim should adhere to Allah's Order, and his faith, uprightness and deeds should be explicit.
 Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet PBUH said:

"He who has been a ruler over ten people will be brought shackled on the Day of Resurrection, until the justice (by which he ruled) loosens his chains or tyranny brings him to destruction."

[Ahmad]

 Which means whoever is entrusted with taking care of ten people, will come on the Day of Resurrection shackled. If he was just, justice will loosen his chains, but if he was unfair, then injustice will bring him to destruction. A university student may tell you that he failed in a subject for three sessions because he did not give the professor a certain amount of money (as a bribe.) His graduation was postponed for six years because of one subject. That professor was not responsible for only ten people but for five hundred students. When man is heedless of Allah the Almighty, he thinks that doing harm to people or taking their money is a simple matter or an act of cleverness, but surly he will be punished severely. The Mother of Believers Mrs. Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, narrated that the Prophet PBUH said:

"O Allah, who (happens to) acquire some kind of control over the affairs of my people and is hard upon them, be hard upon him, and who (happens to) acquire some kind of control over the affairs of my people and is kind to them, be kind to him."

Man is responsible and he will be called to account alone:

 I would like to tell you a horrific story: a man was under a false suspicion that his daughter had committed adultery. He was afraid that she got pregnant, so he wanted to make a blood test for her. He took a sample of her blood to the laboratory, but one of the employees dropped this sample unintentionally and it was broken. He feared the doctor so he wrote on it: Positive. In the evening, when that father came back, they said to him: "Congratulations, your daughter is pregnant." When he went back home he killed her.  That employee should have said to him that the sample had been broken and that he should bring another one. It would have been better even if the test would have been postponed for the other day. The Prophet PBUH said:

"O Allah! Whosoever is placed in authority over my Ummah and is harsh with them,You be harsh on him; and whoever is placed in authority over my Ummah and is kind to them, You be kind on him."

 Sometimes there is a precise law, but it is applied wrongly by despicable people.

 One of my brother in faith told me that he was living in a house with his thirteen brother. Twenty years ago, his father had paid half of the price and his sister (the man’s aunt) who was a lawyer paid the other half. The price of that house was five hundred thousand liras, but it became eighteen million liras. The house was built by a cooperative, and it did not come to his father's mind to ask for a voucher. The house was registered in the aunt’s name twenty years ago, but he had paid half of its price and lived there with his fourteen children. Since that house was registered in the name of the aunt, she ordered her brother to leave the house in return for one million liras. He refused to do that, because there was no other place for him to live with his fourteen children. The spinster aunt insisted on that, but again he refused because he paid half of the price and he should have been paid half of it. In a cunning plan, she made her brother leave the house.

 I witnessed the events of that story day by day. The fourteen children were dispersed between many houses, the furniture was placed in warehouses and the whole family was displaced. The situation of the family was really miserable. I told them that Allah the Almighty is the Great and the Avenger. One month later, that noble brother told me that his aunt was infected with bowel cancer. I know a patient who suffers from such a cancer survives for two years. However, that noble brother told me that she died after only one month. Therefore, they returned to their house. Their problem was over after two months, while she deserved the curse of Allah, His angles, and all the people. Man can do injustice to people whatever his position his, but no one can force him to do that. I would like you to keep that in mind. Those who are in higher position than you cannot force you to do wrong to people, nor can they prevent you from being fair. You are responsible for your deeds, and you will be held accountable alone. The teacher, the engineer and the doctor who do harm to people belong to our Muslim nation, and only religion deters them from injustice. I will keep reminding you that injustice is one of the major sins.

Injustice invalidates all acts of worship:

 Injustice abolishes all acts if worship, even if you fight in the Cause of Allah, which is the highest peak of Islam. Before doing wrong to people, before taking more money than what is appointed for you and before cheating sh3er, you should count to million. You should call yourself to account, because Allah the Almighty will call you to strict account for all of these. The Prophet PBUH said:

"O Allah! Whosoever is placed in authority over my Ummah and is harsh with them,You be harsh on him; and whoever is placed in authority over my Ummah and is kind to them, You be kind on him."He PBUH also said:
"Indeed, the most beloved of people to Allah on the Day of Judgment, and the nearest to Him in the status is the just Imam. And the most hated of people to Allah and the furthest from Him in status is the oppressive Imam."

[Ahmad]

 You should beware of the supplication of the oppressed even if he is infidel, for there is no barrier between it and Almighty Allah . In another narration: the supplication of the oppressed rises to heaven as a spark. You should count to million before doing wrong to anyone, and you should always feel that you are under the Supervision of Allah the Almighty and under His Control.

