Thank you for this wonderful introduction. May Allah (swt) be pleased with you and the board of this masjid, this center that allowed me to share some wisdom that I have learned from my father, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani (q) and from my grandfather, Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani (q).
Astaghfirullah. It is an honor for me to be here. You graced us with your beautiful words. May Allah (swt) be pleased with all of us.
First we start with, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. Laa hawla wa laa quwatta illa billahi 'l-`Aliyyu 'l-`Azheem.
There used to be no mention of Tariqah in the time of Rasoolullah (s) because the way to Allah (swt)’s Divine Presence was known. The way is tazkiyyatu ‘n-nafs. Allah (swt) has mentioned in the Holy Qur’an that He has sent a Messenger from among ourselves to recite the ayaat, wa yuzakkeekum, and to give you tazkiyya, to purify you.
Wa yu`alimukumu ‘l-Kitaaba wa ‘l-Hikmah wa yu`alimukum ma lam takoonu ta`lamoon.
كَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِيكُمْ رَسُولًا مِّنكُمْ يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا وَيُزَكِّيكُمْ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُم مَّا لَمْ تَكُونُوا۟ تَعْلَمُونَ
A similar (favour have you already received) in that We have sent among you an Messenger of your own, rehearsing to you Our Signs, and sanctifying you, and instructing you in Scripture and Wisdom, and in new knowledge. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:151)
Allah (swt) has sent a Messenger to tell us Kalaamu ‘l-Llah, what is coming from the Divine Presence, the Fa`iz, the Pouring of `Ilm. Qaree saheb--I got used to the Pakistani way of talking, but he is from Morocco. Sidi ‘l-qari mentioned, asta`eedhu billah:
ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنُ عَلَّمَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ
Ar-Rahman alamu ‘l-Qur’an.
(Allah) Most Gracious! It is He Who has taught the Qur'an. (Surat ar-Rahman, 55:1-2)
He taught the Qur’an. That `ilm is coming. There is an outpour from the Divine Presence. Allah (swt) is Al-`Alim, The Knowledgeable. Allah (swt) is the All-Knowing and Allah (swt) has Sifaatu ‘l-Kalam. His Attribute is to speak, to talk, to teach and that is the Qur’an. Kalamu ‘l-Llah had to find a way out from the Divine Presence to creation. Rasoolullah (s) was commissioned to deliver the Words of Allah (swt).
يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا وَيُزَكِّيكُمْ
Yatlu `alaykum ayaatina wa yuzakkeekum
And he purifies you.
That is some purification. In the time of Rasoolullah (s), yes, there was nothing called Tariqah. In the Sahaabah kiraam (r) there was nothing called Tariqah but that tazkiyyatu ‘n-nafs was known. You had to follow that way to purify yourself. That is the internalizing of Allah (swt)’s Words, to take in the instructions. What is the Qur’an? It is to teach you adab, manners: how to conduct yourself in dunya, how to conduct yourself in this daily life, how to deal with people, how to deal with Allah (swt), how to deal with nature, how to deal with everything!
The Qur’ani ‘l-Kareem is a manual for teaching humanity how to deal with each other and how to deal with themselves. Tazkiyyatu ‘n-nafs was not something foreign to Sahaabah (r) or Tabi`een because this is basically internalizing the knowledge that came to Rasoolullah (s). Later on, it was put into some kind of concept or a title: Sufi ways. In reality, it is Shari`ah. We are following Shari`ah. There is no difference between anyone who is following Shari`ah but there is ooloolu ‘l-`azham, the zhaahir of Shari`ah that we all have to follow and there is batin, the inner aspects of Shari`ah that deals with the heart. You have `amalu ‘l-qalb wa `amalu ‘l-qaalib, the `amal of the physicality: prayer, fasting, Hajj, Umrah and the rest. And then you have `amalu ‘l-qalb, the work of the heart. The imam mentioned one of them: sincerity. Alaa lillahi ‘d-deenu ‘l-khalis. To Allah (swt) belongs the sincere way.
