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Know From Whom You Take Your Religion

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

16 December 2009 Sheffield, UK

Sheffield Islamic Centre

December 2009 UK Tour

As-salaamu ` alaykum wa rahmatullahi ta`aala wa barakaatuh. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. Alhamdulillahi Rabbi 'l-alameen. As-salaatu was-salaam ` ala ashrafi 'l-mursaleen Sayyidina wa Nabiyyina Muhammadin wa ` ala aalihi wa ashaabihi ajma`een.

(Mawlana stands).

As-salaatu as-salaamu `alayka yaa Sayyidi ya Rasulullah! As-salaatu as-salaamu `alayka yaa Sayyidi yaa Habeebullah! As-salaatu as-salaamu `alayka yaa Sayyidi yaa Rasul al-malaahim! As-salaatu as-salaamu `alayka ya Shaafee al-mudhnibeen! Ishf `alana yaa Sayyidi yaa Rasulullah! As-salaatu as-salaamu `alayka yaa Sayyidina yaa Habeebuna Rasulullah wa habeeb al-awliyaa wa habeeb an-naas ajma` een! Alhamdulillahi Rabbi 'l-alameen kullu aamin wa antum bi khayr.

May Allah (swt) make this year, tomorrow is the first day, to be a successful day for you and a successful year for all the ummah around the world. For some people, they may observe it Thursday, or Friday in other countries. In any case, may Allah (swt) make it a successful year for Ummat an-Nabee. At first I will congratulate my shaykh, may Allah (swt) give him a long life, Sayyidina Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani (q), and all the other mashaykh around the world. With this happy event, happy year, although that year saw a lot of bloodshed, specially Sayyidu 's-shuhudah, Sayyidina al-Husayn, shuhadat al-Karbala.

On the event of Ashura it is a blessed day to fast, as Prophet Muhammad (s) mentioned when he came to Madina and saw people fasting. He asked the reason for fasting as the Jewish community was fasting on that day. It was because Allah (swt) saved Musa (a) from Pharoah on that day. The Prophet (s) said, Nahnu ahaqqu bi Moosa minhum, "We have more right on Musa (a) than them," so he ordered people to fast on that day. And he said in another hadeeth, "Anyone who fasts the day of Ashura, Allah (swt) will waive the sins of one year before." As anyone who fasts the day of `Arafat and who is not on Hajj, Allah (swt) will waive two years of sins from him, one year before and one year after. So it is a very good opportunity for you to fast on 10th Muharram.

O Muslims! Brothers and sisters, I am not trying to come here to say I am something; I am nothing. I am an ordinary person seeking Allah's blessing and the love and barakah of Sayyidina Muhammad (s), and the blessing of my shaykh, that I will be saved in dunya and Ahkirah. I don't think with my `amal I will be saved but with Allah's (swt) mercy everyone can be saved. When He said, wa rahmatee wasi`at kulla shay, "My mercy encompasses everything." (7:156) And He said, sabaqat rahmatee `ala ghadhabi, as Prophet (s) mentioned Allah (swt) revealed to him, "My Mercy overrides My anger." When someone is angry in dunya-life, he might not want to see you. So what do you think if Allah (swt) is angry with someone? Then that one is lost, finished; he doesn't deserveanything except punishment. But Allah (swt) revealed, yaa Muhammad, sabaqat rahmatee `ala ghadhabi, "My mercy overrides My anger. I am forgiving them."

Who is that Mercy? It is Sayyidina Muhammad (s). wa ma arsalnaaka illa rahmatali 'l-`alameen, "We have sent you as a Mercy for humanity." (21:107) For the universes and for everyone. And that Mercy comes from what? (Mawlana stands.) It means, "yaa Muhammad, because I love you, I made you a Mercy, Rahmah; because I love you, I am not angry, I'm saving them for you." So the love of Sayyidina Mohammad (s) is important in our life. And the love of Prophet (s) is not on the microphone or only in making salawaat; it is necessary to say salawaat, it is necessary to speak on microphone, but it is not enough. You have to experience it; you have to practice it. Sahaaba (r) were experiencing that and practicing it by sitting at the threshold of Sayyidina Muhammad (s), they were not sitting at home and snoring! They gave their lives to the Prophet (s). They gave everything. We have to follow their ways. We have to imitate their footsteps.

