Zhuhr Suhbah
Sh Taher, see highlights, Rawdah is traveling and missed a few citations.
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)
Alhamdulillahi ‘l-ladhee hadaana li ’l-Islami wa maa kunna li-nahtadi law laa an hadaan-Allah. Alhamdulillahi `alaa ni`amihi zhaahiran wa baatina. Alhamdulillahi ‘lLadhee j`alana muslimeen, muwahideen wa hadaana li ’l-islaam wa’l-imaan.
Today the world is reachable, anywhere around the world you can reach anyone easily and people are so happy and content they can reach each other as soon as possible, very quickly. If they need something, they make a call, they can reach East and West and they are so amazed by that and are so proud they invented such a thing! However, the real issue is that you can reach, but when you act on what you intended to do too many difficulties face you. When your intention is good and you want to do something you will find thousands of obstacles--not thousands, Allah knows how many--but many people are trying to make you feel restless or that what you are reaching is a waste of time. However, when we see how much the Prophet (s) faced difficulties--and I am wondering and asking myself, “That is the Prophet (s),” in our minds or hearts, we expect that when we mention Muhammadur Rasoolullah (s) that he will not face problems or difficulties, because he is the Messenger of Allah (swt) and Allah can destroy all the enemies of the Prophet (s) in a moment, as He did with the People of `Ad, Thamood, and Lut (a). In a moment He destroyed them altogether!
Allah can do so at any moment, but He gave the Prophet (s) that difficulty to show that there is a Creator and an `abd: he can do everything that an `abd can do, but cannot do everything that Allah can do. That is why when you look at the difficulties the Prophet (s) faced for many, many years, at the end Allah gave him a huge Ummah and not only his Ummah, but He made all the prophets and nations in need of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) so that on the Day of Judgment, He made all of them without exception, to be in need of the Prophet (s)!
The Prophet (s) came to us with a religion and the Message that he wants us to be saved and supported, so Allah gave him the opportunity that he can relate his Ahadeeth to his Sahaabah (r), explaining to them Rahmatullahi al-Wasi`a, “Allah's Greatest Mercy.” That mercy is the shade:
SH TAHER PLS CITE
Saba`tun yudhilahum tahta dhilihi yawma al-qiyamah. CITE
Allah (swt) will give dhill on the Day of Judgment, translated as “shade,” but not shade as we understand; rather, it is from sunlight. Allah does not have a physical shade. What is Allah's shade? It is Rahmatullah `azza wa jall that He gave to the Prophet (s) in order that everyone will be saved on the Day of Judgment.
Look at how the Prophet (s) taught people about a crisis they fell in today, an issue that has made everyone concerned, jihad. Everyone wants to make jihad fee sabeelillah, to go for jihad in the Way of Allah (swt). People have explained jihad as they like, but Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah describes jihad as a struggle in every time: to struggle in life is jihad, to struggle with children is a jihad, and look at how much parents struggle to bring their children up in a nice way, which is jihad.
The Prophet (s) is exposing or telling us about one of the jihads Allah likes and he made it so easy for us. Let us ask: if someone who fasts all Ramadan has a reward although it is an obligation, and someone fasts the whole year has a reward, or someone who fasts from the beginning to the end of his life has a reward, is that jihad or not? That is jihad against the nafs, desires! The nafs says, “Don't do it, that is too much,” but Allah is giving to His Messenger (s) to tell people about the greatness of fasting! It is also considered a jihad if someone looks after a widow, as the Prophet (s) mentioned that is a big jihad.
So many people were speaking and giving messages on spiritual issues, but there are issues the Prophet (s) mentioned to us that, if we do them, we will make Allah (swt) and the Prophet (s) happy with us. This is something that does not come through spirituality, but is a physical act: if you do it you break the obstacles, then you enter a dimension that takes you to the Level of Complete Vision, which then makes you know that spirituality is slowly, slowly opening to you. Sh Taher: this is really confusing, can you fix it? It’s like a mirror with two faces, one face looking at you and one face you don't know where it is looking; one face you see yourself and one face you cannot see yourself. In one face everything you are doing can be seen, but behind it you cannot see, like this camera can see us and we see it, but after (beyond) the lens we cannot see, but the lens exists. The mirror, the physical we can see, but the Unseen we cannot.
The Unseen that is not facing you is a black cover. In order to make the mirror to be seen, in order to see yourself in the mirror, you have to look here [one side of the hand] then you can see, but if you look here [the other side] you cannot, you see something black [the back of the mirror]. So we can see our physicalities, but we cannot see the back of the mirror, unless you break the mirror facing you, then you see what is behind it. When they are together you cannot see what is behind except a dark picture, but when you break the side you can see and can be seen by everyone, then you enter an ocean of Ma`rifah, Divine Knowledge. So the Prophet (s) wants us to not over-emphasize spiritual issues, because it might sometimes mix with your imagination. Some people might get upset with me for saying this, but this is a fact.
