Suhbah at Zawiyah Haqqul Mubiin
(Translated from Arabic)
As-salaamu `alaykum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatuh! Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah, Who has gathered us for another time in this country and Who has honored us to be under your hospitality, under the hospitality of the Habaa'ib (Sayyids) of the Yemeni people who were honored by our Prophet (s) when he said:
اللهم بارك لنا في شامنا، اللهم بارك لنا في يمننا،
Allahumma baarik lanaa fee shaaminaa. Allahumma baarik lanaa fee yamaninaa.
O Allah, bless us in our Sham! O Allah, bless us in our Yemen. (Sahih Bukhari, #990)
This honor and respect is a sign of the love of Prophet (s) for the people of Yemen, and you are from the descendants of the Prophet (s) from Yemen, and we are honored to be with you. First what we say is, “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem,” and first we say, “Ash-hadu an laa ilaaha illa-Llah”and creation began with “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” and the first that Holy Qur'an began with is:
اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ
Iqraa bismi Rabbik.
Read! In the Name of your Lord. (Surat al-`Alaq, 96:1)
“Bismi Rabbik,” is “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem.” Prophet (s) said that whatever matter does not begin with “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem” is fruitless. So all of you say, “Bismillahi 'r-Rahmani 'r-Raheem, w‘alhamdullillahi to Him Who honored us with the Beloved, the Chosen One, as he is the source of all Knowledge, Light and Realities from whom all Realities spring forth, all Lights emanate, and with his Light Realities shine! He is our Prophet, the Chosen One!
Knowledge is not acquired by learning, it is acquired by the Shaykh pouring into the servant’s heart. Knowledge comes from Allah to His Messenger and from His Messenger to the heart of the servant directly, without means or a door keeper, as the Prophet (s) said:
أنا مدينة العلم و علي بابها
Anaa madinatu 'l-`ilmi wa `Aliyyun baabuha.
I am the City of Knowledge and `Ali is its Door (or Gate). (al-Haakim, Tirmidhi)
Once the door is open knowledge will pour continuously and that one’s heart will be connected to the Messenger (s), and he will enter into his City of Knowledge. Knowledge is not acquired by ‘he said, she said,’ nor through letters (or titles such as ‘PhD’ attached to one’s name); true knowledge comes from Divine Light that is poured in the servant’s heart by the blessing of the Prophet (s), and he is the means to it. Prophet’s knowledge cannot be described or known. He (s) passed knowledge to his awliya as an inheritance from heart to heart. Real knowledge is Divine Inspiration directly from Allah (swt) through the barakah of the Prophet (s), as Allah said:
فَأَلْهَمَهَا فُجُورَهَا وَتَقْوَاهَا
Fa alhamahaa fujoorahaa wa taqwaahaa.
He inspired the self of its good (piety) and its bad (rebelliousness). (Surat ash-Shams, 91:8)
He did not inspire through letters. This means when knowledge enters the heart you learn it without letters (studying books), which is why when you see a vision in your sleep you do not see it in letters, it comes to you as inspiration and not through connected letters that form words. In the dream you see the action, and that knowledge comes by the blessing of the Prophet (s). What does, “He inspired the self with its taqwaa and its “rebelliousness” mean? To be inspired to rebelliousness means to leave Islam, religion, prayer. That is ilhaam fujoor, the inspiration to rebelliousness. And to be inspired to piety means to have more love for Allah (swt) and His Prophet (s).
For awliya, because of the continuous knowledge coming to their hearts, rebelliousness is to leave the love of the Prophet (s), and therefore, any gathering that does not include remembrance of the Prophet (s) is rebelliousness, which is unacceptable for them. Also for awliya, taqwaa, piety is when they decorate their gatherings mentioning Prophet (s) and thus they leave rebelliousness for piety, which is to enter the Ocean of Prophet’s Love and Knowledge!
When the Bedouin asked the Prophet (s), “When is the Hour, O Prophet of Allah?” the Prophet (s) asked him, “What did you prepare for that Day?” and the Bedouin said, “I did not prepare much of prayer and fasting, but only love of Allah and you!” The Prophet (s) informed him, “You will be resurrected with the one you love!” Does it mean he will be resurrected with Prophet (s) on Judgment Day or does it mean he will be with Prophet (s) in every moment? By Allah’s Greatness and Generosity, He inspired and revealed to His Prophet (s), “The one who loves you, My Beloved Muhammad, is with you always!”
This is similar to Allah’s (swt) saying:
أَنَا جَلِيْسُ مَنْ ذَكَرَنِي
Anaa jaleesu man dhakaranee.
