Lozell Central Mosque
Suhbah Before Jumu`ah
Imaam:
Mawlana Shaykh Hisham is the deputy of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani, the leader of our time, giving guidance to people in the way of Allah, the way of love. The fact that so many people have accepted the hand of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani through Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, is remarkable; especially in the English-speaking communities. I was in Dars-e-Nizami and the shaykh had released his book on the Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine in 1998. I was between 14 or 15 years old. I was studying in a madrassa under `Allama Rasul Baksh Sayyidi and Brother Munir who owns a bookshop, Brother Munir got me a copy of the Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine. It consists of seven volumes. These seven volumes I read within a week and memorized the contents of that work. Later when the deviance in our locality would make trouble, the books were helpful in memorizing a lot of the facts. And then later on when I went to ash-Sham ash-Shareef and studied under the `ulama, the references you gave helped me greatly. The honor you gave to us, we cannot repay. That was a great favor you did for the youth of Ahlu ’l-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah by writing that work in English. Over 12 years ago I read the work and memorized it and it helped my studies later as well.
Mawlana Shaykh Hisham:
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakaatuh. It is an honor for me to be in this masjid of Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah, and it is an honor to be with you today. I was worried it would be at one o'clock in the afternoon, but it wasn’t. Or else, we would have missed it. This honor doesn’t mean I am higher than you, I am not higher, I might be the lowest. Our egos always try to pull us up and what we have to do is bring our ego down. Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur'an, "Don't try to praise yourself, your ego."
وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِي عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ
Wa fawqa kulli dhee `ilmin `aleem.
Above every knower is a higher knower. (12:76)
Above every scholar, or teacher, or anyone, there is someone higher. So why do we have to claim we are something? We don’t own anything, it is better to be nothing. If you claim you are nothing you will not be judged and if you say, “Yaa Rabbee, I am a weak servant. I cannot do anything without Your rahmah or shafa`ah of Prophet (s)," then your `amal will be lifted up by heavenly power.
O Muslims! The problem between us and others, without calling names, is that it is a very thin hair, very thin. But when it is thin, you cannot walk on it, if you do you fall down. You see these circus people who walk on very thin wires, they walk on it and balance themselves with a stick. So Siraat ul-Mustaqeem can be wider than the universe, Allah knows best, or it can be thinner than a hair. Like that wire, how will you walk on it? So the struggle can be big or thin as a hair. The difference between us, and I will not go into small things. Mutassalif and mustallif are two technical terms, mustallif is impersonating oneself as Salaf as-Saalih, but Salaf as-Saalih are known as being from the first three centuries.
So we go into main the issue, the importance of the reality of Sayyidina Muhammad (s). That is our khalaf. Our khalaf is that we have `aqeedah, faith, because Islam first came as `aqeedah, it did not come as `ibadaat, worship. Worshipness came later, but `aqeedah came first. If our `aqeedah is not strong we won't be able to build on it. If the building has no infrastructure all our work will collapse if the structure of the building is not strong. Allah (swt) made it very strong for us in a very eloquent way. Allah said, yaa Muhammad (s) alam nashrah, "Why are you worried?”
أَلَمْ نَشْرَحْ لَكَ صَدْرَكَ
Alam nashrah laka sadrak.
We expanded for you your chest. (94:1)
When someone hugs someone, he hugs by the chest. You don't hug by the feet. When you know someone, your wife, your daughter, your son, your brother, or your friend; you hug them at the chest. So Allah says in that verse, “Did I not expand your chest? I am the One Who has expanded the universe together with Paradise.” How big did He expand it? Khalaq Allah! The Creation of angels to animals to human beings, anything that was created, are within the expansion of the chest of Prophet (s) because it has to be on `azaamatullah, the greatness of Allah (swt).
When you say, "Naray takbeer, Allahu Akbar " it means Allah is the Greatest or Greater, the 99 names are still giving more and more meanings. And still there are more than the 99 names of Allah, the names are infinite. You can't describe Allah's greatness, His essence. So He said, “I have expanded your chest to include everything in this universe." We are in that chest of Prophet (s), it is our `aqeedah. You have to know that nothing can be outside that chest of Prophet (s). That is why Allah raised him not only his name by His, but to qaaba qawsayni aw adna, "Two bows length or nearer." What is aw adna? Closer, even closer. Wherever you say is closer, it is still closer. You cannot say it became one, no, that is wahdat al-wujood, we cannot accept that. Allah brought him to nearest that Allah wants, and that He described as adna. So that was expanded. “Do you want more than that?” “Of course yaa Rabbee.” Because on the Day of Judgment he will go into sajdah and make du`as and Allah will ask, ”Do you want more? I will give you.” Prophet (s) will reply, "Of course." I will not go deep into this surah, but the ayah continues. “What, you want more? We expanded your chest to contain everything.” He said:
وَوَضَعْنَا عَنكَ وِزْرَكَ
Wa wada`naa `anka wizrak.