Why is it that you feel that awliyaaullah speak from the heart and not tongue when they are speaking? And when they say something. for them it is authentic. Although for others, it is not. They already gave their lives to Allah (swt) and Prophet Muhammad (s). So Allah (swt) honored them with the association of Prophet Muhammad (s.) That is why awliyaaullah cannot be compared to us. There is a big difference. When you say, "as-salaamu `alaykum", you reply, "wa 'alaykum as-salaam wa rahmatullahi ta` aala wa barakaatuh." Is there anything more other than that? That is it. But when you shake hands with a wali and say, "as-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi ta`aala wa barakaatuh", at that moment he pulled everything wrong in you since he carried it on himself and gives you from his hasanaat. So it is not like what we say. No. Their greeting is different. When they say salaam, it means you have to be peaceful. They will send that message to your heart to make you peaceful.

There are many shaykhs, all over the world, of different levels. As Grandshaykh, Shaykh Abdullah al Faiz Daghestani (q), may Allah (swt) bless his soul, said many times, "There are 124,000 wali. Not one wali. There are many awliyaaullah, but in different levels and backgrounds. "Wa kullu min rasulullahi multamisun gharfa min al bahri aw rashfan mina 'd-diyami." All of these awliyaaullah are taking like a nursing child. They are nursing from the heart of Sayyidina Muhammad (s.) Depending on the capacity of their hearts to carry, the Prophet (s) gives. Don't think Prophet (s) is not generous. Prophet (s) wants to give every wali and every one of his ummah, he wants to give secret upon secret, secrets behind secrets, never-ending secrets. "Wa fawqa kulli dhi `ilmin `aleem" (12:76), above every knower there is a knower. He will keep giving, but you need to keep taking. A child can take one bottle, he can not take more. Awliyaaullah, as much as they are asking they are taking. Everyone is taking from Prophet (s,) gharfa min al bahri aw rashfan mina 'd-diyami, taking either with big pitchers from the ocean or from your hands a little bit. How much? That depends upon each ones' capacity.

O Muslims! Open up your heart in order that the Prophet (s) can send to you. Abu Hurayrah (r) mentioned in an authentic hadeeth, "Hafiztu min Rasulullahi wi`a ayn", "I learned from Prophet (s) two kinds of knowledge. One kind, one I shared with others. The other one, if I shared it, they would cut my neck." Is that not iman? So why did Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah (r) mention thousands of ahadeeth and Sayyidina Abu Bakr (q) only a small number or Sayyidina `Uthman (r) or Sayyidina `Ali (r)? And Sayyidina Muhammad (s) said, "Ana madinatu 'l-ilmi wa `Aliyun baabuha", "I am the city of knowledge and `Ali is the door." Why did they not mention like Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah (r)? That does not mean that they did not have, but they kept it to be given to Ummat an-Nabee. Those who will give their lives for Allah (swt) and His Prophet (s), even if they came at the end of time, will still give to them.

They took a lot of secret knowledge that they never opened, only a little. Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah (r) mentioned they would cut his neck. Who would cut Abu Hurayrah's neck? It meant those at the time, also the companions of the Prophet (s) who may not have agreed with that. But Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah (r) said he learned from Prophet (s) a knowledge that, if he revealed it, they would cut his neck. This means that not all of them received from these secrets. The Prophet (s) gave everyone according to his capacity. Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah's (r) capacity was big. He was able to carry it and to mention to others. Sayyidina Abu Bakr (q), Sayyidina `Uthman (r), Sayyidina `Umar (r) and Sayyidina `Ali all had the capacity to carry this knowledge but did not reveal it because no one had the capacity to understand the immensity of the knowledge that Allah (swt) gave permission to the Prophet (s) to put in the hearts of the four khalifah. So awliyaaullah are different in level and it does not mean that some are better than others.

Once, Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al Haqqani (q) told me there is no shaykh in Europe from the Naqshbandi order. I would like you to speak to my students there and be sure to bring them together. What does that mean? It means that they are separated. He doesn't like separation. Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur'an, "W`atasimoo bihablillaahi jamee`an wa la tafarraqoo" "Hold tight to the rope of Allah (swt) and don't separate." (3:103). So do not separate as brothers and sisters, or as communities and as the ummah, we need to be united and not separate. It is an order from Allah (swt) to everyone. There are separations. We are seeing the differences. For what? For dunya? For how much we can put in our pockets using the name of the Shaykh? It is a shame on us. It is not acceptable. Mawlana (q)said, "I do not like separations. I would be ashamed in front of Prophet Muhammad (s) when presenting my student to the Prophet (s). I am taking the burden." Unfortunately, they don't listen. Speak to them a hundred times but they don't listen. They took a decision and are going forward with it, instead of surrendering and saying, "Yes, we accept."

