Private Residence / Suhbah and Ziyarah of Holy Hair of Prophet (s)
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. 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-manzil.
Sometimes you plan something, but Allah’s plan is different and you think you are proceeding with it, but you quickly find everything changed. I came here one month ago and then thought alhamdulillah, we have finished two trips this year, and our second trip is over. But Allah (swt) has already witnessed on the Day of Promises that we were going to be here another time, so all the arrangements were made previously. I was reluctant to come but Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, may Allah give him long life, said, “Go, inshaAllah Allah (swt) will open something.” That was like three weeks ago. So I got the tickets and I said, “Okay, I will go.” My intention was not to attend the conference as I don’t care for conferences, we know their outcome, but there must be a wisdom that awliyaullah know.
So before I came here three days ago, I felt tired and said to Mawlana Shaykh, “I’m not going because it is difficult to travel eighteen hours.” He said, “You are the only one now on Siraat al- Mustaqeem and awliyaullah are happy with you, and you are going right and left, north and south, east and west and connecting, seeing and visiting with people who are on the same way and in the same tariqah.
At that moment Hajjah Naziha, my wife, said to her father, “Can Shaykh Hisham take with him the Holy Hair of the Prophet (s)?”
Mawlana Shaykh said, “It is as if you read my heart. I am sending the Holy Hair of Prophet (s) with him for people to make ziyarah, to make sirat ’l-rahm with Prophet (s), not with each other, because always any part of the Prophet (s) is alive!”
I was in London last year and one person had the Holy Hair of the Prophet (s) this long (six inches) and I said, “I want to take half of it.” He said “As you like.” He is a very good mureed of Mawlana Shaykh. So I opened it from it’s container and cut and took half, and they put the other half in the same soil mixed with oud (perfume) from Madinat al-Munawarra from the holy grave of Prophet (s)!
And I told Mawlana Shaykh, “I am surprised I cut half of it and in four months it grew back to the same size.”
He said, “The Holy Hair is alive, anything from him is alive! That’s why it grew back.”
So the Holy Hair is alive and as Mawlana Shaykh sent it here, it means you are doing siratu ‘l-rahm to Prophet (s). If you add a drop in the cup of water it disappears; the Holy Hair of the Prophet (s) is part of him, so anyone who makes ziyarah to it is making ziyarah to Prophet (s)! Seeing this Holy Hair is beholding a part of the Prophet (s)! When you go to ziyarah to Madinat al-Munawarra you might not see him, but only the structure around his grave.
After the time of the Prophet (s), when someone was sick they used to pass water over the Holy Hair of Prophet (s) and give that water to the sick person and it cured them. This is how they used to cure people at that time. And even one of the wives of the Prophet (s), Umm Salama (r), distributed the Holy Hair of the Prophet (s) to the Sahaabah (r) when she shaved his head. It is said Sayyidina Khalid bin Waleed (r) kept the Holy Hairs in his turban and sleeves, and that protected him from being killed in battle, where he was wounded 101 times, yet he died in his bed because of the barakah of the Holy Hair of the Prophet (s)!
For those who have the Holy Hair, it will bring back happiness to them and also make their homes full of noor and love to Sayyidina Muhammad (s). It is a house of blessings and people can come and visit and make ziyarah to the Prophet (s). Although the Sahaabah (r) did not fight over it, but they tried to have one of these Holy Hairs in their homes for the barakah of Prophet (s). And after Prophet (s) and the Sahaabah, these Holy Hairs were given century after century until they reached to us today. It is not easy to have the Holy Hair in your country, your masjid or in any place; you will be so lucky to have it in your house! Alhamdulillah tonight we will make ziyarah to the Holy Hair after recitation of the Surat al-Yaseen.
Alhamdulillah you can celebrate the 15 Sha`baan, the 14th, 15th or 16th, is it not? And tonight is Friday. How nice that I am here on 15 Sha`baan. In some countries it is on Saturday depending on the moon, and in some countries it is on Friday. So we said we will observe it, but the luckiest is that we carried the Holy Hair of Prophet (s) on that heavenly New Year, a year that Allah (swt) descends to the First Heaven and asks, “Is there anyone requesting a du`a?” and Allah (swt) will answer it because He said:
وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
`ud`ooni astajib la kum.
Obey God and He will give.
If He gives one (Holy Hair), it is in Allah’s Hand. He can give it immediately or He can give for tomorrow or He can give the next day or He can leave it until Judgment Day, which will be the luckiest moment because Allah will forgive you at that time!
So the Sahaabah became the Companions because they saw Prophet (s), and no one can reach their level, but we are lucky to have the Holy Hair of Prophet (s). What barakah comes with it we don’t know; Prophet (s) and Allah (swt) know. But we are looking and saying, “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah, wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadan `abduhu wa rasooluh,” because that Hair will witness for us on the Day of Judgment that we have made shahadah in the presence of Prophet (s). Even from here, if we are saying, “Yaa Sayyidee, yaa Rasoolullah! We are making shahadah in front of you,” Prophet (s) will accept it and of course it will be rewarded more because you have done something that not everyone is lucky to do.
So may Allah (swt) bless this house and bless all of you. But because this household has done a lot for tariqah, for Islam, for Mawlana Shaykh and for me, Allah (swt) is giving them something that is making them happy and relaxed, for all the difficulties they faced, and for every one's difficulties here to disappear!
So inshaaAllah we will recite three times Surat al-YaSeen: one is for Allah (swt) to give us long life, one so that Allah (swt) will not make us in need of anyone but Him, Allahs’ favors to everyone, and one to take away all afflictions from us. One is especially for those who have difficulties through sickness and one that our rizq is made easier.
(Shaykh Hisham reads the adab of Nisf Sha`baan from The Naqshbandi Guidebook.)
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