 There was a man who used to cause great harm to people, and all people used to bitterly complain about him. After a period of time, he suddenly stopped harming people. He dramatically changed, which made people quite astonished at that. Later on they knew that he was afflicted by four mongoloid children. All the money he obtained illegally cannot cure his four mongoloid children! That man turned to Allah with sincere repentance. The Prophet PBUH said:

"By Him in Whose Hand my life is, you either enjoin good and forbid evil, or Allah will certainly soon send His punishment to you. Then you will make supplication and it will not be accepted."

[Ahmad]

 This means when Allah does not answer your supplication, that is because you do not enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil. The Prophet PBUH said:

"Whosoever introduces into this religion of ours that which is not a part of it then it must be rejected."

[Agreed upon]

 Anything which was neither done by the Prophet PBUH nor by his companions, and which is neither proved in the Noble Quran nor in the Noble Sunnah is an innovation. Jabir Ibn Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that the Prophet PBUH used to praise Allah as He deserves to be praised during his Khutba, then he used to say:

"Whomsoever Allah the Almighty guides, none can lead him astray, and whomsoever Allah sends astray, none can guide. The best speech is that embodied in the Book of Allah, and the best guidance is the guidance given by Muhammad. The most evil affairs are the newly invented matters (in the religion), and every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Hellfire."

[Muslim]

"Allah will not show mercy to a person who does not show mercy to other people."

[Agreed upon]

Allah will never have mercy upon he who is merciless:

 There are so many miserable situations where people are oppressed. You may meet a doctor who is merciful to sh3er, like the doctor of emergency, for example, who is always with people. You may meet another doctor who arrives late because he has to drink his tea and reads the newspaper. After that, he comes to see the patient, only to find him dead. This doctor will be called to a very strict account for his indifference.

 Abu Maryam al-Azdi narrated that when he entered upon Mu'awiyah, he said: "How good your visit is to us, O father of so-and-so. (This is an idiom used by the Arabs on such occasions)." I said: "I tell you a Hadith which I heard (from the Prophet PBUH). I heard the Messenger of Allah PBUH saying:

"If Allah puts anyone in the position of authority over the affairs of the Muslims, and he secludes himself (from them), not fulfilling their needs, wants, and poverty, Allah will keep Himself away from him, not fulfilling his need, want and poverty". He said: "Then Mu'awiyah appointed a man to fulfill the needs of the people."

[Abu Dawood ]

 One of my brother in faith works in a department which is visited by too many people daily. Once, I went to his office and I found the door open for everyone. He never delays or postpones anything, and he is quite fair. Moreover, he offers incredible services to people. He works in an important department, so hundreds of people come to it every day. No matter how many people come to his office, he never closes the door or secludes himself from them. There are employees who offer many services to people and they are merciful to them. They treat them with justice and they are kind. They feel pity for people and they tell them to beware of dangers. Allah will have mercy upon such people. The Prophet PBUH said:

" If Allah puts anyone in the position of authority over the affairs of the Muslims, and he secludes himself (from them), not fulfilling their needs, wants, and poverty, Allah will keep Himself away from him, not fulfilling his need, want and poverty."

[Abu Dawood]

 The just ruler will be sheltered under the shade of Allah on the day when there will be no shade except His.
Abu Musa Al-Ash'ari narrated that the Prophet PBUH said:

"It is out of reverence to Allah to respect the white-headed (aged) Muslim, and the one who commits the Qur'an to memory and does not exaggerate pronouncing its letters nor forgets it after memorizing, and to respect the just ruler"

[Abu Dawud]

 Whenever you meet a an attentive just ruler who treats people with justice, takes care of their interests, takes care of their matters and who takes care of their advantages, you should respect him as your respect is out of the reverence to Allah the Almighty. You should encourage this ruler.

Everyone is responsible for those who are in his custody:

 One of my brother in faith told me that while he was working, he used to review the files of five thousand people sometimes. He took care of their matters. He was fair to the oppressed, and he worked by day and night. Working like this man leads you to Paradise. There are still some righteous people who fear Allah, who show mercy towards people, who treat them with justice and who refuse taking ill-gotten gains. The Prophet PBUH said:

"It is out of reverence to Allah to respect the white-headed (aged) Muslim, and the one who commits the Qur'an to memory and does not exaggerate pronouncing its letters nor forgets it after memorizing, and to respect the just ruler"

[Abu Dawud]

" Behold! The dispensers of justice will be seated on the pulpits of light beside Allah, on the right side of the Merciful, Exalted and Glorious. Either side of the Being is the right side, both being equal. (The Dispensers of justice are) those who do justice in their rules, in matters relating to their families and in all that they undertake to do."

