Noor ul-Islam Mosque
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh. A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,
nawaytu 'r-riyaadah, nawaytu 's-sulook, lillahi ta`ala fee haadha 'l-masjid.
Ati`ullaha wa ati`u 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (4:59)
YaaSeen wal Qur'an al-Hakeem, innaka lamin al-mursaleen,`ala Siraat al-Mustaqeem.
Allah (swt) blessed us with Sayyidina Muhammad (s) and with those who are following in his footsteps. At the beginning we say, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. Ati`ullaha wa ati`u 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum, "Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you." (4:59) When we say, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem, we are seeking refuge in Allah from Shaytan, and asking Allah to save us. Is that not the meaning? Everyone thinks that Shaytan is the main devil. Yes, it is correct, Iblees is the king of devils, but we must not forget that there is a house of Shaytan in the heart of every human being Allah created. He can come inside, there is a Shaytan within us.
When we say, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem, we are asking, "Yaa Rabbee, save us from the Shaytan within us and from the Shaytan outside of us." Who is more dangerous, the one inside or the one outside? The one inside. The one outside is stronger, but the one inside is nearer. So, we have to tell ourselves, "O you, Shaytan inside of me! You are disturbing me, my life, and my relationship with Allah, His Prophet (s), and awliyaaullah." And this Shaytan within us is the main corrupted one that wants us to deviate. If you tell someone, "You have Shaytan in you," they would get angry and perhaps want to kill you. Prophet (s) said, "I am the only one who made my Shaytan surrender to me." If Prophet (s) is saying that, what is left for the ummah? That biggest enemy is not far. We always look outward to our enemy, but the enemy within us is giving us a hard time.
That's why we say, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. It is an obligation on us when we read Qur'an or anything else to say, "Yaa Rabbee, I am asking you to help me, I seek refuge in You against my Shaytan." And then continue by saying, Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem, then Allah (swt) opens His door. That's why when reading the Qur'an say, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. This means, "Yaa Rabbee, I am directing myself to You, I am entering in Your ocean. Open for me Your door; don't let Shaytan be an obstacle for me." You will find yourself successful. If someone gets into a fight, they have to remember that Shaytan is always there. If you close your eyes for a moment, what will happen? Shaytan will finish you. What happened to Sayyidina Adam (a)? In the blink of an eye, gossip came in the ear to eat from the forbidden tree. This is Adam, and he ate from the tree. Who is higher, us or Adam? Adam (a). If Shaytan whispered to Adam, think about how much power Shaytan has on us every moment to whisper in our ears! That's why today zulma is increasing.
There is a story related to me by Grandshaykh `AbdAllah al-Fa'iz ad-Daghestani (q) and Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q), and a majority of you have never heard it. He said that in the time of Prophet (s), Iblees came to ask Prophet some questions. It is very well known that Iblees cannot approach Prophet without authority. Do you know what Iblees did? He made sajdah to Allah (swt) and asked, "Yaa Rabbee, give me permission to go to Your Prophet (s) to ask him questions." Iblees knows up to today that Allah is the Creator, but his arrogance prevented him from making sajdah to Adam. It is Allah's order: you do it, don't question. When the shaykh gives you an order, it is coming to him from Prophet (s), so don't question it or you will fall. You won't understand, and the shaykh will never tell you, but you failed. Iblees went into sajdah to ask permission to ask questions. Allah granted him permission. He is cursed but he was granted permission. Allah wants to show Iblees, "Don't play with My Prophet! You are jealous from him because I gave him Maqaamu 'l-Mahmoud. You saw the light of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) in the forehead of Sayyidina Adam (a)." Iblees knew that Maqaam ul-Mahmoud is going to go to that light. In the du`a after the adhaan, Prophet (s) said, "Ask Allah to give me (Maqaamu 'l-Mahmoud).
When Allah put that light in Sayyidina Adam's (a) forehead, it became decorated with different lights. When we decorate with different lights it makes people happy; they forget about themselves, they dance, move, and listen to music. Where is it coming from? It is not like what people in dunya are doing, but this is to give an example. From the light on Adam's (a) forehead, all Heavens were shining with different rainbows of colors. Angels were dancing with heavenly, divine music. Iblees knew it was not for him and that he was lost. Then Allah (swt) said to make sajdah, and all angels made sajdah. No one can have that except for the one that Allah (swt) raised his name with His. So Iblees got jealous from the owner of that maqaam.
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ
Alam nashrah laka sadrak.
