Sufism and Tasawwuf - Naqshbandi Sufi Way

“Leave Your Ego and Come to Me”

Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani

11 October 2012 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

`Isha Suhbah at Haqqani Zawiya

Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammad (s) hatta yardaa Sayyidina Muhammad (s)

Who likes to give suhbat, raise his hand. No one? Allahu akbar. Everyone here is from Malaysia, mostly? (Mawlana greets Shaykh Fawzi). How many here are from Malaysia, raise your hands. So sing the National Anthem, y'Allah... Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem. (Attendees sing Malaysian Anthem) and let’s stand up.

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`alaa fee hadha 'l-maqaam aw fee hadha al-musalla, surow.

The Prophet (s) said:

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Hubb al-awtaan min al-imaan.

Love of your countries is from faith.

If you love a country then your religion is well, and if you don't love a country then you don’t have the highest level of imaan. Why? Because the Prophet (s) said it shows your level of faith. (The one with such imaan shows) love to his community, and loves the people around him, and he is eating from the soil of his country, and also the one who is planting and feeding others from his plantations, that is all coming from hubb al-awtaan, love of countries. So as we said, hubba al-awtaan min al-imaan, “Love of countries is from faith. If you don’t have faith you don’t love your country, and if you do, you love every drop of soil of this country as this is the soil from which Allah created you! Allah created every one of Bani Adam from the place he was born. So the Prophet (s) said in a hadith:

??? ??? ???? ???? ???? ?? ???? ????? ?? ???? ??? ?????? ???? ????? ???? ???? ????? ?? ???? ???? ????? ??? ?? ???? ????? ?????? ?????? ???? ????????? ?????? ??? ????.

Inna’Allah ta`ala layatali`a kulli laylatin `ala ’z-zar`a. yaqoolu baaraktu `alayki wa `alaa saahibaki. Yuwakkil’illahu ta`alaa `alaa kulli waraqati ’z-zara`a malaa’ikata yusabihoona ’Llaha wa yastagfiroona li-saahibihi hattaa y’ookal.

Verily Allah looks every night at the farms. He says, “I blessed you and your owner.” Then Allah will appoint on every leaf of the crops angels who will glorify Allah and ask forgiveness for the owner until they are eaten.

Allah looks every night at the place where people planted their feet, and He looks to see if the fields have been planted well or not and says, “I send My barakah upon you and upon the owner who planted you.” Allah (swt) wants His Servants to plant and feed others. So loving the country and obedience to the law is from faith, as Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur'an:

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Atee`oollaha wa atee`oo 'r-Rasoola wa ooli 'l-amri minkum.

Obey Allah, obey the Prophet, and obey those in authority among you. (Surat an-Nisa, 4:59)

We cannot say to those in authority, “Why are you ordering us to do this?” because we like to follow. Allah said, “You have to follow,” ittiba`, to follow the way of Allah (swt).

???? ??? ??????? ?????????? ?????? ?????????????? ???????????? ?????? ?????????? ?????? ??????????? ???????? ??????? ????????

Qul in kuntum tuhibboona 'Llaaha fattabi`oonee yuhbibkumullaahu wa yaghfir lakum dhunoobakum w 'Allaahu Ghafooru 'r-Raheem.

Say (O Muhammad), "If you (really) love Allah, then follow me! Allah will love you and forgive your sins, and Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful. (Surat Aali-'Imraan, 3:31)

If we are not following Sayyidina Muhammad (s), we are following our ego. The Prophet (s) said this in many ahadeeth that were compiled together, that Allah says to the plants, “Whoever planted you I blessed him, and the one who planted you, Allah will appoint angels on every leaf of every plant to glorify Allah,” and that will be written for that person until Judgment Day! That is why most previous people were all muzari`oon, farmers. Most of the people of Madinah farmed date palms. So Allah (swt) will make the angels praise Him and ask for forgiveness for that person until he dies, and it is written for him.

There is a secret in plantations and one of these secrets is scientific and we can mention it. The Prophet (s) in the morning before opening his eyes, before he comes out from bed. (Mawlana welcomes Shaykh Bahauddin.) You see awliyaaullah follow and we don’t understand what they are doing, but they do things that later we find are mentioned by the Prophet (s). He said that Allah (swt) looks at the farmer and his farm and where he plants, and He will dress him with blessings for him and his family and He appoints angels to each plant angels that praise Allah and ask istighfaar for that farmer and his family!

Most Sahaabah (r) were farmers and you wonder why. Many times it came to me, why did Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, may Allah grant him long life, always love plantations and to plant trees and different kinds of vegetables that he can buy from the market? So I came across this hadith that the Prophet (s) urged the Sahaabah (r) to plant and not to sit idle. I am now saying to myself how retarded I was to wonder why does Mawlana waste his time to plant apricots or a garden! Now it is becoming clearer to me that this is ittiba`, to follow footsteps of the Prophet (s).

