Fajr
Aʿūdhu bi’Llāhi mina ’sh-Shayṭāni ’r-Rajīm.
Bismi’Llāhi ’r-Raḥmāni ’r-Raḥīm.
Lā ḥawla wa lā quwwata illā bi’Llāhi ’l-ʿAliyyi ’l-ʿAẓīm.
Dastūr, yā Sayyidī, yā Sulṭān al-Awliyāʾ, yā Quṭb al-Mutaṣarrif. Madad, yā Rijāl Allāh. Naẓarakum, himmatakum, Sādātinā ’l-Kirām.
As-salāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatu’Llāhi wa barakātuh.
Alhamdulillah, I got some sleep yesterday. I know some of you did not get sleep. May Allah (swt) allow us to always be in His service. Don’t waste your time on nonsense. Be strong for `ibaadah. Don’t waste your energy so you come to a state where you cannot perform `ibaadah. Always pre-plan. Come early. Sleep earlier. Arrive earlier so you can wake up for Fajr and pray. Be busy with obedience. May Allah (swt) allow us always to be in His Presence.
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) has said and I heard it from him that Grandshaykh (q) said that if there is no business after Isha, go to sleep. If you don’t have any guests to entertain, if you don’t have anything important to do after Isha, pray and sleep and wake up after midnight and be in the Presence of Allah (swt). We have turned that upside down. We go to sleep at midnight and we never wake up after midnight. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
Set up your priorities, O insaan. Izhad. Ascetic. What is ascetic? It doesn’t mean deprivation. It means to detach from dunya, detach from the desires that you’re running after, O man. Detach from the pleasures you are seeking up to 1 a.m., 2 a.m. Detach from these pleasures. They are temporary pleasures. They don’t last. They last for one hour, two hours, ten minutes, twenty minutes and then they are gone. Attach yourself to the pleasures that don’t expire, the pleasures of Akhirah. May Allah (swt) forgive us. Use your mind.
The da`wah of a Muslim, a mu`min is also considered `ibaadah. Rasoolullah (s) said that is haqqu ‘l-Muslim `alayk. The right of the Muslim upon you is to accept his invitation if you can. If you can’t, that’s something different but always preserve your energy for obedience.
Izhad. Zahid. What is zahid? Ascetic. What is ascetic? It is narrated that a man passed by one ascetic and saw him eating greens and salt without bread. I saw Mawlana do that multiple times.
They asked him, “Have you limited yourself to only this?”
He said, “Yes, because I am using dunya for the sake of Paradise. Whereas you made dunya for the sake of garbage dumps.”
“What do you mean?”
“I eat to gain the strength needed to worship. I eat to gain the strength needed to be in my Lord’s Presence, to remember Him, to obey Him. You eat to fulfill your desires. What I eat gives me strength and I stand up in front of my Lord. What you eat ends up in the landfills, the garbage.”
That is zaahid. He did not deprive himself. The goal is not deprivation or punishment of the body. The goal is detachment of the heart from the pleasures of dunya, from the wealth of dunya, from the status of dunya. Detach your heart from that. If it comes, it comes. A true Waliyullah might have thousands of trees but his heart is not attached to any of them. You know the story of Sayyidina Ibrahim (a) that we heard from Mawlana Shaykh Hisham (q) and Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) many times. The heart should not be attached to any of these trees. But you are not a Waliyullah if you have one tree and your heart is attached to that one tree. Detach the heart from the pleasures. Detach the heart from wealth. Detach the heart from status. Detach the heart from anything that distracts you from Allah (swt). That is the true asceticism, zuhd. It is not deprivation, it is detachment.
Rasoolullah (s) said, I enjoy sweets, I enjoy fruits. When fruits were given to him, he would take them. He didn’t say, “No, I am ascetic.” He would take what would come to him from the favors of Allah (swt). Allah (swt) does not create things randomly. You are allowed to enjoy the halal blessings, no problem, but the goal is to detach your heart. Don’t allow pleasures to possess you. Don’t allow gastronomy to possess you. Mashaa-Allah, I have so many brothers who say, “Shaykh, we went to the restaurant in Dubai. We went to the restaurant in Beirut. We went to the restaurant in Istanbul. We went to the restaurants in London.” Is that what you’re after? Gastronomy possesses you. Why don’t you enjoy the greens and salt? When was the last time you ate greens and salt without bread? Why are you always indulging in gastronomy?
