30 July 2012 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Suhbah after Fajr
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`alaa fee haadha 'l-masjid.
أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
Ati`oollaha wa ati`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)
In the time of the Prophet (s) there was no paper so the following prediction of the Prophet (s) is amazing. We are still on the hadith of dhikr, as related by Bukhari and Muslim, when he said:
عن معاذ بن جبل قال: قال رسول الله : { ألا أخبركم بخير أعمالكم وأزكاها عند مليككم، وأرفعها في درجاتكم، وخير لكم من إنفاق الذهب والفضة، ومن أن تلقوا عدوكم فتضربوا أعناقهم، ويضربوا أعناقكم } قالوا: بلى يا رسول الله. قال: { ذكر الله عز وجل }
Alaa ukhbirukum bi-khayri `aamaalikum wa azkaahaa `inda maleekikum? Wa arfa`ahaa fee darajaatikum wa khayrun lakum min infaaq adh-dhahaba wa’l-fiddah? Wa min an talqoo `adoowakum fatadriboo aa`naaqimhim wa yadriboo aa`naqikum. Qaaloo: balaa ya Rasoolullah! Qaala: Dhikrullahi `azza wa jall.
Do you want me to tell you the best and the most pure of your `amal that Allah likes, which is the highest level that takes you to higher levels and is better for you than spending gold and silver?
(Bukhari and Muslim)
The prediction is that there will be a time when people will hoard gold and silver and everything else will have no value. Today there is no value in paper money; everything depends on gold and silver, as the Prophet (s) predicted. A time is coming when the best thing for you to save will be gold and silver, and better than saving gold and silver is dhikrullah. It is better than jihad or anything else and to say “Allah” once is better than anything in this world! It means you are calling The One Who is praised by everything in this universe.
قُلِ الله ثُمَّ ذَرْهُمْ فِي خَوْضِهِمْ يَلْعَبُونَ
Quli 'Llaah thumma wa dharhum fee khawdihim yal`aboon.
Say "Allah," then leave them to plunge in vain discourse and trifling. (Surat al-An`am, 6:91)
When Allah's Servant calls Him with the intention, “You are my Creator and I am nothing,” that is what Allah (swt) likes. To say “Allah” one time is better than all of the gold and silver of this entire world, since gold and silver finishes, but Allah's dhikr is everlasting. Kalaamullah never finishes and in this case it means “dhikrullah.”
قُل لَّوْ كَانَ الْبَحْرُ مِدَادًا لِّكَلِمَاتِ رَبِّي لَنَفِدَ الْبَحْرُ قَبْلَ أَن تَنفَدَ كَلِمَاتُ رَبِّي وَلَوْ جِئْنَا بِمِثْلِهِ مَدَدًا
Qul law kaana al-bahru midaadan l-ikalimaati rabbee la-nafida ’l-bahru qabla an tanfada kalimaatu rabbee wa law j’inaa bi-mithlihi madada.
Say, "If the ocean were ink (wherewith to write out) the words of my Lord, sooner would the ocean be exhausted than would the words of my Lord, even if we added another ocean like it for its aid."
(Surat al-Kahf, 18:109)
Even if you had all the trees of dunya as pens and ocean after ocean as ink, the Words of Allah would never finish! If all the oceans became ink, there would be too much; what could you do with so much ink? And if all the trees became pens to write, Allah's Words would never end. That means our existence, the universe and the angels will all end, but Allah’s Holy Words will always exist! Subhaan-Allah, it is beyond our imagination!
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ كَانَتْ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتُ الْفِرْدَوْسِ نُزُلً خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا لَا يَبْغُونَ عَنْهَا حِوَلًا
Inna alladheena aamanoo wa `amilu’s-saalihaati kaanat lahum jannaatu’l-firdawsi nuzula, Khaalideena feehaa laa yabghoona `anhaa hiwalaa.
As to those who believe and work righteous deeds, they have, for their entertainment, the Gardens of Paradise wherein they shall dwell (for eternity); no change will they wish for from them.
(Surat al-Kahf, 18:107-108)
Allah (swt) will give them Jannat al-Firdaws as a permanent “inn” and they will be happy with what Allah gave them. If all the oceans were ink, they would not suffice to write Allah's Words, and even if more oceans were brought they would be exhausted but Allah's Words would not be finished! Allah is saying, “And this I give to you, yaa Muhammad! Say ‘Allah’ and ‘laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah.’ That is your key!”
Say “Allah” once in your life, call on Him, and He will answer, “Yaa `abdee, what do you want?” When you ask someone of a high rank for help, do they respond? No. They respond to the dogs they carry in and out of the airplane when they travel, because their dogs are better for them than human beings. They send them every day to get groomed and someone takes them on the plane before their leaders board, so the dogs become leaders for their owners. First class is for dogs and second class for leaders. Do they give you anything? No, rather, they take from you because you must pay their tax. “I don’t have enough for my children.” “Alright, but you must still pay tax on whatever you earn.”