Sayyidina `Umar (r) when he took khilaafah from Sayyidina Abu Bakr (q), first what he did was ask `Amr bin al`Aas to resign as a general of the army and put Saariyah, aged 18 years, in his place. `Amr bin al `Aas, who was an elderly person, what did he do? He said, "What Amir al Mu'mineen says, I am accepting." He took bay'ah from Saariyah when they were in Shaam fighting the unbelievers. They were defending themselves. Sayyidina Umar (r) sent them there to prevent them from coming over to Medina, bilaadul Islam. So what did he do "Sam`a wa t`aa". I am believing and accepting. And I am giving my hand to that one that Amir Al Mumineen assigned, the young one, a child." He didn't say, "No I am the Calipha. I am the one representing Amir al Mu'mineen." Amir al Mu'mineen Sayyidina 'Umar (r) did that for some reason, a wisdom. Maybe he wanted to teach that Sahaaba don't have ego. Polish yourself, humble yourself. It might be that 'Amr bin al' Aas listened Sayyidina 'Umar (r), Prophet (s) opened to his heart secrets. May be he wanted to show that the youth take over, take the lead to give them a chance.

Don't hold on to the microphones elderly people, and not giving anything to the youth. Let the youth work, not sitting lazy, dealing with drugs and nonsense and not working. Give them the podium because they can bring lots of people into the mosque. Elderly people can not bring anyone. Sorry, there are no elderly people here, I am the only one (old one) here. Elderly people cannot reach people on campus, in colleges and high schools. Youth can, use them. Send them. Look at these violent, radical ideological people who are recruiting Ahlu 's-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama`ah from colleges and turning them to their beliefs. We are losing a lot of Ahlu's-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama`ah because they are listening to these (extremist) people, and do you know why? They are using youth to speak with youth. Our youth are not interested, because our elderly people are not giving them a choice or a chance.

Back to Mawlana (q), he said, "I don't like to see them separated and speak to them and bring them together because they are all like gems and diamonds on my turban. I like and love them all. I don't like to see one diamond out of it's place. When they are separated and appointing themselves khalifah and representative, that diamond falls down." They are making themselves into their own small groups, instead of being one huge group. We are becoming dismantled and divided. Like one stick, which can be broken easily by a wrestler, but if you have 100 sticks together even ten wrestlers cannot break them. You don't want to be like glass, shattering. You want to be strong, like bulletproof. Be bulletproof against violent people. Why do I say violent? Because any separation in the tariqah is like a violent action against the wish of the shaykh.

O Muslims! We have to learn a lot. We are still students. Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur'an, "Wa fawqa kulli dhi ilmin `aleem." Always, above every knower, there is one who knows more. Don't think you are an `aalim. Who do you consider the biggest `aalim in the world today? Let's say 'X' man. Allah (swt) is saying, "Wa fawqa kulli dhi ilmin 'aleem." Above every 'X' man is another double 'X' man. If there is double 'X' man, do not think there is no one above you. There is triple 'X' man and on it goes. No one can say, "I know something," because above you there are trillions, not billions, trillions of Allah's spiritual creation who are above you in knowledge, better than you. So what is our knowledge compared to Sayyidina Muhammad (s)? Nothing. So if you are nothing, why are you speaking? This is why I have to close my mouth and zip it. No need to talk. Really, there is no need to talk.

In the Naqshbandi Order there are different types of associations. During the time of Sayyidina Shah Naqshband (q) there were different types of associations every week. First association is to sit with the shaykh and not talk. Before entering, there would be a room in the masjid where you bring clean, washed, white clothes and change into them, then come and sit on your knees in circle facing the shaykh. Circles around circles, beginning with the shaykh in the middle until wherever they could reach. All of them facing qibla, as much as they can because they are in circle; Ahlu 's-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama`ah have to connect their heart to the shaykh, from the shaykh to the Prophet (s) and from Prophet (s) to Allah (swt.) This is your ascension, your mi`raj; you cannot go to the presence of Prophet (s) without your shaykh, just as a child cannot go without his father. He cannot go anywhere because he does not know where to go. So we are children holding the hand of our shaykh. Our shaykh will take us, as he knows where to go. The presence of Prophet (s) is open to him and from there to the Divine Presence. That is one session.

The second session is dhikrullah. We do the dhikr, very clean, no talking, not one word, no one can say one word. All their hearts are connected to Prophet (s) and to the shaykh.

Third session is a lecture, suhbah, guidance. Without guidance there is no way to know anything. Why were Sahaaba called "Sahaaba"? In Arabic, sahib is a companion, sahibatuhu means, "I travelled with him as a companion." "Sahaaba" means they were present with and following the Prophet (s). They were called ashaabu 'n-nabee, "Companions of the Prophet." It elevated companions to a pure level and that is why the Prophet (s) said ashaabika 'n-nujoom, "My Sahaaba are like stars." Bi ayyihum uqtadaytum ahtadaytum, "Whomever you follow, you will find guidance." The suhbah of the shaykh is to sit and talk to shaykh. He is addressing you, talking to you and guiding you in a one, two, three-hour speech and giving knowledge to your heart. The shaykh doesn't give you garbage. "Shaykh" is a very important word; we don't know the meaning of it. He is someone whom Allah (swt) opened up his heart. In Arabic, it means someone who has passed forty years. But you can't call someone who has passed forty years a wali, someone who is in the presence of Prophet (s), `ala inna awliyaullah, la khawfun `alayhim wa la hum yahzanoon. "Awliyaullah have nothing to fear because they are in the presence of Prophet." What are they going to fear? They are guided.

Suhbatu 's-shaykh, gives you jawhar, the essence of the diamonds. Not only diamonds. He gives you the purest of diamonds. Not like so-called shaykhs today. Sorry to say, I'm not addressing other tariqahs. Which one are you? Qadiriyyah? (Chishti) I'm not saying to the Chistiyyah. And you are? (asking to someone in the audience) Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, which part of Naqshbandiyyah? Pakistan, I'm not addressing to that one. I am addressing to the Haqqani Naqshbandi students, disciples. Today there are those that claim to be shaykhs in that tariqah. In England or America when someone goes to a psychic to tell the future, fortune tellers. There are so-called shaykhs here like these naked women, fortune tellers. You see them in America, England, and in Europe, and they sit and have shows, and they have no covers and they receive; what they receive, I don't know. They say hocus-pocus. This so-claimed 'shaykh representative' today only has hocus-pocus, asking for a sum of money or something in return to save you from jinn. "Give £500 and I will make you okay." The other one, "Bring for me a lamb or a goat, I will make you okay."

The other one, "How much you collected today?"

"Oh my brother, I haven't collected today."

"I collected £500."

"Huh?"

"I saved him from jinn that were coming on him."

"What is the name of the jinn?"

"Shash-bash."

"How much you collected?"

"Oh, I collected a goat or a lamb."

"Oh you are stupid, you don't know how to collect money."

There are so-called shaykhs today, like them, full of them. I am feeling pity for those I receive many letters today from different communities, and they say, "Oh I have black magic."

"Why you have black magic"?

"Oh I don't know, someone did for me black magic."

If you have confidence in your shaykh, if you have confidence in your Prophet (s) do you think anyone can harm you from jinn? I was sitting with Mawlana Shaykh (q) and someone called from England, and says, "I have to speak with shaykh, I have to speak with shaykh!" So Mawlana is busy and he says, "Okay, I will speak with that person." She told him, "Yaa shaykh, I have black magic. I have this. I have that magic." Mawlana hangs the phone up. He told me, "Do you think a shaykh will allow a jinn or black magic to be on his mureed? These people have no belief in me! They have no belief in awliyaaullah!" Unfortunately, some people are running after so-called shaykhs today who claim they are Mawlana's representative, and they are trying to pluck the feathers of a chicken. How do you pluck the feathers of the chicken and rooster? They are plucking the feathers of people1 (laughter)

O Muslims, open your eyes, you have Sayyidina Muhammad (s) and you think jinn can approach you? No, it is impossible. There is no way. When jinn came to Sahaaba (r), they entered into three statues in the presence of Prophet (s) and (the statues) were saying to the Sahaaba not to believe in him. Prophet (s) blew on them and they were finished. If you have black magic, don't go to any one and say, "I have a black magic." Call on your shaykh and call on your Prophet (s) and that will clear up.

There are things which we don't know, for example, Ghulam Yasin, very nice name, was reciting Qur'an and everyone was happy. If I would go instead of him and recite Qur'an, might be everyone not happy because my voice is not like his. If another person, it may not make us happy, may be worse. But when he (Ghulam Yasin) recite it, we were very happy. We want more and more. I envy his children, or his wife, if he has family, because they are hearing him day and night, and we are not hearing him. If Shaykh Abdul Basit Abdul Samad was here, he didn't die, and was reciting Qur'an, you would be more happy to hear him or not? Yes definitely, we would be happy. If Imam Abu Hanifa was reciting Qur'an, you would be happy or not? 'Yes.' Definitely. If Sayyidina Abu Bakr as-Siddiq (r) or Sayyidina `Umar (r) or Sayyidina `Usmaan (r) or Sayyidina `Ali (r), or anyone of the Sahaabi (r) reciting Qur'an, would you be happy? 'Yes.' Very happy. Definitely. Why? Because their voices are different. His voice is different, it goes all the way up.