[Sahih Muslim Hadith 4493.Narrated by Abdullah ibn Umar]

Ibn 'Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) reported: The Prophet (PBUH) appointed Mu'adh (May Allah be pleased with him) as a governor of Yemen, and at the time of his departure, he instructed him this:
"First of all, call the people to testify 'La ilaha illallah' (there is no true god except Allah) and that I (Muhammad) am the Messenger of Allah, and if they accept this (declaration of Faith), then tell them that Allah has enjoined upon them five prayers during the day and night; and if they obey you, tell them that Allah has made the payment of Zakat obligatory upon them. It should be collected from their rich and distributed among their poor. If they obey that, then beware of (taking) the best of their wealth. And beware of the supplication of the oppressed, for there is no barrier between it and Allah."

[Agreed upon]

 Let me tell you what happened to a poor man who was charged with a mission abroad. When he came back he brought with him two kilos of bananas for his children. At that time importing bananas was banned, so the custom employee took these two kilos of bananas away from him and made him pay a fine! He was only a very poor man who wanted to feed his children bananas, so the employee should have let him alone! Sometimes you meet cruel people whose hearts are really hard. Allah the Almighty says:

"That home of the Hereafter (i.e. Paradise), We shall assign to those who rebel not against the truth with pride and oppression in the land nor do mischief by committing crimes."

[Al-Qasas, 83]

 Our lecture today is about major sins, and oppression is one of them. Everyone of us is a guardian, and is responsible for what is in his custody. I know for sure that every one of you carries a special burden of responsibility. The wife is a guardian at home and is responsible for what is in her custody (her children), and the servant is a guardian to his master's wealth and is responsible for what is in his custody. If you are a merchant, then the customers are in your custody. If you are a doctor, then your patients are in your custody. If you are an engineer, then your workers are in your custody. If you are an employee, then the people who are in lower position than yours are in your custody. If you are a catering supervisor, then the merchants are in your custody. You should punish those who do harm to people, and you should treat the oppressed with justice. Allah is the Great and The Avenger, and all people are His servants. Almighty Allah has prepared for the oppressors a severe punishment, so you should prepare an answer to Allah for all your deeds. We are discussing a very serious subject, as oppression will turn into darkness on the Day of Resurrection. Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet PBUH said:

"Three supplications are answered, there being no doubt about them; that of a father, that of a traveler and that of one who has been wronged."

[At-Tirmidhi]

Allah defends and protects whoever remains upright upon His Order:

 Oppression is one of the major sins which people do not take notice of. Doing harm to those who are in your custody and whom you are responsible for is a major sin. Everyone is a guardian, even the grocer. He does harm to people if he sells rotten eggs. He will be cheating his customers if he sells them oil from an oil container in which a mouse has fallen. Pure oil is expensive, and this grocer sells the impure one at the same price. He deceives those who are in his custody; i.e. his customers.

 I would like you to pay attention to these words: whoever fears Allah Alone, will fear no one. Almighty Allah protects him. On the other hand, whoever causes harm to people without fearing Allah, Allah will humiliate him and make him afraid of whoever is more powerful than him. That was the situation of a seller who told me that he is frightened whenever the catering supervisor enters his shop. He is terrified, because he does harm to people. The situation of a righteous man who never does harm to people is totally different since Allah will protect him. I was told about a seller who was in his shop when some catering supervisors entered it. There was a woman buying something in that shop, so when she saw them she said: "Could not you find other than this seller to examine his goods! He is honest and sincere. He always serves people!" The supervisors were embarrassed and left that shop. When man remains upright upon the Straight Path of Allah the Almighty, Allah will defend him, will protect him and will elevate him.

He who fears Allah, Allah will protect him from:

 The crucial point in our lecture is that if you fear Allah Alone, He will not make you fear anyone else. He will grant you honor and reverence, but if you do not fear him while dealing with His servants, He will humiliate you in front of the most despicable man. You will humble yourself in front of that man although he does not have control over you, Allah the Almighty says:

"Those (hypocrites) who wait and watch about you; if you gain a victory from Allah, they say: "Were we not with you," but if the disbelievers gain a success, they say (to them): "Did we not gain mastery over you and did we not protect you from the believers?" Allah will judge between you (all) on the Day of Resurrection. And never will Allah grant to the disbelievers a way (to triumph) over the believers."

[An-Nisa, 141]

 Man should fear Allah, and he should not cheat people. Allah the Almighty is the Ever Providing, He says:

"Verily, Allah is the All-Provider, Owner of Power, the Most Strong."

