22 August 2024 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
A`oodhu billahi ‘s Sami` al-Aleem min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillaahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,
nawaytu 'r-riyaada, nawaytu 's-siyam, nawaytu ‘s-sulook, lillahi ta'ala al-`Azheem fee hadha 'l-masjid. Nawayna Khatmu ‘l-Khwajagan
Dastoor, yaa Sayyidi wa Mawlay. Madad, yaa RijaalAllah.
Inshaa-Allah, we will say a few words, following the Sunnah of Rasoolullah (s), following the practice of our shuyookh. As I heard from our master, Rasoolullah (s) said, ad-deenu naseeha. Deen, religion, the way to Allah (swt) is to advise. How are you going to find Allah (swt)? You have to find the ones who found him. If you have not found Allah (swt), that means you have to grab the hand of somebody who reached there and found Him.
Who found Allah (swt)? Rasoolullah (s). He went on Mi`raj externally so all of humanity can know that there is a human being who can reach The Divine with the physical body. He is reached internally or spiritually a long time ago, but physically, to show that the way to the Divine Presence is to take a guide and to take mati`a, a ride. How did Rasoolullah (s) reach Allah’s Divine Presence in Mi`raj? By finding Sayyidina Jibril (a). Wasn’t Jibril the guide?
He could have gone without Jibril (a). Allah (swt) would have grabbed him and taken him all the way up to the Divine Presence, if we can say “way up,” but as the skies are above us, we say “up.” Allah (swt) is Munnazatun `ani ‘l-Jihaat, not bound by direction. Allah (swt) is not up, nor is He (swt) down, nor right, nor left. He (swt) is not east, or west. He (swt) cannot be limited by directions, because if He (swt) is in the east then He (swt) is far away from the people in the west. If He (swt) is in the west, He (swt) is very far away from the people in the east. There is no up or down for Him, but these descriptions are for us to understand.
Allah (swt) sent a guide to Rasoolullah (s). “Do you want to reach Me? That is a protocol.” The protocol is that you take somebody who knows the way, knows where to take you and knows the stops. On the way from Makkah to Quds Sharif, Rasoolullah (s) stopped at a few stops. Sayyidina Jibril (a) told him about the spots and that he had to pray two raka`ats here and there, until he took him into the Seventh Heaven. Rasoolullah (s) did not enter the First Heaven without Jibril (a) knocking on the door and the angel of the First Heaven asking, “Who is there?” He said, “Jibril.” He asked, “Who is that with you?” He said, “Muhammad (s).” He asked, “Awa bu`ith? He was sent?” He said, “He was sent,” and the door opened.
You need a spiritual guide. Some people don’t believe in that and that’s up to you. You can do whatever you want, but the Sunnah of Rasoolullah (s), the way to Allah (swt) as was revealed to him is that you follow Jibril (a). I’ttabi` ma yooha `ilayk. Ittabi` ma uhiyya `ilayk. Ittabi` ma unzila `ilayk. So many parts of the Holy Qur’an say, “Follow what has been revealed to you.” Who told him? Jibril (a).
When you have a guide, the guide will let you know what is the next step--a true guide, not a fake one. There are so many fakes. There are so many. It’s hard to find a good diamond from a pebble stone. We had somebody here who used to sing about pebbles. The jewel is one, but find it in the heap of straw or hay. Find that jewel and get it.
Rasoolullah (s) left behind him perfect ones to guide the Ummah to the Door of Heaven. Find that one and follow the Sunnah of Rasoolullah (s) by following what has been revealed to him. That’s why we say, ad-deenu naseeha. The way to Allah (swt) is through advice. Advice has to be taken from a truthful one, not someone who is going to deceive you, lie to you, or cheat you. That is very difficult to find nowadays. People tell lies and deceive others to gain an advantage over others. You can see it all over the world. To find a truthful one, a trustworthy one is very difficult. Inshaa-Allah, we can stay at the door of Awliyaullah. Inshaa-Allah, we can continue to follow the true ones. May Allah (swt) allow us to be admitted into Heavens, into Paradises with saliheen.
Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur’an, asta`eedhu billah, wa ‘t-tabi` sabeela man anaaba `ilay.
