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Praise Sayyidina Muhammad (s) and You Will Be Happy!

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

13 July 2012 Long Island, New York

Suhbah at Private Residence after `Asr (3)

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`alaa fee haadha 'l-masjid.

أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ

Ati`oollaha wa ati`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)

Allah (swt) said obey Allah, obey the Prophet (s) and obey those who are on authority. Allah (swt) gave importance and told us, "Be aware!" If you are deaf, go to the doctor to clean your ear to hear. When someone is not hearing, he goes to a doctor. Why doesn't he say, "I don't need a doctor." No, Allah (swt) mentioned that you need people, you need each other. This one does you a favor and you do him a favor; this dunya is like that. Allah ordered the nation of the Prophet (s), first the Sahaabah (r), that if you do any sin or commit something wrong, where do you go to ask forgiveness?

Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur'an:

وَأْتُواْ الْبُيُوتَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِهَا

Watoo ’l-buyoota min abwaabihaa.

Enter houses through their doors. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:189)

That means don't enter from the windows as that is not adab, good manners. Also, Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur'an that if someone does something wrong, go to presence of the Prophet (s), which is not something new, it is in Holy Qur'an:

وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذ ظَّلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ جَآؤُوكَ فَاسْتَغْفَرُواْ اللّهَ وَاسْتَغْفَرَ لَهُمُ الرَّسُولُ لَوَجَدُواْ اللّهَ تَوَّابًا رَّحِيمًا

Wa law annahum idh zhalamoo anfusahum ja’ooka f ’astaghfaroollaaha w ’astaghfara lahumu ‘r-rasoolu la-wajadoo ’Llaaha tawwaaba ‘r-raheema.

If they had only, when they were unjust to themselves, come to you and asked Allah's forgiveness, and the Messenger had asked forgiveness for them, they would have found Allah indeed Oft-returning, Most Merciful. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:64)

The end goal is to go to Allah (swt), but you have some steps to follow: first you must go to the Prophet (s), like a sick person goes to the doctor for advice, because you cannot cure yourself by yourself. Yes, Allah is “The Curer,” but He made a means. He (a mureed) is a Doctor of Pediatrics; for us, we are babies and if we have a problem we go to him. He won’t shut his door and say, “I will not see you.” No, Islam doesn't allow that, because when you are in need you go to whom Allah (swt) gave power. To whom did Allah give power? Sayyidina Muhammad (s)! So we go to the Prophet (s), asking Allah (swt) to forgive us and the Prophet (s) asks Allah forgiveness on our behalf, then Allah will forgive us, as mentioned in the ayah. So someone who cannot hear goes to someone who can clean his ears so he can hear. Now we don't hear what the ayah says; if anyone can hear after I recite the ayah, let him raise his hands.

وَإِن مِّن شَيْءٍ إِلاَّ يُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدَهِ وَلَـكِن لاَّ تَفْقَهُونَ تَسْبِيحَهُمْ

Wa in min shay’in illa yusabihoo bihamdih wa lakin laa tafqahoon tasbeehahum.

There is not a thing but celebrates His Praises, and yet you don’t understand how they declare His Glory! (Surat al-’Israa, 17:44)

There is nothing that does not praise Allah (swt), which means you cannot hear (all that praising), so you need pin code. Everything makes tasbeeh: every leaf, every rock, every fish, but humans and jinn cannot hear it, while all others do hear it.

If you reach a station where you can decode the tasbeeh they are making, then you can understand what is going on in the heavenly life and will be able to hear and see everything. So what is Allah (swt) emphasizing in this ayah? Wa in min shay’in illa yusabihoo bihamdih. “Tasbeeh” means “to praise and glorify Allah (swt)” in any way. That means you are remembering Him by mentioning His Beautiful Names and Attributes, which is why it is said that dhikrullah (remembrance of Allah) is the highest level of `ibaadah, worship, because everything in this world will be extinguished except dhikrulla.

In Akhirah everything is dhikrullah; your life is dhikrullah. You see many people killing ants as they walk, but as soon as you kill an ant its tasbeeh stops, because the life of any creation is its tasbeeh, which is also counted. However many breaths come in and out, it is counted by Allah’s (swt) Divinely Power:

لَقَدْ أَحْصَاهُمْ وَعَدَّهُمْ عَدًّا

Laqad ahsaahum wa `addahum 'addaan.

