Centre for Spirituality and Cultural Advancement
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,
nawaytu 'r-riyaada, nawaytu 's-salook, lillahi ta'ala al-`Azheem fee hadha 'l-masjid.
أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:59)
As-salaamu `alaykum. Inshaa-Allah we are ma`soomeen, infallible, without sin, and Allah will write us from those who are protected. Inshaa-Allah Allah will forgive our sins and keep us with Prophet (s). Every meeting has a beginning and an end. Every journey has a beginning and an end, and every soul has a beginning and goes to an end, either in Paradise, and we are asking, “Yaa Rabbee, make us from that,” or in Hellfire, “Yaa Rabbee, ajirna min an-naar, protect us from that!” It depends on what kind of event you are attending, like Allah made day and night for us as an example of our lives: what you do for your dunya is the example of the day, and what you have to do for your Akhirah is the example of the night. You cannot overtake and make the night to work for your dunya, the night is for Akhirah. Allah (swt) gave the Ummah three different times: eight hours for sleeping, eight hours for `ibaadah, eight hours for work. This is what we have to understand, that since Allah gave us these three different times we have to keep them. If we keep our eight hours for work it will be considered `ibaadah, because we are doing what Allah ordered.
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Our Lord! Grant us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the chastisement of the Fire! (Surat al-Baqara 2:201)
If we complete the eight hours of work in dunya with istiqaamah, no sins mixed with it, then those eight hours are considered `ibaadah and will be written as our worship. If we keep the eight hours for sleep, and you may keep less than eight hours--but not on videos and games--it will be written for you as `ibaadah. If you sleep as it should be, in order to wake up for Fajr it will be written as `ibaadah. Today not many people do, they stay awake all night and sleep an hour before Fajr. The last eight hours is `ibaadah, and what is that? You have five prayers and family, so when you sit with your family and to guide them, teach them well, it is written as `ibaadah. For example, if you and your wife work outside the home, part of that is as `ibaadah because you are raising your children in a better situation.
Today we are ignoring these three sets of eight hours that Allah (swt) assigned us and do what our desires want. We sleep five hours, we wake up tired, we cannot pray, and Shaytan attacks us easily because we are already struggling from not sleeping well at night. Shaytan will attack and enter your heart, because there is a black clot that is the house of Shaytan. There he begins to whisper to your heart for you to follow his desires and disregard Allah's desires. Those who stay up at night playing digital games, including our children who cannot sleep without listening to music, their parents are happy the kids are occupied! If they listened to Holy Qur'an, qasidah, nasheed, it would be written for them and for their parents. We have to be careful in these matters. I see most children have an iPad or iPhone. If you use for an Islamic purpose, alhamdulillah it's okay, but to leave it in children's hands and they navigate the internet and see things they must not, that will be written for the parents, not the child as they are not mature yet. Parents are responsible, not children, although they aren’t ma`soom, infallible, but rather mahfooz, protected. Only the prophets are ma`soom. Allah protected them and they didn't do anything without wisdom. Someone might ask, “Why did the children of Sayyidina Yaqoob (a), all who are prophets, want to kill Sayyidina Yusuf (a) and put him in the well?” Although they are prophets, they don't sin; it was not a sin, it was Allah's (swt) will to bring Sayyidina Yusuf (a) honor and show them his dream was correct when he saw twelve stars making sajda to him. His father said not to tell the dream to anyone. The wisdom is that Allah (swt) wanted something to happen and it will happen. So we are not ma`soom. Awliyaullah are protected, but we are not although we try to be, but Shaytan is pulling us so we have to be careful, as Allah (swt) said:
قُلْ يَا عِبَادِيَ الَّذِينَ أَسْرَفُوا عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ لَا تَقْنَطُوا مِن رَّحْمَةِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَغْفِرُ الذُّنُوبَ جَمِيعًا إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ
Say, "O my Servants who have transgressed against their souls! Despair not of the Mercy of Allah, for Allah forgives all sins for He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surat az-Zumar, 39:53)
Don't worry, you know you sinned, ask forgiveness. That's why Allah (swt) included us in the ayah:
وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآؤُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ اللّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُواْ اللّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا
If they had only, when they were unjust (oppressor) to themselves, come to you and asked Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nisaa, 4:64)
When they make a sin, to whom do they go? They come to you yaa Muhammad! They come to the presence of Prophet (s) and make istighfaar. So any istighfaar you do, Prophet (s) is with you. As soon as you intend to make istighfaar in your heart Prophet (s) will appear there. If your eyes are granted the power to see and your ears to hear, you will see him and hear his salaam there!
