Mawlana Shaykh Hisham Kabbani
14 July 2013 Fenton Zawiya, Michigan
Fajr Suhbah
A`oodhu billahi min ash-Shaytaani 'r-rajeem. Bismillahi 'r-Rahmaani 'r-Raheem.
Nawaytu 'l-arba`een, nawaytu 'l-`itikaaf, nawaytu 'l-khalwah, nawaytu 'l-`uzlah,
nawaytu 'r-riyaadah, nawaytu 's-sulook, lillahi ta`alaa il-`azheem fee haadha 'l-masjid.
أَطِيعُواْ اللّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ الرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي الأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ
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)
O brothers and sisters, both present and absent, and viewers, listeners or leaders, as we mentioned in the previous session that Allah (swt) said in the Holy Qur'an:
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَة ٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرا
Laqad kaana lakum fee rasoolullahi uswatun hasanatun liman kaana yarjoo’Llaaha wa 'l-yawma 'l-aakhirah wa dhakara’Llaaha katheera.
Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and (who) remembers Allah often. (Surat al-Ahzaab, 33:21)
To those who would like to get Paradise in dunya, fi ‘d-dunya hasanah, to get some good in dunya and Akhirah, and to those whom their movement and goal is Allah (swt), nothing else, no desires, they have penetrated the minefield of desires and their only desire is Allah. One example of that is when Sayyidina Abu Yazid al- Bistami (q), one of the big scholars and one of the greatest saints, we don’t want to call them saints, but awliya, waliullah, as Allah (swt) described them in Holy Qur'an:
أَلا إِنَّ أَوْلِيَاء اللّهِ لاَ خَوْفٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلاَ هُمْ يَحْزَنُونَ
Alaa inna awliyaaullaahi laa khawfun `alayhim wa laa hum yahzanoon.
Behold! Verily on the Friends of Allah there is no fear, nor shall they grieve. (Surah Yunus, 10:62)
“Awliya will never be sad and will never get anything that may harm them. Allah loves them,” because they follow the footsteps of Prophet (s). So if we want, those who want Allah (swt) and those who want to be saved in the Last Days, we have to be at a level that Sayyidina Bayazid al-Bistami (q) reached in his du`a and munajaat. He was so close to the Station of Hudoorullah, meaning he had Allah’s Greatness present in his heart and in his mind. One day he asked, “Yaa Rabbee,” as everyone does:
ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ
Idoo`nee astajib lakum.
Call on Me, I will answer you. (Surat Ghaafir, 40:60)
“Ask Me, I will respond to you, I give to you,” and he was asking and saying, “Yaa Rabbee! Open for me Your Door!” Everyone’s wish and desire is for Allah to open His Door as this is the greatest pleasure, the greatest desire that you will enter, where no one entered except a few. These associations are for this reason and that is why the Sahaabah (r) were with the Prophet (s) always, in order to reach that level. So Allah (swt) kept him asking and asking, because Allah loves someone who keeps asking in ilhaa, to be persistent and to be always continuously asking Him non-stop. Even though he doesn’t see that his du`a has been responded to, Allah (swt) for sure is raising that person higher and higher until the time comes that it opens to his eyes from the Heavenly Kingdom!
So Abu Yazid (q) was asking and Allah (swt) ordered a voice from angels to say to him, “O Abayazid! You are asking for Allah to open His Door for you, He will open.” He was so happy to hear that voice; sometimes you can hear voices through your ears, but without sound coming to your heart and we call it inspiration. Allah sends messages through His Angels to everyone’s heart to correct themselves and these messengers take the responsibility to make sure that what he or she is asking for reaches Allah’s Servant.
So Abayazid (q) was asking Allah to open His Door for him and the answer came, “Yaa Abayazid, you want Our Door to be opened? No problem but on one condition, O My beloved servant!” The voice came, utruk nafsaka wa ta`al. So clear and so easy, the answer came to him in two words, “Leave yourself,” because the self always likes to associate with Allah and to say, “I did this and I did that, I am proud.” When the Prophet (s) saw the greatness of this situation, he said, “I don’t say I am this or, yaa Rabbee, don’t leave me to my self for the blink of an eye!” That is the Prophet (s), who said to us:
قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِّثْلُكُمْ
Qul innamaa anaa basharun mithlukum.
