13 August 2011 London, UK
Fajr Suhbah at CSCA, Feltham
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani ‘r-rajim. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,
nawaytu 'r-riyaadah, nawaytu 's-sulook, lillahi ta`ala fee haadha 'l-masjid.
Ati`oollaha wa ati`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (4:59)
Alhamdulillah, everyday we are seeing new faces, not the same faces, but changing. That is a sign of Allah's blessings on all of us. Allah is sending His sincere servants. These associations are under Mawlana Shaykh Nazim’s name and for anything under awliyaullah’s name there is a special ocean from which awliyaullah drink and give to their followers. Every wali has a different ocean; not all awliya swim in the same ocean; they do not all receive the same knowledge. In terms of Shari`ah all are the same, but tazkiyyat an-nufoos, “purification of the self,” needs a lot of water from that ocean to clean the hearts of those who follow that shaykh.
Like in mining gold, they find gold along the rivers and wash away the sand in order to get the gold; this is the old method. Without the river they cannot get the gold. That flowing river is the heart of the wali from which anyone can quench their thirst and polish their heart from all kind of dirtiness and curtains that block you from shining. There are veils between you and the Prophet (s) that block everything; the shaykh is not blocked, but we are. As Grandshaykh (q) said, “There are seventy thousand veils between us and the Prophet (s), and if we don’t remove these curtains one by one, it will be impossible to reach our trust.” Your trust can only be given in the presence of Prophet (s); otherwise the shaykh cannot give it to you as it will not open up.
So every wali swims in a different ocean, from which he gives his followers. Depending on the level of that wali, what you drink will become sweeter and sweeter. There are oceans that are salty and some that are sweet like fresh-water rivers. Niagara Falls is like an ocean, but it is sweet. So depending on their levels, awliyaullah raise their students with them to drink from the ocean they are drinking from. They don’t accept to have their followers drink from something else; all have to drink from the same place in order to quench their thirst according to that level of knowledge. When he raises them and gives them to drink from that knowledge, from that Fountain of Youth, they become shining in their hearts; their hearts turn into a jewel when the shaykh cleans it by taking away the dirtiness with that ocean of water.
Allah (swt) said:
وَجَعَلْنَا مِنَ الْمَاء كُلَّ شَيْءٍ حَيٍّ
wa ja`alna min al-maa'i kulla shay’in hayy.
We made from water every living thing. (Al-Anbiya, 21:30)
We pass over that ayah and translate it as, “We have made from water everything alive.” A wali, however, does not read the ayah like that; when he recites, wa ja`alna min al-maa'i kulla shay’in hayy, “We made from water every living thing,” Prophet (s) takes dips him into the reality of that verse, where he will be able to see all living things, kulla shay, every thing! Who is this “everything?” Allah (swt) did not say, ba`du shayy, “some things,” as that might only indicate human beings, but rather He said, kulla shay’in hayy, which means, “(We made from water) every living thing.”
وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَق السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ فِي سِتَّةِ أَيَّامٍ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاء لِيَبْلُوَكُمْ أَيُّكُمْ أَحْسَنُ عَمَلاً
wa huwa ‘Lladhee khalaqa ‘s-samaawati wa ‘l-arda fee sittati ayyaamin wa kaana `arshuhu `ala ‘l-maa’ li-yabluwakum ayyakum ahsanu `amalaa
It is He who created the Heavens and the Earth in six days, and His Throne was upon the waters that He might try you, (and see) which of you excel in works. (Suratu ‘l-Hud, 11:70)
Allah (swt) said that His Throne was on water when He created Heavens and Earth in six days. What is that water? We don’t know. While there is no time, place, or direction for Allah (swt), He said, “His Throne was on water,” indicating a place. There is a big exclamation mark here; what does that mean? We cannot open up that subject now as it is a very sensitive topic which `ulama debate, concerning who will sit on the Holy Throne.
Allah (swt) said:
الرَّحْمَنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَى
Ar-Rahman `ala 'l-`arsh istawaa.
The Most Gracious is firmly established on the Throne (of authority). (TaHa, 20:5)
It is not “sitting” (as they interpret it), but istawaa here means “to take over;” Huwa `alaa 'l-`arsh istawaa, “He took over the Throne.” You cannot say Allah (swt) sits on the Throne, as He does not sit on something He creates; He doesn’t need to! He took it over.
[So the question comes:] Then who is going to sit there?
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (r) said in his book that Allah will order Prophet (s) to sit on the Throne, and Sayyid Muhammad `Alawi Maliki confirmed that in his book, Mafahim Yajib `an Tusahhah, "The Necessary Correction of Certain Misconceptions", stating, “Of course Prophet (s) will be sitting on the Throne if Allah wills it. No one can say ‘no’ if Allah says ‘yes.’”