Around 1985, once I was in Cyprus and Mawlana Shaykh (q) said to me, “Why are you and your brother sitting? Go and clean.”

Hajjah Anne (q) said, “O, let them relax.”

Mawlana said, “No, let them go and cut the grass, give them an axe.”

We went and began to cut all kinds of bushes. We came to Mawlana (q) and said, “O Mawlana! We cut down so many bushes.”

He came to see our work and said, “What have you done? You cut all the artichokes! Don’t come and work on the farm any more, stay and do dhikr in the house!” (laughter)

So why (were they planting)? Because they knew that hadith of the Prophet (s) that to make plantations (would brings blessings) and that Madinah mainly had date plantations.

When the Prophet (s) awoke, he took one spoon of honey and mixed it with hot water (and drank that). The greatness of the Prophet (s) is (confirming) our faith. Allah (swt) described him in Holy Qur'an:

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Wa innaka la-`alaa khuluqin `azheem.

You are of the most exalted character. (Surat al-Qalam, 68:4)

The Prophet (s) said:

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As-haabee ka 'n-nujoom bi ayyihim aqtadaytum ahtadaytum.

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)

If you love someone, he will give you what he loves and he will include you in everything. Do you like Ibn Taymiyya? He used to say things that are not accepted, but in Volume 2 of Majma`u Fatawa Ibn Taymiyya he speaks about the State of Annihilation in the Shaykh, Annihilation in the Prophet (s), and Annihilation in Allah (swt). I want you to check that from Volume 2 of his book and in our Sufi Guidebook you can see what he said and that he accepted (spiritual) annihilation.

There were two friends who were very close to each other, just like brothers, and if one did something the other one followed because they loved each other so much. One day they were making wudu at the river and one of them fell in the water and was drowning as he didn’t know how to swim. The other, without being aware of it, found himself in the water with his friend. The first said, “Why did you throw yourself in the water when you don’t know how to swim!” and the friend said, “This is my level of annihilation (in you).”

I applaud something I witnessed between Mawlana Shaykh (q) and two people who were so much in love with each other and supporting each other in an incredible way. I applaud them for that because I could see they were (annihilated in each other). This conversation took place in front of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q), may Allah grant him long life, between my uncle, Shaykh Bahauddin Adil, and al-marhoom Raja Ashman Shah (r). Did I say correctly or not? (Shaykh Bahauddin: Yes.) People see Raja Ashman in Shaykh Bahauddin, and when I look at him sometimes I also see Raja Ashman in him, and I am not perfect to see. I see him as a continuation of Raja Ashman. And before Raja Ashman left dunya, may Allah bless his soul and raise him higher and higher with all Anbiyaa, Siddiqeen, Shuhadaa and Saaliheen, inshaa-Allah, he was not questioning Bahauddin in anything; he had full trust in him.

This what I am explaining here about Ibn Taymiyya, but now this is a living example in front of us. So when you reach real Maqaam al-Fanaa, the Station of Annihilation, when one is wounded the other will bleed from the same place as if they are also wounded! Once Grandshaykh, may Allah bless his soul, called Shaykh Adnan and me to his room upstairs, past his kitchen on the right side. He said, “I have to tell you how you and your brother (are viewed) and what Allah has (destined for you) and how you are in front of the Prophet (s), me, Mawlana Shaykh Nazim (q) and Allah (swt). You are like a bean cut in half: he is one half and you are the other half and both of you complete each other.”

So that (annihilation) happens and it is correct in Islam and no one from Ahl as-Sunnah wa 'l-Jama'ah can say it does not exist. But from the other side, we don’t need to mention names, already we are mentioning what Ibn Taymiyya said in Volume 2 about two brothers in their State of Annihilation and what you need to do because it is open for anyone to reach Maqaam al-Fanaa. So what to do?

It is like what Sayyidina Abu Yazid al-Bistami asked Allah (swt). He was sleeping and saw Allah (swt) coming to him and speaking, and Abu Yazid saw Him but did not see a face, but rather felt the Divine Presence was there, which he could not see, and that Allah was looking at him.

He said, “Yaa Rabbee kayf al-wusoolu ilayk, How do I reach You?” Even with the high level that Allah dressed him, he was still not able to reach inside. “How do I reach You, give me something!”

Allah (swt) said, “Yaa Bayazid, do you want to come to Me?”

He said, “Yes, yaa Rabbee, I cannot live without Your Love, it is possessing me.”

There are many mureeds of Mawlana Shaykh Nazim, may Allah grant him long life, that the love of the Shaykh has completely possessed them. Out of love to him and out of love to them, Allah will dress (them with) that because Allah likes that people should be together.

So he said, “How do I come to You?”