Allah says, ”Mention Me, say ‘Allah’ and I will mention you in a better way than you mention Me.”
أنا جليس من ذكرني
Anaa jaleesu man dhakaranee.
I sit with him who remembers me. (Ahmad, Bayhaqi)
Allah (swt) is not sitting with you in the physical meaning, but He is dressing you with His Beautiful Names and Attributes. On the Day of Judgement, when you appear with those dresses similar to the shining moon or sun, everyone will look at you and be amazed! As-Suhurwardi (r) related that the Prophet (s) said that Allah (swt) said:
Idhaa kaana al-ghaalibu `ala `abdee al-ishtighaala bee ja`alatu hammahu wa ladhdhatahu fee dhikree.
If My Remembrance overtook My Servant and his desire to remember Me overtook him, I will make all his pleasure and all his concerns in My remembrance. (As-Suhurwardi)
It means, “He doesn’t have any sweetness except for My Remembrance.” Whoever remembers Allah (swt), Allah will be with him, although not physically as we previously mentioned.
Fa idha ja`altu hammahu wa ladhatahu fee dhikree `ashaqanee.
If I make his concern My Remembrance, he becomes passionately in love with Me. (As-Suhurwardi)
So he will not be merely in love, but will be in the state of `ishq, “infatuation” or “passionately in love,” which is more intense. And Allah (swt) says:
I lift the veils that are between Me and him. (As-Suhurwardi)
That is why Allah says to awliyaullah, “Don’t be sad! Come to Me, quickly reach My Door! I am opening the doors between Me and you because you are passionately in love with Me! You cannot inhale or exhale without My mention, so come quickly, as My Door is ready!”
However, it has some conditions. For example, Ahmad al-Badawi (q) was calling his Lord and saying, “I arrived at your door, give me the key!”
Allah (swt) said, “No, go to that one, he has your key.”
That one came to him and said, “Do you want the key?”
Ahmad al-Badawi (q) replied, “No, I want the key from The Key Maker.”
Allah said, “I am Allah! Do you think I am going to give you the key directly? Don’t you feel ashamed of yourself? I have `ibaadullah in whom I have put My trust, and they will give you the key!”
But he didn’t want it from that one, since he wanted it from Allah directly. After he kicked that wali away, Allah (swt) left him alone for six months and then answered him, “Go and find this person, he has your key, which now comes with a price.”
That wali had the key, but Ahmad al-Badawi (q) didn’t see that. So the wali appeared and said, “Do you want the key?”
“Yes,” he replied, “I will give you whatever you want!”
He said, “No, now it has conditions. Give me your knowledge that is mixed with your ego. You cannot teach people knowledge, since it is impure and blended with arrogance.” Ahmad al-Badawi (q) surrendered to that wali.
If we look back in history, all four of the major imams and other`ulama surrendered to awliyaullah. Abu Hanifa (r) submitted to Imam Ja`far as-Sadiq (q) and Bishr al-Hafi (q), Imam Malik (r) had several hundred Sufi Shaykhs, Imam Shafi`i (r) and Imam Ahmad (r) submitted to Shayban ar-Ra`ee (q). Although they all were very knowledgeable in Islam and fiqh, they submitted to awliyaullah since they only had `Ilm azh-zhaahir. Imam Shafi`i (r) used to drink the wudu water of Shayban ar-Ra`ee (q) and Imam Ahmad (r) objected to that, but we will not go into that discussion now.
Sayyidina Abu Yazid al-Bistami (q) also approachedhis Lord and asked for his key. The answer came, “Go and make yourself a dump for My Creation.” So to become humble, Imam Ahmad al-Badawi (q) had to take the key from that wali and Abu Yazid al-Bistami (q) had to become a dump, as they were both happy with the knowledge they had acquired. You must always be humble in your life, not only when you take the key, since nothing can ever be achieved without it. What is humbleness? It is to never shout at anyone and break their heart, never be proud or arrogant, never lie for your own benefit, or to never turn Islam into merely a business in order to collect money!
Ibn Taymiyya recognized this, and although we differ in `aqeedah--they believe in anthropomorphism-- there are aspects with which we agree. For example, Ibn Taymiyya believed in tasawwuf and categorized it in three different parts: first are the genuine Sufis whom he followed[1]; then he mentioned the second category, muhtarifoon, those who are making it a profession and turning it into a business (they say, “If you have money you may eat at the Shaykh’s table; if you don’t have money, go eat at the door,” and they check everyone who comes to visit.) The third category is muhtaqiroon, those who have a monopoly on the followers of the Shaykh and are professionals in making a business from the Shaykh.
Ibn Taymiyya agrees that you must have genuine awliyaullah. Today you see many people taking control of tariqah and leaving the Shaykh with no power, while others are building empires and collecting whatever they possibly can, and that is dangerous. Allah (swt) said to Sayyidina Abu Yazid al-Bistami (q), “If you want My Door, make yourself a dump,” which means “surrender.” So if you want to ittiba` ash-Shaykh, follow the Shaykh, as he has no interest in dunya, so you should follow him and not those around him who will mislead you. Although their teachings might be from Holy Qur’an and hadith, they are poison for you.
