Alhamdulillahi Rabbi ‘l-`Alameen wa ‘s-salaatu wa ‘s-salaam `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `alaa alihi wa as-haabihi ajma`een wa man tabi`ahum bi ihsanin illa Yawmi ‘d-deen wa `alaa saa’iri ‘l-Anbiya wa ‘l-mursaleen wa ‘l-Awliya wa `ibaadillahi ‘s-saliheen wa `alayna ma`ahum ajma`een, yaa Arhamu ‘r-Rahimeen.
Laa hawla wa laa quwatta illa billahi 'l-`Aliyyu 'l-`Azheem.
Dastoor, yaa Sayyidee, yaa Sultan al-Awliya, madad. Dastoor, yaa Sayyidee wa Mawlay.
Dastoor, yaa Sayyidee, yaa Sultan al-Awliya. Dastoor, yaa Sayyidee wa Mawlay. Madad, yaa RijaalAllah.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.
Do you know what they’re doing now? Before they start Fajr? They get a gallon of Starbucks. They put it out by the door. On the way in, drink, on the way out, drink. May Allah (s) keep us awake for His `ibaadah, not keep us awake for anything else. Other people have chosen to be awake for something else. The good way is to be awake for Allah (swt).
First we say, A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
That has to be your knocking on the door. Awliyaullah have said if you want to enter the presence of the sultan, you have to knock on the door because the sultan only accepts good ones. The sultan only accepts pure ones. If you want to enter the Presence of Allah (swt) you have to knock on the door. That means you have to leave Shaytan behind. Shaytan is not allowed inside.
Awliyallah have said when you say, “a’oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaan ‘r-rajeem,” you are asking permission: “Yaa Rabbee, may I enter? I’m leaving that Shaytan behind. You keep him away from me and let me enter.”
“Where do you want to enter, O My servant?”
“Into the Ocean of Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, the Ocean of Rahmah, the Ocean of Love.”
These two phrases are more than enough for all of us in this dunya and in the qabr. You don’t want to be with Shaytan in the qabr. You want to be with the Rahman in the qabr, also on the Day of Judgment, and in Jannah you want to be in the Rahmah of Allah.
Dastoor, yaa Sayyidi, yaa Sultan al-Anbiya. Dastoor, yaa Sultan al-Awliya. Yaa Sayyidi ‘l-Qutb al-Mutassarif. Yaa Sayyidi wa Mawlay, madad.
Allah (swt) has told us in the Holy Quran, asta`eedhubillah.
Wa sabiqoo illa maghfiratun mir Rabbikum. Race with each other towards forgiveness from your Lord. Wa Jannati. And towards Paradise.
سَابِقُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ أُعِدَّتْ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلْفَضْلِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
Be ye foremost (in seeking) Forgiveness from your Lord, and a Garden (of Bliss), the width whereof is as the width of heaven and earth, prepared for those who believe in Allah and His apostles: that is the Grace of Allah, which He bestows on whom he pleases: and Allah is the Lord of Grace abounding. (Surat al-Hadid, 57:21)
I have to race with you towards forgiveness from Allah (swt) and I have to race with you towards Paradise. That is the race you have to take. Race with each other to Allah (swt)’s Forgiveness. Allah (swt) is giving an Order.
Those who jumped out of bed and came to Salatu ‘l-Fajr, they are racing with other mu’mins and muslims that are asleep. Do you think some of them are asleep? So many. “Wake me up in the morning.”
The other day I was speaking to somebody. They said, “I’m going to sleep, wake me in the morning.” How about Fajr? “What Fajr? Wake me in the morning.” So mu’mins know they have to race with others towards Allah (swt)’s forgiveness.
We came to Fajr prayer and what are we doing? Astagfirullahi ‘l-Adheem wa atubu `ilay. Astaghfirullah. We are asking Allah (swt)’s Forgiveness and we are racing towards Paradise. It is allowed to race with another shaykh towards Paradise. You do your best, O shaykh, O big imam, O big `alim, O big qutb, O big wali. You do your best, I will do my best. Let’s see who’s faster.
Wa fee dhalika falyatanafasi ‘l-mutanafisoon.
خِتَـٰمُهُۥ مِسْكٌ وَفِى ذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَتَنَافَسِ ٱلْمُتَنَـٰفِسُونَ
The seal thereof will be musk: And for this let those aspire, who have aspirations. (Al-Mutaffifin 83:26)
In Surah Al-Mutaffifin Allah (swt) says, “In that, let the competitors compete.” Don’t compete for who's going to get the next Lexus or who’s going to get the next office space downtown. Mashaa-Allah, your office space is at home. You’re a poor guy. We have work from home. “No, I’m going to work to get the big office space.” That is not the competition you want. Compete with each other towards Paradise. Waliyaullah compete with each other. Mu’mins compete with each other. They compete towards forgiveness and towards Jannah.
