A`oodhu billahi ‘s Sami` al-`Aleem min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Alhamdulillahi Rabbi ‘l-`Alameen wa ‘s-salaatu wa ‘s-salaam `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin wa `alaa alihi wa ashabihi ajma`een wa man tabi`ahu bi ihsanin illa Yawmi ‘d-deen wa `alaa sa’iri ‘l-Anbiya wa ‘l-mursaleen wa ‘l-Awliya wa `ibaadillahi ‘s-saliheen wa `alayna ma`ahum ajma`een, yaa Arhamu ‘r-Rahimeen.
Laa hawla wa laa quwatta illa billahi 'l-`Aliyyu 'l-`Azheem.
Dastoor, yaa Sayyidee, yaa Sultan al-Awliya. Madad, yaa RijaalAlah.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.
Alhamdulillah. May Allah accept your visit. May Allah (swt) accept your good intentions. Yesterday we had a representative visit from the Moroccan community. They delivered their condolences from their leaders.
Today we have a very respected brother of ours who came all the way from Luton, representing his respected father and his community, Tariqa Aslamiyya Naqshbandiyya. He is also offering his condolences and we appreciate you coming, Hafiz Saab. May Allah (swt) accept from you and raise you higher and higher. Inshaa-Allah with every step you have stepped, one sayyi’ah is gone and one daraja is lifted up. You are coming to a masjid. I don’t know how many steps it is all the way from England to here but inshaa-Allah, you are cleansed from all the sins and inshaa-Allah you are with Awliyaullah as well as all of us.
What to do? So many things come to you from the right and left during the day. This one tells you a story, that one tells you a story, this one says, “I am better.” This one says, “I know I am better.” This one says, “I know more.” What to do?
What we do and it’s the best thing to do is you are free to choose a guide. A human being is free. Allah (swt) has made us free to use our minds. Research. Read. Feel by the heart. See. A human being is free to find a guide. Alhamdulillah, we found ours. His name is up there. Do you read Arabic? Muhammad (s). We have found our guide, Sayyidina Muhammad (s).
Others have found Jesus. Good for you. They use their mind, their intuition, their brains or whatever it is and say, “Jesus is my guide. Good for you. Others said, “Moses is my guide.” Good for you. Others say, “Buddha is my guide.”
Human beings are free to choose anyone. The one who says, “I have no guide,” who do they default to? Shaytan. That is the default guide. He says, “If you don’t have a guide, I’m ready for you.” A human being is free whether black, white, red or yellow, tall or small. It does not matter. A human being is free to choose a guide. Where do you want to go? They don’t even know what their goal is. What is your destination? First of all, you have to know where to go. Second, you have to use Apple Maps or Google Maps or whatever map and find your way. Apple Maps is my guide for wherever I want to go. “Where do you tell me to go, O sir? How do I get there?”
Where do you want to reach, Detroit? What’s in Detroit for you? New York. What’s in New York for you? California or England, what’s there for you? At the end you’re going to leave and go. How many cities did you change during your lifetime? How many countries did you change during your lifetime? I changed four countries and five or six cities. Wherever you go is not your destination. Where is your destination, O human being? Where do you end up, O the one who is so smart and intelligent? Where did your father end up? Where did your grandfather and grandmother end up? Six feet under.
Human beings have become blind from their destination. Your qabr, your grave is your first destination for the Hereafter if you are a believer. Jesus said that. Moses said that. Rasoolullah (s) said that and all the prophets before said, you are going to appear in front of your Lord one of these days. Allah (swt) knows when Yaumu ‘l-Qiyamah is. It is hidden but one of these days you’re going to appear there. That is your destination. Rasoolullah (s) said, your qabr is your first station of Akhirah and Sahaabah Ikram (r) repeated it so many times.
I recently read a quote I think from Hadhrat Uthman (r). He used to cry whenever he passed a grave until his beard became wet. They asked him, “Why do you cry? You tell us about Jannah and Naar and you don’t shed a tear. You come to the qabr and you cry.” He said, “This is the first station of Akhirah. I’m seeing it. If this is good, everything after it is great. If this is bad, everything after it is worse.”
All of these intelligent brains and minds giving lectures and making conferences and writing books and podcasts or whatever they’re doing, where are you ending up? Where is your destination? You’re doing all that work and you end up in that grave. It means you’re going to appear in front of your Creator. So, who was your guide to tell you how to behave or how to appear in front of your Creator?
