From Mawlana Shaykh Nazim's Personal Notes
A`oodhu billahi ‘s-Sami` al-`Aleem min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Laa hawla wa laa quwatta illa billahi 'l-`Aliyyu 'l-`Azheem.
Dastoor, yaa Sayyidi, yaa Sultan al-Awliya. Dastoor, yaa Sayyidi wa Mawlay. Madad, yaa RijaalAllah.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi ta`ala wa barakaatuh.
May Allah (swt) make our gathering a blessed one. Inshaa-Allah, we can come here dirty, meaning we carry heaviness, darkness, bad acts and bad words, but we have entered into this Ocean and we take a shower. Inshaa-Allah, we take a bath and cleanse up spiritually from all the mistakes we have made, from all the wrong places we have looked and all the wrong things we have done. May Allah (swt) make us from the tahireen, al-mutahareen, the purified ones.
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said Sayyidina Abu Yazid al-Bistami (q) went around in his town and sometimes he traveled. All of us also go around in our towns. Sayyidina Abu Yazid traveled east and west. What did Grandshaykh (q) say? This is something that happens to us everyday. It’s really important to understand the wisdom of this and inshaa-Allah, we can use it to get better.
He said, instead of a person being in khalwah, seclusion, for 40 years, if he goes downtown and crosses it from one end to another and carries the people--one curses at you, one kicks you, one swears at you, this one cuts you off, this one doesn’t give you your turn--all sorts of different things. If you carry that burden and you control and protect yourself in spite of all of that and you carry the heaviness of others, the mistakes of others, the injustices of others, you will reach levels that surpass levels you would reach for doing seclusion for 40 years.
Today we went to Brighton. Where did you go today, shaykh? Farm. You go around. If you control yourself in town and outside of town because there are so many ways to take you away from the Way of Allah (swt). There are so many people, so many seductions in our time, so many different ways and methods that make people leave the Orders of Allah (swt) and the limits He has set. Brighton is easy. I’m talking about something better: Los Angeles. “Let’s go over the weekend.” “No. What, Los Angeles? Now it’s all homeless.” “Okay, leave that alone. Las Vegas. There you go. Las Vegas is closer.” It’s closer to Texas too. “Let’s go.”
What do you do? Ja’aloo anfusahum ahraran muhhareen min quyood as shari`ah. They have made themselves free and untied from all the restrictions of Allah (swt)’s Orders. That’s what’s happening nowadays with people. Wherever you go: Montreal, Toronto, New York City, little town, big town, little cities, big cities, Europe, Asia, Africa, it doesn’t matter anymore. Anywhere you go you see people who have thrown away Heavenly Messages. They have thrown away Heavenly Orders. They have thrown away the Creator Himself, saying, “We don’t believe in anything anymore. I am not a Muslim. I am not a Christian. I’m not a Jew. I’m nothing.” “What are you?” “I’m free. I do as I like. I don’t believe in anything.”
That’s what’s happening nowadays. A year ago I was looking at the statistics of atheism in Europe. You should look into that, Abdul Latif. In Sweden, in Finland, almost 80% are atheists. It means that they don’t believe in anything. They have left everything. There are good people among them, yes. Common sense tells you to be a good person but they are not looking into Heavenly Messages anymore.
Mawlana Shaykh is saying, if you travel in town and out of town, in state and out of state, in country and out of country, if you are able to protect yourself and carry the burden and heaviness from people, you will reach levels higher than what you can reach doing khalwah for 40 years.
Sayyidina Abu Yazid al-Bistami (q) was traveling. Anywhere you go, you are traveling in Allah (swt)’s lands, in His Dominions. What do you do when you travel? You meet people. You travel among His servants and you get to know them. We went to Brighton and got to know some people. You went to Dearborn and got to know some people. You went to Las Vegas and got to know some people. What do we do? What is the target? Why are we doing that? Why was Sayyidina Abu Yazid al-Bistami (q) going around in his town and outside of his town and mixing with people, mingling with people? The goal is that, “In my eyes all the servants of my Lord become at the same level.”
He said, we are beginners in tariqah. Mashaa-Allah, all of us say, “We are in Tariqah Naqshbandiyya. We are in Tariqah Qadiriyya. We are in Tariqah Rifa`i.” What does it mean that you are in tariqah? Dars al-mubtadi. Do they still say “dars” in Urdu? “Lesson. The lesson for the beginner.” The beginner, not the qutb. Don’t think you are qutb or I think I’m qutb, no. I’m not qutb and you are not qutb. “Qutb” means “book.” You are not a book. You are are mubtad’ih. The lesson of the beginner is to know how to make your heart contain all people. How can you make your heart contain everybody? Start with your spouse. Start with your children. Start with your siblings. Start with your parents. Start with the immediate family, then expand to your extended family, then expand to your neighbors.
