Suhbah at Shah Jahan Mosque
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.What time is `Isha? This (microphone) is like a robot. This is from Grandshaykh (q), a taweez that he wrote fifty years ago in his own (handwriting) and he gave it to me 45 years ago for increasing rizq and protection from all kinds of black magic. He ordered me to put it in every room in the house. So it is available here and quantities are limited, first come, first serve.
And this is a rare copy of the names of As-haab al-Kahf that Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) wrote by himself.
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.
First of all, I have to admit and say I am struggling, but I have to say that I am the lowest one among you and trying to speak what we need to hear for myself and for yourself. Everyone that is coming for Allah (swt) and Prophet (s) will not go without their sins being waived because it is an association for Mawlid an-Nabi (s).
When someone says “Muhammad,” who will be happy? Allah will be happy. Prophet (s) is humble, Allah will be happy. Prophet (s) is happy that he can pull that one who mentions his name from the hand of Shaytan and can intercede for him. That is why it is written, and more will be written as we read from the Seerah and many ahadeeth and many sayings of scholars and awliya, that on every leaf on every tree in Paradise is written, “Muhammad!” That is to show the Greatness of Sayyidina Muhammad (s)!
Awliya or `ulama are trying their best and there is a big difference between an `alim and a wali. A wali can be an `alim, but an `alim cannot be a wali. An `alim has a long way to go to be wali but a wali is, at the same time, an `alim and a wali. As we said yesterday, a wali carries the `Ilm al-Ladunni, that spiritual knowledge that Sayyidina Khidr (a) was debating with Sayyidina Musa (a), as a wali can carry such knowledge that even `ulama cannot understand. An `alim speaks what he has learned, but a wali speaks directly from the heart of Sayyidina Muhammad (s)!
I was looking at these hearts up here; beginning from Prophet (s), all these hearts have different names of awliya, including Mawlana Shaykh Nazim’s (q) name, reaching all the way to Prophet (s). They take directly from the heart of Prophet (s) and their associations are associations wherein if you sit for one moment Allah (swt) will dress you with His endless blessings of His Beautiful Names and Attributes. Prophet (s) said:
إِنَّ لِلَّهِ مَلَائِكَةً يَطُوفُونَ فِي الطُّرُقِ، يَلْتَمِسُونَ أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ، فَإِذَا وَجَدُوا قَوْمًا يَذْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ تَنَادَوْا، هَلُمُّوا إِلَى حَاجَتِكُمْ
Inna lillahi malaa’ikata yatoofoona fi ’t-turqi yaltamisoona ahl adh-dhikr fa’idhaa wajadoo qawman yadhkuroona ’Llaha tanaadaw halummoo ila haajatikum.
Allah has angels who roam about on roads looking for the love-sick rememberers of Allah. When they find such people, they call out to other angels, ‘Come here to you were seeking….’ (Bukhari; minhajbooks.com)
They are looking for those who are sitting together and remembering Prophet (s). They search for those people, looking for where they are and then they follow them. You have been followed from your home to here by angels who are looking at where you are going. Anyone going to a masjid or somewhere to make dhikr or listen to advice, you must know that there are angels following you. How many? Allah knows how many. He is sending behind everyone, so as you move towards a masjid, Allah will give you ten hasanaat for every step you take. He will give you one hasanah and take away one sayyiah (sin) for each step you take, and one hasanah multiplied by ten is ten hasanaat. So you will be given ten hasanaat and one sayyiah will be taken away.
What does “ten hasanaat” mean? We often hear many scholars say, “Praying in jama`ah is equal to 27 prayers,” or, “Making miswaak before prayer is equal to 27 prayers and if you do that, you will get ten hasanaat.” What is ten hasanaat? It means every hasanah is taking all of what Iblees has put in you of bad manners. They will take the poison of those bad manners and throw it in the dustbin. Every hasanah brings you back to Islam. Now you might say, “I am already a Muslim, how can it bring me back to Islam?” No! Alhamdulillah, we are Muslim and that is Allah’s Favor on us, but have we really fulfilled the orders of Islam? Every moment you are moving, you are falling into the trap of Shaytan and as soon as we fall in the trap, from a believer we become an unbeliever, as Allah (swt) has said in the Holy Qur’an:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ ثُمَّ كَفَرُواْ ثُمَّ آمَنُواْ ثُمَّ كَفَرُواًْ
Inna alladheena aamanoo thumma kafaroo thumma aamanoo thumma kafaroo.
