A`udhu billah min ash-shaytan ir-rajeem
Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem
Nawaytu'l-arba`een, nawaytu'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu'l-khalwah, nawaytu'l-riyaada, nawaytu's-salook, nawaytu'l-`uzlah lillahi ta`ala fee hadha'l-masjid
أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
Ati` Allah wa ati` ar-rasula wa uli 'l-amri minkum - Obey Allah, obey the Prophet (s) and obey those who are on authority [Women,
You cannot say “I am listening and I am not obeying.” You are listening means you are accepting to listen. As soon as you listen you have to obey what has been said to you. You cannot say, "I am not obeying.” Do you want to disobey and to challenge Allah by disobeying? Our problem is that sometimes we challenge and that is why we make sin.
So Sayyidina Muhammad (s) taught us we cannot say, "we are not obeysing.” When he was saying something to the Sahaba they were obeying immediately.
When he went on Isra and Mi’raj and reached:
فَكَانَ قَابَ قَوْسَيْنِ أَوْ أَدْنَى
Fa kaana qaaba qawsayni aw adna was he hearing or seeing? If he only was hearing then no need to go to the station above Jibreel . Even though the Prophet (s) does not need Jibreel but out of humbleness, Jibreel was delivering the message to show how much Sayyidina Muhammad (s) is high yet still he is humble. If someone becomes the doorman of the president he thinks, “O I am so high.” But he is only at the door, cleaning the shoes. You cannot speak with him, you need appointment.
Sayyidina Muhammad (s) with all the greatness that Allah gave to him he was humble, he was more humble.
Iblees was praying in
So we have two dimensions here. How far you are from humbleness you are coming near to pride, to arrogance. Arrogance is cursed and humbleness is praised. So what do we have to do then? We have to be humble. How to be humble? [obey] Obey? You can obey and still you are arrogant.
It means anyone comes and criticizes you in your face, and humiliates you, in front of people, don’t answer. Can you? That is the…
If Allah says bring five prayers, are you praying or not. You pray. Allah says to you be humble. Are you obeying. If people come and criticize us and curse them, what do we do? Punch them. Especially checks. And Cherkess also, you cannot speak with them one word, they bat you immediately. Cherkess, masha-Allah gave them they are very strong believers. They migrated to the
One came like that. He had daggers. They have that. And they cannot take it out even for security in the airport. They say “no way our dagger can be put on the side.” They even go to the king like that. No one can take it - that is humiliating their manhood. No one can take it. In
That one came to Grandshaykh with dagger and his hat, his fez, you know how they wear like this in
If anyone wants to take tariqah, he has to be humble. Today, Mawlana Shaykh is giving tariqah, baya` to everyone - for baraka. But before it was very rare to give until they test the mureed completely that he is safe from the hand of Shaytan completely. Then they give. That is baya` to the Prophet (s). Allah said:
إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللَّهَ يَدُ اللَّهِ فَوْقَ أَيْدِيهِمْ فَمَن نَّكَثَ فَإِنَّمَا يَنكُثُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ وَمَنْ أَوْفَى بِمَا عَاهَدَ عَلَيْهُ اللَّهَ فَسَيُؤْتِيهِ أَجْرًا عَظِيمًا
Inna alladheena yubayi`oonaka innama yubayi`oona Allaha yadu Allahi fawqa aydeehim faman nakatha fa innama yankuthu `ala nafsihi waman awfa bima `ahada `alayhu Allaha fasayuteehi ajran `adheema
Lo! those who swear allegiance unto thee (Muhammad), swear allegiance only unto Allah. The Hand of Allah is above their hands. So whosoever breaketh his oath, breaketh it only to his soul's hurt; while whosoever keepeth his covenant with Allah, on him will He bestow immense reward. Al-Fath [48:10]
They are giving baya` to the Prophet (s) and giving baya` to the Prophet (s) is giving baya` to Allah. That is why we have to be very careful. Shaykh Abdul Haqq. And me, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani. Anyone giving the baya` to you is not to you - it is to Shaykh Nazim and it is to the Prophet (s), and it is to Allah.
You cannot say baya` to Grandshaykh even. No the baya` has to go to Mawlana Shaykh Nazim. Many people say, "we came and took baya` with our Shaykh and we are here to see our Grandshaykh.”
So that is wrong. He is our shaykh.
So that baya` is to the Prophet (s) and to Allah.
So that one said, "I want baya`.” Anyone speaks to him he cuts his neck, carrying daggers and his turban is tilted on the side.
So you heard the story. But Grand Grandshaykh looked at his heart and found it clean; very sadiq; sincere he wants it really; he is not playing and he wants baya` and to listen.
