Allah has heard those who said: Allah is poor:

﴾Indeed, Allah has heard the statement of those who say: “Truly Allah is poor and we are rich!﴿

Dear Brother, Allah says:

﴾Indeed, Allah has heard the statement of those who say: “Truly Allah is poor and we are rich!﴿

(Al-Imran: 181)

The Jews fancied that Allah was poor so He asked for loan:

The Jews said so when Allah ordered them to give charity. They thought that Allah was poor and they were rich. Allah the Almighty says:

﴾we shall record what they say﴿

(Al-Imran: 181)

Feeling that one is watched by Allah is the highest level of faith:

First, the greatest level of faith is to feel that Allah is with you, and the He knows what is in your heart, hears your speech, and sees your movements. When Allah says:

﴾It is Allah Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof. His Command descends between them, that you may know﴿

(At-Talaq: 12)

The Universe refers to the Creator:

This verse is wonderful; the cause of creating the heavens and earth for humans is:

﴾It is Allah Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof. His Command descends between them, that you may know﴿

(At-Talaq: 12)

This means that the task of this great universe is to make you know Allah. Our eyes don’t see Allah, but our mind does. This universe contains the Divine Attributes, and it refers to them, so if you contemplate in the universe you will reach to the Creator of this universe. You go from creation to the Creator, from management to the Manager, from grace to the Benefactor, from the system to the Organizer, from wisdom to the Wise. This is the difference between the believer and the disbeliever; the believer is with the Benefactor, but the disbeliever is with the grace, he tastes it, gets it, enjoys it, but he is away from the Benefactor. The disbeliever is with the system, but he doesn’t move from it to the Organizer. Heroism is to penetrate the system to reach the Organizer, wisdom to the Wise, creation to the Creator, Beauty to the Most Beautiful, to the Creator of Beauty.
When you observe a beautiful odorous flower with wonderful colors, you should move to think of the Creator. The whole case is to move from the universe to its Creator, from the system to its Organizer, and from the grace to the Benefactor:

﴾It is Allah Who has created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof. His Command descends between them, that you may know﴿

(At-Talaq: 12)

Knowing that Allah knows makes you disciplined:

In order to know that Allah is Capable of everything, and that He knows everything, can you do anything wrong in the presence of a security officer? You can’t. Thus, when you know that Allah knows, do you kill a child? Do you destroy a house? Do you steal money? Do you cheat a Muslim?
In other words: all errors are made because you don’t know that Allah knows. All discipline we aspire; national discipline, work discipline, discipline in earning and spending money, and discipline in having pleasures allowed by Allah, all this discipline can’t be achieved unless we know that Allah knows. There is another verse:

﴾That you may know that Allah knows﴿

(Al-Ma’ida: 97)

When you know that Allah knows, you will have self discipline, because no man can do a mistake in front of the one who can punish him.
There is a very simple example: you won’t cross the street while the traffic light is red, in the midday, and if the police officer is there, but you can cross it at 3 in the morning, because the one who imposed the law is not there. The one who imposed the law is represented by the officer. At three in the morning the one who imposed the law can’t see you, so you cross the street, or you can ignore the law if you are stronger than the one who imposed it.
When does man discipline practically? When he knows that Allah knows and the He will reckon him, and punish him. I swear to Allah that any other discipline is an illusion. They say: self sanction, conscience, home education, all of this is nonsense. If you don’t know that Allah knows and that He will punish, you can’t discipline.
By the way, you discipline with a human being like you. He might be younger, but stronger than you. When you see that the One you disobey knows and will punish. Which merchant dare hide an external deal from his registers? None, because a rate of the deal goes to the Ministry of Finance, so if you don’t mention it, you will be charged with a huge tax. So you discipline with a creature like you, but stronger than you, how will you do with the Creator.
Dear brother:

﴾Indeed, Allah has heard the statement of those who say: “Truly Allah is poor and we are rich!﴿

Divergent has illusions like a deceptive vision:

Those who cheat Muslims- how do you cheat them?- if they know that Allah knows and that he will pay for that of his health, children, or his closest relatives, they wouldn’t cheat them. The cause of every sin committed is that people have an illusion that Allah doesn’t know, or that He knows but doesn’t reckon. They say: Allah is Oft-Forgiving and Merciful, His Mercy contains us. This is nonsense. His Mercy contains us when we obey Him in His Orders:

﴾Say: “O My slaves who have transgressed against themselves! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.﴿

(Az-Zumar: 53)

His Mercy contains us if we repent and return to Him and reconcile with Him, then His Mercy will contain us. However, how could someone insist on a sin, insist on earning illegal money, and insist on an unlawful relation with a woman says: Nothing contains us but Allah’s Mercy. You can’t mock Allah’s religion, and escape His Punishment. This is kind of mockery. If someone says joking: I earn illegal money and pay part of it as charity, charity is rewarded ten times, so I will survive. He will never survive the punishment.