He takes an account of them (all) and has numbered them (all) exactly. (Surah Maryam, 19:94)

This means He encompassed them and they are under His Vision, and He counted them one-by-one. Allah (swt) knows every breath of human beings by His Knowledge, because He created them. For example, they say an engineer knows about this building because he built it, so then doesn’t Allah (swt) know everything about His Creation? He created them! In a tafseer it is said that dhikrullah is the highest level of `ibaadah, and since that is the case, then we must make sure to do dhikrullah in order to make Allah (swt) happy with us, as He said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ ذِكْرًا كَثِيرًا وَسَبِّحُوهُ بُكْرَةً وَأَصِيلًا هُوَ الَّذِي يُصَلِّي عَلَيْكُمْ وَمَلَائِكَتُهُ لِيُخْرِجَكُم مِّنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ وَكَانَ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَحِيمًا

Yaa ayyuha 'Lladheena aamanoo 'dhkurullaaha dhikran katheera wa sabihoohu bukratan wa aseela. Huwa 'Lladhee yusalli `alaykum li yukhrijakum min azh-zhulumaati ila 'n-noor.

O you who believe! Remember Allah! Continue to mention Him without limit, before sunrise and before sunset. He is The One Who encourages, appreciates, and supports you all, and replaces darkness and tyranny with Divine Light. (Surat al-Ahzaab, 33:41-43)

Remember Allah (swt) excessively, as much as you can, and praise Him before and after work (“before sunrise and before sunset”). Today, who is remembering Allah (swt) when leaving or entering their house? There are some, but not that many; you can count them. That is why it is said that everything is perishable except dhikrullah, which goes with you to Paradise. Life in Paradise is dhikrullah, like with angels who live by dhikrullah, as Allah (swt) created and ordered them to make dhikrullah. The most beautiful order He gave them in the Holy Qur'an is, “Praise My Prophet, O My Angels! You are pure and infallible, but if you want Me to be happy with you and to come to Me, make salawaat on My Beloved Prophet (s)!”

That order is for all angels, those He created in the past, those He is creating, and those He will create! As Allah (swt) is continuously creating angels and they are all under the order to make salawaat on the Prophet (s). Therefore, fa firroo ila ‘Llah, run to Allah! If you want to live a happy life, run to Allah (swt)! Don’t run to this one or that one, as they will not do anything for you, except these pious ones.

If you see a scholar whom everyone respects and who makes you to love Akhirah, then follow him; however, if he makes you love dunya, run away from him! A true scholar makes you love Akhirah, whereas the false one makes you love dunya. So our duty is to remember Allah (swt) as much as we can. Why is dhikr necessary? Imam Rabbani (q) said, “Because it will throw away the ghaflah, heedlessness, from all of us.” We are in ghaflah because we are not remembering Allah (swt) every 24 hours and because we are heedless at most hours throughout the day. It is said, “Be careful of the moment of ghaflah, as in that moment Shaytan will come!” You will be an easy target for Shaytan, who will immediately enter and take you from where you are.

So dhikrullah protects you from heedlessness, and the dhikr Allah (swt) loves the most is to say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” to express that Allah is the Creator and we are His Servants, which is not complete without saying, “Muhammadun Rasoolullah.” It is best to say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah” and then add, “Muhammadun Rasoolullah” at the end and Allah (swt) will be happy with that servant!

It is said that dhikr is the key for happiness, the light of souls, and umdata fi ‘t-tareeq, your backbone in the journey on the Way to Allah (swt). As much as you recite, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” that will become the backbone of Allah’s Support that will not let you down. Many people ask us to pray for them, saying, “We have this and that problem.” Recite “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah” one-hundred to one-thousand times per day and Allah (swt) will solve all your problems, as He said:

يقول الله عز وجل: من ذكرني في نفسه ذكرته في نفسي، ومن ذكرني في ملأ ذكرته في ملأ خير منه

Man dhakaranee fee nafsee dhakartahu fee nafsee wa man dhakaranee fee mala’ainn dhakartahu fee mala’ainn khayra minhu.