Their voices must be higher and higher, because it carries with it the reality of the recitation. It depends on the reciter. If he is connected to Prophet (s), his recitation will be full of knowledge, secrets that when he recites he sends the knowledge to the hearts of the people. Did we hear the recitation of Prophet (s)? Yes or no? 'No.' We did not. If we heard Prophet's (s) recitation what would happen to us? Allahu akbar! Allahu akbar! Allahu akbar! We will faint from the beauty of his (s) recitation. This means we did not hear what the Prophet (s) recited. We heard what our teachers recited to us. If you have a jar of sugar, you put a little water and drink it, how sweet is it? Very sweet. More water? Less sweet. More water? Less sweet. More water? Less sweet. It is finished. Diluted in the end, no sweetness left in it.

So Sayyidina Muhammad (s), when Allah (swt) revealed to him Holy Qu'ran, no one heard it except Prophet (s). What kind of a musical voice did Prophet (s) hear? We did not hear that. Prophet (s) only heard it, not even the Sahaaba. What did we hear? What the Sahaaba heard is the voice of the Prophet (s) which is the sweetest. What did we hear? Is what our Shuykh gave to us. It is so diluted. But what did Prophet (s) say? He said to his Sahaaba, "You are my ashaab. They are my ahbaab. In the last days, they are my lovers, they are my friends because they believed in me and they didn't see me."

So Muslims today, especially in this country, you have a big job to do. You have to show your love of Prophet (s) then people will love you, because we show them our unity for love of the Prophet (s). Did you see any of Ahlus-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama`ah say to you, Mawlid un-Nabi (s) is haraam? So all of them are united. Did you see any Wahabi say to you Mawlid un-Nabi is halaal? So they are united against that. So we are two fronts. Either you are Ahlus-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama`ah or Wahabi. If you want to be Ahlus-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama`ah show the love of Sayyidina Muhammad (s). If we become khadimeen khaliyyeen, selfish not wanting to do anything, we are losing. If we stand up for haqq, Sayyidina 'Umar (r) stood up for haqq, if we stand up for haqq, you never loose.

We are not fighters. We carry with us flowers and go to them. We don't carry suicide bombings or weapons or fighting with weapons or blowing up or doing this and that and killing awliyaaullah and killing Ahlus-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama`ah, in Swat or in Somalia. I don't want to know what. No. Our message to our brothers in ummatu 'd-d`awa, Muslim and non-Muslim, is Ummat an-Nabee. We go to them with flowers. This is our response to you, all non-Muslims, east and west, England, America, France, Germany, Italy, Spain wherever you are, this is our message to you, nothing else. No sword. We don't want swords, not even a knife. We want to fill our homes with flowers. With that message of love from my Shaykh, Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani (q) , may Allah (swt) bless him and give him long life. I give you that message and I am part of that, listening to what he is saying and delivering it to you.

May Allah (swt) forgive us and may Allah (swt) bless us all. And I am asking and requesting, please unite. Humble yourself to the other. If there are more representatives, humble yourselves, say, "Okay, I don't want to," or say, "One week this one and the other week that one." Be together, don't separate.

Aqooloo qawli hadha wa astaghfirullahi 'l-azheem.

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The imaam is requesting and asking your hearts to give generously for the masjid in order to help them cover their expenses. So may Allah (swt) keep this in your sadaqatun jaariyah. As the Prophet (s) said, "If you give money for a masjid, for a hospital or for a poor person, it will be sadaqatun jaariyah, it is a flowing donation until the Day of Judgment. It doesn't stop." Can some of you stand up to collect donations? Pass your hats around. I don't want to ask the sisters because they only have jewelry to give! (laughter) Allahu akbar, all sisters together gave £300,000 yearly towards this mosque. May Allah (swt) give them and their families long life and happiness and take away black magic from them!

Allahumma salli `ala an-Nabee! Allahumma salli `ala an-Nabee! Allahumma salli `ala an-Nabee! Allahumma salli `ala an-Nabee!

(Baya' is given.) This baya' is not to me. We have to be very careful. O representatives of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q)! O khalifah of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) whom you call yourself khalifah or representative! Anyone who takes baya' from you, it is not for you, it is for Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q)! You are a vehicle. When you give baya', you have nothing more to do with that person or to say to him (such as), "Make rabitah with me, come and massage my feet, come and lick my feet, come and sit at my feet, come and kiss my feet, come and do this and that." O be careful, and do not let Shaytan play with you!

As-salaamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh.

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