A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem.
May Allah (swt) make Shaytan away from our majlis. We don’t need more troublemakers. Shaytan is the ultimate troublemaker as Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) used to say. He makes trouble between everybody, trouble between friends, trouble between neighbors, trouble between families, trouble between brothers, trouble between sisters, trouble between husband and wife, trouble between children and parents. That one is always causing fitna, trouble. May Allah (swt) shelter us from his evil. That’s why we say, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem.
Our teacher has suggested that we say at least 40 times daily, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Whenever you remember, say it. Let him leave you and leave your company. Usually he doesn’t come to you, he sends his soldiers. He has so many mini shaytans like mini Dajjal. When the mini shaytans cannot deceive you then he sends the medium ones. If the medium ones cannot deceive you or take you astray then he starts sending his generals. If that doesn’t work then he comes himself.
Shaytan is asking to make mu’mins fall as he was after Sayyidina Adam (a). Sayyidina Adam (a) by the Wisdom of Allah (swt) committed a mistake. He fell into his trap but he made tawbah, he repented. He asked for forgiveness. That is the Sunnah of the Children of Adam. The way of the Children of Adam is that if we make mistakes, if we fall into trouble, if we fall into his traps and tricks, what we need to do is what Sayyidina Adam (a) said, “Yaa Rabbee. Sorry and I’ll be better.” That’s why we always say, astaghfirullah. Our teachers always advise us to keep astaghfirullah on our tongues to clean up what Shaytan has done.
When we say, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem, we are first cleaning our tongues from every bad speech we have said. How many lies did you say before coming here? When you say, A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem, all the sins that were done, by mentioning Allah (swt)’s Holy Name, “Yaa Rabbee. I am seeking shelter in You. I’m coming to You from the one who made me make these mistakes.” It is said that when you say, A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem, you are first cleaning your tongue because you want to make du`a to Allah (swt). You want to make dhikrullah. You want to read the Qur'an or pray namaz. To recite Fatiha and the rest, you have to say, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem, to clean up that tongue from all the gossip it has done, from all the lies it has told, from all the cheating it has done. That is knocking on the door of the King.
Awliyaullah have said, A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem, is asking permission to enter. “Can I enter?” When you go to the door of the King, you ask permission to enter into His Presence. When you say, A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem, it’s like knocking on the Door of Allah (swt)’s Divine Presence. “Yaa Rabbee. Can I enter and express my needs?” In Fatiha you are basically asking Allah (swt) for some needs, some things you want, Qur’ani ‘l-Kareem, du`a.
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem, is asking permission. Yaa Rabbee. Let me disaccompany Shaytan. I am asking permission to enter Your Divine Presence. Clean me from all the badness and darkness on me and allow me to present my case. Present your case to Allah (swt). What is your case? What do you say about, A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem? By the Name, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Before you present your case, you have to present your lawyer. You would be a fool to go in front of a judge without knowing anything about the legal system. You need a lawyer. In the Holy Phrase, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, is Allah (swt)’s Ismu ‘l-`Azham, Allah (swt), Greatest Name. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem contains the Name of Allah (swt)’s Grandest Name. By that Grandest Name, by the Noor of that Grandest Name, by the barakah of that Grandest Name, by the permission of that Grandest Name, yaa Rabbee, first I say thank You.
Alhamdulillahi Rabbi ‘l-`Alameen. First I say, thank You, O Great One, O the Lord of every creation, O the Merciful One, O the Compassionate One. Basically, when you go in the Presence of the Mighty One, you are trying to bring forth their Compassion and Mercy. You are a Merciful One. You are a Generous One. You are the Provider. You are the Sustainer. In His Hands is my soul, my heart, my everything, Maliki Yaumi ‘d-Deen. It’s in Your Hands, yaa Rabbee. I am coming to You. By saying, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, after you ask permission to enter His Presence, you are calling Ismullahi ‘l-`Azham. By these Names, yaa Rabbee, I am asking to present my case to You.
