Suhbah at Hounslow Mosque (1)
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh. Jeevay, jeevay! [Murshid jeevay!] As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi ta`ala wa barakaatuh.
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.
(Du`a.) Alhamdulillahi Rabbi 'l-`Alameen, wa ’s-salaatu wa ’s-salaamu `alaa ashrafi 'l-mursaleena Sayyidina wa Nabiyyina Muhammadin wa `alaa aalihi wa sahbihi ajma`een. Alhamdulillahi nasta`eenuhu wa nastighfiruhu was nastahdeehi wa na`oodhoo billaahi min shuroori anfusinaa wa sayyiaati `amaalinaa man yahdillahu fa-laa muddilla lah, wa man yudlill fa laa haadiya lah. Alhamdulillahi ’Lladhee hadaanaa li’l-Islaami wa maa kunna li-nahtadee law laa an hadaanaa ’Llah.
Alhamdulillahi ’Llladhee sharafana bi ‘l-Qur’ani ’l-`azheem w’alhamdulillahi ’Lladhee ja`alanaa min atba` habeebika ‘l-Mustafa `alayhi `afdalu ‘s-salaatu wa ‘t-tasleem.
O Muslim brothers and sisters, Ummat an-Nabi (s)! What a great nation this is. What is greater than Ummat an-Nabi (s) and it has come together on love of the Prophet (s)? What a great nation this is in the presence of the Prophet (s), a nation that came on love of the Prophet (s), a nation born on love of the Prophet (s), a nation honored to be Muslim and mu’min, a nation always following the sunnah of the Prophet (s)! We say:
وَقُلْ جَاء الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا
Wa qul: ja'a al-haqq wa zahaq al-batil inna 'l-baatila kaana zahooqa.
Say (O Muhammad), "Haqq (Truth) has come and baatil (falsehood) has perished.”
(Surat al-'Israa, 17:81)
May Allah bring haqq back to its owner and take baatil from us! We are in a situation that if not for the Prophet (s), we are losing and in halaak, destruction. We are coming to Allah (swt) through the Beloved One, the one that the tongue of every poet was frozen to describe him and trembling to describe him! No one is able to describe him except Allah (swt):
مُّحَمَّدٌ رَّسُولُ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِينَ مَعَهُ أَشِدَّاء عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ رُحَمَاء بَيْنَهُمْ تَرَاهُمْ رُكَّعًا سُجَّدًا يَبْتَغُونَ فَضْلًا مِّنَ اللَّهِ وَرِضْوَانًا سِيمَاهُمْ فِي وُجُوهِهِم مِّنْ أَثَرِ السُّجُودِ ذَلِكَ مَثَلُهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَمَثَلُهُمْ فِي الْإِنجِيلِ كَزَرْعٍ أَخْرَجَ شَطْأَهُ فَآزَرَهُ فَاسْتَغْلَظَ فَاسْتَوَى عَلَى سُوقِهِ يُعْجِبُ الزُّرَّاعَ لِيَغِيظَ بِهِمُ الْكُفَّارَ وَعَدَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ مِنْهُم مَّغْفِرَةً وَأَجْرًا عَظِيمًا.
Muhammadun Rasoolullah. walladheena ma`ahu ashidaau `ala al-kufaar ruhamaau baynahum. taraahum ruka`an sujjadan yabtaghawna fadlan min Allahi wa ridwaanaa. Seemaahum fee wujoohihim min athari 's-sujood. dhaalika mathaluhum fi 't-tawraat wa mathaluhum fi 'l-injeel ka-zara`in akhraja shatahu fa-aazarahu fastaghlath fastawaa `alaa sooqihi yu`jibu’z-zura`a li-yagheetha bihimu 'l-kuffaar w`ada ’Llahu 'Lladheena aamanoo wa `amiloo's-saalihaati minhum maghfiratun wa ajran `azheema.