Those who believe then reject faith, then believe (again) and (again) reject faith. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:137)
With one step we are a believer and with another, unbeliever. So when Allah dresses you with hasanaat, everything that you have acquired of poisonous character from Iblees or his fellows will be taken away and Allah will dress you with His Beautiful Names and Attributes. And every step you take towards an association such as this one, or a dhikr or a masjid or for advice, there will be angels following you and dressing you with Allah’s Beautiful Names and Attributes every step of the way! They will take your sayyiaat and throw them away.
So when they dress you, they prepare you. For what? For you to be able to reach clean, and then they don’t leave you but sit with you, as Allah has sent them for you and they are your angels. And Allah sent special angels for everyone. (inaudible) When they reach with you to a majlis of dhikr, they sit with you and remember Allah with you. Also, their remembrance will be written for you and anyone who accompanies you who is not concerned with that dhikr, but who only came to accompany you for a certain reason, Allah (swt) will dress them like He dressed you! It means if you bring a friend who is not in tariqah or is not even concerned with Islam and is Muslim only by name, Allah said in a Holy Hadith to Prophet (s):
هُمُ الْقَوْمُ لَا يَشْقَى بِهِمْ جَلِيسُهُمْ
humu ’l-qawmu laa yashqaa bihim jaleesahum.....
Anyone who comes with him will never be down, I will dress him with the dress of rahmah.
What is all this for? For love of Prophet (s)! So what is important? How many of you are studying Shari`ah? There is no one, it’s okay, but there is a problem and you have to learn because if you don’t learn, you don’t know how to answer people. That is the negative side we are carrying around in the many groups all over the world and in the Naqshbandi Tariqah; they are not carrying enough knowledge. There is a deficiency in studying about Islam. You may have seen mureeds from other turuq who are studying and are scholars. O young ones! Study and learn! We don’t want those who don’t have the knowledge to speak; rather, we want those who have knowledge to speak.
Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah (r) mentioned that Prophet (s) said to him:
انما بعثت لاتمم مكارم الاخلاق
Innamaa bu`ithtu li utammimu makaarim al-akhlaaq.
I have been sent to perfect the best of conduct (your behavior and character). (Bazzaar)
“To perfect your manners,” this is how they translated it. “To perfect,” means to make it better, cleaner, but the hadith says “li utammim,” which means, “to complete” in you the best manners. Prophet (s) didn’t say, “I have been sent to perfect,” but he said, “to complete for you.” It means he took responsibility in front of Allah (swt), saying, “Yaa Rabbee! I am not expecting anything from them as I know my ummah, so I am completing the makaarim al-akhlaaq, the good manners on their behalf!” Because of Prophet (s), you will appear before Allah (swt) on the Day of Judgment in the best possible characters, but that does not mean we don’t have to try and struggle and do better.
وأوصى النبي صلى اللّه عليه وسلم أبا هريرة بوصية عظيمة فقال: يا أبا هريرة! عليك بحسن الخلق. قال أبو هريرة رضي اللّه عنه: وما حسن الخلق يا رسول اللّه؟ قال: تصل مَنْ قطعك، وتعفو عمن ظلمك، وتُعطي من حرمك
Awsaa ‘n-nabiyyu sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallim Aba Hurayrah bi-waseeyyati `azheematin fa-qaala: yaa Aba Hurayrah radiAllahu `anhu, `alayka bi-husnu ‘l-khuluq. Qaala Abu Hurayrah: wa maa hasana ‘l-khulqi yaa Rasoolullah. Qaala: tasila man qata`k, wa ta`foo `amman zhalamak, wa tu`tee man haramak.
As the Prophet (s) said to Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah (r): “You must keep good character,” and he asked, “What is the good character?” And the Prophet (s) said:
1. “to connect with the one who disconnected with you.”
