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Who is Carrying the Burden of the Ummah?

Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

9 July 2016 Gaithersburg, Maryland

Suhbah at International Cultural Center (ICC)

A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.

Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,

nawaytu 'r-riyaada, nawaytu 's-salook, lillahi ta'ala al-`Azheem fee hadha 'l-masjid.

أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ

Atee`oollaha wa atee`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.

Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:59)

What Allah (swt) opened for his Prophet (s), no eye was able to see and no ear was able to hear; it is not possible to imagine. Awliya couldn't know what Allah (swt) opened for Prophet (s), it's like a drop in an ocean and from that knowledge he summarized the whole religion in two phrases. He said after Allah created his Light, He put him in Bahr al-Qudra, the Ocean of Power, the Ocean of Knowledge of the Ninety-nine Names and Attributes no one knows, the Names that encompass all the Attributes and Names, and Allah has an infinite number of Names that He will open to the Ummah on the Day of Judgement.

The only one who is shy from Allah is Prophet (s), the rest are not shy; we are not, if we were we would not commit sins. Prophet (s) was shy. Allah opened more to him and from His Light that was turning and turning in the Ocean of Bahr al-Qudra, as an airplane turbine turns and increases and the plane takes off, the Prophet (s) increases in knowledge. He started to know the Reality of our Creation: what Allah created first was the Light of Prophet (s). So from that `Ilm Allah created the `Arsh, the Kursi, and everything in Creation.

Everyone will have Paradises by the Shafa`ah of Prophet (s), that's why we make salawaat. Sometimes I am sitting and I make salawaat or dhikr. When you say “Allah” or “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah” it changes by itself to salawaat. It is very light, because it is from the power of Prophet (s). Dhikr has to have adab; you must have perfect adab and perfect wudu. Prophet (s) carries the load of the Ummah. Allah said in Holy Qur’an in Surah Inshirah:

أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ الَّذِي أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ

Have We not expanded for you your breast? And We removed from you your burden. That weighed so heavily on your back. And We have elevated your remembrance! (Surat ash-Sharh, 94:1-4)

You carry a load on your back and shoulders and it makes your back tired. Awliyaullah carry and they begin to have pain there. Anyone carrying the load of the Ummah, it will affect him. Prophet (s) doesn't mind, he carries, but when Awliyaullah carry they are affected by the pain. That's why you will feel back pain. Prophet (s) is the best who carries the Ummah. We have to be careful of gossiping. Allah said we are the best Ummah and on the the Day of Judgment, He will ask what you did. Will you will say backbiting?

Grandshaykh (q) said, “On the Day of Judgment, Allah gave responsibility to Prophet (s).” He doesn't look at the sheep, he looks at the shepherd. Prophet took the responsibility when he went on Mi`raaj. Allah showed him his Ummah clean. Prophet (s) was happy. Allah created everything clean, but we messed it up. He gave the Trust of the Ummah to him. He offered the Trust to Heavens and Earth and they refused as they couldn't carry it. However, humans accepted it, they were ignorant. So the Trust in Heaven is clean, but the replica on Earth, the virtual Trust is dirty from our bad actions. If you struggle in dunya and clean your Trust, it will connect with the Trust in Heaven. Awliya have connected their Trust in dunya to their Trust in Akhirah. When they do this they will ascend.

Don't think Prophet (s) is as they say, dead!

الأنبياء أحياء في قبورهم يصلون

I am alive and fresh in my grave. (Abu Dawood)

ما من أحد يسلم عليَّ إلا رد الله عليَّ روحي حتى أسلم عليه

No one prays on me, except that Allah will send back my soul to me to return his greeting. (Abu Dawud)

It means people are saying salaam all the time, so Prophet is always there. So that reality, that Trust Prophet accepted for his Ummah, he carries it and that's why on the Day of Judgment all prophets and their nations will go to Prophet (s) for Intercession. So you have to thank Allah all the time, because you were lucky to be born in Ummat an-Nabi (s). He was the Last Prophet: he wrapped everything like a gift. Prophet (s) will intercede for everyone, that's why salawaat is so important. Allahumma salli `alaa Muhammadin wa `alaa aali Muhammadin wa sallim. He said this in a humble way. `Ulama, Sahaabah and Anbiya made salawaat in all kind of praises for him.