وَإِن جَـٰهَدَاكَ عَلَىٰٓ أَن تُشْرِكَ بِى مَا لَيْسَ لَكَ بِهِۦ عِلْمٌ فَلَا تُطِعْهُمَا وَصَاحِبْهُمَا فِى ٱلدُّنْيَا مَعْرُوفًا وَٱتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ مَنْ أَنَابَ إِلَىَّ ثُمَّ إِلَىَّ مَرْجِعُكُمْ فَأُنَبِّئُكُم بِمَا كُنتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ
"But if they strive to make thee join in worship with Me things of which thou hast no knowledge, obey them not; yet bear them company in this life with justice (and consideration), and follow the way of those who turn to me (in love): in the end the return of you all is to Me, and I will tell you the truth (and meaning) of all that ye did. (Surah Luqman, 31:15)
If you don’t believe, follow. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) always reminded us of that verse. “Follow the way of the one who has turned to Me.” You have to find the one who has turned to Allah (swt). Inshaa-Allah, Allah (swt) will let us know.
It’s time for a story. One shaykh found a guide wandering in the distance. He went to find that guide and he found him taken by Divine Love. That’s what they call “majhdoob, majnoon,” or whatever you want to call it, the one taken away by Divine Love. Some people call them “`ashiq,” some people call them “waalih,” the one who is not aware of his surroundings. He only watches his Lord. He is in love with Allah (swt).
This shaykh asked the person, “What is your name?”
He said, “Huuu.”
“Who are you?”
“Huuu.”
“Where do you come from?”
“Huuu.”
“Where are you going?”
“Huuu.”
He asked, “What do you mean by ‘Huuu’?”
“Huuu.”
Hu. I will explain a little bit. Inshaa-Allah, we can reach that level but not be crazy like that one, rather have a mind. He is at a level that he is unaware of himself. All he can see is his Lord’s Actions. All he can see is Allah (swt)’s Manifestations. All he can see is Allah (swt)’s decrees in every moment. Every moment the world changes, doesn’t it? As Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said, Allah (swt) manifests 24,000 different manifestations every moment. With these different manifestations, the world changes. How does it change? You blink. Oh, you changed. Now you do this. You changed. Now you smile. You changed.
Who is making you smile? Who is making you blink? Who is making you talk? Who is making you silent? Allah (swt) is allowing you to do what you want. Basically, Allah (swt) is manifesting upon you what you need to do. This one that was overtaken by the love of his Lord doesn’t see anything from human beings, all he sees is his Lord’s action in play at every moment. Every river that’s running is his Lord’s Will. Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said, “Do you think a leaf will move without the Will of Allah (swt)?” What do you say?
A leaf will not move side to side without Allah (swt) permitting that. Do you believe in that or not? Do you think the leaf can be independent of Allah (swt)? Do you think anything can be independent of Allah (swt)? If it can be independent of Allah (swt), why do they die? Why do they follow the same pattern? Leaves are green and later on they are very green then they are brown, yellow, dry and then dead. Who is decreeing that, the leaf itself? If the leaf can be independent of Allah (swt), why is it submitting to a certain law of physics?
Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) said that not even the leaf can move by itself without the permission of Allah (swt). That `ashiq is seeing everything in movement by the Will of his Lord, is seeing everything in stillness by the Will of his Lord. He doesn’t see anything else. He has reached a level that he is unaware of himself and present by his Lord. That is the top level to be reached.
Awliyaullah have said, Allah (swt) has revealed Himself to the hearts by the saying of, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah.” Allah (swt) has revealed Himself to the souls by the saying of, “Allah (swt), Allah (swt), Allah (swt).” Allah (swt) is revealing Himself to the secrets by the saying of, “Hu. Hu. He.” How?
Laa ilaaha illa-Llah. What’s in your heart? Dunya. Don’t tell me dunya is not in your heart. Dunya is in your heart. Allah (swt) shows Himself to the heart with Laa ilaaha illa-Llah to clean the heart from everything else other than Allah (swt). It cleans your heart from your desires. It cleans your heart from your aspirations. It cleans your heart from dunya. It cleans your heart from money. It cleans your heart from everything other than Allah (swt). When you say, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah, the heart rids itself from everything other than Allah (swt). That is the treatment of the heart. When you say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” Allah (swt) is revealing Himself slowly to the heart. That means whatever is in your heart has to come out. When it comes out, what remains in the heart? Allah (swt).
