1 August 2011 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,
nawaytu 'r-riyaadah, nawaytu 's-sulook, lillahi ta`ala fee haadha 'l-masjid.
We are asking support from our shuyookh, from Grandshaykh up to the Prophet (s). Every `amal you want to do, prayer, work, eating or drinking, that doesn’t begin with “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” is disconnected; it has no value, as Allah mentioned in Holy Qur'an:
إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ فَصَلِّ لِرَبِّكَ وَانْحَرْإِنَّ شَانِئَكَ هُوَ الْأَبْتَرُ
Inna a`taynaaka al-kawthar fa salli li rabbika wanhar inna shaaniaka huwal-abtar.
To you have We granted the Fount (of Abundance); therefore, to your Lord turn in prayer and sacrifice, as he who hates you will be cut off (from future hope). (Surat al-Kawthar, 108: 1-3)
Some members of the community of Prophet (s) said, “O you, Muhammad! No one is going to be your inheritor!” It means, “You don't have a male child (heir), so you are disconnected, abtar, your name is not being carried on, it is all over, because who will carry your name from you to your child to your grandchild?” A king has descendants who inherit kingship, so they were putting the Prophet (s) to shame, yu`ayyiboon an-nabi.
Then Allah revealed Surat al-Kawthar: “We have given you the river of Kawthar; therefore pray to your Lord, as the one who opposes (you) is the one who is disconnected! You are not disconnected as I raised your name with My Name, and you carried that secret, yaa Muhammad! You are the one I dressed to be responsible for the whole universe in My Presence.”
كل عمل لم يبدأ باسم الله فهو أبتر
So the Prophet (s) said, “Every`amal you do, if it does not begin with “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” is disconnected." Therefore, people have problems because we are human beings that forget; Shaytan makes forget to do what Allah likes. That is why in some Islamic schools of thought they say “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” is part of Surat al-Fatihah, while some other schools say Fatihah is by itself, but that doesn't mean you don’t read “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” before the Fatihah. We do many `amal in our daily life that don't begin with “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem,” and so many `amal we are sharing with Shaytan and this is putting us in difficulties.
There is no shyness in Islam, la hayya feed-deen. Many people in the west take a shower before they sleep together. If you take a shower before, that is no problem, but you must take a shower after. You were not clean when you were immersed in dunya pleasure and you have to come out from it, so you have to take a shower. It is very important when you sleep with your wife to begin with, “A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem,” and then a good child will come. If you don’t say, “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem,” that child will become abtar. That means he will face a lot of problems in life, because the barakah of Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem did not dress him. That is why you see a child doing bad things and the parents complain, “My child is making problems.”
So you have to know that when you have intimate relations with your spouse, you have to say, “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.” When you breast feed your child you must say, “Bismillahi 'r- Rahmani 'r-Raheem,” and when you raise your child you must say, “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem,” or he will be raised with the bad reflections of energy that are around you.
Grandshaykh `Abdullah al-Fa'iz ad-Daghestani (q) said it many times, and it is in Sayyid Muhammad al-Busayri’s teachings on “the blameworthy childish behavior:” at-tifl an-nafs al-mazhmoumah, man shabba `ala shay shaaba `alay, “Who is raised on something, even when he is old and his hair is white, he will be as he was raised.” So it is very difficult when you are going to correct yourself, in spiritual tasawwuf, or let us leave that word and say like Mawlana said, in “Rabbaaniyoon,” when you take the first step of istiqaamah on the level of Rabbaniyoon, you will not get rid of the childish, blameworthy characters quickly. You have to go slowly and you will not be dressed with wilayah, sainthood.
I heard this many times from Grandshaykh `AbdAllah al-Fa'iz ad-Daghestani (q) and also from Mawlana Shaykh (q), but he is now saying it is worthless to give these high levels of knowledge or heavy lectures. When he was younger he was so enthusiastic to give this kind of knowledge; he filled us, but in the last thirty or forty years he isn’t speaking about anything but ego and democracy; and that is the subject of the time, Hubb ar-Riyasah, love of being the boss. In democracy you bring the worst of people into parliament, and they get the money and begin to govern you, although there are millions better than them. That is what Mawlana considers corruption, not as in the concept of farabi of democracy, as mentioned by one of the previous historians and a spiritual leader in tasawwuf who wanted to create al-Madinat al-Faadilah, “the most honored city.” They teach that in each school of thought. We are not living in madinat al-fadilah, to pick the best one; now we live in ignorant civilization, not in “the modern world,” as there is no such thing. This is the worst you can imagine of civilization, the one we are in, and it is not going to improve, it is going to get worse and worse, until Allah sends, as the Prophet (s) mentioned in many hadiths:
قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم لا تنقضي الدنيا حتى يملك الأرض رجل من أهل بيتي يملأ الأرض عدلا كما ملئت قبله جورا يملك سبع سنين
laa tanqadee 'd-dunya hatta yamliku 'l-arda rajulun min ahli baytee yamlaa al-arda `adlan kama muli'at joora yamliku saba` sineen.