Everyone has two figures: one in Akhirah and one in dunya, which is a replica of the one in Akhirah. That's why the real Ka`bah is in the Fourth Heaven and the Ka`bah on Earth is a replica, but they connect. Awliyaullah struggle until they are clean enough to carry that power, that Light, that connection, so that their Reality in dunya and Akhirah connect and catch each other. These will come to everyone's lives in three incidents: if he catches in one of those times he is lucky, if not then he will catch it in his grave, and Allah knows best.

Prophet (s) summarized in two verses what is “light on the tongue and heavy on the Scale.” How is that possible? It is so simple, and he (s) gave to us through Allah (swt):

كلمتان خفيفتان على اللسان ثقيلتان فى الميزان حبيبتان إلى الرحمن سبحان الله و بحمده سبحان الله العظيم

There are two words that are very easy to say, yet very heavy on the Scale, most beloved to The Merciful, “SubhaanAllah wa bihamdihi subhaanAllahi ’l-`Azheem.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

SubhaanAllah wa bihamdihi subhaanAllahi ’l-`Azheem, Glory be to God and Glory to the Greatest! You are praising That One, so it will be very heavy on the Scale. Even if you say it one time in your life, all your sins will be erased by the barakah of Prophet (s), inshaa-Allah. Awliyaullah added “astaghfirullah “at the end because we may not recite it perfectly: we ask forgiveness because of our helplessness and weakness.

Grandshaykh (q) said Awliyaullah were given knowledge of how to see their followers, Allah created a star for each person that represents them. Awliyaullah see through your star what you are achieving in dunya and doing for Akhirah. Every Wali has his own followers and they don't look at followers of other Awliya. `Ulama may try to get more followers, but Awliya are sensitive, they don't look at the followers of other Awliya. That is why it is important to remind people of the Realities of what they have learned, because your duty is to call for good. There is no company in religion: there is only Allah (swt) and to follow in the footsteps of Prophet (s). The first dawah (advice) is to remind yourself about what you are doing wrong, as Allah (s) said:

فَاذْكُرُونِي أَذْكُرْكُمْ وَاشْكُرُواْ لِي وَلاَ تَكْفُرُونِ

Remember Me, I will remember you. Give thanks to Me and do not be ungrateful towards Me.

(Surat al-Baqarah, 2:152)

Our remembrance is not like His, so when Awliyaullah carry that load they get back pain. I remember Grandshaykh (q) used to ask his helper to rub his neck and upper back because the load he carried that load and it affected his physical body. Awliyaullah never stop carrying from their followers. If you have so many followers you have so much load, but he accepted so he has to carry. Allah has specified their followers to every Wali.

These two phrases are a summary. Sometimes you go in a masjid and see it clean and painted white, without even one ayah on the wall, and it looks like a warehouse with nothing on the wall. Were ‘Allah’ and ‘Muhammad (s)’ or verses of the Quran written, it would remind you to remember and recite that, and to make salawaat. But when the wall is bare, there is no reminder.

If we don't struggle in these Last Days, Prophet (s) said:

يوشك أن يأتي على الناس زمان لا يبقى من الإسلام إلا اسمه ولا يبقى من القرآن إلا رسمه ، مساجدهم عامرة وهي خراب من الهدى ، علماؤهم شر من تحت أديم السماء ، من عندهم تخرج الفتنة ، وفيهم تعود

There will come a time upon a people when nothing remains from Islam except its name, nothing from the Qur’an except the form of its letters, mosques will be built but are empty of guidance, their scholars will be the worst people beneath the sky, and chaos will emerge from them and return to them. (Bayhaqi)

They don’t even put calligraphy on the wall. When someone wants to pray Fajr, they set an alarm clock and when it begins to ring they shut it down, then they come to me asking how to wake up for Fajr. Take the clock from the nightstand and put it far away, then when it rings it will make you wake up, because you can't shut it off. These new apps on mobile phones have “SubhaanAllah” and “Astaghfirullah,” so that phone will become halaal instead of haraam. Try something good, use apps to remind you, because these phones do not have good things on them.

May Allah (swt) forgive us and bless us. Those who fast six days in Shawwal will be rewarded the fast of the whole year, because every good deed is rewarded with ten hasanaat). That is for sincere and pious people; even if you try to fast one day, that is good.

Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.

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