From Mawlana Shaykh Nazim's Personal Notes
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Laa hawla wa laa quwatta illa billahi 'l-`Aliyyu 'l-`Azheem.
Dastoor, yaa Sayyidi, Qutbu ‘l-Mutassarif. Madad, yaa Sultan al-Awliya. Nadarak himatak, yaa Sayyidi ‘l-Kareem. Dastoor, yaa Sayyidi wa Mawlay. Madad, yaa RijaalAllah.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi ta`ala wa barakaatuh.
Rochester, New York. New Jersey. No, you’re Somalia. It’s the other side of the world. Mashaa-Allah, we have the east coast today. Alhamdulillah. May Allah (swt) pull you to these kinds of places, majaalisu ‘d-dhikr. Mashaa-Allah, you are definitely favored ones. Allah (swt) has chosen you from among thousands. Other places fill up with people but for nonsense things. You see the entire halls full of people but for majaalisu ‘d-dhikr, you see one or two lines of people. That tells you that when Allah (swt) chooses, He chooses the best. He knows best about the others. Astaghfirullahi ‘l-`Azheem wa atoobu `ilayh.
Welcome to everybody. Mashaa-Allah, from Europe. May Allah (swt) always keep us at the door of Awliyaullah to learn a few things. What is the biggest thing we’ve learned? The biggest thing I’ve learned from my grandfather, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q), is the following. Do you know the example of the carcass? If you don’t know anything else from the teachings of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q), just remember this.
It was said to Sayyidina Dawud (a) whom they call King David, but of course he is Nabiyullah, khalifatullah and habeebullah. All Anbiyaullah are habaa’ib. They are all beloved to Allah (swt) and Rasoolullah (s). They are beloved to their nations and to other nations. Everybody loves Sayyidina Dawud (a). Everybody loves Sayyidina Sulayman (a). Everybody loves Sayyidina Ibrahim (a). When Allah (swt) loves someone, everybody loves them. When Allah (swt) doesn’t like somebody, it is very hard for people to turn their hearts to that person.
The example of dunya is like the example of a dead, rotten, stinking carcass. Hyenas surrounded that carcass. Have you ever seen hyenas? They’re half-dog, half-cat. You probably have a lot in Somalia. They came upon that carcass, biting from here and dragging that part to themselves. Biting from this side and dragging the carcass. You know how they bite, they gather.
I read this from the words of Awliyaullah. “Yaa Dawud! Would you like to be a hyena like them? Would you like to be a wild dog like them so you can pull and drag with them?” Everybody wants a piece of this dunya. You can see what they’re doing. They say, “Dunya is for us,” and they pull it towards themselves. The other side says, “No, dunya is for me,” and they pull from the other side.
If you want to be a wild dog, eating the flesh of a dead animal that is already disintegrating and it will only cause disease if you eat it, go ahead. Awliyaullah and Anbiyaullah are the ones that shy away from running after the dead carcass of this world. This world is going to finish for everybody. When it is going to finish totally Allah (swt) knows. Only Allah (swt) knows when the Final Hour will be but your time will come to an end when you die. That is qiyamah for you.
He said, “If you want to pull like them, go ahead.” That is what I remember from Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q). He said, this dunya is a carcass. The one that is requesting that is also a wild dog.” Wild dogs run after the dead carcass. Don’t pull on this dunya. Be happy with whatever comes to you and take it. Tawakkul `alaa Allah. Go towards Allah (swt), and don’t worry about anything else. Find that well.
The second thing I remember from Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) is that this world is like a desert. It is dead and has nothing in it. But in the desert you can find oases. What is the plural of “oasis?” We are trying to be a little bit eloquent here. Shaykh Abdullah is a redneck. He doesn’t know eloquence. Oases, okay. In the desert there are oases and around the oases there is a little bit of greenery. You have trees and water. Awliyaullah are as such. In the middle of this dead desert land, you will find spots where you can find life. If you go around in this world as we are all doing, at the end it is going to be dead. But if you find that well where Waliyullah and Nabiyullah are sitting, where Rasoolullah (s) is sitting, and you drink from that water, you will find Eternal life. Try to find that oasis. Shaykh Abdullah is going to faint. Don’t faint, it’s okay.