أَلَا لِلَّهِ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلْخَالِصُ
Is it not to Allah that sincere devotion is due? (Surat az-Zumar, 39:3)
Allah (swt) wants honesty from you, O Muslim. When you open a place, is this really for Allah (swt) or for yourself? You tell me. I enter some masjids and see a big plaque: Mr. Such-and-such donated $100,000 for this masjid. Why do you have to declare it? Was it truly for Allah (swt) or for show? That is lacking. We are all Muslims. We are all following Shari`ah and the Sunnah of Rasoolullah (s) and Qurani ‘l-Kareem, but we work extra to purify our ikhlas. To Allah (swt) belongs the sincere way, al-khalis. Pure from what? Khalis means “pure.” They say dahabu ‘n-khaalis, gold that is pure, 24 karats, there is no impurity in there. If you are giving something fee sabeelillah, why do you show it? What’s the point? Look into the heart.
Why do you put a big plaque? For people to see, so your `amal was not pure. That’s why the best charity or good work is done in secret because nobody sees it. It is said that some Sahaabah and some Tabi`een used to look for sleeping beggars on the street. They would throw money to them and run away so when the man wakes up he does not know who gave it to him. Isn’t that one of the groups of people under `Arsh on the Day of Judgement? Did you ever read about the seven groups of people under `Arsh? One of the groups of people is the one who gives by one hand and the other hand does not know how much it gave. Even your left hand does not need to know. That means your eyes should not count. Where is that in the Muslims nowadays? We are talking about one plaque that I see here and there.
Yes, there was no Tariqah in the past but it has become a necessity for people to practice `amalu ‘l-qalb, the `amal of the heart. If you do something for Allah (swt), a prayer, but you are not doing it for Him (...) how many qurrah recite for fame? How many Hajjis go for Hajj twenty or thirty times and they declare to everybody, “I went for Hajj twenty times.” Why are you declaring it?
`Amalu ‘l-qalib, the deeds of physicality, have to be coupled with `amalu ‘l-qalb because your `amal is according to your niyyah. Where is the intention? Is it not the first Hadith of Rasoolullah (s)? It is mentioned in Bukhari. Innama ‘l-`amalu bi ‘n-niyya, `amal with niyyah. What is your intention? You tell me. If your intention is for Allah (swt), that `amal is confirmed even if you don’t do it. Isn’t that true? You say, “I want to do something for You, yaa Rabbee. It’s something coming purely from my heart. I want to do a good thing.” Then suddenly something happens and you’re not able to do it. Allah (swt) has already written it for you. Your `amal is according to the niyyah.
Where is the niyyah? Is it in your mind or does it come from the heart? We say it’s from the heart. The mind confirms what’s in the heart. If the heart is crooked, if the heart is corrupt, how can your `amal be confirmed? It will be thrown in your face. Allah (swt) does not accept shirk. “Did you do this for Me or for people to see? Okay, go to the people that you wanted them to see and take your reward from them.” That is what will be told to you on the Day of Judgement. You wanted them to see.
They come against Tariqah and Sufism but it’s nothing out of Islam. Rather, it’s the batin, the inner way of Shari`ah, to purify the heart. What’s in the heart? Why is it dirty? Allah (swt) says, in your heart lurks a disease. Have you ever come across that ayah in Surah Baqara? It’s on the second page. Asta`eedhubillah. Fee quloobihim marad. In their hearts lies a disease.
فِى قُلُوبِهِم مَّرَضٌ فَزَادَهُمُ ٱللَّهُ مَرَضًا وَلَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌۢ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَكْذِبُونَ
In their hearts is a disease; and Allah has increased their disease: And grievous is the penalty they (incur), because they are false (to themselves). (Surat al-Baqara, 2:10)
What is that marad? Did you ever look into it, those who deny? Why do you deny? We’re not doing anything wrong. We’re trying to find out that marad. What is that disease that is lurking in the hearts that Allah (swt) has said about it and these are the categories of munafiqeen. The munafiq has a dirty heart, a diseased heart. Are you from the munafiqeen or are you from those who have qalbun ‘n-saleem. Why is there qalbu ‘n-saleem, a pure heart? Why is there a heart that has disease? Why is there qalbu ‘n-muneeb, a returning heart, a heart that’s going back to Allah (swt). From where are you going back to Allah (swt)? Wa ja’a bi qalbin muneeb.