So he has to teach him. He said, “O my son, rest today and I will give you baya`, don’t take your dagger and kill me. Go tomorrow I will give you your assignment.” He didn’t sleep all night. He was thinking “why he didn’t give me baya`. If he doesn’t give me baya`, I will have to cut his nails, cut his fingers, cut his ears. What I have to do?”
Everyone is like that - arrogant. He didn’t sleep all night happy his shaykh is going to give him baya` tomorrow. He prayed Fajr with the Shaykh and then the Shaykh said to him, “Today you go down to city and you will find a man carrying items on his shoulders and go behind him and with all your power slap him on his neck and come back and tell me what happens.”
O that man was so happy is this in tariqah this is nice, I will do every day like that. That is tariqah, I found finally what I need.
So next day, he went down to the city and as Shaykh describe he found that man walking with items on his shoulders on a stick and he wants to sell them. Then he came from back with his hand and he is a wrestler, it is like 10 kilos. When these boxers punch it is 100 km./second hitting you. When they punch it is like accident in a car hitting you. He took his hand and slapped him. He was so happy, he slapped him, [thinking,] “tariqah is nice.” He was looking now that he wants to hit a second time. The guy will be angry and hit him and then he will have fight. He will happy he made fitna, created confusion like all these Muslim media today they create confusion.
Then he was waiting, waiting. That man looked at him very angry. But he didn’t move. And then he was angry, he didn’t fight. His Shaykh told him observe not to hit him second time. So he was disappointed and went back to his teacher, his Shaykh and the Shaykh said what happened. He said, "O my shaykh I was so happy you gave me that order and I slap with all my power. And that made me more angry because he didn’t bother to fight me back and though he looked at me angry.”
So the Shaykh said ok go rest now and tomorrow you have new assignment. He was happy [thinking] “o this is tariqah, hitting people.”
So then he said, "you go downtown and you find someone carrying on his shoulders the intestines of lambs and sheeps, he takes it all with its waste to the river to clean it and fix it and sell it. You go behind him another time and slap him.” He said, "O my Shaykh this tariqah is all slapping. Slapping each other - that is nice.”
So that is what people do in tariqah on chat channels they are slapping each other. One says, “My shaykh said this!” not Mawlana Shaykh but the one who is representative. They say, "My Shaykh said this and my Shaykh said that.” And my Grandshaykh said this and said that. Not only Naqshbandi only but all tariqahs. They are fighting in all tariqahs like that.
I didn’t see it but they told me and I don’t know how to open it even someone has to show me. So he found that man and all the intestines and dripping from it and smelling and with all that acid. Don’t say o that is so bad smell. That is what we will be smelling in the grave. Grandshaykh said if Allah will allow one grave to open and smell the smell of that person it will make the whole dunya to faint from that smell of bad characters.
It is more dangerous. Don’t think when they open the grave and see the bones there’re Is no smell. Grandshaykh said, "if Allah will reveal that smell no one can be alive.”
So that is why when you come to prayers, angles will not approach if there is bad smell. But that means also brush your teeth and brush your mind, clean yourself before praying.
So he went to that one and hit him with two hands. Multiple of two. What happens with multiples of two. He came completely down and all the intestines came all over him and his nose and face inside the stomach and all that food inside the lambs stomach coming inside his mouth. If someone tell you go an clean that stomach what will you do?
Ask how many times I cleaned this stomach and intestines? They sell it in
What do they call it Orhan. Eskembe chorba. Stomach soup.
At least say alhamdulillah we eat it what can I do.
So this man was completely into the stomach what are you expecting him to do? Not only the first one getting angry but taking the stomach and throwing it on the wrestler. What did he do? He looked at him and he was laughing. Not serious laugh, smiling.
The wrestler got upset. What is this? He doesn’t send me except to crazy people.
So he was disappointed that he could not fight.
He went back to Shaykh and Shaykh asked, “what happened?” He said, "This one was worse than the other, he was smiling even.”
He said, "no you go rest, pray. Tomorrow you will go somewhere.”
So next day he said, "Go to the village, go to nature. Nature is more ready to give you strength. You will see there in farmland a farmer, old with an age of 70 years and with him is the buffalo, and he is plowing the field, the soil. Take the stick (and it is triple this one a big one) and go to that farm and you will see him plowing. At that time, when you see him, and take that stick and beat him on his back and keep beating him until it breaks.”
If the Shaykh asks you to do that what will you do it? You will say, "I cannot do that I cannot beat someone.” So it is test for both.
He went, he was happy, [thinking] “This is my day. Today I use my stick, tomorrow I use my knife. Next day my pistol. This is the best life. After pistol, then cannon. Then after cannon, rockets.”
Like crazy people today everywhere fighting and every country accuses the other country.
