A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani ‘r-rajim. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. Dastoor yaa Sayyidee, madad.
أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
Ati`oollaha wa ati`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (4:59)
Obeying Allah (swt) is a must! If someone disobeys, as many Muslims do, if they repent Allah forgives them. Obedience to Prophet (s) is a must; if anyone who disobeys makes salawaat on Prophet (s), Allah (swt) will forgive him. But disobedience to “authorities,” as Allah (swt) mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, is different; if you disobey them, a whip will come on you! So be careful and do not disobey the authorities.
Allah (swt) is ar-Rahmaan ar-Raheem, “the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate,” and Prophet (s) is, as Allah (swt) said, a mercy for all the worlds:
وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ
wa maa arsalnaaka ila rahmatan lil-`alameen.
(O Muhammad!) We have sent you not except as a Mercy for all the Worlds. (al-Anbiya, 21:107)
“We have not sent you, O Muhammad, except as mercy to humanity!” But the authorities don’t have mercy, so you cannot disobey them. If you fall into the hands of a judge you will see they have no mercy. Therefore, live peacefully and in support of the law and then Allah (swt) and Prophet (s) will support you, and the rulers will not bother you.
Authorities are of two kinds: authorities for running the country, by which you have to obey the law, and authorities to whom you have extended your hand and accepted as your guide. If you accept someone to be your guide, you have to follow him. Prophet (s) said, “If you are three, appoint one among you to guide the affairs of the group.”
If you are three, not all are on the same level, so the one who is more intelligent, who sees ahead, can be the guide and the other two follow him. For example, if you are in the desert and one says, “Go east,” and one says, “Go west,” and the other says, “Go north,” and the other says, “Go south,” which one will you follow? Don’t fall into dispute with the one who is more knowledgeable. Remember, it is better to be a sheep than to be shepherd as the shepherd is responsible and will be held to account!
Allah (swt) mentioned in the Holy Qur’an about those to whom you extend your hand as your guide, especially those who are spiritual guides:
رِجَالٌ صَدَقُوا مَا عَاهَدُوا اللَّهَ عَلَيْهِ فَمِنْهُم مَّن قَضَى نَحْبَهُ وَمِنْهُم مَّن يَنتَظِرُ وَمَا بَدَّلُوا تَبْدِيلًا
Rijaalun sadaqoo ma `ahadallaha `alayh fa-minhum man qadaa nahbahu wa minhum man yantadhir wa maa baddaloo tabdeela.
Men that kept their covenant with Allah (swt) and some passed and some are waiting. (Al-Ahzab, 33:23)
Allah (swt) described those rijaalun, men who are guides:
أَلا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاء اللّهِ لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
alaa inna awliyaullahi laa khawfun `alayhim wa laa hum yahzanoon.
Behold! Verily on the friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve. (al-Yunus,10:62)
Allah (swt) supports them, which means He guides them in the right way. So He described them as, “men,who reached highest level of manhood.” We are all men, but did not reach the highest level of responsibility, and this applies to men and women who kept their covenant with Allah until they died. They continue like that generation after generation. They can guide, and how many women were guiding believers in history? They number in hundreds.
These guides who reached manhood reached the level of saints. Sometimes they say something that normal people, those who don't have access to heavenly knowledge through meditation, can digest. These guides have been taught through their guides, who are teachers or shaykhs of tasawwuf. Now they are making conferences around the world on Sufism, teaching what we were saying a long time ago, to which no one paid attention. Now their is revival of this concept. Throughout Islamic history, from time-to-time there were guides who said something that the people did not understand, and your guide may also do that. When that happens, you might say, “I accept,” but you don't act on it as you don't understand it. If you act on it that’s okay, but if you don't understand it, don't criticize it.