Allah said, itrak nafsak wa ta`al, “Leave your ego and come; you cannot come with your ego.” Allah doesn’t accept that. When Sayyidina Musa (a) said:

???? ????? ?????? ??????? ?????????? ????????? ?????? ??????? ?????? ????????? ??????? ???????? ???????? ???? ?????? ????? ???????? ?????

Idh raa naaran fa-qaala li-ahlihi ’mkuthoo innee aanastu naaran la`allee aateekum minhaa bi-qabasin aw ajidu `alaa ’n-nari hudaa

“You stay. I perceive a fire; perhaps I can bring you some burning brand from there or find some guidance at the fire. (20:10),”

Allah (swt) said:

???????? ???????? ?????? ??? ?????? ?????? ????? ??????? ????????? ?????????? ??????? ?????????? ???????????? ?????

Falammaa ataahaa noodiya yaa Moosaa! Anaa rabbuka f ’akhla` na`layk innaka bi ’l-waadiy muqadassa toowaa.

But when he came close to it, a voice called out: "O Moses!(O Moses!) Indeed I am your Lord! Therefore, (in My Presence) remove your shoes, (for) you are in the sacred valley, Tuwa. (Surah TaHa, 20:11,12)

Muhyideen ibn `Arabi (q) explained that the shoes in that time were made of the skin of donkeys, and donkeys are a symbol of ignorance. So it means Allah said, “Don’t come with your ego! If you want to come to Me, come to Me clean.”

So Allah said to Abu Yazid al-Bistami (q), “Leave your ego and come to Me,” but He didn’t say that to Sayyidina Muhammad (s) as there is nothing in Sayyidina Muhammad’s (s) heart except Allah (swt), and his shoes went with him! He went from Mecca to al-Quds to the First Heaven, Second Heaven... to Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa with his shoes and Allah did not tell him to take them off!

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Wa innaka la-`alaa khuluqin `azheem.

You are of the most exalted character. (Surat al-Qalam, 68:4)

What did the Prophet (s) say? I opened the book as Grandshaykh (q) has ordered us to open the book (for guidance when we address others) to show real humility that you need their notes and the guidance of what they said. Grandshaykh (q) said to me and my brother, “When you want to speak, open my notes as that is showing respect to the shaykh.” I am not going to close my eyes and say, “O, now Mawlana Shaykh Nazim said to me... (as if in a trance).” Don’t they do that? “Mawlana Shaykh Nazim just said to me....” That is arrogance and awliyaullah run away from arrogance.

The Prophet (s) said:

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Innamaa bu`ithtu li utammimu makaarim al-akhlaaq.

I have been sent to perfect the best of conduct (your behavior and character). (Bazzaar)

Can the Prophet (s) perfect our characters? Scholars said it means he came to present the rules to us, but we know all the rules and still we are not following them. Awliyaullah say it means that the Prophet (s) was sent “to perfect our character” without our doing it. The Prophet (s) said “to perfect, to complete it.” So he, on behalf of his ummah when his ummah makes salawaat on him, it is enough for them to perfect their character without taking that responsibility as he takes it on! And may every dhikr and lecture that takes place here (be presented) to the soul of Grandshaykh `AbdAllah al-Fa'iz ad-Daghestani (q) and to the soul of HRH Raja Ashman Shah. May Allah bless us. This is fruit that he left behind and everyone is in awe of his absence. May Allah bring happiness to everyone who remembers him and to read Surat al-Fatihah for him and to reach him now in his Paradise!

What should we do now, my uncle (Shaykh Bahauddin)? Dhikr, is it available. Bahauddin is my shaykh. I like when you give suhbat. It is not ‘coffee talk’ only; it brings happiness to our hearts and we laugh! His sister (Hajjah Naziha) and I check every day to see if he has a suhbat. Hajj Muhammad is clever, he does five minutes, but you are clever and you speak for one hour! May Allah grant Mawlana Shaykh long life, and if you pray for Mawlana, that will add to his life from what is bringing us here, and that is the magnet here.

I like to mention one issue that I remember now. Shaykh Bahauddin and I will make this your responsibility, with permission of Raja Eleena, may Allah give her a happy life. We travel around the world often and we have to come up with a lot of answers to questions. We have been questioned many times and we give conclusive answers that they cannot question us further on that issue, but the next day more people come, and what is the main issue they are challenging us and the whole tariqah with? It is what JAKIM has posted on their website. JAKIM is the federal ministry responsible for religion in Kuala Lampur and in whole of Malaysia. They have a website that mentions we and that His Highness are "deviants". I request, and no one can take it (forward) except Her Highness Raja Eleena, to speak to someone, such as her brother Raja Muda or the Mufti of Perak. That website speaks badly of Mawlana Shaykh, HRH Raja Ashman, Shaykh Adnan and me. It says we are ‘banned’. And I went to the Prime Minister and gave (their name) to Abdullah Badawi and he said to me no one can do that, but (still) they went and posted on their website and that gives us a bad name.

Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.

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