21 July 2010 Lefke, Cyprus
Dastoor yaa rijaalAllah. (Mawlana Shaykh stands)
Allah Allah, Allah Allah, Allah Allah, `Azeez Allah.
Allah Allah, Allah Allah, Allah Allah, Subhaan Allah.
Allah Allah, Allah Allah, Allah Allah, Sultan Allah.
Illaahi zidh Habeebika `izzan wa sharafaa, nooran wa suroora, wa ridhwaanan wa sultaana illaahi min shahr ‘l-Sha`baan al-Mu`azzam. Thumma salaam `alayk yaa Saahib al-Waqt, yaa Qutb al-Mutasarrif fi 'd-dunya. O our holy ones! We are needy for your support to address people through east and west. We are saying, a`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. (Mawlana Shaykh stands) O our Lord! We are weak ones; give us from heavenly support to take away everything that belongs to Shaytan. (Mawlana Shaykh sits) Allah, Allah.
As-salaamu `alaykum our attenders from ins and jinns, from Mankind and jinns. As-salaamu `alaykum wa `alayna wa `alaa man `ittaba al-hudaa.
O People! We are trying to learn much more about heavenly rights that belong to Allah Almighty which we have been ordered to fulfill. We are not living here to make our egos to be enjoyful and happy, or to play and make our egos happy, no. Madad. We must know what is right and what is wrong. Originally, Man never knew what is right and wrong, and for that reason, Allah Almighty sent His prophets to teach them who a true one is, and what is right and what is wrong, nothing else. If we are not trying to know who a true one is and what is wrong, we will never be able to fulfill our oaths in the Divine Presence that we took on the Day of Oaths. And the Lord of Heavens has always sent His prophets, who are special beings; they are not ordinary or we would never know. But special ones have been authorized to show what is good and what is bad; what is true and what is wrong; what is an honor for Mankind and what is taking away honor from Mankind. Madad yaa Sultaanu 'l-Awliya. This is an important point.
O our Attenders, try to hear! And I am also trying to understand what is true and what is wrong. Yes, the Lord of Heavens ordered and is calling His servants to learn. And the Seal of Prophets (s) said:
طلب العلم فريضة على كل مسلم و مسلمة
talab al-`ilmi fareedatan `ala kulli muslim wa muslimah.
Seeking knowledge is an obligation on every Muslim man and Muslim woman.
O our Salafi `ulamas! Marhaban! Do you know this hadeeth shareef, or are you sleeping? Say, about that holy hadeeth. Everything that the Seal of Prophets (s) is speaking is holy; it is not ordinary words.
إِنْ هُوَ إِلَّا وَحْيٌ يُوحَى
In huwa illa wahyun yoohaa.
It is not except revelation revealed to him. (53:4)
You are making the holy speeches of the Seal of Prophets (s) as if they are your speeches. No! He is a specialized one in the Divine Presence, and he was granted such a position that no one can reach, only that specialized or chosen one, Sayyidina Rasoolullah (s) can reach it! What was he saying? Talab al-`ilmi fareedatan `ala kulli muslim wa muslimah. He was not saying, "mu’min wa mu’minah"; there must be a difference between the two. The Seal of Prophets (s) was using "muslim wa muslimah" because Islam came as a base for imaan; if there is no faith there is no Islam. You must believe that you can stand on the base of imaan. And therefore he was saying, “alla kulli muslim wa muslimah.”
What is for talab al-`ilm, student of knowledge? Make it clear to your people: talab al-`ilm asks for heavenly knowledge, not what you know of Islamic knowledge. Yes, Muslim or muslimah. Allah gives us through His most holy servant an understanding between imaan and Islam. Talab al `ilm. If a person is Muslim or muslimah, what are they asking to learn? You must try to understand why the Seal of Prophets (s) was saying, "Muslim or muslimah," and not saying, "mu’min wa mu’minah." Open it up if you are `ulamas! Qooloo aslaamnaa:
قَالَتِ الْأَعْرَابُ آمَنَّا قُل لَّمْ تُؤْمِنُوا وَلَكِن قُولُوا أَسْلَمْنَا وَلَمَّا يَدْخُلِ الْإِيمَانُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَإِن تُطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ لَا يَلِتْكُم مِّنْ أَعْمَالِكُمْ شَيْئًا إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Qaalati 'l-A`araabu aamannaa qul lam tu'minoo wa laakin qooloo aslaamnaa wa lammaa yadkhuli 'l-imaanu fee quloobikum wa in tutee`oollaaha wa rasoolahu laa yalitkum min `aamaalikum shayan innallaaha ghafoorun raheem
The Arabs declare, "We believe." Say (to them), "You do not. Rather say, 'We submit,' because belief has not yet found its way into your hearts. If you obey Allah and His Messenger, He will not reduce a thing from your deeds. Allah is the Oft-Forgiving and the Most Merciful." (49:14)
Allah Almighty is saying, qaalati 'l-A`araab. When they were claiming that they are aamannaa, believing, He said, "You must say aslaamna, 'we submit'." That means, the level of imaan is higher than the level of Islam. But as the first step, you must come to Islam to say, "I am aslamtu." Aslamtu means, “I surrender to my Lord's orders.” When you reach that level, you must ask for more knowledge to take you from the level of Islam to the level of imaan, which is the most important thing. Therefore, we must ask how we can reach the level of imaan. Who knows this? Prophets! Prophets called people to Islam. And when the people were saying aslaamna, prophets taught them how to be mu’mins, believers, because their Islam was only through their tongues, saying, "La ilaaha illa-Llah (Mawlana Shaykh stands), la ilaaha illa-Llah, la ilaaha illa-Llah, Muhammadan Rasoolullah.” (Mawlana Shaykh sits) That is Islam, but what about imaan? When we are saying Kalimat ash-Shahaadatayn, the Declaration of Allah's Oneness, we are going to be Muslim, but then you need to be mu’min, the one who surrendered and is asking to walk on it to reach the level of imaan.
