Centre for Spirituality & Cultural Advancement (CSCA) (1)
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
Atee`oollaha wa atee`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.
Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:59)
The lazy one follows his desires, so if you are not following your desires you are active. Yesterday we spoke about Haroon al-Rasheed, and how there are many people following Tariqah but in reality there is only one man and one woman who are following the Truth, who are real mureeds. We hope we will not run away. Always our desires want dunya and Allah wants Akhirah for us!
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Say (O Muhammad), "If you (really) love Allah, then follow me! Allah will love you and forgive your sins, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surat Aali-'Imraan, 3:31)
It means follow Muhammad (s), and the Sahaabah (r) rushed to follow Prophet (s) in whatever he did. So from one generation to the next, we are following in the footsteps of Prophet (s), but are we following the right way or the wrong way? That is why you need a guide, because by ourselves for sure we will fall into Shaytan’s trap and will need someone to pull us out.
When Abu Jahl, the ‘Father of Ignorance,’ which means all ignorance was in him--every Shaytan, every ignorant person, every unbeliever was with him--with all these bad characteristics he invited Prophet (s) for dinner. Prophet (s) accepted because he wanted to save his uncle from Hellfire. Abu Jahl was happy Prophet (s) accepted and he dug a big ditch and covered it with date palms so Prophet (s) would fall in it.
That is complete ignorance, to not know Allah is supporting Prophet (s)! With all his craziness, laziness and ignorance, he represented Iblees and yet Prophet (s) still went in the hope that Abu Jahl would accept Islam. As Prophet (s) approached, in his eagerness Abu Jahl forgot he had dug a ditch, ran out to greet Prophet (s) and fell into the ditch! Did Prophet (s) let him go? First, Prophet (s) extended his hand to him and had he not caught him, Abu Jahl would have kept falling ever deeper and deeper into the Earth under that punishment until the Day of Judgment. Prophet (s) extended his holy hand and pulled him out, which means we must follow the Prophet’s footsteps!
Sometimes we might go on the wrong way and in order to be on the right way we need a guide. Prophet (s) did not need a guide, but for us to learn that we must follow a guide he followed Sayyidina Jibreel (a) on Israa’ wa 'l-Mi`raaj until he reached Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, where Jibreel said, “Yaa Rasoolullah, I cannot go further. This is for you, you go further.” Prophet (s) went to Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa and further; no one knows where or how. He was invited by himself with no guide to show us we need a guide in this dunya where no one can know the Reality of The Creator, only Prophet (s) was able to reach there. A guide is important in our lives. You [a mureed] became a lawyer by following not just one, but six to seven teachers; to become a professional requires taking many teachers. How about in Islam?
إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللّهِ الإِسْلاَمُُ
The religion in Allah’s view is Islam (submission to His Will). (Surat Aali-`Imraan, 3:19)
If we need a guide in dunya matters, what about in Akhirah matters? For that we need a strong guide, which is why we follow shuyookh who are sincere and pious ones, because they are important in our lives. Without their guidance we lose, we might go right or left.
This is a story mentioned by Grandshaykh `AbdAllah (q). In the time of Haroon al-Rasheed, who was king, everyone was a student of Sayyidina `Abdul Qadir Jilani (q), Ghawth al-`Azham, following not only a pir, but the Pole of Islam in their time. The king offered a zawiya, guest house to those who followed Sayyidina `Abdul Qadir Jilani (q) but didn’t have the ability to work, and like zawiyas, dargahs, khaaniqahs around the world, you will find people who are really interested in following the master and people who only come to eat, drink and sleep.
The king found too many lazy ones had entered the zawiya to become students of Sayyidina `Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (q), who only wanted to eat, sleep and drink tea! They were tufayliyyin, parasites of the kingdom. All of them said, “We are students of `Abdul Qadir al-Jilani and have a right to live at the zawiya.” So many zawiyas were opened, which is good, and one was for the most lazy ones, like us! So Haroon al-Rasheed was fed up and consult his minister, who said, “Leave it to me. I will try to solve this problem in a better way.” He went to Sayyidina `Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (q), who told him to do something nice. He returned to the king and said, “I have permission from Sayyidina `Abdul Qadir al-Jilani and we will follow his order.”
On Thursday evening, more people came to sit, eat, drink and sleep. They also prayed, but were very lazy. They left their work and wanted to live on government benefits like so many do today, whether they deserve it or not.
Sayyidina `Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (q) told the minister, “Do this and I am responsible. Identify those who are naturally lazy from those who are only pretending to be lazy.” [They are called ‘couch potatoes.’] ‘Couch potatoes,’ a new word for me! You find a lot of them today: they eat for free wherever there is food, like in the time of Sayyidina `Ali (r) and Sayyidina Mu`awiya (r), there was a person who lived on the mountain far from everyone, who didn’t want to fight or be part of the problem between them. So at the time of prayer he prayed behind Sayyidina `Ali (r), but when food came he went to Sayyidina Mu`awiya (r), who served rich food, then afterward he returned to Sayyidina `Ali’s association.
The people said he was a hypocrite. and asked him, “Why are you doing this?”
He said, “When I pray in the presence of Sayyidina `Ali (r) my prayer is in the Divine Presence and when I am hungry the food of Sayyidina Mu`awiya (r) calls me. This is how I arrange myself between both groups.”
Haroon ar-Rasheed’s minister wanted to identify the laziest ones who were cheating the government to get benefits, so by the order of Sayyidina `Abdul Qadir al-Jilani (q), he set fire to the building of most lazy people, which was full. When most of them saw the fire they ran away, but two people in a room at the very end were so lazy they didn’t move. One said, “Move, the fire is coming my way!” and the other one said, “No, your move, the fire is coming from my side!” They argued and pushed each other, even though the fire was going to burn them.