[Adh-Dhariayt,58]

 Fifteen years ago, one of my brother in faith told me that selling tobacco supplies him with half of his profits, but I told him that selling tobacco is forbidden in Islam and that he should avoid selling it. After a period time, he told me that when he stopped selling tobacco, his profits increased in a legal and Halal way and he bought two shops. Allah the Almighty honored him and granted him good health. When he sacrificed half of his profits for the Sake of Allah, his profits increased. I told him that he should stop selling tobacco and causing harm to people. Also I told him that he should not worry about his money. When he stopped doing all those things, Allah the Almighty honored him.

 I am pleased with the fact that whoever sells tobacco in his shop openly, will be fined hundred thousand liras, and that whoever hangs up a sign of selling it in his shop will be fined twenty-five thousand liras. What a great grace it is! Tobacco damages people health, so when that man stopped selling it, Allah increased his profits and he bought two shops. Many people used to sell wine in their restaurants, but when they stopped selling it for the Sake of Allah, Allah increased their profits. I know a man who stopped selling wine, but six days later he found that his profits began to decrease, so he reverted to selling it. Twelve days later, he died, and his last deed was selling alcohol in his shop.

The essence of Islam is uprightness and fearing Allah:

 We can summarize our lecture in few lines: you should fear no one but Allah the Almighty. When you fear Him, He will protect you from whatever frightens you. You should not worry about people’s criticism (as long as Allah is pleased with you). I repeat; oppression is a major sin, and every man no matter what his job is can do harm to people.

 I would like you to pay attention to these words: every employee who has a kind of control over a group of people should prepare an answer for all his deeds to Allah, not to people. He will be asked in his grave about his deeds. Whoever does harm to people and contaminates their food will be punished severely. I read about dangerous facts in the newspaper today. I read about a river that was polluted by sanitary drainage. Nevertheless, people used its water to irrigate many fields where lettuce, parsley and other vegetables were planted. These plants were contaminated and they caused many diseases. Those who irrigated the plants by that water do not fear Allah. The latest research has proved that plants are affected when they are irrigated by dirty water. The bunch of parsley you will buy is but an herb which causes many diseases.

 Importing plant hormones (phytohormones) is prohibited in our country. If any agrarian pharmacy sells plant hormones, it will be closed immediately. However some people smuggle these hormones and they add them to plants such as tomato to increase its size. As a result, it becomes carcinogenic fruit. Those who do so do not care about people's interests or their dignity. They should be held fully accountable for that. This is really serious; the essence of Islam is remaining upright upon the straight Path of Allah and fearing Him. There are some people who prefer to buy small-sized fruits because they are free from hormones. The big-sized fruits are full of hormones, and the plant hormone is a banned substance.
 Nowadays, a very prudent decision is issued; any imported material which is not allowed to be used in the original country is not allowed to be imported. The developed countries export toxic and carcinogenic substances, but these substances are not allowed to be used in these countries. By the Bounty of Allah, it is not allowed to import any substance unless it is allowed to be used in the original county, as caring for people's health is a very serious matter.

Everyone is trusted with what is in his custody:

 I keep repeating that oppression is one of the major sins. Everyone of us has some people whom he is responsible for. If he is faithful to them, Allah will save him, but if he deceives them, Allah will destroy him. Every employee, no matter what his job is; a teacher at a primary school, a hospital director, a doctor, an engineer, a merchant, a catering supervisor, an employee in the financial department, a customs broker, or a social insurance employee is responsible for those who are in his custody. A man told me about what happened to him when his goods were checked by the catering supervisor. He said that all the goods he had were locally made. However, when the catering supervisor came to his shop, he confiscated them. The products were kept confiscated for eight months. The employee was not fair to that shopkeeper, because he had not received an order from his boss to do wrong to him. He confiscated the goods out of his own free will. The shopkeeper told the catering supervisor that all the goods he had were not imported, and he showed him all the bills which proved that. Yet, the catering supervisor did not listen to him saying that he should resort to the customs court! Allah is the Great and is the Avenger; He will surely punish that supervisor severely.

 I would like all of you to be fair and merciful to people whom you meet in your daily lives, so Allah the Almighty will have mercy upon you. Each one of you has a kind of relationship with people, and each one of you is fully responsible for some people who are in his custody. I can give you the simplest example of that; a man who has a wife and three children is actually a guardian. . Also, the simplest guardian is the employee in a shop. He comes alone in the morning and opens it. He can rob it, but he is entrusted with protecting it. Thus, no matter how simple man's position is, he is a guardian, and he is responsible for the people who are in his custody. If he advises them, Allah the Almighty will honor him, but if he cheats them, Allah will destroy him.