That’s why you take a guide. You take a guide who will show you how to dress in the attire. Mashaa-Allah. Did you ever get invited to a sultan’s royal court? Have you ever met a famous one? Who appeared in front of a mayor? A prince, okay. When you go in front of a prince, how do you dress? Do you go in shorts and a shirt?
You go in your best outfit and if you are compatible with this century, men put on foundation to hide your blemishes. Isn’t that what men do? Do you watch the news? They look red, blue, and yellow. I don’t know how they look anymore. You put everything you want and you have to look perfect.
The one who has taken a guide, whether it’s Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Noah, Rasoolullah (s) or all the noble prophets, that guide should tell you how to dress and appear in the most beautiful attire in front of your Lord. Isn’t that true? Choose your guide who is going to tell you how to dress right and tell you how to look good. People are free to choose. You cannot put a limit and say, “This one or that one.” You have to let them think, let them decide, let them research, let them feel it and go for it.
When you take a guide so when the Lord of Heavens looks at you He is pleased with you. He says, “You are from ahlu ‘l-Jamal. You look so beautiful, shiny, and dressed up as I like. You go with the people I like. You go to Jannah.” All of the work you do in this world is about reaching the door of Jannah and it opens to you with your guide. You’re going to go before him. He will take you there. He will tell you, “I have kept my promise to you.”
Why do you take a guide? What does the guide promise you? What did Rasoolullah (s) promise the Sahaabah (r)? They said, “If we do everything you ask of us, what will you give in return?” He said, “Jannah.”
The guide you take has to keep his promise to take you to the door of Jannah. He will say, “I kept my promise. You kept what I told you. I will bring you to Jannah.” That is your guide, whether it’s Jesus, Moses, Muhammad (s) or any of the noble prophets. If you follow them correctly, they have to keep their promise to take you to the door of Jannah. The door of Jannah opens for you. It is open already but most people go to the closed one. Jahannam’s doors are closed. That’s why in Surah Zumar when the people are taken to Jahannam, it is said, Wa futihat abwabuha.
وَسِيقَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوٓا۟ إِلَىٰ جَهَنَّمَ زُمَرًا حَتَّىٰٓ إِذَا جَآءُوهَا فُتِحَتْ أَبْوَٰبُهَا وَقَالَ لَهُمْ خَزَنَتُهَآ أَلَمْ يَأْتِكُمْ رُسُلٌ مِّنكُمْ يَتْلُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِ رَبِّكُمْ وَيُنذِرُونَكُمْ لِقَآءَ يَوْمِكُمْ هَـٰذَا قَالُوا۟ بَلَىٰ وَلَـٰكِنْ حَقَّتْ كَلِمَةُ ٱلْعَذَابِ عَلَى ٱلْكَـٰفِرِينَ
The Unbelievers will be led to Hell in crowd: until, when they arrive, there, its gates will be opened. And its keepers will say, "Did not apostles come to you from among yourselves, rehearsing to you the Signs of your Lord, and warning you of the Meeting of This Day of yours?" The answer will be: "True: but the Decree of Punishment has been proved true against the Unbelievers!" (Surat az-Zumar, 39:71)
And the doors opened. But for Jannah, futihat, it is open. The doors of Jannah are always open but you go there with your guide. If you don’t go there with your guide, you’re not going to find it. That’s why you take a guide and you are free to choose anyone you want.
What do these guides tell you? What do all the prophets tell us? We heard this from Rasoolullah (s). Any guide but the noble prophets are the guides for humanity. They tell you that the Lord Almighty, the Lord of Heavens is the One who provides your rizq. Your sustenance is provided by your Lord and your Lord has determined how much life you’re going to live. Your Lord also tells you, “I am watching your `amal. I’m watching what you do. You’re either from the bad ones or from the good ones.”
That is the Hadith of Rasoolullah (s) that when the soul is blown in the womb, Allah (swt) will send an angel. The angel will ask, “Yaa Rabbee. What is his rizq? What is his `ajal? What is his `amal?” Allah (swt) will tell him, “The sustenance of this servant of Mine will be this. His lifespan will be this.” Allah (swt) knows best. He doesn’t need for you to do the `amal to know what you’re doing. That is His Hikmah. But for us it’s ghayb, we don’t know. That is also determined and also whether you’re from ahlu ‘l-Jamal or ahlu ‘l-Jalal, from the ones that are under the Lutf of the kindness of Allah (swt) or under the Might of Allah (swt). That is also determined by Allah (swt).