“Dine and wine.” I heard that so many times when I was working. You allow the pleasures of “dine and wine” to possess you, O man. Or you allow status and power and authority to possess you. You allow wealth and whatever Allah (swt) has granted to you to possess you. You cannot let go. That is unacceptable in Islam. That is unacceptable in all religions. They all call for detachment from worldly temptations and moving towards Akhirah. That is zuhd.
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) always pointed to that. Detach your heart from the thousand trees. If Allah (swt) gave you a thousand trees, use them in good ways but your heart is not attached to them. If Allah gave you one tree and your heart is attached to it, you have work to do, O Muslim, O Sufi, O ascetic, O monk, whatever it is. Allow yourself to always stand up in the Presence of Allah (swt) by strengthening it. Give it enough rest and food so that you can stand up. Detach from worldly excesses. What else can we say?
Sayyidina Ibrahim ibn Adham (q) was looking from the balcony of his palace down in the courtyard. He found a poor man sitting. He had a piece of dry bread and some water. He dipped the piece of dry bread in the water and he ate it. He drank the rest of the water, laid down and slept. He said to his guard, “When the man wakes up, bring him to my presence. I want to talk to him.” He brought him to his presence and he said, “I saw you dip the bread in the water, drink it and sleep.”
“Yes, I dipped the bread in the water and ate the dry bread and, alhamdulillah, I was full. I drank the water, my thirst was quenched. I laid on Allah (swt)’s ground and got my rest. That’s enough for me. That’s dunya for me. I am rested.”
Sayyidina Ibrahim ibn Adham looked at him and said, “You are really the one who is comfortable, not the ones in the palaces looking out, not the ones in power. These are uncomfortable beings.”
The man who had the basic life necessities was so comfortable and happy because he always returned to Allah (swt). His heart was with Allah (swt), not with the pleasures of this world. “I am missing the pleasures of this world.” Rather, “I am arriving to the pleasure of my Lord, to the love of my Lord, to the mercy of my Lord here and Hereafter.” He was happy being here with Allah (swt) and he is going to be even happier when he meets Allah (swt) in Akhirah. Be like that. Don’t worry about the dunya and what’s happening to the dunya. Don’t worry about the wealth and the status and the power of dunya. That is all temporary. Nothing is going to last. If you eat greens and salt, it’s enough. You don’t have to worry about anything else. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
Get your mind back to your head and rely on Allah (swt) in everything. That man said, “I have taken dunya as a bridge for Akhirah.” Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said, dunya is a passage to Akhirah. In Akhirah you will find two destinations. Choose your way. There is no third. Dunya is your bridge to that arena and then you choose which way you want to go. We want, salamun qawla mi’r-Rabbi ‘r-Raheem. Yaa Rabbee, grant us that. We don’t want, wam tazu ‘l-yawm ayyuha ‘l-mujrimoon. We say, yaa Rabbee, shelter us from that.
سَلَـٰمٌ قَوْلًا مِّن رَّبٍّ رَّحِيمٍ وَٱمْتَـٰزُوا۟ ٱلْيَوْمَ أَيُّهَا ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ
"Peace!" - a word (of salutation) from a Lord Most Merciful! "And O ye in sin! Get ye apart this Day! (Surah Yasin, 36:58-59)
Dunya is nothing but a passage. You’re going to pass and you’re going to get to that big arena and then you will be taken to whatever you chose in this life. Choose wisely. He said, “I took dunya as a bridge for Akhirah. Food is nothing but a means for me, not something that will possess me.” Wealth is a means, not a master. Power is a means, not a master. A means for what? To stand in Allah (swt)’s Holy Presence and ask for His Love. Don’t always ask for forgiveness and mercy. Yes, ask because we always make mistakes. Ask for His Love. Allah (swt) is not a monster. God is not a monster. Maybe He scares you like the father scares the child. “Don’t touch the stove?” “Why?” “You’ll burn yourself.”