As Ahmad Al-Badawi (q) built his knowledge of Holy Qur'an and hadith on arrogance, so they had to cut him down. “If you want to be a wali, go and humble yourself to the lowest one in your time, the one who came saying, ‘I have your key!’”
Prophet (s) said:
رب اشعث اغبر لو اقسم على الله لأبره
Rubba ash`ath aghbara law aqsama `ala ’Llaahi la-abbarah.
There may be a disheveled, dusty person who, if he swears an oath by Allah, Allah will fulfill it.
(Muslim)
So Allah sends awliyaullah to such people to teach them humbleness. Even if you are at the bedside of the Shaykh, taking care of him and feeding him, you might be poisoning him with your bad energies! It has happened to many Shaykhs in many tariqahs in the past, even to the Best of Creation, as they performed black magic on him. That is why Allah (swt) revealed Surat al-Falaq to be read, to cut that black magic! There was one helper in the Prophet’s house who was from those who were against Prophet (s). He took some cloth and some hairs from Sayyidina Muhammad (s) and gave them to his people because they asked for them so they could perform black magic on the Prophet (s). Jibreel (a) came, since the Prophet (s) was not feeling well, and said, “Yaa Rasoolullah, go to the well, where you will find a pitcher. Inside it is your cloth and hair, in which they tied eleven knots.”
Do you think the Prophet (s) did not know? He knew, but he surrendered; he did not show his will. We mentioned the story of Sayyidina Shah Bahauddin Naqshband (q), when he helped the people in the drought and was scolded, “Why did you not surrender to My Will?” Surat al-Falaq was then revealed and Prophet (s) recited it on the knots and one-by-one all the knots began to open. Those of you who are asking for help with sihr, black magic, can find advice on eShaykh.com that you should recite Surat al-Falaq eleven times.
When Prophet (s) reached the verse, Wa min sharri ‘n-naffathaati fee ‘l-`uqad, “From the badness of these witches who wrote the magic,” one-by-one each knot began to open and that sihr disappeared.
So if you want to follow awliyaullah, follow their footsteps by surrendering. That is why the Shaykh surrenders, but those around him take advantage of this “opportunity” so as to destroy the reputation of shuyookh, and this happens to many of them. Those doing so will be punished in dunya and Akhirah. May Allah forgive us and protect us from that situation, because it is dangerous.
Allah (swt) will remove all the veils between Himself and that wali, as He did with Sayyidina Ahmad al-Badawi (q). His eyes became so full of Light that he had to wear a burqah because no one could look upon him, and it was the same with Sayydina Abu Yazid al-Bistami (q); no one was able to understand him.
La yas-hoo idhaa sahan-naas, oola’ika kalamuhum kalaamu ’l-anbiyaa.
They will not forget when people forget. They are not Prophets, but they are those whom I created as Prophets and I will make them to be in the footsteps of Prophets.
“When they say something, it is inspiration from Prophets,” so their words are prophetic, not because Allah made them Prophets, but because they are dressed with different dresses from different Prophets.
Oola’ika ’l-abtaal al-abdaal haqqan.
They are the Heroes and they are the Substitutes upon whom you may call (for help).
Oolaa’ik alladheena idhaa aradatu bi ahl al-ardu `uqoobatan aw `adhaaban dhakartuhu wa saraftahu `anhum.
If I Will, for their sake I will take away My Punishment from human beings and when I decide to punish and take revenge and their names are mentioned, I will forgive for their sake!
May Allah keep us with those awliyaullah and those who are making dhikrullah! Abu Sulayman ad-Daraaniyy said, “When the dhaakir, the one who remembers Allah, mentions His Name, angels will plant a tree in Paradise for every time he says ‘Allah.’” So if you say “Allah” 5,000 or 10,000 times a day, you will have 10,000 trees in Paradise and wherever they are planted will be your area and the distance between two trees might be from here to the heavens! This universe has six-billion galaxies and every galaxy has 80-billion stars! Each tree is bigger than this universe and is in a different Paradise, and the pleasure of each Paradise is different than the other!
May Allah forgive us and bless us.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
http://sufilive.com/Say_Allah-4474.html
© Copyright 2012 Sufilive. All rights reserved. This transcript is protected
by international copyright law. Please attribute Sufilive when sharing it. JazakAllahu khayr.
________________
[1] As we learned in an article from Princeton University which states he had `ijaza from Sayyidina `Abdul Qadir Jilani (q). In his book Al-Fatawa al-Kubra he mentions many awliyaullah and recognizes them as real and genuine, such as Abu Yazid al-Bistami, Sirr as-Saqati, Sayyidina 'Abdul-Qadir al-Jilani, Rabi`a al-`Adawiya (q) and many others.