When everything comes out of your heart, what remains in your heart is Allah (swt). Your heart has reached the station of Rooh. Rooh is in the Divine Presence. The soul is pure. It has no dunya with it. The soul is not a physicality, it is amrullah. Quli ‘r-roohu min amri Rabbi.
وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلرُّوحِ قُلِ ٱلرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّى وَمَآ أُوتِيتُم مِّنَ ٱلْعِلْمِ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
They ask you (O Muhammad) concerning the Spirit (of inspiration). Say: "The Spirit (comes) by command of my Lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you, (O men!) (Surah al-Isra, 17:85)
Ruh is from the Order of my Lord. It has nothing to do with the physical body.
When the heart rids itself from everything other than Allah (swt) and only Allah (swt) is in the heart of a human being, that human being has become one to one with Allah (swt). That is what they call the station of the two, You and me. All I see is You. That is, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah illa Anta. There is nobody but You. You are addressing someone.
When you say `iyyaka na`budu, “We worship Thee.” Who is “Thee”? You are addressing somebody. You are one to one now. You have rid your heart from dunya, the love of dunya, the problems of dunya and the desires of dunya. Nothing is in your heart except Allah (swt) when you continue with, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah. That is why they say, Laa ilaaha illa-Llah qootu ‘l-quloob. “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah is the food and drink of the hearts.” It is the nutrition, the nourishment, the sustenance. That means the life of the heart is by Laa ilaaha illa-Llah. You rid yourself from other than Allah (swt) and you are only with Allah (swt).
That’s when your Fatiha becomes real. When you say, “iyyaka na`budu,” you are saying the truth. But when you are saying, iyyaka na`budu, “I am worshiping You,” but in your heart is all the filth of this world, all the gunk of this world, all the junk of this world, how can you be sincere? There is no sincerity. You reach that with Allah (swt). When you are one to one, all you see is Allah (swt). You say, “Allah. Allah. Allah.”
What is shirk? Partners with Allah (swt). Shirk is “two.” You are saying, “It’s me and You.” That is shirk. These are the subtleties of our Way. When you say, “I am here and You are there,” or, “I exist and You exist,” that means, “I am partners with You in existence. I’m partners with You in speaking, in addressing, in knowledge. I am partners with you. You know. I know. You say. I say.”
That is when you are one to one. You say, “Allah (swt). Allah (swt),” the greater Allah (swt) becomes in yourself, the less you become, until you reach a station where everything is Hu, He. There is no “me.” No more two in the room. No more two in existence. The real existence is for Allah (swt). The real existence is not for me. I don’t exist. The real knowledge is Allah (swt)’s. I don’t have knowledge. If you have knowledge, why do you become senile? Why do you lose your knowledge when you are very old, or lose your memory or ability to walk? Where is your power?
If you are powerful, why do you lose your power? The All-Powerful is Him. The All-Knowledgeable is Him. The All-Wise is Him. I am not the wise one. I am not knowledgeable. I am not the existing one. I’m not in the picture. That’s what that one has reached. He saw himself out of the picture. Who is in the picture? Who is Waajibu ‘l-Wujood? Who is in the picture? Allah (swt).
He is the Artist that has the pen and He is drawing. This universe is nothing but a drawing by the Qalam, the Pen. Who is holding the Pen in His Hand? There is somebody holding the pen and drawing. The Pen itself is not drawing. Basically, this whole universe is the artistic design and creativity and drawing and designing and fashioning of the One that is drawing. The Pen draws the knowledge of Allah (swt) into existence. When you have a picture in your mind and you have a pen, you can transcribe. What do they say? You can transpose. You can get the picture out of your mind onto paper. When you have a jewel, when you want to design something, you have it in your head, “I will do it.”
`Ilmullah, Knowledge of Allah (swt). We are all there. When the time comes for us to appear, that Kalam is the gateway between Malakoot and Mulk, the Ocean of Knowledge of Allah (swt) that we are in onto this world. That’s how you pass.
That one who was making Dhikrullah of Hu was only seeing his Lord’s creation, he was only seeing his Lord drawing, designing, writing onto this world, onto these universes. He was not seeing himself.
