Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
30 June 2016 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Zhuhr Suhbah
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. Alhamdulillahi Rabbi 'l-`Alameen, wa ’s-salaatu wa ’s-salaamu `alaa ashrafi 'l-mursaleena Sayyidina wa Nabiyyina Muhammadin wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi ajma`een.
First, we have to thank Allah (swt) that in these days His mercy is over Ummat an-Nabi (s). We are in last ten days,`itqun min an-naar, inshaa-Allah Allah will include us with the people whom He wrote as saved from the Fire. Do we need a certificate or not? Without a certificate! The Prophet's (s) words are the best and he said Ramadan is the month of the Ummah, so that is enough. The rewards Allah is giving to those who fast Ramadan are continuous from one year to another, non-stop.
Imagine when you were born and after seven years of age you began to fast Ramadan. It will be written for you as accumulating rewards of everyone who is fasting because you are part of them, so Allah will reward you on the number of servants of Allah who are fasting Ramadan. If there are two billion Muslims, it means you will get the reward of two billion Ramadans! Allah is generous; Awliya say when Allah opens a treasure He does not close it. A heavenly treasure is not like today when they dig underground and find a limited amount of coins. When Allah opens, He sends non-stop rewards from East to West; as long as the `abd fasts Allah is sending rewards from Heaven. We have to be careful in what we do, as Allah (swt) said:
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ ، قَالَ : قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : " كُلُّ عَمَلِ ابْنِ آدَمَ يُضَاعَفُ ، الْحَسَنَةُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا إِلَى سَبْعِ مِائَةِ ضِعْفٍ ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى : إِلا الصَّوْمَ ، فَإِنَّهُ لِي وَأَنَا أَجْزِي بِهِ ... " .
All the deeds of the Children of Adam are multiplied so that there are ten rewards for each good deed increasing up to 700 except fasting, for it is done (purely) for Me and I reward it. (Muslim)
That means fasting is so precious, the extent of which no one can appreciate, evaluate, or measure its value except Allah (swt), and no one can count its value except Allah Himself! Awliya and `ulama can say that from His Generosity, Allah is sending heavenly treasures on His servants, but what kind of rewards we don’t know. How much are the rewards that come at the end of Ramadan,`itqun min an-naar, saving you from Fire? Prophet (s) gave good tidings to ten Sahaabah (r), that they are going to Paradise with no account. Ten Sahaabi (r), `itqun min an-naar and ten days `itqun min an-naar. That means from every Sahaabi (r), from the twentieth to thirtieth day of Ramadan Allah (swt) dresses you with what He dressed that Sahaabi (r) and it is equal not in calculation but you are inheriting the rewards every Sahaabi (r) was granted in good tidings from Prophet (s) that they are free from Hellfire. Not one but ten Sahaabah (r) and Allah made it the last ten days, so there is a secret there that we don’t know.
But now for Awliyaullah, as Grandshaykh (q) said, “Allah opened from His rahmah what He did not open before, He opened `Uloom al-Awwaleen wa ‘l-Akhireen for Prophet (s) and that is why He said, ‘The first ten days is rahmah.’” What is ‘rahmah’? It is mercy without hudood, limits. Allah gives without limits; if you limit Him, laa yajooz, you cannot say that about Allah. You can say it about `ibaad, yes, but there are no limits for Allah's Giving.
وَلَسَوْفَ يُعْطِيكَ رَبُّكَ فَتَرْضَى
And soon will your Lord give you so that you shall be well pleased. (Surah Ad-Dhuhaa 93:5)
“I will give to you until you are satisfied.” The Prophet's (s) concern is that his Ummah will go to Paradise, that all of them will go. That is why Allah gave him shafa`ah. Prophet (s) is not going to leave anyone behind. That is the hikmah of Allah (swt) where Grandshaykh (q) says, “Allah (swt) granted His mercy to His Awliya after the Prophet (s) and Sahaabah (r) to Awliyaullah and the Awliyaullah distribute the mercy to their followers in different ways.” Everyone has been guided by a guide. That guide will give one group something and give to another group. That makes Prophet (s) happy to give everyone equally.