The minister said, “That is enough, everyone is out! These two are the real lazy ones; they can stay in the house we did not burn. The rest are out.”
Our laziness is like that: we keep moving right and left, left and right, in order to find a way we think is correct, but it is not. The fire is going to burn us if we don’t run out. We need a guide to pull us out, as Sayyidina `Abdul Qadir Jilani (q) pulled these two out. They were certified as the most lazy, like in the Guinness Book of World Records. We have to see ourselves like that. When we understand the reality...this story is a true story, with advice for us: don’t be lazy, you will burn yourself. Stand up against Shaytan and your desires, you will be better off. Do your work as should be, don’t say, “People will come to me.” You have to go find the people, make flyers and go to other masaajid and invite them. Don’t be lazy waiting for people to make you tea and coffee, you have to offer people tea and coffee and make social ties! But without your invitation no one will come to you.
In this Tariqah, alhamdulillah Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) went around the world, from the Far East to the Far West and from South to North; he did not leave a place without reaching it. Prophet (s) said, “In the Last Days, Islam will enter every building and every tent.”
ليبلغن هذا الأمر ما بلغ الليل والنهار، ولا يترك الله بيت مدر ولا وبر إلا أدخله الله هذا الدين بعز عزيز أو بذل ذليل، عزاً يعز الله به الإسلام، وذلاً يذل به الكفر
This affair will surely reach as far as the night and day reach. Allah will not leave any house of bricks or of tents without causing this religion to enter it, either by glorifying the glorified or debasing the debased. He glorifies Islam and debases disbelief. (Ahmad)
Today we see Islam mentioned everywhere, even a child knows about Islam due to the propaganda against it. We have to act in the right way, to show people Islam is the right way and calls for peace and happiness, nothing else. May Allah (swt) guide us in the right way through our teachers, to reach Allah and His Prophet (s) as He said in the Holy Qur’an:
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
Say (O Muhammad), "If you (really) love Allah, then follow me! Allah will love you and forgive your sins, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (Surat Aali-`Imraan, 3:31)
Don’t say, “I love You, it is enough,” but follow Muhammad (s), then it will be enough! “If you don't follow you don't really have love for Me, because I put everything in his hand. He is the Mercy to Humanity. I chose him, perfected him and I want him to perfect you.”
انما بعثت لاتمم مكارم الاخلاق
I have been sent to perfect the best of conduct (your behavior and character). (Bazzaar)
Islam is manners and character, love and respect, peace and honesty. Islam is not terrorism and extremism, as it is branded today, that is Shaytan in the name of Islam. When the Anti-Christ, al-Maseeh ad-Dajjal comes, he will take Sayyidina `Isa’s name, but he is the ignorant one who cheats you, the Deceiver, so what is he going to do? Prophet (s) said, “When he shows you Paradise in his right hand that is Hellfire, and when he shows you Hellfire in his left hand that is Paradise. Whatever he says, do the opposite.”
مَعَهُ وَادِيَانِ : أَحَدُهُمَا جُنَّةٌ , وَالآخَرُ نَارٌ , فَنَارُهُ جُنَّةٌ , وَجَنَّتُهُ نَارٌ
The Anti-Christ will have two valleys: one of them will be Paradise and the other will be Hellfire. His Hellfire is Paradise and his Paradise is Hellfire. (Ahmad)
How many dajjals are there today? Who attack Islam are dajjal, extremists who twist teachings of Qur’an and Hadith to lead people to Shaytan and bad manners. May Allah protect and support us! Bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
Today Facebook and YouTube open a way for everyone to work and socialize with others, which has benefits and advantages, but they promote good and bad, truth and falsehood. It can bring people to love Prophet (s), but also to Shaytan. We have to be very careful allowing our children to use Facebook, YouTube and other Internet sites from where they can learn more about Islam, but also led astray. May Allah forgive and protect us from dajjals, the cheaters who use religion for their purpose, their pockets, and pleasure. We are simple people who want to live in peace and happiness.
I remember in Lebanon, we had Muslims--Shi`a and Sunni--and Orthodox and Maronite Christians, Catholics, Jews, Armenians, Russians and Americans all sitting at the same table in class. No one fought, all obeyed the law and everyone lived in peace. Now you don't find that, there is no more peace, everyone is fighting: brother with brother, sister with sister, husband and wife, what is the worst is they fight about anything and are not patient. They must be patient to solve their problems. That is why from the Signs of the Last Days, Prophet (s) said, “Nothing will be left of Islam but its name.”
يوشك أن يأتي على الناس زمان لا يبقى من الإسلام إلا اسمه ولا يبقى من القرآن إلا رسمه ، مساجدهم عامرة وهي خراب من الهدى ، علماؤهم شر من تحت أديم السماء ، من عندهم تخرج الفتنة ، وفيهم تعود
There will come a time upon a people when nothing remains from Islam except its name, nothing from the Qur’an except the form of its letters, mosques will be built but are empty of guidance, their scholars will be the worst people beneath the sky, and chaos will emerge from them and return to them. (Bayhaqi)
Some people today read the Qur’an, but many only hang its verses in calligraphy. Even non-Muslims learn Islamic calligraphy; they don’t know how to read what they are writing, although they draw it in a very nice way, but no one is fulfilling what the verse says. May Allah (swt) make calligraphy of the Holy Qur’an enter our hearts! That is important: to understand and learn the verse, not only to draw it. We understand Muslims make calligraphy, but do they understand the meaning of the verses? May Allah teach us not only the calligraphy, but the meaning of the verses. May Allah forgive and bless us.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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