All messengers have come to tell you, you have a life to live, you have food and drink to eat and you better correct your actions. Do good deeds. Why do you fight? “No, we follow Jesus. No, we follow Moses. No, we follow Muhammad. No, we follow Abraham.” Okay, you follow all of them. It doesn’t matter. Are you doing the best you can? You have a life to live. You have food to eat. Are you doing your best? Are you doing your best deeds? That’s what Allah (swt) is watching you doing and then He will reward you. Either you will be on the good side with the good people or you’re going to be on the bad side with the bad people.
Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist: it doesn’t matter. What matters is your actions. What do you do? Don’t tell me what you believe in. That’s for you. You have done research. You have used your mind. You have written your books and made your conferences and events. That’s for you. We are not interested. We are looking at what you do. If you do well, that is a sign that Allah (swt) has determined for you Jannah. If you do bad, that’s also a sign that you are on the wrong path. Sufi or Muslim or Christian or whatever it is, you have to be on the path of good `amal.
Sayyidina Shaqiq al-Balkhi (q) was the disciple of Sayyidina Ibrahim ibn Adham (q). We are talking about saints. One time that saint was in `ibaadah. He understood that his work in dunya was to please his Lord and to be with his Lord. Before that he was a merchant. He was from a rich family and he used to trade.
One time he went from Khorasan to the Turkish lands for trade. Islam had not reached there yet, so he found some people worshiping statues or whatever they were worshiping. He came to that person and he said, “Know that you have a Maker Who is Alive, Capable and Knowledgeable.” The guy looked at him and said, “Okay. Let's assume that what you say is right. What are you doing here? If you say that you have a Lord or I have a Lord Who is Alive, Capable and Knowledgeable, why are you seeking your rizq in my country? Go back to your country. He can give you your sustenance in your land.”
At that time, Shaqiq woke up. He went back home and he was content with the rizq that was coming to him and he spent his time in `ibaadah. One time he prayed in the masjid for three days without eating, then he became weak and was not able to worship anymore. He said, “Yaa Rabbee. Give me food so I can worship.” They eat to worship, not eat to eat. He was praying until his body could not take it anymore because he got weak. He opened his hands and said, “Feed me.” He finished the du`a and he looked around and saw a man staring at him. That man came to him. They exchanged salam and he asked, “Are you Shaqiq?”
He said, “Yes, I am Shaqiq.”
“Come with me.”
He went to a house and entered it. They found food on the tables. Mashaa-Allah, like this place, you enter and there is always food. By the tables were servants to serve the food. Shaqiq sat down happily because he wanted to eat in order to get powerful again to pray. Your work has to be to worship your Lord the way your guide has taught you, not to bicker with this one, fight with that one, tit for tat and hit him on the head and back. Leave that. You have to worship your Lord as your guide has told you to do so. Whatever guide you have chosen, you follow.
He ate and then he wanted to leave. The man didn’t eat, he was standing up waiting for him. The man asked Shaqiq, “Where are you going?”
“I’m going to the masjid.”
He was going to the masjid to be with Allah (swt), his Lord. He said, “Yaa Shaqiq. This house is yours. All the servants you see are yours and I am yours. I was the servant of your father. He sent me far away with merchandise and I returned from that journey rich, but it’s all your father’s stuff. Your father is dead as you know, so me and the wealth and all of this is yours.”
Shaqiq was surprised. “All these servants and you?”
“Yes.”
“I am freeing you fee sabeelillah. All of you are free. Do you see this money?”
“Yes.”
“It’s a gift from me to you. Take it. Share it. I am going back to the masjid. I don’t want anything to prevent me from worshiping my Lord. I don’t want anything to block me from giving myself to my Lord.”
All of that money, the property and all the stuff is only a distraction for your heart. There is no benefit in it. Shaqiq knew that. That is our way. Those who don’t know the way of Sufism or Sufis, it is worship of Allah (swt) and throwing away anything that distracts the heart. If you have not reached that, you are not on the right path. Note that from now, if your heart is distracted by this dunya and what it has to offer, all the servants you can have, all the food, all the money and the gold and treasures you can have, you are not on the right away. The way is the way of Shaqiq. Research Shaqiq al-Balkhi, the student of Ibrahim ibn Adham (q). He was also a zahid, somebody who threw away dunya.
Shaqiq said, “I have gifted it to you. Have fun. I have freed you. I am going back to my masjid.” Why? There was a Sahabi, if I remember his name correctly, Al-Bahili (r). He was a poor one in the presence of Rasoolullah (s) and he was always moving his lips. One day, Rasoolullah (s) asked him, “What are you saying?” He said, “Yaa Sayyidi. All of these rich Sahabah of yours give in the way of Allah (swt). I have nothing to give, so I say, ‘SubhaanAllah wa ‘l-hamdulillah wa laa ilaaha illa-Llah wa ‘Llahu Akbar.’” That Hadith is mentioned in At-Targheeb wa 't-Tarheeb.