مَّنْ خَشِىَ ٱلرَّحْمَـٰنَ بِٱلْغَيْبِ وَجَآءَ بِقَلْبٍ مُّنِيبٍ
"Who feared ((Allah)) Most Gracious Unseen, and brought a heart turned in devotion. (Surah Qaf, 50:33)
He turned to his Lord with a heart that is muneeb, going towards Allah (swt). From where? What was your direction? You’re turning to Allah (swt) from dunya.
The Sufi way or the Sufi teachers or the peeran, the dhakiran, the dervishan, the yaaran, or whatever you want to call them, the people of tazkiyyatu ‘n-nafs, the people who are busy with purification of the heart, they are busy turning away from dunya to make their `amal pure for Allah (swt). That is the way. It is Islam. Rasoolullah (s) called people to Allah (swt).
Wa da`eean illAllahi bi idhni.
وَدَاعِيًا إِلَى ٱللَّهِ بِإِذْنِهِۦ وَسِرَاجًا مُّنِيرًا
And as one who invites to Allah's (grace) by His leave, and as a lamp spreading light. (Surat al-Ahzab, 33:46)
He is calling to Allah (swt). From where? From shirk, kufr, nifaaq and all the bad characteristics. He is turning your heart back from dunya and the pleasures of dunya and the filth, the dirtiness of dunya which includes hasad, ghadab and shahwah and all the bad characteristics. He is telling you, make your heart muneeb. Turn it to Mawla, to Allah (swt).
They come against Sufi ways because they don’t understand it. Why don’t you understand what the shuyookh have said? What did Sayyidina Junayd (q) say? He said, tariqun hadha muqayyidan bi ‘l-Qur’an wa Sunnah. This way of ours is surrounded by the Qur’an and Sunnah. The people who are outside of the Qur’an and Sunnah have taken another way. Some people take advantage of that. They put the clips out to show, “Oh, these people are from them.” We are not from them. We are following the Qur’an and Sunnah. We are following what has come from Allah (swt).
وَإِنَّكَ لَتُلَقَّى ٱلْقُرْءَانَ مِن لَّدُنْ حَكِيمٍ عَلِيمٍ
Wa innaka latulaqa ‘l-Qur’ana min ladun Hakeemin `Aleem.
As to thee, the Qur'an is bestowed upon thee from the Presence of One who is Wise and All-Knowing. (Surat an-Naml, 27:6)
You are receiving the Qur'an, what is read, from Who? Min ladun, from the Presence of The All-Wise, All-Knowedgeable One.
Our way is Tazkiyyatu ‘n-nafs You call it Tariqah or Tazkiyyatu ‘n-nafs or anything you want. The way is to purify your heart from being corrupt, from being bad. Isn’t that what Rasoolullah (s) said? In the body there is a mudgha, a piece of flesh. If it is good, everything is good. If it is bad, everything is bad. It is the heart. Have you ever come across that Hadith? Where is your correction of the heart, the one who is calling himself Muslim? Muslims leaders, Muslim non-leaders, Muslim ruled, Muslim rulers, whatever it is, low ones, big ones, right ones, left ones. How is your heart? Did you ever put it in the Meezan? Wa wadha ‘l-Meezan.
وَٱلسَّمَآءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ ٱلْمِيزَانَ
And the Firmament has He raised high, and He has set up the Balance (of Justice). (Surat ar-Rahman, 55:7)
He put a Scale for you. What is that Scale? The Scale is, is your `amal khalis or is it not khalis? Is it pure, 24 karat gold that is worthy to be presented to Allah (swt)’s Divine Presence and mala’ikah will take it up or is your `amal impure? Allah (swt) does not accept impurity.