Allah (swt) says, don’t touch zhulm, injustice. Why? Fa-tamassakumu ’n-nār, “Fire will touch you.” Like a father that loves his children, he tells them, “Don’t touch the stove because you’ll burn yourself.” It’s not that he is a monster and is going to be mad at them. He is protecting them. The Lord of Heavens is protecting His beloved creation. Asta`eedhu billah:
وَلَا تَرْكَنُوٓا۟ إِلَى ٱلَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا۟ فَتَمَسَّكُمُ ٱلنَّارُ وَمَا لَكُم مِّن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَآءَ ثُمَّ لَا تُنصَرُونَ
Wa lā tarkanū ilā ’lladhīna ẓalamū fa-tamassakumu ’n-nār, wa mā lakum min dūni ’Llāhi min awliyāʾ, thumma lā tunṣarūn.
And incline not to those who do wrong, or the Fire will seize you; and ye have no protectors other than Allah, nor shall ye be helped. (Surah Hud, 11:113)
Not only don’t touch injustice, don’t even go to the ones who are making injustice. Don’t rely on the ones who are making injustice. It is a heavenly message. Why? Because you might be like them and you might catch that fire together with them. We don’t touch anyone. We don’t involve ourselves in anybody. We stay behind, asking the love of our Lord. Yes, I won’t touch that. What do you want? I want Your Love. Allah (swt) is not a monster. God is not a monster. God wants you to love Him, so turn to love. Turn towards Him, towards His noble and holy ones. May Allah (swt) allow us to be from the beloved ones. Al-haba’ib. It is not only a title. It has to be a true character.
It is said, woe to the one who loves someone but that beloved turns his back. What use is that? I love the Lord of Heavens. The Lord of Heavens has turned His back to you. What worse punishment than that? If He loves you back then that love is reciprocal. That love is the best. Ask for Allah (swt)’s Love. Don’t be afraid of Him. High respect, high esteem, awe, veneration, whatever you want to say but love Him. That is our Way. Our Way is love. Don’t approach tyranny. Don’t approach injustice. That fire will touch you. May Allah (swt) protect us.
May Allah (swt) forgive us. May Allah (swt) allow us to be with the good ones. When I was praying I remember. It is said that when you listen to your shaykh, that knowledge goes in deeply and only surfaces when it’s needed. What did Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) say in California when he was sitting with Raja Ashman, Mawlana Shaykh Hisham (q) and he was sitting by the door. Do you remember that clip? It’s a famous clip. What did he say? “I am enough...” Does Haqq change? You tell me. Does Truth change? Truth is Truth from Pre-Eternity to Post-Eternity. When a holy person says something, do you believe that he has said the truth or do you say, “Oh no, he might change.” Truth does not change. Haqq is Haqq. Batil changes. Falsehood changes according to the wind that is blowing.
What did he say? “I am enough for Shaykh Hisham.” Does that change? It doesn’t change. If he said, “I am enough for Shaykh Hisham,” he is enough for Shaykh Hisham. And who is enough for Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q), “And Grandshaykh `AbdAllah ad-Daghestani (q) is enough for me and Prophet (s) is enough for Grandshaykh (q).” Isn’t that the sequence? So I say, Shaykh Hisham is enough for me! Haqq doesn’t change. I am not going to go through these again. I don’t want to debate anybody but Haqq doesn’t change. If Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said, Shaykh Hisham was sent to America by Grandshaykhs, his work is here and he said, “I am enough for him.”
Whoever Mawlana Shaykh Hisham (q) has put in Dallas, in Houston, in New York, in Montreal, in LA, in San Francisco, in Vancouver, in England, whatever, whoever Mawlana Shaykh Hisham (q) has put here, he is supporting them still. That’s my belief. To whoever he said, “Do the work. I am giving you permission. Continue,” he is enough for us. No matter what people say, if Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) has said, “I am enough for Shaykh Hisham,” that is Truth that does not change with time or with place. Shaykh Hisham can be in America or on the moon. Shaykh Hisham can be in the second Heaven or the third Heaven, he said, “I am enough for him.” That means, I reach him anywhere he is. It is beyond the world. You have to think farther. I am enough wherever he is. Grandshaykh (q) is enough for me wherever I am. Prophet (s) is enough for Grandshaykh (q) wherever he is. Allah (swt) is enough for Rasoolullah (s).
أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُۥ وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِٱلَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِۦ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْ هَادٍ
Alaysa ’Llāhu bi-kāfin ʿabdah?