Don’t think when somebody says that, “Oh he is crazy,” no, he is not crazy. He has basically been taken into the Love Oceans of his Lord that he is not seeing himself anymore. He doesn’t care about himself. When somebody is in real love, they don’t take care of themselves anymore. They don’t eat and drink. They’re disheveled. His hair is not tidy anymore. He’s not taking care of his clothes anymore. He doesn’t care anymore. All he wants is to be with his beloved. Isn’t that right? Don’t fall into that trap. That’s the trap of Shaytan. That love has to be saved for Allah (swt).
Basically, the muhhib, the one who has fallen in the real Divine Love, doesn't look at himself anymore. They don’t eat or drink or do anything. All they do is make dhikr of Hu. Hu is enough for them. They don’t have to say “Hu Allah.” They don’t have to say, “He is Allah (swt).” “He” is a pronoun. You point. “He is the mayor. He is John. He is Ali.” You are pointing. But when they are saying “He, Hu,” they don’t have to add an additional explanation. When they say “Hu,” they know Who it is. When they say “He,” they know Who it is. They don’t have to specify who they mean by “Hu” or what they mean by “He.” They just say, “Hu. He.”
As long as you see yourself, you are still not on the way. You should be doing more of, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” until you rid yourself from everything except Allah (swt). That’s why we start Dhikrullah with, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah.” It is for the hearts. You come from dunya into this place and your heart is full of dunya’s garbage. When you say, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” slowly that garbage comes out until there is nothing but Allah (swt)’s Qudoos, Purity and Love in there.
May Allah (swt) allow us to reach that level of Dhadkireen. Our Way is different from the others. As Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) has said, our Way is not to claim to be scholars. We have no claim for that. If you are a scholar, why do you lose your knowledge when you get old? That means it was not true knowledge. True knowledge is in the heart. The Qur’an came to the heart of Rasoolullah (s). It didn’t come to his `aql. It came to the heart. Nazala bihi ‘l-roohu ‘l-ameen.
نَزَلَ بِهِ ٱلرُّوحُ ٱلْأَمِينُ
With it came down the spirit of Faith and Truth. (Surat ash-Shu`arah, 26:193)
Roohu ‘l-ameen, the holy spirit, the trustworthy spirit has brought down the Qur’an on your heart. The heart is different. That Qur’an will only come into a heart that is pure with no dunya and only Allah (swt). Rasoolullah’s (s) heart was such.
May Allah (swt) make us like the ones who have followed him. Astaghfirullah. We cannot say “be like him.” We can never be like Rasoolullah (s). He was chosen. We are from the others. We are from the ones who are trying to follow the Chosen One, Al-Mustafa (s). Ameen.
Stay with your dhikr of, “Laa ilaaha illa-Llah,” until you get everything out of your heart except Allah (swt), then you can reach, “Allah. Allah. Allah,” until you don’t see anything but Him. That’s when it’s Hu and then you say, “Haqq.” That is the Truth. The Truth is nobody but You, yaa Rabbee. That is the truth. The truth is that you are Ever-Alive. You will not die. We will all die. Kullu man `alayha faan.
كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ
All that is on earth will perish. (Surat ar-Rahman, 55:26)
Everything that’s on it goes away, disappears, withers away. Wa yabka wajhu Rabbika dhu ‘l-Jalaali wa ‘l-Ikraam.
وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلْجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلْإِكْرَامِ
But will abide (for ever) the Face of thy Lord,- full of Majesty, Bounty and Honour. (Surat ar-Rahman, 55:27)
Only the Holy Face of your Lord remains. That means His Beautiful Names and Attributes. It’s not a face like ours but His Beautiful Names and Attributes that have encompassed the whole universe. That’s what remains. Everything else disappears. Innaka mayyitoon wa innahum mayyitoon.
إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُم مَّيِّتُونَ
Truly thou wilt die (one day), and truly they (too) will die (one day). (Surah az-Zumar, 39:30)
You will die. He is telling Rasoolullah (s), and all of them will die, along with Jibril (a), Israfil (a), etc. and nobody remains except Allah (swt). Know your way. Your way is to do Dhikrullah until Allah (swt) is completely the One you always see, always hear and always love.
May Allah (swt) forgive us. Ameen.
Bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
https://sufilive.com/La-ilaha-illa-Llah-Is-Food-for-the-Heart-8302.html
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