إِنَّ اللَّهَ طَيِّبٌ لَا يَقْبَلُ إِلَّا طَيِّبًا
InnAllaha tayyibun la yaqbalu illa tayyiban. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1015)
Rasoolullah (s) said, Allah (swt) only accepts what is tayyib, pure. Our way is not something different. Rather, our way is Islam. Those who are not following the correction of the inner self, the inner heart from qalbu ‘n-mareed, from an ill or diseased heart to qalbu ‘n-saleem, a pure heart, on the Day of Judgement they will be in a big difficulty, big hardship. Their `amal might not be worth anything because it was for somebody else.
They call it “Tariqah .” Don’t call it Tariqah , call it anything you want. Call it “purification.” Purification of what? Purification of that diseased heart. Purify it. Rasoolullah (s) said, if that heart is good, everything is good. The niyyah, intention comes from the heart. If your heart is good, your body will act good. The heart becomes a sultan of the qalib. The heart becomes the ruler of the body. If only Allah (swt)’s Love exists in your heart and following His Orders and leaving His forbiddens, your body will reflect that. There is no way your body will sin if your heart is correct and pure. There is impurity in there. It will not reflect on your outside body. That is the true taharah.
When you make wudu for your outside body to be in the Divine Presence, also your heart has to take wudu. You have to wash off the dirt of dunya from your heart, the dirt of the love of dunya off your heart. There is an inner wudu, inner taharah and an outside taharah. Why do you need the inner taharah? Because you cannot read the Qur’an without taharah.
La ya masahu. Nobody can touch the Qur’anu ‘l-Kareem. Illa mutaharoon, except the purified ones. Outwardly you cannot touch the Qur’an unless you have wudu. Also, you cannot understand the inward meanings of the Qur’an if you don’t have a clean, pure heart.
لَّا يَمَسُّهُۥٓ إِلَّا ٱلْمُطَهَّرُونَ
Which none shall touch but those who are clean. (Surat al-Waqi’a, 56:79)
That is the way we learned from our shuyookh. Turn your heart from the love of dunya, love of fame, love of prestige, love of wealth, love of being a big one, a great one, a high one, a known one. Leave all of that to where? To kushu`. Have you ever heard of kushu`?
قَدْ أَفْلَحَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ
Qad aflaha ‘l-mu`minoon.
The believers must (eventually) win through. (Surat al-Mu`minoon, 23:1)
Which mu`min is successful? Isn’t that in Surah Mu`minoon? The mu`mins have succeeded. Which ones? alladheena hum fee salatihim khashiyoon. Those who in their prayers are kashiyoon.
ٱلَّذِينَ هُمْ فِى صَلَاتِهِمْ خَـٰشِعُونَ
Those who humble themselves in their prayers. (Surat al-Mu`minoon, 23:2)
What is kashiyoon? You have such humility upon you. Who among the jama`ah has humility in the prayer? Few. Most of them (look around). What kind of kushu` is that? What kind of humbleness is that? When Rasoolullah (s) used to pray, the Sahaabah used to hear his chest boiling from crying. Where are we from that? Nowhere to be found. That is what we need to work on. That is the qalb, the heart. Our way is to find the diseased heart and treat it, to become a purified heart. What is a purified heart? It’s your sultan, when your heart takes control of the body. They don’t sin anymore. They are mas’oom. That is Anbiya. Awliya are mahfouzh. Allah (swt) protects them.
If you are still sinning, that intention was born from a darkness that is in your heart that allowed that bad action to come out. Who fills that darkness into your heart? Shaytan. He is the origin of sinning. He is the first one to sin and come against Allah (swt). He is the first one to become arrogant in front of Allah (swt). That darkness that he carries enters your heart. From that darkness in your heart comes out that intention to sin. All of us get that waswasa. What do you do? Do you follow the Qur’an and Sunnah and say, “I cannot do it,” or do you say, “Ah forget this. I’ll put it aside. Let’s do it.” Ask yourself. If you say, “Forget this, let’s leave it aside,” and you follow Shaytan, you have denied or you have rejected Allah (swt)’s Message. You have accompanied Shaytan in disobeying Allah (swt). If the Azra’eel, the Angel of Death catches you at that moment, you are on the wrong path. You have deviated from Siraatu ‘l-Mustaqeem.