وَرَحْمَتِي وَسِعَتْ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ فَسَأَكْتُبُهَا لِلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَـاةَ وَالَّذِينَ هُم بِآيَاتِنَا يُؤْمِنُونَ
My mercy embraces all things, therefore I shall ordain it for those who ward off (evil) and pay the poor due, and those who believe Our Revelations. (Surat al-A`raaf, 7:156)
“My mercy has encompassed everything.” When that ayah came, Sahaabah (q) read it and inherited its secret. Muhiyuddin ibn `Arabi (q) said that one day Iblees came to him. Awliyaullah can see Iblees and they can protect their students from falling into his traps. Muhiyuddin ibn `Arabi (q) said one day in a vision he saw Iblees coming to him and he said, “Yaa Muhiyuddin, Allah said in Holy Qur’an, wa rahmatee wasi`at kulla shay, ‘Allah's mercy encompassed everything.’ Am I not part of ‘everything’? Will Allah send His mercy on me or not?”
Muhiyuddin ibn `Arabi (q) threw his shoes at him, saying, “O Iblees! You are The Cursed One. How dare you try to make me to fall into your trap like you made Adam (a)? Go away from here!”
Iblees said, “No, first give me an answer. I asked Allah (swt) to give me life up to the Last Day and He accepted and I am asking you, so answer me.”
Muhiyuddin ibn `Arabi (q) thought, “If I say ‘yes,’ I might fall into the trap of Iblees, and if I say ‘no,’ I might fall into the trap that I said ‘no’ and Allah will get upset with me.”
From this incident, Awliyaullah understand from that the rahmah, Allah will send rahmah to whomever He likes and He will dress them with that rahmah.
One day Grandshaykh (q), may Allah bless his soul, said one day Sayyidina Musa (a) was going meeqaata Rabbihi, to speak with Allah (swt) in Toor Sinai. As he was going towards the hill, Iblees came and said, “Yaa Musa! I have a request. I want to be a good person. Where are you going?”
Sayyidina Musa said, “Go away O Cursed One! Allah cursed you and we curse you. Don’t approach me.”
He said, “No, no, no, I am coming for something good.”
Sayyidina Musa (a) said, "What?"
He said, "Ask Allah do I have tawbah or not, is there forgiveness? Allahu Ghafoorun Raheem, and I want to repent. Can I repent?"
When Allah curses someone then even if all jinn and human beings come together they cannot save that person! May Allah protect us from falling under His Curse! Also, Allah cursed the actions of mushrikeen. Awliyaullah say there is a difference between the body and the action: Allah created the body clean, pure, but the actions are yours, which are dirty or clean. The curse goes on the actions to burn them. We have to be careful because la`n, to curse people is not accepted. You are not Allah (swt); The Creator can, but you cannot. These days we see too many people cursing each other and Allah does not like that. For Him, al-Kibriyyaa lillah, the Power is for Allah, He curses whom He likes and He forgives whom He likes.
Iblees said, “Yaa Musa, I like to repent.”
Musa (a) said, “Don't play with me. How can I speak to Allah (swt) on Toor Sinai about disseminating of His Message and also ask if you have tawbah or not?”
Iblees said, “Yes, Allah created me and when I asked Allah (swt) to allow me to run after His servants and bring them to my way, Allah gave me the permission to go after them.” That is why even in prayers when we say “Allahu Akbar,” Shaytan comes whispering in our ears, is it not?
Look at this gentleman from Turkey, how he is taking care of his daughter. If our love goes to Allah like that, He will give rewards that no eye has seen and no ear has heard and no one can imagine from His rahmah. Iblees is asking for tawbah and whether or not he is lying is up to him, but Allah cursed him so we curse him.
He asked Musa (a), “If I want to repent ask Allah what I must do.”
Musa (a) thought, “Okay, since he asked me to ask, I will.”
He went to Toor Sinai and Allah revealed to him what He revealed and the meeting was over. Then Allah (swt) said, “Yaa Musa, did you have something to tell Me?”
Sayyidina Musa (a) said, “Yaa Rabbee, I don't remember anything I have to ask You.”
Allah said, “How did you forget to ask Me what someone asked you to ask? Still you are with Me and you forget, so when you go back you might forget the whole Message. I am your Lord that does not tire or slumber!”
لاَ تَأْخُذُهُ سِنَةٌ وَلاَ نَوْمٌ
No slumber can seize Him, nor sleep. (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:255)
Never will He tire like human beings, He is The Creator, in every moment creating new Creations and for them a new Judgement Day! Allah knows best what He is creating in this universe alone! We regret, how can we reach these stars? You cannot reach the stars, how are you going to reach Heavens if you are not on the way of Islam? Allah does not get tired or sleepy, we do.
These stories are handed down from one Wali to another and from one shaykh to another. They are trustworthy, so we trust what they say and wrote in these books.
Allah said, “When someone gives you Amaanah you must deliver it. You accepted to deliver the Amaanah of the one I cursed the most, so why did you not deliver it to Me? Did you decide you are better then him? Astaghfirullah, you are My Nabi, judgement is for Me alone. If I curse Him, you curse him, but if he wants to repent, I have one condition that if he meets I will see if I forgive him or not.”