O our Salafi `ulamas! Is there anything wrong with this? Are you saying this hadeeth shareef? Open up your knowledge more and more and more. To say Kalimatu ash-Shahaadah is the first step. To what was Allah Almighty calling His people to say Kalimatu 'sh-Shahaadah, and what was the Seal of Prophets (s) saying? He was saying, (Mawlana Shaykh stands):
الإيمان بضع وستون أو بضع وسبعون شعبة، أعلاها: لا إله إلا الله، وأدناها: إماطة الأذى عن الطريق. والحياء شعبة من الإيمان
al-imaanu bid`a wa saba`oon shu`batan `aalaaha Kalimatu 'sh-Shahaadah adnaaha eemaatat al-adhaa min at-tareeq, “Imaan, faith, is composed of 70 and more branches, the highest of which is the shahaadah and the lowest of which is to remove what is harmful from the way, (and modesty is a branch of faith).” (the two Sahihs) (Mawlana Shaykh sits)
When you come into the state of imaan, `aalaaha an taqool, you are coming into Islam by saying, laa ilaaha illa-Llah, Muhammadan Rasoolullah," wa sharafaa wa karramah, Sayyidi’l-Awwaleen wa ‘l-Akhireen. (Mawlana Shaykh stands and sits) That hadeeth shareef, O Salafi `ulamas, carries people from adna, the lowest step of Islam, to `alaa, the highest step. Therefore, talab al-`ilmi, seeking knowledge, is to ask and to learn. It is an obligation from Allah Almighty to every man and woman who says, "We are Muslims." Yes. Are you teaching this or are you speaking of many things that can be maa laa ya`neeh, “What is of no concern.” Is it not? Why are you speaking from maa laa ya`neeh? Why are you speaking from academic knowledge to a standard level of school? What is that?
After elementary comes a higher level. From the lowest level, they have been offered `alaa, the top point of being Muslim and mu’min: one wing Islam, one wing imaan. You must use it to reach high levels of Heavens. Islam, yukhaatib, addressing to our physical beings, but imaan, addressing to our spiritual beings. You can't reach with your material being or physical being, you won't be able to go up, as it is heavy. Material things are heavy; you can’t use those to go up. But when you are going to be mu’min, believers, you are taking power through your spiritual being and may go up and up and up; endless horizons or endless horizons of imaan. Therefore, Allah Almighty is saying, (Mawlana Shaykh stands)
وَلِكُلٍّ دَرَجَاتٌ
wa li kullin darajaat.
To everyone are levels from what they perform of deeds. (6:132)
(Mawlana Shaykh sits) Allah Almighty is saying, “In front of everyone are endless horizons that have endless goals." Try to reach one after one; there is no hindrance if you are asking for it. Therefore, saying, "For everyone there is a level." He may reach that level, and another one may reach another level. For everyone, wa li kullin darajaat. Your level can’t be the same as another’s level; you have a unique level for yourself. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar! That means the Lord of Heavens is granting to everyone as He likes endless oceans, endless levels. Maa fee zihaam, "There is no crowding there." Everyone is going up and up, while no one is preventing.
O our Salafi `ulamas! When have you been granted darajaat? Do you know or not? As long as people are following their rides' desires, there levels are always the levels of animals. When you leave that, an opening will come to you and only for you, not for anyone else. You don’t know anyone’s level and degree; it is only for himself or herself. No one knows what you have been granted through your Paradise and you never know what is granted to anyone else. Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar!
O our Salafi `ulamas! You must teach about Islam and imaan, to make peoples' feet fixed here and Hereafter. If you are not making people to put their feet on the right station, they can’t get up. Then you should be like an airport, with some airplanes going up and some waiting. Waiting for what? Because there is no petrol, no power, and they are just sitting there. Therefore, we have been ordered to ask for more heavenly powers, to move from this airport up to our real target’s levels or else you will remain here, never going up! All heavenly commands and heavenly orders provide petrol power to our spirituality, for us to go up. If people are not using this, they will always remain on the runway. Others who take their power from the Seal of Prophets (s), rise up and go to special directions, granted from the Lord of Heavens. And no one knows where they are going or what is in that level. You can’t look there; if you are looking, you can’t see. You can only see what belongs to you; no one else can look in that level. If someone else looks, your Paradise is veiled to him, and you can’t look in his Paradise also, because it is veiled and belongs only to him.
May Allah forgive us, for the honor of His most honored one, Sayyidina Muhammad (s)! (Mawlana Shaykh stands and sits). Mashaa-Allah. Shukranlillah.
Fatihah.
(Mawlana Shaykh prays two rak`aat Salaat ash-Shukr.)
(Mawlana Shaykh sings.)
Dome, dome, dome, dome
Dome, dome, dome, dome
Dome, dome, dome, dome
Dome, dome, dome, dome
Dome, dome, dome, dome
Dome, dome, dome, dome
Dome, dome, dome, dome
Dome, dome, dome, dome
Dome, dome, dome, dome
Dome, dome, dome, dome
Dome, dome, dome, dome
Dome, dome, dome, dome
Fatihah.