A'ūdzu billāhi minash-shaitānir-rajīm.
Bismillāhir-Rahmanir-Rahīm.
Lā ḥaula wa lā kuwwata illā billāhil-‘aliyyil-‘aẓīm.
Destroyed by Sayyidī, Quṭb al-Muṭarrif, madad by Sulṭān al-Awliya.
Destūr yā Sayyidī wa Mawlāyā, madad yā Rijāl Allāh.
Peace be upon you wa raḥmatullāhi ta'ālā wa barakātuh.
Insha'Allah, a few words, because people keep coming here. May Allah, the Most High, allow that love to seep into our hearts. Why do you come here? Why do you go everywhere? Some people, they like to go to Italy. Some people like to go to Spain. Some people like to go to France. Some people like to go to Las Vegas. Some people like to go to L.A., New York City. Why do you think they want to go there? There's something in their hearts that drives them there. Desire comes to your heart, or to our hearts, and that desire drives us to go wherever we want, because we want that area. We're looking for some kind of pleasure in that area, right?
Why do you travel? They say it's for work. That’s torture. They go to work. Alhamdulillah, may Allah bless you abundantly, no problem. But some people, when they want to go to the place they're going to, there's no work involved. They just come to pass the time. Why do they come? Because there's something in their heart that brings them there. So why do people come from Dallas? Why do people come from DC? What's in your heart? Why do people come from San Antonio? There are couples and even their grown children have come from Seattle. Why? What's in your heart that brings you here?
Allah (swt) has placed something in the hearts of humans. I try to remember a verse—always connect to the Word of Allah.
أَسْتَعِيذُ بِاللَّهِ
وَاتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ
Astaʿīdu billāh: Wa-tlu mā ūḥiya ilayka mina-l-kitāb
"Read what was revealed to you from the Book (Al-Qur'an)" (Surat al-Ankabut, 29:45)
There is a command for the Messenger of Allah. In which surah is that, Shaykh? Surat Al-Ankabu where Allah is saying: Oh my Beloved! Tell them, read to them what has been revealed to you from the Book.
As our teacher Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani has taught us, when two people sit together, one speaks and one listens. The one who speaks will benefit because he remembers, or he is reminded, and the one who listens will also benefit because they also remember. But what are you talking about? You are talking for Allah, by Allah, to Allah. Billah lillah—You speak for Allah (swt), which means you read from His Holy Book. If you are not reading from the Holy Book, read it. So the command to the Messenger of Allah (saw): Tell them what has been revealed to you from the Book.
So what is revealed in the Book? One verse that I remember, in Surah Al-Baqarah:
أَسْتَعِيذُ بِاللّٰهِ: وَلَكُمْ فِي ٱلْأَرْضِ مُسْتَقَرٌّ وَمَتَاعٌ إِلَىٰ حِينٍ
Astaʿīdu billāh: wa lakum fī al-arḍi mustaqarrun wa matāʿun ilā ḥīn.
I seek refuge in Allah: And for you on earth is a place of residence and enjoyment for a time.(QS. al-Baqarah, 2: 36)
O Adam and Eve, and your children—when they descended from Paradise, Allah (swt) said that—on earth you will have a dwelling, you will settle on earth, and you will benefit from it until a time is determined. So, life on earth is to benefit from what is in it until a time is determined—and that time is death. You have a dwelling on earth; you will reside there.
It is said that Adam's body—the physical Adam—was on earth. But Adam's heart resided in his physical body, and Allah's love resided in Adam's heart. So, Allah's love, (swt), was in Adam's heart—which was in Adam's physical body, which was on earth. “On earth, you will reside.”
It is said that heart (qalb) is the ‘earth’ for Allah's Love. The Awliyaullah say that Sayyidina Adam ate from the Fruit of Love of the Lord of the Worlds—The Tree of Divine Love. When he took a bite of it, it was said to him, “Do not approach it, for if you touch My Love—if you feel it, then you will long for Me.” Leave it, enjoy the pleasures of Paradise. But why do you seek that longing?
Does love bring you pain or pleasure? What do you think? True love—I'm not talking about the love of a cat, because that's different—true love, especially when your beloved is far from you. He said, "Do not eat from that tree." The saints say that one of its meanings, one of the essences of that tree, is that it is the Tree of Divine Love.