Ka `ardi ‘s-sama’i wa ‘l-ard. The width of that Jannah is the width of Heavens and Earth. Do you want a Jannah that big? How big is that Jannah? What do you think? How big is that Jannah, the width of which is like Heavens and Earth?
Rasoolullah (s) said, “Between each Heaven, the first and the second, it is the journey of 500 years.” Imagine if you have a home that you walk into for 500 years. Maybe you won’t finish! What can you find in five hundred years walking in your living room?
That’s one Heaven. There’s two, three, four, seven Heavens and more! Allah (swt) knows. He Said He created Seven Heavens but He’s able to create as many as He wants. But take seven Heavens, how big is that? That is only the width. How about the length? If the width is this much, the length is usually much more. Allah (swt) said, run to that which I am preparing for you. Wa idat iladhina `amanu billahi wa ‘r-Rusooli. It is prepared for those who believe in the Lord of Heavens, in Allah (swt) and His Messengers.
سَابِقُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ مَغْفِرَةٍ مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرْضُهَا كَعَرْضِ ٱلسَّمَآءِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ أُعِدَّتْ لِلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ بِٱللَّهِ وَرُسُلِهِۦ ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلْفَضْلِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
Be ye foremost (in seeking) Forgiveness from your Lord, and a Garden (of Bliss), the width whereof is as the width of heaven and earth, prepared for those who believe in Allah and His apostles: that is the Grace of Allah, which He bestows on whom he pleases: and Allah is the Lord of Grace abounding. (Surat al-Hadid, 57:21)
A mu’min has to believe, a Muslim has to believe in all the messengers. We do not drop out any messenger. We do not say, “We do not believe in this one” or, “We do not take this one.” That is not complete iman. That is actually kufr. Allah (swt) said, the ones that pick and choose between messengers are the real kafir. The Muslim cannot say, “I do not believe in all the messengers that have come before Rasoolullah (s).”
There are 29 names mentioned in the Holy Qur’an but Allah (swt) had 124,000 messengers. We have to believe in each one of them. Believe what? That they have all called to Allah (swt) truthfully and with full effort. They have not deviated from that call. They all call to Allah (swt).
You’re going to get that Jannah. O mu’min, if you believe in Allah (swt), if you believe in that One God, the One Who created everything, the One that all of us will return to, and you believe in the messengers that have delivered that message, Allah (swt) said, “I have prepared for you a Paradise.”
Why do you run after this world and you leave running to Allah (swt)? Go out in this world and get what Allah (swt) has destined for you, yes. Get your rizq, for yourself, for your family, for whatever it is that Allah (swt) has opened to you, but don’t make it your priority. When the `amalu ‘l-Akhirah comes, don't say, “Oh, I don’t have time for Dhuhr, I have to be in a meeting.
I don’t have time for Jumu`ah, I have to be having lunch. I don’t have time for `Asr, I have to be golfing with my colleagues. Maybe I can get a good deal.”
We have a Bengali in Chicago. That’s his job. I used to call him and he would say, “I’m golfing.”
“Golfing? Why?”
“To make a deal.”
Do you play golf in Ann Arbor? No? That’s why you don’t get deals. You have to lose too. “I don’t have time for `amalu ‘l-Akhirah. I have to do something for dunya.” Don’t be from the ones that prioritize dunya over Akhirah. Yes, you are supposed to earn from halal. If Allah (swt) gives you more, you are supposed to help others. These are all good ways of pleasing Allah (swt) but don’t make it your priority. Dunya is not your priority. That Jannah, that Paradise, is your priority, O mu’min. Alhamdulillah, we are on that path.
Dhalika fadlu ‘l-Llah. That is the Grant of Allah (swt). That is the Grace of Allah (swt). That’s the Favor, the ni`ma. He bestows on whomever He wants. Yu`tihi man yashaoo. Allah (swt) tells you, “I Grant.” Allah Grants. It’s not because of your `amal. He gives it to whomever He wants. Yu`tihi man yasha’oo wa ‘Llahu du ‘l-fadli ‘l-Adheem.
