9 January 2025 Fenton, Michigan USA
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem.
Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
A`oodhu billahi ‘s Sami` al-`Aleem min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem.
'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Alhamdulillahi Rabbi ‘l-`Alameen wa ‘s-salaatu wa ‘s-salaam `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `alaa alihi wa ashabihi ajma`een wa man tabi`ahu bi ihsanin illa Yawmi ‘d-deen wa `alaa sa’iri ‘l-Anbiya wa ‘l-mursaleen wa ‘l-Awliya wa ibaadillahi ‘s-saliheen wa alayna ma`ahum ajma`een, yaa Arhamu ‘r-Rahimeen.
Laa hawla wa laa quwatta illa billahi 'l-`Aliyyu 'l-`Azheem.
Dastoor, yaa Sayyidee, yaa Sultan al-Awliya, madad. Dastoor, yaa Sayyidee wa Mawlay.
Dastoor, yaa Sayyidee, yaa Sultan al-Awliya. Dastoor, yaa Sayyidee wa Mawlay. Madad, yaa RijaalAlah.
Allah, Allah. Allah, Allah. Allah, Allah. `Azeez Allah.
Allah, Allah. Allah, Allah. Allah, Allah. Kareem Allah.
Allah, Allah. Allah, Allah. Allah, Allah. SubhaanAllah.
Allah, Allah. Allah, Allah. Allah, Allah. Sultan Allah.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.
Mashaa-Allah. May Allah (swt) always keep us together. May Allah (swt) be pleased with us. Today is dhikr but I think Urs was squeezed in. Urs was yesterday. It’s better to do things on their day and it’s better to keep the times the same, not to confuse people. I just checked the poster today and it said 7 p.m., they didn’t start without me. That’s a good sign, but on Thursdays we meet at 7:30. On Saturdays we meet at 6:30. It’s easier for people to know. When we change the time, people get confused. Some people miss the beginning, others miss the end. Let’s do things on their day. That’s the specialty. It’s the day. That day contains that special blessing.
Urs was yesterday but inshaa-Allah, today we can read Surah Yasin and we can give the reward to our masters and our forefathers and all those who have passed on, not only Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) but everyone who followed him too. So many people passed away after he passed away. It’s not right only to remember him, you have to remember your brothers and sisters in Islam and iman. When you remember the master, remember the followers. When you remember Rasoolullah (s), remember the Ummah. It’s better that way. Inshaa-Allah, we can gift it to all of them.
Mawlid might be too long, so it’s going to be Surah Yaseen, Mawlid, suhbah, Dhikr, again, squeezing too many things in at the same time. We will do suhbah and Dhikr. We will do Mawlid tomorrow, inshaa-Allah. Friday is a good day for Mawlid, 7 p.m. No problem there. People are welcome to attend and partake in the blessings that come during that night.
Every night is a holy night in Shahru ‘r-Rajab. May Allah (swt) always open to us from the barakah and blessings. May He open to us from baabu ‘s-sulook, the door where you can start moving to the spiritual world. We have been stuck in this dunya for so long. That door has not opened. Inshaa-Allah, that door opens soon. When? We don’t know. Allah (swt) knows best.
Inshaa-Allah, we will read Surah Yaseen together. There is no need for tajweed. We always fail tajweed anyway. Just read it as you know it so you get the blessings as well. If you don’t want to read but only listen, inshaa-Allah, there is double reward. The reward for listening is double the reward of reading. May Allah (swt) always give us rewards of Qur’anu ‘l-Kareem.
Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Inshaa-Allah, a few words. Astaghfirullah. Everybody knows everything already. It’s just a reminder. Our masters always taught us this verse from the Holy Qur’an, asta`eedhubillah:
وَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ ٱلذِّكْرَىٰ تَنفَعُ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Wa dhakkir fa inna adh-dhikra tanfa’u ‘l-mu’mineen
But teach (thy Message) for teaching benefits the Believers. (Surah Az-Zariyat, 51:55)
Remind them. Don’t put people at the level of ignorance. Don’t claim you are the knower and they are the ignorant ones. Look at the adab of the Holy Qur’an. It’s a reminder. There is no teaching. That is not good adab. The good adab is to remind. InshaaAllah we can remind each other.