Because Sayyidina Adam (as) saw a higher level than his level in Paradise, and he said, “O Lord, I want to reach that level.” So it was said to him, “That level will be reached with weeping and with longing.” But there is no weeping in Paradise. There is no longing there—everything you want is available. You are always in happiness, there is no weeping.
So when he bit from the tree, it is said that he bit the seed of love—Divine Love. And that Divine Love settled in his heart. So, in the hearts of humans, there is Divine Love that they brought from heaven. With that Divine Love, they seek their way back. Why should they return? Because they desire the Divine. That is human nature: in the hearts of humans, there is love that God has planted there. And that love is what drives you toward your goal.
If you love the beaches in France—in Nice, I don't know what beaches they have there, but you'll go there. If you love cities like Venice, Florence, and other cities in Italy, you'll go there. So, what drives people to come here? What's in their hearts?
I saw some people in the back, not from Michigan, but from out of state. Why did they come all the way here? Because Divine Love drew them here. Because Divine Love—when God said istaqar, which means you settle on earth, matāʿun--you must benefit from what is on earth. The divine love that is in your hearts on earth, you must find a way to cultivate.
To grow into what? To grow into a tree. The tree will give you fruit. You will bite into that fruit and you will find the Love of Allah (swt). You will find the ma'rifat of Allah (swt)—the knowledge of Allah (swt). If you find the right one... if the tree can give you...fruit of revelation, you will be given revelation. If the tree produces the fruit of mushāhadah, you will see what others do not see. If the tree produces the fruit of wusul, namely, reaching and attaining the Divine Presence, you will attain it. If the tree produces fruit wiṣāl in the form of a connection with the Divine Presence—a connection with the headquarters—as Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) used to say, if you can reach it, if you can reach itwiṣālthat, if you can achieve the fruit of the relationship, you will have it. And after that connection is established the next level is perfection.
What tree is that? What is the seed of that tree? On earth, the seed is Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Muhammad Rasūlullāh (s), depending on the time you live in, O people—if you lived in the time of the previous prophets, you would have believed in the prophets who were sent at that time. But now, we believe in Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Muhammad Rasūlullāh (s). So, the Divine Love that is in your hearts, the seed Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Muhammad Rasūlullāh (s) on this earth, you have to find a way to water it. What happens when you water a seed? The plant grows. After the plant grows, what happens? It bears fruit.
So the word ṭayyibah, as Allah (swt) said - The Divine Love, and the Divine Confession, the acknowledgment of the Divine Unity and the messengerhood of His Messenger. You believe. We believe in Muhammad Rasulullah (s).
Divine love and recognition of Divine Unity—if you accompany it withʿamalun ṣāliḥ, good deeds. If you find a way to grow it, what will happen to it? Allah (swt) says, it will be like a tree. Isn't that right, Imam Sahib?
وَمَثَلُ كَلِمَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ كَشَجَرَةٍ طَيِّبَةٍ
Wa-mathalu kalimatin ṭayyibatin ka-shajaratin ṭayyibah
The parable of a good word is like a good tree (Surah Ibrahim, 14:24)
Kalimah ṭayyibah namelyLā ilāha illā Allāh, Muhammad Rasūlullāh (s). It is love, that you have bitten into that tree that is forbidden for you to feel, because it is Divine Love—the Tree of Divine Love. You feel it, and you will suffer. Why? Because you will be far from your beloved. You must find a way to return to that connection—to reach out and connect to the Divine Presence.
So, Allah (swt) says that the tree gives fruit all the time.
تُؤْتِي أُكُلَهَا كُلَّ حِينٍۢ
Tuʾtī ukulahā kulla ḥīn
He gives his fruit at all times. (Surah Ibrahim, 14:25)
It bears fruit at any time—there is always fruit on it, by the command and permission of its Lord. Allah (swt) permitted the tree, which is in your hearts, to bear fruit. And when you take a bite of the fruit that is in your hearts—the fruit of faith and good deeds—by sayingLā ilāha illā Allāh, Muhammad Rasūlullāh (s), that is faith. Good deeds are what Allah (swt) has ordained for us.
Why did He ordain all these things for us? So that you can grow your faith until it becomes a tree whose fruit you can eat. The first fruit is ma'rifah, knowledge of Allah (swt). When you allowLā ilāha illā Allāh, Muhammad Rasūlullāh (s) and as Divine Love grows in your heart, the first thing that will come is knowledge of Allah—ma`rifatullah (swt). When you know Him, you love Him for everything He has given you. What has He given you? Everything. God gives us everything. When you know Him, you love Him. When you love Him, you begin to see Him.