By saying, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, Nuh (a) was saved from drowning in the flood. Asta’eedhubillah. Wa qaala arkabu feeha Bismillahi majreeha wa mursaha inna Rabbee la Ghafooru ‘r-Raheem.
وَقَالَ ٱرْكَبُوا۟ فِيهَا بِسْمِ ٱللَّهِ مَجْر۪ىٰهَا وَمُرْسَىٰهَآ إِنَّ رَبِّى لَغَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
So he said: "Embark ye on the Ark, In the name of Allah, whether it move or be at rest! For my Lord is, be sure, Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful!" (Surah Hud, 11:41)
Ride in it by Bismillah. It’s running and by Bismillah, it’s anchoring. By Bismillah it will move. By Bismillah it will stop, by that Holy Name.
For Sayyidina Nuh (a) to be saved from the flood, for the believers riding with him to be saved from the flood, for all animals and whatever was on that ship, to be saved from the flood, he needed the intercession of Bismillah.
Musa (a) needed, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) also said when Ibrahim (a) was thrown into fire, by Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, he was saved. He escaped the evil of Firaun and he found safety when he reached that shore. By Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, `Isa (a) was raised up to Heavens. That, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, contains all the power that prophets needed, it contains all the power that saints need. All miracles that come from saints, all miracles that come from prophets are by the power of Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. He said, if you know how to open it, how to use Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, that way will open for you. If you don’t know how to use Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, say every day at least 100 times, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, imitating. That power has not been given to you yet to perform what saints have done, to perform what prophets have done by if you recite, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, 100 times a day, when you are calling Allah (swt)’s Holy Name, He looks at you.
He looks at you with the gaze of Mercy, Rahmah because you are calling Him by Ar-Rahman, Ar-Raheem. The Holy Name, Rahman, contains the Mercy for all, kafir and mu’min. That Rahmah encompasses all. Raheem is for the mu’mins. That is a special Mercy. The other one is general Mercy. Raheem is special Mercy.
When you are saying, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, us, not Awliya, not Anbiya, astaghfirullah. Anbiya is closed anyway. Awliya, saints, yeah, you can be a saint if you are a believer and you are muttaqee, somebody who has avoided the pitfalls of Shaytan. Allah (swt) can open that door for you to see what others haven’t seen, to hear what others haven’t heard, and to move what others haven’t moved.
When you say, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, 100 times, Allah (swt) will look at you with the gaze of Mercy. He will look at you outwardly and shower you with Mercy externally and He will shower you with Mercy internally, both. From these two Oceans of Rahmah, you will get the general Rahmah which covers your exterior and you will get the inner Rahmah which covers your interior. By the general Rahmah, Allah (swt) will clean up your ego, your mold. By the inner Rahmah, Allah (swt) will clean up your heart.
Recite, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, 100 times everyday. Allah (swt) will open to you from the Noor of these Holy Names that you are making dhikr of. I only do it 100 times. Some people do it 1,000 times. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) it’s unlimited, as much as you can go with, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. Not only that, it also protects you from jealousy. Mashaa-Allah, whenever the Pakistanis talk to me, all they say is, “Hasad, hasad, hasad. Shaykh, I cannot pass my test. There should be some nazr, some hasad, some sihr. I cannot get a job. There should be some hasad, some nazr, some sihr.” If you say, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, 100 times it will protect you from hasad, the jealous one. That jealousy destroys the jealous one and also destroys the one in front of him that he is jealous of.
Hasid, the jealous one, cannot enter Jannah. The angry one, the ones who take others as enemies, the ones who gossip others, cannot enter Jannah with that characteristic. You will only enter Jannah if you get rid of your jealousy to others, if you get rid of your enmity to others, if you get rid of your stubbornness, if you get rid of your anger. That inner Rahmah, the Raheem, will clean up the inner heart from all of these bad characteristics that prevent you from entering Jannah because they are all characteristics of Shaytan. Who was the angry one? Shaytan. Who was the jealous one? Shaytan. Who was the stubborn one? Shaytan. If you have these four characteristics, you have the character of Shaytan. Shaytan cannot enter Jannah. Everyone who has those inner characteristics in their hearts will not be able to enter Jannah.