Say, "I am but a man like yourselves.” (Surat al-Kahf, 18:110)
“Say to them (O Muhammad), you are a servant, you are a human being like them,” because Prophet (s) was saying this out of humbleness to Allah’s Greatness. When Allah opens to him that door, how can he find himself there? There is no more ‘himself’ there, there is nothing there except Allah (swt), in that level. So awliyaullah and all of us like to follow, as Allah (swt) said:
لَقَدْ كَانَ لَكُمْ فِي رَسُولِ اللَّهِ أُسْوَةٌ حَسَنَة ٌ لِمَنْ كَانَ يَرْجُو اللَّهَ وَالْيَوْمَ الآخِرَ وَذَكَرَ اللَّهَ كَثِيرا
Laqad kaana lakum fee rasoolullahi uswatun hasanatun liman kaana yarjoo’Llaaha wa 'l-yawma 'l-aakhira wa dhakara’Llaaha katheera.
Indeed in the Messenger of Allah you have an excellent example for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and (who) remembers Allah often. (Surat al-Ahzaab, 33:21)
“You have in Prophet (s) a role model,” so we have the role model, but are we following it? No one is! We might struggle and all of us are trying, but we struggle in order to be able to follow the role model. Allah did not create us in this dunya for nothing, only to run after dunya! Allah created us to run...it’s a cycle: first, you were in the Presence of Allah (swt) as a soul, then Allah sent you to dunya, “Look! I have saved you as a soul in My Presence, your soul is pure. I am sending you to dunya to know My Favors on you.” If Allah would not send us to dunya, how would we know His Favors? And the biggest favor is that Allah created us, or as we said in previous sessions, we will be like `adm, not existing. Now there are Creations that are not in existence and they will be created in the future, but as long as they are non-existent they are in `adm, Absolute Nothingness. That is what all beliefs, not only Islam, run towards, to try to reach the Ocean of Nothingness, the ocean of “I am nothing and there is nothing, only the Creator.”
So Allah sent him a message, “If you want to come to Me, come! Laqad kaana lakum fee rasoolullahi uswatun hasanah, There is a role model for you already. It is open, but leave your desires then come.”
Our desires put us in problems and difficulties. Dunya desires put us in problems and difficulties and also Akhirah desires put us in a higher level of problems and difficulties, as they is more valuable. Something more valuable is more difficult to get, but something less valuable is easy to get.
Muhammad basharun wa laysa ka ‘l-bashari huwa yaaqootatun wa naasu ka ‘l-hajari.
Muhammad is a man, but not like other men! He is a gem and human beings are stones.
(Shaykh Muhammad al-Busayri, Burdat ash-Shareef)
“Muhammad (s) is a human being, but not like any other human being; he is a jewel,” and the rest are what? “Rocks, pebbles,” Muhammad al-Busayri (q) said in al-Burdah ash-Shareefah. So people of dunya collect pebbles and sell them. How many times do they go and buy them for construction in trucks and sell them cheap, of no value. Also those who collect diamonds go underground even though they know that the mine might fall on them, but they still go. What do they get? Valuable rocks.
Muhammad basharun wa laysa ka ‘l-bashari, “Muhammad (s) is a man, but not like other men!” Bal huwa yaaqootatun, “He is a gem, a jewel and the rest are rocks.” So we are running after rocks and what is the benefit? If we run after the Prophet (s), as Allah said, “Follow Muhammad (s), he is the role model, he left his desires completely,” of course Qaaba Qawsayni aw `Adnaa is open to him.
So what did Allah say to Bayazid? “Leave your desires and come! Leave what I don’t like and you don’t like. I don’t like dunya desires, I send a test for My servants so leave it.” Is it easy? Yes it is, but to step on it is not, as Shaytan will not let you.
So our responsibility, as Allah (swt) said, “You have a role model,” who said to us in many ahadeeth that will be mentioned in the coming sessions, that there are many different exits on the highway. Prophet (s) is mentioning every exit through his Sunnah, saying, “Be careful, red-flag, red light.” Be careful. So what is the hadith for? It is to polish you. Sahaabah (r) were living with the Prophet (s), so he was polishing them directly, but we are not sitting with the Prophet (s). We need to follow his Sunnah, it means through his hadith what he was teaching his Sahaabah. That is why Allah (swt) said, “Follow Muhammad (s) as he is the role model.”
What did Bayazid (q) say? Kayfa al-wusoolu ilayk, “How do we reach the Divine Presence, Your Happiness or Your Love?”
The answer came, “Leave your self and come to Me.”
And he said, “Yaa Rabbee, how can I leave my self?”
Allah (swt) said, “Don’t go too far to find obstacles, it is so easy. Make your self a dump for My servants, that self that is always trying to take you towards badness. You cannot crush it until you make yourself a dump where everyone is dumping their badness on you.”