How can you not see Him all around you? Not with your own eyes, but with your own.eyes of faith. Everything around you is His creation, His work, His deeds. You begin to observe Him. That is what the Prophet (peace be upon him) meant when he said that you worship Allah as if you see Him. That means you can reach a level where you see Him everywhere. If you can say that He is not in a particular place, but you still see Him, then that is true mushāhadah—witnessing. When you begin to see Him, then you have reached Him.
When He is always with you, as we have said in shuḥbah Previously, Allah (swt) said to Moses, “As soon as you remember Me, you have reached Me.” So you become in a state of constant remembrance—constant remembrance—when you come to know Allah. And when you fall in love with Allah (swt) because of that knowledge, you come to know Him, you love Him, you see Him. When you see Him, He no longer hides Himself from you. You are always present with Him, and He is always present with you. That is wusul—you reach Him.
Then comes connection: a relationship with Him. These people who come from out of state—why do they come? Because they have that Divine Love in their hearts. They have planted the seed.Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Muhammad Rasūlullāh (s) in their hearts, and they are trying to find a place and a way for that seed—Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Muhammad Rasūlullāh (s)—grow from seed into a thick, thick stem and then grow into a large one, so they can be happy with what it has to offer.
Have you ever read it in Surah Al-Fath? In Surah Al-Fath, Allah (swt) speaks of the example of the believers.
سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِم مِّنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ ۚ
Their mark is on their faces from the trace of prostration. That is their description in the Torah (Surah Al-Fath, 48:29)
The parable of the believers is mentioned in the Torah, that they have marks on their faces from prostration. Judaism focuses on physical obedience and external rules, while Christianity addresses the inner aspects of human life. Both are combined in Islam.
Shariah teaches how to behave externally, while tariqah shows how to behave internally. That inner behavior is the seed of faith, which then grows into a plant and finally into a big tree whose fruit can be enjoyed. Those who have planted it will be very happy, they will be amazed at what Allah (swt) has given them. So the people who come from outside the state, they come to allow the seed within themselves to grow.
How did the seed grow? Or the first thing that was given to you was ma'rifah—knowledge. What are we here for? To seek knowledge. About whom? About the world? To seek knowledge about finance? About politics? About education? No. We are here to seek knowledge about our Lord, Allah (swt). The Lord of all things. The Creator of all things. So we are gathered here to seek knowledge about Him. And then, to gain love for Him because of the knowledge you have received.
We do not seek this world. As we mentioned earlier, there is a hadith I came across. In it, it is written, Allah Ta'ala said to David—peace be upon him, the Prophet of Allah Dawud, whom they call King David, whatever his title. The Prophet of Allah Dawud (peace be upon him). Allah said,
يَا دَاوُودُ، مَثَلُ الدُّنْيَا مَثَلُ جِيفَةٍ اجْتَمَعَتْ عَلَيْهَا الْكِلَابُ
Yā Dāwūd, inna ad-dunya jifatin ijtama'at 'alayha al-kilab.
"O Dawud, the parable of the world is like a carrion surrounded by dogs."
O David, the example of the world is like a carcass, a corpse, surrounded by hyenas. Have you ever seen hyenas, Shaykh? Yes, I have. Have you seen hyenas in the world? When someone eats a carcass, tearing it apart, everyone pulls it towards them. One says, “This is mine,” another pulls from the other side and says, “This is mine.” Each of them eats something, but they all keep pulling at the carcass. He said that the world is like the flesh of a dead animal surrounded by hyenas. Would you like to be like those hyenas? Tearing flesh from a dead carcass?
So, we are not gathered here for the world. We are not interested in being like hyenas, tearing flesh from dead animals or carcasses. We are here to gain knowledge about our Creator. That is the Divine Love of which your father has bitten the fruit there, and now comes to all of us. So that is nature. Allah (swt) has made your hearts a fertile ground to receive the seed of the Oneness of Allah (swt).