We expanded for you your chest. (94:1)
How much can you expand your chest? It has a limit, it cannot expand more than that. Allah said to Prophet (s), "Your chest is so big and so expanded, that it contains the whole universe, all Heavens and Earth. You are the one responsible in front of Me for shafa`at ul-kubra. Everything is in the chest of Prophet (s). How does he know every person by name? He knows everyone by name, every scorpion in the desert, and every worm. He knows every star in the galaxy and whatever is in every star, because this is in the expansion of his chest. How many hairs are there in your beard? Do you know? Prophet (s) knows how much hair is in everyone's beard. Don't think he is not alive. He is continuously alive. He is seeing and is present, omnipresent. Those who say no are shayateen.
So Iblees saw this light, a rainbow coming from the forehead of Adam (a). If we take one color from the rainbow, red for instance, and look at it through a prism, we will see infinite numbers of red. It means what we are seeing is not reality. It's not just one color, it can be an infinite number of colors, every one lighter than the other. A fountain of beautiful colors was coming from the beauty and the light from Sayyidina Adam (a). Allah (swt) said, "I took a handful of My Light and said, 'Be Muhammad!'" Can you describe the beauty of that light? We cannot. What we are describing is something that you can speak on the tongue, but awliya go further, fawqa kulli dhi `ilmin, not just by tongue, but by vision as well. They can see what happened when Iblees did not even make a sajdah, they can see in the past, and in the future. Don't underestimate awliya's power, especially Sultan al-Awliyaa. Awliyaaullah are not easy to play with. Allah gave them because He loves them.
: أوليائي تحت قبابي لا يعلمهم غيري
Awliyaee tahta qibaabee laa y`alamahum ghayree.
My saints are under My dome; no one knows them except Me.
This is said by scholars, but the ayah says, `ala inna awliyaaullahi la khawfun `alayhim wala hum yahzanoon, "Verily awliyaaullah have nothing to fear and nothing to be sad of because I am supporting them, I am giving them what I am not giving anyone else!"
من عادا لي وليا فقد آذنته بالحرب
Man `adaa lee waliyyan faqad aadhantahu bi 'l-harb.
Who comes against My wali, I declare war on him.
Ahlu ’l-Sunnah awliyaaullah are on Haqq, they are bringing Haqq against baatil, falsehood. Allah gave them power! If they touch a button, they can burn this dunya even. They can take all badness in one second. What do you have to speak and to say? Allah knows best. They can see the past and the future. Whatever story they are telling you at that moment will reveal itself in different levels. What we are speaking just now about Adam (a) is revealing itself according to the tajalli, manifestation, we are in and according to the barakah in this masjid. It might be that the same story will be mentioned in another place, and it will reveal itself in a bigger opening. That's why we say:
وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِي عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ
wa fawqa kulli dhee `ilmin `alim,
above every knower there is a higher knower. (12:76)
That means above every moment of knowledge, there is another moment of knowledge higher than the one before.
It is like ascension: you are going up on a plane, and as you are going up, you are seeing the Earth farther away. If you go to the outer limits of Earth, you can see the Earth like a moon, round. You don't see the Earth anymore as you are now seeing it, because it changes. Now Mawlana is revealing this story in that way. It has never been revealed before in that way. When that noor was coming out, angels went into sajdah, Allah ordered all angels to do sajdah for Adam (a). Do you think when the angels went into sajdah, they raised their heads? No, it would be improper. When they went into sajdah, they stayed until they will be called back on the Day of Judgment. At that time, they will raise their heads. They are continuously in sajdah, praising Prophet (s), and these praises are for the ummah! We are Ahlu ’l-Sunnah! We do not care about (the objections of) this one or that one!
Angels went into sajdah and are continuously praising Prophet (s). They will not raise their head until the order comes, "Raise your head." There is no ayah in the Holy Qur'an where Allah says to the angels, "Raise your head." All of them went into sajdah, but not Iblees. How long did they stay in sajdah? The Holy Qur'an didn't say; maybe forever, maybe until the Day of Judgment. Do you think Allah will bring Prophet (s) as an orphan? Never! Sayyidina Abdullah (r) and Sayyida Amina (r) will enter Paradise to the highest level with their beloved son to the highest level, with his uncle and grandfather who were supporting him. Wahhabis don't like this or say it.
Allah will say to Prophet (s) to raise his head, and Allah will open on his heart prayers He never opened before, du`as that have never been opened before. Because all du`as in Arabic are known. How many words are there in the Arabic language in dictionaries that are known? What kind of du`as are they? They have different letters in a different way that don't have any meaning for us as humans now, but for Allah they have meaning. They are du`as that have never been opened before. Allah will say, "Raise your head, ask and you will be given." He didn't say to angels, "Raise your head." Irfa` ra'asak sa'l tu`tah, "Raise your head and you will be given." Allah wants His angels to keep sajdah for the honor of Prophet (s).