An example is the case of Muhyiddeen ibn `Arabi (r), whose teachings are studied in many western universities. He once said to the people of Damascus, “What you worship is under my feet!” Muslims worship Allah (swt), so they understood his statement to mean, “Your god is under my feet!” They debated this case in court, judged him to be a heretic and sentenced him to death. They hanged him and threw his dead body in a dump without a proper burial, and they even threw garbage on him.
After three or four-hundred years, one pious king came to Damascus and decided to find out why Ibn `Arabi said that. In those days people lived long lives, perhaps 125 years, so he looked for old people and questioned them about this incident. One old man said, “I heard from my father, who heard from his father, who heard from his father that Ibn `Arabi was buried in such-and-such location.” The king went with his army to that place and dug through many layers of compacted garbage. They found seven barrels of gold and then they found the body of Ibn `Arabi (r), still fresh as if he was buried yesterday!
They built a mosque and maqaam for his honor and that is where he was buried. I have a picture I found underground in the original place that Sultan Selim buried him. After hundreds of years they finally discovered the real meaning of what he said: the people worship gold!
Every moment of saints lives is comprised of either the past, present or future. They have no time zone and for them time doesn't mean anything as they are always living in the moment that they are witnessing or experiencing, which for them is the present. Once the past was the present and in the same way, for them the future is also the present. So they may speak about things that they are fully experiencing, living it, whether it is in the past or future, and in that moment they say something to you as if it as happening or about to happen very soon. You hear what they say and wait for it to happen, and it doesn't happen, or it might happen later or after a long time.
At the moment when they say it, for them it is clear that it is going to be an incident. How many times did awliyaullah speak about important issues that might happen in the Middle East? Many times and since many years ago we heard from our shaykh, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, may Allah raise his level more and more, statements about changes in the Middle East, but it didn't happen many years ago, it happened this year. Mawlana Shaykh was seeing all the problems that were going to happen in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and Syria. For how many years did I hear Mawlana Shaykh say, “There will be changes in the Middle East,” and yet this year it happened.
That doesn't mean reject what shuyookh are saying, it means open your mind because you are going to face an incident, so prepare yourself.
According to ibn `Asakir (r), the Prophet (s) was informing the Sahaabah (r) about appearance of the Anti-Christ and gave a lot of description with enthusiasm that this is happening (not will happen in the future). It made the Sahaabah (r) look behind the date trees, thinking the Dajjal might appear at any moment! That was 1400 years ago, but Prophet (s) is as-Sadiq al-Masdooq, “The Truthful, Who is Believed,” so for sure that is going to happen. Predictions of the Prophet (s) regarding the Signs of the Last Days have happened; go and read books of hadith to confirm that. We will not explain them all now, but only three or four remain, including the appearance of Sayyidina Mahdi (a), about which there are many ahadeeth.
يملأ الأرض قسطا وعدلا كما ملئت ظلما وجورا
yakhruju waladin min awalaadee yamla al-ardu qistan wa `adlan kamaa muliyat zhulman wa joora.
One of my grandchildren will come and fill the Earth with justice and fairness as it was filled with oppression and harm.
Armageddon is when two big powers fight each other. When a shaykh speaks, because he is inheriting from the Prophet (s) in the "no-time zone," what they see is like someone watching a live event, what is happening right now. For them it is not a rerun or replay; it is live, the same as when it already happened or will happen. For them, everything is live: past, present and future, and very real. So they express what they experience to you in order to bring it to your attention, so you will be aware.
The Prophet (s) informed the Sahaabah (r) in order for them to have strong enthusiasm and faith that the Dajjal may appear at any time. Similarly, today awliyaullah might speak about events to prepare you to be ready to face them. It means you must be aware and also do not contradict what they are saying! Do not be disobedient or create disobedience to authority or don't make an issue out of what the shaykh said. Currently I am seeing letters being circulated (about something Mawlana Shaykh said recently) that are making people panic, like a panic attack. If you are wise enough you can read between the lines and understand what the guide means here and there, and from it you can put things together because like a maze, it will give you a way out.