وما يزال عبدي يتقرب إلي بالنوافل حتى أحبه فإذا أحببته كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به وبصره الذي يبصر به ويده التي يبطش بها ورجله التي يمشي بها وإن سألني لأعطينه ولئن استعاذني لأعيذنه وما ترددت عن شيء أنا فاعله ترددي عن نفس المؤمن يكره الموت وأنا أكره مساءته ولا يزال عبدي يتقرب إلي بالنوافل حتى أحبه، فإذا أحببته كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به وبصره الذي يبصر به، ويده التي يبطش بها ورجله التي يمشي بها،
My servant does not cease to approach Me through voluntary worship until I will love him. When I love him, I will become the ears with which he hears, the eyes with which he sees, the hand with which he acts, and the legs with which he walks (and other versions include, “and the tongue with which he speaks.”). (Hadith Qudsi, Bukhari)
So it means when you make istighfaar, Allah loves that so He will give power to your eyes to see, but there are too many veils because of our bad `amal that have to be removed in order to see who is there. So when Allah says in the ayah, “They come to your presence, O Muhammad,” it means when you knock at the door you hear the answer. With istighfaar you are knocking at the Door of Prophet (s), because Allah (swt) said you have to go to him, so it means your istighfaar is in the presence of Prophet (s). When you are in the presence of the Habeeb, will Allah not forgive you? For the sake of His Beloved One, Sayyidina Muhammad (s), Allah will forgive your sins!
“When they ask forgiveness” means Ruhaaniyyat an-Nabi hadhara, the presence of Prophet (s), he appeared. That's why as soon as we say, “As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah,” at the end of the prayer, why do we then say, “Astaghfirullah.”We are in prayer, worshipping, so why do we say it? It attracts the eyes of Prophet (s) on our prayer, which is totally istighfaar. You are approaching Allah (swt) through the prayer, entering between His Hands when you say, “Allahu Akbar!” So when you say istighfaar you enter the veil between you and Prophet (s), who takes you to the Divine Presence.
Then we say, “Astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah, astaghfirullah min kulli dhanbin wa-ma`siyyah,” because our prayers are istighfaar in themselves, but are incomplete because of so many whispers when you enter the prayer. Now you are sitting and listening, but you stand up and make two raka`ats and say, “Allahu Akbar!” and what will happen? Everything in dunya will come in your mind: bank accounts, how many taxis you have, how much gold you have, what money you have here and there. It all comes in the prayer and when you are outside of the prayer you don't remember these things, but Shaytan immediately interferes with our worship.
So when you say, “As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullah,” immediately Prophet (s) said to say astaghfirullah so that angels complete your prayer to be accepted by the Divine Presence. It will not be accepted until you come to Prophet (s) and make that istighfaar in his presence. So that istighfaar when it is done in the presence of Prophet (s) the Ruhaaniyyat an-Nabi (s) appears, inshaa-Allah one day we see it, but it is there. That is why the ayah says, “wa-staghfara lahum ar-rasool, Prophet (s) will appear and make istighfaar on your behalf,” as the ayah says.
First they come to Prophet (s) making istighfaar and when they are accepted Prophet (s) will do istighfaar on their behalf. What will happen? Tawwaban raheema, they will find Allah (swt) turning to them and having Mercy on them, if you read it in such a way. If you read it in a different way, awliyaullah can understand many meanings out of it. You notice what I am going to read, la-wajadoo ’Llah, they will find Allah (swt). If you want to find Allah (swt), come through the door of Prophet (s). If you don't come through the door of Prophet (s), you will not find Him or Ma`rifatullah, to know about Him, as that knowledge does not come through books, it is granted from the Divine Presence.
فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَا آتَيْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِنْ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلْمًا
So they found one of Our Servants on whom We had bestowed Mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge from Our Own Presence. (Surat al-Kahf, 18:65)
So you will get that knowledge if you show love to Prophet (s), then these verses will apply to you. You will be in the Presence of Prophet (s) and from he will take you to the Divine Presence, because he takes his Ummah wherever he goes. He went and is still in Ascension, his presence at Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa did not end and Allah’s Creation never ends. Do you think Allah (swt) created this Earth and that's all, is His Power limited? Allah (swt) and Prophet (s) know what Allah created. Scientists found six-thousand galaxies, and one galaxy contains eighty-billion stars, and every star is bigger than our solar system of Mars, Jupiter, Venus, Earth, they are like a needle. Now they are saying there is an infinite number of galaxies, they don't know how many, they continue to discover more..