This earth will not end until it is ruled by a man from my the Family of my House who will fill the earth with justice and happiness as it was filled with corruption. He will rule for seven years.
So until then there is no way to save this world. I was speaking with Mawlana yesterday after news of the grand Mufti of Egypt giving a fatwa to celebrate the appearance of al-Mahdi (a) That is a big change, mentioning that you can celebrate and wait for his coming, which means to prepare yourself, do not look at differences, whether Shi`a or Sunni. So the coming of Mahdi (a) is a fact, and to give importance to that is what is great. Scholars know Sayyidina `Isa (a), Dajjal, and Mahdi (a) will come. So what awliyaullah were preaching for a long time is now coinciding with what the grand Mufti is saying. I am surprised. (Mawlana asks a mureed.) Do you remember when they published a book in Berkeley, California in which they referred to Mawlana Shaykh Nazim as “al-Mahdawiyya”? It means we are the Sufi order related to Mahdi (a), as Grandshaykh’s and Mawlana Shaykh’s preaching focused on that aspect. (Yes, I remember.)
Twenty years ago they were surprised about that and asked, “What is that you are speaking about Mahdi?” Many Islamic newspapers have written about the Naqshbandis waiting for Mahdi, but now the grand Mufti of Egypt, which means Grand Mufti of the Muslim world as Egypt represents the Muslim world, that is Azhar ash-Shareef, the head of that is saying, “Yes, that is allowed.” It means he is confessing that it is true that al-Mahdi is coming. What Naqshbandi shuyookh have mentioned, and I haven't seen other tariqahs mention al-Mahdi until 200 years ago in the time of Sayyidina Khalid al-Baghdadi (q), who sent his followers to Mecca to meet Mahdi (a). It means the Grand Mufti wanted that to come out.
Before that Grandshaykh `Abdullah al-Fa'iz ad-Daghestani (q) said that it had not yet appeared in the Preserved Tablets, but when Sayyidina Khalid came it appeared in the Preserved Tablets and he sent his students to Mecca to meet al-Mahdi and to give him baya`. They were dressed with the reality of Mahdi's appearance as they followed the order of their shuyookh; it is a fact that they were dressed.
So you cannot get rid of the nafs al-tifl al-mazhmoumah. The shaykh is in your life to polish you slowly, and don’t think if you are polished you will become a wali as you are still in training. Like someone handicapped, you need many surgeries in order to be able to stand. That is what I am coming to: Grandshaykh (q) said a wali cannot be a wali if he doesn't clean all his lineage all the way back to Sayyidina Adam (a), all his ancestors and grandparents. If he is able to clean all of them one by one, his whole lineage all the way to Sayyidina Adam (a), then through that process he will be dressed with the first level of shaykhhood. It is not something that you merely put on a turban and grow a beard and become a shaykh. No, you are an actor, not even an actor but an actress! That is not to humiliate the other gender because all of us, in spiritual terminology, there is the “level of manhood” that even women can reach as there is equality in tariqah, but if you do not reach that you are still considered to be in the “level of womanhood.” Real manhood is the level that someone is able to take away all the dresses to reach the level of Gnosticism and reaching the time to reach the level of manhood.???
For example, on a passport a woman carries the last name of her husband. Even in America and Europe, although they have the choice not to, most keep the name of the husband up to today, and the child carries the name of the father. That is your passport identity. They are following what is in the Holy Qur'an:
ادْعُوهُمْ لِآبَائِهِمْ
id`oohum li-aabaahim.
Call them to their fathers. (al-Ahzaab, 33:5)
Because the man plants his seed in the fertile soil that Allah created. The honor of the mother is to give you a ripe fruit, but the seed came from the father. That is why you call them to their parents, as they carry your name. Therefore, how can a wali carry the name of his parent if his father is not clean? So to be a shaykh in tasawwuf is not so easy. (...) The wali has to go one by one and clean them, and if he doesn’t know his source he is disconnected. There are two lineages: one is physical and one is spiritual, and both of them are important. So if you don’t know your lineage, where your shaykh is, you are abtar. That is like waiting for water from a broken pipe if you are not connected to the right shaykh that is written for you on the Preserved Tablets.
For example, when you are a trustworthy person and faithful to your belief, you don’t make yourself like Pharoah, saying, “I am your Lord, Most high!” You are humble enough to say, “I am nothing,” and to not call people to yourself and make them worship you, and not let them visit the shaykh without your permission. There is no need for them to ask permission from you or not! I know shaykhs here in America and in other countries, representatives, who give “permission” to their followers to visit Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, and that is not correct, as anyone can go to visit Mawlana Shaykh.