It will crush it because it is very difficult to accept something you don’t like from someone else. No, your self immediately will want to explode on you, like a rocket full of anger! That is why in previous times they used to be more pious. Today piety is gone, so you see Shaytan’s work is too much on Ummat an-Nabi (s). Forget about other religions, we are speaking about Islam. Your desire will not allow you. That is where it is very difficult to crush it or step on it to reach the Divine Presence. It will come like an enemy against you saying, “No.” That is why we see the zhulma, darkness coming down on everyone. You see problems between husband and wife, divorce everywhere. It was less in the Muslim world previously, but now you find divorce in every house because there is no harmony, no acceptance of the other and lots of shouting.
وأوصى النبي صلى اللّه عليه وسلم أبا هريرة بوصية عظيمة فقال: يا أبا هريرة! عليك بحسن الخلق. قال أبو هريرة رضي اللّه عنه: وما حسن الخلق يا رسول اللّه؟ قال: تصل مَنْ قطعك، وتعفو عمن ظلمك، وتُعطي من حرمك
Awsaa ‘n-nabiyyu sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallim Aba Hurayrah bi-waseeyyati `azheematin fa-qaala: yaa Aba Hurayrah radiAllahu `anhu, `alayka bi-husnu ‘l-khuluq. Qaala Abu Hurayrah: wa maa hasana ‘l-khulqi yaa Rasoolullah. Qaala: tasila man qata`k, wa ta`foo `amman zhalamak, wa tu`tee man haramak.
As the Prophet (s) said to Sayyidina Abu Hurayrah (r): “You must keep good character,” and he asked, “What is the good character?” And the Prophet (s) said:
1. Tasila man qata`k, “to connect with the one who disconnected with you.” If he disconnected with you, try to be the better one who connects back.
2. Ta`foo `amman zhalamak, “To forgive the one who oppressed you,” not to come and oppress each other, but to forgive; Laqad kaana lakum fee rasoolullahi uswatun hasana, “You have the best role model in the Prophet (s).”
3. Tu`tee man haramak, “to give to the one who blocked you from getting what you like.” You see him in need of something and in the previous time he did something. For example, he stole your project from which you were going to make lot of income and behind your back made money from that. Prophet (s) said, “Never mind, give him what he needs. He tried to block you, no problem, but give him what he wants.” (Narrated by Bayhaqi)
Allahu Akbar! How do you give the one who took the bite from your mouth? That is the meaning, he snatched it from you, and the Prophet (s) is saying, “Never mind, give him what he wants.” What kind of character? No limit of ... that is why Allah (swt) said, “The Prophet (s) is a role model.” To reach the level of role model is to crush the self.
Abu Yazid (q) said, “How do I crush myself?” and the Voice said, “Make yourself a dump for My servants.” It means show humility, show humbleness for My servants; not you come like a rocket, angry from one word from your husband or wife or children as you cannot carry each other. To those who like Akhirah, that is what you have to do! Those who don’t want Akhirah, dunya is open to do what they want, but those who want Akhirah and want the Last Day and remember Allah all their life, their role model is Prophet (s)! But those who don’t believe in Akhirah and the Last Day, they have different beliefs and don’t believe in the Day of Resurrection and don’t remember Allah so much, so they have dunya; take it and go!
So Bayazid (q) made himself a dump for Allah’s servants and how did he do that? He was a scholar, so he went to a city and on the Jumu`ah prayer on the minbar, the pulpit, he said, “O people! I am coming this Jumu`ah to tell you that you have to make sajda to me!” He was putting himself in problems in order to crush his desires and he cannot crush his desire by himself. So this world is a world of kufr and it is not accepted. So what did the `ulama do? They decided to stone him. Look how far he went to crush himself, getting stoned, and the people didn't know he is doing it to carry it to become a dump for their sins. He surrendered to Allah to be killed or not through Allah’s Hands through the stoning and they were stoning him until he fainted. It is good there were no doctors at that time or they would have put too many machines and said, “No, the heart is still beating” (and the stoning would have continued)! Every century has its own ways. He fainted and they thought he died. That is Allah’s Will. He wants His servant to come to Him, He likes that. He is testing him, and so what they wanted to do with him? They threw him in the dump because what he said is kufr, so how they could make Salaat al-Janaza on him? There was no cleaning or anything, they just took him and threw him in the dump.
Then he was happy he was in that dump. For seven days he stayed unconscious and people were throwing trash on him. He opened his eyes and was looking for something to eat as he was hungry and he found nothing. Like today, when someone goes into a coma they are put in the ICU and hooked up to machines. What is the ICU going to do for you? They put machines, but if they would not then everyone would know that you only need Allah’s Support and Power; it changes the meaning. So he was looking and found a bone with a little bit of meat on it. It was smelly and full of white worms, but he still took it to eat.
One dog came and said, “Grrrrr! What are you doing in my home? What are you doing?”Grandshaykh (q) was telling the story. Allah gave Bayazid (q) the ability to know and understand the dog was saying, “This is my territory.”