Our Way, the way of our masters, is to clean up the hearts from these bad characteristics, to get rid of all these evil traits that are in the hearts of every one of us. First we say, A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. When you enter your home, say, A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. When the wife is entering the home and the husband is inside, let her say, A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Or when you enter a place where you know there are some problems, say, A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Always get that evil one out of your life and then say, “Yaa Rabbee. I am asking to approach You with Your Holy Name, by Your Holy Name, that Holy Name that gave power to prophets, that gave power to saints. I’m asking You by that Holy Name to make me ready to enter Jannah, to remove kibr from my heart.”
Rasoolullah (s) said you cannot enter Jannah if there is a trace of pride in your heart, arrogance, kibr. You have to get rid of all of that. May Allah (swt) allow us to clean our hearts. We can’t do it ourselves, that’s why we say, iyyaka na`budu wa iyyaka nasta`een. “Yaa Rabbee. We know our way. Our way is to leave the friendship of Shaytan and accompany those who have followed Your Way. We want the way of those whom You have bestowed Your Favors. You have favored them with the correct way. We want to accompany them. We are asking for help from You.”
There was one saint. Someone came to his presence. They said, “This man is called `arif,” a wise one, a learned one, knower, gnostic, highly educated. Mashaa-Allah, so many of our imams are highly educated. So many of our scholars are highly educated. This morning I found the names of 20 scholars. Mashaa-Allah, highly educated. This one was from Princeton, this one from Oxford, this one I don't know from where, Azhar.
One of them came to the presence of Waliyullah. He asked, “What’s your name?” He said, “My name is Mahmud but they call me `arif, a knower. They call me a wise one, a learned one.”
He asked, “Why do they call you that?”
“Because I read so many stories and books of shuyookh and `ulama and Awliya.”
“Did you know yourself first?”
Did you know yourself? It is said the one who knows himself, knows his Lord. Allah (swt) revealed to Dawud (a):
`Iraaf nafsak bil-`ajz. Know yourself with incapability, inability.
You know, “I am weak. I am incapable and, yaa Rabbee, You are the One with the power. You are the One with the ability, the capability.” That’s why you say, iyyaka nasta`een. What does that mean? “I am seeking help from You.”
“Why are you seeking help from Me?”
“Because You are The Powerful One. I am the weak one.”
You are `aajiz and Allah (swt) is Qadir. You are unable. Allah (swt) is Able. You are incapable. Allah (swt) is Capable. When you know yourself, you know your Lord.
He said to Dawud (a), “Know yourself by weakness. Know yourself by inability. Know yourself by being temporary. Know Me with Quwwa, know Me with Qudra, know Me with Baqaa, Power, Ability and Capability and by Everlasting.”
That `arif, that learned one, that highly educated one, does he consider himself weak? I’ve seen it. No, they think they can move mountains. Do they think they’re going to die? No, because they keep after this dunya as if they will never die. Do they ask for help from anybody? No, because they think they have the ultimate power, they control everybody. How is that an `arif? That is not a knower, that is a jaahil, an ignorant person.
We are teaching the meanings of Fatiha. We were just talking about Suratu ‘l-Fatiha. I’m not saying things that have no basis in Qur’an. In Suratu ‘l-Fatiha, you say, iyyaka nasta`een. Yaa Rabbee. I am weak. I am unable. Help me.
He asked, “How are you a knower?”
“Because I read books.”
How many of them read books? There is no benefit unless they apply it to themselves and they don’t apply it to themselves. Most of the time they apply it to others but not to themselves. In our Way you have to know that you are unable to fight Shaytan without running to Allah (swt). That’s why we say, A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Yaa Rabbee. I’m running to You. I can’t. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. I am seeking power from You. I am unable.