I sit with him who remembers me. (Ahmad, Bayhaqi)
“Similarly, you (Muhammad) are with those who love you all the time.” Allahu Akbar! (Mawlana and attendees stand.) Yaa Sayyidee! Yaa Rasoolullah! O my Master, O Rasoolullah! You are Mercy to the Worlds! Save us, O Prophet (s) of Allah! Save us, O Beloved of Allah! Praise the Prophet (s)! (All sit.)
The honor of a place is measured by the one that occupies it, the measure of a spiritual station is due to the one that resides in it, and the honor of this life and the next is with the one whom Allah (swt) honored! Allah is not in need of honor as He is the Most Honored One and He created honor! On the other hand, we need honor, and the honor of a place is by those present there, and this is a gathering for Sayyidina Muhammad (s), so it is our honor to be present in this gathering!
Regarding Sayyida Maryam (a), Allah (swt) said in Holy Qur’an:
كُلَّمَا دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا زَكَرِيَّا الْمِحْرَابَ وَجَدَ عِندَهَا رِزْقاً قَالَ يَا مَرْيَمُ أَنَّى لَكِ هَـذَا قَالَتْ هُوَ مِنْ عِندِ اللّهِ إنَّ اللّهَ يَرْزُقُ مَن يَشَاء بِغَيْرِ حِسَابٍ هُنَالِكَ دَعَا زَكَرِيَّا رَبَّهُ قَالَ رَبِّ هَبْ لِي مِن لَّدُنْكَ ذُرِّيَّةً طَيِّبَةً إِنَّكَ سَمِيعُ الدُّعَاء
Kullamaa dakhala `alayhaa zakariyya al-mihraaba wajada `indahaa rizqa. qaala yaa maryamu anna laki haadha qaalat huwa min `indillaahi inna Allaha yarzuqu man yashaa'u bi-ghayri hisaab. Hunaalika da`a Zakariyya Rabbahu qaala Rabbee hab lee min ladunka dhurriyyatan tayyibatan innaka samee`u ’d-du`a.
Whenever he (Zakariyya) entered her prayer niche, he found with her provision. He said, "O Mary! From where does this come to you?" She said, "From Allah, for Allah provides sustenance to whom He pleases without measure." There did Zakariyya pray to his Lord, saying, "O my Lord! Grant me from You a progeny that is pure, for You are He that hears prayer!” (Surat Aali-`Imraan, 3:37,38)
And so that niche, the mihraab, became holy by the presence of Sayyida Maryam (a). From there Zakariyya called on his Lord and Allah answered his call and granted him a child. So what do you think about the blessing of a place where the Prophet (s) is mentioned? Because of Maryam (a), a place was holy and prayers were answered there, so what about a place where the Prophet (s) is mentioned? Can any du`a, any love or greeting be rejected in such a gathering? More than that, what about the Prophet’s Rawdah, Mihraab, Minbar, his Maqaam and Holy Grave? Do these places become holy because Prophet (s) is present there? All of these places become holy by his presence!
O Sayyidina Musa (a)! O Believers! O Muslims! O Righteous Scholars! O Habaa'ib (descendants of the Prophet [s])! There is no way to describe the Station of the Prophet (s), except with some manifestations, breaths, inspirations or breezes that come to hearts of awliyaullah and from awliyaullah to us! Sayyidina Musa (a) was ordered to go to the Holy Valley of Toowaa as an honor for him, where Allah (swt) said to him, “Take off your shoes, you are in the Holy Valley of Toowaa. You cannot come to My Presence wearing your shoes!” Although it was a station of honor for Musa (a), Allah still ordered him remove his shoes, although that honored place was in dunya. As for the Prophet (s), when he reached the Station of Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, Allah (swt) did not ask him to take off his shoes; rather, that Station was honored by the shoes of the Prophet (s)! As many scholars said, including Imam Nawawi (r) in Sharh Sahih Muslim, “The Prophet (s) saw his Lord with the eyes of his head,” and there is no way for any other interpretation. The Prophet (s) saw his Lord in the way that Allah wanted him to see, with the eyes of his head! That was an honor for the Prophet (s) alone.