He said, “These four words are better than a spread of gold that people give in the way of Allah (swt).”
Our path is Dhikrullah because it is better than any spread of gold you might have, any spread of money you might have or any spread of anything you can have. SubhaanAllah wa ‘l-hamdulillah wa laa ilaaha illa-Llah wa ‘Llahu Akbar. If you have not realized that yet, being 40 years, 50 years, 100 years, 200 years on the way of Sahabah Ikram (r), on the way of Awliyaulllah, O human being, you are only fighting with each other to be known in this dunya. You are only fighting with each other to be higher in this dunya, to be acknowledged in this dunya. For what? You’re going to end up six feet under pretty soon. They’re going to dig, throw you in there and say, “Bye-bye. As-salamu `alaykum. Good luck with the angels. Y’Allah, we’re going.”
What do they do after that? They say, “What did he leave?” That’s your family. They will read Fatiha and a few things for you and then say, “What is there for us?” This is not the way. Dunya is not the way. The way of true saints, the way of true Sufis, the way of true men (...) the other day I saw a bumper sticker: “Real men love Jesus.” If you are on the way of real men, if you have loved a prophet, a saint and that saint and prophet promised to take you to Jannah (...) There are a lot of liars out there. Are you able to take me to Jannah? If they say “yes” but they are lying, they have committed a grand sin. The first is betrayal and the second is lying. Be careful. Awliyaullah and Anbiyaullah promise you Jannah. If they are unable to deliver you to the door of Jannah, they are not true guides to follow.
O human being! Your way is not this dunya or whatever it is in it. You have to let it go. If you are in tariqah, if you are in the way of saints, you have to let dunya go. If you don’t then you are in the wrong place. This dunya is full of organizations, LLCs and PCs and Incs or whatever you want. Make one and elevate in dunya but Akhirah is not for you.
تِلْكَ ٱلدَّارُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةُ نَجْعَلُهَا لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُرِيدُونَ عُلُوًّا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَا فَسَادًا وَٱلْعَـٰقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ
Tilka ‘d-daaru ‘l-Akhiratu naj`aluha lilladheena laa yureedoona `uloowan fi ‘l-ardi wa laa fasaada wa ’l-`aqibatu li ’l-mutaqeen.
That Home of the Hereafter We shall give to those who intend not high- handedness or mischief on earth: and the end is (best) for the righteous. (Surat al-Qasas, 28:83)
Allah (swt) is saying Akhirah is for the ones who do not want elevation on earth. If you want to be elevated on earth then Daru ‘l-Akhirah is not for you. If you have never read that verse, go. They don’t want elevation and they don’t corrupt the earth. The life to come is for muttaqee. Muttaqee is the one who has avoided diving into dunya. Whether you follow Jesus, Moses or this and that or whether you follow Rasoolullah (s), your true way is not dunya. Your true way is to do your best actions here for Allah (swt), the Lord of Heavens, so you can reach that door of Jannah.
Use your mind. Use your brain. Stop being a blind person. May Allah (swt) forgive us. Yaa Rabbi ‘l-`Alameen, make us with Awliya, make us with Anbiya, at the feet of Rasoolullah (s).
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
Sorry to say all of this but people from every faith say, “We are the best.” Leave that. There is no need. The Christians don’t need to say, “We are better.” The Muslims don’t need to say, “We are better.” The Jews don’t need to say, “We are better.” The Buddhists and Hindus don’t need to say, “We are better.” The Lord of Heavens will decide on the Day of Judgement.
ٱللَّهُ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَكُمْ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فِيمَا كُنتُمْ فِيهِ تَخْتَلِفُونَ
Allahu yahkoomu baynakum Yaumu ‘l-Qiyamati feema kuntum feehi takhalifoon.
"(Allah) will judge between you on the Day of Judgment concerning the matters in which you differ." (Surat al-Hajj, 22:69)
He will judge among them in whatever they were differing in. It’s not for you to say, “I am higher.” Wa ‘Llahu ya`lamoo musliha mina ‘l-mufsid.
فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا وَٱلْـَٔاخِرَةِ وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ قُلْ إِصْلَاحٌ لَّهُمْ خَيْرٌ وَإِن تُخَالِطُوهُمْ فَإِخْوَٰنُكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ ٱلْمُفْسِدَ مِنَ ٱلْمُصْلِحِ وَلَوْ شَآءَ ٱللَّهُ لَأَعْنَتَكُمْ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
(Their bearings) on this life and the Hereafter. They ask you [O Muhammad] concerning orphans. Say: "The best thing to do is what is for their good; if you mix their affairs with yours, they are your brethren; but Allah knows the man who means mischief from the man who means good. And if Allah had wished, He could have put you into difficulties: He is indeed Exalted in Power, Wise." (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:220)
Allah (swt) knows the one who is good from the one who is corrupt, not us. Don’t claim. Leave it. If you claim then you have become like Iblees, the devil. The devil said, ana khayrun min, “I am better than him.”
قَالَ أَنَا۠ خَيْرٌ مِّنْهُ خَلَقْتَنِى مِن نَّارٍ وَخَلَقْتَهُۥ مِن طِينٍ
Qaala anaa khayrun minhu khalaqtanee min naarin wa khalaqtahu min teen.
(Iblis) said: "I am better than he: You created me from fire, and him You created from clay." (Surah Saad, 38:76)
I am better than him. You created me from fire. You created him from clay. I am better. Whoever says, “I am better,” instantly has become a devil. Not a devil but the characteristic of a devil has surrounded him. Don’t get that characteristic in you. Don’t say, “I am better than others.” It doesn’t matter. Allah (swt) knows. Wa ‘Llahu ya`lam wa antum ta`lamoon.
كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلْقِتَالُ وَهُوَ كُرْهٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تَكْرَهُوا۟ شَيْـًٔا وَهُوَ خَيْرٌ لَّكُمْ وَعَسَىٰٓ أَن تُحِبُّوا۟ شَيْـًٔا وَهُوَ شَرٌّ لَّكُمْ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ وَأَنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ
Fighting is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for you, and that ye love a thing which is bad for you. But Allah knoweth, and ye know not. (Surat al-Baqarah, 2:216)
Wa Huwa `alamu bi ‘l-muhtadeen.
إِنَّكَ لَا تَهْدِى مَنْ أَحْبَبْتَ وَلَـٰكِنَّ ٱللَّهَ يَهْدِى مَن يَشَآءُ وَهُوَ أَعْلَمُ بِٱلْمُهْتَدِينَ
It is true you will not be able to guide every one, whom you love; but Allah guides those whom He wills and He knows best those who receive guidance. (Surat al-Qasas, 28:56)
In how many verses does Allah (swt) say, “I know who is on the right path. I know. You don’t know.” When you say, sadaqAllahu ‘l-`Azheem, “Yaa Rabbee. You are saying the right words,” act upon it. Make me from the good ones and with the good ones. Inshaa-Allah, our end will be with the good ones and we will be with the good ones here and Hereafter. May Allah (swt) forgive us. Enough? Okay, maybe I can give you something sweet at the end.
It is said that the first one who said, “SubhaanAllah,” was Sayyidina Jibril (a). Why? Because when he was created, his eyes fell on `Arsh right away. The first thing he saw was `Arsh and the Greatness and Splendor of `Arsh. He said, “SubhaanAllah.” Awliyaullah have said that whoever say, “SubhaanAllah,” will take from the thawab of Sayyidina Jibril (a).
The first one who said, “Alhamdulillah,” was Sayyidina Adam (a). When Allah (swt) blew the soul and Adam (a) became alive, he said, “Alhamdulillah.” Whoever says, “Alhamdulillah,” will get from the fadl of Sayyidina Adam (a).
Laa ilaaha illa-Llah was said by Sayyidina Nuh (a). When he saw the tufaan coming, he kept Tawheed because he knew the only thing that would save him from the flood, from the Anger of Allah (swt) was Tawheed. He kept on saying, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah. Laa ilaaha illa-Llah” until the tufaan was finished. If you say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” you will get from what Sayyidina Nuh (a) got.
Who do you think said, “Allahu Akbar”? Ibrahim (a). He said, “Allahu Akbar,” when he saw the sheep coming down to be sacrificed instead of his son. “Allahu Akbar. Allahu Akbar.” That ram was coming down in exchange for the sacrifice of Isma’eel.
Be busy with Dhikrullah . Don’t gossip anymore. Leave that. Be busy with Dhikrullah like Shaqiq. He spent three days in the masjid and only got out because his body became weak, otherwise he would not get out.
May Allah (swt) forgive all of us.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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