It is said that one faqir was walking in the wilderness. He had a small pot and a small rope. He saw a well, so he went to it and lowered his pot into it. The rope snapped and everything fell down. He sat by the well and said, “Yaa Rabbee! I will not leave except with my bucket or if you give me permission to leave.” He sat there for hours and then he saw a little deer who was thirsty. The deer approached the well and the water inside rose to the top, allowing the deer to drink. Lo and behold, the bucket also rose to the top.
That man took his little bucket and said, “Yaa Rabbee! Don’t I have value in front of You like this deer?” A voice came saying, “You have come with a bucket and rope. This deer came with no means except tawwakul, trust in its Lord.” When you come to the water well of Waliyullah, don’t come saying, “I need this and I need that. I am coming for this and for that. I am coming with this and with that.” Come saying, “I have no means. I have nothing with me and I am not coming for anything. I am depending on my Lord.”
That’s when they will give you. If you come with a bucket and rope to a Waliyullah and say, “I want to learn this and this. I have a question or two or ten. Where do I stay? Where do I live? What do I eat? What work do I do?” You are coming with your baggage. That doesn’t work. You will stay there for hours, days or months. If you come with nothing and say, “I’m coming to drink from your well, from your water,” with full trust and dependence on Allah (swt) then they will give you. That is what we need. We have lost that. We have wants.
Before we come to Waliyullah we have already arranged what we want. “I want `ilm. I want to reach the highest knowledge that nobody knows. I want to reach the wisdom that nobody can speak. I want to reach the station where I can control half the world with my fingertips. I want to do this and do that.” You’re coming with your bucket and rope. Put it down and it will snap. You will not get anything unless you come like that deer.
My brother, Adam, told me about deer musk today. What is deer musk? It’s a clot or glandular secretions. It’s a secretion of an animal that gets its power from blood. Where does the gland get its water and nutrients or whatever it needs to secret? From the bloodstream.
If you come like a deer with blood, which represents lusts, desires and bad characteristics, because Shaytan is in the bloodstream as Rasoolullah (s) has said. Your blood will become a means for the most beautiful scent that the kings are after. Do they still do poaching in South America? They still do illegal poaching in Africa. The kings are seeking that. Why don’t you be like that deer? You have blood inside of you. Spiritually that blood signifies the flowing of Shaytan in that blood. You can turn that blood into something that is very scentful that the kings are after.
When we come to the door of Waliyullah, we have to come without baggage, requests, questions, answers, nothing! Like that water rose in the well, knowledge and light will rise from the heart of Waliyullah and they will give you what you need. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said sometimes you might need a small glass full, others need a small flask. He used to say, “Putt, putt, putt.” You know the mopeds that go, “Putt, putt, putt”? They put a little bit of gas in there but regular cars need more gas, and the trucks need even more.
Come to Waliyullah without anything attached and they will give you what you need. That is what you need. That is what we are trying to get from Awliyaullah. May Allah (swt) always keep us at their doors. Ameen.
Don’t be a hyena. Don’t be a dog. Don’t bite, growl and make ugly noises and use ugly teeth to bite others. Don’t be a hyena running after dunya. Whatever comes your way from Waliyullah, whatever comes your way from Nabiyullah, whatever comes your way from Allah (swt), you take and say, “Alhamdulillah. Yaa Rabbee, thank You for Your ni’mah.”
Today I opened Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q)’s book to see what they would send to us from their wells of knowledge and love. Allah (swt) was teaching Rasoolullah (s) His Asmaau ‘l-Husna, His Beautiful Names. When that was complete, Rasoolullah (s) left this world. He was 63. When the instructions and teachings were completed for Rasoolullah (s), his soul was seized when he was 63-years-old.