But why was the Prophet (s) called to visit the Heavens; what was the wisdom behind that? Before I answer this, I want to say that Allah ordered Sayyidina Musa (a) to remove his sandals that were made from donkey hides, and donkeys represent ignorance. Allah (swt) was signalling to Sayyidina Musa (a), “Don’t come to me with your ignorance!” Therefore, He sent him to Sayyidina Khidr (a), although Sayyidina Musa (a) is one of the Five Great Prophets, Oolu ’l-`Azam (Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus (a) and Muhammad [s]), and from those with determination. As Muhyiddin ibn `Arabi (q) explains this verse, Allah (swt) told him, “O Sayyidina Musa (a)! Leave your ignorance!” Leaving his sandals indicates leaving his ignorance, which is not like our ignorance; here it points to something else, that Allah said to him, “You want to come to Me? The door is open, only leave your ego!” The ego is ignorance, so don’t be happy with yourself. Allah did not order the Prophet (s) to remove his shoes because he had no ego, pride, arrogance or any worldly obstacles, so Allah (swt) let Prophet (s) draw near Him.
Allahumma salli `alaa Sayyidina Muhammad, wa `alaa aalihi Sayyidina Muhammad! O Messenger of Allah! You are Mercy to all Mankind and Intercessor of the Sinful! Allah is possessive; He does not like to have partners and He has no partners! About the heart, He (swt) said:
ما وسعني أرضي ولا سمائي ولكن وسعني قلب عبدي المؤمن
Maa wasi`anee ardee wa laa samaa'ee wa laakin wasi`anee qalbi `abdee al-mu'min.
Neither My Heavens nor My Earth contain Me, but the heart of My believing servant contains Me.
(Hadith Qudsi, Al-Ihya of Imam al-Ghazali)
In the heart only one fits, not two. That is why when Sayyidina Ibraheem (a) had love of two in his heart, of Allah (swt) and his son Isma`eel (a), Allah wanted to teach him a lesson and said to him, “Yaa Ibraheem! Slaughter your son for Me.” Allah tested him with the order to slaughter his son, then told him:
وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ
Wa fadaynaahu bi-dhibhin `azheem.
We ransomed him with a tremendous sacrifice. (Surat as-Saffaat, 37:107)
Similarly Allah (swt) tested Sayyidina Ya`qoob (a), because his love for Sayyidina Yusuf (a) dwelt in his heart with his love for Allah. Allah (swt) is over His Servant and He is not pleased if His Servant’s heart is occupied with other than Himself. That is why Allah (swt) took his son away from him for 35 years, until he became blind and realized his mistake, then Allah (swt) reunited Yusuf (a) with him. The Prophet (s) had no other in his heart except Allah (swt), which is why he was invited to Allah’s Divine Presence as he had no partners in his heart. He is the only true muwahhid and the highest example for all Prophets and Servants in Maqaam at-Tawheed, the Station of Unity! May Allah (swt) grant us to enter this station!
Glorifying the Prophet (s) is an obligation on every Muslim that also raises one’s level. Glorifying the Prophet (s) is Allah’s Order on every servant, every angel, every jinn, for the Heavens, the Earths and the skies! As we said at the beginning, the honor of a place is according to the one inhabiting it, and glorifying the place according to the one present there is to glorify that honor, the station Prophet (s) is in. So as he is present in Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, it is our duty to glorify him! He is an honor for us and for the Prophets, and he is Light upon Light, from whom all Creation takes, as Imam Busayri (q) said, “All creation is taking from the Messenger of Allah, some in small portions and some in larger portions.” He did not say, “They are taking from Allah,” although his duty was to say, “Everyone is taking from Allah in small and large portions.” He is honoring the Prophet (s) because Imam Busayri (q) saw into that Station of Prophethood, as Allah honored him with Maqaam at-Tawheed, which is why he said, “Everyone is taking from the Prophet (s).” It means Maqaam at-Tawheed, the Station of Unity, cannot be known without the Prophet (s) because he saw his Lord with the eyes of his head, and he knew his place and station with Allah (swt), and he knew why Allah honored him with His Generosity by creating his Light before creating Creation, because Prophet (s) is an honor for all Heavens! Allah created him before He created anything else, because He honored him with all Creation, and He honored Creation with him;l because of him Creation became! That is why al-Busayri (q) understood the greatness of Prophet (s), because he witnessed it from Rasoolullah (s) with his eyes and he knew Creation takes everything from Prophet (s), through whom Creation makes tawheedullah azza wa jal!
Look at Abu Lahab, whose punishment in Hellfire Allah reduces every Monday because he was happy at the birth of Sayyidina Muhammad (s). For this small, simple happiness he freed his slave Thuwayba, and for that reason Allah (swt) eases his punishment. So what about a Muslim, a believer or a wali, who spends his entire time praising the Prophet (s)? In every salaat, in every gathering of dhikr, and in every gathering of praise to the Prophet (s)?