Who can honor, what words can honor Prophet (s)? No one, even all of Ahlu ’l-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah. I'm not going to say Salafis or Wahhabis, because they won't do it. All of the scholars' speeches together praising Prophet (s) is not equal to one praise from one angel. Because angels, take one angel out of all angels, are not equal to even one angel. Because in the Divine Presence, only awliya, depending on their level, can reach there. Allah honored Prophet (s). I was explaining:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمً
Inna Allaha wa malaaikatahu yusalloona `ala an-nabiyyi yaa ayyuha alladheena aamanoo salloo `alayhi wa sallimoo tasleemah.
Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O ye that believe! Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect. (33:56)
Allah (swt) said, yusalloona `ala an-nabi, He didn't say "part of His angels," He said "Allah and His angels," so there is an infinite number. All of them are ordered to send salawaat on Prophet (s). It is not in our capacity to have a number, there is no number. Allah is honoring and if one angel is doing a prayer, according to Allah's `azaamah, greatness, that angel's second salawaat cannot be similar to the first one, or Allah's greatness would be down, haashaa! If one angel praises Prophet (s), in that moment of that angel's creation, the first praise will be different, the second, the third, and so on. Furthermore, the second angel's praise is different from the first. There is no similarity, no repetition. So all angels are praising Prophet (s) without repetition or similarity. This is Allah and His angels praising Prophet (s), not like us. But if you are praising, you will share with the angels' praises. That's why He says, man salla marra, "one time." Allah will send ten salawaats to that person. Are Allah's salawaats equal to ours?
O Muslims, don't enter too much into dunya, the beauty of Akhirah is waiting for you, be ready. Akhirah needs from you to be moderate, peaceful, and extending your hand to everyone. As Prophet (s) submitted to Allah's will. Let your life pass peacefully, then in akhirah, you will see big things. When Iblees saw that he was the head of angels, he miscalculated. For one blink of an eye, he didn't make sajdah. For 2,000 years, he never left a hand's space without making sajdah, and this is heavenly time. Allah threw that in his face and cursed him for one disobedience. Why? Because he was mukallaf, responsible. He knows the truth, knows everything about everything, and still disobeyed. We are lucky that we are not responsible. Therefore repent, there are too many opportunities to repent. In the Qur'an, Allah is loving His servants so much, even the worst of them. You know you did something wrong. Even if you do something wrong, and we do wrong things everyday. Allah said, "Go to Muhammad (s), no need to go anywhere else." When you are oppressors to yourself, go to Muhammad (s).
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلاَّ لِيُطَاعَ بِإِذْنِ اللّهِ وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآؤُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ اللّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُواْ اللّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
Wa maa arsalna min rasoolin illa liyuta`a bi idhnillahi wa law annahum idh zhalamoo anfusahum ja’ooka fastaghfarullaha wa 'staghfara lahumu 'r-rasoola la-wajadoo 'Llaha tawwaaban raheeman.
We sent not an apostle, but to be obeyed, in accordance with the will of Allah. If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come to you and asked for Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful. (Surah an-Nisa 4:64)
Yaa Sayyidee (s), yaa RasoolAllah (s)! You do not have to go to Madinah, from here, from your place, he will answer you.
Prophet (s) said, "Whoever greets me, Allah sends my soul back to return the greeting." There are continuous greetings to Prophet (s), therefore the soul is continuously in Prophet's (s) body. We don't know why Salafis and Wahhabis don't understand. People are praising Prophet (s) 24 hours a day. He is not in a grave, that is a rawdah of Paradise. From grave to minbar, Rawdatan min riyadil Jannah, a garden from Paradise. When you enter Paradise, Allah will throw you back to Hell? Anyone who puts their feet in Rawdah, or prays two raka`ats will be in that Rawdah on the Day of Judgment. It is a simple equation, it doesn't need too much thinking. Between the grave and minbar, you enter a garden of Paradise. Your feet are in Paradise, they become heavenly. So how can you be thrown out of Paradise? That's why Prophet (s) said that from the grave to the minbar, there is Paradise. Then people will go to Paradise without account, as long as you don't kill someone, that is important. Allah gave you rules to follow. Don't lie, don't do things that Allah will be unhappy with. That's where we have to be careful.
Allah honored Prophet (s). That's why Iblees got angry. If you kiss Hajar al-Aswad, which is from Paradise, will your mouth go to fire? May Allah give Ahlu ’l-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah more power. So if you touch and kiss Hajar al-Aswad, you are going to go to Hellfire? Allah will not take you to Hellfire. Even if you kissed or touched it one time, because you touched something heavenly. Sayyidina `Umar (r) said to the Hajar al-Aswad, "You are a piece of stone." Sayyidina `Ali (r) said, "Don't say that. This stone is going to witness for you on the Day of Judgment. It is alive and will witness for everyone who touched it." Sayyidina `Ali (r), Allah gave him,
أنا مدينة العلم وعلي بابها
Ana Madinatu 'l-`ilmi wa `Aliyyun baabuha
I am the City of Knowledge and `Ali is its gate.