If (My Servant) makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself. And if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it. (Hadith Qudsi)

Allah (swt) is saying, `abdee dhakaranee, “My Servant remembered me and I am going to remember him in an association better than his association, in a presence better than his presence!” So if you say, “Yaa Allah!” do you think you won’t get an answer? He will answer, “Yaa `Abdee! What is it that you want?” But you need ears to hear, which can be treated by a doctor, and the doctor of the ummah is Sayyidina Muhammad (s)! If you don't go to the doctor of the ummah, how are you going to hear?

Sincere and pious servants of Allah (swt) knew that reality, so they entered the presence of the Prophet (s), asking him to cure them for Allah's Sake. By “pious servants” I don’t mean those who pray all their prayers in masaajid, as Islamically you have to do that, but rather those who did much more! So when they ask in the presence of Prophet (s), Allah will cure, because doesn't Allah (swt) reply to the Prophet (s) when he asks for something? Even when we ask, He (swt) replies, as He said:

ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ

Id`oonee astajib lakum.

Supplicate to Me and I will give you! (Surat al-Mu’min, 40:60)

So when everyone is sleeping, make two raka`ats in a room and ask Allah (swt), “Yaa Rabbee! I have such and such problem, please open the resolution for me!” Do this every night, because there are some people who say, “We did it two nights and Allah didn't open for us.” Allah (swt) is with those who are patient, as He said:

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُواْ اسْتَعِينُواْ بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلاَةِ إِنَّ اللّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ

Yaa ayyuha ‘Lladheena aamanoo ista`eenoo bi ‘s-sabri wa ‘s-salaati inna-Llaaha ma`a ‘s-saabireen.

O you who believe! Seek help with patient perseverance and prayer, for Allah is with those who patiently persevere. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:153)

Be patient, as you are asking from Allah (swt), not from a president! Even when you send some papers to a president, it goes directly in the queue and may take several years until to finally reach as no one is looking at them. But Allah (swt) is The Merciful One! If you say, “Yaa Rabb!” then He (swt) says, “Yaa `Abdee, O My Servant! I will accept your du`a and give you what you want, but don't rush.” Sayyidina Musa (a) asked Allah (swt) to destroy Fira`un, but what happened? Allah left them wandering in the desert for forty years, checking their patience. Allah (swt) was testing Sayyidina Musa, who is a Prophet (a) from one of Ulu ‘l-`Azham, the Five Big Prophets. What about the tests Allah sent on Sayyidina Yahya (a), Sayyidina Zakariyya (a), Sayyidina Nuh (a), Sayyidina `Isa (a), Sayyidina Ibrahim (a) and Sayyidina Yunus (a)? How much has Allah (swt) tested Sayyidina Muhammad (s), who said, “From all the Prophets, I was the one who endured the most abuse and torture from my people.”

So every night we have to make wudu and pray two raka`ats, then ask Allah (swt) for an opening, reciting Salawaat al-Faatih up to ten times, which is the salawaat of The Opener (s) that opens everything:

Salawaat al-Faatih

اللهم صل على سيدنا محمد الفاتح لما أغلق و الخاتم لما سبق ناصر الحق بالحق و الهادي إلى صراطك المستقيم و على آله حق قدره و مقداره العظيم

Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammadini 'l-faatihi limaa ughliq wa 'l-khaatimi limaa sabaq, naasiri 'l-haqqi bi 'l-haqq wa 'l-haadi ilaa siraatika 'l-mustaqeem wa `alaa aalihi haqqa qadrihi wa miqdaarihi 'l-`azheem.

O Allah! Bless our master Muhammad (s), who opened what was closed and who sealed what had gone before! He makes the Truth Victorious by the Truth and he is the guide to Your Straight Path, and bless his household as it befits his immense stature and splendor.

Recite this every day up to three, seven, ten, or one-hundred times or as much as you like and say, “Yaa Rabbee! Open this for me!” Don't you think Allah (swt) will open for you? Of course He will, but first He will test you, for one day, two days, forty days, one year, two years. Keep asking and don't say, “I am fed up, I will not ask anymore.” Keep asking, as you will also be rewarded for your patience! Not only is Allah (swt) rewarding you for remembering Him by asking Him to save you from your problem, but He is also rewarding you for your patience--double payment! Today people are no longer patient; they want everything easily. They have computers that, by pressing one button, they can see everything they want. Before, you had to research and research (through books), whereas now even a child knows more than a professor because they look on the Internet. There is also a heavenly Internet; go access it by following the hadith where the Prophet (s) says to meditate or contemplate for one hour:

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.