O Servants of Allah! O Scholars of Ahlu ’s-Sunnah wa ’l-Jama`ah! What do you think Allah will do with the Lovers of Prophet (s)? He will honor them by putting them with the Prophet (s), as He (swt) said, “I am with the one who remembers Me.” Similarly, the Prophet (s) is present with those who remember him (s) by praising him with salawaat! Allahumma salli `alaa ‘n-Nabi! Gatherings of dhikr include praising the Prophet (s), and what is the dhikr gathering of angels? Every group of angels has a separate Majlis adh-Dhikr, dhikr gathering, that are our dhikr gatherings, because their gathering is to visit the Majlis adh-Dhikr of the People of dhikr! Allah (swt) ordered them to praise the Prophet (s) continuously and, therefore, their lives and their power is from their praise of the Prophet (s). They do not rest for a moment and their entire lives are spent fulfilling the order of Allah (swt):
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)
Praising Prophet (s) is their life! So the question is, were the Heavens honored by the presence of the Prophet (s) or was he honored by the Heavens? Did the Heavens, the place of angels, take honor from the Prophet (s) or did the Prophet take his honor from the Heavens? Allah wanted to inform the angels and every other Creation in Heaven, “I will honor you with My Beloved Mustafa (s) and I will bring him not only to the Paradises, but near the Station of Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa, which is beyond the Paradises!”
Allah (swt) knows best where Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa is and where the Paradises are; they are outside the limits of this universe, which, according to the knowledge of biology and physics, is limitless. This universe is moving as one at the speed of 300,000 km/s, all together, to a place no one knows, and the Prophet (s) penetrated it with the Buraaq (a)! Now they want to go into space; they use rockets or the Space Shuttle, using nuclear fuel to push them into space. What Divine Power did Allah put in the Buraaq to transport Prophet (s) to the Station in Paradises? What was that power? Can we imagine it? Awliyaullah say that power is salawaat on the Prophet (s), which is an order from Allah to all the angels and Buraaq (a) is from the angels, and he could not move without the Prophet’s (s) order. Therefore, every angel takes its power from the Prophet (s)!
Wa kullun min rasoolillahi multamisan.
Everything is taking from the Presence of the Prophet (s).
All servants and the angels are taking from the Messenger (s); Allah (swt) sends to the Prophet (s) and he distributes. So Servants of Allah! Have piety and glorify your Prophet (s), otherwise you will never be successful. His is the Station of Honor; do not speak of your own honor if you do not glorify the Prophet (s) as that is completely unacceptable! That is why Sayyidina `Ali (r) recited this salawaat:
صَلَواتُ اللهِ تعالى ومَلائِكَتِهِ وأنبيائه ورَسُلِهِ وجَميعِ خَلْقِهِ على مُحَمِّدٍ وعلى آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، عليه وعليهمُ السَّلامُ ورَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعالى وبَرَكاتُهُ
Salawaatullaahi wa malaa’ikatihi wa anbeeyaaihi wa rusulihi wa jami`ee khalqihi `alaa Muhammadin wa `alaa aali Muhammad `alayhi wa `alayhimu s-salaam wa rahmatullaahi ta`aalaaa wa barakaatuh.
Blessings of Allah Almighty, of His Angels, of His Prophets, of His Messengers, and all Creation be upon Muhammad and the Family of Muhammad; may the Peace and Mercy of Allah Almighty and His Blessings be upon him and upon them!
Sayyidina `Ali (r) said, “If all the salawaat of all Creation was gathered together, the reward of this salawaat is equal to their reward!”
This salawaat we just recited is as if you recited all salawaat of all the angels, all the Prophets, all the servants, and of all Creation put together! If you recite it twice, you receive two times the reward, or recite it three times and it is as if you recited all salawaat three times! So look at what Allah gave to Sayyidina `Ali (r), that is why the Prophet (a) said, “I am the City of Knowledge and `Ali is the Door.” This salawaat is the door to the Prophet (s)! Therefore, praise the Prophet (s) as much as you can. The Paradises were honored by the visit of the Prophet (s) and Allah (swt) prepared them over many years to be in the best form to receive him, not as an honor for the Prophet (s), but the Paradises were honored by his visit! Allah dressed them in the best and most beautiful of decorations for the Prophet (s) until he went up from there to the Station of Qaaba Qawsayni aw Adnaa!
