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Run from Arrogance!

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

18 January 2012 London, UK

Suhbah at Jamia Mosque, Watford (2)

Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. Alhamdulillahi rabbi ‘l-`alameen was-salaat was-salam `alaa ashraf al-mursaleen. Allahumma ija`al awwaala sannatina haadha salaahun wa awsatahu falaahan wa aakhirahu najaahan. Allahumma ija`al awwalahu rahmatan wa awsatahu ni`matan wa aakhirahum takreematan wa maghfirah. Alhamdulillahi'lladhee tawada`a kulla shayin li `azhamatihi wa dalla kulla shayin li-`izzatihi wa khada` kulla shayin li-mulkih was-taslama kulla shayin li- qudratih, w’Alhamdulillahi'lladhee sakana kulla shayin li-haybatih wa azhara kulli shayin bi- hikmatihi wa tasaaghara kulla shayin li-kibriee'aa'uh.

O our Lord, make the beginning of this year repair, and its middle happiness, and its end safety from all hardship.

O our Lord, make its beginning mercy, its middle bounty and its ending generosity and forgiveness. Ya dha’l-`arshi’l-majeed. fa`alun lima yureed. Hal ataaka hadeethu’l-junooda fira`awna wa thamood. Allahumma ayqadna fee ahabbi sa`ati ilayka ya wadud.

All praise be to the One who made everything humbled before His Greatness, and made all subservient before His Honor and brought low all before His Kingship and made all things submit to His power. And all praise to the One who made all tranquil before His Majesty, and made everything appear by His wisdom, and made all things humbled before his Pride.

O our Lord, wake us up in the time most beloved to Yourself! O Lord of the Throne of Glory, Doer (without let) of All that He Intends!

Balilladheena zhalamoo fee takdheeb w’Allahu min waraa’ihim muheet. Bal huwa quranun majeedun fee lawhim mahfoozh.

Has the story reached you of the forces of Pharaoh and the Thamud? And yet the Unbelievers (persist) in rejecting (the Truth)! But Allah doth encompass them from behind! Nay, this is a Glorious Qur'an, (Inscribed) in a Tablet Preserved! (85:17-22)

O Muslim Brothers and Sisters! Alhamdulillah that Allah (swt) has made us meet in this lovely Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah mosque. It is a pity and we are sad that many of the mosques here are not under Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah, but in any case, Allah (swt) has supported Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah to have a majority of mosques around the world. We don’t need to explain that, but through our travels east and west we have seen most of the masajid are Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah.

When poison spreads, our duty is to cut it from the body. Similarly, when baatil increases, Allah (swt) orders and support his angels to bring up haqq, so haqq is coming and baatil is going. Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah are on haqq just as Sayyidina `Umar (r) was on haqq, and he climbed the roof of the building and called the adhaan. So the adhaan for Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah, has begun in Paradise, where angels are giving adhaan (supporting) every moment for the Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah!

Today is the last Wednesday of Safar, and after two days it is going to be the first of Rabi`ul-Awwal, which is January 24 on some calendars. “Rabi`” in Arabic means “spring” and Rabi`ul-Awwal is when Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah... led “The First Spring” on Earth, because of the First Master that came on Earth, Sayyidina Muhammad (s)!

(video cut) The khalifah of Shaykh `Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (q) had a son who has studied ostensibly and wanted to be a great teacher of the people, for them to look up to him. The khalifah said, “O my son, I am tired today. You please give the Jumu`ah khutbah.” The son kissed his father’s hands and feet and said, “O my father, I will do my best!” but as soon as he began to speak, saying, “Alhamdulillahi rabbi ‘l-`alameen was-salaat was-salaam `alaa ashraf al-anbiyaa wal-mursaleen,” praising the Prophet (s) and giving salutations then beginning his speech, slowly everyone began to sleep and snore. Like today in conferences, everyone wants to speak and show they are the best.

Allah (swt) described, “When you want to sell something you bring ...and sell it.” But Allah (swt) mentioned in the Holy Qur'an that the brothers of Sayyidina Yusuf (a) told him, “We don’t have anything to bring anymore....” It will carry no meaning or light in it if you think you are something and your guidance and your lecture will not have any effect. You have to know that above you are so many who know more than you, as Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur'an:

وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِي عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ

Fawqa kulli dhil `ilmin `aleem.

Above every knower there is a (higher) knower. (Yusuf, 12:76)

How can you show-off when you know there is someone above you? Even if you studied in al-Azhar or in Damascus or in the Hijaaz, if there is no humility, there is no light in your words. So this man was proud of himself just like Iblees, who said to Allah, “I am better than him! You created me from fire and you created him from clay.” This is what makes all the problems! In Pakistan arrogance has created all kind of problems. I am speaking to myself and to you; we all have to run from arrogance! When I see a chair like that (signifying high rank), I run away because that is what made problems in the Middle East, in Pakistan and in Afghanistan.

فمن تواضع لله فرفعه

Faman tawada` lillahi rafa`a.

Whoever humbles himself for Allah's sake, Allah will raise him.

Do we want Allah (swt) to raise us or do we want people to raise us? What would you say if Allah (swt) wants to judge you according to what you did in this life, from all that is described in your Book of Deeds? If Allah (swt) will judge us according to what we are doing, where is the chair? Where is the carpet?

Everybody slept during the lecture of the son of the khalifah of Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (r). (...) He asked his father, “When you speak everyone is awake and pays attention, and I am so strong but you are different. What is going on?”