Tonight is a holy night. First of all, it’s Thursday night. It’s the night of Jumu`ah. As Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said, the doors of Heavens open from sunset. On other nights, they open in the last third of the night but on Friday night the doors of Heaven open from sunset. From sunset until the next sunset, Allah (swt)’s doors are open for you du`a. Don’t neglect that. Be busy after sunset. Alhamdulillah, we are doing Dhikrullah. May Allah (swt) accept us. Asta`eedhu billah. Inna akramkum `inda ‘Llahi atqaakum.
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلنَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَـٰكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَآئِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوٓا۟ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتْقَىٰكُمْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٌ
O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things). (Surat al-Hujurat, 49:13)
The most honored among you are the ones who have taqwa, piety or righteousness. It’s a broad concept. Taqwa can mean so many things. We can take it as righteousness, to be an honest one, to be a sincere one. The most honored amongst you are the ones who are most righteous, not the ones who speak too much, give suhbah too much, make conferences too much, not the ones who use their tongues too much. Allah (swt) said it’s taqwa.
Do you know where taqwa is? Rasoolullah (s) pointed here (the heart), not on the tongue. It’s the heart. Whoever’s heart is more righteous and pious, that’s the one who is closest to Allah (swt), not by what diploma you carry or what title you have or what title you slapped on yourself. You started with a little one and, mashaa-Allah, after two years you have so many titles that your followers have put on you. That’s not the way.
Righteousness and piety is in the heart, not the tongue. Be a righteous one. Be a sincere one. What do we have to learn first? Learn how to take out the shirk khafee from the heart, that partnership of the ego and Shaytan that is in your heart. That has to go. That is the first step towards righteousness. We have not yet spoken about the levels of taqwa. The levels continue but the first thing that has to go is riya`, show off. You worship for show. You do things for people to praise you. You do things for people to appreciate you. If you do such things, you’re working for the people. It’s not for Allah (swt).
What did they say? So we can understand how it goes. Do you go out to the bazaar nowadays? No, it’s on the iPhone. Everything is electronic nowadays. You can be at home for 24 hours on your couch, a real couch potato, and everything comes to you. You go to the bazaar at home. You go to school at home. You go to work at home. You visit your family at home. Mashaa-Allah, everything is at home. Convenience. Alhamdulillah, continue. You go to the masjid at home. You come to dhikr at home. You attend Urs at home. Mashaa-Allah (swt), you became a homie.
In the old times when they went to the bazaar they had cash. Before that, they had gold or silver, dirham and dinar. This man went out to the bazaar and filled his sack with rocks. People would look and say, “How rich is this man?” Because he was worshiping to show off. He was doing recitation, madih, nasheed, suhbah, dhikr and filling his bag and people were saying, “Wow. What a big one.” But when he goes to the bazaar with a bag full of rocks, he has no benefit except the people saying that he is a big one, he’s rich. Even if he wants to buy something, no one will sell him anything. He does not get anything in return.
When we are on this Way and I’m not talking about other imams who have only taken the Shari`ah way, which is good because alhamdulillah, they have Jannah, but you have to reach further. You have to reach the Presence of Allah (swt). That is maq`adu ‘s-sidq, the seat of righteousness. What is sidq, sadiq? The righteous one is whose tongue matches his heart and his heart matches his tongue, no double standards. That is missing and that is the most important thing. Allah (swt) said in Surah Qamar:
فِى مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِندَ مَلِيكٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍۭ
Fee maqa`di ‘s-sidqin inda Maleekin muqtadir.