2. “To forgive the one who oppressed you,”
3. “to give to the one who blocked you from getting what you like.” (Bayhaqi)
Prophet (s) said to Abu Hurayrah (r), “O Abu Hurayrah! You have to have the good manners.” He said, “Yaa Rasoolullah, what is best of manners?” This is for everyone of you here, and for me first and for you as you like; I cannot force it. If you like, it is up to you. That involves every human being on Earth when Abu Hurayrah (r) asked about the best of manners. I am asking you, what is best of manners? (No one answers.) That is why we need a scholar here. Now I am hearing some answers. (Humbleness, patience.) You said not hurting someone. It is an tasila man qata`ak, “to bring back peace between the one who left you.” Bring back your relationships, don’t be hating your brothers or sisters in Islam if you separated from your brother, bring that back and connect with him: if you separated from parents bring them back and connect with them, don’t let Shaytan to separate that bond between Muslims. To connect back whom you left or he left you. Can you do that? Anyone who is not speaking with his brother for many years, go and speak, be better, say, “Sorry, I am coming.” You extend your hand and kiss theirs. Wa ta`foo am-man zhalamak, to forgive the one who oppressed you, the one who spoke bad about you, who made fitna against you, the one who slapped you, the one who spread bad rumors, the one who backbited you.
So do we see that between us or not? Does it exist or not? I am not hearing, what is this? (Yes, sir!) Why you are sleeping? I am not sleeping. (Yes, sir!) However many are against you, forgive them!
And then Prophet (s) said, Wa t`utee man haramak,“And to give to the one who didn’t give you what you deserved.” If I owe you ten and stop giving it to you, saying, “Go and give him what he owes you back.” Give people what they deserve from you, what they want from you. Don’t say, “I don’t speak with this one because he backbites me.” Forgive him for Allah’s sake!
So after this hadith, Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (q) said, “I advise you, O my son, don’t be with the people of fasaad and dalaal, those who are corrupted as they will misguide you.” First they will say (mimics someone smoking), what does Shaytan smoke? Cigarettes. Shaytan is smoking in the form of that person, he will say, “O, take one cigarette.”
“No, no, it is not good.”
Next day he will say, “Go on, just take one. No one is seeing, it’s nothing!”
You take it, now you became high, which means this is a corrupted person misguiding you. Then he takes you to worse than that. There are too many things worse, so we have to be careful.
Prophet (s) said, “Do you want to go to Paradise?” Everyone say, “I want to go to Paradise inshaa-Allah to be with Prophet (s) in dunya and Akhira.” Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah wa ash-hadu anna Muhammadu ‘r-Rasoolullah. That will take you to Paradise, inshaa-Allah!
يا أيها الناس، أفشوا السلام، وأطعموا الطعام، وصلوا بالليل والناس نيام، تدخلوا الجنة بسلام
Yaa ayyuha ’n-naasu afshoo 's-salaam wa 'ti`moo ’t-ta`am wa salloo bi 'l-layl wa 'n-naasu niyaam tadkhulu 'l-jannata bi 's-salaam.
O mankind! Spread (or say) the (greetings of) peace,give out food, and pray at night while people are asleep, then you will enter Paradise peacefully. (Tirmidhi)
So you want to go to Paradise and Prophet (s) said, “Okay, you need to do afshoo 's-salaam, ” which means be first to say, “Salaamu `alaykum,” to someone. If you saw your enemy, don’t pull your hand. There were two brothers when we prayed Jumu`ah two days ago. They were not speaking and one gave his hand and the other pulled his away, and that one who pulled away put his hand in Hellfire! You must reconnect with the one you broke ties with as Prophet (s) says, “afshoo 's-salaam,” “Say, ‘salaamu `alaykum’ to anyone, to any Muslim you see. Don’t expect them to say it first, you should proceed. The Muslim who says ‘salaamu `alaykum’ first will get more barakah.
So Prophet (s) said, “afshoo ’s-salaam,” as this will increase familiarity between us when we say salaam to each other. I am not speaking of heavenly knowledge such as Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa; today we are speaking basics, which are important for us because Islam is manners. Prophet (s) said, “I came to perfect your manners.” You have to pray, you have to. Don’t think you are making a favor for Allah when you pray because it is for yourself! Praying, fasting and loving Prophet (s) are all things you do for yourself. Don’t think that if you are praising Prophet (s) that you are making a favor to Allah (swt)! He doesn’t care for your prayers! If you want to tell him that you are making favor to Him, don’t! Allah has his own angels doing non-stop salawaat on Prophet (s) and He is continuously creating angels that make non-stop salawaat on Sayydina Muhammad (s)! So if we do salawaat it is for our benefit. You get benefit if you do salawaat as you imitate them, so you will be blessed with their salawaat each time you make yours.