Beware of mocking and playing with Allah’s religion:

By the way, there is a very important issue in jurisprudence it is time to discuss: Can you say: I want to perform pilgrimage but I don’t want to wear the clothes of Ihram, can I offer ten sheep and wear normal clothes? Of course you can’t. If you offer a million sheep your pilgrimage is invalid, but if you pass the Miquat (the place in which a pilgrim must enter the state of Ihram) by mistake without wearing the clothes of Ihram, he must offer a sheep as (Hadi), this could recondition.
For example, if two poor people made an agreement that each of them pays the other zakat Fitr. This is playing with the religion of Allah. It is as if none of them pay anything, but you can pay zakat Fitr, while you are poor, and you receive zakat Fitr without you feel it, plan for it, or even know it.
In other words, Allah’s limits can’t be transgressed with anything. It might happen that a person goes on pilgrimage for the first time in his life, flies for the first time, with the clothes of Ihram in his big suitcase. After boarding on the plane, and the plane flies to Mecca, it is announced that this place is Miquat (the place in which you should enter the state of ihram), so he says: I want my towels. He doesn’t understand that he can’t get them in the plane as they are in another place. What happens to this pilgrim? There is a solution. He must offer a sheep as Hadi, or return to the Miquat to enter the state of ihram. On the other hand, if a rich man says: I will pay the value of a hundred sheep in order not to wear the clothes of ihram, his pilgrimage is invalid.
There is another example, if you miss a wajib (obligation) in prayer, you have to do two prostrations for inattention. If someone says: I won’t sit between each couple of rak’as, and he performs the four rak’as and then the two prostrations of inattention, in this case his prayer is invalid. If he misses it by mistake, he prostrates for inattention, but if he does it intentionally, and plays with the religion of Allah, this will never be accepted of him.
Dear brother: I say this to tell you that nothing can justify transgressing the limits of Allah, neither charity, nor Hadi, not any deed. However, if a person does a mistake, every violation has a penance, but penances can’t be paid in advance to justify transgression. It is impossible:

﴾Indeed, Allah has heard the statement of those who say: “Truly Allah is poor and we are rich!﴿

Allah knows and punishes:

They don’t know that Allah hears them, or they know that He hears them, but they think that He doesn’t punish them. The fact is that there are two important points: Allah knows and punishes. Those who are brought up in Islamic countries know that Allah knows, but they fancy that He doesn’t punish:

﴾So, by your Lord, We shall certainly call all of them to account. For all that they used to do﴿

(Al-Hijr: 92-93)

How about the Beduin who asked the Prophet to advice him and outline, so the prophet reauthord the Holy verse:

﴾So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom shall see it﴿

(Az-Zalzalah: 7-8)

So he said: that is enough. I ask you by Allah: If there is a punishment for every sin, if you really believe in this, would you commit a sin?
A friend of mine, who is dead now, may Allah have mercy on him, told me that he had a new car which was broken. He asked a man to repair it. This man was so clever. He knew that the car is new and that its owner doesn’t know anything of its details. The car could be repaired in ten minutes, but he asked for ten thousand pounds. My friend believed him. He promised him to give it back to him ready after two days. He took his family for a picnic in the first day, and to another place in the second day, repaired it in a few minutes, and took ten thousand pounds in cash. He said to his neighbor who is a friend of mine: this is people must work. I knew that this person doesn’t know the details of this car, he wants it sound, and he is rich, coming from the Gulf. He knew that Allah knows, because he was brought up in an Islamic country, but he thought that Allah won’t punish him. He had a son who works in cutting metals, a small piece of steel got in his eye. He paid 16 thousand Lebanese pounds when the Lebanese pound was worth of 160 Syrian cents, which was about 22 thousand Syrian pounds. If he had known that he will pay what he took in double, he wouldn’t have done it. It is a matter of knowledge.
A man was driving on the highway. He saw a dog. He wanted to express his excellence in driving, so he cuts its hands only, he didn’t kill it. He went laughing hysterically. A man who was with him in the car swears that the next week, in the same place, he had a problem with the tire, so he stopped to change it. He lifted the car with crane. Suddenly, the car fell on the tire, and the tire fell on his arms. He was taken to a hospital. His hands were black, and they had to cut them. The man swears to me, and he is still alive, after a week, he lost his hands.
When a man knows that Allah knows and will punishe, he will count to billion before committing a sin, or assault anyone.