Anyone who is from Ahlu ’l-Bayt you must respect. Like it or not, they are from the blood of Prophet (s) and a light for everyone on Earth. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem has 19 letters. Five that Prophet (s) mentioned, "I left between you Qur'an and my family." Meaning it is equal, then you will not be deviated. When begining to read Qur'an, you say, Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem, it has 19 letters. There are 19 letters in the names of Ahlu ’l-Bayt.
We have to open our eyes to understand the reality of everything. When Iblees saw that he is nothing, he said, "I am not going to make sajdah, I am better," why better? It is fire. O majnoon, Allah creates from mud or from fire whatever He likes. If Allah honored it, then finished. Allah honored Prophet (s), whoever is respecting, Allah will respect. Whoever does not respect Prophet (s), Allah is not respecting them. This message is not only for us, then it would be limited. Grandshaykh (q) said that one day Khidr (a) asked Jibreel (a), "Yaa Jibreel, do you know when Allah (swt) created Adam (a)?" Jibreel (a) said, "Yaa Khidr (a), which Adam you are speaking about? There are Adams, creations that came before you. And this is the last one of them." Khidr (a) asked, "What else did you see?"
Jibreel (a) said, "One time I asked Allah (swt) to show me His kingdom and Allah said, 'Yaa Jibreel, open your wings.'" When Jibreel (a) used to come to Prophet (s), he used to open two wings, they would cover the entire dunya. Allah gave him 600 wings. When he would come to Prophet (s), he would come from beyond this universe; passing stars billions of light years away, he would come in just a quick moment to Prophet (s). Allah ordered him to open all 600 wings and go into space until he got tired. After 70 heavenly years he stopped and said, "Is there more?" Allah said, "O Jibreel (a), that is just a corner." Jibreel (a) said, "I looked and saw a wide plain, I could not see the beginning or end. And in it where very small white crystals. Wherever my eyes took me, I saw small white crystals. In the middle, there was a green tree, and on top of it was a green bird. I never saw a more beautiful bird than that, even in all of Paradise. The bird picks one crystal, goes up, swallows it, and then goes back down. I was looking and wondering, what that is."
Allah didn't let him know, to show him that in Allah's greatness, everything is helpless. No one can say, "I am." Only I can say, qul huwa Allahu Ahad. Say, ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan `abduhu wa habeebuhu wa Rasooluh, and sins are gone. If a non-Muslim makes shahadah all the sins are gone, so if a Muslim makes shahadah? They are cleaned. So Jibreel (a) asked, "Yaa Rabbee, what is that bird and those white crystals? "Yaa Jibreel (a), this bird is Habeebi Muhammad (s) that I have created and every crystal is a universe. As soon as it is swallowed, another creation appears." Allah said, "We have expanded your chest to accomodate everything in your chest." So when every crystal is put and swallowed, it goes into his chest, that is a whole universe. That's why Allah raised him to say, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah.
Your duty is to go to Prophet (s). "I did a sin, I am coming to you, asking for forgiveness of our sins," at that moment, Prophet (s) makes istaghfar on their behalf
Allah forgives the sins. If we understand the greatness of Prophet (s), we will not do anything to make Allah unhappy with us. But we are weak. Saying astaghfirullah will wash you from sins, it is like a washing machine. Say 70 times, 100 times, or 300 times astaghfirullah daily. There is a free martial arts center in California for Muslims and non-Muslims. An old man used to come, he liked to do dhikr. He would come Saturdays and Thursdays, mostly on Saturdays. There would be 150 to 200 people, this is in San Francisco, California. The old man came and left. Then he came the following week. He was very happy, sitting and doing zikr. He was 95 years, and this time he prayed `Isha. He came the third week and said, "Shaykh, I like this. I know this is Islam, I want to be a Muslim." He took shahadah. He was happy, he prayed and said, "Next week, teach me prayers." Then he didn't come. I sent someone to find out what happened to this man. They said that after he took shahadah, he died. He was a 95 years old Christian. He took shahadah one week before dying, what does Islam say? Islam erases what is before, 95 years of kufr, unbelief, gone with one shahadah as if he is a newly born child.
That's why we don't know anything. We are worthless, helpless, heedless, and ignorant donkeys. Allah knows everything, and Prophet (s) knows everything. What Prophet (s) wants awliyaaullah to know, they know. Don't make yourself an `alim, then problems occur. Make yourself a sheep, let the shepherd be responsible. Let
the person who gave us bay`ah, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q), to be responsible. May Allah forgive us.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.