ذَٰلِكَ فَضْلُ ٱللَّهِ يُؤْتِيهِ مَن يَشَآءُ وَٱللَّهُ ذُو ٱلْفَضْلِ ٱلْعَظِيمِ
Such is the Bounty of Allah, which He bestows on whom He will: and Allah is the Lord of the highest bounty. (Surat al-Jumu`ah 62:4)
Allah has the Great Bounty, the Great Secrets. He will give whatever He wants to whomever He wants.
Rasoolullah (s) is your teacher, don’t forget! Rasoolullah (s) is the teacher of the whole Ummah. Rasoolullah (s) is the teacher of all Anbiya, all Awliya. Everyone takes from his knowledge. He said that Sayyidina Jibreel (a) told him that Allah (swt) had a servant who worshiped Allah (swt) for 500 years. This Hadith is mentioned by al-Hakim in his books, al-Bayhaqi, and some others mention this Hadith.
Allah (swt) had a servant that worshiped Him 500 years! How long can you worship? Maybe seventy, eighty years, if you’re lucky. Where did he worship? Rasoolullah (s) said that Allah (swt) put him on the top of a mountain in the middle of the sea. No iPhone, no man, no woman, no work, no music, nothing to distract him. No cars, no horses, no nothing. This guy had nothing on that island except two things. Allah (swt) made for him a spring at the foot of the mountain and a pomegranate tree.
This `abd, this worshiper would come down at night and drink from that water, make wudu and eat from that one pomegranate tree. Every night that tree gave him one pomegranate, nothing else. Can you do that? That `abd had the love to do that, had the drive to do that for five-hundred years. He thought it was easy. One sajdah and 500 years is finished.
Sayyidina Jibreel (a) is telling Rasoolullah (s) and Rasoolullah (s) is telling us how that worshiper worshiped Allah (swt) for 500 years on a mountain in the middle of the sea. Maybe it was a volcanic island or some other island and there was a spring of fresh water and a pomegranate tree. He asked Allah (swt) that when he dies, when Allah (swt) sends the Angel of Death to seize his soul, “Yaa Rabbee, make me die when I am in sajdah. Don’t allow Earth to eat me and don’t allow anything else to eat me. Keep me in sajdah preserved until You bring me back on the Day of Judgement.”
Sayyiduna Jibreel (a) is continuing this story to Rasulullah (s): Whenever Jibreel (a) comes down and whenever he goes up sees that man in sajdah dead, preserved. We see in the knowledge, najdu fee`ilm, as the Hadith goes, we see in the Knowledge of Allah (swt) that when this man is resurrected on the Day of Judgement when he is going to stand in front of Allah (swt), Allah (swt) will say, “Admit My servant into Paradise by My Mercy.”
That is Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. You knock on the door, “Yaa Rabbee, I left that one behind. I left that Shaytan. I left that ego. I left that dunya. I left those desires, hawa.
I left them behind. Yaa Rabbee, allow me to enter into Your Rahmah in dunya and in Akhirah.”
So that `abd comes in the Presence of Allah (swt). Allah says to the angels, “Admit him to My Jannah by My Mercy.” Do you know what the worshiper says? “No, yaa Rabbee. By my `amal!”
Then Allah (swt) repeats, “O My angels, take My servant to My Jannah, to My Paradise by My Mercy.”
The worshiper again says the same thing. “No, yaa Rabbee, by my deeds.”
Allah (swt) says, “O My angels, measure his `amal with My Ni`ma that I have given him.”
The first ni`ma they measure is eyesight. They put the Favor of Allah (swt), the eyesight, in one pan and they put the `amal of that worshiper for 500 years in the other pan and they find out that the favor of eyesight outweighs all the worship of 500 years. It’s not enough. Worship for 500 years is not enough for one favor of Allah (swt) that He has given you, the favor of eyesight.
That is what Rasoolullah (s) is telling, that is what Jibreel (a) is telling that they find this in the Knowledge of Allah, that this will happen.
And the rest of the body? There is no more `amal. One favor has outweighed the 500 years of worship. If you don’t have enough, what happens? Jahannam! He (swt) said, “O My angels, take My servant to Fire.”
They started dragging him. The servant says, “Yaa Rabbee, no, not with my deeds! With Your Rahmah! Yaa Rabbee, with Your Mercy, with Your Grace.”
Allah (swt) says to the angels, “Bring him back.”
They bring him back. Allah (swt) asks, “O My servant, who gave you the power to worship for 500 years? Where did you find that power?”
Some people have no power to worship. They are so sick or disabled or have no energy. They can’t worship for 500 years. We can’t worship for ten minutes let alone for 500 years.
He (swt) asked, “Who gave you that power to worship?”
“You, yaa Rabb.”
“Was that with My Rahmah?”