Those people are the stupid, don’t be like them:

Who are the stupid people in the world today? I swear that the most stupid people are those who destroy, bomb, and kill people. It is estimated that 300 thousand innocent people were killed in South East Asia. They were killed in a bombing. They don’t have anything to do with what happened. who are the stupid? It is those people who enjoy killing, destroying houses, killing the innocent people and children. They think that they achieve victory. They don’t know that Allah knew and they would be in Hellfire eternally. Allah says:

﴾Consider not that Allah is unaware of that which the polytheists do, but He gives them respite up to a Day when the eyes will stare in horror﴿

(Ibrahim: 42)

﴾Let not the free disposal of the disbelievers throughout the land deceive you﴿

(Al-Imran 196)

Say:

﴾Do what you will﴿

(Fussilat: 40)

It is a threat from Allah. The lesson is that you should know that Allah knows, before you eat something illegal, before you cheat a person who trusts you and ask him to make useless test, or ask him for money for no effort. How many jobs are based on lying, cheating, and fraud?
What is the reason of this terrible deviation in the behavior of Muslims? The reason is a terrible deviation in their creed. They don’t know that Allah knows. When you knew you discipline.
I heard today that a heir, the oldest among heirs, took all the money, and deprived all his brother of their shares in the heritage. He is still a young man, but he was inflicted with a malignant, and now he is on the death bed.
When you know that Allah knows, you count to million before committing a sin, before oppressing people, before earning a penny illegally, before cheating people, before hurting them.
Who is the happy one? It is he who works for the benefit of Muslims. Who is the most wretched one? It is he who builds his earning on terrifying Muslims, taking their money, and disgracing them. On what do those who circulate immorality live? On the morals of the youth.
One of my students told me that his uncle had a cinema in Damascus. He said: when he was forty he was inflicted with incurable disease. He went to him and saw him crying. He asked him about the reason. He said: I collected a huge wealth to enjoy when I get old. This disease came to me early and I haven’t enjoyed my wealth. This man built his wealth on spoiling young people. he looked for hot films, young people came to him to enjoy the prohibited. Watching would probably end with illegal action, adultery, or something like this.
When you don’t know that Allah knows, or when you know that Allah knows but you think that He doesn’t punish. You have a serious problem in your belief, and you pay for this. The most important thing in religion is that you should stay firm on the orders of Allah. This keeps you safe, but righteous deeds make you happy.

﴾verily, those who say: “our Lord is Allah,” and then they stand firm, on them the angels will descend (saying): “Fear not, nor grieve! But receive the glad tidings of Paradise which you have been promised (30) We have been your friends in the life of this world and are (so) in the Hereafter. Therein you shall have (all) that your inner-selves desire, and therein you shall have (all) of which you ask.﴿

(Fussilat: 30-32)

By standing firm you are safe, but:

﴾So, whoever hopes for the Meeting with His Lord, let him work righteousness and associate none as a partner in the worship of His Lord﴿

(Al-Kahf: 110)

O dear brother, the essence of religion is that you must abide to the Holy Book of Allah. To obey His orders, and keep away from what He prohibits, to do good deeds. Muslims don’t lie, don’t eat illegal money, don’t cheat, don’t take other people’s money, don’t spoil them, don’t accept a job based on hurting Muslims, scaring them, or taking their money illegally.
I wanted through this verse to shake our beliefs to the better. We perform acts of worship but we don’t care for dealing with people. This is confirmed in the noble Hadith narrated by Abi-Huraira, that the prophet peace be upon him said:

((Do you know who the bankrupt is? They said: it is he who doesn’t have money nor luggage. He said: the bankrupt in my nation is the one who comes at the Day of Resurrection having performed prayer, fasting, and zakat, but who has disguised someone, backbit someone, took the money of someone illegally, caused death of someone, and hit someone, so each of them would take some of his good deeds, so when his good deeds end, their bad deeds would be thrown over him and he would be thrown into Hell fire))

[ Muslim, Termithi, and Ahmad]

The bankrupt is the one who doesn’t abide to Allah’s approach, but he performs acts of worship. He is a bankrupt. In order to gain time, and your life time is the most important thing in religion after belief in Allah, you must stay firm on obeying Allah’s orders. You can’t keep obeying unless you know that Allah knows. This is the most important sanction that keeps you away from sins, knowing that Allah knows.
Those people:

﴾We shall record what they have said﴿

(Al-Imran: 181)

These words are registered on them. How many deeds do Muslims do unknowing that they are committing one of the biggest guilts?

And their killing of Prophets unjustly

﴾ And their killing of the Prophets unjustly﴿

(Al-Imran: 181)

This is also one of their characteristics:

﴾And We shall say: “Taste you the torment of the burning (181) This is because of that which your hands have sent before you. And certainly, Allah in never unjust to (His) slaves.﴿

(Al-Imran: 181)

In other words:

﴾(And if there be the weight of a mustard seed, We will bring it. And Sufficient are We as Reckoners.)﴿

(Al-Anbia’ 47)

﴾So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it. And whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom (or a small ant), shall see it.﴿

(Al-Zalzalah 7-8)

This is a brief summary, and this is religion. The Bedouin who was tested by our master Omar when he said: “sell me this ewe”. He answered: “It isn’t mine.” He said: “tell its owner that it died.” He said: “ I swear that I need its price badly, and if I told its owner that it died or was eaten by a wolf, he would believe me, but where is Allah???”
This Bedouin shepherd captured the essence of religion. Unless you say: where is Allah? I won’t do this because I fear Allah, all your acts of worship would be useless. Unless you say: I fear Allah the Lord of Creations, when you are offered something that Allah wouldn’t be content with, all your acts of worship are useless unless you are straight on the orders on Allah.
Q &A
There is a question I am frequently asked:
Q: Can a woman read the Quran for learning purposes during her monthly period?
A: If she is a student or a teacher, and she has a Quran lesson, for learning purposes she can read the Quran, and this is agreed upon by all jurisprudence schools.
Q: Is it allowed that we revile a non-Muslim when he is mentioned?
A: What is this statement???

﴾( So long, as they are true to you, stand you true to them. Verily, Allah loves Al-Muttaqun (the pious ) ﴿

(At-Tawba,7)

﴾ (Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity.)﴿

(Al-Mumtahina, 8)

You can visit the non-Muslim, you can congratulate him for a new-born baby, or for graduation, you can help him, and he can visit you, without transgressing the limits of religion.

﴾( So long, as they are true to you, stand you true to them. Verily, Allah loves Al-Muttaqun (the pious ) ﴿

(At-Tawba,7)

﴾ (Allah does not forbid you to deal justly and kindly with those who fought not against you on account of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Verily, Allah loves those who deal with equity.)﴿

(Al-Mumtahina, 8)

These are the words of Allah. Where does this statement come from? This extravagance in which some Muslims fell is the cause of what is going on in the world now.
Q: Someone bought a coat, and then he realized that it is made of swine leather?
A: He’d better not use it. Some scholars said that tanned leather is pure, but the common opinion of scholars is that he should not use it.
Q: How can we harmonize the verse:

﴾(And never say of anything, "I shall do such and such thing tomorrow." Except (with the saying), "If Allah will!")﴿

(Al-Kahf: 23-24)

With the fact that man has freedom of choice?
A: You are free to choose what you are ordered to do or to avoid. So th ere are things in which you have freedom of choice and there are things you can’t choose. Do you have choice of your father and mother? Do you choose the place and date of your birth? No. Do you have choice in your abilities and shape? No. But you have freedom of choice in your duties. You are ordered to be truthful, and you are free to be truthful or not. Thus being forced in some matters is not contradicted with having freedom of choice in duties. You have choice in your duties, but you don’t have choice in what is not your duty. It is certainly for your benefit. The best is what has really happened. If things are revealed you would choose what has happened. Allah moves you to your best, the suitable place, time, mother, shape, and capabilities. It is the best for you. But you are free to choose to obey Allah or to disobey Him.