In an Assembly of Truth, in the Presence of a Sovereign Omnipotent. (Surat al-Qamar, 54:55)
In a seat of righteousness, a truthful one. If you want to be there, you have to go deeper. Of course all Muslims have gotten rid of the visible shirk but there is a hidden shirk and that is riya`. You are worshiping Allah (swt) but not to earn His Pleasure but the pleasure of others because you have something to gain from them. That has to go and sincerity has to come, righteousness has to come. If it doesn’t come, you are not going to reach anywhere. Allah (swt) will still give Jannah to the Muslims. We are not contesting that but there are higher levels of Jannah and above Jannah is the Presence of Allah (swt).
You cannot measure Waliyullah. They say you can measure a person by looking at him to see what he’s doing but you cannot achieve that truthfulness. Our masters, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q), Mawlana Shaykh Hisham (q) and the others, you saw things from them but you don’t know the inner side. Nobody can understand that. Only a Waliyullah can see those at his level. They can see the ones under but they cannot see the ones above. They see them as shining stars in the sky. You can see their Noor shining but what maqam they are in, which orbit they are in, which field they are in, you don’t know.
Cut off dunya from your heart. Cut off the showing off in your heart. If you want to do something for Allah (swt), really do it for Allah (swt). Don’t ask for the approval of others. Don’t ask, “What did they say? Did they like it? Is it good? Do we do it this way or that way?” That is all a show. We are not into that. Others might be but if you are in the way of Rasoolullah (s), he is the atqaakum, the one who has the most righteousness and the closest to Allah (swt). That is his way, no visible shirk and no hidden shirk. Your ego wants to go above others by showing that it is a big one. May Allah (swt) forgive us. Our Way is to get rid of that.
Sayyidina Sulayman (a) was given a drink from Paradise. It was said to him, “If you drink this, you will not die.” He collected his entourage and asked, “What do I do?” There was one who was not present and that was the hedgehog. Everybody else said, “Drink it.” He sent the horse and the falcon to bring the hedgehog who was not present to the consultation. He wanted his opinion. When they called him, he did not answer their call. They went back to Sayyidina Sulayman (a) and said, “He did not come.” He sent a dog. The dog went and the hedgehog came with the dog.
First of all, Sayyidina Sulayman (a) said, “I want to ask you a question but before that, why didn’t you come when I sent you the horse and the falcon?” He said, “Yaa Sayyidi. I did not come with the horse or the falcon because both of them possess a characteristic I dislike.”
“What is that?”
“Their closeness and service to you is fake. It’s not true closeness and service.”
“How come?’
“Because the horse carries on his back the enemy of Allah (swt) and it carries the friend of Allah (swt). The falcon obeys its owner and the falcon obeys other than its owner.”
Have you seen all of these Arabs in the desert with falcons? They take all the westerners on tours with the falcons on their hands or their harms.
“That’s why I didn’t come. Their closeness and service is not true because they can serve anybody. They can be close to anybody.”
“How about the dog?”
“The dog is loyal, even if his master kicks him out, he comes back again and that’s why I came with him.”
“Okay, good. What should I do with the drink, should I drink it?”
“Don’t drink it.”
“Why?”
“So your life is not extended in prison. Death in freedom and dignity is better than life in prison.”
Where is the freedom of Waliyullah, in prison? Have you ever heard the Hadith of Rasoolullah (s), ad-dunya sijnu ‘l-mu’min? The mu’min is ready to break out of the prison. When they brought that drink from Paradise, the hedgehog which is known for wisdom and intelligence said, “Don’t drink it. Death in freedom and dignity is better than life in prison.”
Sayyidina Sulayman (a) said, “You have given me an excellent consultation.”
The mu’min is not eager to stay in dunya. It’s a prison. Rasoolullah (s) told the truth, ad-dunya sijnu ’l mu’min wa Jannatu ‘l-kafir. Dunya is the prison of the mu’min. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q), Mawlana Shaykh Hisham (q), Awliyaullah, `ulama, atqiya, asfiya, Anbiya, all of them craved the time they will go. That is why it is called Urs. It was a celebration. Why do you keep crying? Because you want to stay in dunya. Cut off that dunya. When the true love of Allah (swt) enters the heart of the servant, that love cuts off the attachment to wealth, children and families and the pleasures of the ego. If you still have attachment to wealth, to family and friends and to the pleasures of your ego then that love of Allah (swt) has not entered your heart yet.