Rasoolullah’s (s) neighbor always used to bother him. His heart was open. I know Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q)’s neighbor always used to bother him. His heart was open. The first lesson the beginner in tariqah has to have is that his heart has to contain all. Who’s heart contains all in tariqah? Look. Expand. Who’s heart contains the Ummah?
Grandshaykh (q) is saying when you mix with the people in town and out of town, look at them at the same level. You contain all of them in your heart. That means you can absorb all the difficulties that come from them. That means you accept them no matter what they are, no matter who they are, no matter what color they are, no matter what language they speak. When you are able to do that then, laa aghdabu `alaa ahad, “I do not get angry at anybody.” Wa laa u`adi ahad, “I do not take anybody as an enemy.” Wa laa `uridu an-ahad, “I do not turn my back on anyone.” Look at the manners of tariqah.
They ask, “Why are you in tariqah?” Where are you in tariqah, O people? O mureed, where are you in tariqah? Do you get angry at others? Grandshaykh is saying you have to open your heart so it can contain others so you can absorb their difficulties, you do not get angry at anyone, you do not take anyone as an enemy, and you do not turn away from anyone but, “I see all of them equal, despite the differences of their manners, despite the differences of their actions, despite the differences in their words, despite the differences in what they do.” You see them as honored ones.
The wali, the qutb, the shaykh, the big one, the real mu`min looks with the following yaqeen. Yaqeen means high level of iman. What is the high level of iman? When you believe in the Qur’an. They think Haqiqah is something that we have to take a jet to reach beyond Mars to find the Reality. No, the Reality is the Holy Qur’an. If you can understand the Holy Qur’an, you have reached Reality. What is in the Holy Qur’an?
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ وَحَمَلْنَـٰهُمْ فِى ٱلْبَرِّ وَٱلْبَحْرِ وَرَزَقْنَـٰهُم مِّنَ ٱلطَّيِّبَـٰتِ وَفَضَّلْنَـٰهُمْ عَلَىٰ كَثِيرٍ مِّمَّنْ خَلَقْنَا تَفْضِيلًا
We have honored the sons of Adam; provided them with transport on land and sea; given them for sustenance things good and pure; and conferred on them special favors, above a great part of our creation. (Surah Al-Isra, 17:70)
Wa laqad karramna Bani Adam. Have you ever heard that from Mawlana? What does that mean, “wa laqad karramna Bani Adam”? If you believe in the Qur’an, you have to have high faith and understanding of the Qur’an. It means, “We have honored the Children of Adam.” Who are the Children of Adam? Are Indians children of Adam? Are Africans children of Adam? Are Australians children of Adam? The Aboriginals or what do they call them? I’m not talking about the Europeans who have come over to Australia. Are they giving them their rights? They wanted to. There was something in parliament a year or two ago. Aren’t they the children of Adam? Do they have four eyes or twenty fingers? They are like you. Maybe they speak a different language, maybe they have a different texture or complexion but that’s about it.
Are the Russians children of Adam? Are the Ukrainians children of Adam? Are the Palestinians children of Adam? Are the Jews children of Adam? Allah (swt) is saying, wa laqad karramna Bani Adam, “We have honored the Children of Adam.” Where do you want to look? Why do you want to look into the Seven Heavens and Paradise? The Qur’an is your Haqiqah. If you understand the Qur’an, you have reached Haqiqah. Kalaamullah.
If you have reached the Sifaat of Allah (swt), if you have reached `Alamu ‘s-Sifaat, if you have reached the World of Attributes of Allah (swt), you have reached Him. You have reached spirituality. You don’t need to look anywhere else. Kalaamullah is Sifaatullah. The Speech of Allah (swt) is from His Attributes. He is the One speaking. Speaking is an Attribute. Muttakalim, He is the One Speaking when He says, “Wa laqad karramna Bani Adam.”
Grandshaykh (q) is trying to let you know that everybody you meet, no matter what color they are--in Brighton we saw some Asians, which is a rarity. There were no Pakistanis. We saw some Africans. We saw some Europeans. We saw people. We heard some different languages.
Grandshaykh is teaching that Allah (swt) wants you to look at everybody how He has looked at them. How did He look at them? He honored them. They are honorable, so everybody you meet you have to say, “Sayyidi.” That’s what Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said in this book. Everybody is honorable. The Honorable, this one. The Honorable, that one. Australians are very good with that in the parliament. “The Honorable, please proceed to speak.” How about the ones outside of the chamber, are they not honorable?