Sayyidina Musa (a), one of the Five Greatest Prophets, said, “Yaa Rabbee, what is that condition?”
Allah said, “Go back and tell him, as he said, ‘Get the answer and tell me,’ so he is waiting for you. Tell him I will consider forgiving him on one condition: find the grave of Sayyidina Adam (a) and make sajda there.”
Sayyidina Musa (a) was happy he got an answer that is beneficial for all nations, that there is forgiveness. Although Allah cursed Iblees, he knows what Iblees will answer. He went back and saw Iblees in the same place.
Iblees said, “Yaa Musa, any answer? Is there anything I can do?”
Musa (a) said, “You have to go to the grave of Sayyidina Adam (a) and make sajda there.”
He said, “When he was clean in Paradise I did not make sajda to him, so now when he is in the grave am I going to make sajda to him? No way!”
That is arrogance, the keyword of this lecture. Every one of us disobeyed in one place or another. There is disobedience. That story is to give an example for you to try to run away from arrogance. He was so arrogant!
قَالَ أَنَا خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِي مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُ مِن طِينٍ
He said, “I am better than him: You created me from fire and You created him from Earth.”
(Surat al-A`raaf, 7:12)
Iblees said, “I am better than him!” He believes in Allah (swt). When he asked Allah to give him long life until Day of Judgment, Allah gave it to him, so he was communicating with Allah, we don't know how. Allah cursed him because of his arrogance. After two-thousand years of making sajda, and he virtually left no place without sajda, Allah gave him long life, still he said, “I am better than Adam, You created me from fire and You created him from mud.” He is The Cursed One. He complained when Allah ordered him to make sajda, “How am I going to make sajda to this one?” He knew it is sajdat al-ihtiraam, the sajda of respect, to that Light of Prophet (s) in Adam’s forehead, but he thought he is better than Adam.
Sayyidina Adam (a) is carrying the Light of Prophet (s) from which Allah created Creation. When you are not using your tongue for anything, use it for salawaat. Tomorrow night is Laylat al-Qadr, it is better than one-thousand months of worship. Whoever fasts that day, and everyone must fast, Allah will give him rewards better than the reward for worshipping one-thousand months, and one day of Heaven is equal to one-thousand years of dunya. Imagine, how many thousand years of Light will Allah (swt) open that night?
From his arrogance, Iblees said, “I am not going to make sajda to Adam.” Allah knows his weakness, so keep cursing, no problem! Allah is cursing him and also we must also curse Iblees’ traps. Our egos are so full of arrogance that we cannot accept each other's opinions or even agree with your own son or daughter. Everyone thinks they are better than you in understanding. Allah revealed to Sayyidina Musa’s (a) heart that Iblees' arrogance will not let him make sajda, because arrogance is very hard to remove. That is why Awliya put seekers in seclusions, to take away arrogance from their hearts. Prophet (s) was the Best of Creation and he told us not to be arrogant. He slept on a straw mattress and we are sleeping on expensive mattresses of silk and still we are not satisfied and want to change the mattress every year. Sleep on the floor, it is better for the back. May Allah take away our arrogance!
Grandshaykh `AbdAllah (a) narrated this story. Once an aaghaa, tough guy, came to our Grandshaykh Sharafuddin (q). He carried a dagger, a gun and wore his fez crooked, and around his neck he had a label that read, “Beware of me!” The shaykh (q) was in seclusion, but the man did not know the adab of seclusion, so he knocked, then pushed the door open and demanded, “Yaa Shaykh, give me baya`!” with no salaam even. What to do? Either give baya` or be killed! In that moment, it came to the shaykh's heart that this man was coming with perfect intention: “He did everything bad you can imagine in dunya and now he is coming to Me,” which means there is Light coming to his heart. Awliya can detect that.
اتقوا فراسة المؤمن فإنه ينظر بنور الله
Beware the vision of the Believer for he sees with the Light of Allah. (Tirmidhi)
Shaykh Sharafuddin (q) was sure the man’s heart had completely changed and said to him, “Yaa waladee. Be my guest today and rest. Tomorrow at Fajr we will wake up and pray together and I will tell you what to do.”
The man slept on the floor, he did not ask for a mattress. Now if a shaykh puts you in seclusion, you will ask for a mattress, a fridge and an air conditioner. You are in seclusion, why are you asking? The man was worried and overwhelmed, walking from room to room, and as the shaykh observed his agitation and anxiety, he wanted to receive the order to know what to do.
Shaykh Sharafuddin (q) said, “Okay, we prayed Fajr, now go to the courtyard of the village and you will see someone carrying lamb intestines on his shoulder.” They clean it and make soup and sausage from it, although it is the dirtiest part of the body. We eat the intestines, Allah made it halaal, and what Allah and Prophet (s) make halaal no one can make haraam.
The shaykh continued, “When you see this man carrying the intestines to the market, approach him from the back, hit him on the neck, and be sure to make him to fall to the ground.”
The wrestler said, “Allahu Akbar, this is Tariqah? I can beat everyone then, this is nice!”
When he saw the man the shaykh described, he hit him on the neck, but the man did not fall to the ground; the man looked at him angrily and continued on his way. He didn’t like it, but didn’t argue.
The wrestler went back and the The wrestler said the man had looked at him angrily but had not responded.
Shaykh Sharafuddin (q) asked, “What happened?”
The wrestler said the man had looked at him angrily but had not responded.
Shaykh Sharafuddin (q) said, “Never mind. Stay with me, your job is finished for now. Tomorrow you will go and do the same to another one, you will smack him with your hand.”
The next day, the wrestler found the man and slapped him. The man did not fall and did not say anything, he was not angry, but he smiled.
The wrestler returned and said, “I want some drama in it! I am fighting, but they are not responding.” The shaykh said, “Never mind, tomorrow you will go somewhere else.”
The next day after Fajr, he was sent to the farmland where a farmer was plowing his field. The shaykh had told him, “Take a stick and hit him on his back until the stick breaks and then come back.”
The wrestler said, “That is something good, now we are using a cane!”
When he saw the farmer, he took the stick and said, “By my shaykh's order!” and hit him on the back. The farmer pushed the ox to move faster. The wrestler hit another time, but the stick did not break. The farmer kept plowing. Finally the wrestler hit him with all his power, the stick broke and the farmer fell down. Then the farmer ran to him, kissed his hand and said, “O my brother! Please don’t hold anything against me on Judgement Day as my shaykh sent you to correct me and you hurt your hand by hitting me. ”
The wrestler returned to Shaykh Sharafuddin (q) and said, “Yaa Sayyidee! I understand the first one who looked at me angrily, and the second one who looked at me smiling, but the third one kissed my hand and asked not to be judged on the Day of Judgment. That I don’t understand.”
The shaykh said, “The first one is mubtadi, a beginner in Tariqah; he knew I sent you to test him, but he showed his anger. The second one is musta`idd, on the second level; he smiled as if to say, ‘I know the shaykh sent you here, so don't hide.’ At that level, you cannot be angry or have pride. The third one is fully a mureed; when you hit him, he hit the plow saying, ‘I got a message from my shaykh that I am not doing well and I must do better.’ He is surrendering to the shaykh’s will. My son, if you can do that, you are eligible for bay`a.”
As a muhibb, lover, a beginner, you still have pride, anger, and hate, but on the second level you already got rid of those bad manners through your devotion to the shaykh, Prophet (s) and Allah (swt). The third one has received his Trust.
The shaykh said, “If you want this way, this is how you must behave.”
The wrestler threw down his rifle and hat and said, “I am ready for bay`a.”
The shaykh said, “No, not yet, come with me to the garden.”
It is the same example as in the story of Sayyidina `Abdul-Khaliq al-Ghujdawani (q). All these stories are true. They went to an apple orchard. Shaykh Sharafuddin (q) said, “Take a stone and hit the tree.” This is an example that many Awliya show their followers.
مَن جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا ۖ وَمَن جَاءَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ فَلَا يُجْزَىٰ إِلَّا مِثْلَهَا وَهُمْ لَا يُظْلَمُونَ
Whoever does one good deed will have the reward of ten of its kind, and whoever does one bad deed will only be recompensed one of its kind and they neither will they be oppressed. (Surat al-An`am, 6:160)
From Allah’s mercy, whoever comes with one hasanah, good deed, will be rewarded ten; who comes with a sayyi’ah, sin, it will be written only as one. The wrestler hit the tree and ten apples fell to the ground.
Shaykh Sharafuddin (q) said, “Who comes with one hasanah will get ten. You are torturing the tree and still it has given you ten apples. It means you have to be a trash area for people and carry their load. The tree is injured, but it still gave you ten apples. If anyone harms you make peace with him, don’t fight, as fighting is from arrogance.”
May Allah (swt) take our fighting and arrogance away.
Bi hurmati ‘l-habeeb, bi hurmati ‘l-Fatihah.
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