Awliyaullah are special. They avoided dunya and its traps. They freed themselves from the pleasures of the ego and allowed that love of Allah (swt) to enter into their heart and sever all other relationships. Be like them. Why do you fight to stay in this dunya?
Man Ahabu liqaa’ullaha (swt) ahabAllahu liqaa’ahu.
Whoever loves to meet Allah (swt), Allah (swt) loves to meet with him. Test yourself. Do you like to meet Allah (swt)? “When I’m 80. Let me live until I’m 85, 90. I can still enjoy myself.” All of them are running to that. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said when you wake up in the morning, say, “I only have until the evening, O my ego.” Don’t give it more time. And in the evening, you only have until the morning.
Be a righteous one by heart and your heart matches your tongue. Be in that seat of truth. If you are only working for show then you are a showman. What do they call them in Las Vegas? All the Muslims go there. “Oh they have kid shows in Las Vegas. They have kid's entertainment and family entertainment.” Mashaa-Allah. Alhamdulillah. They added some stuff to the big entertainment.
If you are a showman, good for you. May Allah (swt) allow us and allow you to be guided to the right way. If you are a truthful one who only worships Allah (swt) for the love of Allah (swt), for the worship of Allah (swt), not something else, then you are on the way of taqwa. They have levels. It first starts with, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah. That means there is no nafs, ego. “O my ego. You are not in the picture. I take orders from Allah (swt).” That is mubtadih, the beginning. The dhikr of the beginner is, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah.
How about the middle one? Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Anta. You start seeing Allah (swt), not by the eyes but by the iman of the heart. You start talking to Him. That’s when you become homeless under a bridge in LA. May Allah (swt) give them relief. We have a lot of mureeds over there. They are all doing good, alhamdulillah but may Allah (swt) help them with what they are going through.
How about the one at the end? He hears, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Ana. “There is no god but Me.” He’s not seeing anything anymore because he is not around. He’s gone. Fana. When you start hearing Allah (swt) say, “I am God.” You see problems going on and you hear Allah (swt) say, “I am God.” You see wars, lotto winnings and losses and you hear, “I am God. I am doing what I want to do.” Do you hear that, O Muslim? Do you hear, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Ana from him? That is the one who has reached the end. It’s all from Him.
Laa ilaaha illa-Llah is the first dhikr to cut off the show, aspiring to be a big one with a big bag of rocks that don’t benefit you here or Hereafter. May Allah (swt) forgive us. Continue with, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah, until you reach a level where you only see Allah (swt) wherever you go. Then you start to say, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Anta. What do you say in namaz? The fourth verse of Surah Fatiha is, iyyaka na`budu. You. Are you talking to somebody or are you crazy? “We worship You.” You’re talking to somebody. Do you understand that? Are you talking to thin air? We are not even reading Fatiha correctly. You read it but you don’t understand it with your heart. You don’t see Him.
One time in suhbah Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said, “Ka.” It means “You.” You’re seeing. He did this. Awliyaullah see who they are talking to. You are not seeing anything but yourself. “Am I making a good ghunna. How is my tajweed? Should I make the alif higher or lower? Do I twist it a little bit? Iyyaaaka. Maybe they will like it better if I say that.” You see yourself. “Did I stop nicely on nasta`een? Do I elongate it like Abdul Basit and make some changes there?”
You have to know the tricks of your ego and Shaytan. Iyyaka. I am seeing you, O my Lord, and I’m asking You for guidance. May Allah (swt) forgive us. Awliyaullah only hear, “I am God. There is no god but Me. Whatever is happening, I am sending it.” That is taslimiyya and rida. May Allah (swt) allow us to tread that path.
May Allah (swt) forgive us. May Allah (swt) be pleased with our masters. May Allah (swt) raise them higher and higher and allow us to follow their footsteps to reach where they have reached. At least with love we can connect to them. If we are not able to connect with our deeds, at least we can connect to them with love.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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