That is why in every moment you have to be sure you are on the right path. That is Nazar bar qadam. That is what Sayyidina Khaliq al-Ghujdawani (q) said: the second principle in my Way is to watch wherever you are stepping. You have to put it into concepts because there are a lot of idiots like us who don’t care about Allah (swt)’s Message, we don’t care about Rasoolullah’s (s) instructions. We want to do as we like. Every moment you step, you have to be sure you’re not stepping in najasat, something dirty. The biggest dirtiness is shirk. When we allow our egos to become the ones we listen to. We obey our desires and we leave Allah (swt)’s and Rasoolullah’s (s) orders.
Our way is to teach that. Our way is to jump over that. They say, “Sufis, Tariqah.” What’s wrong with that? If you know where you’re stepping, how nice it is that you are not stepping in something wrong. When you don’t step in something wrong, Allah (swt) is pleased with you, Rasoolullah (s) is pleased with you, Awliya and Saliheen are pleased with you. If we are in that badness, Awliya will leave you, Anbiya will leave you, here and on the Day of Judgement. They will not be next to you. Allah (swt) will say:
وَٱمْتَـٰزُوا۟ ٱلْيَوْمَ أَيُّهَا ٱلْمُجْرِمُونَ
"And O you in sin! Get you apart this Day! (Surah Yaseen, 36:59)
The bad ones to one side, the good ones to one side. Where are we? Are we with the good ones or with the bad ones? Be careful of that. That is going to happen. All Muslims and mu`mins have to be careful that we are correct outward and correct inward. That is tazkiyyatu ‘n-nafs. That is purification of the heart. That is what Allah (swt) has revealed through Jibreel (a) to Rasoolullah (s). That is the ruh. The ruh is what gives you life. Without ruh, your body has no life. The Qur’an is the ruh, it’s the soul of your heart. To revive that heart, to make it qalbu ‘n-hayy, to make it an alive heart, because on the Day of Judgement you will need a pure heart which is alive with Allah (swt)’s Love. That’s why Allah (swt) says, asta`eedhu billah:
يُنَزِّلُ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةَ بِٱلرُّوحِ مِنْ أَمْرِهِۦ عَلَىٰ مَن يَشَآءُ مِنْ عِبَادِهِۦٓ أَنْ أَنذِرُوٓا۟ أَنَّهُۥ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۠ فَٱتَّقُونِ
Yunazilu ‘l-mala’ikata bi ‘r-ruhi min amri `alaa man yasha’u min `ibadihi.
He doth send down His angels with inspiration of His Command, to such of His servants as He pleases, (saying): "Warn (Man) that there is no god but I: so do your duty unto Me." (Surat an-Nahl, 16:2)
He descends down the angels, which is Sayyidina Jibreel (a), with the ruh, the spirit, the soul, the soul that will give your heart life. It will kill off the ego’s desires and resurrect that dead heart, the heart that all of us have in the beginning. Once you start with Dhikrullah and follow the way that Rasoolullah (s) has shown us then you are on the right path. That ruh is there. They ask, “What is the ruh?” That’s why Allah (swt) said,
وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلرُّوحِ قُلِ ٱلرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّى وَمَآ أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
wa yasaloonaka `ani ‘r-ruh.
They ask thee concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say: "The Spirit (cometh) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you, (O men!)" (Surat al-Isra, 17:85)
They ask you about the ruh, “What is the soul? What is the spirit?” Say, “The soul is from the Order of my Lord.” It’s from another world as Awliyaullah have said and it is mentioned in the Qur’an, `Alamu ‘l-Amr, the World of Orders or the World of Spirits and Souls. Allah (swt) says in the Holy Qur’an, ala lahu ‘l-khalqu wa ‘l-amroo.