Make a fresh wudu and pray two raka`ats, then sit when everyone is asleep and contemplate the Greatness of Allah (swt), that He will solve your problem. The Prophet (s) said that by meditating for only one hour, you are given the `ibaadah of seventy years! Allah (swt) has given us so many ways in order that He saves us. The Prophet (s) said:

bi dhikri ‘s-saaliheen tanzilu ‘r-rahmah.

With remembrance of the pious ones, mercy descends.

If you sit with pious people, Allah's Mercy will descend, so by sitting in that association of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim or of pious people or any wali, according to their levels rahmah will descend. We cannot say no, as the Prophet (s), who is the mercy, is saying this!

وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَاكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَالَمِينَ

Wa maa arsalnaaka illa rahmatan li 'l-`alameen.

(O Muhammad!) We have sent you not except as a Mercy for all the Worlds.

(Surat al-Anbiya, 21:107)

So all goes back to the Prophet (s). We always have to go back to the Prophet (s) because if we keep with him, we will be saved!

One time I heard from my Shaykh, Sultan al-Awliya Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani (q) and from Grandshaykh `AbdAllah al-Fa'iz ad-Daghestani (q), who said whenever you finish praying, fasting, or any such association (or good `amal), wrap it with salawaat on the Prophet (s) and present to him. You have to place your worship in a safe box, and the Most Trustworthy One is Sayyidina Muhammad (s)! So preserve your worship by making salawaat and saying, “Yaa Rasoolullah! I put this dhikr (salaat, association) in your hands for you to save it for me up to Judgment Day!” Awliyaullah recommend to wrap up any `ibaadah with salawaat, or by making na`at, or sitting by yourself and saying, awda`na haadha adh-dhikr (or as-salaah, etc.) `indak, yaa Rasoolullah! Wa huwa lanaa wadi`atun yawm al-qiyaamah, which means, “Yaa Rasoolullah! We are giving this to you; keep it for us as a trust, so when Allah (swt) calls us on the Day of Judgment it will be ready for us.” Then Shaytan cannot play with that, as it will be safe the the hands of Prophet (s)! Otherwise, when you make sins after goodness, you spoil it and Shaytan will steal it. So in order to save your prayers and `ibaadah, give them to the hands of the Prophet (s), who is seeing and knowing, as he said:

حياتي خير لكم تحدثون ويحدث لكم ، فإذا أنا مت كانت وفاتي خيرا لكم ، تعرض علي أعمالكم فان رأيت خيرا حمدت الله تعالى وإن رأيت شرا استغفرت لكم

Hayaatee khayrun lakum tuhadithoona wa yuhdatha lakum fa idhaa anaa mitt kahan wafaatee khayran lakum. Tu`radu `alayya `amal ummatee, wa in wajadtu khayran hamadt 'allah wa in wajadtu ghayrah astaghfarta lahum.

I observe the `amal of my ummah. If I find good I thank Allah, and if I see other than that, bad, I ask forgiveness for them.

This is means he is seeing! So since we know everything we are doing is wrong and that we are falling into sins and badness, if we go to the Prophet (s) and send whatever we have to him, he will ask forgiveness from Allah (swt) on our behalf. Don't miss this opportunity for the Prophet (s) to intervene for us in dunya and Akhirah! “To intervene” means to remember that he is the door to Allah (swt). There is no shirk here; Allah is the Creator and the Prophet (s) is His Trustworthy Servant who asks on our behalf. The Prophet (s) was most happy to be the Servant of Allah (swt), as he said, “That is the most beautiful name for me.” How then is it shirk when Allah (swt) said, “We have raised up your remembrance, yaa Muhammad, which made everyone remember you and make salawaat on you!”

وَرَفَعْنَا لَكَ ذِكْرَكَ

Wa rafa`na laka dhikrak.

(O Muhammad!) We have raised your remembrance. (Surat ash-Sharh, 94:4)

Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah! If you say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah” without “Muhammadun Rasoolullah,” you are not a Muslim. You must say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah Muhammadun Rasoolullah, `alayha nahyaa wa `alayhaa namoot wa `alayhaa nalq-Allah.”

Yaa Rasoolullah! We are placing this suhbah in your presence, and placing all our children and family who are related to us in your hands on Judgment Day!

Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.

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