Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
4 July 2016 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Zhuhr Suhbah
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.
This meeting is an important one, a training area for spirituality regarding what we need to improve. Alhamdulillah, there are many, many `ulama who are not only scholars but also mutasawwifoon. Some `ulama only take you to Shari`ah and Haqiqah, but not to Maqaam al-Ihsaan, which Jibreel (a) explained to Prophet (s) is “To worship Allah (swt) as if you see Him, for even if you do not see Him, He sees you.”
أن تعبد الله كأنك تراه، فإن لم تكن تراه فإنه يراك
That you worship Allah as if you see Him, for, if you don't see Him, truly He sees you. (Bukhari)
Here and inshaa-Allah everywhere around the world, alhamdulillah everyone is fasting, praying their prayers, and they are very good Muslims and mu’mins. Before we begin our advice, ad-deenu naseehah, advice to both me and you, I would like to condemn today’s explosion in Madinat al-Munawwarah in Jannat al-Baqee`, which is unbelieveable! The criminals are hitting Jannat al-Baqee` for what reason? Is that Islam, or are they khawaawij?
الفتنة نائمة لعن الله من ايقظها
Fitna is dormant and Allah curses whoever awakens it. (Rafi’i in his Amaalee)
These people are trying to make fitna in the Muslim world. May Allah (swt) take them away and stop bloodshed from everywhere. We leave it to Allah (swt) as He is The Judge, and we leave it to those in authority to know who did that, because suicide bombings are unacceptable, completely against the belief of Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah and every Muslim if he is strict or not! Are they going for ziyara or killing? This is a Sign of the Last Days. May Allah protect Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah, Muslims, and everyone.
It is said when the pious are mentioned, mercy descends on the gathering in which they are mentioned.
عِنْدَ ذِكْرِ الصَّالِحِينَ تَنْزِلُ الرَّحْمَةُ
When the names of the pious are mentioned Allah’s mercy descends.
(Narrated Sufyan ibn `Uyayana in Imam Ahmad’s Zuhd)
If that is for Saaliheen, what is for Awliyaullah?
أَلا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاء اللّهِ لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Behold! Verily on the Friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve. (Surah Yunus, 10:62)
When we mention their names and follow their guidance, more mercy will descend on us, is it not? When you mention your deceased loved ones and their good `amal, Allah (swt) informs that deceased one that someone is mentioning their name. When Awliyaullah are mentioned, more rahmah comes, and when normal people are mentioned traces of mercy comes, not full rahmah. When we mention Awliyaullah more rahmah descends and more hearts connect. Like this camera connects to the whole world, doesn’t Allah have heavenly cameras connected to whole universe and angels that record everything people say and spread it in Paradises? Yes! If Allah's mercy descends when Awliyaullah’s names are mentioned, what about the Prophet (s)? Awliyaullah and `ulama have recorded about two-thousand different names of the Prophet (s) and each has its own rahmah that is sent on the gathering mentioning his name!
Someone brought me newspaper and said, “O my shaykh, they mentioned my name in that paper.” He was so happy. What about the happiness Allah put in your heart when you mention Prophet’s (s) name? What reward and heavenly manifestation will come on those who mention it? Will dhikr al-anbiya tanzil ar-rahmah be the same mercy as when Awliyaullah are mentioned? No, it is more! When the Prophet (s) is mentioned, even more mercy will come! That’s why it is important to display the Holy Names of Allah (swt) and Prophet (s) in our homes because when you see them you will mention them.
When Sayyidina `Umar (r) became Ameer al-Mu’mineen, he went home crying. His wife asked, “Why are you crying? Now you are Ameer al-Mu’mineen, the second Caliph.”
He said, “When I was not Caliph, I was not responsible. Now if anyone dies from hunger or if there is any problem among the Sahaabah (r), if anyone is harmed, it is my responsibility. How am I not going to cry? I should cry day and night!”
Al-Imaarah, to become Caliph is a reminder to be just, to view everyone as equal, because they are all servants of Allah (swt). Now we add a reminder on our phones for what we have to do. Why don't we have a reminder from within us regarding to do for Akhirah, that next week or month or year we have an event or this or that to prepare for? Allah is reminding us that we have sixty or seventy years to prepare for death, and still we don’t remember, which is our fault.
When Sayyidina `Umar (r) wanted a reminder, he had a helper stand at the door, not have a bodyguard, as mashaa-Allah he was very strong, tough, and everyone feared him. One day he called his helper and said, “Today I will not fire you, but your job is finished, I don't need you anymore.”
The helper said, “Yaa Sayyidi, yaa khalifati rasoolillah! Did I do something wrong that you are chasing me away?”
