Dastoor ya sayyidee madad, we are asking support from our shuyukh from Grandshaykh, from Mawlana Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani, from the Prophet (s) through our line of shaykhs.
Ati` Allah wa ati` ar-rasula wa uli ’l-amri minkum.
Allah said, in Holy Qur'an: Obey Allah, obey the Prophet and obey those whoa re on authority. [Women, 4:59]
Every time we have to speak we have to be very careful in what we are saying. Because all of us, we have a problem. And that problem we have to fix it. We cannot, if you have a machine that is not working, you go and fix it. If you have a computer that is not working you have to reprogram it and that is why we don’t, we cannot say, that we cannot fix it. No. Allah wants us to struggle to fix it; to fix our problem especially things related to akhira.
People come and ask questions and say, “I read this and I read that, but still bad gossips come in my mind, I hate this one and I hate that one.”
That means there is something you need to fix it.
Where do people who are schizophrenic go? They go to the mental hospital. They give them some tablets to calm themselves down because too many orders come to their mind do this and do that and they believe it. So all of us - that means everyone here and all humanity - everyone has a different problem in his life.
If we say, SubhanAllah there are 6 billion people, then multiply by 100 problems for each person there are 600 billion problems. Who can solve them? Huh? No one can solve them it is impossible.
That is why the only one that can solve them is the one that Allah sent as messenger, Sayyidina Muhammad (s). That anyone has a problem has to turn to Holy Prophet (s). And this is an order in Holy Qur'an.
Today people go to psychologists or psychiatrists or this or that one. You aren’t turning to someone who can help the problem you are turning to the one who will complicate the problem.
In the night of Isra and Mi`raj as Mawlana Shaykh said Allah gave the Prophet (s) helpers. There are two types of awliyaullah: One, they are always in the presence of the Prophet (s) and the other level didn’t reach there yet but they are sincere and pious. But both levels you turn to them as they know how to explain your problem and with their wisdom they can tackle your problem and the problem of those you are trying to help also that is why we have to make sure then if we have a problem we have to make sure what kind of problems.
The most critical kind of problem that many people come and say, “I have problem with my husband,” the other “I have problem with my wife.” The other “I have problem with my children.” The other “I have problem with my business” or this or that.
No one came and said I have a problem with my tongue. As if the tongue became innocent. No one comes and says I have problem with my bad desires, sexual pleasures. As if these two things are out of context, out of dictionary and do not exist.
And the Prophet (s) mentioned one small hadith, “Who can control what is between his jaws and what is between his legs, I guarantee him Paradise.”
It means "who has the power and control over his tongue, what he says and what he accuses people and what he backbites people and what he spreads of false rumors, if someone can control his tongue or her tongue and control his sexual pleasures in haraam, I will guarantee for him
Life is short. Wherever you live it is short. You live 100 yrs it is short. If you live 200 years it is short. It is the second that you are living that is what counts. That second what you are doing is what counts.
Look, awliyaullah, they ever lived, they can live forever in physical life? No, but they are ahaqq al-muhaqqeen - they are the ones if Allah gave the right they are the ones who have the most right to live forever, as they are role model for everyone. But what happened? They left. But they gained because they were sincere and pious, they never accused anyone, they never spread rumors about anyone, they mind their own business. So what happened, Allah gave them a grave that is rawdatan min
If you don’t smoke but if you are watching something that is haraam, no one can tell me that he is not watching something haraam. No way, I will not accept that. If someone says "I am not watching" then you are lying, because if you go on the street you see so many signs that are haraam, and your eyes go there. And what you think if your father is watching you and you are looking at something haraam and he sees you?
What do you think if your Shaykh is seeing you? You are coming and sitting in his face.
That is why we say al-Insan al-Kamil. The complete or perfect man. He is Sultan of the prophets. And there is Sultan al-Awliya in every time. And what you think if your shaykh is Sultan al-Awliya and he is looking at you, how do you come and sit in his face [saying:] “O my shaykh I am coming, I am happy to see you.”
Don’t come with these dirty clothes then. You need to take a shower. Can you come to the Presence of Allah swt without ablution? You cannot! In seclusion there is no ablution. In seclusions there is a shower for every prayer. When you want to pray, you have to take shower, because seclusion is dedicated to the Prophet (s). So what do you think when you go and sit in face of the shaykh wearing nice clothes but really your spiritual clothes are dirty. If you are going for repentance, welcome. If you are going for asking a request then first ask forgiveness.
Allah said to those three Sahaba who were oppressor to themselves, in Holy Qur'an: Ya Muhammad say to them: wa law annahum idh dhalamaoo anfusahm… O ashaab an-Nabi that where oppressors to themselves.” So when they harmed themselves by not listening to the Prophet, "they have to come to you Ya Muhammad (s). There they have to ask for forgiveness when they come in your presence. Then Prophet will ask on their behalf forgiveness."