Is not Allah enough for his Servant? But they try to frighten thee with other (gods) besides Him! For such as Allah leaves to stray, there can be no guide. (Surat az-Zumar, 39:36)
Isn’t Allah (swt) enough for His servant? Who is the servant? Rasoolullah (s). He is the `abd. Allah (swt) is enough for Rasoolullah (s). We got the glad tidings that Rasoolullah (s) is enough for Grandshaykh (q). Grandshaykh is enough for Shaykh Nazim (q). Shaykh Nazim (q) is enough for Shaykh Hisham (q). That is a sequence that does not change. That is Truth that does not change. Truth doesn’t change. Shaykh Hisham is enough for me and the others. May Allah (swt) allow us to be a family. May Allah (swt) allow us to be friends. May Allah (swt) allow us to be brothers, not debate about something that divides us.
Do your work. May Allah (swt) help you. You have your permission from your father. Do your work. I have my permission from my father, I do my work. You have permission from your shaykh to represent him in a certain city, do your work. You have permission from Mawlana to represent him in a certain country, do you work. Your work is for Allah (swt). It’s not for your name recognition. Be sincere. Alā li’Llāhi ’d-dīnu ’l-khāliṣu.
أَلَا لِلَّهِ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْخَالِصُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ٱتَّخَذُوا۟ مِن دُونِهِۦٓ أَوْلِيَآءَ مَا نَعْبُدُهُمْ إِلَّا لِيُقَرِّبُونَآ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ زُلْفَىٰٓ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ فِى مَا هُمْ فِيهِ يَخْتَلِفُونَ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَهْدِى مَنْ هُوَ كَـٰذِبٌ كَفَّارٌ
Is it not to Allah that sincere devotion is due? But those who take for protectors other than Allah (say): "We only serve them in order that they may bring us nearer to Allah." Truly Allah will judge between them in that wherein they differ. But Allah guides not such as are false and ungrateful. (Surat az-Zumar, 39:3)
As Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur’an, to Allah (swt) belongs the sincerity. He wants sincerity in your work. Your father gave you a job, do it. Good luck. I’m praying for you that you do it well. Mine gave me something, I’m praying that I do it well, as well. Other shuyookh gave permission and `ijaazah to others. Do your work well. Make Allah (swt) happy with you. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
Families have to come together. Brothers and sisters have to come together. Friends have to come together. Under what? Under the umbrella of Rasoolullah (s). But it is according to understanding. You should not see anybody as wrong or right, leave it. According to their understanding, people will do. Asta`eedhu billah:
قُلْ كُلٌّ يَعْمَلُ عَلَىٰ شَاكِلَتِهِۦ فَرَبُّكُمْ أَعْلَمُ بِمَنْ هُوَ أَهْدَىٰ سَبِيلًا
Qul kullun yaʿmalu ʿalā shākilatihī fa-rabbukum aʿlamu biman huwa ahdā sabīlā.
Say: "Everyone acts according to his own disposition: But your Lord knows best who it is that is best guided on the Way." (Surat al-Isra, 17:84)
That is why I am saying, don’t say right or wrong, leave it. You do your work, you stay on your way as Allah (swt) wanted you and leave that but everybody has a certain understanding. According to that understanding, they see things and leave it. But don’t see things and fight with others.
The verse means everyone acts according to their understanding and according to what Allah (swt) has given them. But your Lord knows best who is rightly guided. Inshaa-Allah, we can be from the ahda sabeela, the rightly guided. We’re not trying to do anything wrong. We’re trying to do everything that is good.
Zuhd, detach from status. We come back to the same thing. Detach from power. Detach from being on top. Detach from being number one. That is the way of the zahid, the one who has taken the way of Awliya. You have to detach from power, from name recognition, from fame. We have understood things wrong. Astaghfiru’Llāha ’l-ʿAẓīm wa atūbu ilayh. Our heart is open for Allah (swt) but Allah (swt) knows best.
Inshaa-Allah, we can eat some greens and salt today. There’s no need for fancy food. May Allah (swt) forgive us and allow us to be on the way of Sayyidina Ibrahim ibn Adham (r), on the way of those who are truly lovers of the Lord of Heavens, the seekers of Truth, the lovers of Rasoolullah (s) and lovers of Awliyaullah. As we said, Mawlana is enough for us. May Allah (swt) forgive all of us.
Bi ḥurmati ’l-Ḥabīb, bi ḥurmati ’l-Fātiḥah.
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