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) is revealing a secret here. We know that Rasoolullah (s) received Wahiy, reveleation. When the Wahiy was over, Sahaabah kiraam (r) knew that he was going to leave. When revelation was finished, he was taken up. What is in the revelation? Asmaa’ullah al-Husnaa. Allah (swt) has put His 99 Names in the Qur’anu ‘l-Kareem. It is said that Allah (swt) has more than only 99 Names. Allah (swt)’s Names are endless and unlimited. Rasoolullah’s (s) mission in this world was to know Allah’s (swt) Beautiful Names and Attributes.
Our Way is to know Allah (swt)’s Beautiful Names. After you complete Shari`ah and know salah, siyam, zakat or the five pillars and after you do what Allah (swt) has ordered and avoid what He has forbidden, your next step is to know the meanings of His Holy Names. In the Holy Qur’an, Allah (swt) says:
وَلِلَّهِ ٱلْأَسْمَآءُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ فَٱدْعُوهُ بِهَا وَذَرُوا۟ ٱلَّذِينَ يُلْحِدُونَ فِىٓ أَسْمَـٰٓئِهِۦ سَيُجْزَوْنَ مَا كَانُوا۟ يَعْمَلُونَ
The most beautiful names belong to Allah. so call on him by them; but shun such men as use profanity in his names: for what they do, they will soon be requited. (Surah al-`Araf, 7:180)
Wa lillahi ‘l-Asmaau ’l-Husnaa. To Allah (swt) belong the Beautiful Names. Call Him by them. Are you calling Him by His Names? It’s an order. What do we call Him by? His Names. What are His Names? One of the requirements is to know Allah (swt)’s Holy Names and that’s what Rasoolullah (s) has done.
How do you learn His Holy Names? That’s what Tariqah also teaches. There are three stages: Islam, Iman, Ihsan. In the station of Islam, you have to know His Holy Names. That is to see the manifestation of His Holy Names in your life. Do you eat? Who gives you food? Don’t say your boss, Walmart or that supply chain. “If there is no supply chain, we will starve.” No. Who is Ar-Razak? When you eat, you know that Allah (swt) is Ar-Razzaq. When you see what He created, you know that Allah (swt) is Al-Khaliq. When you see a bad one commit a sin but then ask for forgiveness, you know that Allah (swt) is Al-Ghafoor, The Forgiver. When you see the Rahmah of Allah (swt) coming down, which is rain, you know that Allah (swt) is Ar-Rahman and Ar-Raheem. When you see love in your heart towards your family, you know that Allah (swt) is Al-Wadud.
In the first station you have to see the imprints of Allah (swt)’s Beautiful Names in your life. First you have to see it on yourself, second you have to see it on your body, third you have to see it on your limbs, fourth you have to see it on your power, then you have to see it on your inner states and outer states. You have to see the traces of Allah (swt)’s Beautiful Names externally. Anything you see, you have to connect it with one of Allah (swt)’s Holy Names. There are 99 Names. Do it yourself. Do the math.
When you sleep, Allah (swt)’s Holy Name is Al-Mumit, the One Who gives death. It is said that sleep is the brother of death. When you sleep, you are basically dead except for your breathing. If you don’t breathe, you’re dead. There’s nothing else. You are lying there motionless except for the breath. Sometimes you have to approach a person to see if they are even breathing, unless somebody is snoring. When you wake up, His Name is Al-Muhiy, the One Who gives life.
