1st Muharram 1438 | Hijri New Year
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. Alhamdulillahi ‘Lladhee hadaana li ’l-Islaami wa maa kunna li-nahtadeea law laa an hadaana ’Llah. Alhamdulillahi ‘Lladhee karramana wa nawwarana wa sharrafana bi noori Muhammadin `alayhi afdalu ‘s-salaatu wa ‘s-salaam. Yaa `ibaadullah, ayyuha ‘l-mukhlisoon min Ummati ’l-Habeeb al-Mustafa `alayhi afdalu ‘s-salaatu wa ‘s-salaam
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh! Alhamdulillah that Allah (swt), as Prophet (s) mentioned in many Ahadeeth:
تَعَلَّمُوا الْعِلْمَ وَعَلِّمُوهُ النَّاسَ
Learn knowledge and teach it. (Bayhaqi)
Prophet recommended his Sahaabah (r) learn the languages of other people, because then you can address anyone. Besides Arabic, Allah gave us the ability to speak English, Turkish, French; alhamdulillah four or five languages in which to address people. I have on both sides Shaykh Mustafa, who is Waliyullah, Shaykh Gibril Haddad, who is Waliyullah. It is not by coincidence that we came here, it is Allah’s Will, because I wasn’t planning to come here and we were not planning to have this event in this masjid, but Allah (swt) plans. His will must appear and His will is to be here together on the night of the new Hijri year, which inshaa-Allah will be a blessed year for everyone.
This night and tomorrow is a blessed day. Allah (swt) will send Muharram, a very precious, holy month, not like something that passed through and nothing happened. Something happened, there were big events on the 9th and 10th Muharram something big happened: when Prophet (s) came from far and entered Madinah, he (s) saw the Jews fasting on 9th Muharram. He asked, “Why are they fasting?” They said because Allah saved Sayyidina Musa (a) from Fir`awn, and Prophet (s) said:
لما قدم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم المدينة وجد اليهود يصومون عاشوراء فسئلوا عن ذلك فقالوا هذا اليوم الذي أظهر الله فيه موسى على فرعون ونحن نصومه تعظيما له فقال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم نحن أولى بموسى منكم وأمر بصيامه
When the Prophet (s) entered Madinah, he found the Jews fasting Ashura so he asked about it. They said, “This is the day Allah granted Musa victory over Fir`awn, so out of reverence we fast it.” The Messenger of Allah (s) said, “We are more deserving of Musa than you,” then he ordered fasting for Ashura. (Bukhari, Muslim)
Prophet (s) asked his Sahaabah (r) to fast Ashura, 10th Muharram, to commemorate past events and future events in Islamic history that cannot be forgotten, including the assassination of Sayyidina al-Husayn (a). These events are very important in Muslim life and their tajalli is dressing us all. Inshaa-Allah Allah (swt) will bless us with the barakah of 9th Muharram that blessed the Sahaabah (r) and Prophet (s), and we hope to be blessed and saved from Hellfire by the sacrifice of Sayyidina al-Husayn (a) and his du`a on 10th Muharram.
We came here to benefit and this story will tell us how much Allah (swt) rewards us with something you cannot imagine, that saves us from Hellfire. It was Sayyidina Musa’s (a) custom to go in the wilderness, the desert or forest, to learn more and to praise Allah (swt) and glorify Him. One day he was passing by a mountain and as he approached he heard a voice coming from a cave, a very beautiful recitation of Salaat `ala ‘n-Nabi (a). How beautiful it is when they make salawaat on Prophet (s)! Sayyidina Musa (a) was very happy to hear, “Praise be to Allah, that He honored me so much over many others, that He favored me more than every one.” He stood at the cave entrance, waiting for the one reciting to come out of sajda, then he saw that person had no arms or leg, only a torso and head!
Sayyidina Musa (a) looked at him and said, “How has Allah favored you? You have no arms or legs.”
At that moment a female deer came to the man who had no arms, no legs, and he could not move. The deer raised its leg and approached the man to suck the milk and that was his rizq for every twenty-four hours. He lived on that milk from the deer. Sayyidina Musa (a) was surprised to see that and he looked at the man who said, “This is from Allah’s Favor but Allah favored me more than that. Yaa Musa (a) Allah prefered me by sending my rizq to me without me running to my rizq, that’s a favor.”
Allah sent to Virgin Mary (a) her rizq to her home. It was not necessary for her to get her rizq from outside because she was a worshipper and Allah provides worshippers, `ibaadullah, with rizq no matter what. He (swt) will give them as much as they like as long as they worship Him. That man was a worshipper with no arms and no legs and Allah sent him a deer to give him food. No one sleeps hungry, Allah provides for everyone. Ask them, is anyone hungry?
Allah sends their rizq to them like sending to that man, Allah will send to everyone that comes to the masjid or to the zawiyah or to who remains is his house worshipping and loving Prophet (s) and making salawaat and listening to Awliyaullah, to the guides. Allah will provide them with rizq, don’t worry about it. He said, “Yaa Musa (a), what Allah has favored me with, it is a big favor! He made me from your Ummah but he made me Muslim, I am honored. That’s what Allah favored me with, Islam.”
How much are people around the world being favored with Islam? Everyone of us here is favored with Islam. If we make sajdah from the beginning of Creation until the end of Creation it is not enough to thank Allah (swt) that He has made us Muslim and from Ummat un-Nabi (s), and to be with he who will take us to Paradise with no sins, no account. That’s why Allah honored us to be Muslims.