So when you go to presence of your guide, and you believe as we believe, and we believe Mawlana is Sultan al-Awliya now, what then we have to do? That is why always, I say to myself and we can share this with everyone, I say to myself, "I don’t feel relaxed when I sit too much." Because you don’t want yourself, when you are sitting so much around and around the Shaykh day and night, you might lose respect. You lose your ?? inside and you feel that you want to say one word, one joke or one word this or one word that. You lose your discipline there.
That is why Grandshaykh, may Allah bless his soul, he had two daughters, and I know most of you don’t know these things, one of them died in
Also his granddaughters used to come and help in the house but since they were living in a modern, which we can express as modern, but which I express as anti-modern and backward community. They were living in a backwards, if we can say that, there is no hijab and no cover, nothing and they are living a modern style of life, but I call it undisciplined. They were uncovered - one was covered, but two were not. But they were very dedicated to their grandfather and used come and help.
On time, Grandshaykh was there and I was there and my brother was there and there There were some very eminent and respected scholars and people and he was,
Grandshaykh was giving these lectures and everyone was listening to him. And he said, “don’t look at the behavior of my grandchildren towards me. They are my family. I have to treat them as human to human. Don’t put yourself in that level." The Prophet (s) was what do you say? He treated his family in a human way. But he treated his Sahaba in a different way. Family has to be family. Allah gave halal the authority. He used to leave Sayyidina al-Hasan and al-Husayn jumping on his back, he doesn’t raise his head from sajda until they move off his back. He doesn’t raise his head. Even they have to stay on his back one hour he doesn’t raise his head until they jump from his back, he never push them off.
He said, “Don’t look at how they treated me, and I treated them, but I will tell you one thing, when Mahdi is coming, he is going to punish them first.”
Big words. He wants to tell them that “I behave with them in a humanly fashion waiting from them to cover. But if they don’t cover then I am not going to intercede for them when Sayyidina Mahdi coming, then let him, he will punish them.
This is a very serious position that Grandshaykh, he is Sultan of Awliya and he is saying, "If they are not listening, I don’t want to... While I am not happy with that, but at same time I have to treat them as family."
We have lot of problems today between children and parents. The parents want to kick the children out because they are doing this wrong or that. If you keep the children around you it may be that you will have an opportunity later and then they will come back. After some time those girls covered.
So that is why to be too close sometimes [is difficult], you keep your distance. You must keep your distance. Don’t look at what is this one doing or what that one is doing.
Although I am his son-in-law, but I keep my distance. I keep this, although I have been sitting with him for many years, since I was young, since I was 12 years od. But we have to learn we have to keep distance.
In any case what do you think about Sultan al-Awliya and you go into his presence carrying this dirty spiritual dress and he is looking at you and smiling. What you are expecting, how do you feel? “I am coming with dirtiness and he is coming to me with a smile. How I have to purify myself for the next time, for the next trip? How I have to come?”
Then you have to come with respect by repenting whenever you do something wrong. All of us do something wrong.
So that is why we have four elements we have to keep in our mind when Sayyidina `Ali said. If we keep these in our mind - I am saying in the mind, not the heart. What is related to the heart is something else. What is related to our mind is four issues and put it very well inside here.
He said, “If you want to be saved and you want to have a happy ending,” We are not speaking on the level of imaan or ihsan, not tasawwuf. This is the level of Islamic pillars. If you want to know you are going straightforward you need to put these four elements or characteristics into your daily practice. And he diagnosed well the sickness, our sickness, the human sickness. Because the Prophet (s) said, ana madinatul-`ilmi wa `aliyyun baabuha - I am the city of knowledge and `Ali is its door." He is taking from the heart of the Prophet the one who has jawami` al-kalam. That s the knowledge that encompasses all knowledges. How many knowledges are there in the world?
If you go to medicine there are unlimited different kinds of specialties. Go to law there are different kinds of codes and laws and judges. Go to any kind of knowledge, there are millions and millions. Not only worldly knowledge that are infinite but heavenly knowledge which are infinite. So Sayyidina ali entering into the heart of that light of the Prophet (s) into the heart of his knowledge when he said “I am the city of knowledge,” That means no knowledge you don’t take from me. Every knowledge comes from prophet, either secular or non-secular.
He said I diagnosed four problems. Four major problems. First is an-nutuq. Nutuq means when you want to speak. People to express themselves they talk. Did you see anyone not talking, except, what you call these people, Down’s people. Not crazy people, dumb, stupid, no their tongue is frozen. Everyone else speaks. If a child doesn’t begin to speak you begin to go crazy, is it not, saying my child is not talking, my child is not talking, my child is not talking. So the first problem is an-nutuq. When a child is young you begin to teach him. Alif, ba, tah… a , b, c. what is this? One. What is this? Two. first is to learn how and when to speak, when is the right time and when is not the right time. A crazy person or a drunk person has no limit on his tongue. He keeps talking day and night, with a drunk person or crazy person. There is no balance. We are like that, we are as if drunk or as if crazy.
So what Sayyidina Ali is saying? “Don't talk. If it is going to be outside of Shariah, don’t talk.” If it is in the way of Shariah, you talk. So balance what you are speaking. Because when we are speaking we might backbite someone. Allah said in Holy Qur'an, wa la yaghtab badakum bada ayuhibbu ahadakum an yaakulu lahmi akhihi al-maytan fa-karihtumooh - Do you like to eat the dead flesh of your brother it will be disgusting.