“Yes, yaa Rabbee, it was with Your Mercy.”
“Who made that spring for you at the foot of that mountain of fresh water coming out of salty water?”
“Yaa Rabbee, it was You, Your Rahmah.”
“Who gave you that pomegranate that you ate every night to get power to worship Me? Was it you or was it My Rahmah?”
“Yaa Rabbee, it was Your Rahmah.”
So the power to worship is a Rahmah from Allah (swt), it’s a Favor from Him. The food and the drink that is sustaining your power to worship is also from the Favors of Allah (swt).
“And you died in the sajdah, was it your making or was it also My Ni`ma on you?”
“Yaa Rabbee, again, it was Your Rahmah.”
“Yaa `abdi, it is by My Rahmah that you have done all of these things. O My servant, you enter Jannah with My Rahmah. Take My servant to My Jannah.” So he goes to Jannah.
So Jibreel (a) says to Rasoolullah (s), as it is mentioned in the Hadith, that everything is by the Rahmah of Allah (swt). Every favor, every grant, every good thing that happens to you, even to be admitted to Jannah, is by the Rahmah of Allah (swt).
So, don’t be proud of your `amal. You are running to the door of Salatu ‘l-Fajr for what? You are knocking on the door, “Yaa Rabbee, could You immerse me in Your Love? Could You immerse me in Your Mercy and Forgiveness? Could You immerse me in the joy that I get, the pleasure that I can get when I am in Your Presence? Could You immerse me in the love of Rasoolullah (s) and Awliyau ‘l-Kiram?”
That’s what we do. We don’t come here to brag that we are up before Fajr. We don’t come here to brag that, “Mashaa-Allah, I have a big turban and you have no turban.” We don’t come here to brag that, “I have a big beard and you have no beard,” or that, “I have `ilm and you don’t have `ilm. I have wisdom and I have read all Sahih al-Bukhari and you did not. I have read all Sahih al-Muslim and you did not. I read all the six Sahih and you did not.” It’s not about that. It’s about asking permission, “Yaa Rabbee, I have left Shaytan behind that is telling me to stay asleep in my bed.” Isn’t Shaytan on top of your head in your bed?
Rasoolullah (s) said that when you sleep, Shaytan comes and stands still on top of your head waiting for you. If you wake up, he will tell you, “Go back to sleep. Go to sleep. Go to sleep.” He will rock the bed for you too! “Please don’t wake up! I am with you! Why do you want to drop me? I am your best buddy.” That’s what Shaytan tells you. “Stay asleep. Maybe we can have some nice dreams, beautiful dreams in the Bahamas.”
So, you knock on the door, “Yaa Rabbee.” You jump out of bed. “I am asking permission.”
“For what O, My servant?”
“To be in Your Rahmah, yaa Rabbee. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.”
Don’t brag that you have knowledge. That is not allowed. That is `ujub, self-admiration, to think of yourself as such is kibr, `ujub, riya`, suma`. All of this. Why are you like that? Mashaa-Allah, so many `ulama nowadays say, “I’m going to test you to see if you’re a real one or not.” Who are you to test? Allah (swt) is the One Who Knows the zhaahir and baatin.
That is kibr. That is arrogance, that, “I am, and you are not.” No. All of us, `alim and jahil, little one and big one, what do we come to pray for? We come to immerse ourselves in the Love Ocean of Allah (swt), in the Mercy Ocean of Allah (swt). There’s no difference between me and you. If you are blonde and if I’m not, if you are big and if I’m not, there’s no difference. The only difference is taqwa haahunaa. It is the piety that is inside. How can you check that inside of any other person? Allah (swt) did not Give you that power to check the hearts of people. He checks the hearts and whomever He Authorizes. You cannot know what is in the hearts of people.
If you don’t know what’s in the heart of people, taqwa is how you rank up in the Divine Presence. The piety that you have in your heart is what ranks you up in the Divine Presence, not your `ilm of Sahih al-Bukhari. That is`ilm but woe to you if you’re not using that `ilm in `amal. You shouldn't be using that `ilm to brag. You should use the `ilm to act upon it.
There was one hafiz, a kid who did hifzh of the whole Qur’an. He came to the teacher and recited the whole Quran on the teacher. The teacher was happy and said, “Okay, go.”
The next day he came again to recite the whole Qur’an on him. He said, “Why? You took it as your job to recite it on me everyday? Okay, you recited it one time, but now you have to know, what does the Quran order you? What does the Quran forbid you? What does the Quran tell you? That’s what you need to know. Go now, and act upon it!”