If we now do salawaat in the simplest way, as the Sahaabah asked Prophet (s), “How do we make salawaat?” So humble. Prophet (s) said, “Say, ‘Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin wa baarik wa sallim.’” So simple. He didn’t put titles for himself, he only said, “Muhammad,” but we have to as if it is our duty.
Today `ulama, if they don’t see titles in front of their names they don’t attend the lectures. That is why I don’t like anyone to introduce me because it makes your ego big. We are running away from our ego, but are running towards it if someone says all kind of titles. Today if you don’t put “PhD” or “Doctor” or “Master” or “Bachelor” or “High School” or “Intermediary School” or “Kindergarten” in front of their name, they are not happy and don’t come to your lecture! Sayyidina Muhammad (s), the One Who went to Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, the One Who Is Praised and was Created First, the One Who was a prophet before Sayyidina Adam (a) and whose Light was created first, refused to put a title in front of his name. And now if we don’t put “`Allama,” “Mufti Sahib,” “Mawlana,” “Shaykh,” “Dr.,” “PhD in Islam,” they are not happy, when these titles bring arrogance only!
So Prophet (s) said, afshoo 's-salaam, “Spread, ‘Salaam.’” I want to say something. When you say salawaat, “Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadin wa baarik wa sallim,” at that moment whatever the angels have accumulated with their salawaat, Allah will dress you with that! One salawaat will give you the salawaat of all the angels! Everyone will get their equal share and not just from one salawaat, but everything that was said from beginning to end, to the moment you are in it! What all angels are saying at that time, all will be dressed and there is no beginning for angels! Allah knows best when they began and when He created them. Of course, there is a beginning of Creation, but we don’t know how many years. Allah will dress you with that. By saying, “Salaamu `alaykum,” the Sahaabah (r) used to run after Prophet (s) when he was sitting in order to get (the response), “Wa `alaykum salaam.”
السلام علينا وعلى عبادالله الصالحين
As-salaamu `alayna wa alaa `ibaadillahi ‘s-saaliheen.
Allah will send back salaam.
So be careful, ‘afshoo ‘s-salaam.’ When you make salaam, you make familiarity and bring things back to normal. When two people are fighting and you say, “Salaamu `alaykum,” they will hug each other and that will make Allah (swt) happy and not Shaytan.
Secondly, after you say “afshoo ‘s-salaam,” you invite him to your home and give food. What do people like the most? Food. And what kind? Curry, chili. Wa 'ati`mu 't-ta`am, Prophet (s) is ordering to give food. At`im is a fa`al amar, “feed the people.” Feed them physical food or spiritual food? Feed them something that will make them to always pray for you, ‘ati`mu ‘t-ta`am. All turuq around the world are successful by (giving) food. You go to any place in Pakistan or India or Arab countries or even here where there is tariqah, you will see that there is food. Their doors are open for people to eat, sleep and go. Have you ever seen a khaniqa in the Sub-continent where there is no food ? You may find that in a masjid or a center, but in a khaniqa where there is a shaykh or a guide, food is available 24 hours a day; food for the body and spirit to build you back up.
Wa ‘ati`mu ’t-ta`am, then you also gather those who don’t have any money and are homeless. ‘Ati`mu ‘t-ta`am also means that you make it easy for them to eat by helping him through donations so that he may able to eat. So places like this mosque live on the “food,” meaning the donations from the wealthy to make them successful in running the masjid. That is ‘ati`mu ‘t-ta`am. If there were no wealthy people to whom Allah gave and who are feeding us from their wealth keeping the masaajid running, giving food and keeping the lights on, (it would be difficult). If you don’t have money at the end of the month to pay the electricity bill, the lights will be turned off. So that is ‘ati`mu ‘t-ta`am. And when you give food, meaning when you support in any way such as a homeless or sick person, a masjid, a dinner or anything you can, that is under “ati`mu ‘t-ta`am.”
And the third is waqoomu wa ‘n-naasu niyaam, “Wake up when everyone else is sleeping,” wa salloo bi 'l-layl wa 'n-naasu niyaam, you wake up when people are sleeping. There is no one with you. You are praying alone between the Hands of Allah (swt). When you say “Allahu Akbar,” prepare yourself through the door of Prophet (s) and you cannot come to the Divine Presence without entering through the door.
وَأْتُواْ الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا
Waa’too ’l-buyoota min abwaabihaa.