So it means don’t backbite, don’t spread rumors, don’t say false things. It is better to keep quiet and make your tasbeeh, make you dhikra.. It is better than to speak something worthy or not worthy. So that is why he said nutuq, be careful for the first problem sickness. Is it a sickness in us or not? [yes] and you can go up to explain as much as you like.
Then he said, Second is al-istima` - to listen or to hear; to give your ear. You give your ear to something haraam if someone backbiting you give your ear and believe it; if someone giving false information you give your ear and begin to spread it.
He said you have to be very careful when you are hearing. That is why the deaf and the dumb and the blind they are always safe. If we are deaf, not talking, dumb, not talking, deaf not hearing, blind not seeing what you want better than that. You are safe.
So “an-nutuq - talking then listening.” Then he said, “an-nadhar - Looking.” If you don’t look you don’t get jealous. If you don’t see you don’t get bad desires. If you don’t talk you don’t have problems. If you don’t hear you wont’ backbite and you wont get in problems.
And last he said, you control your tongue, you control your hearing then you control your eyes and then you control your haraka – then movement. Then movement will be on siraat al-mustaqeem – the Straight Path. Then when You walk you walk in the way of the Prophet (s), you walk in the way of mashaykh , you walk in the way of Allah.
So memorize it. An-nutuq, al-istima`, an-nadhar, al-harakah. So then your movement will be in the right way.
If the train falls of the track what happens. then you have a problem then people will be killed. You don’t want your engine, your heart, your mind to fall of the track.
Inna Allah yuhmil wa la yumhil. Allah will leave you for some time He is patient with you, but He will not leave you away from punishment. He will punish you. How many people took advantage from others and they steal them and they rob them and fight for different issues and they took for different issues, in order that from out of jealousy or out fame or other issues. Allah will takes your rights back from these people. Allah said: Faman `afa wa aslaha fa ajrahu `ala Allah.
Whoever makes peace and forgives his rewards is with Allah.
Make peace, get your reward from Allah. Fighting will not take you anywhere. Arguing will not take you anywhere. Prophet said, “argument will extinguish the light of the heart. So no benefit. So you are not progressing. Although it hurts from inside, you feel the hurt, but if you step over your pain and forgive, then you will be like the sahabi that the Prophet (s) said to Sayyidina `Umar "that friend of yours will enter Paradise without account." And what was he doing extra? He was not praying extra - he was not even praying tahajjud. As Sayyidina `Umar said, he was only praying behind the Prophet (s), that is it, not doing anything extra - but before he sleeps he forgives everyone. Everyone who hurt him, everyone Anyone who took his money, anyone who took his seat, anyone who harmed him or harmed his family, anyone who harmed him. And what the Prophet said? "That one is entering paradise."
And we finish with this. Look people say, "I did not do anything. I am praying and fasting." Look the hadith of the Prophet (s) said. He said, "can anyone give me the meaning of who is the muflis - who is bankrupt?” They said, “man la maala lah - it is the one who has no money." He said, “No, no, no! That is not the meaning.” He said, “man la `amala lahu - the one who is bankrupted, is the one who has no `amal." They said, “How O Prophet, even if he prays and fasts?” He said, “Even if he prays and fasts, he has no `amal.”
Today many people have no `amal even if they pray and fast. And the Prophet (s) explained that when someone backbites or makes false rumors or accusations, or takes the property of someone else, and put himself in someone else’s place, or do this or do that, then for some dunya issue, Allah will take all his `amal and give it to those he oppressed. Then he has no `amal and he is going to hellfire. Of course he will be interceded by the Prophet (s), with shafa`at an-Nabi, but he will feel that shame for what he did.
What is the cost of reconciliation? If you have a problem with your brother or sister, what is the cost of reconciliation? Is it too much, even you didn’t do anything wrong. But even so, say, “I did everything wrong.” Go and say, "Forgive me!" How much Allah likes that? How much the Prophet (s) likes that? How much the awliyaullah like that? It is so simple. It is two words.
But the problem is the ego. We cannot step on our ego. We are so proud of ourselves. It is so difficult to open our mouth and say, forgive me. Even if you didn’t do anything and they accused you that you did everything, never mind, say forgive me. Then Allah will be happy. This is our way. This is the meaning of tariqah. This is tariqah, the is the way of Sufis. If you like to go seek that way, this is how it works. You cannot take everything to yourself, you have to share with your brothers and sisters.
You have to share with brother and sisters. Prophet said, “la yuminoo ahadakum hatta yuhibuu li-akhihi ma yuhibbu li-nafsihi - you cannot be considered a mumin if you don’t love to your brother as you love for yourself.” Everyone thinks he has to get everything to himself and doesn’t give to anyone else. The Prophet (s) didn’t keep anything to himself. He gave it all to the Ummah.
We continue this on Thursday.
Wa min Allah at-tawfeeq, bi-hurmat i'l-Fatiha.