And relieved you of the burden. (94:2)
Why will Allah Almighty say wizr? Wizr means sins. Prophets are ma`soom. If the Prophet Yaqub (a) had 12 children, and they had prophecy but they still put Yusuf (a) in the well. And Prophet (s) is the one prophet that never said anything to what Allah revealed to him.
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى وَمَا يَنطِقُ عَنِ الْهَوَى
Wama yantiqoo anil hawa, in huwa illa wayhain yooha,
He doesn't say anything from his desire, except revelation. (53:3-4)
He never said one thing. This means his words are a Divine revelation. Even if he coughs it is a revelation. Wa wada`naa `anka wizrak, “We took away your sins.” Which sins? A normal person can understand that Prophet (s) has no sins. What do we teach our children? That Prophet (s) has no sins. This is basic of our `aqeedah. Allah is saying in the Holy Qur'an, “I took your sins.” So what does it mean? It means, “The ones you always want with you, those whom you love, those whom you accept, those whom you are always worried about, your ummah, I took away their burdens and their sins.” Because Prophet (s) is concerned about his ummah, all his life he is saying, yaa Rabbee, ummatee ummatee. Allah is saying, wa wada`naa `anka wizrak, “That sadness that you have for your ummah, their sins you are worried for I will take them away for your sake and that is why I will give you shifa`ah.” That wizr that made his back heavy, what Prophet (s) carried to make his back hurt. Why? Was Prophet (s) carrying something that made his back to hurt? Like us, when we hurt our back, we go to physical therapy. Allah said,
الَّذِي أَنقَضَ ظَهْرَكَ
Al-ladhee `anqada zahrak
The burden that has made it difficult for your back. (94:3)
“I am taking it away, I gave them to you in dunya and akhira.” Who says, la ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah will enter Jannah, Paradise.
O Muslims! Do you say, la ilaaha illa-Llah? Of course. Let us say it together, la ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah! That is the hadeeth, so do we enter Paradise or not? That’s why this is a Paradise. Wa rafa`naa laka dhikrak. Of course, Allah will raise the Prophet (s), but do you think Prophet (s) will leave his ummah without being raised with him? He is not like us, we don't care. That's why you will see awliyaullah caring for their followers. Mashaikh care for their youth to teach them, and to make them good individuals for the community and society. And Allah said,
وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ
Wa rafa`naa laka dhikrak
And We elevated for you your remembrance. (94:4)
It is an obligation on every Muslim and Muslimah, like the obligation of prayer, shahadah, fasting, hajj, and sadaqa; it is an obligation that Allah (swt) wants from every Muslim. When Allah says, “We have raised your remembrance.” If we don't do it we are sinners, this is the `aqeedah of Ahlu ’l-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah. It is something that Allah wants of every Muslim, as Allah says in the Holy Qur'an,
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 tasleema.
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)
It means salawaat on Nabi (s) is an obligation without limit. There are five prayers, we know, but for salawaat on Nabi (s), there is no limit. Allah did not specify any limit. He said, “Allah and His angels are sending praisings on Prophet (s), O Muslims, send salawaat." Are we sending salawaat everyday? You can send 10, 20, 100, 10 thousand, or 20 thousand salawaat, whatever you want, it is for you. Allah (swt) wants you to be in barakah.
O Muslims! We can go and go, the time is short, but Allah said, wa rafa`naa laka dhikrak. It is very important for people to know, especially shuyookh, that Allah ordered angels to make salawaat on Prophet (s). How many angels? He didn't say, wa qisman min malaaikatihi, He said, inna Allaha wa malaaikatahu, “All angels.” What is “all.” Allah is al-Khaaliq, in every moment He is creating. He didn’t create angels and then stop. This means there is a continuous creation of angels, an infinite number of angels and each one is praising on Prophet (s) in every moment of their heavenly lives. And do you think according to `azamatullah, the greatness of Allah, the praise is the same? Each angel has a different prayer than the other angel and every angel will praise in every salwaat different from the first praise. Here we recite durood ash-shareef and we do how many different praisings, 100, 1000, then we stop. But in Allah's presence every angel says darood ash-shareef and it is different from the previous one. Allah said, “This is how We raise your remembrance, O Muhammad (s), in My Heavenly Presence. I want all My servants to praise you, for them to have barakah from you when they go in their graves.”
O Muslims! Allah said:
وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِي عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ
Wa fawqa kulli dhee `ilmin `aleem
Above every knower is a higher knower. (12:76)
And as I said, we are at the door with the shoes, at the foot of the people coming inside. We do not deserve more than that. If we lower ourselves as much as we can, Allah will be happy with us. If we are proud and arrogant Allah will not be happy. As much as you are happy, Allah will be happy with you. As much as you get angry and frustrated, Allah will not be happy with you. Allah said in the Holy Qur'an to make us learn. It is not for Prophet (s). He said,
قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ يُوحَى إِلَيَّ
Qul innama `ana basharun mithlukum yooha ilayya.
Say (O Prophet), 'I am but a mortal man like all of you.' (18:110)
Look at how much Prophet (s) lowered himself by saying, “I am a human being,” and he was in Allah's presence being raised. It means lower yourself and Allah will love you.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.