Enter houses through their doors. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:189)
The Door of Heavens and Earth, the Door of Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, the Door for the Divine Presence is Muhammadun Rasoolullah (s)! Don't go with your ego, try to put it back and go with Prophet (s) by calling on him, adkhilna ila bahril ilahi, yaa Sayyidee, yaa Rasoolullah, “Take us to enter the Holy Divine Ocean of Allah (swt)!” And then you go and pray and ask for whatever it is that you want to ask and that is where the prayer is accepted. That is why Prophet (s) said, qoomu wa ‘n-naasu niyaam, “Wake up when everyone else is sleeping,” as no one will disturb you. Sit and reflect.
تفكر ساعة خير من عبادة سبعين سنة
Tafakkarru sa`atin khayrun min `ibaadati saba`een sannah.
To remember Allah (swt) (contemplate or meditate) for one hour is better than seventy years of worship.
To think for one hour is better than the reward of 70 years of worshipness. If you do tafakkur, meditation for just one hour, sixty minutes, saying, “Yaa Rabbee! I am coming to you with all these bad characters and bad manners!” then you begin to count them, “I am a liar, I am a thief, I am untrustworthy, I am this and that. Yaa Rabbee! Take it away and forgive me for all that I have done today!” So you put all of what you did in that day one after another, asking Allah to forgive you, and it goes. But you must be consistent, not asking for ten days and discontinue by saying, “I didn’t get anything so I stopped it.” No!
Mawlana Shaykh says:
اجل الكرمات دوام التوفيق
Ajalla al-karamaat dawaam at-tawfeeq.
The best of miracles is to be consistent (in what you are doing).
You must continue your daily awraad and dhikr that your shaykh has given you because this is your highway. Everyone has a highway and not everyone is on the same highway. That is why when you go to the shaykh he might not give you the same as the other and even if he did, the breath of what he gave to one is different from the breath he gave to the other. It is said:
الطرق الى الله تعالى على عدد انفاس الخلائق
At-turuq ila Allahi ta`ala`bi `addadi anfaasi ’l-khalaaiq.
The ways to God are as numerous as the breaths of human beings.
It is not on the number of humans, but on the number of their breaths! How many breaths do you take every day? Experts say it is around 18-20,000 going in and out. We have doctors here today. It comes when you are following that system, that way that awliya are showing you through which you will establish for yourself a way to Allah. And on every breath there is a parallel way that will take you farther down, pushing you one level after another,and you will go quicker to the Presence of Allah (swt). So Prophet (s) said, ‘afshoo ‘s-salaam wa 'ati`mu 't-ta`am wa salloo bi ’l-layli wa ‘n-naasu niyaam tadkhulu 'l-jannata bi 's-salaam, “You will enter Paradise peacefully without question.” Allah will say, “Come, O My servants, it is open for you!”
I will read a hadith from Prophet (s):
من كان في حاجة أخيه كان الله في حاجته
Man kaana fee haajata akheehu kaana-Llaaha fee haajatahu.
Whoever fulfills the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs. (Bukhari and Muslim)
Some people may come to you and ask, “Can you help me in this favor and fulfill my need?” If your brother fulfilled your need, Prophet (s) said, “If someone fulfills the needs of his brother, it is as if Allah (swt) fulfilled the needs of his whole life,” just for doing it once. Look at Allah's Generosity! In another hadith Prophet (s) said:
مَنْ لَقِيَ أَخَاهُ الْمُسْلِمَ بِمَا يُحِبُّ لِيَسُرَّهُ بِهِ سَرَّهُ اللَّهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ
Man laqiya akhaahu ‘l-muslima bimaa yuhibbu liyasurra bihu sarrahu yawm al-qiyaamah.
He who meets his Muslim brother in a manner pleasing to Allah so as to make him happy, Allah will make him happy on the Day of Resurrection. '(Tabarani, Majma-'uz-zawaid)
Who makes someone happy in dunya, Allah will make him happy in Akhirah. If you make your brother or sister happy just one time, Allah will make you happy for your whole life and in Akhirah!
Prophet (s) said:
من مشى في حاجة أخيه ساعة من ليل أو نهار قضاها أولم يقضها كان خيراً له من اعتكاف شهرين
Mam masha feee haajata akheehee sa`atan min laylin aw nahaarin qadaahaa aw lam yaqdiha kaana khayran lahu min `itikaaf shahrayn.