His father said, “O my son. Mashaa-Allah your speaking is so scholarly, but is that what you have learned? I am so sorry that I sent you away to study as it would have been better if you had stayed with me, because they taught you everything except humbleness. If your teachers had taught you that, you would have seen t people’s eyes open more than when I speak, for then I don't speak to them, I speak to myself as I am a sinner. I do something wrong daily, so I need what I am advising my listeners. I say to my nafs, ‘O nafs! I must follow this advice that I am talking about.’ When I listen to myself and that advice enters my heart, it gives out a light and that makes them feel tranquil.”

Allah (swt) said:

ما وسعني سمائي ولا أرضي ولكن وسعني قلب عبدي المؤمن

Ma wasi'anee samawaati wa laa ardi wa laakin wasi'anee qalbi `abdee al-mu'min.

Neither My Heavens nor My Earth contain Me, but the heart of My believing servant contains Me. (Hadith Qudsi)

The heart of a mu’min cannot actually contain Allah (swt), but it contains the manifestations of His Light, and can inherit from the heart of the Prophet (s).

O Muslims of Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah! You must be happy, not proud or arrogant, but be happy, because we are accepted as brothers by the Prophet (s) as he mentioned in the hadith, when he asked the Sahaabah (r):

“Who has the most faith in Allah (swt) and His Prophet (s)?” And they looked at each other and said, “Al-malaa`ikah, angels, as they are always worshipping and praying.” And he (s) said, “How is it not, when the angels always see what they see (of Allah’s Presence) and they are worshipping in the Divine Presence? But there are others who have stronger faith.” Then they said, “Yaa Rasoolullah, the anbiyaa, prophets?” And the Prophet (s) said, “How are the prophets not going to have strongest faith when they are having malaa`ikah coming to them with Revelations from Allah? How will they not have strong faith?” And they said, “The Sahaabah?” And then he said, “How are the Sahaabah not going to have strong faith when I am between them?” And they said, “Who then, yaa Rasoolullah?” And the Prophet (s) said, yaatoona fee akhira az-zamaan yu’minoon bee wa lam yarawnee, “There are people coming in the Last Days who believe in me and they never saw me. You are my Companions, and they are my brothers.”

What more do we need than this (good news), that the Prophet (s) described 1400 years ago that we are his brothers? Look at the care that Allah (swt) has given to Sayyidina Muhammad (s) for his ummah and how much mercy Allah (swt) gave to that group of people who are lovers of the Prophet (s), those who believe in him, putting his n`al ash-shareef, the holy sandal (badges) on their heads. These are the Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah.

He said, Yu’minoon bee wa lam yarawnee, “They believe in me yet they didn’t see me.” Just the word "believe" in this instance is not enough because all Muslims believe in the Prophet (s), but it also means “belief with love.” Others believe, but their love is incomplete, and the love of the Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah for the Prophet (s) is perfect because they express their love to him, and that is why the Prophet (s) said, “They are my brothers!”

O Believers! All this is advice (for everyone), but advise yourself first and don’t make yourself a teacher (of others). If you see someone doing something, don’t say "Do this," rather leave people alone in whatever they are doing. Yassiroo wa laa tu`assiroo, “Make it easy and don’t make it hard,” then you will see more people come. When you make them afraid (with objections), then they don’t approach the door of the masjid. So our duty is to show respect to others and the evidence is Allah (swt) made the angels show respect to human beings.He (swt) made them to do sajda to Sayyidina Adam (a), a sajda of respect, not of worship.

وَإِذْ قُلْنَا لِلْمَلاَئِكَةِ اسْجُدُواْ لآدَمَ فَسَجَدُواْ إِلاَّ إِبْلِيسَ

Wa idh qulnaa li ’l-malaa’ikatu ’sjudoo li aadama fa sajadoo illa iblees,

And when We told the angels, "Prostrate yourselves before Adam!" they all prostrated themselves, save Iblees. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:34)

When Allah (swt) ordered the angels to make sajda of ihtiram to Sayyidina Adam (a), did we ever hear any verse in Holy Qur'an that Allah (swt) said to them after that sajda, “Raise their heads?” No, there is no such verse telling them to raise their heads, and in the sajda they are praising the Prophet (s). We can speak on this topic until morning. It is like the sweet dessert after food and this sweet is what forms the love. When you mention the name of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) mercy will descend upon the heart, because Allah (swt) said:

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ

Wa maa arsalnaaka illa rahmatan li ’l-`alameen.

(O Muhammad!) We have sent you not except as a Mercy for all the Worlds.

(Surat al-Anbiya, 21:107)

When the Sahaabah (r) greeted Prophet (s) saying, “Salaam `alaykum,” and he said, “wa `alaykum salaam,” then they went from another side to get another salaam, and then a different side and get more salaams. The Prophet (s) said, “When anyone sends salaam on me, Allah (swt) sends my soul back so I can return the salaam.” And every moment there is someone sending salaat and salaam on the Prophet (s). This is for people with square heads to know that the soul of the Prophet (s) is never away from him! He said:

أنا حيٌّ في قبري

Anaa hayyun tariyyun fee qabree.

I am alive, fresh in my grave.

The Prophet (s) answers when angels send salawaat on him. Does he respond to their salaat and salaam or not? (All) angels are making salaat and salaam on the Prophet (s). Allah (swt) said, “Inna-Llaha wa malaa'ikatahu yusalloona `ala 'n-nabi, yaa ayyuhal-ladheena aamanoo salloo `alayhi was sallimoo tasleemaa.” Each one of them is making salaam. Malaa`ikatahu, “all of them,” fall under that order. (video cut)

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

http://sufilive.com/Secrets_of_the_Heart_of_a_Believer-4147.html

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