A`udhu billahi min 'ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. `Ati Allah wa `ati'ur Rasul wa uli' l-amri minkum.
We are discussing from whom tariqah can be taken; who can teach and give baya'. There was an exchange between Sayyidina Abdul-Khaliq al-Ghujdawani قدس سرّه and a visitor, Shaykh Abdur-Raheem al-Maghribi from Morocco, who had studied under Sayyidina Khidr (a) for nine years, receiving all types of Divine Knowledge. And from their exchange we can learn the characteristics of who is the one from whom you can learn.
When you want to learn the Holy Qur`an, you cannot teach yourself; you can memorize it, but it will not be the right way. You must learn from someone authorized to teach Holy Qur`an, a qaari, as they know the proper pronunciation, the tajweed, tarteel, and all the special rules of recitiation, how each letter is recited. They have been trained through a chain of reciters going all the way back to the Sahaba, who learned to recite Holy Qur`an from Prophet (s).
Similarly, in spiritual teachings you must take from someone who learned from his teacher all the way back to Sahaba and to Prophet (s). You cannot take from (just) anyone; you must take from someone who already tasted from these Realities, and he will put (Divine Knowledge) on your tongue and on your heart. As we said in the previous session, Shaykh Abdur-Raheem Maghribi asked, "From whom do you take tariqah? Is it from the wali that can speak with deceased people from East to West?" and Sayyidina Abdul-Khaliq al-Ghujdawani answered, "No." Then he asked, "Is it the wali that knows all of everything in this universe, that praises and glorifies Allah from East and West? Can I take tariqah from him? Can I study with him?" And again Sayyidina Abdul-Khaliq al-Ghujdawani answered, "No."
Then Abdur-Raheem al-Maghribi didn't know what to say. If you cannot take from that wali and not from that wali, who then has the qualification to give him tariqah? We are not speaking of scholarly matters in which you can take (knowledge) from anyone. In tariqah there are restrictions and the wali who has no right or authorization cannot teach and he keeps quiet. There are many awliya that no one knows, so they keep quiet. What is the benefit of a wali teaching you and he can't take you to his level? That is why when Grandshaykh, may Allah bless him, was asked to take the responsibility for tariqah, he said, "I don't want that responsibility." His shaykh, Shaykh Sharafuddin, said, "No one has been ordered to carry tariqah. Why are you saying 'no'?" Grandshaykh said, "What is the benefit ya Sayyidee, if I cannot raise students to my level when they are sitting with me?"
So awliya know the importance of giving tariqah. I will quote in the end how it is bad to listen to someone who doesn't have responsibility to teach tariqah, as all his teaching will become negative on you because he is not qualified to give tariqah.
So then Shaykh Abdur-Raheem Maghribi asked Sayyidina Abdul-Khaliq al-Ghujdawani the third question, "Can I take or learn tariqah from a wali that is able to reach from the below the Arsh and all the way down?" It means that wali he has achieved the ability to make sajda beneath the Throne of Allah . And Sayyidina Abdul-Khaliq al-Ghujdawani kept quiet, then he asked again, "Ya Sayyidi, for Allah's Sake can I take tariqah from someone who is able to reach from under `Arsh level all the way down?" Sayyidina Abdul-Khaliq al-Ghujdawani looked again said, "No."
If this is "no", and this is "no", and this is "no", from whom he is going to take knowledge? It means whatever we are speaking is not yet from the right level to teach, which means you are not yet eligible to teach and those listening are not yet taking from the right side of tariqah--they are taking from the name of the teachings but not taking the secret of it. Awliya try to get the secret from every word they are speaking, in order to pour it in your heart!
Then he asked, "What about the one who reached the universe and the seven heavens in a moment without moving from his place, and he can be everywhere Allah created? Can I learn from him and take tariqah?" What do you think Sayyidina Abdul-Khaliq said, yes or no? He said, "no!" So then from whom can we take tariqah?!! Then Shaykh Abdur-Raheem Maghribi was not having any more answers and he asked Sayyidina Abdul-Khaliq al-Ghujdawani, "Then to whom I am going to give myself? Who is that one?"