So he was happy. He went and took his stick and went to the village. He saw the farmer and he came behind him and beat him with all his power. If someone does that to you what do you do? So what did the farmer do? First the stick didn’t break. So what the farmer did? He with all his force hit on the plow and made the buffalo run more, quicker. So the second time he hit him, the farmer hit the plow more and went faster. And the third time he hit him and the stick broke. Then the man came to the wrestler and put his hand on his head and said, "forgive
So he went to Shaykh he said, "I cannot take it anymore.” Shaykh said, "O my son the first one is a beginner in tariqah. He looked at you angry but he is trying to hold his anger. He doesn’t want to blow up, he is keeping his anger down. That is why he is still at the first level, he didn’t yet take baya`.”
(So to take baya` someone has to beat you. )
The second one is a musta`id. The first is mubtadi` - in kindergarten. They begin school early here. The second is ready musta’id, he knew looking at you smiling. O my Shaykh I know you are testing me, I am not going to get angry. Ego is still playing with him. He is proud of himself that he knows the Shaykh is sending to me and means I go my lesson, I am smiling. His smile is not to you his simile is to you. He saw his Shaykh there. You see the level the musta’id has. Are we seeing? Where are we? Beginners? No we are not, we are lovers only, muhibeen. We didn’t get the stick yet. If Mawlana give the stick what you do? You run away. Only those who took the stick many times they know how much it is hard. How many times we got that stick, not stick, cannons.
He said, "The third one is a real mureed. When you hit him he knows he is doing mistakes and that means he is not doing well the duty he has been given. He is not plowing it nicely. (He knew he didn’t do it nicely. The farm here means the awraad. He is not doing well on the awraad.) You hit him a second time; you pushed him more and he is saying, ‘Ya Rabbee, I made mistakes, I knew that I was not doing it right.’”
“So the third time he knew when you broke the stick, he knew that it caused pain on your hand and came and kissed your hand. He was thinking, ‘O Allah let this man not to sue me on Day of Judgment to say that I hurt him.’”
That man in three days learned the principles of tariqah. And it entered his heart. He threw away his pistol, threw away his dagger, threw away his crooked turban and then he said, "Ya Sayyidee what do you want from me?” He said, "Come after Fajr.”
So next day he took him to a tree. Then he said, "Take this stone and hit the tree.” He is a wrestler and he took the stone and hit the branch with all his power. The branch was hit and it broke and as it broke 10 apples came down. He said, "pick them up.” He said, "in our tariqah, if anyone hurts you, you must reward him. He is carrying difficulty and problems and diseases from you. If you do good for him you might bring him to Islam and to tariqah. Anyone hurts you, don’t hurt him but send him flowers. As you hurt this tree it gave you ten fruits. It didn’t say “no”.
So that is between … he put that person into seclusion right away for 40 days and gave him khilapha and send him from city to city and to different countries. Awliyaullah send their representatives to different countries to send the message of the Shaykh and to spread their teachings. Then he said, "You go. You have permission. Not permission to sit. (Today many people sit in their places.) No I want you to move around.”
So tariqah is big struggle between arrogance and humbleness. To carry a dagger or to carry a stick or to be humble with nothing. No need for knife in the pocket even. Except as Sunnah to use for food. No more than that.
So shaytan plays with us. Because he cannot play with anyone else except with those who they are struggling on their faith, he splays with them to keep them arrogant. Look many of our brothers Muslims they cannot accept one word. They fight for it.
The Prophet (s), how much he was abused and tortured by his own tribe - people around him and people far from him. Different tribes. He never raised his sword except for defense of himself and his companions. Never did he criticize anyone. He said, to them as Allah said,
لَكُمْ دِينُكُمْ وَلِيَ دِينِ
"lakum deenukum wa leeya deen - To you be your Way, and to me mine.” Al-Kafirun [109:6]
If you accept, you accept , if you don’t accept, you don’t accept.
So Allah brought Sayyidina Muhammad (s) to Mi’raj to qaba qawsayni aw adna to give him what to dress him and to see him. Not only sending him revelation and revelation but He wants to honor His prophet (s).
So that is why we said at first there are three states: `ilm al-yaqeen, `ayn al-yaqeen, haqqa l-yaqeen – the knowledge of certainty, the eye of certainty, the reality of certainty. We didn’t explain yet, we are explaining between arrogance and humbleness. So if you are humble you will receive realities. So that knowledge which will make us go further in the life and make us more and more stronger in our faith.
We will explain this in coming session, tomorrow. Insha-Allah.
Wa min Allah at-tawfeeq bi-hurmati 'l-Fatiha.
Islam is [like] a cake, you can express it like that. Any way you slice it you get a slice you are lucky. It is sweet and tasty. If you don’t get a piece you are not lucky. Allah honored us with Islam.