When the Prophet (s), his first message was “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah.” When you say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” you can see everything with that power, but we are not seeing, which means we are not saying it as it should be. You cannot see it because you are not yet entering the Ocean of Laa ilaaha illa-Llah, but the Prophet (s) mentioned in many Ahadeeth about the importance of saying “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah.” What is best in your life? If you remember your Akhirah, a day coming in front of you, and the Prophet (s) is showing us a way to come out of our problems. As we said, people think jihad is to fight (militarily, but look at what Prophet (s) is saying in this Hadith:
Sh Taher pls cite
`An Abi Hurayra (r) `an in Nabi (s) qaal as-sa`ee `ala al-armala...CITE
“The one who runs to help people, especially the widow.” Like today subhaanAllah, in these countries they have a program called Chaplains in Hospitals, through which they visit the sick people, widows and people who lost their family to make them feel happy. In Muslim countries they forgot that, but the Prophet (s) said the one who helped a widow, who knows where she is living and gives her food, clothes and money, and also to look after the homeless and miskeen who does not have a house and sleeps on the street. [In the spiritual interpretation, a miskeen is the one who does not follow a Sufi Way, as in the other meaning of the mirror, inside it, the backside, who has no Tariqah to follow, because he doesn’t have a shaykh.
Grandshaykh `AbdAllah, may Allah bless his soul, narrated that there was someone in the desert by the ocean on a huge beach, living in a small wooden house or under the trees. One day, he began to think, “Look at Allah's Hidaya!” Don't think,, “I am far away on a mountain, Allah will not reach me,” Allah reaches and will guide everyone! He began to think, “What am I doing here? Why have I been brought into this life? Who made me?” like people are still thinking today. He wanted to know and he didn't have a clue to say, ‘Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,’ but that Hidaya slowly, slowly came to his heart. As he was thinking, he saw a bush with thorns; everywhere around him was ocean and beach where bushes grew. He said to himself, “That bush is going to show me who made me. I believe in that bush.”
People might say, “What kind of story is that?” Don't underestimate Allah's Way if He wants to reach someone to guide them. This is very difficult to understand, but it might happen in real life. He began speaking with the bush, which did not answer, except it moved with the wind. then he thought the wind that was making it move was giving him the guidance, “Yes, that is what you are thinking, there is Someone Who created you.” So he was happy speaking to that bush, where he was staying alone, then he saw the wind taking the bush, lifting it and carrying it far away, and he ran after it, “Don't leave me!You are my only guide, my only companion! Don't leave me, I am following you.” The bush went into the ocean and he ran after it and saw he was walking on water, floating, not sinking, because he broke the mirror! There was no more mirror, no more physicality, because he surpassed that level when the inspiration came to his heart, “There is Someone Who created me.” That is Tawheed, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah.” He did not know how to say it but he believed that there was Someone Who created him, so that barrier between physical and spiritual aspect of life was broken.
He entered the Great Knowledge that began as an obstacle of dark and then light, as Allah (swt) said:
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ
مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ
Glory be to He Who transported His servant by night from the Inviolable House of Worship (at Mecca) to the Remote House of Worship (at Jerusalem), the environs of which We had blessed so that We might show him some of Our symbols, for verily He Alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. (Surat al-Israa’, 17:1)
“Praise be to the One Who took His servant at night,” meaning “in darkness” to another world, leaving darkness and going to another world of Light, Ma`rifah, leaving darkness and going to Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa! That is why He said, ‘laylan’ or else why did He not say ‘nahaaran’? He didn’t say ‘daytime’, but rather from ‘nighttime’ He took him up to the Divine Presence. So that man who followed the bush in order that it will guide him, knowing that Someone, Allah, created him was floating, because he became with no gravity to pull him down, like floating wood, surrendering to Allah (swt) in total submission. That is why Allah raised him and he floated on top of the water, not sinking.