When Mawlana was young he went to Istanbul to study chemical engineering and then he left as he didn't care for it. That was seventy years ago. He had two shuyookh teaching him Arabic and tasawwuf in Sultan Ahmed Mosque. After a long time he said to Shaykh al-Lasooni, who was teaching many students, “I want to take baya` with you.” He is a real shaykh, not a pretend, plastic shaykh; he is a real fruit. Plastic shaykhs are too many to count. We are all plastic shaykhs. May Allah (swt) take us from that plasticism and donkeyness, and render us back to fruitful fruit. Mawlana said in front of everyone, “Yaa Sayyidee, I want to take baya`.” Shaykh Nazim was very well educated and his parents were very well-known in Turkey and Cyprus. The shaykh looked at him in front of hundreds and thousands of students and said, “Yaa waladee, I cannot give you baya`.” While here you come and say, “Give us baya`,” it is very cheap. Bring as many as you can to take baya` (for love of being the boss). Even if you have permission to give baya`, don’t give it as the shaykh is looking at your heart and he knows its’ hidden aspects. Do you give baya` because you are proud, arrogant, happy, or sick -- the shaykh will know, “Are you calling them to yourself or to me?” Therefore, it is better not to give as that is from the bad character of the ego, which requires training to overcome it.
Who is giving the baya`? As soon as you commit a sin your baya` is gone; don’t think it stays. Until you ask forgiveness from the one you harmed. That is why you cannot backbite or spread false rumors. If it is haqq and that person injured you, you can expose that person.
The shaykh said, “No, I will not give you baya`,” Mawlana Shaykh said, “Please, Sayyidee.”
He declined to give it in front of hundreds of people, and because everyone is not a wali, they began to think bad thoughts. So the shaykh let Mawlana go and his heart was broken. That is a test from the wali. It was not like today when they come and say, “Give me baya`,” even without wudu! We hope our baya` is kept with Mawlana Shaykh. They keep it, but we don’t keep it. When we sin it is broken, and Allah gave them that power to mend what is broken.
Some rumors are spread against me by different groups. I was in Cyprus and some of the German ladies and men like me very much, and they are sincere ones, but there were two or three ladies among others in the ladies’ section at the dargah, and one Friday they were reciting Surat al-Mulk, at-Tabaraka, waiting for Mawlana to give the lecture. I was sitting in the mihrab waiting to finish the prayer as Mawlana had put me as imam. We finished the prayer and went out. Then one lady came and said, “I want to speak to you.” She is Arab but living in Germany and she understands German. She told me that there were two ladies there, and Mawlana was sitting, and they said, “Shaykh Hisham doesn’t give baya` except for $100.” Rumors and backbiting were prohibited by the Prophet (s). That lady replied back to them harshly.
People heard the shaykh withhold baya` from Mawlana, and it was test. Some people say, “The shaykh humiliated me,” but that is tarfi` ad-darajaat, how they raise your levels. If a plastic shaykh humiliates you, he is committing a sin by breaking your heart. If a real shaykh does that he is raising you, so don’t have doubts about your shaykh. Mawlana returned the next day, as he didn’t have doubts, and then thaykh said to him, “Nazim Effendi, your name is not written as one of my disciples. Your name is with Shaykh `AbdAllah ad-Daghestani in Damascus, Sultan al-Awliya. Go and take baya` with him.”
Thisis an example of awliyaullah knowing the hierarchy. They are not all with the same shaykh as there are various levels of shaykhhood, but whatever the level, still you have to be humble and respectful. “Go to Damascus to Shaykh `Abdullah ad-Daghestani. He is your shaykh. I cannot cross the border.”
It was World War II, explosions and bombardments were everywhere as the French and the English were fighting in Syria. Mawlana Shaykh went to Homs and had to stay there for one year, so he entered seclusion. He was studying the books of fiqh and that was the maqam of Sayyidina Khalid ibn al-Waleed (r). He stayed in a room next to the maqam and listened to Shaykh Ayyoon as-Sood. Then the war ended and he went to Grandshaykh, but he didn’t know where to go. So they dropped him in Hayy al-Meedan, it is very surprising they didn’t drop him in Marja, the main taxi place, but they dropped him two hours from there! It was war and no one was on the streets, and someone saw him wearing a jubbah and carrying a stick like Sayyidina Musa (a).
Someone saw him and said, “What are you doing here, shaykh? Come, come, come.” That one fed Mawlana and said, “How can I help you?”
Mawlana said, “I am looking for Shaykh `AbdAllah al-Fa'iz ad-Daghestani.”
He said, “He is my neighbor! I will take you there.”
The next day Mawlana went to the door, but before he could knock Grandshaykh opened the door and said, “We were expecting you.”
We will leave the rest of the story until tomorrow. Tariqah is not easy; many things in your way might block you, but you have to overcome them. If you were to tell some people, “No baya`,” they will go astray, thinking, “That shaykh thinks he is better than me, so I will find another shaykh.”
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.