He said, “No, you did your job very well.” The helper’s job was to remind Sayyidina `Umar (r), no telephone then, he put someone to remind him
The helper said, “Did I do something wrong, Sayyidi?”
He said, “No, but I don’t need it anymore because I have a permanent reminder now. Today I saw a white hair in my beard that will become my reminder from within me. In a few months my whole beard will become white.”
So we need only a white hair. Look how thin our hair is, a reminder that we are on the way to the end of life, which is why Allah (swt) said:
" إِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى بِعَبْدٍ خَيْرًا ، جَعَلَ لَهُ وَاعِظًا مِنْ قَلْبِهِ يَأْمُرُهُ وَيَنْهَاهُ "
If Allah (swt) wants goodness for His servant, He will make for him a guide in his heart.
(Abu Na`eem al-Ispahani in Hilyat al-Awliya from Ahmad bin Hanbal)
If Allah loves someone, He reminds him within his heart, He inspires him. But we are arrogant, we don't accept that reminder right away, we try to put it aside.
The mention of Awliya causes rahmah to descend, so what will remembrance of the Prophet (s) cause to descend? Allah (swt) said:
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ مَا أُرِيدُ مِنْهُم مِّن رِّزْقٍ وَمَا أُرِيدُ أَن يُطْعِمُونِ
I have only created jinn and men so that they may worship Me. No sustenance do I require of them, nor do I require that they should feed Me. (Surat adh-Dhariyat, 51:56-57)
“I did not create jinn and ins except to worship Me. I do not want anything from them: rizq is My responsibility to provide.” Allah gave us five prayers equal to fifty prayers! Do you know the story? When, by His invitation, Allah brought the Prophet (s) on Mi`raaj and Prophet accepted, he went to the Seven Heavens and the Divine Presence, where Allah ordered the Ummah to pray fifty daily prayers. On his way back, Prophet (s) met Sayyidina Musa (a), who said to him, “O my brother! What did Allah (swt) give your Ummah?” Prophet (s) said, “Allah gave my Ummah fifty daily prayers.” Musa (a) said, “Yaa akhee, what fifty prayers? Ask me! My Ummah was given the Ten Commandments and they could not do it. How will people do fifty prayers? They will not do it. Ask Allah to reduce it.” The Prophet (s) said, “I cannot go back.” Sayyidina Musa (a) said, ”Ask from where you are,” and the Prophet (s) asked and Allah reduced it by five. Then the Prophet (s) continued, but Sayyidina Musa (a) said, “How many?” and the Prophet (s) said, “Forty-five prayers,” and Sayyidina Musa (a) said, “Go back and ask for a further reduction,” and the Prophet (s) kept asking and Sayyidina Musa (a) kept recommending until it was reduced to five daily prayers. Sayyidina Musa (a) said, “Go back, because they will not even do five,” but the Prophet (s) said, “I am too shy to ask further.”
فَفَرَضَ اللَّهُ عَلَى أُمَّتِي خَمْسِينَ صَلاَةً، فَرَجَعْتُ بِذَلِكَ حَتَّى مَرَرْتُ عَلَى مُوسَى فَقَالَ مَا فَرَضَ اللَّهُ لَكَ عَلَى أُمَّتِكَ قُلْتُ فَرَضَ خَمْسِينَ صَلاَةً. قَالَ فَارْجِعْ إِلَى رَبِّكَ، فَإِنَّ أُمَّتَكَ لاَ تُطِيقُ ذَلِكَ. فَرَاجَعْتُ فَوَضَعَ شَطْرَهَا، فَرَجَعْتُ إِلَى مُوسَى قُلْتُ وَضَعَ شَطْرَهَا. فَقَالَ رَاجِعْ رَبَّكَ، فَإِنَّ أُمَّتَكَ لاَ تُطِيقُ، فَرَاجَعْتُ فَوَضَعَ شَطْرَهَا، فَرَجَعْتُ إِلَيْهِ فَقَالَ ارْجِعْ إِلَى رَبِّكَ، فَإِنَّ أُمَّتَكَ لاَ تُطِيقُ ذَلِكَ، فَرَاجَعْتُهُ. فَقَالَ هِيَ خَمْسٌ وَهْىَ خَمْسُونَ، لاَ يُبَدَّلُ الْقَوْلُ لَدَىَّ. فَرَجَعْتُ إِلَى مُوسَى فَقَالَ رَاجِعْ رَبَّكَ. فَقُلْتُ اسْتَحْيَيْتُ مِنْ رَبِّي.
The Prophet (ﷺ) said, "Then Allah enjoined fifty prayers on my followers. When I returned with this order of Allah, I passed by Moses who asked me, 'What has Allah enjoined on your followers?' I replied, 'He has enjoined fifty prayers on them.' Moses said, 'Go back to your Lord (and appeal for reduction) for your followers will not be able to bear it.' (So I went back to Allah and requested for reduction) and He reduced it to half. When I passed by Moses again and informed him about it, he said, 'Go back to your Lord as your followers will not be able to bear it.' So I returned to Allah and requested for further reduction and half of it was reduced. I again passed by Moses and he said to me: 'Return to your Lord, for your followers will not be able to bear it. So I returned to Allah and He said, 'These are five prayers and they are all (equal to) fifty (in reward) for My Word does not change.' I returned to Moses and he told me to go back once again. I replied, 'Now I feel shy of asking my Lord again.'” (Bukhari)
We have been assigned the five daily prayers, but we are not completing them! The prayer is a physical reminder for us that we will be judged. In Akhirah, what is the punishment for those who don't pray all their prayers? Those who miss their prayers will have to make them up in Jahannam and then they go back. However many prayers they missed they must pray. I don’t want to say too much, because people will get worried and afraid, but they are a reminder to keep your contract with Allah (swt)! May Allah forgive them.
What kind of mercy descends when we mention the Prophet (s)? We are heedless and hopeless, weak and helpless. Our title ‘insaan’ comes from nisyaan: to forget, forgetfulness. We are like that, we need a reminder. Some people might object, but if you display the Names of Allah (swt) and Prophet (s) high in the bedroom or living room, when you turn your face you see it and remember. Our heart is not working well and we are not remembering Allah and His Prophet (s). Some say it is decoration, but it is a reminder. If you display verses of Holy Qur’an, like this poster that includes all 114 surahs, it reminds you to read and recite the Qur’an. As long as it isdisplayed, there is benefit from it. Display a frame of calligraphy of “Allah,” “Yaa Allah”, “Yaa Muhammad,” or “Allah Muhammad.” We make salawaat on the Prophet (s). Some Muslims say don't decorate the masaajid. Okay, but if it reminds you of Allah and the Prophet (s), what is wrong with that?
I see mosques around the world in which they display the Names of Allah and the Prophet (s), even at Mawaajaha ash-Shareefa in Madinatu 'l-Munawwara. It reminds us to be careful that Shaytan is taking us away from Allah. When you mention the Name of the Prophet (s), what will happen? Allah will give you the benefit of the Tajalli of His Ninety-nine Beautiful Names and Attributes that He gave to Prophet (s), which Awliyaullah inherit. That is a Reality, Awliyaullah pull it out. Grandshaykh `AbdAllah, may Allah bless his soul, said all these haqaa’iq, Realities, will appear on the Day of Judgment with the Five Levels of the Heart--Maqaam al-Qalb, Sirr, Sirr as-Sirr, Akhfaa, Khafaa--that Allah embedded in the heart of every human being. Allah will send the Realities of His Beautiful Names and Attributes on the ‘abd that he prepared to receive when he was remembering Allah and His Prophet (s) in this life!
إِنَّ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ وَاخْتِلاَفِ اللَّيْلِ وَالنَّهَارِ لآيَاتٍ لِّأُوْلِي الألْبَابِ الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ اللّهَ قِيَامًا وَقُعُودًا وَعَلَىَ جُنُوبِهِمْ وَيَتَفَكَّرُونَ فِي خَلْقِ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ رَبَّنَا مَا خَلَقْتَ هَذا اطِلاً سُبْحَانَكَ فَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Behold! In the creation of Heaven and Earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are indeed signs for men of understanding, those who remember Allah (always, and in prayers) standing, sitting and lying down on their sides, and contemplate the creation of the Heavens and the Earth, (saying), "Our Lord! You have not created (all) this without purpose! Glory to You! Grant us salvation from the torment of the Fire.” (Surat Aali `Imraan, 3:190-191)
Allah (swt) is praising those who remember Him standing, sitting and laying down; in every position in your life there is something that reminds you. Awliyaullah are standing at door of the Prophet (s) asking to enter, which means to be dressed with these Realities, which is not easy. We have to put three reminders on our forehead, which is for sajda to Allah, so be careful where you put it. In some cultures people kiss the feet. Don't kiss the feet as your forehead is for Maqaam al-Sajda, so be careful. In the Middle East the culture is to kiss the parent’s hand, which is necessary, and to kiss the hand of the shaykh. I was young and kissed Grandshaykh's (q) hand and put on my forehead. He said, “Kiss, but don't put that hand on the forehead as is for sajda to Allah (swt).”
When you make sajda, make sure your head rests well on the floor as that is the sign of humbleness: because we are arrogant, Allah made us to make sajda to Him, saying, “We are servants and slaves of Allah.” We have to put three reminders on our forehead: if Allah orders something, you have to do it. Allah orders you to pray, pay Zakaat, to fast, to make Hajj, to read Shahadah, you have to do them. These are all reminders.
These five principles of Islam are all embedded in the prayers. When you first enter the prayer, you say, “Allahu Akbar!” and face Qiblah, Ka`batullah, so it is as if you are on Hajj in al-Haram al-Mecca, and if they take away the veils you will see you are standing in front of Ka`bah. Even if you are in your home, angels will carry you to appear in front of Ka`bah, just by you saying, “Allahu Akbar!” That’s why you open your hands, as if giving salaams to Hajaru ‘l-Aswad and to the Ka`bah. You will not see it because you are not yet ready, but in reality they carry you there, you are at the Ka`bah, which involves Hajj, tawaaf, and all principles of Hajj will occur, although you think you are praying at home but you are not at home, in reality you are there between the Hands of Allah (swt)! He is looking to see if you are performing your prayer in a good or bad way. That is why Prophet (s) prohibited to pray like a rooster pecking: you have to be patient and give the Qiyaam, Sujood, Jalsa their proper time in order for the prayer to be accepted.
When you pray, you are also fasting, not eating or drinking, siyaam; that is why when you make wudu, you clean your mouth. Siyaam entered your prayer, Shahaadah entered in the Tahiyyat, and Zakaat entered as you are giving from your time to worship Allah, which is Zakaat of the body. Prayer combines all the obligations of Islam. That’s why you must not miss your prayers, Allah will not be happy. Those who miss it must redo it as soon as they remember or else judgment is in Allah's Hands. We must put three reminders: anything Allah asks you to do, don't ask why. If there is no benefit, Allah will not put that on you. Why did Allah put those obligations on you? In order for you to receive the Manifestations of Allah's Beautiful Names and Attributes on Judgment Day! If you are not prepared by praying, you are not able to receive them and you will be put to the side. If you are under that Light you are safe and, if not, you have a problem! Praying is an opportunity, it will not be repeated. May Allah grant us Intercession of the Prophet (s) to be saved or else we will fall apart!
So the first reminder is, fulfill what your teacher tells you to do to receive your Amaanah, the Trust Allah offered to Heavens, Earth, the mountains and universe, and they said, “We cannot,” but human beings said, “We will take it,” and Allah said, “Verily, the human beings were ignorant and oppressors.” Like when a Muslim does not pray, then others around him don’t pray, and his parents ask, “Why don't you pray?” and he says, “My cousin does not pray.” It is contagious, so we have to be very careful as it spreads quickly. When the time comes make sure you pray, or if there is a problem that requires you to delay, complete it later by praying qada.
If your teacher tells you, “Dig with this broken shovel,” and your Trust is deep in the earth, five-hundred feet or even ten feet below, what can you find inside the Earth at ten feet? You can find oil, gold, or diamonds. The Trust is like that, deeply embedded in the soil of Realities of all the souls of human beings in the Ocean of Power, Bahr al-Qudrah! You have to dig there.
The shaykh wants to give you an example: you have to train yourself to dig in the Bahr al-Qudrah, but for now train by digging in the Earth. He gives you a broken shovel and says, “Dig to reach your Trust.” If I give you [a mureed] the broken shovel, as I said to you, “Dig to reach your Trust,” you said, “I will dig.” You did not use your mind. But if I tell you to dig and you complain, then you are using your mind and will stay in your place, you won’t achieve anything, even if you dig nothing will happen. If you say, “I will dig and not use my mind because my shaykh says to dig, so I have no doubt and will dig,” then if you dig two or three feet, Allah is Merciful and perhaps your Trust will come to you without you running after it.
So we have to dig and not to use our mind, which does not work, but why? Is the shaykh heedless? Astaghfirullah, he knows more about us than anyone else! He looks at his mureeds three times a day by order of the Prophet (s). Awliyaullah have that khusoosiyya, a specialty to look at their follower through their muraqaabah three times every 24 hours and when they look at you, they don't give you candy, they give you difficulties, obstacles, to see if you are persistent in digging or if you say, “I won’t tell the shaykh, but it is not going to work.” Be persistent! If you don't use your mind and dig, it comes to you to follow the principle, sami`na wa ata`na, “We heard and we obey.”
قَالُواْ سَمِعْنَا وَأَطَعْنَا
We listen and we obey. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:46)
The shaykh said, “Yaa waladee. Your Trust is deep in the Earth, so dig to get it.” The follower must dig non-stop: his only work is to dig! In Reality, he is digging in Bahr al-Qudrah, which he doesn’t see, but with every shovel full he digs by order of the shaykh that earthly image disappears and the heavenly image appears: he is in Bahr al-Qudrah. Here ‘broken shovel’ means with a broken heart in huznan, sadness. He must consider very well the shaykh’s order and not use his mind, because al-amru fawq al-adab, the order is above every protocol, so what the shaykh says supersedes the protocol. If the shaykh orders you to break protocol you obey him, because to obey the shaykh is to obey the Prophet (s) and to obey the Prophet (s) is to obey Allah (swt). So put this as the first reminder: “Remember to dig!”
The best of miracles is not to perform a miracle, as that gives you arrogance, but Awliyaullah are protected from falling into sins of arrogance. However, we are arrogant, so if something appears then we are not protected and might fall into arrogance that something appeared from us, so we have to be very careful. If the shaykh says to dig, we dig.
Also, the best of miracles is to be consistent, ajall al-karamaat dawaam at-tawfeeq; the greatest miracle is to be persistent in your task. Don’t think it will take one or two days, continue digging even ten years, because you want Akhirah, not dunya. When you continue digging, facing all obstacles, at that time reeh as-siba, the Breeze of Youth will come to you as it came to Sayyidina al-Khidr (a) when he was competing with Iskandar Dhul-Qarnayn (q). The shaykh will take from deep soil and dress you and you will see from `Ilm al-Yaqeen, `Ayn al-Yaqeen and Haqq al-Yaqeen.
There are two more reminders that we will mention in the next session tomorrow, Tuesday is a fasting day, and `Eid will be on Wednesday. If you have relatives who think it is on Tuesday, it is on Wednesday and Allah knows best. Many countries this year declared `Eid on Wednesday, because they were not able to see the moon, so Ramadan will be thirty days, and every day of fasting Allah will reward as ten, so if you fast thirty days it is rewarded as three-hundred days. Then you fast six days of Shawwal, multiplied by ten it is sixty, so it is as if you are fasting 360 days, and written for you as saa’im ad-dahr, fasting the whole year.
We know it is an imitational fast, like plastic fruit, but Allah can change it to real fasting. We ask Him to change it to real fasting so that on Judgement Day, Ramadan will intercede for us who fasted. May Allah (swt) make us under the banner of the Prophet (s) on Judgment Day and bless the Prophet (s) to be on the highest level possible and to dress us as much as possible, as much as we can carry, and forgive us our sins as Allah Ghafoorun Raheem! May Allah bring us to the Door of the Prophet (s), who said:
أنا مدينة العلم و علي بابه
I am the City of Knowledge and `Ali is its Door (or Gate). (al-Haakim, Tirmidhi)
May Allah open the Door for us to enter in that city. What kind of city is that? When you go to a country there is city and many villages. So the city is Prophet's knowledge and the others are villages, like he (s) mentioned about his Sahaabah (r):
أصحابي كالنجوم بأيهم اقتديتم اهتديتم
My Companions are like stars (on a dark night); whichever of them you follow, you will be guided.
(`Abd ibn Humayd, ad-Daraqutnee, ibn `Adiyy, ibn `Abd al-Barr, with unsound chains but the meaning is sound.)
“Whichever star you follow you will be guided.” They are stars of guidance for us. Inshaa-Allah we will be guided and they will take us in with all Sahaabah (r)! May Allah forgive us like He gave bara`ah to the ten Sahaabah (r) who will be taken to Paradise with no account!
Wa min Allah at-tawfeeq bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
About the Reality of the Greatest Name of Allah, `Ismullah al-`Azham, Mawlana, may Allah bless his soul, said what they know is Allah’s Ninety-nine Beautiful Names and Attributes, but if you zoom in deeper and deeper you will reach the Reality of their Essence. We know Ismullah al-`Azham is the Name "Allah," which combines all descriptions and attributes in one. For Prophet (s), the Reality is more than that and Awliyaullah inherit these secrets from him and what they have to do and say about it. What is the Reality of ar-Ruh? The innermost part of the circle, the core of Ismullah al-`Azham, is the Ninety-nine Names or higher. What are there beside the Ninety-nine Names? We will see one day.
Maa hiya haqeeqatu ‘r-rooh li `ismi ‘Llah al-`Azham, The Core, The Description of The Essence, not ‘spirit,’ here the meaning is “The Most Hidden Secret of Ismullah al-`Azham.” What is that? Is the Element only the Ninety-nine Names, or is it more? We will see.
Wa min Allahi ‘t-tawfeeq bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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