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and those who are with him are strong against unbelievers, (but) compassionate amongst each other. You will see them bow and prostrate themselves (in prayer), seeking Grace from Allah and (His) Good Pleasure. On their faces are their marks (being) the traces of their prostration. This is their similitude in the Torah and their similitude in the Gospel is like a seed which sends forth its blade, then makes it strong, it then becomes thick, and it stands on its own stem, (filling) the sowers with wonder and delight. As a result, it fills the unbelievers with rage at them. Allah has promised those among them who believe and do righteous deeds forgiveness and a great reward. (Surat al-Fath, 48:29)
We cannot speak of the Prophet (s) in this month, Rabi` al-Awwal, in poetry, be it any poetry of human beings written by poets, because it is not equal; all of it with all its beauty is not equal to one verse of Allah (swt) praising the Prophet (s)! And if all the praises of human beings, jinn and angels are collected together it is not going to be equal to one salawaat on the Prophet (s) by Allah (swt)! So our brothers and sisters everywhere, the nation of Muhammad (s), we are asking, “Yaa Rabbee, all of us to be drawn and diving in the ocean of Sayyidina Muhammad (s) as he is our safety to Paradise.” If all these salawaat were accumulated, it is not going to be but a drop in an ocean, if it were a drop, but Allah gave us a way to be able to approach the Prophet (s), to be able to be in his presence, to be able for him to look at us, because if we are dirty no one looks at us. By ourselves we are not perfect, so I don't use the word ‘dirty’ as people might say, “Why do you use that word?” So we are not perfect, not complete, but Allah gave us something that He said, “If you do that, I will give you something special.”
What is that? It doesn't take two seconds to say it, and if you do, Allah gives you what ma laa aynun ra'at wa laa udhunun sami`at wa laa khatar `ala qalbi bashar, “Something no eyes have seen, no ears have heard and never it came to your heart.” What did He give us? Prayers? No, we have to pray, there is no minna; don't say, “I am making a favor to You, yaa Rabbee, by praying,” as that is not true. Fasting? No, you have to fast, you are under obligation. Today when I was coming in they said, “Don't go on this side, go on this side.” Can you come against the order? I will go on side the imaam wants me to go, as it was red carpet so it was better. (Laughter) But as it is written that this is a door for fire exit or that door is for fire exit, if you don't write “Fire Exit” you cannot use the masjid, as it has no door with a fire exit. With all our prayers and fasting it is no favor, but Allah (swt) says, “Do one favor for Me and I will drown you with My love,” one small favor, which takes two or three minutes. What is it?
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
Inna-Llaaha wa malaa'ikatahu yusalloona `ala 'n-nabiyy, yaa ayyuha ’Lladheena aamanoo salloo `alayhi wa sallimoo tasleema.
Verily, Allah and His angels send praise on the Prophet. O Believers! Pray upon him and greet him.
(Surat al-Ahzaab, 33:56)
Yaa ayyuhalladheena aamanoo salloo 'alayhi wa sallimoo tasleema! It is easy to do it and not easy to evaluate what you get for it! Allah’s salawaat on the Prophet (s) raised him to Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa.
قُلْ إِن كُنتُمْ تُحِبُّونَ اللّهَ فَاتَّبِعُونِي يُحْبِبْكُمُ اللّهُ وَيَغْفِرْ لَكُمْ ذُنُوبَكُمْ وَاللّهُ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ
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)
Allah (swt) is saying to them, “Say to them, ‘qul in kuntum...’” Allah (swt) wants us to follow Muhammad (s), because when you follow Sayyidina Muhammad (s) then you will be rewarded with rewards no one can imagine what you are getting! And Allah said, “I and My angels are making salawaat on My Prophet.” (33:56)
O young men! You have more time than us, we are finished. You have time, so open your eyes and your ears! Don’t fall into big mistakes as we did. Alhamdulillah, you have imams and `ulama, teachers, so follow the right way. My advice to you is to do excessive salawaat on the Prophet (s). Don’t fall into mistakes, young men! Follow scholars and `ulama and do excessive salawaat on the Prophet (s). Why? Because Prophet (s) said, “Whoever makes one salawaat on me, I will give ten.” We have to stop here, let’s think. One salawaat I make and we get ten, ten of which, is it equal? It means Allah’s salawaat on you will dress you with features of Prophet (s)! (Takbeer.) Allah does not want Ummat an-Nabi (s) to be different on the Day of Judgment, Allah wants them to be dressed with the Light of Muhammad (s). Allah will send ten rewards and His Greatness cannot be compared to anything, so His salawaat will have no beginning and no end, He will give you as mentioned:
إِنَّا أَعْطَيْنَاكَ الْكَوْثَرَ
Inna `ataynaka al-kawthar.
To you We have granted the Fount (of Abundance). (Surat al-Kawthar, 108:1)
“We dressed you with all Our Beautiful Names and Manifestations that We did not dress anyone.” So when you do one salawaat, you get an abundant fountain that cannot be described. Who can describe Prophet (s)? They wrote shama’il, description of the features, but is this the one? This is the Mirror of Reflections of All Creations that come through him, because he is the one Allah has sent, as Allah created the Light of Muhammad before all Creation. And this is authentic, there is a book we compiled that has confirmed the hadith from different scholars of Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah, that everything was created from the Light of Sayyidina Muhammad (s).
اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ
Allahu nooru ’s-samaawaati wa ’l-ard.
Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth. (Surat an-Noor, 24:35)
Allah (swt) created Muhammad from His Noor; from His Beautiful Name “an-Noor,” He created Muhammad from that noor. So if you take a cup of water and put your finger in it and you put that drop back, it is no more, it is all disappeared, just as the light goes back to its origin:
إنَّا لله و إنَّا إليه راجعون
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji`oon.
To Allah we belong and unto Him we return. (Surat al-Baqara, 2:156)
That Light we are created from is the Light of Sayyidina Muhammad (s), so we go back to our origin. Our origin is that Light that Allah put in a Lamp: mathalu noorihi, “The example of His Light, ka-mishkaatin feehaa misbaahun,” He is giving an example. “It is like a bundle of Lights and within it there is a Lamp, al-misbaahu fee zujaajatin.” (24:35) That is Lightening giving Light, (it is) Diyaa ash-Shaams. Qamar, the Moon has noor, but diyaa is something shining like a spring; the water falls from that sun that is shining, that we call “diyaa.” It makes everything in a moment like day time.
That Light that was in the Presence of Allah, that Allah created as a servant to Him, must be complete; it cannot have nuksan in it as it is pure. Allah put that Light in a Lamp, in a Crystal that cannot be described: az-zujaajatu ka-annahaa kawkabun durriyy, “This Glass is like a planet that is created completely from pearls, durriyy, that is always given Light,” as it is so white, shining.
Kawkabun is a planet and there are planets bigger than this galaxy. Of 6,000 galaxies, one has eighty-billion stars, kawkab, and every planet is bigger than the Solar System and these are scientists words, not mine. If our galaxy is comprised of eighty-billion stars and it is the smallest, what do you think about other galaxies? And this kawkab that Allah describes is bigger than these 6,000 galaxies. So you cannot limit the Light of Allah from which He created the Light of Prophet; you cannot have limitation. Kawkab durriyy covers the whole universe and the evidence is Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, he penetrated all these universes. It is not within the Heavens; the Seven Heavens are separate, the universe is separate. And now they are saying there are one-million galaxies.
This whole universe with its galaxies are moving constantly and they don't know where it is going. All of us are moving at 300,000 km/second, to where we don't know. Prophet (s) passed them all and he gave evidence in Holy Qur’an:
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَى بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلاً مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ
مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ البَصِيرُ
Subhaan-alladhee asraa bi `abdihi laylan min al-masjid al-haraam ila 'l-masjidi 'l-aqsaa 'Lladhee baaraknaa hawlahu li-nooriyahu min ayaatinaa innahu huwa ‘s-samee`u 'l- baseer.
Glory be to He Who transported His servant by night from the Inviolable House of Worship (at Mecca) to the Remote House of Worship (at Jerusalem), the environs of which We had blessed so that We might show him some of Our symbols, for verily He Alone is All-Hearing, All-Seeing.
(Surat al-Israa’, 17:1)
He saw all the caravans; it means when he was moving he was able to see everything with his eyes, so he was passing all these universes and continuing to a place we cannot describe because there is no place that can contain Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, it can’t be. There is no place Allah can be; no one can contain Him and no one can describe Him! So Prophet (s) reached where Jibreel could not reach, that was ha'd, the limit, and Jibreel could not go. Do you think he went alone? When Prophet (s) said, “Ummati, ummati,” on the day he was born, during his life, when he was leaving this world, and he will say it on the Day of Judgment, will he leave the ummah behind? Imagine that for one salawaat, Allah (swt) will dress you with Noor an-Nabi (s); people will look at you and you will become a spotlight at that time!
