A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem.
Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Alhamdulillahi Rabbi ‘l-`Alameen wa ‘s-salaatu wa ‘s-salaam `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `alaa alihi wa ashabihi ajma`een wa man tabi`ahu bi ihsanin illa Yawmi ‘d-deen wa `alaa sa’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 Sayyidi, yaa Sultan al-Awliya. Dastoor, yaa Sayyidi wa Mawlay. Madad, yaa RijaalAllah.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.
May Allah (swt) always keep us together in the Garden of Serenity, the Garden of Tranquility, the Garden of Peace. Do you believe this place is such a garden? Of course. Any place where there is Dhikrullah, not only here but anywhere around the world: US, UK, Europe, Africa, Asia, India, any majlis of Dhikr is a Garden of Serenity. You go to places and pay 20 bucks to enter a ‘Garden of Serenity.’ What 20 bucks? That was 20 years ago.
They took me to a Japanese garden in San Francisco. There was a nice bridge made out of stone, some ponds, some creeks with fish. You get your smoothie or whatever it is and you’re in a garden of serenity. It’s the same thing in Chicago. You have the arboretum. People go there because it’s nature. Nature makes Tasbeeh. It does not disobey Allah (swt). Trees, leaves, flowers, water do not disobey Allah (swt). Therefore, Allah (swt) blesses them with His Mercy and that’s why they grow, that’s why they give you fruit, they quench your thirst and give you benefit. Whoever Allah (swt) bestows His Mercy upon, they become a benefit for others. Whoever Allah (swt) bestows cursing on them, they become the curse of others. You have to know that. Whoever benefits others is taking from Allah (swt)’s Rahmah, from His Mercy and Love, growing with that and giving it to others.
These arboretums like the Morton Arboretum and that Japanese garden and we have one up in Saginaw. You walk inside for three or four hours. You travel for the garden of serenity, you travel to find peace. Once you establish a Majlis Dhikr, even if one person sits down with his or her spouse or their children, Allah (swt) covers you with His Sakina and Rahmah. People resort to drugs to find peace. People resort to risky behavior to find happiness. It’s very simple. Just sit down, empty your mind from others and connect to the Lord of Heavens. Once you mention His Name, angels will surround you. They always look for some big concepts and explanations and expressions of these `ulama. They always go to the highest Hadith and ayah. Stick to Dhikrullah. It’s something so easy. Anybody can do it. Somebody who is not an `alim can do it. A Waliyullah can do it. A poor servant can do it. A rich one can do it. It’s the easiest.
If you want to run to the garden of serenity or peace, find out who is holding Dhikr in your neighborhood. It doesn’t matter if it’s Qadiri, Chishti, Soharwardi, Rifa’i, Naqshbandi. It is not about the person. They get stuck with the person. Why? “You can only go to this pir.” How about the other pir? Is he a kafir? He is `abdAllah. You are `abdAllah. She is amatullah. Everybody is a servant. Why do you prefer one over others? Why do you approve of one but not the other? They’re both doing Dhikrullah, aren’t they?
You want to find peace in this world, O man. They don’t know where to find peace. It’s simple: find a majlis of Dhikrullah. If you cannot find a majlis of Dhikrullah, find a cemetery. There was a saint who was majdhoub. Majdhoub means “attracted.” When he is attracted, his mind has left dunya. His mind is somewhere else so they call him majdhoub. He left dunya for Akhirah but he’s still in dunya so he speaks of crazy things that people don’t understand but it’s all full of wisdom.
Sayyidina Sari al-Saqati (q) was visiting some of the graves in Baghdad and he saw Bahlul sitting. Bahlul was majdhoub.
He said, “Yaa Bahlul. What are you doing here?”
“I am sitting with a group of people who don’t harm me. If I leave, they don’t gossip about me.”
Do you sit with people and when you leave, they start gossiping about you? Every majlis other than the majlis of Dhikrullah [is such]. Don’t gossip about people who come here. Leave them to their Creator.
If you cannot find majlis of Dhikr, go to the cemeteries. They remind you of death. When you are reminded of death, you are reminded of the Creator and that Creator will bring these people out again, including you. You start thinking Akhirah. It is the Sunnah to visit the grave. You have to do it because it reminds you of Akhirah. If your qabr is good, if it is peaceful, everything after it will be peaceful and nice. May Allah (swt) shelter us from `adhaabu ‘l-qabr, the punishment of the grave and the punishment of Judgement Day. Allah (swt)’s Mercy is vast.
He asked, “How long have you been sitting here?”
“I have been sitting here for days.”
“Don’t you get hungry?”
Bahlul stood up and said, “Hunger is from the deeds of the pious ones.”
Do the pious ones get hungry? They always get hungry. Rasoolullah (s) said, “Yaa Rabbee. One day I am hungry. You feed me and I thank You. One day I become hungry and I ask You and I am patient.” He wanted one day, one day. What do pious ones do? They fast more. Being hungry is the characteristic of pious ones. Fasting in Ramadan and on other days and eating once a day. Some of them eat once a day. I even heard some of them don’t eat for 40 days. I have no idea how but Allah (swt) knows.
Bahlul continued, “Hunger is from the characteristics of the pious ones. The one who is very hungry, a day will come when he will be full.”
They are smart ones, not dumb ones. They will be full. One day Allah (swt) will look at all of His servants. He said, “O My servants! Put on your best attire and come to me.” Today is hot. Mashaa-Allah, in Texas they have so many gas stations. [They have a sign;] ‘No shirt, no service.’ If you are not wearing your best attire, there is no service for you, sorry. Go get dressed and come. Allah (swt) told His servants, “Put on your best attire and come to Yaumu ‘l-Ardh.” All the servants will be displayed.
Bahlul knew. He said, “I will put on my best attire and come. I won’t be sitting with people who are gossiping about others. I won’t be sitting with people who are hurting others. I won’t think about this and that. I will be with people who don’t hurt me and I don’t hurt them. I will be with people who don’t gossip about me and I don’t gossip about them. I will do the actions of the pious ones.”
We are totally the opposite. We do the deeds of crooked and dishonest ones and we don’t care about Akhirah. We only care about this dunya. Every time you pray there is Noor. Every time you make Dhikrullah, there is Noor. You are being dressed and presented in front of Allah (swt).
يَـٰبَنِىٓ ءَادَمَ خُذُوا۟ زِينَتَكُمْ عِندَ كُلِّ مَسْجِدٍ وَكُلُوا۟ وَٱشْرَبُوا۟ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوٓا۟ إِنَّهُۥ لَا يُحِبُّ ٱلْمُسْرِفِينَ
Ya Bani Adam! Khudoo zeenatakum `inda kulli masjid.
O Children of Adam! wear your beautiful apparel at every time and place of prayer: eat and drink: But waste not by excess, for Allah loveth not the wasters. (Surat al-A’raf, 7:31)
Take your zeenah. Whenever you are in a masjid, you are in the Divine Presence. You are in the House of Allah (swt). Whenever you are praying and making sajdah, you are in front of Allah (swt). Take your best attire and come to Him.
Judgment Day is the biggest day that you will be in front of Allah (swt). Our teachers have said that Allah (swt) has said, “Put on your best attire and come to Me,” and in secret He will send to His beloveds the best attires. When they are presented in front of Allah (swt), everybody will look at them and ask, “Who are these people?” Rasoolullah (s) said on the Day of Judgment some people will be sitting on pulpits of Noor. People will ask, “Are they prophets? Are they this or that? Who are they?” They are those who loved each other for Allah (swt). They came together for Allah (swt).
What do we meet here for? Are we signing contracts? We are making Dhikrullah. We are here for Allah (swt). Inshaa-Allah, we are from that group who come together only for love of Allah (swt), not for the love of dunya. When you hear there is any majlis of Dhikr in your area and you say, “I don’t have any place to go. Let me go there.” You phone somebody, “Can I go?” “No, it’s haram.” “Why?” “Dhikr is haram.” But inshaa-Allah, that is improving.
If you hear about someone in your neighborhood doing Dhikr, it does not matter who he is or what way he is, if he is saying “Allah (swt),” you go and sit. Allah (swt) will send the Dress of Noor and you will be presented on that Day. Everybody will say, “Yaa Rabbee, as they got some, give us the same. Give us from Your Rahmah.” It will be said to them, “Go back to dunya.”
Faltimisoo nooran. The munafiq will look and say, “Give us some of your light. Arji`u wara’akum. Go back. Faltimisoo nooran. Get the light from dunya. It’s finished.
يَوْمَ يَقُولُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ وَالْمُنَافِقَاتُ لِلَّذِينَ آمَنُوا انظُرُونَا نَقْتَبِسْ مِن نُّورِكُمْ قِيلَ ارْجِعُوا وَرَاءكُمْ فَالْتَمِسُوا نُورًا فَضُرِبَ بَيْنَهُم بِسُورٍ لَّهُ بَابٌ بَاطِنُهُ فِيهِ الرَّحْمَةُ وَظَاهِرُهُ مِن قِبَلِهِ الْعَذَابُ
Yawma yaqoolu ‘l-munafiqoona wa ‘l-munafiqaatu li ’Lladheena aamanoo anzhuroona naqtabis min noorikum qeela arji`u wara’akum faltmisoo nooran faduriba baynahum bi-soorin lahu baabun baatinuhu fihi ar-rahmatu wa zhaahiruhu min qibalihi al-`adhaab.
One day will the hypocrites, men and women, say to the believers, "Wait for us! Let us borrow (a light) from your light!" It will be said, "Turn ye back to your rear! Then seek a light (where ye can)!" So a wall will be put up between them, with a gate therein. Within it will be mercy throughout, and without it, all alongside, will be (wrath and) punishment! (al-Hadid, 57:13)
That saint, Bahlul, was a smart one. He was sitting in maqaabir remembering Allah (swt). We are smart ones. We are not sitting in cemeteries yet, but it’s right there. This guy goes there maybe five times a day. We sit here and make Dhikrullah. The smart one remembers Allah (swt) morning and evening. The means from morning until evening and evening to morning. All that your heart is connected to is Allah (swt)’s Love and Mercy. That is how you should be, O mankind.
When you receive that Love and Mercy, you are ordered to give it. When Allah (swt) gives you something, He says, “Spend.” People think it’s only money, no. It’s not only money. If Allah (swt) gave you a beautiful, compassionate heart, you have to spend from that compassion. It doesn’t matter to whom. It doesn’t have to only be a Muslim, it can be a non-Muslim. You can give Sadaqah to a Muslim or non-Muslim, it’s fine as long as they are in need. In Medinah they used to give Ahlu ‘l-Kitab who were poor.
When Allah (swt) gives you something, not only wealth but if He gives you love, you have to spend from it. If He gives you `ilm, you have to spend from it. If He gives you Adab, you have to spend from it. When you make Dhikrullah and Allah (swt) dresses you with Noor, give the zakat of that Noor. Awliyaullah give zakat from the Noor they get. They throw a spark in your heart. When you sit in the majlis of Waliyullah, you feel something in your heart. Something is starting to catch fire. That is the love of Allah (swt). Isn’t it true? I used to feel that when I would sit in the majlis of Awliyaullah. I used to feel that my heart was being cooked, soft.
Today I was reading about quinces. Rasoolullah (s) said if you eat quinces, a baby will come out beautiful. If Rasoolullah (s) said it, it’s true. Awliyaullah don’t put lies in their books. You have to know that. A Waliyullah cannot put a lie in his book. If a big imam from Ahlu ‘s-Sunnah has put a Hadith in the book, you take it. Don’t say, “Where did he get it?”
Have you ever bitten into a quince? In Turkey they call it “aywa.” It is between an apple and pear and it’s very bitter. It only becomes soft when you cook it. It becomes sweet and gives this beautiful aroma. When it’s raw, you cannot bite into it. It has such a bad texture, bad smell and bitter taste. The heart of a man is the same. You have to cook that heart with the fire of love. Once you cook the heart of a man or a woman, it becomes sweet and gives floral aroma and you can enjoy it. How do you cook? Fire. That’s why Allah (swt) sent Adam (a) way down. He said, “So you can miss Me.” That’s why Adam (a) was crying for 200 years. Why was he crying? He missed the proximity to Allah (swt).
Cook the heart. Every human being has to cook his or her heart by the fire of love. That is why salah is called salah because it comes from “fire.” When you are in the presence of Allah (swt), your heart is cooked with the fire of love and you become a sweet one. Otherwise, you are a bitter one. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
Find a majlis of Dhikrullah and sit. Allah (swt) will send peace, serenity and tranquility that you are looking for in the Japanese or other gardens. Don’t go there. When nobody is around, go alone to a masjid between Maghrib and Isha or between Dhuhr and Asr or at home. Sit by yourself or with somebody and make Dhikrullah. Allah (swt) will send you the tranquility you need, otherwise you will go crazy. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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