They read Sahih al-Bukhari. They spend ten days reading Sahih al-Bukhari, good. Okay, now they will get the thawaab of reading the Ahadith of Rasoolullah (s), but what is he telling you? Can you memorize everything? Can you apply everything that you are memorizing?
If you are taking `ilm and you are not making use of it, what’s the difference between you and the one that doesn’t know it? Okay, you memorize all of Sahih al-Bukhari, but you hardly do anything. You follow a few Ahadith, a few things as everybody else does. So what’s the difference between you and the one on the street that knows a few Ahadith, that one who is trying his best or trying her best? There’s no difference. It’s not about that. It’s about knowing what the orders are, knowing what the forbiddens are, and acting upon them.
That shaykh told the hafiz, “Go away. That’s enough. Now act upon what you know.” That is all Rahmah of Allah (swt). We come to the majlis, to the masjid, to the musallah, to whatever it is. You come, you go to Umrah, to Hajj, for what? For the Love of Allah (swt), to be immersed in the Mercy of Allah (swt), not to brag. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
So that `abd worshiped for 500 years. His `amal did not admit him to Jannah. If Allah (swt) allowed what he wanted to happen, he would have gone to fire because he could not make shukr. Why is he going to fire? Because you are supposed to make shukr for every ni`ma that Allah (swt) has given you. His `ibaadah was only shukr for the eyesight. How about the hearing? How about the energy, the power? The heart, the iman, the Islam or whatever Allah (swt) has given you? You have not offered the shukr for that, the tax! May Allah (swt) forgive us.
They say “tariqah.” Tariqah is to teach people humbleness. Don’t be proud of your `amal. Don't be proud of your `ilm. Don’t be proud of your knowledge. Don’t be proud of your post, your position. Be happy that Allah (swt) has given you power to jump out of bed and come to His Presence. Say, “Yaa Rabbee, thank You. Thank You.” That’s why there is one du`a and I made the du`a when we were doing du`a: Allahumma maa aṣbaha bee min ni`matin
Allahumma maa aṣbaha bee min ni`matin
aw bi aḥadin min khalqik,
fa minka waḥdaka laa shareeka lak,
falaka ‘l-ḥamdu wa laka ‘sh-shukr.
(Hisn al-Muslim 81)
Yaa Rabbee, whatever I have come into the morning with is a ni`ma from You. Whatever ni’ma I have from You, ma asbaha., aad I have come to this morning time, whatever ni`ma that I have is from You. Ma asbaha bee. Whatever I have with me this morning, from Favors, wa maa min ahadin bi ni`ma. And everybody else, whatever they have from Favors, is from You. Fa minka wahdaka laa shareeka. It’s only from You, no other partner. Nobody can deliver that ni`ma, except You. Falaka ‘l-hamdu wa laka ‘sh-shukru. Praise to You, thanks to You. I am grateful, yaa Rabbee.
You are giving gratitude when you are entering the morning, “Yaa Rabbee, all the favors that are within me and also surrounding me, are from You. The ni`ma that is within my wife, surrounding my wife, is from You. The ni`ma that is within my husband, surrounding my husband, is from You. The ni`ma that is within my children, surrounding my children, is from You. The ni`ma of everybody what is within them, outside of them, is from You. To You belongs All Praise, to You Belongs All Shukr.” How beautiful is that?
You have to do it at night, too. You say, “maa amsaytu bee.” Whenever I come to the masa, at nighttime, whenever I enter the night, also you have to say, “Yaa Rabbee, I entered this night with all the favors from You, everything that You Have Given me.” Falaka ‘l-hamdu wa laka ’sh-shukr.
In the morning you do it and in the evening you do it. Allah (swt) will increase and He will be happy with us. That is our way. Our way is gratitude. Gratitude with the One that has given, gratitude to the One Who will give more. It’s not only dunya. He said, “I have prepared for you something better, a Paradise the width of which is Heavens and Earth.” You will have so much, and you will taste the pleasures of everything all together at the same moment.
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim has said about the ruh, you don’t taste one part and then you taste the other part,” no. Ruh has access to everything and it can taste the pleasure of everything all together at the same moment. Whatever you have in Heavens and Earth and in Paradise that was given to you, you will be able to get the pleasure of everything at the same moment. Nothing is left behind for another time. Everything is given to you and more.
Shoot for the moon! Go for Akhirah. Mashaa-Allah, we are going for Akhirah. Inshaa-Allah all of us are on the way. All of us will knock on that door and with the shafa`ah of Rasoolullah (s) Allah will give us that Rahmah and will admit us all with His Rahmah, inshaa-Allah.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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