Look at the high etiquette in Islams that Muslims and non-Muslims don’t know. It is only when you read from the book of Awliyaullah do you understand what level they want us to reach. What level do the saints of Islam want the Muslims and the believers to reach? They want you to reach a level where everybody is honorable in your eyes: the homeless of LA and the workers in Las Vegas. That is enough. We don’t need to say anymore.
In your eyes everybody has to be the same. But what do you do? You control yourself. That doesn’t mean, “I go with everyone and do whatever they do.” No. That’s the second condition. The first condition is you go into the town and you carry their mistakes, you carry their wrongdoings, you carry their wrong words, you carry all of that and keep yourself under protection. That means you don’t go with the workers, you don’t go with the druggies in the Bay Area. For example, when we went to San Francisco there were so many on the streets. It doesn’t mean that you join them in what they do, no. You respect everybody but you also control your desires and you control yourself. You don’t go outside of Shari`ah. If they are outside of Shari`ah, may Allah (swt) guide them into Islam. But look at the etiquette that saints teach their followers.
Where are we? O mureed of Naqshbandiyya, where are you? Does your heart contain everyone? You have work to do. We all have so much work to do. When your heart contains everybody then you are beginning to follow the footsteps of Awliyaullah. You are beginning to follow Saadat an-Naqshbandiyeen. When your heart contains everybody, you are following in their footsteps. When your heart does not contain anybody or your heart basically kicks everybody out of it then you are not on that way. You are on the way of Shaytan. Shaytan makes enmity between people as Allah (swt) said:
وَقُل لِّعِبَادِى يَقُولُوا۟ ٱلَّتِى هِىَ أَحْسَنُ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ يَنزَغُ بَيْنَهُمْ إِنَّ ٱلشَّيْطَـٰنَ كَانَ لِلْإِنسَـٰنِ عَدُوًّا مُّبِينًا
Say to My servants that they should (only) say those things that are best: for Satan doth sow dissensions among them: For Satan is to man an avowed enemy. (Surah Al-Isra, 17:53)
Innash Shaytana yanzaghu baynahum. Shaytan comes in between and starts to separate human beings from each other. “You tell him this. You do this. You do that.” He makes them fight and quarrel. Follow the way of Awliyaullah, O insaan! When you are in town, forgive. When you are in town, carry the burden of your neighbors, of your community. When you’re out of town, the same thing. Look at everybody the same. What is Haqiqah? The Haqiqah is all are honored. Wa laqad karramna Bani Adam. They are all honored regardless of their languages and regardless of their colors. Allah (swt) has said in the Holy Qur’an:
وَمِنْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ خَلْقُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱخْتِلَـٰفُ أَلْسِنَتِكُمْ وَأَلْوَٰنِكُمْ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَـٰتٍ لِّلْعَـٰلِمِينَ
And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the variations in your languages and your colors: verily in that are Signs for those who know. (Surah Ar-Rum, 30:22)
Wakhtilafu -l-sinatikum wa ‘l-wanikum. Your tongues are different, your languages are different, your colors are different, but you have to see everybody as equal in humanity. If we follow the etiquette of Islam, this world will be paradise. They are looking at how to correct people’s behavior. You took Islam from the curriculum, you took religion from the curriculum, you allowed people to be free and what happened? They lost all manners. As Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) has said, you raised a generation of criminals. Everywhere you go, you see somebody doing something bad.
Yesterday I was on the YouTube feed trying to find Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q)’s suhbahs or some qasaa’id. Sometimes I sit and try to see what I can learn. I saw a 19-year-old in road rage, punching a 60-year-old woman. I said, “Allahu Akbar, a 19-year-old? It’s a little kid. What is this?” You have raised a generation of such people nowadays. They are all violent and enraged. They made the rage rooms for them. Go get your rage out in a rage room. They have one in Fenton, if you want to go. Hamza, do you know what a rage room is? They give you iPads, glasses, plates, a hammer and you can smash everything you want, throw them against the wall.
I saw this 19-year-old. I played it for two minutes. This lady came out of her car because somebody honked at her to move. She comes out of her car and the 19-year-old punches a 60-year-old woman behind the wheel. If you take religious education from the hearts of people, from the minds of people, from among people, that’s what you get.
May Allah (swt) forgive us. If you follow the saints, they will show you the correct way. The correct way is to honor everybody regardless of their color or language. May Allah (swt) forgive us. Next time you are in town, remember to carry the difficulties of others, control or protect yourself from going out of what Allah (swt) and Rasoolullah (s) have ordered. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
I think it is more than enough. Allah (swt) is the Best of Knowers and He is The Forgiver. May Allah (swt) forgive all of us, inshaa-Allah.
Bi hurmati 'l-habeeb (s), wa bi sirri suratu ‘l-Fatihah.
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