Before that point, he did not surrender himself. He was asking questions in a way, showing he knows something, by asking, "Can I take tariqah from the one who reaches deceased people, or from the one who knows the praises of all Creation to Allah?" He is praising his ego there. When he asked, "Can I take from the one praising under the Throne?" he was showing he knows all these various levels of awliya. When Sayyidina Abdul-Khaliq told him "no", he gave up. He reached a point where he realized, "Ya Sayyidee, I don't know." Through that lesson, Sayyidina Abdul-Khaliq was teaching him, "Don't show knowledge in my presence." There are people that like to keep talking; they like to show they know everything, in normal life or in spiritual life. We all try to say we know something. In normal life it is alright, but it is better to keep quiet in the presence of a wali. Don't talk! If you talk, you make a mistake. If you don't talk, you are safe.
People who give presentations like to show themselves; they don't surrender. They ask them, "Do you like to make a presentation?" and they run for it, to get fame. If you ask awliyaullah, "Do you want to make a presentation, or an interview?" they will answer "no." They don't like (to speak) unless they are forced. So Shaykh Abdur-Raheem Maghribi asked. "What am I going to do now? I tried all my knowledges to find out that point."
Like the incident with Shaykh Ahmad al-Badawi of Egypt. You know the story. He asked, "Open Your door, ya Rabbee!" and someone came and said, "I have your keys; surrender yourself to me." He answered, "Who am I, to surrender to you?!" To surrender to Allah, OK, but there is a discipline: first (surrender to the) to teacher, then to the Prophet (s) then to Allah . So he replied, "I take the key from the Keymaker only!" Then that one left and Ahmad al-Badawi heard vioce, "Do you want your key? I left your key with that wali whom you kicked away!"
So now he knows he must take from that one, but his ego came in the way. Sayyidina Ahmad al-Badawi was looking for that wali, running, running for six months, to teach him patience. Then finally that wali appeared in front of him.
Sayyidina Ahmad al-Badawi said, "O my brother! Where were you?"
That wali answered, "I was here but you could not see me."
"Can I have my keys?"
"No, too late my brother. When I came and offered, you refused. Now you want it, and now I will not give it; I need the price for it."
Sayyidina Ahmad al-Badawi said, "I will give whatever wealth I have, my home."
"We are not after your dunya wealth."
"What I have to give then?"
"I want your knoweldge, all the knowlege you have been taught and what you have learned from books and what you have done of worship, (saying) 'I did, I did, I did.' Always you were selfish and branding eveything to yourself. I want that selfishness, that selfish knowldge that you have built up your ego on."
Afaman assasa bunyaanahu `ala taqwa mina Allahi wa ridwaanin khayrun am man assasa bunyaanahu `ala shafaa jurufin haarin fanhara bihi fee naari jahannama w’Allahu laa yahdi ’l-qawma adh-dhaalimeen
Which then is best? - he that layeth his foundation on piety to Allah and His good pleasure? - or he that layeth his foundation on an undermined sand-cliff ready to crumble to pieces? and it doth crumble to pieces with him, into the fire of Hell. And Allah guideth not people that do wrong. Suratu ’t-Tawbah [9:109]
On a cliff it will fall apart into Hellfire. It means you cannot build your knowledge on ego, as ego will be cut down if you are in tariqah because ego will be down sooner or later. So (the wali telling him) "I cannot let you have this knowledge." Ahmad al-Badawi was grand mufti in Tanta, that area in Egypt, very famous, and two million people visit his maqam yearly.
That wali said, "Give me that knowledge."
Ahmad al-Badawi said, "OK."
So he looked into that wali's eyes and the wali pulled everything out like a magnet pulling metal. He left Ahmad al-Badawi knowing nothing, not even one word, not even recitation of Surat al-Fatiha! When you make a mistake in recitation of Surat al-Fatiha, it means awliya are taking away that knowledge. So he pulled everything from Ahmad al-Badawi until he doesn't know anything, until children were running after him (teasing), saying "he doesn't know anything!"