Maliki Yawmi ‘d-Deen…. ihdina ‘s-Siraata ‘l-Mustaqeem. Yaa Rabbee. I am going to die. I am temporarily in this world. Show me the way so I can reach baqaa, Eternity in Paradise. That’s all from Fatiha. You don’t have to go deep.
They go deep in the knowledge of Qur’an and in the Fiqh and the Usoolu ‘l-Fiqh and in the Hadith and the Sunnah. Leave that. Know what, A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem means. Know what that means first. You will find everything in there. Awliyaullah have said all the knowledge of the four books are in the Qur’an. All of the meanings are in Suratu ‘l-Fatiha. All the meanings of Suratu ‘l-Fatiha are in, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. And all the meanings of, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, are in the baa. Sayyidina Ali (r) said, I am the dot under the baa.
That way opens to you by the light of Allah (swt), by the Noor of Allah (swt). The mu’min has that Noor in his heart. Have you ever heard the Hadith:
اتَّقُوا فِرَاسَةَ الْمُؤْمِنِ فَإِنَّهُ يَنْظُرُ بِنُورِ اللَّهِ
Ittaqoo firasat al-mumin fa innahu yanzhuru bi nooorillah.
Beware of the Believer's intuition, for indeed he sees with Allah's Light.
(Narrated by Abu Sa`eed Al-Khudri, Tirmidhi)
Pay attention to the insight of the mu’min. He looks with the Noor of Allah (swt). What’s the inside? It’s here, not here, inside. Understand. The mu’min has eyes in his heart that look with the Noor of Allah (swt). Sayyidina Ali (r) said, I am the dot under that baa. He is telling you that, Allah (swt) has opened to my heart from His Noor. Come to me and I will give you some. That was Hadrat Ali and all Sahaabah (r) got something from Rasoolullah (s). That Nooru ‘l-iman entered their hearts and that’s why Allah (swt) promised them all Jannah. Wa kullan wa`da ’Llahu ’l-husna.
وَمَا لَكُمْ أَلَّا تُنفِقُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَلِلَّهِ مِيرَٰثُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ لَا يَسْتَوِى مِنكُم مَّنْ أَنفَقَ مِن قَبْلِ ٱلْفَتْحِ وَقَـٰتَلَ أُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ أَعْظَمُ دَرَجَةً مِّنَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنفَقُوا۟ مِنۢ بَعْدُ وَقَـٰتَلُوا۟ وَكُلًّا وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلْحُسْنَىٰ وَٱللَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرٌ
And what cause have ye why ye should not spend in the cause of Allah.- For to Allah belongs the heritage of the heavens and the earth. Not equal among you are those who spent (freely) and fought, before the Victory, (with those who did so later). Those are higher in rank than those who spent (freely) and fought afterwards. But to all has Allah promised a goodly (reward). And Allah is well acquainted with all that ye do. (Surah Al-Hadid, 57:10)
You cannot insult any of the Sahaabah because they were all promised husna, Jannah.
If you know, A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem, you know that you are weak. You need to run to Allah (swt). Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. By Him. He opens to you the way to baqaa. When you are asking for Siratu ‘l-Mustaqeem, you are asking for the way to reach Eternity, to reach the door of Jannah. Inshaa-Allah, we can all get there. It starts with Alhamdulillah. What is that? Praise of course but, “Yaa Rabbee. Thank you.” In every moment you have to give your thanks.
There is shaakir, shakoor, shakkaar, three kinds of thanks. There are three groups of people who give thanks. The first is shaakir, the one who thanks. The second is shakoor, too much. Shakkaar is even more than that. Shaakir is the one who when ni`mah comes to him or her, they say, “Shukran lillah. Yaa Rabbee, alhamdulillah.”
The Shakoor one says “alhamdulillah” for the ni`mah but he also says “alhamdulillah” for the hardship. When you see everything from Allah (swt), His Lutf and His Qahr, when you see His Kindness and Favor upon you and when You see His Subduing and crushing you and you are pleased with both then you are shakkaar, too much thankful. His Lutf and Qahhar is a ni`mah for you.
That’s how Awliyaullah have seen it. That’s how Rasoolullah (s) has seen it. That’s how Anbiyaullah have seen it. They did not complain when hardship came down, rather they said, “Alhamdulillah” and they were patient. When the favor came down, they also said, “Alhamdulillah,” and they used it in the right way.
After you say, “Yaa Rabbee. I am asking power from You from that Holy Name of yours, Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem, I start with saying alhamdulillah because goodness will come and not so goodness will come.” Al-Qadri khayrihi wa sharihi. When you believe in Destiny, you believe in the good and the bad from the Divine Presence. You have to say, “Alhamdulillah” for everything. Allah (swt) is teaching you. Don’t make your tongue used to complaining. Make your tongue used to not saying anything or to saying, “Alhamdulillah.” Allah (swt) will make you happy.
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said that when you enter Jannah and Allah (swt) gives you your share in Jannah, you will say, “Yaa Rabbee. You have not given this to anybody. Thank You. I got the best of Jannah.” In dunya you have to also say, “Yaa Rabbee. What you have given me in dunya, you have not given to anyone. Thank You.” If you put that in your heart, you will always be happy with whatever you have. You will be content with whatever you gain or lose.
That’s where we are falling. We don’t say, “Alhamdulillah” and we don’t appreciate what Allah (swt) has given us. We always think He has not given us anything or He has only given us a little. Actually, He has given you everything. He has given you, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah. If you say that with ikhlaas, really and truthfully, you enter Jannah. Everything is in Jannah. How many people don’t say, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah? Your neighbors. You see them all around. May Allah (swt) also grant them that honor. A mu’min wants for his brother what he wants for himself. You should want iman for others. You should want them to be in Jannah too, not only you. Not: “I am in Jannah and all of you are going to Hell.”
That is not the way of the Muslim. Nowadays there are no true Muslims anymore. It is taqleed, pretending, imitation, not true. Inshaa-Allah that will also benefit. The way is “Alhamdulillah.” Start with that.
May Allah (swt) always allow us to be in His dhikr, to be from the shaakkir, shakoor and the shakkaar. May Allah (swt) forgive us. We all have that pitfall that, “I am knowledgeable. I am strong. I command others.”
One Waliyullah said, some people let go of their crown, they let go of their throne and they come onto the Way. What is the Way? Siratu ‘l-Mustaqeem. Others come onto the way to get a throne and to get a crown. Isn’t that true, shaykh? Don’t be like that. Rasoolullah (s) never wanted to be on top. They asked him, “Do you want to marry the best of us? We will give it to you. Do you want to have all of our money? We will gather all the wealth and give it to you. Do you want to be the leader over all of us? We will make you our king but just leave that way.” What did he say? He said, “If you bring me the sun and the moon, I won’t accept.”
Don’t be on this way to get a crown and to get a throne, rather you have to drop the crown and drop the throne. What is the most vivid example of one who dropped his crown and his throne and got onto the way? Sultan Ibrahim ibn Adham (q). He left everything and went to the desert. Be like them. That’s what the Companions of Rasoolullah (s) did. They were all rich. Most of them had parties, doing whatever they wanted. They left all of that and followed the way of humbleness, simplicity.
Don’t be the opposite. “Now I'm a simple one but I don’t want to be a simple one. I want to reach a stage where I start driving a Rolls Royce.” Have you ever seen a shaykh in a Rolls Royce? Go to the UK. They bring the scholar in a Bentley. Study the books to ride in a Bentley. How nice. Don’t be like that.
That is their way. Allah (swt) is The Wise One. He is All-Wise. He put them there. They are doing a benefit, a service but they are not the candle. It lights for the others. It burns itself but it lights for the others. These scholars are doing a benefit for the Ummah, yes, no problem. They are guiding others to the way but they are neglecting themselves. Our way is not that way. First correct yourself and then you can correct others.
Allah (swt) tested Sayyidina Ibrahim (a) first and then He told him, “Now show the others.” May Allah (swt) forgive us.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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