Let Us Be Vigilant Against Those Who Deceive in the Name of Allah

English Let Us Be Vigilant Against Those Who Deceive in the Name of Allah (11.07.2025) Religion is a manifestation of Allah’s attribute of mercy. Our Lord has not left us unattended. He conveyed the principles He deemed suitable through His books and showed them to us in practice through His prophets. After the death of our Prophet (pbuh), scholars — as the experts — transmitted this legacy to future generations and illuminated humanity’s path. Unfortunately, throughout history, religion has been one of the most exploited values. Evil-intentioned individuals and groups have never hesitated to use the profound influence of religion for their own interests. History is full of false gods, lying prophets, and hypocritical, deceitful abusers of religion. Satan, the clear enemy of man, also tries to lead him astray through similar methods. He approaches from the front, from behind, from the right, and from the left. Approaching from the right means whispering evil under the guise of goodness — one of his most insidious and dangerous tactics. The tactics of those who exploit religion are usually based on this as well. Not so long ago, on the night of July 15, 2016, the FETÖ organization attempted a treacherous coup in Türkiye targeting the heart of democracy, the Parliament. Behind this attempt also lay such a perverse mentality. Dear Brothers and Sisters! How can we recognize these groups, who appear to be from the side of truth but are actually children of falsehood? Such groups attribute sanctity to their leaders, claim that they receive direct commands from Allah or are guided by dreams and inspirations. They spread fabricated miracles to attract people after them, keep their followers away from reason and questioning, demand blind obedience, exclude other Muslims, and regard those who do not follow them as outside of the religion. Dear Brothers and Sisters! History repeats itself if we do not learn from it. To avoid experiencing similar pains again, let us be cautious and vigilant. Let us learn our religion from authentic sources. Absolute authority belongs to Allah alone; let us not glorify anyone blindly. True Islam is open and transparent; therefore, let us stay away from secret organizations and closed groups. Let us not surrender our reason and will to anyone. Let us not allow anyone to use our beautiful religion for their ugly ambitions. Let us never forget the saying of our Prophet (pbuh): “A Muslim is the brother of another Muslim; he does not betray him, does not lie to him, and does not abandon him. The life, property, and honor of every Muslim are sacred to another Muslim.” Dear Brothers and Sisters! As I conclude my sermon, on the anniversary of the treacherous coup attempt, I once again ask our Lord to have mercy on all our martyrs who sacrificed their lives to protect human rights, democracy, and the national will, and I pray for a healthy, blessed, and prosperous life for our veterans.