If someone went to help someone else at any time of day or night by saying, “Okay come with me, I will take you to fix your problem,” it is better than seclusion for two months. (al-Haakim)
Today people wait for their shaykh to give them the order for seclusion. This hadith is giving you a two-month seclusion only to go and fix your brother’s problem! Allah (swt) is Great!
It is said that Prophet (s) will not enter Paradise before his whole ummah enters, that he cannot enter if someone is left behind. Until he sees all of them in Paradise in their places, he will not enter. That is why Prophet (s) is given these ahadith, in order to make it easy for people to enter Paradise. So all of what we heard today is a way towards Akhirah, towards success. And may Allah bless you all. We mentioned some of these teachings of different ahadith to perfect and complete the good manners in you. If you tell someone your bad manners, they will take you to a psychologist or psychiatrist. He will take their money and tell them nothing; in fact, he will make them worse because if he was plugged (to Heavens), he would lead them to success. All of us are psychologists, we are trying to teach people good manners when we have bad manners! (laughter) I am not speaking about the knowledge of Psychiatry taught in universities, but I am speaking in general about how we are transmitting our negative energy and manners that we are carrying on ourselves to the others. So such associations take you out and refresh your memory by saying to yourself, “I have to be better.”
What is the most important thing that we have learned now in this session? If someone cuts off their relationship with you, reconnect with them, an tasila man qata`ak. If you have a problem with them, go back and fix it. Wa ta`foo `am-man zhalamak, “To forgive the one who oppressed you.” That is very difficult to do and Prophet (s) is asking us to do it. You must step on your ego, as that is the problem.
Sayyidina Musa (a) said, “O Allah! Let me see you!”
قَالَ رَبِّ أَرِنِي أَنظُرْ إِلَيْكَ
Qaala rabbee arinee anzhur ilayk.
He said, "O my Lord! Show Yourself to me that I may look upon You." (Surat al-`Araaf, 7:143)
He is Kaleemullah and one of the Oolu ‘l-Azam. I cannot say this, but he began to establish the characteristics that no one is above him, as he was too confident in himself. In the Seerah of Sayyidina Musa (a), he said, “O Allah! I am wondering about Your Justice as there is no justice in what you are doing.” He is the only prophet who can speak like that, because he is Kaleemullah. “Where is the justice? There are ten or fifteen people committing bad acts in the city and You destroyed all of them!” You can find this in numerous places in the Holy Qur’an. “You sent all kinds of punishment and `adhaab on the people just for ten or twenty. This is not justice! Pick up those who have done wrong, put them by the seashore and send a tsunami on them. It is easy.” He was complaining.
Allah (swt) said, “Yaa Musa! I will give you the answer when you go to the forest where you will find a broken tree and sit on the trunk.”
So he went to the forest searching for the tree, found it and sat on its trunk. Allah ordered the home of ants to come on the leg of Sayyidina Musa (a). They came and then Allah ordered one ant to bite him and as soon as that ant bit him, he took his hand and pressed over his whole leg (killing the ants).
Allah (swt) said, “Yaa Musa! What are you doing? For one ant (biting you) you killed hundreds or thousands of ants!”
So we have to be very careful in what we are facing and doing. Allah is patient with Ummat an-Nabi (s). When Prophet (s) said, “O Allah! Don't destroy my ummah from drowning, from fire or earthquakes,” Allah (swt) said, “I will not do that.” And then Prophet (s) said, “Don’t let them to fight each other.” Allah said, “This I cannot do. I want them to fight each other.”
That is why they are fighting with each other. So we have to be very careful on the completion of the good manners. Sayydina Musa (a) was too confident in saying, “Yaa Rabbee, I want to see you! I am eligible!”
Allah said, “Alright, if you want to see Me, look at that mountain. If it stays in its place, you may see Me.”
And when Allah manifested Himself on the mountain, it shattered. So now he knew that whatever knowledge he possessed, he still needs more. And where did Allah send him? To one `abid, Sayyidina Khidr (a). Some scholars say that he is a prophet and some say a saint. Allah (swt) said:
فَوَجَدَا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَا آتَيْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِنْ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلْمًا
Fawajadaa `abdan min `ibaadinaa aataynaahu rahmatan min `indinaa wa `allamnaahu min ladunnaa `ilma.
So they found one of Our Servants, on whom We had bestowed Mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge from Our Own Presence. (Surat al-Kahf, 18:65)
“He went and found one,” meaning there are too many; there have been many saints throughout the years and he found one.