Do more salawaat. Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa is “Two bows of an arrow or less,” less than what? “Two bows” we understand, but what is less? There is no form there as Prophet (s) went with his physical body, which shows the greatness of Prophet (s). Allah (swt) dressed him to be able to move in the universe and Heavens and to reach where He wants in his physical body. (Takbeer) That is why Imam Nawawi (q) has mentioned that Prophet (s) saw Allah (swt) “with the eyes of his head,” to cut down everyone in his time saying that he only went with his ruh, his soul, not his body. He went all the way there and less. Allah knows how much ‘less’ is and as much less and less, still that ‘less’ will never finish, it will continue! If you are moving on this podium, you move and you are approaching, then another horizon comes, then there is another ‘less,’ like you see another horizon on the ocean, and another horizon. It means another ocean of knowledge: “Come My servant, approach as much as you want, I am giving, come and (keep) coming.” And Prophet (s) is moving non-stop until today. (Takbeer)
If you say he stopped, you are going to be in a problem! Prophet (s) is in continuous Mi`raaj and for everyone of his ummah he is giving a drop, if we can say, to move in Mi`raaj, and also for those who are making salawaat on him, because Allah (swt) said:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا صَلُّوا عَلَيْهِ وَسَلِّمُوا تَسْلِيمًا
Inna-Llaaha wa malaa'ikatahu yusalloona `ala 'n-nabiyy, yaa ayyuha ’Lladheena aamanoo salloo `alayhi wa sallimoo tasleema.
Verily, Allah and His angels send praise on the Prophet. O Believers! Pray upon him and greet him him with a worthy salutation. (Surat al-Ahzaab, 33:56)
“I will give you ten and My ten is not like your one. My one has no beginning, and no end of rewards. Yours has a beginning and an end and it will disappear, but I will keep it with Me for you to dress you from the shama’il an-Nabi (s). So I will dress you from khuluq of Prophet (s),” and his khuluq was Holy Qur’an, so Allah will dress you with the meaning of the Holy Qur’an when you do salawaat on Prophet (s)!
O Muslims! Be happy that Allah gave us this honor that He didn't give to anyone else! Sayyidina Adam (a) ate from the Forbidden Tree for us not to eat from hundreds of trees every day! Sayyidina Adam ate, Allah made him to eat, it was Allah’s Iradah, His Will. He said, “Don't eat,” and was trying him. … “Why You gave him this big test?” But he ate and immediately went into sajda, what some ahadith say was for forty days and others say forty years, until there were tears from his eyes like rivers and with every drop he was asking forgiveness for Ummat an-Nabi (s)! He covered them all from beginning to end, then Allah (swt) said, “Raise your head.” That is why Adam will come to Prophet (s) with a gift, because he asked forgiveness on their behalf.
O Believers! If you knew what Allah is keeping for you because of your love to Prophet (s), for that love you would leave this dunya and run to the mountains and forests and not bother with anything! Do excessive salawaat on Prophet (s) and don’t be lazy about it as there is nothing more beneficial. Your prayers, fasting, zakaat, Hajj and tawheed are an obligation, but salawaat is sunnah. It is Allah’s recommendation: “If you want to do it, I will give you what you cannot imagine.” If you don’t want to do it, it is up to you, but you are from Ummat an-Nabi (s) so angels will do it instead of you. Why are angels making salawaat, for themselves? It is for Ummat an-Nabi (s)! Those who are making salawaat on Nabi (s) will be dressed with salawaat of angels.
Can you count angels? Now they are being created, and in the future they will be created, non-stop. If you say they are no more created, that is haraam, because they are continuously being created and all of them are doing salawaat. The ayah is clear. Inna-Llaaha wa malaa'ikatahu yusalloona `ala 'n-nabiyy, yaa ayyuha ’Lladheena aamanoo salloo `alayhi wa sallimoo tasleema. They have a beginning because Allah is the Only One with no beginning, but they are going to be continuous without end just as human beings and jinn have a beginning, but will be ever-lasting, either in Jannah or Jahannum.
So angels have a beginning but no end and to whom is their salawaat given? It is given to you, Ummat an-Nabi (s). There is a lot that can be said, but the most important thing for us is that there is one characteristic of Prophet (s) that we all have to learn. I am sorry to say we all fall into the trap of Shaytan. Prophet (s) was the most humble. He never said no, he never asked, he never complained, he never criticized, he was the Perfect One. When you are perfect you can rise, like Sayyidina Jalaluddin Rumi (q), who whirled. Why did he whirl? Because he was focusing and he reached a level where he became one of the biggest saints, such that gravity could not pull him down. We stand because gravity pulls us down, otherwise we would be flying. So when gravity stops it means the form disappears in you and the soul appears, there is no gravity pulling the form, but Heavens are pulling the soul so you rise up! When Sayyidina Jalaluddin Rumi was whirling, his form disappeared and he didn’t see it anymore, he was in his soul that was bringing him up. Today you keep whirling and whirling until you get tired and when you stop you are still in your place without rising, so first you must put behind your bad characteristics and throw them in the dustbin. In other words, you throw away your self! Can anyone do that? That is what is needed.
There was a big shaykh and one of his students who was a big `alim came and said, “O my shaykh! I have been with you for 27 years, I am an `alim and I served you and did everything possible, but I have one question.” In tariqah there is no question; if you have a question you have doubt, just as in university you have a lot of questions that makes the teacher run away! So he came and said, “O my shaykh! I have been with you 27 years and I can never see what cannot be seen, as Prophet (s) said in the hadith:
ولا يزال عبدي يتقرب إلي بالنوافل حتى أحبه، فإذا أحببته كنت سمعه الذي يسمع به وبصره الذي يبصر به، ويده التي يبطش بها ورجله التي يمشي بها،
Man `ada lee waliyan aadhantahu bi ’l-harb wa maa taqarraba ilayya `abdee bi-shayyin ahabba ilayya mimmaa aftaradtu `alayhi wa maa yazaalu `abdee yataqarabu ilayya bi’ n-nawaafil hatta uhibbah. Fa idhaa ahbaabtahu kuntu sama`uhulladhee yasma`u bihi wa basarahulladhee yubsiru bihi, wa yadahulladhee yabtishu bihaa wa rijlahullatee yamshee bihaa....
My servant does not cease to approach Me through voluntary worship until I will love him. When I love him, I will become the ears with which he hears, the eyes with which he sees, the hand with which he acts, and the legs with which he walks (and other versions include, “and the tongue with which he speaks.”)… (Hadith Qudsi, Bukhari)
“So with all this I have a problem. What I can do to see?” This was arrogance.
The shaykh said, “Okay, I have a cure for you, go do that and come back to me.”
“What is that?”
“Go to the market and get a big basket, not the smaller one, but the biggest one and fill it with walnuts and stand by the masjid door. To everyone coming in, give him your shoes to beat you on your head. Say to them, ‘I will give you a walnut if you beat me. If you beat me two times I will give two walnuts, if you beat me three times I will give three walnuts.”
He said, “O my shaykh, I am the `alim I am the Sufi Sahib ...’”
The shaykh said, “Yes, don’t say anything, do it! If you don’t do it, don’t ask for anything. Your arrogance is killing you, and there can be no arrogance here. You have to be humble or you will get no amaanat from me.”
He didn't do it, he left. So what we need to do is be humble: to our parents, to our children and to our wives. Don't slap your wife or vice versa, sometimes both sides come and you have to know the story. Prophet (s) never raised his hand to anyone. When Sayyidina Abu Bakr (r) raised his hand to Sayyida `Aisha (r) because she said something not nice to Prophet (s), Prophet (s) said, “What are you doing? Stop that.” Nowhere is it recorded that Prophet (s) raised his hand against anyone! So, O young ones, our duty is to be humble and that means to respect each other.
Sayyidina Abayazid al-Bistami (q) said, “I always respect the young one because he has less sins than me, and I respect the old one because he has worshipped more than me,” so keep that in mind.
Wa ‘s-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh.
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