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِي مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ يَهْدِي مَن يَشَاء وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِالْمُهْتَدِينَ
You will not be able to guide whoever you love, but Allah guides those whom He wills, and He knows best those who receive guidance. (Surat al-Qasas, 28:56)
Alhamdulillah He guides these young ones to the teacher to bring them and dress them with Islam, so congratulations to the teacher and them. No one can say, “Yaa Rabbee, You deprived us!” Allah granted us to be Muslims, but also granted non-Muslims to become Muslims through conversion, they revert to Islam. Allah favored them more by forgiving their sins when they became Muslim; when they say Shahadah all their sins, shirk and kufr is erased!
What do you think about the Muslims who recite Shahadah every time in a masjid or in prayer? Does Allah (swt) leave any sins on us? No way! Allah will take away all the sins, because we are His servants and we are making Tawheed, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah.” One time is enough, to say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah” is Miftaah al-Jannah, the Key for Paradise, and to say “Muhammadun Rasoolullah” is the Jannah! When you follow Muhammad you enter in His Paradise. ‘Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammad Rasoolullah’ is better than all dunya. Those Muslims who passed away, at the moment they enter their grave they know the reality, although now it is veiled because we cannot be at the level to see it, but our eyes open there. There are Awliya who can see what's happening in the grave of a mu’min or kafir, and Prophet (s) said:
مفتاح الجنة شهادة أن لا إله إلا الله
The key to Paradise is to testify that there is no God but Allah. (Ahmad)
All of you are saying, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah,” which is better than the wealth of this whole dunya. If we say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” without “Muhammadun Rasoolullah” it is not accepted. When you say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah,” Jannah is open. It is like a safe where you secure your money; you have the key, but it doesn't open until you enter a code, which is “Muhammadun Rasoolullah.” For example, even non-Muslims can say “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah, There is no Creator except Allah,” but if they don’t accept Muhammad (s) they are not Muslim. To accept Muhammad (s) is the code, the main principle of Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah, which opens the Seven Heavens. May Allah open the Seven Heavens and beyond that for us, inshaa-Allah to be with Prophet (s) in dunya and Akhirah! That’s why Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur’an:
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Say (O Muhammad), "If you (really) love Allah, then follow me! Allah will love you and forgive your sins, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surat Aali-'Imraan, 3:31)
Do you really want Paradise? When you love Allah you want Paradise, you show you are sincere, you are faithful to Him, you worship Him as The Creator, and you acknowledge Muhammad (s) as His Messenger, so what is Allah saying to you? “Do you show me that? Then follow Muhammad (s).”
If you do not follow Muhammad (s), you cannot reach Allah (swt) or His Paradises. In every salaat in at-Tahiyyaat, if we don’t recite the Tashahhud, “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadun `abduhu wa rasooluh,” our prayer is rejected and we must repeat it. By saying in at-Tahiyyaat, “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadun `abduhu wa rasooluh,” at that moment Paradise is open. That is why we immediately recite salawaat: Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammad wa `alaa aali Sayyidina Muhammad kamaa sallayta `alaa Sayyidina Ibraheema wa `alaa aali Sayyidina Ibraheem…” until the end.
Salawaat opens the Doors of Heavens, but Shahadah will take you to Maqaam at-Tawheed: to Allah, The Creator, and Prophet (s), the real Servant. That is the Key for Paradise! May Allah (swt) show us and give us that key. We ask followers to say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah” a hundred times every day.
[Someone takes baya`.] Shaykh Abdul-Hameed is like an Osmani Sultan; under the supervision of Shaykh Mustafa, he will guide him and others. Inshaa-Allah, he will complete him and Shaykh Mustafa will build him up more and more. Shaykh Abu Tufayl generates a zawiya and makes it bigger and bigger, and today there was no place to host them all, there are thousands of attendees now! Inshaa-Allah he will have thousands and thousands under the guidance of Shaykh Mustafa, under our guidance, and under the guidance of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) and Grandshaykh `AbdAllah(q). Also Shaykh Salahuddin is doing great work. May Allah (swt) guide thousands to him. I heard we now have hundreds of zawiyas in Indonesia. May Allah make all of them guide thousands and thousands, like in the time of Aboh Anum, who had forty-million mureeds. Inshaa-Allah here in Indonesia we will have hundreds of millions of mureeds, all of them for the love of Sayyidina Muhammad (s)! And all of you, inshaa-Allah millions and millions, will be under the love of Prophet (s), love of his Sahaabah (r), love of his khalifahs, love of scholars and love of Awliyaullah that are among you, and especially the angels that are here in this place, as Prophet (s) mentioned:
قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: إذا مررتم برياض الجنة فارتعوا. قالو وما رياض الجنة؟ قال "حلق الذكر"
Ibn `Umar reported that the Prophet (s) said, "When you pass by the Gardens of Paradise, avail yourselves of them." The Companions asked, "What are the Gardens of Paradise, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "The circles of dhikr.” (Tirmidhi)
Inshaa-Allah as we have landed in this masjid today, Allah will send angels circumambulating up to the First Paradise on our behalf, and also their salawaat will be written for us as rewards from Allah to us. May Allah (swt) forgive us and (swt) bless us.
Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. 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.
[Du`a.]
Fatihah.
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