إِنَّ رَبَّكُمُ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ فِى سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ يُغْشِى ٱلَّيْلَ ٱلنَّهَارَ يَطْلُبُهُۥ حَثِيثًا وَٱلشَّمْسَ وَٱلْقَمَرَ وَٱلنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَٰتٍۭ بِأَمْرِهِۦٓ أَلَا لَهُ ٱلْخَلْقُ وَٱلْأَمْرُ تَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّ ٱلْعَـٰلَمِينَ
Your Guardian-Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six days, and is firmly established on the throne (of authority): He draws the night as a veil o'er the day, each seeking the other in rapid succession: He created the sun, the moon, and the stars, (all) governed by laws under His command. Is it not His to create and to govern? Blessed be Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds! (Surat al-A’raf, 7:54)
To Him belongs the Order and to Him belongs the creation. Your ruh is an Order of Allah (swt). Your body is created from earth. Ruh is what’s in between. That’s what gives you life and more explanation of that ruh is in, Alif, Lam, Meem. I don’t want to speak too much because sometimes people don’t accept these kinds of things.
It is said, al‑asrar la tufshal al‑ʿajirah, secrets cannot be told to people who don’t understand. I’m sorry, I'm not putting anybody down or anybody up. If I have two red things, a ruby and a lollipop, what do you think this boy will take? If he takes the ruby, he will bite it and throw it away. It will break his teeth. The lollipop is great. You cannot give something valuable to someone who doesn’t understand. They will call you a deviant. Don’t fall into that trap. The secret of that ruh is in Alif, Lam, Meem. What is the ruh? It is Alif, Lam, Meem. Go and figure that out. Go and learn. May Allah (swt) forgive us.
What has come from the Divine Presence was picked up by ar-Ruhu ‘l-Ameen. Who is ar-Ruhu ‘l-Ameen? Jibreel (a). Asta`eedhu billah:
نَزَلَ بِهِ ٱلرُّوحُ ٱلْأَمِينُ عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُنذِرِينَ
Nazala bihi ‘r-Ruhu ‘l-Ameenu `alaa qalbika li-takoona mina ‘l-mundhireen.
With it came down the spirit of Faith and Truth. To your heart and mind, that you mayest admonish. (Surat ash-Shuara, 26:193-194)
Ruh has taken the Fa’iz of Allah (swt). The soul, the trustworthy soul has taken the Outpouring of the Divine Presence and has landed it in your heart. This is in the Qur’an. Ruh has taken Kalamu ‘l-Llah, the Divine Guidance from the Divine Presence to your heart. Qalb recieves Fa’iz from ruh. Isn’t that the Qur’an? I’ll try to simplify it. The qalb of Rasoolullah (s) received from whom? From ruh. He didn’t say Jibreel (a) but it is understood as Jibreel (a) as most of the people understand.
Qalb, heart, receives from ruh and gives to qaalib, body. The heart is the sultan of the body. If your heart is pure and has that knowledge, your body will act according to the heart’s intention or the heart’s knowledge. Ego or qalib, the body, takes from qalb. Qalb takes from ruh. Ruh takes from the Divine Presence. Ruh is something that delivers straight from the Divine Presence and gives it to your qalb. That is a deeper meaning but the meaning is the soul takes it from the Divine Presence, brings it down to your qalb. Qalb of whom? Muhammad (s). The holy soul or the trustworthy spirit is Jibreel (a) and where does he bring it from? From Allah (swt).
Alif, Lam, Meem. Alif is the first letter in “Allah (swt).” Lam represents `Ilm, knowledge that is flowing from the Divine to Muhammad (s). Knowledge is coming from Allah (swt)’s Divine Presence through means, through Meem which is the first letter of Muhammad (s). It’s coming from Azal to Abad. It comes from Pre-Eternity. Allah (swt) didn’t start somewhere. Allah (swt) has no start. He is before every start. He is before every beginning. There is no beginning for Him. That Kalam of Allah (swt) has no beginning. That’s why we say from Azal, Pre-Eternity, Pre-Beginning. That Knowledge is flowing from the Divine through the spirit, through the ruh, to the qalb from Allah (swt) to malaa’ikah or the vehicle, the means that Allah (swt) has put in the middle to Muhammad (s) from Azal to Abad.
That’s why Muhammad (s) is eternal. He is Rahmatan li ‘l-`Alameen. What is `Alameen? Worlds. Is there an end to the worlds? Is there an end to Allah (swt)’s creation? Does Allah (swt), “I cannot create anymore”? His Name is al-Khaliq, The Creator. What does that mean? He continuously creates, all the time. That means there is no stop to His creation.
When He says, I have sent you as My Mercy, there is a Mercy coming from ar-Rahman. Ar-Rahman `allama ‘l-Qur’an. There is Mercy coming from Ar-Rahman through that ruh which is the khalifah of Allah (swt) as Awliyaullah have said. We don’t have to go into more details. Some people might go crazier. That knowledge is coming from the Divine Presence through the vehicle of the one who is carrying `Ilm. Awliyaullah have said Sayyidina Jibreel (a) represents Ismu ‘l-`Aleem. The `Ilm of Allah (swt) was created by Jibreel (a) to all prophets. All of the heavenly books came to the messengers through Jibreel (a). He is the representative, he is the appearance of `Ismu ‘l-`Aleem, The All-Knowing. He is carrying the `Ilm of Allah (swt) to deliver to Anbiya and the Last of Prophets.
Rasoolullah (s) is forever. Allah (swt) says Rahmatan li ‘l-`Alameen. There is no end to creation. Allah (swt) is not only Al-Khaliq but Al-Khalaq. Bala wa Huwa ‘l-Khalaqu ‘l-`Aleem.
أَوَلَيْسَ ٱلَّذِى خَلَقَ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضَ بِقَـٰدِرٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَن يَخْلُقَ مِثْلَهُم بَلَىٰ وَهُوَ ٱلْخَلَّـٰقُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ
"Is not He Who created the heavens and the earth able to create the like thereof?" - Yea, indeed! for He is the Creator Supreme, of skill and knowledge (infinite)! (Surah Yaseen, 36:81)
Not only creating but too much creating. He creates what you don’t know.
We think we are limited to this world or to these people or this creation or this land or this country. Open up your minds. Don’t be restricted. That is the way of Awliyaullah. They open to you what is unknown to you. Wa yu`alimukum ma lam takoonu ta`lamoon.
كَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَا فِيكُمْ رَسُولًا مِّنكُمْ يَتْلُوا۟ عَلَيْكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا وَيُزَكِّيكُمْ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ ٱلْكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلْحِكْمَةَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُم مَّا لَمْ تَكُونُوا۟ تَعْلَمُونَ
A similar (favour have you already received) in that We have sent among you an Messenger of your own, rehearsing to you Our Signs, and sanctifying you, and instructing you in Scripture and Wisdom, and in new knowledge. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:151)
He will teach you what you never learned, what you never understood, what you never knew. That is the Ghayb that Rasoolullah (s) has come with. Of course, they will only reveal what is ordered. They will not reveal more than that. They follow what Allah (swt) wants. Muhammad (s). That Meem represents Ismu ‘l-Hakeem, The Wise One. The `Ilm of Allah (swt) is applied in creation. Theory, practice. Who perfected the Qur’an in his being? Rasoolullah (s).
Hadrat `Ayesha (r) said, khuluquhu ‘l-Qur’an, “His inner conduct, his being is the Qur’an.” He was the perfect practitioner of theoretical knowledge in creation. That is one of the explanations of Alif, Lam, Meem. There can be other explanations as Awliyaullah can receive from Allah’s (swt) Divine Presence.
Our `ulama, our mufassiroon have said, don’t give too much meaning to these letters because people will start to say this and that and that might not be true. I say, astaghfirullahi ‘l-`azheem if I have said anything that is not true but that’s what I’ve learned and that’s what makes sense.