With righteous deeds and good deeds that God (swt) has ordained, the seeds of the Oneness of God and the prophethood of His Prophet began to grow, and you began to pick the fruit, the fruit of knowledge, the fruit of love, the fruit mushāhadah, fruit wusul, and fruit wiṣāl. Knowledge, love, testimony, reach, relationship with the Divine Presence and achieve perfection. That's what we do. We have no business fighting with anyone.
Everyone is free to attend any ceremony they like. Everyone is free to receive advice from whomever they wish. Everyone is free to be friends with whomever they like. We have no problem with anyone. We do not hold a grudge against anyone. Free people. But we gather to seek knowledge about Allah (swt) and gain the Love of Allah (swt). That is why, Allah (swt) says in the Qur'an—in Surah Al-'Ankabut, right after the verse that reads, "Read what has been revealed to you from the Book and establish prayer"—Allah (swt) says in the next verse,
وَلَا تُجَادِلُوا أَهْلَ الْكِتَابِ إِلَّا بِالَّتِي هِيَ أَحْسَنُ إِلَّا الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا مِنْهُمْ ۖ وَقُولُوا آمَنَّا بِالَّذِي أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْنَا وَأُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ ۚ وَإِلَـٰهُنَا وَإِلَـٰهُكُمْ وَاحِدٌ ۖ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ
Wa lā tujādilū ahla al-kitābi illā bi-allatī hiya aḥsanu illā alladzīna ẓalamū minhum, wa qūlū: āmannā bi-alladzī unzila ilaynā wa unzila ilaykum, wa ilāhunā wa ilāhukum waḥid, wa naḥnu lahu Muslimūn.
And do not debate with the People of the Book, except in the best way, except with the wrongdoers among them, and say (to them), "We have believed in (the Book) which was revealed to us and that which was revealed to you; our Lord and your Lord are one; and we submit to Him alone."(Surat al-Ankabut, 29:46)
Do not argue with people who have knowledge, Divine Knowledge. Don't argue with them. Instead, say to them, "We believe in what has been given to us, and we believe in what has been given to you. Our Lord and your Lord are one, and we have submitted to Him." We believe in what has been given to us, and we believe in what has been given to them.
Today, they texted me from Dallas. "Shaykh, there is great confusion. We don't know what to do," they said. What to do? "We believe in what has been given to us. We believe in what has been given to them. Our God and their God are one. We have surrendered to Him."
The best among you are the most pious and the most fearful of Allah (swt). It is not based on this standard or that standard, or on this statement or that statement. What you have been given, and what we have been given—we believe in all of that. We have no problem. Our Lord is one, and we submit to Him.
So what is revealed in the Holy Scriptures, we believe. What is revealed in our Holy Scriptures, we believe. Our God and their God, and everyone's God is one. We have submitted to Him, we have submitted to His will. May Allah (swt) forgive us. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
So, that's what you need to do. Sit with whomever you want, seek knowledge of your Lord. Let the seeds of love grow. Let the seeds Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Muhammad Rasūlullāh (s) grow. Until when? Until you bite the fruit.
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said—may Allah (swt) sanctify his secret— said that they had put in a warehouse all kinds of seeds, wheat seeds. I'm trying to remember the story he told, but this is the conclusion of the story. They had put seeds in a wheat storehouse. Yes, they put the seeds there, but they didn't plant them. They just stored them. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said that the seeds that were stored, a few of them found their way into the soil, into the fields. But most of them remained in the storehouse. And they were eaten by the rats of the shaitan, eaten by the worms of the ego, eaten by the desires. They were all consumed. That storehouse is the world. Those seeds are the seeds that Allah (swt) has sent to you, the seeds Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Muhammad Rasūlullāh (s) He said, “Take the seed and plant it in the field, and see what it will give you.” He will give you your own world. Each seed will give you its own portion. It will be its own world. That will be you. You will emerge, you will show your perfection.
The seed from an apple tree will grow and show perfection as an apple tree. But if the seed does not find a field, what happens to it? It will rot. So Allah (swt) has given those seeds to each of us. He said, "Plant it in that field." Where is the farm? Your heart. So, Allah bless you, will grow faith in your heart. That's what you need. You have to allow ilāha illā Allāh to enter your heart and grow with the Scriptures and with prayer. Not with anything else.
People waste their time on nonsense. They waste their time on things they will never have. May Allah (swt) forgive us. So, when you reach Allah (swt) and you reach perfection, that is the goal.
Sayyidina Malik bin Dinar said, “Once I was on my way to Makkah for Hajj. On the way, I met a young man.” He asked, “Where are you from?” He replied, “I am from Him.” He asked again, “Where are you going?” “I am going to Him.” He said, “I do not see anything you are carrying: food, drink… who supports you or provides you with all that?” He replied, “That is up to Him.” “I am from Him.” That is the perfect person, who does not see anything other than Allah (swt). “I am going to Him, and from Him my food and drink come.”
He said, “No, it can't be like that. You need water and food in this desert. Tell me, what do you have from zad, from provisions? What did you take with you when you left home?” He said, “I took five letters.” A perfect person needs nothing except Allah and His Book, His Word. He said, “I took five letters from the Book of Allah (swt).” He asked, “What letters did you take with you?” He replied, “I took Kāf, Hā, Yā, 'Ain, Ṣād.” Have you ever encountered the letters Kāf, Hā, Yā, ‘Ain, Ṣād? Some scholars say that the Muqaṭṭaʿāt letters (المُقَطَّعَات), those single letters are the beginning of the Holy Names of Allah (swt), Asmāʾullāh al-ḥusnā. Some of them said so.
So this young man said, “I have these five letters with me.” So Sayyidina Malik bin Dinar—who was also a great saint—asked, “What is the meaning of Kāf, Hā, Yā, ‘Ain, Ṣād?” The young man replied, “Kaf means Kāfī; Ha means Hādī; Ya means Muʾaddī; ʿAin means ʿAlīm; Sād means Sādiq.”
فَمَنْ كَانَ صَحِيبُهُ كَافِيًا، وَهَادِيًا، وَمُؤَدِّيًا، وَعَالِمًا، وَصَادِقًا، فَلَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى زَادٍ، وَلَا يَخْشَى، وَلَا يَخَافُ، وَلَا يَضِلُّ.
Fa-man kana ṣaḥībuhū kāfiyan, wa hādiyan, wa muʾaddiyan, wa 'āliman, wa ṣādiqan, fa-lā yaḥtāju ilā zādin, wa lā yakhshā, wa lā yakhāfu, wa lā yaḍillu.
So whoever's friend (companion) is (God) the All-Sufficient, the All-Guiding, the All-Conveying (of mandates), the All-Knowing, and the All-Honest, then he does not need provisions, does not feel afraid, does not tremble, and will not go astray.
That's how the story sounds in Arabic.
The young man said, "I brought these five letters." When asked, "What are these five letters?" He replied, “Kāf is for Kāfī—All Sufficient for you. Hā is for Hādī—the guide, who guides you. He is enough for you. He guides you. Yā is Muʾaddī—who delivered you, who saved you, who made you arrive.ʿAin is for ʿĀlim—who knows, who knows everything, who has seen the truth. Ṣād is Ṣādiq—the honest one, the one who tells the truth.”
He said, “Whoever has a friend who is sufficient for him, who guides him, who takes him to where he is going, who knows everything about him and what is happening around him, and who always tells him the truth—if someone has a friend like that, they will never go astray; they will never be afraid; and they will never be without anything.”
Look at that person—who has attained perfection. He sees that Allah (swt) encompasses everything for him. So, why are we sitting here? To reach that level of knowledge; to reach that level of understanding, to reach that level of knowledge. Find that. If you can find someone who shows you these paths, stay with him. Educate yourself—if you want to call it that. Remember yourself and improve yourself. Let that tree grow within you.
May Allah (swt) forgive us.
So, thank God, what we take from our shuyukh we are happy with it. What they take from there, we also believe in it. Our God and their God are one. Then, why should there be constant arguments?
Growing and attaining the Divine Presence means cultivating that seed, allowing it to grow, and allowing it to lift you up. The trees will spring from your heart. Their foundation is very solid, very secure, and very stable. They cannot be shaken, and they will reach all the way to the heavens. That is what you need.
Oh people, you need that magic beanstalk. Who knows, maybe that's how the story began. Maybe someone read about Islam and said, "Oh, a bean... a magic seed... and it grows towards the sky, reaching the clouds." That is the seed: Lā ilāha illā Allāh, Muhammad Rasūlullāh (s).
Wa min Allāh at-tawfīq, bi ḥurmati al-Ḥabīb, ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa sallam wa bi-sirri Sūrat al-Fātiḥah.
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