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya was a student of Ibn Taymiyya and he wrote this in his book, and since he wrote it, if we can say he is the strongest proponent of the Salafi school of thought, ibn Taymiyya, ibn Katheer and others, if one of them confirmed that then why do they object to Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah when they praise Prophet (s)? They have no right, because Allah is respecting and honoring His Prophet and inviting him, just as ibn Qayyim said, “To sit on the Throne,”and it is authenticated by Sayyid Muhammad `Alawi Maliki of Mecca, who also put it in his book. So they cannot legitimately run away from this belief as they said it. This is evidence for them from their own books, and awliyallah inherit these knowledges with its secrets.
wa ja`alna min al-maa'i kulla shay’in hayy, “We made from water every living thing.” What is everything? Today they found the human body is comprised of 90-94% water. There is nothing in the universe that does not need water! So for the secret of existence and anything they want to know, awliyaullah take from that ayah. That is why when we read Qur’an we have to be careful to understand what we read, not to pass through it like a storyteller or someone reading a history book, or like a lecturer that quickly reviews. In every letter of Holy Qur’an there are 24,000 oceans of knowledge that will be opened to you! Everyone will have a different opening as Allah (swt) does not duplicate, so everyone will be given different knowledges. Allah will give him something different from what He gives you.
Therefore, we must have faith, which is why imaan is the second religious category of Islam: aamanto billahi wa malaa'ikatihi wa kutoobihi wa rusoolihi wa 'l-yawmi 'l-aakhir wa bi 'l-qadri khayrihi wa sharrihi min Allahi Ta`ala, "I believe in Allah, and His angels, and His books, and His messengers, and in the Last Day, and in Predestination good and bad, as ordained by Allah, the Highest." Imaan is important, as you must believe.
There are three different elements of knowledge: Islam, imaan and ihsaan. Islam is the base structure of the building, imaan is its roof, and ihsaan is the decoration. Islam consists of five pillars which you build in order to have the base structure. Then you need imaan, belief to build the roof, after which you will feel safe to enter and begin decorating (the house) through ihsaan, moral excellence. So when you build Islam, imaan, and ihsaan in your heart, you will have a house that has been decorated with Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes, as Prophet (s) said:
قلب الوءمن بيت الرب
qalb al-mu'min bayt ar-rabb
The heart of the believer is the House of Allah. (Hadeeth Qudsee)
The House of Allah (swt) does not need to be decorated like decorations here in this room, but it is decorated with “laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah,” which is the decoration of the heart! The love for The Owner of that is the decoration of the heart. When you love Prophet (s) and read the Kalimat at-Tawheed, you will be honored to receive the shining rainbow of Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes in your heart
الايمان نصفان نصفه صبر ونصف شكر
al-imaan nisfaan: nisfahu sabrun wa nisfun shukrun.
Prophet (s) said: Fatih is of two halves: half is patience and half is being thankful.
Imaan is of two halves. If you are in `ibadah, worship, it means you believe in Allah (swt). Your five daily prayers are considered worship, but you need imaan. Some people in Arab countries or the Subcontinent were raised on prayer; they pray as a custom but without belief. So you need imaan, belief, and to have imaan is to be patient on everything around you.
Prophet (s) was the most patient on his Ummah. An example of this is for seven years his neighbor dumped garbage on his doorstep but he never complained; he simply took the garbage and threw it away without telling anyone. The day when his neighbor was about to die, Prophet (s) went to visit him. The neighbor was very surprised by this and said, “Yaa Muhammad! For seven years I threw garbage at your door, but you never said anything to me, I never heard you complain, and now you are coming to see me when I am dying? What kind of beautiful religion do you have?”
So as-sabr, being patient on people’s rudeness will one day attract them to you, when you are patient with those who harm you. You can be patience on someone who loves you, but that is easy. To increase discipline, you have to be patient on someone who harms you, then you will be a role model without even trying to discipline them as they will be disciplined through your behaviour. You will learn from them and they will learn from you.
They asked a disciplined person, “Who taught you discipline?”
He said, “I learned discipline from those who have no discipline; I observed them and tried to avoid those behaviours until I became disciplined.”
Imaan makes us patient and forgiving. When you forgive Allah (swt) will reward you, as He mentioned in the Holy Qur’an:
فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ
fa-man `afaa wa aslaha fa-ajruhu `ala-Llahi innahu laa yuhibbu ‘zh-zhaalimeen.
Whosoever forgives and makes peace, his reward will be with Allah. Surely, He does not love the cruel. (ash-Shura, 42:40)
So if you want reward from Allah (swt), make peace and forgive those who harm you!
Once, while Sayyidina `Umar (r) was in the presence of Prophet (s), the Prophet (s) said, “That Sahaabi is going to enter Paradise without giving an account.” Sayyidina `Umar (r) was happy to hear that and wanted to know more, so he went to that Sahaabi’s home and knocked on his door. As soon as the Sahaabi opened the door, he said, “O, Sayyidina `Umar! Please come in.” Without asking him anything, he gave him food and a mattress to sleep on, because according to Arabic etiquette you must host your guests for three days without asking the reason of their visit. So after the three days were up, the host asked, “Yaa `Umar! Is there anything you are requesting from me?”