Allah’s Will is to introduce His Beloved to all of His Creation; that is why He created Prophet (s) before He created anything else, as mentioned in the “hadith al-mash-shoor” of Jaabir in the Musannaf of `Abdur-Razzaq (r).
رواه عبد الرزاق بسنده عن جابر بن عبد الله بلفظ قال قلت: يا رسول الله، بأبي أنت وأمي، أخبرني عن أول شيء خلقه الله قبل الأشياء. قال: يا جابر، إن الله تعالى خلق قبل الأشياء نور نبيك من نوره،...
`An Jaabir ibn `AbdAllah bi-lafzh qaala: qultu ya Rasoolullah, bi-abee anta wa ummee, akhbarnee `ana awwala shayin khalaqahu’Llaha qabla’l-ashyaa? Qaala: ya Jaabir, inn Allaha ta`ala khalaqa qabla al-ashyaa noora nabiyyika min noorih...
When Jaabir (r) asked, “Let my father and mother be sacrificed for you, O Prophet of Allah! What is the first thing that Allah (swt) created?” the Prophet (s) said, “The first thing that Allah (swt) created is the Light of your Prophet from His Light, O Jaabir.” (Musannaf `Abdu ’r-Razzaq)
Allah created the Light of the Prophet (s) before He created anything and then He made that Light turn in the Ocean of Power, and turn, and turn, until the heavenly dust and light uncovered it. He then divided this Light into four portions: from the first portion He created the Throne; from the second portion He created the Stool, then He created the Heavens, and then the angels from the Light of the Prophet (s), then He created creation, the prophets, the creatures; this is according to hadith quoted above.
And then Allah (swt) put that Light in the Misbaah, as described in the verse:
اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ الْمِصْبَاحُ فِي زُجَاجَةٍ الزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌ دُرِّيٌّ
Allahu nooru’s-samawaati wa’l-ard. Mathalu noorihi ka-mishkaatin feehaa misbaahun al-misbaahu fee zujaajatin az-zujaajatu ka-annahaa kawkabun durriyy.
Allah is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth. The parable of His Light is as if there were a niche and within it a lamp: the lamp is in a glass, the glass like a Brilliant Star. (Surat an-Noor, 24:35)
Prophet (s) is the Lamp, whom Allah (swt) put in the heavenly Bundle of Light, and then informed the angels, “Your life is to praise the Prophet (s)”, explicitly in the verse:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى النَّبِيّ
Inna-Llaaha wa malaa'ikatahu yusalloona `ala 'n-nabiyy.
Verily, Allah and His angels send praise on the Prophet. (Surat al-Ahzaab, 33:56)
The angels never stop praising. The angels are immortal and, therefore, they praise; time does not exist for them and everything is absolute, unseen. Allah created them in that Unknown, and informed them about the Prophet (s) in that Unknown, and released them from that Unknown into the Presence of the Prophet (s), where they are truly praising the him! They were given the real Muhammadan Power, and “Who imitates a people is from them,” so therefore, if we imitate the angels we will become enlightened/illuminated, and when we become enlightened Allah (swt) will open for us from the Divine Knowledge and Manifestations. The People of Realities are from that Light, because they exited the Ocean of Darkness (this dunya) and entered the Ocean of Reality; they left the attachments of dunya and attached themselves to Prophet (s)! So good tidings to the one who is attached to the Prophet (s) as their praise becomes illuminated before them so they can penetrate the Seven Earths and the Seven Heavens, about which Allah (swt) said:
وَسَخَّرَ لَكُم مَّا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ جَمِيعًا مِّنْهُ
Wa sakhkhara lakum maa fi 's-samaawaati wa maa fi 'l-ardi jamee`an minh.
And He has subjected to you as from Him all that is in the Heavens and on Earth. (Surat al-Jathiya, 45:13)
It means Allah (swt) subjugated everything in Heavens and one Earth for those who praise Prophet (s) and entered in the circle of Prophet’s Light, i.e. the awliya. This is a Divine Order, and therefore, there is no arguing about this explanation as the verse is clear! “He subjugated” for the Sons of Adam everything in Earth and in the Heavens, but with the condition that we love and praise the Prophet (s)! If we praise him (s), then we are successful. So if we sit in the gatherings of dhikr and remember, “Allah is with the ones who remember Him,” what is greater honor than when Allah says, “I am with the one who remembers Me”? So good tidings to those who came to this gathering and to the Habaa’ib who recited these anasheed, and we shall, inshaa-Allah, gather again as soon as possible.
Wa min Allahi 't-tawfeeq, bi hurmati 'l-habeeb, bi hurmati 'l-Fatihah.
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