If you lose your mind, you will be OK. Everyone around the world thinks he knows something. Look, when Mawlana Shaykh, may Allah give him long life, gives a daily speech on live broadcast on sufilive.com, people are so happy to listen. They stop their work and stop everything just to listen. Why? Because his message is reaching their hearts and they are ready to receive that information. And everyone is so happy and praising Mawlana with high titles out of love, as they know without him they are nothing! So those watching are lucky. There are some not watching; if they have an excuse such as work, it's OK. But others are proud of themselves. Who you think you are if you are not watching? Mawlana is wasting his time to broadcast?!! Give at least half-hour from your dunya life to watch and listen; it is better.
So in any case, that wali took everything from Sayyidina Ahmad al-Badawi and left him six months, and children were running after him, saying, "Our grand mufti became crazy!" And he was looking for that wali, looking and looking, and that wali hid himself again.
Then he appeared and said, "Ya Ahmad! Are you ready?"
He answered, "I am ready."
(That was after long struggle.) He had heard a voice saying, "Take key from this one." If he had accepted from the begining he would have reached higher levels!
Even so, that wali said, "Look in to my eyes now." Then he was pouring from his heart into Ahmad al-Badawi's eyes until he could not look anymore, until his eyes were like lightning, and he opened the Six Realities of the Heart, about which we have spoken many times: the Reality of Attraction (Haqiqatu ’l-jazbah); the Reality of Downpouring (Haqiqatu ’l-fayd); the Reality of Focusing (Haqiqatu ’t-tawajjuh);the Reality of Intercession (Haqiqatu ’t-tawassul); the Reality of Guidance (Haqiqatu ’l-irshad); and, the Reality of Scrolling (Haqiqatu ’t-tayy). Then, no one could look i n Ahmad al-Badawi's eyes or they will faint. So he surrendered in the end.
Abdur-Raheem al-Maghribi understood that any question he asks, his shaykh says "no". Anything he asked, Sayyidina Abdul-Khaliq al-Ghujdawani replied "no" for each one. He asked five questions, and each one was rejected. Then he said, "Ya Sayyidee, to whom I am going to surrender myself?" Then he understood, and he came to submission. Beyond that nothing can be achieved; if you don't surrender to the shaykh's will you cannot get anywhere or achieve anything.
For example, everyday Mawlana Shaykh is giving a lecture and many people are translating it into different languages, and if you listen, it is enough; if you understand or not, the secret is pouring into your heart! Like when the computer is uploading information, you see these green light bars coming (indicating progress of the upload) or you text message a picture or attachment, and you open it, and it goes slowly, slowly, then it opens. But the next time you come to it, it immediately opens, it doesn't take time. Similarly, Mawlana Shaykh is filing you with these lights; you might not understand it, but when the time comes to open, it is already there. You wil be moved like a rocket to level they want to raise you. Now you might not be raised; you might hear a suhbah and forget it, but your heart doesn't forget it, and your heart has downloaded that information already. You download it and in one second you can check it and see it.
When the time of downloading comes and the shaykh gives you your key, it opens all these words of light, secrets of knowledge that he is speaking about, and you can see what kind of level he is speaking from, where he is standing and saying greeting to Prophet (s) and saying shahadah.
From where he is standing? Where? Is Mawlana Shaykh standing in Lefke, by his chair? When he is sending greeting to Prophet (s), he is standing in the Divine Presence of Prophet (s)!!! And when the time comes, you will see it, what you have heard and learned from him will appear as Realities.
That will appear when you surrender, but today we are not surrendering. You see people chatting even. Why they are chatting when Mawlana Shaykh is speaking? Chat before or after.
When you surrender, then your computer is ready to receive all the infomation uploaded to your heart.
Shaykh Abdur-Raheem al-Maghribi said, madha afal, "I am surrendering myself. What I have to do; I need an answer. I am coming to you to surrender. Which wali I have to surrender to?" He is still making a mistake, as he doesn't realize: this wali you are talking to is responsible for you! By asking, "Which wali," it is better to be a shepherd to sheep. You are asking all these questions and he is repeatedly saying no, and at the end he is still asking, "Which wali?" There are many people like that. You are not happy with that wali you are speaking with?
We will continue tomorrow inshaAllah. Bi hurmati l-Habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatiha.