Noon Suhbah
(Translated from Arabic)
One who takes a step for the sake of Allah will never tire.
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem. Hasbnun Allahu ni`am al-Wakeel. Madad, yaa rijaalAllah!
We must lower ourselves to the lowest point and call on the Men of Allah to save us! Since two days we are hosting the family of Prophet (s). Whoever hosts guests must gain virtue in the name of Allah.
First and foremost, you must make two raka`ats and then ask for Divine Favors. Without praying two raka`ats, I am ashamed, as then the speech is from the ego. Therefore, pray two raka`ats fee sabeelillah, for the sake of Allah, bi idhnullah, by Allah’s Will, for the honor of the Prophet (s) and with the intention of seeking support from rijaalAllah, the Men of Allah, and their high levels.This shows our inability and weakness when we act from ourselves. We have to ask by the power of the saints, whose higher levels are sufficient for us, and when you perform two raka`ats your intention will be fulfilled.
Allahu Allah! Allahu Allah! Allahu Rabbee! Allahu Hasbee! Allah is enough for me! Laa ilaaha illa-Llah! Laa ilaaha illa-Llah! Sayyidina Muhammad Rasoolullah (s). Madad yaa Rabbee!
Be seekers of knowledge. Ask! We must keep our manners and ask from Allah Almighty, and after we mention His Name, we direct our requests to rijaalAllah as we are not qualified to address Allah Almighty directly. Then we come to the level that is nearest and we call out, “Yaa `Ibaadullah as-Saadiqeen! Reach us in our situation and support us by the favor of Allah and by the grant of our beloved Prophet (s)!”
Welcome to you, Hisham Effendi! Our honorable guest came two days ago, which delighted us. The guest removes the burdens from the house he visits, then the host feels relieved and the provision and energy of the host is increased according to the number of guests, and the host feels refreshed. Actually, the one who welcomes a visitor receives a grant of divine merit. Welcome to you, mashaa-Allah.
(Shaykh Hisham: Mawlana, there was a conference in Indonesia that examined the role of Sufism in solving current problems around the world.)
Bismillahi ‘r-Rahmaani ‘r-Raheem. First of all, the word “tasawwuf” did not exist in the first century in the time of the Sahaabah (r); it appeared later on.
(Shaykh Hisham: The word “tasawwuf” is new?)
Yes. The reality of the word is in the way of Sufism, what people are to follow first and foremost. Allah Almighty did not leave anything that He did not make clear to His servants. SubhaanAllah, all kingdoms belongs to Allah Almighty, our Lord, Who did not leave anything without making it clear in the Holy Qur’an! Therefore, there is no need to invent a new word or expression. I did not hear or see the word “tasawwuf” in the ahadeeth of the Prophet (s). Does Allah Almighty ask His servants to be “Sufis”? Did you hear this from well-informed people? Did the Prophet (s) bring such a word? For what then, are we saying ‘Sufism’? Did Sayyid Muhyuddeen Ibn al-`Arabi (r), or the grand-masters of the Naqshbandi tradition, or our Grandshaykh `AbdAllah ad-Daghestani (q) speak about Sufism?
Leave that for now. Did Sayyidina Adam (a) advise his generation to be Sufis? Did Sayyidina Ibraheem (a) the father of prophets, mention to his nation to be Sufis?
O People! Was it mentioned in the Old Testament, New Testament, or in the Psalms of David (a) to be Sufi? If the term “Sufism” represents the highest level of servanthood, was it ever mentioned the one who reached that level is a “Sufi?”
This word has only become fashionable in our time. Why then did the Prophet (s) not say in his traditions, “O people, be Sufis!” or, “Be Wahhabi,” or “Be Salafi.” From where did they bring such expressions? Don’t these people read the blessed Qur’an, in which Allah Almighty is addressing all nations for all times? SubhaanAllah.
وَلَـكِن كُونُواْ رَبَّانِيِّينَ
wa laakin koonoo rabbaaniyyeen.
Become men of God. (Aali-`Imraan 3:79)
No one is saying, “Rabbaani.” This is a divine request: wa lakin koonoo rabbaaniyyeen! There is no higher station for a servant. To be “Rabbaani,” lordly, is related to “Rabb,” the Lord. If the
servant follows the divine orders they become Rabbaani. The first verse in Qur’an is, alhamdulillahi rabbi ‘l-`alameen, “All praise is for the Lord of all the Worlds!” which indicates the Lord wants us to be associated with ruboobiyyah, His Divine Lordship, for His servant to be related to Him!
May Allah (swt) save Syria from the tyrants! Once I was in my home in Damascus and suddenly someone came to the door, a young man about 30 years old or more, whom I welcomed, as to receive visitors is sunnah. I asked him where he came from. He replied, “I graduated from the Islamic College of Syria”. SubhaanAllah, it came to my heart to ask him, “You were there learning for five years. Tell me one word or one sentence you have learned of knowledge in the last five years.”
SubhaanAllah, I wondered from where had he come and then I realized he was not what I thought him to be. With no formality, he replied, “O Shaykh! SubhaanAllah, He says in a Hadeeth Qudsee, ‘O My servant, be Rabbaani!”
Allah Almighty loves His servants to be divinely, related to His Divinity. Do you understand? Allah Almighty al-Haqq, says, “O My servant, be Rabbaani!” He does not say, “Be Muslim,” or, “Be a believer!”. Is there any attribute more honorable than this? This is a Hadeeth Qudsee, addressed directly from the Lord to His servant, Sayyidina Muhammad (s)! Allah Almighty did not say, “Be Ibrahimiyyan,” or, “Muhammadan,” no. To be “Muhammadi” is to be Rabbaani! Allah loves His servant to be Rabbaani, related to Him only!
“O My servant! I am your Lord and you are My servant. Be Rabbaani, related to Me.” This is according to a Hadeeth Qudsee and in the Holy Qur’an; it is very clear. He (swt) did not say, “Be mutasawwuf (Sufi)!” or any of the other titles.
Allah Almighty loves His servants to be related to Him! In Arabic, Rabb is “Lord,” and Rabbaani is “Servant of the Lord.” (Who is Rabbaani) if they order anything, “Be!” it will come into existence. What power! If a saintly person, a servant of His Lord wishes to kick the whole Earth, he may kick it like a football, out of its orbit around the Sun. Such a person may have that power, that if he orders a thing to be, it will happen. Why don’t you use the title Rabbaani? What is this word, “tasawwuf”? Leave people to be Rabbaani. They say that whoever wears wool becomes a Sufi because in Arabic the word “suf” means “wool;” hence Sufis were described as wearing course wool. By doing that, do you become a servant of your Lord? If they only wear rough wool, does it mean they left worldliness?
The instructions have reached us to inform and declare to the servants of the Lord, “Be Rabbaaniyeeni!”Not one from the ummah or from the followers of Moses (a) or `Isa (a) can object to this. Collect the people on this way; don’t say, “I am like this or that”. Did you try your best to be Rabbaani? That is the greatest rank!
Allah Almighty says in the Hadeeth Qudsee, “O My servant! Obey Me; I will make you Rabbaani, then you may say to a thing ‘Be,’ it may be.”
If a no-mind one objects to this Hadeeth Qudsee, there is a verse in the Holy Qur'an:
وَلَقَدْ كَرَّمْنَا بَنِي آدَمَ
wa laqad karamnaa Bani Adam.
Truly We have honored the Children of Adam.
(al-Israa, 17:70)
For forty years, Shaykh `AbdAllah al-Fa’iz ad-Daghestani (q) spoke about this: Allah has bestowed honor on Mankind, His servants. The value of the human being can only be given by his Lord. Only Allah Almighty knows the value of the honor granted to human beings. Shame on those who do not appreciate the servants He honored! Allah has granted a great honor to Mankind, and Shaytan tries to demean the servants of Allah Almighty, Who said, “We have honored the Children of Adam.”
SubhaanAllah! This is a very important point. You must start from this point at any meeting or conference you attend.
(Shaykh Hisham: Inshaa-Allah. These words are higher than any knowledge!)
وَفَوْقَ كُلِّ ذِي عِلْمٍ عَلِيمٌ
wa fawqa kulli dhi `ilmin `aleem.
Above every knower is a (higher) knower. (Yusuf, 12:76)
(Shaykh Hisham: Mashaa-Allah! Mawlana, no one has ever spoken about tasawwuf in such a manner. No one took the Rabbani perspective to understand its meaning.)
Yes, no one did; it has not been examined from this direction because it has not been opened to them.
(Shaykh Hisham: No one, Sayyidee, has touched on the issue of Sufism this way; “Rabbaani” was not related to it in their discourse. When he was with Abu Ja`far (r), Imam Abu Hanifa (r) only mentioned that it is a type of knowledge.)
Over every knowledgeable person there is a higher level of knowledge. He was the imaam of his time and for every age and period there are imaams who are granted what was not opened to earlier ones.
(Shaykh Hisham: Do you grant me permission to attend this conference, Sayyidee?)
Tell them you are a helpless servant.