So who is there? These galaxies are within the limits of dunya, so it means Prophet (s) visited them on the Night of Ascension. He went beyond the limits of this universe to Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa into something no one knows except Allah (swt), Who knew what He wanted Prophet (s) to see. There is no way for the mind to understand it! With all that,when you say istighfaar Prophet (s) is ready to take you to the Divine Presence!
May Allah (swt) forgIve us and bless us. Every meeting has a beginning and an end, like this meeting. Everyone will go wherever they are going, but how you behave will be between the beginning and end, and everything is recorded, big and small, no one can run away from that.
وَلاَ رَطْبٍ وَلاَ يَابِسٍ إِلاَّ فِي كِتَاب مُّبِينٍٍ
Nor (is there) anything fresh or dry (green or withered), but is (inscribed) in a record clear (to those who can read). (al-An`am, 6:59)
That is the literal meaning, that all Creation, everything created in the past, present or future is mentioned in the Holy Qur'an. Who can understand that? The one who went to the Divine Presence! The evidence is when Jibreel (a) came to Prophet (s) with Surah Maryam, which begins with “Kaaf, Haa, Yaa,`Ayn, Saad,” five letters that have interpretational meanings, because no one knows their secret. When Jibreel (a) came to Prophet (s) and said “Kaaf,” Prophet (s) said, `Alimtu, “I knew.” What did he know? Jibreel said, “Haa,” Prophet (s) said, “I knew.” Jibreel said, “Yaa,” Prophet (s) said, “I knew.” Jibreel said, “`Ayn,” Prophet (s) said, “I knew.” Jibreel said, “Saad,” Prophet (s) said, “I knew.”
Jibreel (a) was surprised and said, “Just now I got the Wahiyy to come to you, yaa Rasoolallah, with ‘Kaaf, Haa, Yaa, `Ayn, Saad,’ and you knew.” It means he knew everything that has been mentioned as a secret in these letters. Like today, for example, we give examples in order to understand, they encrypt and decrypt codes that no one can access or open although they know there is a small chip, but they don't understand it. Similarly, Allah (swt) allowed Prophet (s) to give the Ummah one drop of an ocean that is still with him (s). What all `ulama, Awliya and other prophets know is a drop of the ocean of what Prophet (s) knows. No one went to Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, which means he approached Allah (swt) at two bows’ length or nearer, which might be one inch or one millimeter, we don't know: he (s) approached the Divine Presence in a way no one can understand.
Allah brought His Prophet (s) through this universe of planets and trillions of stars, and he understood the wisdom of everything created, then He entered the Divine Presence, where Jibreel (a) was not able to go. Can a human being do that? Then what kind of human being is Prophet (s)? Even a space shuttle cannot go higher than 100 km. We must think, between our beginning and end what have we done? Allah created our souls on the Day of Promises, then they were sent to our mother’s womb. One question comes: millions of mothers give birth every day, so when the soul comes how does it know which womb to enter? Does it not ever make a mistake or does the soul choose the womb it likes? No, by Allah’s Order that soul must go to the person His Will indicated: there is no mixing, every soul knows the womb to which it is assigned like a lamb knows its mother in a flock and runs its mother. The soul always goes to the womb of its rightful mother.
Think about this. Who directed and inspired that? Allah (swt)! Look at His Greatness. Can He not take His Prophet (s) to the Divine Presence, Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa? Yes, of course, but Allah (swt) only granted that to Prophet (s), not for anyone else, to show his 'azamah and honor. Did the Prophet (s) go alone or did he take his Ummah with him? Inshaa-Allah he took us with him and inshaa-Allah we will find that written in our books on the Day of Resurrection, so let us say “astaghfirullah” and read Salawat al-Fatih:
Salaat al-Faatih, Salutation of the Victor
اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد الفاتح لما أغلق و الخاتم لما سبق ناصر الحق بالحق و الهادي إلى صراطك المستقيم و على آله حق قدره و مقداره العظيم
Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin ‘il-faatihi limaa ughliqa wa 'l-khaatimi limaa sabaqa wa 'n-naasiri 'l-haqqi bi 'l-haqqi wa 'l-haadi ilaa siraatika 'l-mustaqeema wa `alaa aalihi haqqa qadrihi wa miqdaarihi 'l-`azheem.
O Allah! Bless our Master Muhammad (s), who opened what was closed and who is the Seal of what went before, he who makes the Truth victorious by the Truth, the guide to Your Straight Path, and bless his Household as is due his immense position and grandeur.
[Du`a.]
Thank you very much.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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