Don't panic! He is telling you ahead of time, like what Prophet (s) said to the Sahaabah ahead of time; he didn't make them panic, he made them aware. So you don't have to circulate letters in a panic, asking excitedly, “What is this? What is going on?” Take it easy! Your sign is to understand that Massih ad-Dajjal, the Anti-Christ, is going to enter all countries and will make fitna everywhere, except he cannot do that in Mecca, Madinah and Sham. So if you see Mawlana Shaykh in Sham, think about it then. For now, be aware and don't worry and don't panic.
Like Allah (swt) taught the Prophet (s), awliyaullah learn through His message the Holy Qur’an. Allah (swt) promises, “If you obey Me, in Paradise I will give you rivers of honey and there will be youth who move between them, serving them.
الْجَنَّةِ الَّتِي وُعِدَ الْمُتَّقُونَ فِيهَا أَنْهَارٌ مِّن مَّاء غَيْرِ آسِنٍ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِن لَّبَنٍ لَّمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ طَعْمُهُ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِّنْ خَمْرٍ لَّذَّةٍ لِّلشَّارِبِينَ وَأَنْهَارٌ مِّنْ عَسَلٍ مُّصَفًّى وَلَهُمْ فِيهَا مِن كُلِّ الثَّمَرَاتِ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ مِّن رَّبِّهِمْ
mathalu ’l-jannati allatee wu`ida al-muttaqoona feehaa anhaarun min maain ghayri aasinin wa anhaarun min labanin lam yataghayyar ta`muhu wa anhaarun min khamrin ladhdhatin li ’sh-shaaribeena wa anhaarun min `asalin musaffaa wa lahum feehaa min kulli’th-thamaraati wa maghfiratun min rabbihim.
(Here is) a parable of the Paradise which the righteous are promised. In it are rivers of water incorruptible, rivers of milk of which the taste never changes, rivers of wine, a joy to those who drink, and rivers of honey pure and clear, (Muhammad, 47:15)
Four rivers are mentioned: one is pure crystal water, from milk that doesn't change its taste, wine and honey. Is there wine in Paradise? Yes there is, as Allah (swt) said, “Don't drink it in dunya but I will give it to you in Paradise.” So Allah has encouraged people to be good in dunya and then He grants them four rivers, each of which has no end. Actually there are an infinite number of rivers in Paradise, but Allah (swt) is giving us four, as that is what we can understand. He (swt) is hiding the rest but promising to give them.
Awliyaullah are encouraging their followers to prepare now, so in a moment of panic or troubles they will be ready and move through it with safety due to their preparation. That is what Mawlana Shaykh and all awliya mean when they speak about something that people don't understand. This description is enough. We should always be ready in our spiritual life, preparing between us and Allah (swt).
Mawlana Shaykh recently spoke of Armageddon, the great battle at the end of time. In reality, Armageddon is a fight against your ego! Fight your ego and Allah (swt) will provide for you as He provided the Virgin Mary (r); she fought the Armageddon against her ego, as are the awliyaullah!
There are spiritual meanings behind every word Mawlana Shaykh spoke. People are panicking that there is going to be a big fight. Yes, there is a big fight: against your ego! Shaytan is everywhere, more in this time than in any other time. He is going to fight you and will try to destroy you! So you have to be prepared, by doing your prayers, your awraad, by helping people and doing charity. “Love your brother as you love for yourself,” as Prophet (s) said. Don't make conspiracies against others. Live your life without any hate. If you do all this you will be a saint, and what more do you want?
A saint is not afraid of Armageddon as kufr is under his feet, as Mawlana Shaykh said many times. Mawlana is riding his Shaytan when he says, “Kufr is under my feet!” but people understand that completely differently. Make Shaytan under your feet: that is the meaning of kufr being under your feet. If you do that you will win Armageddon.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
All of you will be spiritually present on Hajj with Mawlana Shaykh!