He said to Sayyidina Khidr (a), “I want to follow you.”
He replied, “You cannot bear to be with me. (18:67) How you can follow me? You complained on the punishment and you crushed the ants on your leg, so you can't follow.”
Sayyidina Khidr (a) was not higher than Musa (a), no way! But Sayyidina Khidr (a) was given heavenly knowledge. Wa `allamnaahu min ladunnaa `ilma, “And whom We had taught knowledge from Our Own Presence.” He was acting according to the Will of Allah (swt) from Heavens, which is completely different of what scholars know. Awliyaullah know heavenly knowledge and that is why when they say something it does not click in your mind. How is it like that? It cannot be. It is different from what everyone says. That is why Sayyidina Khidr (a) drilled a hole in the boat.
Sayyidina Musa (a) said, “What are you doing? Everyone is going to drown and so will I!” He was worried about himself, but the order to drill was according to heavenly knowledge, because at the end there was a (pirate) king that took every boat by force.
أَمَّا السَّفِينَةُ فَكَانَتْ لِمَسَاكِينَ يَعْمَلُونَ فِي الْبَحْرِ فَأَرَدتُّ أَنْ أَعِيبَهَا وَكَانَ وَرَاءهُم مَّلِكٌ يَأْخُذُ كُلَّ سَفِينَةٍ غَصْبًا
Ammaa as-safeenatu fakaanat limasaakeena ya`maloona fi ’l-bahri fa-aradtu an a`eebahaa wa kaana waraahum malikun yakhudhu kulla safeenatin ghasba.
(Khidr said), “As for the boat, it belonged to certain men in dire want. They plied on the water. I wished to render it unserviceable, for there was after them a certain (evil) king who seized on every boat by force.” (Surat al-Kahf, 18:79)
When he made a hole, the boat began to sink until they reached (land), so the king left it. Sayyidina Khidr (a) was able to see that king was Iblees, who was taking everyone who is ready on a boat and saying, “Come, welcome to me!” Sayyidina Khidr (a) wants to drill a hole for your ego to drown and sink and come clean! It is a completely different interpretation and understanding of that verse. So it was Safinatu ‘n-Najaat, the Boat of Safety for Nuh (a), and this boat that Khidr (s) took Sayyidina Musa (a) on was Safinatu ‘n-Nafs, the Boat of Ego.
“If you want to be clean, drill a hole in your body and let your ego go down through that hole! Don’t come to Allah with your ego, I am sinking your ego!” That is the meaning. Then you are coming clean and you cannot say that. That is why Khidr (a) said, “You cannot go with me.” And how did Sayyidina Khidr get his knowledge? Through Prophet (s). It says in the verse of Holy Qur’an:
ا عَبْدًا مِّنْ عِبَادِنَا آتَيْنَاهُ رَحْمَةً مِنْ عِندِنَا وَعَلَّمْنَاهُ مِن لَّدُنَّا عِلْمًا
Fawajadaa `abdan min `ibaadinaa aataynaahu rahmatan min `indinaa wa `allamnaahu min ladunnaa `ilma.
So they found one of Our Servants, on whom We had bestowed Mercy from Ourselves and whom We had taught knowledge from Our Own Presence. (Surat al-Kahf, 18:65)
And who is that rahmah? Sayyidina Muhammad (s)! (Naray Takbeer, Allahu Akbar! Naray Risaalat, yaa Rasoolullah!)
That means `ulama are not `ulama, but awliya and all other than awliya are taking from Prophet (s). As is mentioned in the Qasidat al-Burdah, Wa kulluhum min rasoolillaahi multamisun, gharfan min al-bahri wa rashfan mina ’d-diyami, “Everyone is taking from the Prophet (s) and there is no way you can live without the power of Prophet (s) within you!”
No one can be an `alim without the power of Prophet (s). Awliyaullah may understand that. That is why Imam Busayri (r) said, Wa kulluhum min rasoolillaahi multamisun, “Everyone is taking from Prophet (s)!” which means all prophets, awliyaullah, `ulama and everyone else are taking from Prophet (s). That is why he said that he is ar-Rahmal Muda`ah, “the Gifted Mercy,” that he dressed Sayyidina Khidr (a) with, and thus, he appeared with the knowledge of Prophet (s). That is why Khidr (a) said to Musa (a), “You cannot follow me,” not because he was higher than Sayy