Bayazid (q) said to the dog, “I am a guest in your territory, let me,” and the dog backed up.
That is a sign that animals will understand. When you crush your ego and your desires, you can understand all kinds of languages and voices that come. Whenever people open their mouth to speak, you can understand the different languages. So he stayed there some time until he recovered and then he went out. It is a long story, and then he had a problem on the boat and they accused him of things that were incorrect and many other issues, so he left. When the Sahaabah (r) heard that Allah said in Holy Qur’an that they have a role model in the Prophet (s), what did they do? Why are they called “Sahaabah.” They made suhbah around the Prophet (s) and established friendship with him. They were around him like soldiers, whatever Prophet (s) said was an order and they immediately complied.
Allah (swt) said:
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)
“If you really love Allah, follow me,” but follow in what? Follow in the role mode, and what is that? It is wisdom, as we mentioned in the previous sessions. The Sahaabah (r) began to acquire wisdom by sitting with the Prophet (s) daily, and we can say it is like when a child sees his mother and father, where does he run and sit? In their lap. They were described as “sitting in the lap of Prophet (s).” Fanasha’a fee ahdaanihi jeelun tahalla bi afdali ‘l-akhlaaq, “It came to appear now a new generation that has been decorated with the best of manners,” because they were raised in the lap of the Prophet (s).
Do you want to be raised in the lap of the Prophet (s)? Leave yourself and come to him! He will take you to Allah (swt). So because of that Allah gave the Sahaabah (r) the best of akhlaaq; their character was to run away from evilness or evil-doers and leave all kinds of bad characteristics. There are 800 forbiddens, bad characteristics in us as awliyaullah say, and Holy Qur'an mentioned them and in their hearts that was all cleared. That is why Allah said, “Let it be known that anna feekum rasoolullah, “The Prophet (s) is among you, with you and in you,” and because, “You are in the lap of the Prophet (s), Allah made you to love imaan, faith.” It means they didn’t have faith before, until they were in the lap of the Prophet (s), growing. That is why Allah (swt) said:
وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ فِيكُمْ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ لَوْ يُطِيعُكُمْ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْرِ لَعَنِتُّمْ وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ أُوْلَئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ
W`alamoo anna feekum rasoolullaahi law yutee`ukum fee katheerin min al-amri la-`anittum wa laakinna’Llaaha habbaba ilaykumu’l-imaana wa zayyanahu fee quloobikum wa karraha ilaykumu ’l-kufra wa ’l-fusooqa wa ’l-`isyaana oolaaika humu’r-raashidoon.
And know Allah's Messenger is in you. If he were to obey you in much of the matter, you would be in difficulty, but Allah has endeared to you the faith and has made it pleasing in your hearts and has made hateful to you disbelief, defiance and disobedience. Those are the (rightly) guided.
(Surat al-Hujuraat, 49:7)
So because you follow the role model, `uswatun hasanah, Allah made them to be raised in the lap of the Prophet (s) and dressed you. What did He dress us with? He dressed the Sahaabah (r) with imaan, faith. It is not easy to be dressed with faith. It is like the neighbor of Sayyidina Musa (a) who believed in him and accepted him. One time he said to Sayyidina Musa (a), “Next time you go to Toor Sina, ask Allah to grant me imaan as I don’t have it.”
Sayyidina Musa (a) said, “How do you not have imaan when you believe in me?”
He said, “No, that is not enough, yaa Musa, ask Allah (swt).”
Sayyidina Musa (a) went to Toor Sina and asked, “Yaa Rabbee, my neighbor is asking for imaan.”
Allah said, “Go tell him I am sending him imaan.”
Sayyidina Musa (a) went back to his neighbor and knocked at the door and there was no answer. He tried again, but no answer, so he opened the door and saw his neighbor sitting still, not moving at all. He was in a heavenly coma.
Musa (a) said, “Yaa Rabb! What is this? I asked for imaan for him, You made him finished.” A
Allah replied, “That is one dharra, one atom's weight of the imaan that Prophet (s) is carrying in the Last Days that I sent to him and he is in a haal, trance!”
So the Sahaabah (r) were raised in the lap of Prophet (s) and Allah said, “I gave them imaan.” He not only gave to them, but wa zayyanahu fee quloobikum, “He decorated their heart with it.” Wa karraha ilaykumu ’l-kufra wa’l-fusooqa wa’l-`isyaana, “and made them disgusted by all forms of kufr, unbelief, corruption and disobedience.” So they were obedient, not corrupted, but good servants of Allah (swt). Oolaaika humu’r-raashidoon, “Those are the wise ones.”
We will leave it here. Next inshaa-Allah we will discuss the best three centuries.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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