Alif. Lam. Meem. Dhalika ‘l-Kitab. This Book has come from the Divine Presence through Jibreel (a) to Muhammad (s). It makes sense. It’s true. That’s how it happened. That ruh is what brings Fa’iz from the Divine Presence to the qalb and the qalb is the sultan of the body. When the heart is pure, your `amal is pure.
Look at people around you, not only here but outside. Which person’s actions are crooked and tyrannical and cruel and bad and disgusting and all the other adjectives that you can slap on that? Everybody, from east to west. In Arabic there is a saying that the few or the rare are like the non-existent. Yes, there are people who are good. I’m not saying that we are all bad, no. The rare ones are as if they do not exist. But if you look at the actions of most people, what do they reflect? Do they reflect purity of the heart or impurity of the heart? Impurity, whether they are following a faith or not following a faith. Most of their actions represent the impurity of the heart.
Today I received a message that you can understand the status of a person’s inner soul by how they treat people. The ruh represents `ilm. If that ruh does not have `ilm within you, the `amal is going to be bad because the qalb is going to be rotten as well.
That is our Way. Our Way is to purify the heart to receive the knowledge from the ruh, Ar-Ruhu ‘l-Ameen, the trustworthy ruh that has carried the `Ilm of Allah (swt) to Rasoolullah (s), Khatamu ‘n-Nabiyeen, the Last Messenger, the Messenger who will continue forever. His Risala is always. Since when is Muhammadu ‘r-Rasoolullah (s)? Can you put a time? We can’t. It’s not only this earth but Muhammadu ‘r-Rasoolullah (s) said, I was a Nabi, a Prophet when Adam was between soul and jasad.
كنت نبيا وآدم بين الروح والجسد
Kuntu nabiyyan wa Adam bayn ar-roohi wa 'l-jasad.
I was a Prophet when Adam was between soul and body. (Tirmidhi)
“I was a Prophet.” He was given Nubuwwat. He was commissioned with that delivery of `ilm and wisdom to creation. Try to open up your mind, O Muslim. Try to open up your heart, O Muslim. Don’t reject what you don’t know. What you don’t know is too much. I heard a teaching from Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) who said if you say, “Oh, I learned something today,” that means you were ignorant. Then you say, “Oh, I learned more.” That means you were ignorant more. The more you learn, the more you understand that you were unaware of this. Is there an end for `ilm? That means there’s no end for your jahal. Astaghfirullahi ‘l-`Azheem..
إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا ٱلْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ وَٱلْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَن يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا
Innā ʿaraḍnā al-amānah ʿalā as-samāwāti wal-arḍi wal-jibāl, fa-abayna ʾan yaḥmilnahā wa-ashfaqna minhā, wa-ḥamalahā al-insān; ʾinnahū kāna ẓalūman jahūlā.
We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it;- He was indeed unjust and foolish. (Surat al-Ahzab, 33:72)
Does the Qur’an change? It doesn’t change. He said, insaan was an unjust one because of the crooked heart and the crooked body. Jahoola, ignorant. Insaan is jaahil until when? Until that order comes to him, fa`lam, “Know.” Now you are not jaahil, now you are `aleem. “Know what, yaa Rabbee?”
Faʿlam annahu lā ilāha illā Allāh.
فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ
So know that there is no deity except Allah. (Surah Muḥammad, 47:19).
Once you take the road of, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah, that `Ilm of Allah (swt) will be delivered to you.
Our jahal has no end. `Ilm has no end. That `Ilm is in Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah (s). Open your heart and open your mind. Don’t reject things you don’t understand. Say, “Yaa Rabbee. Maybe one time I will understand what they are talking about.” They say bad things about shuyookh and peeraan. They also reject Sayyidina Muhyiddin ibn `Arabi (q) and other shuyookh that they don’t understand what they were talking about. If you don’t understand, why don’t you learn first? What do you say? Astaghfirullahi ‘l-`Azheem. Astaghfirullahi ‘l-`Azheem.
Allah (swt) has revealed `Ilm to Rasoolullah (s) and our Way is to internalize that, take that `Ilm outside and on the inside. Allah (swt) does not accept anybody on the Day of Judge