You have to see the Names of Allah (swt) in your life first. That is what Tariqah teaches and that’s what Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) is saying. When Rasoolullah (s) was in dunya, he was seeing the effects of Allah (swt)’s Beautiful Names everywhere. He was studying every Name, what it does and where it’s manifesting. Are your eyes open to that? No. You just like to swipe up, “My eyes are open to that. What’s the next Name? The next name is ‘lucky you.’” Swipe up. The next name, “Lucky me.” Swipe up. That’s what you look for. You are not looking in your environment for Asmaa’ullah. That’s a pity. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
Rasoolullah (s) saw Allah (swt)’s Holy Names in everything. That is why Sayyidina Muhiyuddin ibn Arabi (q) used to say, wa lahu fee kulli shay’in ayah. There is a sign in everything. Everything in this universe is a messenger of Allah (swt) because everything in this world reminds you of its Creator. That is why it is said that Rasoolullah’s Noor has filled the universes because he is Mutlaq, the Absolute Messenger and everything in this world is also a messenger from his light.
In everything there is a sign. That sign shows that He is One. With his external vision, Rasoolullah (s) he saw the manifestation of Asmaa’ullahi’l-Husnaa wherever he looked. Follow him. Try to do that. Stop swiping up. May Allah (swt) forgive all of us.
The second level is iman. When you see Allah (swt)’s Holy Names manifest in the outside universe then you take it on internally. You become Ghafoor, you become `Afoow, pardoner, forgiver. You become Halim, tolerant, patient. You become Saboor. You cannot become As-Saboor but you can take from the Light of His Holy Name. His Holy Names are only for Him. You cannot say, “I am As-Saboor.” No, you are not. There will come a time where you are not Saboor anymore and that’s your spouse, man or woman. It doesn’t matter. Either your husband is the first test for Saboor or your wife is the first test for Saboor. It could be your child, your friend or your neighbor or whoever.
Don’t say, “I am As-Saboor. I am `Alim. I know.” No. Allah (swt) will send a mosquito to you with the West Nile virus like in New York City and you will lose everything. You are not Alim anymore. You are a deadbeat, gone. Don’t say, “I am Haleem, `Alim, Hakeem.” Take from that Light internally. Become knowledgeable by the knowledge of Allah (swt). Become wise by the wisdom of Rasoolullah (s) and the wisdom of Allah (swt). Take on these Beautiful Names. The more names you see externally, you invert internally. Externally and internally you are observing Allah (swt)’s Holy Names.
The third level is Ihsan. What is Ihsan? To worship Allah (swt) as if you are seeing Him. That means there is nobody there except Him. You are not there anymore. Externally, Allah (swt) is everywhere and internally Allah (swt) is everywhere. He is Al-Qayyum, everything is in existence by Him. When you reach the level of Ihsan, you have reached Tawheed, declaring the Oneness of Allah (swt). What does that mean? You’re not in the picture. There is nobody but Him. Where are you? Gone. That is to disappear from your ego and remain with your Lord. Allah (swt) is the One remaining and you are the one disappearing.
How do you hear? By Him. How do you see? By Him. How do you walk? By Him. That is in the Hadith. How do you use your hand? By Him. He will be your eyesight. He will be your hearing. He will be everything you need. It’s not you. That is the highest level.
When Rasoolullah (s) came to this world, he taught his Ummah the following three steps: Islam, iman and Ihsan. There are so many interpretations. This is one secret of our shuyookh. That’s what they teach us. You’re not going to find this anywhere else. Nobody can even comprehend what that means. It is only when you read their words and follow what they have done can you understand a little bit more. The first step is to see Asmaa’ullah, the manifestation of Allah (swt)’s Beautiful Names on yourself.
May Allah (swt) allow us to see the Lights of His Beautiful Names externally, internally and then only see Him as The One. We are gone and we are remaining by Him. Inshaa-Allah, we can reach that level.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, wa bi sirri Surat al-Fatihah.
SubhaanAllah. I heard something. It is so strange that the most expensive or sought after perfume for a human being is the secretion from a gland under the belly. The most expensive dress for a human is the secretion of a silkworm. The sweetest nectar is regurgitated by a bee. Mashaa-Allah. There is no need for arrogance and pride. Humble yourself, O insaan. Allah (swt) has given you so many examples to humble yourself down.
Bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, wa bi sirri Surat al-Fatihah.
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