Sayyidina `Umar (r) said, “I’m wondering why the Prophet (s) said you will enter Paradise with no account when you are not doing anything special! I saw that we are doing more than you, as I was with you for three days. Tahajjud comes and you don’t wake up, you only wake up for Fajr prayer while we are awake all night doing our Tahajjud prayers, then Maghrib comes and you don’t pray Salaatu ‘l-Awwabeen or the other voluntary prayers what we do; like Salaat ad-Dhuha. So I don’t understand why the Prophet (s) said that! Do you do something special?”
He said, “Yes, Sayyidina `Umar! Allah (swt) put three disciplines in my heart: first, before I go to sleep, I renew my creed by reciting the shahaadah, the Kalimat at-Tawheed. Every night before going to sleep,I must say, ‘Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasoolullah.’”
Not only by tongue, but by thinking and meditating on it, feeling as if you are in the Presence of Allah (swt) saying, “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasoolullah.” Isn’t it a nice feeling? You send yourself there; your soul can move and feel the presence, saying, “Yaa Rabbee! Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan Rasoolullah!” This will increase the Divine Presence within your heart. Day after day, that presence will become stronger and stronger until you begin to hear and see things.
That man continued, “Second, yaa `Umar: in the morning, if dunya comes to me with all its treasures, it doesn't change me. I don’t say I made millions and become happy as it doesn't mean anything to me! It is just dirty dunya. It is only useful for spending in the Way of Allah (swt). In the evening, if I lose the whole dunya I don't get upset, I always say, ‘Shukran, yaa Rabbee!’ And third, before I put my head on the pillow, I forgive everyone who has harmed me; I will not hold any drop of hate against anyone.”
Then Sayyidina `Umar (r) said, "Now I understand why Prophet (s) said you are going to Paradise without giving any account."
فَمَنْ عَفَا وَأَصْلَحَ فَأَجْرُهُ عَلَى اللَّهِ
Fa-man `afaa wa aslaha fa-ajruhu `ala-Llah.
Whoever forgives and makes peace, his reward will be with Allah. (ash-Shura, 42.40)
So that is the reward: to enter Paradise when you forgive! Allah (swt) is The Forgiver. When you forgive Allah is happy with you because He is saying, “I am The One Who forgives. Learn how to forgive people and I will forgive you on that difficult day.” Don’t keep any hatred for anyone in your heart; forgive them! Then Allah (swt) will make them forgive us also, as we are all falling into the traps of Shaytan, hating this one or that one. When we forgive, Allah forgives us!
So half of imaan is to be patient. Being patient means you are someone who forgives, someone who doesn’t carry hatred in his heart against anyone. The second half of imaan is ash-shukr, to thank Allah (swt), as He said:
لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ
wa la’in shakartum la-azeedanakum.
If you thank Me, I give you more.” (al-Ibrahim, 14:7)
Say, “Shukran, yaa Allah! Shukran, yaa Allah!” and Allah (swt) will give you more. But when there is too much dunya in our lives we forget to say, “Shukran, yaa Rabbee, thank you, O my Lord!” May Allah (swt) keep that hadith in our hearts, to remember imaan is of two halves, patience and thankfulness. If you balance that, all your deeds will be balanced.
One of Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes is “As-Saboor, The Patient One.” It is the Last Name of the Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names and it means, "I am the most patient on My servants." Is He not patient with us? Look at the `Aad, Thamood and the people of Sayyidina Nuh (a): Allah (swt) was not patient with them and destroyed them.
وَقَلِيلٌ مِّنْ عِبَادِيَ الشَّكُورُ
wa qaleelan min `ibadee ash-shakoor.
Only a few of My worshippers are thankful. (Surat as-Saba’, 34:13)
Allah (swt) said, “Very few of My servants are thankful.” Qaleel means “very few;” compared to billions it means nothing. So Allah (swt) says, "You must be within that few," who are thankful. If you are, min ash-shaakireenAllah, those who thank Allah, then Allah will not put you down, He will put you up. But we need faith, as without it neither sabr nor shukr, patience nor thankfulness come; nothing comes! Faith brings everything.
The Prophet (s) said:
العلماء ورثة الأنبياء
al-`ulama warithatu ’l-anbiya.
The (genuine) scholars are the inheritors of prophets.
Inshaa-Allah we will continue that after Dhuhr prayer. Those who are here will listen and those who are not, it will reach their hearts wherever they are. Mawlana's suhbah reaches the heart of every mureed, wherever they are! When you are authorized to speak, it must reach the heart of everyone who took the hand of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q). May Allah forigive us.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.