Sh Taher, this might be controversial
Look at pictures on the Internet today of so many people migrating on boats to other countries; some of their boats are broken and they sink, but Allah brings them back up. They sink and begin to fight for their life and the water pulls them; they fall overboard in the water and begin to drown, then they float as they have no more will, so they enter in the Ocean of Shaheed. They are Mujaahidoon so they float up. Allah raised them because they have complete Taslimiyyah, Surrender to Allah (swt). So the Prophet (s) is saying, “If you want to be raised from the Ocean of Darkness to the Ocean of Enlightenment, you have to follow what I say.” When people today speak about spirituality, they have to connect it to different Ahadith of the Prophet (s), so they can connect Zaahira and Baatinan, what is Seen and what is Hidden, as Ibn `Ajeeba (q) said, “There are two kinds knowledge: `Ilm al-Awraaq wa `Ilm al-Adhwaaq, Knowledge of Paper (books) and Knowledge of Taste (spirituality). Prophet (s) is giving us Knowledge of Taste, not Knowledge of Paper. The Holy Qur'an is not paper because the Prophet (s) didn’t receive it in paper form, he took it through his heart as Divine Revelation through Jibreel (a). In Ramadan, Prophet (s) used to sit with Jibreel (a) and learn the Qur’an, they recited to each other. So Prophet (s) is giving us that knowledge, not to go and pretend that we know everything as no, we do not, all of us!
There are Awliyaullah who completed their seclusions and received their knowledge of Shari`ah, just look in history books to learn about Awliya who were big scholars in their time. We are not pretending to be big scholars, we are trying to be on the threshold of our shaykh, may Allah bless his soul and Grandshaykh’s soul. So he said that if we follow what the Prophet (s) said, we will win something that we never expected, as Prophet (s) said:
Sh Taher pls cite
as-sa`ee `ala al-armala wal-miskeen kal mujaahid fee sabeelillah CITE
“The one who looks after a widow and the homeless,” weak people who don’t have anything. This is not spiritual. If someone doesn’t have a house or food, if we want to speak about real life, kal mujaahid fee sabeelillah, today people are running to be mujaahid fee sabeelillah, while the Prophet (s) said, “The one who looks after a widow and the one who is poor or weak will be like someone who went into jihad fee sabeelillah.” He gave him the same level, and more:
Sh Taher pls cite
wa kal qaa`im al-ladhee laa yaftur
So the Prophet (s) said, “The one for whom it will be written as a martyr, mujaahid fee sabeelillah, is the one who stands up day and night with all his prayers, Allah (swt) will give him that rank.” It is the one who spends all their days, their entire life, standing in prayer, praising Allah (swt) in sajda, in ruku` or qiyaam, not even seeking their food. The Prophet (s) is giving an example that if there is someone like that who is praying day and night, which is why the Prophet (s) stood all night in prayer and Sayyida `Ayesha (r) asked, “Yaa Rasoolullah, why are you praying? Allah has forgiven you. Your feet are swollen from standing,” and he (s) said, Alaa akoonu `abdan shakoora, “Should I not be a thankful servant?” Even the Prophet (s) was standing in prayer day and night until his feet were swollen. He (s) said, “The one for whom it will be written as a martyr, mujaahid fee sabeelillah, stands up day and night in prayer, then Allah (swt) will give him that rank.”
The Prophet (s) is also saying, “If you want to go to Paradise as shaheed, Allah (swt) will give you that and you will be like the one who fasted all his life without breaking his fast and stood in prayer all his life, praising Allah (swt), Who will grant you the rank of mujaahid.
ADD ARABIC As-sa`ee `ala al-armala wal-miskeen kal mujaahid fee sabeelillah, wa ahsabahu qaal, wa wa kal qaa`im al-ladhee laa yafturu, wa kal qassa`im al-ladhee laa yuftir.
He is like someone who did not break his fast and who stood up all night praying and praising Allah (swt). (Mutafaqun `alayh, narrated by Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim.)
Also put another Hadith in your mind: Abi Darda (r) related that the Prophet (s) said:
ADD ARABIC Ibghoonee fi'd-du`afa. fa’inna maa tunsaroon wa turzaqoon bi du`a faa ‘eekum.
If you want to make Me happy, help the weak ones. Allah will make you to win your jihad, provide you with Endless Provision when they are coming to you, yaa Muhammad, with their du`afa, weak ones. CITE
So don't be a strong one, don't be proud of yourself, don’t fight with people, don't be stubborn, but show humbleness, because when you come to the Prophet (s) with humbleness, Allah will give you support and provision. We will continue this evening if there is time.
Wa min Allahi ‘t-tawfeeq bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
I like this book, Tahzheeb al-Akhlaq by `Allama `Abdul-Hayy Fakhruddeen al-Husayn, because it gives 150 topics and includes all supporting Ahadeeth of the Prophet (s). It is very good. If Mawlana's representatives take from this book and teach one Hadith every week, it will be enough, it will last them many years and take them a long time to finish. They may take one Hadith or two. Tahzheeb al-Akhlaaq means”to polish our manners”. May Allah polish our akhlaaq by His Angels and give us good life in dunya and Akhirah.
May Allah forgive us. Wa min Allahi ‘t-tawfeeq bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
http://sufilive.com/How-to-Pray-and-Fast-Your-Whole-Life-5981.html
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