[Someone asked:] "Is it wrong for me to have intense love for my shaykh's calipha while in the presence of my Shaykh?"
That is a very very nice question but a very delicate question. It's very important to know that with all my due respect to all the caliphas of the shaykh, me and others. I’m not a calipha, may Allah keep us at the threshold of Mawlana’s door. But to me and the others it’s a very sensitive question but it is important to address it. We addressed it many times on sufilive.com and it means you are not listening to sufilive.com our lectures. (laughter) It was addressed many times in different times in different ways and keep repeating it many times. So I will repeat it very quick.
Love cannot be to two. Of course everyone has love to all caliphas, but it means that the love, if for example, they have five children, he loves them all correct? Love of the calipha is something and love of shaykh is something else. And we must not mix between the two. We have to understand that the calipha is a vehicle that take you to the presence of engine of the train. But all these caliphas are in different wagons [of the train]. And the people who came to them they are in that wagon. If we have A wagon, there is A shaykh, and A group. B wagon, B Shaykh, B group. C wagon has its own shaykh or its own shaykh or main person for that wagon. Like in a train you see all these wagons, [some are] like restaurants, but each one is different. This one might give you cheese, this one might give you olives, this one might give your rice. And those groups they like that person because they feel comfortable with that person. Allah doesn’t burden more than what you can take. My heart didn’t open to him, what I can do? My heart opened to him, so I be with this one. This one will be with this one, it’s ok.
But, the engine is one. The wagons can be hundreds or can be thousands. But all of them are hooked to each other. If you feel like you want to be in the C wagon, you don’t want to be in the A wagon that is your choice. But still that wagon is a wagon. It is not the engine. So without the engine, that C wagon is still not moving. The engine is making it move. Locomotive, the main one.
So the love of the shaykh that represents the Sultan, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, is good. You have to love him, but in the presence of the Sultan, you cannot anymore look at your shaykh. The shaykh that brought you there to give you orders there, he has to listen to orders there. He is there, might be respected by the Sultan but you are in the ocean at that time. You cannot say, "I want to be in the river." The river goes to the ocean and in the ocean, all of them are fish. All are the same, they swim, all of them. The whale is one. The Sultan is one.
So that is a delicate question, I don’t like to go into it more but I say that….one time….I have to say it. I will share it with you. Some people might see that when they close their eyes, they see their shaykh, they cannot see the Sultan. It’s not? Did you try that?
Some people might make meditation, they are followers of X shaykh, and the X shaykh is the one that took them to Sultan. Their connection is so strong with that shaykh, the X shaykh, so when they meditate, they first think on his picture. Because they are so much connected to him. And they think from him they go to Sultan. And many people I heard them coming to Mawlana Shaykh, and accusing each other, “Oh when they make meditation, they make meditation to their shaykh, they don’t make to you.” So Mawlana asked me, "What’s going on?" I was explaining. He said, "Look you tell everyone, around wherever you go that this is not appropriate. There is one Sultan and one Shaykh. Call them to their fathers. I am their father, all of them. You cannot, and I do not allow and accept anyone to come to me through his meditation through any of my caliphas. It has to come directly to me. And his love must be directly to me."
That is a situation that is difficult for them in the beginning, but we have to keep saying that in order that they slowly, slowly learn it.
The big example from that is what Grandshaykh, may Allah bless his soul, told us one time, a story about him. He said that when Shaykh Sharafudeen may Allah bless his soul, send me to seclusion, he was explaining about the high level of Shah Naqshband. And how he was…I cannot go through all the details….but in summary how he will be on the Day of Judgment, by himself, one wali, he will fill four Paradises. And all the other Awliya, let them fill the other three. He said Shah Naqshband will fill four Paradises from Ummat an-Nabi (s). Because of that power that Prophet (s) gave and Allah gave. So he said, he explained, he said a long story about that.
He said, "That was in the seclusion. In my heart, I had so much love for Shah Naqshband."
So after that story, which for them is not story but rather they are living it, seeing it as in a vision. He continued, "And I entered for seclusion, the seventh day of my seclusion."
Usually his wife was in the bottom floor and he is on the upper floor, when she provides him food, he knocks on the wood of the floor and then she brings the food. He cannot look at her; he cannot speak with her, but she brings the food. After seven days of that, on the eighth day he didn’t knock. His wife became worried. Again on the ninth day he didn’t knock. She was worried and she went to Shaykh Sharafudeen and said, "Your son must be dead. He’s not knocking, he’s not calling." Shaykh Sharafudeen said, "Leave him, don’t interfere. He will come back."
He said, "That day when I didn’t knock, Shah Naqshband came to me, appeared to me. He said, 'Abdullah effendi, come with me.'
He said, "By his order, my soul came out of my body, and I was moving with him - not with the speed of light but more than the speed of light - with the speed of thought. I went for three and a half days, and coming back took three days and a half. And as we were moving three days and a half, every moment moving in this universe, after three and a half days, in the horizon somewhere there appeared a huge creature, but far away. And Shah Naqshband said, 'Do you know that creature?' I said, 'O my shaykh you know better, I don’t know.'"
Adab is to say in front of the shaykh, "I don’t know" regarding Akhira questions. In dunya questions, you have to answer. In issues of spirituality and knowledge, you say to your shaykh, "You know better, I don’t know."
However regarding dunya questions you have to answer. You don’t want the shaykh to spend time in finding…many people go what is this what is this. He gets frustrated. He doesn’t want to use his spiritual power to…like someone wants to kill an ant and you use rockets. Give the answer. Spirituality however, say, "No. You know better."
So as that creature or person was appearing and appearing until he came in front of them, and Shaykh Sharafuddin said, "Who is that?" and Grandshaykh said, "You know better." He said, "Do you know that animal with him, that huge animal which has two saddles on each side?"
He said, "Do you know the specialty of Shah Naqshband? He will fill four Paradises, and because of his (word?) I am filling four Paradises. He is taking all the sins of the Naqshbandis and of the Ummah and putting it over that creature, which is Iblees, dumping it on him and bringing everyone clean in the presence of Prophet (s). Oh my son, don’t make your love to two. Make your love to one. To two, like the wind mill it is enough to irrigate one field, when it becomes two fields, (finished) both of them is not very well watered or irrigated. So keep your love to one who brought your shaykh to you."
But that does not mean you don’t love your mother and father. Your shaykh is like your mother, and your sultan is like your father. Like a king and queen. Both of them you have to love. But you have to know that the king always is more important, although, with all respect to the calipha to the shaykh, we have to make an understanding. There is a delicate issue, with all my respect to all caliphas, and my respect to our lovely important brothers, without mentioning any names, everywhere, Allah give happiness and support. I know that Professor De Costa is doing great work. And I know I was the first one to be able to meet him and introduce him to Mawlana Shaykh Nazim.
And my job is finished. I made the connection. But after that connection, he has to be directly connected to Mawlana Shaykh. He brought all these people and connected to Mawlana Shaykh, I disappeared from the picture. So this is how it works, if you want to ask this question.
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